Black energy continued to gather around Vaelthor.
The shadows swirled through the ruined hall like a living storm.
Stones broke loose from the ceiling.
The cracks grew larger with every passing second.
The very air felt heavy.
Difficult to breathe.
Difficult to endure.
I remained standing before him.
My sword held firmly in my hands.
My body exhausted.
My armor marked by the blows of that battle.
Outside that fortress, thousands of soldiers were still fighting. But at that moment, none of that mattered.
Everything would be decided there.
In that hall.
Between us.
Vaelthor watched my expression.
Probably trying to find some sign of surrender.
Some trace of fear.
Some display of weakness.
But he found none.
His smile slowly disappeared.
"At least you have courage."
"I didn't come here to die."
I replied.
"Everyone who faced the generals said something similar."
He raised his sword.
"And they all died."
Demonic mana exploded.
A wave of energy swept through the hall.
The walls trembled.
Parts of the ceiling collapsed.
The pressure increased even further.
But at that moment I realized.
This was it.
The time had finally come.
I quickly looked behind me.
Liriel opened her eyes.
And simply nodded.
That was enough.
My heart raced.
All the waiting.
All the acting.
All those minutes pretending to be on the verge of defeat.
Everything had led to this very moment.
Vaelthor charged.
His speed was unbelievable.
Far greater than before.
The strike came straight at me.
Heavy.
Precise.
Deadly.
But I was already prepared.
I activated my blessing.
Instantly, I felt a different kind of energy flowing through my body.
An energy I knew very well.
An energy granted specifically to face demons.
Golden light appeared around my armor.
Runes began to emerge across its metallic surface.
My sword shone.
The entire hall was illuminated.
Vaelthor realized it too late.
His attack struck my body.
But something unexpected happened.
Instead of sending me flying backward.
Instead of injuring me.
He was the one who was repelled.
A golden explosion surged through the hall.
The First General was hurled several meters backward.
His body crashed through part of the rubble.
For the first time since the battle began.
Vaelthor showed surprise.
Genuine surprise.
He slowly stood up.
His crimson eyes fixed on me.
"What was that?"
I didn't answer immediately.
I watched his expression.
I watched the confusion.
I watched the uncertainty begin to appear.
That was exactly what I needed.
Then I raised my sword.
"You're not the only one with hidden cards."
The light surrounding my armor intensified.
My blessing had been activated.
For one minute.
Only one minute.
But that minute could decide everything.
Vaelthor charged again.
This time much more serious.
Much more cautious.
Our swords collided once more.
But now it was different.
Very different.
The impact no longer pushed me back.
The difference in strength had vanished.
For the first time since the battle had begun.
I could fight him as an equal.
His eyes narrowed.
He realized it immediately.
Our weapons clashed over and over again.
Explosions echoed throughout the hall.
But now I could advance.
I could pressure him.
I could force him to retreat.
And that bothered him.
A lot.
Meanwhile, behind me, Liriel finally stood up.
Holy energy began to spread around her.
Far more intense than before.
Far more powerful.
Vaelthor noticed.
And immediately tried to attack her.
But I stepped into his path.
I blocked his sword.
"No."
He stared at me.
Then he smiled.
A cold smile.
"So that was it."
At last, he was beginning to understand.
At last, the pieces were falling into place.
But it was already too late.
Liriel raised her staff.
An enormous amount of light appeared around her.
Holy runes began to appear throughout the hall.
On the floor.
On the walls.
Among the rubble.
Everywhere.
The demonic energy began to react.
As if it were being burned.
As if it were being destroyed.
Vaelthor took several steps back.
For the first time, his gaze showed concern.
"Liriel."
I called.
She nodded.
The light grew even brighter.
Scarlett smiled.
Vespera had also fully recovered.
Elara began gathering mana once again.
Lyannis raised new barriers.
Rai'kanna slowly stood up from among the rubble.
Blood still streamed down her face.
But her smile remained the same.
"Looks like it's my turn again."
Vaelthor looked at all of us.
For the first time.
He realized.
He realized he had been deceived.
He realized the situation was changing.
He realized his advantage was disappearing.
Then Liriel's spell was completed.
A gigantic pillar of light pierced through the hall.
Holy energy exploded in every direction.
The radiance was so intense that I had to partially close my eyes.
The wave of purification struck Vaelthor head-on.
The result was immediate.
The First General screamed.
A scream that echoed throughout the entire fortress.
The demonic energy surrounding him began to fall apart.
Parts of his black armor developed cracks.
Dark smoke began to rise from his body.
He staggered back several steps.
Visibly shaken.
For the first time.
For the first time since that battle had begun.
Vaelthor had suffered real damage.
The hall fell silent.
Even the sound of collapsing stones seemed insignificant before that sight.
The First General looked at his own body.
The marks left by the purification were clearly visible.
He clenched his fists.
His crimson eyes returned to me.
Then he finally understood.
"You were pretending."
Scarlett smiled.
"Took you long enough to figure it out."
Vespera placed another arrow on her bowstring.
"I expected more intelligence from the First General."
Elara laughed quietly.
Lyannis crossed her arms.
While Rai'kanna spun her axe.
Vaelthor ignored them all.
His gaze remained fixed on me.
"You planned this."
I took a deep breath.
The blessing was still active.
But time was running out.
Every second mattered.
"More or less."
I replied.
"The plan was simple."
I pointed my sword at him.
"To make you believe you were winning."
His expression darkened.
I continued.
"We knew you possessed hidden abilities."
"We knew you had more resources than you had shown."
"So we decided to wait."
The golden light continued to flow across my armor.
"The problem was that you really were strong."
Scarlett laughed.
"Stronger than we would have liked."
"Much stronger."
Rai'kanna confirmed.
Vaelthor remained silent.
But I could feel his anger growing.
His frustration increasing.
He had been deceived.
And he knew it.
Holy energy continued burning away his demonic mana.
Liriel maintained the spell.
Without stopping.
Without hesitation.
The First General tried to gather energy once again.
But now it was different.
More difficult.
More unstable.
The purification was working.
Exactly as planned.
Then he finally understood the entire situation.
His gaze passed over each of the girls.
Then returned to me.
"So you turned your own defeat into a trap."
No one answered.
Because that was exactly the truth.
All that time.
While he believed he was controlling the battle.
While he believed he was directing everything.
In reality, he had been walking straight toward exactly what we wanted.
The trap had closed.
And now the First General finally understood it.
But understanding and escaping were two completely different things.
The light continued burning away the darkness.
My blessing remained active.
The girls were once again ready to fight.
And Vaelthor, for the first time since we met him, no longer looked like an invincible warrior.
He looked like someone who had made a mistake.
A mistake that could cost him his life.
As holy energy completely filled the ruined hall and the First General's expression grew darker and darker, I realized that we had finally succeeded.
For the first time in that battle.
Vaelthor was wounded.
And for the first time since we entered that fortress.
Victory truly seemed possible.