As Aria, Selena, Eryk, Leon, and Orin clashed in their own desperate battles, the remaining seven monsters broke formation and surged toward Ronan's group like a collapsing wave of claws and malformed limbs.
"Formation!" Ronan barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The command snapped through the clearing instantly.
Sylphie reacted first. Green light flashed beneath her boots as Wood Magic spread outward in pulsing veins across the ground. Vines erupted from the earth with violent force, twisting through the air like living serpents. Roots cracked through stone and dirt, coiling around the monsters' legs and torsos. Several humanoid creatures staggered mid-charge as bark-like tendrils wrapped around their joints, locking them in place.
The scent of torn earth filled the air.
Garrick moved without hesitation.
Shield raised, sword held low, he planted himself between Sylphie and the incoming threats. His one-handed guard looked almost too small against the monsters' crushing strength, yet he met each impact head-on. Steel rang against claw and bone. Every strike he blocked sent a vibration through his injured arm, but he never yielded ground. He intercepted attacks aimed at Sylphie before they could reach her, pivoting with precise footwork despite the uneven terrain.
His role was simple. Protect her. Darius became a blur of motion.
Thunder danced along the shaft of his spear while wind spiralled around him in sharp currents. Every thrust split the air with a crackling shriek. Lightning-laced gusts exploded outward from each strike, tearing through flesh and scattering embers into the darkness. Monsters stumbled beneath the force, bodies carved apart by storm-infused precision.
Nearby, Ronan fought like a burning blade.
Flames curled around his fingers and wrapped along his sword edge, each swing leaving arcs of molten orange in the air. Sweat ran down the side of his face, mixing with soot and blood. Heat rolled off him in waves as he drove forward relentlessly, refusing to give the monsters room to breathe.
The clearing became noise. Steel. Cracking roots. Thunder. Roars. Heavy breathing.
Then, with one final synchronised strike, the last monster collapsed.
For half a second, silence settled. Bodies hit the dirt. Breathing echoed.
Smoke drifted through the trees. Then the fire spread.
Stray embers landed among brittle leaves and dry bark. Flames crawled across roots first, then leapt upward with sudden hunger. Trees ignited one after another, orange light devouring the forest edge. Heat pressed against their skin as smoke thickened overhead, twisting shadows across the clearing.
Branches cracked inside the growing blaze.
And then— The man at the altar stood. The movement was slow. Deliberate.
Aether pulsed from his body in thick waves. The shrivelled figure they had seen before was gone. Flesh no longer hung weakly from bone. Strength rolled beneath his skin now, unnatural vitality flowing through him like poison reborn. His eyes glowed with something ancient and wrong.
The firelight reflected against his face.
He smiled.
"Well, well…" His gaze settled on Ronan and Orin. "I never thought I'd see you two again."
The sound of his voice sent a cold weight through Ronan's chest.
"Fate is truly kind to me. To think that the very boys who stood beside Alden when he struck me down would appear before me once more."
Ronan's grip tightened around his sword. His hands shook. Not from fear. The memory hit him too fast—the blood, the destruction, the certainty that this monster had died.
"How the hell are you alive?" Ronan's voice came low, rough. "We watched you die."
The man's smile widened. "Thanks to all of you…" He spread his arms slightly, black Aether curling from his fingertips. "I finally attained what I lacked."
His eyes drifted toward the altar. "Freedom from binding."
Kael inhaled sharply beside him, sweat dripping down his temple.
"Damn it," he muttered, scanning the clearing. "My Aether's nearly gone."
Ronan barely heard him. Anger surged hotter than the surrounding flames. He charged. Sword raised. Boots slammed through dirt.
"Why gain power like this?!" Ronan roared. "Why sacrifice people?!"
The man laughed. The sound echoed unnaturally through the burning forest. Black Aether exploded outward.
Ronan reacted instantly. Molten fire condensed before him into a blazing shield. The impact came like a mountain. The barrier fractured instantly.
Cracks spread across the molten surface. Then it shattered. The force launched Ronan backwards. Dirt tore beneath his boots as he skidded violently across the clearing, breath ripped from his lungs.
Before he could recover, shadows moved. Sylphie's vines shot across the ground. They wrapped around Ronan's torso and arm, yanking him sideways just as fragments of black energy tore through the space he had occupied.
The man's head turned. His eyes landed on Sylphie. "You'll die first." He lunged. Fast.
"STOP!" Ronan shouted, forcing himself upright. His legs nearly buckled beneath him.
The distance vanished instantly. But just before the man reached her, another figure stepped forward. Broad shoulders. Broken armour. Shield raised. Garrick.
"You want to kill her?" Garrick said quietly. He planted his feet. "Try me." The man sneered. Dark energy wrapped around his fist. The punch landed. The sound was sickening. Metal exploded.
Garrick's shield shattered into fragments. The force folded his arm backwards with a sharp crack that echoed through the clearing. "AAGH!"
Pain twisted across Garrick's face, but he did not fall. His knees buckled. His breathing hitched. Still, he stayed standing. His ruined left arm hung uselessly at his side. Slowly, grimacing through trembling muscles, he shifted his sword into his right hand.
The man stepped closer. Garrick swung. The upward slash came raw and desperate. Steel scraped through dark Aether and cut across the man's chest. A thin line opened.\ The man stepped back. Just one step. But it was enough.
Garrick collapsed to one knee, breath ragged, blood dripping from his fingers. He had bought them time. Ronan forced himself upright again, vision sharpening through the pain. They couldn't overpower him. Not like this.
"Everyone! Regroup!" Kael shouted. They pulled back quickly. Ronan turned toward Sylphie.
"We can't beat him directly," Ronan said, breathing hard. "We stall. We survive until Mr. Alden gets here."
He grabbed Orin's shoulder. "Sylphie. Boost us. Full Agility."
Sylphie stared at him. At the trembling in their arms. At the blood. "At full output…" Her voice wavered slightly. "Your bodies may not survive it."
"Do it."
No hesitation. No room for debate. Sylphie swallowed. Then nodded. Green light spread across her palms as she pressed them against their backs. Warm energy surged into Ronan's spine. It flooded through his muscles like liquid lightning.
"Don't die," she whispered. Orin tightened his grip on his spear.
His arm trembled. "My body's already breaking," he muttered. "Push this too hard, and we'll tear ourselves apart."
Ronan never looked away from the enemy. "I know." The world sharpened. Sound stretched. Heat-bent. Then they moved. The ground exploded beneath them. They vanished.
The man's eyes widened slightly as Ronan and Orin appeared on opposite sides of him. Aether tendrils lashed outward.
Ronan ducked beneath one strike, blade scraping violently against the man's barrier. Sparks burst outward.
Orin spun overhead, vaulting past a sweeping arm and driving his spear toward the shoulder guard.
Clang.
Clash.
Metal screamed.
For two minutes, the clearing became chaos. They moved faster than exhaustion should have allowed. Faster than bodies that are broken should permit.
They weren't trying to win. They were buying seconds. Every dodge stretched muscles to the point of tearing. Every acceleration felt like bones grinding apart beneath flesh.
Ronan's lungs burned. His heartbeat hammered against his ribs like a war drum. Sweat blurred his vision. Still, he moved. Still, Orin moved.
At the edge of the battlefield, Darius stepped forward. Lightning crawled up his spear. "I'm going in."
"No." Kael grabbed his arm.
"Let go," Darius snarled. "They're dying out there."
"Wait." Kael's eyes shimmered faintly.
He ignored the battle. Ignored the screams. Ignored the fire. His focus narrowed entirely. Watching. Tracing. Following the movement of Aether through the clearing. "You can't break his barrier in melee," Kael said through clenched teeth. "I'm looking for the source."
Darius stared at him. "Be ready when I find it." Darius exhaled sharply. Then lowered his spear.
At the centre of the clearing, Ronan staggered. The boost was fading. His legs felt heavier. His breathing broke apart.
The man smiled. "Too slow." He pivoted.
A knee slammed into Orin's stomach. Air burst from Orin's lungs. His body flew backwards and crashed into the dirt. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Orin!" Ronan turned.
For a single second. That was enough. The man's backhand struck him across the face. Ronan spun through the air before slamming beside Kael. The earth hit hard.
His ears rang. "It's over," the man said, walking toward them. "Your little dance is finished."
Kael suddenly grabbed Ronan's arm. "Ronan." His voice dropped low. Urgent. "I found it." Ronan looked over. Kael's eyes locked onto the altar. "The array core. It's connected to where he sat."
Ronan followed his gaze. Understanding came instantly. "Darius!" Ronan shouted. "Spear!"
No hesitation. Darius threw it. Ronan caught the weapon. Pain shot through his shoulder. He spun. Then hurled it with everything left inside him. The spear flew past the enemy. Missed completely. It embedded itself near the burning trees.
The man laughed. "You missed," Ronan said nothing. He inhaled slowly. His body already screamed from Sylphie's enhancement. But he forced deeper.
Void Overdrive.
Crimson cracks spread beneath his skin. Pain detonated through every nerve. His muscles tightened violently. Blood vessels burned. His vision trembled.
He raised his hand. The fire surrounding the embedded spear responded. Flames surged upward. Compressed heat until the inferno became blinding. The spear vanished within white-orange fire. His concentration narrowed entirely. He became exposed.
Open.
The man noticed instantly. "You're distracted." Black miasma gathered into a dense sphere. "Die." The attack was launched. Straight toward Ronan's chest.
Ronan didn't move. He couldn't. His focus remained locked on the flames. "Ronan, look out!" Kael moved. He threw himself forward. Hands raised. "Clay Aegis!" Hexagonal layers formed rapidly before him, overlapping shields of hardened earth.
The black miasma collided. The barrier shattered instantly. Fragments exploded apart. Dark energy washed through Kael's body. He collapsed hard, coughing violently as blood splattered onto the dirt.
Then— A voice. Cold. Controlled. "It's enough." Darius vanished. One blink. Gone. The next instant, he stood beside the burning spear. The flames surrounding it glowed white-hot. Heat distorted the air. Darius reached forward. His fingers wrapped around the shaft. Skin immediately blistered. The scent of burning flesh mixed with smoke. Darius face twisted a bit with pain.
He pulled the spear free. Then threw. The weapon became a comet. It bypassed the man entirely. And struck the altar. Dead centre.
"Break."
BOOM.
Stone exploded. The altar shattered apart. A violent pulse erupted through the clearing. The pressure vanished. The invisible weight crushing the battlefield disappeared instantly.
The man staggered. His expression cracked.
"No…" His voice fractured. "No… this isn't supposed to happen—"
He looked up. Ronan stood before him. Barely. The crimson cracks had faded. His breathing came shallow. Vision blurred. The man lifted his arms— Then froze. Blood but black dripped. His hands were gone. Severed cleanly.
Two daggers lay spinning across the dirt nearby, their path hidden beneath the explosion's chaos.
Realisation spread across the man's face.
Ronan smirked faintly. Then collapsed to his knees. The world tilted. Firelight blurred. Noise faded. At the edge of the forest, movement appeared. Two figures. Fast. Familiar. Mr. Alden. Mr. Alaric.
Relief barely reached him before darkness pulled harder. "Don't let him die," Ronan muttered. His vision disappeared.