Moments earlier.
The battlefield roared.
Steel crashed against steel. War cries tore through the air, swallowed by the chaos of clashing armies.
Dravena stood on the hill above it all, unmoving, her gaze sweeping over the fight below. Her men were holding… barely.
Bootsteps pounded behind her.
"Boss, we're being outnumbered."
She didn't turn immediately.
"I know."
Now she looked at him. Calm. Certain.
"That was always the plan."
She reached down, gripping her sword. The metal sang as it slid free.
"I'll thin them out."
Then she stepped forward and dropped.
The ground shuddered as she landed.
The nearest enemy soldiers froze.
One of them pointed, voice cracking. "She's here!"
"Fall back!"
They turned to run.
Dravena moved.
In a single step, she was in front of them.
Her blade swept once.
Ten bodies fell before the sound caught up.
Silence hit.
Then broke into panic.
She didn't stop.
She carved through them, clean, efficient. No wasted motion. No hesitation. Every strike ended someone.
Within seconds, the line collapsed.
She turned, raising her blade high.
"Men of the Black Wolf Bandits!"
Her voice cut through the battlefield.
Her men answered with a roar.
'Good.
They still had teeth.'
"You'd better pray you make it to heaven…"
She pointed her blade towards them.
"…because if I find you in hell"
Her grin sharpened.
" not even the devil will save you from me."
A beat.
Then her men surged forward, screaming, crashing into the enemy line with renewed fury.
For a moment.
they owned the battlefield.
Dravena lowered her sword and turned away, already moving to reposition.
Then the sound changed.
Not cheers.
Screams.
She stopped.
Turned.
Her men were no longer advancing.
Bodies were being thrown back, smashing into the ground.
Her eyes narrowed.
She stepped forward, scanning and saw them.
Forlorns.
Towering. Twisted. Moving with the enemy ranks.
Fighting with them.
"What…"
Her grip tightened around her sword.
"Retreat!" she barked. "All of you, fall back!"
The Forlorns were already in their lines.
She jumped back into the fight.
Steel met flesh then something harder.
A Forlorn struck.
The hit slammed into her stomach, driving the air from her lungs and throwing her backward.
She skidded, boots tearing through the dirt
and stopped.
Still standing.
Her head lifted slowly.
Around her, the circle closed.
More Forlorns.
Her men rushed in behind her, weapons raised.
"Come on, you bastards!" one shouted. "Let's go drinking in hell!"
Laughter followed. Loud. Defiant.
Dravena glanced back at them.
They were bleeding. Exhausted.
Still smiling.
Her lips curved.
"Idiots."
She turned forward again, rolling her shoulders. "I'm taking the first drink!."
They charged.
The clash was immediate. Violent.
Dravena cut one down. Then another.
But this wasn't like before.
For every one she dropped another took its place.
She glanced back.
Her men were dropping faster than she killed.
Her jaw tightened.
She moved fast and grabbed the nearest man by the collar. "Listen to me."
He froze.
"Go back. Get help."
Before he could argue.
she threw him.
His body tore through the air, away from the battlefield, past the chaos.
Out.
Dravena hit the ground with a grunt, clutching her stomach as warm blood soaked her fingers. Pain seared through her, each breath a ragged gasp. Around her, screams tore through the smoke-filled air her men, cut down in seconds, their bodies torn by the Forlorn and enemy soldiers. Dust and blood swirled together, the clash of steel ringing in her ears.She couldn't look away. Every second, the battlefield claimed another.
"Ha…ha! The great Dravena has fallen," a man sneered, standing over her, his laughter sharp and mocking.
"I, Randal, have finally defeated the Black Wolf Bandit."
Dravena coughed, a spray of blood staining the ground. "Well… let's just say I didn't expect you to have someone who could control Forlorns."
Randal smirked, shrugging casually.
"What can I say? He's the real deal."
"Just you wait I'll shove my foot down your throat." She growled, blood dripping from her lips.
"Oh, scary… coming from someone about to bleed out," Randall smirks looking down at her, "If you hadn't had those scars maybe you would have been likeable"
She spat back, a grin twisted through the pain.
"This is just a scratch compared to what I'm going to do to you,"
His grin vanished. Darkness flickered in his eyes as he leaned closer "I've always hated that stubbornness of yours… and what can you do against a Five Star?"
A voice thundered down, crushing them both.
Randall's men faltered the forlorns froz and backed away lowering their heads.
"Don't you dare insult me." His voice distorted by the wind.
A man stepped forward, The atmosphere warped around him, turning cold… heavy. Breathing became a struggle, like invisible hands were closing around their throats.
"Don't compare me to a five star…"
He paused, his presence pressing harder, forcing the ground beneath them to crack.
"I am a Seven Star."
Dravena tried to rise and only raised her head, looking at the seven-star with eyes of pure hatred.
"impudence" With a single flick of his hand, she was slammed back into the ground.
The impact shattered the earth beneath her.
Her body trembling being crushed,
Her face did not change, her voice came out broken, barely more than a whisper.
"I will wait for you in hell" her fingers dug into the dirt,
"You and your men are going to die here."
He raised his hand.
The sky shifted.
Darkness swallowed the light. Thunder tore the sky apart, and lightning slammed into the ground with violent force. The pressure pinning Dravena down shattered instantly.
The man grunted. His hand trembled.
Randall staggered to his feet, a wild grin spreading across his face.
"Now you're dead."
The man's expression flickered,
On the ground, Dravena moved.
Slowly, she pushed herself upright, Blood ran down her shattered face, but her lips curled into a grin.
Then she laughed.
"Wow… this feels familiar."
She wiped the blood from her face and looked up at them, smiling.
"I give you two options. Surrender… or die."
Randall stared at her, then burst into laughter.
"I see you've finally lost your mind."
She smirked and tilted her head toward the man.
"Have I? Then look at your 'seven-star.' His face says everything."
Randall's grin faltered. He glanced back, unease creeping in.
"Sir… isn't this your magic?"
His voice dropped, thin, uncertain. Sweat beaded along his temple.
"If this were mine…" the man said, stepping forward, his gaze locking onto Dravena,
"I would be an eight-star… or higher."
The air tightened.
"so then if its not yours then who's doing it" Randall's voice shaking.
The man stopped in front of her, eyes sharp, searching.
"Who is doing this?"
A beat.
"Tell me. Now."
Before he could reach her, Kayon appeared in front of him.
The man tried to retreat,
before he could react.
Kayon raised his hand, and gave a small wave.
The air shifted.
A force slammed into the man, launching him across the battlefield. He tore through the ground and crashed into the distant hills, the impact shaking the earth.
Silence followed.
Kayon turned.
'Master… critical blood loss detected..'
" I can see that, " Kayon muttered, already moving toward her. 'What do I do?'
'I can create a fluid to replenish her blood and heal the damage.'
Dravena collapsed back, her strength finally giving out. Her voice came out faint, barely there.
"At least… I got to see you again…"
Kayon caught her before she hit the ground, pressing his hand against her wound, trying to slow the bleeding.
'Hey how do I give it to her?'
'I suggest oral transfer. I can form it in your mouth. She must drink it.'
Kayon froze.
He hesitated.
'Master… she will die.'
His jaw tightened.
"…Fine."
He lifted her gently, one hand supporting her head. His voice dropped, quieter now.
"Forgive me… this is the only way."
He closed the distance.
His lips met hers.
'Administering treatment.'
A faint glow passed between them, subtle at first, then steady.
Seconds stretched.
The torn flesh began to knit. Blood slowed… then stopped. Color returned to her face, replacing the lifeless pallor.
"The wounds have fully healed."
Dravena's eyes snapped open.
She jerked in his arms, breath catching, her body reacting before her mind could catch up. Her legs kicked weakly, shock flashing across her face.
Kayon pulled back slowly.
Their eyes met.
She stared at him, stunned.
"Are you alright?" Kayon asked.
She didn't answer. She just stared up at him, fingers brushing her lips.
"Did that just happen?" Dravena murmured.
Kayon flicked her forehead. "If you can talk, you're fine."
"Ow, that hurt." She rubbed her forehead, wincing. "Oh… sorry. I I'm fine now. My wounds…" Her hands moved frantically over her body. "My wounds are gone."
"Yeah… can you stand?" he asked.
Come on, Dravena. You can think about the kiss later. Move.
"Huh…" she grunted.
She tried to push herself up, but her legs gave out instantly. She hit the ground again.
Her eyes lifted to him.
"I… don't think I can."
Then.
A heavy stomp shook the ground.
Kayon turned.
A massive humanoid Forlorn loomed behind him, dragging a blade large.
Each step cracked the earth beneath it.
A laugh echoed.
"So… while you were busy being romantic, His back." Randall stepped out from the rubble.
"How dare you," the seven star said coldly, following behind the forlorn. "To flirt in my presence…"
He rested a hand against the Forlorn's back, pride bleeding into his voice.
"Well, here it is my strongest summon."
A pause.
"A seven-star Forlorn."
"So… that's a seven-star Forlorn," Kayon smirked, planting his feet and facing it. "This should be… interesting."
"Kill him, Butcher!" the man ordered.
The Forlorn lunged.
Its blade came down in a brutal vertical arc, fast enough to split the air with a shriek.
Dravena's breath caught.
"Kayon!"
The blade struck.
The ground collapsed beneath the impact. Stone shattered. A violent shockwave tore outward, ripping through everything in its path.
Dust and debris exploded into the air, swallowing the battlefield whole.
Silence followed.
Randal grinned. "He's dead."
The Seven-Star didn't smile.
His eyes narrowed, fixed on the dust.
Dravena's scream cut through the chaos. "No! Kayon!"
She crawled toward the swirling cloud of dust, desperation clawing at her.