The battlefield was silent.
Not peaceful.
Silent.
The kind of silence that came after something had already been destroyed.
The castle stood surrounded by smoke and fire. The once-blue sky had disappeared beneath enormous clouds of ash and orange light.
Broken buildings burned in the distance.
The sea was unnaturally still.
And across the battlefield, the members of Devil Horns lay scattered.
Defeated.
Mil slowly opened his eyes.
He was inside one of the castle's dorm rooms.
For a few seconds, he couldn't remember where he was.
Then—
BOOM.
The entire castle shook.
Mil immediately turned toward the window.
His expression changed.
Outside...
There was fire everywhere.
Smoke covered the horizon.
Hostiles moved through the ruined streets while the distant sky flashed orange with strange energy.
And then Mil saw him.
Junyu.
Lying motionless on the ground.
Covered in mud.
Mil's eyes widened.
MIL:
"Junyu..."
He tried to stand.
His legs gave out immediately.
THUD.
Mil collapsed onto the floor.
His body still hadn't recovered.
Every movement hurt.
But he forced himself up.
He grabbed the wall.
One step.
Then another.
His breathing became heavier.
He reached the window.
And without thinking—
He jumped.
Mil landed badly, rolled across the ground, and immediately began crawling toward Junyu.
Then he saw someone sitting nearby.
Morgan.
Calmly sitting on a rock.
Smoking.
As if nothing had happened.
As if the battlefield belonged to him.
Morgan slowly looked toward Mil.
Mil froze.
MIL:
"MORGAN!!"
Morgan raised an eyebrow.
MORGAN:
"Who are you?"
Mil struggled to breathe.
MIL:
"I... I'm the real soul of the guard who fought you."
Morgan stared at him for a moment.
Then smiled.
MORGAN:
"Oh."
He took another drag from his cigarette.
MORGAN:
"So you're the dragon wielder."
Morgan looked toward Junyu.
MORGAN:
"I must admit..."
He looked back at Mil.
MORGAN:
"You were more fun to fight than Junyu."
Mil's expression hardened.
Morgan stood.
MORGAN:
"But I defeated both of you."
He calmly dropped the cigarette onto the ground.
MORGAN:
"So, in the end..."
He crushed it beneath his shoe.
MORGAN:
"It doesn't really matter."
Mil continued crawling.
His fingers finally reached Junyu's hand.
He grabbed it.
MIL:
"Junyu..."
Nothing.
Mil shook him.
MIL:
"Junyu, wake up, bro."
Nothing.
His voice began breaking.
MIL:
"We need you."
He looked toward the battlefield.
MIL:
"Everyone needs you."
Mil's eyes filled with tears.
MIL:
"They're going to win if you don't wake up."
He tightened his grip on Junyu's hand.
MIL:
"Please..."
Morgan turned away from them.
The ocean suddenly began changing color.
Blue became orange.
Then orange became crimson.
The surface of the sea began moving upward.
One by one—
The energy ores rose from beneath the water.
Thousands of them.
Their light illuminated the entire battlefield.
The sky began flashing orange.
BOOM.
Lightning struck the ocean.
Massive whirlpools formed across the sea.
Tornadoes rose into the clouds.
The atmosphere itself seemed to bend around the energy.
At the center of the battlefield—
Something began forming.
Metal.
Energy.
Ancient-looking machinery.
A massive device slowly assembled itself in midair.
Mil stared at it.
MIL:
"What... is that?"
Morgan looked toward the machine.
For the first time, his smile disappeared.
His expression became completely serious.
MORGAN:
"It is time."
Mil forced himself onto his feet.
He could barely stand.
But he stood anyway.
MIL:
"I'll stop you."
Morgan looked at him.
Then—
BOOM.
Morgan kicked Mil across the battlefield.
Mil crashed into the ground.
MORGAN:
"No."
He walked toward the device.
MORGAN:
"You already had your chance."
Then—
Footsteps.
Smith appeared through the smoke.
His body was injured.
But he was walking.
Behind him—
Jedel crawled out from the ruins.
Dom emerged with Ton.
Lucia arrived with Katsa.
Antonie appeared with Salim.
One by one...
The members of Organization X returned.
Not one.
Not two.
All of them.
The battlefield slowly filled with their silhouettes.
Devil Horns looked around.
There were no words.
They had fought for hours.
They had given everything.
And Organization X...
Was still standing.
Salim suddenly rushed toward Junyu.
SALIM:
"JUNYU!"
Morgan moved.
One punch.
BOOM.
Salim dropped to the ground.
Morgan looked down at him.
MORGAN:
"I was holding back a little."
He looked across the battlefield.
MORGAN:
"I won't anymore."
The members of Devil Horns slowly fell.
One after another.
Katsa watched.
Her fists tightened.
KATSA:
"No..."
She looked toward Lucia.
Then toward Morgan.
Then toward the device.
KATSA:
"We can still stop them!"
She screamed—
KATSA:
"LET'S STOP THEM!"
But nobody moved.
They were exhausted.
Injured.
Broken.
Michael sat against the remains of a wall, one eye swollen from the battle.
Ikiro stood nearby, barely able to remain upright after everything he had endured.
Ton stared at the machine.
Mil couldn't even stand anymore.
And Junyu...
Still wasn't moving.
Morgan looked across the defeated crew.
Then he spoke.
His voice wasn't loud.
He didn't need it to be.
MORGAN:
"Well done."
Everyone looked toward him.
MORGAN:
"All of you."
He slowly walked past them.
MORGAN:
"You kept us busy for hours."
He stopped.
MORGAN:
"You fought harder than I expected."
A pause.
Then his voice became colder.
MORGAN:
"But you couldn't change the result."
He looked toward the device.
MORGAN:
"You tried your best."
Morgan turned back toward them.
MORGAN:
"But your best..."
He smiled faintly.
MORGAN:
"...wasn't enough."
Silence.
Those words hit harder than another attack.
Because nobody could argue.
They had lost.
Then—
Junyu moved.
His fingers pressed against the ground.
He slowly pushed himself up.
His legs shook violently.
He could barely breathe.
But he stood.
Morgan looked at him.
Junyu's eyes were tired.
But there was still something inside them.
Defiance.
JUNYU:
"I'm..."
He struggled to stay upright.
JUNYU:
"I'm not going to lose."
Morgan stared at him.
Then raised his hand.
MORGAN:
"Then lose standing."
A blast struck Junyu.
BOOM.
Junyu was thrown across the battlefield.
SALIM:
"JUNYU!"
Ton looked down.
His expression changed.
TON:
"...It's all over."
Organization X approached the device.
One by one, they placed their hands against it.
The machine began activating.
The sky turned orange.
Then pink.
Then both colors spread across the clouds like a burning sunset.
The atmosphere trembled.
A massive portal began forming above the device.
Morgan looked up.
MORGAN:
"The New World..."
The portal expanded.
MORGAN:
"...begins now."
Energy surged through the ores.
The entire island shook.
BOOOOOOM.
The sky cracked with energy.
The ground began splitting apart.
Mountains collapsed in the distance.
Buildings disappeared beneath clouds of dust.
The sea was thrown upward.
The entire country began breaking apart.
Organization X stepped toward the portal.
Morgan looked back one final time.
His eyes met Junyu's.
MORGAN:
"Till next time, Lacod Junyu."
He smiled.
MORGAN:
"See you in hell."
Organization X disappeared into the portal.
The portal closed.
And then—
Silence.
Junyu stared at the place where Morgan had disappeared.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't speak.
Then something enormous appeared behind him.
Mil's dragon.
RAGNORAK.
Its roar shook the remaining battlefield.
Mil looked up.
MIL:
"What... is happening?"
Ragnorak descended.
Its enormous body wrapped around the remaining members of Devil Horns.
Then—
It launched into the sky.
Everyone looked down.
Nobody spoke.
Below them...
Their country was falling apart.
The land had split open.
Fire covered entire regions.
Lava poured through the cracks.
Cities were disappearing beneath smoke and destruction.
The ocean had changed color.
The horizon was burning.
People were fleeing wherever they could.
The country that had once been their home...
Was no longer recognizable.
Junyu watched from Ragnorak's back.
His eyes slowly filled with tears.
He didn't wipe them away.
For once—
He didn't pretend to be strong.
He looked at the destruction below.
At his friends.
At everything they had failed to protect.
And quietly said—
JUNYU:
"...We lost."
Katsa looked at him.
Something about her expression had changed.
She didn't see the reckless captain anymore.
She saw someone who had just watched his entire world collapse.
Junyu lowered his head.
A single tear fell.
Then he looked back toward the ruined country.
His voice was quiet.
But certain.
JUNYU:
"I'll be back."
Everyone looked at him.
Junyu wiped his face.
JUNYU:
"And this time..."
His eyes hardened.
JUNYU:
"...I'll fix this."
Ragnorak continued flying.
The crew watched their home disappear behind them.
Nobody celebrated.
Nobody spoke.
They simply watched.
The world below them burned.
And somewhere far away—
Morgan stood before the enormous machine.
Organization X gathered around him.
The Destroyer awakened.
Morgan looked toward the horizon.
MORGAN:
"The New World..."
He smiled.
MORGAN:
"This is only the beginning."
The machine activated.
The sky opened.
And the screen fades to black.
VOLUME 1 — BLACK MEETING ENDS
VOLUME 2 — DESTROYER ARC
THE END IS NOT HERE.
THE START IS HERE.
Junyu will return.
Morgan will return.
Devil Horns will return.
The Destroyer has awakened.
The country has fallen.
And the New World has begun.
VOLUME 2: DESTROYER ARC
VOLUME 1: BLACK MEETING — COMPLETE
1 WEEK BREAK