The battlefield had fractured.
One war had become a dozen.
Stone shattered beneath Magnolia's boots as Chloe's blade swept across the air. The strike carved a silver crescent through the dust before Magnolia slipped beneath it, answering with a fist wrapped in divine energy.
Chloe leaned back.
The punch missed by inches.
"…Interesting."
Magnolia remained silent.
His breathing betrayed him before his face ever would.
She had heard the stories.
Master Bolt.
A technique spoken of more like a natural disaster than an attack. The fact that Magnolia had survived it should have been impossible.
Yet impossible things had become common the moment gods began making contracts with mankind.
Chloe smiled faintly.
"So it's true."
Magnolia shifted into another stance.
"What is?"
"You survived."
Her sword lowered only slightly.
"I expected someone who lived through Master Bolt to be stronger."
Magnolia's expression never changed.
"I am."
"No."
She disappeared.
Steel collided against Magnolia's forearm as he blocked instinctively. The impact threw him backward, his boots dragging trenches through broken stone before he caught himself.
"You were."
Another slash.
Another block.
Another retreat.
"You haven't recovered."
Magnolia twisted around her third strike, driving his elbow toward her ribs.
She caught it.
"I can hear it."
She stepped closer.
"Your breathing."
She struck his side with the hilt of her blade, forcing him backward once more.
"Your heart."
Another swing.
"Your movements."
Magnolia caught the sword with both hands.
"…You're slower."
For the first time…
He smiled.
"Still fast enough."
Golden light erupted between his palms.
The force launched Chloe across the battlefield, crashing through fractured pillars before she rolled onto one knee.
A laugh escaped her.
"There you are."
Across the battlefield…
Saijew intercepted another strike meant for Magnolia.
Baron's blade slammed into Saijew's own weapon, sparks scattering between them.
"You again."
"You aren't going anywhere."
"I don't care about you."
Baron's strength exploded forward.
"I have unfinished business."
Saijew dug his feet into the earth.
"I know."
The ground beneath them collapsed under the pressure.
Baron forced Saijew backward meter after meter.
"You think you can stop me?"
"No."
Saijew's answer was immediate.
"I think I can delay you."
Baron's expression darkened.
Delay.
Every second spent here was another second Magnolia remained alive.
That irritated him more than any wound ever could.
Their weapons met again.
Again.
Again.
Neither fighter gained ground.
Baron's attacks became increasingly aggressive, sacrificing precision for overwhelming force.
Saijew noticed.
He's rushing.
Good.
A calm opponent was dangerous.
An impatient one made mistakes.
Baron launched another devastating overhead strike.
Saijew sidestepped.
The blade buried itself into the earth.
Only for a heartbeat.
That heartbeat was enough.
Saijew drove his shoulder into Baron's chest, forcing him backward before following with a clean slash across his armor.
Baron barely reacted.
His eyes never left Magnolia.
"…Move."
"No."
"I wasn't asking."
"I know."
Another explosion echoed across the battlefield.
Elsewhere…
Valentina wiped dust from her cheek.
The last Jerusalem soldier collapsed behind her.
Silence.
For three seconds.
She turned toward Magnolia.
He was losing ground.
Not because Chloe was stronger.
Because he was tired.
Valentina took a step.
Then another.
She reached Magnolia just as Chloe rushed forward again.
"I've got your left."
Magnolia didn't answer.
"I said I've got your left."
"I don't need…"
His words caught in his throat.
Emma.
Her voice resurfaced with perfect clarity.
You're selfish.
You carry everything yourself.
You don't trust anyone else to share the burden.
His grip tightened.
For the first time…
He stepped aside instead of forward.
"…Fine."
Valentina smiled.
"That's more like it."
The battlefield shifted instantly.
Magnolia engaged Chloe head-on.
Valentina circled.
One attacked directly.
The other disappeared into blind spots.
Chloe deflected Magnolia's punch only to duck beneath Valentina's spinning kick.
"Better."
She leaped backward.
"I was wondering when you'd remember you're fighting a war."
Magnolia answered with another charge.
This time…
He wasn't alone.
Baron watched the change from across the battlefield.
His jaw clenched.
"No…"
Another clash.
Saijew refused to move.
Baron unleashed strike after strike, each heavier than the last.
"I don't have time for this."
"You'll make time."
Baron roared.
Power flooded from his contract, splintering the earth around him.
Saijew narrowed his eyes.
"So…"
He lowered his stance.
"You're finally taking me seriously."
The collision that followed shook the battlefield.
Far above them…
Dust rose into the sky like storm clouds.
Far beyond the fighting…
Upon an elevated throne of ancient stone…
The Pharaoh watched without expression.
His hands rested upon the armrests.
His eyes never wandered.
Beside another throne, far removed yet somehow connected by an unseen force…
Emperor Nero sat with equal patience.
One finger tapped softly against the throne.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The wind slowed.
A fragment of shattered stone lingered in the air a fraction longer than it should have.
Then it continued falling.
The Pharaoh noticed.
He said nothing.
Nero smiled to himself.
Neither ruler moved.
Neither ruler spoke.
Yet the battlefield continued to dance to a rhythm only one of them seemed capable of hearing.
The shockwave from Magnolia and Chloe's collision rippled across the battlefield.
Dust rolled through the broken streets.
Valentina landed beside Magnolia, sliding one foot across the fractured stone.
"I'll keep her moving."
Magnolia nodded once.
No hesitation.
No argument.
Chloe watched the exchange with quiet amusement.
"So you finally learned."
Magnolia said nothing.
Golden light gathered around his hands.
Valentina vanished.
She reappeared behind Chloe, driving her elbow toward the back of Chloe's neck.
Steel flashed.
Chloe blocked without turning.
"I expected more."
Valentina smiled.
"You shouldn't."
Magnolia was already moving.
His fist crashed into Chloe's guard, forcing her backward. Before she recovered, Valentina struck low, sweeping toward Chloe's legs.
Chloe jumped.
Exactly what Magnolia expected.
A pillar of sunlight erupted upward.
Chloe twisted through the beam, though the edge of the blast grazed her shoulder.
She landed several meters away.
"…Better."
For the first time since the battle began…
She looked interested.
⸻
Across the battlefield…
Baron's sword descended like a falling mountain.
Saijew caught it.
The impact split the earth beneath them.
Baron pushed harder.
"I don't understand."
Saijew remained calm.
"What?"
"You know you can't defeat me."
"No."
"Then why?"
Saijew's eyes never left Baron's.
"Because you don't need to lose."
"You only need to stay here."
Baron's expression darkened.
Another clash.
Another failed attempt to move forward.
Every passing second irritated him further.
Magnolia still lived.
That fact alone was unacceptable.
Power burst from Baron's contract.
The surrounding rubble exploded outward.
Saijew slid backward before planting his blade into the ground, stopping himself.
"…Good."
Baron frowned.
"You've stopped thinking."
⸻
Emma sprinted through the battlefield.
Her eyes closed.
She wasn't searching with sight.
She didn't need to.
Thousands of threads stretched across her mind.
Every contract.
Every heartbeat.
Every frightened child.
"There."
She abruptly changed direction.
Three Jerusalem soldiers emerged from the smoke.
Before they could react…
Luna slammed both palms into the ground.
Dozens of pale hands erupted from beneath the earth.
They wrapped around ankles.
Wrists.
Waists.
Holding the soldiers in place.
"No…"
One struggled desperately.
Luna's expression remained soft.
"You don't have to fight."
The divine markings upon her hands shimmered.
The madness clouding the soldiers' eyes slowly disappeared.
One blinked.
Another collapsed to his knees.
The third began crying.
Emma exhaled.
"They're back."
Then…
The wind screamed.
Invisible blades carved through the battlefield.
Several advancing enemies were thrown backward before they ever reached Luna.
Emma never looked behind her.
"I'll handle the ones that still want to fight."
Luna smiled faintly.
"And I'll save the ones who don't."
⸻
Not far away…
Vines burst from shattered stone.
Calix rushed forward alongside them.
"Asam!"
Valerie called.
"Left!"
"I know!"
Asam twisted beneath Calix's strike.
Only for Valerie's vines to wrap around her arm.
Another wrapped around her waist.
A third tightened around her leg.
Calix didn't hesitate.
He drove his fist forward.
The impact sent Asam crashing across the battlefield.
She rolled once.
Twice.
Then stopped.
"…You two…"
She laughed quietly.
"…Fight well together."
Valerie tightened the vines.
"We've practiced."
Asam looked toward the white ring resting upon her finger.
"So have I."
She removed it.
For a single heartbeat…
Nothing happened.
Then…
She lifted it toward the heavens.
The clouds split.
Golden light poured through the opening.
A massive silhouette descended from above.
Elegant.
Ancient.
Majestic.
The contract answered.
Nekhbet.
Feathers of gold and obsidian unfolded behind Asam.
Two enormous wings wrapped around her body.
Calix's next strike landed against them.
The wings did not move.
Instead…
Thousands of metallic feathers erupted outward.
Valerie immediately raised walls of vines.
Too late.
The feathers pierced through them like arrows.
She barely managed to avoid the barrage.
Asam stepped free from the shattered vines.
The wings slowly opened.
Their size cast shadows across the battlefield.
"I've been waiting for an excuse to use this."
Calix grinned.
"So have we."
Before either side could move…
A familiar voice echoed behind Asam.
"Looks like you're having fun."
Ren landed beside her.
Sword resting over one shoulder.
His smile hadn't changed.
Despite the battlefield.
Despite the blood.
Despite the war.
Asam sighed.
"Took you long enough."
"I got distracted."
Another explosion interrupted them.
Sous emerged from one side.
Amelia from the other.
Calix rolled his shoulders.
Valerie tightened her grip around her vines.
The battle had become four against two.
Neither side looked concerned.
Far above them…
Nero's fingers tapped his throne once more.
A feather drifting from Asam's wing suddenly slowed.
It floated in place.
Motionless.
For one impossible heartbeat.
Then…
Time resumed.
The feather continued falling.
The Pharaoh watched without speaking.
He noticed.
He always noticed.
Yet even he chose not to interrupt whatever unseen rhythm Emperor Nero was conducting.
The battlefield had become impossible to follow.
Explosions answered explosions.
Contracts illuminated the sky like stars colliding.
No one remained untouched by the war.
Alexander drove his spear forward.
Arya slipped to the side, the tip grazing past her shoulder before she answered with a sweeping kick.
Alexander caught her ankle.
Arya twisted with the motion instead of resisting it, planting one hand against the ground before driving her free heel toward his jaw.
Alexander leaned away.
A smile crossed his face.
"You've improved."
Arya landed lightly.
"So have you."
Neither lowered their guard.
Around them, the battlefield trembled.
Cyclone crashed through a ruined wall as Poison's crimson blade narrowly missed his neck.
Cyclone recovered instantly.
His contract ignited.
Wind exploded beneath his feet.
He vanished.
Poison didn't move.
A heartbeat later…
Cyclone appeared behind him.
His fist cut through Poison's chest.
Or…
What should have been his chest.
The body dissolved into liquid crimson.
"…Again."
Cyclone jumped backward.
The blood surged upward, reforming Poison's body as though nothing had happened.
Poison sighed.
"I was hoping you'd stop falling for that."
Cyclone frowned.
"It wasn't a mistake."
"No?"
"You have to become liquid eventually."
Poison smiled.
"So I do."
Dozens of crimson spikes erupted from the puddle beneath Cyclone's feet.
Cyclone launched himself skyward just before they pierced the earth.
Poison flicked his wrist.
The spikes curved.
Cyclone twisted through the air.
Barely avoiding them.
Neither had landed a decisive blow.
Neither intended to.
Across the battlefield…
Arya glanced toward Poison.
Poison glanced toward Alexander.
Their eyes met.
Simultaneously.
An idea.
Poison grinned.
"SWTICH!"
Arya didn't hesitate.
A smirk spread across her face.
"Thought you'd never ask."
Alexander's eyes widened slightly.
Cyclone looked confused.
Before either man understood…
The battlefield shifted.
Poison burst toward Alexander.
Arya accelerated toward Cyclone.
Alexander immediately recognized the danger.
"So that's your plan."
Poison laughed.
"You like close combat."
Golden sparks erupted as Alexander met Poison's crimson blade with his own weapon.
Poison leaned forward.
"I've got plenty of that."
Meanwhile…
Cyclone rushed Arya.
Unlike Poison…
Arya welcomed speed.
She pivoted.
Redirected his momentum.
Then struck.
Cyclone's own velocity worked against him.
He skidded across shattered stone.
Arya smiled.
"Much better."
Cyclone slowly stood.
"…I don't like this."
"You don't have to."
She was already moving.
⸻
Elsewhere…
The final Jerusalem soldier collapsed to one knee.
Luna released a quiet breath.
The pale hands emerging from the earth slowly disappeared.
Emma looked around.
"They're safe."
"For now."
Neither woman relaxed.
Wars had a habit of creating new enemies.
As though answering the thought…
A pressure settled over the battlefield.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Emma's expression changed.
"…Someone's coming."
From the drifting dust…
A single figure emerged.
An elderly man.
White robes.
A weathered staff.
His pace was slow.
Unhurried.
Yet every Jerusalem soldier who saw him immediately bowed their heads.
Poison remembered him.
The General.
The one who had nearly killed him.
The old man stopped several meters away from Emma and Luna.
His tired eyes examined them.
"So…"
His voice carried no anger.
"…You are the children causing Jerusalem so much trouble."
Emma stepped forward.
"You'll have to get through us."
The old general smiled gently.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
Before another word could be spoken…
A roar split the battlefield.
Baron.
His patience had finally broken.
Enough.
He threw Saijew backward with a devastating strike before extending one hand toward the heavens.
The air changed.
The clouds parted.
Golden lightning gathered above.
Magnolia froze.
No…
Not fear.
Recognition.
Master Bolt.
Baron's voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Disappear."
The heavens answered.
The pillar of divine light descended.
Saijew's eyes widened.
Too late.
He couldn't move.
Then…
Someone spoke.
Not aloud.
Within Magnolia's soul.
Soft.
Warm.
Ancient.
"My sun."
Magnolia's heart stopped.
Ra.
There was no time to think.
Only move.
Magnolia disappeared.
Valentina reached toward him.
"MAGNOLIA!"
He shoved Saijew aside.
The world vanished beneath sunlight.
Master Bolt struck.
The battlefield erupted.
Stone melted.
The earth split open.
Silence followed.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
The dust slowly settled.
A figure remained standing.
Magnolia.
His shirt had burned away entirely.
His chest rose and fell.
Unmarked.
Saijew stared.
"…Impossible."
The scar…
The scar was gone.
Not faded.
Gone.
Perfect skin.
As though Master Bolt had never touched him before.
Above Magnolia…
For the briefest instant…
Saijew swore he saw the silhouette of a hawk spread its wings.
Then it vanished.
Magnolia slowly opened his eyes.
Golden.
Brighter than before.
Calmer than before.
He reached toward empty air.
A khopesh formed naturally within his hand.
No hesitation.
No surprise.
Only instinct.
Baron frowned.
"What…"
Magnolia moved.
The khopesh collided against Baron's blade.
Before Baron could counter…
The weapon dissolved into light.
A staff appeared.
Magnolia spun.
The staff struck Baron's ribs.
Another flash.
Claws extended over Magnolia's fingers.
He slashed.
Golden arcs carved across the battlefield.
Baron staggered backward.
His eyes widened.
Magnolia was no longer reacting.
He was dictating the battle.
Sunlight gathered around Magnolia's hands.
Knives.
Six of them.
He flicked his wrist.
Each knife flew from a different angle.
Baron blocked four.
The fifth shattered his guard.
The sixth rested against his throat.
Silence.
Baron breathed heavily.
"…You've…"
Magnolia lowered his hand.
"…Lost."
For the first time since becoming Ra's contractor…
Magnolia and Ra fought as one.
Saijew smiled.
Only once.
Then turned.
"Chloe."
She barely had time to react.
His blade met hers.
The true General of Egypt had returned.