The dense fog around the arena began to shift, carried by an ominous breeze. Towan, Elliot, Rhys, Kade, Lytharos, Seris, and Axel remained on high alert, their senses sharp after witnessing the earlier chaos. The corrupted essence in the air was still thick, making it hard to discern what was happening beyond the eerie purple haze.

Seris glanced around nervously, her voice barely above a whisper. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

“I know,” Kade replied, his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon. His calm demeanor didn’t falter, but there was a distinct edge of tension in his voice. “Stay close.”

Then, they finally spotted Eryndar fightning Caleis, “There he is!” shouted Towan, ready to help. “but there is only one there?” thought rhys

Suddenly, a deep rumble resonated through the ground. Before anyone could react, Dravan’s massive figure emerged from the shadows, his movements unnaturally fluid despite the damage he’d taken earlier. His armor bore cracks from Eryndar’s explosive blow, but his corrupted essence flared wildly, patching his injuries and fueling his strength.

“You thought I was down?” Dravan’s voice growled, distorted and menacing. “Pathetic.”

Axel stepped forward, his breathing labored. “We don’t have time for this!” he shouted, raising his weapon. “Eryndar needs us—”

Dravan was on him in an instant. With a speed that belied his size, he closed the distance and delivered a devastating punch to Axel’s gut. The force lifted Axel off his feet before he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

“Axel!” Lytharos yelled, charging forward. His weapon glowed faintly with his remaining essence, but exhaustion slowed his movements. Dravan swatted his attack aside with contemptuous ease, grabbing Lytharos by the arm and hurling him into a nearby stone pillar. The impact knocked Lytharos out cold, leaving him slumped against the rubble.

The others tensed, their expressions shifting from shock to grim determination.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

“He’s targeting the weakest first,” Kade said, stepping forward with practiced calm. “We can’t let him take us down one by one.”

Towan clenched his fists, his essence flaring as he stepped up beside Kade. “We’ll keep him busy,” he said. “Elliot, Seris—support from a distance. Rhys, let’s cut off his mobility.”

Elliot nodded, his calm demeanor hiding the fire in his eyes. “Be careful,” he said softly.

Dravan straightened, his grin widening as he took in the group. “You’re welcome to try,” he sneered. “But none of you are leaving this arena alive.”

Rhys moved first, darting to the side in a blur, drawing Dravan’s attention. Kade followed, closing in with precision strikes to force Dravan on the defensive. Towan charged head-on, his essence glowing fiercely as he aimed a powerful punch at Dravan’s chest.

Dravan blocked Towan’s strike with his forearm, the ground beneath them cracking from the force. He spun, deflecting a punch from Kade before twisting away from Rhys’s follow-up kick.

From the edge of the battlefield, Elliot and Seris launched coordinated attacks, their essence-infused projectiles arcing through the air toward Dravan. Though he dodged most of the strikes, a few landed, creating brief openings for the others to press the attack.

Despite their efforts, Dravan’s corrupted essence surged with every hit he took, his movements becoming even more feral and powerful.

“This isn’t just strength,” Kade said between gritted teeth, dodging another swing. “It’s like he’s feeding off the corruption itself.”

Towan’s gaze hardened. “Then we’ll burn through it until there’s nothing left!”

Caleis’s relentless barrage of punches echoed through the corrupted arena, each strike filled with the weight of Eryndar’s own techniques. Eryndar gritted his teeth, his arms trembling under the strain as he parried and blocked with his unbreakable defense flow. Every hit felt like a hammer against an already fragile wall.

I can't keep this up, Eryndar thought, sweat dripping down his face. Even with his unbreakable defense, the power behind Caleis’s strikes—his own power, twisted and mirrored—was forcing him back, step by step. I’m lucky he can’t copy my flow… but he’s still fighting like me. And I’m running out of time.

Caleis’s smirk deepened as he saw the cracks in Eryndar’s defense—small, but growing. “What’s the matter, Eryndar?” he taunted. “Feeling the weight of your own brilliance? Don’t worry, I’ll perfect it for you.”

Eryndar tightened his stance, bracing for another blow, but suddenly, Caleis halted. His eyes gleamed with a malicious satisfaction as he lowered his fists and looked over his shoulder.

“Dravan!” Caleis barked, his voice sharp and commanding. “It’s time to go. We’ve collected what we wanted.”