CLANG!
Lyra blocked the Dark Knight's attack, but the force of the impact pushed her several centimetres back across the cracked ground.
"Beast Manifestation…"
Alice quickly formed hand signs. Her hands moved with precision as the darkness beneath her feet began to expand.
The shadow spread, forming a massive bck circle on the ground.
"Giant Serpent!"
The darkness stirred violently.
An enormous shadow serpent emerged with a terrifying screech. Its long serpentine body rose above the pza before lunging directly at the Dark Knight.
The impact seemed inevitable.
The Dark Knight raised his bck sword.
And with a single ssh, the bde cut through the air… and the body of the shadow serpent split cleanly in two.
Theoder opened his eyes in disbelief.
A beast of such magnitude, cut apart with a single attack.
Alice, however, didn't look surprised.
"Reform," she whispered.
The serpent's shadows began gathering again, slowly reconstructing its form.
Meanwhile, Lyra kept fighting.
CLANG!
The Dark Knight delivered another blow.
Lyra blocked the attacks, but each impact was stronger than the st.
Her arms were beginning to tremble.
'What do I do…?'
Theoder watched the battle with his heart pounding, unable to do anything.
'I have to help them…'
The shadow serpent attacked again, this time from behind the Dark Knight.
Theoder's heart began beating even faster.
The enemy reacted instantly and stepped aside.
The serpent missed its attack and, carried by its own momentum, headed straight toward Lyra, who was directly in its path.
"No! Disappear!" Alice shouted.
The enormous serpent vanished into the air, completely dissipating.
At that very moment, a sharp pain pierced Theoder's chest.
He remembered that sensation.
That pressure inside his body.
"Lyra! My chest!"
Lyra turned her head.
Theoder was on his knees, clutching his chest tightly as he spat blood.
"Alice, we need to retreat," she said while quickly moving toward him.
"What? We can't abandon the fight," Alice replied while running toward them.
The ground began to tremble.
Small bck sparks started to emerge from Theoder's body.
Lyra knelt beside him and grabbed his arm.
She tried to channel his energy and control it.
"Hold on…"
But it wasn't enough.
The ground began to crack.
'Hold on… hold on, damn it…'
Theoder clenched his fists so tightly that blood began dripping from his hands.
Gusts of wind began to surge around him.
The Dark Knight stopped.
His body tensed.
He had sensed something… dangerous.
He ran toward them, raising his sword, ready to finish everything before the situation got worse.
Alice reacted instantly.
"Beast Manifestation…"
The darkness opened beneath her feet once more.
"Shadow Crows."
A swarm of bck crows shot out of the ground toward the Dark Knight.
But before they could reach him…
A violent burst of energy exploded from Theoder's body.
The crows vanished instantly, and the Dark Knight was thrown several metres backward.
The sparks around Theoder kept growing rger.
His body looked as if it were tearing apart from the inside.
Another explosion of energy erupted.
Lyra was pushed several metres back.
"What's happening to him?!" Alice shouted.
Lyra looked at Theoder's trembling body.
"He… he's going to explode."
At that moment, a column of bck energy shot from Theoder's body into the sky.
The pressure shook the entire city of Doletto.
Theoder's vision began to blur.
Everything became hazy.
He could only hear a constant ringing in his ears.
Until finally…
He lost consciousness.
…
…
…
"Hey, kid… wake up."
Theoder slowly opened his eyes.
He was lying in a dark void. Beneath him, a sea stained red churned violently.
"Huh?"
He looked at his hands.
"Am I dead?"
"Hey! I'm talking to you, brat!"
A deep voice echoed throughout the void.
In front of him, a bright figure stood upon that crimson sea.
Confused, Theoder stood up.
To his surprise, he could stand on the water as well.
"Theoder."
Its voice was calm.
"You can't die yet."
Theoder frowned.
"Who are you?"
The figure raised its hand and lightly tapped his forehead.
"For now… no one important."
The figure slowly turned around.
"You know, you've disappointed me."
It looked at him over its shoulder.
"I thought I wouldn't have to intervene so soon…"
His body began to feel warm.
The waves slowly started to calm, and suddenly a whirlpool formed in front of him.
From the whirlpool, a roar interrupted the movement of the water. For a moment, everything went still.
The figure sighed.
"Kid…"
Its voice echoed through the void.
"You owe me one."
The water trembled slightly.
And everything faded away.
"What the hell is going on here?" Kael muttered as he arrived in the northern district.
The energy and the tremors had stopped.
Alice and Lyra—and even the Dark Knight—remained completely still.
The tension in the air was palpable.
Above Theoder's unconscious body, an enormous white beast floated.
It was a serpentine dragon.
It remained motionless, floating while observing the surroundings with its rge blue eyes.
"How interesting…"
A voice echoed inside the Dark Knight's head.
"Knight… attack."
He shook his head several times.
"It's an order."
The voice echoed again.
The Dark Knight ran toward the white beast, raising his weapon.
The serpentine dragon watched him.
Its enormous blue eyes glowed faintly.
The Dark Knight unched his attack and then…
He disappeared without a trace.
Devoured in a single bite by the dragon.
Lyra took a step back.
Kael and Alice remained still, keeping their distance.
Suddenly, someone touched Alice's back.
She jumped slightly and turned around immediately.
"How's it going, Alice?"
She stared at him with wide eyes.
"Shut up, idiot!" she whispered furiously. "Do you want it to kill us?"
She pointed at the white dragon.
The bck-haired man stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Are you afraid?"
He smiled faintly.
"Interesting…"
Alice frowned.
"What's so interesting about this situation… Mr. Druga?"
