Bragan?a

  In Bragan?a, the air split apart.

  Catarina fell to her knees the very instant the seal gave way, the runes exploding into shards of light before her. The circle she was sustaining shattered like glass under pressure.

  — No… — the breath fled her lungs. — The seal… it was torn apart by force…

  Draken took a step back, slamming his axe into the ground to avoid being thrown away by the pressure. The metal vibrated, groaning as if being crushed by something invisible.

  Then—

  Silvio moved forward.

  Without a single word.

  His hands were wrapped up to the elbows in living black steel, shaped directly by mana — not forged, not enchanted. Molded. The short, pointed nails resembled compressed claws, dense, lethal.

  Scars crossed his fingers, palms, and wrists.

  Marks of bones broken too many times. Forced back together and sealed through mana folding fused like molten lead. M?o de Tigre was no empty title.

  He touched the seal.

  And tore it apart.

  Not with a spell.

  Not with words.

  With force.

  The black steel claws pierced the seal’s structure like a tiger ripping open its prey’s chest. Space screamed. Mana crackled. The runes tried to reorganize.

  Silvio pulled.

  The seal gave way.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  ---

  In Sorriso—

  Anatoly dropped to his knees at the same instant.

  — AAAAAARGH…!!

  His chest burned.

  THUMP.

  One pulse.

  Then another.

  Heavy.

  Violent.

  The true heart returned to the wrong place.

  — N-no… — he gasped, crimson veins bulging. — This… this wasn’t supposed to happen…

  Desperation came.

  Not as fear.

  But as calculation.

  Think. Think fast.

  If I divide the flow…

  If I spread the cores…

  If I fragment the heart into clones…

  I won’t die.

  I’ll survive.

  I’ll get out of here.

  Anatoly staggered backward, eyes deranged.

  — Clones… — he muttered. — Yes… if I divide the flow… I won’t die…

  He turned to run.

  And then—

  The world froze.

  The ground trembled.

  An impossible pressure descended upon the field.

  — Vector of ABSOLUTE ECHO.

  The voice came out hoarse.

  Tired.

  But firm as a verdict.

  Tailer advanced.

  His body covered in cuts, blood streaming down his face, breath heavy. The twin daggers trembled in his hands.

  The White Wolf was wounded.

  But smiling.

  — I’m not beautiful like them… — he murmured. — I’m not strong like them…

  He took another step.

  His deep ocean-blue eyes shone.

  — But I’m grateful.

  The air responded.

  The forest around echoed.

  — Grateful for what they taught me.

  He spread his arms.

  Tracing SYMBOLS in the air.

  Soldiers stared in shock: What is that? Symbols? Those are like the ones in the books of heroes from ancient wars—but they say that place is sealed. Outsiders can’t enter. How does he know this? Did he learn it from BOOKS?

  Dooooooooooom.

  The air compressed as Tailer finished drawing the SYMBOLS with insane speed using his daggers.

  — COMBAT KANJI.

  The words tore through the battlefield.

  — WHITE WOLF’S ROAR!

  The echo came before the sound.

  An invisible wave sealed the space ahead of Anatoly, bending vectors, crushing routes, locking the path like a living cage.

  The ground cracked.

  The air compressed.

  Anatoly slammed into something invisible and was thrown backward.

  — WHAT—?!

  He raised his eyes.

  And saw.

  A gigantic white wolf, made of echoes, instinct, and will, blocking every route.

  — Damn you… — he spat blood. — Damn WHITE WOLF… I had destroyed his mana flow…!

  Tailer staggered, leaning on one dagger.

  Blood dripped onto the ground.

  He laughed.

  — Checkmate, little rat.

  The voice came out low.

  But echoed like thunder.

  — The wolf sealed the path.

  Anatoly felt something he hadn’t felt in centuries.

  Cornered.

  The calculation failed.

  The clones had nowhere to flee.

  Then the sky exploded.

  A purple lightning bolt ripped through the Prison Colossus sphere from the inside.

  CRAAAAACK—

  The structure collapsed.

  A pillar of energy surged into the heavens.

  — DOMINAE.

  Kyros emerged from the prison like a living thunderbolt.

  The impact of his strike opened a crater in the field, sweeping everything around.

  Anatoly was hurled forward.

  Rolled.

  Spitting blood.

  — No… no, no, NO…!!

  And then—

  The wind changed.

  Light footsteps.

  Too fast for ordinary eyes.

  Lukas appeared right after.

  The slender body.

  Cracked blades raised.

  Golden and purple eyes perfectly misaligned with the world.

  — Tick-tock, plague… I think your time is up. Feeling like something’s missing?

  Or rather… something returned to its place. Hmm.

  Tick-tock.

  — Seems the hunter became the prey.

  End of Chapter 15