Before another attack, Maken can't hide the astonishment on his face:

"(He was able to harness the curse to use it to his advantage... What kind of being is this?! I now understand why I was summoned to execute him. However, I still have a chance to defeat him. If I can keep inflicting damage, there will come a point when his body will lose enough energy. That's when I will finish him off!)"

"(This is just a bet... I can't hold this much power for long. I have to regenerate and end this duel as quickly as possible. That's while avoiding any more injuries... Alright. Let's get this over with then. Bring it on, Maken!)

HAAAHHH!!"

Maken prepares to charge forward, but Vektor attacks the air using the Slasher Platinum. Attacking with a vertical slash, the flames released by the sword, in addition to being much more intense than before, are also shot forward as a wave of fire in the shape of a half moon.

Maken easily dodges, but the delayed reflex caused by his surprise causes the tips of some of his hair to be burned. He starts running towards Vektor, who incessantly continues to attack with waves of fire. Even though he manages to dodge all the attacks, the swordsman cannot find any opening for another frontal attack.

Trying to reduce the disadvantage generated by the proximity, Maken moves away from Vektor with each attack he dodges, thus increasing the distance between each attack. As soon as he finds an opportunity, he starts running away from the attack range area.

But while the swordsman decides to try attacking Vektor from some blind spot, his train of thought is interrupted by another wave of fire about to hit him.

"(W- What?!)"

His reflexes allow him to dodge the attack clumsily, causing him to fall to the ground. However, Vektor's attack comes so close to hitting Maken that it burns his hair clip, along with several strands of hair.

Vektor ceases his attack to focus on his regeneration. Desperate, Maken stares at his flaming enemy from afar, still confused by the sudden turn of events.

"All this power, manifested so suddenly... No normal human being should be able to withstand it, much less with so little experience. Seeing it up close is so surreal, it's almost offensive. How did he get this far like this?! I only got this far because I decided to dedicate my heart to Lord Vak! Yes... I must remember. The reason I'm here. The promise that my fury would be converted into power. Vektor Drenn! I'll show you how much fury I still hold inside me!"

Without leaving Vektor's field of vision, Maken slowly stands up and readies his sword. In response, Vektor once again prepares to attack with another wave of fire, but is momentarily interrupted by a failure in his internal organs, causing him to cough up blood and lower his guard.

The next moment, Maken is already in front of him, ready to attack.

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"Two-dimensional slashes: 16-directions Cage!"

For the second time, Vektor is hit by the enemy's most powerful technique, which further complicates his regeneration. His body slowly leans back, but before he can fall to the ground, his left foot firmly takes a step back that keeps him up. His external wounds heal relatively quickly, indicating that the regeneration of his organs has slowed down.

After stabilizing himself, his sweaty face and heavy breathing clearly indicate his exhaustion. Maken considers this his best chance to attack and charges forward without a second thought. Even on the verge of collapse, Vektor does not let his guard down.

Vektor and Maken begin to exchange sword strikes. Lacking the speed and stamina to fight on par with his enemy, Vektor attempts to use what he has learned about Maken's sword fighting style to deliver slashes that can defend him against multiple attacks at once. However, this does not guarantee him a perfect defense, which forces him to dedicate part of his energy to exhaling purple flames to instantly heal shallow wounds.

Even though both are using their maximum power, neither of them is permanently injured, thanks to the effect of the purple flames. Vektor, however, is clearly at a disadvantage:

"(Come on... Just hold on a little longer... I just need time to heal inside... Come on, I'm almost winning...!)"

"Give up! You don't even have the forces to continue fighting! Give up once and for all and let me kill you already!!"

"(...Done!)

HAH!"

With his body fully healed, Vektor focuses on increasing his power and unleashes a powerful flaming slash to distract Maken. He takes advantage of this distraction to move away and concentrate. Without the energy to continue the battle, Vektor decides to dedicate himself to ending the duel with his next strike, preparing his most powerful flaming slash using the strength of both his hands.

Completely uneasy, Maken leaps forward to deliver another two-dimensional slash, but Vektor delivers his final blow as a counterattack. In the end, the conclusion of this duel comes down to a contest of strength. As Vektor's soul ceases to absorb dark energy and becomes one consciousness with his body, Maken rages uncontrollably:

"JUST DIIIIIE!!!"

"HaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH...!!!!!!!!!!!!"

In a burst of adrenaline, Vektor disperses all of his aura with an explosion, causing Maken to momentarily lose his balance, and a sudden momentum for his final attack, granting him enough strength to disarm his enemy while creating a gigantic wave of fire in the shape of the Eclipse Amulet.

Just like his sword, Maken's body is thrown away due to the impact caused by Vektor's attack. As he stands up, he finds his sword not far from him. But before he has a chance to walk towards his weapon, his knees fall numb to the ground.

"What...? Why won't my legs move?

(...So that was it! That purple aura of his was draining my energy. I messed up, I got too distracted by the battle. But I don't have to worry. I bet he shouldn't even be able to move a muscle now. I'll use this chance to...)"

"Where are you looking at?"

"...!"

Maken was so distracted looking at his sword that he didn't notice that his enemy was already standing in front of him, with the Slasher Platinum's blade pointed at his face. With his body completely unharmed and his normal appearance restored, Vektor maintains a firm posture and gaze, struggling to maintain his consciousness. Maken freezes in his own disbelief:

"H- How...? How?! How did things end up this way?! You shouldn't even be standing! As for me... I feel like... That's right... I'm in the same situation as when I defeated Katsuo. Only this time, I'm the one who's fallen to my knees. How humiliating... The difference is, unlike Katsuo, I can't even defend myself. I guess that's it... I was defeated."

Frustrated, Maken accepts his fate, closes his eyes and lowers his head, thus declaring defeat. After lowering his sword, Vektor impatiently grabs his enemy's hair and pulls it upwards, lifting Maken's body as he prepares for one last attack...

Slash!

...