Together, Renjiro and Kaelan raced through the burning village, their feet pounding against the dirt as they dodged falling debris and the crumbling ruins of what had once been their peaceful home. The air was thick with smoke, the heat pressing in on them from all sides. Fires raged around them, casting an eerie red glow over the scene. Every breath felt heavy, the acrid taste of ash filling their lungs.

Renjiro's heart pounded in his chest as they neared his home, but suddenly, their path was blocked by a towering figure—a Crimson Dynasty soldier, his eyes blazing with red Lumina energy. The soldier sneered down at them, the cruel glow of his power crackling around his armored frame, casting sharp shadows in the smoke-filled air.

Kaelan stepped forward, his voice shaking with a mix of fear and defiance. "Get out of our way!"

The soldier didn't flinch. With deliberate malice, he raised his weapon—an axe, humming with red energy—and swung with terrifying force. Kaelan barely had time to grab a nearby plank of wood, using it as a makeshift shield. But the blow shattered the wood to pieces, the force of the strike sending Kaelan flying back into the dirt.

Renjiro's breath caught in his throat. They couldn't win against someone like this. The faint flicker of Lumina energy inside him stirred, but it was weak—flickering like a dying ember. Desperation pushed him forward as he swung his fists at the soldier, but his blows were futile. The soldier swatted him aside like an insect, sending him tumbling to the ground. Pain shot through his body, his vision blurring for a moment as dust and smoke swirled around him.

The soldier loomed over them, his red eyes gleaming with malice. He raised his axe again, ready to bring it down and end their lives.

"Run, Kaelan!" Renjiro gasped, his voice hoarse as he struggled to rise. But there was nowhere to run. They were trapped, and the soldier's strength was far beyond theirs.

Just when all seemed lost, an explosion ripped through the street behind the soldier, sending a wave of dust and debris into the air. The Crimson soldier stumbled, momentarily distracted by the chaos. Renjiro didn't waste a second. He grabbed Kaelan's arm and pulled him to his feet, and together they darted away from the wreckage, dashing toward Renjiro's home.

They burst into the house, only to find Satoshi and the Blue Clan soldier already locked in battle with another Crimson warrior. The clash of metal filled the air as Satoshi swung his hammer with all his might, parrying the soldier's brutal strikes. Red energy crackled around the Crimson soldier's body, giving him an unnatural strength and speed that Satoshi struggled to match.

"Uncle!" Renjiro shouted, but Satoshi didn't turn, his focus entirely on the fight. His brow was furrowed in concentration, sweat pouring down his face as he gripped his hammer tighter.

The house shook as another explosion rocked the village, the tremor causing the walls to crack and groan. Renjiro turned, his heart sinking as a portion of the ceiling came crashing down. He looked in horror to see Kaelan caught beneath the falling debris, his legs pinned under the heavy rubble.

"Kaelan!" Renjiro cried, rushing to his friend's side.

"I'm stuck!" Kaelan gasped, his face pale with pain as he struggled in vain to free himself. Renjiro knelt beside him, grabbing at the rubble, trying with all his strength to lift it. But the weight was too much. His arms trembled with the effort, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Panic surged through him.

They had to get out of here—but Kaelan was trapped.

"Satoshi!" Renjiro shouted again, his voice thick with desperation.

But his uncle was too consumed by the fight, barely holding off the relentless strikes of the Crimson soldier. "Run, Renjiro!" Satoshi shouted through gritted teeth, his voice strained. "Get out of here! Go!"

Renjiro's heart tightened in his chest. How could he leave them? How could he abandon his uncle—and Kaelan? His mind raced, torn between the instinct to protect the people he loved and the terrifying realization that they were outmatched. The red Lumina energy swirling around the Crimson soldiers was too powerful. They couldn't win this fight.

Before Renjiro could act, the air around them shifted. It grew thick and suffocating like the world itself was holding its breath. The ground beneath their feet trembled violently, and cracks splintered through the earth. A low, rumbling growl echoed through the village, rising from the depths of the ground, shaking the very foundations of what remained.

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Renjiro's heart raced as the sky seemed to tear open above them.

Then, with a thunderous crash, a massive figure descended from the sky, landing with such force that the earth itself buckled beneath him. The shockwave sent Renjiro stumbling back, barely able to keep his balance as the debris around them scattered.

The soldier's voice trembled, barely a whisper, as dread filled his eyes. "No… anyone but him. Why did they send him?"

General Calo had arrived.

Calo stood taller than any man Renjiro had ever seen, his broad, muscular frame casting a long shadow over the ruins of the village. His skin glowed with the raw power of red Lumina energy, crackling like lightning across his bare chest. His head was bald, but a thick, grey beard framed his scarred, weathered face. His eyes burned with red energy, glowing with a terrifying intensity. In his hand, he wielded a massive mace, its head radiating the same destructive energy that seemed to pulse through him.

Renjiro froze in place, his entire body trembling with fear. The sheer presence of General Calo drained the courage from his limbs, leaving him paralyzed. His legs felt heavy, his heart pounding in his ears, every instinct telling him to run—but he couldn't move.

Calo surveyed the wreckage with cold indifference, his gaze sweeping over the burning buildings and the fleeing villagers. His lips curled into a sneer. "Pathetic," he muttered, his voice low and rumbling like an approaching storm. "All this resistance... for nothing."

Renjiro's stomach churned. The sight of Calo standing amidst the destruction, completely unmoved by the suffering around him, filled him with a sense of dread, unlike anything he had ever known. This was no ordinary enemy. This was a force of nature, an unstoppable wave of chaos and destruction.

Beside him, the Blue Clan soldier grabbed Renjiro's arm, pulling him back. "We have to go, now!" the soldier urged, his voice urgent, almost frantic. "We don't stand a chance against him. This is no ordinary warrior!"

Renjiro's eyes darted to Satoshi, who was still locked in battle with the Crimson soldier. "No! We can't leave my uncle!" he cried, panic rising in his throat.

The soldier's grip tightened, his face grim. "If we stay, you'll die too!"

Before Renjiro could argue, the soldier turned his gaze skyward and raised his hand. "Phalyx!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the chaos.

From above, the powerful beat of wings cut through the smoky air. A majestic Phalyx—a mystical creature infused with blue Lumina energy—descended from the sky, its shimmering scales glowing with a faint blue light. Its four wings flapped steadily, leaving trails of Lumina in its wake as it hovered just above the ground. The Phalyx's form was sleek and graceful, almost ethereal, its presence a sharp contrast to the destruction below.

The Phalyx lowered its head, and the Azeron Guardian swung onto its back. He reached out to Renjiro, his expression urgent. "Now, Renjiro! We need to leave—before it's too late!"

Renjiro hesitated, his heart torn between the safety of escape and the unbearable thought of abandoning his uncle. He looked back at Satoshi, who was fighting with everything he had, but the truth gnawed at him: they couldn't win this battle. Not against Calo.

"Renjiro!" the soldier urged again, his voice breaking through Renjiro's paralysis. "If you stay, you'll die too!"

With a sinking heart, Renjiro grabbed the soldier's hand and pulled himself onto the Phalyx's back. As the creature's powerful wings unfurled, they lifted into the air, soaring above the burning village. Renjiro's breath came in ragged gasps as they rose higher and higher, the fires below shrinking into the distance.

But then, Renjiro looked back—and his blood ran cold.

Down below, General Calo had reached Satoshi. The massive warrior moved with terrifying speed, his red Lumina blazing as he grabbed Satoshi by the throat, lifting him into the air like he weighed nothing.

Renjiro froze. The world seemed to slow as he watched in horror. His uncle's legs kicked weakly, his hands clawing at Calo's iron grip, but the General's strength was inhuman. Satoshi's face twisted in agony, his eyes wide with desperation as he gasped for breath.

"No! No!" Renjiro screamed, struggling against the Guardian's grip. "We have to help him! We have to—"

But it was too late. With a sickening crack, Calo tightened his hold, the life draining from Satoshi's body. His uncle's legs went limp. With a casual motion, Calo tossed Satoshi aside like a broken doll, his body falling lifelessly to the ground.

Renjiro's world shattered at that moment. The sounds of the battle faded, replaced by the deafening roar of his grief. Tears blurred his vision as he stared down at his uncle's lifeless form, the man who had raised him—gone.

Tears stung Renjiro's eyes, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the scene below. Satoshi's body lay crumpled in the dirt, surrounded by the wreckage of their home. He had died fighting, but it hadn't been enough. Nothing had been enough.

As the Phalyx carried them further into the sky, the fires below seemed to shrink away, the village fading from view. But Renjiro's heart remained on the ground, shattered into pieces.

His fists clenched tight, trembling with rage and grief. Through the haze of tears, his gaze fixed on General Calo, standing tall amidst the destruction, an unstoppable force of devastation.

And in that moment, as grief twisted into something darker, Renjiro made a silent vow.

"I'll make you pay," he whispered, his voice thick with fury. "I'll make you all pay."