Kazuki barely had a moment to gather his breath before Daelan stepped forward, his eyes blazing with a fierce, malevolent determination. The two stood across from each other, each one battered, bruised, and barely able to stand, but neither willing to back down. The silence stretched between them, a heavy, tense quiet filled only by the soft rustling of dust settling over the ravaged battlefield.
Daelan's lips curled into a cold, mirthless smile. "Still on your feet, I see. I almost thought you'd finally given up."
Kazuki's breath came in slow, painful gasps, each one a reminder of how close he was to his limit. But he met Daelan's gaze, his own expression steely and unyielding. "You don't know when to quit, do you? If you think I'm just going to lie down and let you destroy everything, then you really don't know me at all."
Daelan chuckled darkly, the sound low and menacing. "Destroy everything? No, Kazuki, I'm giving this world a chance—a chance to be reborn from its own ashes. A world where only the strong survive, where weakness is purged and strength reigns supreme. This… pitiful resistance of yours is only delaying the inevitable."
Kazuki's fingers tightened around the hilt of the Phantom Blade, his knuckles white. "And that's where you're wrong. A world ruled by fear and destruction isn't strength; it's tyranny. You want to be feared, Daelan. But I'd rather be the one who protects."
Daelan scoffed, his eyes narrowing with contempt. "Protect? You think that's strength? Protection breeds weakness. People grow dependent, soft. They lean on you, Kazuki, and they will bring you down. Why do you cling to such a foolish ideal?"
Kazuki straightened, finding strength in his own words. "Because there are people who believe in me, Daelan. People who still have hope, who want to see a better world. I won't let them down. Not now, not ever."
Daelan's expression twisted, a flicker of something almost like regret passing over his face before he shook it away. "Hope," he spat. "Hope is the illusion of the weak. And I will crush that illusion with every last shred of my power."
With a vicious snarl, Daelan summoned a surge of dark energy, shadows coiling around his form like writhing serpents. He held out his hand, the dark energy condensing into a massive, jagged blade that pulsed with malevolent power.
Kazuki steadied himself, channeling the remnants of his own strength into the Phantom Blade, its ethereal glow casting a faint, wavering light against the shadows. He knew he didn't have much left in him, but he had to stand firm. This was it—the final stand.
"Come on, Daelan," Kazuki challenged, his voice steady despite the exhaustion weighing on him. "Let's end this."
Without another word, Daelan lunged forward, his blade slashing through the air with deadly precision. Kazuki moved to intercept, meeting Daelan's strike with his own. Their blades clashed, sparks flying as light and shadow collided, the sheer force of their powers shaking the ground beneath them.
"Why, Kazuki?" Daelan growled, his voice barely audible over the sound of their clashing swords. "Why do you fight so hard for people who wouldn't do the same for you? People who are nothing but weak and fearful?"
Kazuki gritted his teeth, pushing back against Daelan's blade. "Because I believe they're worth fighting for. Strength isn't just about power; it's about what you choose to do with it. And I choose to protect."
Daelan snarled, his grip tightening on his blade as he pressed forward. "Foolishness," he spat. "Your ideals are nothing but chains that bind you. But I'll shatter them, Kazuki. I'll show you the true power that lies beyond your pathetic sense of duty."
With a fierce cry, Daelan unleashed a surge of dark energy, forcing Kazuki back. Kazuki staggered, struggling to keep his balance as the ground beneath him cracked and splintered under the pressure of Daelan's attack.
But he refused to fall.
Kazuki planted his feet, summoning the remnants of his strength as he raised the Phantom Blade once more. The light flickered, wavering as if it, too, were on the verge of giving out. But Kazuki focused, channeling his resolve into the blade.
"Phantom Blade," he whispered, his voice filled with quiet determination. "One last time… let's protect them."
With a surge of power, the Phantom Blade flared to life, its light piercing through the shadows surrounding him. Kazuki gripped the blade tightly, his gaze fixed on Daelan with unwavering resolve.
Daelan sneered, his dark blade pulsing with anticipation. "So, you still have some fight left in you. Good. I'd hate for this to end too quickly."
Kazuki charged forward, his blade a blur of light as he closed the distance between them. Daelan met him head-on, their swords clashing in a blinding explosion of energy. The force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, the ground shattering beneath their feet.
They fought with everything they had, neither willing to back down, each strike more desperate than the last. Kazuki's breaths came in ragged gasps, his body screaming in protest with every movement. But he pushed through the pain, driven by a fierce determination to protect the world he loved.
Daelan's expression was a twisted mix of rage and satisfaction, his eyes gleaming with a dark thrill as he unleashed a torrent of shadowy tendrils, each one lashing out with deadly intent. Kazuki dodged and parried, his movements fueled by instinct and sheer willpower.
But he knew he couldn't keep this up forever. Every second he spent fighting drained him further, his vision blurring as exhaustion began to take its toll.
Daelan sensed his weakness, a cruel smile spreading across his face as he pressed the attack, his blade cutting through the air with deadly precision. "This is the end, Kazuki," he taunted, his voice filled with dark triumph. "Your light is fading. Soon, there will be nothing left of you."
Kazuki's vision dimmed, his grip on the Phantom Blade faltering as he struggled to hold on. But he refused to give in, his thoughts drifting to the people he was fighting for—the friends he had lost, the lives he was determined to protect.
With a final surge of strength, Kazuki summoned every last ounce of his power, the Phantom Blade flaring with one last burst of light as he lunged forward, his voice a fierce shout of defiance.
"For everyone who believes in a better world—this ends now!"
Their blades met in a blinding explosion of light and shadow, the force of their powers colliding in a deafening roar that shook the heavens and earth alike.