Chapter 103: When the Chains Break
The battle spread across the ruins like wildfire.
Sparks flew as steel clashed, mana surged like raging storms, and the air was thick with the scent of blood and destruction.
The Vanguard fought on separate fronts, their strengths tested against enemies unlike any they had faced before.
And somewhere beneath them—something was stirring.
Kael & Lucian vs. The Ruin Guardian – Awakening Power
Kael dodged left, barely avoiding a golden beam of energy that carved a crater into the ground.
Lucian met the guardian's next strike head-on, his blade clashing against the construct's massive arm, golden flames bursting outward.
The guardian's wounds healed instantly, the cracks in its obsidian body sealing as if time itself rewound.
Kael gritted his teeth. "This thing doesn't break!"
Lucian exhaled. "Then we stop holding back."
Their eyes met.
Kael activated Gravity Domain.
Lucian unleashed Draconic Ascendance.
The ruins shook as two titanic forces merged.
Kael's domain compressed space, dragging the guardian's massive body downward, slowing its movements.
Lucian shot forward, his sword coated in golden fire, his strikes now faster than the eye could follow.
The guardian lashed out, but Kael forced its attacks to bend, distorting its movements just enough for Lucian to slip through its defenses.
One strike—
Two—
Three—
The guardian finally staggered.
Its golden eyes flickered.
"Worthy."
Then—
It stopped healing.
Kael's eyes widened. "Lucian—now!"
Lucian's blade pierced straight through the core.
The guardian froze.
Then, with a final, shuddering pulse—it crumbled.
The battle was over.
But Kael and Lucian barely had time to breathe—
Before a deep tremor shook the ruins beneath them.
Something else was waking up.
Cassian grinned, twirling his rapier, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"You hit like a damn giant," he admitted.
The Xelthar Warlord snorted, spinning his massive axe effortlessly. "And you talk too much."
Mira pushed herself up, her sword crackling with crimson energy. "Then let's shut him up."
Cassian smirked. "Ladies first."
Mira moved first, a blur of speed and precision. Her blade clashed against the warlord's axe, sparks flying as the sheer force of the impact shook the ruins.
The warlord countered, his swings heavy enough to shatter stone—but Cassian was already behind him.
A single, precise thrust.
The rapier pierced his shoulder.
The warlord growled, whirling around—only for Mira to strike his exposed side.
For the first time—he staggered.
Cassian smirked. "Looks like you're not invincible after all."
The warlord exhaled, then grinned.
"Good," he rumbled. "Then this is finally worth my time."
And his mana exploded outward.
The ground beneath them cracked, his aura turning the air heavy.
Cassian and Mira steeled themselves.
This was only just beginning.
Darius gasped, clutching his bleeding side as he tried to stand.
Evelyne stood before him, fists clenched, her body trembling with rage.
"You hurt my friend," she muttered.
The Xelthar General tilted his head. "Yes. And I'll kill him next."
Something in Evelyne snapped.
Her Titan's Resilience surged.
The ground shattered beneath her feet as she moved faster than she ever had before.
The General's smirk vanished.
Evelyne's fist met his jaw, the force launching him across the battlefield.
Before he could even react—she was already on him.
Another punch—
Then another—
Then another—
Each blow shook the ruins.
The General coughed blood, but Evelyne did not stop.
"You don't get to hurt my friends," she whispered.
Her next punch broke his ribs.
Then his arm.
Then his leg.
By the time she stopped—the General wasn't moving.
Evelyne exhaled, shaking.
Darius, still bleeding, grinned. "Remind me never to piss you off."
Evelyne huffed. "Shut up."
Then she caught him before he collapsed.
They had won.
But something felt wrong.
The ground beneath them rumbled.
And far below—something ancient stirred.
Rael & Selene vs. The Unknown
Rael barely dodged, the hooded figure's attack passing through space itself.
Selene flickered behind their enemy—but before her blade could touch them, it was caught.
The figure spoke.
"You are unworthy of the knowledge you seek."
Rael narrowed his eyes. "And who decides that?"
The figure tilted its head.
"Time."
Then—it vanished.
Rael and Selene froze.
A whisper drifted through the ruins.
"It is waking."
Then—the tremors began.
Rael turned to Selene. "We need to move."
Selene nodded. "Something's coming."
They ran.
Leonel's Warning – The True Enemy Awakens
Leonel stood before the sealed gate, eyes wide.
The symbols had changed.
Not unlocking—but breaking.
This wasn't just an ancient ruin.
It was a prison.
And it was about to open.
Leonel turned, his mana flaring.
"Kael! Lucian! Can you hear me?!"
Silence.
Then—
A single, deafening sound.
The gate cracked open.
And something stepped out.
A voice echoed through the ruins.
Deep. Ancient. Hungry.
"At last… freedom."
Leonel's blood ran cold.
They were too late.