[Astravon Empire]
Eris walked toward Kaelvyr's room and knocked twice.
Knock. Knock.
The door opened, revealing Kaelvyr holding Astra in his arms. She was already awake, her eyes moving curiously between him and Eris.
"Come outside," Eris said. "We need to talk."
Kaelvyr carefully lowered Astra to the floor. He bent down until they were at the same height and placed a hand gently against her shoulder.
"I'll be right back."
Astra looked up at him as he followed Eris outside.
The moment Kaelvyr stepped into the street, he noticed the silence. Not a single species moved through the area. The road, the surrounding buildings, and the entrances to the nearby structures were completely empty.
Kaelvyr slowly turned his head. Zarek and Krios stood several steps away on his right. Eris had already moved behind Zarek, placing him between herself and Kaelvyr.
Kaelvyr stopped walking.
"What's all this?" he asked. Then he glanced toward Eris. "I know you enjoy playing around, but I'm busy right now."
Krios stepped forward. His eyes moved over Kaelvyr from head to toe before settling on his face.
"Kaelvyr…" he said quietly. "An Origin."
Kaelvyr looked toward Eris.
"Explain what's happening."
Eris stepped forward from behind Zarek. Krios and Zarek watched her as she faced Kaelvyr.
"We were sent to kill you."
For a moment, Kaelvyr said nothing.
Then he smiled.
A deep laugh escaped him. It grew louder as he continued, echoing through the empty street until he finally looked at Eris again.
"You're really funny."
His smile faded slightly.
"Who sent you?"
"The Ruler."
Kaelvyr's eyes narrowed.
"And you intend to carry out that order?"
Eris moved back behind Zarek.
"We have no choice."
Kaelvyr's voice lowered.
"Of course you do."
Krios stepped forward. His hand closed around the handle of his sword, and he drew the blade from its sheath. A surge of energy travelled along the weapon, carrying both a spiritual quality and a darker demonic pressure.
Kaelvyr studied him carefully.
"A hybrid…" he murmured. "So the King sent two close-range attackers and a dangerous being capable of bending reality."
His expression changed as the pieces came together.
"Let me guess. This was all planned from the beginning. Nova's assignment to Varynthia was planned too."
Krios raised his sword.
"Forfeit, or we will kill you by force."
Kaelvyr remained still.
"I do not surrender to my enemies."
His gaze moved between them.
"Do you understand what you're doing? If you attack me, you may start a war between the angels and the demons."
Krios's grip tightened.
"Forfeit. We can either kill you normally or kill you by force."
Kaelvyr stared at him.
"I thought I had already made myself clear."
Krios vanished.
A violent pressure moved through the air as he reappeared behind Kaelvyr, his sword already pressed against the side of Kaelvyr's neck. But the blade stopped before touching him.
A thin layer of Holy Energy surrounded Kaelvyr's body. It was almost invisible, yet it held Krios's sword completely still.
Kaelvyr did not even turn around at first. He glanced toward the blade, then looked back at Krios over his shoulder.
"How pathetic."
Krios immediately withdrew, landing several steps away.
"What was that?" he demanded, looking toward Eris.
"Heavenly Barrier," Eris replied. "It is extremely difficult to penetrate."
Krios lowered his body.
The energy around him changed.
One side of his body released a deep red demonic energy, while the other released spiritual energy. The two forces did not merge peacefully. They twisted around him in opposing currents, creating a pressure that made the street tremble beneath his feet.
His eyes changed into a gradient of red and blue.
"Spiritual-Demonic Synchronization."
Kaelvyr smiled.
"Now you're beginning to take this seriously."
Massive wings unfolded from Kaelvyr's back, formed entirely from Holy Energy. Their radiance spread across the empty street, and the pressure released from them pushed against the surrounding buildings.
Holy Energy gathered in his hand and formed a long sword.
Kaelvyr lifted the weapon and pointed it toward Krios.
"Come at me."
Krios moved.
His speed became so great that his body blurred into streaks of red and blue. He appeared in front of Kaelvyr, then vanished and reappeared at another angle, each movement accompanied by a violent slash.
Kaelvyr blocked the first attack.
Then the second.
Then the third.
The clash of their blades sent sharp bursts of energy through the air. Krios moved with relentless precision, attacking from Kaelvyr's sides, above his shoulder, and directly toward his chest. Each time, Kaelvyr turned his Holy Energy blade just enough to redirect the strike.
Krios accelerated.
His spiritual and demonic energies rotated around his body as he launched a sequence of attacks from different directions. Kaelvyr's wings shifted behind him, allowing him to turn his body with impossible speed. His sword met every strike.
Then Kaelvyr saw the opening.
He stepped inside Krios's attack and drove his blade forward.
The Holy Energy sword pierced through Krios's body.
Krios's eyes widened. His attack stopped halfway through its motion as Kaelvyr's blade emerged from his back.
Before Kaelvyr could withdraw the sword, Zarek launched himself into the battle.
Dark demonic energy gathered around both his arms and formed two blades. He swung them toward Kaelvyr from opposite directions.
Kaelvyr did not retreat.
He raised one leg and kicked Zarek in the chest.
The impact sent Zarek flying backward with tremendous force. He crashed through the side of a building, and the structure shook around him.
Zarek twisted in the air and immediately tried to cut through Kaelvyr with one of his dark blades. The attack reached Kaelvyr's Holy Energy, but the dark energy began to disappear before it could make contact.
The weapon dissolved.
Zarek's eyes widened as the force of Kaelvyr's kick sent him farther away.
At the same time, Krios released a roar from behind the Holy Energy sword.
"Origin Fracture!"
His spiritual and red demonic energies erupted from his body and wrapped around Kaelvyr. The two opposing forces collided violently, creating a destructive field that twisted around the Angel Origin from every direction.
The energy began swallowing Kaelvyr's body.
Krios immediately tore himself away from the sword and retreated. The fractured energy continued to spiral around Kaelvyr, growing denser as it tried to crush his form.
Kaelvyr's wings spread wide.
Holy Energy surged from them.
The moment it touched the spiritual-demonic field, the entire attack destabilized. The conflicting energy cracked, weakened, and vanished beneath the authority of Kaelvyr's Holy Energy.
Krios landed several steps away, staring at him in disbelief.
Zarek pulled himself from the damaged building and looked down at his hand. The dark demonic energy he had lost began returning to him, but the moment it moved toward Kaelvyr, it disappeared again.
"Why isn't our power working against him?" Zarek shouted toward Eris.
Eris watched Kaelvyr carefully.
"He is an angel. His Holy Edict cancels foreign energy that attempts to destroy him."
Krios's expression changed.
He understood immediately.
His Spiritual-Demonic Synchronization was not failing because it lacked power. It was failing because Kaelvyr's Holy Energy rejected the attack at its foundation.
Kaelvyr smiled at him.
"You know a lot about me."
Krios did not answer.
He dashed forward again.
Kaelvyr turned and blocked the incoming strike. Their swords collided, producing a shockwave that travelled through the street and rattled the empty buildings.
Krios attacked again.
Kaelvyr blocked.
Krios changed direction.
Kaelvyr followed.
Their blades clashed repeatedly as Krios forced Kaelvyr backward one step at a time. Sparks of energy scattered with every impact, red and blue flashes cutting through the air.
Zarek moved toward Eris while keeping his eyes on the battle.
"He's too strong," he said. "How are we supposed to kill him?"
His gaze dropped briefly to the empty space where his original sword should have been.
"I wish I had my Cursed Blade."
Eris did not answer immediately. She watched Krios continue attacking Kaelvyr, searching for an opening.
Zarek leaned closer to her.
"On my signal, use your authority."
Eris's eyes narrowed.
Zarek turned back toward the fight and raised one hand.
"Blackout Field."
Dark demonic energy spread across the street.
The surrounding area immediately disappeared beneath a blanket of darkness. The buildings, the road, and even the flashes of energy became difficult to see. The battlefield turned into a void where only brief sparks revealed the position of the fighters.
Krios vanished into the darkness.
Zarek vanished with him.
It was now two against one.
Eris stood at the edge of the field, able to see only occasional flashes of Holy Energy and the sharp sparks created by colliding blades.
Krios struck from the darkness.
Kaelvyr blocked the attack, and the collision produced another violent shockwave. Krios immediately retreated into the shadows. A moment later, Zarek attacked from the opposite direction.
Kaelvyr turned, but the darkness concealed the exact position of the strike.
His wings folded around his body, creating a protective shield of Holy Energy.
Then he closed his eyes.
"Soul Disconnection."
Kaelvyr's perception spread through the darkness. He did not need to see Krios. He sensed the connection between Krios's body, his energy, and the movement of his attack.
Krios emerged from the shadows and swung his sword toward Kaelvyr's side.
Kaelvyr moved before the strike arrived.
He dodged the blade without seeing it, then extended one hand toward Krios.
Krios's eyes widened.
Kaelvyr's hand was about to touch him.
Krios gathered an enormous amount of demonic energy around his body and forced it outward in a desperate burst, preparing to blitz Kaelvyr before the Angel Origin could make contact.
At that exact moment, Zarek rushed in from the darkness and grabbed Kaelvyr's arm.
Kaelvyr's Holy Energy intensified.
The darkness surrounding them immediately began to break apart. The Blackout Field cracked like a shell, then vanished completely, restoring visibility to the street.
Zarek's dark demonic energy disappeared from his body once again.
He tried to drive his foot into Kaelvyr's side.
But Eris moved.
She crossed the distance in an instant. A marking appeared along one side of her mouth as she reached the point where Kaelvyr's hand was about to touch Krios.
Her eyes locked onto the moment.
"Break!"
The command struck the battlefield.
Everything happened within a single split second.
To be continued…