Noir's grin never wavered, his calm confidence cutting through the oppressive tension like a blade. "You flatter yourself, Duke. If you truly understood who I am, you'd already know why they call me 'Noir of the Wicked Eye.'"
As he spoke, the smirk faded into a dark, ominous frown. Slowly, he closed one eye, the other blazing crimson, a light so fierce it seemed to pierce through the very fabric of the room. His voice dropped into an ancient rhythm, words dripping with raw power and invocation:
*"Hikari no todokanai fukami kara, watashi wa kage no kyōfu o yobiokoshimasu. Ō shin'en yo, eien ni shite hiroku, taiyō o musabori-shoku tte, yami o hōchi seyo. Wasure rareta kamigami ni yotte, sasayaka reru sakebi ni yotte, watashi wa anata o hōridashi, karera no yume o musabori kuu!"*
The room seemed to grow colder with every word, the air thickening as shadows coiled around Noir like living things.
The Duke's eyes widened as realization dawned—whatever Noir was summoning could not be allowed to reach completion. His hesitation vanished as he surged forward, his fist crackling with raw energy, aiming to silence Noir before it was too late.
But the Duke never reached his target.
In a blur of golden light, Zuka appeared between them. His movement was so swift, so precise, that it was almost imperceptible. Without a word, Zuka delivered a bone-shattering kick to the Duke's chest. The impact sent him hurtling backward, crashing into the far wall with a deafening crack. The stone fractured and crumbled as the Duke fell to the ground, leaving a crater where he had struck.
Noir remained unmoved, his eye glowing brighter as his incantation reached its crescendo.
"Eclipsing Abyss."
A black orb of pure darkness materialized in Noir's hand, radiating an aura so intense it seemed to drain the very light from the room. Its surface writhed and pulsed, as if alive, exuding a sense of despair so profound that the air itself seemed to tremble under its weight.
The orb's malevolence spread outward like ripples in a dark pond, corrupting everything it touched. Walls began to crack and crumble, their surfaces blackening as though consumed by an invisible fire. The ceiling groaned under the weight of the spreading destruction, chunks of stone falling as the castle itself seemed to bow to the orb's will.
"You thought this place, this city, was unassailable," Noir said, his voice a low, mocking growl. "Perhaps you could trap an Ascendant or a godling with your little tricks. But me?" He chuckled darkly, his grin returning, sharper and more menacing than before. "Allow me to remind you who I am."
The Duke staggered to his feet, his body radiating fury as the room collapsed around him. Despite the chaos, he stood firm, his aura blazing as he pushed back against the orb's oppressive energy.
Noir glanced at Zuka, and with a silent nod, the two shot into the sky, leaving the collapsing ruins below.
The remains of the Duke's castle crumbled into rubble, consumed by the spreading darkness of the *Eclipsing Abyss*. Yet, amidst the destruction, one thing stood untouched—the Morenthain tree. Its gnarled roots and twisted trunk radiated an ancient, unyielding power, immune to the corruption that had devoured everything else.
High above, Noir hovered in the sky, his wings casting a shadow over the desolation. His crimson eye blazed as he gazed down at the chaos he had unleashed.
"Would the flame of great dragons not shine brighter than that of mere humans, my dear Duke?" Noir's voice rang out, mocking and triumphant, carrying across the night like a challenge.
The Duke, bloodied but unbowed, rose from the rubble, his own aura raging like an inferno. His voice boomed in response, shaking the air with its force:
"Let power ignite—
And see whose fire the heavens rebuke!"
The Duke's body surged with power, the ground beneath him splintering as his energy erupted outward. He launched himself toward Noir and Zuka, his speed blinding, his roar echoing like thunder "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH"