Chapter 1

  In the dead of night, the moon cast a pale glow over a forsaken land scarred by ruin. Shattered buildings rose like the bones of a forgotten age. The ground lay cracked and barren, while human corpses were strewn across the streets, remnants of a catastrophe that had swallowed everything.

  At the center of it all stood Suero.

  His breath came in broken gasps. His clothes hung in tatters. With eyes wide in disbelief, he stared at the nightmare before him. The world had lost all meaning. A city that once pulsed with life had become an empty shell. Everything—everyone—was gone.

  Suero’s breathing faltered. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the dry earth. His hands trembled as he pressed them against the lifeless ground, tears gathering in his eyes. It was as if the pain of this dead city had settled deep inside his chest.

  His stomach churned. He gagged and vomited onto the dirt.

  A single tear fell.

  “He… killed them…”

  His voice cracked.

  He cried like a child who had lost everything, pounding the ground with his fists as his tears soaked into the barren soil.

  “He killed all of them!” he screamed. “Every human! I… I couldn’t do anything!”

  His cries echoed through the ruins.

  Then, a shadow stretched across the ground.

  Someone descended from the sky.

  It was Spailo.

  He landed casually, hands in his pockets, a mocking smile on his face. His gaze fell on Suero.

  “Did that move your heart, brat?”

  Suero lifted his head. Tears still blurred his vision, but rage burned through them. His voice shook.

  “You… You killed them! You killed all my friends!”

  Spailo raised an eyebrow.

  “Really? They were nothing more than insects.”

  Suero clenched his teeth, forcing himself upright.

  “Don’t mock human lives!”

  He stood at last, lifting his head slowly. His eyes burned with hatred. Spailo remained where he was, wearing that same familiar, irritating grin.

  Without warning, Suero dashed forward.

  Blue sparks erupted around his body as he charged at full speed, roaring with fury. Spailo didn’t move. He stayed relaxed, hands still in his pockets.

  Suero swung.

  Spailo tilted his head, the punch slicing through empty air.

  Another strike. Another miss.

  Each time, Spailo shifted just enough, evading with effortless grace.

  Suero attacked again—

  This time, Spailo caught his fist.

  The impact sent a shock through Suero’s arm. His eyes widened as he met Spailo’s gaze. Those eyes held nothing but amusement.

  “That’s it?” Spailo taunted. “Is that all you’ve got, brat?”

  He hurled Suero upward with overwhelming force.

  Suero’s body soared into the sky. He looked down in disbelief at the ground—and at Spailo, who gazed back up with a twisted smile.

  Spailo vanished.

  Before Suero could react, Spailo appeared above him.

  A brutal kick slammed into Suero’s back.

  He plummeted like a meteor, crashing into the earth. The ground split beneath him as he struck, lying flat on his back. Blood streamed from his nose as pain wracked his body.

  Spailo descended and began walking toward him, one step at a time.

  Suero stared at the sky, his thoughts spiraling.

  When… when did all of this begin?

  ---

  Flashback — One Hour Earlier

  The city was alive.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Markets overflowed with people. Laughter filled the streets. Neon lights painted the skyline in warm colors. Life pulsed through every corner of the metropolis.

  Suero walked beside his mentor, Kamasi, whose calm expression carried quiet satisfaction.

  “This place is amazing!” Suero exclaimed, eyes shining.

  Kamasi nodded. “It truly is. Brimming with life.”

  Suero grinned. “So… why are we here?”

  Kamasi’s tone shifted. “Suero, are you part of the Three Clans?”

  Suero scoffed. “Of course not.”

  Kamasi hesitated, then spoke more seriously. “But when Spailo was a student under Sbyam Brius, I heard he awakened the Unlimited Technique.”

  Suero froze. “My brother and I… we haven’t seen each other since we were kids.”

  “I see,” Kamasi murmured.

  Then—

  A colossal explosion erupted in the distance.

  Crimson light flared across the sky. The ground trembled violently. Both of them turned toward the blast.

  “What’s happening over there?” Suero asked, unease creeping into his voice.

  A moment later, laughter echoed through the city.

  Cruel. Distorted. Inhuman.

  Spailo’s laughter.

  Kamasi’s eyes widened in shock. Suero felt his blood turn cold.

  “That voice… it’s…?”

  Kamasi broke into a run toward the source of the explosion. Suero chased after him, his breath shaking.

  “Brother…?”

  They reached the devastated district.

  Flames devoured everything. Buildings collapsed. Screams filled the air.

  Above the chaos floated Spailo, suspended in the sky, smiling as he gazed upon the inferno. Humans fled in terror beneath him.

  Nearby, a small child stared at his mother’s burning body, his voice barely escaping his throat.

  “Mom…?”

  Suero and Kamasi arrived at the heart of the destruction.

  Spailo descended, landing before them with casual grace.

  “Suero…?” he murmured.

  Suero stood frozen, staring at the brother he hadn’t seen in years.

  Spailo’s smile widened. “It’s been a long time.”

  “What are you doing here?!” Suero shouted.

  Spailo only watched him, amused.

  Kamasi, trembling, stepped forward. “Why, Spailo? Why did you leave the Mana Organization?!”

  Spailo let out a mocking laugh. “You wanted me to stay with you? In that ridiculous organization?”

  Suddenly, a bright light flared behind Suero and Kamasi.

  A blazing spark shot toward Spailo.

  He crushed it with one hand.

  The energy detonated behind him, shaking the ruins.

  A figure appeared before Suero and Kamasi.

  It was Shinbo.

  “Master Shinbo?” Suero gasped in relief.

  Shinbo stared at Spailo with piercing eyes.

  Spailo tilted his head. “And you are?”

  Suero swallowed. "He’s a B-Class… He’s strong."

  “You’re Spailo Rashid, aren’t you?” Shinbo asked.

  “And?” Spailo smirked. “Should I feel honored?”

  “That makes you Suero’s brother,” Shinbo said firmly. “You trained under Sbyam Brius, didn’t you?”

  Spailo raised an eyebrow. “Sbyam Brius—the strongest sorcerer. Then why didn’t he come himself?”

  “Because I’m the one who’ll kill you,” Shinbo declared.

  Spailo sighed. “How boring.”

  Shinbo launched forward at blinding speed.

  A decisive battle was about to begin—

  Blood burst from Shinbo’s neck.

  His head separated from his body, spinning through the air like a severed branch.

  His corpse collapsed onto the burning street, motionless, swallowed by fire and crimson shadows.

  Spailo advanced toward Suero and Kamasi at an unhurried pace, his presence unnervingly calm. Then he spoke with quiet certainty.

  “You’re exempt.”

  Suero stared at him in disbelief. “What…?”

  Spailo’s eyes ignited, glowing crimson.

  His voice sharpened into something cold and dreadful.

  “Realm Activation: Unlimited Domain.”

  The city shuddered.

  It was as if the land itself trembled beneath an unseen force. A vast black barrier rose, enclosing the entire city. Darkness spilled outward from it, swallowing streets, towers, and skies alike. Every corner of the metropolis was consumed by pitch-black shadow.

  The sky seemed to collapse, descending like a crumbling ceiling.

  Suero watched in horror, his heart hammering as though it might stop at any moment.

  Spailo lifted his head, savoring the terror that gripped the world. Slowly, he extended his hands toward the void around him.

  “Destroy everything in your path.”

  Even as his words lingered in the air, crimson slashes began to emerge from nothingness.

  They tore through space itself—threads of red lightning ripping across the world at impossible speed. Anything they touched was severed without mercy.

  Buildings collapsed in waves. The ground split apart, chunks of earth hurled skyward. Humans who fled in desperation fell like scattered debris, their bodies flung aside as if by a raging storm. Blood sprayed across the streets. Screams filled the dark.

  Beside Suero, Kamasi stood frozen in terror as the red slashes surged toward them.

  Moments later—

  Kamasi’s body was torn apart.

  The slashes ripped through him mercilessly, the impacts shaking the earth. Suero watched with tear-filled eyes, unable to move. Unable to scream.

  Unable to save him.

  ---

  Present

  Suero lay on the shattered ground, staring up at a sky that felt like it was waiting for the end of everything.

  He turned his gaze toward Spailo, his eyes drowning in despair and tears.

  Is this what the world has become?

  Is this my fate?

  Spailo stood before him within the darkness.

  His voice was soft.

  Terrifyingly so.

  “Suero. You’ll have to struggle just to keep up with me. If you truly want to save this world… then you must become stronger.”

  Suero looked at him, hollow-eyed.

  “Why did you leave the Mana Organization?” he whispered.

  A brief silence followed.

  Then Spailo replied, his tone indifferent.

  “It doesn’t matter. What matters now is that you show me the stubbornness I know you have—and grow stronger.”

  He turned away.

  Leaving Suero behind with questions that had no answers.

  Suero stared at the dark sky, as if it were devouring everything.

  “Why does it have to be this way…?” he murmured. “Why…?”

  When he looked again, Spailo was gone.

  Only the darkness remained.

  Suero slowly shook his head and closed his eyes.

  “Master Sbyam… what should I do now?”

  The chapter ended there.

  Suero stood alone amid the ruins, searching for meaning at the end of a dark and uncertain path.

  End of Chapter One.