Uzo reached first.
The ground shook under his boots as he pushed through the battlefield, smashing aside lesser undead that tried to block his path. Bone cracked under his hammer with each swing, the dull crunch of skulls breaking mixing with the distant screams of soldiers and the constant clash of steel.
When he finally broke through, he saw them.
Kael stood ahead, calm and unmoving, facing the undead swordsman. The creature's posture was unnatural, its body slightly tilted as if it had forgotten what balance meant, yet its blade was steady, angled perfectly toward Kael's throat.
Not far from them, Silvar circled the headless horseman, low to the ground, muscles coiled. The massive undead rider sat tall on its burning mount, blue flames licking across its armor as if the fire itself was alive.
Uzo tightened his grip on his hammer and rushed forward.
"I'm here to help!"
The swordsman moved instantly.
Its blade dragged across the ground as it stepped forward, carving a deep line through the dirt before stopping just in front of Uzo. The sound of metal grinding against stone echoed sharply, forcing Uzo to halt as dust rose between them.
The creature lifted its head slowly, hollow eyes locking onto him.
"Back… off…"
Its voice sounded broken, like dry bones scraping together.
Uzo clenched his teeth and pushed forward anyway, but Kael's voice cut through the tension.
"Leave him. Go help the others."
Uzo paused.
For a moment, the battlefield noise faded behind him. He looked at Kael, searching his face for hesitation, for doubt, for anything that suggested he needed help.
There was nothing.
Just calm… and something colder beneath it.
Uzo exhaled sharply. "Alright… don't die before I get back."
He turned and ran toward Silvar.
"Well, I guess it's you and me now," he muttered as he approached the wolf.
Silvar let out a low growl without looking at him, its eyes fixed on the horseman as if answering, Don't slow me down.
A shadow dropped from above.
Zara landed beside them, blades already drawn, her wings folding behind her as she scanned the enemy.
"Count me in," she said, her voice steady despite the chaos.
Uzo glanced at the towering figure on the burning horse. "Do we even know what that thing is?"
Zara didn't take her eyes off it. "Does it matter?"
Before either of them could say more, a sharp, piercing neigh tore through the air.
The horseman moved.
Its mount slammed its hooves into the ground with a heavy thud, sending cracks through the earth as it charged forward, flames trailing behind it like a storm.
Silvar didn't wait.
With a deep roar, the wolf launched itself forward, claws cutting through the air as it aimed straight for the rider.
The impact came fast.
A flash of metal appeared from nowhere as the horseman's halberd intercepted the strike mid-air. The clash rang out, a sharp metallic crack that echoed across the battlefield as Silvar was forced back, its claws scraping against the weapon.
Before the wolf could recover, Uzo was already moving.
His hammer swung from behind with full force, cutting through the air with a loud whistle before crashing into the halberd with a thunderous boom.
The impact shook the ground.
Uzo gritted his teeth, veins bulging in his arms as he pushed forward, trying to force the weapon down.
It didn't move.
The horseman held it steady with one arm.
Zara saw the opening.
She dropped from above, her blade cutting down toward the rider's neck, the air slicing sharply around her as she struck.
The blade connected.
But it didn't cut.
A dull, heavy sound echoed instead, like steel hitting stone.
Her eyes widened for a split second.
That was all it took.
The horseman moved its halberd.
The force behind the swing sent Uzo flying, his body crashing through the ground as dirt and bone scattered around him. At the same time, its free hand shot upward, grabbing for Zara.
She twisted mid-air, barely escaping as the massive hand passed inches from her body.
A blur of silver cut through the space between them.
Silvar lunged again, faster this time, aiming for the horse's legs—but the halberd came down instantly.
The impact landed with a heavy thud against Silvar's skull, sending the wolf crashing into the ground. Blood splattered across its silver fur as it slid back, claws digging into the dirt.
Uzo pushed himself up, wiping blood from his mouth with a shaky hand.
"Yeah… that hurt," he muttered, then tightened his grip on his hammer and charged again.
Not far away, Lina and Jide were already struggling.
The lich stood calmly in front of them, its tattered cloak swaying slightly as if there was a wind no one else could feel. Around them, bone spikes erupted from the ground without warning, tearing through Lina's summoned echoes as if they were nothing.
Jide fired another wave of energy spears, the air humming as they shot forward, piercing through the undead surrounding them.
The lich raised its hand lazily.
The ground answered.
More spikes burst upward, forcing both of them back as the battlefield around them twisted under its control.
"Is this really the best you can offer?" the lich said, its voice echoing strangely, layered and distorted. "I expected more from those who stand beside the Devourer."
Lina's hands trembled as she summoned more echoes, her breathing uneven.
"Shut up!!!"
Her voice broke as she pushed more power into her ability, the translucent figures rushing forward again.
Jide stepped beside her, forming another barrier as undead clawed at them from all sides.
"Lina, focus!" he said, his voice strained.
Something felt wrong.
The air around them had changed. The whispers weren't just in the background anymore—they were inside their heads, pressing against their thoughts, pulling at their focus.
A sharp sound cut through the noise.
A bone spike pierced through Jide's side.
"Ahh—!"
His body jerked as the spike tore through him, dark energy spreading from the wound like poison.
"Jide!!!"
Lina rushed toward him as he forced his hands up, forming a barrier around them. The shield shimmered weakly as claws and weapons slammed against it from outside.
The lich tilted its head, watching them.
"You are weak," it said calmly. "Too weak to stand beside him."
Its hand rose slowly, dark energy gathering above it, swirling into something dense and heavy.
"Let's end this."
Back at the center, steel clashed.
Kael didn't move first.
The swordsman did.
Its body twisted unnaturally as it stepped in, the blade slicing toward Kael's neck with a sharp whistle that cut through the air.
Kael didn't flinch.
Kōsetsu appeared in his hand, the white blade meeting the attack with perfect timing. The impact sent a clear metallic sound through the battlefield as sparks flickered between them.
The swordsman didn't stop.
It flowed into the next strike immediately, its movements jerky yet precise, as if each motion ignored the limits of a normal body.
Kael stepped back once, then forward.
Their blades met again.
And again.
Each clash came faster than the last, the sound of steel ringing continuously as the space around them blurred with motion. Dust lifted from the ground with every step they took, their movements carving shallow lines into the battlefield.
The swordsman's attacks weren't fast.
They weren't sharp.
But they were always in the right place.
Kael narrowed his eyes slightly.
He adjusted.
His grip shifted.
The next strike came—and this time, he didn't block.
He moved.
The blade passed just beside him, missing by a hair as he stepped inside the swordsman's range and drove his own weapon forward.
The swordsman twisted.
The attack missed.
A counter came instantly, forcing Kael back as the rhythm of the fight shifted again.
Around them, the battlefield was collapsing.
Uzo crashed into the ground nearby, his arm hanging at an unnatural angle, blood soaking through it.
A loud howl followed.
Silvar was caught.
The horseman had grabbed the wolf mid-motion, its flames burning brighter as it slammed Silvar into the ground with enough force to crack the earth beneath them.
Zara rushed in from above, but the horseman swung Silvar's body toward her.
The impact sent both of them crashing down.
Dust rose.
Neither moved.
A green blast echoed from the other side as Jide's barrier shattered, the force throwing both him and Lina across the ground.
Silence fell for a moment.
Not complete silence—but something close.
The sounds of battle dimmed.
Kael stood still.
Blood ran down his arm, dripping from his fingers as Kōsetsu rested at his side.
The swordsman stood untouched.
For the first time, Kael looked past his opponent.
He saw Uzo struggling to stand.
He saw Zara lying still.
He saw Silvar trying to rise again, its legs shaking.
He saw Lina crawling toward Jide's unmoving body.
Something tightened in his chest.
Then something else replaced it.
He smiled.
Not out of joy.
Not out of excitement.
Something colder.
"I think…" he said quietly, his voice barely carrying over the battlefield, "it's time we stop playing."
The air changed.
A low pressure spread outward from him, subtle at first, then growing heavier.
The ground beneath his feet cracked softly as something unseen expanded.
[System Notification]
[Authority Output Increasing…]
[Domain Expansion: Partial Release Detected]
[Warning: External Entities Reacting]
Far behind the battlefield, the lich paused.
The horseman stopped.
The swordsman's head tilted slightly.
They felt it.
Kael lifted his blade.
And the battlefield held its breath.