"Need a hand, love?" she called, her voice teasing.

Adrian grinned despite himself, sidestepping another punch from the bald man. "I've got this."

Lilith's laughter rang out again, and Adrian could feel the fire in his chest reignite.

'Okay,' he said to himself. 'Time to be serious.'

Adrian steadied his breath, pushing the sounds of the battle and Lilith's teasing voice into the background. He closed his eyes, his mind sinking inward.

In the stillness, he searched for that pool of power deep within him.

It felt like a raging river under the surface, a force waiting to be unleashed, dark and wild, yet oddly calming.

The bald man, seeing Adrian's stillness as an opening, lunged forward with a powerful punch aimed at his face. The move was swift, but Adrian remained motionless, his eyes still closed. Just as the man's fist came within inches, Adrian's hand shot up.

He caught the punch effortlessly with a steel grip. The bald man's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could react, Adrian twisted his arm and pushed him off.

The bald man's body arced through the air, thrown several feet back, landing hard on the ground with a heavy thud. He groaned, pushing himself up slowly, his eyes narrowing as he spat a curse.

"So," he growled, rolling his shoulder to ease the pain. "You've been holding back, huh?"

Adrian opened his eyes, their dark intensity now fixed on the man. But there was no need for a reply. His silence was answer enough.

The bald man charged again, his feet pounding the dirt beneath him as he closed the distance. He swung wildly, aiming another punch at Adrian's ribs. This time, Adrian sidestepped with an almost inhuman precision.

The punch missed its mark by a mile, and before the bald man could recover, Adrian delivered a swift jab to his gut.

The man gasped, stumbling backward, clutching his stomach in shock.

But Adrian wasn't done.

Without giving his opponent a moment to breathe, he closed the gap, his fist striking the man's jaw with brutal force. The crack of bone echoed across the battlefield.

The bald man staggered, his vision swimming. He threw another despearate punch, but Adrian dodged it easily. Then, with a swift uppercut, Adrian sent the man crashing to the ground again.

Blood dripped from the man's nose and mouth as he glared up at Adrian, disbelief and anger warring in his expression.

"You're fast," the bald man grunted, wiping blood from his lips. "But let's see how long you can keep it up."

Adrian still didn't respond. He simply stepped forward, his gaze locked on his opponent like a predator closing in on its prey. The bald man scrambled to his feet, but his movements were sluggish now, his body betraying him.

He swung wildly again, but Adrian weaved around the attack effortlessly

Before the man could blink, Adrian's knee collided with his ribs, and another sickening crunch followed. The bald man cried out in pain, doubling over, clutching his side.

Adrian took a step back, allowing him just enough time to straighten up before delivering a brutal elbow to the man's temple, sending him sprawling once more.

The bald man groaned, his body trembling as he tried to rise again. But Adrian wasn't finished. He walked forward, his boots crunching against the dirt, and with a flick of his wrist, his chain snaked out, wrapping around the man's wrist.

Adrian yanked hard, pulling the man to his feet before landing a devastating punch across his face.

The bald man spun from the impact, collapsing to the ground, his body barely responding to his will anymore. Bruised, bleeding, and broken, he lay there, panting heavily, his chest heaving with the effort.

Adrian stood over him with an unreadable expression. There was no satisfaction in his eyes, just the cold efficiency of a warrior who had long since mastered the art of combat. That was unmistakably Medea's aura around him.

The bald man coughed, spitting out blood as he looked up at Adrian through swollen eyes. "This… this isn't possible…" he gasped weakly, the fight drained from him.

Adrian lowered himself to the man's level, his tone calm, almost gentle. "I told you. You should've stayed down."

The man's head lolled to the side, barely able to hold his gaze as his body gave in to the punishment. The fight was over.

In the distance, the sounds of battle continued to rage on, but in this small pocket of the battlefield, everything felt still, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Adrian stood, glancing toward the chaos as Lilith's laughter rang out once again.

She—Lilith, Medea, Ava, and Selene had already finished mopping up the remaining soldiers. The ground was littered with bodies, and the few surviving enemies were retreating into the distance.

"Well," Lilith said, sauntering over to Adrian with a smile. "That was fun."

Adrian chuckled softly, finally allowing himself to relax after the intense fight. His muscles still hummed with energy, the remnants of power coursing through his veins. "Yeah, fun," he muttered with a hint of irony, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield.

Bodies lay scattered, and the smell of burnt flesh and charred earth lingered in the air.

As his eyes roamed, they fell on a figure lying on the ground, not far from the ruins of what had once been a defensive barricade. The village head, a man whose arrogance had fueled much of the chaos today, was on the floor, groaning in pain.

Hovering over him, sword drawn and eyes narrowed, was Faolan. For a brief moment, Adrian had forgotten about the councilman. But, it seemed, Faolan was still alive and had managed to handle himself well.

Adrian exhaled a breath of relief. He was glad the older man had survived.

He started toward them, his boots crunching against the blood-soaked earth. Faolan's head snapped up when Adrian approached, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword.

There was tension in the air, but it wasn't fear—it was exhaustion, mixed with relief.

As Adrian neared, one of his fiery chains sprang from his back, snapping to life with a sharp crack. It slithered through the air like a serpent, moving with precision as it wrapped around the midsection of the village head.

The man let out a strangled gasp as the chain lifted him off the ground effortlessly. His feet dangled in the air, his face pale as he was brought eye-level with Adrian.

"Okay," Adrian said in a low but also dangerous voice, his narrowed eyes studying the trembling man. "Let's have a chat now, shall we?"

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