Harold was the first to notice that something had changed.
At first, the vibration beneath his boots felt no different from the lingering tremors left behind by the dragons' fall. The ruined district still groaned occasionally as shattered walls settled into new positions, sending loose stones sliding across the cracked streets. Dust drifted lazily through the air, glowing faintly beneath the dim light of the eclipse.
But this was different.
This movement had rhythm.
Harold slowly lifted his head, listening more carefully. The sensation was subtle, yet unmistakable—like distant footsteps echoing through the bones of the earth.
He glanced toward the other two.
"Did you hear that?"
Toki turned slightly, his gaze leaving the dark clouds where the Dragon King had disappeared earlier.
"Hear what?"
Bernard didn't respond immediately. Instead, he crouched down and pressed his gloved hand against the fractured stone beneath them. For a few seconds he remained completely still, concentrating on the faint vibrations traveling through the ground.
When he finally stood up again, a tired smile had already appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh yes…"
He brushed the dust from his hand and looked toward the distant streets feeding into the ruined plaza.
"Someone's coming."
Harold frowned.
"How many?"
Bernard tilted his head slightly, listening again before answering.
"…A lot."
He glanced toward the approaching streets again.
"More than us."
Toki didn't look surprised. If anything, a faint smile appeared on his lips, subtle enough that most people would have missed it.
Inside his mind, the thought came quietly.
It's not like I didn't expect you to cheat, Leonard.
At first only a few figures appeared between the shattered walls.
Dark silhouettes moving carefully through the ruined streets.
Then more followed.
And more.
Within minutes, the scattered shadows had become a steady flow of black-robed figures emerging from every direction of the district.
Hundreds of Cultists gathered slowly in the center of the plaza where the dragons had fallen earlier, forming a dark sea of robes among the rubble.
Bernard was the first to notice something strange.
"Well now… that's interesting."
He crossed his arms as he studied them.
"The cultists don't seem eager to give up today."
His gaze drifted briefly toward the sky.
"And here I thought the eclipse was already halfway finished."
Harold's attention, however, had settled on something else entirely.
Weapons.
Many of the cultists carried blades.
Spears.
Axes.
Some even held crossbows, though the way they gripped them made it obvious that they weren't particularly experienced fighters.
"That doesn't make sense," Harold said quietly. "Cultists usually specialize in ritual magic."
His eyes lifted toward the darkened sky.
"And this is probably the worst place in the entire city to rely on magic."
The Dragon King's presence still pressed against the atmosphere like an invisible storm. It suffocated mana, twisting or completely suppressing any attempt to manipulate it.
Any mage attempting to cast spells within this range would struggle just to summon even the simplest incantation.
Toki nodded slowly.
"You're right."
His gaze moved calmly across the growing crowd.
"If you look carefully, you can tell they're not particularly skilled in close combat either."
He paused.
"But even so… this is still a strategic decision."
Harold folded his arms.
"I think they're just here to wear us down."
Bernard shrugged.
"Or to distract us."
Toki's smile returned faintly.
"Most likely both."
The plaza was nearly filled now.
Hundreds of cultists stood among the broken stone, their robes shifting in the restless wind.
But Toki wasn't looking at them.
His eyes drifted casually across the rooftops surrounding the plaza.
Then he raised his voice.
"Don't make me wait."
The wind whispered through the ruins.
"Come out already…"
His smile widened slightly.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then a blur of motion dropped from the shattered remains of a nearby rooftop.
Before Bernard or Harold could react, a pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around Toki's shoulders from behind.
Lilith leaned against his back like a mischievous child clinging to a friend.
Her long black hair brushed softly against his cheek, and her dark eyes locked onto his with playful curiosity.
"Did you miss me?"
Neither of them had seen her approach.
Toki sighed quietly.
With one hand, he reached behind himself, grabbed Lilith by the arm, and gently lifted her off his back before setting her down in front of him.
"Did you bring what I asked for?"
Lilith immediately placed her hands on her hips.
"Really?"
Her voice carried exaggerated indignation.
"That's how you greet a woman who just risked her life for you?"
Then she added casually,
"There are about five thousand cultists heading toward this area."
Bernard nearly choked.
"Five thousand?!"
Lilith nodded.
"More or less."
She reached into the small satchel at her side and pulled out something carefully wrapped in layers of bandages.
"When you woke me up last night and told me to bring this," she said, handing it to Toki, "I thought you had completely lost your mind."
Her gaze drifted toward the growing army.
"But now that I see how much the situation has escalated…"
She shrugged.
"I'm starting to think you're simply insane."
Toki accepted the object calmly.
"Didn't you say you liked unconventional men?"
Lilith smiled faintly.
"You certainly know how to steal a lady's heart."
Bernard was still staring at the crowd.
"…Did you say five thousand?"
"Yes."
Lilith nodded again.
"And it's strange."
She gestured toward the cultists.
"For so long they've been operating in small groups…."
Her brow furrowed slightly.
"But now they're revealing themselves all at once."
Harold let out a short laugh.
"Well…"
He shook his head.
"This is certainly a day I never expected to witness."
Toki placed a hand lightly on Lilith's shoulder.
"I need another favor."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"Go to the shelter and bring more soldiers."
Her expression sharpened slightly.
"But make sure the king, the children, the ladies, and the civilians remain there."
Lilith tilted her head.
"Still afraid to bring your little princess into the fight?"
She smirked.
"Once you defeat the cultists, there's no chance the Dragon King loses to Rosalin."
Toki looked at her calmly.
"You have that much faith in my plan?"
Lilith didn't hesitate.
"At this point?"
She gave a small shrug.
"After you managed to drag the Dragon King out of hiding…"
Her eyes met his.
"I'd trust you with my life."
Toki nodded once.
"Then I'll rely on you."
Lilith frowned slightly.
"But something still doesn't make sense."
She gestured between Toki, Bernard, and Harold.
"With the three of you and two hundred trained soldiers, you could easily stall them until the Dragon King returns."
Toki answered simply.
"I don't want casualties."
Lilith studied him for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"You're a greedy man."
Her smile widened slightly.
"I admire that."
With a light leap, she landed on the remains of a collapsed wall.
The next moment she was gone, disappearing into the maze of ruined streets.
Toki watched her leave for a few seconds before turning back to the others.
"Boys…"
Bernard immediately raised a hand.
"Don't tell me you're leaving again!"
"I have a score to settle with a friend."
Toki's gaze had already shifted toward the outer streets of the district.
"And it would be better if I intercept him before he reaches this place."
Harold smiled faintly.
"We'll save some fun for you."
Toki smirked.
"Don't worry."
He began walking toward the edge of the battlefield.
"Help is already on the way."
Moments later he was gone, sprinting through the ruins toward the outskirts of the district.
Behind him, his soldiers quickly formed a defensive circle, standing back-to-back as they prepared for the incoming wave.
Bernard watched the approaching cultists for a moment.
Then he glanced toward Harold.
"If I survive today…"
Harold raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
Bernard smiled faintly.
"I'm going to propose to Elizabeth immediately."
Harold stared at him.
"…You're a complete masochist."
Bernard chuckled softly as he raised his sword.
"Maybe."
His gaze returned to the approaching enemy.
"But if life were too easy…"
The first cultists began advancing.
"…then it wouldn't be worth living."
The moment Toki stepped into the ruined district, he slowed.
The wind moved through the broken streets like a whisper traveling across the bones of a dead city. Burned wood and shattered stone lay scattered everywhere, remnants of buildings that had once stood tall before the battle tore them apart.
For a long moment he said nothing.
He simply looked around.
Despite the destruction, despite the collapsed roofs and the streets buried beneath debris, he recognized the place immediately.
This was where it had begun.
The first time he had met the Star Collector.
A faint smile touched the corner of his lips.
Funny, he thought. Of all the places fate could drag us back to… it had to be this one.
Behind him, the distant sounds of battle echoed through the capital. The clash of steel, the roar of dragons somewhere in the sky, the faint tremor of thousands of cultists marching toward the battlefield.
But here…
Here, the world felt strangely quiet.
Toki slowly removed the wrapped object from his coat.
The bandages were old, stained in places where dried blood had darkened the cloth. He unfolded them carefully, layer by layer, until the truth hidden inside finally revealed itself.
A severed arm.
The pale skin still carried faint traces of scars, the fingers long and elegant even in death.
Toki lifted it casually into the air.
"I believe," he said calmly, "that I have something that belongs to you."
For a few seconds nothing happened.
Then a voice answered from the darkness.
"Well now… isn't that nostalgic."
A figure stepped out from the mouth of a narrow alleyway.
The Star Collector emerged as if he had always been standing there, waiting for the exact moment to appear.
His green eyes shimmered with a playful light that didn't match the battlefield surrounding them. His blond hair moved gently in the wind, and his white clothes remained impossibly clean despite the chaos swallowing the capital.
Only one detail broke the illusion of elegance.
His empty sleeve.
The fabric fluttered in the air where his arm should have been.
He stopped a few steps away and tilted his head slightly, studying Toki like a curious observer watching a chess match reach its final moves.
"Wow," he said with an amused smile. "You really played your hand well this round."
Toki shrugged.
"Thank you," he replied. "But I can't say the five thousand cultists Leonard sent are a very welcome surprise."
The Star Collector chuckled softly.
"What were you expecting?"
He slowly began circling Toki, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"You bent the contract yourself, remember? You weren't supposed to talk to Rosalin… and summoning the Dragon King was definitely not part of the agreement."
His smile widened slightly.
"Still… considering you're fighting the Angel of Death himself, I suppose I can't judge too harshly."
At the mention of Leonard, Toki's expression hardened for a moment.
Then it softened again.
"It's funny," he said quietly. "We actually get along pretty well when you're not trying to kill the love of my life."
The Star Collector laughed.
"Does that even matter anymore?"
His gaze drifted toward the arm still hanging in Toki's hand.
"My arm, if you don't mind."
His tone became calmer.
"Rosalin is already forcing Leonard's hand. If you manage to win this ridiculous war, Leonard will most likely kill me anyway."
He tilted his head slightly, studying Toki's face.
"Isn't it beautiful, Toki? To be so important that fate refuses to ignore you."
Toki exhaled slowly.
"That kind of attention," he said, "isn't really what I was hoping for."
The Star Collector nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes… I can see that."
For a moment neither of them moved.
Then the Star Collector glanced around the ruined street.
"I must say," he continued, "neutralizing the mana in this entire district was a clever move."
His green eyes flickered with interest.
"I can't summon any creatures here."
He smiled again.
"But reflection and refraction are passive abilities."
He spread his remaining hand slightly.
"They're part of what I am."
His gaze sharpened.
"So I'm curious… how exactly do you plan to beat me?"
A small pause followed.
Then he added softly,
"And another thing."
His eyes locked onto Toki's.
"If I kill you here… and the world resets again… will you be able to reach this same point?"
The question hung in the air like a blade.
Toki didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at the ruined buildings surrounding them.
"Don't underestimate me," he said quietly.
"You've already seen what I'm capable of."
Then he stepped backward.
In one swift motion, Toki drew his sword.
Before the Star Collector could react, the blade swung sideways and slammed into the weakened support of a nearby building.
The structure groaned.
And then the entire building collapsed.
Debris thundered down like an avalanche, sealing both ends of the street and burying the exit beneath a mountain of rubble.
Dust filled the air.
For a moment the world turned gray.
When it cleared, the two of them stood alone inside a narrow corridor .
The Star Collector blinked slowly.
Then he began clapping.
"Well now," he said with amusement. "How romantic."
His smile widened.
"You want to finish this where it all began."
He looked around the enclosed street.
"I suppose that's fair."
His voice softened slightly.
"Two Star Collectors."
His eyes drifted to Toki's coat.
"That gun of yours won't help you here."
Then he spread his arms.
"So let's fight with only what destiny gave us."
A spark of excitement appeared in his gaze.
"I'm honored you saved the last dance for me."
Toki didn't answer.
Instead, he walked forward a few steps and drove his sword into the ground.
The metal sank into the cracked stone with a sharp sound.
The Star Collector raised an eyebrow.
Toki stepped away from the blade.
"A real man," he said calmly, "doesn't need weapons."
The wind moved through the ruined street again.
Toki rolled his shoulders slightly.
"And if there's one thing I learned from a little girl…"
His eyes hardened.
"…it's that when running is the only thing you have…"
He took a slow step back.
"…then running becomes your greatest weapon."
For the first time since arriving, the Star Collector's smile faded slightly.
Something in Toki's posture had changed.
The air between them tightened.
Then the Star Collector laughed again.
"Oh…"
His green eyes gleamed.
"Now I'm excited."
He stepped forward.
"Show me, Toki."