The commander's hammer met Kael's blade with an ear-splitting crack, the shockwave rattling the bones of soldiers on both sides. Neither combatant gave an inch—iron resolve burned in their eyes, crimson against steel.
Kael's arms trembled under the weight of the hammer, but he twisted, sliding his blade free and lashing upward. The Crimson Fang traced a red arc across the commander's pauldron, tearing iron like parchment. Blood spilled freely now.
The commander only grinned, teeth bared like a beast. He swung his hammer one-handed, its head tearing through the air like a comet. Kael ducked, the weapon grazing his shoulder—enough to burn flesh and draw blood, not enough to stop him.
They circled, both panting, both battered. The battlefield had grown silent, soldiers frozen as they watched their champions clash.
Kael's crimson aura burned brighter, black lightning crawling up his arm and licking along the blade. His body screamed in protest, but he forced it to obey. His voice was a low growl.
"End it. Now."
The commander raised his hammer high, gathering every ounce of his brutal strength into one final strike. His roar echoed like thunder.
"I'll crush you into the earth!"
Kael lunged forward at the same instant, blade surging with crimson fury. Time seemed to slow. Steel met steel, aura against raw force—the world itself seemed to shatter around them.
For a heartbeat, both warriors stood locked together, the ground splitting beneath their feet.
Then—crack.
The commander's hammer fractured, the head splitting under the pressure of Kael's relentless strike. The Crimson Fang cut through the weapon, then through the commander himself, crimson light flaring in a decisive arc.
The commander staggered, blood blooming across his chest. He dropped to his knees, eyes wide with disbelief.
"This… is not possible…"
Kael lowered his blade, aura still burning, breath harsh. His crimson eyes locked with the dying man's.
"It was inevitable."
The commander fell, lifeless. The silence shattered as the battlefield erupted—shouts, cries, the tide breaking. But Kael did not celebrate. He simply stood amidst the chaos, his blade dripping crimson, knowing this was only one battle in a far greater war.