Seven Seconds

The remaining Krepsunas, driven by primal rage and fear of their superiors, charged at Vastarael in a disorganized frenzy. He watched them with detached amusement, tapping the end of his glaive lightly against the white asphalt.

"Let's see…" he muttered to himself as the first beast lunged toward him, its massive jaws aiming for his throat. Vastarael sidestepped, swinging his glaive in a wide arc. The sapphire blade hummed through the air, meeting the beast's neck with almost surgical precision. Its head hit the ground before its body crumpled, its blood evaporating into the air.

He didn't pause. Another Krepsuna leapt toward him, its claws swiping at his midsection. Vastarael twisted his body effortlessly, narrowly avoiding the attack and brought the glaive's blade end down on the creature's skull with enough force to crack the asphalt beneath it.

"Too slow," he muttered, his tone more disappointed than anything else.

Three more charged at once. Vastarael spun his glaive again, the crystalline blade catching the dim light as he surged forward to meet them head-on. He ducked under the first one's swipe, ramming the weapon's shaft into its chest and sending it flying backward with a sickening crunch. The second tried to flank him but he pivoted, his glaive cutting through its midsection cleanly, leaving the two halves of its body to fall lifelessly to the ground.

The third barely had time to react before he slammed the flat side of the glaive into its side, hurling it into a nearby wall with enough force to crack stone.

Elyonari watched as she fought the other five humanoid dogs, her eyebrows raised. Vastarael was gentle but powerful. Where she fought with calculated moves, he fought with such gentleness. Every single strike was a kill.

He paused for a moment, his sapphire glaive resting on his shoulder as he surveyed the battlefield. The remaining Krepsunas hesitated now, their earlier frenzy replaced with something that resembled fear.

"Seriously? Is this it?" Vastarael said aloud, sounding almost bored. He gestured to the Passageway with his free hand. "Come on, send more. This is barely a warm-up."

The Krepsunas snarled but didn't advance. Instead, they seemed to retreat slightly, their glowing eyes flicking nervously toward the shimmering portal behind them.

And then it happened.

The Passageway pulsed violently, its dark aura growing more oppressive. A low growl echoed from within, so deep it reverberated in Vastarael's chest. The Krepsunas on the battlefield immediately stopped moving, their heads bowing as if in submission.

Vastarael narrowed his eyes, gripping his glaive tighter.

"Oh, here we go," he muttered under his breath. "I knew my Bane wouldn't let me off that easy."

The ground trembled as a massive figure began to emerge from the Passageway. First came a clawed hand, each talon as long as a sword and glowing with a crimson glow. Then a hulking torso, covered in burning, molten fur that dripped embers onto the ground.

Its head followed, grotesque and canine, but with horns curling backward like a demon's. Its glowing orange eyes locked onto Vastarael with an intelligence that far surpassed the lesser Krepsunas.

The beast was enormous, easily four times the size of the others, standing upright on two massive legs at an overwhelming twelve meters. Its presence radiated pure malice and even the air around it seemed to grow heavier.

Elyonari took a step forward, her staff glowing faintly.

"That's no ordinary Krepsuna," she said, her voice grim.

"No kidding," Vastarael replied, keeping his gaze fixed on the creature. Despite the danger, there was a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Looks like the boss finally decided to show up."

The beast let out an earth-shaking roar and the remaining Krepsunas immediately rallied behind it, their fear replaced with renewed aggression.

"Stay back," Vastarael said over his shoulder to Elyonari. "I've got this. Count and record how many seconds I have to kill this thing. I need to try something."

Elyonari frowned but nodded. She trusted him, though the sheer size of the creature made her uneasy.

Vastarael adjusted his grip on the glaive, the sapphire blade glowing brighter as he channeled his essence into it. He stared down the massive Krepsuna, his smirk fading into a look of pure focus.

"Alright, big guy," he muttered, lowering himself into a fighting stance. "Let's dance."

The moment the massive Krepsuna roared, Vastarael sprang into action, causing a slight air shift from his pounce. Elyonari glanced at her staff as she began counting aloud.

"One..."

Vastarael charged forward with explosive speed, the sapphire glaive trailing a faint streak of light behind him. The massive Krepsuna swung a clawed hand down in an arc meant to crush him but he anticipated the attack, sidestepping at the last second.

Without breaking stride, he spun his glaive in a full circle, slashing cleanly through the beast's arm. The cut was so precise that for a heartbeat, the severed limb stayed in place before crashing to the ground, embers scattering across the pavement.

"Two..."

The beast howled in rage and lunged forward, its jaws wide open to devour him. Vastarael ducked low, sliding beneath its massive frame with the grace of a dancer. As he passed, he drove the glaive upward, its blade slicing deep into the creature's underbelly, leaving a glowing trail of energy that hissed as it burned into the flesh. The Krepsuna staggered, its molten fur flaring in pain, but Vastarael was already behind it, poised for the next strike.

"Three..."

Pivoting on his heel, he leaped into the air, his glaive spinning overhead in a wide arc. The creature whipped its tail around in a desperate attempt to knock him out of the air but Vastarael twisted mid-flight, narrowly evading the attack.

He fell on its back, balancing effortlessly on the unstable surface. The sapphire blade glowed brighter as he drove it down, piercing through the beast's shoulder. The impact sent a shockwave of energy through its body, momentarily paralyzing it.

"Four..."

The Krepsuna regained its senses and bucked wildly, trying to throw him off. Vastarael clung to the embedded glaive, using the momentum to swing himself around to its side. He yanked the weapon free, flipping in midair to land on the ground in front of the beast. It swiped at him again with its remaining arm but he countered, spinning the glaive like a whirlwind. The blade intercepted the claw, severing the remaining limb instantly.

"Five..."

The creature, now disarmed and furious, released a roar and charged forward, using its massive bulk to try and crush him. Vastarael vaulted over the charging beast, flipping gracefully over its head. As he descended, he slashed downward, the glaive carving a deep gash across its spine. The force of the strike sent a slight air wave and the Krepsuna stumbled, collapsing onto one knee.

"Six..."

Taking advantage of its vulnerability, Vastarael sprinted forward, his glaive spinning like a cyclone. He struck repeatedly as he dismantled the creature piece by piece. The sapphire blade hummed with raw energy, cutting through molten fur and corrupted flesh with ease. By the time he stopped, the Krepsuna was riddled with glowing, searing wounds. It collapsed onto all fours, barely holding itself up.

"Seven..."

Vastarael stood directly in front of the beast, his glaive poised for the final strike. The Krepsuna growled weakly, its glowing eyes flickering like dying embers. Without a word, he dashed forward, the sapphire blade piercing through its chest in one swift, decisive motion.

The energy from the glaive surged through the creature, shattering its corrupted body from the inside out. The Krepsuna let out a final, ear-splitting howl before it disintegrated into ash, leaving nothing but a faint scorch mark on the ground.

He straightened, resting the glaive on his shoulder as he turned to Elyonari, who stood frozen.

His breath came in short gasps as he worked to recover from the effort. Despite the victory, his jaw clenched tightly, frustration clouding his features. He looked at Elyonari, who still seemed in shock, her staff lowered to her side.

"Seven seconds," she repeated, her voice in disbelief. "You… went all out on your weapon mastery, didn't you?"

He exhaled sharply, standing upright and shaking his head.

"Seven seconds... that's still not enough. Adelasta could do it in three. I'm too slow."

The comparison stung, though he knew it was no one's fault but his own. Vastarael prided himself on versatility.

As both a weapon master and a mage, he had unparalleled flexibility in combat, able to adapt to almost any situation. Yet, this versatility often came at a cost. His mastery was spread across disciplines. The thought of Adelasta, always loomed in his mind.

She was his exact opposite though.

If she were here, she would have ended this in three seconds. With her daggers alone, her efficiency in close combat was unmatched. While Adelasta excelled in pure, ruthless physicality, Vastarael leaned more heavily on his magecraft.

If he had used his essence-based Tethers—Circlecraft, Sapphire Materialization, or even a fraction of Omniphage—the fight would have ended before Elyonari could count to two.

And if Adelasta used her fire abilities, she would have spent seven seconds.

But that wasn't the point.

"No," he muttered under his breath. "I wanted to win using my glaive alone."

His fingers tightened around the shaft of the weapon. Each strike, each movement during those seven seconds had been calculated and deliberate, but it still wasn't enough for him.

To someone like Vastarael, perfection wasn't just a goal. It was an expectation he placed upon himself. Seven seconds to kill a As the ranking of the beings involve the Nexuses, Primordial Gods, Gods, Divine, Ascenders, Essentia and Normals...

The Krepsuna ranking involved the Phantasms, Overlords, Forgotten, Scavengers, Sunderers and Warped.

Killing a Warped Rank Krepsuna using nothing but his glaive... anyone else would have called it a miracle.

Yet here he was, disappointed in himself.

If anyone else had been watching this, they'd be on the ground, coughing up blood. Seven seconds against a creature of this size and power, without mystic or divine abilities, was beyond incredible.

"You're insane, you know that?" She finally said. "Most people would celebrate surviving something like this. You're over here tearing yourself down because you weren't fast enough? Vastarael, do you even hear yourself?"

He didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on the faint scorch mark where the Krepsuna had stood moments before. Finally, he sighed, shifting his glaive back onto his shoulder.

"I hear myself," he admitted, his tone low. "But if I don't push myself, how can I ever reach her level? Or surpass it?"

Elyonari hesitated, watching him carefully. She could see the weight he carried, the burden of expectations that came not just from others but from within himself.

"You're both ridiculous," she said after a moment, her voice softening. "Adelasta with her daggers, you with your magecraft. Different sides of the same coin, always competing with each other. But did it ever occur to you that seven seconds with a glaive is nothing short of a miracle? Especially when that thing could've leveled the district in the same amount of time?"

He glanced at her, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"Miracle or not, I need to be better. I've got this reputation to uphold, after all."

Elyonari rolled her eyes but smiled. "Right. Can't let the world forget you're Vastarael Richinaria, the divine prince who takes down massive Krepsunas in single digit seconds."

The teasing in her voice pulled a chuckle from him, but the determination in his eyes didn't fade. Seven seconds might have been impressive to the world, but to Vastarael, it was just another reminder of how much further he had to go.

Since he is useless as a mage once his essence runs out and it would take time for him to recover it in time, he wanted to be better in weapon mastery in case the worst happened.

"So... what do we do now?"