The ruins shook beneath Kael’s feet. Dust and debris rained from the broken sky as the Betrayer’s shadow surged around him like a living tide, a thousand tendrils twisting, writhing, and lashing at every angle.Each strike carried the weight of centuries, every lash a whisper of death and betrayal. Kael’s chest heaved, pain and exhaustion threatening to consume him. Yet, deep within, a spark of defiance burned. I have survived worse. I will survive this.He lifted his sword, trembling but unwavering, and let the faint echoes of Ryven’s teachings guide him. Lightning arced along the blade’s edge, illuminating the chaos in a flash of electric brilliance.“You cannot win,” the Betrayer intoned, his voice spreading through the ruins, rich with malice. “The chains of the Oathbrand bind more than flesh. They bind soul and spirit. You cannot resist me.”Kael’s jaw tightened. I am not bound. He took a cautious step forward, then another, testing the sea of darkness. The shadows writhed violen

The air was heavy with smoke and ash, the remnants of Kael’s battle with the Betrayer lingering in every shattered stone. Kael’s knees trembled as he stood among the ruins, sword in hand, sweat and blood caked across his skin.Mira’s water aura shimmered faintly around them, providing a fragile shield against the lingering dark energy. Lyra’s blades glimmered, ever alert, scanning the shadows that clung to the edges of the battlefield.But the silence that followed was no comfort. It pressed against them, thick and suffocating. Kael knew the Betrayer’s retreat was deliberate. He wasn’t gone, he was watching, waiting for the right moment to strike again.A whisper of movement caught Kael’s attention. At first, he thought it was another shadow, another trick of the ruined night. But it wasn’t.A figure emerged from the darkness beyond the battlefield, a silhouette cloaked in black, unlike any he had seen before. Its presence radiated a cold, almost tangible malice, and the air seemed to

The ruins quaked under the weight of the colossal shadow’s approach. Each step it took sent shockwaves through the shattered battlefield, dislodging stones and scattering debris in all directions. Kael’s chest heaved, sweat and blood mixing with ash as he struggled to maintain his footing.Mira’s aura shimmered violently, struggling to hold back the encroaching darkness, while Lyra’s blades moved faster than ever, cutting through tendrils that lashed toward them with murderous intent.Kael’s eyes narrowed. This was no ordinary minion or manifestation of the Betrayer’s power, it was something far more sinister.Its massive form loomed above them, the shadows that composed it writhing and shifting as if alive, feeding on fear, doubt, and the lingering despair of the battlefield.The Betrayer’s voice echoed across the ruins, calm and chilling. “Behold, Kael. The culmination of my design. This is what awaits those who defy me the weight of despair, the embodiment of their failures.”Kael’

The pulse of darkness surged across the battlefield, shaking the ruins and rattling Kael’s very bones. Every step the approaching figure took distorted the air, warping space as though the world itself bent to its will.Kael’s grip tightened on his sword, sparks of lightning crawling along the blade as he centered himself. Mira’s aura flared violently, water twisting in impossible spirals, attempting to shield them from the oppressive force.Lyra’s blades sliced through tendrils of shadow, but her movements were frenetic, exhaustion creeping into every strike.Kael’s chest heaved. This is it. I cannot fail. I will not fail.The approaching figure stopped, standing tall above the remnants of the battlefield. Its eyes burned molten gold, radiating a presence that threatened to crush Kael’s very resolve.The colossal shadow trembled at its feet, writhing violently, a puppet tethered to a master it could neither defy nor escape.Kael’s voice rang out, fierce and unwavering: “I will face y

The battlefield had become unrecognizable. Rubble, shattered stone, swirling ash, and the remnants of corrupted energy filled the air.Kael’s body ached with every movement, his chest heaving, muscles trembling from exhaustion. Yet his gaze was fixed on the looming darkness ahead.The colossal shadow had reformed again, larger and more coordinated, and beyond it, the true source of the surge had arrived: a towering figure of pure malice, radiating power that distorted the very air.Mira’s water aura surged, twisting in impossible spirals, her strength nearly depleted from holding back the relentless shadows. Lyra’s blades flashed with deadly precision, cutting tendrils that threatened to engulf them, but the number of shadows only seemed to grow.Kael’s grip tightened on his sword, lightning crackling along its blade. “This… this is the final stage,” he muttered, voice low but filled with unyielding determination. “The heart of darkness itself.”The approaching figure molten-gold eyes