Chapter 117 – THE FAIRY KING'S ARRIVAL
The voice slipped through the cracks of silence like a blade. Shen stood sharply, his aura flaring. From the broken wall stepped a figure—slender, but cloaked in a mantle of emerald light. His hair shimmered like silver flame, and his eyes were as sharp as daggers of dawn.
"I've waited far too long to meet you," the stranger said, smiling faintly. "So, you're the one who stirs this dead castle."
Shen's fists clenched. "Who are you?"
The man bowed slightly, though mockingly. "They once called me the Fairy King—Lare. But names don't matter here, do they? What matters is strength."
Without warning, Lare lunged. His sword, glowing with runic fire, slashed through the air. Shen barely twisted aside as the blow split the castle floor in two.
"Damn—!" Shen's aura exploded. Black flames coiled into his Terminal Curse, sparks of blue and red dancing across his body. With a roar, he hurled a wave of Dark Magic that shook the endless halls.
Lare laughed. "Good! Good! But you'll need more than curses to kill me!" His arm glowed with strange marks, and from his hand erupted the Dragon Scratch, a claw-shaped strike that tore through Shen's darkness.
Steel clashed against shadows. Magic roared against blade. The two figures battled without pause—hours, then days. Neither yielded.
By the seventh day, their bodies were bruised, torn, yet still unbroken. Shen's breaths came ragged, but his eyes still burned with fury. Lare's grin hadn't faded.
"You're strong," Lare admitted, swinging his sword one last time before lowering it. "But you're also weak. Weak compared to me."
Shen narrowed his gaze. "You're laughing… even when you know you couldn't beat me."
Lare chuckled softly. "A week we fought, and neither of us could claim victory. Let's call it what it is—a draw."
Shen spat blood to the floor and muttered, "Who the hell are you, idiot fairy?"
Lare's smile only widened. "You'll know soon enough."
The silence returned, but this time, it was heavy with something new—an uneasy bond forged through battle.
To be continued…