Brewing of Darkness

|Arthur|

My body trembled involuntarily as my gaze fixated on the five figures standing before me. They bore a resemblance to the Vritra-blooded, but their presence was undeniably distinct. Their imposing horns towered above, exuding an aura of unmatched power.

"Why have full-blooded Vritras been brought here?" I inquired, struggling to suppress the waves of despair attempting to engulf me.

"We are the Specters," proclaimed the leader of the Vritras. His towering stature and sinewy frame projected dominance. His eyes, a fiery crimson, assessed me with a penetrating gaze. "We have been tasked with obliterating all Paladins and Lances of Dicathen, as well as any who dare impede our mission."

'Specters... such an unimaginative designation,' my mind remarked, swiftly seeking an escape plan amidst the chaos.

Acting swiftly, I activated Realmheart, attempting to employ spatium to evade their clutches. However, to my dismay, the motes of spatium disintegrated upon encountering a barrier of bluish-purple hue.

"You cannot flee, lesser," one of the Specters sneered. "Did you truly believe we come without preparations against spatium?"

Surveying the surroundings using Realmheart, I beheld a colossal cubic prison of aether, confining me within its confines alongside these formidable adversaries. This aetheric cage disrupted spatium and presented a formidable obstacle that would not easily yield.

As his grip tightened around my face, a surge of panic compelled me to retaliate with ice magic. Yet, my efforts were swiftly thwarted as he forcefully slammed me into the unforgiving ground, disregarding the icy tendrils encasing his arm.

His power surpassed anything I had encountered before. The mere touch of his Asuran might threatened to shatter my bones into fragments.

Engulfed in black flames of soulfire, my body struggled to withstand the onslaught, relying on a thin shield of pure aether for defense. Each tremor of his strength sent cracks reverberating through my frame, a relentless assault that pushed me to the brink of survival.

In terms of sheer power, he even surpassed Cecilia. Though Cecilia's mastery of spell control could potentially tip the scales in her favor in a clash between them, his formidable might remained undeniable.

My mind wrestled with excruciating pain, battling against the overwhelming onslaught while striving to devise countermeasures.

Relinquishing his grip on my face, the Vritra redirected his assault, raining down blows upon my battered form. Each strike inflicted searing agony as he relentlessly assaulted my aetheric barrier, seeking to breach its defenses through sheer force.

'Dammit,'I muttered inwardly, determination mingling with frustration. 'There's no other choice. It's uncontrollable, but in this dire circumstance, I must unleash it.'

In the realm of Realmheart, I tapped into the essence of vivum, but instead of harnessing its healing properties, I delved into its destructive core.

A resounding boom reverberated as a beam of vibrant purple energy erupted forth, yet the Vritra displayed remarkable agility, narrowly evading its lethal trajectory.

"Hehe," I chuckled, rising to my feet and reveling in the surging power of Realmheart coursing through my veins. Unrestrained thoughts of destruction inundated my mind as I wholeheartedly embraced the profound force.

"What is this?" the leader inquired, his gaze fixed upon his affected hand. Without offering a response, I staggered forward, my unsteady gait propelling me toward him.

"It matters not," another Phantom interjected, unleashing a torrent of soulfire aimed directly at me.

I pitched forward, almost as if succumbing to a fall, before catching myself with a swift maneuver of my left foot. A surge of pure aether surged through my leg, granting me instant stability as I swiftly darted behind the bewildered Vritras, catching them off guard.

[Burst Step]

Under normal circumstances, such a movement would have inflicted grievous damage upon my leg, yet with the unrestrained might of Realmheart unleashed, my body attained a temporary semblance to that of an Indrath.

With an explosive surge of power, I unleashed the devastating punch of Destruction upon the unsuspecting Vritra, obliterating any feeble resistance his mana could muster. The force behind the strike was overwhelming, propelling him through the air like a ragdoll, his body spiraling uncontrollably before crashing into the unforgiving ground.

"What is happening to you?" the leader of the Vritras questioned, his voice laced with a mix of concern and unease.

"Hahahaha!" I giggled uncontrollably.

I stumbled forward, my movements unsteady and erratic, as if puppeteered by an unseen force.

The onslaught of soulfire intensified, but my deteriorating grip on reality distorted my perception of the incoming danger. I laughed maniacally, reveling in the chaos that consumed me, oblivious to the mounting threats.

Each step I took echoed with an unstable energy, fueled by a combination of destructive intent and internal turmoil. Reality warped and twisted in my wake, as if bending to the whims of my unraveling psyche.

|Nico|

With a curious tilt of my head, I directed my gaze towards the enigmatic figure standing before me. His fiery red hair framed his face, and a pair of sleek spectacles adorned his features. However, it was the aura surrounding him that caught my attention—a power that rivaled that of the esteemed Lances, yet distinct enough to set him apart.

A knowing smile graced his lips as he responded, "I am the esteemed mentor of Dicathen's greatest prodigies." His countenance hardened, and a fiery spirit materialized at his side, its presence emanating strength and intensity.

My eyes narrowed, and in response, a multitude of obsidian spikes materialised, swiftly hurtling toward my adversary with lethal intent.

"Now, it does matter not," I declared, my voice laced with resolve. "For your demise shall be sealed, just like that of all the soldiers who have fallen before you."

In a dazzling display of power, the man's form became engulfed in a brilliant armour woven from the essence of fire spirits, and a regal crown materialised upon his head. Magnificent wings unfurled behind him, granting him unparalleled agility and speed as he deftly manoeuvred through my onslaught, retaliating with precision.

A vibrant blaze of orange clashed against my formidable wall of soulfire, but it only served to elicit a wicked grin upon my face. The might of his sword was effortlessly intercepted by an array of metallic spikes that I conjured, asserting my dominance in this deadly confrontation.

|Gary|

In the midst of our intense clash, the battlefield crackling with the clash of our swords, I unsheathed my legendary blade known as Dusk's Shadowfang. Its darkened blade gleamed ominously. The Legacy's smile widened as he brandished his own weapon, a macabre and malevolent creation resonating with dark purple energy. The sword seemed to have been forged from the essence of Asuras themselves, exuding an aura of power and malevolence that sent a shiver down my spine.

With lightning speed, he closed the distance between us, launching himself towards me in a blur of motion. I gritted my teeth, steadying myself as I prepared to counter his attack. We clashed with a tremendous force, the clash of our blades resounding like thunder, as our powers cancelled each other out, leaving us momentarily at a stalemate.

Undeterred, I unleashed the full potential of the Levisha Style, a deadly combat technique that I had honed through years of training. Each movement flowed seamlessly into the next, each strike building upon the previous one, amplifying our strength with every exchange.

Curiosity gnawed at me amidst the whirlwind of our battle, and I couldn't help but question my opponent's familiarity with the Levisha Style. "How do you know this style?" I asked, maintaining a casual tone even as my focus remained razor-sharp.

A smirk curled upon his lips as our blades clashed once again, creating a brief respite between our ninth movements. "You really have to ask, Ren Dover?" he replied, his voice dripping with a mixture of amusement and confidence.

Shock flickered through my pupils, momentarily breaking my concentration.

But I quickly snapped back to reality, reminding myself that now was not the time for distractions. I swiftly executed the tenth movement of the Levisha Style, channeling every ounce of my skill and power into the strike.

Recognition dawned upon me, and I came to a resolute conclusion. "So it's you, Kevin," I stated, my voice laced with a mix of surprise and realization. There were only three individuals in existence who possessed the knowledge of the revered Levisha Style: Grandmaster Levisha, Kevin, and myself. It became abundantly clear that the man standing before me, exuding formidable strength, could not possibly be Grandmaster Levisha. The grandmaster, while a masterful swordsman, lacked the overwhelming mana reserves that would result in him becoming this powerful in this life.

Curiosity burned within me, fueled by a desire for understanding. "Why do you stand against me?" I inquired, locking my gaze with his intense emerald eyes. A knowing smile tugged at his lips as he responded, his voice laced with a sense of familiarity. "A conflict of interests, as you always used to say."

Confirmation washed over me. The realization struck like a bolt of lightning—this man before me was none other than my dearest friend from a past lifetime. He was the one who had unwittingly become a pawn in the destruction of the Akashic Records, the chosen hero of the universe, and one of the most significant individuals in my life.

Yet, his current opposition to me could only be attributed to the manipulative machinations of Agrona. I understood that she had likely tampered with his memories, altering his perception of our shared past. The weight of that knowledge bore heavily upon me.

If I could emerge victorious in this battle, I could potentially break Agrona's hold over his mind. The prospect of freeing him from her insidious influence spurred me forward. However, the first step was to overcome the formidable opponent standing before me, my dear friend turned adversary.

"Then," I said as a thin smile appeared on my face, "I shall show you the pinnacle of swordsmanship."

[Sword Domain]