The battlefield lay in ruins, the once vast plains reduced to a wasteland of shattered ground and floating embers of aura energy. The echoes of previous battles still lingered in the air, a testament to the unimaginable chaos that had unfolded. The earth trembled as if it feared what was to come next.
Liora, bloodied and exhausted from her battle against Rudra, stumbled back toward the palace. Ryan Jim, having survived his fight with Idris, barely had the strength to walk, his aura flickering like a dying flame. Dain, still shaken by Rudra's merciless execution of Kiran, followed silently.
Now, only three remained on the battlefield— **Thane, Karael, and Elyas.**
They stood their ground, eyes fixed on the sky where a shadow loomed above them.
And then— **he descended.**
**Vinay.**
For the first time since the war had begun, he finally stepped onto the battlefield.
The moment Vinay's feet touched the ground, the air itself seemed to change. It wasn't just his power—it was his presence. His body radiated an overwhelming dominance, his golden-red aura subtly pulsating around him, a quiet yet absolute force of nature.
Elyas felt it first. His hands, usually steady, trembled ever so slightly. His eyes narrowed. _This… this is not the same Vinay who commanded from the sky. This is something else._
Karael clenched his fists. He had fought countless wars, seen the rise and fall of legends, but never before had he felt this kind of tension from just one man stepping forward.
Thane, the war-hardened veteran, smirked. "So… you finally decided to step in yourself." His voice, though calm, carried an undeniable sharpness.
Vinay didn't respond. He simply **stared**.
His piercing gaze moved from **Elyas to Karael to Thane**, and then past them—toward the palace, where Manav stood watching from a distance.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Even after everything—the devastation, the massacre, Rudra's godlike display of power—Manav remained still. **Unshaken.**
He had seen everything. He had predicted this moment.
The war had reached its boiling point. Chaos had swallowed everything, and now, with Rudra gone, **Vinay himself was forced to step in.**
But that didn't change anything.
Manav knew it. He saw the bigger picture.
He would win.
Because **Vinay was already too late.**
Thane shifted his stance, preparing for anything. "If you're here now, that means you're finally done hiding," he said, a grin forming. "Or maybe… you're just scared that we might actually win this war."
Karael exhaled. "Careful, Thane. This man is different."
Vinay **still didn't speak.**
But then—he **smiled.**
A slow, controlled smile that sent a shiver through even the strongest warriors.
"Win?" Vinay finally spoke, his voice low yet **undeniable**. "You think this war is over?"
Elyas, silent until now, **stared deeply at Vinay**.
He wasn't looking at his aura. He wasn't sensing his power.
**He was trying to understand his thoughts.**
And then he realized— **Vinay wasn't angry. He wasn't desperate. He wasn't afraid.**
He was **calm.**
Too calm.
That's when Elyas understood.
_"He's been waiting for this moment."_
Vinay **hadn't lost control.**
Vinay **was just getting started.**
Manav, watching from above, folded his arms. His eyes, emotionless as ever, observed every movement.
He had **predicted every move Vinay had made up until now.**
But now, for the first time in the entire war…
**Vinay was unpredictable.**
And that made things interesting.
The war wasn't over.
**The real war was just beginning.**