The Rampaging Beast
After Yusoku regained consciousness, a terrifying aura began to emanate from him. He grabbed his sword, and his eye turned blue. His massive sword became enveloped in ice.
It was as if a warrior had risen from the dead.
Yusoku charged at me with everything he had, trying to kill me. With every strike of his sword, ice exploded violently. I was able to dodge all his attacks with ease, but had it been someone else, their body would've been split in two with a single blow.
The battle between the two intensified.
The upper hand was clearly in Akayama's favor. Despite Yusoku taking the fight completely seriously, Akayama fought mockingly — and that was obvious. He didn't respond to a single strike, only dodged them all with ease. Until Yusoku stood, seriousness on his face, his hands enveloped in energy, and suddenly launched a destructive blow. The strike was strong enough to create a hole through four mountains. Dust filled the area from the impact of the strike, and Akayama was nowhere to be seen.
After a while, Yusoku thought he had killed Akayama, so he decided to leave. But suddenly, in a single moment, Yusoku was surrounded by a circle of flames. His eyes widened as Akayama appeared, not even scratched.
Akayama smiled, and a powerful red aura began to surround him, signaling a terrifying power about to explode.
Rage appeared on Yusoku's face. A strong energy began to emerge from him, and ice started surrounding his body. The fire circle around him froze.
Akayama moved at an incredible speed and initiated an attack on Yusoku. In an instant, he dodged Yusoku's strike and punched him in the face, causing Yusoku to fall to the ground.
Yusoku was shocked — he couldn't defeat Akayama. He realized he had only one option left.
The entire area began to shake. I felt this aura wasn't human... but the aura of a beast. I looked at Yusoku and saw his appearance begin to transform — sharp fangs emerged, his hands completely covered in ice, and his whole body became encased in it.
I took a combat stance, for I realized the battle from this point on would be entirely different.
Ice began exploding from everywhere, sharp like sharpened blades. Yusoku approached me, and with his ice-covered hand, struck a powerful blow toward me.
I couldn't avoid it, but I managed to block it with difficulty… the pressure was immense.
Yusoku tried to repeat the strike, but this time I decided to unleash part of my power. I was able to counter his second blow, which was even stronger than the first, by clashing with him with a strike of equal strength.
Yusoku raised both his hands, and the strike was aimed at me. He slammed the ground forcefully, splitting it beneath my feet. I managed to escape at the last second, but as soon as I regained my footing, he appeared in front of me suddenly and delivered a direct blow to my chest.
But this time... I couldn't dodge it, nor even block it.
Blood spewed from my mouth, and I coughed violently as I staggered back. I drew my sword, and the red aura around me grew denser and wilder. Yusoku tried to step back, but I appeared before him at lightning speed, my sword in hand, now seeming to be drenched in blood.
The real clash between us began. Sword against sword, the pressure from our strikes was destroying the surroundings. With each clash, Yusoku spat more and more blood.
He fired ice arrows at me. I dodged them gracefully and instantly moved behind him. That's when I realized his weak point... With a focused strike, a red aura burst from my sword toward his chest — the only area not covered in ice.
Yusoku's Perspective:
Yusoku thought to himself:
It seems I will die in this battle...
From the beginning, I felt the one before me wasn't merely human... but a ruler. And now? He's far more dangerous than any ruler.
I need to know who this being truly is...
Signs of despair and disappointment appeared on his face, as he realized that throughout the battle, he hadn't managed to accomplish anything.
He was fighting a monster unrelated to humanity...
Every strike he delivered was either blocked or dodged with ease.
At that moment, Yusoku realized the true gap between their powers.
Yusoku unleashed all his strength and enveloped his sword with energy. He laughed hysterically and said, "Seems this is the end."
I drew my sword and decided to reveal my full power.
At that moment, as Yusoku attacked Akayama, time seemed to slow for him... as if everything was moving in slow motion. He sank into his thoughts, and his past flowed before his eyes — how he sacrificed everything for the prosperity of the empire, and how loyalty was his guide. But in the end... he was betrayed.
Betrayed by the emperor himself.
He realized then that the rulers never cared for humans, and that everything he did... was meaningless.
A terrifying clash occurred between Yusoku and Akayama.
The sky changed, and the earth was on the verge of collapse.
Both were spitting blood from the intense pressure. Yusoku released all his power, while Akayama used only half of his.
Suddenly... a massive explosion roared.
In the blink of an eye, Akayama sliced Yusoku's body in half with his sword. With the same strike, seven mountains behind him split, revealing the horror hidden within that power.
Akayama smiled faintly and said in a cold voice:
"You shouldn't have rushed."