Chapter 28
Dust floated like a faded memory.
The forest lay in tatters—trees shattered, stone torn, mana still rippling faintly through the air.
Xavier lay broken, barely conscious. His breath came in shallow bursts, his body burned and bloodied.
Ezra stood alone amid the ruin, blade lowered, coat fluttering softly in the wind.
Above, perched on a scorched tree limb, Marcus Ardent watched in silence.
Then—he laughed.
Not in joy.
Not in mockery.
Something quieter.
Something heavier.
"Heh… ha… hahaha…"
He dropped to the ground with a soft thud, boots sinking slightly into the cracked earth. His gaze never left Ezra.
"You're really the same, huh…?"
His voice cracked—just a little.
"And here I was… thinking I'd caught up. That maybe—just maybe—I'd surpassed you."
He shook his head, a bitter grin tugging at his lips.
"But in six months… you advanced an entire major realm."
"Unity flow technique. No backing. No ancient inheritance. Just… you."
He let out a breath.
