As the two Dominions opened once more, Raúl and Rancour faced off, trading strikes, as Rancour broke through Raúl’s Spatial Distortion technique, punching him in the face and slashing him across the body.

“Interior.” Raúl recited as he formed a ball out of the technique, capturing Rancour and throwing him into his Sanctum, destroying it, and subsequently his Dominion. The effects of Axis of the Beyond immediately fell over Rancour before he could raise a rudimentary Dominion, paralysing him and flooding his entire being with an immeasurable amount of conceptual void, entirely shutting down his being, negating all his systems of power.

“Now to tear you from your conceptual bonds.” Raúl remarked, clapping his hands as Rancour began to feel himself being torn away from the concepts he embodied. Before Raúl could proceed, the Dominion collapsed, as he saw Irgoth awaiting outside the collapsing barrier.

“You were able to summon Irgoth in time, that’s quite impressive, given that you were instantly paralysed.” Raúl observed.

“I summoned him outside the Dominion, I knew if I lost the clash, your Dominion’s superior effect would cause me a certain death, so I had him summoned the instant I knew I had lost the Dominion clash.” Rancour replied smugly, returning Irgoth to the shadows.

Raúl smiled, knowing that Rancour was far smarter than he had given him credit for.

Raúl and Rancour retracted their swords, coating them in Spectral Fire. Raúl dragged his sword through the ground, throwing large rocks at Rancour, who waived his fingers as they disintegrated before him. Raúl slashed toward Rancour’s midsection, as Rancour blocked it, he left an afterimage, stabbing Rancour from behind as they clashed swords, trading strikes. Rancour slashed at Raúl’s leg, slightly wounding it, as Raúl responded by slicing Rancour from his shoulder to the edge of his abdomen on both sides, teleporting through to behind him.

“I want to ask, how exactly have you bypassed my Space-Time Distortion technique with the sword? I never turned it off.” Raúl asked.

“Nightbane is a special sword, as you likely could guess, it bypasses the aspects of reality and unreality to create slashes so that no matter what technique you use, it will not stop the blade.” Rancour explained.

“Why does it not pass through my blade?” Raúl inquired.

“Ah, the blade has a will of its own, and it loves to prove itself to be the superior blade, so it, to my annoyance doesn’t activate its technique when clashing with other blades.” Rancour replied.

“Very interesting, I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” Raúl noted.

“Will you tell me of your blade?” Rancour asked, genuinely intrigued.

“It’s quite simple, it allows its user the ability to channel their mind. Simple I know, but The Starshatterer is simple. By channelling my mind, my very thoughts fuel the blade, strengthening it, and granting it the ability to evolve, change and become able to adapt to whatever circumstances I find myself in.” Raúl explained.

“Why have you not used it in this way?” Rancour queried.

“I haven’t needed to, but perhaps you shall draw blood from its fullest strength.” Raúl replied.

Rancour grunted, raising his blade, to which Raúl mirrored him. Both kings sprinted at one another, their blades clashing and exerting their true powers. Raúl sliced into Rancour’s torso, throwing him away violently as he began to chase him down.

Raúl saw Rancour’s hand sign, knowing he was going to open his dominion before he could possibly try, his Dominion would be torn apart before it even opened, leaving him worse off.

“Spectral Dominion: Sanctum of the Vengeful.” Rancour recited, as the Sanctum appeared.

“Umbran Vigour.” Raúl chanted, a small purple circle forming at his feet.

The slashes rained down, as Rancour watched on, he realised this wasn’t a rudimentary dominion, nor a Resonance technique, but what it was doing was nullifying the effects of his technique, and limiting the damage his slashes did, only leaving shallow cuts, as the king regenerated his injuries as fast as they were being dealt.

This can work. I am on the precipice of unlocking control over the quantum strings forming the basis of everything. I just need a little longer. He’s taking the bait. Rancour thought to himself, as his mind continued racking the information it could, deciphering the methods being utilising Spectral Energy upon the fundamental building blocks of the universe.

Raúl felt the burnout of Umbran Vigour quickly catching up to him, knowing he would have to use the last card he had up his sleeve to beat Rancour’s Dominion. Raúl sprinted towards the Sanctum, leaping to where Rancour stood, and kicking him in the face, throwing him off his Dominion.

“Serene Justice.” Raúl chanted, as the final technique to stop Rancour presented itself. The small yellow circle blocked every one of the near endless attacks coming towards him but expended more and more Spectral Energy every passing moment to upkeep, rather than Umbran Vigour, which Raúl now realised he should’ve mastered.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Will Raúl lose? Momo thought, seeing Rancour’s dominion begin to tear through the final technique in his arsenal.

I just need a little longer, to regenerate the part of my brain that keeps Umbran Vigour’s technique. Raúl thought as he rushed at Rancour.

Raúl punched Rancour across the jaw, infusing Interior and Exterior into his punches, as he prepared to push his entire body to its limits, for one final plan, knowing he had spent too much Spectral Energy, next to Rancour, who had only just begun to tear into his actual stores of Spectral Energy. He had planned this all, and simply stockpiled Spectral Energy to defeat Raúl’s superior technique.

Finally! Both Rancour and Raúl had what they wanted.

Raúl slipped under a punch from Rancour, pouring all his remaining Spectral Energy into his body, as Rancour amplified his Dominion, finally having learned the ability to manipulate the quantum strings.

He took the bait. Let’s hope it pays off. Raúl thought, as he caught a kick from Rancour, pushing him away slightly, as his arm fell backward, reeling him into the punch as Rancour saw the icy glow too late.

“Ardour’s Spark!” Raúl yelled, knocking Rancour unconscious, as he kicked him into his Sanctum, collapsing the Dominion.

Both stood up, panting heavily, as their final battle had only begun, both being at 125% of their Spectral Energy stores.

“You finally did it, but was it in time, all I see is a man severely depleted of his technique, and lacking the ability to expand a Dominion.” Raúl jeered.

“I still have enough energy for one last try, what about you, mighty king?” Rancour asked.

“I would be glad to prove my superiority to you.” Raúl replied.

“Is that pride, my king? My my, you’re enjoying the fight, aren’t you? For the first time ever, you’ve disregarded your plans to have a good fight.” Rancour observed.

“It was time I enjoyed this, right?” Raúl replied, laughing softly.

Rancour genuinely smiled, knowing for all his evil, one man truly understood him, and revelled in the one way they could connect with one another.

Both nodded at one another, casting their hand signs.

“Spectral Dominion.” They chanted in unison.

“Sanctum of the Vengeful.”

“Axis of the Beyond.”

Mirroring the first clash, the two Dominions formed around one another, as the greatest wraith and sorcerer began their final battle. Raúl sprinted toward Rancour, as he leapt off of his Sanctum. Raúl punched Rancour in the midsection, kicking him over the neck and into more punches that he scattered across his midsection, detonating multiple small Medians, as he finished by kicking Rancour into the air and sending him slamming into the ground.

“Irgoth.” Rancour called, as the beast appeared.

Finally, he shows his last, desperate hand. Raúl speculated, as the beast charged at him.

“Exterior.” Raúl chanted, firing a ball of its energy piercing through the void beast, as he returned the ball into its back, sending it pummelling toward him as he smiled, feeling the rush of being truly challenged.

“Ardour’s Spark!” Raúl yelled, stunning the beast as it couldn’t recover from the immense damage it just took.

Now or never… Raúl thought, de-activating his Dominion, and opening Umbran Vigour.

“Extricate Light, Wreathing Darkness. The glare of day, the shroud of night, the intertwined mediator. Complete and Total, Median.” Raúl recited, to the horror of Rancour, as he engulfed the three of them in its fireball.

Raúl stood up, his head fuzzy, seeing Rancour, alone and heavily wounded, Irgoth was destroyed, and now Rancour was on his final legs.

Raúl walked over to Rancour, standing above him, as Rancour struggled to recover.

“I never thought it would end like this, my friend.” Raúl remarked.

“I am sorry for how this turned out, I had a better plan for us, but it looks like we end here, at least for now.” Rancour replied.

“I enjoyed this; you know? You were the first person in all of my history to genuinely push me to my limit, I’ve never met anyone that could understand what this is like, and genuinely allow me to be who I am.” Raúl conveyed.

“That is why I am so sorry for how this must end, my friend.” Rancour declared, opening a void into Raúl’s face.

“I am sorry I used the only time we could talk as a way for the void realm to trap you. I know you’ll escape in due time my friend; I look forward to fighting you in the new world.” Rancour commented.

“If I get to see the truest form of you, i’m alright with this, however, as a courtesy, can you promise me one thing?” Raúl mentioned.

“Of course.” Rancour responded.

“Don’t hurt my family, or Marzen’s.” Raúl insisted.

“You have my word, King Raúl.” Rancour promised, as both warriors nodded to one another, as the void sealed, leaving Raúl to find a way out, and leaving Rancour, the universe at his disposal.