Rio's steps were heavy yet steady. Though his body was weary, his mind remained sharp. The colors enveloping him—red, blue, white, black, and now grey—still pulsed faintly, like the heartbeat of nature itself. Each color left traces of exhaustion… yet also vigilance.
The Tak'Halar Desert, once silent as dead land, now radiated a different aura.
Sound.
In the far distance, explosions rang out. Not one, but in succession. Rio lifted his head, gazing at the copper-hued horizon. There, dust plumed high into the air. Ripples of red and green light struck the sky. The clashing sounds of metal mingled with human shouts and roars that were... inhuman.
Rio narrowed his eyes.
"War…"
He leaped onto a tall boulder, channeling blue energy to pull himself to the summit. From that height, he saw clearly: two massive armies clashed on the barren ground, each flying different banners.
To the west, the Kingdom of Vildrach, known for its technology fused with elemental magic. To the east, the Alram Federation, a nation of spiritual fanatics who believed the world must be 'purified' of technology and color-users.
Yet it wasn't the humans that made Rio squint. At the frontlines of both sides… were strange creatures—three to five meters tall, bodies like giant wolves but with scaled backs, steel-like claws, and eyes gleaming ruby-red.
"Mutations…" Rio murmured. "But not natural. These are… synthetic."
One of the creatures leaped into the air, ripping apart three soldiers in a single motion. Blood splattered across the hot sand, melting like red paint. Elsewhere, a Vildrach soldier fired an energy bullet that pierced the creature's chest—yet it only staggered, then regenerated.
The creatures were regenerative.
Rio instantly realized this was no mere war between two kingdoms.
"This is an experiment. Or worse… the release of something that should never have been unleashed."
Rio descended the rock. White activated in his hands, creating binoculars from the void. He peered toward the western battlefield.
Behind the Vildrach forces stood a black metal tower—looming, covered in cables, emitting pulsed signals from its peak. With every pulse, the mutated creatures moved with greater coordination, as if receiving commands.
"They're not wild. They're being controlled…"
Rio shifted his gaze eastward.
Alram, though appearing as fanatical troops, used something surprising—mass purification rituals. A circle of spiritual light held back some mutants. But its effect was weakening… as the ritualists' blood began to flow. They were sacrificing themselves to maintain the shield.
Amidst it all, Rio stood as the sole witness to this absurd conflict between science and faith… tainted by creatures that had no place in any ecosystem.
Yet as he moved closer, the ground trembled beneath him. A colossal shadow emerged from behind a hill.
A creature—larger than the others, perhaps ten meters tall, skin like rusted steel, with two heads: one lion-like, one like an eagle.
Rio retreated half a step. Even he could feel its oppressive aura.
"…An alpha-class entity," he breathed.
From the lion's maw came a high-frequency soundwave. Soldiers caught in it seized and collapsed. The eagle head spewed thick red light that melted stone like lava.
Both armies panicked. Formations shattered. Mutants surged forward, biting, tearing, destroying everything.
And atop the black metal tower… a silhouette stood. Cloaked in white, masked, arms outstretched as if conducting a symphony of ruin.
Rio activated Grey and observed the figure.
"He wasn't a king. Not a commander. But… their controller."
Suddenly, the masked figure turned. Its eyes locked onto Rio's—even from afar. It raised one hand… and Rio felt a particle pulse surging toward him.
"Versail…?" Rio thought momentarily, but no. The energy was different. This was… more organic, more biological, yet with structural knowledge at the particle level.
The mutants across the battlefield froze. They turned… toward Rio.
Rio drew a long breath. His body still hadn't fully recovered.
"Even after Versail, this world grants no time to breathe…"
Yet he stood tall. In his hands, Red ignited anew, followed by Blue, White, and Black. Four colors orbited his body. Above them all… Grey hovered.
"If this is the next chapter of the world's war, then let me write its opening."
He stepped onto the battlefield, striding toward the heart of chaos without hesitation