A few minutes ago.
Simon stood on his hover bike, watching from a distant ridge as Riverstone Base City was swallowed by chaos. From above, the once—bustling city now looked like a battlefield—wall broken, smoke rising, and monstrous roars shaking the air.
His heart pounded.
Father…Olivia…
He clenched his fists. His family was in that city. But unless he helped deal with the Dreadbeasts, he wouldn't even get a chance to reach them.
Pushing the throttle, his hover bike roared through the broken forest path toward the base perimeter. As he entered the range of the base network, a new alert flashed across his comms.
##EMERGENCY REQUEST##
Urgent support required. Level-5 Awakened Dreadbeast attacking.
Even a moment of restraint is enough. Requesting all available Astral Lords for backup.
A desperate cry for help. The kind that only came when city was on the brink of collapse.
Simon didn't even have time to respond.
A sharp, bone-chilling scream echoed from the city's direction.
Simon's eyes darted to the sky—and what he saw made his blood run cold.
A massive, black-winged beast soared above the base like a shadow of death. Its very presence distorted the air around it. Then came the military's response—he watched as the giant standoff cannon fired.
The first blast missed.
Simon narrowed his eyes.
The second shot fired a moment later—and it hit. But something unnatural happened.
The bean curved unnaturally, pulled into the beast's glowing eye… and vanished.
Then, without warning, the monster opened its beak—and unleashed a devastating beam of its own. Entire city blocks vaporized in a second.
Even from the distance, Simon could feel the shockwave.
What…the hell is that thing? He thought, for the first time in a long time, feeling genuine fear.
It wasn't just strong—it was intelligent. Awake. An Awakened Dreadbeast. A rarity among even the elite monsters. And now, it was furious.
The realization struck him hard.
The was beyond Riverstone's limits. The military alone couldn't stop this. No one could—not without help.
Simon stared at the black storm forming around the creature. His jaw clenched. His decision was made.
If that thing gets through… there won't be a home to return to.
With a grim expression, he activated his comm unit.
"…this is Simon Reid"
He gunned the hover bike forward, speeding toward the eye of the storm.
Simon switched off the altitude limiter on his hover bike, sending the vehicle soaring higher into the sky. Wind roared past him as he accelerated, heading straight toward the monstrous figure looming over the base—the Awakened Dreadbeast, Ghostho.
The beast spotted him almost immediately.
A tiny figure darting through the sky towards it, unafraid. Challenging it.
Enraged, Ghostho shrieked with fury. Its massive wings beat once, and it lunged, claws outstretched, venomous beak open wide—ready to rip Simon apart in a single swipe.
But Simon didn't flinch.
White-blue flames flickered to life around him like fireflies, dancing in a swirling vortex. At the last second, he kicked off the hover bike, launching himself high into the air, flipping above the creature's skull.
Mid-air, he summoned his weapon one last time.
Ember Cleaver.
The blade appeared in his hand. cracked and fragile from his last brutal fight. But Simon didn't hesitate. Now wasn't the time to hold back.
He poured his flames into the blade.
The temperature surged—2,000 degrees Celsius.
Even the Ember Cleaver trembled under the sheer heat. Its surface glowed, the cracks widening. Simon's aura surged, a blazing storm surrounding him.
Ghostho felt the threat immediately. Its wings flared out as its glowing eyes focused on Simon, filled with caution and fury. It activated its unique ability—the awakened power that had redirected the standoff cannon's energy once before.
Back in the command room, alarm blared.
"The cannon is charged!" a soldier shouted.
Commander Kael hesitated.
Simon was too close.
One wrong shot, and their last hope would be caught in the blast.
Then from the radio. Voice came.
"Now!"
When he heard the voice, Commander Kael ordered grimly.
"Take the shot."
The cannon fired. A blinding beam of energy sliced through the sky, racing toward Ghostho's massive torso.
But Ghostho turned at last second, once again absorbing the shot into its glowing eye.
It was the moment Simon had been waiting for.
"Never turn your back on your enemy."
The cold voice rang out behind Ghostho.
Its head whipped around—but too late.
Simon was already there, his superheated Ember Cleaver descending in a vertical arc, flames spiraling around it.
"Goodbye"
his voice cracked slightly, not for the beast—but for the weapon that had served him through blood and flame. This would be its final act.
BOOM!
An earth-shaking explosion erupted in the sky.
Light and fire consumed the heavens as shockwaves tore through the clouds. Soldiers below shielded their eyes, unsure of what had just happened.
Two figures dropped from the inferno and smoke.
One—Simon—caught himself midair with a burst of solidified air beneath his feet. That went unnoticed in the smoke, landing on his hover bike with perfect control, panting, half-broken Ember Cleaver still in his hand.
The other—a headless corpse, the massive body of Ghostho—crashed into the horde of Dreadbeasts below. The impact flattened dozens, shaking the ground and sending dust and debris flying.
For a moment, silence.
Then—
"YEEAAAHHH!"
A roar erupted from the soldiers across the battlefield.
Cheers, screams, and battle cries filled the air as morale surged. The monster that had pushed them to the brink had fallen.
Inside the command room, soldiers jumped from their chairs in celebration. Commander Kael leaned back in his seat, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His eye lingered on the screen showing Simon.
"…Crazy brat," he muttered with a grin. "But damn good."
But Simon wasn't done yet.
Still standing atop his hover bike, he extended both arms, and with a deep breath, summoned his flames once more.
White-blue infernos surged around him.
Dozens of spears, arrows, and fireballs formed in midair, their glow reflecting in his eyes.
Then—
He fired.
The sky lit up again as flaming projectiles rained down onto the battlefield. Dreadbeasts Screamed in agony, some burned to ash, others frozen, trapped in ice from the flames unnatural cold.
The soldiers surged forward, cutting down the stunned beasts with renewed fury.
Simon watched from above, eyes scanning the battlefield.
His body was bruised, his blade broken, and his energy spent—but his resolve burned brighter than ever.
He had protected the city.
He had protected his family.