ONLINE: Blades of Eternity

Kaelen's chest rose and fell heavily, his body still aching from being dragged like a ragdoll across the battlefield. He could still feel the tremors of Kelvin and Magnus's combined assault as he thought hopefully—

'Did they actually land a hit?'

A brief silence settled over the forest.

Then—

BOOOOM!!!

A pillar of pure energy erupted from the ground.

The Avatar had returned.

It rose from the crater like an unstoppable force, its radiant form blazing with an even more oppressive aura than before.

Its presence alone caused the very air to tremble.

Kaelen's heart sank.

'It's pissed.'

The Avatar's faceless silhouette tilted its head once more, but this time, there was no curiosity—

Only judgment.

Kelvin, however, scoffed.

Despite the crushing aura pressing down on him, despite barely standing, his bloodstained lips curled into a mocking grin.

"Tch. Still alive, huh? Maybe I should try harder next time."

He gripped his scythe tighter, his entire body shaking but his eyes burning with undying defiance.

"Listen here, you glowing bastard—"

"We're not dying here today."

His words were harsh, filled with an overbearing intent to kill.

Even Magnus, still transformed into his beastly form, grunted in agreement, his claws tightening.

Despite the hopeless situation, despite the gulf in power, neither of them backed down.

Because of that, Kaelen stared at them.

These two…

They were crazy.

Fearless.

'They're not giving up.'

'So why the hell should I?'

A spark suddenly reignited in his soul.

With a deep breath, he forced his battered body to move—

One step.

Then another.

Agony shot through his limbs, but he didn't stop.

His small amount of liquid mana surged, trying to mend his broken body, reducing the damage he had sustained.

Then, just as he finally stood tall once again—

Eldric and Lila arrived.

Lila's icy gaze swept across the battlefield, taking in the Avatar's form with a grim expression. Eldric, drenched in tribulation lightning, clenched his fists, his battle spirit reigniting at the sight of Kaelen standing once more.

Kaelen's bright blue eyes burned.

Without hesitation, he took command.

"Eldric!"

Eldric's head snapped toward him.

"Protect Lila. Make sure no attack gets near her."

Eldric raised a brow but didn't argue. He gave a firm nod, his hands crackling with tribulation lightning.

"Lila!"

Lila's sharp eyes locked onto his.

"Use your frost. Slow that thing down as much as possible."

She hesitated for only a second before nodding.

Kaelen exhaled.

For the first time, they all stood together.

And now—

They prepared to face their greatest adversary yet.

Back at the coliseum....

The tension in the VIP section was thick enough to cut with a blade. All eyes were fixed on the viewing screen, broadcasting the battle deep within the Trials of Creation.

On the display, Kaelen, Kelvin, Eldric, and Lila stood against an overwhelming foe, an Avatar of a Hybrid—a being blessed by the heavens.

Most of the spectators had already deemed the battle one-sided.

But a deep voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Do you believe they can win?"

All heads snapped toward the speaker—

King Alexandria.

His piercing golden gaze remained fixed on the screen, his expression unreadable.

He wasn't asking anyone in particular, yet the weight of his words demanded an answer.

Not long after though, The First Magi, a presence cloaked in mysticism, let out a soft chuckle before responding.

"Victory?" He hummed thoughtfully.

"That… depends on luck."

His wrinkled hands tapped against his staff rhythmically.

"Fate is an unpredictable force, Your Majesty. Sometimes, a single stroke of fortune can turn despair into triumph."

The royal elf, however, scoffed at those words.

"Luck?" He folded his arms, his emerald eyes sharp with skepticism.

"You put too much faith in the unknown, Magi."

His voice was calm yet absolute, filled with the certainty of a being who had lived through countless wars.

"Based on logic alone, they do not stand a chance."

He gestured to the screen, where the Avatar stood, its aura crushing everything around it.

"That thing is an embodiment of power beyond their comprehension. Their efforts, while admirable, are ultimately futile."

A low chuckle came from the side.

"Oh?"

Kael Dragonyx, the head of the Dragonyx family, leaned forward, eyes glinting with curiosity.

"And what if they defy logic?"

He smirked, his draconic blood stirring at the sight of Kaelen's battle spirit burning stronger.

"Based on my interest, I say they have a chance."

His fingers tapped against the armrest of his chair.

"Nothing is more thrilling than watching a mortal defy the impossible."

Among them all, one man remained silent.

Castenada.

The chancellor of the Pacesetters Academy clenched his fists beneath the table, his usually calm demeanor shaken.

He did not speak.

He did not argue.

Instead—

He prayed.

'Please… just come out of this alive.'

But apparently, it wasn't only him that was praying at that moment. As in the commoners area, a middle aged woman could be seen seated in a corner as she was praying fervently.

'Please, stay alive my son'

Back in the pocket dimension, a palpable shift tore through the air.

The Avatar of the Hybrid slowly raised its hand, and a phenomenon unlike anything Kaelen had ever seen unfolded.

It was not a mana domain—no, it was something far more profound.

A force woven into the very fabric of the world itself.

The sky darkened. The earth trembled. And then—

BOOM!

A relentless barrage of pure devastation descended upon them.

'It now has a mana domain?'

Kaelen gritted his teeth, raising his blade of Eternity, but the sheer magnitude of the attacks sent violent tremors through his arms.

Beside him, Lila's voice suddenly rang out.

"Mana Domain: Ice World!"

A howling blizzard erupted from her, her frost magic surging with newfound intensity.

The blinding hailstorm clashed against the avatar's attacks, deflecting many of them—yet some still broke through.

Kaelen and Eldric moved in tandem, slashing and parrying the incoming projectiles.

Their blades sliced through the energy bolts, redirecting them with immense difficulty.

Each impact sent shockwaves through their bodies, but they stood firm.

Further away—

Kelvin and Magnus had other plans.

Instead of defending, the two charged forward through the chaos, evading the energy blasts by sheer speed and instincts.

"We'll take it down up close!" Kelvin roared.

Magnus, now a towering beast of raw fury, let out a thunderous snarl as he lunged.

But the moment they entered the avatar's immediate range—

A flicker.

A moment later—

SLAM!

Both Kelvin and Magnus were brutally sent flying backward.

The Avatar hadn't even moved.

Its aura alone had repelled them with an unseen force.

They crashed into the ground, coughing up blood, eyes wide with shock.

Kaelen's expression darkened.

'This thing…'

'It's beyond anything we've ever faced before.'

And yet—

They couldn't afford to fall here.

Kaelen felt the weight of the battle pressing down on him, yet in that moment, he made a resolute decision—

'No more hesitation. No more fear.'

With his grip tightening on the Blade of Eternity, he exploded forward, charging directly at the avatar.

"Kaelen, stop!" Lila's panicked voice rang out.

"Are you insane?!" Eldric shouted.

Their concern was valid—

If he got hit like Kelvin and Magnus, he'd be finished.

But Kaelen wasn't blindly rushing in.

Just as the avatar's imposing aura threatened to crush him—

His liquid mana surged.

A brilliant blue glow enveloped him, wrapping around his body like a second skin.

And shockingly—

He withstood the avatar's overwhelming presence.

The avatar's head tilted slightly, as if intrigued.

But before it could react–

Kaelen vanished.

A single arc of blue light sliced across the battlefield.

"Divine Sword Series: First Technique!"

BOOM!

A resonating impact erupted—

And in the next instant, the avatar was sent hurtling across the sky.

A moment of silence filled the battlefield.

Lila's eyes widened in shock.

Eldric let out a stunned breath.

Kelvin, still struggling to stand, grinned despite his pain.

"Hah… The bastard actually did it." Eldric suddenly muttered with an impressed look on his face.

But Kaelen didn't stop there.

"Am not done yet!"

With a burst of speed, he chased after the airborne avatar, unwilling to let this chance slip away.

Kaelen soared through the air, chasing after the avatar, his blade gleaming with divine energy.

But just as he was about to strike a second time—

The avatar vanished.

"What?!" Kaelen's eyes widened in shock.

For the first time in this battle—

He completely lost track of his opponent.

And then—

BOOM!

A sudden, unseen force slammed into him from nowhere, sending him plummeting toward the ground at breakneck speed.

"Kaelen!"

Eldric burst into action, catching Kaelen just before impact.

The shockwave from the attack still sent both of them skidding across the battlefield, but Eldric managed to keep them upright.

"Damn it! Where did that attack come from?!" Kaelen coughed, feeling his ribs ache.

But before they could even process what happened—

Another invisible strike tore through the air.

"It's coming again!"

CLANG!

Lila deflected the attack with an ice barrier, but even that caused her to stagger backward, sweat forming on her brow.

And then—

Eldric froze in horror.

His eyes darted around frantically before his voice came out hoarse.

"No… It's not attacking from nowhere… It's everywhere."

Lila's breath hitched.

Kaelen clenched his jaw.

"What do you mean?"

Eldric's grip on his sword tightened as realization struck him like thunder.

"The avatar… it's integrated with nature itself."

The chilling words sent a cold sensation down all their spines.

Because that meant—

They could no longer see their opponent.

They could no longer sense their opponent.

And worst of all—

They could no longer predict its next attack.