The wind howled across the mist-covered clearing.
Ash-gray clouds hung low over the English countryside, and the ruined field surrounding the ancient stone had become eerily silent.
At the center of it all stood the legendary blade.
Caliburn.
Its golden light shimmered faintly through the fog like a distant star, untouched despite the chaos gathering around it.
And standing before that light—
Was death itself.
Azravael Karture slowly rolled his neck, crimson eyes gleaming with predatory amusement. His pale skin looked almost corpse-like beneath the shifting mist, and the dark aura surrounding him seemed to pulse with malicious life.
Across from him, Omega Heinriel stood quietly.
Blood ran down the side of his face.
His breathing was steady, controlled.
But inside—
Something had changed.
The memories of the Nanaya clan still burned within him. The image of his mother's final smile refused to leave his mind.
Azravael tilted his head slightly.
"Well then," he said casually.
"Shall we continue?"
And in the next instant—
He vanished.
The ground exploded beneath his feet as Azravael launched forward like a bullet.
The mages screamed.
"He's moving again—!"
But Omega was already gone.
CRACK!
Azravael's strike shattered the earth where Omega had stood moments earlier.
A shockwave tore through the clearing.
Yet Omega had already leapt backward, his body twisting midair as he landed silently atop a nearby tree branch.
His eyes narrowed.
Fast.
Azravael looked up slowly.
"…Oh?"
Omega's body moved again.
He disappeared from the branch with a sharp sonic burst.
BOOM.
Another tree shattered as Omega launched himself forward, using the forest itself as a battlefield.
Branches cracked like gunfire as he moved.
Left.
Right.
Up.
Down.
Each movement was impossibly precise.
The mages stared in disbelief.
"Is… is he running on the trees?!"
"No…"
One of the older knights whispered.
"…He's accelerating off them."
Indeed, Omega's movements resembled something closer to a hunting predator than a human warrior.
He bounced between the trees with supersonic bursts of speed, his body weaving through the forest like a phantom.
Azravael laughed.
"Oh this is wonderful!"
Lightning exploded from his fingertips.
A massive bolt tore through the sky toward Omega.
Omega twisted midair.
The lightning struck the tree he had used as a foothold, vaporizing it instantly.
But Omega was already gone.
Another burst.
Another tree.
Another direction.
His movements formed a chaotic spiral around Azravael.
This was not the fighting style of a knight.
This was something far older.
Something far more dangerous.
The Nanaya assassination style.
Azravael's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Ahh… so that's how you survived!"
He raised his hand again.
"Let's see how long you can keep dancing!"
FWOOM.
A wave of fire exploded outward.
Not ordinary fire.
Black flames.
Hellfire.
The flames roared across the clearing, devouring everything in their path.
The temperature spiked violently as the ground melted beneath the inferno.
One of the mages gasped in horror.
"…That's Hellfire of Lucifer!"
Omega's eyes widened as the wave rushed toward him.
He ducked low.
The flames passed over his head by inches.
His body slid beneath the blast as he accelerated forward.
Now.
Omega dashed straight toward Azravael.
The Dead Apostle's grin widened.
"You're coming to me?"
Omega vanished again.
Then—
Appeared behind him.
Azravael turned instantly—
But Omega had already moved again.
His hand reached forward.
And touched the sword.
Caliburn.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the golden hilt—
Everything stopped.
The wind froze.
The flames halted midair.
The battlefield became silent.
Omega's heartbeat thundered loudly in the stillness.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
He could feel it.
A pulse.
Not his own.
But the sword's.
Caliburn was alive.
Golden light flowed through the blade like sunlight through crystal.
And then—
Omega pulled.
For the first time in centuries—
The sword moved.
Stone cracked.
Light erupted from the pedestal.
And Caliburn came free.
The world roared back into motion.
A blinding wave of golden energy exploded outward as Omega instinctively raised the blade.
The power flowed through his body like a river.
But strangely—
It did not feel foreign.
It felt…
Natural.
As if the sword had always belonged in his hands.
Omega's eyes widened slightly.
"…So this is Caliburn."
The blade hummed softly.
Almost like it was responding to him.
Azravael stared.
For the first time—
His smile faded.
"…Impossible."
Omega raised the sword.
Instinct guided his body.
The blade glowed brighter.
Golden energy gathered along its edge.
And then—
He swung.
A beam of radiant power erupted from the sword.
The energy blast tore through the battlefield like a falling star.
BOOOOOOM!
Azravael was struck directly.
The explosion launched him backward thirty meters, carving a deep trench across the earth.
The mages stared in stunned silence.
One of them dropped to his knees.
"…He… actually hit him."
Another whispered.
"…And hurt him."
Smoke slowly cleared.
Azravael stood within the crater.
His body trembled slightly.
For the first time since the battle began—
Blood trickled down his arm.
His crimson eyes slowly widened.
"…You…"
The tone of his voice had changed.
Gone was the playful amusement.
What remained—
Was fury.
Azravael reached up and grabbed his shirt.
RIIIP.
The fabric tore apart as he threw it aside.
His pale body revealed dozens of ancient scars across his chest.
His muscles twitched violently.
"…A human…"
His voice trembled with rage.
"…made me bleed."
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Dark energy exploded outward like a storm.
The mages stumbled backward in fear.
Azravael pointed directly at Omega.
"You think this changes anything?!"
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"You think pulling that sword means victory?!"
Omega said nothing.
He simply tightened his grip on Caliburn.
Behind him, Yukio stood quietly.
His expression remained completely neutral.
As if he had expected this outcome.
Azravael laughed bitterly.
"You fools…"
His aura darkened further.
"You have no idea what you're interfering with."
Omega's eyes narrowed.
Azravael's grin became twisted.
"Do you even understand the consequences of what you're doing?"
His voice grew louder.
"You will not stop us!"
The ground trembled violently.
"You will never destroy Team Sigma X's plan!"
Omega blinked.
Team… Sigma X?
Azravael continued shouting.
"You will never interfere with the Grand Zero Plan!"
The name echoed across the battlefield.
The mages looked confused.
Even the knights exchanged uncertain glances.
Omega's mind raced.
Grand Zero?
Team Sigma X?
What is he talking about?
But Omega did not ask.
Those questions would have to wait.
Right now—
There was only one problem.
Azravael Karture.
Omega slowly raised Caliburn again.
His stance changed.
Before, his movements had been sharp and unpredictable.
The stance of an assassin.
Now—
His posture straightened.
His grip adjusted.
His breathing slowed.
His stance became firm.
The stance of a knight.
Azravael noticed immediately.
"…What's this?"
Omega's voice was calm.
"I've remembered something important."
He looked at Caliburn.
Then back at Azravael.
"This sword…"
He spoke quietly.
"…doesn't belong to someone seeking revenge."
The golden blade glowed brighter.
Omega exhaled slowly.
"But it does belong to someone protecting others."
Azravael's smile twisted into something monstrous.
"Then let's test that."
His body began to change.
Dark veins spread across his skin.
His muscles expanded violently.
Bones cracked as his frame grew larger.
His face distorted.
His teeth sharpened into fangs.
Wings of black flesh tore from his back as his body transformed into the monstrous demonic form Omega had seen years ago.
The same beast.
The same demon.
The one that destroyed the Nanaya clan.
Omega's grip tightened.
His heart pounded.
But this time—
He did not tremble.
Because this time—
He was not a child.
Golden light surged through Caliburn.
Azravael roared.
The battlefield shook beneath the force of his transformation.
The monstrous Dead Apostle spread his wings and leaned forward.
Omega lowered his stance.
Caliburn glowed like a rising sun in his hands.
Two warriors stood across from each other.
One fueled by ancient hatred.
The other guided by something far stronger.
Resolve.
Azravael crouched.
Omega stepped forward.
And in the next instant—
Both of them vanished.
Round Two had begun.
End of Chapter 19.