Alex Dawnsblade stood between Mariabel's broken form and the hooded figure who'd tried to seal her soul, his golden blade blazing with radiance that pushed back the darkness. Divine energy pulsed from his body in waves, the Goddess's blessing made manifest through her chosen champion.

Gunn studied him with professional detachment, curved blade held in ready position as he recalculated the tactical situation. The Chosen of Light was an unexpected variable, someone who shouldn't have been in the capital yet according to the Syndicate's intelligence.

"Walk away," Gunn said simply.

Alex said nothing, his blue eyes fixed on Gunn with fury that transcended words. He'd seen Raze's body lying motionless nearby, seen the unnatural stillness that spoke to something worse than death. He'd seen Mariabel's tears and broken ribs, seen the systematic cruelty this monster had inflicted.

His grip tightened on his sword, divine light intensifying until it hurt to look at directly.

Gunn waited three seconds for a response that never came. Then he moved.

The golden blade answered immediately.

Whoosh.

Alex moved with speed that caught Gunn off guard, his movement technique carrying him across the distance in a blur of golden light. His sword came around in a slash that carved through the air itself, divine energy condensing into an edge that could cut more than just physical matter.

Gunn's curved blade intercepted with precision born from decades of combat experience, the collision generating shockwaves that cracked cobblestones in an expanding circle around them.

Clang!

The impact sent both fighters sliding backward, their feet carving furrows in the destroyed street. Gunn's expression shifted beneath his hood, surprise flickering across features hidden in shadow.

That strike carried far more power than Expert rank should provide, the divine enhancement pushing the boy's capabilities beyond normal limitations. This wasn't going to be simple execution of an overconfident hero.

Alex pressed forward immediately, his blade moving through combinations that spoke to extensive training despite his youth. Each strike flowed seamlessly into the next, golden light trailing from his weapon in afterimages that made tracking the actual edge nearly impossible.

Clang!

Gunn defended with professional efficiency, his curved blade finding each attack and deflecting it with minimal wasted motion. But he was being forced backward, the sheer aggression of Alex's assault preventing him from establishing his own rhythm.

The Master rank cultivator tried to create an opening with feint, his blade appearing to drop guard before snapping back toward Alex's exposed ribs. But the golden haired boy didn't take the bait, his combat intuition reading the trap and adjusting his defense accordingly.

Clang.

Alex's counter came so fast Gunn barely got his weapon up in time, the divine blade carving through space where his head had been moments before. The displaced air carried enough force to ruffle his hood, revealing glimpses of dark skin beneath.

They separated for heartbeat, both reassessing. Gunn's amber eyes tracked every minute detail of Alex's stance, looking for patterns he could exploit. The boy's technique was solid, remarkably refined for someone so young.

Alex launched forward again, his blade seeking Gunn's exposed ribs with speed enhanced by divine energy. The Master rank cultivator twisted away, using his superior experience to find angles that the younger fighter's aggression left vulnerable.

Slash.

Gunn's counter caught Alex's shoulder, opening a cut that should have disabled his sword arm. But golden light flared around the wound, divine healing activating automatically to seal the injury before blood could even flow.

Flash.

Alex didn't slow, his assault continuing with mechanical precision. His eyes remained fixed on Gunn with hatred that transcended tactical awareness, every strike carrying the weight of righteous fury.

The golden blade came around in horizontal slash that Gunn ducked under, the weapon passing through space his neck had occupied. He used the momentum to spin, his curved blade seeking Alex's exposed back.

Clang.

But Alex had already moved, his own spin bringing his sword around to intercept the attack. The collision sent sparks flying, metal screaming as the weapons ground against each other.

They pushed apart with simultaneous kicks, both fighters creating distance to reset. Gunn's breathing was controlled but elevated, his body working harder than it should against someone two ranks below him.

The golden blade carved through Gunn's defense on the next exchange, forcing him to use his movement technique to create distance. Alex followed immediately, his own displacement matching Gunn's with precision that suggested combat intuition operating at extremely high level.

Whoosh.

Their swords met mid air, both fighters having activated their techniques simultaneously. The collision generated bursts of mixed energy, golden light and dark shadows swirling together before dissipating.

Boom!

They landed and engaged again, their blades creating continuous thunder as strike met counter in exchanges too fast for normal perception to track. The street beneath them continued cratering, each impact of their feet or weapons sending cracks spreading through stone.

Gunn was being pushed harder than he'd anticipated, the divine enhancement giving Alex speed and power that compensated for the rank difference. His curved blade deflected strike after strike, but each deflection cost energy and the boy showed no signs of tiring.

Alex's Authority manifested fully, Divine Light flooding through his system and enhancing every aspect of his combat capability. His strength jumped a full grade, his speed increased beyond what Expert rank should provide, his blade carried cutting force that made Gunn's blocks increasingly desperate.

Clang!

Gunn's arms were growing heavy, the sustained defense against divinely enhanced attacks draining his reserves faster than normal combat. He needed to shift tactics, needed to stop meeting force with force.

He tried to create distance again but Alex pursued without hesitation, his golden blade seeking vital points with precision that spoke to a killer instinct unusual in someone so young. This wasn't heroic posturing, this was combat with lethal intent.

Gunn's curved blade caught Alex's wrist during an overextended strike, the edge biting deep enough to draw blood. The crimson droplets fell to the cobblestones as Alex pulled back, his expression never changing despite the injury.

Slash.

Got it, Gunn's mind registered. Blood contact established.

But when he tried to activate his Binding Authority, nothing happened. The technique that should have locked Alex's cultivation completely simply failed to manifest, his bloodline power unable to establish the necessary connection.

Divine protection blocking it.

Alex attacked again, apparently unaware that Gunn had just tried and failed to seal him. His blade came around in an overhead strike that carried enough force to crater stone, golden light blazing with intensity that made looking directly at it painful.

Gunn raised his curved blade to block, Master rank strength meeting divinely enhanced power in a collision that sent shockwaves through both their arms.

Clang!

The impact drove Gunn to one knee, his legs buckling under the concentrated force. He rolled sideways as Alex's follow up strike carved through the space he'd occupied, the golden blade cutting a three foot gouge in the cobblestones.

Slash.

Gunn came back to his feet, his tactical mind rapidly assessing options. Can't seal him directly, can't overpower him through raw strength alone, need a different approach.

His fighting style shifted, abandoning aggressive counters. Instead he focused on pure defense, using superior technique to deflect rather than block, redirecting force instead of meeting it head on.

Alex's blade met empty air as Gunn sidestepped, the golden edge passing inches from his ribs. The curved blade came around in a precise counter that caught Alex's extended arm, opening another cut that divine healing immediately sealed.

Slash. Flash.

They continued exchanging, Alex pressing with relentless aggression while Gunn defended with efficiency born from decades of experience. Neither was gaining decisive advantage, the fight settling into a pattern that threatened to continue indefinitely.

Gunn tried manifesting sealing constructs around Alex during the next exchange, dark energy forming restraints that should have locked the boy's limbs in place. But golden light burned through them before they could fully form, divine energy purifying the binding attempts.

Sizzle.

Alex's response was a combination that pushed Gunn backward three steps, golden blade creating afterimages that suggested multiple swords attacking simultaneously. The Master rank cultivator defended against each strike but his arms were protesting, muscles burning from sustained exertion.

Clang.

They broke apart again, both breathing hard as exhaustion crept into movements that had been precise moments before. Sweat dripped from beneath Gunn's hood, his body working at capacity to maintain defense against someone who shouldn't be this threatening.

Alex showed no signs of stopping, his fury apparently providing limitless stamina despite the energy expenditure his techniques required. His blade continued seeking Gunn's vitals with mechanical persistence, each strike carrying the same lethal intent as the first.

Gunn tried binding the ground beneath Alex's feet next, dark energy seeping into the cobblestones to create a trap that would lock him in place. But divine radiance burned through the sealing energy before it could activate, purifying the stone faster than he could corrupt it.

Hiss.

The curved blade found an opening during Alex's advance, cutting across the boy's thigh with precision strike. Blood flowed for half a second before divine healing sealed it, the wound closing as if it had never existed.

Slash. Flash.

Alex's counter nearly took Gunn's head, the golden blade missing by margin so thin the displaced air cut his cheek. Dark blood welled from the shallow wound, the first injury Alex had managed to inflict.

They engaged again, their weapons meeting in rapid succession that generated continuous sound like sustained thunder. The street was completely destroyed now, craters and gouges covering every surface while nearby buildings showed damage from overflow energy.

Clang!

Gunn was forced to acknowledge an uncomfortable truth as the fight continued. He couldn't win this through conventional means, the divine enhancement was too comprehensive and Alex's determination was absolute.

He needed to end it decisively or retreat and regroup. But retreating meant abandoning his mission, meant failing the Syndicate after they'd specifically deployed him for this task.

Alex's blade carved through his defense again, forcing him back several steps. The golden light intensified, the boy's Authority flooding through his system with renewed vigor as if he'd tapped into deeper reserves.

Gunn manifested his full Binding Authority, dark energy flooding through his system as he prepared to attempt something beyond his normal capabilities. If he couldn't seal Alex directly, perhaps he could seal the space around him.

Dark symbols appeared in the air around them, dozens of sealing marks manifesting simultaneously as he poured everything into the technique. The marks began connecting, forming a lattice of binding energy designed to trap rather than suppress.

Crack.

Alex recognized the danger and moved to interrupt, his blade slashing through several marks before they could complete their connection. But Gunn had manifested too many, the lattice forming faster than Alex could destroy it.

Golden light carved through dark energy repeatedly, destroying marks with each strike. But for every three Alex destroyed, two more completed their connections. The lattice was spreading despite his efforts.

Slash.

The sealing marks completed their connection, dark energy coalescing into a dome that enclosed the entire combat area. But this time the barrier was inverted, designed to keep Alex inside rather than keep others out.

Boom.

The golden blade struck the barrier from within, divine light carving through dark energy with cutting force that made the entire structure shudder. Cracks spread from the impact point, spider webbing across the dome's surface.

But the dome held, Gunn's Master rank power reinforcing it faster than Alex could damage it. He poured mana into maintaining the structure, sweat pouring down his face from the sustained effort.

Boom.

Alex continued his assault without pause, each strike sending shockwaves through the barrier. The divine light was eating away at the dark energy, slowly but inexorably weakening the seal's integrity.

Gunn gritted his teeth, channeling more power into reinforcement. His reserves were depleting rapidly, the constant repair requiring enormous energy expenditure. But if he could just hold long enough for the boy's fury to exhaust itself.

Boom.

The impacts came faster, Alex's determination apparently limitless. Golden light blazed brighter with each strike, the divine enhancement pushing beyond what should be sustainable.

Cracks continued spreading despite Gunn's repairs, the structure beginning to fail under sustained assault. He needed a different approach, needed to reinforce more efficiently or the dome would shatter.

Dark energy condensed, the barrier thickening as Gunn changed tactics. Instead of trying to repair the cracks he simply made the entire structure more robust, trading flexibility for durability.

Boom.

Alex's next strike hit the reinforced section, the impact generating less visible damage. But the force transmitted through the barrier, making Gunn stagger despite not being directly struck.

They'd reached stalemate, neither able to overcome the other's defenses. Gunn couldn't penetrate Alex's divine protection, Alex couldn't break through the sealing dome quickly enough. The fight had become a war of attrition that would be decided by whoever's reserves depleted first.

Alex's blade continued striking the barrier with methodical fury, each impact sending cracks through the dark energy that Gunn had to continuously repair. Sweat poured down both their faces, exhaustion mounting as the deadlock stretched.

Clang.

Minutes passed, both fighters locked in a contest that was slowly killing them through pure energy expenditure. Gunn's mana reserves were dropping toward critical levels, the sustained dome maintenance requiring constant power.

But Alex showed no signs of slowing, his divine blessing apparently providing regeneration that matched what he was spending. The golden light never dimmed, never faltered despite the prolonged assault.

Gunn's vision swam briefly, exhaustion affecting his concentration. The dome flickered for just a moment before he caught himself and reinforced it. That momentary lapse nearly cost him everything.

Boom.

Alex had noticed the flicker and concentrated his next strike at that exact point, divine light punching through the weakened section to create a hole the size of his fist. The opening sealed immediately but it proved the barrier could be breached.

Gunn poured more power into stabilization, his reserves now critically low. He had minutes at most before complete depletion, before his cultivation base emptied and left him defenseless.

But Alex's strikes were growing more precise, each one targeting the weak points that briefly appeared during Gunn's repairs. The boy's combat intuition was reading the pattern, exploiting every microsecond of vulnerability.

Boom.

They continued their deadlocked struggle, neither willing to yield despite both approaching complete exhaustion. Gunn's hands trembled from sustained power output, Alex's face showed strain from prolonged divine enhancement.

The dome held by an increasingly narrow margin, dark energy warring against golden light in contest that neither could truly win. Both fighters had reached their limits and pushed beyond, sustained only by determination and refusal to accept defeat.

Boom.

Neither spoke, neither wasted breath on words. Just pure combat carried to its logical extreme, Master rank experience against divine blessing, calculated technique against righteous fury.

The street around them was silent except for the continuous impacts, witnesses having fled long ago. Just two warriors locked in struggle that would determine whether justice or corruption prevailed in this city.

---

In a place beyond reality, in a dimension where light had never existed and never would, the Abyss stretched infinitely in all directions. Darkness absolute and oppressive, pressing down with weight that could crush consciousness itself.

This was the dumping ground for souls deemed unworthy of natural cycles, the prison for entities too dangerous to exist anywhere else. Ancient evils lingered here, their awareness diffused across the void after eons of isolation. Failed cultivators drifted aimlessly, their identity eroded by endless nothing.

Screams echoed occasionally through the darkness, tormented souls that still possessed enough awareness to suffer. But mostly there was silence, the profound absence of sound that came from a place where nothing could properly exist.

The darkness was alive in its own terrible way, hungry and malevolent. It consumed everything eventually, breaking down consciousness and awareness until nothing remained but diffuse energy feeding the void itself.

Chains rattled somewhere in the infinite distance, massive restraints binding things that even the Abyss feared to consume freely. Prisoners whose power was too great to be simply erased, whose consciousness was too dangerous to let drift uncontrolled.

And somewhere in that infinite darkness, a single point of golden light pulsed weakly.

The light was small, barely bright enough to illuminate anything beyond itself. It pulsed irregularly, rhythm growing slower with each beat as whatever sustained it gradually failed.

Thump.

This was Raze's soul, consciousness sealed away from his body and cast into this hellish dimension. But his mind wasn't present, wasn't aware of where he was or what had happened. The human psyche wasn't designed for the Abyss, couldn't function in a place where physical sensation didn't exist.

So the soul just pulsed, automatic function without awareness driving it. Life trying to continue despite being in a place antithetical to existence itself.

Thump.

The darkness pressed closer with each weakening pulse, hungry for the energy this spark of life represented. The Abyss consumed everything eventually, patient and inexorable as it waited for the light to fail completely.

Thump.

The pulse grew weaker, the golden glow dimming as whatever power sustained it depleted. Soon there would be nothing, just another extinguished spark joining the countless others that had been cast into this place.

Thump.

Slower now, barely maintaining rhythm that kept it distinct from the surrounding void. The edges of the light were beginning to fray, consciousness starting to blend with the darkness.

Thump.

Weaker still, the glow so dim it barely qualified as illumination. Just a faint suggestion of light against absolute darkness, fighting a battle it had no hope of winning.

Then something noticed.

The darkness itself seemed to shift, attention focusing on the dying spark with interest that transcended simple hunger. This wasn't the mindless consumption that claimed most souls, this was directed awareness examining something specific.

"What do we have here..."

The voice was prideful, thunderous, booming. Primal and ancient and dangerous, carrying weight that suggested power beyond mortal comprehension. It resonated through the Abyss itself, making the darkness ripple like disturbed water.

Boom.

The sound echoed infinitely, reverberating through dimensions that shouldn't be able to carry sound at all. The very fabric of the void trembled from that voice, responding to presence that commanded rather than requested.

The massive chains in the distance rattled violently, as if whatever they restrained had stirred at the sound of that voice. Something vast beyond comprehension shifting position after eons of stillness.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

Somewhere impossibly distant yet immediately present, awareness focused on the weakly pulsing golden light. Attention that hadn't been directed at anything in countless ages suddenly fixating on this tiny spark of life struggling against the void.

The darkness parted slightly, creating space around the dying light. Not protection exactly, more like curiosity staying the inevitable consumption just long enough to examine what was being consumed.

Thump.

The pulse continued weakening despite the attention, automatic function failing regardless of what observed it. The golden glow was barely visible now, nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness.

"Interesting..."

The word carried implications that transcended simple curiosity, suggestions of recognition and perhaps even anticipation. Whatever owned that voice, whatever entity lurked in this hellish dimension, it had found something worth examining.

The darkness shifted again, massive presence moving closer to the dying spark. Not threatening exactly, but overwhelming in scope. Like an ocean examining a single drop of water, vast beyond comprehension studying something infinitesimal.

Thump.

The pulse grew dimmer still, nearly extinguished. Moments remained before it would blend completely with the void, before Raze's soul would cease existing as distinct entity and become just another part of the Abyss.

And the ancient presence watched, silent now as it considered the implications of what it was witnessing. The voice had spoken twice, revealing attention and interest.

But what came next remained to be seen.

The pulsing golden light continued its slow fade, unaware that something ancient had taken notice of its presence. Unaware that in a place where nothing should matter, it had somehow attracted attention that could mean salvation or doom beyond what even the Abyss normally offered.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.