The Thundergate
Borrum had lost his mind.
The power of the Corrupted Aura had taken full control of him. He was no longer thinking. He wasn't fighting with skill anymore, just raw, wild force. His hammer cracked the stone floor with every swing. His eyes glowed with madness. Each step he took caused tremors. Each roar was louder than thunder.
And yet… even in this chaos…
Cyrus stayed calm. Sylra stayed focused. Lila stood her ground. It had become a battle of brawn versus brains.
"We can't take him head-on," Sylra said, casting another layer of light shield around Lila. "We need to outsmart him."
"I know," Cyrus replied, his hands glowing with four elemental powers. "But we'll need perfect timing."
"Let's try that storm trap again," Lila said, her breathing heavy but her grip tight on her sword.
Borrum charged again, lightning bursting from his armor, hammer raised. He wasn't thinking. He didn't care who or what he hit, only that he did. He slammed the hammer down, cracking the platform they stood on.
Cyrus leaped to the side, using a burst of wind to push himself away.
Lila tried to follow, but slipped slightly on the uneven floor.
"Lila!" Sylra shouted.
Borrum turned, too quick. He raised his hammer, and for a second, it looked like it was over. But Cyrus raised a wall of stone between them, just in time. The hammer hit it hard, sending cracks all around, but the wall held.
Lila got up, her hand shaking. "Thanks…"
"No time," Cyrus said. "Let's go."
They split up, drawing Borrum's attention in different directions.
Sylra moved carefully, casting small bursts of healing light whenever one of them was hit. She was also the one who called out warnings, seeing what Borrum would do next.
"Left swing! Now down! Behind!"
Lila dashed in from the side, slashing at Borrum's leg. Sparks flew. The blow didn't do much—but it made him turn.
That was what Cyrus needed.
He hit Borrum with a wave of water that froze in mid-air, then shattered with wind, pushing him back. The attack didn't hurt Borrum much, but it slowed him down.
"Now!" Cyrus shouted.
Lila ran forward, fire running along her blade. She jumped, striking Borrum right in the side. He roared and swung back. The hammer missed her by inches, but the wind from it knocked her off her feet. Sylra threw a light barrier just in time to stop her from crashing into a wall.
"Keep moving!" she said.
Over and over, they repeated this. Attack, defend, mislead. They couldn't win with strength, but they were smarter. Faster. And they fought together.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Borrum dropped to one knee. Cyrus struck with a full-force fire blast, followed by a spike of stone. Lila rushed in with a heavy slash. Sylra focused all her power into a single blinding beam of light.
And with a final roar, Borrum collapsed, his hammer falling beside him with a loud crash.
---
The Nullmirror Vault
Darek stood his ground as long as he could.
He had already been cut once in the arm, once across the chest. But now, Velthra appeared directly behind him, and before Adrian could shout a warning, her blade sank deep into his side.
Darek grunted, falling to one knee. Blood pooled beneath him.
"Darek!" Vaela shouted, rushing to his side.
"Don't let her win…" Darek said through gritted teeth.
Adrian's eyes darted around. His Future Sight showed flashes, but everything was speeding up again. Velthra was getting faster.
Too fast.
---
The Echoing Hollow
Nira was no longer smiling. Her easygoing attitude had vanished. The wind had cut her once, twice. But now her eyes were sharp, serious. She moved quickly toward Ristella, using roots and vines to pull herself forward, using them like ropes.
Ristella kept dodging, but now she had to work harder. Nira's attacks were wild but focused. She moved fast, using both her dagger and nature magic in sync. Wind blasted toward her, but she cut through the air with blades of green energy.
Junith stood back now, watching the fight carefully. Then she closed her eyes. She was planning something.
---
The Skyvault Sanctum
Kalix's humming never stopped. But now, he was attacking.
He moved like lightning. His body shimmered with golden sparks as he dodged one strike, then spun and sent a pulse of energy toward Orin.
Orin raised his spear, blocking, but the force pushed him back.
Drakar roared, charging with his axe. He was still in Overheat Form, flames pouring from his armor. He swung hard.
Kalix leaned back, just enough to avoid the blade, then tapped Drakar's axe with one finger.
A shockwave burst from the contact, sending Drakar flying back.
"Not bad," Kalix said with a grin. "Now let's see how well you defend."
Kael tried to cover the others, his katana a blur of blackfire. But Kalix didn't slow down. He stepped forward, throwing small waves of energy, not to kill, but to test. One bolt hit Orin in the shoulder. Another cracked part of Drakar's axe.
Nymera tried to distract him, but he vanished and reappeared beside her, whispering, "Too slow." Then vanished again.
Kalix had stopped defending.
Now… he was playing his game.
---
The tide of battle had turned again. Some were hurt. Some were rising.
And some, like Kalix, were only getting started.