Nightblade (Darkest night)

Chapter 248: Herald

Merlin tilted his head faintly.

"You possess remarkable talent for someone your age," he admitted calmly.

Then—a moment later Merlin blurred through the air appearing next to her.

His lips curled into a gentle smile, the glow in his eyes intensifying.

His fingers briefly brushed her shoulder.

Clara’s eyes widened.

"What did he..."

An overwhelming force crashed through her body instantly.

It felt like the world itself had suddenly become infinitely heavier.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The floor beneath Clara shattered violently as invisible pressure drove her downward.

Cracks spread across the chamber in massive spiderweb patterns while the frozen ground collapsed beneath her feet.

Her knees slammed into the fractured marble floor, sending a jolt of blinding pain through her body.

Her vision momentarily turned white.

The violent impact sent shockwaves throughout the hall.

Clara gritted her teeth, azure light exploding wildly around her as she struggled against the crushing force pinning her in place.

But even then, straining with all her might, she could not move.

Merlin looked down at her silently.

The silver glow within his eyes had become inhumanly cold.

"You came here believing that power you wielded alone made you untouchable," he said quietly.

"That you could simply take the girl, because for some reason," he scoffed decisively, shaking his head, " you thought you could.

"Ironically, that’s how most Talented think."

Around them, space continued to tremble violently from the pressure radiating from his body.

"But power without understanding is merely violence."

Clara’s arm trembled violently as she tried forcing herself upward.

Then Merlin sighed softly and gently raised his hand.

And the pressure multiplied.

CRRRAAAAACK!

With a violent groan, the web of cracks around her widened horrendously.

Blood spilled from Clara’s lips as the floor beneath her collapsed entirely.

For the first time since the battle began, genuine fear flashed across her face.

A split second later, she snarled, her gaze hardening with cold resolve.

A moment later, the entire mansion exploded with power, its foundation trembling slightly.

BOOOOOOOM!

Azure frost and molten golden fire erupted simultaneously, colliding violently within the ruined chamber as Klein burst back through the shattered wall like a raging inferno.

The gigantic molten warrior roared, crimson flames pouring from his body in catastrophic waves of heat that instantly vaporized the surrounding frost into clouds of steam.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Klein’s massive fist descended toward Merlin with enough force to collapse a building.

But almost as though he could peer into the future, Merlin had calmly lifted a hand moments before the fiery giant had started moving.

And as a result, the harrowing impact never reached him.

Space distorted violently between them, folding inward like rippling water. Klein’s devastating punch crashed into the warped air itself, releasing a thunderous shockwave that fractured the distorted space then reflected at him

The mansion trembled, several incandescent runes etched into its foundation glowing to life.

At the same time, Clara moved.

The azure light within her eyes blazed brighter than ever as countless streams of freezing energy spiraled around her body.

"Frozen Dominion."

The words echoed softly across the space between.

For a brief moment, Merlin froze.

"Olde power," he whispered, his eyes narrowing.

His eyes widened as his mind churned at inhuman speed at the implications of the power the young woman before him was wielding.

Then he laughed maniacally, grasping at his face with a single hand.

The light in his eyes took on a maniacal glow.

"GREAAAATTT!!!! Show me more!!!!!" He roared, throwing his hands into the air.

A split second later, the world changed around them.

An unbearable cold swept outward from Clara in every direction, devouring the chamber and encasing it once more in layers of crystalline frost.

The air froze solid.

The ancient pillars became entombed beneath layers of azure ice. Even the drifting sparks of lightning around Merlin slowed unnaturally.

And for the first time—Merlin’s movements visibly paused.

Clara’s eyes sharpened instantly recognizing the small moment of weakness.

"Klein!"

The molten giant roared.

Golden flames erupted explosively around his body as he launched forward once more, his gigantic frame moving with terrifying speed despite his immense size.

This time, he didn’t strike recklessly.

Uncanny intelligence shone in the giant’s eyes as he thundered across the makeshift battlefield.

A barrage of monstrous blows descended toward Merlin from multiple angles while Clara simultaneously manipulated the frozen domain itself, her eyes shining with ethereal brilliance.

Jagged spears of ice erupted from the floor, walls, and ceiling in coordinated waves, sealing every possible escape route.

The collapsed hall instantly became a death trap.

And at its center—Merlin smiled faintly.

Then silver lightning exploded outward.

CRRRAAAAAACK!!!

The frozen chamber detonated.

Blinding currents of silver electricity tore through the domain with apocalyptic force, vaporizing entire sections of ice while shockwaves ripped through the mansion.

Klein’s punch finally connected—

Or it should have.

But instead, his flaming fist passed straight through Merlin’s body.

"An afterimage. No—!" Clara’s eyes widened.

But it was already too late.

Merlin appeared above them.

Then the air around them screamed.

An overwhelming pressure descended from the heavens like divine judgment itself.

"Kneel."

The single word shook reality.

BOOOOOOM.

Klein and Clara were slammed violently into the ground simultaneously as an invisible force crushed the entire chamber downward. The floors collapsed beneath them while the remaining walls exploded outward from the pressure.

The luxurious mansion could no longer contain the battle.

A colossal explosion of silver lightning, azure frost, and golden fire tore through the upper floors before blasting into the storm-covered skies outside.

Snow and debris rained across the frozen mountain range. Victor stared at the mess with a disgruntled expression, his eyes narrowing in distaste.

"Bloody hell..." He muttered under his breath.

His eyes narrowed slightly, his lips pursing into a thin line.

"I may have underestimated them."

Outside the mansion, the battle truly began.

A ripple exploded outward enveloping the mansion within a second layer.

Klein burst from the wreckage first, molten flames erupting around his gigantic body as he skidded across the snowy plains.

Every step instantly melted the frozen earth beneath him into bubbling magma.

Clara emerged moments later in a spiraling storm of ice, floating above the battlefield while countless frozen shards rotated around her like orbiting blades.

And far above them—Merlin hovered silently in the storm.

Silver lightning illuminated the heavens behind him while dark clouds churned violently overhead.

He looked less like a man now...

And more like a herald of catastrophe.