The entire fortress trembled.
Small fragments of stone continued falling from the ceiling as the enormous amount of mana released by Vaelthor spread throughout the hall.
It was unlike anything I had ever felt before.
The other generals were powerful.
Without a doubt.
But their presence had never reached that level.
Now I understood why he held the position of First General.
It wasn't just a title.
He truly possessed enough strength to justify his position.
Vaelthor remained still for a few moments.
His black sword rested at his side.
Dark energy swirled around him like a silent storm.
His crimson eyes remained fixed on me.
It was as if everything else had disappeared.
As if only the two of us existed at that moment.
Then he took another step.
The pressure increased once again.
Scarlett frowned.
"This guy is annoying."
"I agree."
I replied.
Rai'kanna smiled.
Even in that situation.
"So he finally decided to fight."
Vespera prepared another arrow.
"I'm not sure that's good news."
It probably wasn't.
But there was no turning back now.
We had made it this far.
The battle had to continue.
Vaelthor slowly raised his sword.
Then he disappeared.
My instincts reacted before my mind.
I raised my weapon.
The impact came at the very same instant.
An explosion echoed through the hall.
The force was so overwhelming that my feet sank into the stone floor.
Cracks spread around me.
My entire body shook.
It was much heavier than before.
Much faster.
Much stronger.
Vaelthor's crimson eyes met mine.
"It seems you can keep up."
Before I could answer, he attacked again.
This time I couldn't counterattack.
I was forced to block.
Then block again.
And once more.
A continuous sequence.
Strike after strike.
Without pause.
Without giving me room to breathe.
The sound of our swords echoed throughout the fortress.
Every clash produced shockwaves.
Every impact created new cracks.
I was being pushed back.
Little by little.
Even while using the Dragon Flames.
Even while using all my strength.
He kept advancing.
That was when Scarlett entered the battle.
Lightning exploded behind Vaelthor.
The electrical energy illuminated the hall.
But before the attacks could reach him, he swung his sword.
A wave of darkness cut through the air.
The lightning exploded before it even reached him.
Scarlett widened her eyes.
"So you don't like magic."
"Actually, I do."
Vaelthor replied.
"It just doesn't work."
His answer irritated Scarlett immediately.
More mana began gathering around her.
But Rai'kanna was faster.
She charged first.
Her massive axe came crashing down.
The blow would have split many monsters in half.
Vaelthor blocked it using only one hand.
One single hand.
The impact made the floor tremble.
Rai'kanna widened her eyes for a brief moment.
Then she smiled.
"Now this is getting interesting."
She swung her weapon again.
Another strike.
Then another.
An aggressive sequence.
Heavy.
Brutal.
Vaelthor kept blocking.
But this time he was using both hands.
That was already progress.
Even if only a small one.
While they exchanged blows, Vespera found an opening.
Her arrow sliced through the air.
Silent.
Precise.
Aimed directly at the general's left eye.
Vaelthor tilted his head slightly.
The arrow missed him.
But a second one came immediately after.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
It was an incredible barrage.
Even so, he continued dodging.
As if he could predict the trajectory of every shot.
"She's dangerous."
He commented.
Vespera didn't answer.
She simply kept firing.
Elara seized the opportunity.
The wind began swirling throughout the hall.
Powerful currents wrapped around Vaelthor's body.
Trying to restrict his movements.
For a moment, it seemed to work.
That was exactly what I needed.
I channeled mana.
The Dragon Flames erupted around my sword.
Then I charged.
The golden blade sliced through the air.
Straight toward his chest.
But at the last instant, Vaelthor broke through the winds.
As if they were nothing more than paper strings.
Our clash triggered an explosion.
I was thrown backward once again.
This time several meters.
I only stopped after crashing into a partially destroyed pillar.
My arm was numb.
The difference in strength was overwhelming.
Lyannis observed everything.
Her eyes analyzed every movement.
Every detail.
Every pattern.
She wasn't the type to act without thinking.
She was studying the battle.
Searching for a weakness.
An opportunity.
Meanwhile, Liriel kept her spells active.
Holy energy flowed through our bodies.
Healing minor wounds.
Restoring part of our stamina.
Without her, the situation would have been much worse.
Much worse.
Vaelthor looked at our group.
Then he smiled.
"At least you work well together."
Scarlett crossed her arms.
"We're just getting started."
"I certainly hope so."
He replied.
Then he disappeared once more.
This time he appeared in front of Vespera.
Too fast.
The archer barely had time to react.
The black sword came down.
But a barrier appeared between them.
Lyannis.
The magical shield exploded instantly.
But it was enough.
Vespera jumped backward.
Barely escaping.
"I hate it when that happens."
She said.
"When you almost die?"
Scarlett asked.
"Exactly."
Vaelthor charged again.
Now without focusing on a single target.
He attacked everyone.
Switching between us.
Changing direction constantly.
It was impossible to predict.
One moment he was in front of me.
The next he appeared near Rai'kanna.
Then he charged at Scarlett.
His control over the battlefield was terrifying.
It felt as though he was everywhere at once.
Even working together, we were being overwhelmed.
Every minute made that more obvious.
The worst part was that he showed no signs of fatigue.
Not even the slightest hint of exhaustion.
Meanwhile, we were already breathing more heavily.
The battles of the past few days were taking their toll.
The war was taking its toll.
It was during an especially intense exchange of blows that I realized something.
Vaelthor was still analyzing us.
Even while fighting seriously.
Even while using more power.
He continued observing.
Learning.
Adapting.
That was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
Because the longer the battle continued, the more information he would gather about us.
"Takumi!"
Elara's voice caught my attention.
A wave of dark energy came from the side.
I rolled away.
The explosion struck the wall.
Part of the hall simply vanished.
Stones flew everywhere.
The crater left behind by the attack was enormous.
I looked at the destruction.
Then turned back toward Vaelthor.
He had launched that attack with a simple swing of his sword.
A simple swing.
Scarlett noticed it too.
"So he finally stopped playing."
"I warned you."
Vaelthor replied.
Dark mana began swirling around him once again.
More intense.
Denser.
More threatening.
The floor had already been completely destroyed in several places.
Pillars had collapsed.
The ceiling continued to crack.
The fortress itself seemed unable to endure that battle much longer.
Even so, we kept attacking.
There was no alternative.
Rai'kanna charged once more.
Scarlett unleashed another barrage of spells.
Vespera fired enchanted arrows.
Elara manipulated currents of wind.
Lyannis maintained her protective barriers.
Liriel sustained her support magic.
And I remained on the front line.
Strike after strike.
Attack after attack.
But the truth was becoming clear.
Very clear.
We were fighting together.
Using teamwork.
Strategy.
Coordination.
And even so...
Vaelthor remained superior.
Not overwhelmingly.
But enough.
Enough to control the pace of the battle.
Enough to maintain the advantage.
That was when he unleashed a single attack.
A horizontal slash.
Simple.
Direct.
I blocked it immediately.
Rai'kanna did as well.
Even so, the force broke through our defenses.
We were sent flying.
I crashed across part of the hall.
My body slammed into the remains of a destroyed pillar.
Rai'kanna landed on the opposite side.
Scarlett had to create a barrier to avoid being struck.
Silence filled the room for a few seconds.
Vaelthor remained standing.
Watching.
Waiting.
As if he already knew exactly what that attack would do.
I slowly stood up.
My arm hurt.
My breathing was heavy.
I looked around.
The girls were exhausted too.
More exhausted than at the beginning.
And this was only the beginning of the true battle.
Vaelthor rested his sword on his shoulder.
His gaze remained fixed on us.
Then he spoke calmly.
"Now you understand."
No one answered.
He continued.
"This is the difference between defeating my subordinates."
Dark mana began growing around him once more.
"And facing the First General of the Demons."
The entire hall shook again.
The cracks spread even farther across the walls.
And as I looked at that figure surrounded by a storm of dark energy, I realized that we were facing an opponent far more dangerous than any of us had imagined.
And the worst part was that the battle was still far from over.