Zael didn't slow.
Not anymore.
The moment the boost settled into his body—
Everything changed.
His movements sharpened.
His strikes carried weight they hadn't before.
And most importantly—
They started landing.
Draven moved.
Layers shifting.
Space bending.
But this time—
It wasn't enough.
Zael appeared at his flank—
Blade already cutting—
Resonance Strike.
Impact.
Draven blocked—
But the force drove him back.
Actual movement.
Actual displacement.
His boots carved through the ground as he slid.
"…Tch."
Zael pressed.
No pause.
No hesitation.
Void Step—
Again—
Again—
Again—
Each reappearance tighter than the last.
Each strike heavier.
Faster.
Harder.
Draven's grin was gone now.
Completely.
His body flickered—
Splitting across layers—
Trying to misalign—
To escape—
But Zael didn't chase the illusion anymore.
He crushed it.
Brute force.
Overwhelming output.
Blade Domain compressed again—
Denser than before—
The space around Draven began to fracture under the pressure.
"…You—"
Draven moved—
Too late.
Zael stepped in.
Inside everything.
Inside the distortion.
Inside the layers.
And struck.
Night Sever.
A clean line—
Across Draven's torso.
Deep.
This time—
There was no slipping.
No avoidance.
The cut landed.
Fully.
Dark blood spilled.
Draven's body jerked.
For the first time—
Damage that mattered.
Zael didn't stop.
Didn't hesitate.
He followed through—
A second strike—
Resonance Strike—
Point blank.
The impact detonated.
The ground collapsed beneath them.
Trees shattered outward.
Draven was thrown—
Crashing through the forest, tearing through trunks before slamming into the earth.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Zael stood still for half a second.
Breathing steady—
But deeper now.
Watching.
Waiting.
Draven didn't get up immediately.
His body lay twisted slightly—
The wound across his torso deep—
Bleeding heavily.
Then—
He laughed.
Low.
Strained.
"…That… actually hurt."
Zael's eyes didn't soften.
Didn't relax.
He stepped forward.
Blade raised.
To finish it.
Draven's body flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Unstable.
But still active.
Zael's gaze sharpened.
"…Of course."
Even now—
Even like this—
He wasn't easy to kill.
Void Shadow Body.
Spatial Traits.
Everything about him—
Was built to survive.
To escape.
Zael closed the distance anyway.
He couldn't leave him alive.
Not like this.
Not when—
The air shifted.
Zael froze.
Not physically.
Instinctively.
That pressure—
Different.
Familiar.
Approaching.
Fast.
More than one.
His eyes flickered sideways.
Through the forest—
He felt them.
Closing in.
"…Damn it."
Draven felt it too.
His grin returned—
Faint.
Bloody.
"…Told you…"
A small cough—
Blood at his lips.
"…You should've run earlier."
Zael didn't respond.
His blade didn't lower.
But his mind—
Moved.
Fast.
Finish him?
Or leave?
Another flicker—
Draven's body blurred—
Barely—
But enough.
Even now—
He could slip.
Not fully.
Not cleanly.
But enough to delay.
Enough to survive—
For a few more seconds.
Seconds—
Zael didn't have.
The pressure got closer.
Sharper.
More defined.
One.
At least.
Maybe both of them.
Zael exhaled slowly.
"…Not worth it."
Draven's eyes narrowed slightly.
Zael stepped back.
Just once.
Decision made.
"…You got lucky."
Draven chuckled weakly.
"…No…"
A pause.
"…You did."
Zael didn't argue.
Didn't stay.
Because now—
This wasn't his fight anymore.
Void Step—
He vanished.
Gone from where he stood—
Reappearing deeper into the forest—
Then again—
And again—
Not stopping.
Not looking back.
Because behind him—
The pressure arrived.
Heavy.
Cold.
Watching.
Draven lay there for a second longer.
Breathing uneven.
Then—
His body flickered again—
Stabilizing just enough.
Two figures stepped into the clearing.
Vaelith.
Kharos.
Their gazes swept the destruction.
The broken ground.
The shattered trees.
Then—
Settled on him.
"…You let him get away," Kharos said calmly.
Draven laughed softly.
"…Try fighting him yourself."
Vaelith's eyes narrowed slightly as she stepped closer, gaze lingering on the wound across his torso.
"…He did this?"
A pause.
Draven's grin widened faintly.
"…Yeah."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Because that—
Changed things.
Vaelith straightened slowly.
Her gaze shifted.
Toward the direction Zael had fled.
"…Then we stop underestimating him."
Kharos nodded once.
"…Agreed."
Draven exhaled slowly, pushing himself up just slightly.
"…Next time…"
His eyes gleamed faintly.
"…I'm not holding back."
Far ahead—
Zael didn't stop moving.
Didn't slow.
Didn't relax.
Because he knew—
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
And now—
They were all hunting him.
At full intent.