A deafening roar shattered the sky, shaking the very foundations of Ember City.
Leviacrypt—the last of its kind—had risen from the Mystic Ocean. Its colossal frame dwarfed everything, even the Ember Tower itself. The sky darkened under its shadow, and the air felt heavier, suffocating.
People froze.
Even those still fighting stopped in their tracks, their bodies overcome with sheer terror.
⸻
Achtur and Sir Endrick stood frozen, their eyes locked onto the monstrosity before them.
Achtur's hands trembled. His body quivered, his breath uneven.
"W-what… what is that…?" he barely whispered.
Beside him, Sir Endrick collapsed onto the ground. His body limp, his face pale. He wasn't just in shock—he was in complete despair.
Achtur snapped his head toward him. "Sir Endrick! We need to go to the tower!"
But Endrick didn't respond at first. His gaze remained empty, locked on Leviacrypt. Then, slowly, he muttered, "It's over."
Achtur's heart sank.
"What?"
"This city is done for," Endrick whispered, gripping his knees. "This is beyond anything we can fight. We should escape while we can."
Achtur clenched his fists. "What about earlier? Didn't you say you'd kill anyone who retreated?"
Endrick gave a bitter laugh—an empty, broken sound.
"I was a fool," he said, standing up weakly. His body swayed as he turned his back on the tower. "A complete fool."
Without another word, he began walking away. His steps were slow, unsteady, but filled with the weight of a man who had already given up.
Achtur watched him go. He wanted to yell at him, to grab him, to force him to fight. But deep down… he wasn't surprised.
Anyone would give up at the sight of that thing.
Achtur's body shook violently. He bit his lip so hard it bled, trying to control the overwhelming fear that threatened to consume him.
Then—despite everything—he turned toward the Ember Tower.
His body trembled. He wanted to run. But he kept moving forward, even as fear nearly made him piss himself.
⸻
Quinn stood among the Resistance members.
All of them were frozen in absolute horror. Some had fallen to their knees, others were shaking uncontrollably.
Quinn slowly raised his hands. They were trembling.
A deep breath.
He clenched them into fists.
Then, with a calm, almost dead expression, he looked back at the Resistance.
"…Pull yourselves together."
His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the silence. Even in the face of a nightmare, he refused to let it break him.
But deep down, he knew—
They were all going to die if they didn't leave soon.
⸻
Simon didn't stop.
He didn't even flinch when he saw Leviacrypt roar.
He just kept running.
Akiko, sitting on his shoulders, calmly sipped her tea.
"See Katsu anywhere?" Simon asked.
Akiko took a moment to think. "No. But he's probably headed for the tower."
Simon let out a small grin. "Figured."
Then, he picked up the pace.
Because deep down, he knew—
If they stayed here any longer, they would die.
And there was nothing they could do about it.
⸻
Katsu paused.
His eyes locked onto the massive being in the distance.
For a moment, he just stood there.
Then—without a word—he kept walking.
He wasn't scared.
He wasn't shocked.
It was as if he had already accepted his fate.
And so, as the world trembled, as fear consumed the city, as people ran, broke, or fell into despair—
Katsu walked forward.
⸻
Leviacrypt – The Forgotten Horror
In the 3rd century, Leviacrypts were common.
The people of the past, beings of unimaginable strength, tamed them like mere guard dogs.
But as time passed, they vanished—one by one.
Now, in the 70th century, only one remained with a few high Rankers able to defeat it.
And Ember City… had woken it up.
The sky rumbled.
The ground split apart.
Leviacrypt opened its glowing blue eyes.
And then—it moved.
The true nightmare had begun.
To be continued…