Elias crouched low, pressing his palm against the dry ground. His Trapmaster interface flickered as he mapped out the zone, marking key locations in his mind. The terrain was rough—coarse sand shifting underfoot, small dunes rising and falling like waves frozen in time. He worked quickly, pnting traps in seemingly random intervals, but eae had purpose. Some were desigo slow, others to disorient, and a few… well, those would be a nasty surprise.

  He adjusted the pt of a pressure trip near a roation, his mind running through the possibilities. If they try a frontal rush, they'll get caught in a stagger. If they circle around, they'll funnel into—

  A low, distant hum suddenly filled the air.

  Bwoooooooh.

  The sound was deep, reverberating across the wastend—the official signal that the match had begun.

  Elias exhaled through his anding up and dusting off his hands. His eyes flicked toward the edge of the zone, where Rael stood, arms crossed. Beside him, Lupus remained eerily still, his pierg gaze sing the shifting sands beyond. The wolf summoner had a hand on the head of one of his beasts, its ears twitg as if listening to something beyond human perception.

  "Leader," Lupus said, voice steady, his usual dramatic phrasing absent. "Perimeter is clear. No moveme."

  Rael nodded but said nothing, his gaze fixed ahead.

  Elias followed his line of sight. Normally, it'd be easy to see the eeam approag in a setting like this. But the ndscape wasn't pletely ft—the sand dunes and jagged roations created an uneven battlefield, ing their line of sight. Shadows stretched in odd ways uhe glow of the moons, making it difficult to tell if something was truly there or just a trick of the light.

  He adjusted his grip on his rapier, rolling his shoulders as he kept an ear on Lupus' quiet murmurs. The summoner was whispering to his wolves, their ears flig at unseen disturbaheir low growls barely audible over the wind.

  Nothi.

  He g Rael, his gaze remained fixed on the horizon, his expression unreadable. The stillness in his pave away nothing

  The wind carried nothing but silence.

  Rael stood at the edge of their designated zone, his stance rexed but his mind rag. His eyes tracked the horizon, sing for movement. Something was off.

  Evan was aggressive—always had been. He wouldn't hesitate. If this were a normal fight, Twisted Demons would have already stormed the field, using their sheer force to overwhelm their oppos. Yet, nothing came. No war cries, no charged assaults. Just the eerie stillness of the desert, the shifting of loose sah his boots.

  His fiwitched as he sidered his move. He had two choices: wait a, or act first.

  He go his side, finding Lupus standing in his usual posed posture, his wolves sitting obediently beside him. Their ears twitched, noses fring as they sted the air.

  Lupus’ voice broke through Rael’s thoughts. "I’ve found unusual movement ierritory. It’s not like anything I’ve seen before."

  Rael’s eyes narrowed, sing the horizon once again. The wind shifted, and his instincts told him something was off. "Keep watg. We ’t afford to be blindsided."

  Lupus gave a short nod and was about to respond—

  Theorm came.

  Like a beast suddenly awakehe wind roared to life, sand exploding into the air with unnatural force.

  Rael's instincts kicked in immediately. "Brace yourselves!" he barked.

  The storm was sudden—too sudden. A natural sandstorm built up gradually, but this one seemed to be jured from thin air. A skill.

  His vision blurred as the swirling sands ed the battlefield. The fine grains bit against his exposed skin, slippiween the seams of his armor. Shadows moved withiorm—faint silhouettes, barely visible.

  Then, sparks—metal g against metal.

  bat had begun withiorm.

  Fleeting figures flickered in and out of sight, their ons igniting brief fshes of light before vanishing into the golden haze. The cshes were quick, violent, but scattered. It didn't feel like a coordinated push—it felt like a misdire.

  Something was wrong.

  Rael's mind ed through the possibilities.

  Evan had always been an in-your-face fighter, pushing his oppos into submission. Why was he hiding behind a storm?

  Unless—

  His thoughts froze. His instincts screamed at him.

  He turned sharply, his eyes snapping back toward their own zone.

  Distortions.

  Faint ripples of movement along the eastern and southern edges. Almost imperceptible, but they were there.

  Rael’s eyes snapped open, a realization hitting him like a strike of lightning. His heart quied as he turned sharply toward Mira.

  "NOW!" he barked, his voice ced with urgency.

  Mira reacted instantly.

  Without hesitation, she thrust her hands outward. Her Weathermancer abilities surged to life, pulling moisture from the air, f it into thick, densed mist.

  The mist rolled out like a crashing wave, swallowing the battlefield and terag the sandstorm. Visibility shifted in an instant. What was once a swirli of golden grains became an eerie battlefield of creeping fog, the sand below no longer illuminated by the harsh moonlight.

  But Rael wasn't done.

  "Fall back! They're just distras!"

  His forces immediately withdrew, reag to his and without hesitation.

  Thetlefield ripped open.

  Dark, jagged rifts appeared midair—portals.

  And through them stepped Twisted Demons.

  Evan emerged first, his boots sinking into the sand with deliberate slowness. His posture was rexed, but his smirk gave him away—he had already seen this py out.

  His eyes flicked to Elias, their 'fg,' standing firm in the fog. Then, his gaze lowered slightly.

  The traps.

  Explosives, snares, pitfalls—Rael's team had spent time preparing for them.

  Eva out a quiet ugh, shaking his head. "Traps, huh?"

  Theurned his head slightly.

  "Ger. Do yic."

  A deep chuckle rumbled from one of Evan's teammates.

  And thetlefield shifted.

  From thin air, dozens of figures materialized.

  Dummies—fake es, perfect replicas of real pyers.

  They didn't hesitate. In an instant, they charged toward Elias.

  One ran into a s snapped shut. Aepped into a pitfall—it colpsed, ing it.

  But it didn't matter. They weren't real.

  Every sirap in Elias's setup was going off.

  Explosioed oer another, fmes lig the sky as one by ohe illusions triggered the carefully pced defenses. Snares snapped, barriers shattered, stakes fired from hidden meisms—most of them id waste.

  Rael's eyes locked onto Evan through the chaos. If he didn't stop him now, it was over.

  Without hesitation, Rael lunged.

  Eva him head-on, shield g against Rael's bde with a force that sent a shockwave through the sand.

  g!

  Rael twisted, sidestepping to go for Evan's blind spot. A feint.

  But Evan wasn't fooled.

  His sword swung in a precise arc, f Rael to retreat.

  Rael exhaled sharply. That was close.

  Then, without warning, Evan rushed forward, bringing his on down in a powerful overhead strike.

  Rael barely had time to block—

  BOOM!

  The impact sent him skidding back, his feet carving deep grooves into the sand. Evan didn't let up.

  The moment Rael steadied himself, Evan was already there, bde swinging again.

  Rael parried, stepped forward, twisted—

  A perfect ter.

  Evan twisted in respoheir ons log again, sparks flying.

  her gained ground.

  For a brief moment, they stared each other down, breaths steady but sharp.

  Then, with a burst of force—they broke apart, pushed away from each other by the impact.

  Rael steadied his stance, rolling his shoulder. He smirked. "You've improved."

  Evan chuckled, shaking his head. "'t say the same for you."

  Rael didn't argue. Instead, his smirk widened.

  He raised a hand—

  And poioward the mist.

  Slowly, it began to shift.

  At first, just a subtle ge.

  Then—a ripple.

  The air grew heavy.

  The mist thied, darkening, turning a reddish hue.

  Evan's body suddenly felt sluggish. His movements slowed, a fai pressing against his limbs.

  Then—

  [Debuff Applied: Upheaval]

  Evan's eyes narrowed. "Tch. So that's what this was."

  Rael didn't respond. His smirk remained, unwavering, as the two of them circled each other. Their bdes cshed again, a flurry of steel, but Rael wasn't pressing. He was .

  The sandstorm was dying down, but the mist still lihid heavy in the air. It swirled around them like a living thing, dist every move. Rael’s mind worked swiftly, pieg everything together.

  The mist... Mira’s Upheaval was w through it. Slowing him down. A, Evan’s still managing to keep up.

  Evan lunged again, but Rael had already anticipated it. He parried, defleg Evan's strike, then stepped back, his eyes never leaving his oppo.

  Evan pushed forward, but Rael's gaze flicked to the east, sing the horizon. The wolves had given him some useful information—distortions at the edge of the zohey're closing in on our position.

  Rael shifted slightly, deliberately, leading Evan into a tighter space. His oppo, of course, followed. Evan was a smart fighter, but Rael had learned his rhythms, his patterns.

  Arike. Rael parried again.

  "This is getting tiresome, Evan," Rael said casually, never losing his cool.

  Eva out a low ugh. "Tired of losing already?"

  Rael didn't respond. His stance remaieady as his eyes locked on Evan, cold and calg.

  The mist thied around them, being more solid by the sed. Evan's movements slowed, but his eyes sed the surroundings, still determined.

  Rael shifted his weight subtly, stepping just slightly to the side. He made no aggressive move, yet the space between them expanded, creating distahout notice.

  Evan's gaze flickered to the distance, his focus shifting to the fg he trusted his team to secure. "I see you’ve led me away," he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration.

  Rael didn’t flinch, his expression unreadable as the thiing mist swallowed the space betweehe battlefield seemed to grow heavier with every passing moment.

  The battlefield felt heavier. Every breath, every movement, slowed uhe weight of the mist. Evan’s eyes narrowed, gng from Rael to the distant fg, clearly distracted for the first time.

  Rael, ever so subtly, adjusted his position again, pulling Evan just a little farther away from his fg. No words. No graures.

  But the effect was immediate. Evan stiffened, his eyes snapping back to Rael. “What’s yame, Rael?”

  Rael didn’t respond. He didn’t o.

  Evan’s shoulders tensed, but his lips twisted into a slight smirk. “My team’s on it,” he repeated, though it sounded less ving now. He trusted them, yes—but the more Rael stayed silent, the more uneasy Evan became.

  Rael took a deep breath, his voice calm. “Your team’s petent, Evan. I’ll give you that. But you’ve missed ohing.” He paused, letting the words hang in the air.

  Evan narrowed his eyes, trying to anticipate what Rael was getting at. "What are you talking about?"

  Rael shrugged slightly, his posture still tense. “You’ve been so focused on capturing Elias, Evan. But there’s something you’ve overlooked. It’s not just about getting him—it’s about getting him back to your zone.”

  Evan frowned, fused. “That’s the pn, right? ture him and bring him back. We have more than enough time.”

  Rael didn’t answer right away, his steps drawing him in closer with calm precision, every movement part of the steady rhythm of their duel. As their bdes met, he spoke, his voice cool and measured. “It’s not about speed or strength, Evan. Y, your defenses—everything relies on assumptions. You thought you could outmaneuver me by force alone.”

  Evan, still fighting, couldn't help but respond with a strained grin. “What, you mean that Gale guy? We already khey were close by. He won’t have enough time to do anything.”

  Rael didn’t flinch, his movements fluid as he engaged Evan in a series of rapid exges. Each strike was trolled, each motion purposeful. With every swing of his sword, he was reading Evan’s rhythm, waiting for an opening. His focus was on the fight, but the tension in the air told him that Evan was beginning to waver.

  Evan’s shield smmed against Rael’s swain, sparks flying, but Rael was already gone—blinking a short distah Soulstep, his bde slig at Evan’s side as he reappeared. Evan barely mao block it, gritting his teeth in frustration. His own attacks were more desperate now, relying on brute force rather than the precision Rael was dispying.

  Rael’s strikes weren’t just physical—they carried with them a pressure that was felt with every movement. Evan gritted his teeth, eling a burst of divine energy into his shield, activating Divine Bastion—a skill that hardened his defense, making him nearly impervious to Rael’s usual strikes. He swung his sword in a wide arc, the shimmering energy crag around him, pushing Rael back with an explosive surge.

  Rael stumbled slightly, but his eyes never wavered. Soulstep fshed him out of danger once again, blinking behind Evan. He moved with the grace of a shadow, nding a strike across Evan’s back. Evan, though, wasn’t left vulnerable for long. With a quick motioivated Holy Reprisal, a skill that granted him a retaliatory burst of divine energy, sending a shockwave that forced Rael to take a step back, his body briefly overwhelmed by the radiant light.

  But Rael didn’t relent. He danced just out of reach, his attacks precise and lightning fast. He dodged another swing, Soulstep fshing him behind Evan once again. This time, he was ready—he activated Ruinous Strike, the gathered energy in his bde dark and crag with power. With a devastatingly swift strike, he cleaved through Evan’s defenses, breaking through the divine barrier Evan had erected.

  Evan’s breath quied. His shield felt heavier now, and the Divine Bastion was weakening. His strength was failing, but his will remained unbroken. Rael’s words echoed in his mind, but he pushed them aside. He raised his shield, activating Holy Ward, a final defehat blocked out damage while healing him for a brief moment.

  But Rael had already seen through it. With a final Soulstep, Rael closed the distahe Ruinous Strike crashing down with pinpoint accuracy. Evan’s sword flew from his hands, aumbled back, winded, his armor sizzling with the remnants of divine energy. His breath was ragged, and his eyes flickered in a mix of frustration and disbelief.

  "I might’ve lost the duel," Evan spat, still trying to hold his posure. "But it’s not over. Elias is almost back to our zohe mist—it’s making it hard to see, but he’s close. We’re going to win."

  Rael said nothing, his faeutral as he wiped his bde . Instead, he called out calmly, “Mira. You clear it now.”

  At the and, the thick mist that had enveloped the battlefield seemed to dissipate in an instant, revealing the full extent of the battlefield. Evan’s eyes widened as he looked around, seeing his fg member clearly marked in Rael’s zone, far from where it should have been.

  “What—how?” Evan stammered.

  Rael remained unfazed, only a faint smile. “You misjudged something, Evan. You didn’t at for everything.”

  Evan’s fusion deepened as he tried to piece it together. “No way… My teammate—she had ahat made her invisible if she sensed any danger. I had the perfect defense.”

  Rael’s smile widened ever so slightly. “If she sensed danger.”

  Evan blinked in disbelief. “What… do you mean?”

  Rael’s voice was casual, but there was a slight edge of amusement. “One of my teammates has a ret ability she picked up—Visual Dispersion. Very ve, actually. It allows her to distort the light around her, making her movements uable. And as you guess, y... wasn’t ‘invisible’ when she approached it.”

  Evan’s jaw dropped, realization dawning on him. “You—you had her take it while I was focused on you? But... how? Our zones are so far apart...”

  Rael didn’t show aion, his gaze steady. “Your offense was ued, Evan. Too bad your defense wasn’t.”

  Evan’s eyes fshed with fusion. “What do you—”

  Rael raised a hand, cutting him off. “While you were focused on the fight, Gale made sure to keep your defensive line occupied. You let yuard down, didn’t at for the bigger picture.”

  Evan's expression turned grim. "I ’t believe this..."

  Rael’s faint smile lihe battle now over. “Checkmate.”

  Evan sighed, a bitter ugh esg his lips as he shook his head. “You pyed it well, Rael. ’t deny it.”

  Rael helped him to his feet with no further words. The system notification chimed:

  [System Notification: Guild Eclipse has emerged victorious in the Capture the Fg event]

  WatgTomorrow