Chương 1: Vol. 1 - Prelude

T ired." CLANG!!!" Our swords met once more, the impact releasing a burst of compressed force, sending sparks into the dark sky, pushing the two of us back. I'm so tired. I reached for the obsidian sword behind my back and gripped it tightly with my left hand. While I retreated slowly, my dominant hand held the silver sword differently this time. With all five fingers, I held it like a dagger, its tip pointing towards the ground.

"Ugh, I was hoping it wouldn't come down to this," I muttered, swapping the sword I was wielding for the obsidian one. If he's forcing me to use the obsidian sword instead of the silver one, he must be good. But not good enough to make me use both.

"Troublesome." Boring. Tired of everything. He raised his sword once again, appearing just behind me. I vanished and reappeared at a far distance, barely dodging his blow. He was not holding back at all. Maybe I shouldn't. But it would be a waste to use all my astralis on him. He's not worth that much.

"Tsk," I frowned, feeling the small scratch he made at my neck. Blood was oozing out fast from that mark he made.

"What a pain in the ass." He moved without warning again and struck before anyone could fully see his movement. It came down as a crushing force and would have cut me into bits if I had not dodged the attack again. Tired of needing to protect everyone.

"Come on, child, show me your worth, show me your power," He taunted.

"Show me your hatred for me. I want to see it. Your hate." He laughed maniacally.

"Come, let me taste your deep hate for me!! Where is it? I want to see it!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Don't you just hate me?" He provoked, merely defending as I attacked.

"Come, show me your power. Well, I won't say that you're weak, but to be honest, I expected more."

"Unlike certain people, I don't just fight with my hands. I fight with my brain." I said coldly. I have no intention of entertaining the likes of him. Tired of carrying this burden of lies.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Fighting with your brain? I have never heard of that." His sword drove forward with unrelenting force, sending me staggering backwards. Time. I just need a little more time. Dust rose into the air, obscuring the aftermath of the strike.

"Strategy. There is a strategy for everything." I simply stated.

"You plan for everything. And like you, I have been planning for days, weeks, months, and even years for this very moment."

"Interesting…" He murmured. And I dived into the dust, escaping from his line of vision. Tired of hearing never-ending truths to the lies I have been fed.

"You can't keep running away from me," His voice echoed through the mist.

"Fate is something you cannot keep running from. What is destined to happen will happen, no matter how many times you try to avoid it." …but don't mistake this for weakness…

"I know that," I said softly. My blade cut through the air in a clean, controlled arc, leaving no wasted motion behind, landing exactly where it needed to be.

"I know too much," I whispered. Because throughout all this chaos and lies…

"You missed," He smirked.

"No," I smiled.

"I did not miss. I simply calculated." The ground beneath him cracked open, unable to fully absorb the impact of my sword. I'm still the one who stands above it all.

"Of all the people here, you should know that when I smile," I laughed.

"It is over."