Celia's Perspective:
There's no way to escape... Ronan, no. This demon can't be beaten.
I felt a cold weight settle over , my heart racing as I watched the arrow streak toward us. It burned with a heat that could scorch the very air, turning the ground beneath it pitch black, as if it were poisoning everything in its path. The flas wrapped around the arrow, eating up the space between us with terrifying speed.
Ronan's voice cut through the chaos, his grin wide and cruel. "That's the end for you." His words were cold, confident—he was enjoying this. Enjoying our last monts.
I closed my eyes, bracing for the inevitable. The arrow was now only a breath away, about to turn and Kiel to ash.
Oh no, no, no...
And then, a voice, distant but clear, echoed through the air.
"Oh really?"
It wasn't Ronan's voice. It ca from nowhere. My head snapped around, eyes wide, but there was nothing. No one in sight. The arrow continued its deadly path, too fast to dodge, too powerful to escape.
I couldn't pull my gaze from it, not as it neared us, not as the heat began to singe the air around us.
This is it.
Then, without warning, soone grabbed my hand.
"—??!"
Kiel was dragged away from , pulled by the hair as though sothing invisible had seized him. I barely had ti to react.
In that instant, everything felt like it had stopped. The world slowed, almost painfully, as if ti itself had hit pause. My senses sharpened, but nothing made sense. Then, with a blink, everything changed.
I wasn't standing where I had been. I was sowhere else. Far from the blast. I turned just in ti to see the arrow slam into the edge of a distant hill, exploding on impact. The sound was deafening—an ear-splitting crack that shook the ground beneath us. The blast sent a storm of fire and debris into the air, ripping apart everything in its wake.
I staggered slightly, my head spinning as I looked up.
A hand—strong and steady—held mine, pulling to safety. My eyes darted upward, and the person who had saved us stood before . But... was he even human?
He stepped out of the shadows, his presence so overwhelming it was hard to focus on anything else. His black hair, wild but sohow perfect, shimred faintly, catching the light in a way that felt unnatural. It gave off an almost otherworldly glow, as if it didn't belong in this world.
But it was his eyes—those piercing violet eyes—that made my breath catch. They weren't just looking at . They were looking through , seeing every part of I never let anyone see. I wanted to look away, but sothing about him... I couldn't.
His cloak rippled around him, moving as though it were alive. It shifted unnaturally, despite the air being still. Beneath it, I could make out the outline of sleek armor, subtle but clearly designed for soone who moved with deadly precision. And the way he stood there, completely at ease, as though the ground didn't even matter—it was unnerving.
Who is he?
His voice broke through my daze, light and teasing, but it had an edge that sent a chill down my spine.
"What's that look for? Shocked by my good looks or my overwhelming power? Take your pick!" He chuckled, his tone playful, yet his presence was anything but casual. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. His very presence... It was hypnotic.
"I... um... Who are you?" I finally managed to ask, my voice small and unsure.
He released Kiel from his grip, and Kiel dropped to the ground with a soft thud. Slowly, Kiel turned his head, his eyes wide with disbelief, his mouth hanging open in shock. His expression was a mix of awe and confusion, like he had just seen sothing too extraordinary to comprehend.
Who was this person? Where had he co from? How could he do what he just did?
The questions hung in the air, unanswered, as the silence stretched between us, leaving with a sense of wonder and fear all at once.
He didn't answer imdiately. My eyes drifted to his right, where a sword was strapped to his side.
I couldn't look away from it. The blade was black—darker than the night that surrounded us earlier. Its edge shimred like shadow and steel fused together, almost as if the very darkness of the world had been carved into it. Shadows clung to the weapon, twisting and writhing like they were alive, feeding off his presence. It wasn't just a sword; it was a part of him—just as deadly and untouchable as he was.
"Wow, you really love staring at , huh? Hate to break it to you, but I'm not interested."
His voice was mocking, but there was a cold edge to it that made my skin crawl.
"Hey, what?!" I blurted out, montarily forgetting the situation with the King of Flas standing before us.
"Anyways, let's stay focused here—" His words were abruptly cut off.
"Oh, you're still alive?" Ronan's voice sliced through the air, sharp and nacing. "Impressive. I guess even trash has its monts of pride."
The King of Flas strode toward us, his demonic form crackling with power. The ground seed to tremble beneath his every step, and his smile twisted into sothing far more dangerous than any fire.
"Excuse ? I was giving my heroic speech in front of th—" The man beside began to speak again, but Ronan interrupted him with a flick of his fingers.
"Die."
The word was cold and final. In an instant, a deadly thread of fire-woven wind shot toward us with an explosive force. We barely dodged the last attack, but this one ca faster, fiercer, impossible to react to in ti.
Then, just as the attack closed in, the person beside gripped my hand tighter and grabbed Kiel by the shoulder. Before I could even process what was happening, we were gone.
Ti seed to slow. In the blink of an eye, we had been ripped away from the path of destruction. The wind from Ronan's attack reached us only a second later, a gust strong enough to whip our hair around us.
"What?!" My heart raced, still trying to catch up with the speed at which we moved.
"Celia, do you know who he is?!" Kiel gasped, his voice full of astonishnt.
I turned to look at him, stunned by the speed and power of the person who'd just saved us. I had no answers.
As I was about to respond, another attack from Ronan was already charging toward us—quicker than the last. But again, we dodged it without a scratch.
"Is this supposed to be an attack or a warm-up?" The person who saved us spoke, voice dripping with disdain. "Because I feel like I should've stretched more."
Ronan's smirk twisted, a wild glint in his eyes. "Hmm... Finally, sothing worth my ti. But don't mistake this for a battle—you're just a slightly sturdier toy I'll break quickly."
The stranger's voice turned icy, devoid of any humor. "Huh, guess that makes the weakling who's about to end your entire life."
Ronan's face hardened into sothing savage, a low growl vibrating in his throat. "You want to fight ? You've got guts, I'll give you that. Too bad I'll be carving them out in a mont."
The tension between them crackled, thick and oppressive. It was the kind of silence before the storm, the kind of battle that would tear the world apart.
This wasn't just a fight—it was the clash of two titans, each one determined to break the other. And I had no idea who would walk away alive.
Ronan didn't waste any ti. He launched a barrage of fireballs, each one streaking through the air with deadly intent. They weren't just fired in a straight line—they curved, homing in on us from different angles, tracking our every movent. The flas blazed with an intensity that scorched the air around us. Kiel tried to dodge, weaving to avoid the incoming assault, but the man beside had a grip on him, keeping him firmly in place.
"Nah... They're too slow," he said, his voice unshaken. "We can relax."
His words were casual, as though we weren't seconds away from being engulfed in fire. He held us still, forcing us to wait as the fireballs closed in, their heat already burning the edges of my skin. I could feel the fiery aura growing hotter, suffocating the air with its intensity.
I blinked. In an instant, we were in a different spot entirely.
Ronan froze, his face twisting into a shocked expression, but it quickly morphed back into his usual twisted grin. He moved his hands, preparing for another attack.
"Oh, you're trying so hard to stay alive. It's adorable," he taunted. "But tell , how does it feel knowing that all your effort is utterly aningless?"
Without warning, the ground around us cracked open as walls of fire erupted from the earth, slowly closing in, encircling us in a blazing cage. The flas burned so bright that the world around us seed to flicker with their light. My heart raced as I frantically searched for an escape, but Kiel... Kiel was unnervingly calm.
"Hey, why don't you just relax a bit? Let handle this," he said, his voice smooth and confident, his violet eyes eting mine, calming the storm of panic rising inside .
I didn't understand how he could be so composed in the face of sothing this deadly. But then he spoke again, his voice low, carrying the weight of sothing ancient.
"O veils of darkness, arise and consu the arrogant fla. Swallow its light, and carve a path for your master to tread."
I didn't know the incantation, but the shadows around his sword began to stir on their own, moving like they had a life of their own. The flas around us crackled, their heat turning to sothing colder, darker. The fire began to lt into shadows, their light consud by an unnatural darkness. The shift was sudden, almost surreal. The flas hissed and lted away, replaced by shadows that writhed and burned with an eerie glow.
Without a second thought, the man beside walked right through the now-dark flas, his path untouched by the destruction around us. The air seed to grow colder as the shadows swirled at his feet. He released his grip on Kiel and , his eyes locked on Ronan with cold determination.
"You two should stay back," he said, voice steady. "I'll finish the demon."
Kiel and I just stared at him. He had dodged all of Ronan's ultimate attacks without breaking a sweat. He walked through Ronan's flas like they were nothing more than smoke. And still, I couldn't understand who he was or how much more power he was hiding, concealed behind a calm and teasing deanor.
"Careful looking at like that," he said, his tone suddenly light, playful. "People might think you're falling for ."
I was completely caught off guard by his words. "Could you be any more serious?!" I snapped, flustered. My heart still pounded from the chaos, yet here he was, turning the tension into sothing strange and awkward.
He chuckled, the sound low and teasing. "You're cute when you're flustered. But don't worry—I won't tell anyone. For now."
His smile widened as shadows swirled around him, almost as if they were being absorbed into his body, becoming part of him.
"What do you an, 'for now'?" I demanded, suddenly irritated at his playful deflection.
He waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'll sign autographs after we're done here."
I opened my mouth to respond, but Kiel cut in, his voice tense. "Celia, he is The Sword—"
Before he could finish, Ronan's voice sliced through the air, dripping with venom. "You really think you stand a chance? How cute. Let show you just how small and insignificant you are before I erase you—"
But Ronan never finished his sentence. His words were swallowed by the silence that followed, his threat hanging useless in the air.
A second ago, he had been standing behind us, but in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Ronan. His sword was drawn, gleaming in the dying light, poised to strike. Ronan barely reacted in ti, his arms igniting in a burst of fiery energy as he blocked his swing. The force of the clash sent shockwaves through the air, and though Ronan's defense was swift, his strike grazed his face, drawing a thin line of blood.
"Aghh!" Ronan hissed, stepping back, fury flashing in his eyes as he struggled to regain his footing.
But before anyone could blink, He was back in front of us, effortlessly closing the distance. It was like he was everywhere at once, his presence so overwhelming it left Ronan reeling.
"You're really confident, huh?" His voice was calm, almost mocking. He locked eyes with Ronan, both n sharing a death stare that could kill. "I'd say that's cute, but this is more like secondhand embarrassnt for you."
Ronan's grin twisted into sothing darker. "Oh? You scratched . Congratulations, worm. Your reward? A slower, more painful death awaits."
But he smirked, unbothered by the threat. "You speak a lot for the power you possess. Don't tell you're trying to fake it?"
Ronan's laughter was cold, dripping with contempt as he took a step closer, his form radiating a nacing aura. "Hmph. At least you're not completely worthless. Keep this up, and I might even rember your na for your power."
Once again, his violet eyes glead with a sadistic delight. "Wow, thanks! I was going to say the sa about you, but let's not lie to each other! We both know who truly is stronger."
Ronan's sneer deepened, his hands crackling with fiery power. "I can sense power in you, but before I destroy you, I want to hear your na. Who do you think you are?"
The pressure in the air built as the two locked eyes, their auras clashing like raging storms. The ground seed to crack beneath them, the very air charged with raw, unrestrained energy.
He tilted his head slightly, his smirk never fading.
"Heh... Ahhahahaha... are these your last words? Fine, I'll humor you."
He drew himself up, his voice carrying with an unsettling confidence. "The na's Levi Ashton. You might've heard of ... one of the Five Sword Saints of the World. I'm also known as the Wielder of God-Speed."
The revelation hit like a explosion. I had heard of the Sword Saints—legendary warriors whose powers were beyond comprehension. They were not simply skilled swordsn or mages, they were anomalies. Beings who wielded a unique bond with their swords and magic, capable of defeating S-Ranked mages and monsters with nothing but their blades.
And now, one of them was standing before , facing down Ronan with a look that said he was untouchable.
"Levi... Wielder of God-Speed?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
The power emanating from him was unreal. His speed was sothing beyond normal perception. He didn't just move quickly; it was as if he could bend ti itself, striking before anyone even realized he had moved. And the way he manipulated magic—it was like he could control nature itself, shadows and flas bending to his will.
Levi wasn't just strong. He was untouchable. No one—no S-Ranked mage, no elental demon—could stand against him. His speed, his strength, his magic—they were all on another level.
Ronan, clearly unfazed, chuckled darkly. "Was that it? All that boasting, all that bravado... and you couldn't even make blink. How utterly boring."
Levi's response was a low, nacing laugh that sent chills down my spine. "Ahahahahh... Really?"
He took a step forward, the shadows around him deepening. "Let make this easy for you: run now, and I might forget this ever happened."
Ronan's eyes burned with rage. "You're beginning to irritate . Consider all of the warnings off now, I will remove you from existence altogether."
Levi just shrugged, unfazed by Ronan's fury. "Hey, if you're trying to intimidate , you might want to work on your delivery. I almost felt sothing—almost."
Ronan closed his eyes, and the temperature in the air spiked, the ground beneath us trembling with the force of his power. The flas around him roared to life, and the pressure between the two of them grew unbearable. My instincts scread at , but I couldn't take my eyes off them. Ronan's power was imnse, but Levi... Levi wasn't fazed in the slightest.
I was safe around him, but my heart refused to let go. Kaiser was still there—lying on the ground, unconscious. That was all I could allow myself to believe, even if the truth whispered his death. He couldn't be gone. I wouldn't accept it. I would never accept it. Not while there was breath left in .
In this mont, with everything on the line, my thoughts couldn't stray from him. Kaiser... my friend. My chest pained with the weight of it. If I could just ask Levi—if only he could help, if he could save him... Please, I can't lose him.
"Hey, Levi—" I started, but before I could finish, he interrupted.
"You're lucky you looked pretty. Otherwise, I might've let you squirm a little longer," he said casually, his eyes on .
"...Excuse ?!" I reacted, flustered by his words. What was he saying?
Kiel, trying to stay strong, spoke up. "Hey, Levi. Let help you fight Ronan, he is one of the elental demons. You might not be able to take him on—"
"Oh, how cute. You really want to join the fun?" Levi's voice was light but laced with a deadly edge.
"Let help you fight, I know we can both beat him." Kiel persisted, but as he spoke, he started coughing, still drained from his earlier battle with Kaiser.
Levi glanced over at him, his eyes cold. "Look, I'd love to let you tag along, but it seems like you're still recovering. You can't comprehend your condition yet. So do a favor, stay back, and watch win."
"But... Ronan is an elental demon. Would you alone be able to defeat him alone?!" Kiel asked, concern etched on his face.
"Nah, I'd win." Levi said simply, the deadly aura around his sword growing thicker with each step as he walked toward Ronan. His confidence was unwavering.
This was it.
The King of Flas versus the Sword Saint of God-Speed. The battle that would decide everything.
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