The clash was immediate—a violent symphony of steel, Aether, and raw instinct. Kaen moved first, a blur of crimson and shadow. Oblivion Fang met the Ecliptor's spear with a deafening clash, sparks flying like embers caught in a gale. The impact reverberated through Kaen's arms, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward, driving the masked soldier back.
Aira darted around the fray, her blades flashing in quick, precise strikes. She was a ghost, slipping through gaps in the enemy's formation, her movements fueled by speed and precision rather than brute force. Each step was calculated, every strike aimed to disable, not kill—though mercy was a rare luxury in Drayveil.
The ground trembled again, the Aether Core pulsing erratically. It wasn't just unstable—it was reacting to the battle, feeding off the chaos. Tendrils of violet energy lashed out, indiscriminate in their wrath, tearing through stone and metal alike.
Kaen felt it in his chest—a pull, like the abyss itself reaching for him. Oblivion Fang resonated with the Core's energy, its crimson veins glowing brighter, more frantic. He didn't understand it, but instinct screamed that the connection was dangerous.
"We need to shut that thing down!" Aira shouted, ducking under an Ecliptor's swing and driving her dagger into the gap between armor plates.
Kaen nodded, breaking free from his duel with a powerful slash that sent his opponent sprawling. He sprinted toward the Core, the world blurring at the edges. The air grew colder, heavier, as if reality itself resisted his approach.
The Ecliptor leader intercepted him, moving faster than Kaen anticipated. Their blades met again, but this time the Ecliptor's strength felt different—unnatural, as if the Core's energy fueled him directly.
Kaen's grip tightened. His muscles screamed in protest, his Aether reserves burning like wildfire. He had to end this, now.
Drawing on the last of his strength, he channeled Aether into Oblivion Fang. The blade responded, its crimson glow intensifying until it was almost blinding. With a roar, Kaen unleashed a devastating slash, the energy wave ripping through the air and striking both the Ecliptor and the Core.
The explosion that followed was cataclysmic. Light, sound, and raw force converged into a singular moment of oblivion.
When the dust settled, Kaen was on his knees, breathing heavily. The Core was shattered, its energy dissipating like mist. The Ecliptors were gone, either dead or fled.
But something was wrong.
Beneath the rubble, a dark fissure had formed—a crack in reality itself, pulsing with the same violet hue as the Maelstrom Abyss.
Kaen's heart sank.
The abyss wasn't calling.
It was already here.