The silhouette, enveloped in Hellfire, took a step forward. The moment its foot touched the ground, it disappeared. Just then, Shyzen noticed something off, and jerked his body around, but the silhouette had already reappeared behind him, with its left arm -holding Excalibur- pulled to its side. At that moment, it swung sideways, sending Shyzen flying to the left. He gritted his teeth and grunted with a small stream of blood flowing from his arm, "W-what the hell!?" His voice was shaky. He slammed his feet into the ground, trying to stop his momentum. But before he could, the silhouette dashed forwards, instantly closing their gap and raised its left arm, pulling it behind its back. Time seemed to have slowed down, and they locked eyes. The silhouettes' deep blue color sent a sense of shock running through Shyzen, and he whispered to himself, "It's you… Kiliano." Kiliano swung downwards towards Shyzen. He blocked it, but the force of Excalibur slammed the God Of Gods into the ground, CRSHH! Kiliano kept pressing Shyzen into the ground harder and harder, CRSH, CRSH! The ground around them kept giving way, making the crater even larger. Shyzen was gritting his teeth tightly with furrowed brows and a scrunched nose. Kiliano's entire body was covered in Hellfire, making it impossible to make out any expression on his face. Shyzen grew desperate, and formed mana around them, creating an explosion. DOOOM! Kiliano dashed backwards, narrowly escaping the blast radius. Shyzen appeared from the crater, wiping away some dirt from his face with his left hand. Kiliano immediately dashed forwards, closing their gap and lunging towards him. Shyzen jerked left, barely dodging the tip of his blade. But Kiliano planted his feet and his body disappeared, instantly reappearing behind Shyzen. The God Of Gods was caught off-guard and jerked his body around. But it was too late. Kiliano swung downwards, and a spurt of blood shot out from Shyzen's left arm, "GYAH!" He roared out in pain, taking a few steps back. Kiliano ran forward, grabbed Shyzen's left arm, sheathed Excalibur, and grabbed onto the left side of his neck. Shyzen's eyes widened. Kiliano was too fast for him to react, and started pulling. The tearing of flesh filled their ears, as Kiliano pulled Shyzen's left arm straight off his body. Blood poured out from the stump, and Shyzen cried out, "Gyahh!" He desperately swung at Kiliano, but the Flaming Sword God easily evaded the swing. Shyzen took another few steps backwards, grunting in pain. Kiliano dropped Shyzen's arm, and leaned towards him. The God Of Gods gritted his teeth and focused. Kiliano pulled his sword behind his right side, and dashed forward. CRSHH! The two of them clashed. Kiliano pushes on Shyzen and forces him to go flying backwards while keeping their bind. They flew across the clearing nearly a hundred meters. Suddenly, Kiliano disappeared. Shyzen took advantage and planted his feet into the ground, stopping his momentum. But before he could catch a breather, Kiliano reappeared above him, flying downwards with his sword tip pointed at Shyzen's head. The God Of Gods quickly looked up and dashed backwards. VWOMM! Massive amounts of mana created an explosion when Kiliano slammed into the ground. Shyzen tumbled a few steps but caught himself. Kiliano immediately appeared from the explosion and dashed forwards. TNGG! They clashed again. But Shyzen pushed Kiliano up, and his legs lifted off the ground while maintaining their bind. Kiliano's body lifted off the ground, making a sixty degree angle. But in an instant, Kiliano disappeared and reappeared behind Shyzen, with his knees bent and his sword pulled behind his waist. Shyzen glanced backwards, and Kiliano swung sideways. SLOSH! Blood shot from his back, and Kiliano raised his right leg, kicking Shyzen and sending him flying a few dozen meters away. While hurling through the air, Shyzen looked back at Kiliano. But just as he did, Kiliano's body became blurry, and he once again, disappeared. SSHNG! In that instant, Shyzen glanced downwards, and saw a sword's blade protruding out from his stomach. Kiliano had reappeared from behind him and stabbed Excalibur straight through his back while the two of them were still hurling through the battlefield. Shyzen gagged out blood, glanced backwards, and pulled both of his hands behind him. He began channeling mana through them, and black flames shot out from them. Kiliano disappeared just before a giant explosion of Hellfire surrounded the area around them. Shyzen planted his feet back into the ground and glanced around. Kiliano reappeared in front of him with his sword pulled behind his back. TNGG! He swung sideways. Shyzen blocked, but the force of Kiliano's blow sent him hurling backwards. Kiliano rushed in and dashed forwards, immediately catching up. He pulled Excalibur above his head, and swung downwards. Shyzen narrowly dodged the attack by jerking his body backwards, but he lost his balance and tumbled across the ground. He rolled for a few meters before catching himself and standing back up. Kiliano had stopped his onslaught, and was now walking around the God Of Gods, circling him. Shyzen's eyes were shaky, and he began thinking to himself, "This kid… He managed to activate Hellfire while using his static fire spell. But the outcome… It's unbelievably scary. He looks more like a demon from hell than anything." Suddenly, Kiliano's both became blurry again. As he continued circling around Shyzen, an afterimage appeared from behind every step. In a matter of mere moments, Kiliano had created an exact duplicate of himself, circling around just behind him. And then another clone appeared from in front of him, and another. And then a few more appeared, all circling around the God Of Gods. After another moment, Shyzen was completely surrounded. His eyes glanced around, waiting for one to make a move. Every image of Kiliano continued walking around while Shyzen readied himself.
After a few moments, one of the Kiliano's rushed in. Shyzen glanced over at it, and sent the tip of his blade straight into Kiliano's neck. His body grew blurry, and disappeared. Shyzen flicked his tongue, "So… these are fakes, eh?" Another Kiliano rushed in, but Shyzen swung sideways, cutting it down. Two more dashed forwards, swinging at him. Shyzen dodged one attack and deflected the other, countering with a strike upwards and following it up with a sideways strike towards the other clone. After the two clones were cut down, every single other one that had been circling around him rushed in. Shyzen made a nervous smile and roared out, "Alright, let's go!" Shyzen sent a barrage of attacks flying through the area around him in all directions. One-by-one, each clone was cut down and disappeared as if they never existed. But Shyzen was quickly outnumbered. "Hurricane!" FSHH! Strong winds swirled around them, and a giant tornado was quickly formed. Every single clone was swept up and flew above Shyzen, who was in the middle of it all. Each clone grew blurry and disappeared in the matter of seconds. Shyzen released his spell, and the hurricane dissipated. The winds grew weaker, and the area around him became still once again.
Shyzen took a few steps forward until he noticed something, and stopped. A moment after that, FSH, Kiliano appeared a few meters in front of him. The flames of Hellfire were emanating off his body and into the air behind him. No part of his body was visible, only fire and the piercing blue of his eyes. Shyzen shifted his footing, and the two of them disappeared.
TNG, TNGG, DSHH, DWOMM! Black fire spurt out randomly from the sky. Fast winds pushed downwards on the trees, forcing some of them to break off their roots and slam into the ground. Nearly fifty meters above the treetops, Kiliano was using Unaara to stay afloat. Shyzen dashed forward, also using Unaara, and the two of them clashed again. From the ground, Lura, Paarl and Nyleah were watching. The sounds of mana exploding, and metal clanging, rang through the area. Nyleah looked worried as she watched Kiliano evade every attack from Shyzen. From their perspective, they could barely see the two Gods move. Every once in a while, a blurry image of them would pause in the sky, but in that same moment it would disappear again. VWOM! A giant sphere of Hellfire formed in the sky, but quickly dissipated. TNGG!CRSHH! Suddenly, something crashed into the ground. Lura, Paarl and Nyleah quickly turned their heads towards the crater. Shyzen walked out of it, his head gushing blood from the hairline, and his left arm still severed. He walked out of the crater and looked upwards. At that moment, CRSH! Something else crashed into the ground right on top of Shyzen. A cloud of dust swept up, but strong winds gushed outwards, quickly pushing away the debris. The crater had grown larger, nearly the same size as a house. Kiliano walked out of it, holding Excalibur in his left hand. He took a few steps out of the crater, and looked to his right side. Shyzen was standing there, breathing heavily with a drop of sweat rolling down his face. The Flaming Sword God widened his eyes, and dashed forwards. Shyzen readied himself, and Kiliano swung sideways. But it was a faint, and he disappeared, immediately reappearing behind the God Of Gods with his sword raised above his head. Shyzen jerked his body around and swung, but that attack was also a faint, and Kiliano disappeared once more. In the same instant, he reappeared above, with his legs up in the air and Excalibur pulled to his side, Kiliano swung. Shyzen pulled his sword above his head, getting ready to block, but that attack was another faint attack! Kiliano instantly disappeared and reappeared in front of Shyzen with Excalibur pulled to the right side of his waist. His knees were bent and he kept himself relatively low to the ground. Shyzen turned his eyes downwards, towards the front of him, and Kiliano swung. Blood spat out from his stomach and Kiliano stepped in with his right leg. He pulled his right arm back, and sent his fist straight into Shyzen's chest. DMM! The God Of Gods went flying across the ground, tumbling and rolling dozens of meters. His momentum slowly stopped, and he quickly stood back up. He looked over at the Flaming Sword God. Kiliano was hunched forward with his eyes staring widely towards Shyzen. "What the-..." Shyzen began thinking to himself, "...He's… He's not even human anymore! This kid is a monster! He fights like an animal, and puts on an unbelievable amount of pressure." Kiliano took a step forward. Shyzen's eyebrows twitched, and he took a step back. This triggered Kiliano to dash forwards. Shyzen gripped his sword tighter and prepared. But Kiliano disappeared, instantly reappearing behind him. Shyzen's eyes widened from fear. Kiliano had placed his right hand on the back of his head. The flames of Hellfire felt unbelievably hot, as Kiliano gripped his nape. Shyzen tried jerking his body around, but his body exploded into flames before he could. FSHH! Kiliano took a few steps back as Shyzen began crumbling to the ground with the flames completely enveloping him. His body flailed around on the ground, rolling around desperately. After a few seconds of commotion, Shyzen stopped moving.
Lura smiled, "Did… Did he do it!?" Paarl let out a sigh, "Sigh… I think so." Lura plopped onto the ground, butt-first. Suddenly, Nyleah ran towards Kiliano, who was still covered in the flames of Hellfire, "K-Kil!" She screamed out, almost sounding desperate. He turned his head to face her. His piercing eyes slightly dimmed. She was smiling widely from cheek to cheek, running over to him. "Sigh." Kiliano let out a deep breath, and Ignition began to dissipate. He took a step towards her, and then, DMM! Time seemingly slowed down for Kiliano. His eyes widened even more, as red liquid began to spray out from the left side of Nyleah's neck. Her body dropped to the left, laying limp. Kiliano stared down at her body on the ground with a distraught look. Lura and Paarl were paralyzed from shock. CLAP… CLAP… CLAP! "Phew, nice try kid!" Shyzen's voice rang out from behind him. Kiliano slowly turned around to face him. His eyes were shaking, and his hands were balled so tight a drop of blood fell to the ground, "H-how…? I just killed you. A clone? You can make clones that strong!?" Shyzen smirked, "Yep! Pretty neat huh? It took me a good few months to get that good at it." Kiliano furrowed his eyebrows and scrunched his nose. He turned back towards Nyleah, who was lifelessly laying on the ground. He leaned down, and gently propped up her head. Tears began rolling down his cheek as he raised his left hand, channeling mana through it. He placed it onto her neck, and began to use magic, "With this divine offering I ask thy to grant me power. Soothe my ally and restore her to greater glory… Blessed Nurturing." His voice was shaky and instilled with fear. A green aura began emanating from Kiliano's left hand. Nyleah's body quickly became enveloped in it, and her body grew slightly less pale. Tap. Paarl leaned down with Kiliano, "Let me take care of her… go kill that bastard for us, okay?" Kiliano's face was besmirched with anger and sorrow. He shut his eyes tight for a moment, and reopened them, "Yeah… I'm going now." He stood up and turned towards Shyzen. After pausing for a moment, Kiliano began walking over. Shyzen's smirk widened, "I hope you know… I'm a lot stronger than that clone." "Good… This wouldn't be any fun otherwise." Kiliano took a step forward, and his body suddenly combusted into black flames. His eyes had stayed their deep blue color, but now they were practically glowing, bringing a contrast between them and the Hellfire that surrounded him. The atmosphere suddenly changed, and it became tense. By now, it was the peak of noon and the sun was piercing down on them.
Kiliano leaned in, and dashed forwards. Shyzen's eyes grew wider as they narrowed in on each other. CRSHH! Their clash blew away the ground around them, sending rocks and debris flying in all directions. DM! They pulled away from the bind, both of them maintaining eye contact. Kiliano dove in, sending a barrage of strikes towards Shyzen. The God Of Gods blocked each one with perfect precision, and countered with a lunge. His blade flew towards Kiliano's head. The Flaming Sword God ducked down, narrowly dodging it. Shyzen's blade flew just past his head and through the Hellfire. Excalibur was pulled to Kil's waist, and he swung sideways. Shyzen backstepped, dodging the blade and repositioning himself quickly to regain his stance. Kiliano was kneeled down, with his left arm holding Excalibur just past his face. He placed his right hand onto the ground and began channeling mana. CRRRR! The ground around them began to shake. Shyzen mumbled something that sounded like a swear and ran forward, "Pathetic attempt kid!" He swung downwards, but his sword flew right through Kiliano's body. Shyzen widened his eyes, "A fake!?" Just then, Kiliano appeared behind him with Excalibur pulled behind his right shoulder. The God Of Gods turned around, but Kiliano had already swung. DMM! Shyzen slammed into the ground, a small spurt of blood shot from his chest. Kiliano landed on top of him, crushing his stomach with his left foot. The kid raised Excalibur and pointed its tip downwards towards Shyzen's neck. Shyzen gritted his teeth, "Hellfire!" FFSHH! Black flames surrounded the two of them. Kiliano pulled out of the swirling black flames, darting away onto a tree's dead, leafless, branch. The flames quickly dissipated, and Shyzen walked out, staring at Kiliano. He raised his hand, and Kiliano dashed away. Just then, the tree branch he was perched on exploded. Kiliano darted to another tree branch, but quickly dashed away. Shyzen kept sending pulses of mana towards him, destroying trees, rocks, and creating craters along the ground. Kiliano was barely a blur, dashing around the area at incredible speeds. But Shyzen's aim was near perfect, and sent a shockwave of mana out of the ground right below Kiliano. DMM! The Flaming Sword God was caught off guard, and flew into the air. Shyzen dashed forwards and swung sideways. The black flames surrounding Kiliano sliced in two, but no blood shot from either portion of his body. Immediately after, Kiliano reappeared behind Shyzen. Hellfire wasn't enveloping him, but his face and eyes were filled with disdain and malice. The piercing blue of his eyes seemed to be staring into the God Of God's soul. His posture and aura resembling something inhuman, something popped into Shyzen's mind, "This… this thing. He's a wild beast…!" DSHH! Kiliano sent Shyzen flying across the clearing. "...Kiliano's near perfect form has degraded into a mash of psychotic strikes. His precision is far superior than anything I've ever seen, but his sword style has completely disappeared. He's basically just swinging wildly!" CRSH! Shyzen landed into a boulder. Kiliano dashed forwards, closing the gap between them. Hellfire had completely enveloped him again, as he swiped his right hand upwards. Just as he did, black flames of Hellfire shot from the ground in front of him towards the God Of Gods. Shyzen gritted his teeth, shut his eyes closed, and guarded himself. FSHHH! A giant spurt of flames protruded from the ground, spreading nearly two hundred meters far and reaching almost a hundred meters high. As the flames continued to rage on from in front of him, Kiliano lowered his right arm. He turned around, and began walking away. His back was slouched, and Excalibur was dragging across the ground.
The crackling of black flames surrounded the entire forest. Kiliano's last attack created a giant fissure of Hellfire that remained unchanging as it continued to protrude from the ground almost a hundred meters into the sky. From within the flames, a silhouette began to appear, and Shyzen slowly walked out. "Don't forget kid…!" Kiliano turned his head around, glancing back with his piercing blue eyes. "...I'm also a wielder of Hellfire, so its effects aren't as potent on me!" Kiliano turned his whole body to face Shyzen. His back hunched, and his arms dangling in front of him with Excalibur's blade dragging against the ground. "At first, you seemed to have a bit of control over Hellfire…" Shyzen began talking with a slight tremble in his voice, "...But now, it seems you've lost your sense of self entirely. If this continues I'll probably end up either killing you, or dead myself. It's unfortunate really… I truly hoped that you'd become my apprentice. But hey…" He shrugged, "...can't always get what you want." Shyzen smiled, and dashed forwards. Kiliano's black flame that surrounded him burst out much more violently. TNGG! Shyzen had struck Kiliano from the back, but he deflected without turning around at all. Shyzen dashed backwards, but just as he did, Kiliano blitzed behind him and grabbed the nape of his neck. "Not this again!" Shyzen thought to himself, and quickly sent his blade towards Kiliano's arm. The two of them broke away from each other, but Kiliano continued charging onwards, "HRAAA!" A low voice roared out from the Flaming Sword God as they clashed once more. His voice rang through the area, almost echoing. Shyzen pulled Excalibur to the ground and sent his left shoulder into Kiliano, pushing him backwards. He dashed forwards and swung upwards. PSST! A spurt of blood shot from Kiliano, but it instantly evaporated into a mist. His piercing blue eyes were still staring at Shyzen, which unsettled him. The God Of Gods took a step backwards, trying to regain his nerves. That small decision gave Kiliano enough time to dashed forwards and kick Shyzen into the sky. He went flying insanely fast, surpassing hundreds of meters every few moments. Kiliano bent his knees, and jumped upwards, following Shyzen.
Lura and Vencer noticed a massive amount of mana being released in the sky and looked up. A black line was flying upwards, trying to reach a purple line. "I-is that…-" Lura began to talk. Vencer nodded, "Yeah… It's Kiliano and Shyzen." The two lines caught up to each other, and made contact. BMMM! A shockwave sent an immense amount of pressure flying towards the ground, pushing the two of them down and forcing their knees to bend. The two lines separated, flying in opposite directions. But the black line redirected itself and flew towards the other. BAMM! Another shockwave pushed the two of them down. The two lines flew across the sky, darting around at speeds too fast for Vencer to see. "Hey Lura, can you tell what's going on!?" She nodded, "Kiliano's continuously bashing into Shyzen and trying to knock him out. Meanwhile, Shyzen's just trying to get away. W-wait!? Now Shyzen's on the offensive! They're goin' at it a bunch!" Kiliano and Shyzen clashed again and again in the air. The trails from their aura leave behind a black and purple streak across the sky. BMM… BMM… BM, BM, B-B-BMMM! The two lines formed a double helix, with each of them clashing every time they intersect. Lura squinted her eyes, trying to keep up, "Crap, they're going too high up! I can't see em anymore!" It suddenly became silent, with nothing but the crackling of Hellfire in the background. Lura and Vencer continued looking up with anticipation and fear. Paarl had his teeth clenched as his healing magic began to take effect on Nyleah. Her eyes twitched, and then opened slowly. "Hahaa! Guys, Nyleah's awake!" Lura and Vencer turned their attention towards them, and ran over. "How'r you doing?" Said Paarl. Nyleah grumbled quietly, "I… I think I'm fine." She let out a little sigh and sat upwards. She blinked a few times, took a deep breath in, and stood up with the help of Lura, "Where's Kiliano? Is it over yet?" Lura's face twitched, "Nah, not yet. He and Shyzen are fighting up in the sky right now. But we've got no idea what's happening since they're too high up." Nyleah tilted her head upwards, towards the sky with a nervous look on her face.
DM, DM, DMM! Shyzen flew across the sky, rolling around aimlessly after being attacked. CRMM! Kiliano charged at him once again. The God Of Gods used Unaara and planted his feet. Kiliano closed in, clearing hundreds of meters instantly, and they clashed. DOOOMM! A black ball of flames plummeted downwards, crashing into the ground. Kiliano walked out of the crater, his back still hunched. He was no longer holding Excalibur, and his breathing was heavy and loud, even through Hellfire's crackling. He looked upwards. Shyzen was staring down at him with his arms crossed… standing on his own platform of mana. Kiliano's flames grew larger, and he jumped upwards. VEWWW! His body cut through the atmosphere, reaching Shyzen instantly. The God Of Gods dashed backwards, evading Kiliano's bash. The Flaming Sword God used Unaara above him, and planted his feet. His body was almost aimed downwards as he dashed forward. FSH! Hellfire skimmed Shyzen's body as he jerked to the right. Kiliano instantly stopped his momentum as he stood there right in front of the God Of Gods. He raised both his arms and swung downwards. Shyzen pulled his arms just above his head and blocked using his forearms. His Unaara dissipated, and Shyzen went flying towards the ground. CRSHH! He landed, forming a giant crater. Shortly after, Kiliano landed back onto the ground next to him, making almost no noise from his landing. Shyzen got up and walked out of the crater, staring down Kiliano, who wasn't moving. "Your movement's starting to get a bit sporadic. It's hard to tell what your next move's gonna be, but I kinda like it. Unfortunately… I have a war to wrap up, so this'll be the final stretch of our little charade." Shyzen's aura began pulsating from his body with a deep purple color. It enveloped the entire region, making the air seem thick and hard to move in. Kiliano didn't react. His slouched back regained the same, and his eyes continued to stair towards the God Of Gods. "Thank you, Kiliano. I've had fun..." Shyzen raised his left arm and pointed his palm towards Kil, "...Hellfire…" FWOSH! Black flames instantly formed from his palm into a swirl, "...Ultima!" VVVV! His aura began producing a strange sound, unlike anything Kiliano's ever heard before. VVVV…DWOM! The swirling black flames around Shyzen's palm suddenly expanded into a pitch black circle, nearly paper thin. "This technique allows me to siphon off your ability to use any form of magic..." Kiliano's blue eyes darted even wider as he took a step back. "...It's no use running! You've already been caught in its effect, no amount of space between us can disengage my spell!" Kiliano's Hellfire began flowing towards the hole. Shyzen gritted his teeth and furrowed his brows. FSH! The Hellfire enveloping Kiliano burst into a violent haze, growing much larger than before. But the flames immediately flowed into the hole, becoming absorbed. "CRAAAHH!" Kiliano roared out in a low-pitched screech. FFFFP! And suddenly, Kiliano's Hellfire was completely sucked into the hole. He fell to his knees with a slouched back.
His eyes were fixated on the ground in front of him, with shaky eyes. Shyzen walked up to him, breathing heavily, "You've… got some real potential kid. I've never had to use that technique before, which goes to show your capabilities. I bet you'd even give my brother a run for his money if you two fought while he was in his prime…" He stretched out his hand, "Let me help you. Let me help The Thirteen Kingdoms, and together we can grow powerful. I guarantee that." TP! Kiliano slapped away Shyzen's hand and looked upwards, "I'll… never join you!" Kiliano jumped up and punched Shyzen in the face, sending him flying into a nearby boulder. "Excalibur!" SHWING! Excalibur formed from a bright white glow into his hand, and he dashed forwards. Shyzen had an angry look on his face and rushed inwards too.
"D-do you think Kiliano's alright? We haven't seen them in a while." Nyleah said with a worried tone. Lura sighed, "Yeah… I'll bet things are wrapping up pretty soon, and we can go home." Suddenly, Paarl noticed something from behind them and glanced backwards. "How interesting…!" Asfodel's voice echoed out from behind the four of them, "...I didn't think any of you would still be left alive after master Shyzen decided to step in! I'm impressed!" Lura scowled in anger, "You little bastard, still kickin' aye!?" She took a step forward, but Paarl stopped her. She looked at him with a confused look. "Let me handle him, Lura. You need to rest still. And besides… I wanna see if the God Killer is really as scary as he's been made out to be." Paarl smiled and began walking towards Asfodel. The God Killer smiled and took a step forward. Suddenly, a flash of golden light filled the area and instantly disappeared. Paarl and Asfodel were gone, leaving Vencer, Nyleah and Lura there alone. After a moment of waiting, Vencer grew impatient, "Man, screw this! I can't stand by and let Paarl fight that guy on his own! Lura, take care of Nyleah until you two are fully healed. Once you are, I trust you'll join in the battle again." Lura nodded. Vencer turned away, and ran off.
Nyleah grumbled and sat on the ground, "Mannn… I'm completely worn out." She began rubbing the side of her neck. Lura sighed, "You gave us a real scare back there, y'know. We all thought you were dead." Nyleah looked at the ground, "R-really? Even… Kiliano?" Lura giggled, "Ohhhh yeah, he was the worst off. After you fell to the ground, I could tell he was gonna mess up Shyzen pretty bad. He picked your head up and tried healing you out of pure desperation. It was easily the most pathetic I'd ever seen him." Nyleah squeaked. Her face was bright red, and she was hiding it in her worn-out sleeves. Lura glanced over and made a small smile, "For now… let's wait. They'll need us."
T-T-T-T-TNGG! Shyzen and Kiliano crossed their swords. Each one narrowly missed the other's face. They darted backwards, creating a gap between them, but Kiliano stumbled around while trying to regain his footing. Shyzen lifted the heels of his feet and leaned towards him, "Split-Step!" In an instant, Shyzen's blade was mere inches from slicing Kiliano in two. The boy tried pulling back, but it was too late. Shyzen planted his right foot to the side of Kiliano, and stopped his momentum. The blackened blade swung downwards, slicing straight through the Flaming Sword God. Suddenly, a massive wave of fear overpowered Shyzen. His surroundings began to change, forming into a massive ocean of nothingness. Everything around him turned bright white. He looked forward. His eyes widened at the sight before him. A giant line of black fire was emanating above the ground. It seemed to be forming from a line, hovering a few meters above the ground. "W-what the-!? Where the hell am I!?" VWOM! Suddenly, the hovering line of fire separated as if it was an opening eye. Shyzen took a step back, but a black aura froze him in place. The line widened even more, and formed into the shape of a giant eyeball made of Hellfire. Shyzen broke out in a cold sweat. His jaw was shaky and his eyes were fixated on the sight before him. The giant eyeball began emanating a crackling sound, and an iris dropped down from its sclera, staring at Shyzen. The blackened flames, contrasting with its deep red iris added a sense of intimidation that forced Shyzen into submission. "W-what… Do you want? I'll do anything, okay!? P-please… I don't wanna die… Not yet!" FSHH! The flames burst outwards violently, enveloping the entire area as far as Shyzen could see, and turning it pitch black. "PLEASE! I promise I won't do anything bad again, okay!? I can tell this isn't Kiliano, so who are you!? Just tell me and I'll comply!" The deep red iris staring him down seemed to dim down a little. And suddenly, his surroundings, along with the eyeball, vanished. He was standing on the ground, surrounded by a forest ravaged from war. A few meters in front of him was Kiliano, laying in a pile of rubble with blood pouring from his torso. "That power…" Shyzen began thinking to himself, "...There's no way I could fight anything that strong. If it wanted to… that thing could've killed me easily." Suddenly, a primal urge swelled up inside of the God Of Gods. The fear he had felt began to fuel his drive. And his mind focused on one thing that must be done. To him, the most important thing in the world was to end the life of Kiliano Monfril, and make sure he never encountered that entity again. Shyzen took a step forward and gripped his sword tighter. He raised his right arm, and swung downwards, sending a wave of mana shooting from it. CRSHHH! A wave of rubble and rock blew across the forest, destroying everything in its path. Kiliano was caught up in it, and was powerless to its effects. CRMM, DM! The giant wave of rubble crashed through the forest, until eventually slamming into a massive cliffside. Shyzen began walking forwards. His breathing was heavy, and dried blood was covering his chest and arms. The black metal armor that he had been wearing was completely destroyed. All that was left were his torn shorts and the collar of a gray shirt that had been dangling from his neck. Shyzen's left eye was bruised and closed shut. A line of blood poured from his hairline. Drops of blood fell to the ground from his chin after every step he took. The battle had taken its toll, and Shyzen realized that if things didn't end soon it'd get too risky. "It's really too bad…" He began talking towards the pile of rubble in front of him as he continued walking, "...I had such high hopes for you. Granted, you completely blew my expectations out of the water… But, I really wanted us to join forces. However now that I've seen your potential… and that thing watching from inside you… I can't allow you to live. Sorry kid." He walked up to the edge of the rubble and looked on. Just then, a piece of rock fell from the pile above him. More rocks crumbled downwards, as an arm appeared. "Guh… huff, huff." Kiliano poked through the rocks, and pulled himself out. But his body tumbled downwards, rolling along the rocks and stopping just in front of Shyzen. His face was staring at Shyzen's feet with weary eyes. His breathing was heavy, and blood dripped from his mouth. "Belch…" He coughed up a spurt of blood, "...I… won't… l-lose. I'll defeat you… Shy-" Shyzen grabbed him by the hair and propped him against the rubble, "Don't talk anymore, kid. It's honestly unbreakable." Kiliano weakly snarled in anger, "H-how… dare you. I'll kill y-!" CRSH! Shyzen punched Kiliano into the rubble, creating a crater. The Flaming Sword God couldn't talk anymore. His eyes were lifelessly staring at the ground. His face was gaping open with blood dripping from it. His torso had a massive scar through it, and his aura was completely gone now. Shyzen stared at him for a few moments with a sense of pain in his eyes, "I'm sorry… kid." He turned around, and began walking away.
"One thing I remember from my travels…" Kiliano's voice echoed in his head, "...Vida is the life force for almost all living things. And one major aspect of it… is that you can use it as a substitute for mana. Fortunately for me… I haven't used an ounce of mana since I activated Hellfire. I've saved up everything… All my power… All my mana… And I've made sure to hide this technique from everyone I know… just for this moment." Kiliano was standing out from the rubble, staring at Shyzen, who was a few dozen meters away from him now. Excalibur formed from a bright white light into his left hand. "I've lost too much vida for this not to work." "Shyzen…" He began talking out loud now, "...I wanna thank you for the battle… It was fun." The God Of Gods noticed his voice, and jerked his body around. The sun above them began shining down, making the area around them seem angelic. Time slowed down for them, as Kiliano began to take a step forward. By the time Shyzen turned his whole body around to look at him, Kiliano placed his right foot onto the ground, and disappeared. For what seemed like hours, Shyzen stood there as a sense of fear overtook him. Until suddenly, a voice echoed through the entire region, reaching the deepest depths of Shyzen's soul. Kiliano's voice rang out, "IT'S OVER." And he reappeared behind Shyzen, with Excalibur still by his hip. He was mid-step when he reappeared, putting his left foot forwards. A calm smile was on his face, with gentle-looking eyes. Shyzen was still facing towards the rubble. His eyes widened, and he jerked his body back around. But before he could, countless cuts and slashes appeared on his body, and blood shot out in all directions, "GYAAAH!" He screamed out in pain, and fell to his knees. Blood poured onto the ground from his body.
His eyes were wide and shaky from fear, "I-Impossible… How can you still have enough mana!?" Kiliano looked down at him, "I was using Vida during our entire fight. I noticed that you often let your guard down, so I took advantage of that when you thought I was dead." "Y-you used Vida!? How much of your life did you just waste!?" Kiliano shrugged, "I dunno. Probably a bit more than half, if I had to guess." "That technique… what was it?" "I created it myself a few months ago. It took a while… but I managed to polish it quite a bit. The only problem is that I can only use mana for it. That's kinda the whole reason I had to use Vida during this fight." Shyzen laughed weakly, "I was right… You'll become an incredible warrior, Kiliano. My mana's all gone, and I'm far too weak to use Vida. I've lost… I lost the war… once again..." He smiled, as a tear ran down his cheek. "...Hey Kiliano Monfril…" The two of them made eye contact, "...Stand proud. You are a legendary hero. A hero who saved The Thirteen Kingdoms. Oh… and tell my brother… I really hate his smug face." Kiliano nodded, "Will do..." Kiliano looked upwards, towards the sky in front of them, "...Y'know, Shyzen… I can't tell you why, but I get the sense things are a bit off in the world." "Yeah… that happens when you get this strong. Your sixth sense becomes more heightened, and it makes you feel a bit weirded out." "I guess."
Suddenly, Kiliano noticed something from behind them, and he turned around. "Masterrr!" Asfodel yelled out as he rushed towards them. Kiliano pulled Excalibur back, and tried to swing, but the God Killer hit first, sending a beam of light towards Kiliano and sending him flying backwards. CRSH! He landed into the pile of rubble along the cliffside. A few rocks fell on his head as he got back up. He shook his head and looked towards them. Asfodel was standing in front of Shyzen, who was still on his knees. They had the palm of their hands connected to each other's. Shyzen was whispering something to Asfodel, as mana began to flow between them. Kiliano gritted his teeth, and dashed forwards. He closed the gap between them, and swung Excalibur downwards. Shyzen's arm flopped onto the ground. It was shrivelled up. Kiliano turned around and looked at them. Shyzen looked like a dried-up worm, while Asfodel seemed to glow with power, "Thank you, master. I won't let you down!" Kiliano scoffed, "Damn it!" He dashed forwards and swung at Asfodel, who darted backwards, dodging the attack. "Crap! I don't really have much mana left, so I think I'll take a rain check for now. Kiliano… I'll see you around, I promise." Instantly, his body turned into light particles, and he flew away before Kiliano could reach him.
His breathing was heavy as he sheathed Excalibur onto his back. Shyzen was dead, his shriveled corpse laying on the ground behind him. Kiliano stood there, looking out at the sky with a look of uncertainty. Suddenly, a man walked over, "Hey there, Kiliano Monfril…!" It was a man wearing black baggy pants and a white collared shirt, "...Don't be scared, I'm a friend." Kiliano took a step back, "Who are you? What do you want?" "I came to tell you something. I knew Shyzen would be a tough match, but you showed some real grit! I'm impressed. Anyway… I can tell your Vida's pretty fucked up, so I'll give you some advice for the future…" The man stopped walking and placed his left pointer finger on his chin and scratched it, "...If you wanna live longer than twenty years, I suggest you find me." Kiliano's eyebrows twitched, "What does that mean!? How can you help me?" The man giggled, "Well, let's just say this… Who do you think taught Solomon everything he knows?" Kiliano's eyes widened, "W-what are you saying!? Are you implying that you are Solomon's master!?" The man turned away and started walking off. He waved goodbye, VMM, and disappeared. Kiliano was confused, but he let out a deep sigh and thought to himself, "I wonder… who that was."
"K-Kiliano!?" Nyleah's voice called out from his right. Kiliano turned his head to face her. He held a gentle smile with warm eyes. "Oh god… you're covered in blood! Are you alright!?" She ran up to him and began using healing magic. Kiliano's face made a tired look as she ran up to him. She placed her hands on his chest and a green aura began emanating from them. Lura, Paarl, Nazeem, Sarik and Solomon were walking over to them. Kiliano closed his eyes, and he began leaning on Nyleah. Her face grew bright red as she continued healing his wounds. Nazeem walked up to them, "Yo, Kiliano! How's it goin?" Kiliano didn't respond. Nazeem looked confused and walked up to his face, which was propped on Nyleah's right shoulder, "Ahh, that's why! Kiliano's asleep…" He said with a giggle, "...Makes sense I guess. He used up a lot of energy fighting." The rest of them walked up, each one held a sense of contempt on their faces. Solomon glanced over at Shyzen's corpse and frowned. But he turned back to everyone else and smiled, "Everyone… The war is over! Shyzen is dead, and the south's arm is in tatters." "HURRAAA!" Hundreds of soldiers cried out from the clearing.