Viper crouched behind a pile of minion corpses. She couldn’t run, not from her master, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to throw her life away for him.
Those two, the man and the beast, were incredible. But what shocked her most was that the man cared about the beast. He had helped her fight the Bat. He had strengthened her. He hadn’t discarded her like trash.
The more she watched him, the more she dreamed of him being her master instead of that twisted, ugly monster.
A long time ago, she had awakened memories of her past life as a human, and of her death.
She had been just sixteen, living peacefully in one of the southern tribes, when the silver Viper came. A Divine Beast. No one could stop it. It slaughtered nearly everyone.
Somehow, she managed to escape; she clawed her way through the dead bodies of her friends and family. She wept as she finally found a way out of the village.
But just as she ran, a horde of monsters appeared, led by a hideous man, half his face scorched, an artificial eye gleaming, a massive scythe in hand.
He saw her and smiled.
“Oho, you’re a gutsy one. And look at that, a rare ice mana affinity.”
“Darling, why don’t I let you be reborn?” he laughed, stabbing her in the stomach and stuffing her into a container filled with green liquid.
She watched, helpless, as he killed the Viper and the last survivors.
Later, he kept her teetering on the edge of death, merging her soul with the Viper’s.
For years, she was mad, nothing but a weapon, obeying his every command. She killed. Oh, how many she had killed.
But one day, she awoke. Her soul had fully absorbed the Viper’s. She remembered everything, and rage filled her; she wanted revenge.
But she couldn’t do anything, couldn’t escape; she could only dream.
And now, this boy, this warrior, was her ticket out.
So, she hid, praying he could kill the monster who had stolen her life.
***
Inside the black building, only the flickering torchlight and flashes from the battle outside lit the gloom. Scry stood silently, watching the chaos unfold beyond the walls, not just to monitor the situation, but to keep his eyes on Kai.
He wouldn’t let the boy die. Not now. Not ever.
But Kai held his ground.
He cut down higher-ranked enemies with precision, wielding his spells and skills like a seasoned master. Every movement was deliberate, every strike a testament to his growth.
Those inside who couldn’t fight, Harrietta, Lisa, and others, watched in awe.
Outside, Hansen and his party guarded the perimeter, keeping threats at bay.
“That boy is insane,” Harrietta muttered, eyes wide with admiration. “If we survive this, I need to study his magic circles. He controls so many elements so smoothly…”
She respected strength. And Kai was strength incarnate.
Lisa watched with childlike wonder, her eyes sparkling. “Brother is amazing. More amazing than anyone! And he’s shiny. So magical!”
She adored his moonlight mana and the crackling power of Thunderfire.
Scry chuckled softly. “Harrietta, may we all sit and talk in peace one day,” he said, gently patting Lisa’s head.
“You smell like a spirit,” Harrietta said with a grin. “We definitely need to talk.”
***
Outside, Hansen watched the battle unfold through the eyes of his summoned sparrow, relaying every detail to the others.
“He just summoned a massive moon… and it exploded! Took out a fifteen-meter-long flying snake monster!” he reported, voice trembling with awe.
As he finished, the night sky vanished in a blinding flash, and the explosion lit up the entire region like a second dawn.
Kran and the crew stared, mouths agape.
He’s my age, Kran thought, and yet… Kai is so far ahead. I’ll probably never catch up.
The twins listened intently to Hansen’s updates, hanging on every word like it was a tale from legend.
“It’s like a mythical story happening right now,” one whispered.
“He and Umbra are flying down,” Hansen continued. “He’s going to fight the knight again!”
***
Kai leapt from Umbra’s back as the downpour resumed, the explosion having briefly cleared the storm clouds. Rain soaked his armor, but he didn’t flinch.
“Umbra, hide in the shadows and wait. If you see an opening to finish any of them, take it, but be careful,” Kai ordered.
“I’ll be ready,” she replied coldly, vanishing into the mist like a phantom.
Kai activated his aura. Azure light shimmered around him as he strode through the rain toward the knight.
Florian grinned, licking his burnt lips. “You’re full of surprises. That spell… a four-circle mage would cast something like that, and such a fine body you have.”
“You disgust me,” Kai said calmly. “After I kill the knight, you’re next.”
He charged.
The Shadow Knight raised his shield, taking a defensive stance. Kai slashed, danced around him, never giving him a chance to counter. Each strike met the sturdy shield, his aura barely pushing the knight back.
This isn’t enough, Kai thought. Let’s try that.
He awakened his Thunder Tree. Its leaves shimmered, silver, dark, and red, filling him with different types of lightning. He channeled the energy through his body into his sword. His draconic heart thumped, glowing as it pulled mana from the storm itself. Lightning mana surged into him, faster than ever.
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Kai moved like a storm incarnate, slashing, spinning, faster and faster, lightning filling his cells.
The knight roared, stomping the ground. His aura exploded outward, turning the terrain into rubble and destroying Kai’s footing.
Kai smiled and teleported into the air.
He pushed pure lightning mana into his aura. The azure light sharpened, a silver sheen now dancing around the flames.
He struck.
The knight raised his shield, but the improved aura slash split it in two.
Kai didn’t let up. He struck again, cleaving the Shadow Knight in half.
The knight screamed, his body falling apart into a puddle of shadow.
Kai landed, his aura fading. His body ached. His hands were numb and bloody.
That was harder than expected.
“Well done,” Florian said, stepping forward. “Shame the Shadow couldn’t unlock the full power of that soul, but don’t think this is over.”
Kai gripped his sword tighter, blood dripping from his palms onto the hilt and blade. He wasn’t ready, but he had to keep fighting.
Florian removed his robe. Under the moonlight, his half-scorched skeletal body gleamed. In his chest, a dark orb pulsed, sucking in the remains of the Shadow and the knight’s soul.
Florian screamed and laughed, reveling in the pain. His magetech eye glowed ominously as the knight’s aura enveloped his scythe. Shadow slime formed armor around him, dark, shifting, alive.
He looked like a god of death.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Florian said. “I developed this artifact to merge and subdue souls, absorbing their skills. It was meant to be my trump card against the dragon… but you’ll do.”
Kai’s eyes narrowed. “Did you get those scars from Arthraxius?”
Florian froze. “How do you know that name, boy!?”
Kai saw it, a flicker of fear in his eye.
He released his mana.
His draconic heart thundered. Thick red mana enveloped him. Behind him, a faint image of a winged serpent roared into the sky.
Under the moonlight, Kai looked like a dragon prince. Even the rain evaporated as it touched his aura.
“Impossible!” Florian screamed. “That’s dragon aura! Your mana… your soul… it screams of dragon authority! You’re not human!”
Florian’s rage boiled. He would destroy this dragon’s offspring. Make him a slave. The ultimate revenge.
He summoned more slaves, gray minions poured from portals, followed by massive flesh golems and skeletal warriors wielding bloody greatswords.
“Kill!” Florian roared, beginning his chant.
Not good. I can’t let him cast another spell.
“Umbra, don’t be rash. Recover and wait. I can still handle this,” Kai roared through their link, sensing her readiness to leap into battle.
“Fine,” she replied, her voice cold but resolute. “But if I see you falter, I’m jumping in, and I don’t want to hear any complaints.”
She needed at least ten more minutes to heal. Kai channeled his mana into her through their bond, accelerating her recovery.
There are too many… and I don’t know how long my mana will last.
Let’s try this. If I enhance my reflexes with lightning, maybe my body can keep up.
Kai summoned the memory of Dawnbringer and began to move, graceful, deadly, precise. He danced through the battlefield, each slash a blur, each movement a death sentence.
“Moonlit Dance – Dance of the Pale God,” he whispered.
Lightning surged through his nerves and muscles, sharpening every motion. As the hordes swarmed, Kai became a storm. Water and lightning flowed with his blade, slow and methodical, yet devastating.
Each step, heads flew. Grey minions disintegrated beneath his strikes.
Then came the golems and skeletal giants.
“Thunderfire – Ignis,” Kai whispered.
A draconic breath roared from his hilt, engulfing the monsters in flame, carving a straight path toward Florian.
On one side, the God of Death. On the other, the God of Slaughter.
Their eyes met.
Kai dashed forward.
Florian smiled as his spell formation completed. “Souls of my children, find your way back and return to one, Soul Unity.”
Countless green specks, some tiny, some the size of eggs, floated across the battlefield, rushing into Florian.
His form shifted. Burn marks vanished. His body grew younger, taller, stronger. Behind him, six magic circles rotated, deep green and filled with countless souls. A seventh, half-formed, shimmered behind them.
Florian was a Grand Magus, on the verge of taking a first step towards an Arch Magus, the seventh circle.
The more souls he devoured, the stronger he became.
“Kai,” Umbra whispered through their link, her voice heavy, “I hate to say it… But he’s out of our league.”
“I know,” Kai replied solemnly. “But there’s no turning back. If I die here, you must run.”
“Do you remember what you told me back then, when I said the same thing? It’s either both of us live, or neither. I’m not leaving you alone.” She whispered into his mind.
Kai sighed. “Argh, you’re stubborn. Fine. Stay hidden for now. I’ll use my strongest move the moment I see an opening.”
The seventh circle grew, now 70% complete.
“Finally,” Florian roared. “Raising all those idiots has paid off. I feel reborn!”
His magetech eye morphed into a regenerated, living eye, glowing with menace. He looked more monstrous than ever.
He swung his scythe. A crescent of dark aura sliced toward Kai.
Kai summoned his new aura, azure light with a silver edge. It clashed with the attack, canceling it out.
With a thunderclap, Kai teleported, slashing with his aura-infused blade.
Florian was too slow.
Kai struck through his guard, slicing into the dark armor. A soul-tearing scream echoed as the attack was absorbed, and the armor regenerated.
Kai struck again. And again. Same result.
Florian laughed. “You can’t hurt me! All damage is transferred to the countless souls bound to me.
Right now, I’m immortal!”
Kai smirked. “Let’s test that.”
“Thunderfire – Ignis!” Kai roared.
Flames surged around his aura-covered blade, but this time, they didn’t erupt outward. He compressed the fire, forcing it to merge with his other elements.
Azure-silver light swallowed the draconic flames, growing more volatile as lightning and fire fused into Thunderfire, then united with his aura.
With a blinding flash, Kai’s aura evolved.
A shimmering royal purple light now danced wildly over his blade, like living flame. The night was illuminated by its glow, regal and destructive.
Florian felt a sliver of dread.
He cast one of his strongest spells. A massive magic circle formed above him, and countless souls merged into a smoky skull that screamed in agony.
The skull unleashed a beam of pure gray soul energy, death incarnate, draining life from everything it touched.
Kai had no time to dodge.
His newly forged aura blazed. He struck twice, unleashing a cross-shaped energy wave.
Purple met gray.
The beam absorbed some of the attack’s force, but ultimately collapsed.
Kai didn’t wait.
He sent another cross-shaped slash toward Florian. It struck, exploding on impact and shattering the regenerating armor.
Florian screamed, pain coursing through his body. His armor reformed, but something had changed. Some souls from his seventh circle had vanished. Its completion dropped to 60%.
“Shame,” Florian spat. “But I’ll kill you. I’ll absorb your soul and use your body for experiments!”
His armor glowed with eerie light. He slashed with his scythe, sending waves of gray energy that shattered the battlefield.
Kai held his ground, but the Blood Moon was at its limit. Cracks formed. Attacks slipped through. His body bled from dozens of wounds.
All or nothing.
“Umbra… help me. Please,” he whispered.
She understood.
From the shadows, she lunged. Shadow whips slithered around Florian’s body. He raised his scythe to cut them until he heard:
“Ethereal Bindings!”
“Soul Sword.”
A blade of pure white energy merged with Kai’s sword.
Florian froze mid-swing.
A flash of moonlight swallowed him.
“Moonlit Dance – One Thread!”
The pale light cut through him. His seventh circle crumbled, souls burning under the moon’s glow.
His shadow armor cracked. He screamed in pain and rage.
“I won’t die here! I didn’t die to the dragon, I won’t die to his offspring!”
In a desperate move, Florian severed the dark orb from his chest, sacrificing part of his soul. He used the absorbed souls to negate the damage.
Hundreds of souls burned under the pale light.
Florian screamed as his magetech eye flared, opening a portal behind him. His broken body and soul were swallowed.
He escaped, with his life, or what was left of it.
Kai collapsed to his knees. His sword, broken in two, lay beside him.
Umbra landed next to him, visibly drained.
“That was something else… and he still escaped,” she cursed.
“Yeah,” Kai muttered. “But we got him good.”
He turned toward the left, where Viper still hid.
“Umbra, don’t let her escape. But keep her alive, I need her.”
Umbra grinned. “Just watch.”
She vanished and reappeared behind Viper.
“Hey, little snake. Need company?” she teased.
Viper turned, sweat and rain mixing on her face.
“I surrender!” she cried.
Umbra didn’t trust her. She slapped the girl with a paw, tied her up with shadow whips, and carried her back.
“Done!” she said with a smile.
Kai looked up. The clouds scattered, revealing the three moons shining over the razed valley.
Corpses littered the ground. Mana was in disarray. The land would take ages to recover.
Kai sat on the wet earth, reflecting on the battle.
He had grown again; He had learned from the Knight, from the battle, from the pain. Even though the madman had survived his strongest move, Kai felt a quiet satisfaction.
He had stood his ground.
And for now, the battle was over.
Would you like for me to enter Writhaton next month? It would mean daily chapters from November 1st but would double my workload. If you are up for it let's try to reach 140-150 Followers by the end of month to motivate me a bit ^^
