The castle grounds shook as Luther and Xavier collided again. There was no finesse in Xavier's strikes anymore—just violence. The Serpent's Fang had become an extension of his rage, cutting through everything in front of him, stone, metal, air. Every movement was brutal, wild, and unpredictable. He wasn't fighting to win. He was fighting to destroy.

Luther blocked, twisted, countered, but each hit came harder than the last. When Xavier's clawed hand caught his blade, Luther felt the pressure tremble through his bones. The air burst around them, and pieces of the ground tore free like shrapnel.

Xavier roared and rushed him again, smashing through a row of pillars like they were paper. His body moved like a beast—hunched, heavy, fast. His mind was gone, replaced by raw instinct. The Serpent's Fang lashed like a whip, biting into the ground, leaving a deep scar every time it struck.

Luther barely sidestepped the next blow and kicked Xavier square in the ribs. The sound was loud enough to echo across the courtyard, but Xavier didn't even flinch. He grabbed Luther by the throat and slammed him against a wall. The stones cracked under the impact.

Luther looked into those burning eyes and muttered, "A rabid animal pretending to be divine."

He drove his elbow into Xavier's face, then pulled his body back and landed a clean punch to his gut. The shock threw Xavier backward—but he caught himself on all fours and charged again, tearing across the ground like a wild predator.

The elders on the upper floors shouted orders to the guards as the entire castle trembled. Barriers lit up. Blue and gold shields wrapped around the main structure while the sounds of fighting filled the air. Everyone could hear it—roars, crashes, stone splitting apart, the howl of something inhuman.

Luther appeared above Xavier and came down like a hammer. His sword struck the ground, creating a ripple that shattered the floor and sent cracks spreading across the courtyard. Dust and debris filled the air.

When it cleared, Xavier was standing in the middle of the destruction, head tilted, his mouth dripping blood—but he was smiling.

Luther's jaw tightened. "You're losing your humanity, and yet you think that's strength?" he said. "All you've done is throw away the one thing that made you different from the rest of us."

Xavier didn't reply. He couldn't. His breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling too fast. His eyes locked on Luther, animal and hateful.

Then he jumped—straight at him.

The impact was like thunder. Xavier grabbed Luther and dragged him across the ground, through a wall, and into another section of the courtyard. He threw him into a statue and crushed it with one hand before going after him again. The Fang twisted in his grip, half whip, half blade, wrapping around Luther's arm and slicing through his armor.

Blood spilled, bright and real. Luther broke the weapon's grip and countered with a pulse of aura that blasted Xavier across the yard.

"Pathetic," he muttered, stepping forward. "You think strength is noise. That power means chaos. You don't understand control, and that's why you'll never last."

He raised his hand, and the air shimmered. Crimson energy gathered around his arm, and when he struck, the ground split open, turning into a scar that stretched halfway across the training ground.

Xavier crawled from the smoke, his body steaming, eyes flickering red to black and back. His wings flexed, dripping blood. His claws tore into the ground as he stood up again, his mouth twisting into something halfway between a grin and a snarl.

Luther sighed. "You're already falling apart," he said. "When the energy burns through your veins, you'll understand. There's no gift in awakening—only decay."

Xavier didn't hear him. Or maybe he didn't care.

He moved again, faster than before, his attacks completely unhinged—teeth bared, strikes coming from impossible angles. Luther blocked one, two, three, then felt the fourth connect. A deep gash opened across his chest.

The elders gasped from afar, but Luther didn't even look down. He just smiled faintly. "So you can draw blood. Fine. Let's see if you can make it mean something."

He let his aura flare at last. The courtyard lit up crimson, and the air warped around him. The sound of his power filled the castle halls, vibrating through the stone itself.

Then the real fight began.

Luther vanished from sight, reappeared behind Xavier, slammed his knee into his spine, twisted midair, and sent him flying upward. Xavier spread his wings, stopping himself midair, then dove down again, breaking through the energy barrier the elders had set up.

Their fists met halfway, and the shockwave blew out every torch in the area.

The guards outside the barriers screamed as the ground split apart, molten cracks forming across the courtyard. Parts of the castle began to crumble.

"Lord Luther!" one of the elders shouted from afar. "You'll destroy the entire west wing!"

Luther didn't answer.

He drove Xavier into the ground and pinned him there, one knee pressing against his chest. "Enough," he said coldly. "You've had your fun."

Xavier grabbed Luther's wrist and grinned through blood. His voice came out rough, guttural, like something between speech and a growl. "Not done."

Then he bit Luther's arm.

The scream that tore out of Luther wasn't pain—it was fury. He threw Xavier off and looked at the bite mark, already healing but still burning.

"You dare—"

Xavier lunged again. Luther caught him midair and hurled him into the ground, breaking the floor completely. The courtyard was a crater now, smoke rising everywhere.

And still, Xavier crawled back out, wings twitching, eyes hollow. His voice was gone. His humanity—gone. He was nothing but a beast wearing his own skin.

Luther stood tall, his expression unreadable.

"Enough."

He lifted his sword, aura flaring until even the moonlight bent around him. "You wanted to stand among monsters. So tell me, human—" he spat the word like venom—

"Does it feel good to finally become one?"

Then he stepped forward, and the castle walls trembled as the real slaughter began.

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