Lord Umbra

The figure slowly strolled through the wreckage of what should have been a military power force, his gaze sweeping over the area with an unnerving calm.

He seemed utterly unaffected by the destruction that surrounded him, as if it were nothing before him.

As the figure moved closer, the soldiers could feel the air around them growing colder. Now they understood what he meant when he said what a mess they made.

The whole place was truly a mess; the wreckage of fallen and exploded ship made a mess of the place. Many were injured, and some unfortunate ones died in that little demo.

All this done by a single finger snap wasn't their fear alone but the same for all those who had watched this slight display of power before the broadcast went off, leaving their brains to fix the rest of the event.

While the leaders were rushing towards the scene, being Earth's last resolve of defense. They couldn't allow such a threat to create panic in the people. Presently, eight people were in a private battleship heading toward the site. Each clad in their battle armor and weapons, heavy expressions on their faces as the ship drew closer.

"Why is Morphis not here yet? Didn't he receive the summons like everyone else?" a slender lady clad in shining scale-like armor, wielding a Trident weapon, asked as she gazed into the horizon, she is the leader of the marmarine race.

"I have been calling his private line since the general beep isn't been answered by him," Jhaelwyn, the Fey Queen, spoke while grabbing her spear from one end of the ship.

"Maybe he had gone over by himself since he is closer, unlike coming from other planets," Kalen the dwarf leader chipped in. His huge mace, quite bigger than his size, made a clear contrast to his figure.

The ship drew ever closer to the site of the disaster. Having seen a little display of the enemy's power, they were wise enough to set the ship way high in the sky, above the clouds.

The eight leaders could feel the tension in the air. It was as if the very fabric of reality had been torn open, and something dangerous was lurking just beyond the veil. They were approaching something that could change the course of history, and they all knew it.

"I don't like this," said Urog, the giant King, his deep voice rumbling like thunder. "There's something unnatural about this whole situation."

"I have to agree with Urog," said Osadra, the Prime Elemental.

"The energy readings from this site are quite unlike anything I've seen before," Kalen chipped in as he had been using his energy senses to probe the site up ahead. The result left him apprehensive. It's not like he didn't believe in the strength of the others, but he had his doubts.

But he wasn't going to tell that to the others, as he didn't want to dissuade them or worse look like he is a weakling.

Before Kalen could say anything more, the ship's alarm started blaring loudly, startling everyone on board.

As they looked out the window, they saw a figure coming towards them at high speed, moving so fast that it was just a blur. As it got closer, they could see that it was a humanoid figure, but its features were completely obscured by the darkness of the unclear sky that billowed around it.

It was heading straight for the ship, and there was no doubt that it was coming to attack.

"What is that thing?" Jhaelwyn asked, gripping her spear tightly.

"I don't know," Urog replied, his heavy footsteps seem to put pressure on the ship as he was getting ready to take his giant form.

Only for them to heave a sigh of relief when the silhouette got close enough for them to see.

It was none other than Morphis. "He has gotten stronger once again," Osadra muttered in a low tone, but the others still heard it and couldn't help but agree with him.

How come this human keeps growing stronger than they, who had been aware of superpowers way before him?

They didn't want to say it, but they had a hidden worry in their hearts over the rate of Morphis' growth.

"I'm sorry to keep you all waiting," Morphis said, his voice booming like thunder once he had been let in the ship.

"I was attending to a matter of great importance."

No one spoke for a moment, but the tension in the air was palpable. Finally, Thassalya, the Sea Queen, spoke up.

"We have no time for such a delay, Morphis," she said, her voice calm but firm. "We all know what is on the ground, and the threat is growing more powerful with each passing second. Like it or not, this is the most important matter as far as I know."

The others nodded in agreement. Morphis gave them a disdainful look as if they were all idiots but did his best to cover it with a helpless smile.

"I did what I did in preparation for this battle," saying that, he brought up the sword he had guard on his back.

Pulling it out of the scabbard, he placed it.

Immediately, the sword came into view, and everyone's eyes widened, especially Kalen's.

"Where did you find it?" Kalen asked, his voice trembling slightly.

He could feel a very powerful energy within this sword. Though it isn't much to be considered an overwhelming weapon, it still gives off a powerful vibe. Considering it a beast weapon, the active skill of this sword would be pretty powerful. It would now have to depend on the user to utilize the skill properly.

He didn't know when he got before the sword, wanting to grab it, but Morphis was faster than him, putting it away before he could.

"I won't say exactly where, but let's just say I'm lucky enough to chance upon it."

The others had questions they wanted to ask, but the beep from the ship indicating they have arrived put those questions on hold.

Each of them grabbed their weapon and headed for the ranch, ready to dive down.

The scene of the World Nine heroes standing in one place, ready for battle, is so epic if it were any other day.

With the whinny sound of the ship mechanism system and rattling of gear, the ramp opened up.

Each of the leaders looked at each other one last time, as if this would be their final battle, and with a unanimous nod, they all leaped from the ship, free-falling into the soon-to-be battlefield

As they fell through the sky, they could see the wreckage below them. The soldiers best to survive a one-sided slaughter of some thorn-looking vine that was claiming their lives in numbers.

The place was burning even in such an extremely cold atmosphere; hundreds of ships had collapsed all around them.

It was a scene of utter devastation.

As they neared the ground, they each braced themselves for impact. But instead of hitting the hard ground, they landed softly on a cushion of energy that Morphis had created.

"Thank you," Thassalya said, her voice filled with relief.

"No problem," Morphis replied, his tone casual. His gaze focused on the purple-haired figure watching everything with an uninterested look till they just arrived and now had his eyes on them.

"Finally, some brats I can consider worthy of living, seems like the world hadn't declined that much." A wicked, mocking grin on the side of his lips as his purple eyes flashed with glint.

The mysterious figure's voice was deep and ominous, sending a shiver down the spine of each of them.

"Who are you?" Thassalya asked, her voice trembling slightly.

The figure chuckled, the sound sending a chill down their spines. "I am known by many names back then, but you may call me Lord Umbra."

The heroes exchanged glances, clearly confused by this new information. "What do you want?" Kalen asked, his voice firm and determined.

He chuckled playfully at this question. "I want what every being in this universe wants," his tone cryptic. "Power."

The last word was spoken with might, they could all feel his gravity, especially for a certain someone whose eyes twinkled at those words.

"You all stop listening to his useless rant and save our people been murdered by this psychopath," Jhaelwyn called out to them, directing their attention to the thorn vine killing the soldiers around them.

The nine of them broke and spread out to deal with the vines and save as many as they could while Umbra kept watching in amusement, playing with a strand of hair as he seemed to be enjoying the sight before him.

The eight heroes were doing everything they could to stop the vines, but it was like a never-ending battle. For every vine they destroyed, two more would appear in its place. They were fighting a losing battle.