The moment the Executioner vanished, the battlefield's noise seemed to collapse into silence.
Russ's instincts screamed—he ducked just as a silver arc tore the air where his head had been. The Executioner materialized behind him, spear already reversing its path.
Russ's [Shadow Cloak] flared, barely catching the blow. Even so, the force sent him skidding across the cracked stone, boots grinding into the dirt.
Fast… too fast.
---
Phase One – The Heavenly Speed
The Executioner moved like lightning given form. Every strike came not from where he stood, but from where he would be in the next heartbeat. His qi burned pure and golden, each thrust breaking through the air with sonic cracks.
Russ countered with [Blood Surge Step], using blood qi to burst forward, scythe slashing in arcs that left trails of crimson flame. But every time he thought he had an opening, the Executioner was already gone.
A spear thrust grazed his ribs, blood spraying into the air—only for Russ to twist it mid-flow, activating [Blood Whip Lash]. The airborne blood snapped into a tendril, striking the Executioner's arm and forcing his grip to falter.
It lasted less than a second, but Russ took it—shadows exploded from his feet, [Void Maw] snapping shut where the Executioner had stood. The man simply reappeared outside the attack, spear spinning lazily.
"You're fast," the Executioner said, "but speed means nothing without inevitability."
---
Phase Two – Forbidden Fusion
Russ's scythe hummed, shadows bleeding into its edge. His qi flared crimson. The Void Heart inside him pulsed like a second heartbeat.
"Then let's make this inevitable," Russ growled.
He activated [Blood–Shadow Resonance].
His veins darkened, shadows wrapping around his skin like moving tattoos. His qi output doubled—but so did the burning pain in his bones. This was a forbidden fusion skill, one that devoured his stamina and life force the longer it was used.
He struck.
Now, each scythe swing carried both the cutting cold of shadow and the burning hunger of blood qi. Blades of darkness erupted from the ground, while crimson spikes chased each of the Executioner's movements.
The Executioner's calm broke for the first time—he deflected one blow, but the rebound cut across his thigh, leaving a line of shadow-fire gnawing at the wound.
"Interesting," the Executioner murmured, before unleashing a golden qi burst that shattered the ground for fifty meters.
---
Phase Three – The Choice
The world blurred.
Russ barely registered movement before the spear was at his throat. He blocked—barely—feeling the force crack his forearm bone.
Before the Executioner could press the advantage, the air trembled. A massive, blood-red glyph ignited in the sky.
From its center descended the Hollow King's projection. His voice rumbled through the battlefield.
> "Russ… leave him. Take my hand and live. Stay… and die for nothing."
The Executioner didn't move, but his eyes narrowed—he knew this interference meant Russ's attention was split.
Russ's lungs burned, his shadow tattoos flickering from overuse of the fusion skill. If he stayed, this fight would end with his corpse on the ground. But walking away meant leaving the Executioner alive to hunt him later—and owing the Hollow King.
The scythe in his hand felt heavier than ever.
He had only seconds to decide.