Rui surged forward, the Sword of Mercy blazing like a comet in her hands. She moved like a streak of starlight, her body guided by instinct, fury, and love.
With one clean, final strike, she drove the blade deep into the Behemoth's exposed chest.
The moment the blade pierced its core, the beast let out a shuddering roar—deep and otherworldly, a sound that cracked the air like thunder.
A pulse of raw energy exploded outward from the wound, sending shockwaves across the scorched battlefield.
Cracks of pink-gold light spiderwebbed across its enormous body, radiating from the impact point like a living fracture.
Then, with a sound like thunder breaking stone, the Behemoth shattered.
Its colossal form crumbled into a storm of ash and luminous dust, swept into the wind like the remnants of a cursed god. The roar that had once deafened mountains faded into silence.
The crimson dome enclosing the battlefield flickered then dissolved, unraveling into motes of dying light.
