Kazuki was still adjusting to the brightness of the world outside the temple, the sunlight warm against his face. The weight of his journey felt just a little lighter, his spirit bolstered by the recent encounter with Seraphine's echo.
But just as he took another step forward, a familiar chill washed over him. He halted, senses on high alert as the air around him thickened, tinged with a dark energy that he knew all too well. He gripped the hilt of his Wraithblade, eyes scanning the landscape.
And then he saw him.
Daelan stood a few paces away, his presence as menacing as ever, eyes blazing with that unsettling mix of fury and ambition. His face was twisted in a cold smirk, the veins along his arms and neck pulsing with dark energy. He looked more powerful, more dangerous, than Kazuki remembered, as if his time in the shadows had only made him stronger.
"Well, well," Daelan sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Did you really think you could rid yourself of me so easily, Kazuki?"
Kazuki's grip on his blade tightened, his gaze unwavering. "I knew you'd come back eventually, Daelan. It's like a bad dream that refuses to end."
Daelan laughed, the sound low and unsettling. "A bad dream, am I? Perhaps. But a dream that will haunt you until I'm finished with you."
With that, he raised his hand, energy sparking around him, the ground beneath his feet cracking as raw power surged through him. "Let's see if you can survive this time, Kazuki," he spat, his voice rising. "VOID REAVER!"
A dark, swirling mass of energy formed in Daelan's hand, pulsating with a power that felt like a black hole, as if it could devour everything in its path. He thrust it toward Kazuki with a force that split the earth, tendrils of darkness stretching out like claws reaching for their prey.
Kazuki sprang back, his own power surging to the surface. "WRAITH SHROUD!" he roared, and his form blurred, shrouded in spectral shadows that flickered around him like ghostly flames. The tendrils of Daelan's attack passed through him harmlessly, dissipating into wisps of darkness.
Daelan's eyes narrowed, impressed but undeterred. "You think you can dodge forever?" he snarled, his voice laced with venom.
Kazuki steadied himself, taking a deep breath as he summoned the power within him, feeling it resonate with his determination. "I don't need to dodge forever. I just need one strike." He lifted the Wraithblade, the weapon glowing with an ethereal light as he focused his energy. "PHANTOM BLADE!"
With a powerful slash, Kazuki unleashed a wave of spectral energy, the attack tearing through the air like a raging torrent, aimed straight at Daelan. The wave crashed toward him, relentless and unyielding.
But Daelan was ready. He raised both arms, his eyes glinting with a deadly calm. "VOID ABSORPTION!" he shouted, and a vortex of dark energy opened in front of him, swallowing Kazuki's attack, the power dissipating into the black void without a trace.
Kazuki's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't falter. "Impressive," he admitted. "But I'm just getting started."
Daelan's smirk grew wider. "Good. I'd hate for this to end so quickly."
The two stood there for a heartbeat, the tension in the air thick as thunderclouds, each one sizing up the other, their powers brimming just beneath the surface. And then, as if by silent agreement, they charged.
Kazuki leaped forward, his Wraithblade slashing in an arc as he channeled his energy. "SPECTRAL JUDGMENT!" he shouted, the blade glowing with an intense light as it cut through the air, the power aimed to pierce through Daelan's defenses.
Daelan met him head-on, his own hands crackling with dark energy. "VOID CLAWS!" he roared, his fingers elongating into sharp, obsidian-like talons that clashed against Kazuki's blade. The impact sent shockwaves through the air, the ground beneath them fracturing as the two forces collided.
They separated, only to clash again, their movements a flurry of attacks and counters, each one refusing to give an inch.
"You're strong, Kazuki," Daelan said, his voice barely a breath as they locked eyes. "But strength alone won't save you."
Kazuki's eyes burned with defiance. "I don't need saving. I fight because I have something worth fighting for!"
He raised his free hand, energy gathering at his fingertips as he unleashed a blast of spectral fire. "SOUL FLARE!"
The blast shot toward Daelan, the flames swirling with ghostly energy. Daelan crossed his arms, forming a barrier of darkness as the flames collided with it, their energies crackling and sparking in a violent clash.
"Is that all you've got?" Daelan taunted, pushing back against the flames, his eyes glinting with a dangerous gleam. "Let me show you true power." He extended his arms, dark energy gathering around him as the shadows seemed to come alive, swirling around him like a maelstrom. "VOID CONSUMPTION!"
The vortex expanded, threatening to devour everything in its path, the darkness stretching out toward Kazuki like a tidal wave. Kazuki gritted his teeth, feeling the pull of the void, the raw power that threatened to engulf him.
But he wasn't done yet.
He gripped the Wraithblade with both hands, summoning every ounce of strength he had left, the blade pulsing with a fierce light that pushed back against the encroaching darkness. "I won't let you win, Daelan," he shouted, his voice echoing through the chaos. "WRAITH NOVA!"
With a final surge of energy, Kazuki unleashed a blinding explosion of light, the power radiating from him in waves that clashed against Daelan's darkness, their energies colliding in a storm of power that shook the very ground beneath them.
For a moment, they were locked in a stalemate, their powers evenly matched, each one refusing to back down.
Daelan's eyes narrowed, his gaze fierce. "You're a fool if you think this is over."
Kazuki's expression was equally intense, determination etched into every line of his face. "Then come at me with everything you've got."
Their voices echoed as they shouted their abilities in unison, each one pushing the other to the limit, their attacks intertwining in a deadly dance, their powers clashing in a storm of light and darkness that blazed like a star in the night. Neither willing to yield, neither willing to fall.
And so they fought, locked in a battle that neither could walk away from, each one determined to be the last one standing, their fates entwined in the chaos of their own creation.