Moonbeam and Rowan clashed midair.
Their swords scread as they slashed at each other again and again.
Steel t steel in a relentless storm.
They flew upward, collided, separated, then collided once more.
Moonbeam attacked ferociously.
Rowan blocked every strike.
Rowan countered just as sharply.
Moonbeam blocked in return.
Yet there was a difference.
Rowan wasn’t just defending.
He was reading.
Every slight hesitation.
Every imperfect angle.
Every fraction of an opening.
Whenever Moonbeam exposed even the smallest gap, Rowan’s blade flashed toward it.
But Moonbeam’s skin remained unpierceable.
They crashed back to the ground.
BOOM!
The earth shattered beneath their feet.
Cracks spread outward as dust and debris exploded into the air.
Moonbeam opened his mouth.
Dark energy condensed rapidly, swirling violently before erupting toward Rowan.
Rowan didn’t move.
"This ti," he said calmly,
"I won’t dodge.
If I let that hit the cave, this entire section of the mountain will collapse."
The blast reached him.
Rowan raised his sword—
And slashed.
The beam split cleanly into two.
The divided energy dispersed instantly, fading into nothing as if it had never existed.
Moonbeam’s eyes widened.
"...What?"
He thrust his hand forward, forming another blast, hurling it straight at Rowan.
Instead of retreating—
Rowan ran into it.
With his left hand, he sliced through the blast itself.
Cleaving the energy apart like water.
In the sa motion, he surged forward, leapt—
—and drove the remaining force straight into Moonbeam’s face.
BOOOOM!
A violent explosion erupted.
Rowan flipped backward, landing smoothly as smoke and shattered stone filled the air.
When the dust began to clear—
Moonbeam stepped out.
His body was scorched. Aura flickering.
But he was still standing.
"Well," he said, grinning despite the damage,
"I expected nothing less from a deity."
He rushed forward again.
Their swords collided once more, thunderous impacts echoing through the cave as they exchanged blows at blinding speed.
Moonbeam slashed.
Rowan dodged.
Moonbeam swung again—
Rowan slipped inside the strike and brought his blade down toward Moonbeam’s neck.
Clang.
It didn’t pierce.
Rowan clicked his tongue.
"...Annoying."
This body doesn’t have enough strength, Rowan thought.
If I were in a proper vessel—one large enough to handle my power—I would’ve taken his head with a single strike.
Even if I were four years older... my body would have matured enough to use more of my true strength.
Their blades locked again.
Sparks burst between them.
"But that’s not the real problem," Rowan realized.
Moonbeam’s aura surged once more.
Denser. Sharper.
He’s evolving.
Getting stronger mid-battle.
He has potential... enough to stand among the highest-ranking demons.
Moonbeam and Rowan darted through the air, swords clashing violently as they evaded each other’s attacks.
"Show what you’re capable of! Show what you’re capable of, you wretched fool!" Moonbeam scread.
"You think you’re almighty? You’re nothing! That look in your eyes—I hate it! Too much pride. No fear. But today... today, I’ll see the look of fear when you die!"
"You talk too much for soone about to die," Rowan said coolly.
Twisting, he dodged another swipe.
"Maybe you should learn how to shut up."
He brought his blade down toward Moonbeam’s leg.
Sparks flew—the strike didn’t pierce, but it staggered Moonbeam slightly.
Moonbeam’s eyes narrowed.
He surged forward, a blur of motion.
"That speed... he’s faster than I am! Even at my limit, I have to match him!"
He slashed again, trying to overwhelm Rowan.
Every strike t Rowan’s blade.
Every opening was blocked or parried.
Then Rowan moved.
With deadly precision, he swung his sword toward Moonbeam’s stomach.
The blade scraped across armor, leaving a deep mark but not piercing fully.
Moonbeam gritted his teeth.
One leg shot back. His arm surged with energy, forming a glass-like construct.
Simultaneously, a shard of dark energy shaped itself in his mouth.
He hurled both toward Rowan in perfect synchronization.
Rowan’s eyes narrowed.
I’ll just catch it.
As the blasts hurtled toward him, Rowan slashed through one midair.
The second he caught in the sa hand, letting it rge seamlessly with the first.
The two pieces fused into a single, massive blast as Rowan pressed forward.
"Oh... impossible," Moonbeam muttered under his breath.
Recognizing the impossible precision Rowan had achieved once again.
He raised his sword, aiming for Rowan’s chest as he charged.
Anticipating the young warrior’s next move.
Rowan ducked low, rolling under the blade.
In a fluid motion, he slamd the fused blast into Moonbeam’s stomach.
BOOM!
The impact sent Moonbeam flying into the dungeon wall with a deafening crash.
Dust and stone exploded outward, the strike’s force reverberating through the cavern.
Moonbeam slamd into the wall. Cracks spider-webbed across the stone.
The ground trembled beneath him as he slowly pushed himself upright.
"...That was one hell of a blast," he muttered, rolling his shoulder.
Elian stared in disbelief. Her own attack—slamd back by Rowan—had done almost nothing.
Moonbeam clenched his sword.
His grip tightened until the tal groaned.
"I’m going to have to give it everything," he said, voice shaking with rage.
"Everything. I still haven’t surpassed you. I still haven’t... but now, I will!"
He scread.
Mana erupted from his body like a storm, surging violently into his sword, dragging every last fragnt of power from within him.
His aura expanded uncontrollably, slamming into the ceiling of the cave.
The mountain shook.
Rocks tore free from walls.
Ancient roots and dead pinewood snapped loose and fell.
Hidden creatures fled into cracks as the cavern groaned under the pressure.
Elian staggered, barely keeping her balance as the air scread.
"This place—" she whispered.
"It’s going to collapse..."
Before she could think further, Rowan moved.
He raised two fingers and brought them close to his chest.
Instantly, a calm yet overwhelming surge of mana spread outward.
It t Moonbeam’s raging aura head-on, flooding the cavern and reaching the very peak of the mountain.
Walls cracked louder.
The ground split.
The ceiling caved in chunks. Stone and wood crashed down.
Elian’s breath caught.
"That mana..." she whispered.
"That’s... Master Rowan’s."
Moonbeam roared again.
His aura sharpened, condensed—lethal.
The ground beneath his feet fractured as he lifted his sword and pointed it straight at Rowan.
"It’s finally ti," Moonbeam said, eyes burning red.
"I’ve waited my entire life for this mont. Today—"
"I pierce a god!"
He vanished.
At the sa instant, Rowan disappeared as well.
Elian’s mouth fell open.
They were gone.
No blur. No trail.
One mont they were there—the next, empty air.
The sound ca after: a violent shockwave that ripped through the cavern, shaking her to her core.
"I... I didn’t even see it," Elian whispered.
"They’re too fast..."
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