And then he was gone.

  BOOM.

  He reappeared in front of Bifo, fist cocked.

  Bifo dodged, countering with a strike to Eryndor’s gut. The blow hurled him six kilometers, smashing through houses, sending shockwaves that split rooftops and cracked streets.

  Eryndor skidded, rolling into a crater, then rose—bruised, furious.

  Bifo was already there, moving at Mach 15. His fist smashed across Eryndor’s face, launching him eight kilometers through the city. Stone shattered, towers bent, until at last Eryndor dug his heels into the ground, skidding to a halt.

  “Is that all, Elvhein?” Bifo mocked.

  Eryndor’s eyes narrowed. “No. This is.”

  Bifo lunged, arm cocked for another crushing blow—

  But Eryndor’s hand snapped out, catching the forearm mid-strike. With his other fist, he drove a punch into Bifo’s jaw.

  CRRAAACK!

  Teeth flew. A crater a kilometer wide ripped open under the force, dust clouds surging like tidal waves.

  Bifo reeled back, blood spraying from his mouth.

  Eryndor straightened, his voice cutting through the roar of battle.

  “If collateral damage is inevitable… then so be it. But know this: I will not be bested here. Magic or not.”

  And then he vanished again—Mach 20.

  The air screamed as he reappeared.

  Bifo matched him, wings flaring, Mach 16.

  Their fists collided in midair, knuckles slamming against jaws.

  BOOOOOOM.

  A crater two kilometers wide ripped across Heful.

  ---

  Bifo spat blood, his teeth scattered across the dirt. Eryndor bore only a bruise.

  Snarling, Bifo swung again, but Eryndor met the strike with his own. Their fists collided, and Eryndor pressed forward, chaining one devastating punch after another. Each blow cracked like thunder, breaking past Bifo’s guard.

  Then Eryndor seized his face in one massive hand.

  “Stay down,” he growled—before slamming Bifo into the earth. The ground split open as the Hysor’s skull drove a crater deep into the stone.

  Bifo roared and lashed out with a desperate kick, forcing Eryndor away. His wings flared as he shot forward, fists drawn back. But Eryndor slid aside, swift as a shadow, and drove a fist into his ribs.

  CRACK!

  Bone shattered. Blood sprayed from Bifo’s mouth.

  Another punch to the throat.

  Another to the neck.

  Another to the chest.

  Each one sent shockwaves rolling through the ruined city.

  Damn it… Bifo thought, panic setting in as his vision blurred. He fights like an amateur—wild, unpolished… but I can’t keep up… I can’t react fast enough!

  He swung wildly, but Eryndor was gone.

  And then— BAM.

  Pain exploded across his side as Eryndor reappeared behind him, fist crushing his ribs again. Bifo’s body was hurled through the air, smashing through house after house, his frame carving a fifteen-kilometre trench through Heful.

  Eryndor descended from the sky like a hammer, his fist poised to shatter mountains.

  Bifo rolled aside at the last instant, dust exploding around him as stone cracked under the impact. He rose swiftly, purple veins glowing as his vast wings unfurled.

  “You Elvheins are strong,” Bifo sneered, his eagle eyes flashing. “But we Hysors—” his wings spread wide, each feather gleaming with lethal energy— “we are the only race truly born to fly. And these wings aren't just for flight.”

  He snapped them forward.

  Feathers, hardened with Fortis Bravo, launched like arrows. Each one cut through the air at speeds several times that of sound. Eryndor tilted his head calmly, letting the first volley whistle past. But the second came sharper, denser. He twisted his whole body, flipping and spinning as feather-blades grazed within inches of his skin.

  Bifo laughed, cruel and proud. “That’s the thing with you people! You have no innate ability. And you dare look down on us demi-beasts?”

  Eryndor swirled in the air, then blurred forward.

  Mach 25.

  His fist smashed into Bifo’s face.

  The Hysor shot back like a meteor, tearing through clouds, crashing into the earth 20 kilometers away. The land he struck split apart, trenches carved deep into the stone.

  Eryndor was already there, sprinting towards Bifo. He struck again, but Bifo twisted, feathers slashing forward.

  One long feather extended in his hand, glowing purple, sharp as any blade. He swung it like a sword.

  The strike hit.

  Eryndor was hurled back fifteen kilometers, tumbling through the air before skidding across the earth. Dust clouded around him.

  He looked down at his chest.

  Untouched. No wound. No blood.

  His eyes lifted. Bifo was already charging again, sword-feather glowing, slashing in a storm. Each cut split the earth for ten kilometers at a time. Eryndor’s body blurred—twist, pivot, sidestep. Every strike missed.

  “Damn it!” Bifo roared. “HOW?! Your mana is blocked! You should be helpless, defenseless!”

  Eryndor appeared at his side. Calm. Terrifying.

  With the edges of his hands, he struck both sides of Bifo’s ribs.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  CRACK.

  Bones shattered. Bifo screamed, coughing blood, his purple wings faltering.

  Eryndor’s voice was low, sharp as a blade.

  “You could never draw blood from me.”

  His palm slammed into Bifo’s chest.

  “Inferior Blow.”

  The impact thundered across the battlefield. Bifo’s body crumpled under the strike, hurled back twenty kilometers, smashing through ridges before slamming into the ground. He spat more blood, wheezing in disbelief.

  How… how can he be this strong? His mana is blocked. This doesn’t make sense…

  He staggered up, fury twisting his features. Then he roared—his body swelling, mutating. His wings expanded, doubling in size, feathers bursting into a storm of purple light. His torso broadened, muscles rippling, nails stretching into claws. His face twisted into an eagle’s visage, beak sharp and eyes blazing with bloodlust.

  “I never thought I’d be forced to use this,” he growled.

  Fifteen feet tall.

  His Bravo erupted, purple energy surging like a storm, shaking the city.

  He crouched, talon-toes ripping into the earth, then launched forward at Mach 30. His sword-feather gleamed as he slashed. Eryndor’s head snapped back.

  Then a fist smashed into Eryndor’s jaw, hurling him skyward.

  Bifo followed, relentless.

  A slash across the back. Then another across the chest. He vanished and reappeared, each strike faster, sharper, purple arcs carving the heavens. Finally he rose above, wings spread wide, and dropped like a guillotine. His blade crashed into Eryndor, splitting the land below for sixteen kilometers.

  Not stopping, he appeared beneath, his talons kicking Eryndor back into the air, then slashed again, driving him higher. “You’re helpless up here!” Bifo roared, his strikes coming down like a hurricane.

  But as he swung once more—

  CRACK!

  Eryndor’s foot slammed across his face, twisting his beak sideways.

  Bifo screamed as he crashed, his body carving a thirty-kilometer trench into the earth, stone and soil exploding in all directions.

  Eryndor descended. His wounds were shallow, mere scratches. His breath steady.

  He braced himself. Then launched.

  In the instant Bifo rose, his chest heaving, Eryndor’s fist slammed into his ribs.

  “Lesser Blow.”

  The Hysor’s body folded under the strike. Blood burst from his mouth and nose, ribs cracking audibly. The force hurled him forty kilometers, his body tumbling through the earth leaving a trail of destruction.

  Before he could even stop, a shadow fell over him.

  Eryndor’s boot came down on his face, pinning him like an insect.

  The city shook as he ground Bifo’s head into the earth, riding him like a surfboard, the Hysor’s body tearing a trench thirteen kilometres long before they skidded to a halt. Dust and debris billowed into the air.

  Heful’s bedrock wards—built to absorb siege-class force—thrummed under each impact, bleeding shock into the ground.

  When it settled, Eryndor was still standing over him, boot pressed firmly into his skull. His emerald eyes burned like stormfire.

  “You have drawn my blood… congratulations. However, even deprived of magic,” he said coldly, “I remain your better.”

  He raised his foot—

  "HE'S TOO STRONG, BRING THE ARMY!" Bifo yelled.

  BOOOOM.

  Bifo’s skull crunched under the impact, a crater three kilometers wide exploding outward.

  Eryndor lifted his boot again, voice low but merciless.

  “Witness the consequences of your decision.”

  BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

  Again and again his foot came down, the ground trembling with every strike.

  Bifo’s screams turned to gargles, his face reduced to a ruin of shattered bone and torn flesh. His tongue lolled free, one eye dangling grotesquely as his blood pooled beneath him.

  Somewhere, far across Heful, Daiel shouted to Richard, “Throw me up—higher!”

  Richard grabbed his arm and hurled him into the sky. Daiel soared above the battlefield, eyes sweeping across the chaos. He thrust his hands wide, tearing reality apart.

  A massive portal flared open near Eryndor.

  And out of it poured an army.

  Hundreds of men and demi-beasts. Some bore arms glowing red with bravo. Others, demi-beasts, pulsed purple. Their weapons gleamed under the moonlight as they formed a ring around Eryndor, surrounding him on all sides.

  The Hysor lay broken at his feet. Dust swirled. Silence pressed.

  Eryndor slowly lifted his boot from Bifo’s ruined face. His coat hung in tatters across his massive frame. He shrugged it off, letting it fall into the dust.

  Rolling his sleeves up his muscled forearms, he looked around at the circle of enemies. sterile sting crawled his veins—the handshake’s toxin still caging his mana.

  His voice rumbled, calm but unyielding.

  “So many of you… for so little of me.”

  He spread his arms wide, welcoming the slaughter. His emerald eyes glowed like stormlight.

  “Very well…” He smirked.

  “…gentlemen—shall we?”

  To Be Continued...