A cold wind whispered across the ruined courtyard as Liu Xiang and Shaurya stood face to face. Dust drifted between them like ash from a dying fire. Their eyes locked — silent, deadly, and unyielding.

Liu Xiang suddenly broke into laughter, his voice echoing through the broken stones around them.

Shaurya's expression remained unmoved, his gaze cutting sharper than steel.

In a tone colder than the night air, he said, "Have you lost your mind?"

Liu Xiang's grin widened, madness gleaming in his eyes.

"Don't worry about my mind," he sneered. "Worry for your life."

He slowly extended his hand. Emerald spiritual energy rippled across his palm, swirling and pulsing. Then, like a dying flame, it shifted — first to a dark crimson glow, then to something deeper, darker, as if the void itself seeped into his veins. A crimson crystal materialized, wrapped in writhing shadows, releasing a suffocating, ominous demonic aura that made the air heavy.

Shaurya raised an eyebrow, confusion flashing through his eyes.

Liu Xiang's lips twisted into a devilish smirk.

"I will not lose to someone like you," he hissed. "I will take revenge for all the humiliation I've suffered because of you!"

He clenched the crystal in his fist and slammed it against his chest.

The crystal sank into his body.

Veins of crimson light spread from his heart like cracks across glass. A dark aura mixed with the blood-red glow, swallowing his body whole. The ground quivered. The air turned thick, suffocating. A monstrous pressure filled the battlefield.

Liu Xiang screamed as his flesh contorted. Black armor-like scales emerged, forming a demonic carapace. His hair drained of color, turning white, the tips glimmering crimson like dying embers. His teeth sharpened into fangs. Eyes turned black — pupils glowing a sinister red. In his right hand, a massive black saber materialized, humming with hatred.

He roared — a sound not human — a beast's cry that split the air. The aura around him erupted violently, sending waves of pressure outward. The ground split beneath his feet like fractured glass.

Shaurya's eyes widened. "What—?"

Before he could finish, Liu Xiang blurred — vanishing and reappearing before him in the blink of an eye. His saber lunged straight for Shaurya's face.

Shaurya twisted aside just in time. The blade sliced the air, grazing his cheek. Liu Xiang spun, swinging horizontally. Shaurya bent backward, the saber missing him by a hair — literally — a single strand falling. Using the ground as leverage, Shaurya's hand touched the stone and he spun backward.

Liu Xiang slammed his fist into the ground, but Shaurya was already gone. The impact cracked the courtyard. Stones shattered.

Regaining balance, Shaurya stepped back, shocked by the monstrous power surging from his opponent.

Liu Xiang laughed, his voice twisted. "How long are you going to keep dodging?"

He rushed forward, slashing upward. Shaurya sidestepped, spinning on his heel. His foot connected with Liu Xiang's back, sending him flying.

But Liu Xiang flipped mid-air and landed perfectly, sliding across the cracked floor.

Shaurya straightened, rolling his shoulders, his tone cold. "You really think you can beat me just because you've increased your power temporarily? You're destroying yourself."

Liu Xiang stepped forward, his grin dark and confident. "Who told you that? I'm not destroying myself to increase my power."

Shaurya frowned. "What do you mean?"

"This…" Liu Xiang's eyes gleamed with madness. "…is the power fragment of the Demon King."

Shaurya froze. "Demon… King?"

"Yes," Liu Xiang said. "It's only twenty percent of his power — but that's enough to kill you and your sect."

Shaurya's heart pounded. System, he whispered inwardly. Is he telling the truth?

The mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

"Yes, Host… Liu Xiang speaks truth. That power fragment belongs to an ancient Demon King — five thousand years old."

Shaurya's eyes widened. "Five thousand years old… no wonder…"

System: "Host, are you afraid?"

Silence fell — a heavy pause. Then a faint, cold smile tugged at Shaurya's lips.

Liu Xiang lunged, his saber slicing through the air. Shaurya twisted, his right hand gripping his sword's hilt. With a sharp upward draw, he parried the strike. Metal clashed. Sparks burst.

He pushed forward, his left fist slamming into Liu Xiang's abdomen. The impact drove the air from Liu Xiang's lungs. Shaurya followed with a knee to the chin, hurling him backward. Liu Xiang flipped mid-air, landing hard but steady. Blood dripped from his mouth, yet his grin never faded.

Shaurya took slow steps forward, the weight of his presence crushing. His Meteorite Sword hummed with faint golden energy.

Liu Xiang spat blood, grinning wider. "Come then!"

He stepped, and the ground trembled beneath him.

Their auras clashed before their blades did — waves of golden lightning and crimson shadow colliding in a violent storm. Then they vanished.

Clang!

They reappeared mid-swing — Liu Xiang's saber met Shaurya's Meteorite Sword. The impact exploded outward, shattering the earth into a crater.

Members of the Sanatan Flame Sect and Howling Abyss Sect stumbled backward, shielding their faces from the wind and energy. Dust and light flared.

Crimson lightning crashed against golden arcs. Every clash left deep scars on the ground.

From the storm of dust emerged the two figures — Shaurya and Liu Xiang — locked in a deadly dance of steel and fury.

Shaurya slid backward, boots dragging across stone. Liu Xiang roared and swung downward. Shaurya sidestepped and retaliated with an upward slash. Sparks. Clang. The rhythm of war.

Then, a furious roar tore from both throats as they met again — crimson and gold colliding in a storm of destruction. Dozens of strikes blurred together, their blades a storm of flashing light.

Explosion after explosion rocked the battlefield. Golden arcs split the earth, crimson light burned through air. Sweat flew, blood spattered, and the ground screamed beneath their fury.

Shaurya gritted his teeth, roaring. Liu Xiang's face twisted with rage as his aura exploded, detonating shockwaves that turned the battlefield into a wasteland.

A crimson streak and a golden arc tore through the battlefield — two divine forces colliding in a single, blinding line. The earth shuddered violently as if the heavens themselves flinched. For a full kilometre, the ground split open, flames bursting skyward before the explosion swallowed everything in a thunderous roar.

Dust, debris, and energy waves rippled outward — devouring the air itself.

From within that storm of chaos, two figures clashed again.

Shaurya and Liu Xiang.

Both injured, both burning with killing intent. Their auras — golden and crimson — intertwined like the sun and blood.

Countless slashes flashed across the air, faster than the human eye could follow.

Shaurya screamed.

Liu Xiang screamed.

Each cry was drowned in the sound of shattering wasteland stone floor and collapsing ground.

Shaurya spun, parrying Liu Xiang's downward slash. Sparks erupted like fireworks. Liu Xiang twisted with demonic grace, striking upward. Shaurya sidestepped at the last moment, his movement sharp and precise, then unleashed a tornado kick. The air split. Liu Xiang ducked low, his crimson aura flaring violently, and stabbed his saber toward Shaurya's chest.

Shaurya twisted his body, barely dodging the deadly blade. His leg snapped upward in a spinning kick that whistled through the air. Liu Xiang countered with his elbow. The impact thundered — shockwaves erupted, tearing the ground into craters beneath them.

Both warriors spun back, boots sliding across the shattered terrain, maintaining distance for only a heartbeat—

Then vanished.

SWOOSH!

They collided again, blades meeting in a storm of steel. Countless slashes. The clash became a blur of light and sound, each strike breaking the rhythm of the world.

Liu Xiang leapt backward, his crimson aura exploding behind him.

Shaurya rushed forward, his golden light trailing like a comet. The moment they met again, the air detonated in a burst of pressure.

Liu Xiang disappeared— vanishing like a streak of red lightning.

Shaurya's eyes narrowed, his sword spinning in a graceful circle. Sweat slid down his cheek, glowing faintly in the golden light of his aura.

A grin spread across his face.

From the corner of his vision — a flash.

Liu Xiang reappeared, moving at half the speed of light, crimson lightning dancing around him.

The air screamed.

Shaurya reacted instantly. His blade snapped upward, parrying the attack. Sparks ignited between them, blinding white.

Liu Xiang attacked from every direction — ten slashes in a second, twenty more in the next.

But Shaurya parried each one, his sword a blur of golden arcs.

The ground beneath his feet cracked and crumbled. Dust and flame rose like a storm.

He was still holding his ground.

Then, in a blur of motion— Shaurya used Aerial Step.

He vanished.

Liu Xiang slid to a stop, eyes wide.

"Where—?"

Before he could finish, a golden flash appeared behind him.

Shaurya's foot struck across Liu Xiang's face, the impact like thunder.

Blood burst from his mouth as he was flung across the battlefield.

Shaurya smiled — calm, cold — and rushed after him.

Liu Xiang flipped backward, crashing through the dirt, then slammed his feet down, dragging across the ground to stop himself.

Before he could recover, Shaurya appeared in front of him — horizontally, like a golden blade slicing through air.

Liu Xiang gritted his teeth, eyes burning.

Their swords met again — Shaurya's upward slash clashing with Liu Xiang's downward one.

CLANG!

A shockwave exploded between them, pushing both warriors back. The earth split beneath their feet.

They charged again.

Steel screamed.

A hundred slashes in a second — no wasted motion, no hesitation.

Shaurya's aura flared brighter, his body trembling with unleashed power. His final blow pushed Liu Xiang backward.

Then, with a guttural roar, Shaurya screamed —

"Ultimate Sword Strike!"

The words shook the air. His sword blazed gold and white, and he slashed downward with divine force.

It collided with Liu Xiang.

A spray of blood rippled through the air.

Liu Xiang's body convulsed from the impact, his armor cracking, energy scattering like shattered glass.

Shaurya slid his left foot back, his entire body lowering into a quick-draw stance. His sword tilted slightly, gleaming under the stormlight.

Lightning sparked from his limbs, crackling through his golden aura.

He inhaled deeply — his voice cutting through the howling wind.

"Lightning Sword Slash!"

He vanished.

A blinding flash streaked across the field — faster than light, faster than thought.

Liu Xiang's eyes widened in pure horror. He barely raised his saber before agony struck.

His right arm was sliced clean off.

Blood sprayed like a crimson fountain, scattering in the air. Liu Xiang screamed, his voice torn from his lungs.

Shaurya landed behind him, silent. His expression was cold — unreadable.

"Play time is over," he said, voice low and sharp as steel.

Liu Xiang's face twisted in rage and pain. He grabbed his saber with his left hand, rushing forward again.

Shaurya moved like flowing light — every strike dodged with effortless precision. He bent backward suddenly, both hands pressing against the broken ground, and kicked upward in a violent arc.

His foot smashed into Liu Xiang's jaw.

Bone cracked.

Before Liu Xiang could fall, Shaurya spun again, slicing his sword horizontally — a clean strike that chopped through his wrist.

Another scream.

Blood fell like rain.

Shaurya grabbed his enemy by the face and slammed him into the ground with monstrous force. The earth shattered, forming a massive crater beneath them.

He stepped on Liu Xiang's chest, pressing down hard.

Liu Xiang coughed blood, gasping for breath.

Shaurya's voice was cold as death.

"Karma always returns, Liu Xiang."

He bent down, grabbing Liu Xiang's left arm — then stood, his boot grinding into his shoulder.

Liu Xiang trembled violently, shaking his head in terror.

Shaurya screamed, pulling with brutal strength.

Muscles tore. Bones snapped.

Blood sprayed into the air like rain.

Shaurya tore Liu Xiang's left arm free with sheer force — and flung it aside.

The limb hit the ground with a wet thud.

He slid his foot back, aura flaring pink and gold. His expression hardened.

The air thickened — the battlefield trembling beneath his presence.

Then he kicked.

A bizarre, explosive kick crashed into Liu Xiang's chest. The ground beneath them cratered violently, collapsing inward.

Liu Xiang's black armor shattered — the demonic scales breaking apart in fragments.

Blood gushed from his mouth and chest, spraying into the air like a crimson storm.

Shaurya turned slowly, his eyes devoid of mercy.

He raised his sword to the left, forming a half X, golden aura swirling around the blade like divine flame.

Liu Xiang's voice broke, trembling, desperate.

"No... No..."

But Shaurya had already moved.

His sword swung.

A clean, silent flash.

Liu Xiang's legs fell to the ground — cut cleanly through.

He collapsed, screaming in pain, tears and blood mixing on his face.

Shaurya stood over him, cold and unblinking.

The battlefield was quiet — only the wind and the sound of Liu Xiang's agony breaking the silence.

The war had ended. The punishment had begun.

He collapsed, writhing, screaming, eyes wet with pain and terror.

Shaurya looked down at him, a faint smile ghosting his lips. His left hand glowed golden. He thrust it downward — piercing Liu Xiang's abdomen. Lifting him effortlessly, he stared into his fading eyes.

"So, Liu Xiang," Shaurya said coldly. "What happened to your arrogance?"

Liu Xiang's voice shook. "P–please… kill me already… if you want…"

Shaurya withdrew his hand. Blood poured freely. Liu Xiang's body sagged, almost lifeless.

Shaurya raised his palm, spiritual energy suspending the broken body mid-air.

"You are the reason your sect fell today," he said, his tone dark and low. "You chose the path of evil — and like I always said… evil is destined to fall."

He struck again — hand piercing through Liu Xiang's side, ripping free his insides. Blood rained like crimson water.

Liu Xiang's breathing slowed. His sight dimmed.

Shaurya sheathed his sword, exhaling softly. His hand rested on the hilt once more. He widened his stance, lightning flickering around him.

"Meet your karma," he whispered. "Liu Xiang — this is the result of your sins. This… is your end."

He drew his blade.

"Divine Sword Art — End of Darkness!"

A blinding golden slash erupted. The earth split. The very air screamed.

Liu Xiang's body was consumed — not even dust remained.

When the light faded, the battlefield fell silent.

Yan Chen's eyes widened in disbelief. Zia Bailey's fists clenched, tears slipping down his face. Beside him, Xia Coco placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He turned to her — her eyes soft, a faint smile on her lips. She nodded silently.

Zia Bailey pulled her into an embrace, whispering, "My grandfather's murderer is dead… his revenge is complete."

Xia Coco held him close. "His soul can now rest."

Shaurya exhaled, sheathing his sword. He turned toward his sect members, his gaze sweeping past them — landing on howling Abyss Sect. Zia Bailey and Xia Coco. Seeing them together, his expression softened into a faint, warm smile.

The battlefield had fallen silent. Only the faint crackle of dying energy remained — gold sparks fading into the cold air, the scent of blood and scorched stone lingering like a curse.

Broken earth stretched for miles. The wind whispered through the ruins, carrying ash and fragments of shattered dreams.

Zia Bailey and Xia Coco still stood locked in that quiet embrace. The crimson stains on their robes gleamed under the fading light of dusk. The war had ended… but the echoes of it still trembled in their hearts.

Then — a faint shimmer stirred the air behind them.

A soft light appeared, gentle and pale, glowing like moonlight reflected on water.

From that light, a figure emerged — transparent, yet radiant.

It was Zia Han, the fallen Sect Master. His spiritual form stood tall, wrapped in faint golden mist, eyes calm and kind. His presence brought a stillness that made even the broken stones seem to breathe in reverence.

Shaurya stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening slightly.

The old master's gaze softened as it settled on Shaurya. His expression carried neither sorrow nor pride — only peace, the kind earned through the fire of countless battles.

Zia Han's spirit smiled — warm and quiet, the kind of smile that could melt through grief itself.

He lifted his hand slowly, in silent gratitude… and then, before any words could form, he bowed deeply toward Shaurya.

The motion was slow, graceful — the final gesture of a soul freed from the weight of vengeance.

Shaurya froze, his breath trembling.

Then the spectral light began to fade.

Zia Han's figure dissolved into a thousand motes of light, scattering like glowing dust through the twilight air. The last shimmer lingered for a heartbeat — just long enough to brush past Shaurya's face — before vanishing completely.

Silence fell again.

Shaurya stood still for a long moment, staring at the space where the soul had disappeared. His lips curved faintly, his eyelids lowering. A small, quiet smile touched his face.

A single tear slipped down his cheek, tracing a thin line through the dust and blood. It shimmered faintly as it fell to the ground.

He exhaled softly, almost in a whisper, and took a slow step forward — toward his sect members and howling Abyss Sect, toward the faint remnants of warmth in a world left cold by death and war.

The golden light of dusk fell over him, painting his figure in a dim, melancholic glow. The wind howled softly across the broken field, carrying away the last echoes of battle — and with it, the whisper of a soul finally at peace.

The story paused there — balanced on the edge of silence and fate.

To be continued…

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