The momentum had shifted.
Across the fractured battlefield—through ash, steel, and blood—the Wielders began to turn the tide.
Hana darted through collapsing rubble, her crimson ribbon flowing like a streak of war-paint. Lilith's time distortion pulsed again, slowing her surroundings, but Hana had adjusted. She'd fought Lilith long enough now to predict the pulses, slipping between them like a dancer weaving through landmines.
"Too slow," Hana hissed, landing a brutal kick to Lilith's side.
Lilith crashed against a boulder, coughing up violet blood. She blinked, clearly stunned—not by the damage, but by the fact that Hana had adapted. For the first time, Lilith didn't look unreadable. She looked… frustrated.
Tetsu's hammer slammed down like a meteor, cracking the ground beside her.
"Still think we're the weak ones?" he barked.
Lilith vanished in a blink of time distortion—but this time, her escape was ragged. Her control was slipping.
Ryuu was breathing hard, his body scorched, but his blade moved like lightning. Kaede stood beside him, fists glowing with golden flame. Veyron's dark tendrils lashed at them, but Ryuu parried cleanly while Kaede punched through the rest, sending the void warps reeling backward.
"Enough games!" Veyron roared, shadows twisting into a massive spear aimed at Ryuu's chest.
But before it could land, Kaede took the hit head-on—flames erupting from his arms, deflecting the void spear with sheer force.
"I'm not letting my student die, dammit," Kaede shouted, eyes blazing.
Ryuu took the opening, leapt over the shattered terrain, and drove his sword deep into Veyron's shoulder. Veyron howled in pain, staggering back, blood spilling like ink.
Elsewhere, Magnus Kreel's glaive cleaved through three beast-mutants in a single arc. Seraphine Vale's wings of ice carved a path through corrupted air, freezing and shattering enemy after enemy. And high above, Zhen Kairo—bruised, but alive—sent shockwaves of gravity down into enemy lines, flattening hordes of beastlike monsters as if sweeping pawns off a board.
"We're not losing this war," Zhen muttered, voice cracking with resolve. "Not today."
At the heart of it all, Kael and Kaito battled Kurojin with renewed fury. Their wounds still bled, but their coordination had sharpened. Kael warped around Kurojin's blind spots while Kaito struck in perfect sync. Every strike didn't just land—it echoed.
For the first time, Kurojin's expression faltered. A small cut opened under his left eye—his own blood.
Kael smirked. "You bleed like the rest of us."
Kurojin growled. "Enjoy your little victories while they last."
Everywhere, the battlefield responded.
The Wielders had found their rhythm.
The elite had begun to falter.
For the first time in this long, brutal war—hope didn't feel like a lie.