Kaelan’s thoughts raced as he assumed a battle-ready stance, leaning forward, his hand tightening around the hilt of his greatsword.
‘Grip the earth… Lean forward, circulate your mana…’
Cracks rippled beneath his feet as the claws on his toes dug into the ground, anchoring him tightly.
‘And leap forward.’
In that instant, Kaelan sprang forward, his body streaking across the earth as purple lightning crackled around him.
The ground beneath him buckled from the force of his leap, sending shards of stone flying as he moved.
Arriving right before Alexei, he paused momentarily to swing his sword.
Alexei barely had time to react; from his perspective, Kaelan closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
Instinctively, he swung his own sword in a wide, vertical downward arc, aiming to intercept Kaelan’s strike.
But Kaelan’s speed was too much. Instead of meeting Kaelan’s blade head-on, Alexei’s sword seemed to cut through empty space, or rather an afterimage.
His eyes widened in shock, ‘What? Where did he go?’ his thoughts racing as he scanned his surroundings in those split seconds.
“You’re wide open.” A deep voice said behind him, though it was clearly close by, because at the speed they were traveling, it would take a couple more seconds before any sound would reach his ears.
He instantly knew it was Kaelan. Alexei looked behind him, where the voice came from, his eyes landing on Kaelan who had already leaned back, ready to attack.
Alexei wanted to counter, but the momentum of his earlier swing caused him to overextend slightly.
Kaelan’s eyes narrowed as he adjusted his grip on his greatsword, shifting it into a reverse hold. His left foot planted firmly on the ground, and with a swift twist of his hips, he brought the blade down in a diagonal slash aimed at Alexei’s exposed side.
…
The blade moved in a blur, whistling through the air. Alexei barely managed to bring his sword back in time, parrying the strike with a grunt of effort.
The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the air, the force pushing Alexei back several feet, his boots carving grooves into the stone floor. Sparks flew from the clash of steel, lighting up the space between them in brief flashes.
As Alexei made a huge leap backward, Kaelan launched into a series of rapid strikes, each one faster than the last. His sword moved, cutting through the air in deadly arcs-horizontal slashes aimed at Alexei’s midsection, upward strikes targeting his arms, and quick, jabbing thrusts intended to pierce through his armor.
Alexei was forced on the defensive, his eyes wide with frustration and anger. He swung his sword desperately, trying to keep up with the barrage, gusts of wind created in the process whipped violently around them, leaving massive sword marks.
His legs moved quickly to maintain his balance-left foot stepping back, right foot sliding to the side, pivoting as he blocked and parried each blow. But Kaelan was faster, his movements a blur.
Each time their swords collided as they charged around, Kaelan’s blade seemed to land with even more force, pushing Alexei to the limit, disrupting his stance and throwing him off balance.
At one point, Kaelan feigned a downward slash, causing Alexei to raise his sword high in defense. But instead of following through, Kaelan twisted sharply on his left foot, rotating his body to the right. His sword arced in a low sweep aimed at Alexei’s legs, the movement so fast that the blade was nearly invisible.
Alexei barely managed to leap back, but not without sustaining some damage. The tip of Kaelan’s sword grazed his armor, cutting through the scales and grazing his flesh, drawing a thin line of blood. Alexei grimaced in pain, stumbling slightly as he landed, but swiftly rising to his feet.
Kaelan didn’t give him a moment’s rest. He leaped forward, his greatsword already in motion for another strike. This time, he aimed for Alexei’s sword arm. The blade came down in a sharp arc, the force of the swing creating a rush of wind that sent dust swirling around them. Alexei raised his sword to block, but the force of Kaelan’s strike was too much. The impact jarred his arm, sending a massive numbing shock up to his shoulder.
His grip loosened, and Kaelan seized the moment. With a quick flick of his wrist, Kaelan twisted his blade against Alexei’s, using the chance to wrench the sword from his grasp.
The sword clattered to the ground, skidding across the floor before coming to a stop several feet away. Alexei stared in shock, his hand tingling from the loss of his weapon. He charged toward his sword, trying to mount a counterattack, but Kaelan was already moving.
Arriving right in front of him before he could reach his sword, Kaelan planted his foot firmly on the ground and shot forward again, this time angling his body low as he approached. He brought his sword around in a wide, sweeping arc, the blade slicing through the air. Alexei had no choice but to dive to the side, rolling across the ground to avoid the strike.
But Kaelan was already anticipating his move. He shifted his weight onto his back foot and turned again, his sword following Alexei’s movements like a predator tracking its prey. As Alexei tried to rise to his feet, Kaelan was upon him, his sword arcing down in a powerful vertical slash aimed at Alexei’s leg.
Alexei managed to twist his body at the last second, avoiding a direct hit, but the blade still grazed his thigh, cutting through scale, flesh, and muscle. He cried out in pain, his leg buckling beneath him as he fell to one knee.
Kaelan stood over him, his greatsword raised high, its blade gleaming in the light. Alexei looked up, his face a look of pain, fear, and anger. He tried to summon the strength to move, to fight back, but his body refused to obey. The battle had drained him, and Kaelan’s relentless attacks had left him on the brink of collapse.
Kaelan, breathing heavily but still composed, slowly lowered his sword until the tip hovered just above Alexei’s chest. His purple eyes, glowing with the remnants of his lightning surge, locked onto Alexei’s.
“It’s over, Alexei,” Kaelan said, raising his sword, about to thrust it down and end his life. But then he felt a strange sensation in his chest as it suddenly tightened, causing him to pause and
grip it tightly.
‘W-what is this pain?’ Kaelan wondered. Out of nowhere, he heard a voice echoing in his head,
definitely not belonging to the system.
~’It’s not his fault, he’s only a child.’~
~ ‘He blames me for everything because he’s still not ready to face the truth of what happened; the pain would be too much for him to bear.’~
~’He may hate me for what he believes is the truth, but I won’t hate him; that’s what a big brother would do.’~
The voice belonged to Kaelan, the original owner of the body Alister’s mind now inhabited. The words didn’t seem like they were directed at him, but rather as if they were Kaelan’s own
thoughts.
For the first time since Alister’s time as Kaelan, the body and mouth moved without his will.
“I could end this now,” Kaelan said. “But I won’t. This ends with you defeated, not dead.
Learn from this, Alexei. Learn the difference between pride and arrogance.”
“My lord will unite us all under his protective barrier, and we won’t have anything to worry about. Not even the darkness.”
With that, Kaelan stepped back, withdrawing his sword and allowing Alexei to slump to the ground, clutching his wounded leg. The battle was over.