The fractured moon bled silver light over the battlefield, casting jagged shadows across the ruins. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the hum of turbulent qi. Russ stood in the center of a widening crater, his breath misting in the cold night air. His aura blazed crimson-black, blood and shadow qi weaving together into a vortex of destructive power.
Across from him, the Void Hunter emerged from the darkness, his form flickering between reality and nothingness. His voice was a whisper layered with a thousand screams.
"You've taken too long to embrace what you are, Heir of the Void… but now, I'll take it from you."
Russ didn't bother replying. Words were useless here—only power mattered. His fingers curled, summoning Blood Chains from the earth, jagged crimson tendrils lashing out toward the Hunter. The ground split under their force, each chain dripping with an aura that burned like molten iron.
The Void Hunter stepped forward—and vanished. Russ's senses screamed danger, and he spun, shadow-stepping backward just as an obsidian blade ripped through the space where his spine had been. The attack was fast—too fast—but Russ answered with Shadow Rend, his body dissolving into black mist, reappearing above his opponent with both hands gripping a blade of condensed qi.
The clash cracked the ground like glass. Waves of force ripped outward, tearing through fallen buildings. Mira, watching from a safe distance, felt her lungs tighten from the sheer weight of their auras. The fight wasn't just physical—it was a war of dominion. Whoever's qi faltered first would be consumed.
The Void Hunter countered with Oblivion Slash, a crescent of nothingness that devoured matter. Russ dropped into a crouch, slamming his palm into the ground. Blood Surge pulsed outward, forming a dome of condensed crimson energy that absorbed the strike, but each second felt like his veins were set aflame.
"Is that it?" the Hunter mocked. "A drop of blood in an endless void?"
Russ's lips curled into a smirk. "No… but it's enough to drown you."
In a single motion, Russ unleashed Eclipse Burst, merging his blood qi with shadow qi. The sky above blackened, and the fractured moon seemed to vanish. For a heartbeat, all light was gone—then, from the darkness, thousands of shadowy spears erupted, each tipped with a drop of his blood, carrying his killing intent.
The Hunter twisted, shifting between planes to avoid them—but Russ had expected that. The moment the Hunter's form solidified, a Blood Bind snapped around his ankle, pulling him into the strike zone. The shadow spears converged like a storm, detonating on impact. The explosion was deafening, a shockwave tearing through the ground and sending chunks of stone into the air.
When the smoke cleared, the Void Hunter was on one knee, ichor dripping from deep wounds. But his grin was still intact.
"You've grown," he rasped, "but not enough."
He blurred forward, his blade humming with annihilation. Russ met the strike with Void Breaker, his own weapon now a vessel for shadow-infused blood qi. The impact was so violent it sent a beam of energy skyward, splitting the clouds.
For a moment, they were locked—eye to eye, teeth clenched, their qi colliding like storms.
Then, the ground beneath them gave way.
They fell into darkness.