The cave ceiling above the battlefield had turned a grim gray, the smoke and ash hanging heavy like a curtain between bioluminescent creatures and the scorched underground. Yet within that gloom, two figures stood illuminated — not by light, but by power.
Hamad sneered across the cracked ground, his gauntlets of stone crumbling and re-forming as he rolled his shoulders. "You're out of your depth, boy," he said, his voice low and resonant. "This isn't some training yard. This is war."
Solis didn't respond. His sword gleamed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat. His stance was steady, knees bent, blade held low across his body. The wind whipped at his torn cloak. His eyes were locked onto Hamad — not with fear, but with unwavering focus.
Then, without warning, Hamad struck first.
He raised his hands and roared, "Fireblast!"
A torrent of flame surged from his palms, a searing wave of heat crashing forward like a tidal wave. Solis responded in a blur — sidestepping the blast, he lunged to the side and tucked into a roll, flames licking the air just inches behind him.
From the sidelines, Karina shielded her eyes from the sudden glare. "Too fast," she muttered. "Too strong. That boy can't—"
But she cut herself off as Solis emerged from the dodge, already in motion. He exploded forward with a charge, blade sweeping out in a wide arc — cleave — aimed at Hamad's exposed midsection.
Hamad twisted, summoning Earth Shield just in time. Solis's blade struck the stone with a deafening clang, sending cracks spiderwebbing through it.
Captain Colins, watching from behind a large rock with two junior Postknights, clenched his fist. "He's adapting," he said. "Solis is not just fighting — he's learning on the go. But how can he be so marure at this age? It's not like he has much battle experience. Then what is causing this?"
"Dark Chain!" Hamad's voice thundered.
Vines of black energy shot from his hands, snaking across the field and aiming for Solis's legs. Solis pivoted mid-step, back-hand parry against one of the chains, then sliced through another with a fluid iai strike (an iai strike refers to a swift, single-blade draw-and-strike technique, often used as a defensive maneuver against surprise attacks).
But one wrapped around his ankle.
With a yank, Hamad slammed Solis into the ground with brutal force.
"Gah!" Solis grunted, pain blossoming along his side as he hit the ground. Dust and shards of broken stone erupted around him. He lay still for a breath — then rolled just as a Rock Golem Fist smashed into the spot he'd been lying in.
The sword in Solis's hand pulsed again — harder this time, as if angry.
And so was he.
Solis kicked off the ground and shot forward — a lunge with terrifying speed. His sword swept up in a rising slash, catching Hamad off guard. The cultist reeled back, a gash slicing through his armoured tunic.
His eyes flashed with fury. "You think that's enough to stop me?"
He stomped down. "Petrification Zone!"
A ripple of dark earth radiated from his boots. Cracks formed in the ground beneath Solis, glowing with a sickly green light. His feet stuck — his legs stiffened.
Karina's breath caught in her throat. "He's trying to paralyze him—!"
But just as the petrification crept up Solis's thighs, the sword flared.
A red aura erupted outward, shattering the magic circle. The effect vanished in an instant. The pressure that had begun to choke the field receded — like a tide pulled back.
Colins looked on, stunned. "That sword… it's resisting Hamad's magic?!"
"But that spell... that's quite a powerful spell among earth magic spells. What is this sword?" Colins thinks, bewildered.
Hamad's jaw clenched. "What are you?"
Solis stood tall, the glow of the sword now casting long shadows. His voice was quiet — controlled — but it cut through the noise.
"I don't know what this sword is," he said, "but it wants to end you. And I agree with it."
Hamad roared in frustration, drawing moisture from the air. "Then drown!"
"Wave Barrage!"
A series of slicing jets of water shot toward Solis. He blocked the first with a raised forearm, the second with a parry. The third hit him square in the chest, knocking him back.
He skidded across the stone, blood flying from his lip. But he didn't stop.
He charged again — his movements now faster, sharper — a blur of steel and fury. The sword moved like it had memory — blocking, turning, countering with strikes and thrusts that came too quick for the eye.
He reached Hamad, swept low, and sliced at the knees. Hamad jumped back — too late. The edge of the sword grazed his thigh, and he stumbled with a snarl.
"You little—!"
Hamad slammed both hands down. "Stone Cage!"
Spikes erupted in a ring around Solis — forming a dome of jagged rock.
From the outside, Vaidya gasped. "No! Solis—"
Inside, there was only silence.
Then, a glow.
A crack.
The stone dome split — not from the top, but in a perfect diagonal cut through the middle. A line of red light separated the halves.
And Solis stepped through the center.
His sword now hummed with something deeper than aura. It trembled in his hand — hungering.
Hamad's eyes widened.
But before he could react, Solis spoke again — voice cold.
"You like cages?"
He sprinted forward. "Let me break yours."
Their blades met — stone against steel — magic against will.
With a thunderous clang, Solis struck again, again, and again — hammering down on Hamad's defenses. Hamad grunted, reeling back, summoning flame and water and stone to push the boy back.
It was working — until Solis raised his sword with both hands and shouted—
"Aura Release!"
The blade flared — bright, blinding, the pulse exploding outward like a shockwave. The battlefield shuddered. Hamad's spell was ripped apart. Flames extinguished. Water turned to mist. The ground cracked.
Everyone watching fell silent.
Even Karina, whispered: "That… that wasn't just aura. That was something else."
Colins stared at the boy now standing alone in the light. "No. That wasn't just a technique. That was power born of something deeper."
Hamad, on his knees, stared up — his armor cracked, one gauntlet shattered, his breath ragged.
But he wasn't done.
With a vicious snarl, he drew dark energy into his palm — Dark Convergence, a technique known to few. A swirling sphere of corruption formed, expanding outward, growing with every breath.
Karina's eyes widened in horror. "He's going to use that! That's a forbidden spell!"
Colins turned. "Everyone, fall back! Now!"
And Solis…
Solis narrowed his eyes.
He didn't move.
He stepped forward.
One step. Two.
Toward the growing vortex of dark power.
Karina screamed, "Boy, stop! You'll be caught in it!"
Colins screamed too, "Solis! DON'T!"
But he didn't listen.
He lifted the sword — the glow now steadier than ever. The wind howled, and dust rose, surrounding him in a swirling storm.
He charged straight into the darkness—