The metallic clash of swords echoed through the underground.
The sound spread across the north and south sections of the hidden city. Normally the area was perfectly isolated — protected by heavy soundproof and impact-proof insulation.
But the battle between the captains was tearing that protection apart.
Cracks spread through the reinforced walls.
The insulation system was beginning to rupture.
At the center of the battlefield, Karry lay unconscious. Blood pooled around him… yet something strange was happening.
His wounds were no longer worsening.
It was as if his body had refused to break completely.
Meanwhile—
Sam and Jack stood facing each other in the collapsing subway hall.
Sam smirked.
"Don't run like a rat."
Jack laughed coldly.
"If you can't keep up with my speed, then you're just slow."
Their swords collided.
CLANG!
Fire erupted from the impact.
The shockwave blasted through the tunnel, sending sparks and debris everywhere.
They moved again.
Faster.
Their bodies blurred as they sprinted across the subway tracks, destroying pillars and tearing apart the underground structures.
The insulation barriers protecting the Blood Clan territory continued to collapse.
If it broke completely, the entire hidden world would be exposed.
The speed of their battle was terrifying.
Each clash destroyed more of the surrounding buildings.
Blood Clan members struggled to keep the battlefield contained.
Meanwhile, the Destroyers division had already begun fighting the Blood Clan guards and the smaller forces of the Moon Clan.
The entire underground territory had turned into a battlefield.
Only the insulation barriers were preventing the outside world from discovering the war happening beneath Ritna City.
But even that protection was reaching its limit.
Meanwhile
Sam and Jack continued their fight, pushing farther north.
Suddenly, they both sensed something.
A powerful aura.
Someone else had entered the battlefield.
Sam narrowed his eyes.
"It's him…"
James Citrus.
Jack looked confused.
"Who the hell are you?"
Sam spoke calmly.
"Don't look away when you're fighting me."
In the next instant—
Sam grabbed Jack and threw him violently through a nearby building.
Jack crashed through the concrete walls.
Sam then turned his gaze toward Kernel.
"Just dispose of him quickly."
Kernel laughed slightly.
"Who are you talking to? If you fight him… you might lose."
Sam shrugged.
"Whatever."
Suddenly—
Jack burst forward and kicked Sam across the battlefield.
"Same to you."
Then he looked toward Kernel.
"Kernel, I'll come once I finish this."
Kernel waved his hand casually.
"Do whatever you want."
James Citrus stepped forward slowly.
"So you think you can treat me like a fly?"
He activated his stance.
A terrifying pressure exploded outward.
Then—
BOOOOM!
A massive explosion blasted through the entire subway sector.
The shockwave spread across the underground city.
Above ground, faint tremors could already be felt in Ritna City.
Meanwhile
Karry floated in darkness.
Everything around him was silent.
A void stretched endlessly in every direction.
He slowly stood up.
In front of him, the darkness twisted… forming a strange opening in space.
A mysterious figure appeared.
It raised its hand calmly.
"This is enough for now."
Suddenly—
Karry's eyes snapped open.
He woke from the dream.
Kernel's eyes widened in shock.
Kernel: "How the hell did you wake up?!"
Meanwhile — Ritna City
Inside a hidden chamber beneath the city, four massive thrones were arranged in a perfect circle.
Each throne was occupied by a king.
A guard rushed in and knelt before them.
Guard: "My kings… what should we do?"
The Human King leaned forward slightly, resting his hand on the arm of his throne.
Human King:
"Make it look like a terrorist attack… above the school that stands over the Blood Clan territory."
The room fell silent for a moment.
"Do you all agree?"
One by one, the other kings raised their hands from their thrones.
The decision was made.
Meanwhile, the citizens above ground felt that something was terribly wrong.
School children began to panic.
Back at the Battlefield
The Blood Clan territory had been completely destroyed.
Buildings had collapsed into piles of broken stone and twisted metal.
Nothing remained but ruins.
The lights in the underground tunnels flickered violently.
Then—
Everyone felt it.
A pure, overwhelming aura spread through the battlefield.
The air itself became unbearably heavy.
Jack… Sam… Kernel… even the others struggled to remain standing.
Their bodies trembled under the pressure.
They could barely stay upright.
It felt as if something ancient had awakened beneath the ruins.
Something vast.
Something terrifying.
Something… beyond human understanding.
As if an ancient celestial had emerged.
[End of Chapter]