– Frey Starlight's POV –
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself as sweat poured down my body.
Clutching the Dark Sister tightly, I struggled to control the wild fluctuations of aura emanating from it. Uriel wasn't in much better shape .. her body drenched in sweat as she funneled every drop of her holy power into the blade.
The entire room remained bathed in radiant light throughout the process, and time passed so quickly we barely noticed it .. too focused on the task before us to feel its weight.
"Just a little more…" Uriel said, blood trickling from her nose and staining her lips crimson.
"Don't push yourself," I said instinctively, to which she gave a faint smile.
"It's far too late for that. There's no turning back now."
I watched in silence as Uriel continued .. her hands never stopping as she poured holy aura into the blade like an endless reservoir. White lines began to spread across the black surface of the sword, like veins etched into steel.
To make Dark Sister compatible with holy power, I had to spend every single one of my achievement points .. over 5,000 in total. I was completely broke now.
It was a sacrifice ... one I had made willingly to obtain this strength.
The process took a long time. So long that the room door was knocked on multiple times by those seeking Uriel. But we had sealed ourselves off from the outside world.
And then, after what felt like an eternity .. Uriel finally stopped. The divine glow vanished completely.
She collapsed, her body drained of all strength, and I caught her instinctively.
Even in her condition, she prioritized the mission. I had always known there were still kind souls in this world.
Uriel was one of them.
I smiled down at her, exhausted.
Holding Dark Sister in my hand, now glowing with white light, I could feel the overwhelming divine power she had infused into it.
It was a complete success .. but one that hadn't come easy.
"Hehe… that's amazing," she laughed faintly as I carried her to her bed.
"It took three full days…"
Tonight was the final day before the deadline. I had used every moment I'd been given .. barely making it in time.
To be honest… I could barely stand after all the effort I'd poured into this. But I had no choice but to keep moving.
Lying down, Uriel looked at me with tired eyes.
"I'm going to make you work hard to repay me, Frey."
"You can do whatever you want. You've earned it."
If I survive, that is.
"You can start by giving me your hand."
I didn't quite understand the sudden request, but I offered her my hand anyway.
She grabbed it with both of hers, and her body glowed one final time .. transferring a gentle light into me.
Immediately, I felt the fatigue fade, the exhaustion melt away .. replaced by a renewed strength.
"You'll need to be at your best for the battle ahead, won't you?"
She looked at me with weary eyes, fighting the urge to fall asleep.
In moments like that, there was only one thing I could say:
"Thank you… for everything."
It was genuine gratitude.
"Good luck. Don't die."
With those words, I watched her finally drift into unconsciousness .. falling into dreams after three days of pouring every piece of herself into the blade now resting in my right hand.
Her task was complete.
"…I'm just getting started."
After gently laying Uriel in bed, I rushed out of the temple, moving at full speed toward Valerion territory.
Night had already fallen.
Which meant the time had come.
Tonight… The fate of the empire will be decided.
Within a west-facing balcony, a young man with sharp features, golden eyes, and blond hair sat quietly.
Aegon Valerion rested in his usual chair, his gaze fixed on the distant Moon Castle ... the place where a long and bitter tale was about to end.
"My lord… it has begun,"
said one of the men who appeared from the shadows around him.
the prince replied calmly, as the knight carrying a greatsword on his back asked,
"Shall we intervene?"
The knights were, quite literally, waiting for the green light… to kill his sister.
But Aegon shook his head.
"No. We won't be the stars of tonight's show."
Though he had long opposed his sister, who was he trying to fool?
Sansa had never been his equal. Never once had she posed a real threat to his claim to the throne.
Thinking of her… brought back memories from long ago.
"We used to play together… all the time."
A sister he had once been willing to do anything for.
But now… what did the prince feel in his heart when he thought of her?
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
He laughed bitterly, speaking into the air around him as if addressing an invisible presence.
asked one of the guards, confused.
Aegon waved his hand without even looking at them.
"Pay me no mind. I'm just talking to myself."
The knights said nothing.
They stood in silence, obedient as ever.
Aegon was the one who had brought them together .. the one they trusted above all.
Their stillness was proof of his absolute control.
The prince smiled faintly… as the final battle began, far away on the other side.
A hollow, lifeless fortress.
Its cold, lonely walls had once echoed with warmth, filled with people who brought life to it .. even amid winter's chill.
But now those walls were drowning in shadow. A creeping darkness devoured the light, inch by inch.
The shadows moved quickly, consuming everything in their path.
Today, more than any day before, they were stronger… more hostile.
The darkness swallowed the castle whole, reaching even the grand gates that led outside.
There .. seated in a wooden chair, surrounded by three lanterns casting a powerful blue glow .. sat Oliver Khan, head bowed in silence, as he exhaled slowly… feeling the shadows closing in from every side.
The light from the lanterns dimmed instantly the moment it touched that suffocating power.
Oliver Khan, exhausted and worn, stood up slowly, fixing his gaze on a single point within the abyss.
And there—through the void—those crimson eyes appeared, accompanied by a monstrous smile.
But it wasn't the reply he hoped for.
"Your time has run out, human," she answered coldly.
Her voice cut deeper than any blade could.
At once, he drew his daggers, now cloaked in blue aura .. twin flames burning fiercely in his hands.
But received no answer.
His body, which had been running nonstop for over a month, and his soul, weighed down by endless burdens ..
The High Warden had already reached his limit, both physically and mentally.