Clang!

Dancing under the moonlight, the sparks of their blades clashing lit up the scattered shadows. Blood was sprayed all over the auditorium walls, and charred markings were blasted all over the exquisite ornate doors.

Dead bodies lay on the ground — most mutilated, while some were burnt to a crisp. Their swords were shattered and their armour rent with claw marks over the metallic surface of the metal.

Clang!

In this blood soaked scenery. The duo clashed without a second of relent, their attacks and counterattacks looked perfectly synched — fluid and graceful, without a second of hesitation or stagger, nor a shred of relent.

After seconds of clashing fiercely, they pulled away and gave some space for breathing. Finally, the faces of both swordsmen were revealed as the gleam of the moonlight shone on them.

"Haha! Sword Eminences are truly annoying creatures, I don't even have the chance to breath." Standing in the moonlight with his head slightly bowed, he grinned with his eyes gleaming in a gold light.

The Sword Eminence chuckled, then burst into a crazed laughter. His long silver hair was tied back into a ponytail with a metallic band, and his hands tightened round the hilt of his sword. His eyes gleamed as he laughed.

"Youngling of the Chaos Eminence? I see that you've a tongue far too sharp for a child who has no place in the Eminence Ranks." The Sword Eminence shook his head then took his stance, his pupils gleamed in a silver light.

"Youngling? Haha! You've killed my guards, and you are struggling to contain my ferocious sword skills." With his head fully lifted to reveal his crazed grin. His long black hair with purple accents was also tied back in a ponytail.

Their similar facial features made them look like close relatives, although the Sword Eminence looked mature in comparison to the grinning 'youngling' of the Chaos Eminence. Both had long hair, and symmetrical faces.

The Sword Eminence was armed with an ornate sword that gleamed in a silver light, while his opponent held a more exquisite looking purple sword with an ornate hilt and it's blade also gleaming in an eerie light.

"Struggling with you? Mingling with humans must have clouded your battle instincts, Mylos!" As soon as he had uttered the name of his opponent, he took a step ahead and then dashed forward without hesitation.

"Old geezer! Bullying the younger generation shouldn't be something an Eminence is fond of." Mylos taunted as he took a defensive stance, raising his sword as a counter for his opponent's next move.

In a blink, blades clashed and sparks flew to shroud the massive claws. In a split second, numerous attacks were unleashed, covering the room in sparks as the duo took the battle from one point to another.

"Haha! You're actually quite good with the sword to be able to stand your ground against an Eminence." While he continued raining his blades upon Mylos, he took out some seconds to speak, "Although, it's a bit lackluster."

"Lackluster?" Mylos grinned as he blocked a cleaving slash with his sword, then used the opportunity to kick the Sword Eminence away, "As a true Sword Eminence with such vast experience, it's no wonder I struggle."

Mylos grinned as he cracked his neck and uttered with a gleam in his eyes, "The fact that you still haven't beaten me — that's what is lackluster about this exchange."

"Hot blooded children of nowadays. You believe you're able to rile up an ancient eminence with such weak skills in the divine art of instigation? I can't kill my brother's son, but I'll not hesitate to teach you manners."

Mylos stood without dropping his crazed grin, the blade in his hands gleaming as he tightened his grip around his sword as he took a stance. He prepared himself for another exchange — his brows knitted.

"Manners? You'll teach me? Old man, father would be here in a few minutes. Come and die trying to teach me what you call ‘manners’." Mylos shouted as he dashed in again and slashed at the prepared Sword Eminence.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Clang!

Two blades engaged in a dance of steel, each stroke of their blade fusing to meet a symphony of elegance and precision, each movement a choreography of clash and parry, a ballet of battle unfolded once more in the blood soaked auditorium.

Clang! Clang!

Their swords clashed again and again with resounding clangs, echoing through the tense air of the auditorium. Mylos and the Sword Eminence, both locked in a deadly dance, traded blows with a fanatic energy that seemed to reverberate through the stone walls.

Mylos' determination blazed in his eyes as he pressed his assault, his strikes becoming faster and more frezied. He wasn't prepared to slip up in front of an eminence at such a time, he wanted to do his best!

The Sword Eminence, a heavily experienced warrior with decades of experience etched into his assault, met each attack with calculated precision. His movements were economical yet potent, a testament to the wisdom gained from years of battle-hardened training.

His eyes remained fixed on Mylos, a frozen mixture of sternness and a hint of admiration for the young man's determination. It was because of this that he held back his strength so that Mylos gained more from the short exchange.

As the battle raged on, the room seemed to shrink around them, leaving no space for anything but the clash of steel and the grit of determination. The cold was long banished from their hearts, and their auras clashed ferociously.

Sweat glistened on Mylos' forehead as he poured his energy into every strike, his thoughts a whirlwind of determination and anger. He was driven not only by the desire to prove himself as the son of an eminence but also by the weight of his family's legacy.

He couldn't afford to fail; his father's reputation was at stake, and he was determined to defend it! Even if he'd exhausted his energy, he would try his best to stand his ground against his opponent!

Clang — Bang!

The Sword Eminence, though aged in spirit, moved with a fluid grace that belied his years. He countered Mylos' attacks with a calm focus, his blade moving with a seemingly innate understanding of the ebb and flow of battle.

As minutes turned into what felt like an eternity, Mylos found himself slowly adapting to the Sword Eminence's rhythm. He began to anticipate the elder's moves, countering with a newfound finesse of his own.

After ages of battle — there was finally a shift in favour of the Sword Eminence. He seemed to have taken each cleave a bit more serious, taking Mylos off guard as he began to rain attacks from every possible direction.

Thrown off balance by the sudden blaze of attacks, his pupils narrowed down to a slit as Mylos staggered back, revealing an opening to his enemy. Before he even took steps to regain his stance, it was already too late.

With a final, powerful stroke, the cold Sword Eminence disarmed Mylos, severing his hand cleanly and sending his sword clattering to the ground. Mylos stood there, chest heaving, a mix of exhaustion and realization on his face as he held his severed hand.

"You're quite powerful with the sword, but without your demon arts — you're quite weak before me." The Sword Eminence sheathed his sword then cracked his neck, "In time, you'd be strong enough to avenge these people I killed to get to you. For now, you're too weak."

"Wait!"

Before Mylos could stop him, the Sword Saint bowed to him them dashed off into the shadows. All Mylos could do was stand speechless while he held up his arm as his body began to heal itself at an incredibly fast pace.

"…"

In a matter of seconds, Mylos' severed arm was healed up completely, alongside the bruises and cuts he'd got from the short encounter. After he'd healed up, Mylos looked around himself, then cracked his neck.

"Heh, useless geezer. Hopefully no other Eminence has followed me here, or the battle wouldn't be funny. Only a few rounds with The Sword and I feel drained." Mylos complained as he rubbed his ‘new’ wrist with a frown.

After getting used to the regenerated limb, Mylos took a few steps forward. He walked into a larger hall that lead to various rooms on both sides, a flight of stairs locked by a door at a corner, and right back to the mansion's entrance just a few steps ahead.

As soon as he walked to a certain point within the hall, a point where the numerous windows were wide open and allowed the wind to gush into the building — he paused, then turned around coldly with his hand on his sword.

The flames of the candle lights hung on the walls of the mansion flickered as wind blew over Mylos's face. Mylos in reaction to this, tightened his grip on the cold hilt of his sword — a feeling of foreboding rising within him.

"Heh! I can't believe someone so weak could figure out my presence so quickly. It's quite amusing." A pleasant sounding voice echoed from the darkness, the tone of the voice soft and calm with a slight touch of elegance.

"I've killed a hundred demons — this high number helps in training my talent of sniffing out weak fools." Mylos's eyes gleamed as he drew out his sword and pointed the blade in the direction of the feminine voice.

"It's expected of you, son of chaos. Your facial features and hair colour is a dead giveaway on your identity. Not everyone looks like the copy of the Chaos Eminence."

The voice approached, and Mylos released his aura in response — preparing for another fight. Mylos knew a demon with no ranking would find it nearly impossible for them to kill him. He wasn't some regular monster.

"So tell me, son of Chaos. Why is there such a massive bounty on your head, despite your subpar fighting skills and lack of demonic arts?"