Noctherion's wings beat once—and the world bled.
Every ounce of mist in the coliseum surged toward the throne, condensing around the Eternal like a cloak of living shadow. Aura pressure poured from him in waves, thick enough to drown even S-rank hunters. Lyra dropped to one knee, her breathing sharp and shallow. Drayke staggered back, teeth gritted.
"Kael…" Lyra whispered. "You can't face that thing alone."
Kael didn't respond.
He stepped forward.
And the moment he did, the Eternal moved.
Noctherion appeared in front of him with no warning, as if reality skipped a frame. One of its claws lashed out, shattering the stone floor where Kael had just stood.
But Kael had vanished.
Ash Step.
Behind the Eternal now.
His blade ignited.
Soul Scorch.
He slashed upward, and for a heartbeat, the coliseum felt empty—silent—like all air had been sucked from it. Then the Eternal's back erupted in black mist and light.
It screeched, reeling, wings twisting around it defensively.
But Kael didn't stop.
He moved again, flickering through the mist like a phantom. With every strike, his aura adapted further, matching Noctherion's rhythm, evolving in real-time.
Kael Arclight – Aura Evolution Triggered: Ashen Domain [Phase 1]
Ashen Domain: Phase 1 – "Sunder Mist"
Inside this domain, all mist-based abilities are nullified.
Grants Kael total visibility and aura suppression over enemies within a 30-meter radius.
Adaptive Sync rate doubled.
From the stands, Zera's eyes widened. "He's syncing with an Eternal's domain… That's impossible."
Drayke laughed like he was watching a divine storm. "Tch. That bastard Kael—he's not human anymore."
Lyra didn't cheer.
She saw Kael's eyes.
Burning.
Focused.
Empty.
Noctherion screamed.
And then the Eternal changed shape.
Its wings collapsed inward, its form shrinking—refining.
When the mist cleared, a humanoid figure stood where the chained abomination had been.
Pale skin.
Eyes stitched but bleeding light.
A blade of bone in one hand.
A second aura form—its true combat form.
And in that moment, it rushed Kael.
Faster than before.
The coliseum walls cracked just from the aftershock.
Kael met the strike head-on.
Steel clashed with bone.
The ground beneath them shattered.
The sky above the ruin split.
And still, they moved.
Strike for strike.
Kael's Ashen Aura wrapped around his limbs like armor, blocking fatal hits. His blade hummed with evolving rage.
He pushed back—hard.
Burnout Dash. Followed by Echo Rend.
Noctherion reeled—but then retaliated with a shriek of shadow, a massive aura wave that cut through the air like a blade.
Kael took it head-on.
Was flung back into the coliseum wall.
Crushed through it.
"Kael!" Lyra screamed.
Zera stepped forward, but a hand stopped her—Drayke.
"No. Let him finish it."
From the rubble, Kael rose slowly.
Blood dripped from his lip.
His vision blurred.
But he smiled.
"…Now we're getting somewhere."
His aura ignited.
All of it.
No limiters.
No restraint.
The entire coliseum trembled under the sheer pressure of it.
And the mist?
It vanished.
Kael Arclight – Aura Synchronization: 89%
Ashen Domain Phase 2 – "Gravelight Convergence" Unlocked
All defeated souls in a 50m radius are pulled into Kael's aura.
For every soul absorbed, Kael's attack speed and damage increase.
Final skill unlocked: Revenant's Crown (Locked until 100%)
He leapt.
Time slowed.
Their blades met again—and again—blurring to the naked eye.
Mist exploded, dissipated, then returned.
Every swing was death.
Every breath, war.
Then Noctherion made a mistake—it overcommitted.
Kael caught its wrist, slammed it down, and drove his blade through its torso.
But the Eternal laughed.
"You think… death means victory?"
Its core pulsed—and the coliseum shook violently.
From the shadows, something massive stirred.
A gate.
Noctherion's true plan wasn't to kill Kael—it was to open the next Eternal Gate.
To call them.
Kael's hand trembled.
Too late?
No.
His aura surged one last time—reaching.
Grasping.
Pulling every fragment of the Eternal's essence into him.
The coliseum collapsed around him.
Noctherion screamed as its soul was devoured.
Ashen light consumed everything.
And then—
Silence.
Kael stood alone in the crater, eyes glowing white.
Noctherion's corpse dissolved to mist behind him.
His voice was hoarse.
But it still came out.
"Haaah… what a strong aura."