The battlefield was still.
Raghul's axes lay beside his lifeless body, their blades dull under the crimson haze. His once-blazing aura had vanished, leaving only the weight of silence in its place. Blood soaked into the dirt beneath him — a warrior's grave carved by fury and fate.
Nearby, Zeven's broken form rested motionless, his missing hand nowhere to be found. The sword of his father, once a symbol of pride, was now just another relic on the blood-stained ground.
The kabolts and ghouls stood among the fallen, their breathing ragged, their claws and fangs dripping with the remains of the last bandits. The raid that had begun in chaos had finally ended in tragedy.
Ardan stood in the center of it all, head bowed. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, veins trembling beneath the grime and blood. He said nothing—only lowered his weapon in silent respect to those who had fallen beside him. The sound of the wind brushing over the corpses was the only requiem for the dead.
From behind, the footsteps of Flint, Theo, and Onyx echoed softly through the ruins. They approached cautiously, their faces hardened by exhaustion and resolve. The end was near, and they knew it.
High above, from the vantage point of the territory's wall, Kairo watched. His formations still flickered faintly across the battlefield, dissipating like fading stars. The bandits had been wiped out, but the cost was far too high.
He exhaled slowly, gaze shifting toward the small tier-one house within his territory. Inside, Shiri lay on a makeshift bed, his shoulder wound bound tightly, pain dull but constant. Hearing the dying chaos outside, the blacksmith closed his eyes and whispered,
"Is it… finally over?"
But Shiri was wrong.
The battle was far from over.
The air trembled. From the heart of the ruined battlefield, Ardan moved. His massive blade dragged through the soil, cutting a deep line toward his true target — Kairo, the lord whose formations had destroyed his bandit army.
His bloodlust was tangible, like a roaring inferno given form.
With a thunderous step, Ardan lunged forward.
Theo was the first to react. His body blurred as he activated Dash, intercepting Ardan mid-swing. The two blades met with a shattering clang, sparks flying like dying stars. Theo gritted his teeth, pushing his sword upward before spinning into Rattle of the Deep — a furious flurry of strikes, fast and rhythmic as a storm tide.
Ardan snarled, raising his greatsword sideways like an iron wall. The massive blade deflected every strike with brutal efficiency. Then, in a single motion, he twisted his body and unleashed Raging Cleave. The shockwave cracked the earth.
Theo barely had time to brace — until Onyx appeared in front of him, intercepting the swing with his lance cloaked in violet energy. The impact rippled through the ground, forcing Ardan to stagger back several paces.
The moment his boots hit the ground, Flint charged in. His claws and fists pummeled Ardan's guard relentlessly. Each strike echoed with fury, forcing the bandit lord to use his sword as a shield once again. Sparks, dust, and blood filled the air. Flint's breathing was heavy, his injuries slowing him down — but his eyes still burned with defiance.
Theo seized the opening, dashing behind Ardan in a blur of motion. His sword thrust forward, aiming straight for Ardan's exposed side. But the veteran fighter twisted, using the flat of his massive blade to redirect Flint's attack — pushing him directly into Theo's path.
"Damn it—!" Theo snarled, leaping back just in time to avoid colliding.
That was when Onyx rejoined the fray, his black armor glimmering with shadow. His lance thrust forward in precise, fluid arcs, forcing Ardan to defend. Their weapons clashed like thunder, each movement perfectly timed — strength versus precision.
The rhythm broke when Flint's tail smashed down from behind. The blow connected with Ardan's leg, staggering him. The ground cracked beneath the impact.
Ardan growled low, his veins glowing faintly as Iron Crest's Resilience activated, hardening his body like steel. The damage was dulled, but the strain showed on his face.
Theo took to the air again, aura flaring. "RATTLE OF THE DEEP!"
He dove down like lightning, blade trailing an arc of blue light.
Ardan roared, twisting his body and striking upward with all his might. His sword connected cleanly with Theo's, the force launching the young fighter backward like a broken arrow. Theo crashed into the dirt, sliding several meters before rolling to a stop.
Flint lunged once more, his tail sweeping low, trying to trap Ardan. The bandit lord leapt back — but Onyx was already there, shadows crawling from his body.
"Shadow Bind."
Dark tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around Ardan's arms and legs. For the first time, his movement halted.
Onyx dashed forward, violet light gathering along his lance. He thrust forward with killing intent —
But Ardan's eyes flared crimson.
"RAGING SHOUT!"
A shockwave exploded outward, shattering the bindings and sending Onyx flying back. The ground split beneath them, debris raining down as Ardan emerged, bloodied yet still unbroken.
Kairo, watching from the walls, clenched his fist. "He's… still standing?"
His formations pulsed weakly around the battlefield, unable to pierce the chaos below. Flint, Theo, and Onyx regrouped, circling Ardan once more. Their breathing was labored. The air between them crackled with pressure — the next exchange would decide everything.
Then, in the silence that followed, Kairo's command console flickered to life.
[Notice: Subject Ardan – Tier Enhancement Process: 87% Complete]
Warning: Power surge imminent.
Kairo's eyes widened.
"Don't tell me… he's still evolving."
Dust swirled around the battlefield, the broken ground trembling under the weight of the clash that had just ended.
Ardan stood there, blood dripping from his temple from the earlier clashes, his body trembling — not from weakness, but from sheer, unyielding resolve. His eyes flared like twin embers, burning with grief and madness.
Theo, Flint, and Onyx closed in, forming a triangle around him. Flint's claws flexed, Theo's sword shimmered faintly with blue energy, and Onyx's lance was leveled straight at Ardan's chest.
Yet the bandit lord only smiled. Then — he laughed.
A deep, raw, broken sound.
"Ha… hahahaha… you think this is over?" Ardan muttered, his laughter cracking into a growl. Tears streamed from his eyes, sizzling on his bloodied cheeks. "My men… my brothers… they died fighting for me. I'll… I'll avenge them all. Even if it costs me everything!"
He raised his greatsword, its edge gleaming with his trembling aura. The ground beneath him fractured as he took a step forward.
Theo whispered under his breath, "He's still not done yet."
Onyx just stared at ardan, his empty eyes flickering with power, ready to react at any moment.
Ardan roared and charged — straight toward Onyx.
The two clashed with a sound like thunder splitting the sky. Onyx thrust his lance forward in a blinding arc, while Ardan swung his sword upward, meeting it midair. The impact rippled outward, kicking up a gale that forced Flint and Theo to shield their eyes.
Steel screeched. Sparks burst like fireworks.
Onyx pivoted left, stabbing low. Ardan caught the blow on his blade, twisted, and countered with a horizontal swing. Onyx ducked, the edge slicing strands of his hair as he spun and drove a knee into Ardan's chest.
The bandit lord coughed blood but didn't stop — instead, he grabbed Onyx's arm and pulled him in close.
"Iron Crest Resilience!"
He lifted the armored warrior off the ground and hurled him into the dirt, cracking stone beneath him. Onyx rolled and recovered, shadows gathering along his body as he activated his counter skill.
"Black Armament"
Two shadow blades manifested beside him, spinning before shooting toward Ardan. The bandit lord raised his sword, cutting through one, but the second grazed his shoulder, drawing blood.
He didn't even flinch.
"Good!" Ardan roared, rushing forward again. "You're the strongest among them! I'll match your strength— and then I'll tear that coward from his perch!"
Kairo, from the walls, froze as Ardan's voice reached him through the chaos.
Onyx grit his teeth.
Their weapons met again — sword and lance flashing in the crimson light of dusk.
Onyx's movements were precise, almost mechanical; every thrust and parry built upon the last, pushing Ardan onto the defensive. But with each clash, Ardan grew faster, fiercer. His blade hummed with unstable energy.
"Raging Cleave!" he bellowed.
The greatsword split the air in a fiery arc. Onyx crossed his lance to block, sliding backward across the dirt as the sheer force cracked the ground beneath his feet.
He hissed, steadying his stance.
Ardan lunged again, his strikes now wild and relentless, each blow fueled by pure rage. Onyx parried one, ducked the next, and countered with a spinning thrust that pierced Ardan's side. Blood spattered the ground.
But instead of falling — Ardan grinned.
His aura flared red, brighter than before. The earth shook beneath his feet.
Theo shouted, "He's breaking his limit!"
Ardan roared, veins bulging as his power surged. His body was cracking — literally fracturing from within — but his swings only grew heavier.
Onyx's arms trembled under the weight of the next impact. His lance nearly slipped.
Ardan pressed forward, his blade slamming down again and again. Each hit echoed like a hammer striking iron.
Flint stepped forward, ready to intervene, bit Theo stopped him."This is out of our league, we can't handle this."
The battlefield glowed red and black as the two warriors exchanged blows, their movements blurring into streaks of light.
Then, for a moment, everything stilled.
Onyx and Ardan stood face to face, weapons locked. Their eyes met — one burning with vengeance, the other with quiet resolve.
Ardan's voice broke into a whisper. "You fight for him… for that lord of yours. Then tell me… when your brothers die… do you laugh too?"
Onyx didn't answer, but his eyes were as cold and sharp as steel.
He twisted his lance, breaking the lock — and the clash exploded again.
Dust and sparks filled the air. Kairo's gaze followed the motion from his vantage point, his heart pounding.
Ardan's power was still climbing — dangerously close to the final threshold.
[Tier Enhancement – 98% Complete]
And in that moment, the sky itself began to tremble.
Ardan's body blazed with searing blue energy, veins of light crawling across his skin as each strike against Onyx thundered like a god's hammer.
[Tier Enhancement: 98%...99%...]
Kairo's heart pounded with every pulse of light. Onyx staggered back, his armor cracked, yet Ardan kept advancing, laughter echoing through the shattered battlefield.
Their blades met one last time—
a blinding flash split the sky.
[Enhancement Complete — 100%—>Tier 4 Ascension Achieved]
To be continued....