The silence left by Halmu's single strike was more terrifying than the previous noise. Hundreds of defenders had been neutralized in a blink, leaving a massive, smoking void in the center of the Meridian Line.

Storm, Kane, Seraphina, and Rhys were momentarily isolated, staring across the fresh carnage at the man with the colossal, toothed sword.

"What… what in the hell was that?" Rhys choked out, his axe dropping slightly, the savage red aura around it sputtering in disbelief.

"That was a clean cut through reinforced Aura," Storm's voice was low, his composure unwavering, but his steely eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

"What is he?" Seraphina asked, shocked.

"Don't know. Even I... I can't gauge his class." Storm said, sending a wave of shocked gasps.

His revolvers clicked almost silently as he checked their cylinders. "He didn't just break the ward; he annihilated the energy itself. New target, focus fire! Kane, protect the flank!"

Before Storm finished his order, Halmu moved. He didn't rush. He simply glided forward, dragging the huge sword—the Annihilator—again.

The remaining Eclipse Beasts, sensing the shift in power, surged around their master, but he ignored them. His eyes were fixed on Storm's small group.

"Such serious faces," Halmu mocked, his voice echoing lightly. "And guns? How… quaint."

Storm didn't waste breath on replies. His twin revolvers roared simultaneously.

Two silver-aura-charged bullets flew at supersonic speed toward Halmu's head and chest.

These were not ordinary projectiles; they were imbued with Piercing Force—designed to shred powerful Aura defenses.

Halmu merely tilted his head slightly as the bullets arrived. A whisper of dark, shimmering barrier coalesced around him, not of energy, but of what looked like solidified shadow.

Clang! Clang!

The Piercing Force bullets struck the shield. They didn't penetrate. They shattered, disintegrating into metallic dust and fizzling aura upon impact, failing to even make the figure stumble.

"A disappointing warm-up," he sighed, sounding genuinely bored.

"Rhys, flank him wide! Kane, Seraphina—distract!" Storm commanded, already reloading his right gun with dizzying speed.

Rhys roared, abandoning the small scourges surging at them. He charged Halmu, his battle-axe held high, his movements wide and intimidating.

Halmu didn't look at Rhys. He merely flicked his massive sword up from the ground. The blade came spinning toward Rhys in a horizontal circle, moving with unbelievable speed.

"Look out!" Kane screamed.

Rhys barely managed to stop his charge and threw his own body backward, dodging the spinning Annihilator by inches.

The sheer windshear tore at his clothing, and the air where he had stood was instantly pulverized.

While Halmu was momentarily focused on Rhys, Kane and Seraphina struck.

Kane used the Flash Step technique, a blur of blue aura, appearing instantly to the figure's left, his bastard sword aimed for a gap in the black, organic armor near the neck.

Seraphina, meanwhile, unleashed a ferocious Yellow Aura Smash with her halberd, driving the heavy blade down toward the figure's shoulder.

Their attacks—concentrated, high-level strikes—hit home.

CRACK!

Seraphina's halberd struck the shoulder armor. It didn't pierce the armor, but it definitely struck something hard, forcing the figure to brace.

Clang!

Kane's sword, aimed at a weak spot, found the same black, shimmering energy that had stopped Storm's bullets. It scraped violently, sending a shower of sparks, but failed to cut through.

Halmu smiled wider, clearly enjoying the effort. "Better!"

Without taking his eyes off Kane, and with Seraphina still pressing her halberd, Halmu snapped the massive Annihilator back to his hand.

The weight of the sword, now imbued with his black aura, was used not to slice, but as a blunt weapon.

He executed a savage, reverse-grip swing. The flat of the colossal blade caught Seraphina across the chest.

The veteran Aura Master went flying backward like a projectile, her halberd ripped from her grip.

She impacted a broken wall twenty yards away, a sickening sound of fracturing bone echoing across the field. Her strong yellow aura instantly collapsed.

Kane tried to press his advantage, his blue sword flashing in a precise combination—a true master of close combat.

But Halmu was faster. He simply raised his free hand. The black, ominous aura solidified around his palm, forming a shield of absolute density.

Kane's blade slammed into the solid shadow. The impact jarred him to his teeth.

"Too slow," Halmu whispered, and his open hand wrapped around Kane's forearm.

A wave of the dark aura surged from his palm, bypassing Kane's blue Aura Armor.

Kane screamed, a sound of agony as his internal energy systems were violently attacked.

Halmu didn't break his arm; he simply drained the light from Kane's aura, leaving him weak and vulnerable.

He then casually tossed Kane aside, who tumbled lifelessly beside the injured Seraphina.

The field was clearing again. Rhys, his youth and lack of control costing him, was left guarding the wounded while fighting off the returning Eclipse Beasts.

Storm was alone against the new enemy.

"There it is," Halmu observed, finally looking solely at Storm. "The true threat. You seem different, Gunslinger. Not just Aura, but… something more."

"You're finished here," Storm stated, his voice a low, steady rumble of lethal intent.

He threw the empty revolvers to the ground, pulling two fresh, ivory-handled pistols from his coat. The air around the new guns pulsed with a volatile, metallic energy.

"That arrogance will be amusing to collect," Halmu chuckled, adjusting his grip on the Annihilator.

Storm didn't wait. He activated his unique Aura skill: Kinetic Amplifier. His movements became a blur of impossible speed, leaving afterimages.

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

He fired both pistols in a rapid, continuous stream, not silver bullets this time, but glowing brass projectiles charged with intense, explosive force.

He aimed not at the figure, but at the ground and the rubble around him, calculating ricochets and debris patterns.

Halmu was momentarily surprised by the speed and the sheer number of shots. He was forced to bring the Annihilator up, using the huge blade as a defensive shield against the explosive brass rounds.

The impact of the amplified bullets striking the sword was like sustained cannon fire.

BOOM! CRACK!

Dust, stone, and sparks flew everywhere.

Storm used the brief smokescreen. He dashed forward, covering the distance in three amplified strides, bypassing the sword.

He didn't fire. Instead, he slammed the butt of his right pistol, charged with his remaining Aura, directly into the soft-looking armor on Halmu's lower abdomen.

He grunted, a flicker of true pain in his cold eyes. The impact didn't break the armor, but it jarred him.

"A decent hit," he admitted, his composure slightly rattled.

"Die!" Storm roared, pressing the advantage.

But Halmu was already recovering. The black aura around him flared aggressively, pushing Storm back.

Before Storm could retreat, the figure's free hand shot out, grabbing Storm's wrist.

"You're too reliant on the toys," Halmu sneered, and with a monstrous twist, he snapped Storm's wrist.

Storm cried out, the pain a shockwave. He dropped the pistol.

"Now, let's see what that 'more' is," Halmu hissed, raising the Annihilator for the final, gruesome strike, a look of pure, satisfied murder in his eyes. The fight was over.

The grip on Storm's shattered wrist was agonizing, the monstrous weight of the Annihilator poised above his head.

Halmu looked cold, arrogant, and utterly lethal— and was seconds from ending the fight and the defense.

"Such a waste of potential," he lamented, drawing the huge, toothed blade back for the killing blow.

Before the sword could descend, a desperate surge of blue Aura slammed into the figure's flank.

Kane, his body racked with pain from the Aura drain, had struggled back to his feet.

He threw himself forward, not with his sword—which was lost—but with a crude, desperate body check, impacting Halmu's ribs.

The strike was too weak to cause damage, but it was just enough to spoil the execution.

Halmu grunted in annoyance, momentarily distracting him.

"You won't quit, will you?" he snarled at Kane, releasing Storm's wrist and turning his attention to the nuisance.

He delivered a swift, brutal backhand with his open palm, coated in black aura. The blow struck Kane's chest, cracking ribs and sending him spinning away, landing hard and definitively unconscious near the injured Seraphina.

The distraction, however, was enough.

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