Kael's eyes blazed as he landed lightly on the ground, his Surge State fueling every movement. The twin beasts staggered back, wounded but still roaring in rage. Behind them, Kurojin Tsukiro and his Team Darkshade emerged from the shadows, observing with grim satisfaction.
"Impressive," Kurojin's voice was smooth and mocking. "But it won't be enough."
Kael's gaze flickered toward him, the storm swirling in his eyes. "I'm just getting started."
The battlefield erupted.
Kael moved faster than the eye could follow, a blur of darkness and lightning. Each step was a pulse of pure energy, warping time itself around him. Enemies fell without a sound.
The first monster's claw came swinging, but Kael was already gone — blinking behind it. With a twist of his wrist, a single slash severed the beast's rear leg, sending it crashing into the snow with a thunderous roar.
Around him, Kurojin's forces—monsters, corrupted Wielders, and elite soldiers—rushed in. But they were no match.
With each motion, Kael's swords cut through the air with precision, splitting the foes into nothingness before they even had a chance to react.
One strike dropped an entire line of corrupted Wielders — their energy evaporating into nothingness, leaving nothing but charred ground. Another blink and Kael had shredded through a cluster of dark creatures, their limbs torn off with brutal efficiency.
Hundreds of Kurojin's soldiers and beasts fell within seconds.
Five minutes passed.
The battlefield had become a wasteland of fallen bodies.
Kael stood amidst the chaos, his body glowing with the fading remnants of black electricity. His swords were dripping with the remnants of a hundred fallen enemies, and not a single scratch marked his body.
Beside him, Ryuu, Hana, Tetsu, and Eri slowly moved forward, each of them in awe of what they had just witnessed.
Tetsu wiped the sweat off his brow, smirking. "It's like he's not even trying."
Ryuu chuckled, wiping blood from his cheek. "It's always like this. Don't act so surprised."
Eri, her breath shaky, watched Kael with wide eyes. "He's… unstoppable."
Kurojin Tsukiro stepped forward from the shadows, his voice low. "Kael Renji... You're a force of nature. But even you can't stop the inevitable."
Kael didn't turn, his back still to Kurojin. "The only thing inevitable is your defeat."
He turned with a flash of motion, his eyes burning with the fury of the storm itself.
"Let's finish this."