Clang!
Steel screamed as it met steel, the sound tearing through a battlefield already drowning in ruin. Two warriors stood locked before each other, neither willing to yield, both intent on ending the other's existence.
The sky above was stained crimson, thick with the blood of the fallen. Hope had long since perished on this land, yet in this moment, as these two faced one another, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Boom!
"I have acknowledged you as the strongest among humans," one of them said, its voice heavy with disdain. "Before I cut you down, tell me your name."
The other did not retreat. He maintained his stance, as a faint smirk tugged at his lips. "Edward. Edward Vistro. King of the Seven Kingdoms and lord of all. And it will be my blade that ends you."
A harsh laugh echoed across the battlefield. "Such arrogance from a mortal. Come, then. Meet your fate."
They collided once more, the battle erupting with renewed ferocity. Edward moved against the demon lord's overwhelming power, matching it blow for blow through sheer will and mastery. His enemy was Azrathion, the Calamity Sovereign, a colossal being of obsidian flesh encased in twisted, ancient armor. Six blazing eyes burned across its monstrous face, each one cold and merciless. From its back spread vast, dragon-like wings, their surface glowing faintly as they eclipsed the blood-red sky. Horns curled from its skull like broken crowns, marking it as a tyrant born to rule through destruction. It was the same nightmare Edward had faced more than a thousand times.
A thousand times, yes, you heard that right. A thousand deaths. A thousand failures.
Edward was no ordinary warrior. He carried within him the experience of countless lifetimes, the knowledge and skill of more than a thousand perfected fighters. No human in history had ever reached even a fraction of his strength. He had learned every sword art, mastered every spell, cultivated every known realm, and bent every affinity to his will. And yet, every confrontation with the demon lord had ended the same way—with his death and his return to the beginning.
But not this time.
As Edward tightened his grip on his blade, his resolve hardened.
This time, the demon lord would fall.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"You seem well attuned to my fighting style, even though this is the first time we have faced each other, human," Azrathion said.
Swoosh!
Azrathion's mighty blade tore through the air, stopping mere inches from Edward's torso.
"Barrier Art: Absolute Aegis!"
Boom!
Edward managed to conjure the Heaven-ranked spell, Absolute Aegis, just in time. A barrier of pure mana materialized before him, intercepting Azrathion's raging strike and exploding outward in a violent shockwave.
'That was close,' Edward thought.
"Impressive control of magic," Azrathion said coldly. "But tell me, how long can you continue to hold your ground?"
Disssh....
Minutes went by.
Steel hit steel again, the field shaking with each move. The close fight started to change. Edward felt it first in his breath, then in the small delay between thought and action. Each swing took more focus, mana, and effort.
Azrathion seemed to have no end.
The demon pushed, its attacks getting harder and more exact. Each hit was strong, each move meant to kill. Edward blocked, and countered, but each defense took away his strength.
A wing hit his shoulder, sending him sliding. Edward got up fast, but not fast enough. Azrathion's blade cut his side. Blood spilled, burning as it hit the ground.
'Here we go,' Edward thought.
He moved, pulling deeper on his power, but the flow felt heavy now. The demon knew his moves. Each pattern, each set of actions, was being read and crushed.
"You're slow," Azrathion said, its eyes sure. "Your edge fades with each breath."
Edward said nothing. He felt the truth in those words. His hits didn't push Azrathion back. They were being stopped easily. Each hit pushed Edward closer to breaking, while the demon moved without stopping, covering the sky.
Another minute passed. Then another.
Edward knew he was no longer in charge.
He was just alive.
Whoosh! Clang!
What's wrong? Can't keep up? Azrathion mocked.
'He's changed how he fights, making my plans bad,' Edward thought. 'Still, I've hit more times than before. I just need to wait for a chance to do the Ninth Form of the Nine War Paladin Art. Before, I was too slow, but now, I've made it better.'
Swoosh!
Azrathion swung, missing Edward.
"You move fast," he said. "But you're just putting off what will happen. You will die."
Edward didn't reply. He breathed slowly, blocking out the tired, the pain, the noise of battle. His world became one thing.
The chance.
For a moment, Azrathion went too far. One wing pulled back. One eye moved. There was a heartbeat where the pushing seemed to stop.
That was it.
Edward hit the ground and the earth broke. Mana burst from him, filling his body. His sword flashed, and light and intent spun along the blade.
"Ninth Form," Edward said.
The world slowed.
He moved through Azrathion's guard, his body moving like no mortal could. His blade came down, holding every lesson, every death, every lifetime he had lived.
Clang—BOOM!
The hit landed.
A bright blast tore through the field as Edward's sword cut into Azrathion's chest, breaking armor and cutting through flesh. The shockwave split the land, mountains falling as dark blood sprayed like burning rain.
Azrathion stumbled.
For the first time, the demon roared in pain.
Edward stood at the center, breathing hard, his sword in his enemy. Cracks ran across Azrathion's body, black smoke coming from the cut. His eyes locked onto Edward's angry stare.
But then… they burned bright.
Azrathion stood up.
The armor reformed, his flesh knitting back together as if the world didn't want him to fall. A big claw closed around Edward's arm, crushing bone. The Ninth Form faded, its light gone.
"…Good," Azrathion said, voice low. "You did well."
Edward tried to pull away. His body didn't move.
"But it wasn't enough."
The demon's blade rose.
Time froze.
Edward looked up at the red sky, at the ruin, at the enemy he had failed to kill again. There was no sadness in his eyes. Just calm acceptance.
'I was closer,' he thought. 'Closer than ever.'
The blade fell.
Slash!
Everything went silent.
Edward's body was torn apart, gone in a storm of dark light and mana. His sword fell to the ground, as his blood disappeared.
Azrathion looked at the field and laughed.
"Rest, human," the demon said. "I will not forget this."
Darkness took everything.
And somewhere beyond death, time began to rewind once more.