With the same level of intensity Derek lunged forward too.
Their bodies collided with a force that sent shockwaves through the battlefield—claws slashing, fangs bared, golden eyes locked in a deadly dance. The impact sent dirt and debris flying, the sheer power of their clash cracking the earth beneath them.
Derek twisted mid-air, using his momentum to slam Kyron into the ground—but the ancient alpha rolled with the motion, kicking up with unnatural speed and sending Derek skidding back.
Kyron lunged again—faster than any natural wolf—his form flickering like smoke before solidifying behind Derek, claws raking down his back.
Derek snarled—blood dripping from his wounds—but he didn't falter. He whirled, catching Kyron's wrist before the next strike could land, and twisted — hard.
A sickening crack echoed through the clearing as bone splintered beneath his grip.
Kyron didn't even flinch.
His arm reformed — shadow and sinew knitting back together in seconds.
"You see?" Kyron hissed, lips curling into a grotesque smile. "You cannot kill what is already dead."
Derek's chest heaved—but his glare never wavered.
"Then I'll make you wish you were."
He lunged again—this time aiming not for flesh, but for the glowing amber pendant hanging from Kyron's neck—the source of his unnatural power.
Kyron's eyes widened—just for a fraction of a second—before he moved, twisting out of reach with a snarl.
"Clever," he admitted, voice dripping with venom. "But not clever enough."
He raised a hand—fog swirling around his fingers—and suddenly, the battlefield shifted.
The ground beneath Derek's feet turned to quicksand—shadowy tendrils snaking up his legs, pulling him down.
Derek roared—thrashing against the hold—but the more he struggled, the deeper he sank.
Kyron stepped closer, looming over him like a vulture over carrion.
"Tell me, mongrel…" he murmured, tilting his head mockingly. "What will your precious Aria do when she sees you drown in darkness?"
Derek's jaw clenched — but before he could respond the pull of the shadowy tendrils intensified as it wraps itself around Derek's waist. Derek screams in agony.
Kyron watched him suffer with an expression that almost approached glee. "You know…" he mused, "you're the first one to ever last this long."
Derek's eyes burned with anger and something deeper—the kind of primal fire that only comes from facing true danger.
"Lucky me…" he growled, forcing the words through gritted teeth.
Off to the side Aria stood watching but instead of panic, a feeling of determination mixed with something like benevolence surged through her veins. Her eyes beating in rhythm with the fire burning in her veins. Momentarily Aria sees in shades of red and gold which went unnoticed by everyone, including the army that's falling by the hands of the wicked.
Even from where Derek stood struggling, he could sense the change—the shift in the air as if something primal suddenly awoken.
Kyron tilted his head slightly — a faint frown on his gaunt features.
"What is this?" he whispered, half to himself.
The golden hue through Aria's eyes shows an enlarged image of the chain hanging around Kyron's neck and it's like something clicked inside her.
Aria knows what needs to be done. But doing it seems like a gamble. The glowing amber has to be destroyed or else this will end in a bloodbath, and only Kyron himself would be left standing.
Derek saw the shift in Aria's gaze — the way her pupils dilated (from afar); the way her fingers twitched at her sides. He knew that look. That resolve.
His heart lurched.
No...
He thrashed harder against the shadows, snarling as they tightened around him — but it was no use.
Kyron followed Derek's gaze, turning slowly — his hollow eyes narrowing as they landed on Aria.
"Ah…" he murmured, lips curling into something between a smirk and a sneer. "The little Anima Cantat thinks she can play hero."
He lifted a hand — fog swirling around his fingers — ready to strike.
Derek's roar was raw, desperate.
"NO.... ARIA — RUN!"
But she didn't.
Instead, she stepped forward — eyes locked onto the pendant around Kyron's neck.
The world seemed to slow down.
The pendant pulsed — once, twice — as if sensing her intent.
And then—
Aria moved.
Faster than she ever had before — faster than possible — she lunged, fingers outstretched—
Kyron's snarl was inhuman.
"NO!"
He swung — claws aimed straight for her throat—
But Derek wrenched himself free with a final, earth-shaking roar — throwing himself between them—
The blow landed—
Blood sprayed—
And Aria's fingers closed around the pendant—
A crack echoed through the battlefield—
Then—
Silence.
The pendant shattered.
And Kyron…
Screamed.
Not in rage.
Not in defiance.
But in pain.
True, unfiltered agony as the shadows that held him together began to unravel — peeling away like rotting flesh—
His form flickered —once, twice— before collapsing inward—
And then—
Nothing.
Just empty air where Kyron had stood.
The battlefield fell still.
The creatures of shadow dissolved into mist.
The crows fell silent.
And Derek—
Derek collapsed.