Druvash straightened slowly, the ground trembling beneath his feet. "Thou hast done well, Demon," he said, voice reverberating through the clearing. "But playtime ends here. This… is my final form."

His skin began to shift again, shedding, cracking, reforming. The coarse, reptilian hide peeled away, revealing something far more terrifying beneath. His entire body took on a smooth, polished sheen, dark brown like oiled timber, every surface gleaming softly under the dim light. The texture looked almost royal, refined, dense, and impenetrable.

Renny's eyes narrowed. It made sense. Druvash was a wood beast. Of course, his true form would reflect his domain, strength refined into perfection.

But before the beast could fully revel in his transformation, Renny's voice cut in, calm but laced with fatigue. "You're not the only one with tricks left."

That made Druvash pause, eyes narrowing with intrigue. "Thou darest claim another card to play?"

Renny gave a faint, almost reckless smile. "You'll just have to find out for yourself."

Truth was, he did have one last option. The Royal Eye. It would sharpen everything, his spells, his movements, his precision. But the cost… would be severe. His body was already nearing its limit. The Eye would drain the last of his strength. Meaning if he activated it, he had to end this now.

Druvash's grin widened, molten eyes flaring. "Very well then, little Demon… let us see this 'trick' of thine."

And in an instant, he was gone.

The world blurred. A crack thundered through the forest as Druvash appeared before Renny, faster than ever. The impact came like a storm; one swing sent Renny crashing through the trees, splinters slicing through the air.

He barely had time to breathe before another hit landed, then another. Druvash was relentless, his speed monstrous. Renny couldn't see him, couldn't read the movements. Even at full strength, he wouldn't have been able to keep up.

He was being rag-dolled through the forest, slammed, hurled, struck again and again, every blow rattling his bones.

There was no room to counter.

No chance to cast a spell.

No time to think.

Renny staggered, dodged, and countered, but it wasn't enough.

A final, brutal swing sent him crashing to the ground, knees sinking into the dirt. Blood trailed down his face, his breathing ragged.

Druvash loomed over him, towering, his polished wooden skin gleaming like burnished armor. A single spike formed along his wrist and stretched across Renny's throat, pressing lightly against his skin.

The beast's tone carried both mockery and respect. "Thou hast fought well, little Demon," he said, voice deep and resonant. "To crawl back from death's door, to learn, to grow, and to come hither only to challenge me again. I have never seen such resolve."

He leaned closer, his molten eyes dimming into something almost solemn. "A pity. Such talent wasted."

Renny's head drooped, his body trembling. Blood dripped from his chin onto the dirt below.

Druvash lifted Renny's chin with the tip of his wooden spike. "Farewell, demon."

The spike began to swing.

But before it connected, Renny's right eye flared to life.

A violent pulse of energy rippled through the clearing as his Royal Eye activated, its glow sharp and commanding. He looked up at the descending spike, his voice cutting through the chaos, steady, cold.

"Domaveth… Dreznar Volh."

The ground screamed. The air fractured.

In an instant, Druvash's spike shattered, then his entire arm splintered apart, fragments bursting outward like shards of glass. The beast roared in agony, stumbling back, clutching at the fragments as they fell apart faster than they could regenerate.

He tried to steady himself, but the collapsing fractures spread, snapping across his other arm, consuming it in a chain of cracks until that too exploded into splinters.

Renny rose slowly, breathing hard, his Royal Eye still blazing, though his body trembled from the strain. A faint, exhausted smile touched his lips.

"It's time," he said quietly. "The seed… is ripe."

Druvash's face twisted in confusion and pain. "What seed…?"

Renny's gaze sharpened, his tone turning cold, regal.

"Domaveth Zereth Krynn."

The words left his mouth like a decree.

His Dominion's silent fracture spell, so subtle it made no sound. The same spell he had used on Zauric.

Druvash's body began breaking from within as he fell to his knees, unable to comprehend what was happening. He looked down at himself, his form disfiguring in an awkward, unnatural way. Trembling, he tried to speak, but his voice failed him.

Renny approached slowly, his left palm pressed over his royal eye as he deactivated it, breathing heavily. "I knew causing such an effect was the only way to defeat a beast like you," he said calmly. "It breaks from within, but only those who already carry fractures in their form. Like Zauric, whose inner self was already cracked."

He paused, looking down at Druvash, whose wooden body groaned under invisible strain. "But you… Your internal form was smooth, solid, like your spikes. For my spell to work, I needed to create a crack inside you. That's why I planned ahead.... fed you the destruction demon seed hidden in the food I offered earlier."

Druvash's eyes widened in disbelief as his body continued to crumble. By the time Renny stood before him, the beast was completely subdued. Renny reached forward, unhooking the necklace from Druvash's neck and holding it firmly in his bloodstained hand.

Finally, he had done it. The struggle, the sleepless nights, had all paid off. Now he could move on to the next stage.

But before he could even turn, a blade pierced clean through his back. He froze, breath catching, confusion flickering across his face. It couldn't be Druvash; he was already kneeling, defeated before him.

A hand suddenly closed around the key, and the figure who'd appeared before him was Krovanis Omekro — former Vice President. Renny's breath caught. Of all the moments, of all the times, Krovanis chose now.

Krovanis grinned, slow and ugly. "You really thought you could try to kill my girl and walk away like nothing happened? Nah... you messed up. Then you go and get Seraphine taken by a Sentinel. Bold… or stupid?" He paused, letting the words sink in, then added, "I'd say both. You lack the wisdom to know when to be brave and when to be wise."

He paced once, then stopped to look down at Renny, the grin never leaving. "Listen good. You'll fetch Leila from that tree. You'll bring the Fruit of Ezra too, by your own hands. I don't bother with those petty tricks, schemes, or clever games to manipulate people. Not for me, and certainly not for you." He spat once, contempt thick in the motion. "You? A Grade One? I wouldn't waste that kind of effort on a fool like you."

Krovanis leaned in just close enough for it to feel like a promise. "If you want that key, you'll do what I say. Refuse, and try to take it by force, see how that goes." He laughed, sharp and light. "And if you find another path, another clever detour… I'll be there first. I'll scoop that route away every single time. I don't mind repeating, so long as you suffer."

Krovanis straightened, the grin widening into something colder. "When you finally give up, I'll end you. Same fate you gave Seraphine." He turned, the soul key swinging from his hand like a metronome, and walked away, his laugh echoing behind him.

Renny stared at the wound, at the blood on his hand, at Krovanis's broad back receding into the shadows.

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