"Do you still deny your inevitable demise? No deed of yours can alter the outcome. I WILL release ▣▣▣▣▣▣ and unleash chaos!" the demon declares, his voice dripping with contempt.

The demon flies towards the man, summoning a sword that glows with dark energy. The blade pulses with evil power, ready to wreak havoc.

The man responds swiftly, summoning a dark sword of his own. The blade is sharp and ominous, shrouded in shadowy energy.

-BOOM!

Their swords clash, creating a shockwave that ripples through the air, sending debris flying and causing the ground beneath them to tremble.

-CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of metal striking metal fills the air as the two combatants engage in a fierce duel. The demon’s strikes are powerful and relentless, each swing of his sword aiming to overwhelm the man.

-WHOOSH! SWISH!

The man parries and counters with incredible agility, his movements a blur as he dodges and weaves through the demon’s attacks. Their swords meet in a shower of sparks, each collision resonating with a loud clang.

-THUD! CRASH!

The demon swings his sword in a wide arc, aiming to cleave the man in two. The man ducks and rolls, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike. He springs back to his feet, his wings flaring out behind him as he launches a series of rapid thrusts at the demon.

"Hah!" he shouts, his determination unwavering.

The demon deflects the blows easily, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement.

"Pathetic!"

-CLANG! BOOM!

The man spins around, descending his sword in a powerful overhead strike. The demon raises his sword to block, and the impact sends a shockwave rippling through the arena, causing the floating debris around them to shudder and shift.

The demon retaliates with a flurry of brutal swings, each aimed to kill. The man meets each attack with his own, their blades dancing in a deadly ballet of steel and shadow.

-CRACKLE! SIZZLE!

Lightning from the storm above crackles and strikes the ground around them, adding to the chaos of their battle.

The demon uses the distraction to his advantage, summoning a wave of dark energy that surges toward the man.

-FWOOSH!

The man leaps into the air, his wings beating furiously as he avoids the dark wave.

“Hah!”

He dives down with his sword extended, aiming for the demon’s heart.

-CLANG!

The demon blocks the attack at the last moment, their swords locked in a test of strength. The air around them crackles with energy as they push against each other, neither willing to give an inch.

"You cannot win!" the demon hisses, his face twisted in a snarl.

"I will never give up!" the man shouts back, his voice filled with unwavering resolve.

With a mighty push, the man forces the demon back. He swings his sword in a wide arc, releasing a burst of dark energy that blasts the demon off balance.

-Boom!

The demon staggers but quickly regains his footing. He roars in fury, his wings flaring as he charges at the man again. Their swords clash again, each strike more intense and desperate than the last.

-CLANG! CRASH! THUD!

As I watch the fierce battle unfold, a sense of helplessness and awe washes over me. This confrontation is more than just a fight between two powerful beings—it is a clash of wills, a struggle between hope and despair.

-CLANG!

With their swords locked, the man and the demon stand in a stalemate. Sparks fly from the point of contact, illuminating their fierce expressions.

"Why do you resist? Your efforts merely delay the inevitable shadow that I cast!" the demon sneers, his voice dripping with dark amusement.

“Tch!” the man grunts, straining against the demon’s immense strength.

Even though I can’t see the demon’s face clearly, I sense the sadistic pleasure radiating from him.

Demons, by their very nature, thrive on the suffering of others. They relish the pain and despair they cause, feeding off the fear and hopelessness of their victims. It’s as if the more the man resists, the more enjoyment the demon derives from the conflict.

The man’s defiance seems to fuel the demon’s twisted delight. Each grimace of pain, each drop of sweat, only heightens the demon’s perverse satisfaction.

The demon's eyes gleam with an evil light, reflecting his eagerly inflicted suffering.

It revels in the chaos and destruction, his sadistic grin widening with every futile attempt the man makes to gain the upper hand.

"Pathetic," the demon hisses, his voice a low, mocking whisper. "Your resistance is nothing but a fleeting illusion."

“Haa!”

Undeterred by the demon’s taunts, the man pushes back, his eyes burning with unyielding resolve, refusing to succumb to the darkness.

He descends back to the arena, his body glowing with a brilliant red light. He positions his feet together, knees bent, ready to unleash his true power.

“Arcane Dominion!” he shouts.

An Arcane Dominion?!

Magicians of [SSS] rank are so powerful that their presence and magic can warp reality. They subconsciously create a personal world…in another universe, an "Arcane Dominion." These realms are unique to each Magician and reflect their innermost nature, magic attributes, and power.

The man spins rapidly, becoming a black, white, and red blur. He stops suddenly, his right leg extended out, toes pointed, while his left leg remains planted. His left arm shoots out, fingers spread, and his right hand grabs his head.

"Dominion of Eternal Eclipse!" the man declares.

The world around me shifts and twists as if reality is being torn apart. An oppressive darkness swallows the dark arena. I can feel the cold, creeping tendrils of shadow wrapping around my senses, pulling me into a realm of perpetual twilight.

A massive, eclipsed sun hangs in the sky, casting an eerie, purplish glow over everything. The light is dim, barely enough to see by, but it illuminates the jagged obsidian mountains and barren, shadow-infused plains that stretch out before me. Rivers of dark, viscous liquid flow sluggishly, glowing faintly as if alive with some evil force.

The air is thick with the scent of decay and the metallic tang of ancient blood. Strange, twisted trees dot the landscape, branches like skeletal fingers reaching for the sky.

image [https://i.imgur.com/vgorxsB.jpeg]

The man who invoked this realm stands at the center of it all, his body glowing with a bright red light that seems to repel the encroaching shadows.

-Bzzt!

My vision glitches, flickering like a faulty television screen. It’s disorienting, and everything warps and distorts momentarily. Amidst the chaos, an unsettling feeling crept over me.

The man’s Arcane Dominion feels...familiar…as if I’ve seen it before.

“Welcome to my domain,” the man’s voice echoes, deep and resonant. “Here, I am in control. Here, you will know the true power of the Dominion of Eternal Eclipse.”

The ground beneath him pulses with dark energy as he speaks, and the shadows around him writhe and twist as if alive. He raises his left arm and the air crackles with power. In response, a massive citadel of dark stone rises from the ground, its spiked towers piercing the sky.

I can feel the oppressive weight of his power bearing down on me, the shadows pressing in from all sides. Yet, despite the overwhelming darkness, the man’s red glow remains steadfast.

“Do you feel it?” he asks, his voice a low growl. “The power of the eternal eclipse? The shadows obey me, and the darkness bends to my will. Here, in my dominion, I am invincible. This time, I will win, and the cycle will stop!”

He gestures with his right hand, and a host of demonic entities emerge from the shadows.

Lesser imps, fierce hellhounds, and towering demon knights all bow to his command, their eyes gleaming with fear and reverence. Among them are even more formidable beings: a colossal demon and a towering, elegant demoness with large, dark wings.

So, this guy has an ‘Umbra’ magic attribute.

‘Umbra’ magic is a rare attribute with a deep-rooted connection to demons. Unlike general dark magic, which broadly encompasses various shadowy spells, Umbran Magic is specifically tied to the power of shadows and the demonic entities that reside within them.

“Face my legions and know despair,” the man declares, his eyes locking onto mine with a challenge.

The air grows tense as the demonic entities focus on the enemy demon.

Silence hangs in the air, followed by a cacophony of roars and snarls as they launch their assault.

“You dare turn against me?!” the demon roars, a thunderous boom reverberating through the dark realm. “Traitors! I will destroy you all!”

The lesser imps dart forward, their shrill screeches piercing the air. They swarm the demon, their small, clawed hands reaching for him.

"Raaaah!" they scream, their voices blending into a chorus of rage and defiance.

The demon swings his sword ferociously, slicing through the imps with ease. Their bodies disintegrate into dark smoke with a hiss, but more take their place, attacking with relentless fury.

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

-THUD!

-SLASH!

-HISS!

Next come the hellhounds, their glowing eyes fixed on their target. They bound across the barren landscape, their growls deep and menacing.

“Rrrrraaaaaaahhh!” they howl, leaping at the demon with jaws snapping.

With a powerful kick, the demon sends one hellhound flying, its yelp of pain echoing through the world. He spins around, slashing another in half, its blood spraying in a dark arc.

-SNAP!

-THUD!

The demon knights advance in a tight formation, their armor clanking rhythmically with each step. Ablaze with fear and unwavering determination, their eyes lock onto the dark figure that once commanded them. As they raise their swords, a resolute cry tears through the air.

“For the new master!” one of the knights roars, his voice laced with conviction that echoes across the battlefield.

-CLANG!

-BOOM!

The clash is immediate and violent. Swords meet with a deafening ring, sparks igniting from each brutal impact. The air thrums with the chaos of battle, metal against metal, as the demon knights throw themselves into the fray.

The demon fights back with savage, unyielding strength, his blows sending knights flying. Yet, they press on, their allegiance now sworn to the one who dared to summon them.

“How dare you betray me?!” the demon bellows, rage contorting his once-terrifying features. “You will all perish for your treachery!”

-CLANG!

-CLANG!

-ROAR!

The demon obliterates the front line in a devastating strike, scattering armor and bodies like leaves in a storm.

But then, a shadow looms over the battlefield—a colossal demon. With fists the size of mountains it joins the battle, each blow smashing into the earth with the force of an earthquake, shaking the foundations of the Dominion.

-BOOM!

-CRASH!

“You will fall!” the colossal demon roars, its voice a deep, resonant bellow.

The enemy demon barely manages to dodge the powerful strikes, his agility allowing him to evade the worst of the attacks.

“Rah!”

He retaliates with dark energy blasts, each exploding against the colossal demon’s tough hide.

-BOOM!

-THUD!

Finally, the elegant demoness with large, dark wings hovers above, her eyes glowing with sadness and determination. She raises her hands, summoning a storm of dark energy that crackles and swirls around her.

“For the new master,” she whispers, her voice carrying a haunting melody.

With a gesture, she unleashes a barrage of energy bolts towards the demon. The bolts streak through the air, each one aimed with deadly precision.

-ZAP! ZAP! BOOM!

The demon is forced to block and deflect, his energy clashing with hers in a dazzling display of power. The air crackles with the intensity of their magical duel, and the shadows writhe and twist around them.

“You cannot win!” the demon bellows, his rage-filled voice thundering through the arena. “Your rebellion is futile!”

-CLANG! BOOM! CRASH!

Despite the demon’s overwhelming power, the combined might of the demonic entities begins to take its toll. Wounds appear on the demon’s body, and dark ichor seeps from his injuries.

“Traitors!” he spits, his voice filled with venom. “I will make you suffer for this betrayal!”

Unknown to the demon, the man has been maneuvering behind him, his wings carrying him silently through the darkened sky. He raises one of his guns, aiming it directly at the demon's back.

The demon spins around. “Wha—”

-BLING!

A giant laser bursts forth from the man’s gun, piercing the demon’s chest with a blinding light.

“Kuh!” the demon gasps, his body wracked with pain as he begins to fall.

-Thud!

The demon crashes to the ground, his body trembling from the impact and the wound. He struggles to rise, his strength waning.

The man descends gracefully, landing a few feet from the fallen demon. With unwavering resolve, he points one of his guns directly at the demon’s head.

“This time, I finally won,” he declares.

-BANG! CLANG!

The bullet fired is abruptly followed by the metallic clang of it being deflected.

What just happened?

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

The demon’s chaotic and chilling laughter erupts, filling the air with an eerie resonance. The shadows around him pulse with his mirth, amplifying the sinister atmosphere.

The man steps back, his eyes darting around.

The demon slowly rises to his feet, an evil grin spreading across his face despite the gaping wound in his chest.

“So, you’ve learned to use an Arcane Dominion, huh? From the countless times we’ve faced each other, this is the second time you’ve managed to grasp and wield it,” the demon declares, his voice resonating with dark power. “However, you’re still inexperienced… Allow me to show you the true power of an Arcane Dominion.”

-CRACK!

Suddenly, the sky of the man’s Arcane Dominion begins to fracture, jagged lines spreading like spider webs across the twilight horizon. The once-stable atmosphere shatters, the cracks pulsating with an eerie energy.

I am stunned.

Such a phenomenon can only occur if the opponent’s Arcane Dominion is overwhelmingly more potent or if the opponent has found a critical weakness. In this case, it’s the latter—the demon’s experience far outstrips the man’s.

“Arcane Domain: Eternal Night!” the demon’s voice rings out, brimming with ominous intent.

In an instant, the familiar landscape of the man’s Dominion is swept away. In its place, a sprawling expanse of jagged, black mountains and barren wastelands emerges.

The ground is illuminated only by the eerie glow of crimson runes and dark energy veins that pulse like lifeblood.

The sky is perpetually shrouded in swirling black clouds, with occasional flashes of red lightning tearing through the gloom.

The oppressive atmosphere bears down on everything, making it difficult to breathe.

At the heart of this domain stands a massive, ominous fortress made of black stone and twisted metal, its spires piercing the turbulent sky.

The fortress exudes an aura of malice, its very presence a testament to the demon’s dark power. Shadows twist and writhe around it as if the structure is alive with dark energy.

image [https://i.imgur.com/IPvwo3y.jpeg]

I look at the man; he is trembling uncontrollably. He tries to raise his gun, but his hand shakes so violently that he can barely aim.

“You can’t move, huh? That’s one of the effects of my Arcane Dominion,” the demon taunts, his voice dripping with satisfaction.

-Fwoosh!

The demon immediately appears directly before the man, his presence overwhelming and suffocating.

“Life Drain.”

The demon places a hand on the man’s chest, and dark energy begins to flow from the man into the demon.

The man gasps, his strength rapidly draining away. His glowing red aura flickers and dims, his face contorted in pain and helplessness.

“N-no…” the man whispers, his voice weak and strained.

The demon’s eyes glint with malevolent glee. “Feel your life slipping away. Your resistance is meaningless.”

The man’s body sags as the life are sucked out of him, his knees buckling.

Despite the intense pain and the demon's overwhelming power, he fights to keep his eyes open, his resolve flickering like a dying ember.

The sprawling landscape of Eternal Night seems to close around him, the shadows growing darker and more oppressive. The fortress looms ominously in the background, symbolizing the demon’s absolute control.

I can feel the oppressive weight of despair pressing down on me, the hopelessness of the situation gnawing at my mind.

The man, who had fought so bravely and with such determination, is now on the brink of defeat, his life force being drained away by the demon’s malevolent power.

But even as his strength wanes, a faint glimmer of defiance remains in his eyes. He is not ready to give up yet.

With a final, desperate effort, he whispers through gritted teeth, “This… isn’t… over…”

The demon chuckles darkly, savoring the moment. “Oh, but it is. Your struggle ends here.”

-Crack!

The sky splits open with a sharp crack.

-Crack!

The entire atmosphere around them shatters, and we are abruptly back in the ruins of Aurelior. The once fierce battleground now lies eerily silent. The man lies there, lifeless, his body broken.

“Despite your resistance…you still failed…” the demon says, his voice a dark whisper of finality.

I look around, bewildered and heartbroken.

This confrontation, this desperate struggle—so much has happened, yet I still don’t fully understand. But seeing the man, who had fought so valiantly, now lying motionless fills me with an indescribable sorrow. It feels as if hope itself has been extinguished before my eyes.

-Bling!

A sudden, blinding light erupts behind the demon, and the air itself seems to tear apart as a rift forms, swirling with chaotic, violent energy. Its gravitational pull ripples through the atmosphere, distorting reality around it.

The demon whips around, his eyes widening in shock and fury as the rift's force begins to draw him in. He digs his claws into the ground, his muscles straining against the relentless pull.

“No! Not again!” he bellows, his voice raw with desperation. His entire form shakes as he struggles, refusing to be swallowed by the abyss.

A shadow leaps over me as I watch the demon’s frantic resistance. I glance up in time to see another figure land effortlessly beside the fallen man. His face is obscured in darkness, but his hair—a striking, light blue—glows with an ethereal power that pulses with quiet intensity.

-Bzzt!

My vision glitches violently, a sharp, electric hum reverberating in my ears. A sudden, searing headache strikes, forcing me to my knees.

“Ugh…” I groan, clutching my head in both hands, trying to fight the pain.

Through the haze of pain, I look back at the blue-haired man. He kneels beside the lifeless body of the fallen warrior, his hands trembling as he cradles the man’s still form. His body shakes—not from rage, but from grief so deep it seems to consume him.

“Domy… no…” he whispers, his voice breaking under his sorrow.

Domy, he called him. The name stirs something inside me—a deep, inexplicable ache. Though I’ve never known this person, hearing that name tears at my heart, filling me with a profound sadness I can’t understand.

“Hahahaha!” The demon’s voice, dripping with venomous amusement, cuts through the moment. “Did I not tell you before? Your fates are sealed—etched in the shadows of eternity! No matter how often you struggle or how much you defy it, this cycle will repeat! Over and over again, you will face your doom!”

The blue-haired man slowly lifts his head, his eyes burning with sorrow and fury, a barely contained storm of emotion.

“Die…”

The rift behind the demon intensifies, its gravitational force now inescapable. Despite all of his efforts, the demon is drawn inexorably toward it. His body twists and distorts as he’s pulled closer to the chaotic vortex.

“We shall meet again,” the demon hisses, his form warping as the rift drags him in. “In the shadows where destiny repeats itself, I will return. And when I do, the darkness will consume all.”

With a final, anguished cry, the demon is ripped into the swirling chaos, disappearing into the rift with a deafening crack. The rift seals shut violently, leaving only a suffocating, eerie silence behind.

The blue-haired man remains still, clutching the fallen body to his chest. His sobs echo through the desolate city, the only sound in the aftermath of the battle.

“Don’t worry, Domy,” he murmurs through his tears. “We will start again.”

-Bzzt!

Suddenly, both the blue-haired man and the lifeless body in his arms begin to glitch, their forms flickering and distorting like a malfunctioning hologram. Their outlines warp, and the static-like hum grows louder as the world around them destabilizes.

Skill Usage Ended… Returning…

-Bzzt!

The distorted figures pulse one last time before my vision goes black. The static hum crescendos into a deafening roar before everything fades into silence.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

“Hah… hah…”

I jolt awake, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. The room's dim light does little to chase away the lingering dread. My bedroom slowly becomes focused, but the remnants of the dream clinging to me like a suffocating shroud, refusing to fade. My heart pounds in my chest, still caught in the intensity of what I’d just witnessed.

I turn, half-expecting to see Clark still curled beside me. But the spot is empty—he must have woken up earlier, blissfully unaware of the nightmare that had held me in its tight grip.

"So, it was just a dream," I mutter, though the words feel hollow, as if I’m trying to convince myself of a truth I don’t believe.

The dream had been too vivid, too real. A fierce battle between a man and a demon, the rise and fall of Arcane Dominions, and that unshakable sense of despair. None of it should exist in my world. And yet, the images linger as though they were more than just fragments of my imagination.

I press a hand to my forehead, trying to shake off the lingering unease. Even though I had slept, I felt completely drained, as if the dream had siphoned my energy and something deeper, something I couldn’t quite place.

Chronicle Insight Was Used...

Cooldown: 24 hours...

My eyes narrow at the System notification that appear before me.

"So that’s what the skill does…" I whisper, trying to piece together the implications of what I’d seen.

But what exactly had I witnessed? Was it a vision of the past, a glimpse into the future, or something else entirely? The name Chronicle Insight suggests it has something to do with time—perhaps a record of events—but it’s still too vague, too cryptic to understand fully.

Could it have been a warning? A foreshadowing of some catastrophic event yet to come? The thought sends a chill down my spine. If that dream was a glimpse of the future, something terrible looms.

I try to dismiss the thought, telling myself I’m overthinking it. After all, the dream doesn’t align with anything I know from the web novel. There’s no mention of a man named Domy, no Arcane Dominions, and no cyclical battles against a powerful demon. So why does it feel so real?

And… why does it feel like I’m forgetting something—or rather, someone?

Bzzt!

"Ugh!"

I clutch my head as a sudden, sharp pain cuts through my thoughts. It’s as if my mind is struggling to remember something—someone—from the dream, but the memory remains just out of reach.

"Who... was it?" I mutter, frustration bubbling up.

I’m sure there was someone—someone important that I’d forgotten. But no matter how hard I try, the memory slips away, leaving only a dull ache behind.

-Knock! Knock!

"Dominic, it’s time for breakfast!"

Celine’s voice breaks through my thoughts, grounding me in the present. The headache begins to subside, but the weight of the dream still lingers. I exhale slowly, pushing the feeling aside for now.

"Coming, Mum!" I call out, forcing some normalcy into my voice.

As I push myself out of bed, preparing for the day ahead, the dream continues to gnaw at the edges of my mind. Too many questions swirl in my head, and the answers, if there are any, remain frustratingly out of reach.

I move through my morning routine, but it’s hard to shake the sense that something bad is going to happen. It’s as if that dream had opened a door to something I’m not ready to face.

And now that it’s open, I’m unsure if I can close it again.