The night wind howled as Sergei hovered in the air, his breath ragged but unyielding. His silver hair clung to his bloodstained face, and yet his golden eyes burned with unquenchable fury.

"I have colluded with demons in pursuit of power," he admitted, his voice a low thunder rolling across the mountains. "But power without vengeance is worthless. If I cannot cut down that vampire, then what use is any strength I possess?"

His sword gleamed in the moonlight as he raised it. "Come."

The two figures floated high above the shattered peaks, suspended between heaven and earth.

Yun Hao exhaled, unscrewing a potion vial. He downed it in one gulp. A faint glow mended surface wounds, but the deep gashes inflicted by Sergei's blade remained stubborn, refusing to close. Against a Rank 7 opponent, potions were little more than desperate bandages.

(Author's note: While both water and light-element users can heal, only light-element healers can fully restore Rank 7 wounds. Potions merely delay the inevitable.)

Yun Hao's eyes narrowed as Sergei shot forward, his blade flashing like a falling star. Steel met steel in midair with a sound like thunder, sparks cascading across the night sky. Wind pressure from their clash scythed apart the peaks below, tearing pine forests from their roots.

Even as he blocked, Yun Hao unfurled a scroll with his free hand, its parchment glowing with runes. His mana surged, feeding both his defense and the spell hidden within.

"It's a pity," Yun Hao said coldly, his voice rising above the howling storm. "But Bloodfort is doomed. Rivers will run red, and every soul within will perish. Your fates are sealed, Sergei."

Behind him, a vast crimson magic circle expanded outward, spinning with layers of runes and forgotten language. Each symbol pulsed with dread, casting a bloody hue across the night.

Sergei's pupils constricted. His veins glowed like molten gold as power surged through him. His silver hair burned into radiant strands of gold, his muscles splitting and reforming under the strain of ancient bloodline might.

The air groaned. Above him, a colossal blade materialized—taller than towers, wider than city walls. Its surface shimmered with ancient runes that pulsed like the heartbeat of a forgotten god. The sky itself trembled beneath its weight.

Yun Hao's lips curled into a strained smile. "So… the Vlastovich clan's forbidden Rank 8 technique." He poured his life into the crimson circle, barriers layering one atop another like walls of a fortress. "But do not think you stand alone. I, too, carry the secrets of Rank 8. Let's see whose legacy breaks first."

Sergei's voice dropped to a whisper that carried like a curse.

"We'll meet in hell."

The colossal sword began its descent. Slowly, inexorably, as though dragging the heavens themselves down with it. The night split open with golden light.

Yun Hao screamed, his crimson circle expanding, runes spinning faster than the eye could follow.

Then, steel met spell.

The world ended.

The collision erupted in a shockwave that rippled across the horizon. Lightning split the sky into jagged scars. Mountains bowed, their peaks sheared clean off. Glaciers burst into steam, avalanches roared, valleys cracked apart as if the earth itself wished to flee.

The heavens wailed. The ground disintegrated into dust. The clash of two Rank 8 legacies was no duel — it was an apocalypse caged within the mountains.

Yun Hao's body trembled, blood fountaining from ruptured veins, yet his hands clutched the scroll even as his defenses crumbled piece by piece. It was his only salvation. A direct teleportation spell was useless against the grand formation suffocating Bloodfort. But this scroll, crafted by forbidden means, could bypass the restrictions.

"I… will not fall here," he hissed, his voice drowned by the roar of destruction.

Sergei pressed downward, golden veins bursting under the strain, his colossal blade shattering clouds as it ground against Yun Hao's defenses. The very air screamed, every second threatening to tear his body apart.

Then—

BOOOOM.

A final detonation consumed the battlefield, louder than thunder, brighter than dawn.

And then, silence.

The red light dimmed. The mountains were gone, reduced to rubble and rivers of molten stone. Two moons shone coldly overhead, their pale glow revealing nothing but ruin.

Yun Hao was gone. Only the faintest ripple of mana lingered where he had escaped through the scroll.

Sergei hovered alone, his radiance flickering, his hair fading back to weary silver. His chest heaved; golden blood dripped from torn flesh. Barely ten percent of his mana remained.

"As expected," he rasped, staring at the devastation below. "Our strength is equal. To kill him outright… was never certain."

He exhaled, long and weary, then turned toward the warp gate. Four hours of battle had shaken heaven and earth, but the war was far from over.

————————-

A few minutes earlier…

Elena sprinted into the chamber housing the warp gate's inner structure. The space was vast and humming with energy, crystalline pillars rising from the floor, runes crawling like veins across the walls. At the center floated the rotating mana core, a brilliant blue sphere of condensed energy. Its steady rhythm pulsed like a heart, feeding power into the formation that kept the vampires' gate connected.

Her eyes narrowed. That's the coordinator. Destroy it, and their alignment will collapse.

She raised her sword, purple mana already gathering along the blade's edge. Just as she lunged, a streak of black energy carved through the air toward her. She barely managed to raise her weapon, but the impact hurled her across the chamber. Stone cracked beneath her as she skidded to a halt, her father's gifted armor glowing faintly from the strike.

A voice, laced with cruel amusement, echoed through the chamber.

"Oh… Rank 6-grade armor. How enviable of you."

Elena's expression turned frigid. "Mirella."

The figure emerged from the shadows — dark hair flowing, clad in sleek black attire, her eyes glowing like twin embers. She descended lightly, as if gravity itself bent to her.

"Tch tch… is that how you address your superior?" Mirella mocked, her smirk widening. "I should discipline you, Lieutenant. Consider it my duty as your colonel."

Her feet left the ground, gliding toward Elena with eerie calm.

Elena's body moved before thought, springing off a nearby pillar. She twisted midair, closing the distance in an instant. A thin poison needle shimmered in her left hand, while her right gripped her sword. The dual strike shot toward Mirella's throat and heart.

Clang!

Mirella's blade rose lazily, batting aside the sword. Her other hand flicked, and the poison needle froze midair before drifting harmlessly aside. Black mana coiled around it like invisible strings.

Elena's heart sank. "Telekinetic control… over another's mana?"

Mirella's smile sharpened. "Peak Rank 6. Did you think I rose this far on luck?"

Elena ground her teeth. She launched another barrage, slashes bursting like purple lilies blooming in the air. Each strike cracked pillars, shattered the floor, and sent shards raining down. Yet Mirella moved as if in a dance — her blade deflected blow after blow, her footwork guiding Elena farther and farther from the vulnerable mana core.

Finally, Elena crashed into the far wall, stone exploding around her. She coughed blood but pushed herself up, glaring at the woman standing casually before her.

"My father always said I was too kind," Elena said, her voice low, almost trembling. "That I believed people too easily, trusted them if they spoke gently or stayed by my side a while."

Mirella tilted her head mockingly. "A flaw, yes. One you'll pay for tonight."

Elena's lips curled into a grim smile. "But do you know why he never worried too much?"

Purple mana began to seep from her pores, staining the air with the scent of poison. "Because if anyone betrays me… they won't live to regret it. I killed Jonas not an hour ago. And now…" Her eyes flared. "…it's your turn."

Her sword pulsed as runes etched themselves into its edge. Purple lilies blossomed in the air, dozens, then hundreds, their petals dripping venom that hissed as it hit the ground. The chamber itself seemed to rot under the corruption.

Mirella's sneer deepened. "Stupid girl. Even two of you couldn't kill me. Do you think you can manage alone?"

She raised her blade, and black mana surged outward, condensing into a storm of floating swords. One, two, ten… dozens, until the air glittered with steel.

The two women roared, unleashing their powers at once.

Purple lilies surged forward like a tide of venom. Black swords screamed through the air like arrows. The collision shattered the chamber, walls crumbling, runes sparking, energy spilling wildly from the warp core.

Elena's body blurred, her Mirage Technique flickering her form like a phantom. One instant she was before Mirella, the next behind her. Her poisoned blade darted toward the colonel's spine—

Clang! Mirella twisted, catching the strike. Their blades locked, black mana grinding against violet poison. Sparks burned Elena's cheeks as she pushed with everything she had.

Mirella laughed, forcing her back. Then—her footwork shifted. She disappeared, reappearing behind Elena in a blink.

Steel whistled toward her neck.

But Elena's image shattered into mist — a Mirage echo.

"Behind you," Elena hissed.

Her true self appeared to Mirella's flank, poison dagger already plunging. Mirella's blade swung, too late—

Shhk!

The dagger slid past her armor, embedding itself deep into her ribs. Venom burst forth, flooding Mirella's veins in an instant.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. She staggered, her mana surging wildly in panic. She tried to burn the poison away with black energy, but purple tendrils spread faster than fire, crawling across her skin like blooming flowers.

"You… wretched—" Mirella choked, blood spilling from her lips. She raised her sword for a final strike—

Shhhk! Elena's blade pierced her chest, driving straight through her heart.

For a moment, Mirella froze. Her body trembled, her eyes locked onto Elena's cold, merciless gaze. Then the light in them dimmed, and her form collapsed, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

Elena staggered, blood gushing from her own wounds. Her armor was shattered, her body screaming in agony. She fell to one knee, panting heavily.

I can't… stay here long. If the warp gate core is still active…

Her vision blurred, her veins burning from the recoil of channeling so much poison mana. But even so, she pushed herself to her feet.

Mirella was dead. And Elena was alive.

For now.

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