The battlefield at the edge of the world had already been transformed into a wasteland.
The ocean roared endlessly in the distance.
The ground beneath Leo's feet was covered with cracks created by the force of his battle with Kaguya.
For several moments, neither fighter moved.
Leo stood with both khukuris in his hands.
His eyes were still in Form Two.
His enhanced senses were active.
Every movement.
Every sound.
Every vibration in the air.
He could detect things that ordinary humans could never perceive.
But there was one problem.
Kaguya was simply too fast.
She disappeared.
Leo's eyes immediately moved.
Left.
Nothing.
Right.
Nothing.
Above—
Nothing.
Behind—
BOOM!
Leo barely raised his khukuri in time.
Kaguya's blade slammed into it.
The impact sent him flying.
"Ugh!"
Leo spun through the air.
He landed on one knee.
His hand pressed against the ground.
For a second, he didn't move.
Then he slowly stood.
His breathing was becoming heavier.
His arms were shaking.
Leo looked down at himself.
The injuries he had received during his previous battles were beginning to make themselves known again.
His body had never truly recovered.
His arms.
His legs.
His ribs.
All the places that had already suffered damage in previous battles were now screaming with pain.
Leo clenched his teeth.
"Damn..."
He tried moving his shoulder.
Pain shot through it.
"Not now."
Kaguya stood several meters away.
Not a single scratch.
Not even a cut on her clothes.
She looked completely fine.
Leo stared at her.
"Seriously?"
Kaguya tilted her head.
"What?"
Leo pointed at himself.
"Look at me."
Then he pointed at her.
"Now look at you."
Kaguya glanced at herself.
She smiled.
"I don't see the problem."
Leo's expression became annoyed.
"That's exactly the problem!"
Kaguya laughed.
"You are fighting the Weapon Master Guardian."
She pulled one of her chained blades backward.
"You expected this to be easy?"
Leo tightened his grip.
"No."
His eyes narrowed.
"But I didn't expect you to be this annoying."
Kaguya disappeared again.
Leo's enhanced senses activated instantly.
WHOOSH!
He turned.
Nothing.
WHOOSH!
He turned again.
Nothing.
"Where...?"
A blade suddenly appeared beside his face.
Leo ducked.
The blade passed over him.
He immediately counterattacked.
CLANG!
Kaguya blocked.
She spun.
The chain wrapped around Leo's khukuri.
She pulled.
Leo was dragged forward.
Kaguya's knee struck his stomach.
BOOM!
Leo's body folded slightly.
He was launched backward.
He crashed onto the ground.
The pain in his body intensified.
His fingers trembled.
"Argh..."
Leo forced himself back onto his feet.
Blood ran from several small wounds.
His clothes were already badly damaged.
His breathing was rough.
But Kaguya?
Nothing.
She stood there untouched.
Leo looked at her.
His eyes narrowed.
"My enhanced senses..."
He breathed heavily.
"They can't even keep up with you."
Kaguya smiled.
"Exactly."
She raised her two gigantic blades.
"Your eyes may see faster than ordinary people."
Her chains rattled.
"But I'm faster than what your eyes can perceive."
Leo's expression became serious.
Kaguya vanished.
This time—
Leo couldn't detect her.
His eyes moved desperately.
His enhanced senses searched the entire area.
Nothing.
Then—
BOOM!
Leo was struck from behind.
He flew forward.
He rolled across the ground.
Before he could stand—
BOOM!
Another strike.
Leo was thrown into the air.
He barely managed to regain control of his body.
"Where is she?!"
Kaguya appeared above him.
Her blade came down.
Leo crossed both khukuris.
CLANG!
The impact nearly broke his arms.
He was driven toward the ground.
Leo gritted his teeth.
"You're..."
His arms trembled.
"...really fast!"
Kaguya smiled.
"And you're really slow."
She kicked him.
BOOM!
Leo crashed into the ground.
A cloud of dust rose.
Silence.
Kaguya stood above him.
"Give up."
Leo's fingers moved.
He pushed himself upward.
"No."
Kaguya's expression became colder.
"Why?"
Leo slowly stood.
"Because..."
He wiped his mouth.
"...I'm already here."
His spiritual energy began rising.
Kaguya watched carefully.
Leo's aura suddenly exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire battlefield shook.
The ocean behind them surged upward.
The clouds split apart.
Leo's hair began changing.
One side slowly turned golden.
The other side became deep red.
His aura changed completely.
A strange pressure filled the atmosphere.
Then—
Two horns emerged from his head.
A glowing halo-like ring formed above him.
Behind his back—
BOOM!
A pair of enormous wings erupted from his spiritual energy.
His entire appearance had changed.
The transformation wasn't simply stronger.
It felt completely different.
Kaguya's eyes widened.
She stared at Leo.
"...What?"
Leo raised his head.
His eyes burned with power.
His aura continued expanding.
Kaguya's expression finally changed.
Inside her mind, she muttered:
"Shit..."
"He's getting dangerously close to becoming a Demi-God."
She tightened her grip on her weapons.
Then her expression became confident again.
"So what?"
"Today, I'll crush him."
Leo took one step forward.
The ground cracked beneath his foot.
Kaguya immediately rushed toward him.
BOOOOOOM!
Their weapons collided.
This time—
Leo didn't fly backward.
He blocked her attack.
Kaguya's eyes widened slightly.
Leo pushed her blade away.
CLANG!
He swung his other khukuri.
Kaguya dodged.
Leo followed.
She blocked.
He attacked again.
She ducked.
The two fighters disappeared into a storm of movement.
CLANG!
BOOM!
WHOOSH!
CRASH!
Leo's new wings allowed him to change direction in midair.
He flew upward.
Kaguya followed.
Leo attacked from above.
Kaguya blocked.
He spun.
She countered.
Their weapons collided again and again.
For the first time—
Kaguya had to actually defend herself.
Leo smiled.
"Got you!"
He launched himself forward.
Kaguya blocked both blades.
The shockwave exploded around them.
But Leo's body suddenly trembled.
His breath stopped for a moment.
His knees weakened.
"Not..."
His vision blurred.
"...again."
The accumulated damage from all his previous battles was catching up with him.
His Form Three couldn't completely erase the condition of his body.
His wings flickered.
His aura became unstable.
Kaguya noticed immediately.
"Oh?"
She pushed him away.
Leo stumbled backward.
His transformation flickered.
The golden and red hair remained, but his body was struggling to maintain the form.
Kaguya smiled.
"So that's your limit."
Leo tried to stand straight.
"I..."
His knee hit the ground.
THUD.
Leo dropped onto one knee.
His breathing became heavy.
Kaguya walked toward him.
"Your body can't handle your own power."
Leo looked up.
His hands were still gripping his khukuris.
Kaguya raised her weapons.
"You should have stayed down."
Leo tried to stand.
His body refused.
"Damn..."
His arms trembled.
Then—
CRACK!
One of his khukuris broke.
Leo froze.
"...What?"
The blade shattered under the pressure.
Before he could react—
CRACK!
His second khukuri broke as well.
The broken pieces fell to the ground.
Leo stared at them.
Both of his weapons were gone.
Kaguya slowly raised her hand.
A massive amount of Spiritual Energy gathered around her.
The energy became brighter.
Brighter.
And brighter.
Leo looked up.
His eyes widened.
Kaguya aimed directly at him.
"Game over."
A gigantic Spiritual Beam began forming in front of her.
The air itself shook.
The ground cracked beneath Leo.
Leo tried to move.
His body wouldn't respond.
"Come on..."
He forced himself forward.
Nothing.
His arms trembled.
His wings flickered.
Kaguya released the final attack.
"SPIRITUAL BEAM!"
The beam exploded forward.
Leo's eyes widened.
He couldn't dodge.
He couldn't block.
He had no weapons left.
The beam was only moments away.
Then—
CLANG.
Something appeared between them.
A sword.
A completely black sword.
It stood directly between Leo and Kaguya.
The Spiritual Beam struck the sword—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic explosion covered the battlefield.
Leo stared at the mysterious weapon.
His eyes widened.
He recognized it.
That sword...
It was the same black sword that had mysteriously appeared around his waist when he was entering the Wind Temple.
The sword he had never understood.
The sword he had never summoned.
The sword that had simply appeared.
And now—
It had appeared again.
Directly between him and Kaguya.
Leo stared at it in disbelief.
"...That sword."
The black blade remained completely still.
Its dark aura spread across the battlefield.
Kaguya's Spiritual Beam continued crashing against it.
But the sword did not move.
Not even an inch.
Kaguya's eyes widened.
"What... is that?"
Leo slowly raised his head.
For the first time since the battle began—
Even he didn't know the answer.
The black sword stood silently between the two warriors.
As if it had been waiting for this exact moment.
To Be Continued...