The heavens above screamed as the Void Gate cracked further, its black tendrils spilling into the world like rivers of ink. Qi storms erupted across the battlefield, ripping the ground apart, while blood mist clung to the air like a cursed fog.
Russ stood in the center, his blade dripping with both blood and shadow essence. Every breath was heavy, each heartbeat pounding like war drums in his ears. Mira was at his side, her eyes blazing with fury, her blood magic weaving crimson runes that pulsed in rhythm with her qi.
"They're coming through faster!" Mira shouted, her voice nearly drowned by the shrieking of the gate.
Russ's gaze narrowed. "Then we kill them faster."
The first wave of Voidspawn burst forth—jagged, skeletal beasts with eyes like glowing pits. Their claws dripped with corrosive essence, and every step they took melted the earth. Russ leaped forward, his blade igniting with shadow flame. With a slash, he unleashed Shadow Rift, splitting the ground into a chasm of pure darkness. The beasts howled as the abyss swallowed them.
But more poured out.
Mira's palms burned with Blood Sigils, her veins glowing crimson. With a sharp motion, she cast Bloodburst Surge, exploding several Voidspawn into showers of gore. She spun, her crimson hair whipping around her, and sent a torrent of blood spears into another cluster.
The Void Gate pulsed violently. A deeper roar shook the air—something bigger was forcing its way through.
Russ's qi surged, and the world around him seemed to bend. Shadows crawled over his skin, merging with his blood essence. His voice was low, dangerous. "Time to use it."
Mira's eyes widened. "You'll burn yourself out."
"I'll burn them out first."
He stabbed his sword into the earth, channeling his essence into it. The shadows erupted into jagged pillars around him, while his blood essence turned the air thick and heavy. The two forces merged into a storm—Blood Shadow Domain. The temperature plummeted, and even the Voidspawn hesitated, their forms twitching in unease.
Then Russ moved.
He was a blur—striking, vanishing, reappearing with trails of darkness. Every slash tore through dozens. His strikes were lined with Void Edge, slicing not just flesh but the creatures' very existence.
Mira didn't stay idle. She extended her arms and drew upon Russ's domain, binding it with her blood runes. The result was catastrophic—every enemy within the radius was crushed by both shadow weight and blood corrosion.
The sky cracked again.
A colossal arm, black as midnight and covered in shifting runes, pushed through the gate. The air collapsed inward, gravity twisting around it.
Russ gritted his teeth. "The Void Warlord…"
Mira stepped forward, blood dripping from her lips but eyes steady. "We end him here—or he ends everything."
They both charged.
Russ leapt high, his blade wreathed in the combined essence of shadow and blood, while Mira unleashed Blood Nova, a crimson explosion that tore through the lesser spawn.
The Warlord's hand swiped at Russ mid-air, but the shadows split him into afterimages, only for the real Russ to drive his sword deep into the creature's wrist. Void ichor erupted like a storm.
Mira chanted, weaving runes faster than ever, sealing the Warlord's arm in place. "Now, Russ!"
With a roar that shook the shattered sky, Russ unleashed Voidbreaker Slash—a strike that cut through flesh, essence, and the very connection between the Warlord and the gate.
The colossal arm dissolved into nothing, and the Void Gate screamed as it began to collapse inward.
The battlefield fell silent, save for the ragged breaths of Russ and Mira.
"…One battle won," Russ muttered.
Mira wiped the blood from her mouth. "And the war just started."
The Void Gate flickered one last time before vanishing—leaving only the smell of blood, shadow, and an ominous promise in the air.