The battlefield was a maelstrom of blood, fire, and roaring qi. The fractured sky bled crimson light, streaked with black shadowflames that twisted reality itself. At the center stood Russ, his blood skills surging to their peak—veins glowing scarlet, heart pounding like a war drum. Opposite him, the Voidborn Warlord unfurled his obsidian wings, void energy dripping from his claws like liquid night.
Mira was already moving, her shadow skills wrapping her in tendrils of darkness. She flashed between enemy phantoms, slicing them apart with dual daggers laced in killing intent. But every foe slain seemed to be replaced by three more, as if the Warlord's presence itself spawned the army from the void.
Russ clenched his fists. "We end this now!"
Qi erupted from him in a spiraling torrent, merging with the Bloodfire Halo above his head. The ground cracked under the pressure, molten streams bursting outward. The Warlord laughed, a sound like blades scraping bone. With a flap of his wings, he launched forward, the void twisting into jagged spears around him.
Russ met him head-on. Blood Qi gathered around his arm, forming a colossal crimson gauntlet. The clash shook the battlefield—Russ' Bloodfire Punch against the Warlord's Voidbreaker Strike. Shockwaves ripped apart the land, sending jagged rocks and ash flying in every direction.
Mira's eyes glowed as she activated Shadow Rift Step. She vanished into nothingness, reappearing behind the Warlord. Her daggers plunged deep into his back, shadow venom flooding his veins. But the Warlord's form flickered—only a void clone. The real one appeared behind her, claws poised to strike.
Russ roared, his blood reacting instinctively. A crimson chain burst from his chest, wrapping around the Warlord's arm mid-swing. He yanked with impossible strength, dragging the enemy toward him before unleashing Blood Requiem—a rapid barrage of palm strikes that each carried enough force to shatter boulders. The Warlord's armor cracked, but instead of bleeding, black mist hissed from the wounds.
The Warlord snarled. "Flesh is temporary. The void is eternal."
He expanded, his shadow stretching across the battlefield, swallowing soldiers and twisting them into screaming abominations. Mira spun her daggers, chanting under her breath, and drove them into the ground. A dome of shadow rose around Russ and herself, blocking the corruption's advance.
"Russ, his core—it's not in his chest!" Mira shouted, her breathing ragged.
Russ's blood-sense flared, searching. Then he felt it—deep within the Warlord's shadow, pulsing like a heart of darkness. He didn't hesitate. Qi roared through him, his aura flaring so bright it painted the darkness crimson.
He dove straight into the Warlord's shadow, blood chains lashing wildly to anchor him. Inside was a warped realm—a storm of whispers, claws, and screaming faces. At the center floated the core, a jagged black crystal. Russ charged, every step breaking apart the nightmare beneath his feet.
The Warlord's voice boomed from all directions. "You dare defy the void?"
Russ answered by channeling Bloodfire Nova, his ultimate skill. Every ounce of qi, every drop of blood, ignited into a blinding explosion. The shadow realm trembled. With a final roar, he punched the crystal, shattering it into a million shards of light.
The void collapsed. Russ fell back into the physical world, clutching his side, bleeding heavily. The Warlord screamed as his form dissolved into ash, his army crumbling with him. The corrupted sky began to clear, revealing the first stars.
Mira caught Russ before he fell. "You're insane," she said, but her lips curved into a small smile.
"Maybe," Russ replied, coughing up blood, "but… we won."
Far on the horizon, however, the air shimmered. Another presence was watching—something older, hungrier, and far more dangerous than the Warlord.