Smoke blanketed the battlefield. The shockwave from Kaelion's final attack had torn the earth apart, leaving craters and shattered walls in its wake. The devils' ranks had scattered; even the high-ranked ones knelt under the residual pressure.
Kaelion stood in the center, one sword broken, the other dim. Blood stread down his face, his armor nearly disintegrated.
The Saintess approached, limping, her staff barely holding her up. "Is it… over?"
Kaelion's eyes scanned the haze. His breathing was shallow, but steady. "Not yet."
The smoke cleared—and Bael's silhouette erged.
The devil general was on one knee, half his body torn open, dark ichor spilling onto the ground. Yet his grin remained, defiant and hateful. "You… mortals… think this is victory?"
He slamd his claw into the ground. The sigil reactivated, pulsing faintly beneath him.
Kaelion's eyes widened. "No—he's trying to—"
The sigil exploded outward, shooting a beam of crimson energy toward the sky.
And sowhere deep within the palace, the energy resonated. Aaron's smirk returned as he looked up, his spear thrumming with power. "Ah… Bael. You've bought ti."
Mia and Hiro froze as the devil's aura surged to monstrous levels. The walls cracked, and the palace groaned under the pressure.
The two fronts—gate and throne—were finally beginning to converge.
And neither side knew that far beneath them, in the heart of the Devil King's sanctum, Zero Elea had already crossed blades with Aamon.
The war for Edolas had entered its final phase.
The battlefield at the palace gates trembled beneath a crimson sky, thick with smoke, screams, and the clash of mana. The devils had begun to adapt—each wave more organized, their formation tighter, their auras synchronized like the rhythm of a dark symphony. Kaelion's soldiers, once holding strong lines, were now being slowly driven back, their morale fraying under the relentless surge of corruption.
"Hold the formation! Do not let the front collapse!" Kaelion's voice cut through the chaos. His command was sharp, but even he could feel it—the shift. Sothing in the air had changed. The devils were no longer attacking recklessly; they were waiting for sothing.
And then, it appeared.
A tremor rolled through the ground, splitting the blood-soaked soil as a massive dark sigil ignited at the center of the battlefield. From it erged a figure cloaked in jagged armor, its surface etched with writhing red lines that pulsed like veins. Its presence alone sent every soldier within a hundred ters staggering backward. The air distorted, mana bending violently as if refusing to exist near this entity.
Kaelion's expression hardened. "...So they've sent a high-ranked general."
Even the devils bowed their heads as the being took form—its long horns curving like blades, and its eyes glowing with a cold, intelligent malice. When it spoke, its voice echoed like a thousand whispers layered into one.
"General Bael, at your service… humans."
The Saintess stumbled a step back, her staff trembling in her hands. The divine barrier around the gates flickered for the first ti since the battle began. She forced her mana outward, pouring everything she had to reinforce it, but Bael's oppressive aura cracked the light like glass.
"Saintess—focus on containnt!" Kaelion shouted, drawing his twin blades. "We can't let him breach the barrier!"
Bael smiled. "Containnt? You misunderstand. I did not co to attack your gates."
Before Kaelion could react, Bael raised his hand. The dark sigil beneath him expanded, bursting into threads of crimson energy that snaked across the field—binding hundreds of lesser devils together. Their bodies contorted, rging into grotesque, armored beasts. Their combined aura rivaled that of an S-rank army.
Kaelion's soldiers faltered. Even his elite captains could barely hold their footing.
The Saintess bit her lip, blood trickling down her chin as her blessing surged. Radiant feathers of light erupted from her mana, raining down over the battlefield to counteract the spreading corruption. "As long as I stand… your darkness will not take root here!"
Bael tilted his head, amused. "Then I shall enjoy watching you break."
Kaelion moved first. With a swift motion, he vanished from sight, reappearing behind Bael with his blades slashing down. Sparks exploded as his swords t Bael's claws—the impact tearing through the ground like a shockwave. For the first ti, even Kaelion gritted his teeth.
Bael's defense was absolute.
"So this is the fad commander of humanity," Bael mused, brushing aside Kaelion's follow-up strike with one hand. "Efficient, disciplined, but predictable."
Kaelion didn't reply. He didn't need to. His soldiers had already begun moving—his commands encoded in their training. Formation shifts rippled through the army, lines rotating, casters repositioning, and ranged units preparing bombardnt.
But Bael had noticed. He raised his hand again. "Then allow to even the field."
Dozens of black spears materialized in the sky, each humming with destructive energy. They rained down like teors, tearing through Kaelion's defensive lines. The Saintess scread as she pushed her blessings further, light exploding from her form to intercept the attack.
"Saintess!" one of the captains cried.
She didn't respond—her body trembling as divine energy poured from her core far beyond what it could safely handle. The halo above her flickered erratically, but the spears shattered upon the barrier she ford, raining sparks of gold and shadow across the field.
Kaelion seized the opening. "Now! Heavy artillery—focus fire!"
Cannons embedded in mana circles erupted behind the lines, their blasts shaking the sky. Explosions tore across Bael's summoned beasts, disintegrating the weaker ones into clouds of smoke.
But the general himself stood unscathed.
As the dust cleared, Bael's laughter filled the battlefield. "Impressive coordination. You must be the one the devils of the lower ranks fear."
Kaelion's jaw tightened. He could feel the weight of every second. The Saintess's mana was burning too fast, and his troops were at their limit. If he dragged this out, they would lose.
He looked back toward the palace. Mia… Hiro… I hope you finish what you started soon.
He took a deep breath, letting his aura flare to full strength. His blades glowed blue, mana vibrating at the edge of control. "All units—fall back two hundred ters! Form the crescent formation!"
The captains hesitated. "But, Commander—"
"That's an order!"
As the soldiers pulled back, Kaelion pressed a hand to his chest. His mana surged violently, mixing with traces of divine light left by the Saintess's barrier. His next words were barely a whisper.
"Forbidden Tactic—Resonance Field."
A storm of light and darkness burst outward, encircling Bael within a ring of oscillating energy. For the first ti, the devil general's smirk faded slightly.
"What is this trickery?"
Kaelion's aura intensified, veins of light crawling up his arms. "The price of command is blood."
He charged, vanishing in a blur. The collision of their power was cataclysmic—light and shadow erupting into a storm that split the battlefield in half. Soldiers shielded their eyes, the shockwave throwing even devils off their feet.
The Saintess fell to her knees, gasping, but still keeping the barrier intact. "Kaelion… don't die…"
As the dust settled, Kaelion stood with one knee on the ground, panting. His armor was fractured, blood dripping from his lips. In front of him, Bael's armor was cracked—but the devil still stood.
"You… humans," Bael hissed, his voice trembling with restrained fury. "You dare wound ."
Kaelion tightened his grip on his blades, forcing himself upright. "If you bleed… that ans you can die."
The Saintess rose again, summoning what remained of her strength. "Then we'll finish this together."
Light surged once more, and Kaelion's aura intertwined with hers—forming a radiant spear aid at Bael's heart.
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