Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Skulls were grinding one by one, filling the bottom of the hourglass with thick blood. At this time, the battle between the three men gradually heated up, reaching its limit.

"Bastards... What are you fighting so desperately for, both of you!" Enar exclaimed, raising his voice for the first time as he stomped his foot, creating a fiery shockwave.

The wounded Roland and Zayne put up a block, but Zayne couldn't hold still and was thrown aside as part of his palms were covered in burns.

"Agh... Fate's Power is a real pain in the ass after all..." Enar muttered, staring intently at Roland, whose gaze was fixed on him, 'That kid I can deal with later, but if I don't tame this Knight, I might actually be in trouble.'

Whooooooooooosh.

Enar's eyes sparkled as his palms became much faster. He didn't hold back at all, attacking Roland as fast as he could.

'Shit! Even I can't keep up with those moves!' Roland exclaimed inwardly as he prepared to block.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

However, against Enar turned serious, one of the Apostles, Roland had no chance.

In an instant several blows came crashing down on him, breaking two of his ribs, practically dislocating his jaw, and a blow to the solar plexus almost knocking Roland out of his senses, making him gasp.

"You shouldn't have annoyed me. What I don't like most is working hard during a routine, there's nothing cool about that, you know?" Enar frowned, took a deep breath, and abruptly extended two palms forward, bringing them down on Roland's chest.

The impact caused a fiery explosion that left Roland's chest with a wide burn and tossed him aside.

With a gush of blood from his mouth, Roland's back collided with a stone pillar as his face twisted in pain. He was wearing sturdy armor, but it melted in an instant under the fire.

"Roland!" Zayne cried out anxiously as he swung his sword.

Enar's silhouette blurred, and the next moment the world in Zayne's eyes leaned in. Everything changed its angle abruptly, and so did his head, which was plunged into the ground by Enar's mighty blow to his jaw.

[HP: 30 -> 8]

Blood poured from the corners of Zayne's mouth while his gaze gradually clouded over, he struggled to remain conscious.

"Stay out of the way, better enjoy your last moments, even though you're a Traveler, it won't save you." Enar said coldly and headed toward Roland.

Roland was at his limit too. The situation was worse than ever as their opponent was on full alert, and Tier Three Chaos Hearth was about to appear.

'Am I going to fail again and disaster will happen...?' Roland inwardly muttered, looking at his sword, 'Even with the Fate's power I couldn't handle... Apostles, they are too strong...'

Roland's gaze began to fade, but then he gritted his teeth and shouted to himself, 'NO! As long as I can stand on my feet, I must fight to the very end!'

At the same moment, deep in his eyes, a blue fire lit up, and Roland felt a rush of strength that ran through his entire body.

"Right... Hope is also power... Fate has turned its attention to me, so I must use all the might that I have received!" Roland exclaimed as all the runes on his sword shone brightly, and a great wind current appeared around him.

"Oh, it looks like you still have some energy left in you, doesn't it? That's good, considering your intensity it will be enough to summon the Tier Three Chaos Hearth." Enar said calmly with a slight nod.

Roland took a deep breath, "You can say what you want, but Fate will help me defeat you, subordinates of the Chaos! You bring only destruction to this world!"

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The wind currents shuddered, turning into two wings, just like the ones on the guard of Roland's sword. Unlike Zayne's wings, they were pointed forward, as if simultaneously protecting Roland and showing their intentions to attack.

Enar arrogantly looked at Roland and with an ice-cold gaze said, "Agh, you... foolish humans following your faith as the only thing that matters... Men like you will never know the true power or meaning of this world. Well, I'm ready to show you some of what I'm talking about."

His ring glowed brightly, and two short blades appeared in his hands. They were longer than daggers, but not as swords. They were fast, light, and deadly weapons.

'So all this time he was fighting without using his weapons...? Well, that was to be expected, considering how carelessly he acted. However, it still doesn't change anything. I still have to give it my all and do my best if I want to win!' Roland exclaimed inwardly as his eyes sparkled.

Whooooooooooosh.

Roland stepped forward, and wings like two streams of wind followed him, rushing straight for Enar. The wind, destroyed everything in its path, leaving behind Roland's blue trail of runes on his sword.

"I have to use the skill... Agh... How did it come to this...?" Enar said sadly as all his fire went out.

Roland was closing in on him, but Enar wasn't worried at all, he just crossed his two blades in front of him and closed his eyes.

'Now!' Roland shouted as he focused all his energy on the tip of his sword, thrusting it into Enar, at tremendous speed.

"Crimson Cross... Give sorrow to my enemy..." Enar whispered, then he opened his eyes.

Elin watching the battle saw only two things. How Enar collided with Roland in a fiery flash, and how they then crossed each other.

In an instant, they were a great distance away, and their gazes were filled with boundless confidence.

"No way..." Elin's gaze faded as she got goosebumps.

Crackle.

A wide cut opened on Enar's side, from which blood gushed out in a powerful stream, trickling down. However, he simply covered the wound with his palm and turned around.

"That was a good attack, I'd even say it exceeded my expectations... but I think we've reached the epilogue to our story..." Enar muttered looking at the fiery cut in the X-shape covering Roland's entire back and pouring blood all over it.

"Even with Fate's Power I couldn't win..." Roland spoke in a fading voice before he fell to the ground.

Blood Skull stared at Roland, "Is he dead?"

Enar shook his head, "No... Though, that is surprising."

"Fine, otherwise we would have lost too much energy. If you don't mind I'll finish this." Blood Skull spoke before opening his jaw wide from which the chain flew out.

"No! Don't you dare do that!" Elin exclaimed with tear-filled eyes as she rushed toward Roland.

Enar glanced at her, shook his head, and waved his hand, sending a burst of flame in her direction that threw her back, preventing her from approaching.

Clang.

The Crimson blade whipped off the tip of the chain, and in front of Roland, a silhouette with a tired but confident gaze stood.

"Argh? Is that kid still not dead? You! Bastard! Don't you dare get in my way!" Blood Skull exclaimed furiously, launching another chain at Zayne.

Crackle.

Zayne swung his arm as his blood poured out, but it only made Blood Skull shudder with fear and made Enar's eyes wide.

"Aren't those too bold words for a common artifact?" Zayne said coldly, looking at his palm which was pierced by the tip.

Whooooooooooooosh.

Zayne swung his hand sharply, pulling the Blood Skull toward him as if with a hook and gripping it tightly.

"What... What are you going to do...?!" Blood Skull exclaimed in fear.

"Nothing much, just getting rid of the annoying noise you keep making." Zayne muttered before leaning in slightly.

Crackle.

With all his might, he collapsed the Blood Skull against the ground, shattering it into small pieces and destroying the artifact forever.