**TWANG!!**
A single crimson arrow appeared directly before Lunaria's eyes.
There had been no visible flight.
No whistle.
No warning.
One moment—
it wasn't there.
The next—
it already was.
Lunaria's pupils contracted.
The surrounding wind erupted instinctively.
Emerald currents compressed around the arrow from every direction.
Sylph's eyes widened.
"...Careful!"
The winds collided with the projectile.
For the first time—
they didn't divert it.
They merely slowed it.
The dark crimson arrow continued advancing.
Its surface trembled violently.
As though something inside desperately wanted to escape.
Lunaria abandoned the portal.
His emerald sword rose instantly.
**CLAAANG!!**
The blade met the arrowhead.
The collision distorted the surrounding space.
The ground beneath him collapsed.
The portal behind him rippled violently from the pressure.
Lunaria's feet carved deep trenches through the earth as he was pushed backward.
His arm trembled.
Sylph immediately stretched out both hands.
An endless torrent of wind poured into Lunaria's blade.
The pressure increased.
Little by little—
the arrow's advance slowed.
Then—
it stopped.
For a single heartbeat—
everything became perfectly still.
Draven's calm voice echoed from the opposite side of the portal.
"...Too late."
Lunaria's eyes widened ever so slightly.
The arrow cracked.
Not because it was breaking—
but because something inside it was.
The countless layers of compressed mana holding it together had finally reached their limit.
Sylph's expression changed.
"...Move!"
**CRACK!**
A web of crimson fractures spread across the arrow.
Then—
the compression failed.
**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!**
The world disappeared beneath an explosion of condensed mana.
It wasn't fire.
It wasn't blood.
It was pure, unrefined magical energy violently released after being compressed beyond its limits.
A sphere of dark crimson erupted outward.
The earth vanished.
Ancient trees were reduced to dust.
The shockwave flattened the surrounding forest for kilometers.
The portal shook violently.
Spatial ripples spread across its surface before it finally stabilized.
Inside the expanding sphere—
Lunaria crossed both arms before his face.
Sylph stood directly behind him.
Every remaining current of wind condensed into layer upon layer of protection.
One barrier shattered.
Then another.
Then another.
The emerald storms were consumed one by one.
The explosion continued swallowing everything in its path.
For the first time since the battle had begun—
Lunaria was completely engulfed.
The deafening explosion gradually faded.
The roaring shockwaves drifted into the distance.
Smoke.
Dust.
Fragments of shattered earth.
Everything slowly settled back to the ground.
The once-lush forest had vanished.
In its place—
lay an enormous crater.
Its edges stretched for hundreds of meters.
Not a single tree remained standing.
At its very center—
a lone figure stood.
Lunaria.
His breathing remained steady.
The emerald blade was still firmly gripped in his hand.
His clothes had been torn in several places.
Small cuts marked his arms and face.
Thin streams of blood slowly ran down his fingers.
For the first time—
he had been wounded.
Behind him—
Sylph floated quietly.
Her translucent form had become noticeably fainter than before.
The gentle smile she usually wore had disappeared.
She silently looked toward where the portal had been.
There—
nothing remained.
The black portal had already collapsed.
Its spatial ripples faded into the night.
The prey had escaped.
Silence lingered over the devastated landscape.
Lunaria slowly lowered his sword.
His golden eyes remained fixed on the empty space for several long moments.
"...They escaped."
Sylph nodded softly.
"...Yes."
She glanced around the enormous crater.
"...That final arrow..."
"...was meant to kill you."
"...But it only needed to delay you."
Her emerald eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"...And it succeeded."
Lunaria remained silent.
The wind around him gradually calmed.
The violent storms dissipated.
Only a gentle breeze remained.
After a long pause—
he turned away from the place where the portal had vanished.
Silence lingered.
Only the faint sound of drifting wind crossed the enormous crater.
Sylph quietly looked toward Lunaria.
Her translucent form had become even fainter.
The emerald glow surrounding her body slowly dispersed into countless motes of light.
A small smile returned to her lips.
"...It seems our work here is finished."
Lunaria remained silent.
She looked once more toward the place where the portal had vanished.
Then her gaze drifted into the distant night.
"...We'll meet again."
Her voice was gentle.
Almost certain.
"...Sooner than they expect."
She turned back toward Lunaria.
"Until then..."
"...take care of yourself."
"Lunaria..."
Without waiting for a reply—
her body dissolved.
The emerald wings scattered into streams of wind.
Her figure broke apart into countless glowing particles.
One by one—
they vanished into the night breeze.
Only Lunaria remained.
He slowly lowered his sword.
With a quiet motion—
the blade dissolved into flowing emerald mana.
The wooden hilt faded a heartbeat later.
The surrounding winds settled completely.
For several moments—
he simply stood there.
Looking toward the empty space where the portal had once existed.
Then—
he began walking.
His footsteps echoed softly across the shattered earth.
*No matter where you run...*
His golden eyes remained calm.
*...it won't matter.*
A faint breeze circled around him.
*As long as you continue carrying it...*
*...I'll always be able to find you.*
He neither hurried nor showed frustration.
There was only quiet certainty.
The hunt...
...was far from over.