Chapter 18
The storm raged.
Heavy rain slammed mercilessly into the ruined city of Bladyso. The moon that once shone brightly was swallowed whole by roiling clouds, its light erased as if it had never existed.
The Devil looked at Sorial.
Sorial rose steadily to his feet.
There was no anger on his face. No hatred. No rage spilling from his eyes.
What stared back was something far worse.
The look of someone who had reached the very edge.
Someone standing on the brink.
Lightning crashed down from the heavens, engulfing him completely.
White electricity wrapped around his odachi, encasing the blade as if the storm itself had chosen it as a vessel. Sorial lifted his head and looked at the Devil.
His expression was blank.
As if emotion no longer existed.
But it did.
There was one thing left inside him. One reason. One goal. Burning heavy and relentless in his mind.
He spoke.
"I told you… I will kill you."
The Devil stared at him for a long moment.
Then he smiled.
It was sharp. Cold. Devoid of warmth.
"To think," the Devil said calmly, "after all this time, you finally awakened your true domain."
His smile widened.
"But it still will not be enough."
He attacked.
The three daggers moved with him, slicing through the rain as they shot forward alongside his charge, aimed straight at Sorial.
Sorial did not move.
He stood there like a statue.
Only his eyes shifted, locked onto the incoming threat.
Then, in a flash, he vanished.
The Devil felt it too late.
Sorial appeared directly behind him.
The white odachi came down, its edge gleaming with violent lightning.
Two daggers intercepted the strike just before impact.
But it did not matter.
The force behind the blow was monstrous.
The daggers were blasted aside, flung uselessly away as the lightning infused strike slammed directly into the Devil's body.
Rain soaked the battlefield. Soaked the Devil himself.
The lightning hit with full, brutal force.
The effect was beyond words.
The Devil was launched straight into the ground. A deafening boom detonated on impact, the earth collapsing beneath him as shockwaves tore outward.
And yet, despite landing the first true hit since the battle began, Sorial's expression did not change.
Not even slightly.
He looked at the crater where the Devil had fallen.
Then he raised his odachi toward the storm.
The clouds responded.
Energy gathered. The sky screamed.
Lightning crackled violently as several bolts crashed down, pouring into his blade.
Without hesitation, Sorial brought the sword down.
The lightning followed.
It tore into the ground where the Devil lay.
The impact was catastrophic.
The air itself seemed to sizzle, flicker, then vanish in that space. Another deafening explosion ripped through the city, drowning out even the storm.
Destruction swallowed everything.
Then the lightning faded.
The dust settled.
A figure stood.
A man in a white pristine suit.
Only, it was no longer pristine.
Burn marks crawled across his body. His skin was charred in places, still sizzling from the lingering aftermath of the lightning.
But the damage did not last.
Before Sorial's eyes, the burns began to fade. Flesh knitted together unnaturally. Injuries erased themselves as if the very concept of damage did not apply to him.
Even the suit healed.
Threads wove themselves back together. Stains vanished. White returned to perfect, unblemished purity.
In mere moments, the Devil stood exactly as he had when he first entered the city.
Untouched.
Sorial watched it all with that same mechanical expression.
His grip tightened around the odachi.
Lightning surged around his body, restless, eager to descend once more.
If one brutal strike was not enough, then he would use dozens.
If dozens were not enough, then hundreds.
If that still failed, then thousands.
Whatever it took.
He would end the one said to be never-ending.
The Devil calmly brushed invisible dust from his chest.
Then he looked at Sorial.
And smiled.
"Little Sorial… it seems I underestimated you."
His voice was calm. Almost amused.
"Of course, with your true domain, you are stronger. I just didn't expect you to grow this strong. Those two would be proud."
He smiled.
Just like before, there was no warmth in it. Not even a trace.
One hand slipped out of his pocket. The daggers encircling him continued to spin, slow and deliberate, but one of them dropped cleanly into his grip. Dark. Eerie. Suffocating. The air around it warped as if struggling to breathe.
"I guess if I want to take you out… I'll need to fight seriously."
He vanished.
Sorial vanished too.
Neither could be seen, but the air screamed in their place. Deafening shockwaves tore through the sky, rippling outward and smashing into the ruins below.
What was left of the city collapsed further, reduced to dust and rubble under the clash of two godlike figures.
Rain crashed down, heavy and brutal, drowning the world as the battle raged on.
Was it a war of attrition, or pure destruction?
Far from the city center, near the edge of the northern district, a figure flashed through the rain.
Metallic pikes crashed down behind her in rapid succession, burying themselves into buildings and streets where she had been a heartbeat earlier.
She stopped suddenly, spun, and swung her whip in a fluid, almost dance-like motion.
Several pikes were deflected, driven into the ground.
One slipped through.
It grazed her cheek.
Blood sprayed.
Karren hissed in pain. The wound on her cheek was just one among countless others scattered across her body. Cuts. Burns.
Deep gashes that never had time to heal. She knew it. If this continued, she would die. Not maybe. Not eventually. Soon.
Hopefully she had bought enough time.
If her three brothers escaped, that would be enough. That alone would make this worth it.
Rain hammered down around her as smoke and mist twisted together. From within it, a figure stepped forward.
Karren's face darkened.
Scar walked out calmly. His arms had not regenerated yet, torn and ruined, but his expression was serene. Composed. Like someone who already knew how this ended.
He stopped a few steps away, eyes locking onto hers. The two scars beneath his eyes seemed darker now.
"You should already see it," he said quietly. "You are no match for me. This battle is over. Surrender, and I will let you live."
Karren stared at him bleakly.
Her condition was far worse than she let on. Her Radiance Core was nearly dry. Her body was at its breaking point. Still, she could not resist humoring him.
"Tell me," she said hoarsely, tilting her head. "If I surrender… am I going to be turned into a cursed human like you?"
Scar looked at her neutrally.
"Yes," he replied. His voice was calm, but power rolled beneath it. "With your talent, you might even become a Corruptor in a few years. So. What do you say?"
Karren placed a hand on her chin as if considering it.
When she spoke again, her voice was cold. Mocking.
"Sorry. I disagree. The last thing I'd ever want is to turn into a despicable monster like you."
She tightened her grip on the whip, stance lowering, ready to fight him to the death.
Scar shook his head.
"Well then," he said. "Since you chose death… die."
The metallic thorns scattered across the battlefield began to glow all at once.
As if answering his will.
They exploded.
Karren's eyes widened in horror.
To be continued.....