Ilyana POV

The battlefield trembled.

Ilyana stood in the center of the storm, her eyes locked on the fourteen Stage 6 Gods floating above the burning skies.

The Complete World they had created pulsed with energy.

It was a Complete World built from the resonance of fourteen others.

She could feel it in her bones.

'A Complete World created by resonating the Complete Worlds of fourteen Stage 6 Gods. The power is far beyond my Complete Worlds.'

Even so, she didn't waver.

She raised her hand, green light blooming from her palm.

"The World."

The space around her cracked like glass.

From the fractures, enormous vines erupted, spreading across the floating islands that hung in the sky.

Her Complete World filled the air with the scent of earth and life, fighting against the oppressive power of the Alliance's World.

Jack's army of undead surged forward beside her.

A massive skeleton — nearly the size of a planet — roared, leading an army of countless undead soldiers.

The ground trembled with every step they took.

Swords clashed, spells exploded, and the sky was filled with magic circles that painted the air in every color imaginable.

Ilyana's power healed her soldiers as fast as they fell.

Her magic made the vines wrap around the bodies of her injured troops, knitting flesh and bone before sending them back to fight.

But even that wasn't enough.

The Alliance's Stage 6 Gods were overwhelming.

Their combined power crushed everything in their path.

Mountains collapsed. Floating islands shattered.

Even Jack's massive skeleton lost an arm under a single strike from one of the gods.

Ilyana clenched her jaw. "Hold your ground!"

Jack flew beside her, his armor cracked and his energy flickering. "Ilyana, they're too many! We can't keep this up!"

"I know," she said softly, but her tone didn't break. "We'll fight as long as we can."

Another explosion echoed through the sky as two Stage 6 Gods descended, their armor glowing with divine light.

One of them, a tall man with silver hair and golden armor, raised his hand.

"Drasthel Kingdom!" his voice boomed. "Surrender now! There's still time to save your people. Raise a white flag, and the Alliance will spare what remains of your worlds!"

His voice was calm, and his tone carried confidence.

"We've already defeated four of your allies. Your leader, The Loved One of Space, is under siege. You cannot win this war. Give up while you still can."

For a moment, silence covered the battlefield.

Then, Ilyana raised her staff, her expression firm.

Her voice echoed, not through sound but through the hearts of everyone connected to her Complete World.

"My soldiers. Do not heed the enemy's words."

Her tone was steady, almost gentle, but it carried strength.

"We fight for our cause, and we shall die for it!"

The soldiers roared back.

"We fight for our cause! We shall die for it!"

"We fight for our cause! We shall die for it!"

The Alliance's gods frowned.

A few of them clicked their tongues and shook their heads in irritation.

"Fools," one of them muttered.

But Ilyana didn't stop.

Her eyes glowed faintly as she turned her gaze toward the heavens, her aura flaring like a green sun.

Jack slashed through a wave of energy with his sword, barely keeping himself standing.

At that moment, a voice echoed in his head.

'Jack.'

He froze mid-swing.

"Ilyana?"

'It's me,' she replied.

Her telepathic tone was calm but carried a faint exhaustion.

'We're going to lose at this rate.'

Jack gritted his teeth, parrying a divine spear before it could hit him.

'You think I don't see that?'

'Listen to me,' Ilyana said. 'I need you to follow what I say next.'

He didn't reply right away.

He swung his sword again, cutting down a glowing creature that tried to pierce through the undead army.

When the space cleared, he spoke. 'I'm listening.'

The Stage 6 Gods above were exchanging blows with Ilyana, but oddly, they weren't pressing too hard.

They struck, but never to the point of full destruction.

Jack noticed it too.

'They're not attacking fiercely since the start,' he thought.

'That's because they're afraid,' Ilyana said, her voice still calm.

'Afraid? Of what?'

'Of my kingdom's secret weapon. The Black Sun.'

Jack almost dropped his sword.

'What? A Black Sun? That's impossible. They were all destroyed long ago! If you had one—'

'We managed to preserve one,' she said. 'But I can't use it yet. If I do, I'll kill a few of the Alliance's gods, but it'll also destroy all of my soldiers. Everything I've built.'

Jack's eyes widened.

'Wait… they know about it, don't they? That's why they're holding back.'

'You are correct. They're afraid I'll be pushed into a corner and forced to activate it. They're waiting for the right moment to take me out in one strike before I can have the chance to use the Black Sun.'

Jack clenched his fist. 'Then what do we do?'

'I'll open a hole in this World. When I do, you'll take that chance to escape. Since these Gods have to hold me back, they won't chase you.'

'…What?'

'Go to your friend, Neo. Find him and bring him to my royal palace. He'll know what to do once he arrives.'

Jack hesitated. 'Wait. You're not planning to—'

'Just do as I say. We don't have time, Jack,' she interrupted.

Her tone was final.

There was no space for argument.

Jack looked at her through the haze of battle.

Her body glowed with green light, her hair fluttering like leaves in the wind.

Even surrounded by gods, she stood firm, smiling faintly.

He could tell she had already made her choice.

Jack didn't answer her.

As he fought, their eyes met through the chaos.

There was grief hidden deep in his eyes.

Ilyana understood why.

This same situation had happened before, thousands of years ago.

Jack had been forced to escape while his lover, Nyx, stayed behind and died.

And now, it was happening again.

'Don't think too much, Jack. I'm not sacrificing myself. I'll hold the line until you bring Neo to the royal palace. Then Neo can end the battle,' she said through telepathy.

Jack didn't reply.

If it was really that easy, they would have done it long ago.

He knew there was something Ilyana wasn't telling him.

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