Moonlight washed over the shattered plains, silver and cold. Long shadows stretched behind the Great Sages as they stood in formation, while the dust kicked up by the fallen kings drifted across the battlefield, glowing faintly in the pale light like dying embers refusing to fade.
Eiden stepped forward, his cloak shifting in the wind and brushing against the cracked earth. The air around him tightened, and the battlefield felt suspended, as if the world itself were waiting for his next breath. His eyes locked onto the darkness ahead—unblinking, sharp, and unwavering.
"Get ready."
His voice carried through the night with quiet authority. In one smooth motion, he unsheathed the katana at his waist, the blade sliding free with a soft metallic whisper that caught the moonlight in a clean silver arc. Reaching behind him, his other hand drew the long sword from his lower back. The steel gleamed with a colder light, settling into his grip as if it were an extension of his own body.
Behind him, Morvath lifted his dual fanged blades, their curved edges reflecting the moon in jagged, lethal flashes. He rolled his shoulders, muscles coiling with predatory anticipation as his stance lowered. Vaelus's fingers curled around the hilt of his own weapon, the emerald symbols on his robe pulsing faintly in response to the rising tension. Selyndra exhaled softly, her breath visible in the cooling night air, as she unsheathed her blade with a calm, unwavering glow.
The wind shifted and the night deepened. Eiden's voice cut through the moonlit air, sharp and steady.
"Seraphaine, Dravien, Iris. You three will take on the Angel King. Keep on your toes; he's fast when he flies. I, Selyndra, Vaelus, and Morvath will handle Yajin." He paused, both blades angled toward the ground, his stance rooted. "Do not hold back."
Seraphaine nodded, her expression distant but focused. "I won't. I'll keep him grounded."
Dravien's tail flicked once behind him, his grin sharp and hungry. "Good. I've been waiting to tear into him."
Iris tightened her cloak, her eyes sharpening as the fabric brushed her legs. "I'll match his speed. He won't slip past us."
Behind Eiden, Selyndra lifted her blade with calm resolve. "We'll strike together."
Vaelus exhaled, his emerald eyes narrowing. "Let him come."
Morvath stepped forward, his blades gleaming. "Just say when."
The night held still. The battlefield listened. Eiden took a slow, grounding breath as the moonlight glinted along both of his blades. The air around him tightened like a drawn bowstring.
"Go."
The single word cracked through the night like a spark. In that same instant, the Sages moved. Seraphaine, Dravien, and Iris bolted forward with lightning speed, their figures streaking through the moonlit dust in a blur of silver motion. Simultaneously, Eiden, Selyndra, Vaelus, and Morvath launched in the opposite direction, their charge hitting the earth with the force of a storm breaking loose. Blades drawn and eyes locked, the night itself seemed to recoil from their sudden, violent momentum.