The storm of Jet-Black crosses descended like a collapsing sky.
They shrieked through the forest in chaotic trajectories, tearing apart branches, splintering ancient trunks, and gouging the earth with explosive force. Darkness churned violently across the clearing, swallowing moonlight and twisting the landscape into a shifting abyss of black and violet.
At the center of the devastation—
Jin stood unmoving.
His mantle swayed gently in the violent turbulence, the calmness of his posture standing in eerie contrast to the destruction unfolding around him.
Crosses surged toward him from every direction.
Whummm—!
The obsidian scythe moved with fluid precision.
Each swing carved elegant arcs through the air, unleashing crescent waves of violet energy that sliced cleanly through the incoming constructs. Explosions of Darkness erupted midair, shattered fragments scattering like dying embers before dissolving into nothingness.
Yet the barrage did not relent.
"Don't think you can withstand this forever!"
The Priest's voice rang sharply through the chaos, strained with fury.
Jet-Black surged violently beneath her feet as she thrust both hands forward. The crosses responded instantly, accelerating, multiplying, their oppressive presence tightening like an executioner's net closing around its prey.
For a fleeting moment, the forest itself seemed to tremble.
Wind howled. Darkness roared.
And beneath the hood—
Jin's eyes narrowed.
…This should be enough.
A slow breath escaped him.
I suppose it's time to end this quickly.
Even amid the devastation, his thoughts remained cold, perfectly composed.
Although the domain suppresses the noise within this area, Flema's volatility makes that advantage unreliable.
Another violent explosion shattered the ground nearby.
Jin did not flinch.
One reckless outburst from her…
The scythe swept upward.
Shiiiiing—!
A massive violet crescent cleaved through the storm, tearing open a violent corridor through the Jet-Black barrage. The sudden disruption forced the Priest backward, her boots carving deep furrows into the fractured earth as the pressure wave rippled through the clearing.
Dust, ash, and frozen debris spiraled into the air.
The Priest steadied herself, breathing noticeably heavier now, Jet-Black flickering erratically around her.
Across from her, Jin slowly straightened his posture, the movement calm and deliberate, yet carrying a quiet weight that pressed heavily upon the surrounding air.
He did not speak. Yet the darkness behind him began to shift.
The air around his figure distorted subtly, as though space itself were being pulled inward toward the shadow gathering at his back. From that deep well of darkness, something began to form—its outline slowly emerging as the shadow thickened and churned.
The second scythe emerged from the shifting shadows at his back, its obsidian blade curving outward with the same ominous violet sheen. The oppressive aura surrounding him deepened, spreading across the clearing like an invisible tide.
The Priest's eyes widened.
But before she could react—
A violent gust of wind tore through the forest.
Jin had already moved.
In a single, fluid motion, he closed the distance between them, twin scythes slicing through the air with lethal precision. The first strike came low, aimed at her flank.
Clang!
Jet-Black surged around the Priest's forearm, forming a defensive blade just in time. The collision sent a sharp shock through her stance, forcing her to slide half a step backward.
Jin did not give her a moment to recover.
The second scythe swept diagonally upward, violet energy trailing behind the blade like a crescent of light. The Priest twisted sharply, Darkness flaring beneath her feet as the attack grazed past her shoulder.
Another slash followed immediately.
Then another.
Then another—
Each movement flowed seamlessly into the next, Jin's scythes weaving an unbroken chain of strikes. His attacks came like a relentless current, sweeping and cutting with a rhythm that allowed no space for hesitation.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Priest's Jet-Black constructs flickered desperately as she blocked and deflected, her robe snapping violently with every forced motion.
"…Tch!"
Irritation escaped through clenched teeth.
Darkness coiled around her leg as she attempted to counter—
But Jin's scythe was already there.
Shiiiiing!
A violet crescent burst forward at point-blank range.
BOOM!
Though her guard held, the sheer pressure hurled her backward, boots skidding violently across the torn earth.
And before the dust had even begun to settle—
Jin was already advancing again.
The Priest's boots tore through the fractured earth as she slid backward, struggling to stabilize her balance. Darkness flared violently around her, Jet-Black rippling like a storm barely contained beneath her robe.
Jin continued his advance without pause.
Twin scythes swept through the air in merciless arcs, violet trails slicing across the clearing. Each strike came with suffocating pressure, forcing the Priest deeper into retreat.
But then—
Her movements changed.
The instability in her Darkness vanished, replaced by a sudden, chilling precision.
"…Enough."
Jet-Black surged inward instead of outward.
The next slash descended.
Clang!
This time, the Priest did not stagger.
Darkness condensed tightly along her arms, forming layered defensive constructs that absorbed the impact with frightening efficiency. The shockwave still roared across the clearing, yet her stance held firm.
Jin's second scythe followed instantly.
Clang!
Deflected. Not blocked. Redirected.
With a sharp twist of her body, the Priest guided the force of the blow aside, her Jet-Black blade sliding along the obsidian edge of Jin's scythe.
A third strike came from above.
She stepped forward.
Shick!
A Jet-Black dagger shot toward Jin's throat at point-blank range.
Jin tilted his head slightly.
The blade missed by a hair's breadth.
But the Priest did not stop.
Her Darkness pulsed violently as she flowed into a series of counters, movements sharp, efficient, almost mechanical. Crosses materialized behind Jin, firing in tandem with a sweeping Jet-Black slash aimed at his midsection.
Whummm!
Jin spun. Both scythes carved outward.
Shiiiiing!
Violet crescents tore through the incoming crosses, yet the Priest was already repositioning, her silhouette flickering through waves of Darkness.
"…You're not the only one who can dictate the tempo."
Her voice was low now. Cold. Focused.
The forest trembled once more as the clash resumed, Darkness and violet energy colliding in a relentless storm of blades and counters.
Darkness and violet energy clashed violently at the center of the clearing.
Blades and constructs collided in rapid succession, shockwaves tearing through the forest and scattering debris across the fractured ground. The Priest's counters grew sharper with each exchange, Jet-Black weapons flashing with deadly precision as she deflected and redirected Jin's relentless assault.
Then—
Jin suddenly leapt backward, his movement swift and decisive.
It was not a retreat.
Rather, it was a deliberate repositioning—an unmistakable preparation for what was coming next.
The Priest's eyes narrowed as she watched him create distance between them.
Before she could close that gap again, Jin calmly lifted one hand.
At the same moment, a magic circle ignited in the air before him.
Then another appeared beside it.
And another.
Within seconds, dozens of glowing circles bloomed across the space around him, their intricate patterns spinning slowly as violet light spread across the battlefield.
Violet patterns bloomed across the battlefield like burning sigils suspended in space, rotating slowly as Darkness gathered within their intricate designs.
The forest trembled.
"…What?"
For the first time, uncertainty flickered across the Priest's face.
The magic circles pulsed.
And from within them—
Chains burst forth.
CRAAASH!
Jet-black chains infused with violet light shot out in every direction, tearing through the air like unleashed serpents. Some lashed downward like whips, others pierced forward in straight, merciless lines.
The Priest reacted instantly. Jet-Black surged beneath her feet as she twisted and leapt aside.
Whumm!
A chain slammed into the ground where she had stood, the impact blasting apart earth and roots.
Another chain snapped toward her from above.
Shick!
She sliced through it midair, Darkness blade carving cleanly through the construct.
But more followed.
Chains erupted from every angle, their movements unnervingly fluid as though guided by an unseen will.
"…Tch!"
Irritation returned, laced now with tension.
Jet-Black crosses flared into existence around her, firing in rapid bursts to intercept the incoming restraints.
Explosions of Darkness filled the clearing.
Yet the chains did not stop.
They weaved. Curved. Redirected.
One coiled around her wrist. Another lashed toward her ankle.
The Priest's eyes widened.
Jet-Black surged violently as she tore free, but the battlefield had already changed.
Jin remained beyond the chaotic surge of chains, posture steady and composed. The restraints twisted and lunged with eerie precision, each one clearly governed by his absolute control.