Draven stepped off the shattered artillery platform.
The drop was dozens of meters.
Yet when he landed, it was as light as a falling leaf.
Barely a sound.
Barely a tremor.
His crimson gaze remained fixed ahead—
on Aurelia.
On Lucan.
On the Holy Empire.
Then—
something soft brushed against his cheek.
Draven paused.
Slowly turning his head.
The black cat had somehow climbed back onto his shoulder.
It was currently licking his face.
Completely unconcerned by the battlefield.
By the corpses.
By the burning warships.
By the thousands of people staring in disbelief.
Draven simply looked at it for a moment.
Then quietly said,
"...It seems I forgot to send you back with them."
The cat meowed.
And continued licking his face.
Silence.
Then—
a faint sigh escaped him.
"My mistake."
The cat meowed again.
Draven reached up and gently pushed its head away.
"You'll need to find somewhere safe and hide for a while."
His voice remained calm.
Steady.
"You hear me?"
The cat blinked.
Draven continued,
"Once I'm finished..."
A brief pause followed.
"...you can come back."
The cat meowed.
"If you understand, then do what I said."
The cat stared at him.
Then suddenly climbed down from his shoulder.
The surrounding battlefield watched in confused silence.
The cat disappeared beneath the folds of his cloak.
It moved around inside for several seconds.
Then emerged near the bottom.
A moment later—
it dove directly into Draven's shadow.
And vanished.
Several nearby soldiers blinked.
"...What?"
"...Did that thing just—"
They never finished.
Because Draven's eyes suddenly flickered.
He looked downward.
Then—
from within his shadow—
the cat's head popped back out.
A tiny slime dangled from its mouth.
The cat blinked innocently.
The battlefield froze.
Even Aldric stared.
Draven's crimson eyes remained fixed on the pair.
Then—
for the first time in a very long while—
the faintest curve touched the corner of his lips.
Barely visible.
Gone almost immediately.
"...So you can do that."
A pause.
"Good."
The slime wiggled slightly.
The cat looked absurdly proud of itself.
Draven gave a single nod.
"Stay in there for a while."
The cat meowed.
Then both it and the slime sank back into the darkness beneath him.
Vanishing completely.
Aldric snorted.
"It seems that thing isn't completely useless after all."
Draven ignored him.
His gaze returned forward.
The tiny trace of amusement disappeared.
Leaving behind only cold focus.
Then—
he began walking.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The battlefield unconsciously parted before him.
Nobody moved to stop him.
Nobody dared.
As he walked—
his hand moved.
The dark cloak was pulled free.
Removed.
For the first time since arriving in Blackwater—
everyone saw him clearly.
White hair.
Dark ebony skin.
Crimson eyes.
The entire battlefield froze.
Recognition spread instantly.
Like wildfire racing through dry grass.
One soldier's eyes widened.
"...No way."
A priest stumbled backward.
"...It's him."
A Holy Knight tightened his grip on his sword.
"The Demon King's son."
The whispers spread.
Faster.
Louder.
Fear.
Greed.
Hatred.
Shock.
The wanted posters.
The bounty notices.
The intelligence reports.
Every face matched.
Every description aligned.
The person standing before them—
was the one the continent had been searching for.
The one countless hunters dreamed of killing.
The one carrying a bounty worth entire kingdoms.
The one the Holy Empire had hunted relentlessly.
The Demon King's son.
Far away—
Syrian's breathing stopped.
The Crossfall members stared.
Even the masked woman fell silent.
Because there was no longer any doubt.
No speculation.
No theories.
Only confirmation.
Across the battlefield—
Aurelia stared at him.
The target she had searched for.
The target connected to everything.
The person standing at the center of countless mysteries.
Now stood directly before her.
No disguise.
No concealment.
No lies.
Draven casually folded the cloak.
Then stored it inside his spatial ring.
The bow followed.
Vanishing with it.
His hand moved again.
A simple black shortsword appeared.
Ordinary.
Unremarkable.
The same weapon he had purchased earlier within Blackwater.
Nothing legendary.
Nothing divine.
Just steel.
Then—
he removed the storage ring from his finger.
Without hesitation—
he slipped it into his pocket.
Aldric noticed immediately.
His grin widened.
Lucan noticed as well.
His expression darkened.
Aurelia's golden eyes narrowed.
Because everyone could feel it.
The pressure surrounding Draven changed.
Not dramatically.
Not explosively.
Yet somehow—
the atmosphere became heavier.
As though something had been removed.
Something that had been suppressing what stood before them.
Draven continued walking.
The black shortsword rested loosely in his hand.
His footsteps echoed softly across broken steel and burning debris.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The blade remained relaxed at his side.
As he passed Aldric—
his voice remained calm.
Cold.
Certain.
"Hold off that one for a moment."
His crimson eyes never left Aurelia.
"I'll deal with him after I kill her."
Aldric's grin widened instantly.
"Sure."
He rested his sword across one shoulder.
"Take your time."
Draven continued forward.
Then—
the folding spiral hidden deep within his body shifted.
Dark crimson strands leaked outward.
Not wildly.
Not uncontrollably.
Guided.
Directed.
Countless strands spread throughout his body like flowing rivers.
Muscles tightened.
Bones strengthened.
Skin hardened.
Every fiber of his existence reinforced itself.
The steel beneath his feet groaned softly.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Tiny fractures spread behind every step.
Across the battlefield—
golden lightning erupted around Aurelia.
Her rage finally surfaced.
Lightning crawled across her armor.
The clouds overhead trembled.
"You—"
Her golden eyes blazed.
"It's good that you came."
Holy mana surged.
Violent.
Brilliant.
"I've been searching for you."
Another surge.
The air screamed.
"You'll pay for my mother's—"
She never finished.
Because Draven vanished.
BOOOOOOM!!
The platform beneath him exploded.
A shockwave tore outward.
One moment he stood dozens of meters away.
The next—
he was directly in front of her.
The black shortsword carved upward.
SHIIIIING!!
Aurelia's instincts screamed.
Golden lightning erupted around her body.
She twisted sideways instantly.
The blade missed.
Barely.
Yet the aftermath did not.
CRAAAAASH!!
The slash continued past her.
The pressure alone split the battlefield apart.
Steel platforms ruptured.
A massive trench tore through multiple military structures behind her.
Smoke and debris exploded into the sky.
Hundreds of soldiers stared in horror.
That attack hadn't even touched her.
Aurelia's eyes widened.
Then narrowed instantly.
Her sword was already moving.
Golden lightning wrapped around the blade.
Divine mana surged.
SHIIIIING!!
The strike descended toward Draven's neck.
Fast.
Precise.
Lethal.
But Draven's left arm moved.
CLANG!!
His fist smashed directly into the flat of the blade.
The impact detonated.
BOOOOOOM!!
Golden lightning and crimson mana exploded outward.
The shockwave flattened nearby debris.
Both weapons were knocked aside momentarily.
Aurelia's sword rebounded violently.
Draven's arm shifted backward.
Then—
before either of them had fully recovered—
Draven attacked again.
The black shortsword flashed forward.
No wasted motion.
No flourish.
Only killing intent.
SHIIIIING!!
Aurelia blocked.
CLANG!!
Sparks erupted.
A second strike followed instantly.
CLANG!!
A third.
A fourth.
A fifth.
The battlefield vanished beneath a storm of steel.
Each collision unleashed devastating shockwaves across the military district.
Broken structures collapsed.
Fire scattered.
Lightning exploded.
Crimson mana surged.
Aurelia retreated one step.
Then another.
Then another.
Golden lightning erupted beneath her boots as she accelerated.
Her sword became a blur.
Lightning-filled afterimages spread across the battlefield.
Yet—
Draven remained in front of her.
Always.
Every retreat.
Every dodge.
Every burst of speed.
He was there.
The black shortsword moved again.
SHIIIIING!!
Aurelia blocked.
CLANG!!
The impact nearly ripped the weapon from her hand.
Her eyes widened.
He's stronger.
Not by a small amount.
Not by a little.
The force behind every strike felt monstrous.
Like fighting something that should not exist.
Golden lightning exploded around her.
HOLY BLESSING: DIVINE JUDGMENT.
The world slowed.
Her perception sharpened.
Her speed exploded.
CRAAAAACK!!
Lightning streaked across the battlefield.
She vanished.
Appearing behind Draven instantly.
Her sword descended.
"DIE!"
SHIIIIING!!
The blade fell.
Then—
Draven turned.
Too quickly.
Far too quickly.
His crimson eyes met hers.
And for the first time—
Aurelia felt genuine alarm.
CLANG!!
The black shortsword intercepted her strike.
One-handed.
Effortlessly.
The impact froze the battlefield.
Golden lightning surged wildly around them.
Draven stared directly into her eyes.
Expressionless.
Cold.
Unmoved.
Then—
his free hand clenched into a fist.
The muscles in his arm tightened.
Crimson mana condensed around his knuckles.
And he punched.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!