Krad didn't respond, his body flickered. Then he was behind Mist.
A kick to the ribs.
Mist twisted, blocking with his blade just in time, but the impact still sent a painful tremor through his bones.
"Mist Veil!"
A thick, gray mist erupted around Mist, swallowing the battlefield in a dense fog. His presence vanished. No sounds. No movement.
Krad tilted his head. Then---
His silver eyes glowed brighter.
DING!
MOON EATER'S PERCEPTION ACTIVATED.
Through the mist, he saw. Not with his eyes, but with something deeper. A sense beyond normal vision.
Mist's silhouette shimmered. Hidden, yet not.
Krad moved. Vanishing like a ghost.
Mist's instincts screamed. He spun around raising his sword...
But it was too late.
A punch slammed into his back. Crack.
He gasped as pain shot through his spine. He stumbled, barely keeping his balance. The force of Krad's blow was overwhelming. But that wasn't what unsettled him the most.
It was the horns.
Two jagged, bone-like protrusions now jutted from Krad's head, glowing with an eerie silver light. The faint hum of power radiated from them, twisting the air like a predator's growl. The ground beneath Krad's feet scorched and cracked.
The Awakening was accelerating.
Mist's breath quickened. This can't be…
A memory surfaced.
"If the Bakunawa rises, its vessel will bear its horns."
Kashima's voice echoed in his mind.
"The horns are the source of its influence."
His jaw clenched. If this awakening continued, Krad would no longer be just a rogue vessel... he'd become the Mighty Bakunawa itself.
Krad's silver eyes locked onto him, empty of recognition. No sign of struggle. No shred of reason. Only the primal force of the Moon Eater.
"Damn it," He hissed, tightening his grip on his longsword. "I don't have a choice."
The mist around him began to ripple, twisting unnaturally. The temperature dropped. Mist's blade gleamed with a faint azure hue, threads of vapor snaking around its edges.
In a flash, he vanished. His presence concealed within the thick mist that now blanketed the field.
But Krad didn't hesitate.
He saw through it.
The Moon Eater's perception was absolute, every shift in the mist, every heartbeat, every motion.
Krad lunged.
BOOM!
His punch shattered the ground where Mist had just been, sending shards of stone flying. But Mist was already behind him, sword raised.
"Force Slash!"
The air whistled as Mist's blade slashed forward, aiming directly for Krad's glowing horn.
But then...
Krad caught it.
With terrifying speed, his hand gripped the blade mid-swing. Sparks flew as the force of Mist's strike clashed against the overwhelming strength of the Moon Eater.
"Shit." Mist tried to pull away, but Krad's silver gaze froze him in place.
Without warning, Krad twisted, hurling him like a ragdoll.
CRASH!
He slammed into a boulder, coughing up blood. His vision blurred, but he could still see it. The monstrous aura spiraling around Krad, growing more violent with every passing second.
I'm running out of time.
He stumbled to his feet, blood dripping from his lip. His trembling hands steadied as he forced his breathing into rhythm.
"Fine," he spat, wiping his mouth. "If I have to go all out. Then so be it."
The mist around him thickened, forming countless shifting silhouettes. His longsword pulsed with raw azure energy.
"Thousand Slasher. Unleashed!"
Krad didn't flinch. His silver eyes gleamed brighter. The ground cracked beneath his feet.
And in an instant...
They both vanished.
A storm of blades and fists erupted.
Mist's sword clashed against Krad's glowing arm, but it didn't even leave a scratch.
"What the hell?" Mist muttered, pulling back. His sword was fine. Sharp as ever. But Krad's body felt like solid steel. It didn't make sense.
Then, he saw it.
The Moon Eater's mark burned on Krad's arms like a crimson tattoo. The strange aura surrounding it twisted like smoke, giving off a terrifying presence.
Mist's mind raced. Kashima's words echoed in his head.
"If the Bakunawa's mark seared on the Vessel's arms, it will toughen his body. Cut off the horns, and its strength will fall apart."
But Krad didn't give him time to think further. He moved faster than Mist could react. A brutal punch struck Mist's side, sending him crashing through the trees.
"Ugh…" He gasped, coughing up blood. His ribs burned from the impact. He couldn't take much more of this.
Still, he forced himself up, his trembling hand gripping his sword.
The beast isn't holding back. If I don't end this now...
He swiped his hand through the air, summoning his player interface. Lines of glowing text flickered before him.
System: Access Granted
User Limiter Status: Active
Warning: Disengaging limiter will reveal true level [proceed?]
Mist's fingers hovered. A cold sweat trickled down his neck. Revealing his true level would expose the one thing he'd kept hidden. But against the Moon Eater's Vessel?
He had no choice.
"Limiter Release."
A surge of ash gray light erupted from his body. The ground beneath him quaked, cracks splintering in all directions. His mist no longer simply cloaked him. It howled, twisting like a storm, laced with radiant energy. The sky darkened, as if the world itself recoiled from his presence.
Krad's silver eyes locked onto Mist. But for the first time... they showed hesitation.
User Level: Celestial (Maximum Level Reached)
Mist's lips curled into a grin. "Time to end this."
He raised his sword. The mist spiraled toward its gleaming edge, converging into a single point. The ash gray energy pulsed, releasing a low hum that reverberated through the air.
Then, Mist uttered the words that shook the battlefield.
"Astral Slash."
The sky split apart.
A blinding arc of crimson gray surged from Mist's blade, tearing through the heavens. Its sheer force caused the clouds to scatter, revealing the pale glow of a broken sky. The mist followed, twisting violently, creating afterimages of countless ethereal long swords.
Each blade locked onto one thing.
Krad's Horn.
Krad roared, his silver aura surging as the mark on his arms pulsed in defiance. He dashed forward, aiming to crush Mist before the strike could reach him.
But Mist didn't move.
With a calm, piercing gaze, he brought down his sword.
The astral blades descended.
They struck like falling stars. Blades of pure light rained upon Krad, crashing into his hardened body. The horns resisted, its crimson glow flaring wildly but it...
CRACKED!
Krad stumbled, roaring in agony. His silver horns pulsed erratically, the glowing veins of the Moon Eater recoiling. His monstrous strength began to wane.
And then...
The horns shattered.
Krad collapsed to his knees, the silver glow in his eyes flickering. His breathing was ragged. The Moon Eater's presence within him was no longer absolute.