At the edge of Gwarga's kingdom, just a few kilometers away from the huge walls that guarded its borders, a terrifying scene was unfolding.
A giant army of monsters, demons, and strange non-human creatures stretched across the land like a black sea. There were half a million of them—huge, muscular beasts with sharp claws, glowing eyes, and twisted weapons. Their growls and howls shook the air, making even the ground feel like it was trembling.
And in front of them… was a much smaller army. Barely ninety thousand human soldiers from Gwarga stood in a tight formation. They looked like ants facing a pack of lions. Most of them were young, nervous, and holding their weapons tightly. Some even whispered prayers under their breath. Many knew the truth—that one strong monster could take down several human soldiers on its own.
In that sense, it was like Gwarga's army was facing not half a million... but the strength of five million fighters.
At the front of the monster army stood a tall and fearsome figure. His skin was dark grey, and he wore a clean, sharp double-breasted coat with black pants. His shoulders were broad, and his face looked like a horse's—long and flat—with two small horns sticking out from his forehead.
He was Hover, the commander of this nightmare army.
He held a massive silver hammer, as big as an average human, resting it on his shoulder like it weighed nothing. His presence alone made many Gwargan soldiers swallow hard with fear.
On the other side, leading Gwarga's army, was King Leonidas himself. He rode a strong black horse and wore royal armor glowing faintly with defensive magic. Sweat dripped down his neck as he looked at Hover in the distance.
"This is crazy… But I have to try," Leonidas whispered to himself.
He raised his voice and called out, "I am Leonidas, King of Gwarga! I believe there must be some misunderstanding between us. How about we talk this out peacefully?"
Even as he spoke, he secretly activated his hidden power.
It was a quiet skill that slowly affected a person's mind over time, bending their thoughts without them even knowing it.
But Hover didn't even blink. He simply shook his head and replied coldly, "There is no misunderstanding. I am a warrior with pride. I'm giving you ten seconds to prepare yourselves. After that… we attack."
His voice was deep and emotionless, and it echoed like thunder over the field.
The soldiers behind Leonidas began to panic. Some gripped their swords tighter, others looked around with fear in their eyes. Hover's calm threat crushed their courage like a hammer breaking stone.
Leonidas's heart sank. "Tch... I knew it wouldn't work," he muttered. "Silent Manipulation needs more time to slowly change someone's heart…",
But Leonidas wasn't completely hopeless yet. As Hover slowly began to count down, giving them a brief chance before the battle started, Leonidas lifted his hand and waved.
At once, a group of knights moved aside, clearing the way. Behind them, a few more knights came forward, and they were dragging someone with them.
A young boy.
His appearance was delicate and noble — he had soft silver-white hair, glowing golden eyes, and a face so youthful and pure that he almost looked like a prince from a fairy tale.
It was Carl, a student from the Warrior Academy… and more importantly, the one who held a unique skill called Summon Dragonoid.
Last time, Carl had used this skill to summon Scarlett Nova without her permission. That reckless act had cost him one whole year of his life.
Leonidas remembered everything. Most of the summoned heroes had died at Scarlett's hands, and the ones who survived were weak and not very useful.
That's why… today, he had sent soldiers to drag Carl here.
"I know Scarlett will be furious… but I'll blame everything on him," Leonidas thought, forcing his face to remain calm. "If I must, I'll even fall to my knees and beg her… lick her feet if it saves me. I didn't work this hard to die now."
Carl was shoved to the front lines. He looked up… and his heart nearly stopped.
In front of him stood a monstrous army of demons, beasts, and nightmares. His legs trembled like jelly. His lips quivered. He looked like he was about to faint right there and then. A dark patch formed near his legs — he had nearly peed himself from fear.
But somehow… somehow, he didn't collapse. His breathing was heavy. His eyes wide. His face pale as snow.
Then Leonidas's voice rang out, loud and full of pressure.
"Carl! Only you can protect your homeland now! If you don't… the world will remember you as a traitor. A disgrace to the Warrior Academy!"
The words pierced Carl's heart like a blade.
And at the same time… Leonidas used his skill again — Silent Manipulation — this time on Carl, who was much weaker and more emotionally fragile than Hover.
It worked.
"I-I'll try!" Carl stuttered, swallowing hard as he dropped to his knees.
Hover watched from afar, confused. He tilted his head slightly as he saw Carl place his hands on the ground.
"What's that brat doing…?"
Suddenly, the ground beneath Carl began to glow with strange, purple light. A giant magic circle appeared, filled with strange symbols and ancient patterns that shimmered with energy.
Hover took a cautious step back.
"A summoner?" he muttered. "But… summoners can't summon anything too strong, right? Even with a unique skill, the gap should be what… 1:30 or 1:50 at most?"
He scoffed, his smirk returning.
"Even if the thing he summons is a hundred times stronger than this little weakling… I can still crush it."
But something was different this time.
Carl's body trembled all over as if something was being torn from him. He felt something pulling — no, devouring him.
A black notification appeared in front of his eyes:
Carl's mouth dropped open.
"Ten years!? It was only one year last time…!"
He looked terrified. "If I use this skill again in the future… I might die the next time!"
--------
In DreadHaven, inside the grand royal palace, the steam from a luxurious bath filled the air. Scarlett, Reiza, and Lunatic were relaxing together in a special bathhouse made just for Scarlett. The bath area was massive—so big that it could easily fit a dozen people, and the warm water shimmered under the soft light.
It was almost afternoon now. Clearly, the three of them had woken up late… likely because of their nighttime activities.
Each of them was on a different side of the bath. The water covered their whole bodies, only their necks and heads were above the surface.
Scarlett, however, was leaning comfortably against the bath's edge. Her upper body was resting out of the water, and she had a towel draped from her neck down to cover her chest. Strangely enough, she was also wearing black shorts underneath the water.
Lunatic raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
"Why are you wearing shorts in the bath? What is there something to hide between us?",she said with a mocking smirk.
Scarlett, with her head tilted back and eyes closed beneath her usual purple blindfold, replied calmly.
"It's a habit," she muttered, not even turning to look.
Lunatic noticed the blindfold again and couldn't hold back her comment.
"At least take off your blindfold, woman. You wear it like… all the time. Don't you ever get bored of it?"
Scarlett let out a soft sigh.
"I will… once I can fully control my powers," she said quietly. Her tone was calm, but there was a hint of frustration beneath her voice.
Lunatic's lips curled into a teasing smile as she began slowly moving toward Scarlett.
"Hmm… is that so? Well, not like you look bad in it…" she said in a playful, sultry tone.
But Scarlett didn't even open her eyes as she spoke, her voice turning firm.
"No. Don't even try it. Control your horniness. I hate when someone ruins my bath time."
She gestured casually toward the other green haired girl.
"Look at Reiza. She's quiet. She knows how to enjoy a bath without causing drama."
Lunatic looked at Reiza, who was quietly soaking in the water with a blank, calm expression. Reiza gave Lunatic a silent nod, agreeing with Scarlett.
Lunatic clicked her tongue and gave up on the teasing, settling back into her corner.
Just as the three finally began to relax, a sudden bright light appeared beneath the water—right under Scarlett. A large magic circle formed beneath her, glowing with strange purple symbols.
All three women jerked back in shock.
Scarlett's eyes snapped open behind her blindfold, and she quickly looked down.
"…Wait. It's not asking for permission?" she said, surprised.
She immediately realized something was wrong. Unlike normal summoning spells, this one was forceful and weirdly familiar.
Memories from months ago flashed in her mind. Her expression darkened.
"That kid… I'm going to kill him."
Suddenly—
Whoooosh!
In an instant, Scarlett vanished in a burst of light and steam, the teleportation pulling her away while she was still half-naked.
------------
On the battlefield, the bright glow of the magic circle faded… and someone appeared in front of everyone.
The moment people saw who it was, a wave of silence spread through the entire battlefield.
Eyes widened. Mouths dropped open. Hearts skipped beats.
It didn't matter if they were human or monster—everyone froze in place.
Some soldiers gasped loudly. Others blushed like crazy. A few even fainted from shock or love at first sight. Even the monsters, wild and brutal, stood still with stunned expressions.
"S-such terrifying beauty…" Hover muttered, gulping hard as he clutched his hammer tightly. His face twitched as he struggled to control his feelings.
"No! This must be some kind of charm spell!" he thought in panic—but then realized, "Wait… there's no magic being used. Is this some kind of advanced magic?"
On Gwarga's side, things were even worse.
King Leonidas and Carl were completely red in the face, their jaws nearly hitting the ground.
Because standing right there in front of them—soaking wet, half-naked, and looking incredibly irritated—was none other than Scarlett.
Her skin was pale and smooth, glistening with drops of water that slid slowly down her curves. Her long hair clung to her body in messy strands, only adding to her wild beauty. A towel loosely covered her chest, just enough to hide the important parts, but still left too much to the imagination.
She looked like a goddess who just stepped out of a dream.
But her face?
Absolutely furious.
Leonidas's heart sank into his stomach.
"I'm dead. I'm so dead," he thought, his body trembling. "I chose the worst timing!",
He immediately started praying, hoping she would spare him.
Scarlett's angry gaze scanned the crowd until they landed on Carl.
Her voice was sharp and cold, filled with pure rage.
"You!" she shouted. "Didn't I tell you to not summon me!, Do you have a death wish?!"
Carl's entire body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. His lips trembled as he tried to speak.
"I-I had no choice!" he stammered, sweat pouring down his face.
He was about to explain the situation when suddenly, Hover stepped forward and roared.
"Ten seconds are up! Everyone, attack!" he shouted, pointing at Scarlett. "Don't spare that woman! She's using some kind of illusion or charm!"
Having never met scarlett in person, He had no idea who she was. In his mind, there was no way a weak human boy could summon someone truly powerful. It had to be some kind of trick.
But he made a huge mistake.
Because those words—those foolish, loud, disrespectful words—reached Scarlett's ears.
Her lips twitched.
Her fury, already boiling, exploded.
She slowly bent down, grabbed a small rock from the ground, and turned toward Hover.
Her voice echoed like thunder.
"Shut. The. FUCK. Up."
And with one quick swing of her hand—she threw the rock.
BAM!!!
The rock shot forward like a bolt of lightning. It wasn't just fast—it was a blinding streak of light that ripped through the battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, it smashed into Hover.
BOOM!!
There was nothing left. No scream. No resistance. No chance.
Hover's entire body was obliterated. Not even a trace of a proper corpse remained.
But that wasn't all—the rock didn't stop there. It kept going, cutting through rows and rows of monsters. The blast tore through thousands of them like a burning blade through paper.
Silence.
Rest of demons and monsters stood frozen in shock, their mouths hanging open.
Someone from the monster side whispered in disbelief.
"C-Commander Hover… is dead…?"