The battle just outside had come to an end.

Only the muffled cheers of the Eldenreach soldiers could be heard.

Hanitz filled the gate, his broad shoulders stretched, axe resting in his hands. The giant hadn't moved since he passed Gabriel to Adan.

Lucius stood opposite, watching.

His gaze lingered.

Then he moved.

The pristine sword slid free of its sheath without a sound. The air itself seemed to hold its breath as the blade cleared.

Lucius didn't raise it.

He nodded once in acceptance.

Hanitz's grip tightened on the axe as he returned the sentiment.

He shifted his stance, planting his feet wider beneath the gate, muscles locking as he set his weight. Frozen ground churned under the pressure as the giant became immovable, the wooden doors behind him trembling faintly from the strain.

Lucius vanished.

Hanitz moved on instinct, hauling the axe up with everything he had, meeting the strike head-on as Lucius appeared directly in front of him, blade thrusting towards the giant's neck.

The impact hit like a falling mountain as sword and axe collided, the shockwave ripping outward in a violent ring. The gate behind Hanitz exploded, wooden beams splintering into shards as everything surrounding them collapsed outwards.

The ground cratered beneath Hanitz's boots, throwing debris into the air as the giant was driven back a full step despite his stance. Blood burst from his mouth as the force tore through his arms and shoulders.

Hanitz roared through clenched teeth and forced the axe higher, veins standing thick along his neck as he pushed back against the impossible weight.

He wrenched the axe free and brought it down in a brutal, two-handed arc, pouring everything he had left into the strike. The blade tore through the air and detonated into the ground where Lucius had been standing.

The ground imploded and split apart in a violent collapse, the impact carving a deep crater as fractured ground buckled and caved inward.

The strike missed.

Lucius was no longer there.

He had already moved.

His Holiness stood a short distance away. His white robe untouched by the chaos, dust and rubble rolled past him as if repelled by an unseen barrier.

Lucius struck again.

The moon reflected off his blade as he closed the distance. A blur of white floating through the air.

Hanitz dragged his axe up on instinct alone. He couldn't read His Holiness's movements.

The axe caught the blade at an angle, the impact shuddering through Hanitz's arms as the force tore past the block.

The sword slid along the haft and punched through, splitting the armour and flesh on impact.

Hanitz staggered back, breath stuck in his chest. The axe dropped to his side as the strength bled from his grip, his knees almost giving way from a weight he could no longer hold.

Sound crept back to his ears.

Muffled shouting at first.

Then boots hitting the frozen ground in frantic, heavy steps.

The noise came from beyond the gate.

Blood soaked through his armour, dripping steadily into the shattered earth beneath his feet. Hanitz turned his head partially, one massive hand raised to press against the wound.

His movements were slower now.

Each breath dragged out of him in short, broken pulls, barely able to escape his chest as the cold air burned his lungs.

Hanitz's gaze drifted past the ruined gate, through the rushing figures, to the field beyond. His vision blurred at the edges, but he saw it all the same.

Horses racing into the treeline.

A faint smile touched his lips as the last of them disappeared.

The smile faded as quickly as it had come.

Hanitz drew in a shallow breath and turned back.

Lucius was already there.

A flash of white and silver passed by the giant like a wraith.

His blade passed through the giant's neck with absolute precision.

Strength left Hanitz all at once. His body went rigid for a heartbeat.

Then the axe slipped from his fingers and struck the shattered ground with a dull clang.

The giant collapsed forward.

The falling body hit the ground, shaking the surroundings.

Blood spread slowly from the hole in his neck, steaming faintly in the cold night air.

For a moment, Lucius stood still.

He lowered his head, looking down at the still Guild Master.

"Dearest Mazrion, please grant this warrior a seat amongst your worthy. He said quietly. "His task is complete."

The words were carried away by the night.

Lucius sheathed his blade and turned towards the open gate.

The soldiers approaching stopped raising their weapons, ready to strike.

"Halt," a voice broke through the ranks. "That's His Holiness."

Lucius stepped forward.

The soldiers parted without being ordered to, boots scraping as they made space. Weapons lowered one by one as his presence fell over them.

Heads inclined further with each of his steps.

Eyes followed him in silence. Men who had charged monsters without fear stood frozen, breaths held, instincts screaming at them not to interfere.

Lucius did not look at them. He passed between their ranks as though they were no more than scenery, his footsteps soundless.

He continued forward until he had clear vision of the treeline

Only then did he stop.

Slowly, he raised both hands.

The motion was unhurried. The night air tightened around him, pressure building without sound as mana swirled above.

"Antorya rána airëa."

The words were spoken softly.

The sky split.

High above the distant treeline, far beyond the grassy field, the clouds tore open as if clawed apart from within. Light bled through the rupture, white and blinding, stretching across the heavens in jagged veins.

A single bolt of lightning fell from the wound in the sky, thicker than any tower, brighter than day. It struck the wooded area where the horses had vanished, the impact tearing through the treeline in an instant.

The night turned white.

The blast flattened the woods in a roaring surge, trees reduced to splinters and ash as fire raced outward in a perfect, annihilating circle.

For miles, the North was lit as if dawn had been torn from the sky.

Then the light vanished.

The sound followed. An overwhelming shockwave slammed into the remaining town walls, hurling soldiers from their feet and ripping weapons from numb hands.

Lucius remained standing.

Hands still raised.

Eldenreach fell silent.

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