One thousand years ago, in the Era of Utter Despair, humanity plunged into the greatest collapse the world had ever known. The earth cracked open like rotting flesh, the sky was swallowed by endless shadow, and death itself descended upon the land in its purest, most merciless form.

  To defy this inevitable doom, ten heroes were born—chosen vessels granted power by the ten gods themselves, all to stand against Sophienas, the God of Death.

  The Goddess of Elves — Sylvandra Lunaris The Supreme Archmage — Arcanus Volt The Desert Sovereign — Zaracus Dunestorm The God of Fire — Ignis Fireborn The God of Darkness — Nocturnus Void The Goddess of Light — Luminar Aura The Dwarven Forge God — Thorgim Ironforge The Dragon God — Draconis Scaleinfernal And the God of Truth — Veritas Unblind

  “Form ranks...NOW!” The roar of soldiers echoed across the battlefield. Arthur, one of the ten heroes, fought alongside his nine comrades, blades flashing through the chaos.

  “You truly believe you can challenge me?” Sophienas’s voice was calm, almost bored, as though he already knew the ending. “If so… you are gravely mistaken.”

  The ground split wide beneath his feet. A deep, guttural fear crept into Lana’s voice the mage among them. “We… we have to end him…”

  “Radiant Dawn: Spear of Heavenly Judgment!”

  “Lana! You’re pushing yourself too far!”

  The sky twisted and tore open. A golden spear of pure light pierced through the black clouds, striking straight toward Sophienas. Lana collapsed immediately after, unconscious, blood trickling from her mouth.

  “Fools,” Sophienas’s voice came from behind them now impossibly close. “Utter fools.”

  “That’s impossible… you should be dead!” Arthur shouted, raising his blade of light once more. The remaining heroes rallied, pouring every last drop of power into one final seal.

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  They succeeded… but at a terrible cost.

  The Divine Hall, mere hours after the battle

  Moonlight silvered through cracked marble pillars. The stench of blood and ash still hung heavy in the air.

  The nine surviving gods sat in a circle on the high stone dais. Veritas Unblind remained silent in the corner, eyes blindfolded, yet everyone knew he saw everything.

  Ignis Fireborn spoke first, flames flickering across his broad chest. “Sophienas is sealed. But we all know it’s only for a thousand years. The seal will break.”

  Nocturnus Void chuckled, his shadowy form rippling like smoke over a corpse. “And? If the world falls again, our power only grows. Humanity… they’re just fuel.”

  Luminar Aura’s golden hair dimmed as she frowned. “Are you truly willing to let history repeat itself? Six of the ten heroes are already dead. The rest won’t last long.”

  Zaracus Dunestorm smiled coldly, his bronze skin gleaming. “Better they die. If Veritas keeps speaking the truth, those pathetic mortals will realize we didn’t save them out of kindness. We only bought time for ourselves.”

  All eyes turned to Veritas. He was silent for a long moment before speaking, his voice cold and still as ice. “…The truth is simple. Sophienas never lost. He merely allowed us this temporary victory to watch how we would betray one another.”

  Ignis laughed loudly. “Then that’s the end of it, Veritas. You talk too much.”

  Nocturnus raised a hand. Black chains erupted from the floor, wrapping around Veritas in an instant. He did not resist. He only whispered softly before the void swallowed him whole.

  “…One day… the truth will return. And you will all face it.”

  The light in the hall died. Only Nocturnus’s short, dry laughter and the faint crackle of Ignis’s flames remained.

  A thousand years later… everything was beginning to repeat itself. Yet it was not quite the same.

  “Fresh apples here! Pies too, fresh pies!”

  The cheerful calls of vendors filled the capital streets of the Kingdom of Garam. At the heart of the city stood a grand monument dedicated to the ten heroes and the ten gods. Veritas Unblind, the God of Truth, had once ruled this very land before he was betrayed by his fellow deities.

  Ding! “Welcome to the Garam Inn, dear customer~”

  The kingdom was protected by a massive golden barrier, the largest in the southern continent even dwarfing smaller nations. And within Garam alone, it was whispered that the Knights of Light still existed.

  “Wow, Mom! Look there’s something golden covering the whole city!” “Hmm? Oh, you mean the barrier, sweetie?” “Yeah!”

  Golden hair fluttered gently in the breeze. Golden eyes gazed upward, calm yet bright, and a small, innocent smile curved on the child’s lips.