After a great sacrifice at the red altar, the world seemed to freeze for a moment between two seconds of history. The Earth forces, remaining in the ruins of Sanctuary Plum Blossom and the corridors beneath Thirtos, arranged their final formation. The Womb Breakers—an elite hunting squad that had become a symbol of fear during the war—gathered under the banner of victory. They believed that tonight belonged to them. However, behind that fiery hope, tension enveloped the air like a dark fog rolling through the ruins, reminding everyone of the many souls who had sacrificed themselves to witness this moment.
The commander of the Womb Breakers, a woman in obsidian armor named Eris Valcain, raised her sword high. As if uniting the strength of all that remained, the light of the raised sword split the darkness of the night, symbolizing determination and hope, as well as fear in the hearts of the soldiers. Their jaws tightened, waiting for the decisive moment. "Gaia's Womb and Oda have fallen. Tonight, we will etch our names in the blood of the world."
However, the cheers of the Earth forces were met with an unusual silence. What should have been a moment of pride was silenced by an uncertainty, as if the universe held its breath in a pause. Amidst the remnants of the altar's fire and the fog of dawn, two figures slowly rose from the ashes—not as victims, but as masters of their own fate: Oda Nobuzan and Iris Gaia. They seemed reborn from the darkness, their eyes blazing with an unquenchable fire, and every step toward the battlefield was a challenge to face the destiny that had been written in history.
Nobuzan's body still trembled, her skin covered in burns and blood. Her breath was heavy, cold sweat trickling down her forehead, and both hands clutched her abdomen, where pain pierced the limits of an ordinary human body. But in her eyes, the fire never went out.
Amidst the pain that tormented her, shadows of her past flickered. She remembered the laughter of her friends, the cheerful voices that were now swept away by the cold night wind. Each memory, each lost laugh, added fuel to the anger within her, like a fire ignited from the fragments of shattered souls. The fight was not just for survival, but to reclaim what had been lost.
Iris supported Nobuzan, whispering softly, "If you still have strength, now is the time, Nobuzan. They come to take everything. Don't give them a single breath."
Iris's words echoed in her mind, igniting the hope that had been buried. In the pounding of her heart, she felt the presence of ancient energy enveloping her body, as if the ancestors of Oda converged into a single point of light. Was this the moment? When everything felt lost, the hope to rise again became a guiding light.
Nobuzan gritted her teeth, holding back the stabbing pain that pierced to the bone. In the silence, she began to recite an ancient incantation—the war song of the Oda clan, the verses of ancestors that had once been mere bedtime stories, now became a prayer to ignite the world.
With each word spoken, the air around her vibrated, as if the universe responded to the call of the bubbling fire. A flood of thoughts and dark feelings were healed by the blazing magic, replacing pain with pure strength. "Now is the moment of destiny," Nobuzan thought, signaling the fire that would either liberate or destroy everything.
The temperature rose sharply. The altar stones began to tremble. Beneath her feet, ancient fire glyphs ignited, forming a swirling circle of red and purple that followed Nobuzan's breath. As dark shadows enveloped the altar, the tremors were not just from the ground, but from the souls of the ancestors flowing in Nobuzan's blood. They were present, united in this moment, granting a strength she had never imagined.
"I am the last fire of Oda," Nobuzan hissed, her voice half-choked. "Anyone who wishes to touch my blood will burn before they can even utter my name." Those words were cast into the air, piercing the silence of the night with the vengeance burning in her heart. Each letter carried the weight of history that writhed, calling forth a power that had long been dormant.
Eris Valcain laughed, disbelieving. "You don't have enough magic to burn my name, Nobuzan. This world has already chosen its winner." However, that laughter sounded hollow, echoing in a space that was entirely unfriendly. Within her, doubt began to creep in—had Nobuzan truly reached the end of her power?
But Eris's words were merely the wind. Fire began to erupt from Nobuzan's hands, sweeping across the altar, making the red earth shine brighter than dawn. This fire was not just magic, but the wrath of the entire Oda lineage—fire that could not be extinguished except by the death of the traitor. With every flicker of flame, Nobuzan felt the presence of her ancestors, as if they guided her hand. In flashes of memory, she recalled the faces that had fought, who had been burned by the same betrayal.
The Womb Breakers charged, spears and swords in hand. Some used protective glyphs, while others fired magical bullets toward Nobuzan and Iris. The atmosphere became tense and vibrating, as the sounds of metal and war cries echoed, creating a symphony of chaos that ignited a burning spirit within Nobuzan.
Iris stood by Nobuzan's side, protecting her with the last protective spell of Sheena. She closed her eyes, clutching her abdomen, binding her fate to Nobuzan's strength. Her entire existence was tied in an inseparable web of destiny; in these moments, she felt the vibrations of Nobuzan's growing power, as if one soul collaborated in the roaring fire.
Nobuzan's fire spread, forming a red dragon in the air, devouring the front lines of the Womb Breakers. One by one, their bodies burned, obsidian armor melting, their screams piercing the silent night. The enemy's protective glyphs vanished, erased by the heat born from Nobuzan's anger and love that no longer recognized compromise. Each flame carried with it the figures trapped in memory, each enemy's scream igniting old wounds, awakening a strong spirit of revenge within her.
Eris Valcain herself tried to hold on, reciting a fire-breaking spell—but the magic of Oda was too ancient, too deep, and too full of sacrifice. In panic, her mind wandered to the past, recalling the roaring fire they had once controlled. There were times when this magic was used to protect, not destroy; times when every flame was a symbol of hope, not devastation.
"This... is impossible! What kind of fire is this?!" Eris screamed, her voice choked, before the blaze consumed her body and her last name. She felt as if all hope was slipping away, burning in a sea of chaos, as if she had become a sacrifice in an endless ritual.
When the fire subsided, only Iris and Nobuzan remained in the midst of the altar, now free of enemies. The air was warm, filled with the aroma of ash and char. Isolation enveloped them, as if time paused for a moment to honor the lost. Yet behind that silence, there was a pain trapped, bound to their souls, waiting to be released with tears and words.
Nobuzan fell to her knees, blood flowing down her legs, her body weak. But in her eyes, there was a relief she had never felt in her life. She knew that this sacrifice, though terrifying, had given a new opportunity—not just for herself, but for this beloved world. When one door closed, a new light emerged from the darkness, and their hope began to ignite again.
Iris embraced Nobuzan, holding back tears. "You have protected all that remains of this world, Nobuzan. No one can take your name away now." In Iris's embrace, the weight of the world seemed to lift slightly, though the deepest wounds still felt present. In that embrace, they both felt a bond of fate that was greater than themselves—a connection between souls separated by knowledge, strength, and love.
Nobuzan smiled weakly, wiping her wounded abdomen. "If my child survives, if your name still exists, Oda is not entirely extinct. I have paid blood with blood, and tonight, the world must remember Oda as a fire that never truly goes out." Her voice trembled with a strength full of hope, as if each word formed a new incantation that would free them from the shadows of the past and guide their steps toward the new light shining at the end of the darkness.
From a distance, the remaining people of Gaia and Oda began to approach, fearful and hesitant. They saw the two mothers standing on the altar, surrounded by fire and ash, but also surrounded by hope that had never truly died. Among them, the whispers of the wind seemed to carry messages from the sacrificed souls, reminding everyone present that sacrifice was not the end, but the beginning of a resurrection.
Joanna, from afar, watched with eyes full of sorrow and pride. Her pain exceeded her pride, as if the two emotions were battling within her, resulting in an inevitable flow of tears. Gabriel, now wingless, led the people closer, kneeling before Nobuzan and Iris. He felt the weight of history hanging over him, his once cheerful face now replaced by tension and sadness.
The victory of the Womb Breakers became an eternal defeat—history wrote them as conquerors, but tonight the fire of Oda erased their names one by one. In the silence, the thunderous voices of a thousand lost souls whispered together with the fire, inviting every conqueror to feel the impact of their actions, as if the shadows of the past rose to demand accountability.
As the sun rose, the red altar was no longer bloody—only traces of fire remained, and the two mothers stood in the midst of a new world. Throughout that night, they were bound by an inseparable bond, as if every second was spent in the embrace of pain and hope. Nobuzan, though her body was weak, gazed eastward with eyes full of light. In her mind, the image of the future was etched; a world where her children would live better lives than what they had endured.
Iris steeled herself, knowing the struggle was not over, but tonight, at least, their children would grow on the land that had once burned for a single name: hope. She felt new energy seeping into her blood; the fighting spirit that had been inherited would not fade, and she vowed not to let this vision disappear. In that moment, the round heartbeat echoed in the air, as if the entire universe vowed to protect what was now being reborn.