"Zenith! What the hell are you doing!?" Elez yelled, rushing towards the side of the Shellshock as he looked down upon the two swordsmen who stood atop the docks.
"I need to do this Elez! Don't you dare stop me, no matter what happens." Zenith replied, readying his sword for an attack.
"I have no quarrels with you, boy." Zorin replied, sheathing his sword which he had only just used to shatter an entire ship.
"I know," Zenith said. "And I have none with you. But you are one of the strongest men alive, And that's the title which I wish to take from you. So duel me, I want to prove that I'm strong." He growled, gripping his sword tightly while he stared towards him.
"Very well then," Zorin replied, drawing one of his two swords as he raised it up towards him. "But I will not hesitate to kill you if we fight." He explained.
"I know. But I'm doing this for my mother, I want to become stronger than anyone so that I can avenge her and properly protect my friends and my family." Zenith replied, raising his sword in one quick motion and slamming it down towards the ground. "Guillotine!" He yelled, causing a huge shockwave of magic to slice forwards and rip up the docks. Naturally, it would have split any normal man in half, but Zorin was no ordinary man. In one swift movement, Zorin lifted his sword and nullified the magic attack with one of his own, then stood and waited for more.
"Is that all you've got?" He asked, his eyes filled with judgement and distaste. The same glare which Zenith's father had always seen him with.
"I won't lose!" He screamed, rushing towards Zorin as their blades collided and clattered together in a fast frenzy of noise and magic. Zenith covered his blade with magic and watched as Zorin leaped back to avoid the slice, only to witness Zenith slashing towards him through the air.
Zorin dodged and blocked with ease, barely even breaking a sweat.
"What's going on over there?" Pip asked, stepping over towards the edge of the ship, but Elez stepped in front of him and quickly picked him up. "Nothing bud, don't worry. Come on, let's go and get some ice cream." Elez smiled, his eyes fearful and scared for Zenith's life. But of course, Pip never noticed his fear as they walked off below the deck.
"Fight me!" Zenith yelled, knowing that Zorin was holding back. "Fight me for real! I need to know if I'm strong!" He pleaded, filling his fists and body with magic as he slashed his sword along the ground and whipped up a huge sandstorm of magical energy and sharp debris. Zenith lost sight of him from within the dust and stopped for a moment thinking that he had won, especially since any normal demon would have perished long ago. But Zorin was not likely to perish.
"Is that all?" He asked again, stepping through the bladed clouds of dust with both swords drawn to protect himself and a displeased glare in his eyes. Zenith stepped back in fear of his unharmed completion, but held the handle of his sword tightly while he glared back up at him.
"I can do more," he growled, slashing towards him with strikes strong enough to slash bone, but unfortunately, Zorin was done playing around.
As Zenith's magical strikes cut through the dust filled air, Zorin raised his sword and made a strike of his own, slicing through the air with such speed and strength that his magical energy propelled forwards straight through Zenith's. His slice cut easily through Zenith's previous air slashes, shattering his magic into an explosive red glitter before Zorin's strike hurtled it's way towards Zenith, striking him directly across the chest and splattering the dock below in thick crimson blood.
Zenith's body exploded against the attack as soon as it impacted, sending him flying back into a small fishing ship behind himself. The entire vessel shattered from the impact alone.
"Sorry kid," Zorin sighed, sheathing his blades as he turned to walk away. "But strength does not come from the body alone. It comes from the mind. If you really wanted to be strong, you would have focused more on your mental abilities over your physical. For the strongest man alive would be a man who can adapt to any change in any environment or opponent." He explained, assuming that he was talking to nothing more than rubble.
"...I-I won't lose." Zenith muttered, barely loud enough for Zorin to hear, but thankfully the swordsman heard it and turned back to look. Slowly, Zenith stumbled out from within the rubble of the fishing ship, holding his chest in agony while his mother's sword was chipped from Zorin's attack which he had barely blocked with the now damaged blade. Of course, his attempts at blocking were still foiled by the power of Zorin's attack, but Zenith had saved his own life doing what he did.
"You're still standing." Zorin replied, his eyebrow raised in curiosity and surprise.
"I told you…" Zenith mumbled, shakily holding his sword. "I won't lose. I promised my son I wouldn't ever leave him. Nothing in this world can take me down." He muttered, his eyes growing heavy as his blood dripped down onto the deck below.
Zorin chuckled and turned towards him fully, revealing a slash on his cheek from one of Zenith's previous attacks. This alone cause the boy to stop and stare in confusion, before stumbling and losing balance.
"I hope to see you again, Dragon Tamer." Zorin grinned, turning away with his swords still sheathed as he walked away from the boy and his ship. As soon as he was out of sight, Zenith collapsed to his knees and desperately gasped for air, his eyes growing heavy while he weakly turned himself over to look up at the sky. The clouds moved so effortlessly above him, calming his mind as he slowly let go of his thoughts.
"Don't you dare even think about dying." Elez said, landing down beside him as he ripped off his own shirt and quickly began applying pressure to his wound.
"Shut up, you would be happy if I did. Less competition." He groaned, hissing at the pain which Elez caused by touching him.
"Competition or not, you're family." Elez replied, lifting him up in his arms as he flew back onto the deck of the Shellshock. "And if you ever think about doing something so stupid ever again, I swear I will- Zenith…" Elez mumbled, noticing that the boy had long ago gone limp in his arms. "ZENITH!"