Prince Mark forced himself upright, the movement slow and heavy. The battered plates of his G.E.A.R. shifted with mechanical strain as internal systems struggled to keep the damaged frame stable. Heat vented from narrow seams along the suit as he steadied himself, golden lenses turning toward the far end of the ruined street.
"We were wondering where you were when we did not see you," Prince Mark said, his voice slightly distorted through the suit's speakers.
"When did you get here?" Samwell asked, eyes shifting briefly over the damaged armor. "What happened to your side?"
Prince Mark's gaze flicked back toward Arkanis, who had already begun rising from the ground where the blast had thrown him.
"We won," Prince Mark replied simply. "That is all that matters for now." His voice hardened slightly. "Let us deal with him first, and then I will explain what happened."
Samwell did not hesitate.
Mana surged through his arms as he thrust both hands forward. Jagged arcs of lightning erupted from his palms, branching violently through the air as they tore across the ruined street toward the Demon Lord.
Arkanis lifted one hand and waved it as the attack neared him. The lightning bent and dispersed before reaching him, the arcs unraveling into harmless strands of fading energy.
In the same motion, he stepped forward—then accelerated.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he rushed straight toward them, eyes narrowed and jaw tight, intensely focused yet visibly tense from the pressure of being cornered.
Samwell's jaw tightened. "Can't use your magic properly without your staff!?" he barked, already whispering the structure of another spell beneath his breath.
Then he enhanced himself.
Enhancement magic surged through his muscles and reflexes, strength and speed flooding his body as the augmentation locked into place.
Then he moved.
The mage shot forward to meet the Demon Lord head-on, his body propelled by both magic and momentum until he was moving fast enough to tear a shockwave through the air. His fist drove forward in a full-force punch aimed directly at Arkanis's face.
Arkanis caught it.
The Demon Lord's hand closed around Samwell's wrist before the strike could land, stopping the blow instantly despite the enormous speed behind it.
"You're right," Arkanis said, his voice tight, a hint of strain visible. "I can't."
Then he twisted.
A sharp crack split the air as Samwell's arm snapped at the forearm. Before the mage could even cry out, Arkanis drove a kick straight into his chest. The impact detonated like a cannon blast, launching Samwell backward across the street and sending him crashing through loose rubble.
Arkanis was already moving again.
His attention shifted immediately to Prince Mark, and he ran toward him without hesitation, tension coiling in every movement.
Prince Mark exhaled slowly inside his helmet as his thrusters flared. With a burst of propulsion he launched himself forward to intercept—but instead of colliding with the Demon Lord, Prince Mark angled his flight slightly to the side, attempting to streak past him toward the spot where one of his crimson blades had been thrown earlier.
Arkanis caught him.
The Demon Lord's hand snapped out and seized Prince Mark's foot mid-flight. The sudden halt ripped the prince out of the air before he could correct his course.
Arkanis slammed him into the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Each impact hammered Prince Mark's armored body into the shattered pavement, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the street beneath him. Before the prince could recover, Arkanis drew back his fist, flames igniting across his knuckles.
The burning strike crashed into the thruster under Prince Mark's left foot.
The impact detonated the damaged engine. Sparks and fragments of metal burst outward as the thruster assembly was smashed apart. Arkanis released his grip and hurled the prince away, sending him tumbling across the broken road.
Across the street, Samwell forced himself back to his feet. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth as he spat onto the ground.
"Your magic didn't do anything to me!" he shouted hoarsely. "You think a few punches and kicks will!?"
He slammed his palms together.
The instant they met, a blinding surge of light and thunder exploded outward from his body. The flash detonated like a massive flashbang, a violent burst of sound and brilliance flooding the entire street.
And it actually caught Arkanis off guard.
The Demon Lord recoiled slightly, raising a hand toward his face as the blast forced his eyes shut and sent a piercing ring through his ears. His stance stiffened, shoulders tense, clearly caught by surprise yet ready to react.
"Clever," he muttered under his breath.
A moment later a fist slammed into his throat.
Samwell had closed the distance during the brief stun, driving a full-force punch directly into the Demon Lord's neck. The impact forced Arkanis to stagger back several steps, his boots grinding against the fractured pavement as he regained his balance, still visibly wary.
"However," Arkanis continued, straightening but remaining tense, "clever will not close the distance between our strength."
He lowered one hand toward the street.
Mana surged outward from his palm.
The stone beneath him began to glow.
Heat spread rapidly through the ground as the pavement softened, then liquefied. Entire sections of the road melted, the stone collapsing inward as the street transformed into flowing lava that spread outward in widening channels of burning orange.
Prince Mark struggled upright in the distance, the loss of one thruster making his movements uneven. Sparks still flickered from the ruined thruster as he activated the remaining one and forced himself into the air in short, unstable bursts. He managed to push away from the spreading lava long enough to snatch one of the fallen crimson blades from the ground.
Nearby, Samwell lifted off the ground as well, wind magic spiraling beneath his feet and carrying him upward above the molten streets.
"He cut us off from getting close," Prince Mark said, hovering unsteadily as he steadied his grip on the recovered weapon.
Samwell glared down at the Demon Lord through the rising heat distortions.
"Doesn't matter," he said.
"I'll just beat him in spells!"