Following the departure of Commander Alfred Miraculous, General Akaria Valerius summoned the two elven elites, Elara Meridian and Natalia Grotaro, to the central meeting hall of the Black Spear headquarters.

  Akaria sat behind the large command table with her head resting in her hands. For the first time since assuming leadership, she felt that the threads of control were slowly slipping through her fingers. The increasing political pressure from the surrounding kingdoms was beginning to outweigh the Black Spear's ability to remain truly independent.

  The doors opened.

  Elara and Natalia entered together, confusion clearly visible on their faces. They were not accustomed to being summoned so suddenly, especially in such a formal manner.

  Akaria looked up at them and forced a faint smile.

  "It seems both of you have made remarkable progress recently," she said, maintaining her composed command tone. "I can see the signs of strength and maturity in your eyes."

  She paused briefly.

  "However, as you know me, I will speak directly."

  Her voice became slightly heavier.

  "Natalia, Elara… an official recall order has arrived from the Independent Elven Kingdom—your homeland. The King has requested the immediate return of his elite protectors. The kingdom is gathering all available strength to reinforce its defenses."

  Natalia stepped forward immediately, shock written across her face.

  "But General Akaria!" she protested. "We cannot leave now. Our training here has only just begun. We pledged ourselves to the Black Spear, and our homeland already possesses powerful defenses. I doubt they truly need us at this moment."

  Elara said nothing.

  Her wide eyes silently pleaded for another answer… one that would allow them to stay.

  Akaria smiled bitterly.

  "I appreciate your commitment," she said softly. "But this decision is not negotiable."

  She leaned back slightly.

  "I do not see you as mere soldiers. I see you as younger sisters. And right now, the priority must be the safety of your race and your homeland."

  Her gaze hardened slightly.

  "The world is beginning to sound the alarm. Kaizen will not remain silent forever. At any moment he may launch an attack capable of redrawing the map itself."

  She folded her arms.

  "So we must distribute our forces wisely."

  Akaria continued in a calmer tone.

  "As for the Black Spear… Zorua Machiavelli has begun recovering, and we now possess the strongest pillar this unit has ever seen—Nico Sigmund."

  Despite the mystery surrounding him, he has already proven that he surpasses all of us. We will rely on him to fill the gap your departure leaves behind."

  She sighed quietly.

  "You will depart tomorrow morning. Use today to gather your belongings."

  She stood up.

  "General Luna will escort you safely to the Elven Kingdom."

  "You may leave."

  Natalia and Elara exited the hall slowly.

  The weight of the announcement made their steps feel heavier with each movement.

  When the doors closed, Akaria leaned against the table and poured herself a glass of alcohol.

  She drank it in a single motion.

  "The shocks just keep coming…" she muttered quietly.

  Her eyes drifted toward the window.

  "We are lucky Nico is here right now."

  She paused.

  "I only hope he doesn't decide to leave as well."

  The Master's Blessing

  Meanwhile, Nico was visiting the headquarters of his own alliance: Red Scythe.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Inside the hall, Athena Seraph sat with the twins, Noran and Sevia. The three of them were eagerly telling Nico about everything that had happened during his absence.

  Their voices carried excitement and pride.

  "We did it!" Noran said enthusiastically. "We rose from Rank Five to Rank Three in record time."

  Sevia nodded proudly.

  "We trained every day. No breaks."

  Athena smiled warmly.

  "The alliance is stronger than ever."

  Nico listened to them quietly.

  For once, the usual coldness in his expression softened slightly. For a few moments he looked less like an emperor of destruction and more like a mentor watching his students grow.

  Then silence fell across the room.

  Nico finally spoke.

  "My alliance… my loyal friends."

  His voice carried calm pride.

  "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done to transform this alliance into a formidable force."

  He looked around the room slowly.

  "I was not alone in building this foundation. The proof lies in your growth during my absence."

  "You have become strong."

  His gaze turned toward the twins.

  "Thank you, Noran… Sevia."

  Then he looked at Athena.

  "And thank you, Athena."

  "You have matured greatly."

  "You carried the burden of this alliance alone, and yet the results speak for themselves."

  Athena's eyes filled with tears.

  So did the twins.

  They understood what his tone meant.

  This was not merely encouragement.

  It sounded like farewell.

  Suddenly the three of them rushed forward and embraced him tightly.

  Like children refusing to let their father leave.

  Nico returned the embrace quietly.

  For a brief moment, the room held both warmth and sorrow.

  Finally Nico stepped back.

  "You are the real heroes," he said proudly.

  "The legends who will rewrite history."

  "I trust that one day the Red Scythe will stand as the power that protects this kingdom."

  He turned toward the door.

  "Now… it is time to say goodbye."

  "Farewell, my friends."

  The Battlefield of Choice

  Nico returned to the Black Spear headquarters at dawn.

  What he saw at the entrance surprised him.

  Elara and Natalia stood near the gate dressed in traveling attire.

  They were preparing to leave.

  The moment Elara saw him, she ran forward without hesitation and threw herself into his arms.

  Tears streamed down her face.

  Nico stood still, slightly confused by the sudden emotion.

  Behind him, Akaria approached.

  "They are leaving," she explained calmly. "The Elven Kingdom has recalled them."

  Nico looked down at Elara and gently returned the hug.

  "Do not worry," he whispered. "Your homeland's priorities come first."

  "We will meet again."

  Nearby, Natalia wiped false tears from her eyes, hiding the satisfaction she felt at finally leaving the humans she secretly despised.

  General Luna prepared the group for departure.

  Suddenly Nico stepped forward.

  He grabbed Elara's wrist firmly.

  Then he looked directly at Luna.

  "Luna."

  "Take Natalia and escort her to the Elven Kingdom."

  "Elara will remain here for a while."

  "I will personally handle her arrival later."

  Luna bowed respectfully.

  "As you command, High General."

  Elara looked at Nico in confusion.

  "What…?"

  Nico gave her a faint mysterious smile.

  "If you wish to leave now, you may."

  Elara tightened her grip on his hand.

  "No…"

  "I want to stay with you, Lord Nico."

  Akaria remained silent.

  Nico was now the acting deputy commander. His authority could not be questioned.

  He turned and began walking.

  "Follow me."

  "Where are we going?" Elara asked nervously.

  Nico did not look back.

  "To the battlefield."

  The Awakening of Frost

  They entered the central training arena.

  Nico removed his black military jacket, revealing a simple black shirt stretched across his mana-charged muscles.

  He stepped into the ring.

  Elara followed.

  The magical barrier activated immediately, sealing the arena.

  Nico looked at her coldly.

  "Come, Elara."

  "Attack me with everything you have."

  "If you fail to pique my interest… you will end up shattered."

  "Just like Zorua."

  Elara's hands trembled.

  "But Lord Nico… I can't—"

  His voice thundered across the arena.

  "This is the last time I will repeat myself."

  "Attack."

  "Or I will consider you a corpse already."

  Elara's fear exploded into action.

  She launched forward and released a storm of razor-sharp ice blades.

  They flew toward Nico like deadly snowstorms.

  But the moment they entered the space around him—

  They evaporated.

  The sheer heat of Nico's mana aura instantly melted the ice.

  The frozen blades turned into steam before even touching his body.

  Elara gasped in disbelief.

  She unleashed wave after wave of ice shards from every direction.

  Nico raised one hand.

  A massive sphere of fire formed above his palm.

  The heat inside the arena surged violently.

  Every fragment of ice in the air began melting into water droplets before reaching him.

  Then he released the fireball.

  The blazing sphere roared toward Elara like a miniature sun.

  She screamed and formed an icy vortex to block it.

  But her defense collapsed under the overwhelming heat.

  The fireball approached.

  Closer.

  Closer.

  Its heat burned her skin.

  For the first time in her life—

  Elara truly saw death.

  Then suddenly—

  Nico disappeared.

  He reappeared behind her.

  With a single motion he extinguished the flame.

  The inferno vanished instantly.

  Elara collapsed to her knees, crying uncontrollably.

  Nico gently lifted her from the ground.

  "You are not ready," he said calmly.

  "The future will show you far more terrifying scenes than this."

  "Therefore you will remain here."

  "I will speak to the Elven King personally."

  "You must stay by my side… and learn how to face reality."

  From the stands, Akaria watched the scene quietly.

  A faint smile appeared on her face.

  She understood what Nico was doing.

  He was forging Elara into something stronger.

  The Omen

  Ten minutes later Nico returned with a completely different expression.

  A cheerful smile replaced the cold predator from the arena.

  "How about we eat something good?" he said casually.

  "And after that… we visit the library and discuss those books I gave you."

  Elara blinked in surprise.

  Then she smiled brightly.

  "Yes!"

  The two of them walked away together.

  Meanwhile, Natalia traveled with General Luna toward the Elven Kingdom.

  She muttered angrily.

  "Stupid Elara… staying behind with that human."

  Then suddenly she looked up.

  Her expression froze.

  "General Luna…"

  "Do you see that?"

  The sky above them had turned strange.

  Thick fog spread across the horizon.

  And the color of the sky…

  Was deep crimson.

  Luna stopped walking.

  Her face became serious.

  "You're right…"

  "I have never seen the sky look like this before."

  An ominous silence filled the air.

  Something terrible was coming.

  [End of Chapter 37]