Chapter 16
The air around us crackled, charged with tension. The battlefield, still littered with the aftermath of the previous skirmishes, seemed to hold its breath. Cederic and I stood, weapons in hand, eyes locked in mutual understanding. We knew this would be the decisive battle.
Cederic's sword glowed, an ominous black aura wrapping itself around the blade like a living thing. His grip tightened, his posture shifting as the weight of his presence grew. The air grew heavier, suffused with the promise of destruction.
I responded in kind. A surge of mana flooded my body, and my sword hummed in response, the white light of my aura blinding in its purity. My body became a vessel of lightning, ready to strike at the heart of the storm that Cederic had unleashed.
We moved in a blur.
Steel rang out, clashing against steel with enough force to shake the earth beneath us. Each blow was a flash of light and shadow, our blades cutting through the air, each strike a deadly promise. Cederic's movements were calculated, his power dark and suffocating like the very shadows that crawled at the edges of the light. But I had my own brilliance—white-hot and merciless.
With every strike, the ground beneath us cracked, the sound of our battle reverberating through the surrounding mountains.
Cederic grinned, lips curling as he drew back. "You're fast, Kael. But not fast enough."
Without warning, his blade pulsed with dark energy, a black beam forming at the tip. I knew exactly what he was doing—the power he was about to unleash.
"[Dark Convergence]!" Cederic's voice rang through the air, the ground trembling as the dark energy spiraled into a concentrated beam, hurtling toward me like a shadow of death.
I didn't hesitate. The lightning in my veins responded instinctively, flaring up as I summoned my own defense. My blade thrummed with power as I raised it, forming a defensive wall of pure lightning.
"[Thunder Wall]!" I shouted.
Lightning exploded from the blade—arcing upward into a shield of pure thunder. The dark ray met it—
KRRZZHH!
—and shattered.
Cederic's eyes widened. "What—?"
I didn't let him finish.
"[Heaven's Volt]."
A red streak of lightning split the clouds above.
BOOM!
It struck down with a scream, crashing onto Cederic. He brought up a glowing barrier—his defensive artifact flaring to life.
CRACK!
The shield held, but only barely. His body was thrown backward, skidding across the dirt.
I followed—sword raised.
Mana surged through me like a tidal wave.
He saw it too late.
"[Astral Rend]!"
My blade carved the air, a clean arc aimed at his heart. His artifact shattered.
Blood sprayed.
He collapsed to one knee, gasping.
I walked forward.
One more hit, and—
My body froze.
Pain.
Not physical. Not visible.
A weight pressed on my soul like iron chains.
A soul attack.
My hand trembled.
Cederic looked up and laughed, blood on his lips. "Took you long enough, old man."
I turned.
A man stood at the edge of the battlefield. Cloaked. Still. His presence didn't scream power—it whispered it. Deep. Controlled. Terrifying.
"Peak Rank 6," I muttered, narrowing my eyes.
The air around him twisted.
A soul mage.
Cederic rose, drank a potion, and sighed in relief. His burns eased, wounds sealed. "That's better. Keep him occupied for few minutes"
"Shut up" said soul mage
That's why we can't sense any mana from him soul type warrior can hide their mana completely unless you are major rank above you can't find it.
You're strong," the man finally spoke—voice calm, cold, almost… respectful. "But no one fights the mind and wins unscathed."
I forced a breath out. "You picked the wrong mind to break."
Mana surged in my chest. I drew it inward, focused. Not outward. Not explosive.
Inward.
Lightning crackled under my skin—red this time. Controlled. Refined. Every bolt tethered to my nerves, snapping me back to clarity.
"[Sanctum Surge]," I whispered.
A ring of crimson sparks exploded around me, dispelling the creeping fog in my mind. My thoughts cleared, slow but sharp. The pain didn't vanish—but it dulled. Contained.
The man's eyes narrowed.
"You resisted that?" he said flatly.
"No," I replied, standing. "I endured it."
In the next instant, I blurred forward. The ground shattered beneath my feet. I reappeared beside him, sword flashing, aiming for his ribs.
He moved. Barely. Just enough. A twist of his cloak, and my blade cut wind.
But my second strike wasn't aimed at him.
It hit the ground—intentionally.
Mana erupted in a pulse, lightning scattering like glass shards. The soul user stumbled back, shielding his face.
I surged forward again.
We clashed—my speed against his mind.
He didn't block like a warrior. He deflected with precision, always moving just enough to avoid a clean hit. But each pass grew tighter. I grazed his arm. Then his shoulder. Blood spattered. His breath hitched.
"You're not used to fighting alone," I said, panting slightly. "You hide behind your mind games."
"And you rely too much on brute force," he spat, sweat on his brow. "Let's see how long that lasts."
Then it hit me.
Another wave of pressure—stronger this time. My knees buckled for a second.
But before I could react—
"Kael!!" a voice called out.
Cederic was back on his feet.
His chest still bled, but his posture was upright. A fresh potion glimmered at his side, already consumed. His aura flared black once more.
"Enough warming up," he said, voice cold.
The soul user smiled, stepping beside him. "He's strong. Let's see if he's stronger than us."
Then I felt it.
Their domains opened.
Mana warped around us—space bending unnaturally.
Their auras bled together and reality shifted.
I stood alone in a world of twilight and silence—gray winds and dark fire swirling like a storm.
Cederic's voice echoed across the realm.
"Welcome to our domain, Kael."
The soul user's voice followed. "Welcome to the Ruined Mirror."
...…
Cederic pov
Blood still trickled down my ribs, the sting dulled by the potion, but the pain reminded me of the edge I was walking.
Kael stood just ahead—still, calm, but not untouched. His breaths had deepened. His stance wasn't flawless anymore. Good.
Then I felt it. The pressure beside me. That chill—soul deep.
He was finally moving.
A twisted grin formed on my lips as I turned slightly to the figure stepping forward at last.
The Nameless One. A peak Rank 6 Soul User.
"Ready?" I asked, my tone casual—like we weren't about to rend reality apart.
He didn't speak, just nodded once. That was enough.
I raised my hand, gathering the darkness around me like a cloak. Mana twisted, spiraling from the depths of my core.
"[Endless Abyss]."
Black mist surged outward, devouring light. The sky dimmed. Shadows pooled unnaturally across the ground, and Kael's expression sharpened.
Beside me, the Nameless One whispered a single word. "[Soul Reflection]."
And then—
It began.
Darkness swallowed everything.
But this wasn't just absence of light—this was emptiness. A void that consumed identity, direction, and even time. In my domain, the opponent sees nothing. Hears nothing. They are nothing.
Except Kael.
I could still feel his presence—faint, resisting. Of course he would. The bastard always did.
But now—
The second layer dropped.
The Soul Mage's domain merged with mine like oil to flame.
A mirror formed in the dark—a giant, cracked thing suspended in the void.
Shards floated around us like stars. They didn't reflect truth. They showed possibility. Fear. Failure.
"The Ruined Mirror," I whispered. "Let's see how long your pride lasts inside this."
Kael reappeared inside the domain—his form flickering. I watched his eyes dart as the mirror shards shimmered. One of them showed Elyra dead at his feet. Another showed Arthur failing to escape. In one… he stood alone, blade shattered, kneeling.
He blinked, just once.
"You look surprised," I said, stepping forward, black fire curling around my blade. "Not so invincible now, are you?"
He didn't answer.
He just breathed.
Then, to my irritation, he closed his eyes.
The mirror shards floated closer—feeding illusions into his mind. One by one, we'd break him down. Mentally. Magically. Entirely.
The Nameless One raised his hand, soul threads dancing. "His will is bending."
But then—
Crack.
Not the mirror.
The domain itself trembled.
Kael opened his eyes.
And they were glowing white-hot.
"You're right," he said softly. "I underestimated you."
Then lightning surged from his skin.
And I took a single step back.
"…But you really shouldn't have tried this."
...…
Kael pov
I could feel the air shift, the energy around me crackling with a tension I could almost taste. The combined effort of Cederic and the soul mage had created a powerful domain, but there was no mistaking it—I was stronger.
I had faced their power before, and now I would show them what it truly meant to challenge me.
My focus sharpened. My mana began to churn inside me, wild and unpredictable. It pulsed through my veins, a crackling current of energy that sparked with anticipation.
[Volt Dominion]
The name surged through my mind as my power erupted outward. White-hot and violent, the electricity inside me turned into a storm—raw, destructive, and boundless. My mana crackled with the force of a thousand lightning bolts, each one arcing through the air, tearing apart the very atmosphere around me.
The sky above me darkened instantly, black clouds swirling as if summoned by my will. The air hummed with static, charged with an energy that felt like it could split the earth in two. My body thrummed with power as electricity coursed through my very being.
I raised my hand, and with a single motion, I unleashed it.
A bolt of pure lightning shot up into the sky, splitting the heavens above. Then, as though responding to a silent command, dozens of jagged lightning bolts crackled down, striking the ground around me, creating a web of energy that surged with intensity. It wasn't just a display of power—it was a weapon, a living storm.
The ground beneath me began to tremble as my domain spread outward, the energy thrumming through the very earth, rising up in a violent surge. The temperature soared, and the air turned thick with crackling energy.
I could feel Cederic's attempts to resist, feel the energy of his dark domain pressing against mine—but it was futile. My electricity was a primal force, far beyond the control of mere darkness. It surged like a living thing, consuming everything in its path.
[Electric Judgment]
I thrust my hands forward, and from my fingertips, arcs of lightning shot out in every direction, seeking their targets with a mind of their own. The lightning didn't just strike—it scorched, it burned, it consumed. The energy twisted through the air, sending violent shocks of power in every direction.
The soul mage tried to counter it, but his attempts were nothing more than a flicker against the storm I had unleashed. His domain, while formidable, was overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of my electric fury. He was no match for this.
The ground shattered beneath my feet, torn apart by the power that now raged through the air. I could hear the screams of those caught in the storm, the crackling and sizzling of the lightning as it blasted through everything in its path.
I could see Cederic's face—twisted in pain, his domain fading under the onslaught of my power. His dark energies were being consumed, broken down, disintegrated. The soul mage was struggling, but it didn't matter.
I raised my hand once more, and with a final burst of energy, the sky itself seemed to crack as a massive bolt of lightning shot from the heavens, striking down with the fury of the storm I had called.
The shockwave of energy ripped through everything. The ground trembled beneath me as the last remnants of Cederic and the soul mage's power were wiped out. Nothing was left but scorched earth and the ringing hum of lingering electricity.
I stood, panting slightly but unshaken. My domain slowly faded, leaving only the remnants of a storm that had consumed everything in its wake.
Cederic and the soul mage? Gone. Reduced to nothing more than ash and burnt memories.
I wasn't finished. I could feel more power still bubbling beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed. But for now, the battlefield was quiet. The storm had passed. And I had won.