The rain roared across Ember Falls, heavy and merciless, while thunder cracked the sky like the heavens themselves were tearing apart.
Lightning flashed—brief, blinding—and in that split second, Kharous Raine caught it.
A silhouette.
A man stood beside a tree, sword in hand.
Before Kharous could fully process what he saw, the shadow vanished.
Then—
Impact.
A force slammed into him with terrifying speed, pinning him against a massive tree trunk. Steel pierced through his chest, embedding him into the bark as splinters scattered behind him.
His weapon slipped from his grasp and hit the wet ground with a dull clang.
Kharous raised his head slowly, gritting his teeth through the pain—and finally saw his attacker clearly.
A man who looked almost ordinary.
A villager's clothing, worn and simple. Brown hair fading into blonde at the tips, styled in a loose curtain cut. He looked to be in his thirties—calm, almost unremarkable… except for the cold precision in his eyes.
The man said nothing.
He only pressed the blade deeper.
"Damn you…" Kharous growled, his voice strained.
With a burst of strength, he slammed his fist into the tree beside him. The impact cracked the bark and forced enough space for his body to twist free.
The sword slid out.
Kharous dropped to one knee, coughing once—then reached for his weapon.
A Chain Ball, heavy and cursed with an unnatural presence.
His eyes ignited with power.
The ground trembled.
From the soaked earth beneath them, a massive abyssal serpent erupted—its shadowy form roaring as it lunged straight toward the man.
But the attacker didn't even flinch.
With a single motion, he drew his blade—
And cleanly split the serpent in half.
The creature dissolved into dark mist.
Kharous paused.
A faint smile formed despite the blood on his lips.
"And you are…?" he asked.
A moment of silence.
Then the man answered, calm and steady:
"Eryndor."
Kharous exhaled slowly, almost amused.
"Finally… a worthy opponent, Eryndor."
Without another word, Eryndor moved.
Fast—almost unreal.
Kharous barely raised his Chain Ball in time to block the first strike. The impact sent shockwaves through his arms.
The eye embedded in his weapon began to glow.
From it, abyssal tentacles erupted violently, twisting through the air toward Eryndor.
But the man adapted instantly.
He shifted his stance, reading every movement, every angle. His blade cut through the tendrils one after another with surgical precision, never wasting motion.
Kharous narrowed his eyes.
Now.
He swung his fist, dark energy gathering around it like a storm.
Eryndor was still cutting through the last tendrils—
The punch landed.
Eryndor was launched backward, skidding across the soaked ground. But before he fully fell, he stabbed his sword into the earth and stopped himself, regaining balance in a single motion.
Kharous clicked his tongue.
"I'm quite impressed," he said, rolling his shoulder. "You're tougher than the ones before."
Eryndor said nothing.
He only watched.
Analyzing.
Kharous continued, almost taunting now. "I wonder how your friends—Leo, Rein… how they'd feel seeing you struggle like this."
A flicker passed through Eryndor's eyes.
Then he moved again.
Faster than before.
Steel clashed against steel as Eryndor unleashed a relentless barrage—slashes, thrusts, feints, each one calculated to break defense rather than overpower it.
For the first time, Kharous was forced on the defensive.
His expression darkened.
The Chain Ball swung wildly, forcing space, but Eryndor refused to give him any room to breathe.
The eye on the weapon pulsed again—
Abyssal chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around Eryndor's body.
Kharous laughed.
"Got you."
He raised the Chain Ball high—
But Eryndor, even restrained, twisted his arm and drove his sword into the glowing eye of the weapon.
A sharp crack echoed through the rain.
The abyssal energy collapsed instantly.
The chains vanished.
Kharous froze.
"…You little shit," he hissed.
For the first time, frustration broke through his calm.
He dropped the weapon.
Pointed at Eryndor.
"Worthless piece of—"
But Eryndor didn't listen.
He noticed something.
The eye he had stabbed… was already beginning to regenerate.
And beyond the fight—
He saw them.
Leo. Rein.
The fallen knights.
And something else in the flooded ruins of Ember Falls… something unnatural drifting in the water.
His expression hardened.
"…Enough," Eryndor said quietly. "We end this now."
He pulled his sword free from the weapon's eye.
In a single burst, he closed the distance.
Steel erupted in a storm.
Slash after slash—too fast to follow, too precise to counter. Kharous tried to respond, but his movements were being broken down piece by piece.
Then—
Kharous's left eye flared with power.
His strength surged.
He forced Eryndor back with a brutal stomp that shattered the ground beneath them, then drove a heavy punch that slammed into Eryndor's guard and knocked him down.
For a moment, Kharous regained control.
He raised his foot—
To finish it.
But hesitation—just a fraction—
Was enough.
Eryndor moved first.
A blade flashed upward.
Kharous froze.
Pain exploded through his left eye.
He dropped to his knees.
The world blurred.
Through the rain, he saw Eryndor standing over him—silent, unmoving.
Kharous forced his head up one last time.
"…You… are dangerous," he muttered.
Eryndor didn't respond.
He simply raised his blade.
And brought it down.
Silence.
Kharous Raine fell.
---
Eryndor didn't waste a second.
He moved immediately to Leo and Rein, checking their condition before securing them onto the horses of the fallen knights. His hands worked quickly, efficiently—no hesitation.
"I'm sorry… brothers," he muttered under his breath, not stopping his movements.
Then his gaze returned to the battlefield.
That… thing in the water.
After a moment, he added it to another horse. Whatever it was, it felt wrong to leave behind.
He mounted his horse and took the reins of the others, guiding them forward through the ruined forest path.
But as he rode, something caught his attention.
Kharous's body.
Still.
Then—
A subtle movement.
"…No," Eryndor whispered.
The body was healing.
The head… slowly reattaching.
And the weapon… reforming itself.
"This is bad news," he said grimly.
He tightened the reins.
Thunder rolled again.
And from behind them—
A scream tore through the forest.
"ERYNDOR!"
"YOU'RE DEAD!"
The voice was no longer human.
It echoed like something monstrous waking up.
A massive tree trunk was suddenly hurled across their path.
Eryndor pulled the horses aside just in time—the wood missed them by inches, nearly striking Leo.
He turned his head slightly.
There.
Kharous Raine stood again.
Grinning.
Wrong.
Unnatural.
He wasn't finished.
The forest itself seemed to tremble with his laughter.
Eryndor faced forward again, jaw tightening.
"Go," he urged the horses. "Faster."
Behind them, the roar echoed again, closer this time.
And the forest itself seemed to scream in response.
Ahead, through the storm and darkness, a faint white light appeared.