[The battle begins now.]

  Ats stood, spear at the ready. Around the perimeter of the isnd, shimmering magical fields appeared, expanding the isnd’s boundaries into a battleground known as the Warfare Zone—aended bat area that would only open during battles like this one.

  From every dire, swirling portals lit up, each releasing squad after squad of Soren’s troops. Clearly, Soren hadn’t been bluffing; from every er of the battlefield, clusters of a dozen to twenty fighters poured in, swelling the o nearly four times the size of Ats’s forces.

  The bell ichtower rang out, its sound eg across the isnd, signaling all defeo take their positions. In the distas spotted Soren at the rear of his forces, his massive frame formidable heavy armor, looking nearly imperable.

  Just how many battles has he won to amass this kind of ford equipment?

  “Attad destroy them!” Soren’s voied as his troops surged forward.

  Soren’s troops echoed his shout with a roar, ons drawn, ready for the csh that was seds away. But before they could reach the isnd, they’d face the fireballs unched by the Fme Beas—a first line of brutal defense.

  Ats ched his spear tighter, feeling the iy of the battle rise around him.

  “Brace yourselves, fight fiercely, aroy our enemies!” Ats shouted, rallying his forces below, his voice carrying strength aermination.

  Ats stood atop his Floating Throne, poised to leap to whichever part of the battlefield needed his support most. But then he froze.

  Where’s Manna?

  He gnced over his shoulder—she was gone.

  Just then, a scream rang out across the battlefield, drawing his attentiourned, his eyes widening in shock at what he saw.

  On one side of the battlefield, Ats’s gaze locked onto a sight that stunned him. Manna? But not the Manna he knew—she now wore her Bloodshadalia Armor, and shadowy bd red energy bzed around her, ing violently over the entire left side of her body.

  In her right hand, she gripped the Bloodkissed Scythe, its bde glinting darkly as she shot forward, her movements ruthless and urained. She spun the scythe in a rapid arc, decapitating the soldier at the front with a sirike.

  “trol her! Surround her!” came the frantic shouts from Soren’s troops.

  But Manna moved with deadly precision, slipping through their ranks as if she were a living shadow. Attacks missed as she vanished from one spot, reappearing in another, scythe carving through her enemies with terrifying ease.

  “Attack! Attack! Take her down!” Soren’s voice rang out, desperate.

  It was clear now—Manna wasn’t merely attag; she was f her way through the formation, cutting down the nearly 30 soldiers standing in her path. Her gaze, bzing and fixed, was set straight on Soren at the rear.

  Soren's troops were thrown into chaos, struggling to tain Manna’s brutal onsught. Meanwhile, oher side, Soren’s remaining forces began charging forward to unch their own attack.

  Realizing the o shift the momentum, Soren raised his right hand, appearing to grip something invisible. With a swift motion, he hurled it to the ground.

  [Spirit of the Grove]

  [Summons a guardian spirit from the grove’s heart—a massive, ghostly bear that charges through the battlefield, knog bad disorienting enemies.]

  A t, ghostly bear materialized, easily twice the size of an ordinary bear. Its ethereal form shimmered, translut yet powerful, with a faint mystical glow and smoky wisps trailing off its massive body as it charged forward, barreling intanna forces with relentless force.

  It appeared that the beast was a unique System ability possessed by Soren. Possibly allowing him to summon powerful spectral beasts. Just how many he could call upon was unclear, but the summoned bear alone was a massive threat.

  Soren’s remaining troops surged forward, uerred by the Fme Bea fireballs that had scorched some of their ranks. Fmes g to them as they advanced, yet they pressed on, and within moments, the first csh erupted betweewo forces.

  Seeing an opportunity, Ats grabbed his Rank-A Item: the Stormcaller’s Amulet, preparing to unleash devastating lightning strikes on the de cluster of eroops.

  He anded his floating throo draw him clripping the amulet tightly, he prepared to el its power, ready t down bolts of lightning as promised by the item’s abilities.

  Ats watched as Manna cshed relentlessly with the Spirit Bear, her movements blindingly fast and brutal as she rike after strike. The Spirit Bear, however, was resilient, a testament to Soren’s fiden his summoning ability.

  It seemed Soren’s taunts had doheir job, unleashing the full wrath of the Vampire Queen.

  Ats raised the Stormcaller’s Amulet high into the air, his voiing across the battlefield.

  “Activate the item! Bring down the lightning strikes and punish those who dare to challenge Gacha Haven today!”

  The skies grew darker as dense clouds gathered, blotting out the sun. Lightning fshed overhead, illuminating the battlefield in blinding bursts, followed by the low rumble of thunder. And then, in an instant—

  A massive bolt struck down, splitting the air with terrifying iy.

  Ats had never seen lightning so close, so devastatingly powerful.

  Oer ahe lightning strikes hammered into the battlefield, each impact marked by a fsh sht it left spots in his vision, followed by a cussive bst that scattered Soren’s troops. Some were flung back, others ed by fmes as the force ripped through their ranks, sending bodies tumbling, charred and smoking.

  Only after the destru began did the thuruly catch up, r over the field in deafening waves, eg the age that had already unfolded below.

  The Fme Beas’ fireballs bined with the devastating lightning strikes had left Soren’s forces in disarray.

  Only a few of Ats’s troops had fully engaged so far—Karian at the front, Garen on one fnk, and Kurogasa dashing forward to pick off weakened foes. The others held back, ung ratacks and waiting for the eo e within range.

  And then, in one shog moment, Manna succeeded in decapitating the Spirit Bear. The massive creature wavered, standing headless for a heartbeat, before dissolving into nothing.

  Manna, her fury palpable, stood surrounded by Soren’s troops, her focus fixed solely on Soren himself, who now stood vulnerable without his summoned guardian.

  Manna moved in a blur, her scythe raised and ready, charging directly toward him.

  Just as her scythe arced down, poised to strike—

  Manna froze, her bde inches from Soren’s neck.

  “What happened?”

  [Soren has decred a retreat with 27% damage taken.]

  [You have earned 15 rank points.]

  [You are entitled to cim 33% of the oppo’s resources.]

  [gratutions on your first victory!]

  [You have unlocked access to issue a direct challeo your oppo using your Attack Token. They will be uo escape or dee.]

  In an instant, Soren’s forces began vanishing from the battlefield, dissolving into thin air as if swallowed by the very air itself. The battle was over just as quickly as it had begun, leaving Ats’s troops standing victorious.

  Ats stood, taking in the sight of his first victory, relieved to see that none of his troops had fallen itle. But… his gaze shifted tanna.

  She still stood there, scythe in hand, unmovily where she’d been frozen before delivering the final blow to Soren.

  Is her fury not yet spent?

  ***

  Author's Note:

  Do we even have readers for this series? ?

  Holy, I’m starting to wonder if I’m just talking to myself here! If you’re out there, please leave a review so I know whether to keep uploading or not. ?

  Let's make a deal—1 useful review = 1 chapter! Deal? ?