Scene: Whimsy to Warfare
Eri's laughter echoed through the cavern as Whity pinned Darky-turned-cat beneath a glowing broom. "They're ridiculous!"
Baltimore's smile faded as Nero approached. "Ready to brave the surface?"
Nero nodded, shadows coiling around his boots. "Fernando's retreated, but Aryavarta's generals still stalk the border. I'll avoid them—Verlord's request comes first."
The old mage's eyes sharpened. "And if they find you?"
"Then they'll learn why calamities fear gatekeepers," Nero said, turning to Eri. "You?"
Baltimore waved a hand, conjuring floating orbs for wide-eyed village children. "I'll teach these fledglings to spar with starlight."
Scene: The Legend Unveiled
As Nero raised his hand, reality screamed. Golden light erupted—not from a spell, but from a tome materializing mid-air. Its cover pulsed with root-like veins of raw mana.
Baltimore staggered. "Root of Mana... The grimoire that wrote the laws of magic! Legends say it vanished when the first gods fell—how?!"
Nero caught the tome effortlessly. "A reward for surviving the Primordial Gate. Useless to a swordsman... but you could reshape continents with it."
"Useless?!" Baltimore cradled the book like a newborn. "This contains primal creation magic!"
Nero's hood shifted. "My Soul Library holds its essence. I'll access it if needed."
The mage's breath hitched. "Access to the Akashic Records... Of course. For one who walks between realms, even eternity is a bookshelf."
Scene: Ascent of Shadows
With dawn bleeding through the cavern's exit, Nero clasped Baltimore's shoulder. "Protect our home."
Then—he launched upward like a reverse meteor, stone shattering in his wake.
Scene: Skyborne Standoff
Generals Arata, Zoke, and Kenta snapped to attention as a hooded figure emerged from the Eye of Destruction's maw. Nero hovered on biting winds, robes whipping like war banners.
"MONSTER SIGHTED!" an armored commander bellowed. "All units—FIRE!"
Arrows, spells, and siege bolts shattered against an invisible barrier. Nero didn't flinch.
"Silence."
Primordial pressure cratered the earth. Soldiers collapsed, gasping. Only the generals stood, knees trembling.
General Zoke stepped forward, voice strained but diplomatic: "Kanori spoke of you... She believes there's misunderstanding between us. We seek peace."
Nero's laugh was glacial. "Peace built on children's bones? I think not."
Arata drew his sword, lightning crackling. "Enough talk!"
Kenta gripped his arm. "Arata, wait—!"
Scene: The Frozen Truth
Arata's blade struck Nero's barrier—and splintered.
Nero tilted his head. "Smart generals don't charge blindly. But you..." His gaze locked with Kenta's. "You feel it, don't you?"
Kenta froze. Those eyes...
"Apologies," Nero murmured, raising a palm. "I've a child to rescue."
Arata spat blood. "You think you can just—"
"Summon: Calamity of Frost."
The sky shattered.
Temperature plunged. Soldiers' breath crystallized mid-air as a mountain-sized serpent of living ice uncoiled from a dimensional rift—each scale etched with glacial runes. Its roar cracked glaciers into existence across the battlefield.
Zoke paled. "SSS-Rank... Impossible!*"
Nero's cloak fluttered as he turned. "Entertain her, generals. She dislikes... warm welcomes."
The frost serpent's jaws opened—and the world turned white.