ELYSION—05:00 PM
The mist constricted into a lethal cube. Its walls pulsed with violet electricity, lightning crackling across the ceiling like a raging dragon trapped in a cage.
One Tartarus creature threw a pebble, testing the madness within.
ZZZRAAKK—!
Lightning spontaneously struck the stone—leaving behind sulfur-smelling ash before it even touched the ground.
Inside the mystical prison, the three demon generals formed a triangular formation. Their fire eyes blazed in terrifying synchronization.
Zephiron shot forward first—his feet leaving trails of fire in the mist. His twin blades spun, creating a crosshatch of black light, slicing the space into eight segments at once.
"Feel this pain. ASSASSIN!"
"Every creature must taste the suffering they deserve... AND YOU WILL NOT STOP US!"
Ken took a deep breath, and the mist responded—
his body floated vertically like a leaf blown by the wind—
Ssst... Ssst...
The hellish blades passed mere inches from his robes.
As they closed in—
Ken's palm pushed against the air.
WHOOSH!
A wave of thick mist slammed into Zephiron—
hurling him against the lightning wall enclosing them.
SSSZZ!
The smell of charred flesh filled the entire area.
—
Nekron, who had been waiting, swung his greatsword.
Breath-Stealer struck low—
a cursed slash aimed precisely at the gap beneath the ribs—
targeting Ken's unarmored weak point.
Ken drew the dagger at his waist—
KLING!
The small metal held back Nekron's giant black sword.
The vibration shot straight into the bones of Ken's arm—
too powerful...
"Die, you bastard! Vanish along with the humans you defend!"
Belial seized his greatest moment yet.
His iron claws clamped down—
KRRRCH!
—gripping Ken's hood and head.
"FRESH CATCH!"
But...
The mist in his grasp scattered.
The real Ken emerged behind the demon—
his slender sword whispering toward the spinal cord,
ready to do the unthinkable.
Nekron pivoted before Ken's blade could connect.
Breath-Stealer sliced through the air—
SWOOOSH!
—cleaving the mist into two layers.
KLAAAAAANG—!
The intense clash of blades created a ring of fire—
pinning Ken in place—
his knees trembling under the mounting weight of hell's force.
Zephiron rose, black blood dripping from the burns on his back.
He charged like an abyss unleashed—
his twin-blade swing aimed straight at Ken's back.
"NOW... DIE!"
But Ken....
Mustered his remaining strength.
His foot stomped the earth—
CRUNCH!
The ground cracked—
with a brutal downward thrust,
Breath-Stealer was driven knee-deep into the soil.
Pivoting 180 degrees,
Ken's slender sword swept upward—
a perfect parry—
Zephiron's twin blades were sent flying toward the misty ceiling.
Zephiron's snarl choked into a gasp of pure, unadulterated shock. His hellfire eyes widened as his twin blades were violently parried, the impact reverberating up his arms like a seismic insult.
"DAMN YOU, YOU BASTARD—!?"
His voice—it was sheer, disbelieving fury. How could a mortal—a shadow—deflect a strike meant to sever his very soul? The arrogance, the audacity of it echoed through the mist-choked cube, a testament to Ken's terrifying skill.
From the peak of Sunspire Tower, King Gaius watched the battle beyond the gates, his breath caught in his throat. Every move Ken made to dodge, every strike that barely missed his friend's body, felt like blades slowly tearing his own soul apart.
"Danteus," he whispered, his voice rough with anxiety burning deep in his throat. "He needs us down there!"
Danteus didn't answer right away. His eyes stayed locked on the battlefield, where Ken had just spun away from Nekron's deadly Breath-Stealer in a move that seemed almost impossible. "Hold on, Gaius," he said, his voice calm but full of authority. "Let Ken do what he does best. He asked for this himself."
In Danteus's mind, Ken's voice echoed again—from the night before the battle, when the assassin came to him in the gardens, wounded but determined:
"Don't send a single soldier until i give the signal..." Ken had stood there, his shape blending into the shadows, his voice steady but fierce. Let them focus on me. Let them think I'm alone. This time... I'll make sure no one gets hurt because of my mistakes again."
Gaius let out a heavy sigh, his fingers gripping his sword hilt so tight they trembled. Worry poured from his eyes—eyes that were usually so sure, so strong. Staring at Ken now, he was pulled back through time—hundreds of years back…