Duel

"Him?" The woman asks, crunching down on the remnants of her glass cup with a loud, grotesque sound, her mouth twisting into a savage grin. Her body contorts unnervingly, bones popping in and out of place as she gestures to an open space in the dark cavern. "Fight there," she murmurs, her hand twitching violently before she shoves the remaining shards of glass into her mouth, chewing noisily.

The man, his body twitching as he walks with a crooked, almost puppet-like gait, follows her direction, his balance unstable, his movements jerky. "Human man," he says, his voice that sickly, broken tone, "I will show respect for being acknowledged by he who we failed."

Kael watches him closely, mentally gauging his opponent. 'His balance is off, his movements are unstable. Surviving whatever he throws at me should be easy, especially in this darkness,' Kael muses, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "'He who we failed'... by any chance, are you referring to Mirelith?"

"Indeed," the man murmurs, the words sounding unnatural and strained. "I have no right to call him by name," he says with reverence, his voice oddly calm despite its horrific undertone. "If he who we failed acknowledges you, then this fool who cannot say his name will gladly show respect. Normally, I would not use my weapon... but I will show you respect." His words are punctuated by more violent twitching, his head jerking erratically.

Kael nods, absorbing the information. 'So, they have a connection to Mirelith... "he who we failed." What exactly happened with them?' He exhales, his mind racing as he sizes up the man once again. 'Where is his weapon?' With a deep breath, Kael raises his arm. "One last thing... will you fight with that blindfold on?"

The man's twitching head nods slowly. "I apologize, but I cannot remove this," he says, his tone suddenly laden with sorrow. "When it all occurred, we both promised ourselves we wouldn't see what we have become. We will wait for the day we are free or the day we die."

"I understand," Kael says, offering a small smile. 'This makes it easier for me. Sure, some can fight blind, but with his instability, he's unlikely to pull it off well.' Extending his hand, Umbra morphs into its signature black blade, its sheen catching the faint light from the glowing mushrooms.

Before Kael can ready himself, Ilka appears, floating right above his head, yanking on his hair hard enough to make him wince. "What do you think you're doing?" she scolds, her voice full of irritation. "He is showing the most respect he can possibly give you, so hurry up and put your blindfold on before I get any angrier! And don't use that sword," she adds, slamming her tiny fist against Kael's forehead. "Use something else."

Kael mutters under his breath, rubbing his forehead. "Seriously?" he grumbles as he holds up Umbra, which quickly shifts into a blindfold. He ties it around his head, tightening it securely. "Please allow me to use a blindfold myself," Kael says aloud, his tone respectful. "My master will be furious if I don't show a man such as yourself some respect."

With his vision now blocked, Kael sighs internally, 'What the hell, Ilka? Fine, I'll use one of those experimental swords Eira wanted me to test. I'm more than overgeared for this, so it should be fine.' He feels the weight of his enchanted armor, each layer serving a unique defensive purpose—absorbing magic, kinetic energy, and defending against piercing attacks. 'Maybe I should come up with proper names for all this gear... Eira's names are too damn long.'

"I'm telling you this now," Ilka's voice cuts in, cold and firm. "Don't even think about cheating," she warns before vanishing again.

'She's never been this serious before,' Kael thinks, shaking his head slightly. He faces the twitching man once again. "Do you have your weapon on you?"

The man's hands tremble violently as he replies, "Don't worry. Once we start, I will use it."

Kael nods, reaching into his pouch. 'Eira and I designed some swords via TSI. I've only got three prototypes. I gave one to Ryua, one is mine, and the last is a special gift for later. Guess I'll try out my own,' he thinks, unwrapping a sword covered in black cloth. A smirk crosses his lips. "Prince, this isn't an artifact—it's a weapon I created. If you're interested in buying some, let me know." 'Well, Eira did most of the work, but no way can I tell him that.'

As the cloth falls away, it reveals a clean, sleek sword, a meter long with a straight blade. The dull side is replaced with an almost transparent material, giving the weapon an ethereal look. The handle is intricately designed with multiple mechanisms. 'Time to test this out... let's call it Kua, from the Naiko series blade, since Eira plans to make eight of these similar swords.'

Standing up from his seat, the prince watches the unfolding scene, a bemused smirk dancing on his lips. 'I've never seen a blade like that,' he muses, eyeing Kael's unusual sword from a distance. 'I was hoping to see more of that artifact of his, but this is turning out to be even more interesting.' Leaning back, he crosses his arms. 'Just how confident is this mystery man?'

"Are you ready?" the woman asks, her voice edged with anticipation. Raising her twitching arm, she grits her teeth, and a golden-black light begins to materialize before her, slowly forming a glowing, ethereal timer in the air.

Kael nods, his expression calm. "I'm all set." The moment the words leave his lips, the one-minute countdown begins. Kael's brow furrows slightly. 'Where's his weapon?' he wonders, his confusion mounting.

The man across from him twitches violently before reaching down to the earth, pressing his palm firmly against the cracked ground. "I thank you for choosing me," he murmurs, voice laden with reverence. "I get to wield it once more... I've forgotten its name, but please, survive. Survive for the sake of he who we failed."

As his hand grips the earth, the ground beneath him begins to tremble violently, fissures forming in jagged lines across the floor. From the ground, a handle shoots upward like a spear rising from the depths. The handle is long, around 16 inches, with a brown hue streaked with black. The man wraps his trembling hand around it, and the moment he does, his entire body shifts. His bones snap and pop into place with a sickening series of cracks. His hunched form straightens, his muscles bulging grotesquely as if his very structure has been reborn.

With a single yank, he pulls the colossal sword from the earth, dirt and debris exploding outward as he lifts the weapon effortlessly with one hand. The blade is monstrous—18 meters long and 3 meters wide—its dark, ancient surface etched with deep runes that pulse faintly with holy energy. Dirt still clings to it, obscuring the intricate runes that Kael can barely sense through the debris. "I may have forgotten its name," the man growls, "but I'll never forget how to wield it." The sword vibrates violently in his hand, "Stop hesitating!" the air around it shimmering as golden light surges through its core, blasting the dirt away in a radiant burst of energy.

'What the hell is this?' Kael's eyes widen as he instinctively takes a step back. 'Is this the sword of a giant? No, this thing is radiating holy power—an insane amount at that.' His gaze flickers to the man, who now stands tall and poised. 'His posture—it's the stance of a master swordsman. Damn it, I messed up picking him. No, wait—she's probably just as strong.' He glances at the woman, who remains disturbingly calm, still munching on raw sugar with twitching hands.

"Here I come," the man announces, swinging the massive blade in a perfect arc with a single hand.

Kael's senses flare violently. His internal warning systems scream as all of his mana and aura circulate wildly through his body. In less than a millisecond, Kael bends backward into a sharp 90-degree angle, dodging the first swing by a hair's breadth. But the man is relentless—the blade returns, slashing downward in a crushing blow with terrifying speed and force.

'What the—' Kael barely has time to think as his body reacts on instinct. His bones pop painfully as he adjusts his posture, forcing his aura pathways to circulate at full capacity. 'I need a different footwork. Think—number 13,' he commands himself. His foot pushes off the ground, his sword already in position. He slides the transparent blade against the massive weapon, sparks exploding in all directions. Using the impact to shift his weight, Kael spins counterclockwise, but the monstrous blade is already back, cutting toward him again.

Gritting his teeth, Kael slams the hilt of his sword against the flat side of the giant blade, forcing it upward. The air pressure that's been building from the sheer force of the strikes erupts violently, sending shockwaves that shatter the cave walls and scatter rocks in every direction.

As the dust clears, Kael glances down at his own blade, noticing the faint golden glow emanating from the transparent part. 'It's working... It's absorbing the holy energy,' he thinks, pushing off the ground just in time to avoid the next swing. His boots leave a crater where he stood, the massive sword slicing cleanly through the space where his feet had been milliseconds earlier.