The rumble deepened until it became a living heartbeat, echoing through the stone walls. The ground trembled beneath Noel's boots as dust fell from the ceiling in thin, nervous streams.
Then—silence.
A low hum followed, sharp and metallic, like steel vibrating in the air. From the darkness, a faint red glow traced the outline of a blade. The owner stepped forward.
The Fourth Pillar emerged from the tunnel. His hand rested on the hilt of a weapon unlike any Noel had ever seen—a pitch-black sword veined with crimson cracks, pulsing with unstable mana. The hum it emitted was almost alive, resonating against Revenant Fang in Noel's grasp.
The moment their weapons' energies met, the chamber warped—the mana pressure spiked so suddenly that Selene staggered back half a step. Albrecht's golden flame brightened, pushing against the crimson haze like dawn against blood-red clouds.
Noel exhaled, voice calm despite the tension. "There it is."
