His greatsword trembled.
CRACK.
A fracture spread across the blade.
Then...
SHATTER!
His greatsword broke.
The pieces fell to the ground.
Eyeless stood still.
His head twitched.
Once.
Twice.
Then...
Dark mana began flowing down his arm.
It gathered within his hand.
The darkness condensed.
Slowly taking shape.
A new greatsword formed in his grasp.
A massive blade made from darkness.
Eyeless tightened his grip.
His head continued twitching.
And beneath the black cloth...
Something began to glow.
Violet.
The spirit's hand remained over his face.
Eyeless slowly raised his other hand.
He stared at it.
His fingers.
His palm.
His arm.
He slowly moved his hand in front of his face.
"...So this..."
His voice trembled.
"...is my hand."
He turned his arm.
Looking at every scar.
Every mark.
Every part of himself he had forgotten.
Eyeless slowly lowered his hand.
He looked down at his body.
His clothes.
His arms.
His chest.
The scars left behind by years of suffering.
He remained silent.
Then...
His eyes caught something.
The reflection of his face.
On the dark blade of his new greatsword.
Eyeless froze.
He slowly raised the blade.
His own reflection stared back at him.
Long white hair.
Emerald-green tips.
A pale face.
Scars.
And beneath the black cloth...
Two faint violet lights.
His breathing stopped.
"...That's me?"
He brought the blade closer.
He stared at his reflection.
For years...
He had never seen his own face.
Not once.
He slowly touched his cheek.
Then looked back at the reflection.
A faint smile appeared.
"I..."
His voice became quieter.
"...I actually forgot."
His fingers trembled.
"What I looked like."
The spirit remained behind him.
Silent.
Eyeless continued staring at himself.
For a moment...
The battlefield disappeared.
The castle disappeared.
Even Levi disappeared.
All he could see...
Was himself.
A man he hadn't seen in years.
Then...
Eyeless smiled.
A strange smile.
Almost peaceful.
"...I've changed."
His fingers tightened around the greatsword.
The reflection distorted.
The smile on his face grew wider.
"...But I'm still here."
The darkness around him began to surge.
The wind followed.
And the glow beneath the black cloth grew brighter.
Levi watched from across the battlefield.
He tightened his grip around Azhir.
Eyeless slowly raised his head.
The peaceful expression was gone.
Only excitement remained.
"...Now."
He raised the greatsword.
"Let's continue."
The two stood facing each other.
Levi tightened his grip around Azhir.
Eyeless lowered his dark greatsword.
For a moment...
Neither moved.
Then...
BOOM!!!
They disappeared.
CLANG!!!
Their swords collided.
Levi swung.
Eyeless blocked.
Eyeless countered.
Levi parried.
CLANG!
SHING!
BOOM!
The two moved across the training grounds.
Every clash shook the ground.
Levi's fire and darkness mana burned around Azhir.
Eyeless's dark wind twisted around his greatsword.
Neither one could gain the upper hand.
Levi struck.
Eyeless blocked.
Eyeless swung.
Levi dodged.
Levi attacked again.
Eyeless countered.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The guards watched from the walls.
One of them lowered his weapon slightly.
"...They're evenly matched."
Another guard stared.
"I've never seen Lord Ravenholt fight like this."
CLANG!!!
Another collision echoed through the training grounds.
The guards flinched.
"Who is that man?"
"I don't know."
"Then why is he fighting the Lord?"
No one answered.
Their attention remained fixed on the battlefield.
---
Near the courtyard...
The children who had trained with Levi earlier were watching from a safe distance.
Elias stood at the front.
His eyes were wide.
One of the younger boys grabbed his sleeve.
"Is that..."
"Yeah."
Elias swallowed.
"That's Lord Levi."
Another boy stared at Eyeless.
"Then who's the other guy?"
Elias didn't know.
But something about him felt wrong.
"...I don't know."
BOOM!!!
The children jumped as another shockwave shook the courtyard.
Elias clenched his fists.
"He was fighting us this morning..."
He looked at Levi.
"And now he's fighting that monster."
---
Count Gaius arrived at the training grounds.
His expression immediately changed when he saw the battlefield.
"What..."
He looked across the destroyed training grounds.
Then at Levi.
Then at Eyeless.
His eyes narrowed.
"Who is that?"
A guard quickly approached him.
"We don't know, Count."
Gaius watched the two fighters clash again.
CLANG!!!
Levi was pushed backward.
He recovered immediately.
Then charged again.
Gaius's expression became serious.
"He's keeping up with Levi..."
He watched carefully.
Something didn't feel right.
At first...
Levi and Eyeless had been equal.
But now...
Gaius noticed something.
Levi's movements were changing.
His breathing was heavier.
His attacks weren't as fast as before.
Eyeless...
Wasn't slowing down at all.
---
CLANG!!!
Levi blocked another strike.
His arms trembled.
Eyeless immediately swung again.
CLANG!!!
Levi was forced backward.
He took a breath.
Another.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
Eyeless stood several meters away.
Completely still.
His breathing hadn't changed.
His grip remained firm.
His dark greatsword still radiated mana.
Levi stared at him.
"...You're not tired?"
Eyeless tilted his head.
"Tired?"
A grin appeared.
"No."
He stepped forward.
"I've been waiting years for this."
Levi tightened his grip.
Eyeless suddenly charged.
BOOM!!!
Levi blocked.
CLANG!!!
Another strike.
CLANG!!!
Another.
Levi's feet slid across the ground.
His breathing grew heavier.
Eyeless continued.
No hesitation.
No slowing down.
No signs of exhaustion.
The guards began noticing it too.
"Lord Ravenholt is slowing down."
"He's been fighting for too long."
"But the other man..."
The guard looked toward Eyeless.
"...he hasn't changed at all."
---
Elias watched from behind the wall.
He remembered the training earlier that morning.
Levi had told them something.
In a war, your opponent will not go easy on you.
Elias looked at the battlefield.
His expression changed.
"...He wasn't joking."
Another clash shook the ground.
BOOM!!!
Levi stumbled backward.
Eyeless remained standing.
Count Gaius's eyes narrowed.
He finally understood.
"This isn't a battle of strength anymore."
He looked at Levi.
"He's trying to outlast him."
Eyeless raised his greatsword.
A dark wind began gathering around the blade.
Levi raised Azhir.
His breathing was heavy.
But he still stood.
Eyeless smiled.
"Still fighting?"
Levi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"...Obviously."
He raised Azhir again.
"I've got no intention of losing."
Eyeless's grin widened.
"Good."
The wind around his greatsword grew stronger.
"Then keep going."
BOOM!!!
They charged at each other again.
Count Gaius watched the two clash again.
CLANG!!!
Levi was pushed backward.
Eyeless immediately followed.
Another strike.
BOOM!!!
Levi barely blocked it.
Gaius's expression hardened.
"Enough."
He stepped forward.
"Get the civilians back."
The guards looked at him.
"My lord?"
Gaius drew his weapon.
"I'm going in."
One of the guards froze.
"Count Gaius, that's-"
"I know."
Gaius charged.
BOOM!!!
He entered the battlefield.
His weapon swung toward Eyeless.
Eyeless turned.
He saw the attack coming.
He blocked it with his greatsword.
CLANG!!!
Gaius's eyes widened.
The force pushed him backward.
Eyeless looked at him.
"...Another one?"
Gaius gritted his teeth.
He rushed forward again.
CLANG!
Eyeless blocked.
Gaius attacked again.
CLANG!
Again.
CLANG!
But Eyeless didn't move.
Gaius's expression changed.
"What..."
Eyeless pushed him away.
Gaius stumbled backward.
Eyeless raised his greatsword.
Levi suddenly stepped between them.
"STOP!"
Gaius looked at him.
"Levi!"
Levi turned toward him.
His breathing was heavy.
His grip around Azhir tightened.
"DON'T INTERFERE."
Gaius frowned.
"I'm trying to help you!"
Levi's eyes hardened.
"YOU'LL ONLY BE WASTING YOUR LIVES!"
Silence.
The guards stared.
The children watching from behind the walls went quiet.
Levi looked at Gaius.
"He's not getting tired."
He glanced toward Eyeless.
"Every person you send in..."
Eyeless slowly raised his greatsword.
"...will only give him another target."
Gaius tightened his grip.
"Then what are you going to do?"
Levi raised Azhir.
"I'll finish it myself."
Eyeless smiled.
"That's more like it."
Dark wind began gathering around his greatsword.
Levi's fire and darkness mana surged around Azhir.
Gaius slowly stepped back.
He hated it.
But he understood.
"Everyone..."
He turned toward the guards.
"Stay back."
The guards hesitated.
Gaius's voice became firm.
"That's an order."
They backed away.
The children were pulled farther from the battlefield.
Elias looked at Levi.
"Lord Levi..."
Levi didn't look back.
His eyes remained fixed on Eyeless.
Eyeless lowered his stance.
Levi did the same.
The two stood across from each other.
Neither moved.
Then...
BOOM!!!
They charged.
The battle suddenly slowed.
Neither Levi nor Eyeless attacked.
They simply walked.
Circling each other.
Step by step.
Levi's breathing was heavy.
Eyeless's wasn't.
Levi watched him carefully.
' I can't keep this up.'
His grip tightened around Azhir.
' My mana isn't the problem.'
He could feel it.
An ocean of mana still remained inside him.
Fire.
Darkness.
More than enough to continue fighting.
But his body...
His body was beginning to feel the strain.
' I'm using too much.'
Eyeless continued circling him.
Levi's eyes followed him.
' Every attack...'
' Every movement...'
' I'm pouring too much mana into everything.'
He took a slow breath.
In.
Out.
His mind began calculating.
'Power isn't the problem.'
'Control is.'
He looked toward the torches along the castle walls.
The flames flickered in the night.
Fire mana.
Then he looked toward the sky.
Darkness stretched endlessly above him.
'Two sources.'
'Two elements.'
His eyes narrowed.
'If I keep using both equally...'
'I'm wasting mana.'
He looked down at his own hands.
'My sword doesn't need the same amount of mana as my legs.'
Then...
An idea.
'Mana isn't just power.'
'It's fuel.'
His mind began forming the equation.
Mana → Body → Purpose.
'Every part gets what it needs.'
'Nothing more.'
'Nothing less.'
He closed his eyes.
He could feel the mana inside his body.
Instead of allowing it to surge everywhere...
He separated it.
Darkness flowed toward his eyes.
'Sight.'
Fire moved into his legs.
'Movement.'
Darkness gathered around his feet.
'Balance.'
Fire flowed into his arms.
'Strength.'
Darkness moved through his chest.
'Control.'
His sword hand received both.
Fire for force.
Darkness for compression.
'Don't overpower.'
'Don't waste.'
'Distribute.'
His breathing became slower.
His heartbeat followed.
'If power is everything...'
'Then efficiency is how long I can keep it.'
Another thought appeared.
'Output doesn't need to equal maximum.'
'Output only needs to equal what the action requires.'
His eyes opened.
The darkness of the night seemed to answer him.
The shadows beneath the walls began drifting toward him.
At the same time...
The flames from the nearby torches flickered.
Small strands of fire mana slowly left them.
They flowed toward Levi.
Eyeless stopped walking.
"...What are you doing?"
Levi didn't answer.
He took another breath.
In.
Out.
His thoughts became completely still.
'Fire.'
His muscles strengthened.
'Darkness.'
His senses sharpened.
'Fire.'
His legs prepared to move.
'Darkness.'
His body stabilized.
The mana stopped surging wildly.
It began flowing smoothly.
Precisely.
Like separate currents moving through the same ocean.
Levi looked at Azhir.
'Sword requires power.'
His grip tightened.
'Body requires stability.'
His stance lowered.
'Mind requires calm.'
His breathing slowed again.
Then...
He understood.
'Balance isn't splitting the mana equally.'
'Balance is giving each part exactly what it needs.'
The pressure inside his body disappeared.
His exhaustion stopped growing.
Levi opened his eyes.
Eyeless stared at him.
"...You've changed."
Levi raised Azhir.
His expression was calm.
"I figured something out."
Eyeless smiled.
"Then show me."
The two stopped circling.
Silence.
The wind passed between them.
Levi lowered his stance.
Eyeless raised his greatsword.
Then...
They charged.
BOOM!!!
Their weapons collided.
CLANG!!!
Darkness strengthened Levi's senses.
Fire strengthened his muscles.
He didn't flood his entire body with mana.
He directed it.
Precisely.
Eyeless swung.
Levi moved.
Darkness to his feet.
Fire to his legs.
He slipped past the greatsword.
SHING!!!
Azhir struck.
Eyeless blocked.
Levi immediately redirected his mana.
Fire into his sword arm.
Darkness around the blade.
He struck again.
CLANG!!!
Eyeless was forced backward.
Levi followed.
One breath.
One movement.
One calculation.
'Don't waste.'
CLANG!!!
'Don't force.'
SHING!!!
'Control.'
Levi's movements became sharper.
Cleaner.
More efficient.
Eyeless's smile slowly widened.
"Ah..."
He tightened his grip.
"Now this is interesting."
Eyeless's smile widened.
"Ah..."
He tightened his grip.
"Now this is interesting."
He suddenly vanished.
BOOM!!!
Levi's eyes followed him.
'Darkness...'
His senses sharpened.
He turned.
CLANG!!!
Eyeless's greatsword crashed against Azhir.
Levi redirected fire mana into his legs.
He pushed off the ground.
Then swung.
"IMPERIAL RAINSLASH!!!"
SHING! SHING! SHING! SHING!
A barrage of slashes filled the air.
Fire and darkness flowed through every strike.
But this time...
Levi wasn't flooding Azhir with mana.
Each slash received only what it needed.
Eyeless blocked the first.
The second.
The third.
Then...
He twisted his greatsword.
"BLACKENED GALE!!!"
Dark wind exploded from the blade.
The wind blades twisted unpredictably through Levi's attack.
CLANG!
SHING!
The two techniques tore through each other.
Levi stepped through the gaps.
'Darkness...'
His eyes tracked the wind.
'Fire...'
His legs accelerated.
He appeared beside Eyeless.
"SOVEREIGN FANGSTORM!!!"
Hundreds of thrusts erupted in rapid succession.
Eyeless's eyes widened.
He swung his greatsword in a wide arc.
"ABYSSAL CYCLONE!!!"
Dark wind spiraled around him.
The vortex deflected the incoming strikes.
Levi jumped backward.
Eyeless immediately followed.
His greatsword came down.
"SHADOW CLEAVER!!!"
Levi raised Azhir.
CLANG!!!
The impact shook the ground.
Levi's knees bent.
But he didn't collapse.
'Don't fight the force.'
He shifted the mana.
Darkness into his feet.
Fire into his core.
He redirected the pressure.
Then pushed Eyeless away.
BOOM!!!
Eyeless slid backward.
Levi didn't chase.
He took a breath.
In.
Out.
'Calm.'
Darkness gathered around Azhir.
Fire flowed through his arms.
He raised his sword.
"BLACK RUPTURE!!!"
Six slashes erupted one after another.
SHING!
SHING!
SHING!
SHING!
SHING!
SHING!
Eyeless raised his greatsword.
Black wind wrapped around his body.
He began spinning.
"FALLEN TEMPEST!!!"
Wind and darkness exploded outward.
The six slashes collided with the storm.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The battlefield shook.
The guards on the walls watched in disbelief.
"Again..."
"They're using those attacks again!"
The children stared from behind the walls.
Elias clenched his fists.
"How are they still fighting?"
Count Gaius watched silently.
His eyes remained fixed on Levi.
Something was different.
Before...
Levi had been exhausting himself.
Now...
His breathing remained steady.
Gaius narrowed his eyes.
'He's conserving his mana.'
Back on the battlefield...
The smoke cleared.
Levi and Eyeless stood facing each other.
Both still standing.
Both still ready.
Eyeless smiled.
"You're learning quickly."
Levi raised Azhir.
"I don't have time to learn slowly."
Eyeless laughed.
"Then let's see how far you've learned."
He lowered his stance.
Levi did the same.
Fire and darkness gathered around Azhir.
Wind and darkness twisted around Eyeless's greatsword.
The two charged again.
BOOM!!!
The two charged again.
Levi swung Azhir.
Eyeless raised his greatsword.
CLANG!!!
They clashed.
Again.
And again.
Neither gave ground.
Until...
Levi saw an opening.
'There.'
He shifted his weight.
Fire mana surged through his legs.
Darkness compressed around Azhir.
He stepped forward.
Then...
BOOOOOOM!!!
Azhir struck Eyeless with tremendous force.
Eyeless was sent flying.
He crashed across the battlefield.
THUD!!!
Dust erupted around him.
Levi stood still.
His breathing remained controlled.
"Got you."
Silence.
The dust slowly settled.
Eyeless was on one knee.
His greatsword had fallen beside him.
His head hung low.
"..."
Levi narrowed his eyes.
Something felt wrong.
Eyeless's hand suddenly trembled.
He slowly raised it.
Then his other hand followed.
Both hands grabbed his head.
"No..."
His fingers tightened against his hair.
His entire body began shaking.
"No..."
Levi's expression changed.
"Eyeless?"
Eyeless covered his face.
As if he were desperately trying to hold something back.
"Stop..."
His breathing became ragged.
"Stop..."
His voice cracked.
Then...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"
A monstrous, guttural scream erupted from Eyeless.
It echoed across the battlefield.
Then across Ravenholt.
The guards froze.
The children stopped talking.
Windows opened throughout the city.
Everyone heard it.
Even inside the castle...
The scream could be heard.
Eyeless screamed again.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!"
Levi's eyes widened.
"What the..."
Eyeless's hands remained pressed against his face.
Dark mana began leaking between his fingers.
It crawled across his arms.
His body shook harder.
"Leave me..."
"Please..."
Levi lowered Azhir slightly.
Eyeless suddenly screamed again.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
Then...
Silence.
Eyeless stopped moving.
His hands slowly fell from his face.
His head remained lowered.
Levi stared at him.
"..."
The air became heavy.
The flames from the nearby torches began flickering violently.
Dark mana spread across the ground.
It gathered around Eyeless.
His broken greatsword suddenly began trembling.
CRACK.
A small piece broke off.
Then another.
CRACK.
The entire blade shattered.
The pieces fell to the ground.
Eyeless slowly stood.
His hair lifted in the wind.
The violet glow beneath the black cloth became brighter.
Levi tightened his grip around Azhir.
'This isn't the same man.'
Eyeless's fingers twitched.
Then...
He smiled.
Not the same smile as before.
Something colder.
Something unfamiliar.
The darkness around him began twisting upward.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A massive wave of dark mana exploded from his body.
Levi raised his arm to shield himself.
The ground beneath Eyeless cracked.
The storm of darkness grew larger.
Higher.
Darker.
Eyeless slowly raised his head.
His voice was barely recognizable.
"...Again."
The darkness erupted once more.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire battlefield shook.
Guards struggled to remain standing.
The castle walls trembled.
Levi planted his feet firmly against the ground.
Azhir glowed in his hand.
Eyeless stood within the storm.
Then...
He laughed.
A low, distorted laugh.
"Let's begin."
Levi's eyes narrowed.
The two stared at each other.
Neither moved.
The battlefield had gone completely silent.
Then Eyeless stepped forward.