"That...I’m afraid is something impossible to answer. We’ve never been this close to her before."
Ultimate Err replied, and it was the truth.
Even though Humanity Ascension had realized the Primordial Wolf Eriga had been helping Humanity, or, at the very least, was far less predatory toward Humans than the late Primordial Wolf Alun, there had never been any close encounter between them.
At least, not one where they had been able to sit down and discuss the reason behind her actions.
[Sounds like she’s the only Alphanomalous worth leaving alive.]
The system panel flashed at the corner of White’s vision, and quietly, his scrunched eyebrows relaxed.
"I won’t kill her."
White said, causing Ultimate Err to exhale softly before nodding.
"But I also don’t plan to leave a single Supernatural alive on Earth, irrespective of the circumstances. For that reason, I’ll be bringing her to my world."
As he spoke, a ripple of darkness spread outward.
When it cleared, the Primordial Wolf Eriga had disappeared with it.
"I don’t doubt you, White."
Ultimate Err said, not worried in the slightest.
"But...your world. Your world is Earth, right?"
"Hahahahahaha!"
The question made White erupt into hearty laughter.
"Ultimate Commander,"
he called.
"You do know that ninety-nine percent of Humanity is unconscious right now simply because I exist within Earth’s atmosphere, right?"
he asked, making Ultimate Err’s eyes furrow.
"Besides, if even the strongest Humans are huddled together like that in fear of my existence, I don’t think it would do the average Human any good."
"Earth...no longer needs a White Sinclaw."
White concluded quietly, taking a few steps backward.
"But do you know what it still needs?"
he asked, and Ultimate Err’s cloth mask could no longer hide the tears slowly dripping from his eyes.
"It needs an Ultimate Err."
White answered.
"The one every strong Human listens to. One who understands the state of this world before its chaos, and the state it must become after it."
"I trust you know exactly what to do from here onward, Ultimate Err."
Those were White’s final words, after which his entire figure slowly dissolved into countless motes of black light, dispersing quietly into the darkness behind him.
Silence lingered throughout the room for several seconds after White disappeared, lasting only until the quiet sound of sniffing broke it.
The sight shook every Galaxy-Ranked Awakener present.
Ever since they could remember, the robed Ultimate Commander had never once allowed anyone to see through him, much less witness him displaying emotions.
It continued for nearly three minutes, before silence reigned once more and Ultimate Err slowly rose to his feet.
The instant he did, every trace of emotion vanished.
An overwhelming aura of authority and unshakable conviction swept through the room as the dark robe covering Ultimate Err gradually crumbled to ash, revealing a figure that made every Galaxy-Ranked member draw a sharp breath.
"Is... Is that...?"
"Sir Alexander Erronous!?"
One of the Galaxy Ranked Humans exclaimed in disbelief.
This was a legendary figure, one of the Ten Early Humans who had paved the path for Humanity’s ascension.
The leader of the Ancient Exploration Group that had ventured into the ancient Ruin and brought back many of the artifacts Humanity later relied upon in its resistance against the Supernaturals, including the earliest cultivation manuals.
According to history, all ten members had eventually perished, yet who could have imagined that the mysterious Ultimate Commander had been none other than Sir Alexander Erronous himself?
The name carried unimaginable weight.
Every child who had attended school knew of the Ten Early Humans, the pioneers who had stepped into a world ruled entirely by Supernaturals when Humanity possessed neither cultivation nor the strength to resist.
They had explored ancient ruins with nothing but courage and conviction, sacrificing countless companions to recover relics that would one day become the foundation of Humanity’s rise.
History spoke of them as martyrs.
Heroes whose stories had ended centuries ago.
Yet one of those very legends, the captain of them all, had been standing before them all this time, silently bearing the burden of Humanity’s survival from the shadows.
No one spoke, with breathings becoming quieter.
Every Galaxy Ranked Awakener simply stared at the man before them, finally understanding why the Ultimate Commander had always seemed to possess answers no ordinary person should have known.
He wasn’t merely someone who had inherited Humanity’s history, he had lived it.
And for centuries, he had continued carrying that history alone, waiting for the day someone would finally accomplish what even he had once believed impossible.
"I’ll..."
The words echoed softly through the room before it paused. Then a voice, firmer:
"I’ll make sure they never forget you, White Sinclaw."
"I swear it on my life."
_______________
[Is it over?]
The system panel flashed before White’s eyes as he stood alone at the highest point above Earth, with the endless void stretching beyond him.
He lowered his gaze toward the planet below, where Humans were slowly beginning to awaken, confusion rapidly spreading across the world.
People slowly opened their eyes, many instinctively reaching for family members they had believed they would never see again.
Parents embraced their children with trembling arms, while countless others simply remained where they had fallen, staring blankly toward the sky as tears rolled silently down their faces.
Across every city, the same question echoed.
What happened?
None of them had witnessed the battle that decided Humanity’s fate.
All they knew was that the suffocating pressure which had covered the planet moments ago had disappeared, and for the first time in centuries, the instinctive fear that had accompanied every sunrise was nowhere to be found.
With his aura withdrawn, people cautiously emerged from buildings while helping those who still remained unconscious.
Quietly, White ascended higher until he completely left Earth’s atmosphere.
The moment he stepped into the void, a deep mechanical whir echoed behind him.
It continued growing louder until the three enormous jets that had brought the Umbrawyrs to Earth came to a halt beside him.
SNAP!
White snapped his fingers, and an Umbrawyr who resembled the very incarnation of royalty, embedded all over with crowns appeared before him, dropping to one knee.
"It’s done, My Lord."
He reported, and there was a moment of silence before the question came.
"How many warriors were lost?"
"Three hundred and ninety-seven Umbrawyric Warriors."
The Umbrawyr replied, and White quietly inhaled.
To most, it would appear like a ridiculously small number.
Against an army numbering in the billions, losing fewer than four hundred soldiers almost sounded impossible.
But those three hundred and ninety-seven were no ordinary Umbrawyrs.
Every single one had been among the absolute strongest of their race, beings whose power stood far beyond the Galaxy Rank.
Even White had not expected casualties that high.
White closed his eyes for a brief moment.
He had personally led those warriors into battle.
Every Umbrawyr who had followed him had done so without hesitation, fully aware that even immortality did not guarantee survival against opponents of such magnitude.
Three hundred and ninety-seven.
It was a number he would remember, not because it represented failure, but because every one of those warriors had entrusted their final battle to him.
Their sacrifice had purchased something that could never be measured.
The freedom of an entire world!
"And the remaining Alphanomalous Creatures?"
he asked.
"All corrupted and erased in both body and soul."
the Umbrawyr answered.
White nodded in satisfaction.
He reached forward, placed a hand on the kneeling Umbrawyr’s shoulder, and gently helped him to his feet before speaking quietly.
"Return to Umbra with them."
"Yes, My Lord. But...what about you?"
the Umbrawyr asked.
A faint smile appeared on White’s lips.
"There’s a minor issue I have to deal with...personally."
"Return to Umbra, and tell Queen Nythera that I’ll be back soon."
With one final bow, the Umbrawyr dissolved into darkness.
White silently watched as all three jets transformed into colossal pillars of darkness that shot into the endless void before gradually disappearing from sight.
[I’m guessing it’s not over.]
The system panel reached its own conclusion.
White slowly withdrew his gaze from the departing jets and looked into the endless darkness ahead.
His gaze remained fixed upon the endless darkness ahead, as though searching for something that existed beyond even the stars themselves.
The war for Earth had ended.
But the unease buried deep within his instincts refused to disappear.
If anything...It had only grown stronger.
All of sudden, veins popped out all over White’s faces, the white ring in his eyes spinning with terrifying speed.
"Over? This is just starting!"
GLITCH!