Inside the human empire of Avaloria, an emergency alert had been issued.

All citizens were ordered to remain in their homes, as an enemy attack could begin at any moment.

Inside the control room of the royal palace, Alicia von Crestvale stood with a grim expression on her face.

Through the large holographic screens floating before her, she could already see thousands of dragons flying toward Avaloria—black dots growing larger with every passing second.

It was clear: if they attacked, only destruction and death would follow.

Zara entered the room.

Without even looking at her, Alicia asked, "Did you inform him?"

"Yes," Zara answered. "I've informed him."

"Good," Alicia said. "What did he say?"

"He said to proceed according to the plan."

Alicia nodded.

On the screens, the dragons suddenly began to change.

Their massive bodies shrank, morphing mid‑air into smaller, humanoid forms with wings and draconic features.

"Zara," Alicia said, eyes narrowing, "what's happening?"

"These are their dragon‑kin forms," Zara explained. "Those soldiers have achieved dragonification and can turn into full‑fledged dragons. Only dragons who've reached a very high level of strength can do that. In other words, each one is at least low transcendent rank—or higher."

"That's bad news," Alicia muttered.

She turned and stepped out of the control room.

Outside, she walked toward the main training grounds.

Dozens of soldiers were already assembled there, waiting for her. Among them were Tina and Remus—whose lives Alex had saved not long ago, when the cult was experimenting on them.

When they saw Alicia, they ran over.

"Big sis Alicia!" Tina called.

Alicia smiled at them. "How are you two?"

"We're all better now," Remus said.

Alicia's expression turned serious.

"The capital is going to be attacked soon," she said. "Right now, we lack powerful soldiers. So I'm sorry to say this—but you two will also have to step up. Along with everyone else."

Tina and Remus' expressions hardened.

"We'd be lying if we said we weren't scared," Remus admitted. "But we also know that now we have the power to save lives. We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we did nothing while our home was being destroyed."

He raised his voice. "Am I right, everyone?"

The soldiers behind him shouted their agreement.

They were all people Alex had rescued from the cult's hideouts—former victims who had been experimented on, and now wielded power they'd never asked for.

Alicia's lips curved into a faint smile.

She glanced at Zara behind her. "Are you sure they'll be able to hold their own?"

"Alex told me the monster cores he transplanted into them will let them fight at the level of peak grandmasters for a short time," Zara answered. "But he also said if we push them too hard, the cores inside their bodies could explode. So we have to be careful with them."

Alicia nodded. "Alright."

"Where is Evelyn?" she asked.

"She should be done with the preparations by now," Zara replied.

"Good," Alicia said.

She turned toward Remus, Tina, and the soldiers behind them.

"Okay, everyone, follow me," she called.

"Yes, ma'am!" they answered in unison.

They followed her into a large sanctum beneath the palace, where glowing magic circles covered the stone floor. Evelyn was already waiting for them, standing near the largest circle at the center.

When she saw Alicia, Evelyn said, "I'm done with the preparations."

"Good," Alicia replied. "Tell them what to do."

Evelyn nodded and stepped forward.

"Listen, everyone," she said. "The plan is simple."

She pointed at the large magic circle etched into the floor.

"There are a little more than seven hundred of you," she continued. "You will be divided into squads of one hundred. There are seven sanctums like this across the country. One hundred of you will go to each. Each sanctum has an identical magic circle."

She looked around the room.

"Your task is simple. Most of you are not very proficient at combat yet. But each of you has a large amount of mana. All you have to do is pour every ounce of mana you have into the magic circle—like this."

Evelyn raised her hand and sent a stream of mana into the circle.

Lines of light flared to life, racing outward. Slowly, a massive barrier began to form over Avaloria—translucent, dome‑shaped, shimmering in the air.

Then she cut off the flow of mana.

The barrier flickered and disappeared.

"It's a very important task," Evelyn said. "We only have a few hours before the enemy reaches us."

"So your job is to pour as much mana as you can and maintain the barrier, so the enemy won't be able to enter our country and lay waste to it."

Everyone nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good," Evelyn said.

Seven elite guards appeared at the sanctum entrance.

"Divide into teams of one hundred," Evelyn ordered. "They will take you to the other sanctums."

The soldiers quickly sorted themselves into groups of a hundred and filed out, following the guards.

"Not you two," Alicia said, looking at Tina and Remus.

They stopped and turned back.

"You're among the few gems who were able to bind with S‑rank cores," Zara added. "Your job will be different."

"What will we have to do?" Tina asked.

"If the enemy does manage to break through the barrier—which I have a feeling they might," Alicia said, "then you two will have to fight. Not to defeat them—but to protect the civilians. That will be your sole job."

Tina and Remus gulped.

"Yes, ma'am," they said together.

Alicia smiled. "Good."

Evelyn moved closer. "The mana needed to maintain a barrier this huge will be enormous," she said. "I'll have to pour out every ounce of mana I have, which means…"

"You won't be able to fight for long," Alicia finished.

Evelyn nodded.

Alicia sighed.

"I swear, when this is over, I'm going to beat that silver‑haired menace to a pulp for leaving me with all this responsibility," she muttered.

Evelyn and Zara smiled.

"I agree," they said at the same time.

All three of them laughed briefly, letting the tension ease for a moment.

Then they felt several powerful presences approaching.

They turned—and relaxed when they saw who it was.

Serena von Crestvale, Tania Williams, Alyssa Vega, and—surprisingly—Aldric Verlane, who almost never left the academy unguarded.

Alicia ran forward and hugged Serena. "Mom, I'm glad you're here."

"How could I leave my baby alone in a situation like this?" Serena replied, holding her tightly.

Tania walked toward Evelyn and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so proud of you and your brother," she said.

A faint smile appeared on Evelyn's face. "You shouldn't have come here, Mom. It's been a while since you lifted a weapon."

"Don't underestimate your mother," Tania said, breaking the hug. "I can still take down a dragon or two easily."

"If you say so, Mother," Evelyn replied.

"Now," Tania added, glancing around, "where is that silver‑haired boy I've been dying to meet?"

Evelyn's face flushed. "Mother, not right now."

Serena's voice cut in, amused. "And why," she asked Tania, "are you so eager to meet my son‑in‑law?"

Tania's mouth twitched. "It's still not set in stone, Serena," she muttered. "Anything can happen with my beautiful Eve here, okay?"

"With my Alicia," Serena said calmly, "there is no chance. So stop dreaming."

Tania's eyes narrowed, a menacing smile curling her lips. "Is that so, huh?"

"It is," Serena replied calmly, tilting her chin up. "Exactly so."

They both turned toward Alyssa.

"Let's ask the boy's parent first," Tania said. "Who will she prefer?"

Alyssa raised her hands quickly. "Please don't drag me into this. Or I might choke Alex myself the next time I see him for putting me through all this."

"Mom, can you please stop that…" Alicia and Evelyn said in unison. "We're preparing for a war here, not a wedding."

Serena and Tania looked away from each other with perfectly synchronized "hmph"s.

"Fine," they muttered at the same time, like sulking teenagers instead of legendary powerhouses.

Watching all of this, Aldric just laughed out loud, arms crossed as if he were enjoying a stage play rather than a prelude to an invasion.

Then Serena's expression shifted, the warmth draining from her face.

She stepped closer to Alicia, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"You're planning to go all out, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

Alicia's face hardened with determination. "Yes."

"I'm worried," Serena said. "Whenever you use all of your power, you start to lose control. So be careful. Remember, you don't have to carry everything alone."

"I will be," Alicia answered. Her eyes stayed fixed on the sky, jaw tight. 'I can't afford to hesitate now,' she thought.

The words had barely left her mouth when—

Boom.

A massive fireball slammed into the distant mana barrier that was keeping Avaloria safe. The impact rippled across the translucent dome like a shockwave, flames spreading across its surface before fading into sparks.

Another explosion followed a heartbeat later, then another, each strike making the barrier tremble.

Everyone's expressions turned serious.

"It's started," someone said.

Outside, the sky darkened under the shadow of countless dragons circling above the glowing shield, preparing to break it open by force.

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