Fray stood at the forefront, his body leaning slightly forward. A long, open wound stretched across his chest, blood pouring from it until his clothes were completely soaked.
And yet… he showed no concern.
He didn't raise a hand to clutch the wound, nor did his breathing slow.
His eyes were fixed solely on Zion.
Fray smiled faintly—a smile tainted with madness—and spoke in a hoarse yet resolute voice:
"I will kill you… no matter the cost."
He took another step forward, blood trailing across the ground behind him. "Even if my life is the price."
He hadn't even finished his sentence before he was already in front of Zion.
Within mere seconds—
Fray lunged forward at a terrifying speed, his sword thrusting straight toward Zion's face.
There was no hesitation… no calculation.
Fray couldn't help but smile wider and scream in a deranged voice
"DIE!"
— CLANG! —
But before the blade could settle on Zion's neck… a violent clash echoed through the area.
Both of them were thrown a step backward,
and dust exploded around them, briefly obscuring the scene.
— VROOM… VROOM… VROOM —
Neither gave the other a moment to catch their breath.
They rushed toward each other again—
insane speed,
a frantic exchange of blows, two swords colliding dozens of times in mere seconds, too fast to follow.
I stared at the scene in absolute shock.
I was no longer following the strikes…
I was watching madness.
Fray… realized the situation was no longer in his favor. He stepped forward—
and in the next moment—
thick black threads appeared, coiling around his body like serpents,
crawling over his arms and shoulders, then gathering around his sword.
Then… everything changed.
Zion felt the Anya emanating from Fray's body.
Dark Anya… heavy… suffocating.
Zion's body trembled violently,
veins bulging in his arms and neck, as if his body were resisting something from within.
Then—
golden threads burst forth from his body, radiant and rigid, gradually concentrating around his sword.
Zion lifted his head, his voice hoarse and filled with rage.
"I will kill you."
I felt something was wrong.
Zion's mind… was unstable.
I screamed with everything I had, directing my words at him
"Zion! Stop! Calm down! Don't rush—!"
But it was already too late.
Zion charged toward Fray at tremendous speed.
Fray slowly lifted his head,
a calm smile this time…
as if this was exactly what he had been waiting for.
He rushed forward as well.
— BOOOOM! —
— EXPLOSION! EXPLOSION! —
Their swords collided, saturated with Anya,
and a massive vortex exploded at the center of the clash. The force made the air itself scream.
Zion pressed his sword forward, his eyes locked into Fray's, and shouted with a voice broken by rage
"I'll kill you!"
Fray responded with loud, hysterical laughter, staring at him without fear.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Do it… if you can."
Fray poured even more Anya into his sword,
until the blade turned completely pitch black, as if darkness itself had been melted into it.
— CLANG!! —
— SHHHKHH! —
His sword shot forward at insane speed, striking Zion directly in the shoulder
.
Zion's expression changed for a moment…
but he didn't retreat.
He clenched his teeth and doubled the amount of Anya in his sword.
— BOOM! EXPLOSION! —
Their swords clashed in midair one final time…
Then—
Zion's sword cracked.
And in the next instant…
it shattered.
Zion had no time to react. Fray's sword slammed powerfully into his chest, carving a long gash as blood burst out violently.
Zion lost his balance and fell to the ground. He tried to stand, but couldn't—his legs trembling violently, his breathing slow. Even so, he paid little attention to his condition and kept staring at Fray.
He tried to rise…
but his body betrayed him.
Fray approached slowly,
raising his sword and aiming it at Zion's neck.
But—
his body froze.
He tried to move his arm—
nothing.
Fray frowned and tried again— but his body refused to respond.
A small laugh echoed from behind.
"Heh."
"Looks like the poison finally worked… I thought it never would."
Fray turned his gaze toward the sound coming from his side.
He saw Rion approaching calmly, a smile on his face.
"What are you talking about…? What's wrong with my body?"
Fray said angrily, confusion clear in his voice as he tried to move.
It didn't move.
"Talk!"
He shouted loudly, rage filling his eyes as he stared at Rion.
"Damn it… stop shouting, you're hurting my ears."
I covered my ears from how loud he was screaming.
Why was he shouting so loudly? I'm right next to him. Or does he want to make me deaf?
Fray couldn't endure Rion's words and screamed even louder, filled with intense rage
"What did you do to me?! Speak, quickly!"
"I'll tell you, so stop shouting… I poisoned you."
When he heard my words, clear confusion appeared on Fray's face.
"What the hell are you talking about… poison?"
"Yeah."
Then a wonderful idea crossed my mind—something I'd wanted to try for a long time.
"Do you remember the cake I gave you earlier? That was poison."
Fray's eyes widened suddenly,
his features stiffening for a moment, as if the words hadn't reached his mind yet.
"Cake…?"
He whispered, then raised his voice nervously
"Which cake?!"
Rion laughed briefly, shrugging indifferently.
"The one you devoured without hesitation."
He tilted his head slightly and added mockingly: "It tasted great… didn't it?"
Fray's body trembled violently, the black threads around him moving for a moment before fading like smoke.
"There's no point—you won't be able to use Anya. So stop trying. You're wasting your time. It's over."
He didn't listen and kept trying to use Anya—failing every time.
Even when I started to feel bored… he still wouldn't stop.
Eventually, I lost my patience and yelled at him
"Didn't I tell you it's useless to use Anya?! Or are you trying to kill me out of boredom?!"
Fray suddenly stopped trying.
His breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling violently, his eyes fixed on me…
"Don't look at me like that… you're really scaring me."
If looks could kill, I'd be dead already.
He focused his gaze on me, his voice hoarse, as if his throat had dried up.
"How… how did you know?"
I smiled broadly, as if I had expected this question from the beginning.
"How did I know?"
I placed my hand on my chin, pretending to think deeply.
Then I looked at him, a smile on my face.
"Why should I tell you? You're going to die anyway."
When he heard my answer, he screamed loudly
"Tell me… how did you know?!"
I covered my ears again—they hurt from his shouting.
"Alright… I'll tell you. I knew when you were still in your mother's womb."
Veins bulged on his face from sheer rage.
"What the hell are you say—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
I cut off his head using Phantom Step.
I looked at his head. Shock was clearly etched on his face.
I felt strange—my heart was pounding rapidly, I barely managed to stop myself from vomiting, my hands trembling violently.
"Ugh…"
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
So this is what it feels like to kill someone for the first time.
I felt lost, and every time I looked at Fray's head…
Calm down… calm down… calm down…
I repeated the word in my mind over and over, until my thoughts cleared slightly.