The battlefield was breaking.
---
The line faltered.
---
Steel clashed, but not evenly.
---
Men fell.
---
Step by step—
They were being pushed back.
---
Alex struggled to breathe.
---
Pain burned along his side.
---
His grip on the spear trembled—
But didn't break.
---
Ahead—
Kael Draven carved through soldiers like a storm unleashed.
---
Laughing.
---
Bleeding—
But smiling wider than before.
---
"More!" he shouted.
"Give me more!"
---
And behind him—
Lyra Voss raised her staff once more.
---
The air compressed.
---
Denser than before.
---
Heavier.
---
This wasn't the same spell.
---
This was worse.
---
"Fall back!" a soldier shouted.
---
Too late.
A sound cut through the battlefield.
---
Soft.
---
Almost silent.
---
Like wind slipping through steel.
---
Then—
---
An enemy soldier froze.
---
A thin red line appeared across his chest.
---
A second later—
---
He fell.
---
Another followed.
---
Then another.
---
Too fast.
---
Too clean.
---
"…He's here," someone whispered.
Sir Vald stepped forward.
---
No rush.
---
No wasted movement.
---
Just presence.
---
But everything changed.
---
The battlefield—
Shifted.
---
Where he walked—
Enemies fell.
---
Not violently.
---
Not chaotically.
---
But precisely.
---
Like they were already defeated—
And he was simply confirming it.
---
In his hand—
A blade shimmered.
---
Silver.
---
Light.
---
Mithril.
---
Zephyros, the Windfang Blade.
---
It didn't cut through the air.
---
It became it.
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
---
"So…"
---
Her voice remained calm.
---
"…you're one of them."
---
Her staff glowed.
---
The spell neared completion—
---
Then—
---
Vald moved.
---
No warning.
---
No signal.
---
Just—
Gone.
---
And then—
---
There.
---
Right in front of her.
---
A single motion.
---
A single cut.
---
The gathered magic—
Shattered.
---
Dispersed like mist.
---
Lyra's eyes widened—
For the first time.
---
"…Impossible."
---
Vald didn't answer.
---
He had already moved on.
Kael laughed.
---
Louder now.
---
Wild.
---
"There you are!"
---
He charged.
---
Fast.
---
Faster than before.
---
His blade came down—
---
And Vald met it.
---
CLANG.
---
For a moment—
The battlefield held its breath.
---
Then—
---
A second motion.
---
Clean.
---
Precise.
---
Unseen.
---
Kael's body jerked.
---
A line of red spread across him.
---
Silence.
---
He looked down.
---
At the blood.
---
Dripping.
---
Falling.
---
Then—
---
He started laughing.
"My blood…"
---
A pause.
---
Then—
---
"MY BLOOD!"
---
His voice broke into something feral.
---
Twisted.
---
Excited.
---
His grip tightened on his sword.
---
His stance shifted.
---
No longer reckless.
---
No longer wild.
---
Something worse.
---
Unpredictable.
---
"…Do it again," he said, grinning.
---
"Cut me again."
Vald didn't respond.
---
He stepped forward.
---
And the world blurred.
---
Steel collided.
---
Once.
Twice.
Ten times.
---
Too fast.
---
Too sharp.
---
No one could follow.
---
Even Alex—
---
With that strange clarity—
---
Couldn't see it.
---
Only fragments.
---
A flash of silver.
---
A streak of red.
---
Impact after impact.
---
Shockwaves rippled through the ground.
---
Forcing soldiers back.
Theo watched.
---
Calm.
---
Arms lowered.
---
Eyes steady.
---
"…He hasn't changed," he muttered quietly.
---
Not surprised.
---
Not shocked.
---
Just certain.
Lyra stepped back slightly.
---
Watching.
---
Calculating.
---
"…If he remains…"
---
Her voice dropped.
---
"…we lose."
---
Her gaze shifted—
To Alex.
---
Just briefly.
---
Then back to the clash.
Alex struggled to stay standing.
---
Each clash—
Sent pressure through the air.
---
Through his body.
---
Through his bones.
---
This…
---
His grip tightened on the spear.
---
This is…
---
Another clash.
---
Louder.
---
Stronger.
---
The ground cracked beneath them.
---
Alex's eyes widened.
---
This is what strength looks like.
The battle hadn't ended.
---
But something had changed.
---
Not just the tide.
---
But the scale.
---
Because now—
---
Monsters had stepped onto the field.