CHAPTER 295: CHAPTER 295: WHEN THE SUN FAILS

The sphere tore through the arena like a falling star, its surface blacker than night, pulling dust, rubble, and even fragments of broken wards into its orbit. Noel’s voice cracked the silence as the spell reached its peak.

"Dark Sun!"

The implosion came first—a crushing silence as if the world itself held its breath. Then the detonation followed, a roar of fire so compressed it burned without color. The floor of the coliseum buckled inward, entire slabs of stone collapsing under the sheer pressure. Shadows bent, light twisted, and the runes etched into the walls flared desperately to contain the blast.

Noel staggered forward, sweat dripping down his brow, chest rising and falling heavily. His emerald eyes never left the swirling storm of fire and dust where the First Pillar had stood. That had to work. Nicolas stood with narrowed eyes, lightning still dancing across his frame, while Selene watched from the side, wand steady, every muscle taut in anticipation.

The smoke began to clear.

Step by step, a silhouette emerged. Cloak torn, veil still covering his face, the pale figure walked out of the implosion unscathed. Not a single wound marred his skin. His jagged sword dragged against the stone, sparks screeching under the blade’s weight.

The First Pillar’s voice echoed hollow across the empty coliseum.

"Well... you’re advancing little by little. Just as he wants. Soon, you’ll be ready."

Noel froze. The words pierced deeper than any blade. His spell—the strongest he had ever conjured—had done nothing.

The coliseum floor still smoldered from the impact, yet the enemy walked free, his presence heavier than before.

And the fight had only just shifted.

The First Pillar straightened slowly, his pale fingers tightening on the hilt of his jagged blade. The air around him began to shift, the silence of the coliseum cracking beneath a pressure that hadn’t been there before.

Stone groaned as hairline fractures spread across the floor simply from the weight of his aura. The runes along the arena walls flared once, their glow flickering as if straining to contain him.

Then he moved.

One heartbeat he stood in the crater, the next he was at Nicolas’s flank, blade already descending. Nicolas barely flickered away in time.

"Spatial Shift!"

The blade cleaved through stone instead, splitting the arena floor in two, shards erupting skyward. The next instant, the Pillar blurred again, his body nothing but a streak of shadow and light.

Nicolas reappeared across the arena, electricity crackling around his arms. "Arc Lightning!" Bolts burst out, arcing wildly across the ground.

The Pillar twisted through them, cloak whipping like a phantom’s shroud. His sword carved each bolt apart, the air flashing white with every strike. He didn’t slow.

Noir roared, leaping from the shadows, her colossal form colliding with the pale figure. Her jaws snapped shut, teeth like spears of darkness aiming for his throat.

The Pillar caught her in one hand. One. His skeletal fingers clamped on her jaw, forcing her back with terrifying ease.

Noel and Selene stood frozen at the edge of the arena, the disparity of strength undeniable. The Dark Sun hadn’t even scratched him—now his movements defied reason, faster than their eyes could track.

Noir’s growl rumbled through the coliseum as she pushed harder, shadows flaring around her frame. Nicolas reappeared in another crack of air, lightning building again, forcing the Pillar to release her.

The arena was chaos. Lightning tore through the air, shadows rippled like liquid across the ground, and the pale figure’s jagged blade split stone with every swing. Nicolas appeared and vanished in rapid bursts, his voice cutting through the storm.

"Noel, Selene—go!"

Noel snapped his head toward him, breath ragged. "What?!"

The First Pillar’s sword came down like a guillotine, cleaving the floor where Nicolas had stood. He flickered behind the attack, sparks dancing across his frame as he reappeared at the Pillar’s side.

"You can’t die here!" Nicolas roared, his eyes blazing as he blocked another strike with a lattice of warped space. "You are the future of Valor! Leave this fight to me!"

The words struck harder than the thunder shaking the arena. For a heartbeat, silence filled Noel’s chest—an instinct to obey, to run. Selene, too, froze, her wand trembling slightly as she watched the sheer speed of the Pillar’s onslaught.

But neither moved.

Selene’s voice was ice. "If we leave you alone, you’ll be killed."

Noel raised his hand, fire bursting to life at his palm. "We’ll support from afar. That’s all we can do."

Nicolas gritted his teeth, teleporting again, his voice carrying between cracks of thunder. "Then keep your distance! Don’t let him touch you!"

The Pillar swung, light bursting in a crescent. Noir intercepted, her massive body slamming into him, shadows flaring like a living shield. She snarled, refusing to yield an inch.

From the edge of the arena, Noel and Selene began their barrage.

"Fireball!" A sphere of flame streaked forward, exploding against the Pillar’s guard.

"Frozen Lance!" A spear of ice hissed past, shattering into shards against his blade.

They were weak—mere distractions. But it was enough.

The arena quaked as Nicolas and the Pillar collided again, lightning flashing against radiant steel, shadows snarling as Noir lunged from the side. Noel hurled another "Voltage Needle," but the bolt fizzled uselessly against the enemy’s aura.

The First Pillar’s earlier words echoed in his skull: "Well... you’re advancing little by little. Just as he wants. Soon, you’ll be ready."

Noel’s grip tightened. What did he mean? His emerald eyes flicked to the pale figure’s veil, watching how easily he deflected Nicolas’s fury. Does he... need me for something? The one behind the crystal... if that’s true, then he can’t kill me.’

The thought burned through his veins like fire.

It’s a chance.

His hand darted to his belt. Revenant Fang slid free, the cursed blade gleaming in the stormlight. Noel exhaled once, steadying the chaos in his chest, then sprinted forward.

Stone shattered under his boots as he closed the distance. Nicolas’s eyes widened mid-teleport, sparks wrapping his frame as he saw Noel charge. "What are you doing—?!"

But Noel was already there, Revenant Fang clashing against the jagged sword of the Pillar. Sparks erupted between them, a harsh scream of steel against steel. The shockwave blasted dust across the crater.

The Pillar tilted his head at him, a low chuckle rumbling from beneath the veil. Noir lunged at the same instant, her shadow-fangs tearing into the earth beside them, while Nicolas appeared overhead, thunder surging from his hands.

Noel gritted his teeth, locking blades, every muscle straining against the impossible weight of the strike.

For the first time, he wasn’t running—he was standing at the center.

The clash of light, shadow, and lightning consumed the coliseum.