The battle was over.
More than that, four out of the five direst threats to the siege capital were now eradicated. The Devouring Cloud, the Terror of LO49, the Heart of Darkness, and Goliath… despite the terrible price the First Army had to pay, they were dead. Now, only the most powerful of the horrors remained. The Corrupted Titan, Winter Beast.
But it was being contained by Sky Tide of the White Feather clan, so…
For the first time since the start of the siege, the people of Falcon Scott felt hopeful.
There were only three people in the conference room — Raphael, Sunny and Master Jet. Winter's seat was empty.
…That was because Winter was dead.
To make it worst when Dale heard about her death… he killed himself.
Raphael looked down at the table and spoke:
"This is fucked up…"
Soul Reaper , Sunny and he were supposed to be having a strategy meeting right now, but there was nothing really for them to discuss.
After some time spent in silence, Jet suddenly shook her head and stood up, accidentally sending her chair flying into the wall. She stared at it in confusion, then cursed.
"...We're just wasting time here. Go rest, both of you deserve a break. Gods, we all do…"
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Raphael looked at Saint Tyris in front of him, after three months of fighting the Winter beast, she had finally lost.
She some how was still alive.
However, she looked like a corpse.
Her whole body was covered in blood and blemished by severe frostbite. Tyris was unconscious, breathing shallowly. Her face was terribly pale, and her lips looked blue. And that… that was, without a doubt, only after the healers of the White Feather clan had tended to her.
Roan was standing above her, not looking much better. He had been severely injured while luring the Devouring Cloud toward the city — even now, the charismatic Master was yet to recover from his wounds. One of his arms hung limply in a sling, and his usually lively face was dark and lifeless.
When Raphael, Sunny and Jet entered, Roan slowly looked away from his wife and gave them a dull glance.
Soul Reaper gritted her teeth.
"Roan. What the hell happened?!"
He stared at them for a few moments, then turned back to Saint Tyris.
"Isn't it obvious? She lost. Actually, it's a miracle that she was able to hold back that monster for so long. It's also a miracle that she survived."
He remained silent for a while, then added evenly:
"You are asking the wrong question, though."
Master Jet's icy blue eyes widened slightly. She hesitated, then asked coldly:
"...What the hell is going to happen, then?"
Roan lowered his head. Then, he straightened his back, and looked at them once more.
"I think you know."
His eyes were bleak, and tired.
"The Winter Beast is coming, and there's no one to stop it. It's over. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after that, anyone who still remains in this city will die. I'm sorry, Soul Reaper... there's nothing else we clan can do."
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When the civilians heard that Sky Tide had lost, chaos engulfed Falcon Scott. Everyone scrambled to board the ships and escape.
Amid the pandemonium, Raphael's message to the Army was leaked. Now, some were screaming his name in anger, cursing him, while others were desperately praying for him to save them.
Luster, Kim, and Beth had already departed on the last ship.
Saint Tyris and Bloodwave, along with their clans, had also fled Falcon Scott.
Raphael sat atop a house, watching the departing ships from afar.
From the shadows, a figure emerged—it was Sunny.
"Why didn't you leave?" Sunny asked.
Raphael smiled and replied casually:
"I was going to ask you the same thing, Captain."
"Are you going to keep up the formalities?"
Raphael shrugged, choosing not to answer.
Sunny pressed on. "Why did you come to Antarctica?"
"Didn't I already say the reason? I was ordered to monitor you."
"Why did you come here, Captain? Don't tell me you had a fight with your girl."
Sunny stumbled for a moment, his balance faltering. Raphael caught the reaction, and his eyes widened.
"…Don't tell me that's actually what happened! The Devil of Antarctica came here because he had a fight with his girl… Hahahahahaha!"
Sunny looked at Raphael, feeling a pulse of irritation throb in his forehead.
"Hahaha… you know, Captain, I was there when you danced with Changing Star. If I were you, I'd be damned if I let another man take her when I die. So make sure to live."
With that, Raphael turned and walked away.
As for Sunny, there was a faint hint of red on his face.
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Raphael stared into the blizzard raging in front of him. From his left, Sunny's voice cut through the icy winds.
"Advance!"
Raphael took the first step forward, and the soldiers followed.
Moments later, the snow swallowed them whole.
The pitiful humans trudged onward, marching toward their deaths.
Behind Raphael, a soldier on the brink of collapse suddenly disappeared as a shadowy figure emerged and took him. It happened again, and again, on every bridge they crossed—people vanishing without a trace. Yet no one dared to look back.
Minutes passed, and thousands were gone.
The closer they drew to the heart of the storm, the deadlier it became. The cold was murderous, the winds howled with fury, and each step forward felt like an impossible task.
Raphael glanced toward Sunny. There was no one left but the two of them.
Raphael finally spoke:
"That's enough, Captain. We've done everything we could."
But Sunny didn't respond. He kept walking, defying the impossible.
Raphael sighed, his form shifting as he began to transform. He strode forward, placing a firm hand on Sunny's shoulder.
"Sunny… that's enough."
Sunny turned, expecting to see Gehrman. Instead, he saw a young man—Raphael. He had long black hair, pale skin, a powerful physique, and eyes with black irises surrounding stark white pupils.
"What are you doing here?" Sunny asked.
"I've always been here, Sunny."
For a moment, understanding dawned on Sunny's face. He lingered, then asked:
"Why now? Why did you act only now?"
"Sunny, this isn't the best place to have this conversation."
Sunny's expression darkened, a sneer on his face.
"Why? Are you afraid of dying?"
"Sunny, I said—"
"Why did you act now?!" Sunny's voice cut through like a blade. "If you had acted earlier, hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved!"
Raphael's voice remained calm, yet heavy with meaning.
"Do you think the Underworld has the luxury to save everyone? Even now, my soldiers are dying in the Underworld, fighting the army of an Unholy Titan as we speak."
Sunny paused, digesting the words, and then asked:
"What about the ones in LO49?"
"They're alive. Didn't you find it strange that the Terror of LO49 didn't have as many slaves as expected? That's because I made sure they lived."
Sunny didn't reply.
Raphael continued, his voice sharper now.
"Do you want to know why the Clans are fighting each other instead of uniting against the Chain of Nightmares?"
Sunny remained silent.
"When a Sovereign is born, they create a Domain. A Domain grows stronger by bringing more Citadels under its rule. Now, guess why they're at each other's throats instead of helping humanity."
"The Tomb of Ariel…" Sunny said quietly.
"Yes. The Tomb of Ariel, created by the Daemon of Dread, is something they can't afford to lose. Each Citadel strengthens a Sovereign, and the Tomb is invaluable. But here's the truth, Sunny: it's impossible to reach the Tomb, let alone conquer it. These so-called necessary sacrifices? They've all been for nothing."
Raphael's tone hardened, a dangerous edge to his words.
"That's why I swore to strip them of the one thing they value most—their strength."
He sighed, stepping back to let Sunny see what was behind him.
"Go, Sunny. They're waiting for you."
From behind, a figure emerged and placed a hand on Sunny, teleporting him away.
Raphael turned and walked back toward Falcon Scott. Behind him, a towering figure appeared—flaming red hair, four black eyes, four muscular arms, and two sharp horns jutting from its forehead. The creature's onyx-black armor glinted faintly in the dim light, though it was battered, and its body was riddled with wounds.
Without looking back, Raphael addressed the figure.
"You have thirty seconds. Bring me its head."
The towering warrior, Kratos, didn't waste a moment. He dashed into the storm, heading straight for the Winter Beast.
Raphael exited the blizzard to find thousands of people lying on the ground, exhausted and broken.
He smiled at them and raised his voice:
"Warriors of humanity! You've fought valiantly against these vile beasts. Even when the odds were against you, you stood your ground and protected the weak. Now, you can rest. Leave the rest to us."
He clenched a fist and struck his other hand with it.
"I congratulate you, humans! You have survived. You've lived to tell this tale!"
Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed from behind. The earth trembled violently.
The blizzard had vanished, and so had the mountain behind it.
From the sky, Kratos descended, holding the severed head of the Winter Beast in his hands.
The crowd stared at the beast's head, tears streaming down their faces. Some hugged one another, while others screamed in joy.
Raphael smiled at their relief and triumph.
One of the soldiers took his communicator, switching it to an open signal. His voice trembled as he cried:
"Hic… Falcon Scott… Hic… Falcon Scott didn't fall! I repeat, Falcon Scott didn't fall! The Emperor has come! The Emperor has saved us all! Long live the Emperor! Long live His Majesty!"
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With this chapter we have officially finished volume 5 Dread Night, but this volume will continue for two more chapters, I'll be skipping all of volume 6 until the end of it (Battle of Black Scull) since there isn't really something important happened in that volume.
Tomorrow I'll be uploading 2 chapters too, finishing the volume.
Anyway see you tomorrow👋
This chapter stopped on chapter 1060 on the original volume.