DRIVE/BREAK: Blade of the Heart

"Core Release Phase Three: Shadow Storm, Bloom" Ren whispered, his voice low but echoing amidst the chaos.

Laon froze for a moment, his body trembling. And yet, a smile spread across his face.

The power Ren released could be felt by everyone. Even Minato and Kaela, standing on the sidelines, were struck silent, awed by the sheer force radiating from him.

Ren stepped forward slowly, each movement deliberate. His calm, thin aura pressed down so heavily that even the ground sank beneath his footsteps.

"Hey, hey, slow down, will you?" Laon muttered, pulling back a golden arrow on his bow.

He released. The arrow screamed through the air, sharp enough to split the wind itself. Kaela and Minato gasped in worry as it shot straight toward Ren.

But Ren only tilted his head slightly. The golden arrow missed by inches, crashing into a nearby building and reducing it to rubble in a violent explosion.

"What are we watching?" Minato muttered in awe. "I can't see anything. It's like they're in different worlds all together. Are you really sure this isn't a fight between wardens and Fangs?"

"That messenger, he's far stronger than the one we fought earlier," Kaela muttered, struggling to take it all in.

But even while admitting Laon's monstrous power, both she and Minato felt no fear for Ren. The pressure Ren released was overwhelming, a presence that spoke louder than words.

They could tell right away that his strength was almost at warden level. Maybe even equal to one. Ren had reached a point where becoming a warden himself no longer seemed impossible.

Laon drew his next shot and released.

In that instant, Ren vanished. A flash of lightning cut across the battlefield as the arrow destroyed yet another building, and before Laon could react, Ren appeared right in front of him.

A palm crackling with lightning slammed into Laon's chest, the impact blasting him through several buildings and burying him deep in the rubble.

What was that?! He's like a fang! Laon thought, coughing as he struggled to rise from the debris.

But the moment he looked up, the sky was already glowing. Countless petal shaped bolts of lightning rained down, striking him in a relentless storm. Sparks tore at his clothes and burned across his skin, leaving bruises and scorch marks in their wake.

"Agh!" Laon cried out in pain as he blinked several meters away, barely escaping the next wave of falling lightning petals.

Laon kept blinking, jumping from spot to spot as petals of lightning chased him wherever he appeared. Each time he reappeared, the deadly rain followed, striking down with unrelenting force.

Earlier, he had been the one applying pressure, forcing Ren to flee. But now, it was the opposite.

Laon felt like prey. Every breath was a struggle, every move a desperate attempt to stay alive.

Before he could even adjust to the rhythm of Ren's attacks, Ren pushed it further.

Thunder cracked across the battlefield as Ren began closing the distance, matching each blink with a sudden flash of lightning, chaining his thunderclaps. He moved like a shadow of the storm itself while raining down petal-shaped bolts and chains of lightning lashing out, trying to catch Laon.

It was like a deadly game of tag, and Ren was always one step ahead.

Even while struggling under the storm of lightning, Laon's instincts never faltered. His experience showed in every move.

Between quick blinks, he managed to fire golden arrows that silently stuck to nearby walls, traps Ren failed to notice in the chaos.

When they finally reached a certain spot, the hidden arrows flared to life. Golden chains snapped outward, lashing around Ren and binding him tight. For a moment, the rain of lightning petals slowed.

Caught in place, Ren watched as Laon blinked around him, releasing golden arrows at full power from every direction.

But Ren was far from finished. With a burst of raw strength, he shattered the chains like they were nothing.

Before Laon could blink again, Ren vanished in a crack of thunder and reappeared exactly where Laon was about to materialize.

They stood face to face, lightning flashing between them.

"How?" Laon muttered, eyes wide in disbelief. "How did you know where I'd appear?"

"You're predictable," Ren whispered coldly.

In the same instant, he spun and struck, a backfist wreathed in lightning crashing into Laon's face. The force sent Laon hurtling through the air, smashing into a building and burying him beneath a mountain of rubble.

The battlefield fell into a heavy silence. Dust drifted in the air as Minato and Kaela stood frozen, struggling to process what they had just witnessed.

"That Laon guy, he's insanely strong," Kaela muttered, her eyes wide with disbelief. "But Ren… he's overwhelming him like it's nothing!"

Minato nodded, his voice low but steady. "Laon isn't just powerful, he's skilled. Maybe even more skilled than Ren when it comes to battle instinct. His experience lets him stay calm even while drowning in Ren's pressure. By all logic, he should be untouchable."

He looked back toward Ren, who stood in the center of the broken field, lightning flickering faintly around his body, his white hair dancing while being swayed by the quiet wind.

"But even that isn't enough," Minato continued. "Ren's power goes beyond reason. At this point, I think we can safely say he's reached warden level."

Laon slowly rose from the rubble, his body trembling but far from defeated. Golden aura flared violently around him, burning brighter than before. Even after the brutal beating, his strength hadn't faded in the slightest.

With a roar, he drew his bow and released a massive golden arrow. It shot through the air like a blazing comet, its speed climbing higher and higher with every passing second.

Ren didn't move his feet. He simply spun in place, letting the arrow whip past by inches from his cheek, then caught it with a lightning coated hand.

The air cracked as he twisted his wrist and hurled it back.

The arrow screamed across the battlefield, slamming into Laon with a deafening explosion. Smoke and dust erupted, swallowing the area in a blinding haze.

"Still got that much power left, huh?" Ren muttered, his fingers twitching as he waited for the smoke to clear.

A lone figure emerged as the smoke thinned, golden sparks flickering around his battered frame.

Laon.

Though bruises covered his body and blood streaked down his lip, he stood upright, defiant, like the damage meant nothing.

"That hurt!" Laon barked, spitting blood before breaking into a grin. "But that only proves how powerful my attack still is!"

Ren narrowed his eyes, lightning crackling and snapping violently across his shoulders. "I have to admit, I admire that spirit of yours. But this ends now."

"Good," Laon replied, his golden aura flaring like the sun. "I was thinking the same thing. Let's finish this with the next strike!"

Without hesitation, Laon unleashed a storm of golden arrows, each one glowing with destructive force, each one strong enough to level a building on impact.

The sky shimmered with deadly streaks as the barrage screamed toward Ren.

But Ren was already moving. In a blur of motion, he conjured lightning platforms midair, using them as springboards to dart across the battlefield. Thunder boomed with every step as he vanished and reappeared, chaining thunderclaps while weaving through the storm of arrows with effortless precision.

The golden missiles hammered the ground in a relentless cascade of explosions. Shockwaves tore through the area, forcing Kaela and Minato to reinforce their barriers, their shields trembling against the howling winds of destruction.

Then silence.

With one final leap, Ren launched himself upward, his figure illuminated by the pale moonlight. High above Laon. Unseen.

By the time Laon realized, it was too late. Ren's silhouette blurred and vanished, then reappeared directly above him, descending like a phantom of the storm.

It was the same motion he had once used against Kade. But this time, it wasn't the furious Blade of the Storm. This was something calmer. Sharper. Deadlier.

Ren's katana gleamed with a thin, concentrated sheath of lightning, its glow quiet yet absolute. His white hair shimmered beneath the moon as he brought the blade down in a single, perfect arc.

Ren landed silently behind Laon, the night air humming with residual electricity. His hair slowly darkened back to black, the crackling mask of lightning fading from his face.

"Calm of the Storm," Ren whispered, sheathing his katana with a soft click.

Laon gave one last, faint smile before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.

The golden glow around him flickered once, then faded into nothing.

From a distance, Kaela and Minato exchanged a knowing glance. The victor was clear.

Ren stood firm amid the settling dust, his body battered and streaked with cuts, yet his posture remained unshaken, calm and steady as the night wind brushed through his hair.

"Kaela, Minato," Ren said softly, turning his gaze toward them, a faint smile touching his lips. "Looks like you two wrapped things up on your end as well."

They jogged over, their own auras dimming as the adrenaline of battle began to fade.

"Yeah," Kaela replied, catching her breath. "Shin, Seth, and Sora finished their fights too. The only one left is the captain, she's still holding off the Fang inside her core release."

Ren nodded, the edges of his smile deepening with quiet pride, as if silently acknowledging everyone's efforts. Then, as he faced them fully, his expression softened into something almost yearning.

"Let's keep fighting for peace," he murmured, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "So that no one else has to suffer, or be forced to do things that only bring more pain."

The words lingered in the cold night air, carried away by the gentle sway of the wind.