Aldric slowly lowered the sword resting upon his shoulder.
The grin on his face widened.
Wider.
Sharper.
Wrong.
It stretched across his features with a disturbing ease, carrying none of the warmth of amusement and all the malice of a predator that had just spotted fresh prey.
His crimson eyes settled upon the two newly arrived figures standing amidst the fading remnants of golden lightning.
For a moment, he simply stared.
Then—
he laughed.
A quiet laugh.
Soft.
Almost casual.
Yet somehow far worse than shouting.
The sound drifted across the battlefield like a blade sliding from its sheath.
"Well now."
A brief pause.
"Look who decided to show up."
His gaze shifted toward the black-haired young man standing beside Aurelia.
Recognition flashed through his eyes immediately.
"...If it isn't Fire Boy."
Silence.
Lucan's eyes narrowed.
Beside him, Aurelia briefly glanced his way before returning her attention to Aldric.
Neither side moved.
Neither side spoke.
The battlefield itself seemed to hold its breath.
The flames crackling throughout the ruined military district suddenly felt distant.
Muted.
As though the world itself was waiting.
Aldric tilted his head slightly.
"What's wrong, brat?"
A pause.
"Don't tell me you don't recognize me."
No response.
Not a single word.
Then suddenly, Aldric blinked.
"Oh."
Another pause.
"Right."
He casually tapped the side of his face.
"I forgot."
A grin tugged at his lips.
"I've been using the item."
The smile never disappeared.
Then—
CRACK.
The disguise shattered.
The illusion cloaking his body fractured like glass.
Crimson fragments of mana exploded outward before dissolving into the air.
His appearance changed instantly.
Pale skin.
Crimson eyes.
Long burgundy hair cascading down his back.
Sharp, pointed ears.
The familiar face emerged from beneath the illusion.
The battlefield froze.
Lucan's expression changed immediately.
Shock.
Recognition.
Then—
rage.
Pure, unfiltered rage.
BOOOOOOM!!
Holy mana erupted around him with explosive force.
Golden light burst skyward.
The steel beneath his feet cracked apart.
Nearby debris was blasted away.
The pressure alone caused several wounded soldiers to stagger backward.
Aldric saw it.
And smiled.
Even wider than before.
Like a predator finally discovering something entertaining.
"There it is."
His crimson eyes gleamed.
"I like that look."
Lucan's jaw clenched so hard the muscles along his face visibly trembled.
"You."
Holy mana surged violently around him.
Wild.
Unstable.
"You bastard."
Aldric chuckled.
"Good."
"At least your memory still works."
Golden sparks flickered around Aurelia as she stepped slightly forward.
"Lucan."
Her voice remained calm.
Controlled.
Measured.
"Do you know him?"
The silence lingered.
Lucan never looked away from Aldric.
Not even for a second.
His eyes burned with hatred.
Then—
"Yes."
The answer came through clenched teeth.
"He's the one who killed my uncle."
The battlefield fell silent.
Completely silent.
Even the imperial soldiers nearby stiffened.
Several exchanged uneasy glances.
Others simply stared.
Aldric blinked once.
Then laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound echoed across the battlefield.
"Oh."
A pause.
"I thought your Holy Empire healed him."
Another pause.
His grin twisted into something uglier.
Something crueler.
"Or what?"
"You couldn't put his heart back together after it was crushed?"
BOOOOOOOOM!!
Lucan's holy mana exploded outward once more.
A violent shockwave swept across the battlefield.
Nearby rubble was launched into the air.
Several wounded soldiers stumbled under the pressure.
A few nearly lost their footing entirely.
Aldric merely tilted his head.
Mockingly.
"Too bad."
His smile never faded.
"Nice fellow."
A pause.
"Made a funny sound when he died."
CRACK.
The ground beneath Lucan shattered.
Stone splintered.
Steel buckled.
His killing intent surged uncontrollably.
A Fifth-Star Mana Master.
One of the Holy Empire's most gifted young elites.
The pressure radiating from him alone forced nearby knights to retreat.
Several instinctively stepped backward.
Others tightened their grips on their weapons.
Aurelia immediately moved in front of him.
"Calm yourself."
Lucan's breathing was heavy.
Uneven.
His chest rose and fell violently.
Holy mana continued flickering around him like a raging storm threatening to break free.
Yet after several long moments—
he forced it back.
Barely.
Aurelia slowly turned her gaze toward Aldric.
Golden eyes devoid of warmth.
Cold.
Calculating.
Evaluating.
*So that's one of them.*
One of the demons encountered during the hunt.
One of the monsters connected to the endless trail of blood.
One of the creatures standing closest to the truth she had pursued for years.
The truth behind her mother's death.
Golden lightning crackled across her armor.
The Saint Princess's gaze sharpened.
A sliver of killing intent escaped.
The battlefield instantly grew colder.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
Imperial soldiers felt it immediately.
Crossfall members felt it.
Even Syrian unconsciously swallowed.
The pressure pressing down upon the battlefield intensified.
Then—
something changed.
Aurelia's killing intent vanished.
Not because she withdrew it.
Not because she chose to.
Because something else appeared.
Something larger.
Something infinitely worse.
The temperature seemed to drop.
Not physically.
Instinctively.
Every living creature present felt it.
Soldiers froze.
Knights stopped breathing.
Conversations died.
Even the fires burning throughout the battlefield suddenly felt quieter.
Far away—
Syrian's entire body stiffened.
The masked Crossfall woman went completely silent.
For the first time since arriving—
fear touched her eyes.
Because another killing intent had appeared.
Not holy.
Not righteous.
Not furious.
Cold.
Dark.
Absolute.
It spread across the battlefield like death itself opening its eyes.
Slowly—
everyone turned.
Toward Draven.
He stood atop the shattered remains of an artillery platform.
Bow lowered at his side.
Dark cloak fluttering within the burning winds.
Crimson eyes glowing faintly beneath the shadow of his hood.
Watching.
Only watching.
His gaze remained fixed upon Aurelia.
Upon Lucan.
The pressure radiating from him swallowed everything else.
Aurelia's lightning dimmed.
Lucan's holy mana faltered.
Imperial soldiers felt their knees weaken.
Several collapsed outright.
Others trembled uncontrollably.
Because every instinct they possessed screamed the same warning.
**Run.**
Draven's voice finally broke the silence.
Quiet.
Calm.
Almost gentle.
Yet somehow every person present heard it perfectly.
"You shouldn't point that at him."
His crimson eyes never left Aurelia.
Not once.
The killing intent deepened.
The sky itself seemed heavier.
The air felt harder to breathe.
"There's someone here..."
A pause.
The corners of Aldric's mouth slowly stretched upward.
Higher.
Wider.
Almost delighted.
Draven continued.
"Who has wanted to kill you for a very long time."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The battlefield stood frozen beneath the weight of his words.
Then—
for the first time in years—
Aurelia felt something unfamiliar.
Not fear.
Not quite.
But something dangerously close.
A warning.
A certainty.
The realization that she stood before a threat capable of reaching her.
Capable of killing her.
Real danger.
And across the burning battlefield—
beneath the crimson glow hidden within the hood—
Draven's eyes never blinked.
Never wavered.
Never looked away.