Prologue

“R-Run!”

The imperial capital was falling into ruin. Terrified, wide-eyed citizens desperately fled from the tens of thousands of aetherborn swarming the city.

“Grooooar!”

The creatures’ howls marked the beginning of the massacre. As one, the monsters descended upon the populace.

Countless screams echoed through the streets.

“Aaaaaaugh!”

“P-Please stop! Don’t eat me!”

“Mommy!”

Claws and fangs tore into flesh, draining the life from their prey. Many of the beasts destroyed their victims in unspeakably atrocious ways, and those who died in an instant were the lucky ones. Acidic, viscous beings known as slimes swallowed their victims whole, condemning them to the torture of being dissolved alive. Wandering, parasitic zombies turned those they bit into their own kind, spreading the infection further and depriving them of the mercy of death. In the face of these supernatural terrors, the people were powerless.

“Why? Why has it come to this?!”

The murmurs of the dying reflected the feelings of all. The city should have been a safe place. It was the heart of the great Lemurian Empire, after all, and should have been immediately notified of any approaching aetherborn. How, then, to explain this extraordinary situation? The hordes of creatures had sprung forth not from outside the city’s walls but from within its center. Naught could have forestalled this.

And thus, the curtain rose upon the ultimate tragedy. The sudden, brutal attack plunged the city into chaos, annihilating lives in cold blood.

Humanity, however, would not take this lying down.

“You think we’ll just let you do whatever you want?!” a voice rang out. “Knights! Charge!”

With a battle cry, the magus knights, under their golden-haired commander Iris, rushed onto the stage of the unfolding drama. Wielding weapons infused with aether, they cut through the demonic forces preying upon the people.

“Destroy them! Give it everything you have! Vita, after me!” Iris commanded, clad in light, as she charged at the menacing horde.

“Don’t patronize me!” the young silver-haired knight snapped back. She raced closely behind Iris, clad in wind, the two letting out another battle cry as they ran.

Nothing could so much as scratch them: not the fists of the mighty trolls; nor the claws of the loups-garous, inhumanly agile werewolves; nor the fangs of the bizarre multiheaded chimeras. Knights of renowned prowess, they wielded aethereal arms—weapons imbued with legendary power—and mowed down the threats before them one after another.

“We will protect the peace of our nation!” they cried in unison.

Swords in hand, the two knights rapidly chipped away at the enemy forces.

“Hooray for our elite knights!” The fleeing citizens, roused by the brave display, had seemingly forgotten their despair as they cheered. “They’ll save us! Our deliverance is at hand!”

But just as hope seemed to blossom once more—

“H-Help! Help me!”

A cry echoed through the carnage, stopping the two knights dead in their tracks even at the climax of their assault. Iris and Vita froze at the sight of a cunning, wicked aetherborn—a goblin—gripping a young girl as a human shield. Laughing cruelly, the creature held a stone knife to the base of the child’s neck in a silent threat.

“Damn you, filthy beast!”

“Fiend! How dare you!”

Though the two knights, trembling with anger, knew they had no choice but to forsake the girl, they hesitated—and that proved their undoing. Beneath their feet, countless tentacles burst forth from the ground—crawling earthworm-like horrors known as ropers.

“What?!”

The aetherborn coiled around the two knights’ limbs, holding them firmly in place and rendering escape impossible.

“Ugh!” Iris groaned.

“Iris! This is...ngh!”

Heat rushed through their bodies, sweat drenching them as mucus flowing from the wormlike creatures seeped into their skin. The women felt like a lethal dose of alcohol had been forced upon them, their thoughts swirling, their limbs feeble. From the depths of their fevered minds, a violent wave of ecstasy gushed forth.

“Damn it! Gaaah!”

Too late they realized that the ropers had excreted an intense and vile aphrodisiac. Their aethereal swords dropped from their hands, stripping them of their power to command light and wind.

Iris still tried to resist, but was already on the verge of unconsciousness. The poison permeating her soft skin violated her nerves, making a mockery of her senses. Through sweat and tears, her cheeks couldn’t help but flush.

Beside her, the strong-willed Vita had lost consciousness between ragged breaths. Younger and of smaller stature, her body had no doubt absorbed the poison more quickly. Iris worried her companion might die of shock.

“Ngh,” she groaned defiantly. “We...won’t...lose!”

Alas, humanity’s luck had run out. The two powerful knights were bound, unable to fight the terrors drawing ever closer to them. Faced with the overwhelming number of enemies, the other soldiers fell one after another, and helpless citizens became mere prey. Once bustling and prosperous, the imperial capital lay steeped in blood and terror.

Amid the horror, Iris and the survivors felt a desperate longing. “You monsters! If only he were here, you’d all...!” He was their last hope—the hero who would carve a path through this era of despair! Stronger than even mighty Iris and powerful Vita—the ultimate champion! Wings of justice to destroy all evil! If only he would come, he would conquer this adversity. Alas, they wished, if only our Crow the Condemner were here!

“Crow...” murmured Iris. But it was futile, this last spark of hope, for even she, as strong as she might be, was about to be consumed.

And then, all at once—

“Enough!” a glorious voice echoed, piercing through the desperation that loomed over the city.

In a flash, a jet-black blade sliced through the aetherborn assaulting Iris, scattering their tainted blood like flower petals and drawing the tragedy to a close.