The sounds of swords clashing over and over again echoed through the dark cavern. Audu was slowly being pushed back by the relentless attacks of his opponent. The darkness around him had morphed, turning into solid matter that grabbed at his arms and legs to hinder him.
The Armored Phantom flashed around, its dark sword screeching through the air. Audu narrowly dodged a strike that was meant to sever his head. He leapt back, increasing the distance between him and the creature.
[Scared? I thought you would have more of a backbone.] It took slow and deliberate steps towards him, its armor clanking against the ground. Audu used a finger to wipe the blood that was trailing down the side of his neck.
'I can't beat it...' He thought, 'Not like this. I have to go all out!' As those thoughts passed through his mind, he entered into a different state. The passive lightning that danced around his body suddenly became a hundred times more active! His short blue hair stood on end, and his deep blue eyes shone white.
The Armored Phantom noticed the change as it felt his energy levels rising and also decided to get serious. Whips of darkness lashed all around, smashing the hardy stone walls into tiny bits and pieces. Its pure black sword begun shining a deep purple light, and its deep purple eyes were lit up in flames.
[Come!]
...
The hour dragged by. Bloody gashes were littered all over Audu's body, his clothes were all tattered rags at this point in time. The Armored Phantom on the other hand only had a few light scratches on its pitch black armor. The only difference from before was that the darkness around it had receded a lot, and its burning eyes had dimmed substantially.
[You can not continue.] It spoke with a matter of fact tone as Audu retreated once more. It's True Voice had lost its weight and its presence wasn't as domineering as it once was. Fine cracks ran across its dark blade, in sharp contrast to Audu's still untarnished weapon.
Audu's eyes remained trained on it with a sharp gaze. If looks could kill, then the Armored Phantom would already be dead.
"And how does that concern you? I can still fight." Audu retorted with a burning flame in his eyes. He was one of the strongest men alive in this very era, and he had still failed to kill, or even cripple this creature. He raised his blade with a shaky arm. Blood ran down the face of the blade as it was bent at a crooked angle.
[I do not need you to confirm it. I know exactly where my strikes have hit. It would be best for you to put down your weapon and surrender while you can still do so willingly.] It spoke while lowering its own weapon.
"You damn shadowy monster!" Audu gritted his teeth, channeling all his remaining energy for one final strike.
"Tyrannical Sword Thrust!" His sword turned into a crackling bolt of lightning as channel his power into it. This attack was personally created by Audu himself. It was only to be used as a last resort as it drained out all the user's power in one single attack. That said, this single attack was incredibly powerful. No creature that had seen this move had lived to tell the tale.
The entire cavern was painted in blinding white light as the attack rushed at the Armored Phantom. A few seconds later, the light receded to reveal results. The Phantom's pitch black sword remained steady under the fading glare of the white lightning. Audu's face was pale, as all the energy had left his body. His hand sagged weakly and he barely caught himself from falling with the help of his sword.
[As I said, there is no need for us to continue this. It is not your destiny to defeat me.] The fire that burned from behind the helmet died down, leaving two glowing purple eyes in their wake. The eyes of the Armored Phantom stared down coldly at Audu whose strength was leaving him with each passing moment. He had gone from barely standing, to kneeling, and now, he was finally slumped down on the ground.
Shadows wrapped around him, binding him limbs tightly, so as to prevent him from escaping. Not that he could even afford that. The shadows that had bound him slowly dragged him to one of the walls there, leaning him against it, before receding and returning to normal. The Phantom also followed, standing before Audu. The defeated man looked up at it with spiteful eyes, staring up at its emotionless gaze.
[How pitiful. Now I know what it truly means when they say, 'How the mighty have fallen'.] It shook its head, as though truly sad for him. Audu remained frozen for a moment when he heard it speak.
"What did you say?" He glared at it, his bangs slightly obscuring his furious eyes.
[Don't look at me like that. I may be this way, but I still understand how human society works. Sadly, you understand too little about how the monster 'society' works. We monsters aren't as simple as you think.] The Phantom placed an armored hand against its chest as it spoke, as is it was trying to prove its sincerity.
"Don't give me that crap!" Audu roared at it. He tried to lunge for his sword, but the shadows materialized again and tied him down. The Phantom just shook its head slowly before raising its hand to its head gear.
[You still do not understand me, human. What I mean is that we, human and monsters, are far more alike than you could ever imagine. Take this for example...] It pulled off its head gear at that point. Audu's eyes widened when he took a look at what was underneath the helmet.
Clang!
The head gear dropped to the floor and clattered loudly.
[Do you understand what I mean now? In the end, it doesn't matter. What matters is what you came here for... You came here for your trial, yes?" It spoke in a teasing manner as it paced around. The darkness swayed, as though in tune with its playful mood.
[Very well, then. Let us begin.]