As Zay stepped into the Ovaris Empire, he closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. "Any moment now…" he muttered under his breath.
His boots splashed against shallow puddles as he moved through the worn stone streets.
The marketplace was alive despite the drizzle, with merchants calling out their wares under makeshift awnings.
One shop caught his eye—Rain's Swords and Gear, its bold lettering partially faded from years of weathering. He turned toward it, adjusting his footing on the slick ground.
Then, the door to the shop burst open. A man flew out, hitting the ground hard, skidding across the wet stone before coming to a stop. Short brown hair, dark brown eyes—he groaned in pain, his large brown coat soaked from the downpour.
Zay exhaled sharply. "This is the first problem." His gaze shifted up as a figure stepped through the broken doorway, a long sword gripped in his hand.
"Ronald Sins. Despite his ridiculous name, Ronald isn't someone to joke with. He doesn't know aura, but his raw strength and skill alone were enough to make him dangerous in every life I've lived through. Even though I've fought him several times, he would still end up killing me a few times."
The wicked grin on his face stretched wider as he stepped forward, his blade pointed downward.
Then, without hesitation, he drove it straight through the fallen man's chest.
The rain quickly washed the blood into the cracks of the stone, as if erasing the act within seconds.
"Some deaths are necessary to make progress in life," Zay muttered, his voice barely audible over the rain.
Ronald turned his gaze toward him.
"Interesting choice to kill him right away," Zay said, his tone calm, controlled. His amethyst eyes met Ronald's unflinching stare.
"What's it to you, kid?" Ronald asked, rolling his shoulders, his grip tightening around the sword hilt.
Zay exhaled slowly, his expression darkening. "Today, you die where you stand, you sick bastard."
Ronald let out a low chuckle, then a full laugh. "You're serious? You have no weapon, and you think you can kill me?" He licked the blood off his blade, swallowing it with a satisfied sigh.
"Fine. I'll add another kid to my kill list. I have no problem with it." Without warning, he lunged.
Zay twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the sword's tip as it slashed past his ribs. He stepped in, driving a sharp elbow toward Ronald's jaw, but the man shifted back just in time, parrying the follow-up strike with the flat of his blade.
The two circled each other, the sound of rain tapping against metal and stone filling the air.
Ronald struck again, a sweeping horizontal slash. Zay ducked, weaving under the blade, then launched a front punch aimed at Ronald's ribs. Ronald twisted, deflecting the impact with his forearm.
Ronald pressed forward, forcing Zay onto the defensive. Slashes came fast and controlled. Zay barely avoided a downward cut, feeling the rush of air as the blade passed inches from his shoulder.
Ronald brought his longsword down in a powerful downward slash once more, the blade was caught in one of the cracks between the worn stone, hidden beneath a shallow puddle.
The moment of resistance cost him—Zay moved in instantly, driving a violet aura-infused right hook into Ronald's jaw. The impact snapped Ronald's head to the side, forcing him back a few inches.
The aura faded before it appeared around his left foot as he launched a sharp upward kick, his boot crashing into Ronald's chest with a sickening thud.
The force sent Ronald skidding back several feet, water spraying in arcs as his boots dragged across the slick surface.
Ronald gritted his teeth and shook his head, regaining his focus. His fingers twitched toward his waist before he suddenly pulled out a dagger, flipping it in his grip.
"Fine," Ronald sneered, his dark eyes burning with anger. "I'll actually kill you for real now, kid!" He lunged forward, blade gleaming in the rain.
Zay sidestepped to the left, but Ronald's fist caught him mid-motion—a solid punch to the face. Pain exploded across Zay's jaw, and he stumbled backward, his feet slipping on the wet stone.
He barely had time to react before his back crashed into the small pond in the center of the merchant square, water splashing up around him.
Zay's amethyst eyes locked onto Ronald, already closing the distance between them once more.
Zay rolled onto his knee just as Ronald swung the dagger downward, aiming straight for his throat. Reacting on instinct, Zay caught Ronald's wrist mid-swing, twisting it just enough to redirect the blade. Even then, the dagger barely missed, grazing his side and cutting through fabric before Zay shoved off and jumped back to create space.
His mind raced. "Where is it?"
His amethyst eyes darted toward the uneven stones, scanning the water pooling between them. Then, a glint—something barely visible under the rain's assault.
"Found it."
Ronald charged again, his dagger aimed to kill.
Zay slammed his foot down into the puddle beneath him, sending a controlled wave of water upward, splashing directly into Ronald's eyes.
Ronald flinched, momentarily blinded.
That split-second was all Zay needed.
Aura surged around his body as he stepped in, twisting his hip before slamming his leg into Ronald's ribs with brutal force. The impact was bone-crushing—Ronald's body twisted unnaturally before he hit the ground hard, coughing up blood as his eyes went wide in shock. A wet, gurgling sound escaped his throat as his ribs fractured beneath the sheer force of the strike.
Zay didn't hesitate and took the opportunity without a second thought.
He climbed on top of Ronald, fists igniting with violet aura as he rained down a relentless barrage of punches. Each hit sent a ripple of force through Ronald's body, his arms jerking before finally dropping limply to the ground, water splashing around his fallen form.
Zay exhaled heavily, his breath coming out ragged. His eyes flicked toward the dagger lying nearby. Slowly, he reached for it.
A faint glow of violet aura wrapped around the blade as he lifted it.
Without hesitation, he drove it down into Ronald's throat, the sharp edge slicing through flesh and silencing any last gasp of life.
"Just to make sure this bastard is actually dead…" he muttered.
He pulled the dagger free before slamming the sharp tip into Ronald's skull, the blade sinking straight through his forehead. A faint crunch echoed in the rain as it cut into brain matter, ending any possibility of survival.
Zay slowly stood up, rain washing over him, mixing with the blood as it seeped into the cracks of the stone beneath.
He glanced down at himself, finally noticing the damage.
Several cuts lined his body—some small, some deep—slashes that shouldn't have landed, but somehow did.
Blood leaked from his wounds, staining his clothes. His breathing came heavier, and pain pulsed through every inch of his body.
"He's dangerous without aura. If he had it, I would've been dead."
More wounds appeared—thin, almost surgical cuts that began forming after the fight had ended.
Zay's eyes darkened.
Shaking his head, he pushed forward, walking into Rain's Swords and Gear.
The shop owner, an older man with tired eyes, immediately moved toward him, grabbing medical supplies.
He worked quickly, disinfecting the wounds and sewing them shut as Zay winced.
"Ronald's ability…" Zay thought to himself. "It's unique only to him. Something even I wished I could achieve at one point before giving up on it.
'Alternated Slash.'
It's not just a technique anyone can learn… no, it's unique only to Ronald. Most of his attacks will always connect, no matter what. Even if someone blocked, even if there was a barrier, even if they used aura—it doesn't matter. Though, always is a bit much. All of his attacks have a 90% chance of landing.
The reason? His soul itself is infused into every strike. There is a chance of it missing but it's not a high enough chance to consider it as a downside due to his Seal he would have later.
Within the Eight Realms, Ronald's ability ensured that if he wanted someone dead, they would die. No force could protect against it—except, divinity.
It had taken me nearly a hundred years to uncover the way it worked. The only reason I won… is because he hadn't figured it out."
A sharp sting brought him back to reality as the shop owner stuck a needle into his skin.
Zay exhaled deeply, looking up as the man finished treating the wounds.
"You saved my shop from that bastard," the owner said, setting the supplies aside. "For that, I owe you. Pick any weapon in here—anything at all. It's the least I can do."
Zay raised a brow. "Anything? Are you sure?"
The man nodded. "He said if I didn't hand over every weapon I made in the last six months, he'd kill me and my family. You saved us. So, yeah… anything you want."
Zay leaned back slightly, finally allowing himself a moment to breathe.
"I appreciate it," he said. "What's your name?"
"Cas," the man replied. "Full name's Casmolini Beright, but most just call me Cas."
Zay nodded as he scanned the weapons lining the shop walls, his choice already forming in his mind.
"So," Cas asked, watching him carefully.
"What'll it be?"