PROLOGUE

People ran desperately, trampling those who fell to the ground, without any remorse. Their only concern was to get as far away as possible from the chaos that was being generated in the central square of the capital. Loud metallic sounds could be heard, at times drowning out the piercing screams of the people running. Panic flooded every person in the place. Two men of similar height were running in the opposite direction of the sea of people trying to flee. They were quickly heading toward the center of the square.

"Stop, Nikantres," exclaimed the first man. The second man came to an immediate halt. "Master," Nikantres responded calmly.

"I need to know if you're capable of handling this situation. We're not going to be able to stop him in a conventional way, and it's highly likely that we will have to kill him."

Nikantres' face filled with pain for a brief moment but returned to a neutral expression.

"I understand, Master. I won't let my feelings get in the way this time. Cravel has gone too far and must be stopped at all costs."

"I also need you to give your utmost effort in this. Our victory is not assured, and if we fail here, the consequences will be catastrophic. Do you understand?" Nikantres gave a slight nod of his head.

It did not take them more than five minutes to reach the beginning of the square and the scene that Nikantres saw left him frozen. Hundreds of bodies scattered all over the place, decorated in a brutal way the landscape of the square, the bodies were mutilated in grotesque ways, children, women, old people. Cravel made no difference, he slaughtered anyone who got in his way. The surrounding houses and stores were completely destroyed, the roads were in the same condition, gigantic chunks of rock had been extracted from the ground and thrown with extreme force, razing everything in their path, the people who were unlucky enough to be in the path of those pieces were completely blown up. The sight was grotesque.

Nikantres let out a groan of pain at what he was witnessing.

"Control your emotions, young man," his master spoke calmly.

Nikantres took two deep breaths and braced himself for what was coming. In the distance, next to a completely destroyed marble statue stained with the remains of the slain, stood a young man looking up at the sky.

"Cravel!" shouted Nikantres' master, with a powerful voice.

Cravel lowered his head and looked at the two men who had just arrived; a smile of insanity slowly began to creep across his face. His body was completely covered with the remains of people he had mutilated with his own hands.

"But if it isn't the very Adrexxis Dorva and his pathetic pupil!" shouted Cravel in a frenzied manner.

Adrexxis could not afford to waste any more time. In a fraction of a second, he unleashed a burst of Vital energy that cracked the ground beneath him. This was not a mere display of strength; it was the activation of his unique ability. Propelled by a speed bordering on madness, Adrexxis lunged at Cravel. His launch was so powerful it not only destroyed the ground where he had stood but also sent a shockwave that rattled the debris around him. By employing his unique ability, Adrexxis' perception of reality and time altered. In this state, which he called "divine speed," his reaction time surpassed human limits. The movements of his adversaries seemed to slow, allowing him to anticipate them easily. As he closed in on Cravel, Adrexxis drew his sword: a legendary katana tinted in vibrant purple, which he named "Thunder." However, Cravel surprised Adrexxis by turning his eyes towards him and beginning to raise his arms in the direction of his attack.

"This monster... he can follow my movements, even under the effects of divine speed," thought Adrexxis, biting his lip in a mix of surprise and bitterness.

In a fleeting instant, Adrexxis' katana clashed against Cravel's outstretched palms. The resulting thunderous collision sent a shockwave scattering debris, bodies, and wreckage everywhere. Not wasting a second, Adrexxis readjusted his stance and raised his sword, preparing to diagonally slice through Cravel's body. But his enemy, with astonishing speed rivaling Adrexxis' prior attack, landed a devastating blow to Adrexxis' ribs. Pain contorted his face. Before he could recover, Cravel grabbed him by the collar of his clothing and finished him off with a direct kick to the face, catapulting him into a nearby pile of ruins. As this was happening, Nikantres activated his own Vital energy and charged at Cravel. Although he couldn't match the supernatural speed of his master, his velocity was dizzying. With both swords drawn, he lunged ferociously, aiming at Cravel's head. However, Cravel intercepted the blades with an ease that bordered on the supernatural. Infuriated, Nikantres put all his strength into play, releasing a howl of rage that pierced the air. So great was the pressure that Cravel began to sink gradually into the already cracked terrain. Nikantres could see the manic laughter on Cravel's face; his eyes were completely bloodshot. But before he could even think of anything else, Adrexxis arrived like a bolt of lightning, deeply embedding his katana into Cravel's torso.

"Now, Nikantres!" shouted a desperate Adrexxis.

  "Don't hesitate, cut him!".

Nikantres employed every fiber of his being to try and sever the hands holding his two swords, but it was having no effect. However, with a shriek of desperation that chilled the blood of both men, Cravel suddenly released his Vital energy. The energy burst was so abrupt it repelled the two men and sent them flying several meters away. The energy he released was so massive that the remaining debris around them were hurled away at incredibly high speeds. One of them struck Nikantres squarely in the face, causing a cut on his face that began near his forehead and ended at his chin.

"Fools!" screamed Cravel with unbridled madness.

"Your efforts are futile! I won't stop until the Supreme himself comes forth to answer for what he has done to me!" he shrieked in an infernal manner.

"You, you disgusting rats! You know what you've done there! You knew and yet you let my treasure, my soul!" As he shouted this, tears began to flow from Cravel's eyes.

"Because of you, my soul is no longer whole," he whispered with indescribable pain.

Adrexxis observed that the situation was uncontrollable. Cravel was in a state of complete madness. Therefore, he focused all his Vital energy and, seeing that Cravel had let his guard down for a fraction of a second, launched his most potent attack. In just a millisecond, his katana reached Cravel's neck and collided, causing another brutal shockwave.

Cravel, in that very millisecond, reactivated his Vital energy, but as he did, Nikantres arrived with his two swords and also struck him at the neck.

Cravel began to scream wildly, eclipsing the shouts that Adrexxis and Nikantres were making, until finally Cravel's neck gave way, and with a massive gust of wind, his head went flying through the air and landed several meters away.

Nikantres fell on his backside, and his swords dropped to his sides. Both swords were completely shattered and unusable. Nikantres was gasping uncontrollably, trying to catch his breath. He had spent nearly all his Vital energy and was on the verge of collapse. His master was in the same situation. Both lay on the ground gasping continuously.

"It's over," Nikantres managed to whisper before completely collapsing and slipping into unconsciousness.