The cave was no longer just a battlefield.
It had become chaos itself.
Oliver Mark's body still lay on the shattered stone. The firelight flickered across his unmoving face.
For the first time—
The heroes were afraid.
"We shouldn't have come…"
"This was too soon…"
"Sebastian… was this the right call?!"
Voices trembled. Doubt spread like poison.
Sebastian heard them.
But he couldn't answer.
His friend was dead.
Because of this battle.
Because of his decision.
And yet—
The fight wasn't over.
Ernos walked forward through the flames, each step cracking the ground beneath him. Behind him, Lord stood silent in the shadows, still watching… still waiting.
Asher was on his knees.
His head throbbed.
Memories drowned him.
Lord's gaze.
Vale's unconscious body.
Oliver's fall.
"You're too weak."
"You're always too late."
"You couldn't protect them."
Asher gripped his head.
He couldn't breathe.
He was drowning in his own trauma.
And then—
Lina Charlotte stepped forward.
Her eyes were wet.
But steady.
She looked at Oliver.
Then at the others.
Then at Ernos.
She took a slow breath.
And inside, she whispered:
"If a hero values their own life above the lives of others… then why are they called a hero at all?"
She stepped ahead.
Her body trembled.
But she did not retreat.
She raised her hands.
The temperature in the cave dropped instantly.
Flames flickered violently as frost crept along the ground.
Ice crystals formed in midair.
Ernos turned toward her.
"You?"
Lina screamed and unleashed everything.
The floor froze over.
Massive spears of ice erupted from the walls and shot toward Ernos.
He shattered several—
But others struck him.
Fire and ice collided, exploding into clouds of steam.
Lina didn't stop.
She formed thick chains of ice that wrapped around Ernos' legs.
They tightened.
For the first time—
His movement slowed.
He growled.
The flames around him struggled against the cold.
It wasn't enough to defeat him.
But it was enough to restrain him.
Sebastian saw it.
And something inside him broke.
The emptiness transformed—
Into rage.
Oliver's final attack replayed in his mind.
His broken wrist.
His fall.
Sebastian's body shook violently.
Then he screamed.
Not words.
Just pure fury.
He threw his sword aside.
He didn't need it.
He charged straight at Ernos with his fists.
Lina held Ernos in place as Sebastian landed the first punch.
BOOM.
The impact shook the ice.
Second punch.
Third.
Fourth.
He didn't stop.
Every blow carried his grief.
Every strike carried his guilt.
Ernos clenched his teeth as the ice tightened and the punches hammered into him.
Their coordination became perfect.
Lina reinforced the ice, freezing his arms halfway in place.
Sebastian leapt back, gathering every ounce of strength left in his body.
"THIS IS FOR OLIVER!"
He drove his final punch into Ernos' face.
The explosion of force rippled through the cavern.
Ernos slid backward.
For a brief second—
His knee touched the ground.
Silence fell.
The heroes froze.
This was the first time.
Ernos had knelt.
Lina made her final move.
With a desperate cry, she slammed her hands into the frozen ground.
A massive wall of ice surged upward, engulfing Ernos completely.
The flames were trapped inside.
Everything went still.
Only heavy breathing filled the cave.
Sebastian stood shaking.
His fists were torn and bleeding.
Lina collapsed to her knees, exhausted.
Ernos stood frozen within a prison of ice.
For now.
But deep in the shadows—
Dark energy began to stir.
Lord's eyes glowed faintly.
The battle was far from over.
And Asher…
Asher slowly lifted his head.
Something inside him was changing.
Not just rage.
Something deeper.
Something darker.