Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 167: The Endgame [8]

Kyle wiped the blood from his mouth, spitting crimson onto the scorched dirt.

His ribs throbbed with every breath, each inhale sharp like a dagger twisting in his side. But he forced himself to stand.

Around him, the others were stirring.

Cassian was getting up on shaky legs, bruises darkening his arms.

Serena gritted her teeth, her glaive sparking faintly as she pulled it from the ground.

Cedric stood just a few steps ahead, golden flames licking his shoulders. His eyes sharp and focused.

Across from them, Rodrick stood like an executioner in the middle of a battlefield. Calm. Towering.

That massive greatsword rested on his shoulder, and his face twisted with something between amusement and disgust.

"Pathetic," Rodrick muttered again, voice flat.

Then Cedric stepped forward.

His sword flared with golden fire...

No hesitation. No fear. The very air shimmered from the heat pouring off it.

"We’re not done yet," Cedric said, his voice low and steady.

Rodrick raised an eyebrow. "Prove it."

He didn’t have to say it twice.

Cedric slammed his sword into the earth.

A shock of mana rippled out.

But this time... it was different.

Not just golden fire.. But something else. A second color glowed beneath the flames.

Deep green. Alive. Vibrant. Wild.

Rodrick blinked. "What—?"

Cedric’s voice rang out.

"[Vinefang]!"

The ground beneath Rodrick’s feet erupted.

Thick roots tore out of the earth like coiled serpents.

They weren’t gentle vines.. they were twisted, gnarled things. Surging forward with monstrous speed.

They coiled around Rodrick’s legs, arms, torso.. Wrapping tightly, forcing him still.

His face twisted. "A third affinity?!"

Cedric didn’t answer. He yanked his sword upward.

The roots pulled tighter.

Rodrick’s body groaned under the pressure.. Muscles locked. Armor straining. It looked like the ground itself was trying to swallow him whole.

Then Rodrick roared.

Flames burst from his body in a violent wave, incinerating the roots in seconds. The air filled with the sharp scent of burning wood and ash.

But it was enough.

Eleanora was already moving.

She stepped from the shadows behind him, her body low and fast.

Her estoc lashed out.. one, two, three strike. Each aimed at the thin gaps in his armor.

Darkness clung to her blade like smoke.

Each cut sizzled on contact. Fire mana reacting violently to her own. Thin red lines bloomed across Rodrick’s side.

He snarled and turned.

His hand shot out, backhanding Eleanora with brutal force.

She flipped through the air but landed light on her feet, skidding back. But alive.

Rodrick spun toward her, lifting his sword for a devastating counter...

"Cassian!" Kyle shouted.

Cassian didn’t hesitate.

He slammed his gauntlets together.

The ground rumbled.

A wall of molten stone shot up from the ground, catching Rodrick’s blade mid-swing.

Sparks flew as steel met hardened magma.

The blade struck, hard. But didn’t break through.

Not immediately.

"Serena, NOW!" Cassian yelled, sweat flying from his brow.

She was already moving.

Her glaive buzzed with crackling violet energy. She spun it around her body once, gathering momentum.. Then hurled it like a spear.

"[Stormfang]!"

The weapon screamed through the air like a bolt of lightning.

Rodrick moved... but not fast enough.

The glaive struck just behind him, slamming into the dirt.

And exploded.

A dome of purple lightning erupted outward, blinding and loud. The shockwave threw up dust and rock. The crackle echoing across the battlefield.

Even Rodrick staggered, thrown off balance.

That was the window.

Kyle stepped forward, one hand raised. Ice and lightning danced along his arm.

[Frostvein]

He brought his hand down, and multiple arcs of lightning shot out. Sharp and fast.

They snapped through the air like whips. One slashed across Rodrick’s chest, hitting the exact spot Eleanora had pierced moments ago.

The impact froze the blood. Spread across his armor.

Ice formed quickly.

It locked joints. Stiffened his shoulders. Froze half his gauntlet in place.

For just a second.. He couldn’t move.

Rodrick’s body pulsed with heat.

"ENOUGH!"

Rodrick’s voice ripped through the battlefield like thunder.

He stomped down hard.

The earth trembled beneath his feet.

A shockwave of fire exploded outward in a wide ring, forcing everyone back. The flames rolled like a crashing wave, hot and violent.

Cassian raised his arms, struggling to summon another wall of stone.

The barrier formed just in time.. Only for the fire to tear straight through it, melting rock like butter.

The explosion sent Cassian stumbling, coughing from the heat.

Rodrick didn’t slow down.

He charged forward. His massive greatsword raised high. The ground cracked under his steps as he closed in on Cedric.

With a loud roar. He brought his blade down in a crushing overhead strike.

CLANG!

Cedric barely blocked it. His knees buckled, arms shaking as the steel met steel. The impact forced him down.. His blade rattling in his grip.

Rodrick grinned. "You’re strong," he said, his voice full of dark amusement.

"Three affinities? That’s rare. But it won’t save you."

Without warning. He slammed his foot into Cedric’s chest.

CRACK!

Cedric flew back like a ragdoll. His back hitting the dirt hard as he rolled across the field, gasping for air.

Blood dripped from his mouth. His fingers gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.

He forced himself to stand. Even if it hurt.

Rodrick stalked toward him, his greatsword dragging sparks as it scraped against the stone.

But Cedric didn’t run.

He took a breath, and whispered,

"[Lumenflare]"

His sword ignited in golden fire.

The flame didn’t burn like normal fire.

It shone.

A warm, radiant light burst around the blade. Cedric slashed. Not at Rodrick, but at the ground in front of him.

The golden flames surged out in a line. But instead of spreading or burning... they wrapped.

Tendrils of fire twisted up like glowing ropes, curling around Rodrick’s legs.

Rodrick stopped mid-step. His eyes narrowed.

"You think fire can bind me?" he growled.

Cedric didn’t answer. He just smirked.

"It’s not just fire."

Rodrick looked down, and his expression shifted.

The golden flame wasn’t burning him.

It was draining him.

A slow pull. Like something was eating away at his strength. The light sapped his energy, dragging his mana down.

He growled in frustration and flexed his muscles. The tendrils snapped away in bursts of steam, but the delay was enough.

Because by then. Eleanora had already moved.

She appeared like a shadow, her estoc in hand.

Her voice was a soft whisper, but sharp as ice.

"[Umbra Lance]"

Dark mana swirled at the tip of her blade. Forming a spiral of pure black energy. With a single thrust. The spell shot forward like a high-speed drill.

Rodrick turned, but not fast enough.

SHRIP—

The lance grazed his side, slicing deep into his armor and tearing through flesh. Blood sprayed across the field.

Rodrick hissed, swinging wildly in return. But he hit nothing but air.

He staggered back..

And Cassian charged in from the other side.

[Magma Fist]

Cassian’s fist slammed into Rodrick’s ribs, molten fire bursting outward on impact.

A loud boom echoed as the hit knocked Rodrick back several steps, smoke rising from the burn across his side.

Rodrick’s breath came heavy now.

Not just irritated.

Furious.

"You insects...!"

He exploded forward in a flash.

A single backhand launched Cassian through the air, slamming him against the base of a cliff.

His boot connected with Serena next. Sending her flying into a pile of broken dead bodies.

Rodrick didn’t chase them.

He turned.

Kyle hadn’t moved.

He was standing still, his eyes locked on the clouds above.

The storm was building. Dark and full of energy. The sky had turned gray, and the wind was howling louder by the second.

Rodrick’s eyes narrowed.

"What are you looking at?"

Kyle didn’t answer.

His hand was raised.

Lightning crackled between his fingers.

Above them, the clouds churned.

The pressure in the air changed. Thick and heavy, like a storm about to break. Rain began to fall.

A light drizzle at first.

Then—

Downpour.

It poured from the sky, soaking the battlefield in seconds.

Rodrick blinked as the cold water struck his face. He looked up.. and saw it.

The clouds twisted in a spiral, lightning flashing deep within.

And Kyle was standing at the center of it.

Rodrick’s smirk began to fade.

Kyle’s hair clung to his forehead, soaked by the rain.

Sparks ran up his arm, glowing in bright blue-white threads that pulsed with mana.

He had been waiting for this.

Lured him here.

Fed Lena false information. Timed the battle for today... this exact day.

The only day the weather would allow it.

Rodrick’s eyes widened.

Kyle’s voice was quiet.

But it echoed across the field.

"Let’s see how you handle this."

———

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