Chapter 5421

“No matter,” Stebarin muttered, his tone as calm as mist on a pond. “Plenty of harvests await me in the days ahead.”

He cinched the bag shut, turned his back on the fleeing mortals, and glided after the wavering shadow host, shadowing Soul Devourer’s path like a blood-scented breeze.

Jared’s duel with the twin elders raged through another dozen brutal exchanges. Each clash drained more of the primordial fire from his veins. His arms burned, palms numbed, and perspiration rained from his brow. Even Dragonslayer Sword’s gilded flare dimmed, as though the blade itself felt fatigue. A quick glance through the haze confirmed it-the last survivors were specks on the far ridge, finally beyond the army’s reach. Relief eased the iron band around his chest.

“Time to vanish,” he hissed, voice too low for anyone but the night to hear.

Feinting left, he whipped Dragonslayer Sword into a blinding downward stroke aimed at Anepan’s brow. The elder raised both swords to parry. In that heartbeat, Jared pivoted, kicked off a fragment of boulder, and sprinted into the opposite treeline-away from friend and foe alike—until the forest swallowed every trace of gold light behind him.

Anepan and Spathe lunged to pursue, but Jared had loosed several lingering arcs of sword light. The golden crescents hung in the air like barred gates, forcing the elders to carve through them before they could give chase. By the time the radiant barriers faded, the woods offered only silence.

“Forget him. The Soul Devourer first,” Spathe growled. The two elders traded a grim nod and vaulted after their master’s fading aura.