Chapter 243: Implications
They remained where they stood, separated by several meters of fractured ground that still carried the aftermath of their last clash.
Dust drifted slowly through the air between them while the battlefield continued to move beyond that space. But none of it seemed to matter within the invisible boundary that had formed around the two of them.
Their gazes stayed locked. Neither looking away nor making the first move, as the tension stretched and settled heavier with each passing second.
Red did not advance crazily this time. His posture remained firm, but the shift within him had already taken hold as the confidence that once drove him forward without hesitation now mixed with a growing sense of apprehension.
The power of the Blood Sun still burned around his body. Its crimson aura pulsing with heat and intensity. But it no longer felt absolute in his own mind.
His eyes studied Myles carefully, tracking every detail of that unnatural mist and the shifting colors within it as unease tightened around his thoughts.
For the first time since gaining this power, Red began to think beyond simple aggression.
Until now, he had relied entirely on force and just trusting the overwhelming nature of this power to crush anything in his path without needing deeper consideration.
This power was still new to him, something he had barely begun to understand, and he had treated it as a weapon to swing freely rather than something to master.
He had entered the battle with the intention to overpower and dominate through sheer strength alone.
But now, facing Myles in this state, that approach no longer felt the best move.
His mind started to move differently as he considered what he could actually do with the power he possessed. How he could shape it, control it, and apply it more effectively instead of simply unleashing it without restraint.
The realization unsettled him slightly because it exposed how little he truly understood about his own strength. But at the same time, it forced him to become more focused.
This was no longer a fight he could win by instinct alone.
He had to take it seriously.
Across from him, Myles stood in complete stillness yet his mind had already moved forward.
There was no hesitation left in him. The clarity he had gained remained sharp as his thoughts aligned with a single purpose, which was cutting through everything else that might have slowed him down.
He did not intend to waste time or allow this moment to stretch longer than necessary.
The power flowing through him felt familiar, and that familiarity settled into him with certainty as he examined it within him.
He had felt this before.
The memory surfaced clearly connecting directly to the moment after Nadine's death when that same surge of darkness had taken hold of him and driven him beyond his limits.
Back then, it had been overwhelming, unstable, and far beyond his control, forcing his body to act while his mind struggled to keep up with it. That power had consumed more than it obeyed.
But now, it was different.
The darkness that coiled around him still carried that same depth and the same unsettling nature that blurred the line between control and loss.
But it no longer felt distant or uncontrollable. It responded to him. It moved with his intent rather than dragging him along with it and that difference settled firmly in his mind as he stood there facing Red.
This time, he held the power.
That understanding removed any remaining doubt as his gaze sharpened further.
The killing intent surrounding him tightening and becoming more focused and deliberate.
But that moment of locking gaze did not stretch any longer.
In the very next second the fragile stillness between them shattered as both of them moved at the same time.
There was no signal and no hesitation. Just a sudden release of everything that had been building as their bodies lunged forward with terrifying force.
The ground beneath them cracked further under the pressure of that movement as they cut the distance in an instant.
Then they collided.
Their weapons met with a violent impact that rang out across the battlefield as a shockwave of magical energy burst outward from the point of contact.
It rolled through the fractured terrain and into the surrounding fighters, forcing their bodies to react as the pressure struck them like a physical force.
Dust and debris lifted into the air while the space around the clash warped under the intensity of their power.
They did not stop there.
Their movements accelerated immediately as both of them pushed forward. Their attacks flowing into one another without pause.
Blades cut through the air in rapid succession, clashing again and again as sparks and energy burst from every impact.
To those watching from a distance their forms no longer remained clear. They became streaks of motion, a blur of shifting black mist and burning crimson that tore across the battlefield in erratic bursts.
Darkness trailed behind Myles as the colored streaks within it pulsed and twisted with every movement, while Red's aura burned like a blazing red comet.
The two forces collided repeatedly, each clash sending another shockwave of energy outward in quick succession.
The impacts did not come one at a time.
They came continuously.
Each collision released another surge of pressure that spread across the battlefield that overlapped with the last wave before it could even fade.
The ground trembled under the repeated force, cracks deepening and spreading further as the air vibrated from the relentless exchange.
The fighters closest to them felt it the most.
Their bodies shuddered under the pressure as the shockwaves struck them again and again, forcing them to pull back as their survival instinct overrode everything else.
Some staggered away while others raised their weapons defensively despite knowing it would not matter if they were caught directly in that clash.
They moved back. They had no choice.
Because the space around Myles and Red had already turned into a far more dangerous environment than the battlefield they had before.
—
High above the battlefield, Lilian and Seraphina remained suspended in the air as their attention stayed fixed on the violent clash unfolding below.
But in that moment, both of their bodies went rigid at the same time as if an unseen force had suddenly gripped them.
The chaotic flow of battle beneath them no longer held their focus completely because something far more important had reached their senses, pressing against their awareness with overwhelming clarity.
They felt it.
A surge of tremendous energy rose from the battlefield, spreading outward in waves that carried a presence far bigger than the clash of Ether and blood energy.
It was vast and suffocating, heavy enough to distort the space it touched. And it reached them even at that distance without losing any of its intensity.
But what unsettled them was not the scale of that power.
It was its nature.
That energy did not feel unfamiliar to them. On the contrary, it felt deeply known, something they had known before, something they understood far more than they wanted to at this moment.
That recognition struck immediately and brought with it a weight that settled heavily in their chests.
"This…" Seraphina's voice broke the silence as a sharp gasp escaped her, her eyes widening as the realization formed in her mind. Her usual grin fractured for the first time when she stared down at the battlefield, unable to hide the shock that surfaced on her face.
Lilian did not react as openly. But the tension in her expression tightened as her gaze remained locked below.
She did not look away, nor did she try to deny what she was sensing because the truth had already settled into her thoughts with cold certainty.
"Yes…" she said quietly, her voice steady but carrying a heaviness that reflected what she understood. "It's the Voidheart."
The tension between them deepened as the name lingered in the air, carrying a weight that neither of them could ignore.
The moment Lilian spoke it, the presence below seemed to press even harder against their senses, as if acknowledging that it had been recognized.
The distorted waves of energy continued to rise from Myles' position, spreading everywhere in pulses that carried a signature they both understood far too well.
"The Voidheart…" Seraphina repeated under her breath. Her voice was no longer sharp but strained as disbelief settled in.
Her eyes remained locked on the battlefield while her mind struggled to make sense of what she felt.
"That shouldn't be possible! Anything in this world shouldn't be able to contain something like that."
"It's not just contained here," Lilian said quietly, her tone heavy. "That energy is active. It's moving through him."
Seraphina clenched her jaw as unease turned into something closer to alarm.
"But the Voidheart are the ones who caused the Etherfall. Their existence is tied to higher realms beyond this broken world. So how is that power here?"
Her voice rose slightly, unable to fully suppress the confusion.
Lilian remained silent for a few seconds. Her thoughts moved rapidly as she observed the shifting aura surrounding Myles.
"Either something from beyond has reached into this place, or… he has become a vessel for it."
That conclusion settled heavily between them, carrying implications neither of them could dismiss.
Myles has become… the vessel of the Voidheart???
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