Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 441: Finish them off

The moment the realization settled in, his gaze snapped toward the Ice Belle, sharp and urgent despite the pain coursing through him, and with a slight but deliberate motion, he signaled her without words. There was no need to explain, no need to speak, because the situation was already clear, written plainly in the way his body was failing to contain the damage.

She understood immediately.

Her eyes flicked toward him for only a fraction of a second before returning to Dravok, and in that instant, her entire presence shifted once more, the wind around her tightening, sharpening, as she surged forward with renewed intensity, intercepting the next wave of attacks before they could reach Lucas.

"You’re not touching him," she said coldly, her tone losing its earlier playfulness entirely.

Dravok’s gaze narrowed, but before he could press forward, she was already on him again, her control over wind pushing against his with precision, disrupting his rhythm just enough to keep his focus locked on her.

Lucas used that moment.

He dropped to one knee, his body finally showing the full weight of the injury now that he had a second to process it, his hand pressing harder against his side as black blood continued to seep through his fingers, warm and relentless.

He exhaled sharply.

Then moved.

Without hesitation, he forced his fingers into the wound.

A sharp, guttural grunt tore from his throat as the pain hit instantly, raw and overwhelming, far beyond anything he had endured in the fight so far. His body tensed violently, every muscle reacting to the intrusion, but he did not stop.

He couldn’t.

His fingers pushed deeper, searching, ignoring the tearing sensation, the heat, the sickening resistance of flesh as he forced himself to locate the source.

The artery.

Another wave of pain surged through him, stronger this time, cruel and unrelenting, making his vision blur for a split second, but he pushed through it, his breathing breaking slightly as he gritted his teeth.

"Come on..." he muttered under his breath, his voice strained.

Then he felt it a subtle pulse beneath his fingers.

Weakening but there.

Without wasting another second, he clamped it.

His grip tightened instantly, cutting off the flow as best as he could, though the pain that followed was even worse, a deep, internal agony that made his entire body shudder.

He bit down hard.

Too hard.

The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth as his teeth sank into his tongue, but he did not loosen his grip, not even for a second.

Then, he acted. Fire.

A faint glow formed around his hand, the heat rising slowly, deliberately, as he directed it inward toward the wound, toward the damaged flesh, toward the source of the bleeding.

The moment it made contact, pain exploded.

It was not sharp and sudden.

It was consuming.

A deep, searing agony that spread through his entire side, burning through muscle and tissue as he forced the heat to cauterize the wound from within.

His body jerked slightly, a muffled sound escaping him as he bit down harder, his jaw tightening to the point of strain, his vision flickering under the sheer intensity of it.

It was cruel.

There was no other way to describe it.

Cruel in a way that stripped away everything else, leaving only the raw sensation of burning flesh and the desperate need to endure it.

But he held on.

He did not release the artery.

He did not pull back.

He forced the fire to do its work, ignoring every instinct that screamed at him to stop.

Seconds stretched.

Each one heavier than the last.

Until finally, the bleeding slowed.

Then stopped.

Lucas exhaled sharply, his body trembling slightly as he pulled his hand back, the wound now sealed roughly, imperfectly, but enough to keep him alive.

Blood still stained his side.

His breathing was uneven.

His strength had taken another hit.

But he was still conscious.

Still standing.

And still in the fight.

Even if the cost had been something far beyond pain.

The battlefield did not slow.

Even as Lucas forced himself back to his feet, his body still trembling slightly from the brutal act of sealing his own wound, the clash between the Ice Belle and Dravok continued without pause, their control over wind colliding again and again in a relentless exchange that tore through the valley with sharp, violent currents. The air itself seemed alive, shifting unpredictably as both forces struggled for dominance, neither willing to yield even an inch.

The Ice Belle moved with precision, her small figure weaving through the storm she helped create, her control refined and focused entirely on keeping Dravok occupied, just as Lucas had asked. Every time Dravok attempted to redirect his attention, she was already there, intercepting, disrupting, forcing him back into the rhythm of their clash.

"You’re distracted," she said coldly, her voice cutting through the wind as she redirected another wave of blades away from Lucas’s position.

Dravok’s expression hardened, his patience thinning as he pushed harder, his attacks growing sharper, more aggressive, but she met them all, her movements efficient, calculated, leaving no easy opening for him to exploit.

Across the valley, Ken watched.

At first, there had been interest.

But now...There was irritation.

His gaze narrowed, his arms crossing slowly as his eyes remained fixed on the battlefield, watching as the fight continued to stretch longer than it should have, longer than he was willing to tolerate.

"...Dammit, Dravok," he muttered under his breath, his tone low but laced with clear frustration.

Another clash erupted, wind tearing through the air as the Ice Belle forced Dravok to adjust once more.

Ken’s jaw tightened.

"Finish them off."

His voice carried this time, sharp and vicious, cutting across the distance with enough force that it reached the battlefield clearly.

"Now."

The command settled heavily.

Dravok heard it.

And more importantly, he agreed.

His gaze shifted briefly, flicking past the Ice Belle to Lucas, who had just managed to steady himself again, his condition clearly weakened, his movements no longer as fluid as before, his strength visibly diminished.

A realization settled in.

This was the moment.

The opportunity.

And Dravok would not waste it.

The wind around him began to change.

It did not disappear.

But it drew inward.

The chaotic storm that had filled the battlefield began to tighten around him, condensing into something far more controlled, far more dangerous, as though every fragment of his power was being gathered for a single purpose.

The Ice Belle noticed immediately.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Dravok lifted his hands slowly, the air around it distorting as a new element began to form, not replacing the wind, but merging with it.

Heat.

At first, it was subtle.

Then it grew.

The temperature around him rose sharply, the wind carrying with it an intense, burning force that twisted and compressed until it began to take shape.

Above him,

They formed.

Massive constructs of condensed fire and wind, solidifying into blazing masses that crackled with destructive energy, each one growing rapidly in size and density.

Hailstones of fire.

Each one the size of a boulder.

Suspended in the air, rotating slowly as the wind held them in place, their surfaces burning violently, radiating heat so intense that the ground beneath began to crack and blacken under their presence alone.

The battlefield fell into a tense stillness.

Even the Ice Belle paused for a fraction of a second, her gaze lifting upward as she took in the sheer scale of what was forming above them.

From the distance, the reaction was immediate.

Lira’s eyes widened in shock.

"...What is that..."

Selene’s voice came out barely above a whisper.

"That’s not... normal..."

Henrietta clenched her fists, her expression tightening.

"He’s going all out..."

Princess Nyx’s gaze sharpened, her voice low and serious.

"This is a finishing move."

Back at the center, Dravok’s hand slowly clenched.

The massive fire hailstones trembled slightly in response, the wind around them tightening further, their destructive potential becoming undeniable.

His eyes locked onto Lucas.

Dravok had made his choice.

He would end it here.