'He's strong. Even at full force I don't know if I can win,' Benjamin thought, his chest heaving as dust swirled around them.
Alfred hovered above the cracked stone, wings of pure light fanning out, burning holes into the ground with every pulse. "What are you thinking about, Hero Benjamin? At your limit already?"
Benjamin spat blood onto the stone and wiped it away with the back of his hand. He switched his sword to his right hand with slow, deliberate calm, letting the motion be itself a sentence. He leveled the blade at Alfred and smiled, cold, amused, unbroken.
"It takes more than this to push me to my limit," he said, voice low but steady.
Alfred smirked. "Good. Show me you're worth killing."
Benjamin launched forward, the wind surging with him, blades of air cutting through the cobblestones as he struck. Alfred raised his hand; a flash of gold erupted, forming a radiant shield that shattered Benjamin's attack like glass. The impact sent the hero flying back, his boots digging deep trenches in the ground.
Alfred appeared behind him in an instant, light flaring along his arm. "Too slow." His hand slammed into Benjamin's back, light bursting out in all directions, throwing the hero through a wall.
Benjamin staggered out of the rubble, coughing, but the fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed. "You… think light makes you a god?"
Alfred descended slowly, his expression calm and terrifying. "No. Light doesn't make me a god." He raised his hand, summoning a glowing spear that hummed with divine power. "It makes me your executioner."
Benjamin roared, gathering every ounce of strength left in him. A storm formed above, wild, screaming wind that split the clouds open. He charged. Alfred threw his spear.
The world exploded in a blinding flash.
When the light faded, both men stood at the center of a smoking crater, Alfred, unshaken, his wings burning brighter; Benjamin, on one knee, blood dripping onto his sword.
"You can't win," Alfred said, voice echoing like thunder. "Your wind can't pierce the light."
Benjamin smirked through the pain. "Then I'll tear the light apart."
And with that, he rose again, wind swirling like a raging tempest around him, refusing to fall.
Quickly, from three sides, beams of light solidified into swords and lunged toward Benjamin. He reacted instantly, his blade flashing left, right, then up, deflecting each strike with precision. But in that moment, his guard was open.
Alfred was already there, a blur of gold and fury. His light-forged sword came down with divine force, ready to end it—
Then, a flaming dagger whistled through the air, slamming toward Alfred's head. Alfred turned and caught it between his fingers, the metal hissed as the fire scorched his hand. He smirked.
A second later, a storm of fire erupted behind him.
A man cloaked in blazing heat floated above the ground, eyes glowing like embers. Flames rolled off him in waves, distorting the air. A deep, confident voice echoed through the smoke.
"You've gotten yourself into quite a mess, Benjamin."
Benjamin looked up, panting, but a smile broke across his bloodied face. "You've come… I didn't expect you to show up Michael"
"Neither did I," the man said with a smirk. "Need a hand?"
Benjamin straightened his stance, pointing his sword forward. "Of course I do."
"Then let's burn this angel down."
Michael thrust his palm forward, columns of fire erupted beneath Alfred, swallowing him whole. The flames twisted into dragons, roaring and snapping at him. Alfred broke free in a flash of golden light, his wings slicing through the fire like blades, scattering the burning air around him.
Alfred laughed. "You think flames can burn light?"
"Let's find out." Michael's grin was wild. He spun midair, his flames coiling into a whip of molten fire. He lashed it out, catching Alfred's wing. The holy light sizzled, smoke rising as feathers of light burned away.
Alfred gritted his teeth, his other wing blazing with renewed brilliance. He swung his arm, thousands of light shards shot like bullets, piercing through buildings and tearing the air apart. Ignis dodged most, but a few tore across his arm, leaving glowing cuts.
Benjamin dashed in, wind magic surging around him. His sword glowed with compressed air as he struck. Alfred blocked with a radiant shield, sparks flying.
"Not bad," Alfred sneered. "But you're too slow!"
In an instant, he vanished and reappeared behind Benjamin, driving his knee into his back. Benjamin coughed blood and flew forward. Alfred caught him midair by the throat and slammed him into the ground. The earth shattered.
Ignis roared and slammed his palms together, the ground beneath Alfred exploded in an inferno. The flames roared sky-high, engulfing the battlefield. For a moment, Alfred's light dimmed.
Then a burst of golden energy erupted, Alfred walked out of the flames, eyes glowing like a god.
"Impressive…" he muttered, smiling through the blood dripping down his chin. "But not enough."
He raised both hands, and a storm of light descended, thousands of beams slicing through the smoke like divine punishment. Michael countered, summoning a blazing dome of fire, molten arcs deflecting most of the beams, but each impact shook the ground, turning stone to magma.
Benjamin charged from behind the flames, cutting through the radiant storm. "Now, Michael!"
Michael slammed his hands down, and the flames around them exploded, merging with Benjamin's wind. A firestorm spiraled around Alfred, an inferno so violent it swallowed even the light.
Alfred screamed, his wings burning and cracking under the pressure. The combined power tore through his defense, sending him crashing into the ground. The explosion echoed across the kingdom.
When the smoke cleared, Alfred lay on one knee, his wings flickering, his light fading. Blood dripped from his mouth, but his grin remained defiant.
Michael landed beside Benjamin, his body still steaming with heat. "He's strong," he said, voice heavy but firm. "Stronger than any demon I've fought."
Benjamin nodded, panting. "Yeah. But even light burns out eventually."
Alfred's eyes flickered one last time, then his body fell forward, unconscious.
"Should we kill him?" Michael's voice was blunt, the question a blade in the smoky air.
Benjamin didn't answer immediately. He looked down at Alfred's still form, at the scorch marks and shattered stone. "Did you hear what happened here?" he said finally.
"Yeah." Michael's jaw tightened.
"This man," Benjamin continued, voice steady, "wiped out an entire army of demons by himself and defended this kingdom alone." He let the words hang. Around them, knights and onlookers shifted; some faces reflected awe, others naked fear.
"So you want to keep him alive?" Michael snapped.
"We bring him to the Council of Heroes," Benjamin said. "let us all decide on it." His tone left no room for argument. "If he's a threat, we'll deal with him. If he's an ally, we need him."
Michael's eyes bored into Benjamin's. He leaned closer, voice low and sharp. "You almost died out there. Your magic crystal, it's cracked. You're holding back. Why won't you use your true power when it matters?"
Benjamin met him without flinching. Around them the men began to move, two knights unrolling heavy iron manacles designed to dampen magic, a captain barking orders. The camp readied a carriage for transport.
Michael's question hung between them, urgent and accusing. Benjamin's answer was quiet, resolute: "Because mercy is not a weakness. We will not become executioners in the square. We secure him, we bring him before the seven, and we let us and the other chosen to judge on thus work."
Michael snorted but fell into line as the knights bent to restrain Alfred. "Make no mistake," he muttered, more to himself than to Benjamin. "If this backfires, it will be on all of us."
They lifted Alfred carefully, chains clinking. As they moved toward the waiting carriage, the murmurs of the camp swelled into a single question everyone felt but none could yet answer: would the stranger prove salvationor doom?