The plaza cracked under the elder's roar. His body stretched, veins bulging as scales traced his jaw.

His voice no longer sounded human. When he swung, the wind howled like a beast let loose, breaking stalls and uprooting stones.

Arden slid across the shattered ground, shield pressed against the blow, teeth clenched. "Stronger, sure… but you're just uglier now."

The hybrid hissed, spittle spraying. His claws raked the air, sending a crescent of wind blades at Arden. But before they could land, ice crystals spiraled upward, sealing them into jagged spears.

The Lord of Greyhold had stepped in, one hand raised, his voice calm. "Keep him steady."

Arden grinned. "That's the plan."

The elder lunged, a blur of muscle and storm.

His claws struck the ground, wind erupting in violent bursts.

Arden ducked left, flame gathering around his fists.

The Lord moved opposite, shards of ice weaving from his fingertips, each one cutting clean into the elder's flesh.

It should have been chaos, but it wasn't.

Slowly, their movements began to line. Arden's shield would block, the Lord's frost would strike. Arden's fire would drive the elder back, the Lord's ice would seal his footing.

"Good pace," Arden called between blows.

The Lord's eyes didn't shift, but his voice carried approval. "Better than expected."

The elder thrashed, swinging wildly. The plaza shook as he slammed his arm into the ground, sending wind across the square, scattering the crowd.

But Arden rushed in without hesitation, his shield glowing, life signatures blooming through his veins.

Each strike he gave off a pulse, fueling him further, and the more the hybrid fought, the more Arden's grin stretched.

Rael cursed under his breath from the sidelines. "That idiot's enjoying this."

Nyra didn't answer. Her gaze never left the two figures moving in unison. Her father's frost carved arcs of silver through the air, while Arden's flames lit the ground in a steady rhythm.

She they had never fought together, but she could feel the sync, the balance. And somewhere inside her chest, it stung and warmed at the same time.

The hybrid staggered as Arden slammed him with a burst of flame, and the Lord immediately sealed the ground with frost, catching the beast's leg in a cage of ice.

"Now!" the Lord snapped.

Arden charged, shoulder first, shield ringing against the elder's jaw.

The hybrid reeled, his wind domain faltering, his breath ragged.

The crowd gasped. Some had thought their Lord unmatched, untouchable, yet here was a boy moving with him, matching his pace, trading blows with something that had nearly torn the plaza apart moments ago.

The fight turned into a rhythm. CLANG! Arden's shield rang. CRACK!

The Lord's ice shattered across scales. WHOOSH! Fire swirled, cutting through the wind.

Every exchange built momentum, until even the hybrid's frenzy looked slow, his strikes swatted aside by two predators circling him.

The elder howled, chest expanding as he unleashed one last desperate surge. Wind roared outward, ripping flags and stalls into the air, lifting dust so high the plaza dimmed like a stormcloud.

The onlookers covered their heads. Guards raised barriers, but the shockwave rattled even them.

Arden dug his feet in, shield planted. "Big breath for a dying beast."

The Lord's voice was colder than the frost at his fingertips. "End this."

Arden smirked, eyes meeting the Lord's. A nod passed between them. They didn't need more words.

He dashed first, shield blazing with crimson lotus. The hybrid lunged, claws descending with enough force to split the ground.

But Arden twisted, taking the strike on the aegis, letting it ring like a bell. The pulse that echoed knocked the elder back just enough.

"Now!" Arden barked.

Frost exploded from the Lord's hand, a storm of blades converging at once. The hybrid roared, staggering, limbs pinned by jagged ice.

Arden spun, fire gathering into his fist, the air itself trembling with the heat. "Flame Conduction!"

He slammed the burning strike into the elder's chest, cracks running like molten lines through scale and flesh.

The Lord followed instantly, frost surging into the cracks, freezing them solid. The hybrid froze mid-roar, his body locked between fire and frost, glowing and shattering all at once.

The sound rang across the plaza. CRACK… BOOM!

And the elder split apart, half seared to ash, half frozen into fragments.

Silence followed.

The crowd stood stunned, air heavy with smoke and frost. Then, slowly, one voice called out.

"Our Lord!"

Another answered. "Arden of the Outlands!"

Then the chants came, building like a wave. Names rose from the crowd, Rael the steadfast, Nyra the storm's edge, Zephyra the flame beast, Arden the anomaly. And above them all, the Lord of Greyhold.

The people cheered with relief, hands raised, voices cracking with praise.

The Lord raised his hand as well, dignified but steady, his tone carrying authority. "Greyhold stands. Remember this night, we endured, we conquered."

The square erupted again. The chants washed like thunder through the ruins of the plaza.

Arden only half listened. His chest heaved with the rush of battle, but his eyes had shifted elsewhere. He stared into the faint shimmer only he could see.

[Life Energy Absorbed…]

[Core Capacity: MAX]

Advance to Higher Realm Detected. Proceed? (Y/N)

Arden's grin widened as his finger brushed the glowing option.

"Yes."

The crowd's chants blurred, their voices a distant hum. The world seemed to fold inward, and then

[Advancing to New Realm…]

A deep pulse rippled through his chest, spreading into every vein like molten fire and cool water all at once.

His knees buckled, not from weakness but from the sheer weight of power settling into him. He gasped, teeth clenched as the system's voice hammered again.

[Life Surge >>> Evolved into: Life Echo]

Then came the explanation, each word branded into his mind.

Life Echo – Realm Effect

Core Resonance: Life energy no longer ends at User's body. It radiates outward, syncing with nearby allies.

Echo Pulse: Allies within range recover stamina, focus, and vitality faster.

Resonant Strike: Arden's attacks leave a "life echo," causing delayed ripple damage inside enemies' bodies.

Disruption Bloom: Against hybrids or corrupted beings, resonance destabilizes beast grafts, forcing misfires or weakening abilities.

Arden's breath steadied as the glow around him softened. He straightened slowly, fingers curling as if testing the new rhythm of his body.

It wasn't overwhelming power, not some impossible leap to godhood.

But it was different, subtle, sharp, useful.

His energy no longer felt caged within his flesh. It spilled outward in waves, brushing against Nyra, Rael, and Zephyra.

He felt their hearts beating, their breaths quickening, their fatigue lightening just by being close.

"Interesting…" he whispered, eyes flicking toward the smoldering remains of the hybrid elder. "This one's not about me. It's about all of us."

He tightened his fist, heat flickering through his knuckles.

A faint echo trailed the movement, like his very strength refused to end with the strike. He could almost see how it would ripple through an enemy, breaking them apart from within.

His gaze darkened. Hybrids…

Of course the system would grant him something that cut deeper against them. Like the world itself was preparing him, stacking the deck for whatever storm waited ahead.

Arden chuckled under his breath, low and sharp. "Guess fate's finally on my side."

A/N:

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