Zegan opened his eyes slowly and found himself standing in the middle of a dense forest. Towering trees stretched high above him, their thick canopies blocking most of the sky, while tangled vines and heavy undergrowth covered the ground in every direction. The air felt damp and heavy, carrying an unnatural stillness that imdiately put him on edge. He frowned slightly, his grip tightening around his weapon as he scanned his surroundings.
"Where the hell is this place?"
Without wasting ti, he released his perception, spreading his awareness outward to detect any hidden threats. For a brief mont, everything seed silent—too silent. Then, suddenly, his senses caught sothing abnormal. A massive concentration of water elental energy surged above him, so dense that it distorted the flow of energy in the surroundings.
Zegan's expression changed instantly.
Through the narrow gaps between leaves and branches, he caught a glimpse of it—a vast mass of water forming in the sky, swirling and gathering as if an entire ocean had been lifted into the air. However, before he could fully process what he was seeing, his instincts scread in warning.
Danger.
Without hesitation, Zegan activated Unyielding Iron Skin, his body hardening as a tallic sheen spread across his skin, turning it tougher than forged iron. At the sa ti, he twisted his body to the left and raised his sword just in ti.
Clang!
A violent impact shook his entire fra.
Kaiser had already closed the distance.
Moving with terrifying speed, Kaiser dashed through the forest using Saint's Flow, his body weaving effortlessly between trees as if the terrain itself offered no resistance. In the next instant, he appeared above Zegan, descending with overwhelming force as his blade carved through the air.
"Absolute Severance."
The sword, coated in a deep purplish aura, fell like a divine judgnt.
At the sa ti, an invisible pressure spread outward from Kaiser's body. The air itself grew heavy, suffocating, as if the space around them had been seized by an unseen ruler. The oppressive force pressed down on Zegan, restricting his movents and slowing his reactions.
When their blades collided, the impact erupted like a thunderclap.
A violent shockwave burst outward, tearing through the surrounding forest. Trees within hundreds of ters were sliced apart or uprooted entirely, their trunks snapping under the force of the collision. Leaves, branches, and splintered wood were sent flying in all directions as the ground trembled beneath them.
Even as he held his ground, Zegan's eyes narrowed.
Only then did he look up properly.
The sky above had completely changed.
Dark storm clouds had gathered, swallowing what little light filtered through the forest. The atmosphere had turned oppressive, charged with moisture and power. A few hundred ters ahead, suspended in the air, the massive body of water continued to grow.
And above it—
ledin floated calmly.
His robe fluttered in the storm winds, his expression composed and indifferent, as if the chaos below ant nothing to him. Slowly, he raised one hand, his voice quiet yet carrying an undeniable authority.
"Ocean Bind."
In an instant, the massive water formation trembled.
Then it exploded into motion.
Thousands of water chains shot downward like a storm of arrows, their tips sharpened to lethal points. So aid directly to pierce, while others twisted and curved through the air, attempting to coil around Zegan and restrict his movent.
The attack descended from above with overwhelming pressure.
At the sa ti, Kaiser did not give him a single mont to breathe.
His sword strikes ca one after another, relentless and precise, each attack reinforced by his oppressive aura. The invisible weight of his dominance pressed down continuously, turning the battlefield into a suffocating domain.
But the assault did not end there.
Without warning, a sharp pain pierced through Zegan's head, followed by a brief but dangerous lapse in clarity. His thoughts blurred for an instant, and his instincts faltered at the worst possible mont. Instead of raising his sword to block the strike aid at his right chest, his arm moved in the wrong direction, drifting toward the left as if guided by an unseen force.
Kaiser did not hesitate. He seized that opening without the slightest delay and drove his blade forward. The sword pierced straight through Zegan's chest with brutal force. Even though Unyielding Iron Skin hardened his body to the level of iron, it proved aningless before the overwhelming sharpness of a Legendary Sword Aura. The blade tore through flesh and defense alike, sinking deep into his body.
Zegan's eyes widened slightly.
What the hell…?
He imdiately realized sothing was wrong. This was not a simple mistake.
A mind attack…
As he tried to pull back, his thoughts began to drift again, as though he were sinking into a trance. His focus weakened, and his awareness dulled. At the sa ti, the shadows beneath his feet began to writhe unnaturally. They stretched outward like living creatures, slithering across the ground before coiling tightly around his limbs.
His movents slowed.
In that exact mont, Kirell struck.
She erged silently from within the shadows themselves, appearing behind him without the slightest warning. Her dagger flashed in the dim light as she drove it forward, tearing through his back. The blade pierced deep into his body, delivering not only a physical wound but also injecting a potent toxin directly into his bloodstream.
The pressure around him intensified further.
From above, countless water chains descended at terrifying speed. They wrapped around his arms, his torso, and even his neck, tightening with crushing force.
From the front, Kaiser's attacks continued relentlessly. Each strike ca with precision and weight, leaving no room for recovery. His oppressive aura pressed down like a mountain, suffocating Zegan and limiting even the smallest movent.
Zegan stood trapped at the center of it all.
Bound, pierced, and attacked from every direction, he was pushed to the brink in a matter of seconds.
Then—
Sothing changed.
A death aura suddenly erupted from his body, spreading outward like dark flas. His eyes turned blood-red, filled with savage intensity. He opened his mouth and released a terrifying roar, one that sounded less human and more like a beast born of death itself.
The roar exploded outward as a shockwave.
The shadows binding him shattered instantly. The water chains snapped apart under the force. The lingering influence of the mind attack was crushed as his will surged back with violent clarity.
Zegan's presence transford completely.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and launched himself into the sky like a projectile, his body cutting through the air with explosive speed. His target was no longer the enemies surrounding him. His focus had shifted.
ledin.
Kaiser and Kirell imdiately realized his intention and followed, rising into the air in pursuit.
Kirell suddenly cast the [Darkness Curse] skill on Zegan, causing him to lose his vision temporarily. Even his spirit vision beca not useable, causing him to lose montum and direction.
"Humph."
ledin's gaze remained calm and cold as he looked at Zegan from above. He raised his hand and ford a seal.
At once, a powerful suction force erged from the massive water formation above. Zegan felt his body being pulled forward uncontrollably, dragged toward the swirling mass. Before he could resist fully, the enormous body of water engulfed him completely.
Inside, everything changed.
His movents beca sluggish. The outside world felt distant, as though separated by layers of pressure. The water compressed around him from all directions, restricting his strength.
Then the sky above roared.
Thunder cracked.
Dozens of lightning bolts descended in rapid succession, each one striking the water mass directly. The electricity surged through the entire body of water, turning it into a prison of lightning. Zegan's body convulsed as the currents coursed through him, paralyzing his muscles and disrupting his control.
At the sa ti, a faint whisper echoed within his mind.
Kirell used this opportunity and cast the [Whisper of Dread] skill on him.
It was soft, yet insidious.
The whisper eroded his consciousness, dragging him toward unconsciousness.
Damn it…!
Zegan gritted his teeth, forcing his awareness to remain intact. His hand moved instinctively to the bracelet on his wrist.
In the next mont, his entire body began to change.
Heat erupted violently from within him. His flesh turned molten, transforming into flowing lava that spread outward in all directions. The intense heat rapidly boiled the surrounding water, creating vast clouds of steam that filled the air.
Within seconds, the battlefield was completely obscured.
Visibility dropped to nothing.
Then, within the dense mist, sothing unnatural erged.
A massive silhouette ford—dark, towering, and cloaked. It resembled a hooded figure holding a scythe, its presence radiating an eerie, oppressive aura.
As the steam slowly began to clear, the full image revealed itself.
Zegan stood at the center, his body glowing like molten rock, yet enveloped by the manifestation of a gigantic grim reaper. It was as if death itself had descended upon the battlefield.
A suffocating dread spread instantly.
Kaiser, ledin, and Kirell all felt it. Their minds were assaulted by overwhelming sensations—countless screams, cries of despair, and the lingering echoes of death. The sheer weight of that presence made even breathing difficult.
Taking advantage of their montary disruption, Zegan surged forward.
Together with the towering reaper, he shot toward the sky where ledin hovered. The enormous scythe moved, slicing through the air as if it could cut through reality itself.
The strike descended.
Noticing the danger, ledin cast the [Aqua Shield] spell to block the attack. Dense gigantic ball of water appeared out of nowhere and covered him like a shield. Then, the whole water turned into ice.
As the scythe and the shield collided, a deafening roar echoed.
It caused the sky to split as a shockwave spread everywhere. But after a slight tremble, the ice shield shattered.
The illusory scythe passed directly through ledin's body before shattering into fragnts. At the sa ti, the massive reaper figure dissipated, as though its purpose had already been fulfilled.
Zegan remained.
But he was no longer the sa.
His body had aged drastically. His hair had turned white, his skin wrinkled, and his entire appearance resembled that of an old man nearing the end of his life. Yet, despite that, a strange smile lingered on his lips.
He moved forward again.
ledin trembled as blood spilled from his mouth. The previous strike had not rely injured his body—it had severed his soul itself. A deep, irreversible wound had been inflicted upon his very essence.
Death lood over him.
Zegan raised his sword once more. The blade had turned pitch black, emanating a chilling aura.
At the sa ti, the sky filled with countless ghostly figures. They appeared like wandering souls, screaming in agony, their faces twisted with terror and despair as they drifted through the air.
Then Zegan spoke.
"I, Abus, the God of Death… judge you for your sins."
His voice echoed across the entire battlefield, deep and absolute, as if the world itself responded to his authority.
In that instant, everything froze.
Ti itself seed to halt.
With a single motion, Zegan swung his blade.
The strike cleaved through ledin completely. His body split apart, but it did not end there. The sword continued beyond flesh, severing his soul into two halves.
Even if his soul were to return to the Eternal River of Life, it would take tens of thousands of years to recover.
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