Seraphine rushed him again.
Wind and sound screamed around her body as she accelerated.
But this time—
The fight changed.
Her fist tore forward—
Draven stepped aside.
Not barely.
Not narrowly.
Cleanly.
The punch cut through empty air.
Before she could recover—
**THUD**
His fist slammed into her ribs.
The impact bent her sideways and launched her several meters across the street.
She skidded across broken stone, boots dragging hard before she managed to catch herself.
Her eyes narrowed.
She rushed him again.
A kick exploded toward his head—
Draven leaned back.
The strike passed harmlessly over him.
His leg snapped upward immediately after.
**CRACK**
His boot slammed into her stomach.
The force blasted the air out of her lungs and sent her sliding back again.
Seraphine's expression hardened.
Wind gathered once more around her arms.
She surged forward again.
This time she aimed for the technique that had nearly crippled him earlier.
Her hands came up—
Moving fast.
Both palms drawing together.
Draven saw it.
He didn't panic.
He didn't hesitate.
As her arms began to swing inward—
He stepped forward.
Not away.
Forward.
His hand snapped out and seized her wrist before the clap could form.
His other hand grabbed her second arm.
Her palms stopped inches apart.
Seraphine's eyes widened slightly.
Draven leaned closer.
"You already tried that."
Then—
His head slammed forward.
**CRACK**
A brutal headbutt smashed into her nose.
Blood exploded across her face.
Before she could even react—
His knee shot up into her abdomen.
**THUD**
Her body folded violently.
Draven twisted his grip and hurled her sideways.
She smashed through a broken wall and crashed into the building behind it.
Dust exploded outward.
Seraphine burst back out almost instantly, wind roaring as she forced herself upright.
But now—
She was breathing harder.
Draven stood calmly in the ruined street.
His eyes steady.
Watching.
Waiting.
Seraphine wiped blood from her nose slowly.
Her breathing deepened.
Then—
She raised one arm.
High above her head.
Her other arm lowered.
Wind spiraled violently between them.
Sound began compressing unnaturally.
The air started **vibrating**.
Then she swung both arms inward—
Bringing them together in a devastating **clap**.
Her hands met.
For a fraction of a second—
Everything went still.
Then—
**BOOOOOOOOM**
It wasn't a sound.
It was an **explosion**.
The clap released a compressed sphere of sound so dense that it erupted outward like a detonating bomb. The air itself shattered, a violent shockwave blasting through the street and tearing buildings apart as if they were made of paper.
Windows vaporized.
Walls collapsed.
The ground cracked open as the sonic force ripped through the earth.
Dust and debris blasted outward in a massive ring, expanding across the battlefield like the aftermath of artillery.
The epicenter—
Right where Draven stood.
For several seconds the destruction continued spreading, rubble tumbling and smoke rising into the sky.
Then slowly—
The dust began to settle.
Seraphine stood at the center of the ruined street, her arms still slightly apart from the clap.
Blood ran from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes were locked forward.
"That one," she muttered, breathing heavier now, "should've—"
A shadow moved in the dust.
Behind her.
Her eyes widened.
Draven stood there.
Unharmed.
His coat torn.
Blood streaked across his face.
But he was standing.
Calm.
His hand was already gripping the back of her head.
"You're loud," he said flatly.
Then he **drove her face into the ground.**
**BOOOOOOM**
The impact cratered the street again, stone exploding outward as her head smashed into the earth with brutal force.
Draven didn't stop.
He yanked her up by the hair—
And slammed her down again.
**BOOM**
The ground cracked deeper.
Blood sprayed across the shattered stone.
Then he lifted her one more time.
Seraphine's body hung limply for a second—
Before her hand twitched.
Wind gathered again.
Draven's eyes narrowed.
"…Still moving?"
He pulled his arm back—
And drove a brutal punch straight into her stomach.
**CRACK**
The force folded her completely and sent her flying across the ruined street like a ragdoll.
She smashed through another building before disappearing into a cloud of debris.
Draven stood alone in the middle of the devastation.
His chest rose slowly as he breathed.
Blood still ran from his ears.
But his eyes remained calm.
Cold.
Watching the dust cloud where she had landed.
Waiting to see if she would stand again.
Draven stepped forward slowly.
Dust from the shattered street still drifted through the air, hanging like a thin veil over the battlefield.
Without looking toward Seraphine—
He reached into his cloak.
His hand emerged holding the **bow** that had been strapped across his back.
The weapon unfolded smoothly into his grip as he raised it.
His fingers pulled the string.
Mana gathered instantly.
A glowing **blue arrow** formed between the bowstring and the grip, pure energy condensing into a sharp, shimmering point.
Draven's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then he poured more mana into it.
The color shifted.
Blue faded—
And the arrow darkened into a **deep crimson red**, the energy within it vibrating with dense, destructive force.
High above them—
One of the airships hovered in the night sky, its searchlights sweeping across the ruined town.
Draven aimed straight at it.