Even as he bled from a dozen wounds, Thalysar smiled. Then he laughed. He laughed a laugh of pure joy. Of ecstasy.

  Winston narrowed his eyes and marched forward, condensing energy around him. He still had a good amount left, but it was best to conserve it.

  As Winston closed in, Thalysar continued to laugh. It was unnerving. Winston blasted a spear of energy at Thalysar, but it shattered against a barrier of mana. Then, Thalysar ascended.

  The Caltheran rose into the air, smiling down at the world like a mad god. Winston shuddered at the sight. Still, he couldn’t lose his nerve now. He would avenge the pup. He had to.

  Pushing into the air, Winston glared defiantly at the commander, platforms of energy forming under his feet.

  Winston followed as Thalysar rose through a hole torn in the top of the tent. Then, they faced each other in the open air above the tent. Winston could feel the energy draining from him with every passing second. In an effort to reduce the cost, he shrank the size of the platforms beneath his paws until they could just barely hold him. To any who were watching from below, it would seem that he was floating with nothing to assist him.

  Winston faced Thalysar, anger flowing through his veins as they stared into each other’s eyes. Then, a halo of light formed around the commander.

  He glowed bright, like a second sun in the endless sky. Around him, orbs of white light formed. And around the light, projectiles and shields of shimmering blue mana formed as well. Then, they began to rotate, forming rings around him as if he were an armillary sphere.

  Winston’s own energy formed around him, radiating golden light. Then, tendrils of energy began to burst from his back. One. Two. Twelve. Thirty. Soon, countless threads of burning gold floated around him like whips. They snapped wildly and unpredictably, a stark contrast to Thalysar’s orderly rings. Then, Winston attacked.

  Dozens of tendrils shot forward, striking Thalysar from every direction. The strands of golden light whipped around in a frenzy, crashing against Thalysar’s shields. The strain on Winston intensified, but he ignored it, shutting it out of his mind.

  Winston could feel his attacks piercing through orbs of light and shattering mana barriers. Still, Thalysar smiled. Then, the rings orbiting around him began to spin faster and faster, blurring as they obscured Thalysar’s form.

  Winston growled in alarm as his energy was torn apart by Thalysar. Leaping forward, Winston caught himself a dozen yards above the commander. Then, Winston began to form a spear of energy.

  Thalysar rose up after Winston, shielded by countless barriers of light and mana. Then, a hole appeared in the barrier, ripped open by Thalysar’s spear. The projectile shone like a supernova, burning Winston’s retinas.

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  Winston dove to the side, but just as the spear passed him, the light around it exploded outward. He let out a cry of pain as he blasted back, whipping through the air. All the while, he kept condensing the energy in his own spear.

  Winston crashed into the earth beneath them, a small crater forming around him. He let out a grunt before pulling himself back to his feet. He glared up as Thalysar began to descend, the rings around him slowing down enough for Winston to get a clear look at the Caltheran.

  Thalysar was obviously exhausted, but even through the blood and sweat, a mad grin remained on his face, unshakable.

  Winston began to pour more and more energy into the spear at his side, watching the color slowly darken. First from gold to bronze, then, even darker. When Winston couldn’t pour any more energy into it, he launched the spear.

  It lanced through the air, humming with energy. All of Thalysar’s defenses converged in one spot to block it, but Winston had predicted that. Tendrils of golden energy whipped forward, wrapping around Thalsar’s arms and legs.

  The man roared in defiance, trying to free himself, but it was to no avail. Then, Winston borrowed a trick from Thalysar’s own book. Before the barriers could fully stop his lance, it exploded.

  Winston was blasted back, the very air around him bursting with energy. Thalysar would’ve been safe, protected by his barriers. But he was still tethered to Winston. And as Winston was blasted away from the explosion, he was pulled straight into it.

  Winston heard a roar of pain from within the sphere of golden light, but no notification came. Thalysar had survived.

  Then, as the light of the explosion began to fade, Winston heard something terrifying.

  A deep, joyous laugh rang out from the center of the blast. Then, the energy dispersed, revealing the beaten and bloodied form of Thalysar. Winston backed up in alarm as bloody teeth smiled at him.

  Then, Thalysar launched an orb of light at him. Winston activated [Devour].

  Time seemed to slow down as the two fought a silent war. Slowly, Winston forced Thalysar’s will back. Then, the orb of light blinked out of existence.

  Thalysar let out an annoyed grunt as the light orbiting him disappeared as well, but he didn’t seem too bothered.

  Dozens of mana projectiles formed around him, launching themselves at Winston. He devoured them all before tilting his head in confusion. It seemed like Thalysar was barely resisting his Soul Shard.

  Then, more projectiles of mana formed around Thalysar. Winston’s eyes widened. [Devour] hadn’t worked! Thalysar could still use mana. Winston wanted to understand why, but he didn’t have time. Dodging another attack, he leaped at Thalysar.

  He flew through the air, but just as he neared Thalysar, he formed platforms beneath his feet and leaped to the side. Taking advantage of the Caltheran’s momentary surprise, he attacked Thalysar’s mind.

  It was a fierce, but short fight. Winston pierced straight through the commander’s defenses. Still, he was running low on mental energy. He would have to make this fast.

  [Mental Manipulation lvl 2 → Mental Manipulation lvl 3]

  Even as he commanded Thalysar to drop all of his defenses, Winston poured energy into an orb. When Thalysar had dispersed his shields of mana, the orb had formed a spear, brimming with just as much energy as the previous one.

  He launched the lance through the air, flying straight towards Thalysar's chest. Last time, the Caltheran had survived Winston’s attack, but this time, he was defenseless.

  There was a deafening blast, followed by a shockwave that threatened to blast Winston away. Still, Winston didn’t budge, staring intently at where Thalysar had been.

  When the area cleared, there was no body. No notification. Thalysar was simply…gone. All that remained was a single crystal, broken off his body.