'It should be making its appearance any minute now,' Alex thought as he stood atop a building in the shade of its roof, hidden from most people's eyes.

Alex watched the chaotic battlefield outside the city wall that stretched for a few kilometers with thousands upon thousands of beasts, each being more majestic or terrifying than the last, with all of them pushing toward the city, not caring about their or their fellow beast lives.

There were seventeen Beast Kings present on the battlefield, which was proof enough that for a player, defending the city with brute strength was never an option, and while there were close to twenty peak Sixth Rank individuals present, victory was not assured even if the final boss did not make his appearance.

The meeting with Halagax ended shortly after his explanation and his inability to answer where Klaed could be found, and following that, Alex began to comb the city to locate the man.

Alex was hoping to locate Klaed, knowing he was a puppet for the fallen Seraphian, and if he could locate him, then he might be able to take action, ultimately stopping the man responsible for the destruction of the city. While the chances were very low, there was an opportunity nonetheless, and he was missing it.

Alex spent the following six hours combing through the entire city, and even though he found and interrogated several Pegasus mercenary group members, no one had a clue about a man named Klaed or someone who resembled him in form.

So Alex deducted that it was possible that Klaed was the fallen Seraphian and was currently in a secured place trying to gain control over the mythical artifact, and locating him would be near impossible.

Alex was back to square one as he couldn't break into the clan armory to search for the core, knowing there would be protection and he only had one chance to make his attempt, and that chance would be available when the clan patriarch was out, and so were all of the strong warriors.

It had been four hours since the battle of the seventh and the last day began, and for now, it was at a stalemate with every city defender expecting a few more Beast Kings to arrive and then a final push to begin and the accursed week to end in their favor because they had an Elemental Ruler on their side.But Alex knew that all expectations would break in just a few minutes, and just as he remembered, a dreadful aura washed over the tens of kilometers, making both beasts and humans stop in their tracks and shift their eyes toward its source.

Alex and everyone looked at the crack in the fabric of space that stretched for a few meters, with thin cracks spreading on its sides, making it seem like the gaping maw of a deadly beast.

Moments later, a figure stepped out of the expanding crack, a majestic figure who had large pristine feathery wings half spread open, a handsome face with a cold, authoritative look in his golden eyes, adorned in a pure white armor that a blend of mythical ore of crystalline white and blinding silver.

The man looked like a savior, and the majority of defenders' faces couldn't help but stretch in a smile, seeing the man was a Seraphian, with the rare few higher-ups of the clan showing a puzzled look.

The man had flowing silver hair, cold golden eyes, a chiseled frame, and a dense aura of authority that could only belong to an Elemental Ruler.

Cheers erupted among the defenders in mere moments while a Seraphian elder spread his wings open and slowly approached the man who silently looked into the distance.

The Elder greeted the unknown figure with respect and asked to know his name, but his question was met with silence as the elder was completely ignored, and the unknown man just kept staring at the palace, reaching for the sky in the center of the city.

A smile not fitting his noble face slowly crept onto his face, making the elder standing before him flinch as his shoulder tensed and he sensed the danger, but before he could react, a hand tore through his armor and chest alike, ripping out from his back.

Blood gushed out as the elder roared in agony at the sudden attack, but it didn't end there as the unknown figure caught one of his wings and then the other, and with blood spraying over his body that he could easily block but didn't, he ripped out one of the wings and then the other.

The cheers of joy and roars of panic all transformed silent, seeing the gorry sense as a peak Elementalist was getting ripped apart, and while the dignified Elder only roared in agony once before going silent as a stone because of his pride, it didn't make the scene any less dreadful.

The unknown man threw the half-dead elder toward the line of beasts as he took out a dark crown that stood upright apart even in the chaotic situation and attracted the gaze of many with its baleful aura.

The Dark Crown had a pitch-dark hue around it as it absorbed all light that dared to touch its surface, with seven large spikes, like twisted thorns of shadow, protruding upward from its circumference, radiating an aura of malevolence.

At its center, a dark core, the size of a marble, pulsed with a ghastly glow, casting an eerie illumination that seemed to flicker with the restless energy trapped within.

Alex watched from a distance as a figure adorned in golden light caught the falling elder, and his calm yet wrathful eyes gazed at the Beast King, a massive alligator with crimson red skin with a touch of black and, in the blink of an eye, a beam of concentrated blinding light descended, incinerating the creature and the surrounding tens of meters.

Few people witnessed what happened, but every individual sensed the impact of the concentrated beam, and they also saw the results and the man responsible for it.

"Daenal Sadros, You should not have returned," The man voiced calmly, his deep voice commanding the attention of all present.

At the sight of the man, the dreaded fear among the crowd swiftly transformed into happiness, as they understood that with Patriarch Galatan present, everything would turn out fine.

"It has been decades since we last met, and this is what you have to say to me, BROTHER,"

"But it is for the best because if you have treated me nicely and welcomed me as a brother, I will have a hard time turning your beloved clan to dust and killing you," The unknown man named Daenal spoke, his noble appearance changing with every moment passing under the dark miasma cloaking his body.

Under the influence of the crown, Daenal's appearance underwent a chilling transformation, as his once-supple skin now transformed dry and cracked, pulsating with dark energy that seemed to snake its way through his veins.

His once-bright golden eyes now glowed with malevolent darkness, casting an eerie shadow across his face, and his cheekbones protruded sharply, giving his visage a ghastly, skeletal appearance, as if the very essence of life were being drained from him, transforming his noble countenance into that of a ghoul.

Dreadful Aura that reeked of Death washed over the surroundings, causing everyone, human and beast alike, feel their heart drop into their stomach.

To not let the situation go out of control, Galatan repeated with golden light, like a true savior, giving everyone hope, and in that moment, the small ongoing battles came to a total halt as two titans competed for dominance.

'Time to move,' Alex thought, knowing time was of the essence to save the city as quickly as possible.