Cyro didn't wait for the beast to make the first move. The moment his boot hit the stone floor, the ground cracked under the sheer pressure of his release.

Frost exploded outward as his soul surged — cold air whipping across the room like a winter storm.

"Come, monster," he growled. "Let's finish this."

And with that, he charged — a blur of blue light against the dark.

"Don't you dare think that you are a match for me." The Werewolf Lord roared and lunged forward, stretching his claws. Their clash sent shockwaves through the ruined temple.

The barrier shimmered, protecting the others from the tremor.

Inside the dome, the team could only watch — helpless and awestruck.

Iphi's hand rose, fire flickering at her fingertips, but before she could move forward, Jaden grabbed her wrist firmly. "Don't," he said, his tone grim and uncharacteristically serious. "The Captain's orders stand."

She turned to glare at him — surprised by the intensity in his eyes.

"He's right," Celia murmured softly, though her gaze wasn't on the fight. Her eyes were drawn elsewhere — to the dark silhouette still floating in the air, encased in the shimmering Time Prison. The trapped Devil.

The Werewolf rose on all fours and lunged.

Cyro whispered, "Ice Knight."

The ice turned into a towering armor, transforming into a humanoid. Cyro leapt and took the knight's shoulder, sliding across as the Knight moved with grace. The Werewolf's first swipe crashed into the Knight's shield, tearing snow into the air.

Cyro's voice cut short commands, quiet and exact. "Pierce the flank. Don't commit your balance." The Knight struck like a piston, spearhead singing with a cold tone. For a second, it tore through fur. The Werewolf howled in pain and fury.

But the monster did not stop. Wounds closed again.

David's eyes narrowed.

"Glacial maelstrom," he whispered. The Knight spun. A cyclone of razor-edged ice erupted from its body. Needles fell like rain, jabbed at tendons, bit into paws. The Werewolf leapt, landing behind the Knight.

David abandoned his position and slid beneath the Knight's knee, tucking his weight and wrenching the spear. He clawed at the beast's hide, leaving wounds. The Werewolf screamed and whirled faster than any human should be able.

He was slammed backward.

Getting up, David spat out a mouthful of blood. "Come on."

The Werewolf Lord let out a low growl, the sound reverberating through the ruined chamber. "You humans never learn."

Then — it moved.

In one breath, the beast was there. Its massive claws slice through the air, every swipe splitting the stone like paper. Cyro sidestepped once, the next instant slamming his palm down.

"Soul skill: Eternal Permafrost!"

A blinding flash erupted from his hands. The temperature dropped instantly — the ground crystallized, ice shards shooting in every direction like blue lightning. The Werewolf's legs froze mid-lunge as he was struck by the attack. But the Lord merely grinned, shooting off the energy, "Pathetic trick."

Crack!

The creature shattered the ice with brute force, sending away the shards in every direction.

Cyro dashed forward through the mist, drawing his Ice blade. He swung upward, striking clean against the Werewolf's ribs. Frost exploded from the impact, crawling up the monster's chest.

For a moment, it indeed worked. The frost spread all over its body.

But then, black veins pulsed under the Werewolf's skin. Heat surged from its body, melting the ice instantly once again.

"Too slow," the Werewolf Lord snarled. Its claws blurred as it attacked, one strike, two, three, with each one faster than the last.

Cyro blocked the first, parried the second, but the third hit clean into his chest. The blow sent him flying, smashing into a pillar with bone-rattling force. Cracks spidered through the marble as his blood splattered the ice.

"Cap!" Iphi screamed.

"Stay back!" he barked hoarsely, coughing blood, forcing himself to stand. He wiped his lip with the back of his hand, eyes blazing with focus. "I'm not done yet."

He slammed both palms to the floor again, unleashing his strongest soul skill.

"Soul skill: Leviathan!"

From the frost spreading beneath his boots, an enormous serpent made of pure glacial energy rose with its body twisting around him like a fortress of living ice. It let out a powerful hiss and lunged at the Werewolf Lord.

The Leviathan bit down, locking its icy jaws around the Werewolf's torso.

*Graaa*

The beast snarled, clawing at the frozen creature, sending its ice shards flying.

Seeing the Werewolf lord's legs stagger, with renewed confidence,

Cyro poured more soul energy into the technique. His veins glowed with blue light, frost forming across his skin.

"Die already!" he shouted.

The ice serpent tightened around its body, crushing him under its force while opening its mouth widely to bite off his head.

Right then, the Werewolf's golden eyes flared, sending almost half of the reserves in all directions.

Boom!

The Leviathan shattered at once, with chunks of ice flying like shrapnel. The shockwave sent Cyro tumbling across the floor. His blood started trailing from his mouth.

Before he could recover, the Werewolf Lord blurred into view and in the next moment, its clawed foot pressed down on his chest, pinning him.

"You fought well," it rumbled, voice filled with cruel amusement. "For a mortal."

Cyro's fingers twitched, his breath ragged. He struggled, raised his hand, and tried to form one last shard of ice. But his energy was gone. His limbs trembled under the crushing pressure.

Behind the barrier, Iphi and the others slammed their fists against the wall of light.

"CAPTAIN!" Jaden roared, lightning crackling off his fists.

"Your Grace. Please!" Celia cried, turning to Azzy, who stood silently, hands behind his back and his eyes fixed on the scene. His expression didn't change as he observed the battle. "Help him."

"Do something!" Iphi screamed. Her phoenix aura flared like a wildfire. "He'll die!"

Azzy didn't answer. And neither did he move.

The Werewolf Lord noticed their panic and threw his head back with laughter. "You beg the wrong person, humans! He won't help you!"

He leaned closer to Cyro, voice dripping with venom as he further said. "That is the curse of power. A demigod is an existence that can destroy a country, but he cannot break the rules of the world."

Azzy's eyes narrowed slightly… just slightly, but he remained still.

The Werewolf then raised his massive claw, pouring his energy. "Die, human."

Cyro, coughing blood, forced his trembling arm up. He could barely lift his head.

Yet he looked toward his team, who were about to come out. "I'm… still your captain," he rasped. "And you follow orders…"

He gave a final glare that froze their protests in their throats. "Stay back."

The Werewolf Lord growled — and then slashed.

The claw cut through him like lightning through the air.

A burst of frost exploded from Cyro's chest, a blinding, pure-white flash that froze the ground beneath him. His body hit the floor hard with his eyes still open, but a faint smile on his face. "I did my best."

Silence fell.

The silence after Cyro's death was thick enough to choke on. The only sound in the ruined temple was the Werewolf Lord's deep, rumbling laughter — guttural, cruel, and echoing off the broken stone walls.

He turned toward the trembling Arcana Masters trapped within the golden dome. Tears rolled down Iphi's cheeks; Jaden's fists were bleeding from how tightly he clenched them. Celia's voice broke into a whisper that never finished.

The Werewolf Lord bared his fangs in a wide, mocking grin. "Ahahahaha! How does it feel?" he sneered, voice booming. "To be so helpless? To watch your savior die before you? Humans — so weak, so pitiful, so cowardly, hiding behind a demigod's skirt!"

He pounded his chest with both fists, claws digging in, his aura blazing like wildfire. "But fine!" he roared. "If you wish to cower behind that shell, do so! But I won't let you leave without despair. Let's start with this fool's body."

He turned to Cyro's lifeless form, blood still frozen on the floor, and his grin turned predatory. "Watch as I feast upon him."

The Werewolf Lord opened his jaws wide, his serrated fangs dripping with black mist, ready to devour the fallen captain's head...

And then...

Thwack!

An energy arm burst through the air like lightning and snatched Cyro's body out of his grasp, dragging it across the ground and into Azzy's hand.

The Werewolf Lord blinked, momentarily stunned. His grin faltered, replaced by a low growl. "You..."

Azzy stood still, one hand raised, the other catching Cyro's body before it hit the ground.