Kazuki's grip tightened around Wraithblade, feeling the weight of his exhaustion pressing down on him. But he knew he couldn't stop now. He could feel the fire of his determination burning brighter than ever before. Daelan was still standing, a malevolent smirk painted across his face, his eyes glinting with both malice and anticipation.
Daelan sneered, raising his hand as shadows began to coil around his fingers, ready to strike again. "You're persistent, Kazuki. But it's time I show you the true depths of despair. VOID CORRUPTION!"
A vortex of darkness surged from Daelan, spiraling toward Kazuki with a violent speed, its edges flickering with an eerie light. Kazuki barely dodged, feeling the heat of the attack skim past him. He knew that if he was going to end this, he'd have to put everything into one final move.
Kazuki's voice was steady, his gaze unwavering as he stared down Daelan. "I've had enough of you, Daelan," he said, his words laced with cold fury. "If you're so obsessed with destruction, then I'll let you experience it… over and over again."
Daelan laughed, dismissing the threat. "Bold words from a man barely standing. What more could you possibly do?"
Kazuki took a deep breath, focusing all of his remaining energy, channeling it into his blade until it pulsed with an intense, spectral light. He whispered, almost to himself, "Spectral Judgment: Infinite Requiem."
The air around them stilled, as if reality itself was holding its breath. Kazuki's voice rang out, firm and commanding, as he spoke the power's name, solidifying it into existence. His eyes met Daelan's, and for the first time, he saw a flicker of hesitation in his rival's gaze.
Daelan scoffed, but there was a nervous edge to his voice. "What are you doing, Kazuki?"
"Something you'll never forget," Kazuki replied, his tone calm but deadly. He raised the Wraithblade, and in that moment, Daelan felt the pull of an unseen force locking him in place. Kazuki's power took root, casting Daelan into an endless cycle where his end would be played out before him in every agonizing detail.
Around them, reality began to fracture, splitting into dozens, then hundreds of mirror-like shards, each one capturing a glimpse of Daelan in his final moments. Kazuki could feel the strain of holding such an immense power, but he gritted his teeth, pouring every ounce of his will into the spell.
Daelan looked around, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening. He tried to move, to break free, but his body was frozen, trapped in Kazuki's hold.
"Kazuki!" he snarled, his voice wavering with a mix of anger and fear. "What is this?"
Kazuki's gaze was cold and unyielding. "Your fate. You wanted to see the power of the void? Then experience it. Over and over again." His voice grew louder, resonating through the void. "Spectral Judgment: Infinite Requiem."
With a flick of his wrist, Kazuki activated the spell, and Daelan's image began to shift, each shard reflecting a new version of his end, each more brutal and haunting than the last. Daelan's form flickered, splitting into countless versions of himself, all caught in the loop of their inevitable demise.
Kazuki watched as the scenes played out, feeling a strange sense of calm as he observed his rival's helpless struggles, his screams echoing through the fractured reality around them. Every desperate cry, every failed attempt to escape, echoed endlessly in the void.
Daelan's voice cracked, his desperation mounting with each passing second. "Kazuki, stop this!" he shouted, his confidence dissolving into terror. "You can't… you wouldn't…"
But Kazuki's expression remained impassive. "You brought this on yourself, Daelan. I'm only giving you what you wanted—a world shaped by your own destruction."
He closed his eyes, channeling the last of his energy into the final phase of his power. The infinite cycle of death spun faster, each fragment spinning in tandem until they formed a spiraling galaxy of light and darkness, centered around Daelan's trapped soul. Kazuki could feel the power building, a crescendo of energy that would soon reach its breaking point.
"Spectral Judgment: Final Requiem."
With those words, Kazuki released the energy, letting it explode outward in a cataclysmic burst. The entire galaxy of shattered realities imploded upon itself, each shard collapsing into the void, taking Daelan with it in a blaze of light and darkness. The explosion rippled through space, an inferno of spectral energy that consumed everything in its path.
Kazuki felt himself being pulled back, his vision blurring as the overwhelming energy washed over him. The force of the spell had taken everything he had. His grip on the Wraithblade loosened, and he felt his consciousness slipping.
And then, silence.
Kazuki's body began to drift, caught in the fading remnants of his own power as he hurtled through the void, the stars blurring around him as he was drawn back to the world he had fought so hard to protect. He felt the cold grip of the earth beneath him as he re-entered the atmosphere, the rushing air whipping past him as he plummeted toward the ground.
The last thing he remembered was the feeling of the earth beneath him, solid and real, before everything went dark.
He lay motionless, his body bruised and broken, his breathing shallow. The weight of the battle lingered on him, a heavy exhaustion that seemed to sink into his very bones.