The smoke had barely cleared from the ruins of Grigor's rampage. The air reeked of charred flesh, and the cries of the dying echoed through the shattered valley. Kaizen stood amid the carnage, his cloak torn, his eyes glowing dimly with the embers of the Veinborn power that had nearly consumed him once again.
His breathing was uneven, chest rising and falling with each memory of the bloodshed. Grigor's corpse was still smoldering a few meters away, his massive, mutated form disintegrating into ash.
Ayaka rushed to Kaizen's side, grabbing his hand.
"You're shaking," she whispered.
Kaizen didn't respond. His eyes weren't focused on her. They were locked on the horizon—where another shadow was rising.
A thunderous roar erupted.
The ground quaked violently, and from beyond the cliffside, an army of Bist came charging. Not just mindless drones—this wave was organized, armored, and ruthless. At the center was a towering figure—twice the size of Grigor—cloaked in molten armor, eyes burning like suns.
Bist General Krovar.
"Squad Umbra! Defensive formation! Now!" screamed Commander Revyn, drawing his dual flame-edged blades.
Kaizen snapped out of his trance just as a Bist impaled a soldier beside him. Blood sprayed across his face.
"No... not again," Kaizen growled. His hands ignited with crimson energy.
Ayaka, already bleeding from a wound on her side, pulled her spear free and joined him. "We hold the line. Together."
Chaos ignited.
The battlefield turned into a living hell. The newly arrived Bist force numbered over five hundred, each more savage than the last. They tore through the scattered defenders like wolves in a henhouse.
Kaizen launched forward, slicing through three Bists in a single arc. His movements were sharper, faster—but also more unstable. His skin cracked with each strike, veins glowing like lava.
A soldier screamed nearby—a young recruit named Rin. A claw had pierced his chest. His last words: "Mother… forgive me…"
Ayaka covered the boy's body as his life faded, eyes hardened. "We're losing too many!"
More deaths followed:
Commander Halbrik was torn in half.
Lira, the medic, was shredded trying to save a child.
The northern guardpost exploded as Krovar launched a flaming boulder into the sky.
Kaizen's mind snapped.
A roar escaped his throat—not human. Not anymore.
Flames erupted from his body, creating a shockwave that vaporized ten Bist instantly. Krovar turned, noticing Kaizen for the first time.
"So... the last flame awakens," the giant Bist general boomed, his voice cracking the sky.
Kaizen's vision blurred. Time slowed. Every scream, every death... it piled onto his soul like weight he could no longer bear.
He dashed forward, aiming straight for Krovar.
Ayaka shouted after him, "Wait! You'll—!"
Too late.
Kaizen and Krovar clashed.
The sky itself cracked.
Kaizen's blade met Krovar's molten gauntlet. Sparks exploded. The ground beneath them caved, forming a crater. Both warriors growled, pushing against each other.
"You'll burn," Krovar hissed.
"I already have," Kaizen replied, eyes glowing like dying stars.
Suddenly, a Veinborn crest flared behind Kaizen's back. The mark twisted unnaturally—something dark... ancient... awakening.
Krovar staggered back. "What... are you?"
Kaizen didn't answer. He slashed through the air—and the flame took shape—a dragon made of pure fire surged forward, swallowing dozens of Bist.
But the cost was high.
Kaizen collapsed immediately after, blood gushing from his mouth. His power flickered and died. Ayaka ran to him, screaming his name.
"Kaizen!"
Krovar prepared to strike again, lifting a molten axe—when a sudden rain of ice spears shot from the forest edge.
A new squad arrived.
Reinforcements.
Captain Tsura of the Frost Division stepped forward, cloaked in blue Vein energy.
"You'll not lay a finger on him."
The battlefield froze, both literally and emotionally.
To be continued…