Chapter- 18 The Awakening of the Calamity
Samuel's blade descends.
Imperial Judgment.
Blue aura floods the battlefield like a collapsing ocean.
The pressure alone forces hundreds of knights to their knees.
Beasts collapse.
Trees snap like dry bones.
Draven lies on the ground.
One arm shattered.
Arrows buried in his back.
A spear wound bleeding through his chest.
The silhouette of A1 fades away.
His vision blurs.
Everything slows.
Samuel's strike is seconds away.
Then Draven sees it.
Behind Samuel.
A figure.
A man standing calmly in a sea of corpses.
Katana dripping blood.
The collapsing Earth behind him.
The monstrous octopus-like calamity devouring the sky.
The man is smiling.
It's him.
The Draven from the first world.
The one who slaughtered the bunker of elites without hesitation.
The one who ran toward the apocalypse instead of away from it.
That Draven tilts his head slightly.
Looks at the current Draven.
And says only one word.
"Pathetic."
Then he disappears.
The Shift
Samuel's blade continues descending.
But Draven's eyes change.
Something snaps inside him.
His mind stops thinking like prey.
Instead…
He starts seeing the battlefield differently.
The knights.
The blood.
The chaos.
Draven slowly laughs.
A broken, hoarse laugh.
He looks directly at Samuel.
But he isn't seeing Samuel anymore.
He's seeing his past self.
And Draven whispers:
"To defeat an opponent…
you must defeat yourself first."
He pushes himself up.
His bones scream.
Blood pours from his wounds.
But he stands.
And smiles.
Not the calm smile he used before.
A wide, monstrous grin.
The Disguise Breaks
For the entire story so far…
Draven's Disguise Ability had been active.
Passively hiding what he truly looked like.
Everyone saw him as a normal human.
But now…
The ability collapses.
The illusion shatters.
And everyone finally sees the truth.
A towering demonic figure standing on the battlefield.
Black aura leaking from his body.
Eyes burning with madness.
Killing intent so dense it feels like gravity.
Several knights scream.
Others drop their weapons.
Some collapse in terror.
Because the thing standing before them…
Is not a man.
It looks like a demon wearing human flesh.
The Awakening
Dark aura explodes from Draven's body.
The air distorts.
His wounds begin healing.
Not perfectly.
The pain remains.
But his body forces itself back together.
Draven throws his head back.
And screams.
A roar of pure rage.
Shadow energy bursts from his back.
Tearing through flesh.
Two massive shadow wings erupt outward.
The scream spreads across the entire Green Zone.
Two hundred miles of forest tremble.
Mountains crack.
The ground fractures.
Animals collapse instantly.
The shockwave travels across the battlefield.
Knights clutch their heads.
And then—
POP.
Hundreds of skulls explode.
Brains burst under the pressure of Draven's awakening.
Thousands of knights drop dead instantly.
Others faint.
Only the strongest remain standing.
Samuel stands in the center of the devastation.
His blue aura flickering.
For the first time…
His eyes widen.
The Gargoyle Awakens
Far away.
At the bunker entrance.
The massive winged gargoyle statue reacts.
For the first time since Draven dragged it outside…
Its stone eyes glow red.
Ancient runes ignite across its body.
Dust falls from its wings.
It has recognized its master.
But it does not move yet.
It waits.
For the moment Draven commands it.
Samuel's Realization
Samuel grips his sword tighter.
The battlefield is almost silent now.
Thousands of his knights are dead.
The sky darkens.
Wind circles around Draven like a living storm.
Samuel exhales slowly.
Then smiles slightly.
Not in fear.
In recognition.
"So this…
is the demon prophecy spoke of."
Draven tilts his head.
His grin widens.
His eyes burn with predatory hunger.
Then he says softly:
"Demon?"
He spreads his shadow wings.
"No."
His aura surges again.
"I'm the calamity."
The Second Match Begins
Samuel raises his sword again.
Blue aura ignites.
Stronger than before.
The ground beneath his feet cracks.
Draven lifts his remaining sword.
Shadow energy wraps around the blade.
The two warriors stare at each other.
Wind howls.
Lightning flashes in the clouds above.
Then—
They vanish.
The impact shakes the entire forest.
A shockwave flattens hundreds of trees.
Samuel's sword collides with Draven's blade.
Blue aura versus black shadows.
Samuel attacks with disciplined precision.
Imperial sword techniques.
Each strike powerful enough to split stone.
But Draven moves like a predator now.
Unpredictable.
Savage.
Laughing.
He blocks one strike with his blade.
Another with his wing.
Then headbutts Samuel violently.
Samuel slides back.
Blood running from his mouth.
He wipes it away.
And smiles again.
In the Red Zone
Meanwhile…
A1, B2, and C3 continue their battle.
The Seralian Serpent coils around shattered trees.
Venom dripping from its fangs.
The Mad Crystal Bear roars.
Crystal spikes erupt from its body.
The trio forms the Death Triangle formation.
A1 engages the bear directly.
B2 fires elemental arrows.
C3 summons elemental spirits.
Their battle is just as brutal.
Because if they fall…
No one will remain to defend Draven's domain.
Back to the Battlefield
Samuel and Draven clash again.
Samuel's sword aura expands.
Draven's shadow wings slash through the air.
Each collision creates explosions of energy.
Samuel breathes heavily now.
Even with his experience…
Draven is becoming stronger with every second.
Samuel realizes something terrifying.
This monster is learning mid-fight.
Adapting.
Improving.
Like a predator evolving.
Samuel laughs.
A deep warrior's laugh.
"Good!"
He lifts his sword again.
"Show me how terrifying you can become!"
Draven's grin grows wider.
His eyes shine like burning voids.
And he whispers:
"Careful what you wish for."
Then the battlefield explodes again.
TO BE CONTINUED.....