He stood before me, radiating a strange energy—something between man and monster. I couldn’t place his bloodline. His aura wasn’t like any demon I’d faced before, nor did it carry the familiar warmth of a human soul. He was something else. Something in between.

  And yet... there was a flicker in his eyes. Not cruelty. Not madness. But something almost human. Maybe even regret.

  Still, he stood in my way.

  “I am the disciple of Erwin Alther,” he said, his tone flat but confident. “If you want a fight, bring it. Or hand over the boy.”

  My blood boiled.

  “You’re a human… and yet you side with a monster to destroy your own kind? You deserve worse than death.”

  I drew my sword. The steel caught the moonlight, humming with my spirit energy. I didn’t care that he was stronger. I would protect my brother.

  But before either of us could make a move, a shape dropped from the sky.

  We both turned.

  Kyle.

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  His body crashed into the stone with a sickening thud. He was bloodied, barely conscious—his spirit energy flickering like a dying flame.

  I couldn’t believe it.

  Erwin Alther, untouched, descended slowly, hovering just inches above the ground. His smile was cruel, his presence enough to make my knees shake. I wanted to run. But I couldn’t leave Ravel behind.

  My fear was interrupted by footsteps behind me.

  I turned—and there she was.

  Rihanna.

  She stood tall beside me, her eyes blazing with fury.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” she said, “but I swear on my name—I won’t let anyone lay a finger on Draven.”

  She unsheathed her sword, her spirit energy flaring like a silver storm.

  Erwin chuckled, his voice dripping with mockery.

  “I don't like fighting beautiful women, darling. I might ruin that lovely face of yours.”

  He smirked. “But… if you're eager to die, I’ll let my little dog entertain you.”

  He motioned toward his disciple—his command dog, as he so charmingly put it.

  I glanced at the green-haired man. Why would someone like him follow a monster like Erwin? He didn’t answer, just launched forward in a blur.

  Rihanna clashed with him—and in a flash, she was thrown back, skidding across the ground, groaning in pain.

  Erwin turned back to me, tilting his head, as if pondering.

  “So, how would you like to die?” he asked casually. “I’m thinking… maybe I’ll start with your legs. Just enough to watch you crawl.”

  I closed my eyes. My grip on the sword loosened. There was no winning this.

  Then I felt it.

  A surge of spirit energy—raw, unfiltered, powerful.

  But it wasn’t Erwin’s.

  I opened my eyes—and saw Ravel.

  But this wasn’t the boy I knew.

  His body glowed with a strange light, and the air around him warped with pressure. Yet this energy… it wasn’t the Heavenly Flame Dragon. It wasn’t even recognizable. It was something else.

  In a blink, Ravel moved.

  Just a single flick of his wrist—and both Erwin and his disciple were blasted back.

  Erwin, caught mid-smirk, stumbled for the first time. His eyes widened, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His disciple coughed, falling to one knee, his scales cracked.

  Silence.

  Everyone stared at Ravel.

  He stood tall. Calm. Eyes glowing with power none of us had ever seen before.

  This… this wasn’t the awakening we were waiting for.

  This was something else