Back inside the Dark space – Imperial vs. General Rhogar
The flames and smoke from the Infernal Detonation began to shrink, spiraling into a tight void centered around Imperial.
"Dark Magic: Absolute Shrink," Imperial muttered.
The swirling vortex not only absorbed the smoke—it began draining the surrounding magic energy, including the general's.
Feeling his magic being pulled away, General Rhogar instantly let go of Imperial's arms and leapt back.
"I'm not ending this fight just yet," Imperial said calmly. "I've got more to test on you, Mr. General."
________________________________________
Outside the Dark space – Real World
Elara and Reyn are waiting for imperial.
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Back in the Dark space
General Rhogar, breathing heavily, gave a faint smile.
"To face someone like you in my old age… it's a blessing and a curse."
"But let me tell you something—" he continued, steadying himself.
"You feel fatigued because time here doesn't flow the same. It's been nearly three hours since our duel began… in here."
The Fire Zone around them faded into ash.
"Sound Zone," he declared.
A glowing circle of energy spread beneath them, filled with floating symbols—musical notes that danced and shimmered, echoing faint tunes.
Imperial narrowed his gaze.
"Two Magic Zones in a single battle... you're full of surprises."
He paused.
"Now I want to ask something."
"Who won… between you and my grandfather?"
The general smiled at the memory.
"Let me answer that… after this battle."
He tapped his staff once more.
"Sound Magic: Zero Noise."
Suddenly—silence.
Complete and crushing.
Imperial couldn't hear a thing—not his breath, his heartbeat, not even the hum of mana.
Then—BAM!
A sound wave slammed into him from the left, knocking him back.
Imperial thought, "Clever. Using sound attacks when the enemy can't hear them coming…"
Another beam surged forward—Imperial slashed it apart mid-air.
The cut released a blaring, metallic scream.
"Bhuhhh… Yeeeeee… Meeeeee!"
The noise was so intense it felt like a blade to the brain.
Imperial clutched his ears, grimacing in pain.
Before he could recover—
Rhogar appeared right in front of him.
"Sound Magic: Destructive Waves!"
Four blasts erupted beneath Imperial, lifting him into the air.
The sound tore through him, his body jerked upward, blood leaking from his ears.
"What… incredible control," Imperial thought, trying to endure the torment.
As his body floated helplessly mid-air, held by the converging sound pillars—
A thick bolt of lightning erupted beneath the general!
BOOOOM!
It launched him upward and severed the sound hold.
Imperial landed, stabilizing himself, panting but still standing.
Across from him, General Rhogar stumbled.
Blood dripped from his mouth. He was still standing—but barely.
"I hate killing… but this fight might force me to," Imperial said softly.
"So sorry, old man. If you get another life, maybe train harder and fight my grandfather again… or just relax with him instead."
Rhogar didn't quite understand—but he chuckled anyway.
"Not done yet, boy."
He raised his staff one last time.
"Sound Magic: Beats of the Eternal Song."
A soft melody began to echo in the zone—haunting, beautiful, and ancient.
"This is a one-hour song," Rhogar said. "As long as it plays, I will not fall. Can you survive that long?"
Imperial smirked, sheathing his blade, hands sliding into his pockets.
"Then how about this?
First 30 minutes belong to you.
The last 30 minutes… will be mine.
Now come on—attack me, Mr. General."
Rhogar raised his staff, eyes glowing.
"As you wish."
0:00 to 30:00 –
The first note resonated.
"Beats of the Eternal Song."
A warm, glowing wave of sound swept over the battlefield. The air shimmered. Rhogar's body, though weakened, straightened with power as if the song itself were holding him upright.
His staff glowed with rhythmic pulses.
BOOM!
The first sound wave blast came at Imperial—a pure force that fractured the ground beneath his feet.
Imperial dodged with a slide, lightning sparking beneath his boots.
His blade stayed sheathed. His eyes calm.
"Sound Magic: Sonic Lance!"
Three piercing beams erupted toward him like javelins of pressure.
He twisted, weaved through them like wind.
He landed. Still—hands in his pockets.
Rhogar's staff struck the air.
"Crescendo Burst!"
The air around Imperial exploded—not with heat, but with noise. The very vibration tore at his nerves, rattling bones, trying to unbalance the soul itself.
Blood slid from Imperial's nose. But he stood.
Not a single attack landed cleanly.
10 Minutes In –
The ancient general gritted his teeth.
He was burning through his reserves.
He lifted his staff with both hands, closing his eyes. The second movement of the Eternal Song began—faster now. The rhythm built.
Rhogar roared—
"Sound Magic: Echo Barrage!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Hundreds of compressed sound blasts rained from the sky.
The battlefield cracked like a mirror.
And through it all—
Imperial moved like water.
He walked, skidded, sidestepped, and dodged. His body arced with lightning—not to attack, but to control his spacing with absolute mastery.
He was dancing.
Letting Rhogar play his music.
20 Minutes In –
Rhogar gasped, coughing into his sleeve. Blood soaked the fabric.
But the melody played on.
A haunting flute joined the sound.
The general looked up and said, "This song… was once played when your grandfather and I fought beside each other. Before politics. Before betrayal. Before everything."
Imperial's expression didn't change, but his eyes softened slightly.
"Then I'll give you 10 more minutes to play it."
He took a step back.
Rhogar screamed—
"Don't pity me!"
His staff spun.
"Sound Magic: Soul breaker Pulse!"
A sonic boom fired directly at Imperial's heart—meant to disrupt magical core flow.
It hit.
Imperial's body jerked. A crack formed along his jacket. His breath caught in his throat.
But he exhaled.
Stood straight again.
Lightning crackled along his spine and dispelled the pulse.
30:00 Mark
The Eternal Song reached its halfway mark.
A new instrument joined: a lone piano, soft and echoing. The melody slowed. A sigh in the air.
Rhogar fell to one knee—his body trembling.
"…I've never had a spar last this long," he chuckled, blood dripping from his chin.
He looked up.
Imperial stepped forward.
Hands slid out from his pockets.
The temperature dropped.
The melody didn't stop.
But something had changed.
The battlefield was now his.
Imperial raised his hand, lightning swirling around his wrist in elegant coils—white and gold threads of raw power forming along his arm.
His other hand slowly reached for his sword.
No stance. No warning.
Just a whisper.
"One strike."
Rhogar stood shakily, staff raised.
Imperial's blade flashed—
"Lightning Magic: Flash Sheathe – Heaven's Severance."
The sky turned white.
A single slash carved the air.
No thunder.
Only the shattering of sound itself.
Rhogar's staff snapped in half.
The song stopped.
Rhogar blinked.
His body had already been cut. From shoulder to hip—a perfect, clean strike.
He slowly collapsed to his knees.
His eyes widened, and then softened.
"…So fast… so clean… I didn't even feel it."
Imperial gently sheathed his blade.
Lightning still sparked softly along his shoulders.
He approached the dying general.
Kneeled beside him.
Rhogar (smiling weakly):
"You could've finished me in seconds… Why wait?"
Imperial:
"You deserved to play that song one last time."
A silence fell over the battlefield.
Rhogar chuckled, then coughed hard.
"…You're cruel, boy. But kind, too…"
His last breath escaped him.
Eyes closed.
The song's final note echoed in the wind—faint… mournful.
Imperial stood and looked to the sky.
"…Rest now, General.
You served your time.".
Then General Rhogar saw the scene of that day—his last clear memory—when he fought Imperial's grandfather.
It was a bright day.
There was a royal wedding taking place at the heart of the Central Empire.
Royals from across different empires and distant lands had gathered to attend.
Rhogar was there too—as a guard of the royal families from the Solaria Empire.
Grandfather Imperial stood alone near the stone rail of the outer courtyard, arms folded, face unreadable. He wore his formal robes with the grace of an old general—but his sharp eyes weren't on the bride, the groom, or the celebration.
They were on nothing.
Because nothing here interested him.
The laughter. The small talk. The rituals. The long speeches about love and legacy.
He had heard them all before.
He exhaled slowly, tilting his head back, letting the wind touch his face.
Then a voice rumbled behind him.
Rhogar: "You look like a man sentenced to death."
Grandfather Imperial didn't turn. "Feels like it."
Rhogar stepped beside him, arms relaxed, eyes scanning the crowd.
Rhogar: "It's not that bad. They've got good wine and polite conversation."
Grandfather Imperial: "Exactly my problem."
There was a pause. A quiet understanding passed between them.
Then Grandfather Imperial said, without even glancing at him:
"we have an underground arena."
Rhogar gave a half-laugh, half-sigh.
Rhogar: "So that's how you want to spend the wedding?"
Grandfather Imperial: "Better than standing here pretending to enjoy roasted mushrooms and gossip."
Rhogar scratched his beard. "It's been years since sparred any strong opponent."
No one noticed them leave.
No one except a couple of junior knights who followed at a distance, curious why the two most dangerous men in the courtyard were walking in the opposite direction from the wine table.
Behind the stables, hidden from the crowd, the underground training arena stood silent—Until now.
The two men stepped into the arena wordlessly.
Rhogar removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. Grandfather Imperial adjusted his cuffs, cracked his neck, and took a stance—shoulders loose, eyes sharp.
No countdown. No cheer.
The first clash was fast—too fast for ordinary eyes.
Rhogar came forward with a sweeping strike, wide and heavy. Grandfather Imperial ducked low, pivoted, and sent a palm into Rhogar's side with the force of a hammer.
An lighting impact attack straight .
Rhogar grunted, rolled with the hit, and retaliated with a sharp elbow that grazed the old man's shoulder.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't wild.
But it was real.
Two warriors, at their prime. Their movements were clean, deliberate, refined through war and repetition.
They kept going—measured and controlled—but every strike was heavy enough to shake the air.
Eventually, they broke apart, breathing hard.
Rhogar wiped his forehead. "You always do this? Leave important things for fight?"
Grandfather Imperial: "I don't leave for a fight. I leave for peace. The fight just brings it faster."
Rhogar laughed quietly.
Rhogar: "Alright then, let's make this a memorable fight. Facing the strongest general is an honor for me."
Grandfather Imperial: "You're also the second strongest."
And as he finished speaking, he charged straight at Rhogar.
Rhogar: "Sound Magic: Resonance Barrier!"
An invisible, vibrating barrier shimmered into place, blocking Grandfather Imperial's advance—but he didn't care.
He slammed a powerful fist into the ground.
From beneath Rhogar, a thick beam of light erupted, launching upward with explosive force. It struck Rhogar from below, sending him crashes into the ceiling.