On the eastern front, the tension cracked like a whip through the air. Rain sizzled off scorched ground, but amidst the chaos, Marek stood still, his eyes burning with frustration.
"I’ve had enough of this," he growled.
Then, with a loud roar, he slammed both fists into the ground. Energy surged outward from his body, vicious, raw, and untamed.
Dark tendrils of power spiraled upward around him. His muscles grew denser, veins glowing, and from his head emerged two sharp energy horns crackling with unstable force. Claws of solid energy formed around his fists, pulsating like blades of lightning.
He looked up, a twisted grin on his face.
"This... is the real predator."
[Ultimate Skill: Apex Reaper]
In an instant, he vanished, rushing forward like a blur of destruction.
Lucia, without hesitation, cast out both hands. Frost exploded outward in a wave, freezing the ground beneath and filling the air with glittering shards.
But Marek didn’t stop.
He moved faster, ice cracking beneath each step as if it were nothing.
Then Naria stepped forward, body cloaked in shimmering light. She clashed with Marek mid-air, both fists colliding with enough force to crack the earth beneath.
"I’ll hold him back," Naria said quickly, straining against Marek’s strength.
Lucia gave her a quick nod. "Be careful."
Meanwhile, across the ruined terrain, Igor approached with burning footsteps. His body glowed red-hot, flames licking up from his shoulders.
Lucia turned to face him.
With a swing of her arm, an arctic wave surged from her feet, freezing everything in a wide radius. The air shimmered white as snow began to swirl unnaturally.
But Igor didn’t flinch.
He simply raised a hand, and fire erupted, melting the ice on contact.
From the side, Marlo appeared, his face wearing that unsettling grin. He sent three clone ushing toward Lucia. Blades drawn.
Before they could reach her, arrows rained down, exploding on impact. Elien, standing tall on a ridge, reloaded with calm precision.
"You again?" Marlo sneered.
With a flick of his hand, he created a flaming clone of Igor, mixing the fire with his own dark energy. The new clone burst forward, creating a wall of flame, surrounding Lucia and Elien.
Lucia’s eyes narrowed. "Elien... it’s time."
He nodded silently and began preparing a glowing arrow, energy pulsing down its shaft.
Marlo laughed. "That won’t help you."
Lucia stepped forward. "We’ll see about that."
She stomped down. Ice erupted from the ground, encasing the entire battlefield. Giant spires of frost surrounded Igor and Marlo, forming a massive dome of reinforced ice.
[Ultimate Skill : Glacial Prison]
Inside, the temperature dropped to sub-zero in seconds. Ice thickened continuously as Lucia poured her energy into maintaining the prison, leaving only a small opening at the very top.
From within, Marlo and Igor retaliated. Their flames, now burning blue from intensity, tried to melt through the layers of enchanted ice.
But Lucia gritted her teeth. "Keep going... just a little more..."
When the time was right, she whispered, "Now."
From her position, Elien locked onto the narrow gap above the dome. His eyes glowed faintly, breath steady despite the cold wind.
He released the arrow.
It shot through the air like a comet, glowing, humming, charged with both cryogenic and incendiary energy.
What made it special wasn’t just the mix of elements, but the delicate balance between them. Elien had infused the arrowhead with Lucia’s frozen aura earlier, letting it absorb trace magic. Then, with his own fire catalyst embedded inside the shaft, he had created a volatile elemental core, one that wouldn’t react until both frost and flame were fully saturated.
Now, inside the icy dome where heat clashed with cold in perfect proportion, the moment the arrow entered the space—
BOOOOM!!
A colossal explosion lit the night sky.
The Glacial Prison shattered into frozen shards. A shockwave of mixed frostfire energy flattened everything nearby.
When the light faded... silence.
No trace of Marlo. No trace of Igor. Nothing but scorched earth and scattered crystals of melted ice.
Lucia collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily.
Elien lowered his bow, eyes still scanning the aftermath.
"...Got them."
Lucia could barely stay upright. Her breath came in short, ragged bursts, her knees trembling beneath her.
She stared at the scorched ground where the icy dome once stood. The silence was deafening.
"Rest in peace, Igor..." she whispered, her voice thin against the falling rain.
Far across the battlefield, Naria had witnessed the explosion. Her gaze didn’t waver from Marek, but her voice grew colder.
"Your teammates are gone."
Marek didn’t flinch. He merely scoffed.
"They were useless anyway."
Without warning, his claws slashed forward, fast and violent.
Naria blocked the strike just in time, sparks flying off the point of impact. She twisted and countered with a powerful punch to Marek’s gut, sending him stumbling back.
But he recovered almost instantly, gathering energy in his palms, then unleashed a blast that forced her to retreat several steps.
Before he could rush in, an arrow streaked through the air, aiming straight for his head.
With a snarl, Marek raised a claw and slashed it out of the sky, sparks flying as the enchanted arrow splintered.
His eyes snapped toward the ridgeline. "You again?" he growled. "Damn pest."
Elien stood firm, already readying the next shot.
Naria seized the moment and lunged forward again, her fist glowing with energy. She struck Marek across the jaw, then said sharply,
"You’ve always hated Lucia... and Elien too. Why? Jealousy?"
Marek froze mid-swing. "What did you say?"
"You think no one noticed?" Naria pressed, her voice taunting. "You’ve been obsessed with Lucia. You couldn’t stand that she looked at Elien, not you."
His face twisted in rage. "SHUT UP!"
"I’m right, aren’t I?"
"You don’t know anything!" Marek roared.
And then he snapped.
He launched himself at her, attacks wild and brutal. His claws became blurs, slashing through the air with reckless fury.
But Naria stood her ground.
Golden light radiated from her body, her aura intensifying as her limbs glowed with divine energy.
[Ultimate Skill : Solar Mantle]
She became a beacon of brilliance, like a guardian of light. When Marek’s claws came close, they hissed against the glowing shield around her.
She drove her fist forward, the power of her aura surging with it.
"You’re pathetic."
The impact sent Marek flying, crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.
Before he could rise, more arrows rained toward him, one after another. He roared and deflected them with his claws, sparks lighting up the battlefield.
His eyes blazed now, not just with rage, but pure hatred.
"I’ll make you all regret this..."
Then, Marek threw his head back and screamed.
Dark energy erupted from beneath him, swirling like a vortex. His body twisted, cracking unnaturally. Energy horns grew longer, darker. Spines erupted along his back. His skin turned shadow-black, muscles bulging with unnatural density.
His eyes glowed crimson.
A new form was born. One darker, more monstrous. One born of rage and obsession.
Naria stepped back, her lips curling in disgust.
"He’s become even more insane... and revolting."
Lucia narrowed her eyes, the frost in her veins matching the cold fire in her voice.
"Then we end this. Now."
Without needing another word, the trio moved into formation.
Elien drew his bow, already channeling energy into the shaft. The arrow glowed faintly, laced with a paralytic toxin.
He released it—thunk!
The arrow struck Marek in the shoulder.
But Marek didn’t flinch.
He turned slowly, a grotesque grin spreading across his monstrous face. Then in a blur, he charged forward, moving like a predator unleashed.
Lucia barked, "Brace yourselves!"
But Naria was already there. She leapt forward, golden energy rippling across her fists.
"I was born ready!"
Her punch sliced through the air, but Marek twisted mid-dash and narrowly avoided it, his claws grazing her arm.
Lucia snapped her hands forward, spears of ice erupting from the ground, trapping Marek’s path, slowing his movement.
Then another arrow flew, this time glowing green with potent venom. Elien’s aim was true.
Thwip! The arrow struck deep into Marek’s thigh. He stumbled. Just for a second.
But that second was all they needed.
Naria gritted her teeth, a golden aura blazing around her arms.
"Here it comes, bastard."
She charged with a roar, her fist cloaked in radiant force. With a powerful hook, she slammed her punch directly into Marek’s chest.
The blow cracked the air like thunder, launching him off the ground.
And above him waiting, massive icicles rained from the sky, summoned by Lucia’s ultimate control over the battlefield.
Marek roared in rage, flailing wildly, but Elien’s final arrow struck again, this time embedding in his lower ribs. The venom surged through his twisted form, disrupting his movement.
Pinned. Poisoned. Cornered.
"This is the end, Marek," Naria growled.
"No... NO! This can’t be happening!" Marek shrieked. "G-... GENERAL!!"
But it was too late.
Naria’s fist blazed with one final surge of energy, divine, unrelenting.
She hurled it downward, straight into Marek’s chest.
The force exploded on impact.
His upper body disintegrated, torn apart in a flash of gold and fire and fury, leaving only smoldering legs behind.
The battlefield fell silent.
It was over.