Suddenly the sky split with a sound like tearing shadows. A burst of dark energy rained down, exploding into dozens of razor-sharp darts. They looked like star blades, each trailing a smoky black tail as they shrieked through the air.

From above, a cold voice followed the storm. It was Zeon. His arm whipped forward, releasing a cluster of shuriken cloaked in shadow. They struck the chest of the charging golem, sparks and small obsidian fragments scattering from the impact.

The golem lurched back, its enormous body staggering only slightly, as if annoyed rather than wounded. But the sheer force of the collision sent Albedo flying, his once ripped cape was whipping violently in the wind blast.

Before he could crash against the shattered ground, Zeon appeared in front of him, catching him with casual ease. His masked face tilted down, and though the expression was hidden, the curve of his mouth was clear in his tone.

"My my... do you need help?" he asked, smirking under the mask.

For a moment Albedo's pride wavered. His chest rose and fell, his body still trembling from the impact. He didn't answer right away, his silence heavy beneath the roar of the unmoving golems. Finally, in a low, uneven voice, he admitted, "...Yes."

The two elves stood side by side now, distant from the battlefield. The air between them was thick with tension. Across the broken ground, twenty-nine golems remained still, their burning eyes locked onto them both. Even the one staggered by Zeon's shurikens had straightened its body again, fixing its gaze on the pair as if recognizing them as true prey.

And then suddenly, Zeon stepped forward.

"My lord... I will handle the golems. I will buy you some time. All you need to do is rescue your daughter."

Albedo's eyes widened, his battered face dripping with blood. "But... you'll die."

Zeon smirked, though there was a sadness buried in his eyes. He tilted his head with a faint smile. "Nahh... it's nothing. I'll buy you time... don't worry about me, my lord."

Albedo's body trembled as he nodded slowly. His voice was weak but firm. "Alright..."

And then suddenly the golems came charging toward them. Zeon narrowed his eyes, his breath calm yet heavy as his hands opened. In each palm, a black shimmer flared and from it his dual daggers formed.... jagged, sharp, and pulsing with dark aura. He twirled them in a swift spin, their edges hissing through the air as if hungry for blood.

"Here we go...." Zeon muttered, his smirk returning for a fleeting second.

He then shouted with everything in his chest. "Goooo!"

Albedo, without hesitation, charged forward toward the gap in the golem swarm. His body blurred with speed, a broken cape whipping behind him as his sacred power flared. He risked a glance back....

Zeon stood his ground, daggers raised, his stance firm like a wall ready to crumble only after breaking countless enemies. His crimson eyes locked onto the incoming golems, body bracing for the storm that was about to consume him.

As Albedo charged, the nearest golem raised its massive arm, aiming straight for his face.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.... "Shadow Claw!"

From the ground, a giant claw of shadow surged upward, its taloned fingers clashing against the golem's strike. The monstrous hand that was about to crush Albedo was thrown aside, missing its target.

Albedo's steps never slowed. His figure blurred as he darted past the danger. Tears welled in his eyes as he whispered under his breath, "Thank you...."

The sun was climbing higher, casting long beams across the battlefield.

"Veil of Darkness.... Barrier!" Zeon roared.

A dome of swirling black energy rose from the earth, stretching to the sky and sealing the battlefield. The golems found themselves trapped inside, and Zeon stood with them, his dual daggers gleaming faintly in the gloom.

A smirk touched his lips. "Hmmm.... Go, my lord. You can do it."

Through the shadows, Zeon's eyes followed Albedo, now running free outside the barrier.

And then Zeon laughed, a rough sound that echoed through the shrouded battlefield. His right hand clutched his face, fingers spread just enough for one crimson eye to glimmer through the gaps. His shoulders shook as his laughter rose.... a wild, unhinged sound that mixed with the tension in the air.

"Hahahahahahaha...." His voice carried, dark and heavy under the veil that dimmed the sun. He tilted his head back, staring at the faint light struggling to break through. "Looks like it's time for me to shine.... no more holding back."

With a sudden motion, he let his hand drop to his side, fingers twitching against the grip of his dagger. His neck rotated slowly, cracking with each tilt, like the tightening of a beast before a kill. His red eyes burned even fiercer, glowing with a heat that pierced the darkened air.

The aura around him trembled, swelling like a storm ready to explode.

And then, as the thirty golems leapt at him at once, Zeon shouted, "Shadow Slash!" He flicked his right hand, his dagger slicing the air as a wave of dark, lightning-red energy erupted forward. The slash tore through the swarm, striking the golems in a single sweep.

The wave didn't cleave them in half.... instead, it passed through their bodies, leaving them momentarily staggered, before continuing across the mountain. It slammed against Zeon dome barrier, sparking violently, then ricocheted back down to the ground, scattering energy before finally fading away.

Zeon lowered his stance, eyes narrowing. "Hmmm.... looks like my strongest attack almost dealt nothing." He scratched his chin with the dagger in his left hand, its blade glowing with a violet darkness, lightning crawling along its edge. For a moment he stood there lost in thought, his crimson eyes reflecting the swarm before him.

"It looks like the Princess is far stronger than I thought.... stronger than I could imagine," he murmured.

The golems that had fallen now pushed themselves up again, their obsidian frames creaking. One by one, their glowing red eyes reignited, staring him down with mechanical

And then one of the golems surged forward, its speed blurring like a fired bullet. Another followed.... then another.... each of them shooting like a storm of arrows as they dashed in.

Zeon braced, both hands gripping his blade, and blocked the first strike. Sparks burst violently, his body spinning in the air from the impact. Before he could steady himself, the next golem crashed in, and another, and another. Each blow sent him rotating through the air, steel clashing against their obsidian bodies as his arms grew heavier and number with every block.

The golems didn't stop.... they kept firing past him, smashing into the ground below like falling meteors.

Then the last one came. Zeon's guard slipped for an instant in midair.... his eyes widened. The strike hammered into his chest, blood spraying against the inside of his mask as the force hurled him back like a broken plane crashing down. His body slammed against his own dome barrier, the shield rippling like water under the impact, before his form spread out helplessly against it.

For a moment, his eyes rolled white.... then his body dropped. He fell face-first to the ground with a heavy thud, unmoving.....

And then his eyes shook wide open, staring in disbelief. What was that... he thought, the strike's force still echoing in his mind. His head remained twisted to the right, unmoving, as if locked in place.

"My body... I can't move... not even my fingers..." he thought, panic bleeding through his calm mask. "This is bad... if I can't move now... I might die this time... no chances..."

A sharp breath caught in his throat as the ground trembled. One by one, the thirty golems began walking forward, their heavy steps slow yet crushing, each echo rolling like doom across the battlefield. Their obsidian frames gleamed under the dimmed veil of the sun, shadows stretching long as they closed in on the frozen Zeon.

The silence between their footsteps was heavier than thunder.

And then he managed to teleport, vanishing like a transmitted blur portal. He re-emerged on the far side, closer to the edge of his dome barrier. His feet were still touching the barrier's edge. He thought quickly.... if he could teleport without moving his body, maybe he could survive.

This time, the golems grew troubled. Their obsidian heads rotated full 360 degrees, creaking with a grinding sound, before locking their glowing eyes onto Zeon. Slowly, they turned their bodies, each one creaking in unison as they began to walk toward him again.

Step by step.... their pace grew faster. Soon they were no longer walking but running, pounding across the shattered ground as they charged.

Zeon's eyes widened.

"Ohh my god.... this is bad, bad, bad.... I still can't move my body.... I need a little more time.... just a minute...."

His body trembled with strain, yet his limbs refused to answer. All he could do was stare as the earth shook under the rushing golems.

And then suddenly the golems' eyes flickered and stopped running for a second. Their glowing eyes pulsed on and off, their massive frames convulsing, shaking like rusted metal that had not been oiled for years. Their grinding joints groaned as if tearing apart.... and then, one by one, they reignited.

But this time, instead of charging, they began to walk slowly toward Zeon.

Zeon's eyes widened, his chest tightening. In his mind he screamed, Princess Dila.... no.... no no no.... The thought pierced his heart. She can't maintain her body if she keeps supporting them.... His jaw clenched, trembling as the image of her fragile figure burned in his head. Oh no.... my lord.... you need to hurry.... or everything is too late.... before your daughter dies.... this can't be....