Pranith watched silently, his mind replaying everything that had unfolded so far.
Silas Bloodworth… so he is the man leading this army. What kind of information will Rudra get from him?
His gaze locked onto the battlefield.
"Get him, Dhruva. Defeat him," Pranith whispered to himself, unable to hold back his anticipation.
Rudra stepped aside, leaving the battle entirely in Dhruva's hands. He stood calmly, arms crossed, watching without interference.
Across the square, the people of Via Minor watched with trembling hope. If this man fell, their nightmare might finally end.
The ground beneath Silas cracked.
Invisible pressure radiated outward from his body, bending the air itself. The force slammed toward Dhruva as Silas smiled calmly.
Dhruva felt his body grow heavier, as if the sky itself had dropped onto his shoulders.
So he responded.
A soft gust spiralled around Dhruva, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. The wind sharpened, slicing through the crushing gravitational force and freeing his body.
Dhruva counterattacked.
Blades of compressed wind shot forward, tearing through the air toward Silas.
Silas didn't block them.
Instead, he twisted his body, manipulating gravity around himself. The wind blades tore past where he had stood, carving deep scars into the ground behind him.
Both fighters paused—watching, calculating.
Dhruva understood Silas's power.
Silas understood Dhruva's attack patterns.
And so the battle between wind and gravity truly began.
"Tell me," Dhruva demanded as they clashed again, "what did you do to the soldiers you brought here? Why were they suffering?"
Silas laughed loudly.
"You worry about peasants in the middle of battle? You really are interesting," he said. "But I have no answer for you. They were never my soldiers. They were given to me to raid this village."
Pranith watched closely, leaning forward.
This fight is getting serious… they're talking. I need to listen.
Dhruva launched a volley of wind arrows.
Silas slammed his foot into the ground. Stone ripped free, rising instantly to form a shield. The arrows shattered harmlessly against it.
"And don't bring those peasants into this," Silas continued. "They couldn't complete a single task properly."
Those words shattered something inside Dhruva.
The soldiers' voices echoed in his mind.
Kill us… free us…
Their tears.Their begging.Their cursed eyes.
Dhruva's breath turned heavy.
"Silas," he said, his voice shaking with rage, "I'm telling you one last time. If you have any final wishes… forget them. I'm killing you now."
Silas felt the shift immediately.
So this is his true power, he thought, excitement creeping into his smile. Interesting… very interesting.
"Looks like I need to take this seriously," Silas muttered.
Gravity surged around him.
Weapons scattered across the battlefield—swords, spears, steel fragments—rose into the air, pulled together by Silas's power. They fused violently, compressing into a massive spear nearly six feet long.
Pranith eyes widened.
So they're both serious now. If that's the case, I'll finally see their true limits.
Dhruva inhaled deeply.
Mana gathered around him—wind and water particles weaving together. The air condensed, shaped, refined, until a thin blade formed in his hand. A sword of compressed atmosphere, just over two feet long, humming softly.
Pranith felt chills run through him.
A sword made of air… unbelievable. The long-range battle is over. This is close combat now.
Dhruva stepped forward.
Across the field, Silas laughed loudly.
"I prepared myself for Rudra," he said, his voice echoing unnaturally. "But I never expected an unknown variable to travel with him. And now that variable is trying to defeat me."
Dark clouds gathered overhead, spiralling toward the centre of the battlefield.
Silas raised his spear.
The fallen bodies of soldiers trembled. A dark ritual ignited beneath them, their remaining life force drawn upward. A strange lightning struck Silas's spear, bathing it in a deep purple glow.
"So," Silas said calmly, eyes burning with madness, "let's begin, Dhruva."
Dhruva tightened his grip on his blade.
He knew exactly what kind of power Silas was using.
And so, the true battle began.
High above them, Pranith watched in complete silence.