Everything has an end.

In the ages before Heroes and Demon Kings existed, the world transitioned between eras through natural disasters. Torrents, typhoons, ice ages etc. It was an inevitable phase of life.

But it all changed when the demonkin attacked.

Darkness became a part of the world, and it was incorporated into the disasters. Now, due to the nature of darkness, the disasters transformed from a phase between eras to the end of the world. It took the shape of living entities like beast or even humans, all dyed in the darkest black.

That's how the Calamities came to be.

With the purpose of destroying the world, they were worse than demons who wished to conquer, and caused indiscriminate damage to the surroundings.

Now, the human figured mass of black slowly stepped towards Ark and the elf group. It's steps heavy and intimidating. The Calamity had shining violet eyes and the size of a bear.

"A-Aqua Vortex!"

A spiral stream of water hit the Calamity, that didn't attempt to evade, directly. The current split apart and washed the blood soiling the earth.

The Calamity was unaffected.

Anna subsequently unleashed a barrage of arrows packing with mana. She should be commended for maintaining enough composure to not freeze at her feet.

Of course, it was useless against a Calamity.

When the swordswoman was about to charge, Ark grabbed her and tossed her back.

"It's useless! You can't even scratch that thing with half-hearted magic!"

It would've been a different case were she a real swordswoman, or even a swordmage. But she was a spellsword: a sword wielder augmenting herself with just magic.

Ark knew that it's only advantageous until a certain level, and that a spirit was the best for weapon-utilizing battles.

"Just escape! Tell Kenrik it's a Calamity and to prepare as much firepower as possibly can!"

The four clearly understood how frightening the enemy was. It was beyond their league, and instict told them to run. But it was more complicated then that.

"What about you?"

"I will hold it back. I can't win right now but... at least I'll grab its ankles."

The implications of his words were obvious. The girls wore pained expressions, learning the taste of helplessness.

Anna seemed like she was about to cry. "Are you going to die?"

He was the type of guy that appreciates his own life above almost everything else. Surely, Ark wouldn't enter a battle he couldn't win. At the very least, he was a survivor.

But now even he couldn't guarantee his life. It was an opponent that could take his life with the slightest misstep. To himself, Ark wanted to abandon them all and escape.

It's just that this time, escaping today meant dying tomorrow. Without the divine tree, the world is bound to decay and death. The countdown would begin.

Escaping from Orcus meant death and destruction for many, but not necessarily for Ark. This time, escaping meant his death, so he wouldn't have it.

"I will survive. No matter what, I won't die. Just... help me make sure no one dies. Go."

The Calamity raised its arm. It was still out of range but Ark knew what's coming next. He ushered the girls away.

At the palm of its hand. A swirling mass of darkness violently spun, generating even a whirlwind around it. Emitting the ball, it enlarged to tenfold its size and gushed with great momentum.

It was perfect imitation of Aqua Vortex.

"Void Replica: Heavenred."

Ark slashed it in half along with the atmosphere. He had already assumed a defensive stance and was prepared for the attack.

"Same ridiculous copying skill." His face distorted with anxiety.

Calamities were made of darkness, they had the trait of absorbing knowledge and imitating some magics with ease.

That only applies to simple physical phenomena and the like. Offensice magic, for example, could be easily reproduced. However, due to their berserk nature, subtleties such as intelligence and skillfulness took longer to develop.

Luckily, spirit was among these subtleties so there was no danger exposing it just yet.

"Let me guess. Next is numbers..."

Before Ark completedthe sentence, the Calamity conjured several dozen balls, filling the sky. Each orb generated gravitational pull, and the combined effect caused grains of soil to rise.

Under the vicious bombardment of darkness, Ark activated Fairy Waltz to reach the safest spots and stretched his spirit to protect from the shockwaves.

He discovered during his brief testing that his spirit automatically dispersed energy, a defense mechanism activated by instinct. It reduced the power of the shockwaves to the point damage was prevented.

Of course, it wasn't absolute defense. Strong attacks wouldn't lose too much power, and attacks with less contact area lost less energy.

The shockwaves completely engulfed Ark so that part was covered well.

After the first wave ended, a large area was ruined, completely razed to the ground. Just before Calamity unleashed the second wave, Ark dashed out of the dust cloud.

"Heavenrend!"

Without hesitation, he severed the Calamity's arm in a flowing motion.

It immediately retaliated with its right arm. A solid punch connected as Ark couldn't dodge airborne. He flew several meters and rolled on the ground.

Groaning in pain, Ark cursed the Calamity with all his might.

"At least I got his arm." He smirk, only for a flickering memory to erase it. "Wait... shit!"

The open wound gushed with darkness, eventually taking the form of an arm. To make matter worse, the severed arm transformed into a sword reminiscent Silverstar.

The black contrast and the will to destroy everything gave it a menacing aura.

"How about a second barrage? We were having fun, me dodging, you blasting and all. Isn't it a shame to ruin it for a boring sword fight? That's too much of a cliche, don't you think?"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Grrr!"

"No? You freaking shithead!"

The battle quickly shifted into close combat confrontation, and Ark had no confidence.

With a powerful kick, the Calamity zeroed the distance between the two in an instant. It swung the weapon with all its might in an attempt to sever Ark's chest.

In a split-of-second decision, Ark dropped his defense completely. Diverting all that power to his legs, he blasted his spirit to create distance.

In retrospect, it was the best possible decision.

The air vibrating around the blade indicated the atmosphere being cut. It wasn't done with spirit, but pure arm strength.

(Fuck. He isn't dexterous but he can build speed.)

It used its power to gain damgerous levels of speed. Using brute force to propel itself with great velocity.

The place that was hit is hard earth, but a large crack was created as if it was done by the planet itself.

And it didn't stop there.

Attacks of the same nature were repeatedly used in succession. Ark had to dodge everytime. He activated Fairy Waltz as much as possible to further accelerate away.

However, the problem was that he couldn't use it in rapid succession to cope with the Calamity. He hadn't mastered the technique so there was an inevitable gap between uses. A cooldown, so to speak.

As a result, his only method was exploding spirit beneath his feet, draining it fast.

"See? Sword fights are boring. None of us will have fun this way, you know."

There was no indication this particular Calamity understand human language yet, but Ark did this to calm himself.

Unfortunately, even if the words were alien, the meaning did somewhat reached it.

Ark sensed the killing intent on his skin intensifies. There was newlyfound rage in it. He had managed to unintentionally taunt him.

Swinging the sword, the Calamity didn't bother to get close, but Ark didn't drop his guard.

The sword enlongated like a snake jumping at its pray. It twisted and curved with great speed, targeting Ark as if it had a will of its own.

'Crack'

When the energy of the swing reached the tip, the final speed Ark's perception and speed, causing a hit to land.

His left shoulder was fleshed, bleeding, rendered unusable. Terrible sting clouded his focus. Had he been a normal person, he would've collapsed from the pain.

"Fight fairly, you fucker." Though he said so, Ark knew the Calamity only saw him as a target to destroy.

He suddenly missed fighting demons and knights, who were predictable and easily manipulated.

With no regards to its opponent's condition, the Calamity jumped high in the sky and swung his arm. The whip in its hand transformed into a giant fan, covering the skies and blocking all sunlight.

"Um, I wanna quit. Could you just go after the divine tree and leave me be?"

Yeah right.

Ark dashed toward the Calamity, going around the fan. It generated a powerful gust of wind from behind, so he jumprd and relaxed his muscles. The wind pushed him right beneath the Calamity, but the latter was stuck in the air and was a convenient target.

It was now or never. Ark turned his fear and pain into rage and killing intent, infusing it in his spirit. Crackling noises resounded from within, accompanied by intense, acute pain.

He was overdoing this again, and there won't be a second chance. But blinded by killing intent and the chance of victory, he went for the blow.

"Void Replica: Rakshasa Gateway."

Dark violet colored his transparent spirit. Alone, it was unrestrained and showed the true power of the technique developed by the sword genius Ragna of the mighty Rakshasa race.

Superhuman strength unbridled by the natural constraint we shackle ourselves with. Ark outputed his spirit and Phantom, focusing on a single slash.

Seeing Ark approach with a powerful momentum, the Calamity poised itself to attack and the sword rapidly shrank.

But not fast enough. Ark will make it.

"GGGRRRRAAHH!"

With a thunderous roar, the Calamity unleashes a single swirling orb of darkness at Ark.

It was the worst case scenario, as he couldn't ignore the power behind the little orb. His grip would lose balance as he held Silverstar in the right hand alone.

In that intense moment, where all his focus was on the enemy and his sword, Ark twisted his body away from the orb's trajectory without his mind issuing the order.

Having perceived and evaded innumerous attacks filled with hostility for years, his body started to sense these attacks and react on its own.

Now, Ark just needed to cut down the Calamity.

Slash.

Cleanly sliced in half, it snapped with the sound of shattered glass and was quickly reduced to dust.

The essence and intent were also targeted along with the physical body, and Ark succeded in destroying it.

"You... this bastard..."

The sword, that is.

The act of dodging didn't slow Ark down, but the gravitational pull and kinetic energy of the orb slowed him by exactly one second. That was all it took for the sword to finish shrinking and be placed in front of Silverstar.

It didn't about it too deeply. The Calamity simply wanted too pulverize its opponent with a clear strike. It never once imagined the weapon made of a severed limb would be destroyed.

The sword wasn't just a weapon crafted with darkness, but a living weapon with its own ego. They existed in symbiosis and harmony. The living weapon was built as a weapon, but with intent of its own, it became an ever-changing weapon that was able to act seperately. Losing it was like losing a portion of the soul.

Roaring with unbridled rage, darkness stirred from within it and spread tk cover the sky.

Ironically, the gravitational pull it generated was strong enough to slow Ark's fall enough to survive.

Ark coughed blood and bit back screaming. His right arm was fractured as a result of using the power of the Rakshasa, and the condition of his spirit left him agonizing in pain.

It was the end.

"This is shit. Your power is broken!" Ark coughed, barely managing to stand with shaking legs. "The only thing broken for me is my body."

His voice contained pain, but Ark still had the guts to smile.

"You are a worse enemy than a knight or a demon, and also scarier. But you're just as stupid." He laughed at his opponent descending to the ground with a searing rage in his eyes.

Ark turned his back to the Calamity and stsrted pacing. His laughter resembled a madman.

"None of you idiots ever notice when I prepare an ultimate attack right above your head." Pointing to the skies, a large magic formation shimmered with magic power.

Ark hadn't used magic at all throughout this insane battle. That's because he had focused all his magic ability to create a magic formation above the Calamity's head.

The spirits helped with the magic power. His expressed his intentions through Phantom and requested assitance from the spirits.

It worked thanks to the circumstances. Usually, spirits were whimsical and stuck in their own bussiness. Having spirits help in a battle is almost impossible for a human, but Ark managed to make it work this once.

"Light of Annihilation."

The bane of the darkness, light, descended as a pillar at the powerful Calamity.

"What do you mean you won't send help? We have to help Ark!" Anna clenched her fists so hard it bled, but she didn't care.

Kenrik watched his granddaughter in pain. The situation was beyond his control, and the disaster that befell on them will cause heavy loses, he knew. He was just as distraught as Anna, barely hiding it while announcing the emergency situation to the elves.

"I can't. A Calamity isn't something anyone can deal with. I have sent a massage for the Sage, but it might take hours before she'd come."

"Hours?"

Ark didn't have hours.

"Grandpa, did we.. leave him to die?"

Kenrik couldn't answer this question.

Just as he was lost for words, Liliana arrived. She had been holed in a room for days, and she seemed tired, with dark circles beneath her eyes.

"What is going on? Everyone is making a fuss about a disaster, and there are all these booms."

"You have to help, Liliana!" Anna lunged herself at Liliana's feet. "Ark is out there, fighting a Calamity. It's a monster of destruction, and it might kill Ark!"

She was desperate.

Enough to make this request to Liliana, whom she had ignored for years. It was a desperation driven by guilt, and her group members chimed in from the same reason.

Liliana gave them a cold gaze, which was unusual for her. It made the girls quieten for the first time.

She looked at the sky. "Ark won't die anytime soon. He has a light magic formation ready to fire."

As if it was timed, the magic formation revealed itself and fired pillars of light. The girls were astonished at the sight, and even Kenrik was perplexed.

"Everything considered, we need to prepare medical care for Ark. He definitely injured himself again."

"Okay, let's go!"

"Wait!" Kenrik raised his hand and stopped them from heading into the forest.

The beams of iridescent light stopped and the magic formation dissipated. Liliana, who knew it power first hand, thought the enemy is surely dead by now.

Unfortunately, she had never encountered a Calamity before. The horrors of the beings destined to destroy the world is something she had no clue of.

"That spell... isn't enough to kill a Calamity."

Ark was at his wit's end.

The Calamity stood firm without signs of collapsing. His strongest attack couldn't finish it off.

"I was prepared... but I guess not enough."

Calamities were tenacious, he knew that. And they were superior to demons. But he hoped he could finish it with one big attack.

Retrieving the remaining mana from the formation, Ark silently casted healing spells on himself and observed his enemy.

It was definitely weakened. The Light of Annihilation that hit it was several times stronger than the one the gluttony demon Orcus survived. It was filled with elements that Ark had to filter before.

The darkness it gushed also seemed unstable. The power inside them has diminished.

"I guess I'm too awesome for even a calamity to take me on."

Ark managed to bring a Calamity this far down. Comparing the despair from his last encounter with a Calamity when he couldn't have done anyting on his own, he was pleased at his growth.

But it still wasn't enough.

He wanted to be the one dominating the battle. He wanted to destroy a Calamity with an even greater power.

(For now, I will start with killing you.)

"Aqua Potentia!"

Gripping Silverstar with two barely healed arms, he charged again with blue energy in his wake.