As the dust settled from the massive explosion, Dons emerged from a shadow portal behind Leo with lightning speed, his dark blade thrusting forward like a serpent striking its prey.
Leo, sensing the attack, spun just in time, raising Balha to meet the strike. The clash of their swords sent a shockwave rippling outward, carving trenches into the already shattered ground. Sparks of gold and shadow danced between them as their blades locked, each fighter refusing to yield.
"Dons," Leo growled, gritting his teeth. "Is this your idea of ending things quickly?"
Dons smirked, pushing harder. "I'm just warming up, Leo. Don't disappoint me."
Leo and Dons clashed in a blur of gold and shadow, their swords meeting with deafening force. Each strike sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, carving craters into the ground.
"You're holding back, Leo," Dons growled, parrying a golden slash.
"Or maybe you're just too slow," Leo retorted, countering with a strike that shattered the air.
Their movements blurred as sparks and shadows filled the space between them. Each swing of Balha met the shadow-forged blade with explosive energy, the battlefield trembling beneath their unrelenting assault.
Gold and darkness waged war, neither giving an inch as the sky bore witness to a duel destined for legend.
Suddenly, Leo shifted tactics, stepping back just out of Dons' reach. Raising two fingers of his right hand, he formed a spinning, golden sphere of condensed qi, its energy crackling with intensity. Without hesitation, he hurled it toward Dons, the ground quaking under the sheer force of the attack.
Dons mirrored Leo's move, forging a sphere of shadow and red aura fused together. When the two forces collided, a massive electric shockwave rippled through the shattered battlefield, leaving destruction in its wake.
Before the dust could settle, Dons saw Balha inches from his chest. In an instant, shadows surged up, intercepting the blade, allowing Dons to retreat several meters in a flash.
Dons slammed his foot into the ground, summoning massive black dust pillars that shot toward Leo at lightning speed. Balha blocked several strikes, but one pillar blindsided Leo, sending him skidding across the ground. Blood trickled from his mouth as he steadied himself.
"Not bad, Dons," Leo muttered, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Leo raised his right hand, summoning a thousand gleaming golden aura blades in the sky. With a swift motion, he sent them hurtling toward Dons at incredible speed.
Dons smirked, his voice low as he muttered, "Shadow Flames... Impressive, Leo. But not enough."
Before the blades could strike, black flames erupted at their tips, consuming each blade mid-air in an inferno of darkness until nothing remained but ash drifting to the ground.
Leo plunged Balha into the ground, and the battlefield came alive. Green grass spread like wildfire, and towering trees erupted from the soil. Their roots twisted and coiled, surging toward Dons with unstoppable force, each one aiming to ensnare him.
Dons narrowed his eyes. "Elf magic... amusing."
Unfurling his dark wings, he soared into the air, cloaked in shadow. From above, he unleashed shadow lances that pierced through the advancing roots. The roots retaliated, growing faster, twisting higher, and clawing toward him with renewed ferocity. The clash of nature and shadow turned the battleground into a chaotic storm.
Dons raised two fingers, and a sinister purple aura coalesced into a shadowy sphere in his hand. Hovering above, he let it drop slowly, almost gracefully, like a feather falling through the air.
As the sphere touched the ground, a blinding purple light erupted, engulfing the battlefield. In moments, the vibrant greenery and towering trees were erased, withering into nothingness. When the light faded, the once-revitalized land had reverted to its desolate, dusty state.
"Dons, don't you like green lands like before?" Leo asked, his voice sharp as golden wings formed behind him, shimmering with his power. He soared toward Dons with determination.
"Sure, I like green lands," Dons replied with a smirk, "but that was too much green." He summoned a circle of dark thunderballs enveloped in shadowy mist, each glowing ominously. The massive orb hovered in front of him before he hurled it at Leo.
Leo halted mid-flight, conjuring his own golden thunderballs surrounded by radiant white mist. Without hesitation, he launched them toward Dons.
Seeing the incoming attack, Dons smirked, manipulating his orb to intercept. "You're nothing but a copy, Hero!"
Leo, unfazed, used his telekinesis to redirect his attack, sidestepping Dons' strike and sending his own orb back at him. "Says the Demon King who mimics his predecessors!"
Dons chuckled darkly, twisting his orb to meet Leo's head-on. "Unlike you, Leo, I'm no imitation."
The two forces collided violently in midair, their energy obliterating the surrounding clouds in an instant, leaving the sky eerily clear. The shockwave reverberated across the battlefield, shaking the very ground below.
Both combatants landed with a thud, the ground cracking beneath their feet. Without hesitation, they charged at each other once more, their movements blurring with speed.
Dons raised his right hand, summoning a fiery phoenix engulfed in dark flames. "Phoenix Explosion!" he roared, hurling the blazing construct at Leo.
Leo braced himself, raising Balha to block the incoming attack. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield as the flames dissipated against his golden blade.
But Leo's eyes sharpened. He wasn't just defending—he was calculating. Amid the chaos, he scanned Dons' movements, searching for the perfect moment to strike. "I just need one opening," Leo muttered under his breath, tightening his grip on his sword.
Leo's eyes sharpened as a plan formed. "Dons," he called out, lowering his guard slightly. "Did you get the letter I sent?"
Dons hesitated, his blade crackling with shadow energy. "Letter? What nonsense are you spouting now?"
Leo smirked. "Figures."
Without warning, Dons lunged, his blade tearing through the air. Leo sidestepped with precise timing, channeling all his power into Balha. The sword radiated golden brilliance as Leo countered with a strike aimed straight for Dons' defenses, the clash sending shockwaves across the battlefield.
While Leo and Dons clashed in a battle of epic proportions, far from their raging duel, another tale of tragedy unfolded in the Illempest Forest. Unbeknownst to Leo, his childhood friend, Edward Black—the brother he chose—had met his end.
The Holy Knights of the Hastia Church had completed their grim mission, leaving the forest behind. Their swords, drenched in blood, carried the weight of their so-called divine duty as they marched back to the Aura Empire.
Amidst the heavy rain, Edward's lifeless body lay still, pierced by countless blades. The skies wept, and the forest seemed alive with sorrow. Blood trickled from his wounds, carried by the rain, flowing into the ruins of a forgotten temple hidden deep within the forest.
The ancient temple had long been abandoned, its history lost to time. The blood seeped into a dormant ritual circle etched into the stone floor. Suddenly, the circle erupted with crimson light, and red lightning streaked through the stormy skies. From the ash and smoke emerged a woman of otherworldly beauty, her dark, starry cloak shimmering as if stitched from the night itself. Wings faintly flickered behind her, and her eyes burned with restrained fury.
"How dare they!" she snarled, her voice filled with venom. "To think they sealed me so thoroughly. And yet, here I stand." She glanced around, her gaze falling upon the ruined temple. "Summoned by accident, no less. Fate has a cruel sense of humor."
As she stepped from the temple, her eyes scanned the devastation outside—hundreds of beasts slain in what must have been an epic battle. Among the carnage, she spotted a figure: Edward Black, his body riddled with swords, standing like a monument to defiance.
"A sword grave," she muttered, her tone softening for a moment. "You fought for something, someone. I respect that."
The woman knelt by his side, her fingers brushing the hilt of one of the swords buried in his back. "The gods forgot about me, and mortals erased my name from their histories. But you... you summoned me, indirectly or not." A bitter smile crossed her lips. "No, it was not you. It was those who killed you."
Straightening, she cast a final glance at Edward before vanishing into the forest. Her words hung in the air like a curse: "The human realm will soon remember what they chose to forget. and when they remember, it will already be too late."