Bolt stood frozen, his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the smirking figure of Kairos Vale.
The battlefield around them was still chaotic—the seven Demon Minotaurs roaring in pain and fury, Aether, Akane, and the Black Squad still locked in a desperate fight—but in this moment, everything else faded into the background.
All Bolt could focus on was Kairos.
A fellow member of Celestial Tempest. A comrade he had fought beside.
Now standing against him.
"…You," Bolt muttered, his fingers clenching into fists. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Kairos let out a low chuckle, his crimson eyes glowing faintly. "What am I doing? Isn't it obvious?"
He gestured lazily to the Demon Minotaurs. "I set the stage. You just walked into it."
Bolt's blood ran cold.
He barely processed the words before Aether's furious voice cut through the chaos.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Aether lunged at Kairos, his sword flashing with raw wind energy, but—
BOOM!
A massive shadow tendril erupted from the ground, blocking Aether's strike with an earth-shattering impact.
Aether was sent flying backward, crashing into the dirt with a loud grunt.
Akane appeared instantly, her daggers poised to strike—
But before she could even move, a second tendril shot out, slamming into the ground in front of her and forcing her to retreat.
Bolt's eyes narrowed. "Shadow magic…"
Kairos grinned. "You always were quick, Bolt."
His hands ignited with black flames, the flickering embers casting an eerie glow on his face. "But not quick enough."
Bolt felt his stomach drop.
Kairos had been using shadow magic this whole time.
And Bolt had never noticed.
"You're part of Celestial Tempest!" Bolt snapped, his voice rising with anger. "Why the hell would you do this?!"
Kairos sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Oh, Bolt. You really think I give a damn about that faction?"
He gestured around them, his shadow tendrils slowly slithering across the ground like living entities. "I was never on your side."
Bolt clenched his fists. "You knew… didn't you?"
Kairos tilted his head. "Knew what?"
"That I'm the Warborn."
A flicker of something unreadable flashed across Kairos's face.
Then he smirked. "Of course I knew."
Bolt's heart pounded in his chest.
Kairos stepped forward, his crimson eyes piercing into Bolt's. "You think you're special, don't you? The almighty Warborn. Chosen by the gods."
His smirk twisted into something cruel. "But let me tell you something, Bolt."
Suddenly, black flames erupted around him, merging with his shadows. The air crackled with power, the very ground trembling beneath his feet.
"You're not the only one with a destiny."
A gut-wrenching scream tore through the battlefield.
Bolt whipped around—just in time to see one of the Black Squad members get torn in half by a Demon Minotaur's axe.
Blood sprayed through the air, the sound of shattering bones ringing through the chaos.
Bolt's stomach twisted.
More of the Black Squad were falling, their bodies shattered under the raw strength of the Minotaurs.
"We're getting wiped out!" One of them shouted. "WE NEED TO RUN!"
But there was nowhere to go.
Kairos spread his arms wide, his shadow tendrils expanding, boxing them in.
"This is your grave," Kairos murmured, his voice carrying a deadly finality. "You should have never trusted me."
Bolt's rage ignited.
"You planned all of this?"
Kairos laughed. "You think this is all my doing?" His voice dripped with amusement. "No, no. I'm just a pawn in a much bigger game, Bolt."
His grin widened. "And you? You're just another piece to be moved."
Bolt's eyes darkened.
Aether pushed himself to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. "Bolt, we need a plan now."
Akane exhaled sharply. "We can't fight both Kairos and the Minotaurs."
Bolt took a deep breath, his fury simmering beneath the surface.
He didn't know who Kairos was working for.
He didn't know why he had betrayed them.
But one thing was clear.
Kairos Vale was an enemy.
And Bolt would make him pay.
Kairos let out a low chuckle. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Bolt. We're just getting started."
Then, he snapped his fingers—
And the Demon Minotaurs' eyes glowed a deep, malevolent crimson.
Their bodies trembled, and then—
They began evolving again.
Bolt's breath hitched.
"…No way."
The Minotaurs' horns lengthened, their muscles bulged, and black veins of corrupted magic spread across their bodies.
They weren't just A+ rank anymore.
They were pushing into S-rank territory.
Kairos grinned. "Let's see how long you last now, Warborn."
BOOM.
The battlefield exploded into chaos.
—