The storm finally cleared.But the world above wasn't the same anymore.
Where clouds should have drifted peacefully, a massive shadow floated in the heavens — an entire city suspended on golden pillars of light, its towers gleaming like shards of heaven itself.
Aetherion.The divine citadel.The home of gods... and the beginning of Hayate's next war.
The Aftermath
The ruins below were silent.Kael lay slumped against a boulder, his breathing heavy but steady. Selene sat beside him, hands glowing faintly as she healed a wound that refused to close.
Astraea stood at a distance, watching Hayate with a cautious gaze. His aura hadn't faded since the battle — the red and black glow flickered around him like embers refusing to die.
"You overdid it again," she said quietly.
Hayate wiped blood from his chin. "If I hadn't, we'd be dead."
"That's not the point." Astraea crossed her arms. "You're absorbing too much Void Essence. Every time you do, it changes you a little more."
He looked at his reflection in the puddle beside him — his eyes weren't just red now. A faint golden ring glowed around his pupils.
"Maybe I need to change," he murmured. "If I stay the same, I'll never reach them."
The Heavenly Path
Hours later, the System emitted a low hum.A golden glyph appeared beneath Hayate's feet, expanding into a massive circle filled with runes that shimmered with divine code.
[System Notification: Pathway to Aetherion – Coordinates Locked.][Access Requirement: Divine Fragment x1 (Acquired)][Warning: Ascension Unstable. Unknown entities detected along route.]
Kael frowned. "You're seriously thinking of going up there already?"Selene looked between them, anxiety clouding her eyes. "We barely survived six of those things…"
Hayate turned to them with that same quiet fire in his gaze.
"Then we'll just survive seven."
Without waiting for another word, he stepped onto the glowing circle. The light rose around him like a column of gold and crimson energy.
Astraea followed, floating effortlessly. "Then let's make the gods regret letting us live."
Kael groaned, forcing himself up. "You're all insane."Selene smiled faintly, offering him a hand. "Then we're insane together."
The four figures stepped into the circle — and the world bent around them.
The City Above
The sensation was like falling upward through fire and light.When the glow faded, the group stood on a marble platform floating amidst the clouds.
Before them stretched Aetherion — a sprawling city of radiant gold and silver, built on massive rings that orbited a central palace shining with blinding light.
But beauty wasn't the first thing Hayate noticed.It was the silence.There were no birds, no breeze — only the faint hum of divine energy.
Astraea's expression darkened. "Something's wrong. The city... it's asleep."
Kael tapped the marble floor with his sword. "Or waiting."
As if in answer, the air shimmered.Dozens of golden eyes opened within the clouds — each one turning toward Hayate.
"...They know we're here," Selene whispered.
Hayate smirked. "Good."
The Gatekeepers
From the mist ahead, two figures emerged.Both wore silver-white armor and bore massive halberds engraved with divine runes. Their presence was heavy — like standing beneath the weight of the entire sky.
"Unauthorized mortals detected," one intoned."By decree of the Celestial Council, your existence is forfeit."
Hayate's blade slid free with a whisper."Funny. That's exactly what the Executioners said."
Before they could move, he unleashed a pulse of Void Essence — black lightning cracked through the air, striking one of the gatekeepers square in the chest.
The other responded instantly, summoning a storm of golden blades that rained down like a divine tempest.
Selene's barriers shattered under the pressure. Kael intercepted one of the halberds, grunting as divine fire scorched his arms.
"Hayate, this isn't a fight we can win head-on!" Astraea shouted. "Their power is linked to the core of the city!"
He ignored her again — eyes glowing crimson and gold.
[Skill Activated: Abyssal Saint – Partial Manifestation.]
Black wings of void energy erupted from his back, each feather pulsing with dark light.He moved faster than sight, his sword clashing with divine steel in a shower of sparks.
The city trembled as marble cracked and runes fractured beneath their feet.
The Sky Shatters
Hayate drove his blade through the first gatekeeper's chest — divine energy bursting outward like a nova. The explosion tore a hole through the platform, exposing the swirling clouds below.
The second gatekeeper staggered back, raising its halberd to summon a final strike — but Astraea appeared before it, eyes blazing.
"I've had enough of gods playing judge."
She raised her hand, and the fragment of the divine spear — the one Hayate had taken — materialized in her grasp.A single thrust pierced through the gatekeeper's armor, silencing it forever.
Silence fell once again.
Kael exhaled shakily. "Remind me to never fight you two."Selene smiled faintly. "You already did."
Hayate looked toward the city's center — where a golden tower reached toward infinity.A faint symbol glowed above it — the mark of the goddess who summoned them.
"Found you," he whispered.
[Quest Updated: Ascend Aetherion – Gatekeepers Defeated.][New Objective: Infiltrate the Celestial Palace.][Optional Quest: Discover the Secret of the Sleeping Gods.]
Hayate sheathed his blade, eyes burning with silent fury.
"It's time the gods remembered what fear feels like."