With a powerful stride, Baelor moved his right leg forward.
*Boom!*
The earth beneath him buckled and cracked under the immense pressure, creating a crater where his foot had landed.
The ground seemed to groan in protest, the shockwave rippling outward, sending dust and debris flying.
Strength flowed into his legs, coiling like a spring. His massive hand tightened around the haft of his axe, the weapon now an extension of his will.
Baelor tilted his body slightly to the side, the motion slow and deliberate, his eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on the figure before him, his head bowed just enough that his intentions were masked under the shadow of his brow.
"Stay there," he muttered, his voice low but clear, each word laced with lethal intent. "I will chop you!"
*Boom!*
The earth exploded beneath him as Baelor launched himself into the air, the sheer force of his leap shattering the ruined ground into a deeper crater.
His departure sent shockwaves through the earth, causing the surrounding ruins to tremble and collapse further into the devastated landscape.
The air around him crackled and blistered as he surged upward, his immense body cutting through the sky like a colossal, avenging bird of prey.
As he ascended, the atmosphere seemed to warp around him, drawn into the vacuum created by his speed.
A deafening sonic boom followed in his wake, splitting the air and drawing the eyes of every living thing below.
The people in the crumbling city, soldiers and civilians alike were momentarily transfixed, their gazes locked onto the figure that now soared high above, a shining sun that stood tall above the sky.
With a fierce determination burning in his eyes, Baelor raised his axe high above his head, the weapon glowing with a lethal energy that seemed to absorb the light around it.
As he reached the peak of his ascent, he swung the axe downward with all the might he could muster.
"Giant Slash!"
There was no flash, no blinding light, or dramatic flare. The attack was silent, almost too quick to perceive.
But in that instant, the very air around the figure on the ground seemed to compress and collapse, as though the fabric of space itself had been torn apart by the force of Baelor's strike.
"???"
*BOOM!*
The impact was cataclysmic. The silent figure, along with the entire front wall of the city, was obliterated in an instant.
The ground buckled and split open as the force of the attack drove everything in its path deep into the earth.
The roar of the earth being torn asunder reverberated through the city, a sound so loud it seemed to drown out all other noise, leaving a ringing silence in its wake.
For a brief moment, the world stood still. Dust and debris hung in the air, as the loud noises enveloped the whole city like a bowl hanging down from above.
The massive trench created by the force of Baelor's attack was now the only sign of where the wall had once stood.
The figure, once so menacing and seemingly invincible, had been caught off guard.
The sheer speed and power of Baelor's strike had taken it by surprise, leaving it no time to react.
It wasn't as what the plan had been intended for, the acting caught in a short dilemma...
It had been crushed, the dark armor that once radiated malice now buried beneath the rubble, indistinguishable from the ruins it had sought to conquer.
As the dust began to settle, Baelor landed with a heavy thud, his feet sinking into the fractured ground.
Baelor stood tall amidst the ruin, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the rubble with a deep, unyielding gaze.
The air was thick with dust and the faint echo of the devastation that had just occurred, but Baelor remained motionless.
From the distance, a voice called out, breaking the heavy silence.
"Lord Baelor!"
It was Donber, rushing towards him with all the speed his battered body could muster.
His armor was tattered and stained with blood, and his body was marked with countless wounds, yet his spirit remained intact.
His once yellow hair was now a disheveled mess, streaked with dirt and sweat.
The exhaustion was evident in his eyes, but so was the determination that kept him moving forward.
As Donber closed the distance, barely a hundred meters away, Baelor spoke in a slow, deep tone.
"Stay put, boy. It is dangerous here."
"My Lord?" Donber hesitated, his forward momentum halting abruptly.
His legs recoiled slightly, instinctively obeying the command. He glanced around at the scattered rubble, confusion etched on his face. "But my Lord, you already defeated the enemy."
Baelor's grip on his axe tightened, the muscles in his forearm flexing with the effort. He didn't lift his gaze from the devastation before him, his voice dropping to a near growl.
"That thing is still alive…"
"I-Impossible?!" Donber stammered, his feet dragging against the ground as he struggled to process the words.
His eyes darted across the cleaved earth, the devastation carved by Baelor's mighty axe. His voice trembled with disbelief. "It's a direct hit... How can a human survive that attack?"
"It didn't," Baelor said, his voice cold and steady. He finally lifted his gaze, his eyes locking onto Donber's.
The intensity in his eyes sent a chill down Donber's spine. "That thing parried my attack a millisecond before the impact... And also"
Baelor's voice dropped even lower, his words like a hammer striking iron, "That is not a living creature."
"H-how?!"
Before Baelor could respond, the ground beneath them erupted with a deafening roar.
*bang*.
"What?!" Donber cried out in shock as the rubble exploded outward, debris flying in all directions.
His hand instinctively reached for his sword, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, an axe flashed into his view.
*BOOM!*
The earth shattered beneath the force of the impact, splitting apart into chunks and blocks of stone.
The sheer power of the blow sent Donber hurtling through the air, but miraculously, he remained unharmed.
He landed hard, skidding across the ground, before quickly spinning around to face the source of the attack.
"T-this?!" Donber gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief as he finally took in the scene before him.
Lord Baelor stood firm, his axe buried deep into the earth, and opposite him, a blade of pure darkness was locked against the axe's might.
The figure of darkness stood tall, barely grazing against Baelor's imposing frame, his presence even more menacing now that he was fully revealed.
"Human… Interesting," the figure spoke, its voice a raspy, metallic growl that reverberated through the air.
The figure's helmet, a twisted mass of dark metal and thorns, lifted slightly, revealing cold, gray eyes that burned with an unnatural light.
Those eyes met Baelor's unflinchingly, and the figure continued in that same eerie tone, "You used him as a lure?"
Baelor's lips curled into a grin, a savage expression that spoke of both confidence and challenge. "And I succeeded, didn't I?"
The dark figure's eyes narrowed, their cold gleam intensifying as if trying to pierce through the words.
Then, with a sudden burst of movement, the figure of darkness pushed forward, forcing Baelor back a step.
Baelor's grin only widened. He relished the challenge, feeling the adrenaline surge through his veins.
He tightened his grip on the axe, his muscles straining as he prepared for the next clash.
"You've made a mistake, creature," Baelor said, his voice carrying an unshakeable confidence. "You should have stayed hidden in the shadows."
With a roar, Baelor pulled back his axe, the blade tearing free from the dark energy with a shower of sparks.
He swung it around with a mighty arc, the weapon crackling with aura as it cleaved through the air toward the dark figure.
The figure responded in kind, its blade of darkness meeting Baelor's attack head-on.
*BOOM!*
The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, the sheer force of their clash causing the earth to shatter and crumble around them.
Donber, still struggling to regain his footing, could only watch in awe as the two titans clashed.
Each blow was like a thunderclap, shaking the very foundations of the city. Sparks flew as metal met dark energy, and the ground was torn apart under the intensity of their battle.
Neither was willing to give an inch, their determination fueling the destruction that spread around them.
Baelor's aura flared brighter with each swing, his power growing with every second.
The dark figure, however, seemed to draw strength from the shadows, its presence becoming more oppressive, more malevolent.
And then, with a ferocious swing, Baelor managed to break through the figure's defense.
His axe struck true, slicing into the dark armor with a force that sent the figure staggering back.
"Now!" Baelor roared, pressing the attack. But before he could land another blow, the figure dissolved into the shadows, disappearing.
Baelor paused, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of his foe.
"Coward," he muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on the axe as he prepared for the figure's next move