Chapter 34: The Aftermath[2]
"Calm yourself down first, Loki."
I muttered to myself, with my chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. This world really didn’t know how to give me a single moment of rest.
The Holy Grail War... just hearing those words felt like ice crawling under my skin.
In the novel [Ascension of the Arcane King], it was the final, climactic battle that everything had built toward.
But in truth, it wasn’t just a single event near the end.
It was a war that raged in the shadows all throughout the story. Every major twist, betrayal, and revelation tied back to it in some way.
It was the true heart of the plot.
The war itself was built around thirty-two major pieces. Sixteen on each side. On the surface, it sounded like a simple clash: White Pieces against Black Pieces. But it was so much more than that.
The White Pieces were the ancient spirit cards. Each of those cards held the essence of a spirit beast from an age so old that even legends had forgotten their names.
These beasts weren’t just animals—they were living symbols of hope, balance, and power. Some were creatures of flame and thunder, others guardians of rivers, forests, and the sky itself.
When the war began, each card would choose a herald. It could be a human swordsman, an elven mage, a dwarven runesmith—anyone worthy of carrying its will.
That herald would wield the beast’s power, but also bear its burden. The bond wasn’t just magic. It was a test of spirit, loyalty, and strength.