The seven remaining mana-restraining cannons continued their bombardment.
One beam after another tore across the battlefield.
BOOOOM!
The Lumeris barrier shook violently.
Cracks spread across its surface.
Some sections were repaired almost immediately as the mages redirected mana into the damaged areas.
Others...
Could no longer be restored.
Small openings began appearing throughout the once-solid magical wall.
Emma gritted her teeth and forced another stream of power into the barrier.
Her arms trembled.
Her vision blurred.
Then her strength finally gave out.
She dropped to one knee.
"Miss Emma!"
An elderly mage beside her immediately turned.
"Fall back and recover."
Emma shook her head, struggling to stand again.
"I'm fine, sir."
"You are not."
The elder mage's voice hardened.
"That is an order."
Another beam struck the barrier.
The entire formation shook.
"Recover your mana and return when you are capable of maintaining a spell properly."
He looked directly at her.
"Now."
Emma clenched her jaw.
Every instinct told her to stay.
But she knew forcing herself any further would only make her a liability.
"...Yes, sir."
She lowered her staff.
Several other exhausted mages withdrew with her, slowly making their way toward the medical tents.
Emma glanced toward the rear of the camp.
Toward Mia.
I'll check on her first.
Something about the morning had felt wrong.
And that feeling had only grown stronger.
---
Inside the Growth Phase
"ARRGH!"
Riko was struck by the dragon's tail and thrown across the endless purple world.
He hit the glass-like ground and rolled again and again before finally coming to a stop.
Pain spread through his entire body.
His breathing came in short, uneven gasps.
Still...
The dragon continued advancing.
Each step made the world tremble.
Riko pushed himself upright.
"How..."
His legs nearly gave out.
"How am I supposed to fight that...?"
The colossal black dragon lowered its body.
Its wings unfolded.
Riko's eyes widened.
"No..."
The dragon launched into the air.
It passed overhead like a living shadow before turning sharply.
Riko immediately understood what was coming.
"No, no—"
He ran.
As fast as his body would allow.
"Fuck!"
The dragon descended.
BOOOOOOM!
Its landing shattered the purple surface beneath it.
Riko narrowly avoided the impact itself—
—but the shockwave caught him.
He was thrown forward and hit the ground hard.
Before he could recover...
A massive shadow appeared above him.
Riko looked up.
The dragon's forepaw was already descending.
BOOOOM!
Cracks spread outward in a perfect circle.
"ACK—!"
Riko's breath vanished as the weight pinned him against the fractured glass. Blood burst out from his mouth.. coughing violently,
His arms strained uselessly beneath the enormous claw.
He couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe properly.
Couldn't escape.
---
Outside the Growth Phase
SHATTER!
Leo's eyes widened.
The ancient magic circle beneath Mia suddenly fractured.
Within seconds, the entire formation shattered into countless purple fragments.
The pieces floated upward...
Then slowly faded into nothing.
"No..."
The Abyss shield surrounding Mia flickered.
The black crystal shards orbiting her body began slowing down.
One by one, they fell to the ground.
The protective dome vanished.
The immense heat pouring from Mia's body began to fade.
Her breathing weakened with it.
"Hu... Hu..."
A longer pause.
"...Hu..."
Another.
"...Hu..."
Leo's face went pale.
"Mia?"
No response.
He moved closer.
"Mia?"
Still nothing.
Panic seized him.
"MIA!"
He dropped beside her head and wrapped both arms around her.
The remaining heat stung his skin.
He didn't care.
"No..."
His voice broke.
"Don't give up!"
Tears gathered in his eyes.
"Please!"
"You can do this!"
He pressed his forehead against her scales.
"I'm right here!"
"So don't you dare give up now!"
His grip tightened.
"Please, Mia..."
"Come back."
---
Inside the Growth Phase
Riko's vision had begun to blur.
The dragon's claw pressed down harder.
His strength was disappearing.
Yet through the pain...
He heard something.
A voice.
Distant.
Trembling.
Desperate.
Mia!
Don't give up!
Riko's eyes widened slightly.
"...Leo..."
The enormous dragon stared down at him.
Cold blue eyes reflected his helpless form.
Riko tried to speak.
His voice barely emerged.
"L-Leo..."
His eyelids grew heavier.
"...I'm sor—"
The pressure increased. Riko coughed.
The dragon's voice rumbled through the shattered world.
"Pathetic."
Riko froze.
"You do not deserve this body."
The dragon lowered its head until one enormous blue eye filled his vision.
"You are merely another human..."
Its voice became colder.
"...waiting to die as a weakling."
Silence followed.
Riko's fingers curled against the cracked glass.
".....l..eo"
-----
Near the destroyed mana-restraining cannon...
----
A hand twitched beneath the settling dust.
"...Ghh..."
Tai slowly pushed himself upright.
Every muscle screamed in protest.
His ears rang relentlessly.
A high-pitched whine drowned out the battlefield.
His vision swam, the world refusing to stay still.
"...Damn..."
He staggered forward, nearly collapsing again.
The lingering mana-restraining field still clung to the area, weighing on his body like invisible chains.
Even breathing felt heavier.
Then his eyes found the shattered remains of one of his revolvers.
The cylinder had been ripped apart.
Tai stared at it for a second before letting out a tired sigh.
"...There goes the expensive one."
A faint, bitter chuckle escaped him.
His remaining revolver was still secured in its holster.
A few meters away...
His black steel hatchet lay half-buried in the dirt.
Tai dragged himself toward it.
One slow step.
Then another.
His legs threatened to give out beneath him.
Finally...
He reached it.
His fingers wrapped around the handle.
"...Got you."
The moment he lifted it—
THUD!
A heavy kick slammed into his ribs.
Tai was sent tumbling across the ground.
"Cough!"
Blood splattered onto the dirt.
He rolled twice before finally stopping.
Breathing heavily, he forced himself to look up.
"..."
Aerys.
The Norvoss general stood only a short distance away.
He looked no better.
His armor was shattered in several places.
Blood soaked the bandages wrapped around his abdomen.
He managed three slow steps...
Before dropping to one knee.
His battle axe struck the ground to keep him from collapsing completely.
For a moment...
Neither man moved.
Aerys reached up and tore away what remained of his ruined breastplate.
The broken armor crashed onto the dirt beside him.
He raised his eyes toward Tai.
"Get up."
His voice was hoarse.
"You and I..."
He tightened his grip on the axe.
"...are not finished."
Tai coughed again.
"Cough... cough..."
He wiped the blood from the corner of his snout with the back of his glove.
A tired grin slowly appeared.
"...Figures..You wouldn't stay down.huh?"
He pulled himself back onto his feet.
His hatchet rested comfortably in his hand once more.
Tai rolled one shoulder, wincing at the pain.
"Guess..."
"...that's something we've got in common."
He lowered into his familiar fighting stance.
"...Alright."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Come on, then."
Across from him...
Aerys slowly stood as well.
Neither man spoke again.
There was nothing left to say.
Only one duel remained unfinished.
Both stepped forward at the same time.
Steel met steel.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Steel rang across the battlefield.
Neither warrior had anything left to spare.
Every swing was slower than before.
Every block came a fraction later.
Their bodies had long since reached their limits.
Yet neither of them stopped.
Tai slipped beneath a sweeping axe and brought his hatchet upward.
Aerys caught it on the haft of his own weapon, forcing it away.
The impact sent both men staggering.
Tai attacked again.
Aerys blocked.
Aerys retaliated.
Tai parried.
The exchange grew increasingly desperate, each strike fueled more by sheer determination than strength.
Then their weapons locked once again.
For a brief instant, neither could overpower the other.
Aerys suddenly lunged forward.
THUD!
He smashed his forehead into Tai's face.
Tai stumbled backward, stars exploding across his vision.
Aerys didn't hesitate.
His battle axe came crashing down.
Tai twisted aside at the last possible moment.
The blade swept past his snout, missing by mere inches before burying itself into the earth.
Tai stepped in.
His hatchet flashed toward Aerys' weapon arm.
SLASH!
The blade bit into the general's forearm.
Aerys grunted but answered immediately.
His armored boot slammed into Tai's chest.
THUMP!
Tai was thrown backward, skidding across the blood-soaked ground.
Both men remained still for several seconds.
Tai coughed, wiping fresh blood from his mouth.
Then he lowered his center of gravity.
Across from him...
Aerys slowly lifted his axe once more.
Their eyes met.
With a roar, both charged.
"RAAAAH!"
Aerys raised his axe high overhead.
Tai spun with his entire body, pouring every remaining ounce of strength into a single strike.
For one heartbeat...
Time seemed to stop.
Then—
SLASH!!
SPLASH!!
"GRAAAH!"
"ARRGH!"
Tai's hatchet buried itself deep into Aerys' abdomen.
At the very same instant—
Aerys' axe crashed into Tai's right shoulder.
Steel split flesh.
Blood erupted from both wounds.
The two warriors froze only inches apart.
Neither released their weapon.
Neither looked away.
Their jaws clenched against the unbearable pain.
For a long moment...
They simply stared at one another.
Then their strength finally gave out.
Aerys dropped to one knee.
Tai followed a heartbeat later.
Aerys let out a weak, ragged laugh.
"...Ha..ha.."
"...Good..."
His fingers slipped from the axe.
The general fell backward onto the battlefield.
Tai exhaled shakily.
"...Yeah..."
A tired grin appeared despite the blood running down his arm.
"...That..."
"...fucking hurt."
His hatchet slid from his grasp.
He collapsed onto his back, staring up at the smoke-filled sky.
Around them...
The battle still raged.
But for the two warriors lying amidst the bloodstained earth...
The world had become strangely quiet.