CLASH OF PRODIGIES

Chapter 113: Clash of Prodigies

The battlefield roared with chaos.

Eldoria's forces clashed against Xelthar's monstrous army, but within the heart of the battlefield, an even deadlier confrontation had begun.

Kael Veyrin stood face-to-face with Ilyra Xelthar, the Blade of the Night.

Her silver hair flowed in the storm winds, her twin blades humming with a dark energy unlike anything Kael had faced before.

The moment their eyes met, he knew—

She wasn't just another opponent.

She was a monster in human form.

And she was grinning.

"You're the famous Kael Veyrin," Ilyra mused, tilting her head. "I expected more scars."

Kael's crimson sigils burned around him, his grip on his sword tightening. "You'll have plenty of time to admire them after I cut you down."

Ilyra chuckled. "Oh, I like you already."

And then—

She vanished.

Kael barely had time to react before she reappeared behind him, her blades flashing toward his back.

He twisted at the last second, Gravity Domain activating, slowing her strike just enough for him to counter.

Their swords met—

A shockwave erupted from the impact, cracking the ground beneath them.

The battle had begun.

While Kael fought Ilyra, the rest of the Vanguard faced their own challenges.

Lucian Eldoria clashed against a towering warlord, his draconic flames barely scorching the man's steel-infused body.

Selene's blade danced against a masked specter, an assassin whose every move seemed to predict her own.

Mira and Cassian fought side by side against a winged warrior who controlled ice and wind, the battlefield freezing beneath their feet.

Darius and Evelyne battled a monstrous brute wielding a club the size of a carriage, his strikes shattering the ground with every impact.

Rael faced a cloaked figure who flickered in and out of existence, striking from angles that should have been impossible.

They were strong.

Stronger than any enemy they had fought before.

But the Vanguard had faced death too many times to back down now.

And slowly—they began to push forward.

Kael barely dodged another strike as Ilyra moved like a phantom, her dual blades striking from every angle, her speed nearly unnatural.

Her mana was different.

It wasn't just power.

It was refined. Controlled. Dangerous.

Kael activated Berserker's Ascent, his strength and speed doubling in an instant.

His next strike sent Ilyra skidding back, her boots digging into the ground.

She looked down at her cut sleeve, then smirked. "Oh, finally getting serious?"

Kael didn't answer.

He charged.

Their blades clashed in a flurry of steel and mana, neither giving an inch.

Ilyra grinned wider, her golden eyes gleaming with excitement.

"This is fun," she whispered. "Let's make it last."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

She wasn't fighting to win.

She was enjoying this.

That realization sent a cold chill down his spine.

But he had no time to dwell on it—

Because Ilyra's next strike nearly killed him.

As the Vanguard and the Eldoria generals pushed deeper into Xelthar's fortress, something shifted in the air.

A presence.

A watching gaze.

The Forsaken of Life and Death stood at the battlefield's edge, their expressions darkening.

Life exhaled. "He's waking up."

Death's red eyes gleamed. "Chaos moves faster than I expected."

Life turned to the battlefield, her voice a whisper. "If the Vanguard doesn't end this soon… it won't matter who wins."

Because something worse was coming.