Final War

On the battlefield, filled with countless lifeless bodies, a man stands with his raised sword.

"Do not resist anymore, you vile demon!" he shouts, his eyes wide and his blood-stained sword pointing forward.

In the direction of the swords, atop the hill formed by lifeless bodies, stood an alluring male figure dressed in a white robe that perfectly matched his flowing hair.

Though his delicate face was stained with the blood of his fallen enemy, it radiate an ethereal allure, resembling a celestial being descending upon the battlefield.

And despite being encircled from all sides, his silver eyes remained calm.

"Amitabha, your atrocious sins have inflicted immense suffering upon humanity. Jing Qiáng, let Buddha punish your soul for eternity."

The male figure maintained his profound silence, with beauty and enchanting aura that effortlessly captivated others.

His appearance alone easily deceived many, particularly those who only saw his beautiful facade, failing to realize his true identity as the heavenly demon—Jing Qiáng.

The surrounding greenery turned deep red from the blood of the fallen warriors.

It's all because of this war. The final war between the heavenly demon and the justice factions. This war carried on for a couple of months, with the final battle lasted for several weeks.

The war itself defied people's expectations, since it resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. With more than 500,000 elite warriors dropped dead on the ground, their blood and decaying bodies tainted the air with an unbearable stench.

And out of the 400,000 elite fighters gathered by the justice factions from various factions across Asia, only a mere few hundred of their strongest warriors remained alive.

On the other hand, Jing Qiáng stood alone, as his entire army had perished.

"That night you kill all my family and stole our treasure, I swear! There is a day I'll shred you into pieces Jing Qiáng!" a woman shouts in a hoarse voice.

Then one after another, everyone vented their rage at him, condemning him for every sin he had committed.

Meanwhile, Jing Qiáng gazed down at his bloodstained hand, lost in his own thoughts, as their voices gradually faded away.

Jing Qiáng sighed inwardly. 'It's still not enough.'

He had no backup plan left; with his army already perished and only a trace of his inner dark Qi remaining, he knew there was no escape from this dire situation.

Yet, despite the inevitability of death, Jing Qiáng remained unmoved and expressionless.

Suddenly, he lifted his head up, staring at the dark-looking sky.

"Careful!" everyone backed away cautiously, immediately leaving a wide space open between them, with their eyes staring at Jing Qiáng, anticipating what might happen next.

Once in a while, the dark sky above momentarily lit up with flashes of lightning. While the surrounding air grew colder for the skin, signaling the falling of the rain.

There's only silence in the world. Not a single person dares to utter a word, wary of Jing Qiáng's final attack. Occasionally, only the crackling of lighting and the faint sound of their shallow breath could be heard there.

As raindrops began to fall, the tension hung in the air, intensifying with each passing hour.

The world was awash in a torrent of rain, and their anticipation of Jing Qiáng's final strike remained unresolved.

Their initial wariness transformed into irritation, refusing to allow Jing Qiáng more time to gather back his inner qi. Each leader of the justice faction exchanged glances, subtly hinting at each other to combine their final attack. While some still hesitated, seeing that Jing Qiáng remains unmoved in his position, drenched in pouring rain.

All of a sudden, a woman charged toward Jing Qiáng, her face twisted with unbearable hatred, "Argh!! I'll kill you!" she screamed.

Witnessing her sudden aggressive move, everyone reached a unanimous decision and followed suit in perfect synchronization.

"This shall be your grave, Jing Qiáng!"

"Die! You wicked demon!"

"Jing Qiáng! I'll drag you down to hell myself!"

One after another, they unleashed their final strikes, transforming the battlefield into a deadly spectacle, with beauty of its own.

All eyes remained locked onto him, awaiting his final demise—the downfall of the heavenly demon, Jing Qiáng. And through the thin slivers of rain that sliced the air like a curtain, Jing Qiáng's figure remained unmoved.

Yet, in a sudden twist, his gaze turned toward them, a cold smile curling on his lips. Giving them a chilling sensation.

In a mere second, a burst of dark energy swallowed the whole battlefield, transforming into a blazing dark inferno that consumed everything in its path.

'No!' caught off guard, their bodies froze, expressions shifting into sheer terror.

No time to react, no time to flee.

In an instant, everything was obliterated.

**********

During the lunch break, on the rooftop of the high school building, a girl and a guy were peacefully asleep against the wall, their heads gently leaning on each other, with an empty lunchbox sat next to them.

Abruptly, the guy jolted awake, his breathing heavily.

"This damn dream again," he muttered.

Lately, the recurring dream that had been happening for months started feeling more real. The battles, the bodies, the wounds, and the blood on his hands all seemed vivid. For a moment, he thought that he was the heavenly demon — Jing Qiáng, himself.

"Are you okay, Akki?" the girl stirred awake due to his sudden movements.

Azrael Akki was the guy's name, known as Azrael to most people. However, for Luna, having known him since childhood, she felt more comfortable calling him Akki.

As Luna looked at Azrael, her azure-blue eyes filled with concern toward him. And despite her worried looks, her beauty and charm remained intact. One can even wonder if she's an incarnation of an angel.

Seeing that, Azrael quickly shakes his head. "It's nothing. So Theo didn't come?"

"Theo said he had assignment to do," she replied.

"I see," Azrael stood up and dust off his white uniform, "let's clean this up before class starts." he added, pointing at the lunchbox.

Once they had finished cleaning up, they made their way downstairs to their classroom.

Riiing!! The school bell chimed, indicating that the class had started again.

"I'll go first, bye," Luna hurriedly ran to her class, while waving to Azrael with a smile.

As Luna ran to her class, a faint scent of her shampoo lingered briefly in the air, while her lengthy hair flowed seamlessly behind and her white slender body start to disappear from his sight, leaving Azrael slowly walk through the hallway.

"See you," answered Azrael softly.

**********

Deciding to skip his class, Azrael made his way to the back of the school.

Close to one of the buildings, the aroma of cigarette smoke filled the air, and familiar voices could be heard.

"Tch. That's popular guy, Theo," one of the delinquents remarked. "Don't you think he's too disrespectful to you, boss?"

Another voice chimed in, "Yeah, he thinks everything will be fine after he snatched the starter team position from you, boss."

The voices belonged to Jack and his gang—the son of the high school's top donor. Azrael quickly positioned himself behind the building's wall, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Another of Jack's lackeys added, "We should teach him a lesson, bos—."

"Any idea?" Jack asked, cutting him short.

"Just gang up on—"

"Hold on," the other lackey interrupted, "I think we should be more careful with that second-year boy. What's his name again?"

"You mean Azrael?"

"Yeah, that guy. I heard he win against seven guys from another school."

"You scared? With a small boy like him, you think he can win against four of us? It's just one person, you idiot!"

"Who said I'm scared?!"

"Then stop acting like a fucking coward. It's just a rumor, you dumbass!!"

"Fuck you!"

"Shut up! You two," the other Jack's lackey interrupted, "rumor or not, just make it look like an accident, so that boy wouldn't know it, right?"

"You're all stupid. Forget about this nonsense. Here's what we're gonna do: next time we spar with Theo, don't hold yourself back, play more dirty. Even if that Azrael boy finds out, what can he do?" said Jack arrogantly.

"That's truly a good idea, boss."

"Whoa, as expected of you, boss."

Jack's lackeys clapped at his idea while shamelessly flattered him.

Azrael's lips curled into a smirk as he turned and walked away.

'We'll see.'

**********

Inside the classroom, the first-year students struggled to stay engaged, as the teacher's monotonous tone lulled them into a state of boredom.

Luna's gaze wandered to the window next to her. Despite her best efforts to concentrate, every word that came out of the teacher's mouth broke her focus, leaving her feeling unbearably bored.

While the sky outside looks more entertaining than the class itself.

From the corner of her eye, near the back of the school, Luna spotted a small figure appearing in the garden. His path shows that he had just come from the student parking lot.

With a slightly slender build, the guy looked ordinary in his white uniform, and his short messy hair covering his dark-chocolate eyes. The guy emitted an air of indifference, as if he cared little about others' opinions and preferred doing things on his own terms.

'Did Akki skip his class again?' Luna thought, recognizing the figure as Azrael. Though he is intelligent, Azrael's unpredictable behavior often worried her. Yet, she knew deep down that he could always set things right.

Just like the first time, she arrived at the orphanage. Azrael was the one that comforted her when she feel lost and teary-eyed.

And since then, Azrael and Theo were the kids that she spend most of her childhood with, growing up together in an orphanage.

Theo's resembling a prince straight out of a fairy tale, with his handsome features and a strong sense of justice.

On the other hand, Azrael's unpredictable behavior, coupled with his intelligence, often made him appear like a lone wolf.

But despite their differences, they remain close friends.

Noticing Luna in her class, Azrael waved and smiled warmly at her.

However, before she could respond, the teacher's scolding voice jolted her out of her daydream.

"Miss Luna! Was my teaching too boring for you?" the teacher asked sternly, drawing all eyes to her.

Feeling flustered by the situation, Luna lowered her head and meekly replied, "Sorry, sir."

**********

The long ringing of the bell marked the end of the school day.

As the bell rang, students streamed out of their classrooms, filling the school grounds with chatter and laughter.

Some decided to hang out together outside the school, while others made their way to their club activities. A few lingered behind, waiting for friends or packing their belongings.

A bunch of third-year students began gossiping as they strolled toward the school gate.

"Guys, did you hear? Jack's gang just got into an accident."

"What happened?"

"I don't know much, but I heard that their car fell near the hill on the school road."

"Hmmph serves them right. They shouldn't have ditched class in the first place."

"Totally! Did he think he could rely on luck alone to awaken his magic talent, just because his parent rich?" the student mocked Jack's thoughts. "People blow all their cash trying to unlock their magic talent, but most end up broke and lose it."

"You're right, unfortunately only 2 out of 5 people that lucky enough to awaken their magic talent. And even then, what if you end up with the lowest talent? We should focus more on our future instead of just hoping for some talent to save us."

"Right," they simultaneously agree.

Meanwhile, Azrael stood next to the school gate, his face plain and devoid of any expression as he listened to all their discussions.

As if what happened to Jack's gang had nothing to do with him at all.

A thought echoed in his mind, 'Eye for an Eye, but you already go blind before you act. That's funny.' and his lips curled into a smirk.

The group conversation continued as the students made their way through the bustling school grounds.

"Attention, to all students," a female voice echoed through the school speaker, capturing everyone's attention. "Please be extra careful on your way home. We have received news of an accident involving some of our fellow students. Stay safe, everyone."

Azrael stood calmly next to the school gate, patiently waiting for his childhood friend, while other students hurriedly passed him by.

"Akki!" a pleasant voice called him out.

From the first-year group, a charming girl approached him with a warm smile, although the rest of the group seemed hesitant to interact with him, likely due to rumors they had heard about him.

"Luna, we'll go first," said one of the girls in the group.

"Alright, bye," Luna waved at them.

"Bye," the group bid their farewells and walk away, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Azrael.

Turning her attention to Azrael, Luna asked, "Did you wait long, Akki?"

"No."

"Eh, did you fall Akki? There's some dirt on your uniform," said Luna while dusting it off.

"It's just a little fall," he replied.

Their little conversation was gently interrupted as a figure ran towards them.

The guy was tall and had a well-built posture, crowned with golden hair that beautifully matched his soft-blue eyes, making him look like a charming prince.

"Sorry..." Theo stopped beside them, gasping for breath. "For making you two wait."

"It's alright," Luna said.

"Did you finish your task, Theo?" Azrael asked.

Theo nodded in response, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Well then, let's go home."