Kazuki's world was tinted red with rage, his breaths coming in short, ragged bursts as he watched Seraphine and Lira lying motionless on the ground. Shadows flickered wildly around him, responding to his fury, weaving in and out of his trembling hands as he tightened his grip on the Phantom Blade. The icy chill of despair wrapped around his heart, but beyond the grief, a deadly determination had taken hold.
Daelan stood on the other side, his dark, malevolent form a stark contrast to the flickering glow of Kazuki's spectral weapon. His eyes gleamed with cold triumph, a twisted smile playing at his lips. He twirled his shadow-forged blade in one hand, cocking his head as if studying Kazuki's every emotion, savoring his agony.
"Are you ready, Kazuki?" Daelan's voice was low, almost a taunt. "There's no one left to protect you. No one left to save. It's just you and me, as it should have been from the start."
Kazuki's voice was a ragged whisper, but it held a steely edge. "You took everything, Daelan. Everything." His hands glowed as he raised his sword, channeling every ounce of energy he had left into the Phantom Blade, watching it pulse with spectral power. "I won't let you walk away from this."
"Oh, Kazuki," Daelan sneered, stepping forward as shadows billowed around him, taking the shape of jagged, twisting chains that coiled and pulsed like living things. "Your pathetic resolve won't save you. My power goes beyond anything you could ever comprehend. I'll show you what true strength looks like!"
With a shout, Daelan raised his blade, the shadows at his feet forming an obsidian tide that surged forward, crashing into Kazuki with the force of a storm. Kazuki braced himself, lifting his blade high.
"Spectral Armament: Barrier of Souls!" he shouted, channeling his energy into a barrier that shimmered with ethereal light, pushing back against the torrent of darkness.
The clash was deafening, the barrier vibrating under the relentless assault. But Kazuki held his ground, gritting his teeth as he pushed against the wave. For a moment, they were at a standstill, light and shadow grinding against each other in a brutal contest of wills.
Daelan's laughter echoed through the battlefield as he intensified his attack, his voice filled with twisted delight. "Is that all you have, Kazuki? You're just delaying the inevitable."
Kazuki's face twisted in fury, his eyes burning with fierce resolve. "You're wrong, Daelan. I'm not just fighting for myself. I'm fighting for everyone you've hurt!"
With a roar, Kazuki dropped the barrier and charged forward, his Phantom Blade blazing with renewed energy. He swung at Daelan with everything he had, the blade cutting through the air with deadly precision.
Daelan parried the strike, their swords meeting in a resounding clash that sent sparks flying. They exchanged blow after blow, each attack more fierce and desperate than the last. Shadows and spectral light filled the space around them, the sheer force of their clash causing the ground to crack and tremble beneath their feet.
"Phantom Blade: Spectral Overload!" Kazuki shouted, pouring every ounce of his strength into the attack as his blade flared with blinding light, slicing toward Daelan with unstoppable force.
Daelan barely had time to react, his shadow-forged weapon shattering under the impact as he was thrown backward, skidding across the ground. But he was on his feet in an instant, his eyes burning with rage as he summoned a new blade from the shadows, darker and more twisted than before.
"You think a mere trick like that is enough to defeat me?" Daelan sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "You're nothing, Kazuki. A speck of light that's about to be snuffed out."
Kazuki's response was a fierce grin, his eyes gleaming with defiance. "I'll show you just how bright that light can shine!"
With a swift motion, Kazuki held his hands out, summoning a circle of spectral weapons around him. Daggers, swords, and spears, all shimmering with ghostly light, hovered in the air, poised to strike.
"Spectral Armament: Phantasmal Arsenal!" he shouted, sending the weapons hurtling toward Daelan in a relentless assault.
Daelan raised his arms, summoning a wall of shadows to deflect the onslaught, but the spectral weapons pierced through, their energy tearing into him and forcing him back.
With a snarl, Daelan unleashed his own counterattack, shadows erupting from his form and transforming into monstrous shapes—hulking beasts with razor-sharp claws and fangs dripping with darkness. They lunged at Kazuki, their forms twisting and shifting as they closed in.
Kazuki's gaze hardened, his voice steady as he met the attack head-on. "You won't intimidate me with illusions, Daelan. I've come too far to back down now."
With a swift motion, Kazuki swung his Phantom Blade, slicing through the shadow beasts one by one, their forms dissipating into wisps of darkness. But Daelan's assault was relentless, and the beasts kept coming, each one more ferocious than the last.
Kazuki gritted his teeth, his movements becoming more desperate as he fought off the unending tide of shadows. He could feel his energy waning, his strength slipping away with every strike.
"Give up, Kazuki!" Daelan's voice was a cold, mocking echo in his mind. "This is a battle you can't win. You're only prolonging your suffering."
Kazuki's response was a fierce, defiant roar as he raised his blade once more, channeling every last bit of his energy into a final, desperate attack. "I'll never give up, Daelan. Not until I've avenged everyone you've taken from me!"
With a final surge of strength, Kazuki swung his blade with all his might, the Phantom Blade glowing with an intense light as it cut through Daelan's shadows, reaching for his heart.
But Daelan was ready, his own blade meeting Kazuki's in a clash that sent a shockwave through the air, the ground beneath them cracking and splintering under the force of their strike.
They stood there, locked in a deadly stalemate, their blades pressing against each other as they fought for dominance. Their eyes met, filled with hatred and determination, neither one willing to back down.
"You… won't… win," Kazuki whispered, his voice filled with a fierce, unbreakable resolve.
Daelan's response was a cold, twisted smile, his voice a low, mocking whisper. "We'll see about that, Kazuki. We'll see."