Back in the trial, Jade had returned from the Beast God's domain.
The blessing should have been a reward.
Instead, it felt more like a curse.
The Beast God had looked upon him, tested him, and acknowledged him. In return, the ancient being had granted Jade a relic and blessed him with greater strength.
But the Beast God had also taken something.
Something far more valuable.
His fate.
The moment the blessing was completed, the Beast God vanished without explanation, leaving Jade alone with a strange uneasiness that settled deep inside his heart.
At first, Jade could not understand what had changed.
His body was stronger.
His senses were sharper.
His essence flowed more smoothly through his veins.
Everything seemed normal.
Yet something felt wrong.
Terribly wrong.
When Jade returned to the battlefield inside the shadowed area, he immediately noticed the difference.
The war had not stopped while he was gone.
Thousands of survivors continued battling against endless waves of shadow creatures.
The darkness stretched across the land like a living ocean.
Shadow beasts crawled from cracks in the ground.
Shadow warriors emerged from forests of black trees.
The screams of battle echoed endlessly through the night.
The sound of steel striking flesh mixed with the roars of monsters.
Yet none of that disturbed Jade.
What disturbed him was the people.
His people.
His convoy.
The people he had led from the beginning.
The people he had protected.
The people he had fought beside.
The people he had sworn to bring home.
Jade quickly searched for Aaron.
He found him near the front lines directing groups of survivors.
Several wounded participants were struggling to keep up.
The healing aura from the flutes was beginning to weaken under the pressure of the battle.
Jade immediately walked toward Aaron.
"Aaron," he called.
Aaron turned.
For a brief moment, Jade expected relief.
Recognition.
Acknowledgment.
Instead, Aaron frowned.
A look of confusion appeared on his face.
"Who are you?"
Jade froze.
The battlefield suddenly felt colder.
Aaron looked at him as if he were a complete stranger.
Jade thought Aaron was joking.
"Aaron, the weaker survivors are being overwhelmed. Pull them back and strengthen the defensive line."
Aaron's frown deepened.
"Who gave you permission to issue orders?"
The words struck harder than any monster's attack.
Jade stared at him.
Aaron continued.
"You aren't the leader."
His voice remained calm.
Almost indifferent.
"Go fight alongside the convoy."
Then came the words Jade never imagined he would hear.
"I don't even know you."
The battlefield noise suddenly seemed distant.
For a few seconds, Jade simply stood there.
Unable to speak.
Unable to react.
Aaron had forgotten him.
Not partially.
Not vaguely.
Completely.
The man who had fought beside him through countless dangers looked at him as though they had never met.
Jade slowly stepped back.
His chest felt heavy.
Not from injury.
Not from exhaustion.
But from realization.
The Beast God had truly taken his fate.
And somehow...
the world itself had forgotten him.
Jade turned away without another word.
He needed confirmation.
He needed proof.
He needed to know whether this was limited to Aaron.
Or whether everyone had forgotten.
His eyes searched the battlefield.
Eventually, he found Little Gold.
She was fighting near the center of the convoy.
Her movements were graceful and deadly.
Shadow creatures fell one after another beneath her attacks.
Jade approached her.
For a moment, hope appeared inside him.
Little Gold was different.
Their souls were connected.
Their bond went beyond simple friendship.
Surely she would remember him.
Surely she would.
"Little Gold."
She turned.
Her golden eyes landed on him.
Jade waited.
Nothing happened.
No recognition.
No excitement.
No familiar smile.
Only confusion.
Yet unlike Aaron, she did not immediately turn away.
Instead, she continued staring at him.
A strange expression appeared on her face.
A hesitation.
A feeling she could not understand.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
For a brief moment, her hand drifted toward her chest.
As if she could feel something pulling at her soul.
A connection.
A memory.
A bond.
Something hidden beneath layers of forgotten fate.
But before the feeling could fully surface, another shadow creature attacked.
Little Gold instantly returned to battle.
The moment passed.
Neither of them spoke.
The battlefield was too dangerous.
The creatures gave no room for distraction.
Jade stood there for several seconds.
Then he finally accepted it.
Everyone had forgotten him.
Aaron.
Henry.
Ella.
Blake.
Cassie.
The convoy.
Every single person.
Even the promises he had made.
The speeches.
The victories.
The sacrifices.
Everything had vanished from their memories.
It was as though Jade had never existed.
As though another person had led them all this time.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
Then he laughed softly.
Not because it was funny.
But because the situation felt absurd.
He had always feared losing his connection to the system.
He had feared being abandoned.
Forgotten.
Left behind.
And now it had happened.
Not in the way he expected.
But it had happened nonetheless.
Yet the battle continued.
The trial did not care about his suffering.
The monsters certainly did not care.
Jade looked toward the horizon.
Dark figures continued emerging from the shadows.
Their numbers seemed endless.
Every time one fell, two more appeared.
The pressure on the survivors continued growing.
Even with the healing flutes.
Even with the defensive formations.
Even with thousands of survivors fighting together.
The battle was becoming harder.
Far harder.
Jade tightened his grip around the relic given to him by the Beast God.
It was a magnificent great sword.
Its crimson blade seemed forged from solid blood.
Ancient runes flowed along its surface like living veins.
A faint red glow surrounded the weapon.
The sword felt alive.
Hungry.
Every creature it killed strengthened Jade.
Each death fed power into his body.
Each fallen monster made his muscles stronger.
His essence denser.
His strikes heavier.
The relic was terrifying.
A weapon worthy of a Beast God's blessing.
Jade swung the sword.
A shadow creature exploded into fragments.
Immediately, warmth flowed through his body.
His strength increased once again.
The sensation was addictive.
Dangerously addictive.
Another creature charged.
Jade cut it down.
Another increase.
Another boost.
Another surge of power.
The battlefield became a sea of darkness and blood.
Jade moved through it alone.
No commands.
No followers.
No recognition.
Only combat.
Only survival.
Only the endless rhythm of battle.
Time passed.
Minutes.
Hours.
Jade could no longer tell.
The pressure gradually increased.
Then the battlefield changed.
The ordinary shadow creatures began retreating.
At first, nobody noticed.
Then people started realizing something was wrong.
The darkness ahead became thicker.
Denser.
Heavier.
Even the air seemed harder to breathe.
The survivors slowly gathered closer together.
Unease spread through the battlefield.
Jade narrowed his eyes.
He knew this feeling.
Something stronger was coming.
Something dangerous.
Then they appeared.
Initiate demon-ranked creatures.
The moment the first one emerged from the darkness, the atmosphere changed completely.
Its presence alone caused nearby survivors to retreat.
Another appeared.
Then another.
Then another.
The shadowed area seemed to vomit them into existence.
The convoy immediately fell into chaos.
Not panic.
But strain.
Real strain.
Even experienced fighters were beginning to struggle.
The pressure increased exponentially.
The battlefield that had seemed manageable moments ago suddenly became a nightmare.
Jade tightened his grip around the crimson great sword.
His blood-covered armor reflected the faint red glow of the relic.
The wind howled around him.
The darkness shifted.
His heart beat steadily.
Calmly.
Power surged through his body from every creature he had slain.
The Beast God's blessing flowed through his veins.
Jade slowly lifted the great sword.
Then he activated Mind Deceiver to its absolute limit.
His senses sharpened.
The battlefield slowed.
Every movement became clearer.
Every sound became distinct.
Every possibility unfolded before him.
Then—
one of the initiate demons stepped forward from the darkness.
Its gaze locked onto Jade.
And Jade looked back.
It was finally time to see how much stronger he had become.