Chapter 20: The Shifting Air

Chapter 20: The Shifting Air

His breath caught in his throat. His fingers curled slightly, his voice hoarse. "It's made of fragments..."

Elara turned to him, her brows knitting together. "What?"

Arthur swallowed, his body swaying, but his mind suddenly sharpened. "It's not a single entity—it's a collection of moving parts." His voice was barely above a whisper, but with every word, the truth settled deeper in his chest. "We're cutting it apart, but as long as even one piece remains, it can rebuild."

Silence.

Elara's lips parted slightly. Her grip on her staff tightened.

Leon, breathing hard, narrowed his eyes at the creature. His jaw tensed, rolling his shoulders as if testing his limits.

Elara exhaled. "Then we need one attack—strong enough to erase every fragment at once."

A slow, sharp breath escaped Leon. He straightened, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead. Then, with a grim smile, he exhaled through his nose.

"Then let's do it."

Elara lifted her hand, fingers trembling from exhaustion. "Divine Radiance."

A golden light flared from her core, expanding outward in slow, deliberate waves. The cavern walls, once shrouded in darkness, gleamed under its touch. Dust swirled in the brilliance, catching in the glow like tiny embers.

Leon's sword responded to the light, its steel bathed in a soft, celestial shimmer. He exhaled, steadying his stance, feeling the warmth seep into his weary muscles.

Arthur barely managed to stay on his feet. Every breath came ragged, every movement an effort. His limbs screamed in protest, but he couldn't afford to stop. He reached within, searching for the last traces of his strength, his mana flickering like a candle in the wind.

His vision blurred. His knees buckled. But he endured.

"Mana Surge—Final Release."

A pulse of energy rippled outward, not an explosion, but a deep, resonant force. Blue and gold light entwined, slow at first, then crackling with barely contained power. The air vibrated, heavy with raw energy.

Leon clenched his fingers around the hilt of his blade. His heartbeat filled his ears, steady, deliberate. There was no room for hesitation. No room for error.

The Reaver screeched. Its fragmented form—once broken, now reconstituted—rose like a living storm, a cyclone of razor-sharp shards spinning with merciless precision. There was no opening. No weakness.

Leon's pulse steadied. He measured the distance. The timing. The force needed. Every second stretched, each movement a calculated step toward a singular outcome.

His blade lifted, the light around it bending, condensing into a focused edge.

No hesitation. No second chances.

"Mana Surge—Divine Vortex Slash."

He swung.

The blade carved through space, its path cutting clean through the storm of blades. There was no deafening explosion, no blinding flash—just a sharp, precise arc of light slicing through the heart of the Reaver.

For a moment, silence.

Then the Reaver shuddered. Its form faltered, the fragments losing cohesion. One by one, they crumbled—not in a dramatic blast, but in quiet, inevitable dissolution. The creature let out a wail, but there was no fury in it. No malice. Just a fading echo of something that once was.

The cavern dimmed as the last traces of the battle faded.

Then—

Silence.

The dust settled.

The monster was gone. And in its place, a magic stone lay glimmering on the cold, bloodstained floor.

For a moment, no one moved. No one spoke. Only the sound of their ragged breathing filled the chamber.

Leon staggered, his breath uneven. His sword, still faintly glowing, trembled in his grip before he finally let it lower. His entire body ached—his arms felt like lead, his legs barely able to hold him upright.

The team stood frozen, their minds struggling to catch up with reality.

Then, Elara took a shaky step forward, clutching the wound on her arm. Her voice came out hoarse.

"…Is it over?"

Leon swallowed, forcing air into his burning lungs. He let out a slow breath, his shoulders slumping.

"Yeah."

The single word was enough to break the tension.

Elara exhaled sharply, her chest rising and falling as if she had been holding her breath the entire time. She turned to look at the others, her face still pale but her lips tugging into a small, relieved smile.

Arthur let out a breathless laugh before collapsing onto the stone floor, arms sprawled out. "I think... I think my soul just left my body."

Mira, still catching her breath, wiped the sweat from her brow. Then she grinned, shaking her head in disbelief. "Holy hell, Leon," she breathed. "You were insane out there."

Leon let out a short chuckle, but it was weak. His body still trembled, the adrenaline fading and leaving nothing but exhaustion behind. He sighed and dropped to one knee, rubbing his temples.

"Insane? Or stupid?" he muttered.

Mira smirked. "Little bit of both, honestly. But hey, it worked."

Arthur groaned, tilting his head up to look at Leon. His eyes held something between admiration and disbelief. "We… we actually did it."

Elara finally sat down beside him, running a hand through her messy hair. "Barely." She let out a weak laugh. "That thing almost had us."

Kael, who had been standing quietly, finally moved forward. Without a word, he knelt down, retrieving the magic stone. The dim glow reflected in his eyes for a moment before he slipped it into his pouch. Then, he turned to Leon and offered his hand.

Leon hesitated before gripping Kael's arm, letting him pull him to his feet. His legs felt like they'd give out any second, but he forced himself to stand.

"We should get out of here before anything else shows up," Kael said, his voice calm but firm.

Elara shivered slightly and rubbed her arms. "Agreed. Now that the rush is wearing off, I just realized how freezing it is in here."

Mira stretched, groaning as her body ached in protest. "Ugh, don't even get me started. My back is killing me. My arms feel like they're about to fall off." She let out a dramatic sigh. "I swear, if another one of those things shows up, I'll just let it kill me."

Arthur snorted. "Same."

Elara rolled her eyes. "You two are ridiculous."

"Am I?" Arthur grinned. "Tell me you have enough energy left for another fight."

Elara opened her mouth, then closed it. A second later, she sighed. "Damn it."

Leon, despite himself, smiled. Even with their exhaustion, the weight on his chest felt lighter. They had won. They had survived.

Kael glanced behind them, his expression unreadable. "...Then let's move. We've got the Aetherium Core."

Mira groaned dramatically as she pushed herself up. "Ugh, fine. But someone better carry me if my legs stop working."

Arthur smirked. "Not it."

Elara raised a brow. "You think I will?"

Kael just shook his head and started walking.

Leon sighed, gripping his sword tighter as he took a step forward.

They were exhausted. Their bodies screamed at them to rest.

But for now, at least, they could walk forward knowing that they had made it through. And with that, they began walking.

Each step was heavy. Every muscle screamed for rest. Their bodies were torn, their breaths ragged. Pain wrapped around them like a vice, but their hearts—just for a moment—were light.

They had won.

They had survived.

But then—

A strange sensation.

Like icy fingers trailing down their spines.

Leon stopped mid-step.

Elara inhaled sharply, her body tensing despite the exhaustion clinging to her like a second skin. Her magic reserves were nearly empty, the last bits of healing she had left hanging by a fragile thread.

Arthur and Mira stiffened.

The air shifted.

Cold. Wrong.

Leon turned his head slightly, muscles tightening. His grip on his sword instinctively firmed.

A sound.

Low. Rumbling. Not quite words, but something ancient and deep, like the growl of the earth itself.

Then—

A roar.

Loud. Deafening.

It shattered the fragile silence they had barely begun to grasp, a jagged blade slicing through their moment of relief.

Leon's pulse pounded in his ears.

His eyes darted forward.

And then he saw them.

---

(Chapter Ended)