He raised his hand. The voidborn gathered, their forms merging, merging until a massive, dragon-shaped shadow formed above them, its wings blotting out the moon.

"Voidborn Dragon… Devour them all."

The monster roared, black fire spilling from its jaws.

Khael spread his arms, Shinrei wind igniting into a violent cyclone. "Everyone down!"

Vince planted his foot forward, blood dripping from his nose, his eyes fierce. "Khael….strike when I open its heart!"

"Understood!"

Vince drew a deep breath. His aura dimmed, then burned brighter like a dying star's last flare.

"Taishin Gate—Fourth Form."

His body moved faster than sight. He struck the dragon's core with his bare hand shattering through its hide as Shinrei and Taishin collided in a blinding explosion.

The night split open in light and thunder.

When the smoke cleared, Vince was kneeling, one hand on the ground, chest heaving. The dragon was gone its ashes fading into the mist.

The night split open in light and thunder.

When the smoke finally cleared, the once-serene hill of Tashi was a graveyard of steam, ash, and trembling air.

Master Vince knelt amid the ruin, one hand pressed to the shattered earth, his chest heaving like a bellows. The faint glow beneath his skin flickered unsteadily too much Taishin spent, too much life burned away.

Juno, the youngest of his disciples, stumbled toward him through the haze. "Master! Don't—don't die on me!"

He caught Vince's arm, eyes wide, the smell of scorched dust heavy around them.

Vince gave a weak laugh, the sound rough but warm. "Don't… worry, boy. Not yet."

He raised his head slowly his gaze finding Ryn, who stood frozen a few meters away, blades slack in his hands, staring at the destruction he'd helped unleash.

Around them, the chaos hadn't truly ended.

Ceyla and Khael stood side by side, breath shallow, exchanging a silent glance battle-born understanding passing between them.

Andromeda and Matthew moved swiftly through the debris, pulling villagers to safety, healing whoever still breathed. The air was thick with smoke and crying.

But peace was only an illusion.

From beyond the rubble, a sharp voice cracked through the silence.

Sierra wiped blood from her mouth and spat, her red scarf in tatters. "This isn't over."

Beside her, Garron's silver eyes burned, his fists trembling with barely restrained rage. "Yeah… we still got our orders."

Above them, K's presence loomed again his figure only half-visible through the wavering dark mist. His tone was calm, almost tender, but the words were knives.

"Kill Master Vince."

The air turned cold.

Vince closed his eyes briefly. (…. K.)

He could feel his heart struggling his pulse uneven, the flow of Taishin energy flickering dangerously close to collapse.

(Tsk… It looks like I'll have to use the Seventh Gate after all.)

"Master!" Khael's voice cut through the hum of danger. He stepped forward, wind gathering around him, eyes fierce. "Leave it to us too! You've done enough let us protect you now!"

Vince opened his mouth to answer but before he could, K's shadow moved.

"Not on my watch," the tactician hissed.

The ground tore open again. Black sigils ignited like wildfire, and dozens no, hundreds of voidborn erupted from the rifts. Their forms writhed with whispers of agony, their limbs twisted, their eyes hollow voids of madness.

Khael barely had a second to react before they swarmed. "Damn it—!"

He slashed his sword in a wide arc, releasing a blast of wind that cut through the first wave, but more came. Their shrieks filled the sky, a symphony of nightmare.

"Wind Spiral!" Khael shouted, summoning a vortex around himself. Dust and dark blood scattered, but his expression tightened there were too many.

"Khael!" Ceyla's voice rang out.

She appeared beside him, lightning flaring from her hands. Her gray-black eyes glowed fiercely as she struck the ground.

"Thunderclap!"

A surge of blue-white light exploded outward, frying the front line of voidborn in an instant. Sparks illuminated her face, fierce and determined.

Khael glanced at her through the flicker of stormlight. "You didn't have to—"

"Shut up and focus!" she snapped, spinning her staff to block another strike. "You're not dying here, wind-boy."

Khael smirked despite himself, raising his blade again. "Fair enough."

Together they moved wind and lightning intertwining, their Shinrei auras spiraling like a storm made flesh. Ceyla's electricity carved through the dark, Khael's wind slicing clean paths for her strikes. For a brief, shining moment, the battlefield sang with the rhythm of their unity.

But even as they fought, more voidborn appeared. The ground itself bled shadows.

Juno turned, supporting Vince as best he could. "Master, we can't hold them all off!"

Vince's gaze flicked over his students Ceyla's wild courage, Khael's steadfast heart, Juno's trembling loyalty. A small smile touched his lips, faint but real.

Then he stood.

The old master's aura began to change calm at first, then violently radiant. The ground quivered underfoot. Even the voidborn hesitated, hissing as light gathered around him like a second dawn.

"Master Vince…?" Juno's voice shook. "What are you doing?"

Vince's answer came quietly, almost like a prayer. "Opening the final gate."

K's voice echoed, sharp and furious. "Don't you dare—!"

But it was too late.

The light around Vince deepened from white to gold, from gold to burning crimson. His body trembled as lines of power traced up his arms, across his chest, spiraling toward his heart. Each heartbeat sent shockwaves through the air.

"Taishin Gate—Seventh Form."

The world stopped.

Every living thing felt it, the sudden, oppressive stillness that only comes before divinity descends. The voidborn froze mid-charge. The mist parted. Even K's shadow recoiled slightly.

Vince's voice rolled across the battlefield like thunder.

"This is the end, K."

The energy burst outward not like an explosion, but like the unfolding of a sun.

Light swallowed the voidborn where they stood, dissolving them into dust and silence. The wind roared, trees bowed, and even the mountains in the distance seemed to tremble.

Khael and Ceyla shielded their faces, barely able to stand.

Juno fell to his knees, staring in awe. "Master…"

Vince stepped forward slowly, his every movement weighted with both agony and purpose. His flesh was burning from within, veins of light crawling up his neck.

"Khael," he called softly. "Protect the villagers. Lead them… away from this place and take the…."

Khael's heart pounded. "Master, you'll die—!"

Vince smiled faintly. "Then I'll die doing what masters should—protecting those who still have something to live for."

To be continue

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.