Kazuki's vision blurred from exhaustion, his breaths heavy and uneven. He could feel the toll the battle had taken on his body, his limbs heavy as iron, but he couldn't allow himself to falter now. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to keep fighting. If he gave up here, if he failed now, Daelan's darkness would consume everything.
"Is that all you've got left?" Daelan's voice was a cold echo in the desolate clearing, dripping with mockery. He stepped forward, his presence looming larger, shadows curling around him like tendrils of night. "This is the end of your road, Kazuki. All your power, all your spirit… and this is where it leads you? Pathetic."
Kazuki gritted his teeth, steadying himself. "You think... you think this is it for me?" His voice was hoarse but defiant. He held his sword up, though his hands trembled with the effort. "I told you, Daelan… I'm not done yet. I'll keep fighting, even if I have to crawl."
Daelan sneered, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared Kazuki down. "You still don't understand, do you? Power doesn't come from will alone. Power requires sacrifice—true sacrifice. I've given everything for this." He gestured to the swirling darkness around him, his voice rising with a strange fervor. "I've consumed worlds, Kazuki. I've seen realms crumble to dust beneath my hand. And yet here you are, clinging to a weak resolve as if it will save you."
"It's not weak," Kazuki spat, his voice low but fierce. "Resolve is the one thing you can't destroy, Daelan. It's what makes me different from you. You might have power, but you've lost everything else."
Daelan's eyes narrowed, his lips curling in a bitter smile. "Is that what you think? That clinging to this pathetic little light will somehow make you superior? You don't know what true strength is."
With a sudden motion, Daelan raised his hand, and shadows leaped to his command, swirling into a sphere of dark energy that pulsed ominously. He let the orb hover just above his hand, tauntingly, before he sent it hurtling toward Kazuki.
Kazuki's instincts screamed at him to dodge, but his body wouldn't respond fast enough. He braced himself, summoning the last shreds of his energy into a shield of light around him. The dark sphere collided with his barrier, the impact rattling his bones as if they were about to shatter. He held his ground, teeth gritted as he struggled to keep the barrier intact, but cracks began to splinter across its surface.
"Is this truly the best you can muster?" Daelan's voice was a venomous whisper as he stalked forward, watching Kazuki with dark amusement. "Look at you, Kazuki. Barely standing, barely breathing. And yet you persist. Why?"
Kazuki's shield fractured further, shards of light falling away as the dark energy pressed in. He felt the chill of Daelan's power seep into his skin, his bones, but he refused to look away. He forced himself to meet Daelan's gaze, eyes blazing with determination.
"Because… I believe there's something worth fighting for," Kazuki said, his voice steady. "You've given up on everything for power, Daelan. But I… I'm fighting for something more."
"Something more," Daelan repeated, a mocking lilt to his voice. He shook his head as though he pitied Kazuki. "Those words… they're as hollow as your strength. There is no 'something more.' There is only power, and the will to seize it."
Kazuki's barrier finally shattered, the shards of light scattering around him as Daelan's dark energy struck him full force. Pain flared through his body, searing and relentless, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to let it break him.
Daelan laughed, the sound echoing in the darkness. "Do you feel it, Kazuki? The futility of your struggle? This is what it means to defy me. Pain. Suffering. Defeat. It is all that awaits those who stand in my way."
Kazuki staggered, his knees threatening to buckle under the weight of Daelan's power, but he steadied himself, his eyes never leaving Daelan's.
"You might be stronger than me," Kazuki admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, "but that doesn't mean you've won."
Daelan's smile faltered, his eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying… that you've underestimated me." Kazuki's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, a faint glow beginning to pulse from the blade. "I've learned something from this fight, Daelan. Strength isn't just about power. It's about endurance. It's about finding the courage to stand up… no matter how many times you're knocked down."
Daelan scoffed, rolling his eyes. "More meaningless drivel. You're stalling for time, hoping for a miracle that isn't coming."
Kazuki shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "No. I'm just waiting for the right moment."
Before Daelan could react, Kazuki summoned the last of his energy, pouring it into his blade. The light intensified, cutting through the shadows as he raised his sword high.
"Radiant Ascension!" Kazuki roared, the blade igniting in a blinding surge of light that cut through the darkness like the dawn. He swung the sword with everything he had, channeling his will, his resolve, into a single, decisive strike.
Daelan's expression twisted into one of shock as the light tore through his defenses, breaking through the shadows that cloaked him. The impact sent him reeling, staggering back as the energy burned through his cloak and into his very core.
For a brief, electrifying moment, Kazuki felt a surge of triumph. He had done it. He had broken through.
But Daelan wasn't finished. With a snarl, he straightened, his form battered but unbroken, the shadows gathering around him once more. His eyes glowed with a ferocity Kazuki had never seen before, a dark determination that matched his own.
"Impressive, Kazuki," Daelan said, his voice cold and filled with a dangerous edge. "But I'm not so easily defeated."
Kazuki's heart sank as Daelan stepped forward, his figure obscured by the writhing shadows that seemed to grow even darker, even more oppressive. He could feel the weight of Daelan's power pressing down on him, a suffocating presence that threatened to consume everything in its path.
"You wanted a fight, Kazuki? Then let me show you what true despair looks like," Daelan said, his voice a low, menacing growl.
He raised his hand, and the shadows surged forward, a tidal wave of darkness that swept toward Kazuki with relentless force. Kazuki braced himself, but he knew he was at his limit. He couldn't hold back this kind of power, not anymore.
But even as the darkness closed in, he refused to give up. He tightened his grip on his sword, his gaze fierce, unwavering.
"If you think I'm going to back down, then you don't know me at all," Kazuki muttered, a fierce glint in his eyes. "I'll fight you to my last breath, Daelan. No matter what it takes."
The darkness crashed over him, enveloping him in a suffocating shroud. But even as the shadows pressed in, he could feel a flicker of light within him, a small but unbreakable spark.
This wasn't the end. Not yet.
And as long as he had even a sliver of strength left, he would keep fighting.