The air was thick with ash and dread. Kael's blood still stained the monastery floor, but there was no time to grieve. The beast towered over Noah, a hulking mass of blackened scales and writhing veins of crimson light. Its single, jagged horn glowed faintly—like an unholy beacon.
The cultists whispered in fear. Their chants had broken the moment Kael struck his final blow, and now they pressed themselves against the walls, watching the impossible unfold.
Noah stood between them and the monster, his blade trembling in his hand. Not from weakness—but from the sheer force of the Eclipse Aura coursing through him. Silver flames licked at his skin, and streaks of shadow curled outward, warping the torchlight.
Eira, bow drawn, looked on with worry. "Noah… you're losing control."
But Noah's eyes never left the beast. "If control means letting it live after Kael's death…" His voice cracked into a growl. "Then control can burn."
The beast lunged, shaking the ground. Its claws gouged trenches through the stone as it swung.
CRACK!
The impact sent a shockwave tearing through the chamber—but Noah was faster. His body blurred with unnatural speed. He appeared above the beast, silver-shadow aura blazing.
SLASH!
His sword tore down its shoulder, ripping open flesh and spraying black ichor. The monster roared, but Noah didn't stop. His movements were relentless, each strike sharper, heavier, as if his grief fueled every swing.
The cultists screamed. "This power—it can't be human!"
The beast snarled and opened its maw. Dark fire gathered at its throat, a swirling storm of crimson flames. It unleashed the blast with a deafening roar.
BOOOOOOM!
The inferno engulfed Noah, swallowing him whole. The monastery shook, stone collapsing from the ceiling.
Eira's heart stopped. "NOAH!"
But as the flames cleared… he was still standing.
The Eclipse Aura flared brighter than ever, devouring the fire itself. His shadow stretched long across the floor, monstrous, as though something greater loomed behind him.
Noah raised his blade, his voice breaking through the silence.
"You think fire can burn me?" His silver eyes burned like twin moons. "Kael's death burned worse than anything you could conjure."
The beast roared again and charged, but Noah's power erupted in answer. His aura exploded outward, shaking the very foundations of the monastery.
BOOM!
In an instant, he vanished—then reappeared directly before the beast. His blade shone brighter than ever, wreathed in the union of light and shadow.
"This ends now."
He thrust forward, piercing straight through the monster's chest.
The beast let out a distorted, guttural roar. Its body convulsed, ichor spraying wildly as the light spread from Noah's sword, tearing through it from the inside.
Then—
CRAAAACK!
The beast split apart, bursting into shadowy fragments that dissolved into the air. The ground trembled, then fell still.
Silence.
Noah stood alone in the center of the chamber, blade lowered, chest heaving. His aura slowly dimmed, though its remnants still flickered dangerously around him.
Eira rushed to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Noah… it's over."
He glanced at her, eyes dull from exhaustion. "…No. It's only just beginning."
From the shadows where the beast had perished, something glimmered—a shard, black and pulsating, as if it were alive. One of the cultists screamed in recognition.
"The Heart of Umbra! It lives!"
Noah's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, the fragment's pull already calling to him. A whisper curled in the back of his mind.
Power. Grief. Rage. You and I are the same.
For the first time, Noah hesitated—not because of fear, but because the voice inside him didn't feel foreign.
It felt like his own.
✨ End of Chapter 44 ✨