"Your ideals are blocking my way... So get out of my way!"
With that furious roar, two swords surged with violent power as they clashed in mid-air, sending out a wave of force that cracked the surrounding terrain.
Up until now, their exchanges had been more ideological than lethal. But at this moment—everything changed.
Alhaitham and Sid Kageno were no longer holding back. Their swords, their stances, their eyes—it all reflected the same truth: this was a battle to the death.
The transformation was sudden, yes, but at the same time, it was perfectly mutual—two wills colliding, incompatible from the very beginning.
"It cannot be allowed! If you succeed in fulfilling your dream and ascend the throne of the world, then I will never be able to become the shadow power I aspire to! That's the one thing I absolutely cannot accept!"
Sid Kageno's voice was cold and sharp. With that declaration, he lunged forward, launching a poisonous, lethal strike. His swordsmanship, refined through relentless training and imagination, now fully targeted Alhaitham's vitals. No hesitation. No mercy.
He couldn't afford to hold back.
Alhaitham's ideals were too blinding—too perfect. If allowed to come to fruition, there would be no room for anything else. Sid would be nothing more than a footnote in someone else's glorious saga.
In such a world ruled by order and perfection, how could the power of the shadow exist—one that thrived in chaos, ambiguity, and mystery?
After all, Sid's dream was never to become a conventional hero or ruler. He wanted to be the Shadow Sovereign—an enigmatic figure of overwhelming power hiding behind the curtain, shaping the world without anyone knowing his true identity. A silent myth whispered among the masses.
For that to work, no one could ever see through him. His face must remain unknown, his power unacknowledged by the mainstream. If even one person—especially Alhaitham—survived to speak of him, the illusion would crumble.
And Alhaitham?
He was just as uncompromising.
"I won't allow it either. You think I'll let a 'shadow' exist under my throne? What a joke! I want everything! The entire world, every corner of it, bathed in my light!"
His roar cut through the sky like thunder.
To Alhaitham, a shadow warrior—no matter how noble or mysterious—was still a parasite. Something that lurked beneath the sun. But he was the sun, the king who shattered divine shackles before he could even read them at the age of seven. He would never tolerate any concept of duality in his reign.
This was not about personal rivalry anymore.
This was ideological war.
If Alhaitham was the blazing sun at high noon, then Sid was the cold, calculating moon that ruled the night. Both illuminated the world in their own ways—but they could not coexist.
And neither would ever back down.
If one of them was willing to concede, this confrontation would've ended. But that was a laughable impossibility.
The shadow cannot bow, or it ceases to exist.
The king cannot yield, or he is no longer worthy of the crown.
This world—this stage—was only large enough for one protagonist.
And so, Alhaitham bellowed from the depths of his soul:
"This world is my stage—get the hell out of my way, my dear prince!"
BOOM!!!
Their swords collided again, causing a thunderous explosion. The shockwave flattened trees and split boulders. Both fighters were hurled backward, skidding across the ground, blood flying from their lips.
Their hands, still gripping their swords tightly, were trembling from the impact, but their eyes remained locked with unwavering resolve.
From this point on, it was no longer a mere competition of strength or wit.
It was a duel to the death.
"Prepare to die—restrictions lifted!"
"Let's see you handle this—Dark Spin!"
Alhaitham shouted first, commanding his sword to break past its normal limits. He poured more mana into it than the blade was ever designed to handle. The sword responded by extending violently—its blade stretching tens of meters in an instant, radiating with pure destructive force.
Sid followed suit.
His black sword also surged with energy, growing dozens of meters in length. The compressed magic within it screamed to be unleashed.
"DRRAAAAHHH!!!" they both screamed in unison.
The next moment, their colossal blades collided again.
The forest around them was cleaved in two.
A 10,000-meter abyss split open in the earth, as if reality itself had been torn apart.
Though neither had landed a direct fatal blow, both were seriously wounded. Alhaitham straightened himself, blood spilling from his mouth, yet his posture remained regal. Sid stumbled slightly, but regained his footing, his lips curled into a wild grin.
"It seems… I'm slightly better."
That confident voice made Alhaitham narrow his eyes.
Power-wise, they were equal—but Sid had an advantage.
It was his armor.
That pitch-black jacket of his had absorbed most of the damage and remained completely intact. It was no ordinary cloth—Alhaitham could feel it.
The black sword too—neither metal nor stone. Almost soft, pliable.
"Slime?" Alhaitham muttered.
Sid laughed, patting his coat proudly. "What a sharp eye! That's right!"
"This is my ultimate invention: the Slime Tight Suit—and this sword is the Slime Blade! With a 99% mana conductivity rate, it can change form at will. As long as I pour mana into it, it adapts!"
He spun around dramatically to show off.
"As you know, slimes are liquid-based monsters. When hit, kinetic energy is greatly reduced by their fluid nature. That means... absurd defense."
But Alhaitham wasn't rattled. He nodded, then asked curiously, "Interesting. But aren't slimes notoriously hard to control? Their magic circuits are entirely different from humans."
Sid's eyes sparkled.
"You're still asking questions at a time like this? Fine, I'll indulge your curiosity!"
"I mixed my own flesh and blood into the slime. I fused my magic circuits with the monster's—it took years to perfect, but look at me now!"
The pride in his voice was overwhelming. He had sacrificed so much for this ideal.
But Alhaitham only smirked.
"Ah. I see. Then I'll be taking that tech as a trophy later."
Without warning, Alhaitham tossed aside his damaged sword. A hum emerged from his dimensional storage.
From it, he withdrew his second weapon.
A jagged, vibrating monstrosity.
"Buzz buzz! BUZZ BUZZ!!"
Sid's eyes widened in horror.
"That… That's—!"
A chainsaw sword.
But not just any chainsaw—it was embedded with a purple gear mechanism and infused with fire-elemental mana. As Alhaitham channeled energy into it, the blade revved with increasing speed. The chain turned red-hot, spitting sparks with every motion.
The ground beneath Alhaitham's feet started melting from the sheer heat.
Alhaitham held the blade aloft and pointed it at Sid.
"Your slime armor is impressive. High resistance to magic and physical impact. But..."
He paused, the weapon snarling like a beast.
"Do you really think a liquid defense can stand up to cutting slashes infused with heat?"
Sid froze.
"You didn't use rock slime, did you? No? Then I'll just slice it up and boil it away for you!"
Sid Kageno's pupils shrank.
The battle wasn't over.
It had only just begun.
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