Utopia had returned to its glory, just as it was in the King's dream—highly developed, prosperous. Very normal. And yet, strangely abnormal.
"It's going exactly as it was in the dream."
The King stood atop the public table, eyes scanning the crowd gathering in the square.
"Can't things just keep going like this?"
His worries weren't without reason. For the past five years, Utopia had grown in perfect accordance with the dream he once had—not a single deviation, not a single mistake. And that was the problem.
During that time, he and the other leaders had searched endlessly—from the hidden corners of the Elf library to long-forgotten ruins, even resorting to the most dangerous methods. They ran simulations of the battle with the Star Eater. Though created by a supercomputer, these weren't harmless projections. The simulated eye attacks, despite being data, still retained a measure of their destructive nature. The first test was a disaster.
But fortunately, because they had predicted something might go wrong, the damage was minimal. After that, research continued as usual—yet no new answers emerged. And so, life moved on, uneasily echoing the dream.
"Everything will be fine anyway," the King muttered to himself. "Maybe I should stop thinking about this for a while."
"That's right," the Queen said, approaching him. "Sometimes what you witness may not be real."
The King turned to her and smiled.
"Then explain why everything is happening exactly like my dream."
"Isn't it because you built everything deliberately to match it?"
"Maybe you're right." Nha took his wife's hand. "Now let's go—before our children are left waiting again."
"Okay, let's go."
Hand in hand, they walked through the corridor toward the square, where their two children awaited them. And once again, everything unfolded just as in the dream.
The King stepped before the people, but this time his mind lingered on the idea: Should I do something different? Perhaps just a little.
He altered his speech.
"Today," the King began, "we give thanks to the brave souls who gave their lives to protect Utopia. Without them, we would not be standing here."
He bowed his head. The crowd fell into reverent silence.
"But we must not let them see only our sorrow," he continued, voice rising. "Let them see that we are still alive—that we endure!"
He raised his goblet.
"For Utopia—and for the dead!"
The crowd echoed in unison: "For Utopia and the dead!"
Joy returned, flowing through music and laughter. And instead of everything ending with a voice, it continued—into a grand festival.
During the celebration, the King once more took the stage. This time, to fulfill a promise he made five years ago. It was a ceremony not just of victory, but a declaration of ideals.
"As I promised—after everything is over—I declare the winner of the contest between the Ghost King and the Spirit Queen to be… the Ghost King!" he announced with pomp.
"But to me, both are victors—for they defeated someone like me with their spirit and sacrifice. So let us celebrate their victory!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, their voices echoing across the land. Even the leaders joined in, basking in the hard-won peace.
But after the speech, the King quietly withdrew.
Back in his room, he held a bottle of wine and fell into thought. Then, pouring two glasses, he said coldly,
"How long are you going to stand there, stranger? Care for a drink?"
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
"Alright… wise King. How did you notice me?"
"Your aura isn't exactly subtle," the King replied, turning.
Before him stood a man cloaked head to toe, face hidden. It unsettled the King not to see who he was speaking to, but he stayed calm.
"So what are you here for?" he asked. "An enemy, an ally, or—"
"Come now," the figure interrupted. "I didn't come as an enemy… but as an ally. And I've brought you a gift."
The man stepped forward and handed him a book—a ghostly tome etched with strange, shifting illustrations.
"What is this?"
"A gift," the stranger said smoothly. "Didn't I say so? And it's something you'll need… soon. Not too long from now."
Strangely, the King didn't feel threatened. In fact, he felt an odd sense of calm—like the book belonged to him.
"Alright, I'll take it."
Without hesitation, he touched the book—only for a murderous aura to explode from its surface. He recoiled, dropping it.
"What the hell!?"
But when he turned, the stranger was gone. Only an empty cup remained where he'd stood.
The King cautiously picked the book up again. The aura had vanished. He opened it, but the pages were filled with symbols and runes he didn't understand.
"What a strange book… just like its owner," he muttered.
Just then, his wife entered.
"Someone wants to see you. What's that?"
"Just a strange book I picked up. Nothing important."
He left the book on the table and walked out. As the door shut behind him, the book's pages flipped wildly on their own—
Until a hand stopped them.
The pages settled on an illustration: a twisted, deformed version of the Star Eater, reborn in grotesque detail.
"Good luck, King," whispered the voice of the stranger, hidden in the dark.
As for the King, he made his way to the entrance hall to greet the guest. But before he could even reach the steps, something stopped him.
A sound. A voice.
A whisper from the sky.
"This sound… it's familiar." He paused, eyes narrowing. "It can't be…"
The guest rushed out onto the balcony, casting an enhancement spell on his eyes as he scanned the horizon. The land below and even the sea beyond were clear.
But then he looked up.
A dark object hung in the sky, distant but massive. Pulsing. Watching.
"It can't be…" the King trembled as his vision focused.
His eyes widened in horror.
"It's the Star Eater… it's still alive…"
He froze. His thoughts spiraled into chaos before he forced himself to act. He grabbed his communication crystal and called the council.
"Cancel the festival. Now. Stop everything!"
A confused voice responded, "But why, sir?"
"Look at the sky!"
They obeyed—but saw nothing.
"We don't see anything, Your Majesty."
"What? How… how can none of you see it?!"
He looked again. It was still there. Looming. Breathing. Watching.
Panic set in. Only he could see it—but this wasn't madness.
He could feel the pressure radiating from it. A crushing presence that no illusion could produce.
"This is no hallucination," he said coldly. "The Star Eater is still alive."
Gasps echoed through the room.
"But it was destroyed… five years ago," someone whispered.
"Could this be… the next event in your dream?" asked another.
"That's no good," said a third.
"Then we need to warn everyone!"
"But won't that cause a panic?"
"It's better to panic than be unprepared. Better to scream now than die laughing under that thing."
No more time to argue. The city was evacuated. The music died. Joy gave way to dread.
The King stood in the empty square, staring up. He couldn't look away.
"It's like the Star Eater… but smaller. What… is it?"
A soldier ran up beside him. "Sir! Evacuation is complete. Weapons are ready."
"Good. Thank you."
But then—pain.
A sudden, splitting headache tore through him. His knees buckled as he clutched his skull.
Strange symbols. Foreign voices. Alien thoughts. They invaded his mind like parasites.
"Are you alright, Your Majesty?!"
"What… is this?" the King gasped. "These… words… this pain…"
Then he froze. A terrifying realization struck him.
His eyes turned back to the sky, to that shifting mass of flesh.
And just as he feared—it moved.
The thing opened its eye.
And it screamed.
A guttural, distorted wail shook the heavens. The sound echoed through Utopia like thunder laced with hatred. Glass shattered. Buildings trembled. The people below clutched each other in terror.
That scream—it was real.
Proof to everyone that the nightmare had returned.
Then, without warning, the creature charged.
It tore through the sky with monstrous speed, its massive body burning as it re-entered the atmosphere. It didn't care. Pain didn't matter.
It had returned.
And this time, it would show them what hell truly meant.
With that scream, it shocked all the people below—
Proof that it was real. Not an illusion.
After the terrifying roar, the Star Eater immediately materialized, tearing through the atmosphere at furious speed. Its monstrous body ignited as it plunged from the heavens, but it didn't care.
The King did not hesitate. His eyes locked onto it—unwavering.
"All at once—fire everything you have!" he roared.
A storm of bullets and missiles erupted from the King's Gate, streaking toward the monstrous beast. But the attacks struck a barrier—its shield held firm.
"That trick again?" the King scoffed. "No... you won't get away with the same move twice. Elven King, now!"
The Elven King, stationed below the palace, understood immediately. He summoned a giant wind arrow formed from the power of his people and spun it furiously before launching it into the sky.
"Eat this, you damned thing!" he bellowed.
Without delay, the King summoned a glowing spear, casting powerful enhancement spells on both his weapon and body. He hurled it toward the spinning wind arrow—the two forces merged, creating a massive spiral wind spear.
It pierced the Star Eater's shield, leaving a crack.
"You're adapting," the King muttered. "But that won't save you. Everyone, aim at the crack—fire!"
The troops redirected their cannons and opened fire. The crack spread, splintering under the focused assault.
Seizing the opportunity, the King opened a portal and surged forward. A shining sword formed in his hand as he flew. The Star Eater locked eyes with him, startled—but the King only grinned.
"Surprise, you bastard!"
With all his strength, he slashed the blade into the crack.
A deafening sound echoed as the shield finally gave in and shattered before the Star Eater's horrified eyes.
"Good luck," he taunted, disappearing through the gate and back into the palace.
The moment he vanished, a storm of bullets bombarded the Star Eater, disorienting it, slowing its descent—and wounding it.
But that wasn't the end.
Its outer shell suddenly split open, revealing a grotesque mouth. With a final screech, it launched its core into the ocean. Moments later, the shell exploded midair—raining debris across Utopia. Buildings crumbled, countless lives were lost, and chaos engulfed the land.
The core slammed into the ocean with cataclysmic force, throwing up a towering column of water and unleashing a massive tsunami. Coastal kingdoms were swept away. Screams echoed—and were silenced by the waves.
Even beneath the sea, the Mermaid Kingdom trembled. Its ancient foundations began to crack.
"Report the situation immediately!" the King demanded.
"All coastal kingdoms have been wiped out, my lord…" came a trembling voice. "We're finding corpses everywhere. Survivors... unknown."
"And the Mermaid Kingdom?"
"It is stable for now," said the Mermaid Queen, voice filled with anxiety. "But the damage is immeasurable."
"What about the core? Any signs?"
"Searching the impact zone," the Deep Sea King responded.
"Be careful. That thing is unpredictable."
The King turned to his remaining forces. "Prepare for the worst. Raise the defenses. Ready all spells and weapon systems!"
"Yes, sir!"
Alarms blared. Forbidden spells were primed. Weapons deployed. The King personally checked every system.
"Are the systems stable?"
"All indicators green. Awaiting orders."
"Good…" The King narrowed his eyes. "Then show me, Star Eater—what else can you do?"
Hours passed.
Finally, the Deep Sea King's voice returned. "I have found it, my lord. Now what?"
"Mark the location and return immediately."
"Understood."
A moment of relief washed over the King—
Then a voice spoke in his mind.
"Focus… listen. You can hear it getting angry."
"What...?" He turned—only his soldiers stood nearby.
Cold sweat beaded on his brow.
He heard it—
A faint, furious cry.
Hatred.
"Deep Sea King, get out of there—NOW!"
"Sir, what—"
A colossal eye opened beneath the waves.
Countless black hands surged from the abyss, seizing the Deep Sea King and his companions, dragging them into the dark despite their desperate resistance.
"HELP—!"
That was the last thing the King heard. The scream was cut short. Bones cracked. Then—
Silence.
Only static remained.
Everyone froze.
Especially the Mermaid Queen.
To her, the Deep Sea King was family. A brother. Her world shattered with that scream.
She dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
But the King—
He trembled, fists clenched in fury.
"Deep Sea King… no…" he whispered.
"Fire all missiles at the marked location—NOW!"
Explosions lit the sea. Water rose in pillars.
Then—
Silence.
"Too quiet," the King muttered. "As if nothing ever existed there…"
Then the sea bubbled.
A thick black liquid oozed to the surface, spreading.
"What is that?" the leaders gasped.
From the tar-like substance, they emerged—
Twisted, rotting humanoids stitched together, with monstrous appendages and lifeless, hollow eyes.
They screamed—a chorus of hunger and hatred—and swarmed across sea and sky.
All kingdoms opened fire—magic, cannons, missiles.
It was not enough.
The Mermaid Kingdom fell first.
Its people were hunted, torn apart.
Only the Mermaid Queen and a handful survived.
Then the flying fortresses—angelic battalions and birdmen—were dragged down and torn asunder. The sky turned crimson.
There were no survivors.
One by one, the kingdoms fell.
No spell, no weapon, not even the legendary Abyssal Breaker could stop the tide.
The King stood frozen.
The world burned around him. Screams pierced the air.
Despair closed in.
Then—
A voice rang out.
"If you do nothing… everything you love will be lost."
The King's eyes snapped open.
Without hesitation, he opened a portal and leapt into the fray.
From the sky, a bolt of lightning struck the core's location, vaporizing waves of creatures. He landed like a god of war.
"Listen, all of you—suffer my wrath! AWAKEN THE PROTECTORS OF UTOPIA!"
Far beneath the palace, ancient machines stirred.
A giant portal erupted behind him. A colossal metal arm burst through, smashing creatures beneath its fist.
Out stepped a towering war machine—blades, cannons, energy blazing. It rampaged across the battlefield, tearing through the swarm with ease.
Across Utopia, more portals opened.
An army of titanic protectors marched forth.
Monsters fell.
Hope ignited.
The King stood tall amid the storm.
"It's time to strike back."