Chapter 410: Chapter 410: Crimson and Shadow

The air felt thicker here.

Hot, dry, heavy with dust and iron. Every breath stung Noel’s lungs.

The Fourth Pillar stood across from him on the broken platform — calm, unhurried. His sword rested against his shoulder, veins of red light crawling through the blade like living things.

Behind him, the fissures glowed faintly, veins of molten mana cutting through the rock.

Neither moved. The silence pressed against the ears, louder than the battle still echoing somewhere above.

A spark fell from the ceiling. Both reacted at once.

Steel met steel with a sharp crack that split the air. The impact sent ripples across the ground, scattering dust and ash in waves. Noel slid one foot back, the vibration running up his arm, Revenant Fang burning against his grip.

They broke apart, circled once more. The Pillar’s gaze was steady.

“You could just walk away,” he said finally, voice almost casual. “Leave the crystal. Let us take it, and this ends clean.”

Noel didn’t answer at first. His breathing slowed, eyes flicking between the man’s stance and the faint glow of the sword.

Then, quietly—

“No. Impossible.”

The Pillar tilted his head. “You don’t even know what it does.”

“I don’t,” Noel said. “But I need it.”

That was enough.

They moved again.

Noel stepped in first, blade flashing with heat. “Fire Arc!”

The red crescent split the air; the Pillar met it mid-swing, the collision exploding in a burst of flame and sparks.

Neither yielded.

Noel’s thoughts cut through the noise — cold, automatic.

’He’s testing strength. Not speed. Trying to read me.’

They clashed again, harder this time. Sparks rained over their faces, their boots grinding through cracked stone. The vibration of every strike echoed through the ruins, deep and rhythmic.

The Pillar’s lips curved faintly.

No words now — only the sound of metal scraping against metal, the pulse of two forces locking again and again until the ground itself began to crumble beneath their feet.

Each clash rang like thunder, sending cracks along the platform.

Noel moved low, fast, Revenant Fang a blur of red and black arcs through the heat. The Fourth Pillar blocked every cut with minimal effort, his blade trailing sparks that hissed against the scorched stone.

“Shadow Step.”

Noel’s voice was a whisper swallowed by noise. His body dissolved into smoke — gone.

He reappeared to the Pillar’s right, the swing already in motion. The blade kissed metal; the impact jolted his arm, but the strike connected enough to send the man back a step.

No time to breathe.

“Fire Arc!” — the wave of flame burst forward. The Pillar slashed through it, scattering molten fragments into the air.

“Chain Flash!” — lightning crawled along the floor, arcing up from the fissures toward the man’s boots. He leapt aside, landing with perfect balance, cloak fluttering in the updraft.

The sound of their fight echoed off the walls, overlapping with distant rumbling from above.

Noel vanished again. “Shadow Step.”

He emerged from the ground behind the Pillar, blade humming. “Voltage Needle!”

A streak of blue shot through the space, catching the man’s side before detonating. Smoke and red embers swallowed them both.

The Pillar broke through the haze like a shadow of his own, swinging in silence. Noel caught the blow in time, the force shaking his teeth.

He shifted his weight, drove a knee into the man’s midsection, and twisted away, using the recoil to spin. Revenant Fang flashed, cutting through the lingering smoke in a clean arc.

The hit landed — shallow, just across the shoulder — but the smell of burned blood hit hard.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The Pillar’s gaze flicked down to the small line of blood sliding down his arm, then back up. A grin, barely visible through the haze.

“You move well,” he said quietly, tone more observation than praise.

Noel’s only reply was to vanish again — Shadow Step.

He reappeared from above this time, descending through the drifting smoke, blade angled for the throat.

The Pillar raised his sword at the last second.

Impact.

The sound was sharp and hollow, like metal snapping bone. Sparks and black mist burst around them, scattering into the air.

Noel hit the ground, knees bending to absorb the shock, and rolled back into stance. His breathing was steady, his movements cleaner now — sharper, more precise. Harrowed Focus burned behind his eyes, stripping away everything except the fight itself.

Another step.

He vanished again.

One after another — shadows shifting, reappearing, dissolving. The battlefield became a blur of afterimages, the rhythm relentless.

The Fourth Pillar swung through empty air again and again, the clang of metal echoing each time Noel appeared, struck, and disappeared.

Finally, the man let out a small breath, raising his blade high. “Enough.”

He slammed the sword into the ground. A ring of crimson energy burst outward, shattering the shadows around him. The explosion of light forced Noel out of his concealment, the blast hurling him back several meters. He hit the ground hard, boots skidding across the cracked floor.

Steam rose from his arms where the energy had grazed him.

His pulse hammered against his ribs, but his eyes stayed fixed forward.

The platform burned red beneath their feet, cracks glowing like veins of molten glass.

The air shook with every step they took.

Noel advanced first, his movements fluid and sharp. “Shadow Step.”

He vanished, reappearing behind the Fourth Pillar with Revenant Fang cutting downward.

The man spun, blocking in one smooth motion, and the collision sent a burst of force that split the floor between them.

They broke apart. For a moment, only the sound of sizzling stone filled the air.

Then the Pillar lifted his hand, a faint grin forming on his face.

Light burst out.

Not divine. Not holy. Just pure, condensed mana — shaped into a blinding flash.

The glow spread fast, bouncing off the walls, turning every shadow into white fire.

Noel flinched and ducked behind his forearm, his vision flooding with afterimages.

“Light magic…?” he muttered under his breath. “Didn’t expect that.”

The man stepped forward, sword raised high, his weapon now radiating soft yellow lines that traced the metal.

“Luminous Edge!”

He swung once — and a streak of light cut through the air, clean and fast, carving a burning scar across the ground. Noel sidestepped at the last instant, the beam grazing his sleeve and disintegrating part of it into sparks.

’So he mixes swordsmanship and light projection… great.’

He grit his teeth, slipping into shadow again. “Shadow Step.”

Noel appeared behind him, silent as smoke. Revenant Fang hummed, mana condensing along its edge.

The Pillar turned sharply, anticipating him. “Flash Burst!”

A pulse of white exploded from his body, scattering the darkness and throwing Noel back several meters. The blast burned across his cheek; he caught his balance just before hitting the edge.

’He’s using light to disrupt my shadows… smart bastard.’

Noel exhaled, lowering his stance.

“Had an ace up your sleeve, huh?” he muttered. His hand tightened around the hilt. “Fine. Here’s mine.”

Revenant Fang darkened. Shadows crawled from the cracks around him, drawn toward the sword like a tide. The light in the air flickered, shrinking, smothered by the weight of the void gathering in his blade.

“Eclipse Rend.”

Shadow swallowed the light.

Revenant Fang’s edge split into afterimages of black — a sweeping arc of pure void cutting forward.

The wave didn’t just strike — it erased. Metal dissolved into nothing as if devoured by night itself, and the light constructs caught in its path shattered into dull, lifeless fragments before fading away.

The two energies collided — brilliance against darkness — and the explosion tore through the cavern like a collapsing sun.

The platform shook violently; molten stone burst upward in streaks of orange and black.

When the smoke cleared, half the floor was gone.

Noel crouched low, chest rising and falling fast, steam curling off Revenant Fang’s edge.

Across from him, the Fourth Pillar stood firm but wounded. His armor smoked, the faint glow around him flickering erratically.

Noel’s eyes narrowed. “Guess your light’s not so perfect after all.”

The Pillar gave a quiet laugh, resting his sword on his shoulder. “Neither is your shadow.”

Noel said nothing — only raised his weapon again. The shadow behind him stretched wider, merging with the cracks in the ground as both fighters stepped forward.

– Elena POV –

The night over the Thorne estate burned crimson.

Explosions rippled through the hills, shaking the foundations of the mansion. The horizon glowed red, dotted with the shadows of countless monsters tearing through the outer defenses. From the upper terrace, Elena could see them — a crawling tide of black forms illuminated by the flicker of distant flames.

The Thorne soldiers fought in organized formations across the courtyards, their armor shining with faint blue runes. Every arrow, every spell, was precise — but there were too many.

Beside her, Elyra remained perfectly composed, the wind tossing her dark braid as her eyes scanned the battlefield. “Shift the left flank,” she ordered coldly. “Keep the mana barriers steady — if the ridge falls, the mansion follows.” Her voice carried effortlessly over the chaos; even in battle, she sounded like someone used to commanding people twice her age.

Elena glanced to her right. Charlotte stood a few paces ahead, the veil gone — her pink hair glowing softly in the firelight, her golden eyes unwavering. She wasn’t fighting; she was praying.

Her lips moved in a whisper no one could understand, syllables flowing like a song in a language older than memory. Golden light began to bloom around her feet, spreading across the stone in a slow, steady pulse.

Where it passed, soldiers straightened their backs, wounds sealed, and fatigue melted away. The air itself felt cleaner, charged with calm. But Charlotte’s breathing grew thin. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her body trembling under the strain.

Elena stepped forward, concern flickering behind her amber eyes. She could feel it — Charlotte’s life force burning with every word of that prayer.

Further down the slope, Damon, Kael and Sylvette held the vanguard, their weapons flashing silver and steel against the black swarm. Magic and fire rained across the battlefield, but the creatures kept coming — endless, relentless.

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