The corpses were still warm when Russ felt the air shift.
From the ridge above, Ravien descended without a sound, his cloak billowing like a storm cloud. His eyes burned with a predator's calm—the kind that didn't need to rage to kill.
Russ gripped his scythe tighter.
"You sent them."
Ravien smirked. "And you killed them. Efficient. The Seal is molding you well… perhaps too well."
"You want it?" Russ's voice was low, sharp. "Then take it."
---
The First Strike
Russ lunged—Shadow Step—vanishing into the ground's darkness and reappearing behind Ravien, scythe already in motion. But Ravien's hand snapped up, two fingers catching the blade mid-swing.
The air cracked. Blood Qi flared around Russ, but Ravien's Void Qi seeped into the scythe, freezing it in place.
"You're faster," Ravien said, twisting the weapon away, "but you're still thinking like prey."
Russ's shadow surged, forming barbed tendrils that whipped toward Ravien's back. But Ravien simply stepped sideways, Void Drift, and the tendrils sliced only air.
---
Blood Meets Void
Russ's frustration burned into focus. He called upon Crimson Tempest, flooding the battlefield with a swirling storm of razor-sharp blood shards. Each shard carried a portion of his qi, homing in on Ravien's position.
But Ravien's Void Sphere expanded around him, swallowing every shard into nothingness.
"Your blood may be endless," Ravien said, "but void devours all."
---
The Seal's Awakening
The Bloodbane Seal pulsed violently against Russ's chest, its heat nearly scalding. Whispers flooded his mind—More power… break the chain… feed on him.
Russ gritted his teeth, but he didn't resist. Instead, he let the Seal's energy surge into him. Blood and shadow qi fused until his aura became a living storm.
The moonlight warped. Shadows deepened unnaturally.
Russ roared, activating Bloodshadow Overdrive—a forbidden fusion skill that tripled his speed and strength for a short burst, but at the cost of burning his life force.
---
The Turning Point
He struck again—this time Ravien couldn't catch the scythe. The blade tore across his ribs, spraying blackened blood into the air. Ravien's smile widened, almost proud.
"That's it," he whispered. "Show me you're worthy of killing me."
They clashed at inhuman speed—each strike splitting the air like thunder. Russ's shadows grappled Ravien's void constructs, tearing them apart before they could consume his attacks. Blood whips lashed out, forcing Ravien to retreat a step for the first time.
---
The Final Exchange
Russ gathered every drop of qi left into one final blow—Eclipse Execution—a scythe slash so dense with fused blood and shadow that the very ground beneath it withered to ash.
Ravien countered with Abyss Severance, his void blade humming with annihilation.
When the two attacks collided, the valley vanished in a white-black explosion, shockwaves tearing through rock and sky alike.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then Russ stumbled forward, blood running from his mouth, his scythe trembling in his grip. Ravien stood opposite him, cloak shredded, one arm hanging uselessly.
They both smiled—feral, knowing.
"This isn't over," Ravien said.
"No," Russ replied. "It's just starting."
The moon flickered, and the world plunged into darkness.