The valley went completely silent.
No wind.
No movement.
Even the dust seemed to hang in the air.
Hiroto stood at one end of the shattered battlefield.
The Herald stood at the other.
Both still.
Both ready.
Akari felt it in her chest.
"…This is it…"
The Watcher didn't speak.
Even he knew, The next exchange would decide everything.
The Herald moved first.
It vanished.
Hiroto didn't react immediately.
He closed his eyes.
For a split second—
Everything slowed.
The battlefield.
The air.
The shadow.
He felt it.
The Herald's movement.
Not with sight.
But through the space itself.
His eyes snapped open.
He moved.
Both appeared mid-field at the same time.
Their attacks collided but this time, Hiroto didn't push outward.
He pulled inward.
The shadow around his arm compressed into a single point.
Dense.
Heavy.
The Herald struck.
Hiroto stepped inside the attack.
Too close for it to adjust.
Akari's eyes widened.
"…He changed the distance!"
The Herald tried to counter but its movement was delayed by a fraction.
That was enough.
Hiroto's fist landed.
Directly at the core of the Herald's chest.
For a moment Nothing happened.
Then a deep, cracking sound echoed across the valley.
The Herald's body froze.
Light fractured outward from the point of impact.
"Critical… disruption…"
Hiroto didn't move.
His fist remained pressed forward.
The shadow surged once—
Not outward.
But inward.
The Herald's light collapsed into itself.
Then It exploded.
A massive burst of energy tore across the battlefield.
The shockwave threw everyone back.
Akari shielded herself as the blast passed.
Yui was knocked off her feet again.
The Enforcer dug his blade into the ground.
"…Damn…"
When the light faded the Herald stood.
But barely.
Its wings were broken.
Its body flickered violently.
Cracks of darkness spread across its form.
For the first time It was unstable.
"Severe damage… confirmed…"
Hiroto stepped back slightly.
Breathing heavily.
His body was at its absolute limit.
"…You're done."
The Herald remained silent for a moment.
Then Its wings slowly folded.
"Correction… incomplete…"
It looked at Hiroto one last time.
"Subject… will be re-evaluated."
The light around its body intensified suddenly.
The Watcher shouted:
"…It's withdrawing!"
In a flash the Herald shot back into the sky.
The clouds closed behind it.
And just like that It was gone.
Silence.
Real silence this time.
The pressure disappeared.
The sky returned to normal.
The battlefield… was ruined.
Hiroto stood alone at the center.
For a few seconds He didn't move.
Then The shadow around him faded.
Completely.
His legs gave out.
He collapsed.
"…Hiroto!"
Akari ran to him immediately, catching him before he hit the ground.
Yui rushed over as well.
"Hiroto! Stay with us!"
He barely opened his eyes.
"…We… won…?"
Akari nodded, her voice shaking slightly.
"…Yeah."
"…You did."
Behind them, The ancient sentinel slowly lowered itself.
Its glowing eyes dimmed.
The runes faded.
Then It began sinking back into the earth.
Returning to its slumber.
The valley fell quiet once more.
The war… was over.
For now.
To be continued…