BOOOOOOOOM!!
Draven's punch collided with Aurelia's hastily raised gauntlet.
Golden lightning erupted outward in every direction.
The impact was devastating.
Aurelia was launched across the battlefield like a cannonball.
CRAAAAASH!!
She tore through three shattered platforms, steel and debris exploding behind her before she finally regained control in midair.
Lightning burst beneath her feet.
She landed heavily.
The steel beneath her boots collapsed under the force.
For a brief moment—
silence.
Then—
BOOM!!
Draven moved again.
No pause.
No recovery.
No hesitation.
He simply continued forward.
Meanwhile—
Lucan stared toward the battle.
His jaw tightened.
Aurelia had been pushed back.
Not stalled.
Not matched.
Pushed back.
His grip tightened around his sword.
Holy mana surged instinctively through his body.
He took a step forward.
Then—
"Hey."
Lucan froze.
A familiar voice.
A hated voice.
Several meters away stood Aldric.
Crimson eyes gleamed beneath the burning sky.
The grin on his face never faded.
"Don't think about it, brat."
He lazily rolled one shoulder.
"You heard him, didn't you?"
A brief pause.
Then his smile widened.
"I'll be playing with you."
The air around him darkened.
Blood-red mana rolled outward like a rising tide.
Violent.
Hungry.
Oppressive.
"So don't die too quickly."
SHHHHHK!!
Dozens of blood blades erupted into existence behind him.
Floating.
Rotating.
Each one pointed directly toward Lucan.
Then—
they launched.
The sky turned crimson.
Lucan's eyes narrowed instantly.
HOLY BLESSING: DIVINE FLAME.
Golden-white fire erupted across his sword.
Holy flames roared to life.
SHIIIIING!!
His blade flashed.
The first blood blade split apart.
Then a second.
Then a third.
Then ten more.
Explosions erupted continuously around him.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
Fragments of blood mana scattered throughout the battlefield.
Lucan accelerated.
Holy fire trailed behind him like a blazing comet.
Every swing destroyed another incoming blade.
His expression remained cold.
Focused.
Furious.
The final blood blade shattered beneath his sword.
Silence lasted less than a second.
Lucan looked up.
And glared.
"I'll kill you."
The words came through clenched teeth.
Pure hatred.
Pure conviction.
Aldric stared at him for a moment.
Then scoffed.
As if he had just heard something absurd.
The grin on his face stretched wider.
Almost feral.
"I want to see you try."
BOOOOM!!
Crimson mana exploded from his body.
The battlefield trembled violently.
Broken steel rose from the ground.
Lucan answered immediately.
Holy flames surged even higher.
The night split between red and gold.
The surrounding soldiers instinctively retreated.
No one wanted to be anywhere near what was about to happen.
Because both sides understood something very simple.
This was no longer a battle between a knight and a demon.
It was personal.
Deeply personal.
Aldric slowly raised his sword.
Lucan lowered his stance.
Holy flames gathered around the edge of his blade.
The air itself trembled.
Neither moved.
For a single heartbeat.
Then—
both vanished.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Red and gold collided.
The resulting shockwave tore across the battlefield like a hurricane.
Steel platforms shattered.
Flames exploded into the sky.
And somewhere beyond the storm of destruction—
Aldric's laughter echoed through the night.
While Lucan's killing intent burned hotter than ever.
Elsewhere—
Aurelia's lightning-covered blade carved across the battlefield.
SHIIIIING!!
Golden-white light split the air apart.
The strike moved so quickly that it blurred vision.
So quickly that most soldiers watching couldn't even follow it.
Yet—
Draven was already there.
CLANG!!
His black shortsword intercepted the attack.
Lightning exploded outward.
Golden arcs raced across the shattered platform.
The steel beneath their feet collapsed beneath the pressure.
BOOOOM!!
Aurelia twisted instantly.
Her sword transformed into a storm.
One strike.
Then another.
Then another.
Golden afterimages flooded the battlefield as Divine Judgment pushed her speed to its absolute limit.
The Saint Princess became lightning itself.
Yet no matter how fast she moved—
Draven remained in front of her.
Matching every strike.
Countering every angle.
Dominating the exchange.
CLANG!!
CLANG!!
CLANG!!
Their weapons collided relentlessly.
Shockwaves erupted with every impact.
Aurelia's thoughts raced.
*He's stronger than before.*
Another clash.
*Much stronger.*
A third.
*Why is he getting stronger?*
BOOOOM!!
Their weapons collided once more.
Aurelia slid backward.
Only half a step.
But it was enough.
Enough for her to make a decision.
Golden light erupted from her body.
The battlefield trembled.
Holy fire exploded outward.
HOLY BLESSING: DIVINE FLAME.
Golden-white flames engulfed her sword.
The heat distorted the surrounding air.
Nearby steel began glowing red.
Even distant soldiers instinctively retreated.
Aurelia stepped forward.
And swung.
SHIIIIIIING!!
The flaming blade descended.
Draven met it head-on.
Then—
his left hand moved.
Aurelia's eyes widened.
He grabbed the blade.
Bare-handed.
Golden holy flames erupted instantly.
They raced up his arm.
Burning.
Consuming.
Destroying everything they touched.
The flames crawled across his sleeve.
His skin.
His flesh.
Yet—
Draven didn't react.
Not even slightly.
No scream.
No flinch.
No hesitation.
His crimson eyes remained fixed on her.
Cold.
Emotionless.
Then his sword moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Aurelia's instincts screamed.
She immediately released her weapon.
Her body twisted backward.
Both arms crossed defensively before her chest.
Too late.
SHHHK!!
The black shortsword flashed.
Blood sprayed across the battlefield.
Aurelia was thrown backward.
CRAAAAASH!!
She skidded across broken steel.
Golden lightning erupted beneath her feet as she finally came to a stop.
Silence followed.
Then—
drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Blood struck the steel floor.
Everyone stared.
A severed arm spun through the air.
Still clad in holy-white armor.
Still clutching her sword.
The battlefield froze.
Aurelia's breathing became uneven.
Pain shot through her body.
Yet her expression remained calm.
Focused.
Disciplined.
Without hesitation—
she lunged forward.
Her remaining hand seized the severed arm.
Golden light erupted instantly.
HOLY BLESSING: DIVINE LIGHT.
Sacred radiance engulfed her body.
The severed limb pressed against the wound.
Light surged.
Flesh reconnected.
Bones reformed.
Muscles regenerated.
Tendons rewove themselves.
The arm attached once more.
Yet the holy light did not stop there.
It spread across her entire body.
Brilliant.
Pure.
To her allies, it felt warm.
Comforting.
Reassuring.
But to creatures of darkness—
it was agony.
A burning judgment.
A divine condemnation.
Aurelia flexed her restored fingers.
Then slowly raised her gaze.
Golden eyes locked onto Draven once more.
Meanwhile—
Draven stood exactly where he had been.
His gaze briefly lowered.
The holy flames still crawled across his arm.
Growing stronger.
Burning deeper.
The flesh beneath had already blackened.
Charred and ruined.
Yet—
the folding mass hidden deep within him began rotating faster.
One fold.
Then another.
Then another.
The endless spiral accelerated.
Absorbing the released mana.
Not only that—
the holy mana sustaining the flames was dragged inward as well.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
The flames weakened.
The burning remained.
The damage remained.
But the holy energy feeding the fire continued disappearing into the endless folds.
Draven didn't even glance at the wound.
As though pain itself had become meaningless.
As though he no longer recognized it.
His crimson eyes simply lifted once more.
Meeting Aurelia's gaze.
Aurelia slowly raised her hand.
Golden light condensed before her palm.
A blade formed from pure holy energy.
Lightning crackled violently along its edge.
The surrounding air screamed beneath its power.
The newly formed weapon radiated enough pressure to make those watching swallow instinctively.
She took a step forward.
"You were stronger than I expected."
Her voice was calm.
Controlled.
"But I won't make the same mistake twice."
Golden lightning surged violently around her.
The Saint Princess stood beneath the burning sky.
A Fifth-Star Mana Master empowered by three active blessings.
Divine Light.
Divine Flame.
Divine Judgment.
At the peak of her power.
Across from her—
Draven remained silent.
Because he already knew.
The Warrior Saintess.
The Holy Empire's Princess.
The woman blessed with three high-grade divine blessings.
He knew exactly who she was.
Had known for a very long time.
Without a word—
he tossed aside the holy sword still trapped within his grip.
The weapon spun through the air before crashing into the battlefield below.
CLANG.
Then—
dark crimson strands emerged once more.
Thin streams of mana leaked from the endless folding spiral within him.
Flowing through muscle.
Through bone.
Through organs.
Reinforcing.
Strengthening.
Sharpening.
The pressure surrounding him grew heavier.
The battlefield grew colder.
And for the first time since their clash began—
both warriors stood completely still.
Watching one another.
Waiting.
Measuring.
Knowing.
Because they both understood the same thing.
The next exchange would be far deadlier than anything that had come before.