The echoes of war still rang in the distance.
..
Kai and William had brought down the Black Dragon with divine force, the Thunder Lion's roar marking their victory.
Far across the battlefield, Emma and Lucious Fang ended Lufi's shadow reign with a single piercing shot of windlight.
Two battles won. But the night was far from over.
Darkness fell.
Chapter ---14 -The Return of the Dark Knight.
The air crackled with the scent of blood and fire.
Yuhi stood tall amidst the chaos, her Sword of Judgment pulsing with divine flame. Across from her, Azrael smirked beneath his dark helm, his corrupted blade humming with shadows.
The battlefield was a warzone—soldiers clashed around them, but none dared step between the two.
"Let's see how long that fire burns," Azrael muttered, swinging his sword with terrifying speed.
"Dark Crescent Slash!" he yelled, sending a curved wave of black energy tearing through the earth.
Yuhi leapt, flame trailing her blade like a comet.
"Flame Cross!"
Her strike collided with Azrael's slash, causing a shockwave that sent nearby warriors flying.
Azrael rushed her, disappearing and reappearing with shadow steps.
Yuhi barely kept up, blocking and deflecting blows—sparks flashing with each contact.
Azrael spun low.
"Abyssal Spin Slash!"
His blade became a wheel of darkness, cutting across Yuhi's armor, leaving a gash on her arm.
Yuhi grit her teeth, blood running down, and shouted,
"Flame Pillar!"
A burst of fire exploded from beneath Azrael, engulfing him. For a moment, the battlefield went still.
Then—
BOOM!
Azrael burst out of the fire, completely unharmed, his cloak incinerated—revealing a body marked with ancient dark runes.
"You think flames can burn the abyss?" he hissed.
Yuhi panted, her grip tightening on her sword. Her flame aura flared brighter—gold and crimson mixing in waves.
"Judgment Burst!"
Yuhi raised her blade to the heavens, summoning divine flames and striking downward in a holy arc.
Azrael blocked it—but slid back, for the first time losing footing.
Then he smiled. A cruel, slow grin.
"You are good... little girl," he said. "But this... is your last battle."
His sword ignited with black fire, the shadows around him screaming as they fed it.
"Dark Flame Strike."
Azrael took one step—and vanished.
"NO—!!" warriors shouted.
Yuhi's eyes widened. Time slowed. He appeared in front of her in a flash—too fast to react.
The sword came down.
Then—
CLANG!
A silver blur intercepted the strike. A white coat fluttered through the smoke.
The Masked Man stood in front of her, both swords drawn.
Azrael's attack hit him full force—his coat ripped, and the edge of his mask was cut, revealing just a flicker of the face beneath.
Yuhi's eyes widened. "You…"
The battlefield fell silent for a heartbeat.
Then Kai raised his blades again, eyes locked on Azrael.
Smoke curled through the air as Kai stood between Yuhi and Azrael.
He turned slightly, eyes softening as he looked back.
"You alright?"
Yuhi, still catching her breath, nodded weakly. Blood stained her sleeve, and her breaths were shaky.
Kai's gaze sharpened. "You're too injured. Rest now... I'll handle the rest."
The way he said it—calm, confident, almost protective—made Yuhi's heart skip a beat.
Even surrounded by chaos, his presence felt… safe.
Something warm stirred inside her.
From the sidelines, several warriors watched in stunned silence.
"He's... the Dark Knight?"
"No doubt. That's the Dark knight of Lumiya!"
"So it was true all along... He's real…"
The name echoed—Dark Knight—a title wrapped in mystery and fear.
Azrael's growl shattered the awe-filled hush.
"Masked Man…" he hissed, his voice low and venomous. "So you've returned. I felt that dragon's death—it was you, wasn't it?"
Kai didn't even flinch. "Black Dragon?" he repeated, tilting his head. "That was warm-up."
Azrael's eyes flared with fury. "You dare…"
Black energy exploded around him, swirling into his blade like a living storm.
"I'll make you pay for every scar you left on the abyss!"
With a thunderous roar, Azrael launched forward—his sword glowing with demonic power.
Kai rushed to meet him, the ground cracking beneath each step.
CLASH!
Their blades collided with a burst of power that rippled across the battlefield.
The force of their clash lifted nearby warriors off their feet, forcing them to shield their eyes.
Darkness and light clashed like twin storms, neither yielding.
Azrael spun, unleashing a torrent of cursed slashes.
Kai blocked each one, countered with a flurry of sharp, fluid strikes—his movements a dance of deadly precision.
They moved like blurs, slashing, leaping, parrying.
Azrael: "You're strong... but I am destruction itself!"
Kai: "Then I'll cut down destruction."
With every blow, the aura intensified—a storm of black and silver winds.
The battlefield grew heavier, the weight of their power pressing down on everyone nearby.
Lightning cracked the sky. The clash of their swords echoed like war drums from another realm.
In that moment, it was more than a duel.
It was warrior against warlord.
Hope versus despair.
The Dark Knight against the Abyssborn.
Kai's eyes sharpened—his focus unshakable. His twin blades pulsed with energy, aura blazing like a divine storm.
Azrael roared, dark energy twisting around his cursed sword like a vortex.
The two clashed again—full force. Sparks erupted, the ground beneath them cracking like shattered glass.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Each swing of Kai's blades was precise, brutal, overwhelming. He read Azrael's every move, blocking faster, hitting harder.
Azrael grunted—off balance.
Kai's eyes flashed.
"Now!"
With a powerful spin, Kai unleashed a Twin Blades Slash—a devastating X-strike across Azrael's chest.
SLASH!
Azrael screamed as the force launched him backward, crashing through stone and flame, finally collapsing in the distance.
The warriors gasped.
But Kai didn't stop.
He sprinted—blades still glowing, dust rising at his heels. He was going to end it.
And then—
BOOM!
A sudden bolt of lightning ripped from the sky—crashing between Kai and Azrael.
The sheer force stopped Kai in his tracks. Energy crackled around him, the air humming with divine pressure.
Kai looked up, shielding his eyes.
A figure slowly descended—floating midair.
A woman.
She wore a radiant white and silver dress that shimmered like starlight. A golden crown rested upon her brow, and a white sword burned in her hand like purified flame. She had no wings—but still, she floated like the heavens themselves bowed beneath her.
Her eyes—divine, ancient, calm yet powerful—locked onto Kai.
Kai narrowed his eyes. He recognized her instantly.
He took a step forward, twin blades lowered slightly.
"You came…" he said, voice calm, but heavy.
The battlefield fell into eerie silence.
Azrael, coughing blood, looked up in horror.
"You… what are you doing here?!"
The woman didn't answer.
She simply hovered—radiating pressure that made even seasoned warriors fall to their knees.