-----Eris Greyrat POV----
As I approached the ominous black dome, the forest around me had fallen into a haunting silence. It felt as if every creature had fled, sensing the arrival of something catastrophic.
The warning that had been whispering at the back of my mind since the beginning now roared louder with each step.
But I kept walking.
When I finally stood before the dome, its surface pulsing like a living shadow, my body rebelled. Every muscle urged me to run.
'This fight is not yours to take.'
I shuddered. My gaze dropped to my hand full of calluses, and clenched tightly.
I drew in a long breath, letting it fill my lungs and settle my nerves. Then I exhaled slowly, grounding myself in the moment. I steeled my resolve. My fingers found the hilt of my sword, and I unsheathed it with purpose.
I took my stance. I readied my heart.
And just like the countless times before.
I swung my blade.
Longsword of Light
The dome was cut.
A blinding light erupted from the wound, flooding my vision. An invisible force surged outward, slamming into me like a tidal wave of air desperate to escape its prison. I staggered back, breath stolen, heart pounding.
But none of it mattered.
Because the moment my eyes pierced the veil and saw what lay within the dome, everything else fell away.
Memories surged of that cold day.
Sleepless nights in the Sword Sanctum, haunted by nightmares that carved themselves into my bones. The endless training, the pain, the sacrifice.
All of it.
All of it was for this.
This moment.
This purpose.
-----Rudeus Greyrat POV-----
"Looks like I kept you waiting, Rudeus!"
There stands the girl I once loved.
"E-eris?"
"Ho? You two know each other?"
The Death God struck Eris with brutal precision, their blades colliding in a thunderous clash. Sparks flew as steel ground against steel, each warrior locked in a battle of raw strength, testing who would falter first.
Despite the damage I'd dealt earlier, he seemed unfazed.
No... Actually... That wasn't true.
His relentless assault, the way he pressed Eris with reckless aggression, wasn't confidence. It was desperation. He was trying to end this quickly.
My efforts hadn't been in vain.
"Rudeus!"
Her voice tore through the chaos.
I blinked and saw a blade inches away from my throat.
I threw my head to the side, every nerve screaming, just as Eris lunged to intercept. Her sword met his in a desperate arc, deflecting the strike, but not enough.
The tip of his blade sliced deep into the side of my neck.
"Rarrr!"
Eris roared, driving her foot into the Death God's ribs with savage force. He was sent flying, crashing into the ground and skidding back, finally giving us space.
Blood gushed from my wound, hot and fast.
I clutched my neck, pressing hard, trying to stem the flow. My fingers trembled, slick with crimson.
But my body… was losing heat.
I was bleeding from too many places. Bones cracked. Mana drained. No strength left to restore what was lost.
This was checkmate.
And soon… Game Over.
Eris with a flick of her eyes she glanced at me and shouted.
"Rudeus! What are you doing?! Use your healing magic, now!"
Right… just like always.
I raised my trembling hand, lips barely able to form the words.
"Oh merciful mother of gods…" cough
The taste of iron flooded my mouth.
Eris's expression twisted in horror, but she had no time to linger. The Death God had recovered, his stance cold and composed. The wild fury from before was gone and replaced by something far more dangerous.
"Quagmire," he said, voice like frost. "This fight is over."
"…"
I couldn't see Eris's face properly, but I could tell that she was making a difficult expression.
"So," the Death God continued, "Are you going to make your friend bleed for you until the very last moment?"
"…"
As much as I hated it… He was right.
Eris shouldn't have to fight for someone who's already set dying.
I looked at her, at that long, crimson hair flowing behind her full of defiance.
Aah… even after all these years, it's still the same. Still beautiful. Unfit for a swordswoman.
I knew what I had to say.
Eris… I'm okay.
You don't need to fight for me anymore.
"E—"
But the words caught in my throat.
I couldn't say them.
Why?
Why couldn't I let go?
"…"
C'mon.
Say it.
"…"
"What a disappointment… Quagmire. Even in your final moments, you remain blind."
The Death God lunged toward Eris.
She met his charge head-on, parrying the first strike with practiced precision. Then, in the very next instant, she dropped low in time to evade a wide swing aimed straight for her head.
His eyes widened.
Something has changed in her.
She was no longer just reacting, she was flowing.
In one fluid motion, she planted her weight into her right foot, twisted her torso, and unleashed a low, sweeping strike that carved through the air with lethal intent.
The Death God leapt back, narrowly avoiding the blade.
But Eris didn't pause.
Her stance shifted seamlessly, her sword rising into a high guard once more. Her breathing was steady. Her eyes locked onto her opponent with unwavering focus.
Longsword of Light
The clash was deafening. Steel collided with steel, and for a moment, the two stood locked in place, blades grinding, eyes locked.
"They're so fast…" I muttered, barely able to follow.
"Oraaaa!"
Eris surged forward, overpowering him in raw strength, pushing the Death God backwards.
She then jumped on the offensive, sword arcing downward, but it was a feint. The Death God dodged right, only to be met by a low kick to his shin.
Stunned, he stumbled back, unable to counter. He reset his stance, bracing for the next assault.
Eris's eyes gleamed.
A chance to break through.
She swung from top left to bottom right, he deflected.
But Eris pivoted, shifting her weight to her right foot, rotating her blade upward in a clean arc. She slashed from bottom right to upper right in a straight line.
The Death God gritted his teeth and twisted his body, barely dodging what could've been a fatal blow. But not unscathed, her blade tore through his right leg and arm, leaving deep, bleeding gashes.
He jumped back, gasping, trying to gain distance.
"Tch" Eris muttered, resetting her high guard.
I turned my head, eyes locking onto the Death God's battered form. He was barely standing, clutching his bleeding arm, struggling to breathe, yet still gripping his sword.
"Eris…"
She was holding her ground against a Fifth World Power.
She could win.
My heart thudded louder in my chest.
But then my throat gave out. The blood I'd been holding back surged upward, choking me.
"Gah!"
I spat blood from my mouth and nose.
"Rudeus!?"
Eris turned her head just for a moment.
The Death God didn't hesitate. His sword left his hand like a thunderbolt, slicing through the air with deadly precision.
A high stance from the Sword God school is powerful and devastating in its offense. But it leaves the body exposed. Vulnerable. It's a stance meant for the beginning of a duel, or during a moment of reset. Not for distraction. Not for hesitation.
And now… she was wide open.
My breath caught.
The blade spun towards her throat like a bullet.
I reached out, arm trembling, voice caught in my blood-choked throat.
ERIS!
-----Eris Greyrat POV-----
What a strange feeling.
Ever after seeing Rudeus in such poor state.
The world seems to slow down a bit.
Actually…
I think I'm on a roll.
I see my enemy's sword more clearly than ever.
My movements are sharp with no wasted energy.
And my blade follows my will perfectly.
But…
My instincts are telling me not to go any harder .
There's something sinister in this man's swordsmanship. Maybe I should force it out—
No.
He's exhausted. I can see it. This is the moment.
I raise my sword into high stance.
I will end this now—
"Gah!"
A wet, choking sound.
In the corner of my eye, I see Rudeus collapse.
In that instant, I commit the one mistake I swore never to make after years of training.
I turn my head.
I break focus.
But seeing Rudeus like that… I couldn't help it.
"Rudeus!"
A shiver runs down my spine.
In the edge of my vision, I catch the motion. I know exactly what he's done.
He threw his sword.
I don't have time to shift my stance.
I don't have time to turn my head.
I don't even have time to look at the blade.
All my attention is on the fragile body lying on the ground.
Afraid to meet the eyes of the man I once loved.
But I look anyway.
And in his eyes… I see something unexpected.
Not fear.
Not pain.
But the reflection of the girl he once loved.
And in that silence, I hear him.
Just like he always did, with that quiet warmth.
Eris!
I close my eyes.
My shoulders drop.
I exhale.
And I let my sword speak.
Longsword of Light.
Shhhhnnnnng!
My blade flashes.
The thrown sword splits in two clean iron parts. The fragments pierce the dirt on either side of me.
I open my eyes.
The Death God stares, wide-eyed, mouth agape.
"What in the world…"
A warmth floods my chest.
I've become one with the sword.
And a smirk curls on my lips.
I am nowa Sword God Emperor.
Then the warmth in my chest vanished the moment I sensed Rudeus's presence fading.
He wouldn't attack recklessly after losing his only weapon.
I dashed to his side.
Blood pooled around him, thick and dark, as if he were an island slowly sinking into a crimson sea.
I dropped my sword, tore the mage robe from his body, and wrapped the cloth tightly around his neck wound, pressing hard to stop the bleeding.
"E-Eris… I-I'm—"
"Don't speak, idiot."
I grabbed more cloth and bound his leg. It was half-burned, which meant less blood loss.
But his skin was cold.
Too cold.
From my years of adventuring, I've learned that blood loss kills in five minutes.
If I sprinted to town, I could make it in four.
No. I would make it in three.
But finding a healer strong enough to stabilize him would be a challenge.
I bit my lip.
Another problem… is that man.
His fighting spirit hasn't faded. Not even after everything.
I doubt he'll let us leave.
If I try to fight and carry Rudeus at the same time, he could be caught in the fight.
I clenched my teeth.
What do I do?
A sensation like needles pierced my skin.
I grabbed my sword and turned.
The man with the skull-like face was approaching, slow and deliberate.
One arm, pierced and bleeding, held half a sword.
The other, burned and mangled, gripped another broken blade.
He tilted his head back, casting a gaze down upon us.
"Mad Sword Emperor… Impressive."
Then a cold chill ran down my spine.
I took a stance.
The Death God was different now.
Something had changed.
A dark, black aura shimmered around him, outlining his shape like a shadow come alive.
He's coming.
I dropped into a low stance.
In the next instant, he was beside me.
He's fast!
I swung wide, but his body bent backward in a way no human should, like liquid.
Danger!
A counterattack from that position should've been impossible. But his arms twisted unnaturally, and a blade came rising from the ground, aiming to pierce my skull.
I tilted my head just in time.
The sword sliced through my cheek.
I gritted my teeth and retaliated with a downward swing.
He leapt, parrying mid-flight with one of his broken blades, while the other lunged for my heart.
I stepped back, recovered my stance, blocked the strike, and countered with a vertical upward slash.
But he stepped in, too close, deflecting my swing with eerie precision.
Crap! He's inside my guard!
I killed the momentum of my swing, pulled my sword close like a shield.
Then came a flurry of six short, brutal blows.
I blocked three.
The other three pierced deep in my lungs, liver, solar plexus.
Pain exploded through my body.
Then a diagonal slash came from above, aiming for my right shoulder.
I shifted my weight to my right foot, leaned forward, raised my arms, and cast my sword downward, deflecting the strike.
Using the fluid motion, I swept my blade across his abdomen.
But he stepped back, then dashed forward again with inhuman speed.
Flustered, I threw a short swing to measure distance, he parried, knocking my sword aside. His other blade lunged for my throat.
I refused to back down.
Using the momentum of my parried sword, I reached for the short blade at my hip, spun my upper body, and parried the incoming strike.
In the same motion, I rotated again and kicked him in the ribs.
We gained some distance.
But he was gaining ground and I was furious.
I pressed forward, swinging my longsword again.
He closed the gap, aiming for my hand holding the sword. I twisted my wrist, parried the strike, bent my knees, and dodged the second blow aimed for my head.
With compressed knee muscles, I jumped flipping backward high into the air.
My head passed just beneath his body like a gymnast's arc.
I spun midair and struck.
Surprised, he blocked the first blow and dropped low to dodge the second.
His balance was off. He couldn't counterattack.
Another chance!
I took my high stance.
Longsword of Light—
Clank!
My sword was knocked into the air.
Even in that position, the Death God recovered.
He once again closed the distance instantly.
Immediate danger.
I swung my short sword to create space.
He was faster.
His blade pierced my arm.
I didn't care.
I grabbed his other sword that aimed for my heart.
My hands bled against the edge.
Pain piled up. My movements slowed.
Then he headbutted me.
My vision blurred and the world tilted.
Then a kick to the ribs.
A sickening crack echoed through my body.
I flew.
My body hit the ground hard, rolling across dirt and stone. I tried to rise, instinct screaming at me to stand, to fight but the pain anchored me. I collapsed to one knee.
Breathing became agony.
Each inhale felt like fire crawling through my chest. My ribs broken. My lungs pierced. The world spun, and every heartbeat throbbed inside my skull.
I gritted my teeth, blood dripping from my lips.
I couldn't afford to fall
After gaining my back my composure.
My eyes followed the path of the Death God's sword.
But it wasn't aimed at me.
It was aimed at Rudeus.
My body moved before thought could catch up.
The compressed muscles in my legs released in an instant.
The air around me shattered with a thunderous crack as I broke through it.
My lungs forgot how to breathe. My heart forgot how to beat.
My vision narrowed for one strike, one purpose.
My sword spoke.
Longsword of Light.
Steel flashed.
I severed the wrist holding the blade moments before it could pierce Rudeus's chest.
But then…
A strange warmth bloomed in my abdomen.
I looked down.
His other half blade was buried deep in my stomach.
The Death God didn't even flinch.
He looked at me with cold disinterest.
"What a pity."
Then he swing the blade sideways.
The blade carved across my torso, splitting flesh and bone—leaving only half of my upper body clinging to the rest.
"PFAAH!"
Blood erupted from my throat.
I dropped to one knee, sword trembling in my grip. I stabbed it into the ground to hold myself upright. My other hand pressed against the wound, trying to hold myself together.
The cut was fatal.
-----Rudeus Greyrat POV-----
I still couldn't say it.
So Eris fought for me.
And lost.
You goddamn piece of shit!
Even in the final moments of my life… I'm still a human scum.
My heart ached and burned for the unbearable sting of shame.
Ah…
Eris is going to die.
And I don't want her to.
If only I could heal her.
If only I had mana.
Damn it!
Why am I always useless when it matters most?
Who cares about killing some fucking god?
Eris will die!
I gritted my teeth, fingers clawing into the dirt.
MOVE, YOU STUPID BODY.
With a groan, I twisted my body turning from facing towards her.
FUCKING MOVE!
Every joint screamed. My bones grind against each other.
And I crawled.
One hand forward. Then the next.
Dragging myself toward her.
I managed to barely move from the spot I'd collapsed.
Then I blinked.
And the Death God was standing before me.
His voice pierced through me like a blade to the gut.
"Quagmire."
I didn't meet his eyes.
Mine were locked on what lay behind him.
He spoke again, cold and cruel.
"You picked a fight with me for fame. Lost. And dragged your comrade into it, knowing full well there was no saving you. Now, a great swordsman will be taken away from this world because of your arrogance."
Fucking asshole, you don't have to tell me that!
I know it better than anyone.
I am pathetic.
"You are pathetic."
I dropped my head.
Let go of the dirt I'd been clutching like it was hope.
The Death God frowned, disgusted.
He saw it.
My will to fight was gone.
He raised his sword.
But then, he stopped.
A soft voice cut through the tension like a breeze through smoke.
"You are wrong."
My eyes widened.
I lifted my head and saw her.
The one person I had abandoned, again and again, now standing behind the Death God.
Eris.
One hand gripped her sword, using it to hold herself upright. The other clutched her stomach, where the fatal wound still gaped open, raw and bleeding. The injury that should have ended her… still there.
The Death God turned, irritation in his voice.
"An intermediate healing scroll."
She raised her sword, breath ragged, shoulders trembling.
Eris… why?
Why would you go this far… for me?
Then she filled her lungs, even as they struggled to hold air, and shouted with that same fierce, unshakable voice I'd heard since the day we met.
"Rudeus is amazing!"
My mouth fell open.
My eyes widened.
Those words hit me like a truck.
Everything went blank.
And then… something stirred in my chest. A warmth. Gentle, steady. Like a flame rekindled in the cold.
How strange.
How simple words could turn unbearable pain into strength.
Eris is right.
I am amazing.
Even if it is a white lie.
Even if I've failed.
Even if I've fallen.
I will hold on to that thought.
I will hold on to that strength.
I will believe in myself.
And make things right.