Leon raised Lokantaka. His eyes did not leave Shiro.
"Valker. Fenrith. Sylvaris. Forsaken."
A spatial rift opened behind him. Valker stepped out, greatsword in hand, pale blue eyes without pupils. Fenrith leaped out, his massive body landing with a heavy thud. Sylvaris emerged with his bow in hand, arrows ready. Forsaken stood calmly, pale green light in his palms.
"Destroy the Hydra soldiers. Do not let them interfere."
Valker nodded. Fenrith growled. Sylvaris drew his bowstring. Forsaken raised his hands.
They turned to face the thousands of Hydra soldiers beginning to close in.
Leon turned to face Shiro.
"Now... we can fight."
---
Shiro did not answer. But the pale white light at his fingertips blazed brighter.
Leon attacked first. "Dark Edge!"
Lokantaka wrapped in dark energy. He slashed — fast, straight, deadly.
Shiro did not dodge. He raised his hand — and white light formed a shield before him.
CLANG!
Leon's slash bounced off. Did not penetrate.
Shiro lowered his hand. The light at his fingertips expanded — forming five thin blades of light floating around him.
Then he pointed at Leon.
The blades shot forward.
Leon dodged — one blade, two blades, three blades. The fourth blade grazed his arm — a shallow wound, but blood flowed.
"Shadow Section!"
From his own shadow, pitch-black blades shot toward Shiro.
Shiro did not move. "Radiant Wheel." A spinning ring of light circled his body — deflecting the blades of darkness, then launching a disc of light toward Leon.
Leon dodged — but the disc of light struck the wall behind him, leaving a scorched mark.
---
Shiro gave no time. "Flash Step."
He vanished. Appeared beside Leon. His right hand was already raised — white light forming three giant claws.
"Hydra's Talon."
Leon raised Lokantaka. "Dark Edge!"
CLANG!
Light claws and sword met. Leon was thrown back — but did not fall.
Three glowing claw marks appeared on his chest. Not ordinary wounds — wounds that felt like burning from within.
Leon gritted his teeth. "Dark Fracture Slash!"
Jagged energy lines shot forward — twisting, branching, shattering space itself.
Shiro raised both hands. "Radiant Wheel." A spinning ring of light appeared before him — holding Dark Fracture Slash, dissipating it as if it had never existed.
Leon stepped back. This was the first time he had seen someone simply withstand his attacks like that.
Shiro did not pursue. He only stood in place — staring at Leon with his pupil-less white eyes. No emotion. Only calculation.
---
Leon attacked again. "Riftrend Barrage!"
He moved at high speed — every slash, every thrust, creating spatial cracks around him.
Shiro did not retreat. "Dawn Sting."
Microscopic needles of light shot forth in a burst of luminous mist — not clearly visible, but feeling like thousands of insect stings.
Leon felt it. Every movement began to slow. Every attack began to feel heavier.
"Damn..." he whispered.
Shiro did not stop. "Wolf Fangs."
Dozens of small light fragments hovered in the air — then with a single hand motion, all of them shot toward Leon from various angles.
Leon could not dodge. He raised Lokantaka — blocking some, but others struck his body.
Blood flowed from fresh wounds.
Leon fell to his knees. Lokantaka was embedded in the marble floor to support his unsteady body.
But he did not give up.
"Eternal Darkness... Second Form."
No hair grew longer. No new armor appeared. Leon's appearance remained the same. However, the moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room suddenly plummeted drastically.
The air around Leon became so heavy that the floating dust immediately fell to the floor. The purple symbols on his skin, which had been glowing brightly, now dimmed — not because they weakened, but because his energy had been compressed so densely within his body.
Thin yet dense ripples of darkness began distorting the air around Lokantaka's blade, creating a low humming sound that made the hair on one's skin stand on end.
Across from him, Shiro did not move, but his pupil-less eyes stared at Leon more sharply. His analytical mind suddenly went haywire; he could sense that the target before him now had a far more massive energy mass than before.
Leon stood casually, as if the pain from the thousand stings had vanished without a trace.
---
Leon shot forward. "Wailing Crescent!"
Lokantaka swung — a crescent-shaped energy wave shot toward Shiro.
Shiro raised his hand. "Light Graveyard."
From the ground, hands of light emerged — crawling toward Leon's feet, holding him in place.
Leon did not stop. "Isolation Field!"
A semi-transparent purple wall appeared around him — isolating himself from external influences, severing Light Graveyard. The hands of light vanished.
But Shiro was already before him.
"Hydra's Talon."
Three claws of light — at close range.
Leon raised Lokantaka. "Dark Edge!"
CLANG!
They clashed. Sparks of light and darkness filled the room.
Leon pushed. Shiro held.
They stared at each other.
Leon saw Shiro's white eyes — no fear. No anger. Only emptiness.
But Leon did not retreat.
"Ragnarok!"
Darkness exploded from his body — denser than before, darker, stronger.
Shiro was thrown back — falling to the ground.
Leon stood over him, Lokantaka raised.
"Done?"
Shiro did not answer.
He rose. Slowly.
And raised his right hand.
---
For the first time, his white pupil-less eyes — glowed.
The light around him began to move. Not like before. This time, the light was not blinding — but it was being pulled. Absorbed. Gathered.
From the ceiling. From the walls. From the floating dust. From the remnants of the summoned beings' magic still lingering. All the light within a one-kilometer radius — forcibly drawn toward Shiro's palm.
Leon felt it. That magnificent room suddenly plunged into absolute darkness — not because of Leon's dark magic, but because Shiro had seized every photon in existence.
There was only one thing glowing in that darkness: a two-meter-long sword of light in Shiro's grip. So dense, gleaming, and deadly.
"Dawnbreaker," Shiro whispered flatly.
The contrast between the room's darkness and the sword's glare made Leon's eyes sting. He could not see clearly. Shiro was only a white silhouette before him — moving, slashing.
Leon raised Lokantaka. "Dark Fracture Slash!"
CLANG!
Sword of light and sword of darkness met. An explosion of light and darkness filled the room — blinding, devastating.
Leon was thrown back. His body struck debris. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
But he did not fall.
Lokantaka was still in his hand.
Shiro still stood. Still held the sword of light.
The world around them suddenly became pitch black, while the sword in Shiro's hand emitted a glare too intense — distorting both of their visions through extreme contrast.
Leon stood. Raised Lokantaka.
But he did not attack.
He only stared at Shiro, who still stood in the center of the darkness, his hand still raised, still ready to fight.
"Can you still fight?" Leon asked.
Shiro did not answer. But the pale light at his fingertips — began to glow again.
Leon sighed. Raised Lokantaka.
"Fine. I am not finished either."
The battle would continue.
---
On the other side of the room, Valker, Fenrith, Sylvaris, and Forsaken continued to decimate the Hydra soldiers.
Valker swung his greatsword — one slash, three Hydra soldiers fell. Fenrith charged from the side — his claws and fangs tearing through enemy ranks. Sylvaris released rapid-fire arrows — each arrow finding its mark among the crowd. Forsaken stood behind, pale green light in his palms — not to attack, but to keep Valker and Fenrith fighting.
The Hydra forces began to thin.
But there were still many.
---
In the distance, Kin'iro still sat. Still smiling.
He watched Shiro still fighting. Then looked at Leon still standing.
He did not move. Still waiting.
=== CHAPTER 45 END ===