The Sunless Depth fell into darkness once more, an unnerving silence settling over the devastation. Trees lay toppled and broken, the cracked earth forming uneven puzzle pieces across the battlefield. A single streak of sunlight leaked through the shattered canopy—now wider, with more trees gone—as clouds began to clear, revealing the full scope of destruction.

  Ella stood bloodied, facing Morvane.

  The beast's remaining eye gleamed with a look that said clearly: I've won.

  Her thoughts were hazy with worry. Her eyes darted around, searching desperately for any movement, any sound, any presence of Kuro.

  He's not an average man. He probably escaped. Yes... But his leg... the state his body was in... Can he even move?

  Distracted by her spiraling thoughts, her gaze caught something—one of Morvane's mouth-spikes embedded in a broken trunk nearby. The spike had expanded like roots, identical to the one that had been in Kuro's leg.

  "That's how it works, huh?" Ella's voice was low, bitter. "Aren't you too smart for your own good?"

  She looked straight into Morvane's remaining eye.

  The beast stared back. Even though it appeared victorious, it remained cautious. The blade-spikes had fallen from its wings, leaving them bare—just feathers and bone. Morvane was visibly drained, panting slowly, as if it had never been pushed to this level before.

  As the beast caught its breath, its eye widened in dread.

  It noticed a shift in the air.

  Morvane jerked upright, focusing entirely on Ella.

  She stood exactly where she had been.

  But her surroundings had changed.

  Her dress, her messed hair, the scattered leaves around her—all floated in rings of spiraling air. She looked calm. Composed. Free, as if invisible shackles had finally loosened.

  Morvane took flight immediately, moving to deal with the threat before it could grow.

  SNAP.

  Its beak closed on empty air.

  Ella was gone.

  Morvane's head whipped around frantically, scanning—

  She appeared behind it.

  FLAP. SNAP.

  Gone again.

  The pattern repeated. Ella moved with the wind, dodging every strike with impossible speed. Morvane's attacks hit nothing but air.

  Already exhausted, the beast stopped attacking. Its chest heaved with ragged breaths, its remaining eye scanning for Ella standing several meters away.

  She took one step—visible in Morvane's good eye.

  Then another step—into the blind spot where the ruined eye could not see.

  Morvane tilted its head, trying to track her—

  She vanished.

  The beast turned left, then right, hearing only a swirling sound beneath it.

  Morvane looked down.

  Ella crouched there, right fist clenched tight. A sphere of wind swarmed and spiraled atop her knuckles, dense and violent. She positioned herself in a punching stance.

  Before Morvane could react—

  BOOM.

  The punch landed, loaded with compressed wind. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the beast's gut.

  Morvane screeched in agony.

  Something black and metallic flew from its mouth, spinning through the air before embedding itself in the ground.

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  Mosvmora.

  FLAP.

  Morvane launched upward, slower than before, struggling to gain altitude.

  Ella walked toward the sword.

  Mosvmora stood upright in the earth, dripping with saliva and dark blood. She reached down to wipe the blade clean—

  The blood was absorbed instantly, vanishing into the black metal.

  Ella's eyes widened in confusion. She gripped the handle and tried to lift it.

  The sword was heavy—far heavier than it looked.

  Her hand shook with the weight. She channeled wind magic around the blade, making it light enough to wield, and wondered: How was he using this mosrel horn so effortlessly?

  She shook the thought away and looked up.

  Morvane hovered near the canopy's edge, staring down at her.

  Ella examined the sword, found the mechanism Kuro had used, and twisted the handle.

  Click.

  The blade extended, transforming into a spear.

  She aimed upward. Air swirled around the weapon, covering it in spiraling currents. Then she threw it like a javelin, the spear sheering through the air toward Morvane's heart.

  Even seeing the attack coming, the beast couldn't dodge in time.

  It shifted its body slightly—

  Mosvmora struck the bone guard around its neck, cracking through and reaching the chest. The impact was devastating, sending tremors through Morvane's entire frame.

  The spear bounced off on impact, spinning wildly through the air.

  Morvane, restless and afraid of what came next, plunged straight toward Ella like a missile—wounded shoulder and all.

  Ella remained in the same position, hand still extended toward the descending beast.

  She smiled coldly.

  And closed her hand with tremendous force, pulling back sharply.

  Morvane descended with fury, screaming its intent to finish the battle—

  Then it shrieked in pain, all four wings snapping open wide.

  Something had struck its back.

  Mosvmora.

  The spear pierced through from behind, inching slowly toward the heart.

  Ella gritted her teeth, her smile turning manic as she pulled her empty hand further back.

  She was controlling the sword with wind, struggling to drive it through Morvane's thick hide and dense muscle toward the vital organ beneath.

  Morvane screamed, flapping wildly, smashing through branches and trees, trying desperately to dislodge the blade.

  No use.

  "Die, you filthy beast!" Ella's eyes watered even as she smiled. "It's for Kuro," she whispered.

  Morvane kept struggling. Mosvmora was mere inches from piercing the heart—

  The beast stopped mid-air.

  It closed all four wings tight against its body.

  And rotated—spinning like a cyclone, faster and faster.

  Ella gasped as she felt her grip on the wind loosening.

  Then it was gone.

  The air surrounding Mosvmora was swept away by the beast's rotation. Ella lost her wind grip—but the blade remained embedded in Morvane's back, lodged too deep to shake free.

  Morvane landed hard, stumbling, struggling to balance. Blue blood leaked from the wound in its back. It panted heavily, wings drooping with exhaustion. Its legs felt nailed to the earth, movement agonizingly slow.

  But Ella wasn't much better.

  Her legs went weak. Her knees hit the ground. She gasped for breath, eyes scanning desperately for Moonreaper.

  No luck.

  She forced herself upright and began walking toward Morvane.

  "Let's end this once and for all."

  Ella picked up speed. Morvane stood exhausted, bleeding, mouth hanging open without energy to close it.

  She got close, right hand extended. Wind began circling around her fist—a miniature cyclone forming.

  She pulled back for the final punch—

  CRACK.

  The earth beneath them shattered from the shockwave. Tall trees and broken trunks scattered across the battlefield jumped and shifted from the impact alone.

  "SHIIIIT!"

  Ella was launched into the air, the force throwing her backward.

  Morvane stood in the crater, both legs buried deep in the ground.

  At the last possible second, the beast had inhaled every bit of remaining power and channeled it into its dominant leg.

  BAM.

  Everything except the beast had been thrown and moved.

  Ella tumbled through the air. Before she could stabilize with wind magic—

  A stone boulder struck her from the side, knocking her unconscious.

  Morvane rested briefly, gathering what remained of its strength. It warmed its wings for one final flight—not trusting the falling trees to finish her.

  BOOM.

  With mouth wide open, eye sharp and focused, Morvane closed the gap on the unconscious Ella.

  A mere inch before the killing snap—

  CRACK.

  A deafening crack split the air.

  A tiny spark—no, a bullet—streaked from the woods, striking the knife still embedded in Morvane's ruined right eye.

  The blade sank slightly deeper.

  The beast unleashed a shriek so dense it vibrated the air itself.

  Ella woke mid-flight, disoriented. She looked at the incoming Morvane jerking its head in agony—

  "IDIOOOOOOT!"

  A loud scream echoed from the forest.

  She jerked her head left.

  Kuro stood among the broken trees, bloodied and battered. One leg was planted on his knee, the other braced against a fallen trunk. He held the arcane gun close to his face, aiming.

  At her.

  A small spark of life formed in Ella's eyes.

  Kuro lifted his hand and pointed up.

  Understanding flooded through her. Ella looked skyward—

  Her trusted sword, Moonreaper, spun through the air, falling directly toward her.

  She smiled brightly. "Yes!"

  She reached out to grab it—

  WHOOOOSH.

  Morvane, dazed but still fighting, flapped hard. The wind was weak, but enough to alter the sword's trajectory.

  Moonreaper veered away from Ella's grasp.

  "This motherfu—" She caught herself.

  Morvane steadied itself and came for the final attack, sawteeth beak opening wide.

  Ella tried to summon her magic—

  Time ran out.

  ZING.

  A sharp metallic ring echoed across the battlefield.

  The bullet struck Moonreaper mid-flight, changing its direction and sending it spinning directly toward Ella's outstretched hand.

  As Morvane's jaws closed around her—

  She grabbed her sword at the last possible instant.

  And swung.

  SNAP.

  Both Ella and Morvane landed among the falling debris and tall trees, crashing into the fractured earth.

  A massive eruption of dust and smoke exploded outward, obscuring everything.

  Kuro watched the chaos unfold.

  He sighed.

  "Tch."

  Then his vision blurred, and darkness claimed him once more and fell down.