As the golden domain formed—
The darkness didn't just crack.
It collapsed.
Like it had never belonged there in the first place.
Silver's world—his absolute control—shattered into fragments, dissolving into nothing under the weight of something it couldn't oppose.
Light filled everything.
Not warm.
Not gentle.
Overwhelming.
Silver's eyes widened.
Fully.
For the first time since the fight began—he looked like he didn't understand what he was seeing.
I didn't stop.
Didn't hesitate.
My grip on the sword steadied as something deeper surfaced in my mind—
A memory.
Ogram.
The first thing he ever showed me.
Not refined.
Not controlled.
Something I could never properly use.
Something my body always rejected.
"Don't try to master it."
"Just swing."
A small smile formed on my lips.
For the first time—
It felt possible.
Like everything aligned for a single moment.
Like I could do anything.
I lowered my sword slightly.
The light around me condensed—not violently, not explosively—
But quietly.
Dangerously so.
Silver moved.
Too late.
I spoke.
The First Cut.
And swung.
There was no explosion.
No grand eruption of power.
Just a single—clean—line of light.
It moved forward.
Silently.
Effortlessly.
The forest—split.
Not destroyed.
Not burned.
Cut.
Trees parted before it without resistance, trunks separating as if they had always been meant to fall that way. The ground followed, a perfect line carved through earth and stone alike, stretching far beyond sight.
The air itself felt like it had been divided.
Everything in its path—
Yielded.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then—
The line reached Silver.
His eyes were still wide.
His body reacted—just barely.
But not enough.
The cut passed through him.
Clean.
Precise.
Unavoidable.
Silence followed.
The light faded.
And only the result remained.
___
[+7500]
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then—
Silver's body split.
Cleanly.
Silently.
From shoulder to waist, the cut revealed itself like a delayed truth—before his form dissolved into particles of light, scattering into the air and vanishing completely.
Gone.
The forest remained split in a straight, impossible line.
Reinheart and Reina stood still.
Eyes wide.
"…T-triple affinity…?" Reina's voice came out uneven, her gaze locked on the destruction ahead.
"And a… sword field… at this age…?"
She swallowed.
For once—there was no arrogance left.
Only disbelief.
Reinheart didn't speak immediately.
But the look in his eyes had changed.
Sharpened.
Interested in a way that went far beyond amusement.
Then—slowly—he smiled again.
I dropped to my knees.
"—gh…!"
Blood spilled from my mouth as my body finally gave in.
Everything hurt.
My arm trembled.
My legs barely responded.
Even breathing felt heavy.
…That took too much.
Reinheart stepped forward, unhurried, hands relaxed as if he wasn't walking through the aftermath of something absurd.
His gaze drifted across the forest—the clean cut stretching into the distance, the shattered remains of the battlefield—before settling back on me.
"Noctis…"
His tone was lighter now.
Curious.
"Are you even aware of the kind of feat you've created here?"
He tilted his head slightly, studying me.
"A Sword Field at fifteen… and you're only around C+ rank."
A pause.
"And triple affinity?"
His grin widened just a little.
"That's not talent."
"That's something people pray for."
He crouched in front of me, resting his arm loosely over his knee as he looked me straight in the eyes.
"Not even Samuel has done something like this."
I lifted my head slowly.
Our gazes met.
His eyes—dark, steady, watching.
Then—he spoke again.
"How about it, Noctis?"
A hand extended.
Casual.
Confident.
"Kneel before the crown… and I'll give you anything."
A small pause.
"Anything."
His voice softened slightly, but the intent behind it didn't.
"Come to the Verilian Federation."
"The kind of talent you have?"
"It doesn't just attract attention."
"It attracts enemies."
His eyes gleamed faintly.
"We can give you protection."
"Power."
"A place where no one can touch you."
Another pause.
"So—what do you say?"
Silence.
Then—
"Haah…"
I coughed again, blood staining the ground beneath me.
And laughed.
"…Your Highness…"
My voice was rough.
"…I value my freedom."
I pushed myself up slightly, my body protesting every movement.
"And as for being a target…"
My eyes met his again.
"…you don't need to worry about that."
A faint smile.
"I'll cut down anyone who comes at me."
Reinheart stared for a second.
Then—
Grinned.
"Bold words… from a commoner."
He stood up.
Slowly.
His sword slid out of its sheath.
Steel gleaming faintly.
"You really are interesting, Noctis…"
The blade tilted.
Aimed.
At my neck.
I closed my eyes.
…So this is how it ends.
Then—
Lightning tore through the air.
A figure blurred past—fast enough to leave only a streak of violet behind.
CLANG—!
Steel collided.
Reinheart's blade was knocked aside as the figure forced him back several steps.
My eyes snapped open.
"…!"
Between us—
A woman stood.
Lightning crackling faintly around her.
Sword raised.
Yelena Zephyr.
___
Reinheart slid back, boots carving a line through the ruined ground as he steadied himself. His eyes narrowed, fixing onto the figure between us.
"…Yelena Zephyr?"
A faint smile lingered.
"Why are you protecting him?"
Lightning cracked.
Louder this time.
Yelena didn't even look at me.
"Protecting him?" Her voice was sharp—cutting. "Don't misunderstand."
A step forward—
The ground beneath her splintered.
"I just hate shitty losers like you."
Silence.
Then—
Reinheart laughed softly.
"Oh my~"
His tone was almost playful.
"Are you still mad about what happened to your mother… five years ago?"
Something snapped.
Not metaphorically.
Physically.
The air around Yelena burst.
"Shut the hell up."
Her voice dropped—raw, shaking with rage.
Lightning didn't just crackle anymore.
It exploded out of her.
Violent.
Uncontrolled.
Violet arcs tore through the jungle, ripping bark off trees, scorching the ground black in jagged patterns. The pressure around her surged so suddenly that even I felt my breath hitch.
Her eyes—glowing.
Not calm.
Not focused.
Furious.
"Say that again—"
Another step.
The ground collapsed beneath her foot.
"I dare you."
The entire jungle seemed to tremble under her aura.
Reinheart's grin widened.
"…There it is."
She vanished.
Not fast—
Instant.
A streak of lightning tore through the space between them—
CLANG—!!
The impact rang out violently as her blade crashed into his, sparks and lightning exploding outward. The force alone shattered nearby trees, sending splinters flying.
She didn't stop.
Didn't slow.
Strike after strike rained down, each one heavier than the last, lightning wrapping around her blade as she pushed forward relentlessly.
Reinheart was forced back this time.
Actually pushed.
"…Oh~ I remember the way she cried that day and it's all you're fault." he muttered, still smiling—but now his movements were sharper, more precise as he deflected each blow.
"I'll kill you!"
Her voice cracked through the forest as another surge of lightning erupted, her blade coming down with even more force.
The jungle around them was being torn apart.
Burned.
Split.
Reduced to debris.
Behind them—
Reina slowly rose to her feet, her composure returning as she took in the scene—then glanced down at me, still barely holding on.
"…What a mess…" she muttered.
But before anything else—
BOOM—!!!
A massive explosion tore through the jungle.
Everything paused.
Yelena's blade halted mid-swing.
Reinheart stepped back instinctively.
Both turned.
The explosion didn't just echo—
It ripped through the jungle.
Trees didn't fall.
They were thrown.
A shockwave followed, forcing even Reinheart and Yelena to pause mid-clash, both turning at the same time.
Something tore through the forest—fast, violent—
And then—
CRASH—!!
A figure burst out of the trees, slamming into the ground hard enough to shatter it on impact.
The earth cracked outward in a web beneath him.
Dust rose.
Silence followed—just for a second.
Then—
A hand moved.
Gripping a spear.
Slowly—he stood.
Messy red hair.
Shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths.
Clothes torn, streaked with dirt and blood—
But his grip on the spear?
Unshaken.
A faint red aura flickered around him—unstable, but dense enough to distort the air slightly.
Reinheart's grin faded just a bit.
"…Samuel?"
Even Yelena's eyes sharpened.
Samuel didn't respond immediately.
He dragged the spear up, planting it beside him as he steadied his stance—then lifted his head.
His eyes—focused.
Locked ahead.
Then—
SCREEEEEECH—!!!
The sound hit harder this time.
Closer.
Reina's expression tightened.
"What the hell is that?"
Samuel didn't hesitate.
He raised his spear, eyes locked ahead.
"…It's a mythical creature."
A beat.
"Velkarion, the Threefold Calamity"
The words barely settled—
Thud.
The ground cracked.
Thud.
Closer.
A crushing pressure spread across the jungle again—heavier than before.