Chapter 251: Subduing
The moment the resistance within Red's body collapsed and the presence of the Blood Sun embryo began to flicker and shrink under Myles' assault, the change did not remain confined to the battlefield alone.
The sky above, which had long been stained in a deep and suffocating crimson, started to change unnaturally as well.
The crimson color did not simply fade. It fractured. Thin cracks spread across the crimson layer like a broken mirror. Jagged lines forming and branching in uneven patterns that stretched from one end of the sky to the other.
Each fracture widened slowly as fragments of that red hue began to crumble and peel away, revealing the original color hidden beneath it.
The process continued piece by piece as if the sky itself was shedding a false skin, until the crimson broke apart entirely and disappeared. Leaving behind a clearer and far more natural sky that felt strangely relieving.
They noticed that sudden transformation.
Across the battlefield, those who still stood found their movements slowing before stopping completely as their attention was drawn upward.
Confusion spread quickly among them as murmurs began to rise from different directions. Their voices were low and filled with uncertainty.
"What the hell… the sky…?"
"It's changing back to normal again. What's happening now?"
"Is it over… or did something else just start? I don't know anymore…"
No one had a clear answer. The pressure that had weighed down on them shifted subtly along with that change. The absence of that suffocating crimson only made the situation feel more unreal.
Among them, Victor, Kade, Samantha, Ethan, and George stood together. Their bodies still tense from the battle as they lifted their gazes toward the sky before slowly lowering them back toward the center of the battlefield where Myles fought.
The clash taking place there no longer resembled anything they could fully comprehend. The scale and intensity had moved far beyond what they could follow. Even from a distance, the distortion of power surrounding Myles and Red made it difficult to look at them directly.
"That's him?" Kade muttered under his breath, his voice low and tight.
"There's no one else who could do something like that," Samantha added, her eyes fixed forward as her grip tightened slightly around her black bow.
Ethan exhaled slowly as he shook his head. "At this point we're just spectators."
George gave a small nod, his expression strained as he watched the distant clash. "We wouldn't last a second in a fight like that."
None of them spoke further, but the thought settled heavily within each of them as they continued to watch. The gap between them and Myles had grown too wide to ignore.
At the same time, the massive dome that had sealed the battlefield began to show signs of strain.
Fine cracks formed along its surface and spread in thin lines that looked like the fractures in the sky above. The structure trembled as more fractures appeared. Each one of it widening as if the barrier itself could no longer sustain the force contained within it.
Victor's eyes shifted briefly toward the dome before returning to Myles. His expression tightened slightly as he spoke in a low voice.
"This battle… it's going to end soon."
Ethan glanced at him, hesitation clear in his gaze. "Do you think Myles will win?"
Victor did not hesitate in his answer. "Of course."
But even as he said it, his eyes remained fixed on the distant figure wrapped in black and faintly colorful energy.
The sight lingered in his mind. His expression dimmed. He did not look relieved. Myles had become something else, he could feel it. He wasn't the same companion as before.
—
Red's body continued to fall apart even as it forced itself to stand and move. The last fragments of what resembled a human form disappeared completely as the flesh peeled away under the unbearable strain.
What remained of him was transformed into something far more grotesque than before. Burned muscle stretched across his frame in uneven layers while exposed sinew tightened and loosened with his every movement.
Blackened flesh clung to his body in broken patches as if it had been charred from the inside out.
Blood no longer flowed normally. It seeped and dripped in thick streams that carried heat and instability.
The shape standing there no longer held any trace of the man he once was.
Even the serrated purple short sword in his hand reflected that collapse. His grip weakened as the structure of his body failed to support it properly. The fingers around the hilt tightened and loosened unevenly because it was struggling to maintain control.
The weapon trembled in his grasp as if it might slip free at any moment.
The raw strength that once supported his attacks began to fade and the overwhelming pressure that surrounded him lost its earlier intensity.
Myles felt that change clearly.
A faint smirk settled on his face as his eyes remained locked forward.
He could sense the drop in Red's physical power with perfect clarity. The shell in front of him had reached its limit and it would not last much longer.
But that did not matter. His focus remained far deeper than the surface of the fight.
His awareness stayed anchored within the non-physical layer where his power continued to press against the Blood Sun embryo.
The black and faintly colorful Ether flowed like liquid ink. It was now wrapped around that presence.
It spread and tightened with each passing moment, enclosing the will of the Blood Sun from all sides.
The pressure increased steadily as his control sharpened to force the embryo into a smaller and smaller space.
The reaction from the Blood Sun's will came immediately.
"So this is your intent…!" the voice burst out, its tone no longer calm as anger surged through every word. "You do not wish to destroy me. You think to bind me? To make me yield and hand over my power to you?!"
The heat within Myles' mind spiked as the Blood Sun's will flared violently. Its pride twisted into rage at the realization.
"You dare…!" it continued, the voice turning sharp and furious. "A being from this lowly realm thinks to subdue me?!"
It retaliated without restraint. The pressure surged at Myles in violent waves as it tried to break free from the encroaching Ether.
Its will lashed out again and again, burning hotter as it pushed against Myles' control with everything it had left.
But that resistance only accelerated its collapse.
Myles did not waver. His power responded instantly. He tightened it further as it absorbed and suppressed each burst of retaliation.
The black and colorful Ether pressed inward with greater force, sealing every attempt to escape.
The more the Blood Sun's will struggled, the faster its strength drained.
Its voice began to fracture.
"No… this is—"
The resistance faltered.
Myles pushed once more.
The final barrier finally broke.
The will of the Blood Sun embryo collapsed completely under the pressure and was forced into submission.
Its power no longer resisted as it was drawn inward, merging into Myles' control.
The process completed in silence and suddenly the power of the Blood Sun embryo became his.
Myles broke away from the clash without warning. His body moved back in a smooth step that carried him several meters away as the connection between his blades and Red ended completely.
The moment they separate from each other, the pressure surrounding Red vanishes along with the last force that had been holding him upright.
Red's body dropped. His knees hit the ground first with a dull and heavy impact that echoed faintly across the battlefield.
The remains of his body no longer held the strength to support even its own weight. Burned muscle and torn sinew trembled uncontrollably as his form leaned forward, barely held together by what little structure still remained.
The serrated purple blade slipped from his weakening grip and fell beside him without resistance.
He did not rise again.
Myles stood a short distance away. His posture relaxed.
Then laughter broke out from him.
"HAHAHAHA!"
It started low but quickly grew louder, rising without restraint as it carried a clear sense of satisfaction.
The sound spread through the silence that had settled across the battlefield.
He lifted one arm slowly and turned his gaze toward it.
The air around his hand shifted. A dense red mist filled with heat coiled tightly around his forearm, moving in slow spirals as if it carried a will of its own. It did not move alone. Threads of black and faintly colorful Ether wrapped around that crimson flow, intertwining with it with quiet power.
Myles watched it for a brief moment.
Then his grin widened.
"HAHAHAHA!"
His laughter rose again louder and far more unrestrained. It echoed across the battlefield and lingered in the air. The way he laughed carried a sign that made it clear that this was not his simple victory over Red. Myles had gotten something else from this battle.
The seal above broke, Lilian and Seraphina were able to see Myles more clearly now.
—