Talagra did not fall quietly.
Because it was built upon the peaks of Mount Tar, the surrounding villages below had a clear view of the catastrophe unfolding above them. Farmers in the valleys looked up and saw it first…
A massive, unnatural dome of darkness swallowing the city whole.
Lightning of crimson and black split the sky inside it.
Explosions tore through the mountain peaks.
Even from miles away, they could hear faint tremors.
It looked like the sun itself had died above Talagra.
Messengers were dispatched immediately.
Signal flares were fired.
Within hours, reports reached the eastern military command... and then the Royal Council.
By nightfall, the Black Knights were informed.
The safety of Princess Urillia became the highest priority.
And since the eastern territories fell under the jurisdiction of the 6th Division of the Black Knights, there was only one name to summon.
Serria Fion.
The Lioness of Azel.
Captain of the 6th Black Knight Division.
She stepped out of her estate—an expansive manor adorned with stone lion statues and banners bearing the empire's crest alongside the roaring insignia of her division.
Her long, untamed blonde hair flowed behind her like a battle standard. A mantle of white lion fur draped over her shoulders, fastened to her polished upper armor.
Her presence alone carried the weight of a battlefield.
Before her stood two full companies of knights—armor gleaming, lion crests etched into their pauldrons. War-ready. Silent.
Her second-in-command, Morgan, awaited her signal.
"Again?" Serria muttered, cracking her neck slightly. "Is this empire incapable of keeping demons out of the continent?"
Morgan remained silent.
Serria glanced toward the eastern mountains in the distance, where a faint darkness marred the horizon.
"Another trip," she sighed. "Maybe I should retire."
No one laughed.
With a simple nod, she gave the order.
The 6th Division began mobilizing.
For Serria, the journey to Talagra would take one full day at forced march.
The question was—
Would Talagra survive that long?
Or would it fall like Bagon?
Back Under the Eclipse
Within the Alter Reality, time felt warped.
Amira and Leon fought back-to-back in the shattered streets, desperately cutting down shadow-born demons that crawled endlessly from cracks in the earth.
Amira's lightning flickered weaker with each surge.
Leon's arrows were fewer, his arms heavier.
They were exhausted.
Too many fights.
Too little rest.
Their aura reserves were draining fast.
Above them—
A war between calamities unfolded.
Lyra fired beam after beam, each one obliterating chunks of the already ruined city.
Asuma weaved, deflected, split the attacks—
But every miss still cost lives.
Mountains shattered.
Bridges collapsed.
Entire districts vanished in explosions of shadow.
She was deliberately making it difficult for him to approach.
Keeping distance.
Guarding the eclipse.
He understood now—
Closing in physically was futile.
Her raw aura output dwarfed his.
Even weakened.
Even freshly awakened.
A Seven-Star was still a Seven-Star.
And she was not at full strength yet.
The Noctyrix needed chaos.
Needed fear.
Needed death.
Every scream below fed her.
Every corpse strengthened her.
The city was fuel.
If she consumed enough tainted aura—
She would return to her full status.
And then—
Not even the empire could stop her.
Not the Black Knights.
Not the Royal Family.
Not even Serria.
Asuma hovered midair, breathing heavily.
His blood wings flickered unstable.
He wiped blood from his mouth and stared at the cracked eclipse.
That fracture had hurt her.
Which meant it was possible.
But he needed something stronger.
Something decisive.
A single attack capable of breaking both her defense—
And the anchor of this domain.
And he did not yet have that power.
Below, another explosion tore through the city.
Lyra's red eyes locked onto him again.
She understood his intent now.
Her voice echoed across the darkness.
"You cannot outshine my night."
The eclipse pulsed.
The shadow army doubled in size.
If this continued for even a few more hours—
Talagra would be nothing but a memory.
And by the time Serria arrived—
There might be nothing left to save.