Grant’s eyes darted between the three figures, his thoughts racing. He couldn’t afford to waste time on an illusion, not when every second counted.

But he had no way of knowing which Izana was the real one. He needed a way to flush out the truth.

He closed his eyes for a moment, centering himself. The energy of the crystals embedded in his sword pulsed faintly, responding to his call.

He could feel their resonance, their connection to the surrounding magic. If he couldn’t see through the illusions, he’d force the illusions to reveal themselves.

"Crystal Barrier!" Grant roared, his voice echoing through the throne room.

The air around him shimmered as a rotating wall of crystals erupted from the ground, forming a protective dome around him. The crystals spun faster and faster, their jagged edges glinting in the dim light. They swirled outward, expanding in a brilliant, glowing spiral.

The three Izanas watched silently, their expressions unreadable. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, the crystal barrier exploded outward, sending shards of light-infused crystal flying in every direction.

Two of the Izanas vanished, their forms flickering like smoke as the crystal shards passed through them. But the third one—the one directly in front of Grant—stumbled back, raising his hand to shield himself from the assault.

A sharp gasp escaped his lips as the force of the crystal shards cut into his skin.

"There you are," Grant muttered under his breath, his eyes locking onto the real Izana. Without hesitation, he surged forward, his sword glowing with renewed power as he closed the distance between them.

The air crackled with energy as he swung his blade down, aiming for Izana’s heart.

But Izana wasn’t done yet. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a shimmering barrier of dark magic, deflecting Grant’s attack. The two forces collided with a deafening crash, the impact sending shockwaves through the room.

Izana gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain his shield against Grant’s relentless assault. "

You’re stronger than I anticipated," Izana admitted, his voice strained. "But this won’t be enough."

Grant pushed harder, his sword glowing brighter as he poured more crystal energy into the strike. He could feel Izana’s barrier weakening, the dark magic cracking under the force of his power.

With a final, powerful swing, Grant shattered the barrier, his blade slashing across Izana’s chest. The dark mage staggered back, clutching the wound as blood seeped through his robes. His eyes flashed with anger, but beneath the pain, there was something else—satisfaction.

"You’re good, Vanguard," Izana said, his voice low and rasping as he struggled to keep his footing. "But you’ve only delayed the inevitable."

Before Grant could react, Izana reached into his robes, pulling out a small, black artifact.

The dark magic surrounding it pulsed violently, as if it were alive. Izana’s hand trembled as he held the artifact high above his head, a twisted smile spreading across his lips.

Grant’s eyes widened as a sense of dread washed over him. He could feel the immense power radiating from the artifact—it was far beyond anything Izana had used so far.

"What is that?!" Grant demanded, taking a cautious step back.

Izana chuckled darkly, his voice filled with triumph. "This, dear Grant, is your end."

With a swift motion, Izana crushed the artifact in his hand, shattering it into pieces. The moment the artifact broke, the entire room was consumed by a wave of dark energy, the force of it so intense that the walls of the palace began to tremble.

The floor beneath Grant’s feet cracked as a massive shadow surrounded Izana and fused together. The shadow coalesced into a monstrous form—a towering demon with glowing red eyes and jagged, horned features. Its body was made of writhing darkness, constantly shifting and warping as it struggled to contain its own power.

The demon’s deep, guttural voice rumbled through the room, shaking the very foundation of the palace. "At last… I am free…"

Grant’s heart pounded as he stared up at the demon, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. This was no ordinary summon.

The creature before him radiated a power so immense, so overwhelming, that it felt like the very air around him was being pulled away. The presence of the demon was suffocating, its sheer size and aura dwarfing anything Grant had faced before.

Akuma looks around the room with a ruthless gaze screaming destruction "I am Akuma the Destroyer" he said, his voice growing deeper and demonic. "A demon of pure chaos, And I am now reborn."

Akuma turned its glowing red eyes toward Grant, a sinister smile spreading across its twisted face. "And you…" it growled, its voice like thunder. "You will be the first to fall before me."

The demon lunged at Grant with terrifying speed, its massive fists crackling with dark energy as they swung toward him.

Grant barely had time to react, leaping to the side just as Akuma’s fist slammed into the ground where he had been standing. The impact sent a shockwave through the room, shattering the stone floor and sending debris flying in all directions.

Grant rolled to his feet, his body aching from the strain of the battle. He could feel the cold bite of the wound in his side, but there was no time to tend to it now. He had to finish this fight before Akuma’s power grew beyond control.

The room felt as if it were shrinking around Grant, every breath heavy with the oppressive energy radiating from Akuma. The monstrous figure before him seemed to absorb the very light from the air, his aura growing darker and more chaotic with every passing second. Akuma’s skin crackled with ethereal black flames, and the twisted grin on his face reflected his growing thirst for destruction.

Stolen story; please report.

Grant’s grip on his sword tightened. The magic-infused blade hummed faintly, but it felt dull compared to the raw power that Akuma was manifesting. His red hair, damp with sweat, clung to his forehead. He had faced many foes before, but Akuma was different — this fight wasn't just about skill; it was about endurance, survival, and overcoming a monster who was getting stronger by the second.

“Your end is near” Akuma growled, his voice a deep, rumbling echo that reverberated in the pit of Grant’s chest.

Grant didn’t respond with words. He launched himself forward, moving faster than the eye could track.

His blade sliced through the air, a blinding arc of steel aimed at Akuma’s heart. But the demon was ready. With a casual wave of his hand, Akuma summoned a wall of blood that met the sword with a bone-chilling clang.

The impact sent tremors through Grant’s arms, but he didn’t stop. He followed up with another strike, and another. Each blow met resistance, Akuma blocking with seemingly little effort, his dark power morphing into barriers and weapons.

The fight was a storm of sparks, flashes of steel, and the resounding clash of magic versus magic.

Just when Grant thought he had found an opening, Akuma countered. With a roar, the sorcerer’s shadowy aura surged outward, engulfing Grant. Tendrils of dark energy whipped around him, constricting his limbs and dragging him closer. Akuma’s eyes glowed, the deep red of bloodlust.

"You can’t win this," Akuma hissed. "Every moment you waste fighting me, I only grow stronger. The darkness... feeds me."

Grant’s vision blurred as the pressure around him increased. His sword was useless in the grip of Akuma’s demon arts, and his body was weakening under the relentless force.

“Damn it…” Grant grunted, pushing against the crushing grip of the shadow. His muscles strained, veins bulging as he called on every ounce of his strength.

The air around him grew colder, and he could feel the weight of Akuma's power pressing down on him like a mountain. But he refused to give up.

Just as his vision started to dim, Grant’s eyes caught the faint glimmer of the crystal embedded in the hilt of his sword. It was a power he hadn’t fully tapped into before — a hidden strength within the crystal that had been waiting for this moment. With a sharp breath, Grant focused his energy, channeling it into the crystal.

The crystal responded immediately, its soft glow turning into a brilliant flare of light.

Grant felt a surge of energy rush through him, rejuvenating his limbs and strengthening his grip on his weapon. The bloody tendrils around him faltered for a moment, loosening their hold.

“Aetherium Surge!” Grant roared, his voice cutting through the oppressive darkness.

The energy from the crystal coursed through his body, amplifying his speed and strength. He broke free from the bloody prison, launching himself at Akuma with blinding speed.

His sword, now infused with crystal energy, cut through the air like a blade of light. He struck with a flurry of blows, faster than he had ever moved before.

Akuma, caught off guard by the sudden burst of power, staggered back. His shadows tried to defend him, but Grant’s strikes were too fast, too precise.

For the first time, Akuma’s confidence wavered. He snarled, his eyes glowing with fury as he summoned even more dark energy to combat the relentless assault.

Grant didn’t let up. Every strike pushed Akuma further, the ground beneath them cracking from the sheer force of their battle. The energy from the crystal surged through Grant’s veins like fire, but it came at a cost.

His muscles burned, and each swing of his sword took more effort than the last. The Aetherium Surge was powerful, but it was draining his stamina faster than he could handle.

Akuma roared, his dark energy exploding outward in a violent shockwave that sent Grant skidding across the battlefield. The demon’s body began to morph, growing larger and more monstrous. His muscles bulged, and his skin turned an even deeper shade of black, pulsating with raw, chaotic magic.

“You think you can stop me? Foolish!” Akuma bellowed, his voice deeper, more guttural. He swung his massive arm, and a wave of shadow shot toward Grant like a tidal wave.

Grant barely had time to react. He summoned a barrier of light with the last of his crystal’s energy, but the shadow wave slammed into him, shattering the barrier and sending him crashing into a nearby wall. Pain shot through his body as he struggled to stand, his breath ragged.

Akuma approached, towering over Grant like a dark god.

“This is the end,” he growled, raising his hand to deliver the final blow.

But Grant wasn’t finished yet. Summoning every last ounce of strength, he stood tall, his sword glowing faintly in his hand.

The crystal was nearly spent, but he had one final move left — a technique he had been saving for a moment like this.

"Crystals, hear my call!" Grant shouted, raising his sword high above his head. "Absorb into my sword and unleash your true power—Daybreak!"

The crystals embedded in his sword flared to life, glowing with an intense, radiant light.

The blade grew larger, crackling with raw energy as the crystal magic reached its peak. The air around Grant shimmered with the sheer power of the weapon, the light so bright that it cast long, jagged shadows across the throne room.

Akuma let out a deafening roar and charged at Grant again, its massive fists raised to strike. The ground shook beneath its weight, and the air crackled with dark energy as the demon closed in.

But Grant was ready.

With a surge of power coursing through him, Grant swung his sword with all his might. The blade, now infused with the full force of his Daybreak technique, cut through the air in a brilliant arc.

A massive wave of crystal energy erupted from the sword, glowing so brightly that it illuminated the entire throne room, casting away the shadows that had clung to the palace for so long.

The wave of energy shot toward Akuma, its light growing brighter and more intense with each passing second. The demon, sensing the imminent danger, raised its massive arms to shield itself, but it was too late.

The radiant energy collided with Akuma’s dark form, the impact shaking the very foundations of the palace.

Akuma roared in agony as the crystal energy tore into its body, its form flickering and writhing as the darkness was consumed by the light.

The demon's body began to crack and splinter, pieces of its jagged form breaking away and disintegrating into nothingness. The dark magic that had once made it so formidable was now unraveling, overwhelmed by the sheer force of Grant’s attack.

"No… this cannot be…" Akuma growled, its voice weak and fading as the last remnants of its body began to disintegrate. "You… are stronger than I thought, mortal… but I will return… one day… I will rise again…"

With those final words, Akuma's form shattered completely, dissolving into a cloud of dark energy that was swiftly swept away by the force of Grant’s attack. The demon's presence was no more, and the throne room fell silent, save for the soft crackle of fading magic.

Grant stood in the center of the ruined room, his chest heaving with exhaustion. His sword, now dimmed, returned to its normal size as the crystal energy dissipated. He staggered slightly, the pain from his wound catching up with him as the adrenaline began to fade.

Grant fell to his knees, exhausted from the fight. His body screamed for rest, the wound in his side throbbing painfully, but he couldn’t afford to stop now. He took a deep breath, gathering his strength once more, knowing this battle was far from over.

Before Grant could rest, the very ground beneath his feet began to shift. The palace walls trembled violently, cracks spreading rapidly as if the entire structure was being pulled apart by magic. The ceiling groaned under the pressure, chunks of debris falling to the floor as the castle threatened to collapse around them.

“It seems this isn’t over yet”