Aris dashed toward Intaris, raising his sword high into the sky with a sharp vertical strike, but Intaris blocked it effortlessly with his bare hand, without even bothering to draw his sword. Then, with a lightning-fast motion, he hurled his massive fist toward Aris. Aris tried to retreat, but Intaris's punch was faster.
BOOM!!
The ground quaked under the impact, and Aris was sent flying, the sound of bones cracking like thunder echoing through the air, accompanied by a muffled scream forced from his chest. Yet his body recovered instantly, healed by the Thousand-Year Pill, the Ashura Domain, and the Blessing of Angels, which stitched his wounds in a fleeting moment.
Aris did not back down. Planting his feet firmly into the ground, hot blood dripping from his lips, he launched forward like a blazing bullet, rushing once more at Intaris.
The clash between them grew fiercer with every second. Each collision of sword and fist unleashed massive waves of aura and destructive winds, sweeping across the battlefield like a raging storm that filled the horizon with dust and smoke. The air reeked of burning iron and evaporated blood, while the howling winds screamed like a demonic chorus tearing at the ears.
Within two kilometers of the battlefield, everything was obliterated. Those who weren't killed outright were reduced to mangled flesh, and the few who survived were left crippled or broken forever. Yet neither Aris nor Intaris paid the slightest attention—they were consumed only by the battle of life and death unfolding between them.
The battlefield expanded endlessly, painted in shades of crimson and black. Every clash unleashed colossal shockwaves that scarred the earth and split the sky.
Aris grew stronger as the fight dragged on, thanks to the Ashura Domain, which devoured blood, corpses, souls, auras, and magical energy from everything around him. What seemed at first like a simple technique was in truth a terrifying creation, perfected over twelve long years. Everything absorbed flowed directly into Aris—but the greatest flaw remained unresolved… madness. Yes, the more he used the domain, the deeper he sank into insanity, his desire for battle escalating until he lost himself entirely.
The Thousand-Year Pill, forged over the span of nearly a millennium, had absorbed the essence of heaven and earth to become a mythical treasure. Yet even it placed unbearable strain upon his body, for this was not the proper way to use it.
And still, even with all of this, Aris had yet to reach the level of Intaris, who fought with a chilling calm, as though he hadn't even begun to exert his true strength.
The battle raged on, and Aris knew time was not his ally. He glanced at his watch: fifty-five minutes remained. But he understood well—Intaris could continue indefinitely, while every passing second pushed Aris's body closer to collapse.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The pace of battle quickened. Aris's torn flesh healed in an instant, but his legendary armor—crafted by the greatest blacksmith and said to withstand the mightiest of beings—shredded like fragile paper under Intaris's strikes.
BOOM!
With a single blow, the earth shook violently, launching Aris high into the air. His armor shattered, his flesh ripped apart, his bones crushed into fragments.
He crashed into a deep crater, blood gushing from his wounds, his mouth, his nose.
Pant… pant…
His breaths were ragged, his vision blurred, his organs felt like they were being ground into paste. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and the pounding of his heart thundered in his ears like broken war drums.
He heard heavy footsteps approaching, each one making the ground tremble.
Intaris stood over him, towering like a dark mountain.
"Is that all you've got? Listening to your boasting, one would think you wield some great power… tsk, tsk. In the end, you humans are nothing but creatures who only know how to talk."
Aris could barely make out the words through the ringing in his ears, but he felt the scorn behind them.
Intaris raised his fist, preparing to crush his skull. At that moment, Aris slowly closed his eyes.
Suddenly… a voice erupted inside his head:
"Kill… kill… kill… destroy… everything!"
A massive, dark aura surged violently around Aris, spiraling like a raging tempest.
The air froze, the earth cracked, the heavens trembled.
Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, Intaris closed in to shatter his skull—but in that instant, Aris vanished!
He reappeared behind Intaris like a phantom and delivered a brutal kick, sending him crashing into a massive pit that widened with the sheer force of impact.
A black storm of dust rose, engulfing the sky.
This sudden turn of events left everyone watching in stunned silence.
High above, Raphael hovered with her pure white wings aglow in divine light. Her small mouth hung open in shock, but then her expression shifted as she sensed several powerful auras rapidly approaching.
In the blink of an eye, figures radiating terrifying strength appeared: the Dragon King, the Elf Queen, the Dwarf King, the Beast King (half-human), the Sword Saint, the Magic King, and the High Priest of the Light Temple.
They were the supreme forces of the Light Faction, now gazing down at the battlefield.
Their eyes glimmered with a strange mix of fear, helplessness, and hope.
Despite their unmatched power, they had failed against Intaris. That was why they had invested everything into the Heroes, granting them the strength of kings. Yet even the Heroes had fallen—shattering their faith.
If the chosen Heroes, armed with the might of kings, could not prevail… what hope did they themselves have?
But now, before their eyes, they witnessed the impossible: the Demon King Intaris being struck down by one they had dismissed as a mere shadow.
On the battlefield, Aris stood watching Intaris buried in the pit. But he was no longer the same.
His gray hair had turned blood-red, and his eyes were pools of darkness with a savage violet gleam.
He had entered the first stage of the Blood Madness.
Aris raised his sword and swung it with terrifying force toward Intaris, who leapt up to meet him.
A wave of dark, sinister energy slashed forth.
For the first time since the battle began, Intaris drew his sword, cleaving Aris's strike apart before lunging forward.
"Hahaha… at last, you're starting to show me something!"
Intaris's voice cracked like thunder across the horizon.
But his words were met only with grim silence. Aris's eyes danced with frenzy as he charged, dragging his blade behind him.
The clash of swords and the rending of air echoed across the battlefield.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Their speed rose to terrifying heights, their power escalating until they stood on equal ground.
Their bodies were covered in wounds, yet each injury healed unnaturally fast before the eyes of the onlookers.
Aris was gradually sinking deeper into madness. Despite his attempts to suppress it, he failed, and blood gushed violently from his body.
Both fighters leapt back, preparing for a decisive clash.
Aris pointed his sword toward Intaris, raising his other hand to align with the blade. He bent his right leg slightly, placing most of his weight upon it, while his left foot stepped forward.
Intaris, on the other hand, did nothing but sheath his sword in the power of destruction. His eyes remained calm, as though everything was under his control. After all, he had not even released the first seal on his strength. If he were to release it… it would mean the annihilation of this world. And if he were to release all the seals at once, the fight would transcend into a war against the kings themselves.
Meanwhile, Aris gathered all his power into his sword, the manifestation of Ashura behind him becoming more vivid and lifelike.
Though madness was devouring his mind, he still tried desperately to control it.
"First Sword: Zero Point!"
Aris erupted with colossal power, charging forward at unimaginable speed.
Intaris launched as well, raising his sword to cleave through Aris's neck.
Aris raised his hand, forming a shield of aura that barely held before shattering to pieces along with his armor.
But he neither cared about pain nor fear—he thrust his strike straight into Intaris's chest, detonating his body in a devastating blast.
BOOM!!
Both of them were hurled into the sky amid whirlwinds of dust and fire, blood falling from their bodies like black rain.
Blood gushed from Aris's arm, the wound cauterized by the destructive energy that burned away his very existence, preventing regeneration.
Intaris fared little better—his armor was shattered, his chest blown open with blood. Yet he remained standing, towering like a beast that knew not death.
Aris was on one knee, his sword buried in the ground, gasping heavily, his breaths ragged as though his lungs were on fire. Sweat mixed with blood streamed down his face, his broken body trembling as if ready to collapse at any moment.
Though his wounds had closed, the pain lingered, no longer physical but gnawing at the core of his soul.
Intaris watched him silently, his blazing eyes glimmering with an eerie calm.
In a voice deep and resonant, echoing like thunder, he said:
"It seems you've reached your end, Aris… but you succeeded. You did what those insects could not."
Lifting his head, blood dripping from his fanged grin, he looked toward the heavens where countless spirits and entities watched the battle, and roared:
"Consider it an honor to witness a fragment of this king's power!"
His voice spread across the entire continent, shaking creatures both weak and mighty, filling them with a helpless dread unknown before. Yet despite the terror, none dared step forward to stop him.
Upon Intaris's chest, glowing cryptic words appeared, like black serpents slithering free of his skin before vanishing into the air. His aura surged like a black hurricane, and his flushed skin gradually returned to its original color. Suddenly, his flesh writhed across his back, as though something was forcing its way out.
With a thunderous cry, massive black wings burst forth, inscribed with strange red sigils. Four cursed, bat-like wings exhaled suffocating sulfuric smoke that stung the air.
Aris, watching this transformation, felt a crazed gleam flicker in his eyes—a mixture of despair and determination.
He knew the one weakness of Intaris… that single, fleeting instant—no longer than one second—when he released a seal on his power. A moment imperceptible to all, impossible to exploit… except for him.
Aris's eyes blazed with black-violet light, his aura surging into a spiraling vortex that made the heavens groan beneath its weight. He was burning all of his life force.
If I must die… then let me die fighting until the very end.
With a hoarse scream, he roared:
"Full Fusion!"
A monstrous battle spirit fused with his body. Behind him erupted three demonic faces and six arms, each wielding a different weapon that shone with a dark radiance. His own face twisted, becoming that of a terrifying Ashura.
Raising one arm, he shouted:
"Forbidden Art: Black Star!"
Black runes erupted from his body, spiraling rapidly across the ground to form a colossal star-shaped sigil. From its center surged five chains of darkness, coiling around Intaris like serpents, binding his legs, arms, and neck. They did not merely restrain him—they drained his strength slowly, like open wounds bleeding him dry.
The air grew heavy, the stench of iron and blood filling the field, the earth itself cracking beneath the pressure.
Aris let out a savage roar, diving like a burning arrow of darkness:
"Ashura… King of Hell!!"
His blade struck with a speed no human eye could follow.
Intaris was unable to move, the chains gripping him mercilessly. He tried to unleash his power, but Aris was faster.
Aris severed his left arm, black blood gushing forth. The chains yanked him to his knees. His right arm was cut next, his legs pinned to the ground.
Aris raised his sword with the last of his strength, swinging to cleave his head.
But Intaris opened his mouth, and from the depths of his throat burst pure destructive force—a black beam that scorched Aris's left arm to nothing, tearing through half his chest. The stench of burning flesh filled the air, agony ripping through his soul.
And still… he did not stop.
With a primal scream:
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!"
He swung once—and severed Intaris's head.
The king's body fell, dragged down by the black chains into the blood-soaked earth.
Aris had triumphed. He had not killed Intaris, but sealed him. Intaris was immortal—as long as his concept existed, he would be reborn. But no one knew when—perhaps in ten thousand years.
Barely standing, Aris used his sword as a crutch, chanting a blood-soaked incantation:
"With blood… and souls… and flesh… I feed the Black Star… sealing the Demon King… Intaris!"
A surge of dense black light erupted, the scent of death spreading. Scattered blood and souls were drawn into the seal, strengthening it, the wails of torn spirits echoing like a dirge through the bones of all who heard.
When the ritual ended, Aris collapsed, strength drained.
At that moment, Raphael appeared before him, her glowing form radiant like an angel, her eyes cold. She looked down upon him and spoke in a calm tone laced with hidden cruelty:
"Truly, Aris… you exceeded my expectations. You succeeded, and have taken the place of that fool."
She stepped toward him slowly, the scent of sacred incense trailing behind her, and continued with icy detachment:
"But… unfortunately, no one must know that the Hero died without slaying the Demon King. And so… you will help me. I shall claim the honor of defeating the Demon King, and take the reward of the World Well."
Aris kept his head lowered, hearing her words as meaningless noise. Nothing mattered anymore.
He recalled being reborn, the fear that plagued him, his friendship with the Hero, their rise together, and the countless betrayals—the lover who cheated with his friend, the comrades who exploited him, how he became nothing more than a stepping stone for their ascent.
In a hoarse whisper, barely audible, he muttered:
"I wish… in another life… to live only for myself. To find true friends… and real love…"
He saw Raphael raise her hand, her eyes glimmering with guilt, yet bound by the commands of the kings.
Aris smiled bitterly, blood dripping from his lips.
"Heh… curse you… and curse them all."
BOOM!
His body suddenly detonated, obliterating the battlefield, a black inferno devouring everything in its wake.
At that very instant, far above, the golden World Well shone, releasing a celestial beam that pierced the sky—announcing the dawn of a new era.
______
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