396. The quill of the arduous battle, the demise of the next Demon God?

WARNING!

The story contains graphic depictions of violence, sexuality, strong language, and/or other mature themes.

[The Spiritual Core's warfare: Arc 19]

Once upon a time, on Planet Earth, a young girl was born; the story goes that her identity was never adequately clarified, but she was effectively known as the 'Holy Light.'

Her title depicted the real life of one's planet. Humankind did not know the Dimensions that had appeared alongside her birth, only of the Spirits that had been destroyed or disappeared.

The woman... The Holy Light, the heir of all the inhabitants, was not born alone. The arrival of the Demon God, whose name was Rez, caused anarchy, and humanity was on the brink of extinction.

Humans terrified him because of his recklessness and hunger for blood, and Demons started to manifest all over the Earth and The World of Zero, alongside alternate races such as The Inner Fiends, The Shades, Wraiths, and Spirits.

To combat the challenge, a new breed of people has awakened, the 'Spiritual Duelists' and 'Substitute-Duelists,' who have been dubbed the "First Army to Face Evil."

With their Legendary Weapons, the Ginken. This swarm of humans increased the world's cleanliness to the greatest extent possible, overwhelming the Demons of various grades and placing their survival at risk.

But, after several years of waiting, the 'Holy Light' gave birth to a human child, a girl of theoretically greater worth than Zero herself, but unlikely to become the next 'Holy Light,' their Goddess gave the girl to a friendly family, and since her mother needed to participate in protecting the divinity, the girl's memories were wiped.

But there is another royalty trapped within the shadows that have been concealed for millennia, even longer than the birth of a Demon...

The only one who has beaten the 'Holy Light's own is the Fiend Lord. Its lurkers will undoubtedly be wiped out, and the newfound foe will ready the battlefield...

- Hidomari City, Sunday, 1:35 pm -

Previously, our Half-Demon and Kanji both appeared in the midst of a battle. With prepared bodies and offensive personalities, these two warriors will fight for the next few minutes.

Both of our heroes are in for a fight to remember.

Taking a step forward, then leaping forward and swinging the boomerang above his head after catching it, Codey embraced himself for the impact of defending Kin, at which point he successfully defended and swirled his sword forward, pummeled Codey back into the air, and noticed how he touched the wall and awoke a spiritual wind that easily pushed him to the opposite wall.

By attaching both feet and his right arm to the wall, Codey slid down and with a launch, followed by a frontflip, Codey bent his left arm near his jaw while emitting a powerful wind and then with a furious smash struck the floor with it, causing the room to fill with the strange wind that began to keep Kin back from coming into contact with Codey.

However, Kin needed to pack a stride forward once quickly joined in on Codey's front body, and by sensing that Codey had been caught in danger, himself ducked and felt the blade swinging over his head.

Codey quickly responded by crouching and clenching his left foot as he swiped it near the ground and smashed it into Kin's ankle, knocking him off his feet and causing him to lose his balance. After front-kicking Kin in the stomach with a quick extension of his right leg and a spinning body, he delivered the third kick into Kin's face, smashing him into the wall.

"What a surprise! You've matured." Saying that on the spot allowed Kin to start the next swing by cutting toward Codey's neck, who ducked and skipped a step back while sliding on the floor and stomping the floor with his left foot.

As a result, Codey was able to jump into a front kick and stretch his right leg before slamming his ankle down on Kin's top of the head.

Kin, however, had raised his free arm to defend the kick, which sparked a massive wind, knocking each of them aside and moving them further away from the spot.

Codey, on the other hand, quickly extended his left arm forward while tightening his grip on his boomerang in his right arm, resting it on his left wrist. This allowed Codey to unleash a powerful wind blast that slammed into Kin's face in the middle of the corridor, causing his body to be pushed back.

To catch up, Codey dashed for the strike, stretching his left leg and slamming it into Kin's face with another hop-forward, kicking him even further away from the spot and landing easily in a crouch.

Kin quickly regained his balance by adjusting his body and stomped the ground as the corridor's floor began to grow out from his force as he prepared to smash Codey.

Fortunately, Codey jumped and hung himself on the sidewall while watching the pressure exploding the floor backward through the glass, keeping him occupied long enough for Kin to smash into Codey's left cheek. Because of Kin's strength, Codey's body rolled to the side, crossing both arms and landing on the floor, visioning his opponent in front of him.

But, as he quickly ducked and backed away, Codey noticed a sword cutting across the front of his face.

Each of them then began their close combat.

Kin made a quick oblique cut with his sword from the left, allowing Codey to duck once more. But, at the same time, a down-cut was heard on the echoing floor, putting Codey in danger of being injured. Fortunately, Codey was able to quickly step to the side and then turn his body sideways, seeing that the sword followed up into the next crescent cut.

Once Codey vanished from the spot inside the wind current and appeared behind Kin in a hop, he successfully defended himself while hitting Kin's sword aside, going for the next strike into Kin's face. Kin's body slammed through the corridor as it slid on the floor, distancing himself from Codey, who landed straight in a sideways position.

He pierced his right palm forward, unleashing a devastating wind pulse that shattered the thin corridor's walls and forcibly slammed into Kin, pushing him through the shattered glass, cutting his skin.

Codey rushed forward, bent his body forward, both arms behind his back, and hopped through the shattered window, appearing above Kin's flung body. When slamming down on Kin's stomach, Codey decided to make a fist out of his palm. Creating another wind wave that spun in mid-air and then witnessing Kin's body slam into the City's newly opened roads.

With it, Codey landed precisely and examined his surroundings, as well as his opponent.

- Hidomari City, Sunday, 1:36 pm -

The same thing that was happening between Codey and Kin was happening with Kanji and Ryoko.

"There has to be a solution to this deception! Ryoko, hurry up. Put an end to the fighting!"

Kanji was backing away, trying to deliver as many defenses as he could to avoid hurting Ryoko, but it was too late.

Ryoko spun her polearm and swept it to the front of Kanji's neck, who ducked and quickly turned his body sideways, disappearing in dark blue electricity that began his appearance behind her back.

He quickly struck her with his right elbow, bouncing around and landing behind Ryoko.

Kanji continued by jumping and slamming his left foot into her back, kicking her forward, as she was stunned. Ryoko spun her body around to face Kanji, fixed her position by grabbing the floor, and stretched her left arm backward at the moment that was created.

While he was watching her body vanished from the spot, the polearm she was wielding was still delivering the vision of blood.

When he sensed the foe he had been fighting appeared behind him, he was caught off guard, and by piercing the polearm through his back, Kanji's eyes shook from the delivered pain.

Ryoko twisted the polearm, dragged it out, and forcibly pointed her palm forward, stunned and frozen on the spot. She unleashed a surge of red energy that grew in strength and then extended into Kanji's back.

While she spun the polearm and smashed the ground with its handle, he was knocked forward into the wall.

She arose from massive oblivion of red energy that throbbed forward, creeping Kanji, who needed to use his electricity to jump and grab the ceiling's top. He took note of the freshly dusted walls.

After wasting enough time, Kanji slid down quickly while stretching his left arm and then releasing the blue electricity.

While the ceiling began to pile down, he squashed Ryoko's face with the tip of his foot while striking her through the floor to the bottom floor, causing Kanji to leap into a backflip and land in the distance, glancing his opponent.

"Ryoko! You're not being truthful! What caused you to change?" Once again, no luck. Ryoko simply stood up and adjusted her polearm.

"I've already given you all the information you require. This is something I chose for myself. It makes no difference whether I am killed or not. I'm delighted to carry on my brother's plan. We need to charge that generator so that it can pulse out the beam, which will unlock many possibilities for us. People will quickly form a proper army, and we will be stronger than ever. We'll be able to eliminate all Spiritual Duelists as well as Arcane Duelists. We don't need your conversation to confuse or irritate me; we just want what the world requires." Kanji felt terrible about their plan after explaining it.

"You're all completely insane! There isn't a chance! Even if you are successful in manipulating every human to their highest potential and empowerment. Do you really believe they'll be enough to wipe out our species?" She declined in the hopes of committing to a proper response. "You've come a long way, but no. These people have greater abilities than the original Duelist. We will be the mainstay of this world's existence. Stop chit-chatting and go die!"

- Hidomari City, Sunday, 1:37 pm -

Codey exhaled, breathing out the cold as he noticed Kin standing up and smiling.

"This was a genuine exhibition match. However, the further we go, the stronger my desire to kill you becomes. And do you understand what that means? My rage and desire at their zenith. I may not have been able to kill the Goddess or eliminate that idiot, but I've pushed myself to new heights. Should we go ahead with it? Or should we let it loose?" He pondered and chuckled once more, but Codey's question was spot on.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"I'll prove it to you, Half-Demon. My fervent desire to slaughter one Spiritual Duelist has only increased its rivalry, which means that I - Lord Tsuneo's second hand - am here to cause the oblivion of this World... Demon, brace yourself. I will be the Time Shifting's next successor!"

His sword was raised as the generator that had been smoking on the roof began to be absorbed into his sword, empowering him and quickly starting Codey's argument. "What are you up to?" There was no response.

Instead, the smoke began to cover Kin's body, while Codey began to sense terrifying energy, a powerful Spiritual Symbolism, and an absurd evolution of his pressure in order to prevent himself from being blown to pieces. Hearing the menacing laugh, Codey embraced himself and defended the massive rage.

However, even after doing so and hoping that Codey had been cleansed of death, a black flash burst through Codey's neck, causing half of his vision to blur, and by feeling the warmth of his neck and pouring out the blood, Codey's body remained stunned while letting go of the boomerangs.

("... W-What in the world happened? D-Did I get cut or.... pierced?") His body lost its balance as he fell onto the ground, into his own pool of blood, still hearing the menacing laughs and feeling his body begin to cool.

With his body in the blood and his heartbeat slowing, a predictable death was bound to occur...

To be continued...