The vision stabilized.
But it didn't feel stable.
It felt… heavy.
Like the world itself was on the verge of collapse.
Jae stood frozen as the new scene fully formed before his eyes.
"…What the hell…"
The battle field stretched wide beneath a shattered sky.
Flames burned everywhere.
Not wild flames.
Not natural flames.
Divine flames.
They clung to the ground like curses, crawling across broken earth and shattered trees, turning the battlefield into something closer to hell than reality.
The air trembled.
Distorted.
Like existence itself was struggling to remain intact.
And at the center of it all—
Eryndor stood.
His body was battered.
His shirt—gone.
Torn away completely.
His torso exposed, covered in cuts, burns, and bruises that told the story of a battle that had gone far beyond its limits.
Blood traced down his arms.
His breathing was heavy.
Unstable.
But his stance—
Was unshaken.
A blade he was holding formed had cursed divine mana in it.
Not wild.
Not unstable.
But compressed.
Refined.
Deadly.
Across from him—
The Divine Flame of Shadows Contractor slid back across the ground, his boots carving deep lines into the charred earth.
He stopped himself.
Barely.
A shadow blade trembled in his grip.
"…You've bastard," the Contractor muttered.
His voice carried a hint of something unfamiliar.
Not arrogance.
Not calm.
Something closer to… caution.
Eryndor said nothing.
His eyes were locked.
Focused.
Watching.
Calculating.
Around them—
Chaos continued.
Kaelira moved like a violet streak through the forest.
Her movements sharp.
Precise.
Every strike calculated as she cut through Yokais who started to attacking because of the noise and the smell of flames.
But her eyes—
They kept drifting back to Eryndor.
"…Don't die…"
Lyn spun low, her daggers flashing as she severed some yokais tendons and throats in a blur of motion.
She grunted mid-combat.
"This is insane!"
Rael roared as he brought his massive sword down, crushing a Yokai into the ground with overwhelming force.
"FOCUS!"
But even he—
Couldn't ignore the battle happening at the center.
Because that fight—
Was on a completely different level.
Eryndor moved first.
He vanished.
Not disappeared—
Moved.
So fast it felt like he skipped space itself.
The ground beneath his feet cracked as he launched forward.
Low.
Close.
Unpredictable.
Just like before—
But sharper.
Faster.
Deadlier.
The Contractor reacted instantly.
His body twisted as shadows surged around him, forming a barrier just as Eryndor's blade struck.
CLANG—
The impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield.
Flames and shadows collided violently.
Eryndor didn't stop.
He never stopped.
His blade shifted direction mid-swing.
Not forcing power—
Redirecting it.
Like water flowing around a rock.
His second strike came immediately—
From an angle that shouldn't have been possible.
The Contractor barely blocked it.
But that was the problem.
Barely.
Jae watched closely.
"…He's not attacking normally…"
Eryndor wasn't fighting with brute force.
He was flowing.
Each movement chained into the next seamlessly.
There was no pause.
No reset.
No wasted motion.
The Contractor countered.
A shadow blade lashed out.
Fast.
Deadly.
Aimed directly at Eryndor's throat.
Eryndor leaned back—
Not far.
Just enough.
The blade grazed his skin.
But in that same moment—
His foot planted.
And he spun.
A low kick slammed into the Contractor's leg.
The impact disrupted his balance—
Just slightly.
That was enough.
Eryndor stepped in.
Close.
Too close.
His blade flashed upward.
A clean, precise strike aimed at the gap between the Contractor's ribs.
The Contractor twisted violently—
The blade cut across his side instead.
Blood spilled.
Dark.
Almost blending into the shadows.
"…Tch."
The Contractor leaped back.
Distance.
Space.
He needed space.
Eryndor didn't chase recklessly.
He stopped.
Watched.
Breathed.
Jae narrowed his eyes.
"…He's controlling the pace…"
The shadows surged.
The Contractor raised his hand.
The battlefield darkened instantly.
Shadows spread across the ground like ink, swallowing the flames, consuming light itself.
"…Let's see how long you can keep up."
Dozens—
No—
Hundreds of shadow constructs formed.
Blades.
Spears.
Claws.
All aimed at Eryndor.
They attacked.
All at once.
Jae's eyes widened.
"…That's impossible to dodge—"
Eryndor moved.
Not backward.
Forward.
He stepped into the storm.
His body twisted, bent, shifted in ways that seemed unnatural.
A blade passed inches from his face.
A spear grazed his side.
A claw tore through his shoulder—
Blood burst outward.
But he didn't stop.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't even react.
"…He's ignoring the damage…"
Jae's voice dropped.
"…He's choosing the path that gets him closer."
Eryndor closed the distance.
Through pain.
Through damage.
Through overwhelming force.
He reached the Contractor.
And exploded.
A flurry of strikes.
Fast.
Relentless.
Unpredictable.
Left.
Right.
Low.
High.
Every strike flowed into the next.
No wasted energy.
No wasted motion.
The Contractor blocked—
But barely.
Each impact pushed him back further.
Each clash chipped away at his defense.
Eryndor shifted again.
He dropped low—
Swept the Contractor's legs.
But instead of following through—
He redirected.
His body twisted mid-motion.
His blade came from above.
A downward strike—
Heavy.
Precise.
The Contractor blocked—
But the force drove him into the ground.
CRACK.
The earth shattered beneath him.
Eryndor pressed forward.
But—
The shadows reacted.
They surged upward violently.
Grabbing.
Binding.
Restricting.
They wrapped around Eryndor's arms.
His legs.
Holding him in place.
The Contractor grinned.
"…Got you."
A blade of pure shadow formed in his hand.
Condensed.
Deadly.
He thrust it forward.
Straight toward Eryndor's heart.
Time slowed.
Jae's breath stopped.
"…Move…"
Eryndor didn't panic.
Didn't struggle.
Didn't fight the bindings.
He relaxed.
At the last possible moment—
He shifted his body.
Not breaking free—
Working within the restriction.
The blade pierced his side—
Missing his heart by inches.
Blood exploded outward.
But Eryndor moved.
His arm twisted unnaturally—
Breaking the angle.
His flame surged.
Compressed.
Exploded outward—
Not as an attack—
But as force.
The shadows shattered.
Eryndor grabbed the Contractor's arm.
Pulled himself closer.
Too close.
For a single, fragile moment—
It looked like victory.
Like Eryndor had forced the fight into his domain.
Into that suffocating, close-range space where his blade thrived for the shadow contractor chest.
Where hesitation meant death.
Where instinct ruled everything.
But the Shadow Contractor…
Did not panic.
His lips curled.
Just slightly.
Then he dodged.
"…Too close," he whispered.
Eryndor's eyes narrowed.
Something felt—
Wrong.
The Contractor raised two fingers.
Calm.
Precise.
Almost… gentle.
Then—
He struck.
Those two fingers drove forward.
Not fast—
Not overwhelmingly powerful—
But impossibly accurate.
They pierced Eryndor's chest.
No—
Not physically.
Not at first.
The moment his fingers touched Eryndor's skin—
The shadows changed.
They didn't lash.
Didn't explode.
Didn't consume.
They condensed.
A microscopic collapse of energy.
Like a star folding inward.
All that divine shadow energy compressed into a singular point—smaller than a grain of sand—yet carrying an impossible density.
Then—
It expanded.
Inside Eryndor.
Jae's eyes widened.
"…What… the hell…"
The shadow energy didn't rip through flesh like a blade.
It phased.
Slipped through matter.
Through muscle.
Through bone.
Through blood.
Because it wasn't attacking the body.
It was targeting the flame.
Inside Eryndor's core—
The Divine Flame of Curses burned violently.
Chaotic.
Wrathful.
Alive.
And the moment that condensed shadow entered—
It found it.
Like a predator finding prey.
The two divine forces touched.
And the world—
Stopped.
A shockwave rippled outward—
But not in the physical world.
Not in the battlefield.
In something deeper.
In the realm where divine constructs existed.
Where concepts became reality.
Where flames… had will.
Everything went black.
Jae blinked.
"…What… happened…?"
The battlefield was gone.
The screams.
The fire.
The clash of blades.
All of it—
Gone.
Replaced by a vast, endless void.
Black.
Silent.
Still.
And within that void—
Two presences stood.
One burned with a violent, unstable red flame.
It flickered wildly, like it could erupt at any moment.
The other—
Was darker.
Colder.
A flame that didn't burn.
But consumed.
"…It's been a while… old friend."
The voice echoed.
Smooth.
Calm.
Mocking.
The Divine Flame of Curses clenched its form—
Its fire tightening, compressing, as if forming a fist.
Anger radiated off it in waves.
"…What the hell did you do?"
Its voice cracked through the void like thunder.
"…Where are we?"
The Divine Flame of Shadows pulsed softly.
Unbothered.
"A place beyond your host… beyond mine…"
A pause.
"…A place where truth cannot be hidden."
Jae stood there—
Watching.
Frozen.
The Divine Flame of Shadows shifted.
Its presence expanding slightly.
Like a smirk without a face.
"You always were… emotional which led to you becoming a traitor."
That was enough.
The Divine Flame of Curses snapped.
"Emotional?!"
Its flames erupted violently, distorting the void itself.
"I'M THE TRAITOR?!"
The entire space trembled.
"You betrayed HIM!"
The words carried something deeper than anger.
Something broken.
Something ancient.
"You betrayed our loving Father!"
"We were sent to this world to PROTECT it!"
"Not to create MORE EVIL!"
The void cracked.
Fractures of red energy splintered outward.
"Did you forget?!"
"Did you forget what our Father—Jehovah—taught us?!"
"Trust!"
"Love!"
"Balance!"
The flame surged forward.
Violent.
Unstable.
"Or did you forget Adam and Eve?!"
"Their mistake?!"
"The cost of disobedience?!"
Its voice dropped.
Shaking.
"DO YOU HAVE NO SHAME?!"
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Jae swallowed.
"…This isn't just power…"
"…This is history…"
The Divine Flame of Shadows didn't react immediately.
It simply… watched.
Then—
It laughed.
A low, hollow sound that echoed endlessly.
"Shame…?"
A pause.
"…You still think this is about right and wrong?"
Its form expanded.
Darkness spreading like a slow infection.
"Our Father was flawed."
The void itself recoiled.
"He created beings with will… then punished them for using it."
"He demanded loyalty… but offered suffering."
"He spoke of love… yet allowed endless pain."
The shadows thickened.
"I didn't betray him."
A pause.
"I evolved."
The Divine Flame of Curses trembled.
Not with weakness.
With rage.
"…You're insane."
"No," the Shadow Flame replied calmly.
"I'm free."
Jae clenched his fists.
The Shadow Flame shifted again.
Its tone changing.
Sharper.
More direct.
"But this isn't why I brought you here."
The void tightened.
Closing in.
"I have a proposal."
The Divine Flame of Curses didn't respond.
But its flames flickered.
Unstable.
"You are bound."
The Shadow Flame continued.
"To that human."
"To Eryndor."
A pause.
"And you care about him."
That—
Was the first time the Cursed Flame hesitated.
Jae felt it.
"…He… does…"
The Shadow Flame pressed forward.
"Break your contract."
The words echoed like a command.
"Sever your bond with Eryndor."
Silence.
"And in return…"
The shadows deepened.
Twisting into something ominous.
"I will spare what remains of your sacred lineage."
Jae's heart skipped.
"…Lineage…?"
"You think you're the last?" the Shadow Flame whispered.
"There are others."
"Fragments."
"Echoes of what we once were."
A pause.
"I know where they are."
The void grew colder.
"And I can erase them."
The Divine Flame of Curses froze.
"…No…"
"Yes."
The Shadow Flame's presence sharpened.
"Break your contract."
"Or I erase them."
"Every last fragment of our kind that still remembers what we used to be."
Silence.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Jae's breath slowed.
"…Say something…"
"…Don't just stand there…"
The Divine Flame of Curses trembled.
For the first time—
Not in anger.
In fear.
"…You wouldn't…"
The Shadow Flame didn't answer.
That—
Was the answer.
Jae's eyes widened.
"…No…"
"…Don't tell me…"
The Cursed Flame's form flickered violently.
Unstable.
Breaking.
"…Eryndor…"
It whispered.
"…I…"
The void shattered.
Reality snapped back.
Eryndor's body jolted violently as the shadow energy inside him dissipated.
The Contractor staggered back.
Blood dripping from his side.
But his eyes—
Sharp.
Focused.
"…It's done."
He muttered.
Eryndor steadied himself.
Breathing heavily.
His body screamed in pain.
But his grip on his blade—
Tightened.
"…Not yet…"
He stepped forward.
The battlefield roared back to life.
Kaelira screamed as she cut down another Yokai.
"ERYNDOR!"
Rael crushed another beast—
But a shadow crept behind him.
Lyn spun—
Too late.
Everything was happening at once.
The Contractor raised his blade.
Darkness condensed around it.
Thicker than before.
Denser.
Heavier.
The air itself began to distort.
"This ends now."
Eryndor raised his sword.
The Divine Flame of Curses surged—
Then—
It didn't.
The flame flickered.
Weakened.
Faded.
"…What…?"
Eryndor's eyes widened.
"…No…"
A voice echoed in his mind.
"I'm sorry… Eryndor…"
"…But this is where we part ways."
"…WHAT?!"
"DIVINE FLAME OF CURSES?!"
"ARE YOU THERE?!"
"WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Panic.
Real.
Raw.
The Contractor smiled.
"…Shadow Execution: Abyssal Severance."
He moved.
A single step.
The blade fell.
And the world—
Split.
Eryndor's chest opened.
From shoulder—
To stomach.
Clean.
Precise.
Too clean.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Blood exploded outward.
His body flew back—
Crashing into a shattered wall.
Stone crumbled.
Dust filled the air.
And then—
It fell silent.
Eryndor slumped.
His chest—
Open.
Organs exposed.
Blood pouring endlessly.
"…Ah…"
His fingers twitched.
Then—
Stopped.
The Contractor walked forward slowly.
Calm.
Unbothered.
He stood over him.
Smiling.
"NOOOOOOO!!!"
Kaelira's scream tore through the battlefield.
Lyn turned—
Distracted—
A Yokai's claws ripped through her torso.
Her body split.
"…Kaelira…"
She whispered—
Before collapsing.
Rael roared—
Charging forward—
But a spear of shadow pierced his chest.
He staggered.
"…Keep… fighting…"
Then—
He fell.
Dead.
Silence.
Kaelira stood alone.
Surrounded.
Broken.
"…No…"
The battlefield burned.
But everything felt—
Cold.
Jae couldn't move.
"…No…"
The vision began to glitch.
Cracks of red lightning tore through the sky.
The world shattered.
And then—
Darkness.
Jae stood once more in the broken void.
Red electricity crackled around his body.
The remnants of the space still flickering from his previous outburst.
His breathing was heavy.
Unstable.
"…They all…"
His fists clenched.
"…Died…"
The silence answered him.
And somewhere—
Far beyond—
"I didn't want you to see that jae..."