Vaelthor's enormous black sword remained pointed in my direction.
The entire hall seemed to have grown heavier.
The pressure of his presence was suffocating.
Even standing still, without attacking, he radiated a sense of danger greater than any enemy I had faced until then.
I kept my hand firmly on the hilt of my sword.
Behind me, Scarlett, Rai'kanna, Vespera, Elara, Liriel, and Lyannis remained in combat positions.
No one looked away.
No one showed fear.
But everyone understood the gravity of the situation.
After so many days of battle.
After so many obstacles.
We were finally standing before the First Demon General.
Vaelthor observed our group for a few seconds.
His gaze slowly passed over each of us.
As if evaluating our strength.
As if analyzing every detail.
Then he looked back at me.
"Show me."
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
"I want to see if it was worth waiting."
I didn't answer.
There was no reason to.
In a battle like this, words held little value.
Actions spoke much louder.
I channeled mana through my sword.
Golden energy began flowing across the blade.
A brilliant light illuminated part of the hall.
The runes spread across the walls reflected that glow.
At the same time, I felt the girls gathering mana behind me.
They were all ready.
But I knew I needed to test Vaelthor first.
I needed to understand his strength.
His speed.
His abilities.
I took a deep breath.
Then I charged.
The floor exploded beneath my feet.
I crossed the distance between us in an instant.
My sword came down directly toward his shoulder.
A fast strike.
Precise.
Powerful.
Vaelthor didn't move until the very last moment.
Then he raised his sword.
The impact echoed throughout the hall.
A shockwave swept across the chamber.
The columns vibrated.
The floor cracked.
But what truly surprised me was something else.
He had blocked my attack with ease.
Far too easily.
It was as if he were stopping an ordinary strike.
Not one reinforced by mana.
Vaelthor's crimson eyes met mine.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Fast."
He said.
"But not fast enough."
The next instant, he moved his sword.
An overwhelming force surged through my arms.
My body was pushed backward.
I slid several meters across the floor before regaining my balance.
Scarlett's eyes widened.
Rai'kanna smiled.
But even she looked surprised.
So was I.
His physical strength was monstrous.
Far beyond that of the other generals I had faced.
Without giving me time to think, Vaelthor disappeared.
For an instant.
Just an instant.
Then he reappeared in front of me.
His speed was astonishing.
I raised my sword by instinct.
His strike crashed into my guard.
An explosion shook the hall.
This time I was sent flying.
I soared several meters through the air before landing on my feet.
My entire body protested.
Only two strikes.
Just two.
And I had already been forced onto the defensive.
Vaelthor remained standing there.
Completely calm.
As though none of it had required any effort.
"Disappointed?"
He asked.
I tightened my grip on the sword.
"Not even a little."
Then I charged again.
This time using greater speed.
More mana.
More power.
My sword shone brilliantly.
I unleashed a flurry of strikes.
Right.
Left.
Diagonal.
Horizontal.
Continuous attacks.
Without pause.
Without openings.
Sparks flew with every clash.
The sound of metal echoed throughout the hall.
But Vaelthor continued blocking.
Again and again.
Without any visible difficulty.
Without even changing his expression.
The difference between us was obvious.
And it was beginning to bother me.
That was when Scarlett joined the battle.
She raised one hand.
An enormous amount of mana gathered above the hall.
Seconds later, dozens of lightning spears appeared.
The projectiles shot toward Vaelthor.
The First General glanced upward.
Only for a moment.
It was enough.
I seized the opening.
My sword thrust directly toward his neck.
But then something happened.
Vaelthor moved one of his hands.
Shadows appeared before him.
The lightning spears exploded against that black barrier.
At the same time, his sword intercepted my strike.
As if he already knew exactly what I would do.
Another explosion shook the hall.
Scarlett clicked her tongue.
"He saw it."
"I did."
Vaelthor replied.
Completely calm.
Vespera took advantage of the distraction.
An arrow shot across the hall.
Then another.
And another.
Each aimed at a vital point.
Each fired with incredible precision.
But Vaelthor simply tilted his body.
Dodged the first.
The second.
The third.
As if he were watching the projectiles in slow motion.
"Excellent accuracy."
He commented.
Vespera didn't answer.
She simply prepared another arrow.
Meanwhile, Rai'kanna charged.
Her enormous weapon sliced through the air.
The impact against Vaelthor's sword produced a thunderous boom.
For the first time, he had to move his feet.
Only a few centimeters.
But he had to move.
Rai'kanna smiled immediately.
"So you're not invincible."
Vaelthor returned the smile.
"At least you can entertain me."
The two exchanged blows.
The hall trembled.
Every impact created shockwaves.
Stones fell from the ceiling.
Parts of the walls began to crack.
It was a brutal fight.
Yet even so, Vaelthor seemed comfortable.
Far too comfortable.
Elara and Lyannis began acting soon after.
Support spells appeared over us.
Our speed increased.
Our strength increased.
Our endurance increased.
Liriel also began preparing support magic.
Holy energy spread throughout the chamber.
The entire group was working together.
Exactly as we had trained.
Exactly as we had planned.
But even so...
Even using teamwork.
Even attacking together.
Even keeping constant pressure on him.
Vaelthor continued controlling the battle.
He blocked attacks.
Dodged spells.
Intercepted arrows.
Countered every move.
As if he were several steps ahead of us.
The feeling was frustrating.
Very frustrating.
Then I decided to raise the intensity.
I activated the Dragon Flames.
Golden fire erupted around my sword.
The temperature of the hall rose instantly.
Energy coursed through my body.
My speed increased.
My strength as well.
Vaelthor finally showed genuine interest.
"It seems you've been hiding something."
"You haven't seen anything yet."
I replied.
Then I attacked.
This time the impact was different.
When our swords collided, I felt Vaelthor being pushed back.
Only slightly.
But he was pushed back.
His crimson eyes narrowed.
That was the first real sign that he acknowledged my strength.
I continued attacking.
Faster.
More aggressively.
The Dragon Flames exploded with every strike.
The floor began melting in some places.
The nearby columns were scorched by waves of heat.
For a few moments, I managed to pressure him.
For the first time since the battle had begun.
Scarlett noticed immediately.
"Now!"
A massive magical explosion erupted behind Vaelthor.
Rai'kanna attacked from the side.
Vespera fired several arrows.
It was a coordinated assault.
A combined offensive.
Exactly the kind of situation that could decide a battle.
But Vaelthor simply released his aura.
The explosion of black mana swept through the hall.
The impact disrupted the spells.
Deflected some of the arrows.
Made the ground shake violently.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Even we were forced to step back.
When the energy faded, he was still standing.
Without injuries.
Without a single mark.
Without even looking tired.
Silence filled the hall for a few seconds.
Then Vaelthor spoke.
"I thought you were stronger."
The remark immediately irritated Scarlett.
Rai'kanna didn't seem to appreciate it either.
But before any of us could respond, he continued.
"Perhaps I set my expectations too high."
Black mana began gathering around his body.
Far more intensely than before.
Far more dangerously.
The walls began to crack.
The columns trembled.
The entire ceiling vibrated.
Small fragments of stone began falling.
Lyannis's eyes widened.
"He's releasing more power."
Elara tightened her grip on her staff.
Liriel's expression became serious.
Vespera prepared another arrow.
I remained watching.
Trying to analyze.
Trying to understand.
Then I finally realized something.
This entire time.
Since the very first strike.
Since the battle began.
Vaelthor hadn't been fighting seriously.
He had been testing us.
Just as I had tried to test his strength.
He had been doing exactly the same thing.
The difference was that he still hadn't shown everything.
And that was worrying.
Very worrying.
The smile disappeared from his face.
Only a cold expression remained.
The expression of a warrior who had finally decided to fight for real.
The black sword was slowly raised.
The mana surrounding it grew denser.
Heavier.
More threatening.
The entire hall began to shake.
A crack spread across the ceiling.
Then another.
And another.
Scarlett watched it.
So did Rai'kanna.
I felt the pressure rising continuously.
Then I understood one simple truth.
The fight that had happened until now.
Had not been the real battle.
It had only been the beginning.
And when Vaelthor finally took a step forward, releasing a monstrous amount of mana that made the entire Black Fortress tremble violently, I realized that the true confrontation against the First Demon General was only just beginning.