VOIDBLADE: THE LAST SWORD OF THE END

The moon hung low over Briarstead County, casting long shadows over the sprawling lands. From the vantage point atop a crumbling watchtower, Void God surveyed his future domain. The county stretched far — forests gnawed at the edges of broken roads, farmlands lay fallow and overrun with corruption, and villages smoldered with the aftermath of skirmishes. The rival lords had bled this place dry.

Soon, they would pay for it.

Jin stood beside him, his new armor crackling faintly with static energy. The Abyss-Touched Core had transformed him — not just in strength but in presence. The hunger was there, just beneath the surface, but Jin's will held it steady. For now.

"This place is a mess," Jin muttered, scanning the horizon. "We take out the lords, and what — we're left ruling ruins?"

"Ruins can be rebuilt," Void God replied. "But first, we burn away the infection."

Jin grinned. "I hope you mean that literally."

"Sometimes."

They both turned as a figure approached — a slender woman in dark leathers, her face half-hidden behind a cloth mask. Serah, one of Jin's most trusted lieutenants and head of his growing intelligence network.

"Lord Malgrin's forces are on the move," she said without preamble. "They're meeting with Lord Heska's men at the southern border — probably to discuss their next push into the northern villages."

Void God's eyes narrowed. "Numbers?"

"Two hundred men between them. Mostly mid-level mercenaries and conscripts." Serah hesitated. "But there's something else. They've hired an outside force — adventurers. High-level."

Jin's jaw tightened. "Players?"

"At least three confirmed. Their levels are in the mid-fifties."

Void God's smile was cold. "Good. Let them come."

Jin glanced at him. "You want to face them head-on?"

"No." Void God's gaze remained fixed on the distant lights of the southern border. "We let them gather. And when they think they're safe…"

He let the sentence hang, and Jin's grin widened in understanding.

"Serah," Jin said, "Get word to our forces. We move at dawn."

The wind stirred, carrying the promise of war.