The poisonous mist continued to spread throughout the ruined hall.
Fragments of stone covered the floor.
Parts of the ceiling had collapsed.
The ancient fortress of the First General was slowly turning into ruins because of the violence of that battle.
Even so, nothing drew more attention than Vaelthor.
He slowly walked toward me.
Without haste.
Without concern.
Like someone who believed he had already won.
Behind me, Scarlett remained kneeling.
Vespera supported herself with one hand on the floor.
Elara was breathing with difficulty.
Lyannis struggled to stay conscious.
Rai'kanna was still recovering from the brutal blow she had received.
Liriel stood near them.
Apparently just as affected as the others.
At least that was what Vaelthor believed.
I also kept a worried expression.
I needed to keep playing my role.
I needed to keep feeding his confidence.
Because the situation was not as simple as it seemed.
In fact, even before we entered that fortress, there had already been a plan.
A plan we had prepared in case Vaelthor possessed some kind of hidden ability.
Some trump card.
Some resource that would make the battle more complicated.
And now that plan was beginning to be put into action.
Vaelthor raised his sword.
"It's over."
I didn't answer.
I kept holding my weapon.
Like someone cornered.
Like someone with no options.
The general smiled.
Then he charged.
Disappearing before my eyes.
I barely managed to react.
Our swords collided.
An explosion shook the hall.
I was pushed backward.
But I remained standing.
He attacked again.
I blocked.
Another strike.
I blocked once more.
The difference in strength remained enormous.
Every impact made my arms ache.
Every clash consumed more energy.
Vaelthor seemed to notice it.
Because his smile grew wider with every exchange.
"You're getting slower."
I didn't answer.
He was right.
I really was tired.
The last few days of war had consumed much of my mana.
Much of my stamina.
But there was still something he didn't know.
Something important.
As we continued fighting, I discreetly observed the rest of the group.
Scarlett remained motionless.
So did Vespera.
Elara seemed to be struggling to stay conscious.
Lyannis kept her head lowered.
Rai'kanna remained leaning among the rubble.
And Liriel...
Liriel was exactly where I needed her to be.
Her head lowered.
Her eyes closed.
Apparently unable to continue fighting.
Exactly as planned.
Vaelthor continued believing that performance.
And that was good.
Very good.
Because the real danger to him was never just me.
The real danger was what was happening without him noticing.
While defending myself from another attack, I felt a faint current of holy energy flowing through the surroundings.
So subtle that it would have been impossible to notice.
So discreet that it would go unnoticed amid that absurd amount of demonic mana.
Liriel was working.
Silently.
Without drawing attention.
Without interrupting the act.
The purification magic had already begun.
Not directly.
Not aggressively.
But slowly.
Like an invisible current.
Spreading throughout the hall.
Neutralizing part of the poison.
Protecting the other girls.
Gradually restoring their condition.
It was exactly what we had agreed upon.
Because if Vaelthor realized it too soon, everything would be lost.
We needed him to believe he was winning.
We needed him to lower his guard.
We needed his arrogance to work in our favor.
Then another blow struck me.
This time I couldn't block it completely.
The black sword hit my armor.
I was sent flying backward.
I rolled across the floor.
I came to a stop near the rubble of a destroyed pillar.
My chest burned.
The pain was intense.
But I took advantage of that moment.
I stayed down for a few seconds before getting up.
As if I were truly on the verge of defeat.
Vaelthor watched.
Clearly satisfied.
"It's over."
His voice echoed through the hall.
"You fought well."
Those words confirmed something important.
He believed it.
He truly believed it.
I slowly stood up.
Leaning on my sword.
Breathing heavily.
Continuing the performance.
"Not yet."
Vaelthor let out a small laugh.
"Persistent."
Then he began walking again.
Meanwhile, behind him, something was changing.
Very slowly.
Almost imperceptibly.
Scarlett opened her eyes.
For just an instant.
Then closed them again.
Vespera subtly moved her fingers.
Elara recovered part of her breathing.
Lyannis already seemed more conscious.
Liriel's work was succeeding.
Exactly as planned.
But it still wasn't time.
We still needed to wait.
A few more minutes.
A few more opportunities.
A little more confidence from Vaelthor.
The general attacked again.
And I continued retreating.
I continued blocking.
I continued looking more and more weakened.
It wounded my pride.
Deeply.
But winning was more important.
Pride would not defeat the First General.
Strategy just might.
Then Vaelthor decided to accelerate.
His speed increased.
His attacks became more aggressive.
More violent.
More difficult to follow.
I received several superficial cuts.
My armor suffered further damage.
My mana continued to decrease.
Everything seemed real.
Because part of it was real.
We truly were in trouble.
The difference was that there was still a chance.
A single chance.
And we were creating that opportunity at that very moment.
During a particularly intense exchange of blows, I heard Vaelthor's voice.
"Do you know what's funny?"
I blocked another attack.
"What?"
"I expected more from the hero."
I remained silent.
He smiled.
"I expected someone capable of challenging me."
Another strike.
Another explosion.
"What I found was just another human trying to survive."
I continued retreating.
Continuing to feed him that false sense of superiority.
Meanwhile, behind him, Liriel finally opened her eyes.
It was a subtle movement.
Almost invisible.
But I noticed it.
And she noticed that I had noticed.
The first stage was complete.
The poison no longer posed a serious threat to the group.
Now came the hardest part.
Waiting.
Waiting for the perfect moment.
Waiting for the right opening.
Waiting for Vaelthor to fully believe in his victory.
The battle continued.
Minutes that felt like hours.
Attacks.
Defenses.
Explosions.
Stones collapsing.
Mana being consumed.
Everything contributed to making the act more convincing.
Until it finally happened.
Vaelthor stopped.
Just for an instant.
Looking at the group behind me.
Looking at the girls who appeared defeated.
Looking at his supposed victory.
He relaxed.
Only slightly.
But he relaxed.
Perhaps another enemy wouldn't have noticed.
But I did.
Liriel did too.
Scarlett did as well.
The opportunity was finally emerging.
The First General believed he had won.
The trap was beginning to close.
But it still wasn't the final moment.
Not yet.
We needed him to take one more step.
Just one more.
Vaelthor pointed his sword at me.
"Kneel."
I didn't answer.
"Kneel, and your death will be quick."
I continued holding my weapon.
He sighed.
Like someone disappointed.
Then he began gathering mana once again.
Probably to end everything in a single blow.
That was exactly what we wanted.
Because the more demonic energy he gathered.
The more devastating what came next would be.
I felt a faint current of holy energy pass through the surroundings.
Far stronger than before.
Liriel was ready.
The other girls were too.
I kept my tired expression.
My wounded body.
My exhausted posture.
Continuing the performance until the very last second.
Vaelthor raised his sword.
Black energy began flooding the hall.
The shadows stirred around him.
The ceiling trembled once again.
The walls shook.
The final blow was being prepared.
But what Vaelthor didn't know was that, while he believed he was about to end the battle, he himself was walking directly into the center of the trap we had prepared.
And when he finally took the next step, it would already be too late to turn back.