"A... Ashura?" asked Gilgamesh.
Ethan focused straight ahead. His soul and body had been completely taken over by the dark power that dwelled inside the Bloodblade Ashura.
Because his body was in such a weakened state, the sword was able to release its hidden strength.
It became harder to control, and Ethan was now completely possessed by Ashura.
Gilgamesh looked shocked and frozen in disbelief. The Ashura within Ethan didn’t stop; he charged forward to attack Gilgamesh.
Ethan swung his sword vertically, diagonally, and horizontally. There were no sword techniques, only instinct—using every small gap and opening.
Gilgamesh leapt backward, still in shock, unsure what to do.
But he kept his large sword raised to block Ethan’s furious attacks.
Their blades clashed, creating sparks and flashes of lightning, stunning everyone around.
Damn it. Ashura’s power is terrifying!
Gilgamesh still held his ground. Even if he tried to counterattack, the wall of Ashura’s energy would block it.
He thought of one last option to weaken Ashura’s power—wait until it fades on its own, or use the purification magic of a priest.
But for that, he needed a priest above level 50. Otherwise, it wouldn’t work.
"Priests! Purify Ethan!"
"Restrain and trap him!" shouted Gilgamesh.
The priests immediately began chanting spells, starting the purification ritual on Ethan.
Golden light gathered in the sky as several priests tried their luck to purify Ethan and suppress the power of Ashura inside him.
Golden magic runes appeared, shining brightly as a pillar of light beamed down onto Ethan.
The dark energy within him started to fade, but its departure brought searing pain through his body.
Gilgamesh watched as Ashura’s power slowly vanished.
The red veins covering Ethan’s skin disappeared, and the red glow in his eyes dimmed away.
In an instant, the power of Ashura was completely gone. Ethan fell to the ground, coughing up blood.
His body grew weak, his head dizzy, and his breath ragged—a clear sign of the backlash from Ashura’s energy.
The golden runes in the sky vanished. Gilgamesh felt cornered earlier, but now he was relieved.
Thanks to the priests, the purification was a success.
Gilgamesh smirked, feeling confident again. He finally had the chance to defeat Ethan once and for all.
He reached forward and grabbed Ethan’s throat. Ethan tried to fight back, but his body was too drained to resist.
"HAHAHA!"
"You’ll never defeat me. Not now, not ever," said Gilgamesh.
Ethan made the Bloodblade Ashura disappear, shocking Gilgamesh as he reached for it.
Even though Ethan was half-dead, he still knew what to do. Gilgamesh had been trying to seize the blade from the start, but Ethan would never allow it.
"Take my Star Essence if you want, but you’ll never have the Bloodblade Ashura!"
Gilgamesh grew even more furious. He raised his sword, ready to strike Ethan down.
But something unexpected happened. Seraphelis appeared in the sky above the city, accompanied by a thunderous burst of golden power.
Everyone looked up and saw a woman in a golden dress with long golden hair floating in the air.
Gilgamesh was mesmerized by her beauty, his grip loosening from Ethan’s neck as his focus broke.
"Sera... phelis," Ethan called weakly.
Sera heard him and turned her gaze. From above, she saw Ethan kneeling weakly on the ground, bruised and bleeding. His condition shocked her.
"What have you done to my master?!" she yelled furiously.
Her golden aura flared brightly, and her eyes glowed with intense golden light.
Alan appeared beside Gilgamesh, recognizing the powerful energy.
"She’s a high-ranking soul servant," said Alan.
"You know her?" asked Gilgamesh.
"The shockwave, her perfect form, her dominant element... no doubt about it. She’s probably an SSSR-rank servant."
"Then let’s fight a soul servant with a soul servant!" said Gilgamesh firmly.
He summoned his three soul servants—two at R-rank and one at SR-rank.
Alan and the others followed his command, summoning every servant they had, regardless of level.
In a flash of golden light, Seraphelis dove from the sky. She landed near Ethan and swung her hand, slicing off Gilgamesh’s arm in a single motion.
Gilgamesh never expected her speed to be so monstrous—he didn’t even have time to dodge.
Sera grabbed Ethan’s hand and pulled him away from the battlefield. She flew back into the sky, holding Ethan close as they soared above the ruined city.
From the sky, Sera saw dozens of soul servants appearing across the city—summoned by players to stop her.
"You think they can defeat me?!" she shouted.
"How naive."
Without hesitation, Sera summoned a golden-bladed sword with a sun-shaped hilt.
She raised it high toward the heavens, calling forth a burning orange-red sun.
At first, people laughed, mocking her small "miniature sun," thinking it was harmless. But they were wrong.
Their laughter died. Their faces went pale as their eyes widened in terror. Gilgamesh clenched his teeth, shaking in anger.
How... how can she have that kind of power?!
Even Alan, who was always calm, began to tremble. Deep down, he knew—they couldn’t defeat Seraphelis.
From the tip of her golden sword, Sera summoned a blazing celestial mass—a massive sun-like meteor, perfectly round, glowing with real solar fire at its core. Its diameter spanned tens of kilometers.
"T-This is insane!" some shouted.
"I don’t want to suffer! I don’t want to die!"
"I’ll give up my guild’s Star Essence if you just let us live!" begged a few others.
Sera looked at the three who surrendered their Star Essences—Sacred Hall, Golden Spear, and Silver Star.
She accepted their offer, taking their Star Essences and commanding their members to leave. They obeyed, quickly escaping the city.
Now only Gilgamesh and Alan remained in Uruk. The Star Essences of Redemption Sword and Scavenger were still in their hands.
"What about you two?" Sera asked.
They stayed silent. Cornered but stubborn, Gilgamesh refused to give up. He believed there had to be a way to beat her.
When no surrender came, Sera made her decision. She would drop the solar meteor on Uruk.
Those outside the city watched in awe and horror as the colossal sun descended.
"This is the peak of the Thousand Stars Event!"
Gilgamesh roared, activating a defensive formation as Alan stood beside him.
"HYAAAA!"
BLAST!
A massive explosion erupted, beyond imagination. Every building was destroyed, white clouds bursting open above the sky.
Red smoke rose, forming a mushroom cloud like a nuclear blast.
The city walls collapsed. A powerful shockwave swept through everything, injuring many players beneath falling debris—and killing some outright.
Sera remained in the sky near the blast’s center. She stretched out her hand, forming a golden shield to protect Ethan in her arms.
With her power, shielding him was easy. She was certain Gilgamesh and Alan were dead.
The effort drained her energy. Weak and exhausted, she descended, landing softly on the scorched ground.
She laid Ethan down gently. No one else was left alive nearby.
Using the last of her strength, she focused her power to heal him. After everything, Ethan had to live.
"It’s all over, Ethan," she whispered.
"We... won."