Silver slammed the tip of his crystal blade into the ground, anchoring himself as the barrage came down. Fractured roots screeched across crystal, sparks flying.
"Then we cut a path through this mess!" Silver yelled, voice rising above the deafening storm. His crystal armor shimmered brighter, threads of light crawling across every plate.
With a roar, Silver surged forward. The roots tried to entangle him, but this was no longer the same warrior. This was Silver in Crystal Drive. The roots exploded on contact, showering the area with splinters.
Vince rose slightly from the ground, drawing the winds closer, tighter. The currents whipped into a screeching cyclone.
"Silver! Push forward! I'll make the opening!" Vince yelled.
With a nod, Silver tightened his grip on the crystal blade. The air became a vortex as Vince roared:
"Wind Magic: Grand Tempest Guillotine!!"
A massive scythe-like blade of wind descended, carving a path through the tangled roots. The Vice General staggered, shocked by the sheer force, trying to regrow the barrier as quickly as he could.
But Silver was already charging, crystal blade humming with latent energy. He crashed through the opening, planting a foot deep in the earth and swinging upward. The edge of the blade slashed across the Vice General's chest, releasing a gush of emerald light and crimson mist.
The Vice General growled, planting both hands deep into the earth. Suddenly, countless roots surged forth from every direction, an unstoppable wave of nature's wrath.
"I'll bury both of you!!" he roared.
Vince felt the pulse in the air. He acted immediately.
"Silver! Fall back!!" he yelled.
But Silver refused. Instead, he sank deeper into the stance, crystal armor flaring like a beacon.
"Not this time," he growled, voice shaking the air. "I'll shatter every root he can raise!!"
With a sound like a mountain splitting, Silver unleashed his technique:
"Crystal Drive: Titan Edge!!"
A massive, translucent blade of crystal surged forth, tearing through the tangled forest. The roots exploded into dust and fragments, filling the air like mist.
But the Vice General refused to yield.
With a brutal warcry, he pulled upon every root buried deep within the earth. The ground shook as countless tendrils surged forth, seeking to impale both men.
Vince rose higher, extending both hands. The winds surged, spiraled, and twisted until a massive tornado roared to life, consuming every root that rose to claim them.
"Wind Magic: Final Gale!!"
The gale twisted wildly, tearing apart root and branch, flinging splinters like a deadly barrage across the battlefield. The Vice General was pressed to his knees as the tornado consumed every root he commanded.
Then came Silver.
Through the heart of the storm, crystal blade burning with light, Silver surged forth. The Vice General roared desperately, summoning one final wall of gnarled wood to defend himself.
Silver crashed into it like a comet. The sound was like a bell being struck with a hammer. The crystal edge met the wood with a shockwave that shook the ground for a hundred meters.
With a monstrous crack, the barrier shattered. Silver surged through, blade carving a crimson path across the Vice General's chest. The sound of breaking armor and bone rang out across the battlefield.
But the Vice General refused to fall. Even wounded, he pulled forth a desperate gambit — countless thorned roots surged forth from every direction, twisting like vipers toward both men.
Then came Vince.
With a roar like a lion, Vince rose above the choking wave of roots, hands weaving an intricate pattern. The air shimmered with luminous threads as he drew upon every ounce of strength he possessed.
"Wind Magic: Grand Tempest Guillotine!!"
A colossal scythe of wind crashed down from the heavens, obliterating every root in its path. The world shook as the scythe crashed down, cleaving through the Vice General's defenses and burying deep into the earth.
The Vice General sank to his knees, torn, bleeding, defeated. Yet even then, a faint smile played upon his lips.
"You… two… not bad," he rasped, voice shaking. The roots fell limp, and silence descended upon the ruins of the battlefield.
Silver sank to one knee, planting his crystal blade in the ground for support, breath coming in ragged gasps. The crystal armor shimmered, then began to crack and fade.
Vince landed beside him, dropping to one knee as well, panting as the wind settled to a faint whisper.
For a long moment, the two warriors said nothing. They exchanged only a glance — a glance that spoke of mutual respect, of battles fought and conquered, and of the sheer grit required to survive this bloody war.
Around them, the crystal floor shimmered faintly, the ruins of the Vice General's roots littering the earth like broken threads.
Vince wiped a bead of blood from the corner of his mouth and offered a hand. Silver, exhausted but grinning faintly, clasped it firmly.
Vince: "Closer than I liked."
Silver: "Closer than I'd have liked too. But in the end…"
He rose slowly, using the crystal blade as a crutch. The wind sighed faintly across the ruined battlefield as the two exchanged a final nod.
Vince: "The Empire will remember this day."
Silver: "And the Vice General will too… if there's an afterlife for men like him."
With that, they stood tall amid the ruins, battered but unbroken. Together, Vince and Silver had brought down one of the Empire's deadliest elites. Together, they had proven that no matter how deep the roots, how strong the foe, or how monstrous the odds, a bond between warriors can overcome the impossible.
A mist of dust and sparks floated between the ruins of the courtyard. The Emperor's Vice General stood tall, the threads of lightning crackling like a living beast across the scoured ground. His voice was a growl, low and mocking.
"Gray Welhawk. The mirror magic user. And the little water girl. Do you really think you can win?"
Gray tightened the grip on the sleek guns resting in each hand, breathing deeply as he leveled his gaze. The air shimmered faintly around him, tiny mirrors flickering in and out of existence like dragonflies. "We don't have to win easily," he replied calmly. "We just have to win."
Beside him, Dawn adjusted the long, silvery ion rod. Droplets of water floated in lazy rings around its tip. The rod felt solid in her hands, a reminder that every wave she commanded came from discipline and trust. "You've hurt enough people for one lifetime," she said sharply, voice soft but edged like steel. "Today it ends."
The Vice General smiled coldly, brushing a hand down the leather of his glove. Sparks surged across the surface, burning faint threads into the air. Suddenly, with a sound like the crack of a whip, a spear of lightning surged towards them.
Gray acted instantly. In a single motion, both guns came up, barrels gleaming as he pulled the triggers. The bullets weren't ordinary — they shimmered like fragments of mirrors, intercepting the lightning and splintering it mid air. The blast exploded between them, burning a crater into the stone.
"Move!" yelled Gray as he surged forth, guns barking a rhythmic beat. The Vice General slashed the air with a hand, threads of lightning responding like whips. Gray twisted low, crossed both weapons in an 'X', and a translucent mirror wall surged forth from the ground. The threads smashed into the surface and reflected wildly, tearing deep gouges into the walls and floor.
Then came the water. Dawn surged forward from the side, staff rising high. A stream of water whipped forth like a dragon's tail. The Vice General twisted with a snarl, letting the water skim past, burning it to mist with a crackling charge. But in that mist, Gray emerged — guns flipped to blade form, edges lined with faint reflections.
"Mirror Slash!" he yelled, swinging in a brutal arc.
The Vice General met the attack with a palm charged like a lightning rod. The clang of metal rang out like a bell, a shockwave ringing across the courtyard as sparks cascaded from the clash.
Then came the shift.
With a sneer, the Vice General slammed both hands down, releasing a torrent of lightning threads across the ground. The threads surged like a living net, consuming every inch of the courtyard in crackling light. In that moment, the air felt charged, sharp, burning like acid.
"Careful, Gray!" yelled Dawn, slamming the ion rod down. "Aqua Barrier!"
A dome of rushing water surged forth, rising from the cracks between the stones and crashing down upon the threads. Steam exploded across the space as water met lightning, a mist rising like a veil between the fighters.
Through that mist came the sound of movement. The Vice General was charging.
"Watch out!" yelled Gray, pulling both guns apart to reveal long, sleek dual blades. He surged forth, crossing steel with the crackling gauntlet of the Vice General. The sound was like steel and lightning screaming together, a shower of sparks marking every block and parry.
"Fall!" bellowed the Vice General, charging one palm until it blazed like the heart of a storm. But before he could release it, Dawn acted. The ion rod spun in her hands, water threads snapping forth like living whips. They coiled around the Vice General's legs and yanked hard.
The charged attack exploded in the air, showering the space with burning sparks. The Vice General cursed and staggered, breaking the threads with a clap of burning air, only for Gray to swoop in from the side. His dual blades shimmered with faint mirror light as he slashed across the Vice General's armor, carving a shallow line across the man's chest.
The Vice General growled, brushing the scratch as if brushing dust from a cape. "You're quick. I'll give you that," he hissed, rising to his full height. Suddenly, the air shimmered as threads of lightning surged outward from him like a net, burning a lattice across the courtyard floor.
Then came the sound of a low hum, rising sharply. The Vice General slammed both hands down, and the space shook. An electric dome surged forth, crackling wildly as threads surged across every surface. The area became a space charged like a lightning rod.
"Lightning Magic Zone: Storm Domain," announced the Vice General, voice rising like a drum of doom.
Gray and Dawn felt the sting immediately. The air pressed down upon them, making every breath sharp, every movement feel like wading through an electric ocean. Their weapons sparked faintly. The threads of lightning surged wildly across every surface, making every step a gamble.
"Gray!" yelled Dawn, voice shaking for a moment.
"Hang on," he replied, voice low, gripping both swords as faint reflections shimmered down their lengths. "We can beat him. We just have to outlast the zone."
"Outlast?! In this state?" she yelled, brushing water threads across herself like a shield.
"Trust me," said Gray quietly, eyes narrowing. "We wait for the opening. The mirrors can give us one chance. You give me that wave when I ask for it. Got it?"
Dawn tightened the grip on the ion rod, swallowing hard as she nodded. "Got it."
With that, the Vice General surged forth like a beast freed from its leash. The threads surged across the ground like living serpents, burning a path towards the fighters. In an instant, the space became a whirlwind of electric threads, rushing toward Gray and Dawn.
"Mirror Barrier!" yelled Gray, slamming both swords down. A translucent dome of mirrors rose forth, threads crashing and ricocheting wildly, filling the space with blinding light. The dome shook violently under the assault, fine cracks spreading like a spreading web.
"NOW, DAWN!" yelled Gray.
With a wordless cry, Dawn surged forth from behind the dome, ion rod blazing as she slammed it down. "Aqua Stream — Torrent Wave!" A massive wave surged forth, breaking across the threads of lightning and forcing the Vice General backward, buying precious moments for the duo.
The Vice General roared, brushing burning threads from his armor as water surged forth. His zone faltered for a moment, threads dissipating in mist and steam.
"Enough of this!" he yelled, rising higher, charging an electric spear in one hand.
Gray tightened both swords, gritting his teeth as faint mirrors shimmered down the lengths of both weapons. The duel was far from over… and every breath felt like a promise that one misstep would end it all.