Kana's barrier trembled like a living thing, vibrating under the crushing weight pressing against it.

Every breath came ragged, each inhale searing her lungs, but she didn't falter.

Beyond the glowing dome, the wolf goddess's presence towered like a shadow over the battlefield, her aura a mix of beauty and terror, divine and feral.

Then the shadow moved.

The barrier exploded outward in shards of white light, Kana staggering as the wolf goddess descended.

Her form was half divine majesty, half primal beast—eyes glowing gold, hair flowing like a river of starlight, her limbs shifting between woman and wolf.

She radiated hunger, not for food but for destruction, for dominance.

Kana's throat tightened, her trembling hands curling into fists.

'This is the one who will tear everything apart if I falter.'

The goddess's lips parted in a cruel smile.

"So, you're the little human who dares to wield what doesn't belong to her."

Her voice rolled like thunder, echoing in Kana's bones.

"Do you even understand what power you hold?"

Kana's heart hammered in her chest.

"Enough to stop you."

She wasn't sure where the words came from—courage or desperation—but they left her lips firm, unshaken.

The wolf goddess laughed, a low, vicious sound that sent the elves rallying again behind her.

"Stop me? You can barely keep your own body from breaking."

Kana flinched. The goddess was right. Her body ached with every second of channeling this power, her mortal frame stretched thin against the impossible energy.

But when her gaze flicked to Lysera and Irielle still fighting desperately in the chaos, she felt a fire spark in her chest.

She would not back down.

The wolf goddess moved first. A blur of black and gold streaked across the field, claws shimmering with divine light.

Kana barely raised her arm before the blow landed. The clash rang out like a bell, her entire body shuddering as the claws scraped against a hastily conjured barrier.

Sparks flew, searing lines of energy etching the ground beneath them.

Kana staggered, her arm burning, but she forced her power outward, throwing the goddess back a few paces. Dust swirled, the earth splitting further beneath their feet.

"You think a flicker of defiance makes you equal to me?"

The goddess hissed, stalking forward, her steps heavy with killing intent.

Kana steadied herself, though her knees threatened to give way. She drew in a breath, forcing her storm to obey, to shape into her will.

Light flared from her hands, twisting into lances of power that she hurled forward. They shot across the battlefield, slicing the air, colliding with the goddess in bursts of divine energy.

But the wolf goddess merely laughed. With a flick of her wrist, claws ripped through the beams, tearing them apart like fragile threads.

She lunged again, faster this time, her presence overwhelming. Kana raised both hands, forming a dome in front of her, but the impact shook her to her core.

The force launched her backward, slamming her into fractured stone. Her breath ripped from her lungs in a sharp gasp, vision flashing white.

Her barrier cracked dangerously, splintering like glass under pressure.

Rose's voice echoed faintly from the sidelines.

"Kana! Hold on!"

Kana forced herself upright, clutching her chest. Blood seeped at the corner of her lips, but she wiped it away with the back of her hand. She couldn't show weakness. Not now.

The wolf goddess's eyes narrowed.

"Your power is real, but your heart… fragile. You were never meant to stand among us."

Something inside Kana snapped at those words.

Fragile? Weak?

She thought of Lysera's smile, Irielle's stubborn warmth, Jenna's faith, even Ruby's cryptic guidance. She thought of all the lives behind her, relying on her strength to stand.

Fragile or not, she would stand.

Kana roared, a sound raw and primal, meeting the wolf goddess head-on. Their powers collided once more, light and shadow, divine flame and feral storm.

The ground quaked, towers crumbled, soldiers on both sides stumbled as the battlefield became a maelstrom centered on the two goddesses.

Each strike burned through Kana's body, but she kept fighting, pushing her will into every clash.

A claw swiped at her; she caught it with a radiant blade formed from her own energy.

The goddess's fangs snapped forward; Kana thrust her palm out, a shockwave blasting the air and forcing her back.

Still, she was being pushed. Every second was agony, her body screaming louder than her heart.

The wolf goddess fought with ease, as though this were a game. Kana's strikes were desperate, fueled by resolve more than mastery.

"You'll break soon. And when you do, your precious humans will follow."

The wolf goddess sneered, slamming Kana into the ground with a single blow. Stone shattered beneath her body.

Kana's vision blurred. Darkness pressed at the edges, the storm inside clawing to consume her completely. She could almost feel herself slipping, losing hold.

Then—

"Kana!"

Lysera's voice.

She forced her head up. Lysera was standing at the edge of the crater, bleeding, swaying, but still alive. Irielle behind her, shield raised, teeth gritted.

Their eyes locked with Kana's, filled not with pity but faith.

Faith that she could stand. Faith that she would.

Kana's body moved before her mind. She pressed her palm into the ground, forcing herself up. Every nerve screamed, but she funneled that pain into focus, into the storm that refused to be tamed.

"I'm not… alone. And I won't… let you win."

Her voice cracked but rang true.

The storm surged again, brighter, sharper. But this time, Kana didn't try to cage it. She shaped it, bent it, pulled it into herself until her body glowed like a star about to burst.

The wolf goddess snarled, sensing the change.

"What are you—"

Kana lunged. The world blurred into light and shadow, their figures colliding in a storm of divine force.

Each strike shattered the ground, ruptured the air, the battlefield itself groaning beneath the weight of their clash.

For the first time, the wolf goddess's smile faltered. Kana wasn't matching her strength, but her resolve burned hotter, her control sharper.

Every blow Kana landed was fueled not by power alone but by the unyielding will to protect.

Their final clash shook the heavens themselves.

Kana's scream echoed across the city, her hands pressing against the wolf goddess's chest, light exploding outward in a torrent that swallowed the world in white.

When the light faded, both figures stood trembling, the battlefield silent.

Kana's knees buckled, but she remained upright, her glowing eyes locked on the wolf goddess, who for the first time looked unsettled.

The storm inside Kana still roared, but she held it firmly, unbroken.

"I will not be your prey. And I will not let you destroy this world."

Kana said, her voice hoarse but unshakable.

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