Boom! Kashi barely had time to cross his arms over his chest before Razznik slammed into him with the force of a speeding train. The draconian, who had yet to recover from his earlier injuries from resisting Razznik’s pressure, could not prevent himself from getting launched several dozen meters across the ground.
Kashi blacked out for a second, but then somersaulted to right his posture, and planted his feet into the ground. Krshh! The draconian’s feet served as an anchor, stealing his momentum until he grinded to a halt.
“Hng.” Kashi softly groaned as he weakly pulled his arms apart. He then glared at Razznik, who stood at Kashi’s previous location with his arm out. “Cheap Bastard.”
Razznik snorted as he drew back his arm. “The fact that you can speak should be proof enough that I am no such thing.” The Chaos God paused, and then added with a nod, “At least, not right now.”
Kashi’s initial shock and rage washed away, allowing him to think clearly. Indeed, in his previous state, Razznik could have easily decapitated him. There was no need to go for a mundane punch. If it were anyone else, Kashi might have attributed it to carelessness brought about by hubris, but Razznik was different. Razznik was the type to shoot a house rat with a shotgun. The madman would never give up a chance to slay a foe.
With this thought, Kashi quickly examined his body. Moments later, his lips curled in a frustrated smile. “Really. You used [ Mercy Fist ] ?” [Mercy Fist] was an original skill Razznik developed to lengthen certain fights. The skill channeled potent healing aura into a target, healing as much damage as possible. Razznik created this skill because some enemies were too proud to accept healing, especially during a beatdown. As its name implied, he transferred the healing through a punch or kick. As a result, most of his targets remained oblivious to his antics right up until he was done with them.
Indeed, aside from his throbbing arms, Kashi confirmed his inner organs which had been badly damaged from resisting Razznik’s aura were perfectly healed. Even his mana reserves had been restored to their peak. In essence he was just good as he was when he first stepped onto the battlefield.
‘No.’ Kashi clenched his fist. ‘I’m not the same. I’m stronger.’
Razznik observed Kashi’s closed fist. “You believe you are strong? You?” The Chaos God balled up his fists in derision. “You, who are still trying to run from the truth? A mere fragment, soon to be forgotten?”
“Fragment?” Kashi’s heart stopped for a second as he stared at Razznik. “You—”
“Yes, I remember everything. ” Razznik sneered as he took a step toward the stunned draconian. “You think you are strong when you cannot even accept your role? You exist for and will die for him . You know this, yet you try to flee from reality. What was it you said? ‘We will find a way for both of us to live?’ ” Razznik’s voice slowly began to rise as his brows furrowed with increasing anger. “With such a wishy-washy attitude, you will end up killing him to take his place!”
Razznik’s accusation struck Kashi hard. The daeben paled in fright as he processed the Chaos God’s claim. More than any punch, this topic hurt Kashi the hardest. That was because, on a fundamental level, he was created to help Suzuki. Once he did anything to jeopardize that mission, it would shatter the very foundation of his identity! “No. What’re you talking about. I would never—”
“You won’t kill him?” Razznik snorted as he stood over Kashi’s trembling frame. “Then accept your fate with pride.” Dark chaotic clouds emitting terrible pressure circled the Chaos God’s fist, which he raised over the paralyzed draconian. “You exist to die, so that Suzuki may live. Accept that, and I will at least consider you a man with a spine worth fighting.”
Kashi stood in place, his face pale white. Every word Razznik had spoken stabbed his heart, tearing at deeply buried insecurities even he was not aware of. No, wait. Was he truly unaware, or did he just pretend not to see them? ‘My fate is to die.’ On some level, Kashi had always been aware of this fact. Once he fulfilled his purpose, Kashi had to die to prevent a situation where he accidentally took over Suzuki’s body.
However, even though Kashi was aware of this fact, he had always managed to push it aside. Somehow, he convinced himself that it was possible to find another way. He would find a way for both he and Suzuki to live. All this time, was he truly looking for a way for both he and Suzuki to live, or was he looking for a way to avoid death? The two sounded similar, but, they could not be further from each other.
Seeking a way for both he and Suzuki to live meant that Kashi would do everything in his power to save themselves. However, if he failed, he would willingly give up his life so Suzuki could live. On the other hand, if he just wanted to escape death, then when the time came… ‘What would I do?’
Kashi’s hands trembled in horror as he realized that he did not have a definite answer. Despite what he told Suzuki, when faced with Razznik’s glare, he could not even lie to himself.
Razznik’s red eyes narrowed, their biting light filled with hatred as he observed Kashi’s shaky hands. “It seems my fears were right. You are but a tumor that must be excised. Sorry, but even now, my priority remains the same. I will eliminate all threats to Suzuki’s life—you included.”
“I-I’m a threat?” Kashi breathlessly stared at the fist that quickly filled his vision. His skin crawled with fright from the broiling chaotic energy. Kashi knew that the fist would shatter his skull, but he could not will himself to move.
What if Razznik was right?
What if he indeed ended up killing Suzuki one day?
Kashi wanted to claim he would never do it, but Suzuki’s very existence proved that was not the case. Even the most loyal Suzuki accidentally killed the original, much less him who desperately wanted to live.
‘Heh, I guess I really am weak.’ Kashi could not help but curl his lips in self-ridicule in acceptance.
BANG! “Ngh! Kashi! Get it together!”
Kashi looked up with lifeless eyes at Hektor who suddenly appeared in front of him. The red-haired teen gritted his teeth as he held up a rapidly cracking tower shield that blocked off Razznik’s punch.
Hektor’s heart dropped when he saw the emptiness in the draconian’s eyes. This was not the first time Hektor had seen darkness in Kashi’s eyes.
When they first met, Kashi’s eyes were heartless, even when he cracked jokes, like a marionette imitating a human. However, these eyes differed from those ones. At least, the earlier coldness had a purpose: it was a warning and a defensive mechanism to keep people away from him.
Kashi’s current eyes were more akin to familiar gazes in soldiers’ eyes during the Daeben Wars. Deep rooted despair and confusion upon realizing their lives had no meaning, and their entire existence only amounted to nameless cannon fodder.
“Kashi, I—” Dun! Hektor’s words froze in his throat when a strong hand gripped the top of the tower shield. However, he was not too worried. The oversized tower shield was carved from meteorite rocks. It could withstand direct impact from cannons let alone— Brackt!
“Why, if it is not the little Dragoon.” Razznik softly greeted as he easily snapped the stone shield in half. Razznik tossed the upper half in his hand and then raised his left hand to Hektor’s face. “That is a little nostalgic.” A blue mandala appeared in front of his left hand before Hektor could react. “[Ice—”
“Eat shit! [ Lunar Elemental Judgment!]”
“—Storm!]” Razznik forcefully swung his left arm to the sky at the last moment. A cold blizzard blasted out of the mandala at rocket speeds. The blizzard smashed into five magical spears, detonating them mid-air.
Razznik sensed danger and turned to Hektor, who glared at him with reddened puffed cheeks.
Without giving the man a chance to react, Hektor spat out volumetric dark-red flames strong enough to melt the gates of hell! Not even Razznik should have dodged that!
Or so Hektor hoped. Unfortunately, reality was far crueler. The Chaos God gracefully spun around the young man just as the first wisps began leaving the latter’s lips.
BAM! “Ackt!” Hektor coughed up blood as Razznik shattered his spine with a single kick, sending him crashing to the ground.
“GUAA!” Rex, stunned that the Chaos God broke through his barrier with ease, roared in pained anger as he charged at the heartless judge.
Razznik snorted as he glared at the charging Divine Dragon cub. “You are still too green. Go to sleep.” He made to catch the dragon, but then looked up at the sky where Syèl broke through the mist that had yet to clear from the previous explosion.
At the same time, Shokō, filled with endless killing intent, charged at Razznik from the side, hand on sword.
But that was not the end. Razznik’s perceptive mind picked up a few strands of blue hair floating around him, while the tiniest of cracks formed in the ground as tiny green shoots broke through.
“You all prove my point,” Razznik softly scolded as he lightly tilted his head to the left. As if destined, Sonic suddenly appeared behind Razznik and stabbed a dagger right where his head had been.
“What!?” Sonic’s soul nearly left his body when Razznik turned around and glared at him. The kafu quickly attempted to teleport, but Razznik grabbed his arm. To Sonic’s horror, he found he could not activate his teleportation. “How the hell!?”
“Basic mana disruption. It is nothing to be shocked about.” Razznik’s spoke in a deep, somber tone. But the calmer his voice, the more terror it inflicted on Sonic and the others. Unfortunately, before Sonic could react further, Razznik flipped him over and slammed him against the ground.
BAM! A giant tremor shattered the ground on impact, creating a deep pit that exposed several vines. Razznik stomped the revealed vines, causing Chaos Energy eruption.
Deadly energy rapidly ate away at the vines, rotting them inside out as Razznik flung Sonic’s limp body at Rex. The little dragon, lacking any real training and blinded by anger, failed to dodge in time as the kafu crashed into him with the force of a meteor.
As Sonic and Rex ground against the earth, Razznik took a step back and slightly tilted his body sideways. Just in time it appeared, as a glinting blade sailed down less than an inch near his face. Razznik glanced up the falling blade to the beautiful samurai with a determined gaze.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Shokō’s eyes narrowed as she observed Razznik’s calm gaze. For some reason, his demeanor reminded her of falling leaves at the back of her house. When she started practicing with the sword, she could never cut falling leaves. They always seemed to dance effortlessly around her sword, like they were mocking her. This time, however, the leaf was not content to simply dance past her sword. The gentle breeze rapidly morphed into a dangerous typhoon!
“You are strong,” Razznik praised as he clasped the blade with his left hand. “Unfortunately, you serve a weak leader.” With those words, Razznik tugged the blade forward, causing Shokō to stumble towards him as he delivered a Chaos Blow to her forehead.
“Get Away From Her!” Fortunately, Syèl finally reached them at that moment. The vampire’s eyes were red with blood as he descended like a bat from hell with hundreds of fireballs by his side. “[HELL HAIL!]” Those tiny fireballs blasted down towards Razznik, causing thousands of micro-explosions as Syèl swooped down and grabbed Shokō out of harm’s way.
Ka! Shokō’s brow twitched as she stared at her sword which had snapped in half. But, she had yet to feel the full extent of her shock when a heavy sense of dread rapidly filled her heart. “Syèl!”
“I Know!” Syèl’s chest nearly exploded with fright as his instincts called out death like he’d never felt before. He rapidly banked, falling a little to the right in an effort to throw off that sensation, but it only grew stronger.
Against his better judgment, Syèl looked back, only to see Razznik calmly standing amidst the burning flames, holding the other half of Shokō’s sword. Electricity crackled around the blade as it levitated off his hand, with the blade turning red hot from increased energy buildup.
BOOM! The shattered blade shot out of Razznik’s hand, accompanied by an explosion that nearly deafened everyone present.
No, that wasn’t quite right. By the time, the explosion resounded, the blade was already halfway tearing through several layers of thick, hardened blood shields. Syèl ran through thousands of scenarios in the microseconds it took for the blade to break through every barrier he constructed.
Sweat pooled on Syèl’s face when he realized he could not escape in time.
In that moment between life and death, Syèl’s entire life played out before him. From the day his father’s corpse almost suffocated him, to Henri’s smile, to her bloodied corpse and finally settled upon Saeko watching him with a sword strapped to her side.
“Heh, so that’s why I’m still alive.”
Syèl’s golden pupils glowed as terrible power began welling up within him. Sensing the rising change, Syèl resolutely pushed Shokō away and rapidly turned around.
“Syèl!”
The Vampire Prince ignored her angry shout as he stretched out both hands with an intense expression. “Alright, let’s play catch—Urk!”
Syèl let out a weak laugh as he looked down at the sword blade lodged in his chest. His bleeding hands wrapped around a section just about the length of his palm, barely preventing the blade from fully going through to stab Shokō who was still falling.
“Damn it, Shitty Dad.” Syèl weakly joked as he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. “You could have taught me a little J-League before dying off.”
On its own, the blade should not have caused too much damage, but all the energy stored in the blade exploded outward once it came to a stop.
Yes, including the part lodged within his chest.
Syèl’s organs – or rather, what wasn’t turned to mush from the explosion – struggled to maintain basic functions to keep him alive. Due to this, his body enacted emergency measures to conserve energy. Syèl’s eyes thus predictably rolled to the back of his head as he collapsed unconscious.
“Syèl!” Shokō angrily roared as she watched him fall. Unfortunately, before she could go to his side, Razznik appeared menacingly above her without a scratch on him. Shokō barely registered his presence, before her sword shot out like an enraged tiger!
Despite losing half her sword, Shokō’s sword did not lose any lethality. In fact, in her anger, Shokō unknowingly broke a shackle, causing a strange energy to wrap around her blade as she swung at Razznik.
Pa!
Despair colored Shokō’s face as she looked at the blade in Razznik’s hand. The demon had captured her all-out swing with a single hand!
In contrast to Shokō’s despair, Razznik’s gaze held a hint of praise. Shockingly, a slight trickle of blood dripped gently down his left hand. “As I said, you are indeed strong. Unfortunately, your strength has made him weak.” Razznik mercilessly drew his hand back and smashed Shokō with a realm-breaking punch.
No, that was not quite right. Razznik’s fist stopped a few inches from Shokō’s face. Unfortunately, the wind pressure generated by his punch slammed into the swordswoman with the force of a freight train!
Shokō instantly blacked out as the blast buried her deep beneath the ground.
Razznik had just knocked Shokō out when a golden javelin construct appeared in his left hand. Without missing a bit, he took a step forward and flung it!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The javelin shattered the sound barrier several times as it tore across the mountaintop! The construct struck a ten-meters-tall flower bud situated over two hundred meters away. The death missile ripped the bud to pieces, pierced Brilith’s abdomen and then pinned her to cliff face! She instantly passed out from the intense pain.
“Whoo~” Razznik slowly let out a breath and then turned to look at the still stunned draconian. Although it appeared like a lot had happened, in truth, the entire exchange from crushing Hektor to pinning Brilith had only taken approximately four seconds.
Razznik looked across the mountaintop. Except for those who attacked, the rest were still pinned to the ground, unable to extricate themselves from his overwhelming pressure. Well, that was to be expected. Even in this state, Razznik was still a god. No mortal should be able to stand before him. Hektor, Sonic and Brilith’s god marks shielded them, but Syèl and Shokō were definitely weird outliers.
No, wait. There was one more person who had a god mark.
Razznik scanned the battlegrounds until he saw Lunette helping Jade to her feet. The songstress’s god mark protected her from the worst of Razznik’s godly pressure. Unfortunately, her physical stats were severely lacking so she still had trouble moving under his violent aura.
Razznik surmised she wanted to quickly get Jade to the wounded before they bled to death. The Chaos God pondered for a bit, but then decided to ignore them. He did not care who lived or died amongst the onlookers. He was only here for Kashi.
“Do you see? This is the consequence of your weakness.” Razznik coldly scolded as he walked toward the draconian. “You are incapable of protecting your virtual ‘friends.’ Tell me, why should I trust Suzuki’s life to such a weakling?”
“I—” Kashi’s rebuttal froze in his throat. He wanted to say something, but he could not lie to himself. Indeed, what right did he have to live when he could not guarantee his one purpose for living?
Razznik’s scowl deepened in response to Kashi’s silence. Enraged, the Chaos God raised his left hand out, blocking Kashi’s sight, and balled his right hand into a fist. “Do not fret. I shall put you out of your misery shortly.”
WHOOSH! With those cold words, Razznik’s fist crashed toward Kashi’s face with prejudiced rage.
“Kashi!” Across the field, Jade screamed in fright and despair. Even from there, she could feel the terrible power surrounding that fist. If it struck the unprotected Kashi, there would only be death!
Strangely, compared to Jade, Lunette’s brows only furrowed softly, but her eyes held no panic. Perhaps it was fanatic, but the songstress did not believe Kashi would fall in a place like this.
Clang! BOOM!
Two sounds rang out in quick unison. First, the shattering of a blade, followed closely by a tremendous ki explosion that sent the nearby unconscious bodies tumbling across the rough earth.
At the explosion’s epicenter, Razznik’s brow rose in surprise as he gazed at the ragged man standing between him and Kashi. “You?”
“I am Kashi’s Shadow.” Shadow cut a sorry figure as he stumbled in place. Copious amounts of blood oozed from several cuts because of the earlier explosion. Even Shadow’s armor shattered in several places, leaving only scraps fluttering helplessly in the night winds.
However, despite his tragic appearance, Shadow glared at Razznik with a pair of the most determined eyes. “I. Am. Kashi’s. Shadow.”
“Yes, you said that.” Razznik replied, but then his brow rose as he realized something. “[Playback]” Intrigued by his hypothesis, Razznik utilized a temporal spell to peer a few seconds into the past.
There he saw it.
A few seconds ago, just as Razznik’s fist tore towards Kashi’s face, Shadow somehow arose from Kashi’s shadow. That was how he managed to close the distance! How did Shadow manage this when he should have been trapped under Razznik’s pressure?
The only obvious answer: Shadow broke through! He became a Transcendent once he realized Kashi’s life was in danger. Furthermore, it appeared his domain was intrinsically linked to Kashi’s existence in some way.
Razznik’s consciousness returned to the present, and he looked at the little assassin with prideful eyes. “As expected of trash. Tying your future path to this waste of space?”
“I. Am—”
“Kashi’s shadow. Yes, that is all you can say, isn’t it?” Razznik waved his hands over Shadow’s eyes. As expected, the assassin’s pupils did not react. Shadow had long since fallen unconscious. His overwhelming desire to protect Kashi, however, kept him on his feet.
Razznik softly nodded as he once again clenched his fist. “There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. Arrogance is stupidity. That you would dare face me knowing your weakness is proof of your stupidity. Very well. I shall grant you a fool’s death.” Whoosh! BAM ! “Oh, this is starting to get old.” Razznik sarcastically remarked in a playful tone as he looked at his fist. “You decided to finally join the party.”
“Are you hard of hearing?” Kashi softly growled as he tightened his grip around the Chaos God’s fist. “He is MY Shadow. Did I give you permission to touch him?”
Razznik sneered. “What’s yours is—”
“Why don’t you hold this FIST!?” BAM! A surprise punch suddenly struck Razznik’s face, sending him sliding several meters back. Kashi retrieved his right hand from the Dimension Tear he used to launch a sneak attack. While wearing a bright smile that dripped with murder, Kashi tapped Shadow’s shoulder as he stepped in front of him.
“I am truly sorry, Shadow. I am not worthy to have someone like you by my side.” Kashi’s eyes narrowed as he ran his claws through his unruly hair. “Indeed, a scatterbrained idiot like me is probably too stupid to protect anyone. But you know what’s even worse than being stupid? Being an absolute coward that runs away before the fight even starts. So, thank you for opening my eyes, Shadow.”
Gugugugu~ The earth began to tremble as Kashi started walking towards the Razznik. “I don’t know what the future holds. I may end up betraying Suzuki, or I may perish. Who cares?” The winds slowly picked up, billowing past the draconian. “Right now, you are my Shadow. So, I will do my part and become a figure so large that you will be spread across the entire world.” BRACKT! A bolt of lighting suddenly struck Kashi, but shockingly the electric sparks only arced constantly around his body, turning him into an avatar of lightning.
Kashi’s sparking red eyes burned with flames as he growled as he explosively kicked off the ground. BOOM! Within the blink of an eye, Kashi appeared before Razznik with a thrown fist.
Razznik parried the fist with a straight punch of his own, resulting in a terrible explosion that shattered the ground for several meters.
“Did you say I am weak?” Kashi’s rage exploded as several lightning and fire dragons danced around his fist. “Watch closely! I will show you just how weak I AM!”
“HA!” A terrible explosion rocked the mountaintop amidst Razznik’s mad laughter.
BOOOM!