Helmond lunged forward, claws flashing toward Zagan. But the moment they drew close, both of their bodies twitched violently, the cursed reaction between them surging like a storm through their veins.
Helmond's movements faltered for a split second.
Zagan's shadow form rippled unnaturally.
The closer they fought, the more unstable their bodies became. Their connection—meant for merging—was now a crippling disadvantage in battle.
Zagan clicked his tongue.
"Tch… fighting you directly is still irritating."
In the next instant, his body dissolved into shadow—
—and vanished.
Leo's eyes widened.
"Helmond—!"
A dark ripple burst across the ground behind them.
Zagan reappeared near the edge of the battlefield, where Alice was supporting the still-unconscious Rein.
Before either of them could react—
Two massive shadow tentacles whipped through the air.
SMACK!
Alice and Rein were struck hard and thrown to the ground, the force tearing through the grass as they slid several meters.
Zagan's voice echoed coldly.
"If I remove the weak ones first, the rest of you fall apart."
But before he could strike again—
A streak of light tore across the battlefield.
"Not happening."
Leo burst forward at full speed, his glowing blade cutting through the shadow tentacles that lashed toward him.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Each strike severed another limb of darkness as Leo forced his way through the barrage.
Then he raised his hand, light gathering violently in his palm.
"Lumina Energon!"
A brilliant beam of concentrated light exploded forward, slamming into Zagan and blasting him backward across the battlefield. The impact shattered trees and sent dust erupting into the air as the shadow demon was forced away from Alice and Rein.
Leo landed beside them immediately.
"Are you two okay?"
Alice winced but pushed herself up, lifting Rein onto her back.
"…We're fine," she said firmly.
Then she looked toward the battlefield where Zagan's shadow was already reforming.
"Don't waste time worrying about us."
She adjusted Rein's weight and began moving away from the battlefield.
"Focus on the fight."
Leo watched them retreat for only a second before turning back toward the rising darkness ahead.
Behind the smoke, Zagan's silhouette slowly emerged again.
The real battle was far from over.
Zagan teleports near Leo and starts fighting parrying every attack they're throwing at each other.
Leo's grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. Every muscle in his body screamed with resolve. He screamed with all his might as he drove the blade deep into the earth:
"LIGHT BREAKER!"
The ground beneath Zagan erupted in a blinding surge of light, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. The shadow demon's form convulsed violently as the radiant beam sliced through his arm, severing it with a sound like tearing steel.
Leo didn't hesitate. He became a storm of movement, slashing at Zagan with furious precision, each swing a streak of blinding light. The shadow tentacles flailed and twisted around him, but he carved through them relentlessly, forcing Zagan back, inch by agonizing inch. The ground shook, debris scattered, and the air crackled with the clash of darkness and radiance.
Zagan roared, his voice a guttural growl, and the severed arm twisted into a massive tentacle, lashing out to ensnare Leo. The dark limb coiled around him like a serpent, pinning him to the ground, dragging him across shattered rocks. Shadows surged, wrapping around his arms and legs, and for a moment, Leo felt the weight of impossibility pressing down.
Then Helmond appeared. Without hesitation, without fear, he threw himself between Leo and the shadow assault, his body a living shield. Every tentacle, every slash of darkness, pierced him instead, tearing into flesh and bone with horrifying precision. Helmond gritted his teeth, each movement a desperate, unflinching act of courage. Blood sprayed across the battlefield, a crimson veil in the storm of shadow and light.
Zagan's laughter echoed over the chaos. "You are a failure! You were made to become equal to our master, and this is all you manage? Speed? Instinct? Pathetic."
Helmond didn't falter. He locked eyes with Leo one final time, a silent message passing between them: "Protect them… I'll hold him."
With every ounce of his strength, Helmond moved like water, instinctively anticipating every tentacle, every dark strike, taking it all for Leo, until his body could take no more. Then, in a final, decisive strike from Zagan, Helmond was pierced across multiple points, collapsing to the ground.
For a heartbeat, time seemed to stop. The battlefield fell silent, save for the ragged sound of Leo's breathing and the distant shattering of shadows. Zagan, seeing the failed merge, laughed cruelly, a sound that froze Leo to his core:
"The merge… is over. You are a failure, dead man."
Memories flooded Leo all at once. The first time he and Rein had met Helmond, his frail body being cared for in that dim cave. Their training sessions, the countless battles defending Lucindor from Kharous Raine's invasion. The laughter, the moments of quiet friendship, the long nights spent strategizing.
Every memory sharpened the pain of loss. Helmond had given his life to save him.
Leo's hands shook violently as he rose to his knees beside his fallen friend. Tears burned his eyes, but he could not cry. Not yet. He placed a trembling hand on Helmond's shoulder, feeling the warmth leaving his friend's body. Every heartbeat that had carried them through the battle was now gone.
Anger and grief collided inside him. The battlefield blurred, the shadows swirling around Zagan became an unbearable roar. Leo's light flared brighter than ever, his sword glowing like a second sun. Every fiber of his being screamed for justice, for vengeance, for the friend who had given everything so that he could live.
And even as Helmond lay still, his sacrifice became the fuel for Leo's fury. He would not waste this gift. Every strike he made from this moment on would carry the weight of Helmond's life, his loyalty, his courage, and his unwavering love for his friends.
The battlefield had changed. The shadow had gained a terrifying presence, but so had Leo. And now, the fight was no longer just survival—it was honor, rage, and a promise written in blood and light.
Zagan paused, his shadowy form coiling across the battlefield, tentacles twitching with anticipation. He saw it—the change in Leo.
No longer the calm, strategic fighter. No longer the disciplined swordsman. Leo's eyes were hollow, glazed with grief and fury. His body was trembling, but he stood upright, drenched in Helmond's blood. The glowing blade in his hands shone like a miniature sun, casting long shadows across the ruined ground.
It was not strength that held him upright. Not awareness. Not reason. It was pure will, the last remnants of a broken mind refusing to collapse.
Alice clutched Rein's limp form to her chest, tears streaming down her face. Her legs shook. She couldn't move. She couldn't stop crying. She was the only conscious soul left in the chaos, watching the scene unfold.
Zagan's tentacles lashed out with deadly precision, slicing the air inches from Leo's head. Leo raised his sword to block, but his movements were sluggish, uncoordinated. His mind was elsewhere—lost to the horror of watching his friend die in front of him.
With a powerful sweep, Zagan's arm of darkness slammed into Leo, sending him flying across the battlefield. Dust and debris erupted, and Leo skidded across the shattered earth, barely able to lift his head. His sword remained glowing, but the energy wasn't enough.
Zagan hovered above him, tentacles rippling, shadows writhing like a living storm. He had won, and he knew it. Leo was no longer fighting with skill or precision. He was a broken warrior, fueled by rage, but incapable of striking back.
Alice screamed, clutching Rein tighter, as she watched Zagan's victory settle over the battlefield like a dark veil. The ground trembled with the aftermath of their clash. Leo, drenched in blood and grief, remained standing, but for all intents and purposes, the battle was lost.
The world felt impossibly heavy. Helmond's sacrifice, the chaos, the light of the sword—it all hung suspended in the air, a tragic monument to what had been lost.
Zagan's voice, low and mocking, cut through the silence:
"Your friend saved you… but at what cost? You are alone now."
And in that moment, Leo realized just how true it was. The battlefield was empty but for shadows, blood, and the echo of a friendship that had ended too soon.
The first light of dawn was creeping over the horizon, painting the sky in pale gold and soft pink. Zagan's shadow stretched long across the battlefield, looming over the aftermath of the fight. His eyes rested on Helmond's lifeless form, the creation of his master now lying wasted despite all the years of power and planning invested in him.
A flicker of disappointment passed over Zagan's face. "All this… for nothing," he muttered, the sound almost lost in the quiet hum of the awakening city.
Without hesitation, he turned and walked away, the cool morning air brushing past him as though the world itself held its breath. Helmond had defied his purpose, had chosen his own path—and in doing so, had failed to fulfill what he was made for.