Linggis stood calmly in the middle of the battlefield, even as blood trickled from several parts of his body. Seo's breathing was heavy, and Junn stood on trembling legs. Rin began chanting a new spell, trying to create a strong enough barrier to protect them.
"I'm tired of playing games," Linggis said, raising his cane, which now glowed faintly. "It's time to end this."
The cane began to emit a dark aura, shrouding the area in a mist-like black energy. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and the air grew heavy. Seo and Han could feel the immense pressure, making it almost impossible to breathe. Linggis prepared his ultimate attack, a move not meant for a single target but designed to annihilate all of them in one devastating strike.
Rin cried out, "Don't let him finish his spell! It'll kill us all!"
Junn lunged forward, swinging his sword with all his might in an attempt to stop Linggis. But Linggis merely glanced at him, spinning his cane with one hand. A blast of energy struck Junn, sending the man flying into a large boulder. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body slumped limply to the ground.
Seo followed, her attacks now wild and uncoordinated, fueled by rage. Linggis exploited the openings, weaving like a shadow through her strikes before jabbing her in the stomach with the tip of his cane. Seo collapsed, coughing violently in pain.
Linggis smirked faintly. "You're just wasting your time."
He raised his cane high, black energy shooting into the sky, forming a dark vortex that threatened to consume everything. But before he could finish his spell, a voice rang out from behind him.
"Stop this, now!"
A woman with silver hair and eyes glowing with powerful mana leapt toward Linggis. Her hand, enveloped in radiant blue light, struck Linggis square in the face with tremendous force.
BOOM!
Linggis was sent hurtling through the air, his body crashing into massive boulders that shattered upon impact. He rolled across the ground before coming to a stop at the edge of a cliff. As he struggled to rise, a loose boulder fell from above, slamming into him with brutal force. The ground trembled from the impact, raising a thick cloud of dust that obscured the area.
The woman landed gracefully, standing before Seo and Junn, who were still gasping for breath on the ground. "I told you not to die here. You're too important."
Despite her pain, Seo pushed herself to her feet, trembling. "Who... who are you? And... how were you able to hit him that hard?"
The woman didn't immediately respond, her gaze fixed on the dissipating dust, revealing Linggis's body buried beneath the rubble. "Me? Someone who doesn't have time to watch you lose."
Rin finally spoke, her voice shaky. "How could he not block your attack? Did he run out of mana when he cast his spell earlier?"
The woman scoffed lightly, turning her sharp gaze toward them. "No. That's not the reason. He had enough mana to kill us all, but he was too confident. He never saw us as equals. He thought he'd already won before the fight even began."
"So that's why..." Seo muttered, her eyes narrowing with anger. "He underestimated us. Even until the very end."
The woman nodded. "That was his weakness. Power, no matter how great, is meaningless if wielded without calculation. That's the difference between him and me." She stepped forward and leapt toward the rubble where Linggis lay buried. "But don't be mistaken. This isn't over yet."
As she extended her hand, dark energy began to coalesce around the rubble. Massive stones slowly shifted, revealing Linggis, who started to stir. Blood trickled down the side of his head, but his eyes remained filled with hatred and unyielding power.
"He's not finished," the woman said coldly, raising her hand now glowing with blue light. "And neither am I."