The shockwave that erupted from the strike was massive, a wall of golden energy that expanded forward like a tidal wave. It struck the Crimson Terror dead center, obliterating the creature so completely that not even fragments remained.

The wave continued traveling, clearing the path ahead for hundreds of feet, destroying every root, construct, and enemy in its path.

Dune stood at the impact point, his spectral form flickering more noticeably now. His magic was depleting rapidly, each massive attack draining reserves that couldn't be replenished.

But his smile remained, satisfied and proud.

"Forward."

The others followed without hesitation, rushing through the cleared path while Dune's declaration still echoed through the forest.

Behind them, roots began regenerating, but they were already past, moving deeper toward Helios.

The forest trembled around them, attempting to close the wound they'd carved through its defenses.

Dune led the charge, his great sword sweeping through, as new enemies appeared from the tree line. A root-humanoid lunged from the left, but Dune blade caught it mid-leap, golden shockwave tearing the construct apart.

Two Werefang constructs rushed from the right, but another swing hacked out before both creatures were obliterated.

But his spectral form flickered noticeably now. The golden radiance that had blazed so brightly moments before dimmed slightly, like a candle exposed to wind. The edges of his figure lost definition, becoming translucent in patches.

A root lashed out from above, Dune's sword moved to intercept, but it was slower than before. The delay was only a fraction of a second, but present nonetheless. The shockwave that erupted from his parry was smaller, traveling half the distance of his previous attacks.

More roots burst from underground, erupting beneath his position. He spun to avoid them, but one tendril grazed his leg. The impact passed through his spectral form, creating ripples like a stone dropped in water.

His outline wavered, coherence struggling to maintain itself.

"Commander!" Marie's voice carried alarm.

"Keep moving!" Dune commanded, his great sword carving through three more root-humanoids. The shockwave scattered their fragments, but the golden energy dissipated quickly instead of maintaining momentum. "Don't stop for me!"

They pressed forward, the formation adapting to protect Dune's side. Reinhard took point with Casseo, their weapons clearing immediate threats. Joseph and Janus covered the sides, lance and crimson claws, tearing through anything attempting flanking maneuvers.

Veryn's barriers materialized more frequently, purple walls blocking attacks that would have reached Dune's position. Honor's banner swept constantly, black aura creating zones of deterioration that enemies had to navigate around.

A wooden Tetan wielding a spear came from above, thrusting toward Dune's exposed back. The attack came fast, coordinated with root strikes from below to split his attention. Dune's great sword swept down to handle the roots, leaving his upper body vulnerable.

The wooden spear punched through his spectral torso.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

Marie gasped, Amiya stumbled mid-step, and Joseph's head snapped toward Dune's position, ready to intervene.

But Dune laughed, carrying no pain or concern.

The spear remained embedded in his golden form, the wooden shaft protruding from front and back. He grabbed the weapon with his free hand and pulled it out casually, the motion smooth despite the violation of his body.

The hole in his torso filled immediately. Golden light flowed like liquid, knitting his spectral form back together until no evidence of the wound remained. His outline solidified, restored as if nothing had happened.

"I'm already dead." Dune said cheerfully, his great sword sweeping through the Tetan that had struck him. The construct shattered under the blow. "What's a little more damage going to do?"

He continued fighting, his movements maintaining their deadly efficiency even as his overall power continued declining. Each swing of his great sword produced shockwaves, though they grew progressively smaller.

Each strike still destroyed enemies, though it took more hits to achieve the same results.

More attacks penetrated his defenses. A root struck his shoulder, passing through the spectral limb and creating ripples across his entire form. He reformed immediately, the damage reversing as golden light filled the gaps.

A Crimson Night Terror's tendrils wrapped around his leg, trying to drag him down. But the tendrils passed through him harmlessly, unable to latch on to his immaterial body. He stepped forward as if nothing had touched him, his greatsword ending the Terror with a devastating strike.

The forest intensified its assault.

Root-humanoids emerged in greater numbers, attacking in waves that forced the group to fight constantly. Phantasm Beast constructs charged from multiple angles, their wooden bodies showing no fear or self-preservation instinct.

Dune's sword whistled through the air, cleaving a root-construct in two with a spray of sap. His movements had slowed, where before he'd been a blur of golden light, now, enemies could track him and land blows.

A set of wooden claws raked across his face, tearing through his spectral head. Golden light filled the wounds, reconstructing features within seconds. A wooden spear impaled his chest again, piercing completely through. He pulled it out, laughing as his torso sealed itself.

With each blow, the glow beneath his armor dimmed. The golden aura that had blazed like a small sun now flickered like a candle in the wind. Seekers nearby could see straight through his forearms, his legs. The greatsword was previously blazing, but now it dimmed a lot, its edges dissolving into the air around it. When he raised it again, the weapon left no afterimage, just a dim suggestion of movement.

A massive root burst from the ground beneath him, erupting with enough force to lift his spectral form off his feet. Before then, more roots rushed out, piercing through different areas of his body. The impact scattered his body, his torso separating from his legs, arms disconnecting from his shoulders, his form fragmenting into pieces that hung suspended in the air for a frozen moment.

Marie cried out, reaching toward him instinctively.

But the fragments pulled back together.

Golden light streamed between the separated pieces, drawing them toward each other like magnets. Within seconds, Dune stood whole again, his boots hitting ground as if the disruption had never occurred.

His great sword swept out immediately, the shockwave clearing the area around him of emerging threats.

"I've died once already." Dune said, his voice maintaining its warmth despite the visible deterioration of his form. "I'm not going to let something like this stop me from finishing what I started!"

He charged forward, and the others followed.

The group moved deeper into the forest, cutting through increasingly desperate defenses. The Dark Silence threw everything at them, constructs, beasts, Night Terrors, and roots attacking from impossible angles.

But they held formation, protecting each other, maintaining momentum despite the overwhelming opposition.

Dune's body was destroyed repeatedly.

A cluster of root-humanoids swarmed him, their wooden claws tearing through his spectral form from multiple directions. His body came apart under the assault, limbs got severed, torso shredded, and head separated from neck.

For three seconds, his physical form was only scattered fragments of golden light before he then reformed. The fragments rushed back together, reconstituting his body in reverse of the destruction.

Dune's greatsword materialized in his grip, and he swung before the reformation was fully completed. The shockwave caught the constructs, obliterating them, and then he kept on moving forward.

A Crimson Night Terror's face split open, countless tendrils erupting from within. They wrapped around Dune's entire body, covering him completely in crimson. The tendrils squeezed, crushing, trying to compress his spectral form out of existence.

His golden light dimmed beneath the covering, barely visible through the mass of shadows. But Honor's banner swept through the tendrils, black aura causing them to deteriorate.

Joseph's spear tore sections away while Veryn's light beams burned through the remaining darkness.

Dune emerged from the destruction, his form intact despite being completely engulfed seconds before. His laugh rang out, with a hint of exhaustion, but he still continued moving as he shouted. "You'll have to try harder than that!"

His great sword swept in a full circle, the shockwave weaker than his first attacks but still devastating.

The Crimson Terror shattered, unable to withstand even Dune's diminished power.

They continued forward.

Amiya called out directions, her voice cutting through the chaos: "Right here! The path narrows, but the map shows it opens again!"

The group followed, formation adjusting to the tighter space.

Dune brought up the back now instead of leading, his diminished speed making him better suited to defensive positioning. His great sword swept constantly, intercepting attacks targeting their backs. Each strike cost him more magic, and each reformation after taking damage required longer to complete.

But he never stopped fighting, never complained about the drain, or suggested he should stop fighting to preserve his remaining time. He simply fought, laughed when destroyed, reformed, and fought again.

He was fulfilling his duty as the Supreme Commander of Melo City. Forward, toward Helios, and towards the ending he'd been denied two centuries ago.

Ending the Dark Silence.

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