The atmosphere instantly turned grim as I—the Death Sorcerer—stood face to face with Adius Alaric, a King of the Alaric Empire. A figure who had now become the very symbol of the empire's strength and glory. The immense magical energy between us clashed in the air, making everything around us suffocating, as though the world itself was holding its breath, eager to witness who would fall.
I walked forward with light, steady steps. Each time my boots pressed against the bloodstained battlefield, my eyes never wavered. They locked upon Adius's gaze, filled with hatred, cruelty, and death—like the edge of a blade ready to strike at any moment. I met his stare with a calm yet lethal expression, my face cold and unshaken. I didn't blink even once, as if our eyes had been bound together by fate itself, awaiting the clash of this fateful duel.
I studied the armor that clad King Adius from head to toe, forged from gleaming steel. Once flawless, adorned with luxurious golden engravings across its surface, it now bore countless scars of battle. Deep scratches marred his chest, though the golden phoenix—symbol of rebirth and glory—still shone boldly upon it. The other gilded engravings that traced his shoulders, arms, and legs had long lost their brilliance, dulled by the relentless onslaught of blades. It was as if the armor itself carried the wounds of the war.
Trailing behind him was a long crimson cloak fastened to his shoulders. Once elegant, woven from the finest silk, shimmering with regal dignity befitting a king—yet now it resembled nothing more than a tattered rag. Torn and dirt-stained, shredded at the edges by countless weapons, its dignity faded. The wind toyed with its frayed ends, a mockery of the grandeur it once represented.
As the two of us drew closer, radiating an overwhelming tide of magic, King Adius's soldiers could only stand frozen, struck dumb by the sheer pressure. Cold sweat ran down their brows, their hair stood on end, and fear gnawed at their hearts. The only thought echoing in their minds was: "What kind of sorcery is this? This power is insane!"
Dark clouds swallowed the once bright blue sky. The radiant sun vanished behind a mass of stormy gray, which rumbled faintly like distant thunder. Then, drizzle began to fall, soaking the blood-soaked battlefield beneath our feet.
Even as I fixed my stare unwaveringly on Adius advancing toward me, he suddenly vanished from sight. My chest tightened—I frantically searched left and right, my expression twisted in alarm. But before I could react, Adius reappeared behind me, both hands gripping his sword, poised to cleave my neck in one decisive strike.
"You're careless!" King Adius growled before unleashing his blow.
Shock surged through me—I hadn't sensed him at all. His blade moved too swiftly for the eye to follow, aiming to slice my neck in one instant. But in a twist he had not anticipated, my black sword rose to intercept, catching his strike. The clash of steel erupted in a violent burst of magical force, sending gales howling across the battlefield.
Adius's eyes widened in disbelief. I had parried his speed—something no knight, no general, had ever managed. Those who faced such a strike never left with their heads intact.
In an instant, with remarkable reflexes, Adius leapt back, eyes locked on mine. And in that moment, he sensed something unsettling within me. My gaze was not that of a man, but of a void—hollow, endless, and inhuman.
"You… what are you, truly?" Adius asked, his voice heavy with unease.
I offered no answer. His question was meaningless to me. Instead, with swift movements, I dashed forward, unleashing another strike.
Steel clashed once more. The second collision was far fiercer than the first, the surge of magical energy splitting the earth beneath us with jagged cracks.
"I have no need to answer foolish questions like that," I said coldly.
Strike after strike, I attacked relentlessly. Sparks erupted with each clash, shockwaves roared across the field. Yet not once did my blade draw blood. Not even a scratch marked his flesh.
A fleeting thought crossed my mind: Is he truly human? Even a giant beast would have been wounded by now.
Adius parried with ease, occasionally countering, though his movements suggested restraint. He wasn't fighting with his full strength. He was toying with me—mocking me in silence. Rage simmered within me. Pointing my black blade at him, I declared firmly:
"You're not fighting seriously. Your swings only disgust me. Fight me in earnest."
"…Very well," Adius answered, his tone still laced with mockery.
And then—without warning—he was right before me. Too fast for my eyes to follow. Before I could inhale or exhale, he struck, sword aimed at my chest. I barely escaped, vaulting over him in a desperate leap.
I landed smoothly behind him, extending my left hand. My fingers clenched tight as I unleashed telekinetic force, seizing his body and hurling him several meters away.
What…?! Adius thought, stunned that I could immobilize him so.
He crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact, his armor shattering with the noise of porcelain shattering on stone. Gasps echoed from his soldiers. Their king—thrown down like that?
"Your Majesty!?" one cried out in panic.
Yet Adius rose again, brushing off the dirt, his armor battered and dented. He steadied himself, sword in hand, and his expression shifted. Calm. Focused. Deadly serious now.
> O cold that dwells in the abyss of the north, arise as a beast of snowy fangs. Frozen jaws that tear flesh and steel alike, devour my foe in your eternal bite! Ice Magic—Frost Fang!
Adius closed his eyes. His voice, calm and fluid like water rippling across a lake, carried the weight of the incantation. Frosty mist spread rapidly from his body, rolling across the battlefield in a chilling haze.
The soldiers, who had dared not interfere, now quivered as they sensed it—this was their king's true power. The magical pressure was overwhelming.
I, too, felt it. The surge of magic dwarfed anything he had shown before. The icy vapor clung to my skin, thickening with each breath. A creeping dread welled inside me, instinct screaming of danger.
When I turned my gaze back to him, the sight froze my blood.
Excalibur, his blade, now radiated a blinding white-blue glow. His once emerald eyes had transformed into glacial blue, cold and piercing, shining like a queen of ice from a fable—merciless and deadly.