The air in the arena grew heavier as Caelum stepped forward, his presence alone shifting the atmosphere. The way he moved wasn't rushed, nor hesitant—it was the gait of a man who had walked countless battlefields and left nothing but ashes in his wake.
His weapon, a massive black greatsword, rested across his back. It wasn't just a weapon—it was a symbol. A blade of pure abyssal steel, ancient yet unmarred, its dark surface glowing faintly with a menacing aura, pulsing like a living entity. Its sheer size and presence dwarfed the weapons of lesser men, an artifact forged for a conqueror, by a conqueror. A blade that had ended civilizations.
And yet, he wielded it with effortless ease.
His attire was unassuming—no armor, no elaborate regalia—just a long red cape draped over his shoulders, worn over a simple black tunic and dark pants. His presence wasn't defined by what he wore, but by what he was.
Caelum's golden-red eyes locked onto Igor, analyzing, measuring.
Caelum: Igor, step aside. I'm not here for you. I've come to fight your Emperor. The man you kneel to.
Igor took a single step forward, standing between Caelum and Dark. His towering frame exuded nothing but absolute intent—he would not let Caelum pass.
Igor: You will not touch him.
Dark raised a hand slightly.
Dark: Stand down, Igor. I'll take care of this.
Igor hesitated only for a fraction of a second before obeying. His massive form began to distort, shifting into tendrils of pure shadow before being pulled back into Dark's body in an instant.
Dark: (thinking) This guy... He's different. I don't know if I can beat him, but—
Dark's eyes narrowed, his body tensing.
Dark: (thinking) I have to try.
The silence in the arena stretched. The tension was palpable.
Then—
Aric: This is no duel. Take this fight outside.
A blur.
A single flash.
Before anyone could react—
Aric's head was already falling.
Dark's pupils shrank.
The announcer's lifeless body slumped forward, blood spraying into the air like mist as his severed head tumbled onto the stone floor.
The entire arena went dead silent.
Caelum stood exactly where he was before, his expression unreadable. He hadn't moved—or at least, that's what it looked like.
Caelum: No one gives me orders.
Dark barely breathed.
Dark: (thinking) ...Did he just—?
His mind raced, trying to process what had just happened.
Dark: (thinking) He decapitated Aric... and returned to his original position... in less than a fraction of a second.
His fingers twitched. His muscles tensed.
Dark: (thinking) What the hell am I dealing with?
Caelum cracked his neck, completely unfazed by the horror he had just caused.
Caelum: You're looking at me like I did something impressive.
He smirked, his voice carrying the weight of absolute confidence.
Caelum: That was just a demonstration.
Dark clenched his fists, but instead of responding, he took a deep breath—then closed his eyes.
Dark: (thinking) If I'm going to fight this guy, I need to know what I'm up against.
He focused inward, diving into the depths of his system—the same system he had been rejecting since the beginning.
And then—
A familiar blue screen flickered to life in front of him.
A menu appeared, showing his level, stats, and inventory.
And—
Above Caelum's head, a name appeared.
[ CAELUM, CONQUEROR OF WORLDS ]
The name was colored dark red.
Dark's heart skipped a beat.
Dark: (thinking) That color... That means he's at least 100 times stronger than me. Maybe more.
He hesitated. Then, cautiously, he checked his own level.
[ LEVEL: 9.5QzE ]
His blood ran cold.
Dark: ...HEY. HEY, HOLD THE HELL ON!!!
Caelum chuckled.
Caelum: Oh? You can see the system?
His smirk widened slightly.
Caelum: That makes things more interesting.
Dark's eyes flicked back to his opponent, his mind racing.
Dark: (thinking) What kind of monster is this guy?
Caelum sighed, shaking his head slightly.
Caelum: Let me tell you a little something. I was the first to conquer the system.
His voice carried a weight—an undeniable truth.
Caelum: Before you. Before the Big Bang. Before this entire reality.
His golden-red eyes gleamed with something unreadable—knowledge beyond comprehension.
Caelum: The system wasn't always like this. Back then, it wasn't just a tool—it was life itself. A support system, something that held people up and gave them a chance to grow.
Dark remained silent, listening carefully.
Caelum's expression darkened slightly.
Caelum: But then, one day... someone broke the balance.
His voice grew heavier.
Caelum: A monarch—a being of absolute power—decided that the system wasn't enough. That he wanted more.
Dark's jaw tightened.
Dark: (thinking) ...A monarch?
Caelum: He shattered the rules that the highest monarchs had sworn to never break.
Caelum: He entered the place where the system was kept. The core of its very existence.
His hand clenched into a fist.
Caelum: And then—he broke it.
The air around him crackled slightly.
Caelum: The system was once contained, controlled. But when that monarch destroyed its prison... it spread. It became part of the world itself.
Dark's fingers twitched.
Dark: (thinking) ...So you're telling me the system wasn't always like this?
Caelum exhaled slowly.
Caelum: That's exactly what I'm saying.
Then, his gaze sharpened.
Caelum: Everyone you've met, every person who has wielded strength beyond comprehension...
Caelum pointed directly at Dark.
Caelum: ...They all originated from the system.
Dark stiffened.
Caelum: And you're no different.
Silence.
Dark's heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Dark: (thinking) ...Wait. So this entire time... I've been rejecting the system... without knowing that it was never Cosmic's creation? That it was actually Shou's?
For the first time in a long while, true doubt flickered across Dark's face.
Dark: (thinking) What the hell... have I been fighting against?
Caelum shifted slightly, breaking Dark out of his thoughts.
Caelum: But enough talk.
His fingers wrapped around the massive black greatsword strapped to his back.
A weapon known throughout the ages.
Caelum: This blade... is called Yuniba.
Dark's gaze locked onto it.
The sheer pressure of the weapon's presence was overwhelming.
Caelum raised his sword, pointing it directly at Dark.
Caelum: Are you ready?
Dark hesitated.
Then—he grinned.
Dark: ...Ready?
His crimson eyes gleamed.
Dark: BRING IT ON!!!
Caelum's smirk deepened. His fingers tightened around the hilt of Yuniba, the massive black greatsword humming with an aura that distorted the very air around it.
The arena, already battered from Igor's previous battle, seemed to hold its breath. The spectators barely dared to blink.
Dark lowered his stance slightly, his body relaxed but coiled like a spring, his crimson eyes locked onto Caelum's every movement.
Then—
Caelum vanished.
No warning. No sound. Just gone.
Dark's instincts screamed. He twisted his body, pivoting just in time—
A blade slashed through the air where his neck had been.
A delayed shockwave followed, the force alone ripping through the battlefield, carving a trench into the already ruined stone. The walls of the arena trembled.
Dark flipped backward, his body moving on pure instinct, but before he could even land—
Another attack.
This time, he saw it.
Caelum reappeared mid-air, Yuniba already descending.
Dark raised his arms—
CLANG.
The impact sent a wave of force exploding outward, the sheer pressure hammering against Dark's bones. The entire colosseum groaned under the sheer weight of the clash.
Dark gritted his teeth, his arms trembling as he held back the blade. His feet dug into the cracked stone, but before he could counter—
Caelum was already moving.
A knee slammed into Dark's ribs.
Air left his lungs in a violent burst, his body launching backward like a bullet.
The moment he hit the ground, he twisted mid-air, flipping just before impact, his boots grinding across the battlefield, kicking up debris as he skidded to a stop.
Dark: (thinking) Shit. His speed is unreal—his blade is even worse.
Caelum landed lightly on the ground, rolling his shoulders as if he hadn't just shattered the air itself.
Caelum: Fast reaction time. I'll give you that.
Dark exhaled, his hands flexing slightly as he recalibrated.
Dark: (grinning) Oh, so now you're giving compliments? Wasn't expecting that from a guy who just decapitated someone mid-sentence.
Caelum chuckled, resting Yuniba against his shoulder.
Caelum: Please. That was barely anything. If I wanted you dead, you would've been gone before you even heard me draw my sword.
Dark: (thinking) He's right. But it doesn't matter.
Dark's grin widened.
Dark: Good. Because that means I can stop holding back.
Caelum's eyes gleamed with amusement.
Caelum: Then by all means—
He disappeared again.
This time, Dark saw it.
His eyes barely caught the flicker of movement, the faint blur of Caelum's form vanishing.
Dark didn't hesitate.
He twisted just in time to block an overhead slash—
BOOM.
The ground beneath them collapsed.
The sheer weight of the impact caved in the battlefield, sending massive chunks of stone flying into the air.
The shockwave tore through the arena, knocking dozens of spectators off their feet.
Dark barely managed to hold his ground, but Caelum was relentless.
The conqueror's movements were precise, efficient, and brutal.
A slash—Dark dodged.
A thrust—Dark deflected.
A sudden kick to the ribs—Dark barely managed to block, but the force alone sent him skidding backward again.
Dark: (thinking) I can't keep dodging forever.
Caelum didn't let up. His next strike came from below, Yuniba carving upward in a devastating arc.
Dark reacted.
Instead of dodging—he stepped into the attack.
Caelum's eyes widened slightly.
Dark ducked just under the blade, his foot slamming into the ground, propelling him forward like a missile.
Then—he punched.
A direct, full-powered blow to Caelum's ribs.
A massive shockwave erupted on impact.
Caelum grunted, his body launched backward at high speed, crashing through the remnants of the battlefield.
The impact sent another tremor through the entire colosseum.
Dark didn't stop.
He dashed forward, already following up—
Caelum flipped mid-air, regaining control instantly.
His feet barely touched the ground before he shot back toward Dark, their movements now a seamless blur of speed and precision.
The clash of fists, blades, and sheer power intensified.
Dark's movements became sharper, his instincts heightening.
Caelum's attacks remained devastating, but now—
Dark was adapting.
He was keeping up.
The battlefield became a warzone, the two warriors colliding in a flurry of impossible speed and force.
The audience could no longer follow the fight.
To them, it was a storm of movement, brief glimpses of slashes, impacts, and explosions of power.
Beatrix, still seated in the stands, gritted her teeth.
Beatrix: (thinking) What the hell am I even looking at...?
One of the warriors watching leaned forward, eyes wide.
Warrior: (muttering) No one... has ever lasted this long against Caelum.
And yet—
Dark wasn't just surviving.
He was fighting back.
Caelum grinned mid-exchange, parrying a brutal strike from Dark.
Caelum: That's it. Now you're getting it.
Dark exhaled, his gaze sharp.
Dark: Took me a second, but I think I see how you fight now.
Caelum raised an eyebrow.
Caelum: Oh? Then what do you see?
Dark smirked.
Dark: That you fight like an old man.
Caelum blinked.
Then—he laughed.
Caelum: Bold words, Emperor.
He suddenly vanished again—but this time, Dark anticipated it.
Dark didn't wait. He knew Caelum was fast—too fast—but there was a pattern. A rhythm to his movement.
Instead of trying to react, Dark preemptively moved, pivoting his body as Caelum reappeared behind him, sword already swinging.
Dark's boots scraped against the shattered stone as he leaned just out of range, feeling the cold steel of Yuniba brush past his throat—barely missing.
Caelum's smirk widened.
Caelum: Good. You're not just surviving anymore. You're learning.
Dark didn't respond. He didn't need to. His body was already in motion.
He launched forward, closing the gap between them in an instant, throwing a devastating right hook straight for Caelum's ribs.
Caelum caught it.
Dark's eyes widened—the sheer strength behind that grip felt like his bones might snap on impact.
Caelum: Too slow.
Before Dark could even process the counter, Caelum twisted his body—
And slammed Dark's own fist into his chest.
The force sent a sonic boom through the battlefield, Dark's body folding inward from his own attack.
Dark barely had time to grit his teeth before Caelum followed up—a ruthless downward slash meant to split him in two.
Dark raised his arms just in time, the blade colliding against his forearm guards.
BOOM.
The ground beneath him collapsed entirely, stone debris exploding outward as Dark was sent crashing down into the depths of the ruined arena.
For a brief moment, nothing but dust and silence remained.
The spectators leaned forward, the tension unbearable.
Then—
A deep hum filled the air.
A pulse of energy, dark and suffocating, radiated from the crater.
The dust settled—revealing Dark, still standing.
His forearm guards were cracked, his breath heavier, but—
His smirk remained.
Dark: Damn. That actually hurt.
Caelum's grin sharpened.
Caelum: Then let's make it hurt more.
He raised Yuniba, the blade humming with immeasurable power, the air around it warping under the sheer weight of its aura.
Dark exhaled sharply.
Then—he moved.
Not running.
Not dodging.
Charging.
Straight at Caelum.
Caelum's eyes flashed with intrigue, his grip tightening.
Caelum: That's it.
They clashed.
Dark's fist met Yuniba's edge, the impact erupting in a violent collision that sent shockwaves tearing through the battlefield.
The sheer force rippled through the entire arena, sending cracks spreading through the walls, torches flickering violently from the backlash.
Dark didn't retreat.
Instead, he pushed forward, forcing Caelum back step by step.
Caelum raised an eyebrow.
Caelum: Oh? Not bad.
Dark grinned through the pressure, his eyes burning.
Dark: You talk too much.
His other fist shot forward—this time, aimed directly at Caelum's jaw.
Caelum barely dodged, but Dark was already spinning, twisting his entire body into a devastating kick aimed at his ribs.
Caelum blocked it with his forearm, but the force still sent him skidding backward.
Dark didn't let up.
He lunged again, fists coated in a dark, rippling energy, aiming a barrage of attacks at Caelum's core.
Each strike landed with bone-crushing force, cracking the air itself.
Caelum, however, matched him blow for blow, parrying with smooth, calculated precision.
Then—
Caelum sidestepped at the last second, spinning Yuniba with impossible speed.
Before Dark could react—
SLASH.
A deep gash tore through his side.
Dark gritted his teeth, his body twisting instinctively to minimize the damage, but the pain burned deep.
For the first time since the fight began—he bled.
The crowd gasped.
Beatrix's eyes widened.
Beatrix: (thinking) He actually got hit...?
Dark took a shaky breath, glancing at the fresh wound across his ribs.
Caelum rested Yuniba against his shoulder, his smirk never fading.
Caelum: There. Now we're even.
Dark exhaled, his fingers twitching. He glanced at the blood on his hand, then back at Caelum.
Then—
Dark grinned wider.
Dark: Even?
Dark: Nah.
Dark: I'm just getting started.
Caelum's smirk twitched, eyes gleaming.
Caelum: Good.
Then—they vanished.
To Be Continued....
End Of Arc 5 Chapter 9.