Chapter 28 - Battle of Will
The replica stared at the wound on its chest.
Its face twitched.
And then—
It roared.
The sound wasn't human. Not anymore. It tore through the trial realm like a beast unleashed, primal and furious. The smile was gone, replaced with something feral.
Sid barely had time to raise his blade before it was on him.
A barrage of slashes. Strikes that cracked stone and split air.
He didn't dodge. He didn't block everything.
He struck back.
Each attack he received, he answered with one of his own. Even when his bones cracked, when his muscles screamed.
This wasn't a fight for control. This was a war of will.
The replica's blade cut across his ribs. Sid's sword cut across its thigh.
Blood flew. Pain ignited.
But neither fell.
Sid was past his limit. But he was still standing.
And inside him—something stirred.
That one cut he landed. That single, bloodied gash on the replica's chest.
It was proof.
It can be hurt. It can be killed.
Hope sparked. Then it spread.
With every strike, with every impact, something grew inside him. A presence. A hunger.
The hunger to surpass. To devour. To end.
Not out of fear.
But instinct.
Prey must not be left alive.
The replica snarled, mouth foaming, blade moving in wild arcs. It had lost its grace. Its style turned savage.
Sid met it blow for blow. Sword to sword. Flesh to flesh.
Cuts opened along his arms. The replica's chest grew redder, dripping.
They were no longer warriors.
They were monsters.
Barely standing. Breathing blood.
Their eyes locked. Their bodies trembled.
Final moments. Final breath.
They charged.
No defense. No hesitation.
Just raw, concentrated will.
Sid roared.
He poured everything — rage, pain, hunger, pride — into the swing.
His battered sword glowed faintly, threads of energy twisting around it like smoke.
The blades met.
The replica's weapon cracked.
Sid pushed forward.
His blade shattered the replica's.
Then sliced clean through flesh.
A diagonal slash. From shoulder to waist.
The replica stood frozen.
Until, it split apart.
Blood sprayed across the shattered stone.
Its upper half slid sideways, falling.
Then the rest followed.
Silence.
Sid collapsed to one knee.
Breathing ragged. Body broken.
But his eyes...
Still burning.