Chapter 83: Understanding
FWOOSH!
The battlefield had already been reduced to ruins.
The streets were fractured beyond recognition.
Buildings leaned precariously, their foundations shattered by countless shockwaves. Flames continued to consume what little remained, while thick clouds of smoke drifted lazily through the night sky.
Standing amidst the devastation....Zachia stepped forward.
"Guys, leave him to me!"
Cluch.....
Cluch.....
Cluch...
His boots crunched against broken concrete as he slowly raised his sword.
Only one hand gripped the weapon, his left.
Across from him, Mirage stood in complete silence.
His expression remained unreadable, almost indifferent, as though the destruction surrounding them was nothing more than an inconvenience.
Neither man spoke.
They simply watched one another.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!
Without warning, both disappeared.
A violent explosion of wind erupted between them as they crossed the distance in an instant.
CLAAAAANG!!
Their swords collided with such force that sparks burst into the air like fireworks.
The pressure exploded outward in every direction. Nearby windows shattered instantly. Loose debris was hurled through the streets. The ground beneath their feet splintered into a web of cracks.
For several seconds...
CLING!
CLANG!
FWOOSH!
Steel screamed against steel, and neither fighter gave an inch.
Then Zachia twisted his blade, redirecting Mirage's overwhelming force before slidingbackwardsd several meters.
SKREETCH!!
His boots dug deep grooves into the ruined pavement.
Mirage...didn't move at all.
The difference was obvious.
Not in speed, not in technique, but in sheer weight.
Mirage's strength carried a crushing heaviness that made every clash feel like stopping a collapsing mountain.
* * *
They attacked again.
CLANG!
CLANG!!
CLAAAAANG!!
Their blades met repeatedly, each collision producing another violent shockwave, every strike echoed across Kingsville, and every impact shattered more of the already broken city.
SLING–CLING–SLIDE!
CLANG–DODGE–SLASH!
Zachia fought with incredible precision, his footwork remained flawless, every slash flowed naturally into the next, and every block became the beginning of another attack.
His movements resembled a perfectly rehearsed dance.
Elegant, calculated, and deadly efficient.
Mirage...w.as the complete opposite.
There was no elegance, no unnecessary motion, only overwhelming force.
Every swing of his massive blade carried enough power to tear apart the battlefield apart.
He swung horizontally.
BOOOOOOM!!
A crescent-shaped shockwave ripped across the street, slicing through abandoned buildings as though they were made of paper.
Concrete exploded. Steel beams bent. Entire rooftops collapsed.
SWOOSH!
Zachia narrowly ducked beneath the attack.
The destructive wave continued for another hundred meters before finally disappearing into the night.
He clicked his tongue.
"...Tch."
Another swing came immediately afterward.
SWOOOOSH!!
Zachia barely twisted his body aside.
The blade missed him by inches. The resulting shockwave completely erased what remained of a nearby office building.
CRRAAAASHH!!
FWOOSH!
Dust swallowed the entire block.
Zachia landed lightly atop a broken section of road, his breathing remained steady.
But inside...He had already reached a conclusion.
"If this continues...I'll lose."
Not because Mirage was more skilled,but because every exchange destroyed the environment around them.
Soon...there would be nowhere left to stand.
CLING!
Mirage raised his sword again. The air groaned beneath its weight.
Zachia slowly exhaled.
Fwooo...
Then...Something changed.
His dominant right hand reached forward. It wrapped firmly around the hilt beside his left. For the first time since the battle began...He held his sword with both hands.
SHWOOM!
His stance lowered. His center of gravity shifted. His entire posture transformed.
Mirage noticed immediately.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...Finally."
Zachia lifted his eyes.
His expression had become perfectly calm.
"...I'm done holding back."
* * *
BOOOOM!!
The ground exploded beneath Zachia's feet.
He vanished, not fast, but instantaneous.
Mirage's eyes widened slightly as Zachia suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
CLAAAAANG!!
Their swords collided again.
This time...Mirage's arm trembled only slightly.
But it trembled.
Zachia didn't stop.
SWISH!!
One slash.
Mirage blocked.
SLASH!
SLAASH!
Another.
Then another.
His attacks flowed together with incredible speed. There were no wasted movements and no hesitation.
Every strike targeted a weakness and every follow-up forced Mirage farther backwards.
For the first time...the leader of Silver Moon surrendered ground.
CRACK!
One step.
Then another.
Wei-Wan stared in disbelief.
"...He's pushing him back..."
Daito remained silent. His sharp eyes carefully analyzed every movement. Zachia's advantage wasn't strength. It wasn't speed. It was refinement.
Years of relentless discipline, perfect execution, every technique had been polished to its absolute limit.
Mirage possessed overwhelming destructive power.
But Zachia...Possessed mastery.
For several glorious moments...yhe momentum belonged entirely to him.
Then...Mirage smiled.
A calm...Almost amused smile.
Because he understood something.
Technique alone...Wasn't enough.
He swung only once.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The impact shook the area.
CLAAAAANG!
Zachia blocked the strike successfully.
Yet the shockwave exploded behind him with terrifying force, as buildings collapsed, roads split apart, and the very ground beneath their feet crumbled into enormous fragments.
CRAAACK!
CRRAAAASHH!
BOOOM!
The battlefield itself began falling away beneath them. Chunks of earth tumbled into the growing crater below. Both fighters immediately leaped onto the collapsing debris.
Now...They weren't fighting on solid ground. They were battling atop falling ruins.
Mirage attacked again.
BOOOM!
Another devastating shockwave shattered three massive slabs of concrete beneath Zachia.
He narrowly escaped by leaping onto another fragment.
"...Damn it..."
He clenched his jaw.
"Even if I outmatch him technically...This battleground is becoming his weapon."
Fwooo.....
Mirage stood atop a floating section of collapsed highway.
Dark energy slowly gathered around him. The surrounding air grew noticeably heavier. Even Daito could feel the change from a distance.
Avenor's eyes widened.
"...Savage Power..."
Mirage slowly lifted his enormous blade.
His voice remained calm.
"...SLASHTIC."
Silence.
Then...
He swung only once, and nothing happened.
Or so it seemed.
Then—
FFFRRRRRSHHH!!
The air itself fractured.
One slash became two.
ZWIM!
Two became five.
ZWIM–ZWIM–ZWIM!!
Five became ten.
Invisible blades layered over one another, spreading outward like overlapping waves.
Every slash occupied a different trajectory, different timing and a different angle.
All created...from one swing.
Zachia's eyes widened.
"...What...?!"
He blocked the first attack. Deflected the second. Twisted beneath the third.
But the remaining invisible slashes struck almost simultaneously.
SHINK!!
SHINK!!
SHINK!!
His body jerked violently.
PSSSHH!!
Blood burst into the air.
Cuts appeared across his shoulders, his chest, his arms and his side.
Each wound had come from a different angle. As though ten master swordsmen had attacked him simultaneously.
BOOOM!
CRAASH!
He crashed onto a collapsing slab of concrete before sliding several meters across its surface.
"Hufff.....huff"
Drip–Drip.....
His breathing grew noticeably heavier. Blood dripped steadily from multiple wounds.
Mirage remained standing, and untouched.
His massive blade rested comfortably across one shoulder.
"...Your skill..."
His voice echoed quietly across the battlefield.
"...Is impressive."
He slowly raised the sword again.
"...But meaningless..."
Dark energy continued gathering around him.
"...Against inevitability."
For several long seconds...Neither man moved.
Then...Zachia slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He looked down at the crimson staining his fingertips.
Then...he also smiled.
A genuine smile.
"...We'll see."
His eyes rose once more to meet Mirage's. In them, there was no fear only "understanding".
He had seen it now. He understood how SLASHTIC worked.And Zachia possessed one quality above almost everyone else.
The moment he understood something....He adapted.
Behind him, Daito took a single step forward.
His hand tightened around his sword.
"...Zachia."
Without turning around....Without taking his eyes off Mirage...
Zachia spoke calmly.
"...Don't interfere."
A brief silence followed.
Then he added, his voice unwavering.
"...I've got him."
The town fell silent once more. Two swordsmen stood facing one another. One represented overwhelming power.
The other...Unbreakable mastery.
And somewhere beyond the burning streets of Kingsville...The rest of the Silver Moon continued moving their pieces into place.
The war....Had only just begun.
To Be Continued...