Flaming debris rained across the night sky.
The shattered remains of the flagship burned like falling meteors above Blackwater, while smoke and fire painted the entire eastern district crimson.
Below—
the battle hadn't truly ended.
Not yet.
Steel groaned.
Soldiers scrambled.
Mana alarms continued screaming from damaged towers.
And amid the chaos—
Aldric stood waiting.
Blood stained his coat.
A violent gust of wind exploded beside him.
WHOOOOSH!
Aldric's body bent backward instantly.
A silver blade swept through the space where his neck had been a fraction of a second earlier.
The attack missed.
Barely.
Aldric planted one foot against the shattered steel beneath him and pushed away.
The attacker landed several meters ahead.
Heavy armor.
Greatsword.
Silver-blue mana.
The same imperial knight.
His armor was battered now.
Cracked in multiple places.
One section near his abdomen bore a deep puncture wound where Aldric had nearly ended the fight earlier.
Yet the injury had already closed.
Only dried bloodstains remained.
Aldric glanced at it.
Then sighed.
"Hmm."
He rolled one shoulder lazily.
"I see."
His gaze settled on the healed wound.
"Looks like that didn't kill you after all."
A brief pause.
"Maybe I should've cut your head off."
His grin widened slightly.
"Hard to drink a healing potion without one."
The knight's expression darkened beneath his helmet.
Silver-blue mana surged violently around him.
Then—
the runes engraved across his armor ignited.
Wind.
Powerful wind.
A cyclone erupted around his armored body.
Steel fragments lifted from the ground.
Dust and ash spiraled upward.
The knight lowered his stance.
Ready to charge.
Aldric simply stared.
Calm.
Almost bored.
Then he spoke.
"You know you're going to die if this keeps going, right?"
The knight said nothing.
The winds around him howled louder.
Aldric gestured vaguely toward the burning sky above.
"We're not even here for you."
Another pause.
"So why don't you just stand down?"
His tone remained casual.
"Stop interfering."
The knight exploded forward.
BOOM!
The platform shattered beneath his feet.
Wind mana accelerated him like a missile.
His greatsword carved through the air.
Fast.
Far faster than before.
Aldric raised his blade.
CLAAAAANG!!
The collision sent a shockwave ripping across the ruined battlefield.
The knight pushed forward through the clash.
"You attack military grounds."
His voice thundered from within the armor.
"You slaughter imperial soldiers."
The pressure increased.
Wind screamed around the blade.
"And you still claim you don't want to kill?"
Aldric blinked.
Then looked genuinely confused.
"I didn't say that."
CRACK!
Crimson mana surged through his arm.
The knight's eyes widened.
Aldric's grin returned.
"I'm just trying to save mana."
Red light flowed across the runes etched into his blade.
One after another.
Igniting.
Growing brighter.
"I really don't want to waste it."
The knight suddenly felt danger.
Real danger.
Then Aldric smiled.
"But honestly..."
Crimson mana erupted.
"...I don't think killing you would cost very much."
BOOOOM!!
Aldric's blade exploded with power.
The knight was forced backward.
His boots tore trenches through the steel beneath him.
Wind mana erupted desperately around his body as he struggled to regain control.
Too late.
Aldric vanished.
The knight's instincts screamed.
His greatsword moved immediately.
SHIIING!
The blade rose just in time.
CLANG!!
Aldric's sword slammed into it with overwhelming force.
The impact sent a jolt through the knight's entire body.
Both arms went numb instantly.
Then—
Aldric stepped inside his guard.
Again.
The knight's eyes widened.
*Too close—*
Aldric's left arm moved.
Not a fist.
Not a punch.
Just a brutal body blow driven by monstrous physical strength.
BOOOOM!!
His forearm slammed into the knight's right side.
Armor crumpled inward.
Metal folded.
Several ribs shattered instantly.
The knight felt the air explode from his lungs.
Blood burst from beneath his helmet.
His body launched sideways like a cannonball.
CRAAAAASH!!
He smashed through a steel support pillar.
Then another.
Then another.
Before finally skidding across the ruined platform, carving a deep trail through twisted metal before coming to a stop.
Silence.
The knight coughed violently.
Blood splattered across the steel floor.
His vision blurred.
His hands trembled.
Every breath felt like swallowing fire.
Yet somehow—
he forced himself onto one knee.
Then another.
Trying to stand.
Trying to continue.
Across the battlefield—
Aldric watched him.
For a moment, even he seemed impressed.
"Huh."
He rested his sword against his shoulder.
"You're tougher than I expected."
The knight finally rose.
Barely.
Blood dripped from beneath his helmet.
The wind mana surrounding him flickered unevenly now.
Unstable.
Weakening.
Aldric's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
Then he sighed.
"See?"
He pointed his sword toward the burning sky, where the remains of the flagship continued to fall.
"I'm not even your problem anymore."
A brief pause.
His grin slowly returned.
"Yet here you are trying to make yourself mine."
Flames began spreading across Aldric's blade once more.
The knight tightened his grip on the greatsword.
Despite the blood.
Despite the pain.
Despite knowing exactly how dangerous the man before him truly was.
He stepped forward.
One more time.
And Aldric laughed.
Not mockingly.
Not cruelly.
Just genuinely amused.
Then—
crimson mana surged violently around Aldric.
The shattered battlefield trembled beneath his feet.
Heat rolled outward in waves while crimson flames danced across the length of his blade.
Across from him—
the imperial knight steadied himself.
Blood dripped steadily from beneath his helmet.
His breathing was ragged.
Uneven.
Yet somehow—
he still stepped forward.
Still refused to back down.
Aldric stared at him for a moment.
Then sighed.
Honestly—
he was starting to find this annoying.
"You know..."
His voice remained calm.
Almost conversational.
"...I'm really getting tired of this."
The knight tightened his grip on the greatsword.
Wind mana erupted once more around his battered armor.
Preparing another charge.
Another desperate attack.
Another attempt to stop someone he simply couldn't defeat.
Aldric's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"Seriously."
A pause.
"This stubborn hero thing you're doing?"
Crimson mana exploded beneath his feet.
BOOM!!
The steel platform shattered.
The knight's eyes widened.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
Aldric vanished.
Then—
appeared directly in front of him.
The distance between them disappeared instantly.
The knight's instincts screamed.
His sword began moving.
Too late.
Aldric spoke quietly.
"I find it annoying."
SHIIING!!
His blade shot forward.
Straight.
Precise.
Merciless.
The tip pierced through the front of the knight's helmet before he could react.
Metal ruptured.
The back of the helmet exploded outward in a spray of shattered steel and blood.
The knight froze.
His body locked in place.
The greatsword slipped from weakening fingers.
CLANG.
It struck the ground.
Silence.
Aldric stood motionless before him.
One hand resting on the hilt.
The blade driven completely through the knight's head.
For a brief second—
the imperial warrior remained standing.
Then the light faded from his eyes.
His body went limp.
Aldric pulled the blade free.
SHLK.
Blood splattered across the ruined platform.
The corpse collapsed heavily onto the shattered steel.
THUD.
Silence returned.
Aldric glanced down at the body.
Then casually flicked the blood from his blade.
"...There."
He rested the sword against his shoulder once more.
"Much better."
Above them—
burning fragments of the destroyed flagship continued falling from the night sky.