The plaza was a warzone. Cracked stone beneath their feet, smoke curling from shattered walls, and the faint stench of ozone still hung in the air. Thalos rose slowly, robes torn, aura flickering like a storm about to break again. His eyes burned with rage—and for the first time, caution.
Eryndor's lightning aura still pulsed around him, white-blue tendrils dancing along his skin. Every muscle was taut, coiled with controlled energy, ready to explode. Kael's stance mirrored his perfectly, eyes cold, movements precise.
Thalos charged. Lightning erupted from his hands in jagged arcs, striking toward Eryndor, but Eryndor didn't dodge—he flowed. Step, pivot, spin—every move a blur. He closed the distance, fists colliding with Thalos's forearms. The sound of bone and energy colliding echoed like thunder.
Kael moved simultaneously, striking from Thalos's flank, delivering a spinning elbow to the elder's ribs. Thalos grunted, staggered—but his pride didn't falter. He swung, catching Kael across the chest, sending him sliding backward. Eryndor's eyes flared.
"Not fast enough," he muttered under his breath, and the air around him ignited with raw energy. He surged forward, fists a blur of lightning. Every punch, every elbow, every knee strike was perfectly calculated—one to break guard, one to destabilize, one to exploit an opening. Thalos swung, deflecting a strike, but Eryndor's follow-up was unstoppable: a spinning back fist that slammed into his jaw, snapping his head back.
Kael recovered instantly, using the rebound from his fall to launch a precise kick that struck Thalos's knee, destabilizing him further. They moved together like a single entity—Eryndor aggressive, Kael defensive and surgical—forcing Thalos into a rhythm he couldn't control.
Thalos tried to counterattack, summoning lightning in his fists, but both men were faster than he anticipated. Eryndor ducked under a swing, catching Thalos's wrist midair and twisting, sending him stumbling forward into Kael's waiting strike. A punch to the chest, an elbow to the shoulder, a sweep of the legs—the combination was devastating.
But Thalos wasn't done. With a roar, he channeled his energy, spinning violently and slamming both fists down toward Eryndor. The sheer force fractured the stone beneath them. Eryndor's eyes narrowed. He didn't flinch. Instead, he absorbed the momentum, rolling through the impact, and with a burst of lightning energy, he struck Thalos's side with a force that rattled the air.
Kael mirrored him perfectly, delivering a precise kick to Thalos's shoulder while Eryndor delivered a follow-up punch. Together, their attacks were unstoppable. Thalos stumbled backward, panting, sweat mixing with blood, aura flickering violently.
Eryndor's aura flared brighter. Lightning wrapped around his limbs like living tendrils. He moved closer, fists a storm of martial precision. A spinning palm strike knocked Thalos off balance, followed immediately by a flying knee that connected with his chest. Before Thalos could recover, Kael's forearm slammed into his back, sending him sprawling.
The plaza echoed with the ferocity of their assault. Dust, sparks, and residual lightning danced through the air. Every strike and block was a ballet of violence, a perfect synthesis of speed, precision, and raw power.
Thalos groaned, struggling to rise again. His strength was immense—but the combined mastery of Eryndor and Kael was something else entirely. Even his strongest attacks were met with counters, dodges, and devastating strikes that left him on the brink of collapse.
Finally, Eryndor stepped forward, fist crackling with concentrated lightning. "This is the end," he said, voice calm but deadly. Kael's stance mirrored his warning. Together, they advanced, two forces in perfect harmony, a storm no mortal could withstand.
Thalos's knees buckled. He raised a hand weakly, summoning a last desperate lightning strike—but it was too slow. Eryndor intercepted, twisting him midair and throwing him into the fountain with a violent splash. Kael's follow-up struck the elder's chest, sending him sprawling, defeated—for now.
The water rippled, steam rising from where energy collided with stone. Eryndor's aura still flared, electricity humming in the air, while Kael's eyes remained vigilant. Both men stood, undefeated, their combined presence a force even Thalos couldn't match.
Eryndor exhaled, lightning still dancing across his skin. "That… felt good," he muttered with a grin. Kael only smirked. "You're only getting started."
The storm of battle had passed, but the war—and the awakening of Eryndor's full power—was far from over.