About two kilometers from the city of Dralmor, a silver-armored army stood in neat formation.
There were many of them—around fifty thousand men. About three hundred meters away, another army stood wearing golden armor.
They numbered twice as many, and tension and hostility hung thick in the air.
Runard nudged his horse forward and stared at the three figures standing at the front of the opposing army.
'The Three Element Generals,' he muttered softly, narrowing his eyes.
The Three Element Generals were the war leaders of the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria: the Fire General Ignis, the Water General Nereus, and the Earth General Corin.
Each was famous for their unmatched strength and long list of achievements.
In previous battles, before Gabriel intervened, his army had clashed with the forces led by these three.
Although his army had managed to hold the line, it was clear the three generals were superior in many aspects and had nearly overwhelmed his troops.
"But…" Runard's brows furrowed slightly. "Where is King Gabriel? Why isn't he here?"
He scanned the front lines but couldn't spot the king anywhere.
In the end, he pushed aside his curiosity and focused on the Three Element Generals.
Meanwhile, the three generals were watching Runard as well.
The Fire General, Ignis, chuckled mockingly. "So Runard finally decided to move, huh? Looks like the Kingdom of Avernia is really desperate now."
As the Supreme General, Runard only stepped in when the situation was dire. And now he was leading the battle—a clear sign that the enemy was truly cornered.
Corin, beside him, nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's right. They're cornered and have almost no chance of winning. This battle will be easy. We might even handle it without much effort."
"Don't be too arrogant," Nereus replied coldly. "The Queen has agreed to deploy the Seven Celestial Generals. Each one is equal to the Second Spirit Core level. We are only three, plus His Majesty, who is at the First Spirit Core. This battle won't be as easy as you think."
His warning made Ignis and Corin frown. They had almost forgotten about that.
Although the Seven Celestial Generals were artifacts, their power was extraordinary and dangerous. Nereus' words were completely true.
"But it's fine. His Majesty is at the First Spirit Core stage. If things get difficult, he'll take over the fight against the Seven Celestial Generals," Corin said reassuringly.
The other two generals stayed silent, but their agreement was clear.
The two armies began moving into formation. Soon after, one of the generals shouted the order to attack, quickly followed by the others.
"Attack!" Ignis shouted loudly.
"Attack! Destroy them all! It's time for the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria to rise!" Nereus added passionately.
On the other side, Runard was no less spirited. He raised his sword high and shouted, "My honorable soldiers, this is our final battle! Everything will be decided here. Let's defeat them! For our homeland!"
"For our homeland!"
With the troops charging behind him, Runard pulled on his horse's reins and rushed forward into the enemy lines.
The final battle between the two kingdoms had officially begun.
***
"It's started, huh?" Gabriel opened his eyes and slowly sat up, looking a little lazy.
He stepped out of his tent and walked about ten meters before stopping.
He stared ahead with an indifferent, calm expression.
In the distance, the battlefield looked chaotic, but the flow of the fight clearly showed that his army held the advantage.
His gaze shifted toward the city of Dralmor. A faint smile crossed his face as he whispered, 'Come on, Crystal Tharot… Show me all your cards. I want to see what else you've got.'
...
Crystal and Luna walked down the long corridor. Luna glanced around, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
"What is it?" Crystal asked.
Luna shook her head. "Nothing… It just feels like I've seen this corridor before—like it's my home."
"Oh?" Crystal's eyes brightened with interest. "Does that mean your home is still this palace?"
Luna shook her head again. Her expression dimmed as she whispered, "The Royal Palace was destroyed after the Kingdom of Avernia fell to the Kingdom of Aldoria. My ancestor, Prince Altarus, rebuilt it, but not completely. The treasure room was one of the parts that was destroyed. Most of the Tharot family's treasures were lost, leaving only a few items that weren't really valuable."
She sighed softly. Thinking about the tragic fate of the Tharot family always stirred anger in her chest.
Even so, life in her era was much better. At least the Tharot family still held power, even if only as a duke.
Crystal absorbed her story, feeling a bit sorry for the children from that timeline. But there was nothing she could do.
Everything had already happened and couldn't be changed. All she could do now was try to steer that unfortunate future toward something better.
They continued walking until they arrived in front of a massive gate.
Crystal touched it, and the gate opened on its own.
She stepped inside, with Luna following behind her.
Luna looked around curiously. It was obvious that this treasure room was far larger and far more complete than the one that existed hundreds of years in her future.
Crystal led her to the end of the room, where a striking two-meter-high platform stood.
On top of it were seven statues clad in red armor. Each stood about two meters tall, holding different weapons—a sword, spear, bow, and others.
"Are those the Seven Celestial Generals?" Luna murmured in awe.
All seven had been taken to the Royal Palace in the capital after the Tharot family's defeat. That was why Luna had never seen them in her mansion's treasure room.
"Yes, they're the Seven Celestial Generals. They were created by the founder of the Tharot family long ago," Crystal explained with a hint of nostalgia.
They were not living beings but puppets that required the Tharot family's blood essence to be activated.
And since all seven needed to be awakened at once, the offering required was enormous. That was also why she needed Luna's help.
"All right, Luna." Crystal turned to her. "Please give me your blood essence. Are you ready?"
Luna nodded firmly. "I'm ready!"
At Crystal's instruction, Luna extended her right hand.
Crystal snapped her fingers, and a golden bowl filled with golden-red liquid appeared in the air before slowly descending to the floor.
Luna's eyes widened in surprise. "Does all of that belong to Prince Altarus and Dariel?"
"Yes, it does. I collected their blood before leaving," Crystal replied.
She took a small knife from her pocket and cautioned, "This will hurt a little. Please endure it."
Luna bit her lower lip, signaling for her to begin.
Crystal lightly sliced Luna's palm. The pain was sharp, but Luna managed to endure it.
Crystal then chanted a spell, and the golden-red liquid instantly flowed out from the cut.
Luna watched it curiously. "Is that my blood essence?"