BOOOOOOOM!!
Crimson and gold collided once more.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The battlefield itself seemed unable to keep pace with the monsters fighting upon it.
Most spectators had long since abandoned any attempt to follow their movements.
Their eyes simply weren't fast enough.
All they could see were flashes.
Explosions.
Shockwaves.
Brief glimpses of crimson and gold before another thunderous impact erased everything from sight.
Steel platforms shattered beneath forces beyond mortal comprehension.
The air screamed.
The ground cracked.
The night trembled.
CLAAAAANG!!
Aurelia's blade swept toward Draven's neck.
Draven twisted aside at the last possible moment.
His own sword immediately carved toward her ribs.
Aurelia intercepted.
Golden lightning exploded outward.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The platform beneath them collapsed instantly.
Neither cared.
Neither slowed.
Chunks of shattered steel plummeted toward the city below as the two combatants crashed through the falling debris and continued fighting amidst the destruction.
Above the battlefield—
Aldric watched from the air.
His massive black wings spread lazily behind him.
His crimson eyes followed every exchange.
"...They're really trying to kill each other."
The words were almost amused.
Then suddenly—
Aurelia's expression sharpened.
An opening.
Tiny.
Brief.
Almost invisible.
But it existed.
And that was enough.
HOLY LIGHT erupted.
A blinding radiance exploded from her blade.
SHHHHHHK!!
The radiant sword thrust forward with terrifying precision.
The blade pierced straight through Draven's chest.
Golden flames burst from his back.
The battlefield froze.
For a brief moment—
silence descended.
Aurelia's eyes widened slightly.
She felt it.
The blade had gone deep.
Very deep.
There was no mistaking it.
Above—
Aldric blinked.
"...Well."
A brief pause.
"This is over."
Even he failed to realize it had been bait.
The holy flames intensified.
Burning.
Purifying.
Consuming everything they touched.
Golden fire swallowed Draven completely.
His figure disappeared within the inferno.
The crowd watched.
Waiting.
Certain they had just witnessed the end.
Then—
something moved.
Aurelia's pupils contracted.
"...What?"
A hand emerged from the flames.
Then another.
Draven stepped forward.
Still moving.
Still advancing.
The holy blade remained buried through his chest.
Yet he walked as though it wasn't there.
As though the wound meant nothing.
As though death itself had simply been ignored.
Aurelia's instincts screamed.
Too late.
Draven's left hand shot forward.
CRACK!!
His fingers closed around her wrist.
The sound echoed across the battlefield.
Aurelia's face changed instantly.
Pain exploded through her arm.
The bones shattered beneath his grip as though they were made of glass.
"What—?!"
The holy flames continued raging around him.
Yet Draven never stopped.
Never slowed.
Aurelia's thoughts spiraled.
*It pierced him.*
*I know it pierced him.*
*I felt it.*
*Why is he still moving?*
*Why isn't he dying?*
The answer came almost immediately.
Terrifyingly quickly.
Her holy attacks weren't affecting him the way they should.
Not even close.
At the same moment—
Draven's black blade moved.
No flourish.
No wasted motion.
Just a simple slash.
Direct.
Efficient.
Lethal.
And suddenly—
it was right in front of her face.
Death.
For the first time since the battle had begun—
Aurelia saw it clearly.
Then—
CLAAAAAAAAANG!!
Another blade intercepted.
Sparks erupted in every direction.
The killing strike was deflected.
Commander Roland.
The veteran Holy Knight appeared between them.
Golden mana exploded around him.
His sword locked against Draven's.
"Princess!"
Draven's crimson eyes shifted.
Cold.
Empty.
Murderous.
Then—
he pulled.
SHHHHHHK!!
Blood sprayed across the battlefield.
Aurelia's shattered arm tore free from her body.
The severed limb spun through the air trailing crimson droplets behind it.
Roland's eyes widened.
"AURELIA!"
But Draven was already moving.
BOOOOOOM!!
His leg snapped upward.
The kick struck Roland directly.
The commander barely managed to raise his forearm in time.
The impact still launched him backward like a cannonball.
His boots carved trenches through the steel.
Every bone in his arm screamed in protest.
Yet somehow—
he remained standing.
Aurelia reacted instantly.
Divine Light surged through her remaining hand.
SHIIIIIIIING!!
A blade of pure radiance materialized.
Without hesitation she slashed.
The weapon carved toward Draven's neck.
For the first time in dozens of exchanges—
his expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
He was forced to abandon his attack.
His body twisted sharply.
The radiant blade missed his neck.
But not entirely.
SHHHHK!!
One of Draven's arms separated from his body.
The severed limb spun away.
Blood erupted into the air.
Aurelia immediately retreated.
Creating distance.
Breathing heavily.
Her severed arm already glowed with Divine Light as healing energy struggled to restore the catastrophic damage.
Yet before she could recover—
Draven attacked again.
His severed arm hadn't even touched the ground.
His sword was already moving.
A black flash streaked toward her head.
Aurelia barely avoided it.
The blade passed close enough to slice several strands of hair from her head.
Above—
Aldric stared.
His grin had disappeared completely.
"...He's absorbing it."
His crimson eyes narrowed.
The holy flames burning through Draven's chest were fading.
Not because they had finished their work.
Not because they had run out of power.
But because they were being drained.
Consumed.
Devoured.
The released mana flowed directly into the endless folded mass hidden within Draven's body.
Aldric shook his head slowly.
"...I don't even know what he is anymore."
Below—
Draven's severed arm was already regenerating.
Bone.
Muscle.
Flesh.
Tendons.
All rebuilding themselves at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Yet Aldric noticed something else.
The crimson aura surrounding him had weakened slightly.
The mana he had withdrawn in order to absorb the holy flames was no longer reinforcing his body.
His physical enhancement had dropped.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Enough for someone of Roland's caliber to notice.
The strange part?
Draven didn't seem to care.
Not even a little.
His crimson eyes never left Aurelia.
Nothing else existed.
Not Roland.
Not the soldiers.
Not the bounty hunters.
Not the battlefield.
Only her.
BOOOOOOM!!
He lunged forward again.
Aurelia's instincts screamed.
Roland moved immediately.
The commander stepped directly into Draven's path.
Sword raised.
Golden mana erupting around him.
"Your opponent is—"
CLAAAAANG!!
Draven's blade crashed into Roland's before he could finish.
The resulting shockwave exploded outward.
The impact shook the already ruined battlefield.
This time, however—
the difference was visible.
Roland felt it instantly.
Draven was slower.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Enough that Roland could finally keep up.
Enough that the veteran commander could force him backward instead of being completely overwhelmed.
SHIIIIING!!
Roland's sword flashed.
Draven blocked.
A second strike followed.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
Golden arcs carved through the battlefield.
For the first time since the battle began—
Draven was being pressured.
Above—
Aldric narrowed his eyes.
"...There it is."
The endless slaughter.
The constant regeneration.
The countless wounds.
The relentless mana consumption.
The endless cycle of destruction and recovery.
It had all accumulated.
Even Draven had limits.
And he was approaching them.
Aldric clicked his tongue.
*Seems he's reaching his limit.*
His gaze shifted beyond the battlefield.
More mana signatures were approaching.
Fast.
Holy Empire reinforcements.
Mercenaries.
Guild Masters.
Additional military forces.
More trouble.
More delays.
*At this rate we'll be stuck here all night.*
Aldric sighed.
Then casually raised a finger.
Crimson mana gathered around it.
The air behind him darkened.
Dozens of blood constructs materialized.
Then hundreds.
Spears.
Blades.
Spikes.
Floating silently across the night sky.
Several soldiers immediately noticed.
Their faces turned pale.
"...Not again."
Aldric smiled.
"Just lending a hand."
His finger lowered.
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
The blood constructs descended.
The battlefield exploded.
BOOOOOOOM!!
CRAAAAASH!!
Explosions erupted everywhere.
Steel platforms shattered.
Soldiers scattered.
Knights raised barriers.
Priests shouted warnings.
Chaos spread instantly.
Roland's attention flickered upward for a fraction of a second.
Only a fraction.
But that was enough.
Draven moved.
BOOOOM!!
He slipped past Roland instantly.
The commander realized it immediately.
"PRINCESS!"
Too late.
Draven was already charging.
Straight toward Aurelia.
The Saint Princess stood amidst the wreckage.
Blood stained her armor.
Her newly restored arm still trembled from the strain of Divine Light.
Yet her golden eyes never wavered.
Never retreated.
Golden lightning crackled around her sword.
Ready.
Waiting.
Prepared.
Draven crossed the distance.
Ten meters.
Five.
Three.
His crimson eyes burned with murderous intent.
Aurelia raised her blade.
The battlefield seemed to slow.
Everything narrowed.
A single moment.
A single strike.
A single death.
Then—
FWOOOOOOOSH!!
A massive wave of holy flames tore across the battlefield.
A colossal slash of golden-white fire erupted between them.
The attack arrived so suddenly that even Aurelia's eyes widened.
Draven reacted instantly.
His sword rose.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The flame slash crashed into him.
The resulting explosion swallowed the battlefield whole.
Fire surged skyward.
Smoke erupted outward.
The platform beneath them fractured further.
The night itself seemed consumed by holy fire.
For several moments—
nothing could be seen.
Only flames.
Only smoke.
Only destruction.
Then—
the inferno parted.
A figure stood between them.
Sword lowered.
Holy flames dancing along its edge.
Black hair.
Blue eyes.
A presence that instantly drew every gaze upon the battlefield.
Aldric's grin vanished.
"...Oh."
The newcomer slowly raised his blade.
The holy flames roared higher.
His gaze never left Draven.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unyielding.
"You're not going anywhere near her."
Golden-white fire illuminated the night.
The temperature of the battlefield surged.
And for the first time since arriving—
the two hunters, each pursuing entirely different prey, found themselves standing face-to-face.
Lucan Calvorn.
And Draven.