Aldric spread his wings wider.
Blood-red mana rolled across the battlefield like a living storm.
The countless constructs surrounding him trembled violently.
They grew denser.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
His grin widened.
Almost manic.
Almost disappointed.
Slowly, he lowered the massive poleaxe and pointed its blade directly toward Lucan and Roland.
"...Don't tell me this is it."
For a brief moment, silence lingered.
Then he laughed.
A deep, mocking laugh.
"I haven't even gone all out yet."
BOOOOOOOOM!!
Crimson mana erupted from his body.
The earth beneath him shattered instantly.
Nearby blood constructs exploded outward before reforming into even greater monstrosities.
Larger weapons.
Larger beasts.
Larger horrors.
The pressure alone forced nearby soldiers to retreat once more.
Aldric rolled his shoulders.
His crimson eyes gleamed with dangerous excitement.
"If this is all you've got..."
The poleaxe spun once through the air.
"...then I'm sorry."
His smile became savage.
Predatory.
"But both of you are going to die."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
He launched forward.
The battlefield vanished beneath the force of his acceleration.
Lucan's eyes widened.
Fast.
Far faster than before.
Aldric appeared directly in front of him.
The poleaxe descended.
Lucan raised his sword.
CLAAAAAAANG!!
The impact detonated like a bomb.
Holy flames exploded in every direction.
The steel beneath Lucan's feet collapsed instantly.
Before he could recover—
Roland arrived.
His golden blade flashed toward Aldric's exposed side.
Aldric's wing snapped outward.
BOOOOOOM!!
The strike collided against hardened blood armor.
The force alone sent Roland skidding backward.
Aldric laughed.
Then attacked both of them simultaneously.
The sky became crimson.
The battlefield trembled beneath the violence of his assault.
Meanwhile—
on the opposite side of the battlefield—
the battle between Draven and Aurelia had changed completely.
Golden lightning erupted around Aurelia.
Holy flames surged from her body.
Brilliant divine radiance followed.
Three blessings.
All active.
At once.
An act that most holy warriors would never dare attempt.
The strain was catastrophic.
The mana consumption was absurd.
The risk was enormous.
But Aurelia no longer cared.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Golden light swallowed the battlefield.
DIVINE JUDGEMENT.
DIVINE FLAME.
DIVINE LIGHT.
All three blessings merged around her.
Lightning danced across her armor.
Holy fire coiled around her blade.
Divine radiance flowed through every wound.
The air itself screamed beneath the pressure.
Even nearby combatants paused for a moment.
Because Aurelia's presence had become overwhelming.
A living sun.
A holy force of destruction.
Her golden eyes locked onto Draven.
"You've taken enough lives."
CRAAAAAAACK!!
Lightning exploded beneath her feet.
She vanished.
For the first time—
Draven was forced backward.
SHIIIIIIING!!
Their blades collided.
The impact shattered an entire platform.
Aurelia attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Her sword became a relentless storm of lightning and flame.
Every strike carried divine power.
Every collision shook the battlefield.
Draven blocked.
Dodged.
Countered.
Yet despite everything—
he was slowly being pushed back.
His black blade met hers.
CLANG!!
Holy fire erupted across his arm.
Aurelia's knee slammed into his ribs.
BOOOOOOM!!
Several bones cracked.
He slid backward.
Before he could stabilize—
she was already there.
Lightning-wreathed blade descending.
SHIIIIIIIIIING!!
A deep wound opened across his chest.
Holy flames burst into the injury.
Trying to consume him from within.
Trying to destroy him.
Trying to purify him.
Aurelia pressed forward relentlessly.
The three blessings amplified every movement.
Every strike.
Every reaction.
For the first time since the battle began—
she held the advantage.
Far away—
Aldric noticed.
His grin faded slightly.
"...That's not good."
Because despite being pushed back—
Draven's expression had not changed.
Not even once.
No fear.
No panic.
No frustration.
Only those cold crimson eyes.
Watching.
Calculating.
Waiting.
As though even now—
even while being overwhelmed—
he was searching for the exact moment to kill her.
SHIIIIIIING!!
Aurelia's blade carved across Draven's shoulder.
Golden lightning exploded outward.
Holy flames flooded into the wound.
BOOOOOOM!!
Draven slid backward across shattered steel.
For the first time—
his footing faltered.
Only slightly.
Yet Aurelia noticed.
Her golden eyes narrowed.
Something was wrong.
Not with his regeneration.
Not with his strength.
Something deeper.
Then she saw it.
A thin line of blood ran from beneath his eye.
A moment later—
another followed.
Crimson blood slowly traced down his face.
The battlefield seemed to hesitate.
Because Draven hadn't reacted.
As though he hadn't noticed.
Or simply didn't care.
Aurelia attacked again.
Lightning exploded beneath her feet.
SHIIIIIIING!!
Their blades collided.
Draven blocked.
But more blood spilled from his nose.
Then from the corner of his mouth.
Aurelia's eyes widened slightly.
*He's injured.*
Not externally.
Not because of the cuts.
Not because of the burns.
Something inside him was breaking apart.
Meanwhile—
within Draven—
the situation was becoming worse.
Far worse.
The vast quantity of holy mana he had absorbed throughout the battle still remained trapped inside him.
Contained.
Compressed.
Endlessly folded together with his own mana.
At first, he had forced it into submission.
Controlled it.
Dominated it.
But now—
after prolonged exposure to Aurelia's blessings—
the holy mana was changing.
Purifying.
Burning away everything it touched.
His own mana.
His blood.
His flesh.
Even the folded mass itself.
The endless layers of compressed energy within him began to lose stability.
Not completely.
But enough.
Every cycle became rougher.
More violent.
Less controlled.
Mana collided against mana.
Folded upon folded upon folded upon folded.
The immense pressure tore apart the pathways holding everything together.
His organs ruptured.
Regenerated.
Then ruptured again.
Bones cracked.
Healed.
Then cracked once more.
His intestines had already been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times throughout the battle.
His lungs were no different.
Neither was his heart.
His entire body had become a battlefield.
A war between destruction and regeneration.
Between his own mana and the holy power infecting it.
And the war was escalating.
SHHHHK!!
Aurelia's sword thrust forward.
Draven tilted aside.
The blade missed his heart by mere centimeters.
But holy flames erupted across his chest.
More blood poured from his mouth.
This time—
everyone saw it.
Roland's eyes narrowed.
Far away—
Aldric noticed as well.
His grin vanished completely.
"...Idiot."
BOOOOOOM!!
A blood hammer crushed through a wave of holy fire as Aldric fought.
Yet part of his attention remained fixed on Draven.
Watching.
Calculating.
And for the first time—
genuine worry appeared in his eyes.
Because he understood exactly what was happening.
Draven had pushed too far.
Absorbed too much.
Taken too much damage.
Forced too much mana through the folding mass.
And now—
the very thing he was using to fight—
was becoming the thing killing him.
Back on the battlefield—
Aurelia's blade met Draven's once more.
CLAAAAANG!!
Golden lightning exploded outward.
The impact forced both combatants apart.
Draven landed heavily.
Blood dripping from his eyes.
His nose.
His mouth.
Even small fractures had begun appearing across his skin.
Thin crimson lines spreading across his arms.
His neck.
His chest.
Like cracks forming in a vessel under unbearable pressure.
Like something inside him was trying to tear its way out.
Aurelia stared.
Breathing heavily.
The three blessings still active.
She could feel it now.
The instability.
The damage.
The weakness.
And yet—
Draven stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Crimson eyes unwavering.
Cold.
Focused.
Terrifying.
As though his own body collapsing around him meant absolutely nothing.
Blood dripped from his chin.
His sword remained perfectly steady.
Then—
slowly—
he raised it once more.
Pointing it directly at Aurelia.
The message was simple.
His body could break.
His organs could rupture.
His bones could shatter.
His mana could tear itself apart.
None of it mattered.
None of it would stop him.
Not until she was dead.
Not until the battle was over.
Not until one of them stopped breathing.
The holy flames continued to burn through his flesh.
The folded mass inside him continued to destabilize.
His body continued to crack beneath the pressure.
Yet he advanced anyway.
Step by step.
Like an executioner walking toward his target.
Like a monster too stubborn to die.
Aurelia felt a chill run down her spine.