"What was your name, mister?" Ruhabayo asked Jonathan with no malice or intention of mockery.
"Huh?!" Jonathan was confused. He continued, "I am Jonathan Jeffery, the 4th President of Monde Uni."
"So, Jonathan Jeffery, I'm not among the fools who blindly worship the Lord Almighty and wait for miracles to happen. I pray to my Lord Almighty not for miracles but for strength. Miracles are mine to create. Any injustice that I see is not ignored. I'm not just any justice," Ruhabayo started speaking.
"Oh, you peasants. Talking about justice and all, pathetic," Jonathan mocked.
"Jonathan, there are many forms of justice, the most known among them being the Victor's Justice, the Gods' Justice, and the Unjust Justice. Your cloak says 'Monde Uni's Justice'. On my way, I saw someone with a cloak saying, 'Corrupted Justice' and my Lord Almighty delivers 'Gods' Justice'. But my robe says only, 'Justice'."
He continued, his voice now a resonating force,
"My justice is not like yours where only your supporters get justice, even if the other side must suffer injustice. It is neither like that apprentice of yours who sells justice. It is not as pure as my Lord's justice nor non-violent."
"What are you babbling about, Ruhabayo?" Jeffery asked, irritation seeping into his tone.
"Well, Jonathan my friend, I'm just telling you that JUSTICE IS A MYTH, and non-violence is a bluff. And I'm not a God," Ruhabayo declared with a malicious smirk. The preparations for battle were almost over.
"I don't get what you're saying," Jonathan showed his confusion.
"Earlier, I spoke of Lord Almighty, but what if I tell you that there is no one Almighty in reality? My Lord who created this universe has fulfilled his work. As of now, he can do nothing but watch us with regret. To maintain the order of the universe, my Lord, the creator, created supreme beings who reign over us and work on behalf of my Lord. They are the Gods, the incarnation of peace and order. But doesn't a universe with only goodness seem bound? So my Lord created Devils, the incarnation of conflict and chaos. And I despise him for it, for if not for the devils, I would not have to slaughter humans," Ruhabayo revealed the story.
"So, are you challenging me to a duel, saying that I am the devil here?" Jonathan asked, drawing his silver spear, continuing," But I am the devil here, so allow me to betray the honour of a duel, Ruhabayo."
"Do what you will, my friend, for this duel is to be engraved in history as the duel between the strongest Devil and the strongest God of the universe," Ruhabayo announced, stepping down from the rock.
"Ruhabayo, you have finally found the truth. We are of the same blood. If one of us dies here, then for the next 1000 years, the world will be ruled by the victor's virtue awaiting a rematch," Jonathan proclaimed, adding, "So this is how it goes, huh?"
"Soldiers, gather up!!!" Jonathan Jeffery commanded.
Every soldier on the island surrounded Ruhabayo from all sides, waiting for the command to shoot at him.
"Jonathan, how is this a duel?" Ruhabayo asked.
"This duel is not just between the two of us or us humans. This duel is between the peace and conflict of the world," Jonathan declared.
"Let's begin this war." Ruhabayo declared with unshakable resolve.
The air was thick with tension, a palpable force pressing upon the battlefield as the two warriors stood locked in their eternal contest. The skies above Monde Uni darkened as storm clouds swirled ominously, responding to the clash of divine and demonic forces. The winds howled like tortured spirits, and the ground beneath trembled as if the very planet was bearing witness to an event beyond mortal comprehension.
Jonathan Jeffery, the 4th President of Monde Uni, stood tall with his silver spear glinting under the fading sunlight. His eyes burned with the arrogance of a conqueror, the ruthless ambition of a leader who had long decided that justice was merely a tool of the victor. Before him, Ruhabayo, clad in a flowing robe inscribed with the single word 'Justice,' exuded a raw, indomitable force. His presence alone was like the weight of a thousand warriors, his gaze sharp enough to cut through deception itself.
Their auras flared—Ruhabayo's a brilliant, ethereal gold, while Jonathan's was a churning maelstrom of red and blue energy. Sparks of raw power danced in the air as the very fabric of reality trembled beneath their might. Then, in a single instant, the battle commenced.
Jonathan lunged, twisting his body mid-air as his silver spear aimed for Ruhabayo's heart. Ruhabayo deflected it with a lightning-fast parry, countering with a downward slash. Jonathan bent backward unnaturally, avoiding the blade by mere inches before flipping midair and thrusting his spear once more. Ruhabayo blocked it with the flat of his blade, sparks cascading in every direction.
"Power Step!" Jonathan suddenly burst forward at the speed of sound, vanishing and reappearing behind Ruhabayo with his spear descending in a vicious arc. But Ruhabayo was ready.
"Flash Evade!" Ruhabayo executed an afterimage technique, dodging at the last moment and striking toward Jonathan's exposed flank. Jonathan barely managed to block, the force of the impact sending him skidding across the battlefield, his boots carving trenches into the earth.
"Twelve Dragon Defence: First Form!" Ruhabayo roared "Sihafakayu!!", slamming his foot into the ground. A golden barrier of spiraling dragons erupted around him, deflecting a barrage of energy spears hurled by Jonathan's army. Soldiers within a five-meter radius dropped instantly, their hearts ceasing under the sheer weight of divine retribution.
Jonathan sneered. "Impressive, Ruhabayo. But let's test your limits."
"Devil's Pull: Final Form—SCHLACHTEN!" Jonathan's voice boomed like an unholy war drum. The sky tore open, revealing a vortex of unrelenting darkness. Tendrils of crimson energy lashed out, consuming everything in their wake.
"Two hundred and five seconds," Jonathan taunted. "That's how long before this attack wipes out everything within a fifty-kilometer radius."
Ruhabayo tilted his head, a cold smile playing on his lips. "You think I fear annihilation? You underestimate me, Jonathan. I will not allow a single innocent life to be lost."
Jonathan raised his spear, summoning an aura so dense that the ground beneath his feet cracked. "And how do you plan to stop me? Worship your so-called Almighty?"
"My Lord has long since completed his work," Ruhabayo said, gripping the hilt of his blade tighter. "But I… I am far from done."
A seismic shift rattled the land as Ruhabayo's power surged to new heights. The inscriptions on his blade glowed, their ancient language pulsating with boundless energy.
"Sword of Justice: First Form—Just Life!"
A luminous explosion engulfed him, golden light cascading from his very soul. His aura transformed into a blazing inferno, the sheer intensity of his presence bending the laws of nature. He vanished instantly, reappearing behind Jonathan with a strike so swift that the air itself screamed in protest.
Jonathan barely parried, gritting his teeth as his fingers trembled from the impact. "You've gotten faster. But speed alone won't save you."
"Power Step!" Jonathan activated his technique, dashing at supersonic speed. Ruhabayo matched him, the two warriors weaving through the battlefield like streaks of light, their movements invisible to the naked eye. Their swords clashed again and again, each strike sending tremors through the land.
"Sword of Injustice: First Form" Jonathan revealed his sword name and charged up for an attack, "Disgust of Justice". The sword was surrounded by a red and blue gaseous substance called AURA. The swords used by Ruhabayo and Jonathan were one of the strongest pairs of weapons ever created in the universe. There are a total of 18 swords scattered over the universe including the pair of Justice. They are known as the Dodeka Areta. Forged by the Creator himself, the Dodeka Areta possesses tremendous raw power which when refined, unseals the mighty lock on the sword's hilt and gives birth to the most powerful weapon in the history of the universe.
The ancient war music reverberated through the valleys, echoing off the hills and filling the air with a sense of impending doom. With the rhythmic pounding of drums and the haunting wail of horns, the very ground beneath the fighters' feet was trembling in anticipation of the chaos to come.
From distant lands, skilled scribes and chroniclers had gathered, their quills and chisels ready to immortalize every heroic deed and tragic fall. They worked feverishly, carving the sagas of bravery and despair onto stone tablets and inscribing the epic tale onto parchment as if driven by an unseen force.
It was as though the battle had been written into the stars, destined to unfold in a grand spectacle of valour and carnage. Each warrior moved with a sense of purpose, their actions choreographed in a deadly dance of survival and honour. The clash of steel and the cries of the wounded would soon fill the air, and the world would bear witness to a conflict that would be remembered for generations to come—a battle unlike any other, where legends would be born and destinies forged.
[To be continued in Chapter 26]