The Author's POV

'I'm hurt?'

Staring at his hands, which were soaked in his own blood, Jezebeth was left in wonder. He hadn't expected his attack to be as devastating as it had been.

If not for his armor, he probably would've sustained heavier injuries.

It came from out of nowhere, and he was barely able to resist it. Raising his head to stare at Ren, who was huffing and puffing, Jezebeth felt something boiling inside of him.

'Right… It's not good if I don't reciprocate his intentions.'

Seeing that the attack had taken a toll on him, Jezebeth suppressed his injuries and forced himself forward. With a subtle blur of his vision, he saw Ren's back in front of him, and he reached out with his palm forward.

Golden runes enveloped his palm, and the space around his hand shattered.

A blade immediately blocked the hand just as it was about to reach Ren's back. He didn't know when, but Ren had suddenly turned around and slashed with his sword.

The two stared at each other silently as the space around them started to crumble.

There were no words exchanged with each other like before. Neither left any time to spare any words as they distanced themselves from each other and attacked one another.

BOOOM—! The attacks were devastating, shattering the space around them and creating large waves in the air that spread throughout the entire sky.

Everything beneath them tore apart, and the land disintegrated at their every exchange.

Neither of the two held any advantage. While Jezebeth was indeed injured from the previous strike, Ren had exhausted himself in the process, evening things out.

SHIIIIIIING—!

A bright glow of terrifying pressure suddenly headed Jezebeth's way. It was fast—extremely so. In a matter of seconds, it was upon him, and just as it was about to graze his nose, Jezebeth placed his palm against the side of the glow, and the glow shattered into a fine dust.

Swoosh!

Sensing something behind him, Jezebeth's body twisted as he kicked, and his foot hit something soft.

"Umpf!"

Overhearing something, Jezebeth knew that his hit had landed, and when he came to, he saw Ren's figure hurl away from him in the sky.

He didn't waste a single second of that moment.

Locking his eyes on Ren's figure, Jezebeth pressed his finger forward, and a gigantic crack formed a couple of meters ahead of Ren.

A large projection of his finger appeared from within the crack, and as if it had been timed just right, it moved down and directly pressed against Ren's moving figure.

BOOOM—!

The attack landed squarely on Ren's body, and he spat a mouthful of blood as his body continued to hurl away from Jezebeth.

Ren's body took the full force of the attack, and as his body continued to fly away from him, he spat out a mouthful of blood and coughed up more.

Jezebeth did not pass up such an opportunity and followed him from behind, eventually appearing right in front of him and pressing his hand against his face as he did so.

Swoosh—!

Attempting to contort his body and evade Jezebeth's hand, Ren acted swiftly but fell slightly short. His efforts proved futile as Jezebeth's hand firmly made contact with his face and grasped onto it tightly.

BANG—!

Exerting an immense force, Jezebeth's hand unleashed a surge of power, propelling Ren's body through the air with great momentum. Seizing the opportunity without hesitation, Jezebeth swiftly positioned himself directly beneath Ren, extending his knee in a forceful thrust.

"Aukh!"

Spit flew from Ren's mouth as he landed directly on Jezebeth's knee.

Though faint, Jezebeth could make out a faint cracking sound, and he knew that Ren had sustained some injuries.

Still… He didn't let go.

Jezebeth wasn't the type of person to show mercy to those against him.

Grabbing Ren by the hair, he raised his head toward him and punched at his face.

BANG—!

His fist landed squarely in his face.

BANG—!

He didn't stop at just one punch.

BANG—!

Jezebeth's fist was encased in a white and black glow as he continued to punch Ren's face with all of his strength while simultaneously driving his fist further forward.

BANG—!

It wasn't long before his fist was coated in Ren's blood as it dripped down from his fist.

The warm, viscous fluid trickled down, forming streams that traced intricate patterns along his fingers, carrying with it the evidence of the fierce impact.

A metallic scent filled the air, mingling with the intensity of the moment, as Jezebeth's resolute gaze remained fixed upon the sight.

The sight of Ren's blood became a stark reminder of all the struggle he had to go through just to get to this point, etching a lasting impression upon Jezebeth's conscience even as the battle raged on.

Extending his hand forward and staring at Ren's limping figure in front of him, Jezebeth tried to reach out with his hand to absorb the laws in his body, but just as he tried, as Jezebeth's hand inched closer, a sudden rift materialized in the surrounding space, originating from the vicinity of his arm.

Within the crevice, a spectral manifestation of a sword took shape, its gleaming presence amplifying the already charged atmosphere.

WIIIIIIIIING—!

Jezebeth was left with no other option, so he let go of Ren's body as it descended from the sky.

hands together, and that was when two large

closer together and pressed directly onto Ren's body which

BOOOOM—!

explosion, Ren's figure came crashing down from the sky, landing

have

he was, Jezebeth could hear the sudden gasp of anxiety coming from those beneath. He didn't pay much

touch the ground, he looked down, and that was where he caught sight of Ren lying down in the middle

of

were wide open, and they were locked directly at

WIIIING—!

As expected.

was just barely able to avoid the incoming attack, but just as he did, a

BAANG—!

something tug at the back of his head, and his head was

BAANG—!

familiar taste. One that he didn't particularly like, but as he tried to move his body, his head was pulled at again, and once again, his head came smacking against

BAANG—!

hurt quite a bit as his vision blurred. Reaching out with his hand, he grasped at the forearm that was grasping at his hand, and he

the sound of bones breaking, and whatever was grasping at his head let go, and Jezebeth was able to

bearing, Jezebeth caught sight of Ren's arm, which was

on the offensive again. As if he was going to let such

that his right arm was injured, Jezebeth aimed for Ren's right

Swoosh!

side of Ren's exposed abdomen. Complex golden runes manifested all over his hand, and

BANG—!

but with one swipe of his hand, the dust settled, and when he looked to see the aftermath of his attack, he was surprised to see his

golden runes revolved

Swoosh!

Jezebeth retrieved his fist back and counterattacked with a kick, which Ren avoided by

BANG—!

was around them, and before they

was coming from the sky above them began to dim, and all that they were able to see was

they continued to

BANG—!

face, sending him crashing against the

Rumble! Rumble!

sudden, a powerful force erupted from out of

Cr— Crack!

and the tip

the tip appeared, the ground began to crack, and

the sword, and the mana that was contained within his body began to drain at a rapid rate, he did not

"Ukh!"

expression started to distort. Even so, his efforts began to pay off, and the sword quickly began to appear from behind the chasm, revealing its

them came to a sudden standstill, and the world around them started to

Creack! Creak!

care and

"Go."

pointed his finger at Jezebeth, and the sword moved toward

Rumble! Rumble!

earth around them collapsed. Wherever the sword passed,

Jezebeth maintained an unwavering composure,

he gradually closed his eyes, succumbing to a serene stillness that

he looked to have given up, but Ren knew...

descended upon the world, intertwining with the tranquility

vision once more, Jezebeth found himself inexplicably positioned directly behind the sword, his hand instinctively reaching out to

"..."

*Grip*

left Ren utterly dumbfounded as the unstoppable momentum of

suspended, allowing for the gravity of the situation to sink in, as the sixth movement, the most powerful movement in his arsenal, found

the astonishment

"Argkhhhhh!"

air, the armor encasing Jezebeth's body shattered, revealing the raw, sinewy contours of his

pulsated with an imposing presence, exuding an aura of formidable

with a deliberate purpose, manipulating the sword's trajectory until it aligned menacingly with Ren, its tip pointing directly at

"I.. h… how?!"

at the tip of his own sword, Ren was left utterly shocked, and

for Ren, he did not have the luxury of continuing to dwell on the matter for too long, and as he clenched his teeth, power began to erupt from his

puked up blood. He had no choice but to cancel

"Pfttt."

stumbled a couple of steps back as a result, and it was right then that he

hand away

BANG—!

another, and he was pushed several steps back. He felt his blood boil at the collision, but he bore

a

BANG—!

connected with something, and

BANG—!

until, eventually, Jezebeth opened his mouth,

"Seal."

Above him, the side of the crater, and beneath the ground, coiling around

The chains that were surrounding him showed signs of cracking, but they didn't break immediately, and that was what

right in front of Ren and punched directly toward his

BANG—!

with pain, and his body floated up. The chains that were binding his body shattered,

forward, Jezebeth's vision shifted, and when he looked down, he saw Ren's body

appeared all over his hand, and just as Ren's body was about to come crashing against his palm,

Swoosh!

so fast that

of his cheek, Jezebeth's vision distorted, spinning

his descent was nothing short of astonishing;

"!!"

his eyes widened in disbelief at the sight that awaited him—a vast multitude of sword projections adorned with intricate golden runes

through Jezebeth's core, forcing him to employ every available resource in his arsenal to halt his descent before meeting the deadly convergence