“Another peaceful day in paradise.”

The man placed the lit cigarette to his lips and inhaled deeply.

“Huuuuu-“

His eyes twinkled as he peered down from his guard tower, overlooking an enormous basin of wildlife.

It was calming. Life was calming.

This world was filled with flying vehicles, bright lights, and floating islands. It was an age of technological marvels; all powered by mana, the energy of the universe.

Not everywhere was modernized and high tech, the basin before the man was one such example. From the trees that touched the sky to the small fauna that littered the earth, everything in the basin was as natural as could be.

However, nature wasn’t always calming and beautiful.

While most people busied themselves with exciting and fast-paced lives within the city, others upheld the mantle of peace by protecting from outside threats.

The man palmed a small circular device resting in the breast pocket of his uniform. He glanced at his watch, a habit he acquired long ago.

“Almost time for my hourly report.”

Like many other guard towers that oversaw the basin, he never took his job lightly. A prompt report was the brick and mortar that provided assurance and security to the masses, whereas a tardy report could cause a panic.

In their case, the threat came from the basin itself, which was home to a great many dangerous beasts. Some were mythical creatures of legend that rarely ever made an appearance, while others were aggressive common beasts that traveled in hordes.

The resident monsters of the world were instinctual users of the world’s mana. As such, they were exceedingly difficult to manage, often times requiring a special task force to take over when they rampaged against humanity.

Even though he was merely a watchman, this didn’t diminish the guard’s duty in any way. Since there were only so many mitigation groups that could respond, it was imperative that they weren’t on the frontlines until called upon.

The man thought about his wife and children within the city.

She must be preparing dinner right about now…

He brought out the device and spoke into it.

“This is Lookout Vanna, not a peep from the fauna.”

The man smiled. It was an easy day, and this was the last report of his shift. A reply quickly returned.

“Affirmative Lookout Vanna. Standby for- CRSHHHHHH--- !”

The man narrowed his brows and stared at the communication device, but the only thing that came out was a static noise. A chill ran down his spine as an eerie feeling soon took hold.

He looked up to the see the sky slowly darken.

The fluffy white clouds that once meandered about were replaced with a giant black scar that vertically split the horizon.

Mouth agape with widened eyes, he unconsciously dropped the device to the floor while staring into the depths of the abyss-like fissure.

He heard legends of such an event happening in an ancient era long passed. The only issue was that this event was the precursor to the greatest calamity in known history.

Never in his wildest imaginations did he think that he would bear witness to such a blight.

The world went silent, and an immense pressure crushed down. The very air seemed to quake in fear.

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Moments later, two enormous, blood red eyes opened within the void. The petrified man couldn’t tear his gaze away from the sinister presence.

“Hurgh…”

Blood spilled from the corners of his mouth and his chest burned. Something deep within his core seemed as if it were flowing in the opposite direction—it was spreading quickly.

It was almost as if his very being was becoming… corrupt.

Just as he was losing grasp of reality, he felt a firm hand clamp down on his shoulder. The simple pat sent a surge of energy through his body.

“My, my. You have quite the will. Rest now.”

A deep and soothing voice sounded from his side, and then he collapsed.

“Get this man taken care of. He’s got a strong backbone, extend him an offer to join the tutorial trials. We need people like him!”

“Yes Commander!”

At some point a small group of men had gathered at the top of the tower.

“Are there any other survivors?”

The man who was referred to as the commander was currently gazing out into the wildlife. Concern was etched into his face as he watched the once lush greenery swiftly fade into darker shades of black.

“Out of the fifty stationed, only two others were found alive. Commander, if we take these survivors away from this outpost, who will lead the lookout here in the future?”

“Sahves, there won’t be a lookout here in the future.”

The commander turned around and replied to his subordinate. His eyes were like clear sky-blue gems that appeared to glow even during this dark hour. His tall stature demanded respect and his mouth held a faint smile.

“You’ve fought in many worlds by now. You know best that nature is the one who suffers from corruption the most.”

The man named Sahves frowned before replying.

“But those were other worlds. This is the Ancestral Plane. Surely corruption doesn’t work the same way here in this world?”

The commander shook his head.

“I’m sorry, although I don’t know how this great being was able to traverse into our space… take a look at the basin below the spatial fissure.”

He pointed out into the distance.

Sahves and the other men all rushed to the edge of the tower and looked out to see the decaying forest. That’s when everything clicked.

Their world had been invaded by a powerful corrupted entity, and the fight that was going to take place would determine the fate of their entire way of life.

“Alright. Sahves, you and the men get these survivors handled and come back immediately. We have corrupted demons to fell and families to protect.”

“Yes sir!”

Everyone thundered in response and briefly saluted.

“Oh and… where is my wife?”

“Commander… she’s already gone ahead to confront the enemy…”

Sahves said while pointing out towards the fissure in the sky.

The commander’s head left afterimages as it swiveled towards the crack in space. He could vaguely make out a tiny dot that flew toward the void at an incredible speed.

Suddenly a loud voice boomed from that same tiny dot.

“TYRAS YOU USELESS MUTT! GET OVER HERE!”

Sahves respectfully referred to this man as Commander, however his own wife referred to him as… a useless mutt.

This man was Tyras Einstoldt, codenamed The Maelstrom. He was the most powerful human existence in the Ancestral Plane, or at least he would have been, if not for his wife.

Mia Sugo, codenamed The Queen of Ruin, lived a relatively subdued lifestyle. In fact, it was public understanding that Tyras was the stronger of the two.

However, everyone that was in their unit knew that this was far from the truth.

Mia let Tyras claim all the fame, while Tyras…

“Yes honey! I’m coming!”

…followed her like a loyal puppy.

Before Sahves and the other men could form a conscious thought, Tyras shot off into the distance.

“…Let’s get to work men. Maelstrom and Ruin will engage the enemy head on. It’s up to us to clear out the corruption below and prevent as many casualties as possible!”

And just like that, the greatest battle in recorded history unfolded.

----------------------------------------

News and reports from all over the world fought to capture the moment at the cost of many lives. Families everywhere listened in with fear.

“This is the fourth day of the battle at Anwald Basin-“

“That’s if you can even call it a basin anymore.”

A group of well-dressed people spoke back and forth during a news conference. In the background one could see footage of destruction and carnage.

Many individuals were currently in arms with a variety of corrupted basin beasts and monsters that spewed green substances, while others were grouped together to form an enormous barrier to contain the environment.

Most notably were two individuals that were fighting against a shadowy behemoth.

One could make out serrated claws that protruded from its hands, as well as a pair of vicious blood-red eyes that overlooked the entire warzone.

Just then, a huge column of black and green flames exploded towards the sky.

“That’s The Queen of Ruin right there!”

One of the reporters called out in excitement.

“Expert Chen, please weigh in on this. What is the current state of the war?”

“Yes, yes. It’s a heated war, that is for sure. We can see that The Queen of Ruin just used one of her more powerful abilities, but if you’ll take a look here…”

Expert Chen’s wispy, sage-like voice chimed in as he pointed toward a still image of the shadow monster.

“You can see that the damage was immediately regenerated… This is a very difficult battle even for The Queen of Ruin and The Maelstrom. If I had to guess… this being is likely ranked SSS. However, if I were to be so bold to say, we haven’t seen everything yet, and there’s potential for it to be EX ranked.”

The reporter wore a shocked expression as an eerie silence hung in the air.

“D-Did you just say… EX ranked? Heavens…”

“I’m afraid so Gale. In fact, the fate of our world rests in the hands of these two heroes. If they can’t take this creature down, I don’t believe anyone will.”

The report ended with that final message.