The battlefield around the Pit of Flame was now an ocean of broken earth and rising dust. Bruno's sharp-edged shattered bones tore through the air like blades, flying directly toward the Protector.
Without flinching, the Protector's back erupted again—two more serpents of dark Renshi with skeletal heads lunged outward, their jaws snapping shut with incredible force. The serpent heads bit down on the incoming shards, shattering them to pieces midair. The impact cracked the earth beneath their feet like thunder.
Bruno's eyes narrowed. He didn't switch this time. Instead, every step he took resonated with the ground; his Renshi bones slithered beneath the earth like living veins, waiting for his command.
In one breath, he unleashed them.
Dozens of giant bone palms erupted from the ground beneath the Protector, opening wide like monstrous flowers ready to crush.
But the Protector was already in motion. His back burst with tens of serpents now—dozens of skeletal heads twisting in unison, intercepting the palms. He leapt high into the air, switching continuously mid-flight to avoid the ones the serpents could not block. His movements were relentless, as if the air itself bent for him.
Bruno saw his opening.
Bone after bone rose from the earth, forming stairs into the sky. Bruno ran upward at breakneck speed, his feet hammering the steps as they built themselves before him. Six bone hands sprouted from his back. As he reached the Protector in midair, his two elbows stretched into long, sharp bone swords.
"Now!"
Without a thought, he unleashed a flurry of strikes—six fists pounding like hammers while the bone swords slashed with murderous precision.
The Protector blocked and parried, serpents he already withdrawed to portable size snapping from his back in rapid succession. His purple blade moved like liquid venom, cutting through the air as he defended himself from all angles. The sky itself cracked with the force of their blows as they switched positions in flashes of light.
Bruno's eyes flared. There—an opening.
He slammed his six bone hands into the Protector's chest, sending him plummeting to the ground. The Protector crashed with such force that the earth caved in beneath him.
At that moment, the space around Bruno cracked open—his bloodline technique activates. From within the fractures of reality itself, hundreds of giant bone fists emerged, looming like a storm of colossal meteors.
"Fist of my Bones!"
The fists rained down, hammering the ground in an unstoppable downpour. The impact consumed half the battlefield, flattening everything in its path; stone crumbled to dust. Compared to a normal kingdom's land, the destruction was equal to two entire towns erased from the map.
Standing atop a single bone pillar, Bruno panted, his chest rising and falling.
"I went all out with that attack… I was too careless," he muttered. His fists clenched as the dust began to settle. "If he's Lizzy's brother… then I've lost my only cure for my daughter…"
But something stirred beneath the devastation.
Purple Renshi rotated below him like a vortex, swirling from the depths of the shattered earth.
Bruno's eyes widened. "How… how's that possible? There's no way he's still alive!"
"For my own good, but…" he whispered under his breath.
He didn't get to finish.
The ground split open as a giant skeletal serpent erupted upward—this one dwarfing the others, its massive skull head as large as a blue whale. Its jaws opened wide, snapping Bruno in its teeth. With a single launch, it hurled itself toward the volcano, dragging Bruno along and smashing him into the mountain's body with earth-shaking force.
A shockwave rippled through the atmosphere.
Bruno screamed, blood spraying from his mouth. Even as he hastily wrapped himself in protective bone, his inner human bones shattered under the force. He ground his teeth, pain shooting through his body.
He clawed at the serpent's jaws, trying desperately to break free. It was useless.
"I told you," came a voice like steel, "I'd make it quick, didn't I?"
The Protector emerged from within the serpent's body, his appearance transformed. His two hands were now cursed claws, sharp as sickles. His eyes burned blue, and his once-purple clothes were now black as night. He walked atop his serpent's body as if it were a throne, switching close to Bruno in an instant, claws aimed directly for his eyes.
Bruno's instincts flared. He dodged just as the claws swept past, countering with a sudden bone fist from the angle he'd just moved his head.
The attack came out of nowhere. The Protector couldn't react in time—the bone fist smashed into his face, sending him flying backward across the battlefield.
Bruno inhaled sharply, channeling tons of Renshi into his two palms. Inside the serpent's mouth, two giant bone fists materialized, bursting outward.
The explosion shattered the serpent's skull, fragments scattering like broken glass. Bruno tumbled free, falling toward the ground.
He created a bone slide midair, landing safely as his feet hit the bone and he skidded down.
The Protector switched to him even as he slid, descending from the air with a smile curling on his darkened face.
Bruno attacked instantly, this time wielding a sword forged purely from his Renshi bone—a normal blade, not an attached one.
The Protector countered with his purple sword, now longer than before, ancient writing glowing along its blade. Sparks erupted as their weapons clashed.
Bruno's advantage slipped. He switched to the ground near the volcano, regaining distance.
The Protector landed without switching, his bare legs cracking the stone beneath him. They met face-to-face, their swords poised.
Without using switch mode, they began a contest of pure skill.
Blow after blow, parry after parry—their blades collided with the rhythm of a storm. Neither gave ground. Sparks of Renshi lit the battlefield, carving lines into the earth. Their sword fight lasted five minutes without a pause, both still full of energy, both refusing to yield.
Bruno's bones had healed under his bloodline technique, but at great cost. He'd spent nearly all his Renshi on his bloodline technique. The Protector had too—his own bloodline technique he used to counter had drained him, yet his eyes burned with relentless resolve.
"No way I'm letting you win this…" Bruno roared, his voice echoing across the volcano. "Answer the damn question! Are you Lizzy's brother?!"
His blade trembled with fury as their clash reached its peak.