Wind screamed through the open hatches of the airships.
Inside the decks, rank upon rank of Knights stood shoulder to shoulder in tight formation. On the Vigilant Dawn, Holy Knights of the Church — clad in white‑silver armor etched with the symbol of the Luminary — stood unmoving in solemn silence alongside Priests and Priestesses. At their head stood Commander Elyndra Vale, hands folded behind her back, gaze locked forward.
Across from them, on the deck of the Lux Invicta, the Royal Knights stood with armor polished to mirror brightness. At their front, Cedric Virell, Knight‑Commander of the Royal Guard, remained impassive, one gauntlet resting lightly on the hilt of his blade. On the second ship's deck, banners of noble houses snapped violently in the air. Lucan Calvorn and the commanders of a Great House stood behind their own elite Knights — silent, ready.
Suddenly, mana flared to life across hundreds of armored bodies: a gold‑white light pulsing beneath plate and cloth.
Clank. Clank.
Boots disengaged from magnetic anchors.
Without a word, the first rank stepped forward and leapt. One after another, the Knights surged into the sky, diving from the ships' hatches like comets streaking toward the earth.
THOOM. Holy Knights with heavy shields slammed into formation mid‑air. Mana surged. Descent formations locked. Plummeting through the treetops into the dark forest below, the Knights fell in perfect synchronicity.
---
Enveloped within his mana barrier, Kaelen shot through the sky, crimson mana flaring around him — then suddenly he stopped, hovering in place. In a blur, Alric appeared beside him, hammer surging with mana, already in motion.
CLANG. The strike landed and the air itself seemed to shudder — but Kaelen's hand rose and caught the hammer. He had stopped the attack with one hand, without moving an inch. His eyes didn't even flicker.
"I wouldn't mind ending you right now," he said calmly. "But I don't have time to waste. I've got something that matters more."
Crimson mana surged. His fist drove forward like a cannon.
CRACK. The punch slammed into Alric square in the chest. The impact detonated like thunder. Alric was blasted backward through the sky, his body hurtling down into the forest below.
CRASH. CRACK. SNAP. He tore through the treetops, smashing branches like twigs before disappearing into the shadows beneath the canopy.
Kaelen hovered, unmoving, glancing down at the shattered treeline where Alric had fallen. His gaze flickered toward the distant castle. Without a word, his form ignited with crimson mana and he shot forward, cutting through the sky like a spear.
---
The castle loomed ahead — and then a white slash tore upward from below across his path.
SHKNK. A searing arc of light ripped through the wind. Kaelen reacted instantly, dodging the slash; the blade missed his throat by inches, cleaving the clouds.
He came to a sudden stop, hovering midair. Calm and focused, he slowly glanced down.
"How annoying," he muttered.
Below, already airborne, Elyndra hovered. Wings of pure light beat softly behind her, keeping her steady. Her white‑silver armor gleamed with divine radiance; the blade in her hand still shimmered faintly from the strike.
Her voice cut through the wind — even, resolute, unyielding.
"By the King's command and by my mother's Radiant grace, bearer of light and judgment — this is your end. Face death."
Kaelen didn't move at first. The wind hissed around him; crimson mana swirled like smoke drawn toward fire. Then he exhaled.
His voice came quiet at first, calm — cold.
"I've been patient."
He looked past Elyndra: down toward the forest, the Knights, the Castle — all of it. Then his gaze snapped back to her, and the calm cracked.
"Too patient."
Crimson mana burst from his body in a sudden wave, flaring hotter, sharper, more violent. His next words came like a verdict.
"Now I'll kill every last one of them."
The sky tensed with silence, as if even the wind held its breath — waiting for the final, bloody phase of the battle to begin.