The force of it still threw him back a step, boots skidding across the dirt. He slammed his spear butt into the ground, caught his breath, and lunged again.

Steel screamed as their blades met again, the clash echoing like grinding metal. Lumberling's every strike carried weight enough to crush bone, yet Kaizen met him without flinching. Even wounded, the commander's movements were sharp, his counters clean.

Lumberling pressed harder, aura flaring bright. He could feel Kaizen's defense tightening, his will unbroken. The man was bleeding, but he wouldn't fall.

'Tch… this guy's no joke,' Lumberling thought, gritting his teeth. 'Even Daigo struggled with him…'

But Kaizen had noticed something too.

Lumberling's strikes, once like thunder, were slowing. His footwork, once blazing fast, faltered. The flames that fueled him began to dim, each breath harsher than the last.

Kaizen's lips curled into a mocking grin. "What's wrong? Running out of gas already?" He laughed, a cruel sound that grated in Lumberling's ears. "You really thought you could kill me? Dream on kid!"

He didn't need Kaizen to tell him, he could feel it. The fire that once burned in his veins was fading fast. The Blessing's power that kept him standing was slipping away.

His muscles grew heavy, his chest ached with every breath, and the wounds that had sealed under the flame began to open again. Warm blood slid down his side and chest, soaking into the dirt beneath his boots.

For a moment, the world swayed. His vision blurred, the colors of battle dulling around him. But still, he moved.

Lumberling lifted his spear once more. His arms trembled, his grip unsteady, yet his eyes didn't waver.

The clash continued, though it was no longer even. Kaizen's blade carved across him, each strike sending jolts of pain.

Lumberling blocked the first, twisted to deflect the second, but the third broke through his rhythm. The blade grazed his side, slicing deep. Pain shot through him, white and burning, yet he bit it down and countered with a desperate thrust.

Kaizen parried, his smirk widening.

Their weapons met once more in a furious clash. Lumberling roared and pushed with everything left in him, his spear spinning, striking, trying to break through that iron defense.

Then came the blow that shattered the balance.

Kaizen twisted his hips and swung his katana down in a wide arc. The impact thundered through the field…

CRASH!

Lumberling's guard shattered. The force lifted him off his feet and flung him backward. He hit the ground hard, rolling across the dirt before slamming to a stop. The world spun. The air rushed from his lungs. He coughed, blood spilling down his chin, the bitter taste of iron filling his mouth.

He planted his spear into the dirt, trying to rise again, though his knees buckled beneath him.

A shadow stretched over him.

Kaizen walked forward slowly. His katana dripped with crimson.

"This is the end," he said quietly, voice smooth but filled with finality as if he were pronouncing a death sentence.

Kaizen raised his katana, ready to deliver the final strike.

But then… whssshhh!

An arrow cut through the air like a streak of light. It was fast, sharper than anything Kaizen had ever seen, brimming with mana. He swung his blade to deflect it, yet the arrow bent mid-flight, twisting like it had a will of its own.

THUNK!

It buried deep into his shoulder from behind. Blood sprayed as Kaizen staggered forward, roaring.

"Ughhhh! Who's there?!" he shouted, fury shaking his voice.

Before an answer came, the battlefield itself trembled.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Figures dropped from above like falling stars, slamming into the earth. Dust and debris exploded outward, swallowing the field in a blinding haze.

For a breath, silence fell. Even the clash of steel and the screams of men seemed to pause. And then…

"Seriously," a soft, melodic voice teased, carrying like music through the smoke. "We just got here… and we already find your ass getting beaten up."

The dust cleared.

From the cracked ground, three veiled figures rose. Each one was breathtaking in a way that stole the air from every soldier's lungs.

Aurelya stepped forward first, her golden hair flowing like sunlight, her golden eyes burning with pride and grace. Her form was flawless, each movement elegant, like a queen walking into her throne room.

Beside her stood Thessalia. Her emerald-green hair framed her cold, beautiful face, her green eyes sharp as blades. There was no warmth in her gaze, only poise and command. Yet her presence was magnetic, impossible to look away from.

And then, Vaenyra. Her long sapphire-blue hair shimmered as it fell past her waist, her emerald eyes glowing softly beneath her veil. Her beauty was ethereal, unearthly, and the pointed tips of her ears marked her heritage proudly. She looked less like a warrior, more like a goddess who had descended among mortals.

Each of them bore perfect grace, perfect strength, perfect beauty, like three goddesses walking the battlefield.

Lumberling's eyes lit up despite the blood running down his face. His lips curved into a grin, a mix of relief and disbelief shining through the exhaustion.

"Aurelya… Thessalia… and… Vaenyra," he breathed, a weak chuckle slipping past his cracked lips. "You finally came to visit your lover."

His voice trembled, rough from pain, but his eyes burned with life again.

Aurelya's cheeks flushed, though she quickly hid it behind her usual sharp tone. "Didn't I tell you not to get your ass beaten up?" she said, golden eyes narrowing in annoyance.

Lumberling grinned faintly. "Pardon this weak lover of yours. You left me alone in the wild with no one to rely on… so I ended up getting beaten up by some jerk."

"Hmph," Aurelya scoffed, trying to sound annoyed, but the worry in her voice was hard to hide. Her gaze lingered on his torn armor, the deep gashes across his chest, and the way his breath came shallow and uneven

"We've taught you magic, yet you're not even using it," Thessalia added, her tone calm but cold.

"I didn't have my favorite teacher to guide me," Lumberling shot back with a tired grin. "So my progress was… slower than expected."

Thessalia's eyes softened for a brief moment, though her expression stayed composed. "Then I'll make sure to teach you properly next time," she replied, her voice cool but her clenched fists betraying her anger. Not at him, but at whoever had dared to injure him this way.

"You'll stay with me until you advance your stage. All day, every day, no excuses."

Lumberling chuckled weakly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Sure… I'd love that."

Then Vaenyra's voice cut through, soft and frigid as winter ice. "Is that the one who did this?"

Her emerald eyes locked onto Kaizen.

The three elves turned as one, their attention shifting fully to him.

Kaizen, who had stood tall and proud just moments ago, suddenly felt his throat go dry. "Elves…?" he muttered, his voice rough with disbelief. His eyes darted between them as he forced a glare to hide the unease crawling up his spine. "Who are you people? Did the Aetherborn Empire send you? Why are you attacking us?"

But then he met their eyes, Aurelya's sharp gold, Thessalia's cutting green, Vaenyra's chilling emerald. Each gaze carried weight, like blades pressing into his skin. His heart hammered. For the first time in this battle, he felt that death was staring at him.

They were beautiful, breathtaking beyond mortal measure, but beauty was the last thing on his mind. He could feel it. The pressure they gave off wasn't just for show.

The two beside the woman in the center, he could sense they were as strong as him.

And the one in the center… Vaenyra. He blinked, questioning his own senses. Was he imagining it? Or was her aura truly brushing the same level as the Legate's?

'No… impossible! If they were this strong, why have I never heard of them?!' he screamed inside his mind, trying to crush the thought. But as they walked past him, slowly, gracefully, their presence swallowing the battlefield.

The air turned cold.

And Kaizen felt his death creeping closer with every step they took.

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