The storm had passed, but tension still lingered in the courtyard of the Shadow Citadel. The once-vicious Ghoul Lord now stood calmly at Minwoo's side—its monstrous form tempered by control, no longer an enemy, but a force Minwoo had subdued and bound to his will.
Kuzuki stood at the edge of the training grounds, his arms folded across his chest, golden eyes glowing with restrained power.
"You sure about this?" Minwoo asked with a slight smirk. "They won't go easy on you."
Kuzuki's voice was cool. "I wouldn't want them to."
A circle of energy formed around the arena—this was no ordinary spar. This was a trial of synchronization and raw power between some of the strongest beings in the Shadow Domain.
Minwoo raised his hand. "Begin."
The Ghoul Lord lunged forward first, its massive claw sweeping toward Kuzuki with terrifying speed. Flames burst beside it—Kinro, Minwoo's dragon, zipped through the air, wings flaring with silver light as he unleashed a wave of controlled fire at Kuzuki's blind side.
Kuzuki reacted instantly. Shadow-wrapped energy erupted around him, forming a barrier that absorbed the impact. He skated backward across the stone, dragging his blade through the air, collecting dark energy like mist.
"Not bad," he muttered.
He struck forward with emperor-level precision, sending a burst of condensed energy at Kinro. The little dragon twirled midair, deflecting it with a blast of his own. The Ghoul Lord grunted and slammed both fists into the ground, causing a shockwave of corrupted energy to erupt toward Kuzuki.
The ground shattered—chunks of stone levitated in slow motion as Kuzuki stepped between them, dodging fluidly. He spun, slashing a streak of light that sliced through the Ghoul Lord's wave. The impact caused an explosion of light and darkness, and for a moment, the battlefield vanished behind smoke and fire.
From within, Kinro shot upward, spiraling above the clouds before launching down with a meteor-like dive. The Ghoul Lord followed up from the side, going in for a heavy grapple.
But Kuzuki was ready.
He stabbed the ground with his blade, and from it, a dome of radiant force erupted outward, knocking both Kinro and the Ghoul Lord back several meters.
Panting, he smiled. "You two fight like a storm."
Minwoo watched from the edge of the field, arms crossed. "Good. That's exactly what I wanted. This wasn't just a spar… it was a test."
Kuzuki turned. "A test?"
Minwoo nodded. "Now you've experienced their strength, and they've experienced yours. Next time we face something worse than the Ghoul Lord… I expect the three of you to move as one."
The Ghoul Lord let out a low grunt of approval. Kinro landed beside Minwoo, tail flicking in agreement.
Kuzuki looked at the scorched training ground, then at his new allies. "Fine. I'll train with them. But next time, I won't hold back."