The battlefield fell silent.
Blood dripped steadily from Draven's sword, pattering onto the shattered steel beneath his feet.
Corpses surrounded him.
Broken weapons lay scattered across the ruined platform, while burning debris continued to rain down from the shattered flagship hanging overhead like a dying star.
His crimson gaze swept slowly across the crowd gathering around him.
Bounty hunters.
Mercenaries.
Assassins.
Guild members.
Adventurers.
All of them had come for the same reason.
Then he spoke.
His voice wasn't loud.
Yet somehow, everyone heard it.
"If you're here for the bounty..."
A brief pause followed.
His crimson eyes glowed faintly beneath the burning sky.
"...get in line."
Silence.
Several hunters immediately stiffened.
Others frowned.
A few exchanged uneasy glances.
Draven slowly turned his gaze toward Aurelia.
"I still have unfinished business."
The black shortsword lowered slightly at his side.
"When I'm done..."
His eyes swept across the battlefield once more.
"...I'll deal with the rest of you."
The pressure surrounding him deepened.
Cold.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
It felt as though an invisible weight had descended upon the battlefield.
"If you decide to stand in my way..."
Another pause.
Then—
"I'll kill you."
No arrogance.
No anger.
No attempt to intimidate.
Just a simple statement of fact.
The kind of statement a predator makes before feeding.
Then he moved.
BOOM!!
Steel exploded beneath his feet.
Fragments scattered in every direction.
Draven shot forward toward Aurelia like a crimson meteor.
The battlefield blurred around him.
The distance vanished instantly.
Yet—
a flash of silver interrupted his charge.
CLANG!!
A chain wrapped around his sword arm.
The metal links screamed beneath the strain.
Draven's crimson eyes shifted.
A woman stood several meters away.
Short silver hair.
A confident grin.
A long chain weapon coiled around one arm.
The surrounding mercenaries immediately recognized her.
"Captain Sybil!"
"The Black Hawks!"
"The Black Hawks are here!"
Excitement rippled through the crowd.
Sybil grinned.
A Fifth-Star Mana Master.
Captain of the Black Hawks Mercenary Company.
One of Blackwater's most infamous mercenary leaders.
"Sorry, kid."
Her chain tightened.
"But that won't work."
She tilted her head toward Aurelia.
"We can't exactly let the Empire kill you."
Her grin widened further.
"If that happens..."
She shrugged casually.
"...nobody gets paid."
Laughter erupted from several nearby mercenaries.
Aurelia's expression darkened immediately.
Golden lightning crackled violently around her body.
"Do not interfere."
Her voice rang across the battlefield like a divine decree.
"The Holy Knights will handle this."
The surrounding knights instantly straightened.
Holy mana surged around them.
Yet another voice suddenly interrupted.
"Like hell you will."
Everyone turned.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the shattered platform.
A massive demi-human stepped forward.
Dark horns curved from his head.
A giant battle axe rested across one shoulder.
The guild insignia emblazoned across his coat was impossible to miss.
The Crimson Fang Guild.
One of Blackwater's strongest organizations.
The man laughed loudly.
"The bounty's already here."
He pointed directly at Draven.
"So whoever kills the kid gets the reward."
Several adventurers immediately cheered.
Others nodded eagerly.
Greed flickered within countless eyes.
The horned demi-human grinned broadly.
"Fair and simple."
Guild Master Howard.
Another Fifth-Star.
Another monster entering the battlefield.
More presences began emerging from the shadows.
More guild leaders.
More veteran hunters.
More killers.
One after another.
The battlefield was becoming crowded with monsters.
Far away—
the masked Crossfall woman released a long sigh.
"...There it is."
Syrian frowned.
"What?"
The masked woman gestured toward the battlefield below.
"The moment greed becomes stronger than fear."
Below—
Aurelia's lightning intensified.
Holy Knights tightened their formation.
Mercenaries gathered behind Sybil.
Guild members moved toward Howard.
Bounty hunters spread throughout the battlefield.
Everyone wanted the same thing.
Everyone believed they could take it.
And standing at the center of it all—
Draven slowly looked around.
At Aurelia.
At Sybil.
At Howard.
At the hundreds of armed figures converging from every direction.
Silence lingered.
Then he sighed.
A small sigh.
Barely audible.
"...How annoying."
The words weren't spoken with anger.
Or frustration.
Only genuine irritation.
As though all these powerful warriors had become nothing more than obstacles standing between him and what he actually wanted.
Then—
dark crimson strands began leaking from his body once more.
Like smoke.
Like blood-colored mist.
And suddenly—
nobody felt like laughing anymore.
The battlefield had grown crowded.
Far too crowded.
Mercenaries.
Guild masters.
Holy knights.
Bounty hunters.
Assassins.
Everyone wanted a piece of him.
Everyone wanted the reward hanging over his head.
For a moment—
Draven simply stood there.
Then he slowly inhaled.
A deep breath filled his lungs.
Calm.
Measured.
Controlled.
His fingers moved strangely.
One after another.
Small snapping sounds echoed from his hands.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Like joints being adjusted.
Like a machine preparing itself for war.
Then—
he exhaled.
A long hiss escaped his mouth.
The sound was quiet.
Yet everyone nearby felt it.
And something changed.
The pressure surrounding him spiked.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
The air grew heavier.
The ground beneath his feet groaned.
Tiny cracks spread through the steel platform.
Several nearby hunters felt their instincts scream.
Their bodies reacted before their minds could process what was happening.
Danger.
Pure danger.
Sybil's grin faded slightly.
Her eyes narrowed.
"...What?"
Then—
Draven vanished.
BOOM!!
The steel platform exploded beneath his feet.
The chain wrapped around his arm snapped taut.
Not because it had restrained him—
but because he had grabbed it.
Pulled it.
Used it.
Sybil's eyes widened.
The chain suddenly became a lifeline dragging a monster directly toward her.
"What—?!"
The metal links screamed.
SCREEEEEECH!!
Draven's hand slid along the chain.
His body shot forward.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
The distance between them collapsed instantly.
Sybil reacted on instinct.
Her free hand moved.
A second chain erupted forward.
Too late.
Draven was already there.
Directly in front of her.
Crimson eyes met hers.
Cold.
Silent.
Expressionless.
For the first time since arriving—
Sybil's confidence disappeared completely.
Because she finally understood something.
She wasn't stopping him.
She had simply given him a shortcut.
The chain connecting them snapped violently as Draven surged forward.
And the battlefield watched as the distance between predator and prey vanished within a single heartbeat.
Draven arrived directly before her.
Crimson eyes met hers.
Cold.
Emotionless.
His sword moved.
SHHHHK!!
A killing strike.
Fast enough to split her in half before most people could even blink.
Yet—
the blade never reached her.
A brilliant blue barrier erupted around Sybil's body.
CLAAAAANG!!
The impact exploded across the battlefield.
Shockwaves rolled outward.
Dust and debris were blasted away.
The protective barrier distorted violently.
Cracks spread across its surface.
More.
And more.
And more.
But it held.
Barely.
Sybil was launched backward several meters.
Her boots carved deep trenches through the steel platform.
For a brief moment, genuine shock appeared in her eyes.
Then—
a grin slowly returned.
"...Now that's terrifying."
The protective item hanging around her neck glowed brightly.
Ancient runes flickered across its surface.
A high-grade defensive artifact.
A life-saving treasure.
One that had just saved her life.
Sybil glanced at the fractured barrier surrounding her.
Then back at Draven.
"You didn't actually think I was weak in close combat, did you?"
The grin on her face widened.
Flames suddenly erupted around her body.
Not ordinary fire.
Mana-infused flame.
Bright orange.
Crimson red.
Wild and violent.
The surrounding temperature rose instantly.
A rune engraved into her hand ignited.
A blazing symbol spread across her skin.
THIRD-STAR RUNE: FLAME.
BOOOOOM!!
Fire exploded outward.
The steel beneath her feet glowed red-hot.
Heat distorted the air.
The chains wrapped around her arms ignited.
Each metal link became coated in blazing mana flames.
Sybil rolled one shoulder.
The chains rattled loudly.
"I may be a chain user..."
A second chain unfurled behind her.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
Each one burning fiercely.
"...but that doesn't mean I enjoy fighting from a distance."
The chains snapped through the air.
CRACK!!
CRACK!!
Like flaming whips.
Like burning serpents.
Like dragons lashing their tails.
Nearby bounty hunters immediately retreated.
Nobody wanted to remain near the expanding heat.
Sybil lowered her stance.
The flames intensified.
The grin never left her face.
"Let's try that again."
Across from her—
Draven remained silent.
His crimson eyes briefly drifted toward the cracked barrier protecting her.
Then toward the burning chains.
Then back to her face.
No concern.
No caution.
No hesitation.
No visible emotion at all.
Which somehow irritated Sybil far more than fear ever could.
The battlefield held its breath.
Because everyone could feel it.
The moment Sybil had entered the fight—
she had looked like a hunter joining the chase.
Now—
standing before Draven—
she looked like someone desperately trying not to become the next corpse.