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.

and that was when two

pressed directly onto Ren's

BOOOOM—!

one gigantic explosion, Ren's figure came crashing down from the sky, landing against the ground beneath and

should have

coming from those beneath. He didn't pay much attention to them and

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

side of

that, his eyes were wide open, and they were locked

WIIIING—!

As expected.

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

BAANG—!

his head, and his head was brought

BAANG—!

to move his body, his head was pulled at again, and once again, his head came smacking against

BAANG—!

his hand, he grasped at the forearm that was grasping at his hand, and he

and whatever

Ren's arm, which was bent at a weird angle and

to go on the offensive again.

that his right arm was injured, Jezebeth aimed for

Swoosh!

he aimed a punch directly at the side of Ren's exposed abdomen. Complex golden runes manifested all over his hand,

BANG—!

the air, blocking his vision, but with one swipe of his hand, the dust settled, and when

complex golden runes revolved

Swoosh!

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

BANG—!

was around them, and before they knew it, the crater that they

sky above them began to dim, and all that they were able to see was a tiny gap above

they continued to fight against

BANG—!

face, sending him crashing against the ground. Ren took the moment

Rumble! Rumble!

a sudden, a

Cr— Crack!

him, and the tip of a sword appeared from

after the tip appeared, the ground began to crack, and the air

the fact that Ren's complexion began to gradually pale at the sight of the sword, and the mana that was contained within his body began to drain at a rapid rate,

"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 body in all

a sudden standstill, and the world

Creack! Creak!

producing, but he didn't care and

"Go."

he pointed his finger at

Rumble! Rumble!

the earth around them collapsed. Wherever the sword passed, it would

unwavering composure, fixating

imminent danger, he gradually closed his eyes, succumbing to a serene stillness that permeated both his

given up, but Ren knew...

upon the world, intertwining

Jezebeth found himself inexplicably positioned directly

"..."

*Grip*

the unstoppable

movement, the most powerful movement in his arsenal, found itself tamed

the astonishment didn't

"Argkhhhhh!"

Jezebeth's body shattered, revealing the raw, sinewy contours of his musculature

bulging muscles pulsated with an imposing presence, exuding an aura of

move with a deliberate purpose, manipulating the sword's trajectory until it aligned

"I.. h… how?!"

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

continuing to dwell on the matter for too long, and as he clenched his teeth, power began to erupt from his body as veins began to protrude along

puked up blood. He had

"Pfttt."

of steps back as a result, and it was right then that he felt something head his

instinct, he moved his hand away from his mouth and punched

BANG—!

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

thrust a kick

BANG—!

connected with something, and

BANG—!

went on for quite a while until, eventually, Jezebeth opened his mouth, and

"Seal."

came from everywhere. Above him, the side of the crater, and beneath the ground,

golden runes covered his entire body. The chains that were surrounding him showed signs of cracking, but they didn't break immediately, and that was what Jezebeth

right in front of

BANG—!

expression distorted with pain, and his body floated up. The chains that were

down, he saw

palm. Golden runes appeared all over his hand, and just as Ren's body was about

Swoosh!

so fast that Jezebeth was

Jezebeth's vision distorted, spinning wildly as he found himself hurtling

descent was nothing short of astonishing; a

"!!"

cast his gaze downward, his eyes widened in disbelief at the sight that awaited him—a vast multitude of sword projections adorned with intricate golden runes erupted from the very ground, their razor-sharp tips

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