"This is not going in our favor... tch," Garrick muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed on Kael.

“Maybe it's time. Time to go all out…” His eyes narrowed as he observed Kael from across the battlefield.

"That boy… he’s no ordinary child. There's something off about his power," Garrick thought, unsettled by the raw energy Kael seemed to radiate.

Battle layout:

__Edwin______Garrick

_______Victor

Garrick tightened his grip on his sword, a decision forming in his mind. “Alright… let's do it!” he shouted, changing his stance. Turning to Edwin, he whispered, "Stay behind me."

With a booming voice, he invoked, "Elemental Magic: Reflection... Clones!"

Garrick made a blood sacrifice, drawing power from his very veins. In an instant, four identical clones of Garrick materialized around the battlefield, their presence adding to the mounting tension.

__Edwin______Garrick(Real)

________Garrick

Garrick__Victor__Garrick

________Garrick

Victor watched the scene unfold, his expression shifting into one of surprise. "Oh, so he's using clones—blood magic, huh? A blood vow to summon such power. But it’s not common for people to use blood arts, and this team seems to be spamming it… What the hell are they?"

Victor smirked, excitement creeping into his voice. "But even with this, it’s still not enough to get me excited!" he shouted, raising his twin swords. Fire flared at the edges as he infused his blade with elemental power. “Flame Style: Rising Phoenix!”

The clones surged forward, attacking Victor from all sides. He countered their strikes, but to his frustration, the clones took no real damage. A few even slipped past his defenses, landing blows that stung with real force.

"Dammit… I need to act fast." Victor stopped blocking, letting the clones’ attacks hit him directly. Blood trickled from the cuts, but he remained calm. “Earth Style Magic: Quicksand!” With a commanding gesture, the ground beneath the clones turned to a thick, swirling pit of sand. The clones were trapped, sinking fast. Victor, though wounded, gritted his teeth and wielded his Sun Sword with both hands.

“Sword Style: Full Moon Blade,” he whispered, rotating the blade in a perfect arc. “Falling Moon!” With a single devastating strike, he cut through the trapped clones in one fluid motion. All four were destroyed in an instant, their remains dissolving into the sand.

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Victor exhaled, his eyes scanning the battlefield. "Where are they...?" he muttered, sensing something was off. But before he could react, a sharp pain exploded in his stomach. Victor’s eyes widened as he turned to see Edwin, his sword impaled deep into his body, a twisted smile on his face.

Victor grunted in pain, preparing to retaliate, but another sword struck him—this time from Garrick.

"They got me...," Victor groaned, staggering. His vision blurred, but he could still see Kael and Mia in the distance. "Kael… he's doing well." But as Edwin and Garrick continued their relentless assault, hacking at him with their blades, Victor made his decision. He dropped the heavy Sun Sword, which sank into the earth with a dull thud, and caught their swords with his bare hands.

With a fierce growl, Victor shouted, "Do you even know who you’re fighting, you brats?"

In one swift motion, Victor shattered their swords with sheer force. Edwin and Garrick staggered back, disbelief written on their faces.

Panting heavily, Victor raised his hand. “Nature Art: Massive Elegen!”

A swirling, black-and-red sphere of energy materialized in his palm, radiating with immense power. Edwin and Garrick's faces paled as they saw the sheer size of the attack. Fear crept into their eyes as Victor approached, and with a flick of his wrist, he unleashed the Massive Elegen.

The resulting explosion shook the entire battlefield. The ground trembled as a deafening blast tore through the area. When the dust settled, Victor stood, drenched in blood, while Edwin and Garrick lay motionless on the ground, gravely injured.

From across the field, Kael saw his grandfather, Victor, covered in blood.

“Grandpa! No… no…!” Kael screamed, his heart breaking as he fought to keep his composure. He nearly lost focus and was about to break through the barrier keeping him safe.

Mia grabbed his shoulder, her own voice trembling. "Hold on, Kael... please… we have to focus on the challenge in front of us."

Victor, barely standing, smiled weakly at Kael and nodded, reassuring him that he was alright.

“Why? Why is this happening?” Kael's heart twisted in sorrow, but then Mia’s voice broke through his despair.

“I believe in you, Kael,” Mia said softly, her hand resting on his shoulder.

Kael’s eyes widened as he remembered the trust his grandfather had placed in him, alongside Lilliam and Beatrice. “I have to do it,” he thought, determination flooding back into him.

[Flashback]

After a grueling training session with Victor, Kael wandered the palace, exhausted. He found himself lost in a rarely visited section of the castle. His curiosity piqued as he stumbled upon an old, locked room with a broken window.

Intrigued, Kael climbed through the window and entered. The room was filled with books. “A library?” Kael murmured to himself as he explored the shelves. His eyes fell on a particular section—‘Forbidden’—and he couldn’t resist picking up one of the books.

“This… this is amazing…,” Kael whispered with a smile, holding the ancient tome.

[Present Time]

Kael snapped back to the present, staring at Thomas with a fierce resolve. “Let’s do this,” he said, ready to face the battle ahead.