The dunes trembled with each collision, the desert groaning under the weight of powers not meant for mortal ground. Sparks lit the night sky like fractured stars, and the stench of burning ichor tainted the air.
The Commander pressed forward, his spear a blur of black fire and jagged thrusts. Each strike came faster, heavier, more relentless — not a warrior's test, but an executioner's assault.
Kairo's chains whirled, intercepting, deflecting. They coiled and struck like serpents of iron, guided by instinct and rage. The bone blade screamed through the air, carving arcs of pale light, but the Commander's spear shattered every attempt, driving Kairo back, step after step.
"You are nothing but hunger given form," the Commander growled, his strikes unyielding. "A beast wrapped in flesh. You dare defy the Remnant?"
Kairo spat blood into the sand but did not falter. His crimson eyes gleamed with a sharpness that cut deeper than words. "Beast or not… I am still here. That's more than I can say for those you've already killed."
The Commander's answer was a roar that split the night. His aura erupted, black flames bursting outward like wings of ruin. The sand ignited, turning to molten glass beneath his feet. In a single motion, he swung his spear in a wide arc, sending a wave of obliterating force barreling toward Kairo.
The boy braced — chains snapping out, crossing before him like a shield. The blast struck, detonating against the barrier, hurling him through the dunes once more. His body skidded across the molten sand, skin blistering from the heat.
But the chains did not break.
Kairo rose again, his breath ragged, his body screaming. The chains rattled louder now, hungry, eager. They coiled tighter around his arms, sinking into flesh as though merging with him. His aura swelled, crimson and black, a suffocating storm that warped the very air.
The Commander halted, tilting his helm ever so slightly. For the first time, a note of recognition — perhaps even caution — entered his voice.
"…You are feeding it. Dangerous. Reckless. You court the abyss itself."
Kairo dragged the bone blade across the sand, its edge shrieking, his eyes locked onto his foe. "I don't care what it is. As long as it kills you."
With that, he lunged.
The chains snapped forward, dozens at once, weaving a net of destruction around the Commander. The bone blade slashed in a diagonal arc, and for the first time, sparks of crimson light cut into the obsidian armor, leaving shallow gashes that hissed and bled black ichor.
The Commander staggered half a step.
Then he laughed — a deep, distorted sound that echoed like a grave collapsing.
"Good. At last… something worthy."
The ground split as his spear ignited fully, flames crawling up its shaft until it was a pillar of black fire. He spun it once, and the entire desert seemed to lurch, the horizon bending under its weight.
And then he advanced again — not with measured thrusts, but with killing blows meant to end everything.