Blood Between Flame and Ash

Battle Location – The Scorched Arena

Amidst the smoke and blood, I advanced slowly through the burning corpses.

Heat rose from the ground, and flames danced around me as if celebrating the madness of war. The sounds of the dying filling the horizon... but this was only the beginning.

From within the smoke, an armored knight appeared, his eyes filled with rage.

"Kyle! You son of a bitch, do you think you can survive?"

He was the commander of the enemy's vanguard unit, Roghin the Crimson, one of the elite leaders of the Red Imperial Army.

Despite the dust, I noticed his body language... his tight grip on his spear, his steady stance... he was completely confident.

But I wasn't interested in hearing his threats.

"If you're going to attack me... there's no need for chatter."

He looked at me angrily, then shouted, "Slaughter him!"

The moment he spoke, dozens of magical arrows shot towards me!

My feet moved lightly, as if I were dancing amidst death itself.

"[Wind Barrier]"

I wove a barrier in front of me, causing the arrows to deflect, but they didn't stop.

"They think I'm just a fire user?"

"[Lightning Dash!]"

I dashed with lightning speed, leaving a glowing blue trail on the scorched earth, and appeared behind the first soldier before he noticed me.

Slash!

I killed him with a single move and dashed towards the others.

"This is madness! How can he use lightning magic?!" one of them shouted as I eliminated more soldiers.

At this moment, I heard a familiar voice behind me...

"Don't tell me you're enjoying slaughtering these scumbags all by yourself?"

I turned to find Falco charging into the battle with his unit, advancing through the soldiers brutally.

"Time to play, Commander."

Although I was easily eliminating the soldiers, I didn't forget the real target:

Roghin the Crimson was my main opponent.

My steps began to accelerate towards him, but he didn't move... he was completely confident.

As I approached him, he raised his spear high, drawing a strange black energy around himself.

"You're too late, Kyle..."

At that moment, I felt a strange vibration in the air.

"...This isn't ordinary magic!"

And suddenly, everything disappeared.

◈◈◈◈

The sky was filled with dark clouds, and the air was saturated with the smell of burnt iron. On the ground, corpses were torn apart, some having lost limbs, and others whose souls still clung to life, letting out desperate moans under the weight of approaching death.

My battalion and I stood amidst all this ruin, but I wasn't interested in the weak around me. My eyes were fixed on Roghin the Crimson.

"You don't seem surprised, Kyle."

He stood there, tall as a pillar of black fire, his armor adorned with a sash of his enemies' skulls, and his face etched with a malicious smile.

I reached my right hand towards the hilt of my long sword and slowly drew the blade, letting out a terrifying screech amidst the silence.

"Roghin, you won't wake up tomorrow."

In a fraction of a second, I dashed with incredible speed, my feet shattering the ground under the force of my charge.

"[Lightning Dash!]"

I moved at a speed invisible to the human eye, targeting his neck with a decisive blow.

But he... anticipated the attack!

His spear collided with my sword, causing a shockwave that tore the ground around us, sending fiery stones in every direction!

His crimson eyes were not filled with surprise, but with arrogance!

"If you think speed alone will allow you to kill me, you are still just a child in this world, Kyle."

I immediately realized...

Roghin doesn't rely only on physical strength, but on a strange demonic magic!

I felt a tremor in my body, a strange energy seeping through the sword into my hand, as if I were being slowly drained.

"The Crimson Blood Curse...?!"

Roghin laughed softly.

"Oh... you know it? Good! Then... you won't mind feeling its effect now!"

In an instant, black energies ignited around his body, his skin turned an even darker shade, and his eyes shone like two glowing embers.

"This is... the Third Emperor level!"

I had no choice... I had to raise my power level as well!

I grasped the hilt of my sword with both hands, focusing all my energy...

"[Blue Flame Emission!]"

In a fraction of a second, blue flames erupted from my body, turning the surrounding area to ash!

Those flames are not just ordinary fire... they are the flames of the soul!

Sword and Spear Confrontation – Clash of Tyrants!

Roghin responded immediately... he raised his spear high and shouted:

"[Crimson Death Thrust!]"

His spear pierced the air with insane speed, heading directly for my heart!

But I was ready!

The moment it approached, I spun my body quickly, then intercepted the attack with a blazing blade!

Sparks flew, the air vibrated violently, then...

We clashed again!

We were both breathing heavily, but...

Roghin was smiling!

"You are impressive, Kyle... but you still don't know one thing."

I raised my eyebrows slightly, tightening my grip on my sword.

"And what is that?"

He smiled even more.

"That I haven't even begun to fight yet."

Then... a massive wave of crimson blood erupted, making the sky ignite with red!

◈◈◈◈

The ground shook under the force unleashed by Roghin the Crimson. A wave of crimson blood swept across the field, turning the sand into sticky red mud and saturating the air with the smell of iron.

I stood amidst this flood, my breath quickening, my sword still blazing with blue flames that began to dance on its blade, as if it were a living being preparing to devour its prey.

"Kyle, are you finally starting to feel terrified?"

His voice was full of mockery, but I didn't let it affect me.

I looked at him calmly. "Fear? No, Roghin... but I am certainly interested in seeing the limits of your power."

Roghin raised his right hand, and black energy mixed with blood erupted from his palm, beginning to form complex symbols in the air.

"Ritual magic...?"

This was not something common in single combat. Ritual magic usually requires a long time to prepare, but Roghin managed to activate it within seconds.

Then I realized... this man was not just a powerful warrior, but a top-tier mage as well!

"In the name of the spilled blood, and the king who will never die... you fallen tyrants, grant me your power!"

The moment he finished reciting the incantation, the ground exploded beneath his feet, and from it emerged the specters of ancient warriors, armored in black, their eyes glowing crimson.

"This... isn't ordinary magic."

I had no time to think. One of the black knights lunged towards me at supersonic speed, his sword aimed directly at my neck.

I lowered my body at the last moment, and the deadly sword passed just above my head.

I spun around quickly and delivered a horizontal strike with my sword, but the knight vanished before the blade reached him!

This wasn't just an ordinary summoning...

Roghin wasn't just summoning soldiers, he was granting them superhuman speed and reflexes.

I wasn't facing mere dead soldiers... I was facing monsters beyond reason!

Single combat against these monsters would be suicide, so I had to think quickly.

I focused my energy, drawing from my mana reserves, then whispered:

"Blue Flame Burst."

In an instant, blue flames erupted from my body, forming a wide dome that completely surrounded me.

The death knights didn't stop; they jumped directly into the flames... but that was their last mistake.

Their bodies began to char, and they quickly turned to ash before they could reach me.

But amidst this destruction, Roghin stood, clapping slowly.

"Beautiful, very beautiful... you are the first person to eliminate my blood knights this quickly."

Then he began to walk towards me, with steady steps, as if everything so far had been just a warm-up for him.

"But Kyle... do you think this is all I have?"

Understood, I will continue the story, focusing on the minute details and increasing the length of the battles as you requested.

Battle Arena – After the Fall of the Black Knights

Roghin stood amidst the destruction, his body covered in remnants of the crimson aura, while his eyes glowed with a dark madness.

"Kyle, your fighting is good, excellent even, but you still don't understand... my power is not something you can easily overcome."

He raised his hand, and suddenly, the ground beneath him trembled, as if something terrifying was awakening from the depths of hell.

The sand beneath his feet began to turn into a black liquid, surrounding him and slowly rising up his body, as if merging with him.

"By the blood of the fallen emperors... and by the souls of wars yet unfinished..."

His voice echoed across the arena as a massive blade, black in color, formed before him, surrounded by a vibrant red aura, as if feeding on the very air.

"This is the Sword of Tyranny, the greatest legacy of the Blood Rule!"

As Roghin grasped his new sword, I felt an immense pressure engulf my body. This aura was different from anything I had faced before, as if it wasn't just energy... but an entity in itself!

But I wasn't in a position to back down. I gripped my sword tightly, focusing the blue flame mana within it, causing it to glow with a faint heat.

Roghin didn't give me any chance to prepare. In a fraction of a second, he vanished from before me... then appeared behind me!

I turned as quickly as possible, raising my sword to block the attack, but...

Whoosh!

I felt an immense pressure descending upon me!

Even with my speed and reflexes, I couldn't completely evade the blow. The black sword struck my shoulder, cutting through part of my armor and causing a deep wound that extended to my chest.

"Ugh...!"

I retreated backward, placing my hand on the wound, blood dripping onto the ground. This was the first time I felt my life might actually be in danger.

But... at the same time, this was the motivation I needed.

"It seems you are finally capable of hurting me, Roghin."

I slowly raised my head, a faint smile appearing on my face.

"But that doesn't mean you will win."

I began to focus my energy on a different level. This isn't just another battle... this is a battle that might determine who remains standing and who falls.

"It's time to end this."

Blood flowed from my shoulder, but it was just another fuel igniting the fire within me. Pain was nothing new to me... I had lived with it, grown with it, and now... I would use it as my weapon.

Roghin looked at me with a faint smile, his black sword pulsing as if it were a living being demanding more blood.

"I see you have some stubbornness, Kyle... that's good, because I don't like easy victories."

I took a deep breath, my entire focus on the fire mana within me. This wasn't just a summoning of energy, but... a fusion with it.

"Soul Burn!"

I felt as if my body was exploding from the inside, but at the same time, power flowed within me with incredible freedom. My blue flames became denser, more like a small sun revolving around me, burning everything that approached it.

I didn't waste a second. I dashed with mythical speed, as if I were a burning blade piercing through the void.

Whoosh!

Roghin could barely parry my first attack, but...

Sizzle!

My right hand glowed with concentrated flames, and I stabbed him directly in his chest!

"Aaarrgghhh!!!"

Roghin's scream pierced the sky. He hadn't expected me to be able to hit him that quickly, but he wasn't an easy opponent.

With all his strength, he pulled himself backward, blood flowing from his chest, but... strangely, the wound began to heal slowly.

"Kyle... you're a fool if you think that's enough to take me down!"

He raised his hand, and soon the ground beneath him began to tremble. The very air was changing, as if something terrifying was about to appear.

"Come forth... you shadows of tyranny!"

Suddenly, a massive black cloud spread from his body, transforming into dozens of dark arms, each wielding a giant sword.

This was the most dangerous situation I had faced so far... but I wasn't afraid.

I gripped my sword tightly and looked at Roghin with a calm smile.

"If you think darkness will swallow me... you haven't seen yet how the flames burn in the heart of hell!"

I dashed forward, the flames around me erupting with even greater force, ready for the most powerful confrontation of my life!

The sky burned above our heads, and the earth cracked from the intensity of the energy that collided at this crucial moment.

The arms of darkness that Roghin summoned moved madly, dozens of black swords lunging towards me with indescribable speed. Each one was capable of tearing my body apart in an instant!

But...!

I closed my eyes for a moment... then opened them, and a terrifying blue flash ignited within.

"Burning Heart!"

It wasn't just a technique, but the final stage of merging with fire magic.

Whoosh!!!

In an instant, I transformed into a massive fiery tornado, my body surrounded by a glowing blue aura, and the sword in my hand blazed with flames I had never seen before!

Sizzzzzzzle!

The first sword of shadows lunged towards me!

I moved with lightning speed, a simple twist of my body... then I cut the sword in half with a single strike!

Sizzle!!

The second, third, fourth swords... all shattered before they reached me!

But Roghin wouldn't just stand by and watch...

He raised his hand upwards, and soon his body began to glow with a dark, ominous energy.

"Kyle!! If you think flames will burn away darkness... you haven't faced the true power of tyranny!!"

"Shadow Scream!"

A terrifying energy erupted from his body, and the shadows transformed into a giant being with multiple heads, each head carrying a different destructive spell!

At that moment... there was no time to think.

I dashed with all my might, and with a swift movement, I closed the distance between us in less than a second!

I gripped my sword tightly and shouted at the top of my lungs:

"If you think darkness is eternal... then fire will show you otherwise!"

"Blazing Sword!!!"

"BOOM!!!"

The sword struck Roghin's body, and blue flames erupted from it, completely engulfing him.

He screamed with a voice that shook the surroundings... then his body began to gradually disintegrate amidst the flames.

In the end... only ashes remained, scattering with the wind.

I stood there, breathing heavily... my body was completely exhausted, but I was alive.

But... at that moment, I felt a violent tremor beneath my feet.

Something was moving underground...!

I looked ahead, and my eyes widened in shock!

"Impossible...!"

After Roghin's body shattered into ash, I thought for a moment that the battle was over... but I was wrong!

The ground shook violently, as if something enormous was trying to rise from its depths.

"Kyle, do you feel that?!"

The voice was behind me... I turned to see Raina, one of the most powerful mages in the empire, standing with a look of fear on her face that I had never seen before!

Suddenly, the ground cracked beneath our feet, and from within the pitch-black darkness... a gigantic black hand covered in ancient symbols burning with a dark energy emerged!

"What... is that?!"

From the midst of the rubble, a colossal dark entity rose, its body emitting a darkness that surpassed anything I had ever seen in my life.

Then, I heard a deep, terrifying voice echoing within my mind, as if whispering to me from other dimensions:

"You have unleashed me, Kyle... and now, the true reign of darkness will begin."

"The Eternal Night King" – The Greatest Threat in This World!

That entity... was not Roghin. It was the oldest being in this world, the ruler of eternal darkness, the Eternal Night King!

At that moment, I knew that this battle was only the beginning... and the true enemy had now risen!