The tide of war had shifted in ways Nathan could never have foreseen.
At first, Heiron had been the primary target, enduring the relentless onslaught of Greek heroes. But now, the focus had changed. The Greeks, led by their unyielding determination, had turned their attention toward Hector, singling him out with an intensity that left Nathan uneasy. Even Chiron, once Hector’s mentor, now seemed consumed by an unrelenting desire to see his former student fall.
Heiron’s battlefront, however, was far from dormant. The heroes of the Light Empire had entered the fray, their radiant banners cutting through the chaos. Though Nathan didn’t recognize all of them, one figure stood out starkly amidst the throng—Sienna. She wasn’t alone; several of his classmates fought alongside her, their faces blurred in his memory, forgotten amidst the tides of time and conflict.
It had been three grueling days since Nathan found himself locked in battle with Sienna. Three days of relentless combat that drained him more than he cared to admit. Sienna was no ordinary opponent; her movements were sharp, her attacks precise, and her resolve unshakable. Fighting her demanded Nathan’s full focus. He could no longer afford to hold back while ensuring his own safety. She was forcing him to walk a razor-thin line: to fight with everything he had while ensuring he didn’t cause her grievous harm. The thought of seriously injuring her gnawed at him, but every passing moment made it clear—if he didn’t take her seriously, she might very well be the one to end him.
“How did it come to this?”
The question haunted Nathan as he parried yet another strike from her relentless assault. The joy he had briefly felt at not having to face any of the women he cared for had been dashed the moment Sienna had appeared on the battlefield. Her presence had turned what was already a grueling war into a personal torment.
But Sienna’s sudden emergence wasn’t the worst of it.
Liphiel.
She had arrived too.
The battlefield buzzed with the presence of the Divine Knight, her commanding aura palpable even from a distance. Until now, Liphiel had remained in the shadows, her hand unseen and her involvement minimal. But her sudden appearance sent a cold shiver down Nathan’s spine.
Nathan’s mind raced as he dodged another strike from Sienna. The pieces were falling into place, albeit in the most dangerous way possible. He quickly deduced that Liphiel was behind Sienna’s deployment against him. But the burning question remained: had she discovered his true identity?
If she knew he was Nathan, it would explain why she had sent Sienna to eliminate him. It was the easiest way knowing I couldn’t kill her. But the implications of her discovery were terrifying. If Liphiel had pieced it together, then he was in mortal peril—not just from her, but from the entire cadre of Divine Knights who would undoubtedly be summoned to finish the job.
Nathan wasn’t ready.
Not yet.
Nathan gritted his teeth as he deflected Sienna’s blade, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple. He needed more time—time to strengthen himself, time to prepare for the inevitable confrontation with the Divine Knights. But most of all, he needed to protect the people he cared about. His sisters, his women, and now, his children. Amelia had just given birth, and Aisha was carrying a child as well. The weight of their safety pressed heavily on his shoulders, making failure an unacceptable option.
There was only one solution.
Nathan’s expression darkened, his thoughts colder than ice.
“I need to kill Liphiel.”
The words echoed in his mind like a death knell. It was the only way to ensure his survival and protect those he loved. Liphiel couldn’t be allowed to leave this battlefield alive. If she returned to the Empire of Light, she would tell and inform the high ranks Divine Knights whose power dwarfed even hers.
“What do you want?” Nathan demanded, his voice steady despite the rapid clash of blades. He parried Sienna’s strike, his movements precise but increasingly strained.
She had grown stronger—far stronger than he had anticipated. The fluidity of her movements, the sheer power behind her swings, and the speed at which she attacked left him momentarily stunned. It wasn’t just physical strength; there was a refinement in her technique that bordered on perfection.
Jason, with his vaunted SSS-ranked main skill, was nowhere near her level. Nathan couldn’t help but compare. Among all the people who had been brought to this world alongside him, Sienna had clearly surpassed them all.
But Sienna didn’t respond to his question. Her silence was deafening, her focus unwavering as she pressed forward. Blue energy crackled around her, coiling like living flame, illuminating her form in an almost ethereal glow. She raised her sword, her speed increasing tenfold, and with a single swing, she forced Nathan back.
The force of the blow sent him sliding across the ground, his boots digging into the dirt as he struggled to steady himself.
“Sienna…” he muttered under his breath, his grip tightening around his sword. He couldn’t reveal himself to her—not yet. The risk was too great. But every second spent fighting her chipped away at his resolve. How could he escape this without injuring her?
Before he could find an answer, she was upon him again, her blade moving faster than his eyes could track.
Nathan reacted instinctively, summoning a towering wall of ice between them. The crystalline barrier glistened in the sunlight, its jagged edges sharp enough to cut flesh.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then came the sound of shattering ice.
Sienna’s sword tore through the wall like it was paper, shards of frozen debris scattering in every direction. But Nathan was already gone. Using the precious seconds her attack had bought him, he darted through the chaos, weaving between enemy ranks with a singular focus: Liphiel.
“Stop right there!” a voice cried out behind him, shrill and desperate.
“Kill him!” another shouted.
Two figures stepped into his path, their weapons drawn, their faces familiar in the worst possible way. Nathan recognized them instantly. They had been among the ones who had laughed at him back on Earth, joining Aidan in mocking him during his lowest moments. He had almost forgotten about them—almost. But their sneering faces were burned into his memory, an annoyance he couldn’t quite erase.
They moved to block his path, their determination evident.
Nathan didn’t hesitate.
With a single swing of his blade, he unleashed a freezing wave of mana, encasing them both in jagged pillars of ice. Their expressions of shock were frozen—literally—into place, their bodies suspended in a cruel, crystalline prison.
He swung again.
The ice shattered, fragments flying in all directions as their bodies disintegrated into nothingness.
A chilling silence fell over the battlefield.
His remaining classmates froze, their expressions shifting from disbelief to abject terror. The sheer brutality of the act—the ease with which he had ended two of their own—left them rooted in place, unable to move.
They had heard rumors about Heiron, whispered tales of his power and the destruction he left in his wake. But seeing it firsthand was an entirely different matter. Liphiel had kept them shielded from his wrath until now, and their ignorance of what Nathan was truly capable of had cost them dearly.
Nathan didn’t spare them a second glance.
His eyes were fixed on Liphiel, her figure standing tall amidst the chaos. She was smiling—that smile. The same damned smile she had worn the day she had nearly killed him.
That memory came rushing back in vivid detail. The searing pain, the unbearable heat of her attack, the way his body had screamed in agony as life slipped from him. The scar of that day wasn’t just physical; it was carved deep into his soul.
His blue eye, cold as ice, and his demonic gold eye, burning with unholy fire, narrowed as his fury reached its peak.
That smile. That cursed, mocking smile.
Nathan tightened his grip on his sword, his knuckles turning white.
He would carve it off her face.
But suddenly, Nathan felt it—a presence closing in behind him like a storm on the horizon.
Sienna.
She was moving at an extraordinary speed, her approach so swift and fluid that it was almost as if she were slicing through the very air itself. It wasn’t just speed, though; it was precision, a deadly grace.
For a brief moment, he thought he had miscalculated. Surely, even in his weakened state, there was no way Sienna could move this fast. Yet here she was, faster than him now—faster than he had ever seen her before.
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.
Athena.
The rumors whispered about Sienna being Athena’s favorite suddenly didn’t seem so far-fetched. If the goddess had truly blessed her, then her newfound strength and speed made sense.
Nathan barely had time to react. Sienna leapt into the air, closing the remaining distance between them in a heartbeat. Her blade gleamed under the harsh sunlight, a streak of silver aimed directly at him.
With a growl, Nathan twisted his body and swung his sword in a powerful arc. The force of his strike met hers midair, the clash of metal ringing out like a thunderclap. The impact sent Sienna hurtling backward, her feet skidding across the ground as she fought to regain her balance.
But she didn’t stay down for long.
Within seconds, she was on her feet again, her movements as fluid as a predator’s. Her blade began to glow, the intensity of the mana radiating from it so overwhelming that the air around her seemed to shimmer.
Nathan’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t have time for this.
“Fuck this,” he growled under his breath, his frustration spilling over as Sienna charged at him once more.
BADOOOOM!!!
The ground trembled beneath them as their swords collided again, the sheer force of their clash sending shockwaves rippling outward. Sparks flew like fireworks, illuminating the battlefield for a brief, blinding moment.
Sienna’s eyes locked onto his coldly. Nathan met her gaze with equal intensity.
Then, as their weapons pressed against each other, Nathan did something unexpected.
“Your brother is alive.”