The battlefield froze.
Smoke drifted across the night, carried by the lingering shockwaves.
Countless eyes remained fixed upon the sky.
There—
within the fading explosion—
a crimson barrier slowly crumbled apart.
**CRACK.**
**CRACK.**
The fractured shield splintered into countless crimson fragments before dissolving into shimmering particles that scattered into the wind.
A figure emerged.
Black wings stretched wide.
Aldric hovered silently in the air.
One hand held Draven upside down by a single leg, as though he weighed no more than a sack of grain.
The rabbit disguise was gone.
The illusion peeled away like mist beneath the moonlight.
Brown hair faded.
Blue eyes vanished.
Everything melted away.
Long white hair spilled toward the earth.
Calm crimson eyes gazed down at the battlefield.
Ebony skin gleamed beneath the moonlight.
His black cloak fluttered softly in the rushing wind.
For a single heartbeat—
the entire battlefield fell into absolute silence.
"..."
"..."
"...It's him."
"The Dark One!"
"He was the demi-human!"
"No wonder—!"
Shock rippled through the crowd.
Hundreds of mana signatures instantly locked onto the pair suspended in the sky.
Below—
the red-haired spearman pressed a hand against the bleeding wound in his side.
His expression twisted into a grim smile.
"...Found you."
Another hunter pointed skyward with savage excitement.
"There!"
"Kill him!"
Across the border wall—
soldiers tightened their grips around their weapons.
Even Elric stared upward, unable to hide the astonishment in his eyes.
"...So that's him..."
Nearby—
Lady Xiomara narrowed her eyes.
The corner of her lips slowly curved upward.
"...There you are."
She had noticed the bat only moments earlier.
The rabbit...
...had merely been bait.
The real escape—
had always depended on Aldric.
High above—
Aldric glanced down at the upside-down vampire and grinned.
"...You weigh less than I expected."
Draven offered no response.
His bow was already in his hand.
Thin strands of crimson mana flowed steadily from his body into the forming arrow.
More.
And more.
The crimson glow intensified with every passing heartbeat.
Still hanging upside down by one leg, he spoke in the same calm, indifferent tone.
"Get your ass moving already."
Aldric barked out a laugh.
"Not too shabby for a ten-second plan, now is it?"
Crimson mana exploded outward.
Hundreds of blood constructs materialized around him in an instant.
Spears.
Blades.
Lances.
Axes.
Swords.
Each weapon pointed toward the battlefield below.
Aldric's grin widened.
"Catch."
The constructs descended.
Like a storm of blood raining from the heavens.
**BOOOOOOM!!**
Explosions erupted across the border road.
Hunters scattered in every direction.
Mages hurriedly erected barriers.
Soldiers cursed as crimson weapons crashed among their ranks before detonating violently.
Fire.
Blood.
Dust.
Stone.
Everything erupted at once.
For one precious moment—
the pursuit faltered.
Good.
Aldric's wings swept downward.
**BOOOOM!!**
He shot eastward at terrifying speed, still carrying Draven upside down by a single leg.
Draven ignored the awkward position completely.
His crimson eyes remained fixed on a single figure below—
the archer who had nearly blown him apart moments earlier.
The man's eyes widened.
He realized far too late—
Draven had been staring directly at him the entire time.
Their gazes met.
The archer watched Draven's lips move.
Only one word.
**TWANG.**
The arrow vanished.
The archer's instincts screamed.
Every hair on his body stood upright.
He threw himself sideways.
Too slow.
**SHHK!!**
The crimson arrow tore clean through his shoulder.
His entire right arm exploded from the joint.
Blood sprayed high into the air.
The arrow never slowed.
It pierced through multiple trees behind him before finally detonating deep within the forest beyond.
**BOOOOOOOM!!**
The resulting shockwave flattened an entire stretch of woodland.
Trees splintered.
Earth erupted.
Leaves and debris blasted skyward.
The archer crashed to the ground, clutching the mangled remains of his shoulder.
"...MY ARM!!"
His scream echoed across the battlefield.
Above—
Aldric burst into laughter.
"HEADS UP, YOU SAID?!"
He glanced sideways at Draven.
"Is *that* what you call a warning now?"
Draven calmly began forming another arrow.
"...He was being too cocky."
"That was enough warning."
Aldric's grin only widened.
"...You're a terrible person."
Below—
the hunters stared at the screaming archer in stunned silence.
The distance.
The speed.
The precision.
One shot.
One arm gone.
And the Dark One had fired while flying through the sky—
hanging upside down.
Several pursuers unconsciously slowed.
For the first time—
the bounty no longer looked tempting.
It looked suicidal.
Ahead—
the dark outline of Eirundor's frontier stretched beneath the moonlight.
They were almost across.
Only a few dozen meters remained.
Aldric surged forward.
His black wings carved through the night sky.
Below—
the invisible boundary separating Kharvos from Eirundor rushed beneath them.
"...Almost there."
Then—
**CRACKLE!!**
A blinding flash of lightning erupted from the border wall.
The air exploded.
A figure launched from the top of a nearby watchtower.
The stone beneath her feet shattered.
She crossed the distance in an instant.
A female leopard demi-human.
Golden eyes burned with predatory excitement.
Spotted ears twitched atop her head.
A long spotted tail whipped behind her like a living blade.
A savage grin spread across her face.
"...Got you."
Her gaze locked onto Draven.
"Dark One!"
Lightning erupted around her right arm.
Mana compressed again.
And again.
And again.
Until it condensed into a pair of brilliant lightning claws.
The surrounding air shrieked beneath their terrifying power.
Without the slightest hesitation—
she thrust forward.
Straight toward Draven's heart.
Too fast.
Even Aldric only caught the movement through the corner of his eye.
His pupils shrank.
*Damn bastard!*
There wasn't enough time.
No room to dodge.
No chance to intercept.
The glowing claws rapidly filled Draven's vision.
Their reflection shone within his crimson eyes.
At that moment—
only a single thought crossed his mind.
*...Like hell.*
His body moved.
Not naturally.
Not safely.
He forced every muscle beyond its absolute limit.
**CRACK!!**
His right leg twisted violently.
Bone shattered beneath the strain.
Tendons snapped.
Muscle fibers tore apart.
The sheer force of his movement destroyed his own limb.
But—
it was enough.
The lightning claws missed his heart by the width of a finger.
They sliced through empty air.
Draven completed the impossible twist.
His body now faced her directly.
His bow was already raised.
The arrow rested against the string.
Barely a handspan separated them.
The leopard woman's savage grin disappeared.
Her golden eyes widened.
For the first time—
she felt fear.
Draven looked directly into her eyes.
His voice remained perfectly calm.
"...Sorry, bitch."
"...But I ain't planning on dying."
**TWANG!!**
The arrow was released.
At point-blank range.
The leopard woman's pupils contracted.
"...!!"
There wasn't even time to defend herself.
**BOOOOOOOM!!**
The crimson arrow detonated against her face.
The explosion swallowed her whole.
Crimson mana and violent lightning collided in a catastrophic eruption.
The resulting shockwave blasted outward in every direction.
Her body became nothing more than a streak of light—
hurtling toward the earth below.
**BOOM!!**
She crashed through the top of the watchtower.
Stone exploded outward.
The tower split apart.
Her momentum never stopped.
She continued downward—
smashing through the wall beneath it.
The entire structure collapsed in a deafening roar.
Dust.
Stone.
Broken timber.
Everything erupted into the night sky.
For a heartbeat—
every soldier...
Every hunter...
Every mage standing along the border remained frozen.
They had just watched one of the fastest warriors stationed at the frontier intercept the Dark One.
Only to be blasted out of the sky...
...in a single exchange.
Above—
Aldric glanced sideways.
"...You're getting crazier."
Draven hung silently from his grip.
His shattered leg dangled at an unnatural angle.
Already—
the sound of bone grinding echoed through the air.
**Crack... Crack...**
Fragments pulled together.
Bone reformed.
Torn flesh knitted itself back together.
Muscles reconnected.
Within seconds—
the broken limb straightened as though nothing had happened.
Draven's expression never changed.
"...Keep flying."
Aldric snorted.
"Heh."
"My pleasure."
His black wings spread wide once more.
**BOOOOM!!**
The pair burst across the border—
vanishing into the night skies above Eirundor—
leaving behind nothing but silence, shattered stone, and a stunned army staring after the two figures as they disappeared into the darkness.