Renn paced back and forth outside the crumbling ruins, his fingers twitching restlessly against the neck of his violin. The faint hum of distant battle carried through the wind—muffled, yet unmistakable. Anxiety twisted his chest. It had been far too long since the fighting began.
"Where is she…" he whispered, voice strained from the scar along his throat. The bunnymen nearby watched him shuffle nervously, their long ears twitching every time he turned.
Then—movement.
Renn's eyes widened. In the distance, three silhouettes approached through the fog-drenched path. His heart leapt when he saw the glimmer of white hair and crimson eyes—his lord, Lyra, his lord with curling black horns. Relief flooded him. Beside her strode a spiky-haired boy in an orange jacket, and a silver-haired man with glasses, their presence crackling with quiet authority. Behind Lyra and her comrades stood an orc wielding a colossal axe, red war marks streaking his face, and a grey-haired maid, eyepatched, serene yet deadly, gauntlets gleaming under the dim light.
"She's here…" Renn murmured, smiling faintly for the first time in hours. "My lord has come."
—
Meanwhile, the battlefield had fallen into a strange, heavy silence. The corpses of the fallen bandits smoldered in the dusk, and in their midst stood Ardan, his form shrouded in deep-blue and violet energy. His aura had settled—terrifyingly calm. When he opened his eyes, a purple glint burned within them.
"I will end you," he said, raising his sword toward Onyx, who stood firm, silent as always, his lance gleaming in the dying light.
Theo and Flint stood several meters away, battered and breathless. Flint exhaled deeply, collapsing to the ground cross-legged.
Theo clenched his fists,"This fight's out of our hands," he muttered. "End this, onyx."
High above, Kairo watched from atop the walls. His gaze tightened. "This is it—the final clash."
Then—
[System Alert: Ardan has awakened a Unique Skill — "????."]
Kairo froze.
"…A unique skill?"
He gritted his teeth.
"Can Onyx handle that…?"
Onyx stood firm, violet eyes glowing beneath his dark helm. He said nothing—he never could—but his stance spoke louder than any words. His grip on the violet lance tightened, his energy pulsing like a steady heartbeat. Across from him, Ardan raised his sword, blue and purple light dancing across its edge. His aura flared outward, twisting with raw fury and the ghostly cries of those he'd lost.
Their weapons pointed directly at each other—no hesitation, no sound.
Then they moved.
The ground cracked beneath their feet as they charged, a thunderous boom echoing across the ruined battlefield. Ardan's sword came down first—fast, heavy, a blur of silver-blue steel—and Onyx parried, his lance scraping against the blade in a shower of sparks. They twisted around each other, feet pounding across broken stone, neither giving ground.
Ardan swung horizontally, his sword howling with momentum. Onyx ducked low, the blade whistling above his horns, then retaliated with a sweeping strike of his lance. The impact sent a shockwave that shattered the ground beneath them. Ardan slid back, boots digging into the dirt, and then charged again.
Onyx dashed forward too, faster than before—his afterimages flickering like shadows in the light. He spun mid-step, bringing the lance down in an arc aimed at Ardan's shoulder. Ardan blocked, but the sheer force sent vibrations through his arms, rattling his bones.
Ardan grinned—a mad, battle-born grin. His aura surged brighter, veins of blue energy cracking around him as he swung again.
Onyx leapt back, planting one foot on Ardan's sword's flat edge mid-swing. Using it as a platform, he vaulted upward, twisting midair. Black energy gathered along his arms, forming jagged blades that hovered beside him.
With a flick of his wrists, Onyx fired the blades toward Ardan. They sliced through the air like arrows, shrieking as they went.
Ardan stepped forward, eyes narrowing, and swung his sword in a wide arc—deflecting each black blade one by one. The final one grazed his shoulder, leaving a faint, burning line across his armor.
"Good," Ardan muttered through gritted teeth, eyes alight. "Keep fighting me like that."
He surged forward again, gripping his sword with both hands. Raging cleave activated—blue energy enveloping his weapon, twisting the metal as it thirsted for blood. He brought it down with a monstrous slash, splitting the air.
Onyx raised his lance, blocking the blow, sparks flying again. The ground between them cracked. Ardan's power pressed down like a storm, but Onyx didn't yield.
Then—Onyx's eyes flickered. Shadow Bind.
But instead of targeting Ardan, he aimed it at Ardan's sword.
Dark tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around the blade like serpents, freezing it mid-swing. Ardan's eyes widened for a fraction of a second—but that was enough.
Onyx lunged forward, violet lance glowing as it thrust toward Ardan's chest.
The blade struck—but Iron Crest's Resilience flared, coating Ardan's skin and armor in a ghostly, metallic sheen. The lance pierced partially, but didn't go through. Ardan used his bare hand—now bleeding from the impact—to shove Onyx back, his sword clattering to the ground.
But he didn't stop.
Ardan charged forward again, even without his weapon, swinging his bleeding hand like a hammer. He slammed it into Onyx's side, sending the silent warrior stumbling back. Then, in one motion, Ardan scooped up his sword and resumed his stance, his breathing ragged but steady.
His aura blazed—Predator's Instinct activating. The world around him slowed, his senses sharpening to an animal's edge. He could hear every heartbeat, feel every gust of wind.
Their next clash was blinding.
Sword met lance in a blur of motion—strikes, counters, spins, feints. Each impact sent ripples of energy through the air. Ardan's blade sang with feral precision, every movement honed to kill. Onyx's lance spun like a violet storm, parrying, redirecting, retaliating in perfect rhythm.
Ardan thrust low—Onyx blocked with the shaft. Ardan spun, swinging from above—Onyx dodged and countered, aiming for his ribs. Ardan twisted aside, their weapons barely grazing. Both landed back on their feet, breathing heavy, eyes locked.
Theo and Flint could hardly keep up. Their eyes darted back and forth, trying to follow the movements that blurred like lightning.
"They're evenly matched…" Theo muttered.
Ardan suddenly shifted his footing, slashing upward with a roar. Onyx caught it, their weapons locking again, faces inches apart. Blue and violet energy collided, swirling violently between them.
"Show me," Ardan growled, "the strength that killed my men!"
Onyx said nothing. Only his aura answered—flaring brighter, darker, swallowing the light around him.
And as their weapons clashed again, the battlefield trembled—stone shattering, banners snapping, dust rising like storm clouds.
Neither warrior yielded.
Both were fighting not to win—
—but to end it.
The shockwave from their last clash rippled across the battlefield, forcing both warriors back. Dust rose in a spiral as Onyx and Ardan steadied themselves, weapons once again leveled at one another.
Neither spoke. The air between them hummed with power—the kind that made even the distant watchers hold their breath.
Then they moved.
Their blades collided with a deafening clang, the force shaking the ground beneath them. Onyx's violet lance spun, darting like lightning, while Ardan's sword met every strike with bone-rattling precision. The battlefield became a blur of silver and purple arcs, the rhythm of war echoing through the ruins.
Ardan roared, veins glowing faintly blue as his aura surged outward. "Raging Shout!"
The very air trembled. The force wave struck Onyx squarely, momentarily staggering him as his stance broke. Ardan saw his opening—his eyes gleamed with fury as he raised his sword overhead.
"Raging Cleave!"
He brought the blade down with monstrous strength, the attack carving a crater in the ground. But the sword met only air.
Onyx had vanished.
A flicker of shadow appeared to Ardan's right—Shadow Step. Onyx reemerged in a blur, his lance slashing horizontally. Ardan barely managed to lift his sword in time, the two weapons scraping together with a shriek of metal.
Pain shot through Ardan's arm—his old injury flared again. His grip faltered for an instant, and that was all Onyx needed.
The silent warrior pressed forward, his strikes relentless. One slash tore across Ardan's shoulder, blood spraying into the air as Ardan stumbled backward, teeth clenched.
Onyx advanced, his aura sharp as a blade. He raised his lance high, preparing the final thrust—aimed straight for Ardan's chest.
But Ardan smiled.
The world froze for an instant as the Command Nexus flashed before Kairo's eyes:
[System Notice:Ardan has activated unique skill [?????]
To be continued.....