The crimson energy surrounding Vireth's outstretched hand continued to thicken, twisting through the air in narrow streams that resembled blood flowing through invisible veins. The ground beneath his boots darkened as the pressure radiating from his body increased, bending the recovering grass outward in widening circles.
Commander Vance recognized the danger immediately.
"Nyra, with me! David, take the right flank! Mira, June, provide support and watch our backs!"
She glanced toward Castiel and Lucian.
"Castiel, Lucian, take the left! Keep those Fallen soldiers away from us!"
"Understood, Commander!" Lucian answered.
Gamma Squad moved without hesitation.
Nyra stepped beside Vance, her twin Wind Crest Swords glowing with brilliant blue energy as currents of wind gathered around her arms. David shifted to the right, extending his Claw Gauntlets while keeping his attention fixed on Vireth.
Mira and June moved behind the forward line, positioning themselves where they could support either side of the formation.
Castiel and Lucian advanced toward the left flank.
But Vaerik was already moving.
The Fallen lieutenant drew his curved Nightreaver blade, its black surface reflecting a narrow line of crimson light as he stepped directly into their path.
"You're not going anywhere," Vaerik said.
Lucian raised his Bloodcrest Blade.
"Funny. I was about to tell you the same thing."
Vaerik's pale features remained expressionless.
"Then perhaps we understand one another."
He vanished.
Castiel reacted first.
"Lucian, move!"
A curved blade swept through the space where Lucian's throat had been a moment earlier.
Lucian ducked beneath the strike, feeling the weapon's passage disturb the air above his head. He twisted on his heel and brought his Bloodcrest Blade upward, aiming for Vaerik's exposed ribs.
Steel met steel.
Vaerik redirected the attack with a sharp movement of his wrist before driving his knee toward Lucian's abdomen.
Castiel intercepted with his Shadow Blade.
The impact forced Vaerik backward half a step.
Only half.
Vaerik looked between them.
"Two against one?"
Lucian smiled.
"Don't worry. We'll try not to embarrass you."
Vaerik's garnet eyes narrowed.
"How considerate."
Dark crimson mist began gathering around his boots.
Across the battlefield, Vireth slowly lowered his raised hand.
The streams of blood surrounding his arm suddenly accelerated, spiraling around his outstretched fingers.
With his other hand, he reached toward the weapon resting at his hip.
His fingers closed around an ornate black hilt.
He drew the rapier slowly.
Its slender blade emerged from the sheath with a faint metallic whisper, revealing a polished black surface edged in deep crimson. The guard resembled intertwined thorns, curling protectively around his hand.
Sanguine Thorn.
As the rapier cleared its sheath, the blood gathering around Vireth's opposite hand began to compress.
The crimson streams twisted together, forming the outline of a long, elegant sword. Darker veins moved beneath its surface as though the weapon were alive, pulsing faintly as the blade solidified.
The hilt settled into his waiting palm.
Vireth rolled his shoulders, testing the balance of both weapons before lowering himself into a relaxed fighting stance.
June stared at him.
"Oh, come on. He gets two swords?"
Lucian's voice carried from the left.
"Little busy over here, June!"
"I can see that! I'm just saying the equipment distribution seems unfair!"
Vance raised her shield.
"Focus!"
Vireth smiled.
"Your commander gives excellent advice."
He lifted both weapons.
"Crimson Dominion."
Then he moved.
The distance between him and Vance disappeared almost instantly.
His blood-forged longsword struck her shield with tremendous force, driving her backward several feet. The impact sent a violent tremor through the defensive energy surrounding her arm.
At the same moment, Sanguine Thorn swept toward Nyra from the opposite direction.
Nyra crossed her Wind Crest Swords, catching the rapier between them.
Metal shrieked against metal.
Vireth twisted, bringing his longsword around for another strike against Vance while simultaneously forcing Nyra backward with the rapier.
His movements were fluid and precise.
The longsword delivered powerful sweeping attacks designed to break through defenses, while the rapier struck with rapid thrusts aimed at the narrow openings between armor plates.
Nyra found herself retreating beneath a succession of attacks.
She blocked one thrust.
Deflected another.
Then twisted beneath a third that passed dangerously close to her throat.
Vance stepped forward.
"Aegis Dominion!"
A brilliant defensive field expanded around her shield.
She slammed into Vireth, forcing him to redirect his longsword.
Nyra seized the opening.
"Tempest Dance!"
Wind spiraled around her blades as she launched a rapid combination toward Vireth's exposed flank.
The first strike met his rapier.
The second nearly reached his shoulder.
Vireth stepped backward, avoiding the attack by inches.
Then his garnet eyes shifted toward Nyra.
Without warning, he hurled Sanguine Thorn directly at her.
The rapier shot through the air like a spear.
"Nyra!" David shouted.
Nyra reacted instantly.
She crossed her twin Wind Crest Swords and released a concentrated burst of wind.
The rapier struck her blades.
A sharp metallic crack rang across the plains as the force of her defense knocked the weapon aside.
Sanguine Thorn spun through the air.
But instead of falling, it stopped.
The rapier hovered several meters above the ground, its crimson edge glimmering beneath the grey sky.
Nyra stared.
"What...?"
The weapon rotated.
Then it flew toward her again.
Nyra barely managed to deflect the second attack.
The rapier immediately changed direction, circling around her before thrusting toward her exposed side.
She twisted away.
Vireth hadn't moved.
He stood several meters away, his blood-forged longsword resting comfortably in one hand.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Did you believe I needed to hold it?"
Sanguine Thorn accelerated again.
Nyra raised her swords.
And as the rapier continued attacking her independently, Vireth turned toward Commander Vance.
"Now, Commander. Where were we?"
Vance tightened her grip on her shield.
"Right here."
She charged.
Her sword swept toward Vireth's chest, but the Blood Ascendant intercepted it with his longsword.
The impact sent sparks scattering between them.
Vance followed with a shield strike.
Vireth stepped aside.
His longsword changed direction, sweeping toward her exposed shoulder.
She barely managed to raise her shield before the blade struck.
The force drove her backward.
David lunged forward.
"Predator Step!"
System:
Predator Step — Activated
His movement sharpened as he accelerated toward Vireth's right side.
David slashed with his Claw Gauntlets, forcing the Fallen to shift his stance.
Vireth intercepted one claw with his longsword.
The other scraped across his armor.
A shower of sparks scattered between them.
Vireth's expression barely changed.
"Again, David Wyn?"
David pulled away before the blood-forged blade could strike his chest.
"You're still standing."
"Indeed."
Vireth stepped forward.
"And I intend to remain that way."
His longsword swept horizontally.
David ducked beneath the attack, but the weapon changed shape halfway through its movement.
The crimson blade lengthened.
David's eyes widened.
"Shadow Step!"
System:
Shadow Step — Activated
His body vanished into the shadow beneath Vireth's extended arm.
The blood-forged sword passed through the space he had occupied, slicing across the grass and leaving a deep crimson streak in the ground.
David reappeared several meters away.
The instant his boots touched the earth, he turned.
Vireth was already facing him.
"Predictable."
Sanguine Thorn suddenly broke away from Nyra and shot toward David.
He crossed his Claw Gauntlets.
The rapier struck between them, its narrow point forcing his arms backward toward his chest.
David twisted and redirected the weapon, but the impact still sent him stumbling.
Vance charged.
"Aegis Dominion!"
A broad shield of radiant energy expanded before her.
She slammed into Vireth, forcing him to abandon his pursuit of David.
The Blood Ascendant slid backward several feet.
For the first time since drawing his weapons, he looked directly at the commander.
"Persistent."
Vance advanced behind her shield.
"You haven't seen anything yet."
Nyra moved with her.
Blue currents gathered around her swords as she accelerated along the edge of Vance's defensive field.
Their attacks came together.
Vance struck high.
Nyra swept low.
Vireth blocked the commander's sword with his longsword while Sanguine Thorn intercepted Nyra's blades.
The floating rapier moved independently, rotating around the Wind Crest Swords with impossible precision.
Nyra adjusted her grip.
She twisted one sword beneath the rapier and brought the other toward Vireth's exposed side.
The Fallen stepped backward.
A narrow line of blue energy passed across his armor.
It didn't penetrate.
But it forced him to move.
David recognized the opening.
"Cosmic Spatial Severance!"
System:
Cosmic Spatial Severance — Activated
Space distorted along the edge of his Claw Gauntlets.
A narrow cutting plane flashed toward Vireth.
The Blood Ascendant turned his head.
His body dissolved into crimson mist.
The spatial cut passed through the empty air and continued across the plains, cleanly severing a large stone several meters behind him.
System:
Cosmic Spatial Severance — Target Evaded
The mist gathered behind Vance.
"Commander!" David shouted.
Vireth emerged with his longsword already raised.
Vance turned, barely bringing her shield into position before the blade struck.
The impact thundered across the battlefield.
Her defensive field cracked.
Vireth leaned closer.
"You possess impressive discipline, Commander. Unfortunately, discipline cannot compensate for the difference between us."
Vance gritted her teeth.
"Then I'll have to make up the difference another way."
She drove her sword toward his throat.
Vireth tilted his head.
The blade missed by inches.
His free hand rose toward her face.
A thin crimson mist escaped between his fingers.
"Crimson Bloodmist."
Vance inhaled sharply.
Her body stopped moving.
Her sword remained extended.
Her shield hung at an awkward angle.
For a moment, she appeared frozen in the middle of her attack.
Her eyes widened.
She could see everything.
She could hear everything.
But her muscles refused to respond.
Vireth stepped away from her.
"An effective commander," he observed. "Rendered helpless by something as simple as her own blood."
"Commander!" Nyra shouted.
She rushed forward.
Vireth turned toward her.
His longsword rose.
Nyra attempted to change direction, but the Fallen was already moving.
The crimson blade descended toward her chest.
David saw the strike.
He saw Nyra's swords beginning to rise.
And he knew she wouldn't be fast enough.
"Shadow Step!"
System:
Shadow Step — Activated
David disappeared.
He emerged between Nyra and Vireth, his Claw Gauntlets crossing above his head.
The blood-forged longsword struck.
Pain exploded through David's arms.
His knees bent beneath the impact, and the ground cracked under his boots.
For a moment, he thought the force would drive him directly into the earth.
But he held.
"David!" Nyra cried.
"Move!"
Nyra reacted immediately.
Wind erupted around her blades, forcing Vireth to shift his attention as she attacked from David's side.
David pushed upward, breaking contact with the longsword.
The two retreated together.
Behind them, Vance's fingers twitched.
The paralysis began to weaken.
Vireth glanced toward the commander.
"Already recovering. Impressive."
He looked back at David.
"You continue to place yourself between danger and your companions."
David's breathing had grown heavier.
"Someone has to."
Vireth smiled faintly.
"Such admirable instincts."
He raised his longsword.
"Such exploitable instincts."
Several meters behind him, Mira watched the exchange.
Her light blue-grey eyes moved between Vireth's weapons, studying the pattern of his attacks.
The floating rapier was dangerous.
The longsword was worse.
But the Fallen's attention had narrowed toward David and Nyra.
Vance was recovering.
June was preparing another kinetic charge.
And Vireth had briefly turned his back.
Mira lowered her stance.
Her fingers tightened around the handles of her twin blades.
She had been waiting for an opening.
Now she saw one.
"Shadow Ghost."
The energy surrounding her body changed.
Her presence faded.
The faint sound of her footsteps disappeared beneath the noise of the battlefield.
Mira moved.
She didn't rush directly toward Vireth.
Instead, she circled behind him, keeping her body low and using the shifting shadows of the combatants to conceal her approach.
Her blades remained close to her sides.
One clean strike.
That was all she needed.
Vireth continued watching David.
"Tell me, young human. How many times do you intend to save someone before you realize you cannot save them all?"
David raised his Claw Gauntlets.
"As many times as I have to."
Mira closed the distance.
Ten meters.
Six.
Three.
Her right blade angled toward the narrow opening beneath Vireth's shoulder armor.
She stepped forward.
And Vireth turned.
His hand shot out.
Before Mira could complete the strike, his fingers closed around her throat.
Her eyes widened.
The sudden impact stopped her momentum completely.
Vireth lifted her from the ground.
Her boots kicked helplessly above the grass.
"An assassin."
His voice remained calm.
"How disappointing."
Mira slashed toward his wrist.
Vireth caught her attacking arm with his other hand, twisting it just enough to prevent the blade from reaching him.
Her second weapon scraped across his armor.
He barely acknowledged it.
"You concealed your presence remarkably well."
His grip tightened.
"But you forgot something."
Crimson light spread across his fingers.
"Blood cannot hide from me."
Mira's body jerked.
A terrible weakness swept through her.
It began in her chest, spreading outward through her arms and legs as the strength seemed to drain directly from her muscles.
Her heartbeat became painfully loud in her ears.
Then strangely distant.
Vireth's Gift reached into the blood circulating through her body, drawing away the vitality that sustained her.
Mira struggled.
Her fingers tightened around her blades.
She tried to raise them again.
But her arms no longer obeyed.
The first blade slipped from her hand.
It struck the ground beneath her.
The second followed moments later.
"MIRA!"
June's voice cut across the battlefield.
He had been preparing to support Vance when he saw Vireth lift her from the ground.
Now he was already running.
Vireth watched Mira's eyes begin to close.
"Your technique was impressive," he said. "Against a lesser opponent, it might even have succeeded."
Her movements weakened.
Her head tilted forward.
Vireth released her arm.
It fell limply against her side.
"Unfortunately, you chose poorly."
He threw her.
Mira's unconscious body flew several meters before striking the ground with a sickening impact.
She rolled once across the grass and came to rest on her side.
Motionless.
June's breath caught.
"Mira?"
No response.
Vireth looked toward her fallen body.
Sanguine Thorn rotated beside his shoulder.
"Die, assassin."
The rapier accelerated.
June moved.
"Kinetic Step!"
Energy surged through June's legs.
His boots tore through the grass as he launched himself across the battlefield.
The distance between him and Mira vanished in a desperate burst of speed.
He reached her just as the rapier descended.
"MIRA!"
June threw himself over her.
The blade struck his back.
Its narrow point pierced through the rear of his shoulder, driving through flesh and armor before emerging from the front.
June screamed.
The force of the impact drove him downward, his body collapsing over Mira's unconscious form.
The rapier continued pressing forward.
Its crimson point moved toward the girl beneath him.
June saw it.
Even through the blinding pain, he understood what would happen if the weapon advanced another inch.
He reached across his body.
His hand closed around the exposed blade.
The sharp metal cut into his palm.
Blood ran between his fingers.
But he held it.
His entire arm trembled.
"You're..."
He struggled to breathe.
"...not..."
The rapier pushed harder.
June's grip tightened.
"...touching her!"
Vireth watched from several meters away.
For the first time, something resembling surprise crossed his face.
"A remarkable display of loyalty."
June's face twisted in pain.
"Go... to hell."
Vireth's expression cooled.
"Such an unpleasant child."
Sanguine Thorn shifted.
The blade remained embedded through June's shoulder as its hilt rotated sharply.
Then the heavy guard struck him with a brutal blow.
June's head snapped sideways.
His grip loosened.
The strength disappeared from his arm.
His body collapsed completely over Mira, shielding her with what little remained of his strength.
Neither moved.
For several seconds, David couldn't process what he was seeing.
June lay sprawled across Mira.
Blood darkened the back of his uniform.
His kinetic baton rested several feet away, its energy core flickering weakly.
Mira remained motionless beneath him.
"June..."
David's voice barely carried.
Nyra stared toward their fallen friends.
Her expression changed from shock to horror.
"No..."
Vance had finally regained control of her body.
She turned just in time to see June collapse.
"JUNE! MIRA!"
She started toward them.
Vireth stepped into her path.
"Your attention belongs here, Commander."
Vance raised her sword.
"Get out of my way!"
She attacked with a fury David had never seen from her before.
Her blade struck Vireth's longsword.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
Radiant energy surged around her shield as she drove forward, forcing the Blood Ascendant to defend against a rapid succession of strikes.
But Vireth remained composed.
He redirected each attack.
Then he slammed his longsword against her shield.
The impact sent Vance backward.
David caught her before she fell.
"Commander!"
"I'm fine."
She pulled away from him, breathing heavily.
Her eyes moved toward June and Mira.
Neither had moved.
Vance's jaw tightened.
"David, Nyra. Stay focused."
Nyra looked at her.
"But they're—"
"I know."
The commander's voice trembled for the briefest moment.
Then it hardened.
"I know. But if we fall here, nobody reaches them."
David looked toward June.
He wanted to run to him.
To check whether he was breathing.
To pull the rapier from his shoulder.
To do something.
Anything.
But Vireth stood between them.
And the Blood Ascendant was smiling.
"How fascinating," Vireth said. "Humans continue to sacrifice themselves for one another, even when the outcome is inevitable."
David turned toward him.
His Claw Gauntlets trembled.
"Shut up."
Vireth raised an eyebrow.
"Anger?"
David stepped forward.
"Don't talk about them."
"Then perhaps you should have protected them."
David lunged.
"Predator Step!"
System:
Predator Step — Activated
He accelerated across the grass, his Claw Gauntlets cutting toward Vireth's throat.
The Fallen intercepted with his longsword.
David twisted.
His second claw swept toward Vireth's exposed ribs.
Sanguine Thorn appeared between them.
Metal shrieked against metal.
David forced himself forward.
"Cosmic Spatial Severance!"
System:
Cosmic Spatial Severance — Activated
A narrow spatial distortion formed along his extended claws.
Vireth immediately dissolved into crimson mist.
The attack passed through empty air.
System:
Cosmic Spatial Severance — Target Evaded
David turned.
Vireth emerged behind him.
A crimson tendril snapped around his ankle.
David lost his footing.
Before he could recover, Vireth struck him across the back with the flat of his longsword.
The impact drove David into the ground.
Pain shot through his ribs.
He rolled instinctively.
Sanguine Thorn plunged into the earth where his head had been.
David scrambled backward.
"Shadow Step!"
System:
Shadow Step — Activated
He disappeared into the shadow cast by Vireth's extended weapon.
When he reappeared beside Nyra, he was breathing hard.
His arms shook.
The repeated use of his abilities was beginning to take its toll.
Nyra stepped closer.
"David, you can't keep attacking him alone."
He looked at her.
"June and Mira—"
"I know."
Her voice was strained.
She glanced toward their fallen friends.
"I know, David. But we have to stay together."
Vance joined them.
Her shield had developed several visible fractures.
Blood ran from a cut near her temple.
"Listen carefully," she said. "His mist movement gives him an advantage whenever we commit to a direct attack. We need to force him into a position where he can't simply evade."
David looked toward Vireth.
"He's watching for Cosmic Spatial Severance."
"Then we use that."
Nyra turned toward her.
"Commander?"
"He knows David can hurt him. Every time David prepares the ability, Vireth changes his position. That means he's reacting to the threat."
Vance raised her sword.
"We make him react where we want him to."
David understood.
"Force him toward your shield."
"Exactly."
Nyra tightened her grip on her swords.
"I can restrict his movement with Cyclone Domain."
Vance nodded.
"Do it."
Across the plains, Vireth watched them gather.
"Planning another coordinated attack?"
He smiled.
"Please. I'm beginning to enjoy your persistence."
Nyra stepped forward.
"Cyclone Domain!"
Wind erupted around her.
The air twisted into a broad rotating field, sending grass and loose stones spiraling upward.
Vireth glanced toward the gathering currents.
"Interesting."
Nyra extended both swords.
The rotating winds compressed around the Blood Ascendant, restricting the directions in which he could move without passing through the violent currents.
Vance charged.
"Aegis Dominion!"
Her shield expanded.
David moved along the opposite side.
"Predator Step!"
System:
Predator Step — Activated
The three attacks converged.
Vireth raised his longsword.
Nyra's winds pressed inward.
Vance's shield struck from the front.
David prepared his Claw Gauntlets.
"Cosmic Spatial Severance!"
System:
Cosmic Spatial Severance — Activated
Space began to distort.
Vireth's eyes shifted toward David.
For a moment, he appeared trapped between the approaching attacks.
Then his expression changed.
"Crimson Dominion."
The blood spilled across the battlefield began to move.
Thin streams rose from the grass.
Drops scattered during the fighting gathered into twisting strands, joining together beneath Vireth's outstretched hand.
The strands hardened.
Crimson spears erupted upward between the three attackers.
Nyra twisted away.
Vance raised her shield.
David redirected his spatial attack, severing the nearest spear before it could strike his chest.
The cutting plane continued forward.
Vireth dissolved into mist.
But this time, the surrounding winds disrupted his movement.
The crimson vapor scattered across the edge of Nyra's Cyclone Domain.
For an instant, Vireth's form became visible inside the swirling currents.
David saw him.
"Commander! Left!"
Vance turned.
Her shield slammed toward the emerging figure.
The impact struck Vireth across the shoulder.
He slid backward.
Nyra immediately followed with Tempest Dance, her blades cutting through the air in rapid succession.
Vireth blocked the first strike.
The second scraped across his armor.
David attacked from behind.
His Claw Gauntlets flashed.
Vireth twisted.
The blades missed his throat but struck his mantle, tearing through the crimson-lined fabric.
For several seconds, Gamma Squad forced him to defend.
Then Vireth stopped retreating.
His longsword struck Vance's shield.
The floating rapier intercepted Nyra.
A crimson tendril caught David around the waist and hurled him backward.
The coordinated attack collapsed.
Vireth straightened his damaged mantle.
"Better."
His eyes moved between them.
"Much better."
Vance struggled to regain her footing.
Nyra lowered her swords, breathing heavily.
David pushed himself upright.
Vireth looked toward the distant bodies of June and Mira.
"Unfortunately, your numbers are dwindling."
David followed his gaze.
June still hadn't moved.
Neither had Mira.
The sight tightened something inside his chest.
Vireth returned his attention to the remaining defenders.
"Three against one."
He slowly raised his blood-forged longsword.
"Shall we see how long that lasts?"
Farther across the plains, Castiel barely avoided having his throat opened.
Vaerik's Nightreaver blade passed within inches of his face, its curved edge leaving a thin crimson trail through the air.
Castiel stepped backward.
His Shadow Blade rose to intercept the follow-up strike.
The weapons collided.
Vaerik pressed forward.
Castiel's boots slid across the grass.
Lucian attacked from the side.
"Crimson Threads!"
Thin strands of blood energy extended from his Bloodcrest Blade, twisting around Vaerik's sword arm.
The Fallen lieutenant glanced at them.
"An imitation."
Lucian tightened the threads.
"Still works."
Vaerik smiled faintly.
"Does it?"
Crimson mist erupted around his arm.
The threads darkened.
Then they snapped.
Lucian's eyes widened.
Vaerik drove his shoulder into Castiel, forcing him backward, then turned toward Lucian with his curved blade already descending.
Lucian raised his Bloodcrest Blade.
The impact nearly tore the weapon from his hands.
He staggered.
Vaerik followed with another strike.
Lucian blocked.
A third came immediately.
He barely avoided it.
Castiel disappeared into shadow.
"Shadow Veil."
He emerged behind Vaerik, his Shadow Blade cutting toward the Fallen's exposed back.
Vaerik turned without hesitation.
"Crimson Shade."
Dark red shadows spread around his feet.
His body shifted sideways, leaving a faint crimson afterimage where he had stood.
Castiel's blade passed through the fading outline.
Vaerik appeared beside him.
Nightreaver flashed.
Castiel raised his sword.
The impact sent a sharp vibration through his arm.
He retreated.
Vaerik followed.
"You rely too heavily on darkness," the Fallen lieutenant observed.
Castiel narrowed his eyes.
"Funny. I was about to say the same thing about you."
Vaerik's expression hardened.
He attacked again.
Castiel met him blade for blade, but the difference in strength was becoming impossible to ignore.
Every exchange forced him backward.
Every blocked strike sent pain through his wrists and shoulders.
Lucian tried to create openings with Crimson Threads, but Vaerik's control over blood allowed him to disrupt the formations before they could fully develop.
The Fallen was not merely stronger.
He understood their abilities.
And he was using that understanding against them.
Lucian ducked beneath another sweeping strike.
"Any brilliant ideas?"
Castiel blocked Vaerik's next attack.
"Working on one."
"Could you work faster?"
Vaerik stepped between them.
His Nightreaver blade swept toward Lucian's shoulder.
Lucian twisted away, but the curved edge caught his armor.
A narrow line of blood appeared beneath the damaged plate.
Lucian hissed.
Vaerik immediately raised his free hand.
"Hemorrhage Edge."
Crimson energy spread along Nightreaver.
The weapon's edge darkened.
Castiel recognized the danger.
"Lucian, don't block that!"
Lucian barely managed to leap backward.
The empowered blade struck the ground.
A long crimson cut opened through the grass and soil, extending several meters beyond the point of impact.
Lucian stared at the damage.
"Right. Definitely not blocking that."
Vaerik straightened.
"You've survived longer than expected."
Castiel raised his Shadow Blade.
"Disappointed?"
"Not particularly."
Vaerik glanced toward the distant battle.
Through the shifting dust and crimson mist, Vireth could be seen advancing against David, Nyra, and Vance.
Farther away, two human figures lay motionless on the grass.
Vaerik smiled.
"It appears my lord is nearly finished with your companions."
Castiel followed his gaze.
He saw June.
Mira.
Neither moving.
His expression changed.
Lucian saw them too.
"No..."
Vaerik attacked.
Castiel barely intercepted the strike.
The force drove him backward.
Vaerik leaned closer.
"Concerned?"
Castiel's grip tightened.
Vaerik smiled.
"Then perhaps I should end this quickly so you can join them."
Castiel shoved against the curved blade.
His Shadow Blade trembled beneath the pressure.
For the first time, he felt the limits of the technique he had relied upon throughout the Academy.
Rend was powerful.
But against an opponent like Vaerik, it wasn't enough.
He needed something stronger.
Something capable of cutting through the defenses that had stopped every attack he and Lucian had attempted.
A possibility formed in his mind.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
Something he had considered during training but never dared attempt in an actual battle.
Castiel glanced toward Lucian.
His friend was breathing heavily, blood staining the armor near his shoulder.
They couldn't continue like this.
Not for much longer.
"Lucian!"
Lucian blocked another attack.
"What?"
Castiel tightened his grip on his Shadow Blade.
"Buy me some time. I'm going to try something new."
Lucian stared at him.
"Of course you are. And I'm guessing this brilliant idea involves me getting stabbed?"
Castiel gave him a faint smile.
"Preferably not."
"Wonderful. Very reassuring."
Vaerik looked between them.
"Planning something?"
Lucian raised his Bloodcrest Blade.
"Actually, yes."
Crimson Threads began spreading from his weapon.
He stepped forward, placing himself between Vaerik and Castiel.
"And you're going to hate it."
Behind him, Castiel lowered his stance.
Darkness gathered around his Shadow Blade.
Not the familiar shadow energy he had used throughout his training.
Something denser.
Something deeper.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, concentrating on the structure of Rend.
The technique had always relied on releasing compressed shadow energy through the edge of his weapon.
But what if he stopped releasing it?
What if he continued compressing it instead?
The thought sent a cold sensation through his arms.
His muscles tightened.
The shadows around the blade began drawing inward.
Lucian attacked.
"Crimson Threads!"
Dozens of blood-red strands spread across the battlefield, forming overlapping lines designed to restrict Vaerik's movement.
Vaerik raised Nightreaver.
"Still relying on the same tricks?"
Lucian smiled through his exhaustion.
"Not exactly."
The threads changed direction.
Instead of closing around Vaerik, they anchored themselves into the ground and surrounding stones.
Lucian pulled.
The strands tightened into a shifting web.
Vaerik stepped backward.
For the first time, his movement was interrupted.
Lucian charged.
His Bloodcrest Blade flashed toward the Fallen's chest.
Vaerik blocked.
Lucian immediately followed with another strike.
Then another.
His attacks lacked the overwhelming strength necessary to defeat Vaerik, but they forced the Fallen lieutenant to keep responding.
Behind him, Castiel continued gathering darkness.
The Shadow Blade trembled.
A faint distortion appeared along its edge.
Castiel gritted his teeth.
The energy was becoming difficult to contain.
He could feel it pressing against his control, threatening to disperse before he could shape it.
Not yet.
He needed more time.
Lucian staggered beneath another strike.
Vaerik's Nightreaver blade scraped across his armor.
Blood ran down his side.
He ignored it.
"Come on, you overgrown bloodsucker!"
Vaerik's eyes narrowed.
"Mind your tongue."
"Make me."
Lucian attacked again.
Across the battlefield, David stood beside Nyra and Commander Vance.
All three were injured.
Their breathing had become uneven.
Vance's shield flickered.
Nyra's Wind Crest Swords still glowed, but the currents surrounding them had weakened.
David's Claw Gauntlets bore deep scratches from repeated clashes with Vireth's weapons.
The Blood Ascendant stood before them, seemingly untouched by exhaustion.
His blood-forged longsword rested at his side.
Sanguine Thorn floated beside his shoulder.
Crimson streams moved through the grass around his boots, gathering from the blood spilled during the battle.
Vireth regarded the three remaining defenders.
"You've fought admirably."
Nobody answered.
He tilted his head.
"Surely you understand by now that this cannot end in your favor."
Vance raised her sword.
"It ends when you leave this world."
Vireth smiled.
"Then I suspect you'll be disappointed."
David glanced toward Nyra.
She was watching Vireth carefully, her silver-white hair moving in the weakening wind.
He could see the exhaustion in her expression.
The strain in her arms.
The small movements she made to keep her injured shoulder from stiffening.
But when she noticed him looking, she gave him a faint smile.
"We're still here," she whispered.
David nodded.
"Yeah."
His gaze moved toward June and Mira.
They hadn't moved.
He forced himself to look away.
They were still here.
And as long as they could fight, he refused to believe this was over.
Vireth slowly raised his longsword.
The crimson energy surrounding him deepened.
"Very well."
Sanguine Thorn rotated toward Nyra.
Vance stepped forward.
David tightened his grip on his Claw Gauntlets.
And beneath the darkening sky of Kharos Vale, the three remaining defenders prepared to face the Blood Ascendant again.