Some time earlier.
The rubble only held the S-rank werewolf for a few seconds before he destroyed it with his mana alone. A deep, guttural growl escaped his throat as the energy burst outward, tearing the ground apart.
Covered in sweat, Ryan dropped to his knee. majority of his domain was already gone, and without it, facing an S-rank was suicide. His breathing was ragged, every spell he cast flickering and dying almost instantly under the pressure of Ed's mana.
Ed himself looked nothing like before. A thick layer of blue mana coiled around his body, forming a wolf-shaped silhouette that clung to him like armor. The energy pulsed, alive and vicious, and with every heartbeat, it seemed to grow denser.
Arthur charged forward, sword raised high, and brought it down in a sharp arc. Ed caught the blade effortlessly with his wrist. The blue aura around him hardened like crystal, stopping the strike dead.
Then, with a flick of his arm, Ed threw Arthur backward as if he were a child. Arthur crashed into the earth, but before he could even stop sliding, the wolf's palm came up, glowing faintly.
The blue mana stretched outward, lashing forward like a snake. Spectral hand didn't break away from Ed, it simply elongated, twisting and cutting through the air. It was impossibly fast, faster than sight.
Arthur tried to dodge, but the attack caught his leg mid-motion, wrapping around it and yanking him down. He hit the ground with the force of a falling boulder, the impact forming a crater five meters deep.
Ryan's eyes widened. He realized it now, Ed had been holding back this entire time. The aura that surrounded him was no longer calm or controlled. Something had changed. Whatever power he'd felt moments ago had unleashed the monster within him completely.
The S rank wolf didn't give Arthur time to recover. He leapt forward, his speed breaking the sound barrier. The air cracked behind him as he closed the distance, his fist glowing blue.
Arthur barely had time to react. He met Ed mid-air, sword clashing with claw. The collision sent ripples of energy in every direction. Sparks lit the air with each impact, and Arthur's sword began to crack with each block.
Ed struck again. His hand stretched, slamming into Arthur and sending him crashing into the ground once more.
Ryan could only watch, powerless, his heart pounding as he searched for something, anything, he could do.
Then the ground began to tremble.
At first, it was faint, a soft vibration beneath his knees. Then came a second tremor, stronger, and a third that made the air itself shiver.
A wave of mana swept through the battlefield. It was heavy, ancient, and overwhelming. Ryan's breath caught in his throat, his skin prickling as the pressure of it pressed down on him.
The werewolf froze mid-attack, his glowing eyes snapping toward the city in the distance. His expression shifted, the primal fury replaced by confusion and disbelief.
Even from this far away, all of them could feel it, the immense power erupting from within the city.
Ed's muscles tensed. He wanted to move, to end the fight quickly and rush to Lucius's side. But before he could, he saw it…
A massive moon descending over the city, its light filling the horizon. The tremor of its impact reached even them, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
The wolf's glowing eyes widened. He recognized that mana. Lucius was there, and he was losing control.
He turned his gaze back toward his enemies, his blue aura flaring violently. The brief hesitation in his eyes was gone, replaced by something sharper, colder. He had to finish this fight in seconds.
Arthur was frozen. His eyes were closed, his body locked in place, completely still, as if time itself had stopped around him.
Ryan stared at him for a heartbeat, confusion and panic fighting for control. Then his gaze shifted toward Briva. She stood in the same condition, motionless, her eyes shut, caught in whatever invisible force had seized them both.
The two werewolves didn't hesitate. Sensing weakness, they lunged forward at once, their killing intent tearing through the air like a storm.
"Damn it," Ryan muttered under his breath. His body was already breaking, mana nearly spent, but he forced the last fragments of his domain into existence.
Ed's claws, wreathed in blue fire, reached for Arthur. But before they could strike, the world flickered, and suddenly, his claw met another, colliding mid-swing.
The impact shook the ground. The other claw exploded. Blood sprayed through the air as William was thrown backward, crashing to the dirt, clutching his ruined hand.
"William," Ed said, his eyes widening in shock.
He turned instantly toward Ryan. Only one person could have manipulated the battlefield like that.
Ryan's domain.
Before Ryan could even breathe, Ed blurred forward. In less than a second, he was in front of him, his claws slashing across Ryan's chest.
The impact lifted Ryan off his feet. Blood erupted from his mouth as he fell, but Ed caught him by the neck, raising him like a rag doll. His claws gleamed, inches from Ryan's heart.
Ryan didn't resist. He only smiled, blood staining his lips. The expression was faint, mocking, almost peaceful.
That single smile made Ed's eyes twitch. Rage flooded through him, an S-rank hunter, tricked by an A-rank.
"Let's see you smile after this," Ed growled, his claws tightening.
But before the killing blow could land, another hand caught his wrist mid-swing.
Ed turned sharply, and saw Arthur standing beside him. His eyes were open now, calm, glowing faintly with divine light.
"It's over," Arthur said, his voice steady. "You lost."
Ed's jaw tightened. He released Ryan and swung his claws to take Arthur's head off. But Arthur ducked under the slash and kicked upward, his heel slamming into Ed's abdomen. The impact made a thunderous crack. Ed's body bent, and fluids burst from his mouth as he was launched backward through the air. The blow had pierced through even the dense layer of mana that armored his body.
He stopped midair, growling, his blue aura flickering. "When did you learn not to underestimate an S-rank?"
Before Arthur could answer, the sound of bells ringing came. Their echoes rolled across the city and the plains, two clear, divine chimes that resonated deep within the soul. The sound made the air itself shimmer.
Arthur didn't look away. His eyes stayed on Ed as he said, almost reverently, "Our God… the Creator… has come. You've lost your chance."
"God?" Ed repeated, confusion and disbelief flickering across his face.
Arthur didn't let him think. In a flash of light, he was already moving. His sword slashed downward, striking Ed's wrist. The blade burned through mana and flesh alike, slicing deep before Ed could react.
Ed roared, his body flaring with energy. He swung wildly, but Arthur was already gone, appearing behind him, his shattered sword reforming instantly in his hand.
He unleashed his forty-sixth sword. A crescent of blinding light tore through the air toward Ed.
Ed countered with his spectral arm, launching it forward like a battering ram. The two forces met midair, light against raw power, and exploded, scattering shards of blue and gold across the battlefield.
Before the smoke cleared, two more slashes followed, each faster than the last. Ed raised his other hand, forming another mana arm to stop the first and let out a beam of mana from his mouth to stop the second one.
Arthur was already upon him. His next strike, his forty-ninth sword, cut through the air. Ed brought his arm up in desperation, but the sword cleaved through it completely, severing it at the elbow.
The wolf's howled, his aura spiraling out of control.
Arthur's final sword appeared in his hand, his fiftieth. Its light was pure gold, radiant enough to make the fur on Ed's body catch fire. The sword was burning with divine flame.
He leveled the sword toward Ed's chest. His voice echoed like judgment.
"Divine Rupture."
The sword thrust forward.
Ed tried to defend, but with one arm gone and his mana collapsing, he couldn't even move. The blade pierced through his chest, and light erupted from within him. His scream turned into a howl that shook the battlefield, echoing like a dying god's cry as the divine fire consumed him from the inside out.
…
William's vision blurred as he watched the distant clash between Ed and Arthur. Each strike tore the air apart, each impact cracked the ground beneath them.
His own body trembled. Blood poured freely from his wounds, soaking into the dirt. His breath came in ragged gasps, shallow and sharp. He was barely standing, but his eyes still burned with determination.
There was one thing he could still do.
The illusionist, Ryan, was on his knees, spent, his mana all but gone. A single strike would be enough. If William could just move, just one more time, he could end him.
He steadied himself, muscles screaming, claws tightening. He crouched, ready to leap, but before he could move, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
A split second later, the arrow struck.
It tore through his chest, punching a hole clean through his body. He didn't even feel the pain, only the shock.
His gaze dropped to the wound. Blood pulsed out with each fading heartbeat, warm against his trembling fingers. Slowly, he turned his head.
Briva stood behind him, bow still raised, her expression calm and unshaken.
"You forgot about me," she said softly.
Her voice carried no anger and no hatred. The air around her shimmered faintly, her aura different now. Refined. A quiet strength surrounded her, stronger than before, like she had finally found control over the chaos within.
William tried to growl, to summon one last ounce of defiance, but only a wet, broken sound escaped his throat. His legs gave out beneath him.
He fell to his knees, then to the ground. A final breath escaped his lips, more like a sigh than a growl. And then, the life drained from his eyes.
…
"We need fire to destroy my mother's domain," Luciana said, her voice steady but tense as her eyes locked on the massive dragon of blood. The creature pulsed like a living heart, its body shifting and dripping crimson mist that poisoned the air around it.
Before she could move, Edgarth pulled out a small vial filled with a glowing orange liquid that shimmered like molten metal. He whispered a quick incantation, and hurled the vial into one of his glowing doors.
A second door opened beside Lecia, and the vial shot out.
Boom.
A deafening explosion lit the sky. Flames bloomed in midair, and a shockwave powerful enough to topple a building tore through the field. The ground cracked beneath their feet as waves of heat rippled outward, making the blood around them quiver like water.
When the smoke cleared, Lecia still floated there, untouched. Not a strand of her silver hair was out of place.
"I said her domain, not herself!" Luciana snapped. "And that wasn't even close to been enough!"
Edgarth narrowed his eyes, his mind already working. Without a word, he pulled out five more vials of the same glowing fluid, his movements sharper and faster this time.
Before he could speak, Elna, still trembling with rage, charged forward, her shadows writhing around her like smoke.
"Elna, wait!" Luciana shouted, but her voice was swallowed by the roar of the blood dragon. "Damn it."
"Buy me one minute," Edgarth said quietly, already forming a circle of doors in front of him.
Luciana nodded and flew forward. Blood spears and tendrils lashed at her from every direction, forcing her to twist and dodge just to stay alive. Beside her, Elna hurled spell after spell, but each one was devoured by the living blood, erased as if it had never existed.
Luciana moved closer to her and shouted, "The blood absorbs magic! Only fire or blood spells will work!"
Elna didn't answer, but her next spell changed, a serpent made of dark red blood shot forward, clashing with one of Lecia's attacks before both shattered in midair.
Behind them, Edgarth's doors multiplied, forming a tight ring that shimmered with pale light. They closed in on each other until they shaped a polygon. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the five vials inside.
The vials exploded at once, and the fire ricocheted violently between the connected doors, feeding off its own power. The enclosed space turned into a storm of searing light, growing hotter and stronger by the second.
When the magic could no longer contain itself, Edgarth opened one final door high above the dragon's head.
The built-up fire burst out in a torrent of orange light, slamming down like divine wrath. The blood dragon howled, its body twisting as the flames tore through its form.
Within moments, the creature's body melted into a river of burning crimson, collapsing under its own weight as the fire consumed the domain's hold.
To avoid being caught in the blaze, both Elna and Luciana leapt back, the searing heat licking at their faces even from afar.
Luciana exhaled, a small, impressed smile forming on her lips. "Now that's what I call a fire," she said, glancing at Edgarth.
The inferno raged for several minutes, consuming everything in its reach. Yet as the flames began to fade, the mana wave swallowed their heat and light, smothering the fire completely. When the smoke cleared, Lecia's domain still pulsed like a living wound, and from its heart, the dragon of blood reformed once more, rising as if reborn from the ashes.
Before they could react, an overwhelming surge of mana erupted from the center of the city. The sheer pressure shook the ground beneath them, sending cracks spidering through the dirt.
Luciana's expression hardened. "What was that mana just now?" she asked.
The dragon didn't give them time to think. Its maw opened wide, and a torrent of blood, thick and heavy as molten metal, roared toward them. Edgarth reacted instantly, leaping into one of his doors and opening two more beside Elna and Luciana.
Luciana was about to dive through hers when she noticed Elna standing still, her body frozen mid-motion, eyes closed, as if caught in a trance.
"Elna! What the hell are you doing?!" Luciana shouted, but there was no response. Panic flared in her chest as the wave of blood rushed closer.
Without thinking, she darted toward Elna, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the door. The torrent struck just as they jumped, a splash of crimson caught Luciana's arm.
They tumbled out the other side, but Luciana immediately screamed in pain. Her left arm was withering, the flesh drying and cracking like old parchment. A creeping curse spread upward, devouring her skin.
Before it could reach her shoulder, she gritted her teeth and sliced off her own arm with a burst of blood magic. The severed limb turned to ash and scattered into the air.
Edgarth rushed to her side, his face pale. "Luciana! Are you—?"
"I'm fine," she gasped, clutching the wound. Then she looked down at Elna, still limp in her arms. "But she just… froze."
Edgarth looked toward Lecia, who was already moving, flying toward the city.
"Your mother's heading straight for the center of the city," he said grimly.
Luciana's voice shook. "I can't stop her…"
"I can."
They both turned. Elna's eyes were open again, calm now, glowing faintly crimson. Her aura had changed completely. The chaos and fury that once consumed her were gone, replaced by a quiet, terrifying power.
She turned to Luciana with a faint, almost peaceful smile. "Thank you… for saving my life."
Before either could react, she vanished, dashing forward with blinding speed. The dragon unleashed a beam of blood, but Elna raised her hand, and a tornado of blood magic erupted, catching the attack and scattering it apart like smoke.
"Damn that reckless girl," Luciana muttered, preparing to call out, but her voice died in her throat. Her eyes widened as a shadow fell over them, a moon, massive and descending from the skies.
"What in the hell… is going on?" Edgarth breathed, his face slick with sweat.
Luciana didn't answer. She could only watch the moon coming down on the city.
Then came the sound of bells. Deep and otherworldly. The world blurred in front of her.
When she blinked again, everything was different. She stood in a vast, endless white expanse. Before her loomed a throne, a seat of godly presence, and on it sat a figure wrapped in swirling red and white mist.
Luciana's breath caught. "Where… where am I?" she whispered, fear and awe mixing in her voice.
"Luciana Dimont," the voice answered, not from the figure, but from everywhere. It was vast, carrying the weight of eternity itself. "It is time for you to decide."
Her throat tightened. "Decide… what?"
"Whether you will pledge your loyalty to me," the voice intoned, "or perish here and now."
Luciana swallowed hard. "Who… are you?"
"I am the Creator."
With those words, the white realm itself shuddered, bowing to the power that ruled over all creation.