[ The Death of a King ]
[ The Sky Shatters ]
The moment Malakar died, the entire world reacted.
Above them, the sky cracked—as if the heavens themselves were breaking apart. Fiery embers from Malakar's soul ascended into the darkened clouds, and then, without warning—
BOOOMMMMMMMM !!!
A deafening shockwave erupted, spreading across the entire Nation of Ash.
The once molten lands beneath them cooled rapidly. Lava rivers solidified into blackened rock. The eternal flames that had ravaged the land for centuries flickered… and died.
Everything was silent.
Too silent.
Then—he appeared.
A chilling bell rang through the battlefield.
From the shadows of the collapsing cavern, a dark figure emerged.
A long, flowing black cloak. A bone-beaked mask. Cold, calculating eyes beneath the hood.
The Plague Doctor.
[Plague Doctor, voice emotionless]: "The first King has fallen. A milestone worth acknowledging."
His gaze swept across the battlefield—at the ruined corpses of players and NPCs alike.
[Plague Doctor, tilting his head]: "Twelve remain."
[Raine, weakly pushing himself up]: "You… knew this would happen."
[Plague Doctor, chuckling]: "Of course. Every war must have casualties."
Raine gritted his teeth. He wanted to punch that mask off the bastard's face. But right now, he barely had the strength to stand.
[Lyra, cautious]: "Who… was Malakar?"
The Plague Doctor paused, then spoke.
[Plague Doctor, voice distant]: "Once… a warrior. A hero of his time. Before the world was rewritten, he was a man who fought against the gods themselves."
[Plague Doctor, dark amusement in his tone]: "He failed. And in his failure, he was reborn—not as a man, but as a King. Bound by power, consumed by it, and ultimately… destroyed by it."
His cold gaze locked onto Raine.
[Plague Doctor, curious]: "Tell me, King Slayer… Do you feel any different?"
That's when Raine noticed it.
A mark had appeared on his arm—glowing faintly with crimson energy.
And he wasn't the only one.
Everyone who had helped in the final battle—Lyra, Soren, the remaining warriors—each of them bore a similar mark.
[Lyra, staring at her own mark]: "What… is this?"
[Plague Doctor, amused]: "A gift. A curse. A title."
His voice lowered, reverberating through the air.
[Plague Doctor, solemn]: "You are now King Slayers. Bearers of a power greater than you can comprehend. And with it, comes responsibility."
The weight of his words settled in Raine's chest.
King Slayers.
They had done the impossible—killed a King. But now, that meant they had to keep going.
Or risk being hunted themselves.
[Plague Doctor, watching them carefully]: "The war does not end here. The path to the next Nation has been opened."
The air shifted.
A new portal appeared in the distance, its swirling blue energy crackling with frost. Beyond it, a kingdom of endless ice loomed—a land of frozen castles and snow-covered battlefields.
[Plague Doctor, whispering]: "Welcome to the Kingdom of Eternal Frost."
And then—he vanished.
Raine staggered forward.
The battle was over, but the losses were… immeasurable.
NPCs, players, friends—so many had died.
And then, his eyes found the boy.
The same curious NPC child who had asked him that question before the war started: "What happens to NPCs when you beat the game?"
But now—he was gone.
The boy's dead body lay beneath a collapsed wall, eyes forever frozen in fear.
Raine's heart sank.
He knelt beside him, gently brushing dirt off the child's face. It wasn't fair.
All those NPCs—who lived, who dreamed, who feared—they were real. And now, many of them were dead.
And for what?
Raine swallowed hard.
He whispered, as if the child could still hear him.
[Raine, voice trembling]: "What would happen to NPCs when we beat the game?"
A long pause.
His hands clenched into fists.
[Raine, barely whispering]: "At least you all won't die miserable."
His eyes darkened.
[Raine, bitterly]: "But… you still died."
The cold wind howled around him.
And for the first time, he realized—this war wasn't about winning.
It was about surviving.
Twelve Kings remained.
And Raine would kill them all.