Aodai towered over Kazan's bound frame. His two giant scythes were locked tight around Kazan's neck and waist. The inferfrost chains vibrated violently, radiating a frigid chill that crystallized the air while emitting a searing heat that scorched skin.
Aodai raised both scythes, pinning Kazan in place. Ready to execute.
"A pity," he said coldly. "You were a fine warrior."
The scythes arced downward.
"Die," Aodai whispered in two terrifyingly intertwined voices.
Yet, in the split second before the scythe blades could tear through flesh—
SWOOSH—CRACK!
A strike of pitch-black energy cleaved from a blind spot. Void energy distorted the air, severing the inferfrost chains until they dissolved into a cloud of scattering particles!
Aodai recoiled, his eyes widening as his chains shattered.
Firm footsteps landed upon the ruined marble floor. Dust swirled, revealing Leon in his Eternal Darkness First Form, standing with Lokantaka gripped tight, enveloped in a thin yet dense dark aura.
Below him, Kazan stared up at Leon's back from the ground. His breath was heavy, his body marred by burns and ice lacerations.
Kazan closed his eyes briefly, exhaling a long breath before chuckling softly. "You're late, Leon."
Leon did not turn; his eyes remained locked on Aodai. "I arrived right on time, Kazan. Get up. We're not finished yet."
Kazan forced his body to stand. Though battered and his garments torn to shreds, his hand gripped the hilt of his katana tightly.
"You just fought two Hydras back-to-back," Kazan said. "You should be resting."
Leon shook his head. "I'm healed enough. And you..." He glanced at Kazan. "...still need help."
Kazan did not reply. But at the corner of his lips, there was something—not a smile, but a silent acknowledgment.
"Don't expect me to protect you," Kazan stated.
Leon raised Lokantaka. "I didn't ask you to."
Aodai snarled in fury. The dual-element fusion within his body churned violently upon seeing his execution thwarted.
"Both of you... will burn and freeze together!!"
"Twin Calamity Strike!"
Aodai surged through the air. His right scythe unleashed a tempest wave of fire, while his left scythe shot massive spears of ice simultaneously. The combined attack swept through the entire corridor where Leon and Kazan stood.
"Leon, take the fire!" Kazan barked.
"On it!"
Leon stepped forward, sweeping Lokantaka in a circular arc. "Void Barrier: Dark Eclipse!"
A dome of dark energy erupted from Lokantaka's tip, swallowing Aodai's flame slash into a hollow dimension. Simultaneously, Kazan leaped through the gap in the dark barricade.
With extreme precision and lightning speed, Kazan unleashed Shunpū: Hyakuren—a hundred high-precision wind thrusts that shattered Aodai's ice spears before they could touch the ground.
Aodai flinched. The rhythm of his combat was completely disrupted.
"Now, Kazan!" Leon yelled.
Leon charged hard from the left with a horizontal Void-infused slash, forcing Aodai to raise both scythes to parry.
BANG!
The shockwave pushed Aodai back several meters.
However, Aodai countered instantly. "Dance of Blazing Ice!"
The marble floor crystallized into black ice, then cracked and melted under the thermal wave that followed. An unpredictable, relentless barrage of consecutive slashes distortion the ambient temperature around them.
Leon and Kazan moved as one—not interfering with each other, but complementing each step.
Leon met the fire strikes with Lokantaka—"Dark Edge." Kazan intercepted the ice strikes with his white blade—"Hikari no Battō."
They held the line. Together.
Aodai backed away, his eyes narrowing. "You two..."
"Us," Leon corrected.
Leon and Kazan traded attacks seamlessly—no delays, no errors.
Leon slashed with "Dark Fracture Slash"—spatial cracks sped toward Aodai. Aodai blocked with his scythes—but that was merely a distraction.
Kazan was already directly behind him.
"Tenshi no Ichigeki!"
Leaping upward, Kazan delivered a downward cleave—forcing Aodai to spin and block, leaving his back wide open.
Leon did not waste the opening.
"Riftrend Barrage!"
A lightning-fast flurry of spatial cracks encircled Aodai. Enough to wound, enough to slow him down.
Aodai dropped to his knees, fresh blood oozing from injuries across his body.
Yet he still struggled to rise.
Leon and Kazan exchanged a look. No words were spoken. Only a decisive nod.
"Now," Leon said.
"Together," Kazan replied.
Leon raised Lokantaka—dense black and purple energy gathered along the blade.
"Dark Fracture Slash!"
Kazan raised his sword—a thick white aura wrapped tightly around his blade.
"Shiroi Ryūsen!"
Two attacks—a spatial fracture slash and a swirling strike in the shape of a white dragon—shot forth simultaneously. The two techniques amplified each other, completing one another.
Aodai raised both scythes—but it wasn't enough. Too overwhelming. Too fast.
The combined attack struck him dead-on—his chest, his arms, his head.
KABOOM!
A dual-energy explosion detonated violently. Aodai's core of fusion cracked severely. A high-pitched, dual shriek echoed as Aodai collapsed. The fusion shattered; his body split back into Daidaiiro and Ao, who lay unconscious with severe wounds across their bodies.
Kazan fell to one knee, propping himself up with his katana. His breathing was ragged, fresh blood dripping from his fingers. Beside him, Leon leaned Lokantaka against the floor, his frame trembling violently from severe exhaustion as his wounds reopened.
Their strength was running dangerously thin.
"We did it..." Leon whispered.
Kazan didn't answer, but he gave a firm nod.
However, there was no time to catch their breath.
Slow, deliberate applause echoed behind the slowly clearing battle smoke.
Clap... clap... clap...
"Incredible," Kin'iro's smooth voice cut through the silence. "A rather touching display of teamwork for men on the verge of death."
Kin'iro still stood composed behind the rubble. His smile remained relaxed, as though Aodai's defeat meant nothing to him.
Then, heavy footsteps caused the ground around the chamber to quake.
THUD... THUD... THUD...
From the shadows behind Kin'iro, the colossal figure of Gin'iro emerged once more. His shield was raised, his axe in hand, and his massive metallic body radiated a spiritual pressure so suffocating it weighed heavily on their chests.
Yet, what made Leon and Kazan's eyes widen was not merely Gin'iro's presence—but something the giant carried in his right hand.
Gin'iro stepped forward, placing an item wrapped in a blood-stained, pitch-black cloth directly before Kin'iro.
"I have brought it... as ordered, Kin'iro," Gin'iro's voice boomed deep and resonant, like an echo from a cavern.
Kin'iro glanced at the bloodied cloth for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent work, Gin'iro. No obstacles, I trust?"
"Only meaningless remnants," Gin'iro replied curtly.
Kin'iro smiled softly, shifting his gaze toward Leon and Kazan, his expression turning far wider and more dangerous than before.
"The opening act is over," Kin'iro whispered. "Now, let us begin the real chapter."
=== CHAPTER 50 END ===