The clash of blades rang like thunder in the ruined skies. Kazuki and Vareon's spiritual swords collided, sparks of pure energy scattering into the air. Each strike carried not just force, but history—and for Vareon, the past began bleeding into the present.
His eyes narrowed. With every swing against the boy, memories surged unbidden. This pattern… this rhythm… His mind drifted backward, to a time soaked in betrayal. The empire's great halls had burned in his vision as he faced his father, blade against blade, hungry for power.
The scene shifted in his thoughts—exactly as it had been in Chapter 8 of Volume 2. Every motion Kazuki made mirrored the same movements his father had once countered. The arcs, the footwork, the bursts of energy—familiar, terrifyingly so.
Why… why does he fight like him?
For a heartbeat, Vareon saw not Kazuki, but the ghost of his father standing before him, challenging his will once again. Rage twisted into unease.
Dozens of exchanges passed, steel ringing against spiritual steel, each collision faster, harder, heavier. At last Kazuki leapt back, his breathing steady, his eyes blazing. Vareon smirked, believing he had begun to read the boy's rhythm. His speed, though daunting, was no longer alien to him.
But then—Kazuki gripped his sword tighter. His gaze sharpened, memories flooding his mind. He recalled the moment burned into his soul—Chapter 18 of Volume 1, when he first unleashed that technique against his father Shang.
The scene overlapped in his mind. Just as before, he launched forward at his usual speed, seemingly predictable. The clash struck—Vareon blocked, just as Shang once had.
And then came the second step.
The vision flickered again, showing Chapter 26, where Kazuki had faced Arthur. The same move, the same deception—Arthur had blocked it as Shang did.
But the present was different. This time the 2nd part did'nt go the same
Kazuki's spiritual energy shifted violently. He vanished in an instant, appearing behind Vareon, his body fueled by a reckless surge—speed into strength, every ounce of power concentrated into a single, lethal moment.
Vareon turned too late. His blade faltered.
In short the same thing that happened with Shang and Arthur did not happened with Vareon.
Kazuki's spiritual sword pierced straight through his stomach, the energy burning like a star as it cut into him.
And then the storm began.
Kazuki's body blurred into motion, each strike faster than the eye could follow. He carved into Vareon mercilessly—slashes falling like rain in a hurricane.
One strike. Ten strikes. Fifty. Sixty-nine.
Before a second had even passed, Vareon's body was torn apart, fragments scattering into the air.
Kazuki didn't stop. His foresight guided him, his spirit burned brighter, and for ten long seconds, he moved in a frenzy of precision.
Six hundred. Six hundred fifty. Six hundred ninety slashes.
By the time he ceased, the battlefield was drenched in the remains of the once-proud demonic emperor.
The pieces of Vareon collapsed to the ground. For a moment, silence. Then—his body twitched, dark chaos energy surging desperately to knit him back together. The power of the Demon King granted him regeneration beyond reason. But it was no longer endless. His form shook, his aura dimmed, his strength nearly drained away.
Kazuki descended gently to the ground, his glowing blade dissipating into the air. His expression was calm, his voice cold.
"As I said…" He stared down at his broken uncle. "…I already won. And that was before you even started fighting me."