My weapon clashed against it.

Ten times.

Hundred times.

Thousand times.

Each clash sent shockwaves containing debris and mana, shaking the city-wide space we were in. Each clash sent jolts of pain through my arms. Even with Rapid Healing, borrowed Regeneration and my high Vitality stat wasn’t enough to stop my skeleton from being crushed against several tons of metal slamming into me countless times.

It only knew enough of a swordplay to properly swing its massive sword. However, I have never been able to take advantage of it because of how fast it was. Its power was expected, as size brought power with it but its speed? Fuck, it was fast. It was like a tank moving as fast as a fighter jet.

Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. If it wasn’t for Blanche’s constant support, my arms probably would have gone to a vacation away from the rest of my body. However, even her lightning and ice magic coupled with her rapier and sabre weren't enough to do more than scratch Voidborne Tyrant's armor.

“No wonder this boss is meant for 6 people.”

I dodged the blade coming down upon me before it hit the platform I was in and destroyed it. I inspected its blade, noticing cracks. Finally, Swordbreaker’s option is finally showing itself after thousands of swings.

I sighed as I ran towards its back. I needed some break from constant clashes even though I was so close to breaking its sword. As I neared, one of its skeletal wings lashed out, catching me off guard. I blocked the energy wave it fired against me as I switched my weapon to the Luminous Willblade, channeling my mana and Armor Collapsing Claw into it. Seeing as the energy wave did nothing, its sinuous appendages whipped towards me. I leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding them as I finally managed to get behind it. It tried to turn to face me with an agility not fitting something as big as it but I fired Mana Erupt, propelling myself to its head level.

Frost Booster, Ferocity of Wolf King, Titan Slayer’s Rune, Hunter’s Mark, and lastly, Starlight Rend. I used active options of all my items while channeling as much mana and Armor Collapsing Claw as I could while flying towards the head of Tyrant.

The Voidborne Tyrant's head loomed like a dark star, its jagged crown of bone and steel emanating an aura of unyielding malice. Its eyes—smoldering orbs of violet flame—locked onto me as I surged forward. My vision narrowed, and the cacophony of the battlefield faded, replaced by the thunderous beat of my own heart. My blade grew in size with energy reminiscent of countless stars in a purple night sky.

The Voidborne Tyrant raised its colossal sword, the cracks on its surface now webbing out like fractures in glass. But even now, its movements were swift, almost inhumanly precise. It swung in a desperate arc to intercept me, the sheer force of the swing cutting through the air like a hurricane.

(Your life is in mortal danger. Arrow Time is activating automatically.)

I was flying too fast even as everything around me grew slow to a tenth of its original speed. I couldn’t get out of the way without creating some kind of explosion and wasting all the energy gathered on my blade. I could dodge the blade using Shadow Melt but the dark energy on its sword made me worry, plus…

“That’s how losers think! I will tear your sword into pieces!”

With a roar that echoed through the Voidborne Tyrant's city-wide arena, I tightened my grip on the Luminous Willblade, pouring every ounce of my will, mana, and sheer defiance into the strike. The Voidborne Tyrant's sword came down like an executioner’s guillotine, its massive blade a storm of dark energy that threatened to swallow me whole.

My muscles screamed as I twisted mid-air, a comet of starlight streaking toward its monstrous weapon. This was it—a collision of pure, unrelenting force. The Swordbreaker had to succeed.

(You absorbed some mana.)

"Break!" I bellowed, slamming my blade into the cracks riddling the Tyrant's sword. The impact shook the very air, a deafening crack resounding as mana and shards of dark energy erupted in a blinding explosion. The Voidborne Tyrant’s weapon shattered into countless fragments, its once-imposing form reduced to jagged debris spiraling into the void. The backlash hurled me through the air, my body a ragdoll flung toward the arena’s edge.

Blanche's voice cut through the chaos. "Poyraz!"

Before I hit the ground, a whirlwind of ice and lightning enveloped me, Blanche's magic cushioning my fall. I landed heavily but upright, clutching my side as I panted for breath. My armor was scorched, my arms trembling from the strain. But the Tyrant’s blade—its most terrifying asset—was no more.

The Voidborne Tyrant let out a guttural roar, its skeletal wings flaring with fury. Even without its sword, the monster wasn’t done. It raised a massive clawed hand, the jagged tips glowing with an ominous violet energy. Not soon after rifts in the space tore their way to our reality, releasing the same dark energy Tyrant wielded.

“Suck my balls, fucker!”

Drawing mana from Gökbörü, I manifested four Megalithic Wards of the Water, activating their Ward of Protection option to cover us with a protective dome. The dome shimmered around us, the translucent barrier pulsating with energy as the Voidborne Tyrant’s attack collided against it. The sheer impact rattled my teeth, the pressure forcing me to one knee as I strained to hold the wards steady. Cracks spider-webbed across their surface, but the dome held.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Can you still fight?”

Blanche helped me get up.

“Hell yeah.”

I answered as I drank a healing potion and activated Monstrous Strength and Beastification.

“Good. I will be using my perfected crest. Can you keep up with me?”

I chuckled. Perfected crest? Not lightning mode?

“You are the one who should keep up with me.”

I replied with a smug grin, drawing an annoyed look from her.

“We will see about it.”

Blanche’s transformation was nothing short of breathtaking. The lightning around her surged like a living storm, coiling and snapping with relentless energy. Her ice armor shimmered like crystal, refracting light into a dazzling spectacle of colors. Yet beneath that beauty was raw, destructive power—a perfected balance between grace and devastation. It was similar to the form she took when she lost control but this time, she was in charge.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t going to let her steal all the thunder. With Monstrous Strength and Beastification coursing through me, my body surged with primal energy. My muscles expanded, veins glowing faintly as mana intertwined with my flesh. My senses sharpened, the Voidborne Tyrant’s movements becoming clearer despite its overwhelming speed. My limbs, reinforced by mana and animalistic instinct, felt ready to tear through steel.

The Tyrant, now unarmed but far from defeated, let out a guttural roar that reverberated through the arena. Its skeletal wings flared wide, and violet energy surged across its claws and body, warping the air around it. Dark rifts continued to open, spilling torrents of corrupted mana into the battlefield.

Blanche and I exchanged a look. No words were needed—this was it. We surged forward as one.

Blanche was a streak of storm and frost, her movements blurring as she darted ahead. I followed close behind, a juggernaut of raw power and mana, the ground cracking beneath my feet with every step. The Voidborne Tyrant's claws slammed down, aiming to obliterate us both in a single stroke. Blanche weaved through its strikes with breathtaking precision, her sabre and rapier slicing through the air, leaving trails of ice and lightning that shattered and shocked the surrounding void energy.

I took a more direct approach. With Monstrous Strength amplifying every fiber of my being, I intercepted one of its claws mid-swing. My Luminous Willblade met its talons in a clash that sent a deafening shockwave through the arena. The ground beneath us cratered, but I held firm, forcing the claw back as Blanche exploited the opening, her blades carving into the Tyrant's exposed joints.

“Keep hitting it!” she shouted, her voice crackling like the lightning that danced around her.

I didn’t need the reminder. With a feral roar, I released the Roar of War Goddess, buffing both of our capabilities. The Voidborne Tyrant howled in fury, its skeletal wings thrumming with unstable energy. Its claws, now glowing with violet flames, lashed out in chaotic arcs, distorting the air and causing rifts in reality to ripple outward.

But we didn’t falter. Blanche’s form was a blur of ice and lightning, her strikes relentless as she continued her assault on the Tyrant’s joints. Each of her attacks was calculated, aimed to sever the flow of energy coursing through its armored form. Every strike she made left cracks in the once-impenetrable carapace.

Meanwhile, I was a storm of brute force and mana. The Luminous Willblade, now imbued with the combined power of my active abilities and enhancements, burned with a starlit brilliance. Each swing is carved through the Tyrant’s claws and appendages, forcing it to retreat under the combined pressure. I moved with unrelenting aggression, keeping its attention on me to give Blanche the space she needed to strike without hesitation.

The Tyrant roared again, its frustration evident as one of its skeletal wings burst with violet energy, releasing a wave of concentrated void mana. The attack tore through platforms and sundered the air, but I leaped into the path of the blast, raising the Megalithic Ward of the Water. The shield expanded, absorbing the brunt of the void energy, though the impact drove me to my knees.

Blanche seized the moment. With a cry of defiance, she sent a surge of energy that coalesced into a massive, spiraling spear of lightning and ice. She hurled it with all her might, the projectile ripping through the air like a thunderbolt. It struck the Tyrant square in its chest, the force detonating in a dazzling explosion of frost and electricity. The Tyrant staggered, its armored chest plate shattering to reveal the swirling core of its essence—a vortex of violet energy contained by fractal runes.

“Now!” Blanche screamed, her voice carrying over the chaos.

I didn’t hesitate. Summoning every ounce of strength left in me, I leaped toward the exposed core. The Voidborne Tyrant flailed desperately, its remaining appendages whipping through the air in a final attempt to defend itself. But I wasn’t going to stop—not now. Using Mana Erupt to propel myself faster, I dodged through its desperate strikes, my vision tunneling as I approached the core.

I roared, channeling everything into my blade. The Luminous Willblade burned brighter than ever, its edge now an extension of the heavens themselves. The energy within it pulsated with the brilliance of countless stars, ready to annihilate the darkness before me.

I drove the blade into the core with all my might. The collision unleashed a cataclysmic burst of energy that rippled through the void, shaking the entire arena. The Tyrant let out one final, deafening roar as its form crumbled, its essence fracturing and dissipating into the abyss.

The battlefield fell silent.

I landed heavily on a nearby platform, my legs buckling as exhaustion finally took hold. My breathing was ragged, my entire body was trembling from the strain of the fight. Blanche appeared at my side moments later, her dual blades dissipating as she crouched next to me.

“We did it,” she said softly, a rare smile breaking through her usual stoicism.

I chuckled weakly. “Yeah... One more to go.”