Luiz’s scream echoed across the walls like thunder splitting the heavens:

  — THE WEAK POINT IS THE HEART! THE WEAK POINT OF THESE BASTARDS WITH NUMBERS IN THEIR EYES IS THE HEART!

  For an instant, the sound of war seemed distant — wind, portals, blades — everything went silent before that revelation.

  The enemy ranks that had survived the aura explosion now faltered: soldiers, hybrid beasts, lesser Nightmares — each became a clear target.

  The allied lines reorganized within a heartbeat, eyes fixed on the chest.

  César spoke in Lukas’s mind with military pride:

  — Now they know where to aim. The advantage is ours.

  Morgana laughed softly, dripping venom and seduction:

  — Hehehe… the King of Copas has lit the flames. Now the dance will get interesting, chocolatinho.

  Lukas tightened his shield.

  — Luiz… you did more than win. You changed the rules.

  But the moment of triumph was cut short by a new sound — the cracking of runes.

  The sky rumbled.

  A rift opened in the middle of Sorriso; runic symbols that had sustained the defenses trembled and shattered like glass.

  From the smaller portals, tattooed barbarians advanced, shouting in ancient tongues, their eyes dyed red.

  And taller than them all, she rose among the ashes — tall, her body sculpted in muscle and ferocity, skin bronzed by the sun of war.

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  Black hair in braids adorned with bones.

  In her eyes burned a deep violet fire, with the number 3 marked in crimson.

  Mira Von Zar — Nightmare Number 3 — entered from the northern front, and the air around her smelled of promised carnage.

  — Well, well… it seems the civilians are being evacuated quickly and with impressive discipline, she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

  — You’re the one responsible for that, aren’t you? There’s a strange coldness when I look at you. My instincts never fail — it’s the sense of a beast.

  Lukas, firm on the wall, replied with sarcasm:

  — I’ll take that as a compliment. But what you feel is death approaching. Sorry to disappoint you — I won’t go easy. Because you’re a girl? I don’t pity anyone who attacks the South.

  Mira tilted her head, smirking:

  — Calm down, pretty boy… such a cute face, and yet such a dangerous presence — not what you seem at all.

  Morgana snapped:

  — What kind of intimacy is that? I’ll rip her tongue out.

  César, cynical:

  — Now she’s actually jealous. Witch.

  Lukas:

  — On the other hand, you just look like a pawn on the board. Nothing special.

  Mira ground her teeth:

  — I’ll make you my little dog. We’ll destroy the Bragan?a Empire and your beloved capital, Sorriso.

  Behind her, half a hundred barbarians slammed their spears, axes, and shields against the ground in an animal rhythm, ready to burst.

  Lukas spun his gladius; golden and purple aura rose like mist.

  — Come on, then. Let’s see if you can feel fear, Number 3.

  Mira smiled slowly, cruelly — teeth shining with dried blood:

  — Let’s see if the blood of the Thunder Phantom is as rare and strong as they say. Let’s find out if you’re just for show, boy. Try not to break — since you’re so skinny.

  As the tension escalated, not everyone in the rear watched with pride.

  Amid the crowd, Dariam stood frozen.

  His hands clenched around his weapon’s hilt until they bled; the beast of rage within him trembled.

  He had slain monsters before, faked bravery, earned titles — but seeing his brother awaken a Dominae of that magnitude was like taking a blade to the chest.

  — Damn it… — he muttered through clenched teeth. — Damn it! The seventh bastard… awakened the Dominae. My body’s still shaking.

  Memories of training, sleepless nights, and broken promises hammered in his mind:

  “It was supposed to be me. I’m the second.”

  His frustration burst out in a low growl meant only for himself:

  — It was supposed to be me… why, damn it? After everything, I still couldn’t awaken the Dominae, no matter how hard I tried. Damn, damn it all!

  Dariam’s rage tasted like betrayal — and in that battlefield beating to the rhythm of the Copas, it was a dangerous flame.

  As the walls witnessed the beginning of another massacre — now within the city — Luiz’s presence had changed more than just the battle.

  It had changed everything between brothers.

  And that, in itself, was already a new war.

  End of Chapter 38