Blades clashed again.
A sharp shockwave cracked the earth beneath them.
Nicolas skidded backward.
Vlad let out a sigh, more annoyed than angry.
"Stop being a nuisance," he said. "You're not even a challenge. I haven't even used my Domain, forget Sanctuary and World. You think you can beat me ?"
Nicolas didn't answer.
He was breathing heavily. Every inhale was a struggle.
Blood ran down his forehead, soaked through his clothes, pooled beneath his feet.
But his sword was still in his hand, and his feet refused to give out. His knuckles turned white around the hilt, and the cracked ground trembled under his feet, not from fear, but from the gathering pressure of his aura.
"You've been strengthened, sure," Vlad continued. "But zero multiplied by five hundred is still zero."
Nicolas sensed the attack and turned just in time to raise his blade.
It caught Vlad's fist, but the sheer force sent him flying.
He crashed through three broken towers, then the ground, landing in a pit of shattered stone and steel.
Dust and debris rained down.
Nicolas lay still for a heartbeat.
Then his fingers twitched. He coughed, blood spattering from his lips, and forced himself upright even as bones popped and realigned.
The pain was unbearable, but he moved. He had to.
He followed in a flash, palm glowing with bloodlight.
Nicolas was already climbing to his feet when the blow landed. The crater deepened, and Nicolas' scream echoed through the hollowed land.
But a second later, a blast of light erupted from beneath the rubble.
A spear of pure radiance shot out and nearly pierced Vlad's shoulder.
He tilted his head, letting it graze past, but a golden blade followed right after.
Nicolas broke through the earth like a missile, spinning with his sword aimed at Vlad's chest.
Nicolas twisted, ducked under Vlad's counterstrike, then kicked off his chest to gain distance.
He spun, redirected himself with a flash of space energy, then slammed his blade down from above.
The sword struck his forearm, and though the skin broke slightly, he barely flinched. He caught Nicolas by the neck and slammed him down again.
"Annoying," he muttered.
Nicolas' body hit the earth like a meteor.
A fissure opened under him. Bones cracked again.
But just before Vlad could stomp down, space twisted around Nicolas. The next instant, he was behind Vlad, striking once more.
Their movements blurred.
The ground trembled with each blow.
Nicolas was pushing himself far beyond what his body should be able to handle.
He wasn't matching Vlad—no, far from it—but he was moving fast enough, hitting hard enough, to keep the man busy.
Light arrows. Holy beams. Slashes layered with space distortion.
Nicolas mixed everything he had, one technique after another, forcing Vlad to counter instead of press forward.
Still, Vlad was calm, and... annoyed.
Vlad snapped his fingers.
The Blood Sea responded instantly.
Space was torn apart, and thin streams of blood poured out.
Nicolas dodge the blood, but it seemed to have a mind of its own.
It caught him and wrapped around him and tried to drag him back.
A barrier of light surrounded Nicolas. It cracked and pulsed, holding back the wave for a moment.
Then Vlad appeared inside it.
A punch to the face. A kick to the ribs. An elbow to the jaw. The barrier shattered.
His breaths were shallower now. His sword hand trembled. But there was no hesitation in his eyes.
"You have a good regeneration, annoyingly so." Vlad narrowed his gaze. "Is this Karma's ability?"
No answer. Just another strike.
Nicolas was slowly weakening.
Each healing took longer. Each injury was deeper than the last.
But his eyes never dimmed. He moved with purpose of buying time, and holding Vlad in place, even if that cost him his life.
After all, no one was waiting for him at the home anymore. There was no one to grieve him.
Another light beam. Vlad swatted it away.
Another slash. Blocked.
A holy wave. Dispersed with a wave of Vlad's hand.
The pressure rose. Bloodlight spilled across the sky. The ground was now a sea of broken earth and steaming blood, reacting to Vlad's emotions.
"I told you already," Vlad said. "You haven't done anything. Do you want to see?"
A red mirror appeared beside him, hovering in the air.
It showed the battlefield.
Dozens of soldiers trapped in chaos. Blood monsters attacking them.
Only a handful of Grand Expedtion members had managed to escape.
Most hadn't even realized what was happening. It was hard to believe the Clan Leader of Blood Dragon Clan would betray them.
And now that Nicolas had powered up, they were moving so fast that time had practically frozen around them.
"Three seconds," Vlad said. "That's all. We've been fighting for three seconds. You sacrificed everything for nothing. Not one extra person was able to escape in that time."
Nicolas swayed where he stood, watching the mirror, watching the people fail to escape.
"They're criminals," Vlad added, his voice lower. "You don't even know what they've done. Why do you fight for them?"
Nicolas didn't reply.
His sword dipped. But only for a moment. Then he raised it again.
"Not all of them all criminals. Most of them are normal people who were born here."
"Children of criminals are criminal too."
He ignored Vlad's reply and stepped forward.
The wounds on his body glowed faintly. His skin looked paler now. His mana reserves were threateningly low.
Because he was the only one here who could stop Vlad.
And that was what he would do.
Vlad's face twisted slightly. Not anger. Not annoyance. Something more like pity.
A whip of blood lashed out.
It caught Nicolas mid-charge and flung him across the battlefield.
He hit the ground hard, and this time, he didn't get up right away.
His body trembled. His limbs didn't move.
Vlad walked slowly toward him.
"I didn't want to do this," Vlad said. "You are not evil, and revealing my true strength to a weaker person is an insult against my strength."
Blood ignited around his arm.
A pressure heavier than anything so far pressed down on the battlefield.
The sky above cracked faintly.
An illusion of Blood Sea appeared in the sky.
A hand touched Nicolas' shoulder.
He flinched, surprised, and slowly turned his head.
Tyr stood behind him. His eyes were calm. His hand stayed firm on Nicolas' shoulder.
"Thank you for protecting my people until now," he said softly. "I'll take it from here."
"You returned alone—"
"You," Tyr interrupted Vlad. His gaze became cold. "Shut up, and Kneel."
A terrifying pressure covered Vlad's body.
His knees began to bend.
He tried to resist but his body did not listen to him.
"This is a surprise. Seems like everyone underestimated the genius of Weapon Dragon Clan. "
"So you can still speak. Good, I won't need to find the answers from your corpse."
Tyr's aura began to rise.
It wasn't the weak aura that he had showed until now to Neo and other Dragon Clan Leaders.
But something infinitely more powerful.