While the fairy army locked on with the beasts, a lone shadow rapidly ran north, while another slowly made its way east.

The one going north suddenly stopped, and observed his surroundings.

"..."

On his left, a large structure stood, where naked walls appeared with signs above them.

The shadow recognized the names of cities, and areas of the continent.

Albriar, Hocride, Turric, Noctelagia... So many names that indicated the connection between the man who created this plane, and the traitorous Apostles.

It looked on the right, in the distance. There, two houses stood strongly, unbothered by the events happening everywhere else.

Picking up the pace, the shadow walked toward them. The closer it went, the stranger it felt.

Until its whole body crashed onto a barrier.

The crash made no sound, as if the barrier was made of a sturdy net instead of a thick wall.

Pushed by the barrier, the hood of the cloaked figure dropped behind the shoulder of the being, revealing its identity.

"What the-"

Dony, the man who had his neck broken by Miasma, fumbled backward after bumping into the protective magic around the houses.

His physical features showed no signs of changes, while the only difference visible was his hair.

Before being turned into a more perfect corrupted human, Dony kept his long hair in a ponytail. Now, his long hair flowed behind his back, stopping at his shoulder blades.

With a frustrated expression, he approached the barrier, and placed his hand on it.

A squishy feeling wrapped his hand, as it pushed it backward once again.

"No dice, huh?"

The Apostle looked to his left, where the Siren Sea, his original target, was.

His gaze fell upon the houses, and once again, the desire to access it pulled him against his will.

Unleashing a dark power from his hand, he tried to break through the barrier.

The two powers collided, until Dony's hand sunk deeper into the net. With a smile on his face, delighted of his success, he pushed continuously, until his whole arm pushed through.

"Hah! Nothing can stop me-"

As he rejoiced, the net suddenly closed on his arm, slicing it cleanly off the rest of his body.

"Kh!"

While taking a few steps back, he grabbed his shoulder in pain, while looking at his flailing missing arm on the ground.

After a few seconds, his arms transformed into a dark goop that evaporated into the air, while another arm regrew from the wound.

"I suppose it is a good thing I did not push my head first in there..."

With a deep glare, the corrupted man ignored his impulsive need and walked away.

"There's no other way around. Guess I'll just comply and do what I've been told to..."

Walking toward the sea in the distance, Dony continued with a displeased expression.

...

East of Horizon.

Two individuals stared at each other in front of a forest.

"..."

Karteira silently observed the large soldier, standing proudly with his sword in hand.

"..."

They kept looking at each other, alert for any movements.

Until Karteira placed her hands in the pockets of her pants.

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"What is the meaning of this?"

The soldier asked with confusion.

"The meaning of what?"

"Why aren't you attacking me?"

Frustration appeared on the man. Yet, his patience remained untouched. He was ready to stay his hand for the perfect opportunity to strike at the woman.

Karteira glanced behind her, her cerulean blue hair flowing elegantly with the wind. Then, she looked back at the man.

Lifting her chin toward the sky, she smirked at him.

"What do you think? Do I have to indulge in a corrupted's sense of honor?"

"I've fought my fair share of battles, there's no such thing as honor for you."

Her eyes fell on the sword in the man's hands.

"Don't look so stiff, you're going to rip a muscle... Oh, wait. You can't, you're healing all kinds of injuries."

The mockery in her voice wasn't just for show. She was hoping to anger him, as it was the best way to force mistakes out of the opponent.

"You are right."

The man released his strength, and let his sword drop toward the grass. Its tip pierced the ground, standing straight next to the man.

*Crack*

Suddenly, the corrupted cracked his neck, and shoulders. Surprised, Karteira removed her hands from her pockets and crossed her arms.

"Were you aware that even now, I can recall the horrors I caused on others?"

The man suddenly looked at Karteira while straightening.

"Is it a story made to waste my time, or get the upper hand on me?"

"Just a thought."

The right arm of the man moved toward his sword, before his fingers wrapped around its hilt.

With a rough pull, he ripped a chunk off the soil as he recovered his sword.

"What's your name, warrior?"

Karteira hesitated for a second, before her blood stirred.

"I was not expecting to find honor in a corrupted human. What a world we live in..."

With a shrug, and a deep glare, she sighed.

"Karteira..."

"Lucas. It was my name, before turning."

They looked at each other for a minute. The echoes of gunfire entered their ears from the west.

Curious, Karteira lifted her head sideways and looked in that direction.

At that moment, Lucas crouched, and leaped toward Karteira, his sword in hand.

Approaching an unfocused Karteira, his sword moved closer to her neck, before abruptly being stopped.

Her left hand, covered with thick plates, grabbed the blade in a swift, unflinching action.

"You thought? Where's your self-proclaimed honor?"

"!"

Lucas tried to break free from her grasp, but he was unable to.

"..."

Stupefied, Karteira frowned.

"I'm sorry, but is that really all you have?"

Shock appeared on her face, as she realized that the man wasn't a formidable opponent.

Disappointment replaced her previous expression, before she shook her head.

"Really..."

She clenched her right hand, which appeared covered by plates. A long, sharp blade of plates stretched downward, before she sliced the man's arm straight off.

"I was expecting a bit more."

She threw the arm holding the sword behind her, while spinning once. Throwing a powerful kick at his chest, she sent the man flying a few meters away.

Lucas held his chest in pain, while his arm regrew.

"It's not that I'm weak..."

He glared at Karteira.

*Slice*

A deep cut appeared on Karteira's leg. She looked at it, slightly confused, before a wild smile replaced her disappointed mood.

"That's better!"

Pulling her leg back, she looked at the cut, before it began to heal too.

"!"

Surprised, Lucas opened his eyes wide. The white aura around Karteira was something he wasn't expecting.

"You have a few tricks under your sleeves, right? Bring it on, then. I'll play with you."

The wound on her leg healed before she wore her full plated armor, the Cerulean Armor.

With only her head not covered, she took a step forward.

"Heh."

With a smirk, Lucas stood up, before letting go of his humanity at last.

A deep black aura covered his entire body, while his eyes turned black. The muscles on his body bulged tremendously, as his bones stretched, creating a two meters tall and large monster.

Parting with his human mind, Lucas turned into a true corrupted. With no mind to limit his actions anymore, he went straight on the attack.

With a grunt, he jumped in the air, and slammed both arms on Karteira.

In a loud crashing sound, the ground cracked under the pressure of his arms.

"..."

Karteira appeared unfazed by the strength of the creature, as she held its hands above her head.

Yet, she still felt the changes. Her plates screeched and bent under the pressure.

"Tch."

While clicking her tongue, Karteira threw the monster's arms to the side, immediately following with an assault of her own.

She let go of any semblance of concern, and released the magic hiding her scorpion tail.

A thick, armored tail with a sharp stinger quickly appeared, before it pierced the man's arm.

Using her tail as a lever, she went over the man and slashed its back with her sharp blade.

A growl of pain left the mouth of Lucas, as he turned around hurriedly to catch her before she landed.

Yet, he was met with a stinger that pierced his jaw from below. Then, Karteira pulled it out, spraying dark liquid out of the man's mouth.

With one last glance, she slashed the man's throat.

But she knew, this wouldn't be enough. She aimed the blade straight at the opening in his throat, and stabbed into it.

The blade pierced the throat, and traveled all the way to his nape.

With a powerful movement, she cut the left side of his neck as she dislodged the blade from the man's flesh.

Disgusting liquid sprayed everywhere, as she purposefully aimed for his jugular vein.

Yet, she was forced to move away, as a sudden burst of magic erupted from the monster. A column of iron pierced through the ground, shattering the plated blade into shards.

"!"

Karteira jumped away, dodging another attack. The spike was aimed at her chest, which she was forced to avoid, seeing how easily it shattered her plates.

'Shit. That was close.'

She thought, while watching the head of the man heal back on its shoulders.

'Good thing I was on high alert.'

Even if she looked disappointed at first, she never underestimated the man in front of her.

Karteira knew all of this was a feint to make her think she had the upper hand, only to cut the grass under her feet.

'I love fighting tough opponents.'

With a wide grin on her face, a white aura covered her entire body. The plates healed gradually, while she approached the large monster glaring at her.

She stopped, and made a gesture asking it to come to her. While it was straight provocation, it was effective against a brainless monster.

Now that it had revealed its magic, the battle was about to change drastically.

But the same could be said for Karteira.

She hadn't used her light element yet.