When the smoke cleared—

Only Jinhwan stood.

He fell to one knee, breathing hard. The flames crackled around him. And the knight—

Was no more.

Jinhwan was lifted off the ground by an unseen, crushing force.

"Congratulations on your victory, Champion..."

Vul'zareth's voice echoed like molten thunder. 

"I could make good use of you..."

Before Jinhwan could react, the greatsword of the Dying Sun flashed—In a blink, his body was cleaved apart.

One limb here, another there, his severed hands hurled into the scorching lava. His torso twisted, gutted and broken—yet somehow, he still screamed. Agonised roars tore from him, blood sizzling as it dripped on molten rock.

Then, Vul'zareth raised his blade again—this time, piercing Jinhwan's skull. Silence.

The Bastion was no more.

Hana's eyes widened in terror as molten chains erupted from the abyssal floor. They snaked and writhed, wrapping tightly around her wrists and ankles, pulling her limbs apart with cruel strength. Her scream cut through the arena—a piercing, desperate cry.

"RUNNNN, JAAAAEEEEMINNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

She howled, voice breaking, filled with raw fear and pain.

But Jaemin was frozen. Inside, something shattered. Every death, every scream twisted his heart like knives—his mind locked away, lost to a darkness deeper than the abyss itself.

A sharp blow struck his stomach. He doubled over, breath stolen.

Hana's severed head was thrown into his hands. Her eyes stared wide open, flickering with the last remnants of life, a twitch of disbelief frozen on her lips.

Jaemin was utterly alone.

Jaemin struggled to his feet, gasping for breath, his body trembling with pain and sheer will. The abyssal Lord stood before him, eyes glowing like molten lava, silent yet heavy with dread.

 Without warning, Vul'zareth lunged, swinging the greatsword with terrifying speed.

Jaemin barely dodged, weaving through the deadly arcs, heart pounding, lungs burning. But the Lord's power was absolute. From the abyssal shadows, he conjured a blazing arrow—blazing blue fire flickering against the blackness—and fired it directly at Jaemin's face.

The arrow struck his left eye with a sickening crunch. The glass shattered. Pain exploded.

Jaemin collapsed, screaming, clutching his face as blood poured down his cheek. In that agonising moment, his mind flashed to his sister and mother. Who would care for them now? Who would protect them from this cruel world?

Before he could answer, invisible hands gripped him and slammed him against the rocky ground again and again. Blood flowed freely from his bleeding head as his vision blurred.

The Sovereign's blade came down with ruthless precision, severing Jaemin's legs like brittle twigs. Rotting burns seared his remaining flesh, and he howled—a sound torn from the depths of death itself.

Helpless, broken, Jaemin was lifted and dragged toward the towering pedestal that loomed nearby.

With one merciless slam, his mangled body was pinned, halved cleanly by the jagged, piercing rock fragment.

The fragment vanished in an instant, leaving only silence.

His lifeless eyes stared blankly into the bubbling lava below. The darkness closed in.

Everything faded to black.