Both shadow users stood still, feet set against the stone, eyes locked on each other.
They lunged at the same time.
Their bodies blurred as they charged. Elna's domain strengthened her muscles and sharpened her movement. She moved faster than before, closing the gap in a heartbeat.
Selina struck first. She swung the scythe in her right hand in a direct, horizontal cut. The curved blade carried a thick layer of shadow that clung to the metal like smoke.
Elna raised her dagger and met the attack head on. Shadow wrapped tightly around her blade. The weapons collided together. A sharp crack split the air as dark energy flared between them.
They held for a brief second. Then the shadow around Selina's scythe began to shrink. The dense aura thinned at the edge where the blades pressed together, as if something pulled it away.
Elna did not wait. While their first weapons were still locked, she drove her left hand forward. Shadow gathered instantly around her second dagger. She thrust it straight toward Selina.
Selina answered without hesitation. She brought up the scythe in her left hand and swung it down to intercept. The second clash landed harder than the first.
Elna's follow up strike carried more force. Her enhanced strength pushed through the contact point. At the same time, the shadow around Selina's scythes looked weaker than before, reduced from the earlier drain.
Selina's jaw tightened as pressure bore down on both arms. She held her ground. The platform creaked under her boots, but she did not give way. With a sharp motion, she shoved forward with both scythes.
The push forced Elna to step back.
At the edge of the deck, Leo studied the exchange closely. Elna did more than block. She absorbed the loose energy released from Selina's scythes at the moment of impact. Each collision stripped away part of the shadow coating the blades.
She did not absorb the power still bound to the scythes themselves. If she could take that as well, the weapons would have lost all their shadow. For now, only a portion of their strength had faded.
Maybe when her domain grew stronger, she would be able to absorb even the power still bound to the weapon. The idea formed in Leo's mind, and a small smile crossed his face.
The fight in front of him had reached its peak.
Both girls moved too fast for anyone below their rank to follow. Their bodies flickered across the platform, appearing and vanishing between strikes. Every collision of shadow wrapped weapons sent a violent tremor through the stones. The sea below rippled outward in widening waves.
They clashed once more. The final exchange detonated between them and forced both of them backward.
Elna hit the platform first. The moment her boots touched the surface, a thick branch burst upward from beneath her landing point. It shot up in a sharp arc and coiled around her torso and arms.
Leo recognized it immediately. Selina had used her domain. She had not fully released it, but even a partial use was surprising.
The branches tightened but before they could lock her in place, the shadow wrapped around Elna's body reacted. From the dark layer covering her body like a clothe, more than a dozen sharp thorns erupted outward. They tore through the restraints and shredded them apart. Splinters and broken fragments scattered across the platform.
Elna lifted her head.
Selina stood in midair above her, supported by her power. Elna angled her horns toward her opponent. The shadow around her began to thicken. All the energy she had absorbed until now gathered and compressed into a dense mass between her horns.
Selina answered at once. She aimed one scythe toward Elna. A living branch extended from her hand and wrapped around the handle, climbing along it until it reached the blade. At the very tip, a small rose bloomed. Its petals opened, and power condensed at its center.
For a brief second, both attacks stabilized. Then they fired.
Two beams shot forward and collided in midair. Elna's beam was pure darkness, dense and absolute. Selina's beam was almost entirely shadow, streaked with a thin thread of dark golden light running through its core.
When the two beams collided, the impact exploded outward.
A violent shockwave spread across the ocean in wide, circular waves. The sea swelled and rolled away from the platform. The ship rocked hard and drifted back from the force. Crew members grabbed the rails or covered their faces with their arms as wind and spray rushed over the deck.
Only Leo remained still. He watched with open interest, eyes fixed on the clash.
Selina still held back most of her true strength. Even so, Elna's attack carried greater raw power. The difference showed in the way her beam pressed forward inch by inch.
But it was not enough to crush Selina's attack outright.
The beams ground against each other in midair, shadows tearing and reforming at the point of contact. Just before Elna's attack could reach the scythe that served as Selina's focus, the energy between them destabilized and collapsed. The light and darkness tore apart and scattered into the air.
Silence followed.
Elna's transformed state faded. The shadow around her body dissolved. She returned to normal and dropped to one knee, breathing hard. Sweat ran down her temple, and her chest rose and fell in uneven pulls.
Leo watched her for another second. Then he vanished from his spot and reappeared beside her. He crouched next to her with a small smile.
"That was incredible," he said.
Selina descended and landed a short distance away. She rested her scythe against her shoulder.
"You still need a lot of training to fully control that new power," she said in a calm, steady tone.
Elna lifted her head. "I know," she replied, her voice rough from exhaustion.
Selina studied her for a moment. "Don't worry. I'll guide you myself. Your domain has strong potential. Even among A-ranks, most domains follow similar patterns. Yours is almost different."
"Thank you," Elna said.
Selina gave a short nod. "Rest for now." She turned and walked back toward her ship.
Leo slipped an arm under Elna's shoulder and helped her stand. As he did, the platform shifted across the water and moved back toward the ship, closing the distance created by the shockwave.
He planned to take her straight to her room so she could recover. But the moment they stepped onto the ship, the crew rushed toward them. They formed a wide circle around Elna, faces bright with excitement.
"That was fantastic!" one of them said.
"What was that form? It looked amazing," another added.
"When did you create your domain?" Miriam asked from the front of the group.
A tired but genuine smile spread across Elna's face. She answered their questions one by one. As she spoke, the tension left her shoulders. The exhaustion in her eyes eased under the flood of praise and curiosity.
Leo stepped aside and gave her space, watching with a quiet, satisfied smile.
...
Bernal hovered high above a wide, barren plain. Cold wind pulled at his cloak as he looked down at the army of the Kingdom of Magic advancing below him. Thousands of soldiers marched in ordered lines, banners snapping in the air, armor glinting under the pale sky.
For days, he had tried to reach the main orc camp inside the Shadowland. Each attempt ended the same way. The orcs had opened multiple void portals instead of one. The gates stood scattered across the region, unstable and spreading. If left alone, each portal would expand. After a certain point, no one would be able to close them.
The enemy did not need victory. They only needed time.
Bernal lowered himself toward the ground and landed beside Oswald Boll, who stood near the center of the formation, his dark robes unmoving despite the wind.
"There are still portals active," Bernal said without preamble.
Oswald nodded once. "My summon found several more. They're spaced far apart."
Bernal watched the marching troops for a moment. "We change the plan. I'll enter the Shadowland alone and destroy what remains of their main force. You stay and protect our army."
Oswald did not look surprised. He had expected this suggestion. "I was going to propose the same."
"We can't both leave," Bernal said. "If something breaks through…"
"I know," Oswald cut in calmly. "Don't worry."
He raised his right hand and pressed his palm toward the ground. His eyes closed. Mana gathered around him in a dense, dark current.
The earth began to tremble.
Cracks split the soil along both flanks of the army. From each rupture, a massive skeletal hand forced its way upward, fingers the size of tree trunks clawing through dirt and stone. Soldiers nearby stepped back but held formation.
The hands pulled, and enormous skeletons dragged themselves out of the ground.
These were not common undead. Fragments of hardened bone formed like a plating over their ribs and shoulders. Inside their hollow frames burned thick green fire. The flames started in their chests and streamed upward through their necks into their skulls, glowing through empty eye sockets.
One by one, four skeletal giants stood fully upright.
As they moved, the ground around them shifted again. Smaller skeletons climbed out in large numbers, followed by ghostly creatures that drifted just above the surface. Each giant gathered a force beneath it.
Oswald opened his eyes. "Four A5 skeletal guardians," he said with clear satisfaction. "Each commands one hundred A1 undead. They can handle the defensive operations."
Bernal studied the constructs, noting the density of mana in their cores. "When did you create them?" he asked, unable to hide his surprise.
Oswald allowed himself a faint smile. "Raising the dead is not only my profession. It's also my hobby."
Bernal exhaled once. He found no flaw in the preparation. "Very well."
They summoned the highest ranking commander remaining and issued clear instructions regarding formation control, response to portal surges, and coordination with the undead units.
With nothing left to settle, Bernal and Oswald rose into the air and flew toward the distant border of the Shadowland.
…
Night settled over the ship. After Elna fell asleep, Leo went into his domain. He did not delay. He needed to deal with his arm now.
White light spread across the domain around him, steady and pure. Suspended within that glow, he extended his left arm and examined it closely. Black skin covered it from the tip of his hand to shoulder, hard and uneven, like something burned and reshaped. The corruption had not spread further.
But it remained.
A faint pulse moved under the surface. Along with it came a distant pressure against his mind. The madness had a presence.
Mad God's words surfaced in his memory. He would soon join the madness.
Leo's jaw tightened. He lowered his arm for a moment, then straightened and raised it again. "No," he said under his breath.
That future would not happen. Even if no cure existed, he would not surrender control. His will moved through the domain.
White and red mist responded at once. It rose from every direction, streams of energy crossing the sky and converging around him. The currents tightened into a spinning vortex. The mist circled his body, then narrowed and wrapped around his corrupted arm.
The rotation intensified. The air hummed.
After a full minute, the vortex slowed. The mist peeled away and dispersed back into the domain.
Two rings remained around his left arm.
They rotated slowly in opposite directions. Each ring consisted of condensed power shaped into clear symbols. The first carried the rule of Control. The second carried the rule of Sustain.
He had bound both directly onto his arm.
Leo lowered it and studied the result. The symbols resembled words of power, sharp and precise in structure. That did not surprise him. Power in this world followed rules. Words of power might have been the earliest bridge between people and those rules, a structured method to touch something greater.
The rings continued to rotate, steady and stable. The pressure from the corruption dulled, contained beneath layered authority.
Leo exhaled and let his arm fall to his side.
For now, the corruption would hold.