Chapter 14: The Kingdom of Diamond — First Signs of a Fall
Naz did not wait.
His body moved before his mind could think.
A step—then another—then he vanished from his place.
The katana cut through the air with a sharp whistle.
SHHHHHH—
The blade struck Zagred's black body.
…No resistance.
It was like cutting through smoke.
Naz's eyes narrowed.
Zagred's form rippled… then reformed instantly.
And then—
Laughter.
"Now… my turn."
Before Naz could pull back—
Zagred's arm twisted unnaturally.
Black matter condensed into claws—long… jagged… vibrating with dark energy.
A blur.
A single strike—
SLASH—!
Naz's body was thrown backward.
His shoulder tore open, flesh splitting as blood sprayed across the ground.
He hit the stone hard… rolled… then forced himself up.
His hand pressed against the wound.
Warm.
Wet.
Blood.
Too much blood.
But slowly… very slowly… the flesh began to close.
Not like before.
Not fast.
Not clean.
Pain lingered.
Burning.
Gnawing.
"Your healing ability is failing you…"
"Chirichichichichi…"
Zagred tilted his head, watching him like prey.
"Your body… can no longer endure."
Naz clenched his teeth.
His breathing grew heavier.
Every inhale felt sharp… like glass inside his chest.
Every fight…
Every wound…
Every time he forced his body to heal—
It was taking something from him.
He could feel it now.
His strength… slipping.
His time… shortening.
His eyes shifted… slowly… toward the katana.
It was still in his hand.
Still alive.
Still watching.
But the glow…
It was faint.
Unstable.
Like a dying flame.
Behind him—
The child trembled.
Chimini held his hand tightly, trying to calm him, but her own body was shaking.
Naz glanced back.
Just for a second.
The child's eyes met his.
Fear.
Hope.
Trust.
Something inside Naz tightened.
He looked away.
Breathed in.
Deep.
Slow.
"I didn't come here to be a hero…"
His grip tightened around the katana.
"I didn't come here to care…"
A pause.
"But…"
His eyes hardened.
"I'm no longer alone."
He moved again.
This time—
He didn't aim for Zagred.
He aimed down.
The katana rose… then fell with all his strength.
BOOOOOOOM—!
The ground shattered beneath him.
Stone cracked.
Split.
Collapsed.
A deep sound echoed from beneath the earth.
Something ancient.
Something buried.
Light burst through the cracks—
A strange glow… pulsing… alive.
Zagred froze.
His laughter stopped.
"What… is this?"
The ground trembled.
The current surrounding the kingdom flickered.
Naz stared at the light.
He didn't understand it.
But he felt it.
It called to him.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Like something that had been waiting… for a very long time.
"Chimini…"
His voice was low.
"Take the child… and step back."
She didn't argue.
She pulled the child away, eyes wide with fear.
Zagred's expression twisted.
"No… no… no…!"
His body surged.
The current behind him roared violently, feeding into him.
He lunged.
Faster than before.
A black streak tearing through space.
Naz didn't move.
Not until the last moment.
Then—
He stepped forward.
Not back.
Forward.
Their bodies collided in the center of the square.
Katana against claws.
CLANG—!
Shockwaves burst outward.
The ground cracked further.
Dust filled the air.
Strike—
Block—
Slash—
Claw—
Naz's body twisted, barely avoiding a strike that tore through the air beside his face.
Another hit—
His side split open.
Blood poured.
But he didn't stop.
He couldn't stop.
Zagred attacked relentlessly, his movements wild, chaotic… inhuman.
Naz responded with precision.
Every movement tighter.
Sharper.
Desperate.
Their fight turned into a blur of black and steel.
Each impact echoed across the kingdom.
Each strike carving deeper wounds into Naz's body.
His vision blurred.
His breathing broke.
His legs trembled.
But he kept moving.
Zagred's laughter began to crack.
His form flickered.
Edges dissolving.
"What… are you?!"
His attacks slowed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
Naz saw it.
A weakness.
A moment.
"I am not alone."
His voice was cold.
Final.
He stepped in.
Ignoring the pain.
Ignoring the blood.
Ignoring everything—
And drove the katana forward.
The blade pierced Zagred's black body.
But—
He didn't stop.
He pushed deeper.
Through him—
Into the ground beneath.
For a single second—
Everything went silent.
Then—
CRACK—!
The ground split open.
Light exploded outward.
The current screamed.
Zagred screamed.
"Nooooooooo—!"
His body shattered.
Not broken—
Shattered.
Into thousands of black fragments.
They scattered into the air like ash… like smoke… dissolving into nothing.
Silence.
Heavy.
Absolute.
Naz stood there for a moment.
Swaying.
Then—
His knees gave out.
He collapsed.
Hard.
His left leg—torn.
His right arm—twisted, broken.
Blood pooled beneath him.
But he was breathing.
Barely.
Alive.
The people were silent.
Some looked at Naz with fear.
Others… with something else.
Respect.
The child ran toward him.
"Thank you… thank you!"
Chimini followed, kneeling beside him.
She didn't speak.
She simply held his hand.
Naz looked up.
The sky…
For the first time in years—
Clear.
The clouds had parted.
Stars filled the Kingdom of Diamond.
He whispered:
"I'm not finished yet."
Far away… in the darkness…
The pen moved again.
"Zehahahaha… Zagred has fallen…"
A pause.
"It doesn't matter."
"He was only one of twenty."
End of Chapter 14