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[ Shadow Monarch in Hogwarts].
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Third POV:
The hall stood still.
Too still.
The silence was so complete that Akai could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears, loud and fast and desperate.
Akai's eyes locked onto the lone knight.
His gaze was fixed, unblinking, every muscle in his body coiled tight. The knight stood exactly where he had been when Akai first turned around. Not a step closer. Not a step farther. His black armor absorbed the light from the torches, making him look like a hole cut out of the world itself. The crimson glow in his helmet burned steadily, watching, waiting.
No movement.
No sound.
Just that suffocating presence pressing against him.
It pressed against his chest like a weight. Like a hand pushing down on his lungs. Like the whole hall had shrunk somehow, the walls moving inward, the ceiling lowering, everything compressing around him until the only thing left was the space between him and the knight.
"…Here we go again."
His voice was low, almost a whisper. The words echoed once, twice, then faded into the heavy air.
And this time—
He didn't wait.
Akai moved first.
His muscles exploded beneath his skin. His legs drove into the floor with everything he had, every ounce of strength left in his battered body. There was no point in standing still. No point in studying the enemy. No point in waiting for an opening that might never come.
STEP—!
The ground cracked beneath his foot as he launched forward at full speed, faster than anything he had shown before. His body cut through the air, closing the distance in an instant—
Stone chips flew up behind him. The sound of his foot hitting the floor echoed like a thunderclap. His arms pumped at his sides. His eyes stayed locked on the knight's chest, on the center of that flawless black armor.
A direct attack.
No hesitation.
He had learned from the previous fights. Hesitation meant death. Waiting meant death. Thinking too much meant death. The only way to survive was to move, to strike, to keep pushing forward no matter what.
His leg swung—
KICK—!!!
His right leg whipped through the air, fast and hard, his shin aimed directly at the knight's torso. The muscles in his thigh burned. His core twisted, putting his whole body behind the strike. A thin layer of haki coated his leg, invisible but present, hardening his skin, strengthening his bones.
A precise, haki-coated strike aimed straight at the knight's core.
He had practiced this move a hundred times. Had used it successfully against the other guardians. Had seen it break through armor, crack ribs, send enemies flying backward.
But—
The knight moved.
Not fast.
Not explosive.
Just… minimal.
His body shifted slightly to the right. His weight transferred from one foot to the other. His head tilted just enough to let the kick pass by his chest.
A slight shift.
A single step.
That was all it took.
And Akai's kick—
Missed.
His leg cut through empty air. The momentum of his own attack pulled him forward, off balance, his body leaning too far, his center of gravity shifting in a way he couldn't correct.
"…what—?"
The word barely left his mouth. His eyes went wide. His brain screamed at his body to recover, to pull back, to do something.
Before he could even process it—
The sword moved.
The dark blade that had been resting against the floor came up. Not fast like a snake. Not wild like a storm. Just… smooth. Perfect. Like water flowing uphill.
SHHHHHK—!
The sound was soft. Almost gentle. The kind of sound you might hear in a quiet room when someone turns a page in a book.
Clean.
Effortless.
A single horizontal slash.
The blade traveled across Akai's chest from left to right, cutting through his shirt, through his skin, through the thin layer of muscle beneath. The edge was so sharp that he felt nothing at first. No pain. No pressure. Just a strange coldness spreading across his torso.
Akai's body froze mid-motion.
His leg was still extended. His arms were still pumping. His mouth was still open. But everything stopped. Like someone had pressed a pause button on his whole existence.
Then—
—SPLASH.
Blood burst from his chest in a wide arc, staining the air crimson before splattering across the floor.
The sound was wet and loud in the silence. Droplets of red sprayed outward, some landing on the stones, some landing on Akai's face, some landing on the knight's flawless armor where they ran down the black surface like tears.
"GHH—!!"
His eyes widened in shock.
His pupils shrank. His whole face contorted, not from pain yet, but from surprise. Pure, unfiltered surprise. He had been hit before. Many times. But he had never been hit like this. Never been cut so cleanly. Never been struck by something he didn't even see coming.
Pain hit a second later—
Sharp.
Deep.
Burning through his entire body like fire tearing through flesh.
The nerves in his chest finally caught up with what had happened. Signals raced up his spine, into his brain, screaming at him that something was wrong, that he was hurt, that he needed to stop.
His momentum broke instantly.
Akai stumbled back—
STAGGER—!
His feet scraped across the stone floor, trying to find purchase, trying to stop his backward motion. His arms flailed at his sides. His head snapped back. His whole body shook with the force of his own clumsy retreat.
His hand flew to his chest.
His palm pressed flat against the wound, fingers spreading wide, trying to cover as much surface area as possible. The skin was hot. Slick. The blood was already soaking through his fingers, running down his wrist, dripping from his elbow.
Warm.
Wet.
Blood poured between his fingers, the cut deep and clean, stretching across his torso like a signature left behind.
He could feel the edges of the wound with his fingertips. The cut was straight, precise, almost surgical. The knight hadn't hacked or chopped. He had sliced. A single, perfect line that ran from the left side of Akai's chest all the way to the right.
"…the fuck…?"
His voice was low.
Unbelieving.
His eyes were still wide, still fixed on the knight, but they had changed. The confidence was gone. The cockiness was gone. In its place was something rawer, something more honest.
His breathing turned uneven as his body tried to process what had just happened.
Each breath came harder than the last. His chest expanded, and the wound stretched, and fresh pain flared across his torso. His lungs felt tight, not from damage, but from shock. From the realization that he had almost died.
I didn't even see it.
That thought hit harder than the wound itself.
He had fought twenty-four guardians. Had dodged their swords, blocked their strikes, countered their attacks. He had seen everything they threw at him. Had tracked every movement, every swing, every step.
But this knight…
He looked up.
The knight…
Hadn't moved from his position.
The same stance. The same posture. The same crimson glow behind the helmet. The sword was already back down, its tip resting against the floor, the blade clean and dry as if it had never touched flesh.
Calm.
Silent.
Like the attack had never happened.
The knight didn't chase. Didn't press his advantage. Didn't even seem interested in finishing the fight quickly. He simply stood there, waiting, as if he had all the time in the world and knew that Akai couldn't hurt him.
Akai's jaw tightened.
His teeth ground together. The muscles in his cheeks bunched and flexed. His hand was still pressed against his chest, still wet with blood, but his eyes had stopped shaking.
"…extremely superior…" he muttered under his breath.
Not just strength.
Not just speed.
Skill.
Precision.
Timing.
Everything about that strike—
Perfect.
The angle of the blade. The timing of the movement. The amount of force applied. The knight had known exactly where Akai would be, exactly when he would be there, exactly how much power was needed to cut without killing.
Akai staggered again, nearly losing his balance before forcing himself upright.
His left foot slipped on a patch of blood—his own blood—and he had to wave his arms to keep from falling. His knees buckled once, twice, then locked into place. His back straightened. His shoulders pulled back.
His legs trembled.
His chest burned.
Blood kept dripping steadily onto the ground beneath him.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Each drop hit the stone with a soft sound that seemed louder than it should have been. A small puddle was forming at his feet, dark red and spreading.
But—
He didn't fall.
He stood.
His body was broken. His health was critical. His stamina was gone. But he stood. His feet stayed under him. His eyes stayed open. His heart kept beating.
Slowly…
He removed his hand from the wound, letting the blood flow freely.
His fingers peeled away from his chest. The blood had already started to clot around the edges of the cut, but fresh red still welled up from the deeper parts. He looked down at his palm, at the red covering his skin, at the way it dripped from his fingertips.
Then—
He smiled.
A small one.
Crooked.
Almost insane.
The smile didn't reach his eyes. It was the smile of someone who had been knocked down so many times that getting up had become automatic. The smile of someone who had stopped being afraid of pain because pain was just another thing to push through.
"…this scar…" he said, his voice rough but steady.
He glanced down briefly at the deep cut across his chest.
The wound was ugly. Red and raw. The edges were clean, thanks to the sharpness of the blade, but the skin around them was already turning purple and blue. It would heal. Eventually. If he survived.
"…will look extremely hot."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
The sound was dry, almost hollow. A laugh without humor. A laugh that said I'm still here, and that's the best I can do right now.
Then his gaze lifted again—
Locked back onto the knight.
Sharp.
Focused.
Alive.
The fear was still there, somewhere deep in his chest, hiding behind his ribs. But he didn't let it show. He couldn't. The moment he showed fear, the fight was over.
"Well…"
He rolled his shoulders slightly despite the pain.
The movement sent fresh agony across his chest, but he forced himself to do it anyway. His shoulders rotated forward, then back, loosening the tight muscles in his neck and upper back.
"…this fight…"
His smirk widened.
The corners of his mouth pulled up, showing a hint of teeth. His eyes narrowed. His whole face shifted from pain to something closer to excitement.
"…will be extremely on fire."
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[ End of Chapter 24].
To Be Continued...
_____
If you want to read more about my works or just to support me then here is my patreon:
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4 .
__
If you liked this one . Cheek also my other stories:
[ Shadow Monarch in Hogwarts].
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4 .
_____________
Thank you all for reading ...