After the destruction of the red castle and the fading of the golden castle into dust, the air was thick with the remnants of power. Leo stood amidst the settling chaos, his sharp gaze fixed on Dons, who was kneeling, his body visibly drained but his smirk still present.
"Dons, it seems like that spell took a lot out of you," Leo remarked, his tone laced with a mixture of mockery and curiosity.
Dons chuckled darkly, rising shakily to his feet. "The Death Castle Three Towers spell? It's nothing, Leo. I could cast it three more times if I wanted. Besides..." He paused, his crimson eyes gleaming with malice. "I've done something else."
"Something else?" Leo raised an eyebrow, his instincts flaring. Without hesitation, he placed his hand on the ground, summoning a massive earth arrow that shot toward Dons with destructive force.
Dons reacted swiftly, raising a shadow wall to absorb the attack before flash-stepping out of harm's way. The impact of their clashing powers left the battlefield in ruins, the air filled with dust and debris.
"Leo," Dons called out, his voice calm but carrying a sinister edge. "Have you ever heard of the Circle of Heroes and Demon Kings?" As he spoke, he conjured a shadow sword and hurled it toward Leo with lethal precision.
Leo sidestepped the blade and summoned an earthen wall to block further strikes. "Of course, I know about it. When a Hero falls, another rises. When a Demon King is defeated, a new one takes their place," he replied, sending several earth swords hurtling toward Dons.
Dons deflected the attacks with another shadow wall, then created a portal behind Leo, redirecting the swords toward him. Leo dodged effortlessly, using his telekinesis to send the weapons hurtling back at Dons.
The shadow absorbed the counterattack as Dons smirked. "That's not what I meant. I'm asking how we determine who the Hero or Demon King truly is."
Leo scowled, his frustration growing. That shadow of his is infuriating, Leo thought. Focusing on Dons, he chose not to attack immediately. "Humans use a crystal that detects when a new Hero emerges," Leo answered.
Dons scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. "And you're so proud of that? At least Demon Kings come from the Nine Noble Families. But your Heroes? Anyone can be one—a farmer, a beggar, even a slave."
As he spoke, Dons raised a thousand shadow blades, sending them crashing toward Leo like a tidal wave.
Leo summoned a barrier of golden power, the clash creating explosions that shook the ground and filled the air with deafening roars. As the dust settled, Leo emerged unscathed, his golden aura shimmering.
"That's rich coming from you," Leo retorted. "A slave becoming a Hero? That's a joke. A Hero would be different from any ordinary child, their destiny marked from birth."
With a burst of speed, Leo rushed toward Dons, his sword glowing with radiant energy. "Waste Blade: Two-Second Internal Strike," he murmured, his weapon surging with power. In an instant, he was in front of Dons, his blade slicing through the red barrier like glass. The force of the attack sent Dons hurtling backward.
Recovering quickly, Dons summoned a barrier and unleashed a barrage of fireballs toward Leo. Leo evaded effortlessly, raising walls of earth and gold to counter the relentless assault.
""Tell me, Leo," Dons said, his voice steady despite the lingering tension. "What's the difference between the Ausha Empire and the Rance Republic? Both are built on flawed systems. The Hero becomes Emperor, and the Empire's council and church control them. You call that freedom? It's just another form of dictatorship. And yet the Rance Republic is still better than your Ausha Empire."
Leo's expression darkened, his golden aura flaring slightly as he tightened his grip on Balha. His gaze locked onto Dons, sharp and unwavering. "Oh, it seems you have a soft spot for the Rance Republic. Interesting," Leo replied, his tone laced with curiosity and disdain.
Dons smirked, raising a hand as shadows swirled around him like a living armor. "Not a soft spot, Leo. Just a recognition of what once was... and what should never have been destroyed."
Leo scoffed, his blade pulsing with power as the ground beneath him cracked. "The Rance Republic fell because it was weak—corrupt and unable to withstand the tides of destiny. Your nostalgia won't change that."
Dons' smirk faltered for a moment before his shadow armor thickened, his voice cold and resolute. "Weak? Perhaps. But it had something your empire never will—hope for true equality, not this false hierarchy of chosen Heroes and noble Demon Kings."
"Hope is meaningless without strength to defend it," Leo shot back, raising his sword as golden energy began to swirl around him. "And I intend to prove that to you right here, right now."
"Prove to me democracy is bad, Hero," Dons sneered. "It has its flaws, but done right, it's not so bad."
Leo smirked, his golden aura flaring. "Rich words from a king clinging to monarchy."
"And your council-run empire? A dictatorship in disguise," Dons shot back, shadow swords forming around him.
"Talk all you want, Dons," Leo said, stepping forward as the ground trembled. "Systems don't matter. Only the victor decides what's true."
The air cracked as Leo and Dons clashed, their powers igniting the battlefield like a tempest. Leo's golden aura blazed, each step shaking the ground beneath him, while Dons' shadows coiled around him like living serpents, hissing and striking with deadly precision.
Leo swung Balha, his golden blade humming with power, sending a wave of energy surging toward Dons. The attack split the ground, sending debris flying, but Dons met it with his shadow wall, the two forces colliding in an explosion of light and darkness.
"You can't win, Dons!" Leo roared. He flash-stepped, appearing above Dons in an instant, his sword descending with devastating speed.
Dons countered, summoning a shadow lance that rose to meet Leo mid-air. The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, flattening the surrounding debris. Dons shifted with a burst of shadow, appearing behind Leo and unleashing a barrage of shadow spikes.
Leo spun mid-air, raising a barrier of golden energy. The spikes shattered against it, but Dons was relentless. "You think brute force will save you, Hero?" Dons taunted, his voice layered with shadowy menace.
"Brute force?" Leo smirked, landing on the ground and slamming his hand into it. Massive golden pillars erupted, shooting toward Dons like jagged spears.
Dons dashed and weaved through the onslaught, his movements like a shadow in the wind. "Impressive," he admitted, forming a massive shadow scythe in his hands. With a single swing, he cleaved through the golden pillars, sending shards of energy scattering into the air.
Leo didn't falter. He charged forward, his aura intensifying. "Enough games!" he shouted, Balha glowing brighter than ever. He unleashed a flurry of strikes, each swing leaving golden trails that scorched the ground.
Dons met him head-on, their weapons colliding in a symphony of light and darkness. The battlefield trembled under the intensity of their clash, neither giving an inch. Sparks flew, shadows twisted, and golden light burned.
"You become strong, Leo," Dons said, his voice calm but strained. "But strength alone doesn't win wars."
"Neither does hiding behind shadows," Leo retorted, pushing back with everything he had.
They stood locked in a stalemate, the golden radiance and consuming darkness swirling around them.
Leo hesitated, his golden aura flickering as a translucent screen appeared before him, revealing surprising details:
System Notification:
Demon Type: Sorcerer (No Manak)
Sorcerer Specialty: Copy Magic (Shadow as Primary)
Demon Tier: Mid
Rank: 0.015% (Calculation Error)
Stage: More than half power lost
Title: Demon King (Details Available)
Quest: None
Note: Enemy possesses the System Celestial Ring.
"What kind of magic is this?" Leo murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Dons wouldn't willingly show me his weaknesses..."
"Let's finish our stupid fight quickly," Dons growled, raising his hand as a massive shadow dome engulfed the battlefield. The sky churned with black lightning, its ominous crackle filling the air.
'Doom of Darkness: Thunderstrike Flash!'
A colossal bolt of shadow-infused lightning screamed toward Leo. Instantly, Balha expanded into a radiant golden shield, its light piercing through the suffocating darkness.
The collision was cataclysmic. A shockwave erupted, tearing through the battlefield as the ground quaked violently. Leo held firm, his muscles straining as Balha absorbed the devastating energy. Yet the force drove him back, carving deep trenches in the earth beneath his heels.
"You're underestimating me, Dons," Leo muttered, his golden aura blazing brighter, defying the encroaching shadows.
"Dons!" Leo growled, his voice resonating with unyielding determination. "Waste Blade: Final Form—Slicer!"
With a single, precise swing, Balha sliced through the air itself. The motion seemed effortless, yet its impact was anything but. The shadowy dome above cracked like fragile glass, the fragments of darkness raining down as if the very ceiling of the battlefield was collapsing. A deafening, crumbling sound filled the air.
Leo didn't pause. Harnessing his newfound golden power, he conjured nine glowing orbs, each pulsating with raw, untamed energy. Without hesitation, he hurled them one by one toward Dons, their radiant trails lighting up the battlefield like shooting stars aimed to destroy.
Seeing the golden orbs streaking toward him, Dons gave a calm, almost warm smile. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a massive shadow orb, its surface swirling with dark, chaotic energy.
When the two forces collided, the resulting explosion was cataclysmic. A blinding light and engulfing darkness intertwined, sending shockwaves that tore through the battlefield. The blast touched the sky itself, splitting clouds and shaking the heavens.
The sheer force of the impact hurled both Leo and Dons far from their original positions, crashing them into the fractured ground like meteors, leaving a massive crater where they had once stood.
As the dust settled, Leo and Dons emerged unscathed, their eyes locked with unyielding determination. In an instant, they flash-stepped toward each other, their movements too fast for the ordinary eye to follow.
Leo swung Balha in a blazing arc, the golden edge humming with destructive energy. Dons countered with a swift rise of a magical barrier, conjured at a speed that blurred the air. The barrier shattered under the force of the attack, but Leo's strike met resistance—a red, dark sword, crackling with malevolent energy, wielded by Dons.
"Leo, you're not the strongest swordmaster in this world," Dons said, his voice calm yet taunting.
Leo smirked, locking blades with his enemy. "I've never thought that highly of myself… not when I know someone like you exists."
Their swords clashed in a fiery storm of gold and shadow, the ground beneath them cracking from the sheer intensity of their duel. Each strike was met with equal ferocity, their movements a blur of raw power and skill.
Dons summoned a glowing yellow magic circle, its intricate runes pulsating with ominous energy as it surged toward Leo. Reacting instantly, Leo flash-stepped away, evading the blast with precision.
Before he could counter, a massive fiery phoenix emerged from the circle, its blazing wings spreading wide as it screeched through the battlefield, the air rippling with intense heat. The flaming bird hurtled toward Leo like a living inferno.
"Fourth Form: Waste Blade—Phoenix Slicer!" Leo roared, swinging Balha in a sharp arc.
A crescent of golden energy erupted from the sword, colliding with the firebird. The two forces met with an explosive flash, scattering flames and sparks across the battlefield, the ground beneath them scorched and trembling from the clash. Leo stood firm, his golden aura shimmering as the flames dissipated around him.
"The strongest human versus the strongest demon of this era," Dons said, his tone laced with amusement. "Leo, even after using such high-level spells, our powers remain equal. Honestly, that's not fun."
Dons extended his hand, summoning a crackling blue thunderball, its energy surging wildly. With a sharp flick, he hurled it toward Leo.
Leo smirked, his aura flaring. "Agreed, Dons. But you know what's worse? Fighting on an empty stomach."
He summoned a yellow thunderball of his own, its glow rivaling Dons' attack. In an instant, he launched it directly at the incoming spell.
The two thunderballs collided midair, unleashing a storm of raw energy that illuminated the battlefield. The impact sent shockwaves rippling across the ground, the sky above roaring with thunder. Both warriors stood firm, their auras deflecting the residual sparks as the chaos settled.
"Shall we end this before dinner?" Leo asked, gripping Balha tightly.
"Of course, Leo. If you wish to finish this before dinner, so be it," Dons replied with a grin, his voice laced with deadly intent.
Rising his hand, he summoned purple shadows, dense and ominous, filling the air with a deathly chill and an unbearable stench. The shadows coalesced into a massive spear, pulsating with dark energy. With all his might, Dons hurled the spear toward Leo, its speed so great that it seemed to teleport instantly.
Leo's eyes widened as the attack closed in. Reacting in the nick of time, he raised Balha, its golden brilliance clashing violently against the malevolent energy. The sheer impact of the collision sent Leo hurtling backward, skidding across the battlefield, carving a deep trench into the earth before finally coming to a stop.
Leo rose to his feet, his grip on Balha tightening as its glow intensified. "Dons, I hope you saved room for dessert—because I'm just getting started."
"Heaven's Gate," Leo whispered, his voice echoing with power as a blinding yellow-gold light descended from the heavens. A massive white pillar of divine energy materialized, slowly making its way toward Dons with unrelenting force.
Dons smirked, unbothered by the impending attack. "Too slow, Leo," he said, conjuring a green shadow spear and hurling it toward his opponent. Without waiting for the result, he vanished into a shadow portal, his form melting into the darkness.
Leo braced himself, blocking the shadow spear with Balha as sparks of gold and green scattered through the air. Just as the pillar struck the spot where Dons once stood, the ground erupted in a blinding explosion, shattering the battlefield with a deafening roar.