The dark sky gradually brightened beneath the rays of the rising sun, and the battle was drawing to a close amid the ruins at the center of Bulida.
The once-prosperous city-state had suffered one catastrophe after another. Within a two-kilometer radius of the central district, the towering buildings had been reduced to broken walls and rubble. Even outside the Saint Astri Barrier, streets warped by the aftershocks could still be seen everywhere.
The air was still thick with smoke and dust.
But with Hycintos thoroughly defeated by Loren, the entire world seemed to have finally welcomed a brief moment of peace.
Lanchi stood atop the ruins outside the barrier, gazing down at the devastation below.
His black hair fluttered in the morning breeze like a victorious banner waving in the sky.
"We won."
He removed his silver-white mask and pulled down the hood of the Pope's white robe, revealing the dark-gray collar beneath.
Though his entire body was weighed down by the exhaustion of mana depletion, Lanchi's face was filled with a calm sense of relief.
If it had only been his own life at stake, there would have been nothing for him to fear.
But this time, he had carried the lives of all his companions, as well as the future of the entire Southern Continent, on his shoulders.
"Toliado, can you take me to the center of the battlefield?"
Lanchi took a deep breath. His gaze crossed the ruins before him and fixed on the figures of Loren and Hycintos at the far end of the horizon.
"No problem."
Not far away, Toliado also came to his senses and opened a passage for Lanchi.
Lanchi crossed the arc of silver flames and approached the center of the battlefield, where Loren was staring intently.
Even after completely defeating his