The war continued without pause. Screams, dust, broken ground, and roaring beasts filled the open center of the ruins. Blood stained the soil. Every clash echoed like thunder. And still, none of the heroes gave up. They had been fighting for what felt like forever, and finally some battles had begun reaching their end.
One clash had already concluded.
But others raged on… and one of them was the fight between Lucien, Lunis, and Zhyra.
Before this moment, Lucien and Lunis had managed to break Zhyra's defense and expose her body. Lucien had quickly used Pyroclast Hyperspear, launching a storm of crystallized fire-needles. Zhyra dodged many, but not all. The needles burned her skin, pierced her torso, and overwhelmed her speed. Furious, she lost control. Darkness burst from her body, swallowing her entirely. The aura was thick, unstable, and dangerous. She was no longer fighting with sense, only rage.
Now, that darkness had fully consumed her.
Zhyra wasn't herself anymore.
Lucien stayed calm on the outside, but even he felt a small unease as he watched the twisted aura swirling around her. Lunis, on the other hand, felt her killing intent like a blade on his throat. His instincts screamed danger, but he did not step back. He planted his paws firmly, golden eyes narrow, ready to face whatever she had become.
The corrupted Zhyra moved first.
She twisted unnaturally, her joints bending at angles no living body should allow, and her chains lashed out with mad speed. They sliced the air, fast enough to whistle like blades. Lucien and Lunis dodged, shifting back and forth, barely avoiding the razor arcs. Lunis quickly activated Lunar Protection, forming a steady lunar shield over both himself and Lucien. The chains crashed into it, hard, and sliced deep lines into the ground behind them.
Just a single hit would have ripped them in half.
Zhyra didn't stop. Without a breath or even a pause, she used Red Feast Constriction. The chains split open, revealing serrated inner teeth. They looked alive, like jaws of a starving beast. They snapped at the shield, shredding it layer by layer.
It was only a matter of seconds before the shield broke.
Lucien and Lunis jumped back, gaining distance, but the chains didn't stop following. They chased them like hunting serpents.
Knowing they couldn't keep running forever, Lunis activated Lunar Goddess Blessings. A much stronger shield, shining like a gentle moon, wrapped around them. This one held longer, stopping the chains for a few moments.
But even this shield began cracking under the violent pressure.
Both of them knew it, staying defensive would get them killed.
Lunis wasted no more time. His spear glowed from inside, the crystallized flame inside it awakening fully. With a sharp breath, he dashed forward and unleashed,
'Stillfire Execution.'
The crystallized flame spread from his spear, crawling rapidly along the chains like burning orange ice. The moment it touched them, the chains slowed. The flames ate into the metal, softening into a molten glow.
Lunis took his chance.
He charged straight toward Zhyra.
But Zhyra reacted instantly. She sacrificed every frozen chain, letting them all melt away and created new ones on the spot. They shot out at Lunis, blocking him. Before he could slash through, she wrapped them around his spear, stopping him mid-charge.
A flash of movement, Lunis vanished.
He reappeared behind her.
'Gravity Maw.'
In his towering bestial form, he bit down. Gravity surged around his jaws, crushing her armor and bone even before his teeth sank in. Zhyra screamed and twisted free, barely saving herself by ripping part of her own chains apart.
She staggered back.
But she wasn't defeated.
Far from it.
Her aura pulsed once, twice, and,
'Ophidian Eclipse.'
Zhyra vanished completely.
The entire battlefield froze for a heartbeat.
Then chains, dozens, maybe hundreds, burst from every blind spot. They erupted from the air, the ground, the shadows, stabbing and coiling like snakes. Lucien and Lunis were lifted off the ground, trapped, their arms pinned. The chains tightened, digging into their flesh.
Zhyra finally reappeared, stepping out of the darkness like a phantom. Her eyes were wild. She aimed at Lunis first.
Her tongue-tendril shot forward sharp, long, deadly.
Lunis broke one chain, twisting his body just enough. But the tendril still pierced him. It missed his heart by inches, but the strike was deep enough to make him cough blood.
Zhyra pulled her tongue back, preparing to stab again.
Lucien yelled, "Oiii! Hit me! I dare you!"
Zhyra, completely lost in rage, turned her head sharply toward him.
Lunis groaned in pain.
Zhyra switched targets again.
Lucien smirked painfully. "Look here!"
Zhyra turned.
Lunis growled again.
Zhyra turned back.
They kept repeating it, switching her attention back and forth. Zhyra's head whipped in both directions, faster and faster. Her chains shook violently. Her body trembled as if it couldn't hold the darkness inside anymore.
Her head throbbed. Her breathing staggered. Her eyes began bleeding from the strain.
She looked at both of them at once, unable to decide.
And in that small opening...
Lucien grabbed a handful of chains with his bare hands. His palms burned, but he didn't care. He pulled with all his strength, breaking them one after another.
He landed on the ground, rolled, snatched up his spear, and shattered the remaining chains holding him.
Lunis managed to break free of his own chains as well, though still bleeding heavily.
Lucien's eyes sharpened.
Again, he used,
'Stillfire Execution.'
The crystallized flame spread instantly, crawling across the ground and freezing Zhyra in place. She couldn't move. Her chains couldn't move. Her body locked up, Lucien didn't waste even a second.
'Erupting Firefall.'
His spear floated above him.
Dozens of copies formed around it, then dozens more.
A hundred spears hovered, pointed at Zhyra like a rain of death.
Her eyes widened, fear for the first time during this battle.
Her body couldn't escape. Her chains couldn't save her. For the first time, she felt death.
Regret. Pain. Memories she had buried deep began rising.
Her childhood.
Her parents.
Her race, shapeshifting demons hunted by every other race. They barely survived long enough to grow. Her parents had only one child because more family meant more danger. And Zhyra… she had been special. Able to turn invisible, a rare ability among her kind.
She remembered her father smiling.
"Let's play hide and seek."
She remembered hiding, invisible, waiting for them to find her. She giggled as she hid herself.
Hours passed.
No footsteps. No laughter. No voices.
Until she found them lying on the ground, lifeless, blood everywhere.
She had stayed invisible, covering her mouth to suppress her cries as people passed nearby. She remained there for days, unable to move, staring at their bodies.
After that, she wandered alone, shapeshifting, hiding, starving, just trying to stay alive.
Until she met someone who changed her life. He gave her orders. He gave her protection. He gave her revenge. She owed him everything.
And now… she was going to die here. Tears finally escaped her eyes. For the first time in her life, she smiled softly. The corrupted aura left her completely. She accepted her end.
Lucien's spears rained down.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Dust exploded everywhere. The ground shook. Heat washed over the battlefield.
When the dust settled, Lucien's real spear floated back into his hand. He let out a long sigh, exhausted but relieved.
Zhyra's eyes widened.
Zhyra was still standing.
Completely untouched.
Every spear had landed around her, but none hit her.
She stared at him, confused, shaking.
Lucien stepped forward and said quietly,
"Your life is something gifted to you. Never give it up. No matter what."
Those words broke her.
Her knees collapsed under her weight. Tears poured as she cried openly, loudly, painfully, like a child who had been hurting for far too long.
Lucien freed Lunis from the remaining chains. Lunis immediately began healing himself, though he was still weak. Slowly, he walked toward Zhyra.
Zhyra looked up at him with fear, thinking he had come to kill her as she had wounded him.
But Lunis only lowered his head and touched his forehead gently to hers.
No words. Just warmth. Just quiet acceptance.
Her panic faded. Her body relaxed. Her will to fight melted away completely.
Lucien and Lunis exchanged a silent nod, then turned and ran to help the others still fighting.
Zhyra watched their backs as they left.
A strange warmth filled her chest, something she hadn't felt since her parents died.
She felt envious of the bond between a human and a beast… but also grateful she got to witness it.
With a small, tired smile, she lay down on the ground, closing her eyes as she remembered her parents' faces.
The war continued around her.
But for Zhyra… After a long time in her life...
She felt at peace.