Chapter 42: Steel Arc Sword Technique: Fifth Form - Heaven's Cleave

Ruchir turned serious. "Now we must find Scholar Dwayne and assist him as soon as possible. We have only 10 minutes left."

Alice nodded. "Right, let's move. We need to break that array and stop Raynes."

The trio, bloodied but resolute, finally reached the last node of the array, guarded fiercely by the defeated chimera and blood servant. Ruchir, with a decisive slash of his righteousness-infused sword, shattered the final barrier.

Alice, using her Wind God Manual: Sky Piercing Arrow, disintegrated the node's core. Garret, with his Granite Fists, smashed the remaining structures to rubble.

The ancient symbols on the ground flickered and died, the malevolent energy dissipating. They had broken the array, severing the flow of blood essence and crippling Raynes' blood magic.

Garret, still grumbling about cheating, followed along. "I can't believe this. First, Ruchir, now you, Alice. What's next, I get to fly?"

Alice laughed, "Maybe you will, Garret. Maybe you will."

Exhausted but victorious, they prepared to return to Scholar Dwayne.

Marquis Raynes stood over Scholar Dwayne, looking down at his broken and battered opponent with a sneer of pity. Dwayne lay on the ground, bloodied and exhausted, his once mighty form reduced to a shadow of its former glory. Raynes's dark eyes glinted with amusement as he prepared to deliver the final blow.

"How pathetic," Raynes mused aloud, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. "I almost feel sorry for you, Dwayne. Lying there like a broken doll. It's truly a pitiful sight."

But before he could strike, something made Raynes pause. He sensed a shift in the air, a change in the energy around him. His eyes widened in surprise, and then he threw his head back and laughed, a crazed, manic sound that echoed through the ruined chamber.

"Well, well, well!" Raynes exclaimed, still laughing. "Congratulations, Dwayne! Your students have actually broken the array. Great! Great! This is finally getting interesting."

Dwayne, lying helpless on the ground, managed to lift his head and smile genuinely despite the pain. "They never let me down," he said, his voice strained but filled with pride. "No matter how dire the situation, they always find a way. They are truly remarkable."

Raynes stopped laughing and looked at Dwayne with a twisted smile. "Remarkable, yes. But futile. Do you really think their little victory means anything? It's just a fleeting moment of triumph before the inevitable."

Ignoring Dwayne's words, Raynes continued, "It's boring to fight more. I've already had my fill of fun tonight. Since only ten minutes remain, I think I'll break my word and start the Blood Realm Magic: Full Blood Plethora in advance. I'm too bored to fight with some mortal weaklings any longer."

Dwayne's eyes widened with anger and desperation. "Have you no honor? Shouldn't you care about your face, Raynes? The mighty Marquis Raynes going back on his word in front of mortal warriors?"

Raynes chuckled, his eyes gleaming with malevolent glee. "You never stop to amaze me, Dwayne. Honor? Face? Let me ask you a question, dear scholar. Even if I went back on my word, who is going to tell the outside world? You? Your students? They're all going to die here tonight."

Dwayne's face twisted with rage and sorrow as he tried to rise, but his body refused to respond. The weight of his injuries was too great. Raynes watched him struggle with a look of twisted pleasure, savoring every moment of his enemy's torment.

"Let me share a little secret with you," Raynes said, leaning closer. "Power is all that matters in this world. Promises, honor, they're just words used by the weak to delude themselves. True power is about taking what you want, when you want it, and crushing anyone who stands in your way."

Raynes straightened up and began to chant, his voice reverberating with dark energy. "Blood Realm Magic: Full Blood Plethora!"

Above the city, the sky darkened as a massive ball of blood-red energy began to form. It pulsed and writhed like a living thing, casting an ominous glow over the entire area. The people in the city below looked up in terror as they realized their impending doom.

Dwayne watched helplessly as Raynes's spell took shape, his heart filled with despair. But even in his darkest moment, he couldn't help but feel a spark of hope. His students had broken the array. They had shown their courage and strength. Perhaps, just perhaps, they could find a way to stop this madman.

Raynes noticed the look in Dwayne's eyes and laughed again. "Still hoping for a miracle, Dwayne? How naive. There are no miracles here. Only death and destruction."

Dwayne's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to delay Raynes, to give his students more time. He knew that any distraction he could create might be their only chance.

"Raynes," Dwayne called out, his voice trembling with a mix of pain and defiance. "Before you kill us all, answer me this. What drives a man like you to seek such power? What emptiness are you trying to fill?"

Raynes paused, his expression darkening. For a moment, the mocking amusement in his eyes flickered with something else—anger, perhaps, or a trace of old wounds.

"You think you can psychoanalyze me, Dwayne?" Raynes sneered. "You think understanding my motivations will change anything? Power is its own justification. I need no other reason."

But Dwayne pressed on, sensing a small crack in Raynes's armor. "Power without purpose is hollow, Raynes. What are you really after? What is it that you fear so much that you need to control everything around you?"

Raynes's face twisted with rage, and he lashed out, striking Dwayne with a bolt of dark energy that sent him sprawling. "Silence! You know nothing of my fears or my desires. I am beyond your understanding, scholar."

Dwayne coughed, blood trickling from his lips, but he managed a weak smile. "Maybe so. But the fact that you react so strongly tells me there's something there. Something you're running from."

Raynes's eyes blazed with fury, and he raised his hand to deliver the killing blow. But before he could strike, a loud crash echoed through the chamber. The door burst open, and Ruchir, Alice, and Garret stumbled in, their bodies battered but their spirits unbroken.

"Teacher!" Ruchir shouted, his eyes wide with determination. "We've done it. We've broken the array!"

Raynes turned to face them, his expression a mixture of irritation and amusement. "So, the little pests have returned. I must admit, you have more resilience than I expected. But it changes nothing. You're all too late."

Dwayne's heart swelled with pride and hope as he saw his students standing together. "You're wrong, Raynes. They are not too late. Together, we will stop you."

Raynes laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Such touching confidence. But your faith in them will be your undoing."

The dark mage turned his full attention to the students, his eyes gleaming with malevolent glee. "Let's see if your precious students can handle the true power of the Blood Realm Magic."

Just as Raynes was about to activate the Blood Realm Magic, he felt an unexpected and sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he found a steel sword embedded deep within him. With a snarl, he turned around, his eyes locking onto the disheveled and weakened form of Scholar Dwayne, who stood there with determination blazing in his eyes.

Raynes let out a crazed laugh, mocking Dwayne with a pitiful tone. "Is this your last-ditch attempt, Dwayne? How pathetic."

"Teacher!" the students shouted, their voices filled with concern and desperation.

Raynes sneered at them. "Worry not, little ones. I can easily recover from this without the help of the blood array."

But then, his smile faltered. He realized something was wrong. The wound wasn't healing. He couldn't summon his regenerative powers. His face twisted in shock and anger. "What have you done, Dwayne? Are you so mad as to sacrifice your life force?"

Before he could finish his outburst, Dwayne's voice rang out, clear and resolute. "Steel Arc Sword Technique: Fifth Form - Heaven's Cleave!"

The attack was a breathtaking spectacle. The air seemed to crackle with energy as Dwayne's sword glowed with an ethereal light. He swung the blade with a graceful arc, and a radiant beam of pure, condensed energy erupted from its edge.

The beam ascended high into the air before crashing down with unstoppable force, slicing through the very fabric of reality itself. The heavens seemed to part, and a divine light shone through, illuminating the chamber in a blinding brilliance.

The sheer power and majesty of the attack were awe-inspiring, leaving the students and even Raynes momentarily stunned. It was as if the fury of the gods themselves had been unleashed in that one decisive strike.

As the light faded, Dwayne's vision began to blur. His strength was nearly spent. In that fleeting moment, he was transported back in his memories, standing on a serene mountain peak. The wind whispered softly around him, carrying the scent of pine and the distant sound of a flowing river. He remembered the peace he had once known, the teachings he had received, and the promises he had made.

The scene faded, leaving the fate of Marquis Raynes unknown.