Cedric's strike came in a **thunderous arc**, a lance of pure lightning forged into steel. The air **split** as his blade descended, leaving trails of electric fire scorching the forest floor. Every nerve in the knights' bodies screamed as the energy roared forward, low and continuous, rattling bones and shaking treetops.
Draven looked up slowly. His black-cracked eyes widened, tears streaking freely, blood still dripping from his face. The strike didn't merely approach—it **announced itself**, a harbinger of annihilation.
Lightning **danced along Cedric's blade**, crackling like a storm given form. The pressure alone bent the air, sending waves outward. Leaves disintegrated mid-air. Trees snapped like twigs. The earth itself shuddered under the raw force.
And yet… Draven didn't flinch.
He stayed kneeling slightly, body tense, every fiber screaming in pain and exhaustion. His gaze locked on Cedric's—black, endless, yet alive with cold, unyielding focus.
The strike **descended**, a torrent of steel and lightning, aimed to **erase him from existence**. The forest held its breath. Knights gripped weapons tighter, anticipating the end.
But Draven… simply waited.
His red pupils burned like molten coals as his hand **snapped around Cedric's lightning-infused blade**. The raw energy coursed through his fingers and arm—but his grip **didn't falter**. The strike screamed through the air, yet Draven **stared through it**, completely focused on the man before him.
Before Cedric could recover—or even react—Draven's fist **drove forward like a sledgehammer**, dense and unstoppable. The impact tore through Cedric's chest, **knocking the air from his lungs** in a violent, ragged gasp. Blood erupted from his mouth as he was hurled backward, a living comet smashing through trees, shattered earth, and the remnants of the battlefield. Branches exploded. Rocks splintered. The air itself wrenched from the shockwave.
Draven didn't pause. He didn't even blink.
Before Cedric could regain control, before he could process the devastation, Draven **reappeared above him**, landing unnervingly calm. His eyes locked on Cedric's. Blood, shadow, and raw mana dripped from him—but he **moved as if untouched by fatigue or pain**.
The battlefield froze for a heartbeat. The surrounding knights dared not breathe. The terror emanating from Draven wasn't just **strength**—it was **absolute, consuming intent**.
Draven's hands closed around Cedric with unrelenting force, **gripping him like a vice**. With a sudden, fluid motion, he **lifted him high**, twisting his body midair. Time seemed to slow as Cedric struggled, lightning crackling uselessly across his armor.
Then—**slam.**
Draven drove Cedric straight into the ground with devastating focus. The impact detonated like a bomb. Soil, stone, and shattered roots **exploded outward**, carving a massive crater. Trees snapped like twigs, their trunks splintering under the shockwave. The sound of crumbling rock echoed across the battlefield like rolling thunder.
Cedric's body slid across the crater's jagged edge, armor dented, lightning sputtering weakly, blood dripping from his lips. Yet Draven didn't release him—his hands **held fast**, muscles coiled, red pupils fixed with terrifying precision. The sheer weight of his presence pressed down on everyone nearby.
The knights froze. Captains faltered. Even the Apostles above could sense the **murderous intent radiating** from the Vampire below. **No one moved.**
Draven's chest rose and fell sharply, crimson shadows leaking from him, tears mixed with blood still streaming freely. His gaze **never left Cedric**, and the silence that followed the explosion felt like the calm before the apocalypse itself.
Draven's red pupils flared, his body coiling with **pure, unrelenting fury**. He didn't speak. He didn't hesitate. Every movement was **calculated, precise, merciless**.
First, his hands closed around Cedric's arms, **crushing them with bone-shattering force**. Joints popped, tendons tore, but Cedric clenched his teeth, refusing to scream. Draven's gaze never wavered, cold and methodical, reading fear and pain like an open book.
Then, with the same ruthless precision, Draven's fingers **snapped forward**, gripping the edge of Cedric's ear. He twisted sharply, peeling it cleanly from the skull. Cedric's face contorted, but no scream came—only raw, gritted endurance.
Finally, Draven's fingers darted to Cedric's eye. Without hesitation, **he forced it out of its socket**, crimson and white spilling over his knuckles. Cedric's head jerked back instinctively, chest heaving, but he did not scream. Pain radiated in waves, yet the Vampire King's focus was unbroken.
The knights and captains froze, unable to intervene. Draven's cold, methodical brutality **spoke louder than any warning or threat**. He wasn't just attacking; he was **delivering a lesson in terror**, demonstrating how utterly helpless anyone who touched his family had become.
The forest trembled. The air itself seemed to **shudder under Draven's wrath**. Every drop of blood, every movement, was **a declaration**: no one would ever touch what was his again.
Draven's red eyes burned hotter than the sun. His focus was absolute. His movements **unflinching and deliberate**. He pressed his hand over Cedric's mouth, forcing it open, fingers sliding in with calculated precision.
One by one, **he removed Cedric's teeth**, each yank precise, crushing resistance into silent agony. Cedric's eyes widened in shock, tears streaming freely from his one remaining eye, blood and saliva mixing. His body trembled, but Draven's grip was iron.
Draven worked methodically, almost clinical, **turning pain into a statement**. Every tooth, every moment of terror, was punishment for daring to threaten his family. The knights watched, frozen, pale and silent.
When Cedric's mouth was empty, only blood remained. Draven's fingers moved toward that single eye, yanking his tongue free. Cedric let out a **gurgling, blood-choked scream**, tears streaming uncontrollably.
Draven didn't pause. His bloody fingers pressed into that single eye, every motion **calculated, merciless, absolute**—a display of dominance that left the surrounding knights paralyzed.
Cedric's body convulsed under agony, helpless beneath Draven's iron grip. The forest seemed to hold its breath, shadows twisting unnaturally around Draven as if **drawing energy from his fury**, amplifying the intensity of his presence.
Every soldier who witnessed this knew **without a doubt**—this was no ordinary boy. This was vengeance, rage, and power incarnate. Nothing could stand against him.
Draven's movements were cold, deliberate—**each strike a sentence in a judgment no one could escape**.
Cedric's mind scrambled, repeating *Demon! Demon! Demon!* as lightning coursed across him. Pain and rage collided, but Draven didn't flinch. His grip was unyielding.
With terrifying precision, Draven **ripped off Cedric's other ear**, the scream raw and unfiltered—but before it could fully form, Draven's fist **crushed his mouth**. Bone broke, blood spilled, but the sheer terror in the air drowned the sound.
Cedric's body arched violently. Sparks of lightning cracked over him, but nothing could stop Draven. His rage was **mechanical, unstoppable**, each punch a precise hammer blow fueled by fury. Bone and flesh met fist with rolling thunder.
The crater widened with every blow. Dust and debris mixed with rivers of blood flowing from the devastation. Lightning fizzled, unable to compete with the **raw physical annihilation** Draven inflicted.
The knights froze. Terror rooted them to the ground. Some vomited. Some clutched meaningless weapons. Every one of them felt **the presence of something beyond human**—a force that didn't just kill—it **erased, annihilated, judged**.
Draven finally lifted his fists. Chest heaving, eyes still wide and red, blood and tears mingling freely. The forest was silent. Smoke, dust, and the iron scent of carnage hung heavy. Not a word was spoken. Not a single sound dared to emerge.
He turned his gaze toward the remaining knights, **dark, blood-streaked eyes locking on each of them**, the message unmistakable: