Chapter 66 : Hold the Line

Smoke and dust still spiraled through the throne hall like ghosts refusing to fade.

From the sky's shattered ceiling, Dirga fell—his body limp with exhaustion.

He crashed into the stone below.

THUD.

Like a broken doll, he bounced once—then rolled.

He groaned.

Blood in his mouth. Vision blurred.

He pushed himself up, slow, ragged.

The Crimson Core shifted in his palm, reshaping into a long blade. Not his strongest form—but a fallback. A fighter's instinct.

That hammer drop wasn't enough. He knew it.

It looked spectacular. Felt overwhelming.

But that… thing?

That wasn't the kind of enemy you crushed with spectacle.

It needed precision.

It needed death.

And maybe... even his Ultimate.

But the Ultimate required too much setup—too many moving parts, too much control. That had always been Dirga's weakness. He'd worked to fix it, but...

Not here. Not now.