I am going to die.

Ae’s head was completely blank. Just seeing the beam and it’s tremendous power completely destroyed his desire to fight the Tyrant. It was impossible.

[Serenity]

You have recovered from your [Stunned] status effect.

Even with the skill working overtime to reduce the psychological impact of Fara’s death, it still could not completely erase the terror in Ae’s heart.

I am not even sure if I’ll revive if this guy kills me…

The worries and fears kept growing by the moment. Several seconds had already passed, but the Tyrant did not make another move. He stood still, as if frozen in time, finger still extended. Ae understood why; the damned thing was enjoying itself. It savored every moment of fear and despair that it inflicted. The Tyrant wanted this image to be burned into Ae’s mind for eternity. No matter how many times Ae would come back from the dead, this memory would never fade; that was the Tyrant’s goal.

[Serenity]

[Void Heart Method]

Ae took a deep breath and straightened up. “Ahh, what a shame,” he said. There was a coldness in his heart. An inexorable emptiness gnawed at the emotions causing the confusion in his mind. He felt centered and focused. He felt different.

“What is?” the Tyrant asked.

Ae ignored the question. He relaxed his grip on the sword in his hand, causing it to stop trembling. What was there to be afraid of? Death? Ae knew death. He knew death better than any other creature in this world—he knew death all too well. What could this Tyrant do that hasn’t been done to Ae before? Would Ae be vaporized like Fara? He almost laughed out loud. Such a death looked terrifying, but it was without a doubt quick and painless. There was nothing to fear, but fear itself. With [Serenity], perhaps even that was impossible.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ae understood that this strange calmness came from this [Void Heart Method] skill. He really should’ve checked out what the [Retribution] Aspect bestowed upon him, but it was too late now. Even if he knew, there was no time to familiarize himself with the skills. Every moment mattered. Even if Ae and the Tyrant stood still, the battle had already begun—within their minds.

The Tyrant looked confident enough to not seem interested, but Ae knew that it was looking for openings. Perhaps it was afraid of Ae’s unknown Aspect. Ae didn’t think Annihilation was that special, but this was an advantage he could make use of.

Ae stepped forwards confidently. There was no enhanced movement in that motion, nor any skill that would increase Ae’s intimidation, yet the Tyrant took a step back and its carefree, borderline bored, expression faltered.

The Tyrant appeared more cautious than before, as if the illusion of absolute superiority had been completely destroyed. Still, Ae could not underestimate the entity before him. No matter how the Tyrant appeared now, it was still far more powerful than Ae.

Ae lunged forward and in his wake he left the sound of a thunderclap peeling over the battlefield. The ground shuddered.

To an outside observer, the scene would appear like a lightning bolt colliding with a faint silhouette; they would bounce off each other and then return for another collision. All that would happen, several times, in the span of a breath. They moved too fast for those with ordinary vision to follow, yet for the two locked in deadly combat it was completely different.

For Ae, he could follow the Tyrant’s movements with perfect clarity, yet he could not will his own body to exploit the weaknesses he saw in the Tyrant’s defense.

The Tyrant didn’t stay on the defensive either. After the first few clashes, the Tyrant perhaps realized there was nothing to fear from the Aspect it could not identify in Ae, and took a more offensive approach. Unlike Ae, the Tyrant had no issue with controlling its body to such a fine and precise degree.

The Tyrant feinted an overhead slash and when Ae prepared to parry it, the Tyrant’s blade went for Ae’s neck instead.

This is it, huh?

Ae was disappointed that he had enough time to form such a thought, with such calmness, yet could not will his own body to move at the same speed as his mind. Perhaps it was a lesson for next time.

Ae closed his eyes.

[Death-Seeking Sword]

A loud explosion overwhelmed Ae’s hearing and he opened his eyes. Pieces of the Tyrant’s sword fell off the hilt as the Tyrant glared at Ae. Ae looked at his own sword, which still appeared like a solid fragment of lightning.

What just happened? I thought [Death-Seeking Sword] was only useful against Shadows!

“You possess the Lonely Blade?” the Tyrant asked in a tone that suggested he didn’t want an answer to that question. “Of course you would. You are the Midnight Sun of the End.”

The Tyrant took several steps back, eyes wide open and scanning his surroundings as if he was looking for something—no, as if he was scared of something.

What is the power of the [Lonely Blade] that he fears so much?

Ae wanted to know. There was no way Ae possessed it yet—he had only just learned the Principle—but the Tyrant did not know that.

But was that really the case? Did Ae really not possess such a skill? Did he not use [Death in All Directions] and [Serenity] on a regular basis? There was no way he didn’t possess even more impressive skills than before!

Show skills related to [Lonely Blade]

Name Effect Skill Level Death In All Directions The ability to effortlessly defend and attack in all directions. Gold (34%) Serenity Suppress the psychological impacts of battle. Platinum (11%) Death-Seeking Sword The ability to retaliate against unseen or surprising attacks. Silver (89%) Sword of Absolute Retaliation The ability to retaliate against all forms of attack, including spoken or written words. Bronze (0%) Ever-Changing Sword The ability to wield the sword like the changing currents of Fate itself. Bronze (0%) Void Heart Method An empty heart leads to a sharp mind. Bronze (11%)

[Ever-Changing Sword]... could that be it?

Ae focused on the Tyrant. The description of the [Ever-Changing Sword] was quite unclear, but in a way, Ae understood it. It was the ability to strike from impossible angles. No, it was more than that. It was the ability to change fate itself.

So that is what the Tyrant is afraid of.

Ae’s lightning bolt-like sword burst into blue fire; it had a radiant glow that gradually became dimmer as the flames blackened until they appeared more like windows into the abyss than merely black flames.

Your [Stardust Blade] has become upgraded due to the [Empowered Blades] skill.

You have learned the [Vessel of Annihilation] attack due to the [Inspired Swordsmanship] skill.

Ae was pleased that his [Enlightened Sword] perk was finally paying off for once.

The Tyrant narrowed its eyes when it saw Ae’s sword catch fire and turn into the [Vessel of Annihilation]. The Tyrant slashed a finger through the air, much the same way Ae did when he called forth the lightning sword. A thin black line appeared in the air before the Tyrant which seemed to coalesce into a black sword.

The moment the Tyrant snatched the sword out of the air, it launched itself at Ae, holding nothing back.

The Tyrant’s black sword seemed to shimmer, phasing in and out of reality in a pulsing manner. Ae could feel a malevolent will within that sword.

An Awakened Origin…

Too late, Ae realized that he had no way to stop that sword. How could he? The sword itself was a paradox. Somehow Ae knew what it was. It was a weapon that didn’t exist in this world, yet there it was before his eyes; Nothingness itself given form.

[Death-Seeking Sword]

Ae’s sword came to life as if it too possessed a will; one that was dedicated to its own destruction. Ae’s sword smashed into the black sword as if truly seeking death. Ae expected that his sword would just phase through the Tyrant’s impossible blade, but to his surprise, it didn’t. They collided with such power that the following shockwave leveled the ground beneath the two warriors.

“Annihilation,” the Tyrant whispered, finally realizing the other Aspect Ae possessed. Surprise was written all over its face, and then it smiled. It was a smile, but it was full of regret.

Ae dashed forward, he didn’t have the time to try and unravel the mystery of the Tyrant’s smile. He raised his sword, straightforwardly attacking with an overhead slash. The Tyrant raised its own impossible sword to attempt to block, when Ae’s sword disappeared.

[Ever-Changing Sword]

The Tyrant turned and tried to parry something behind it, but then black blood spilled out of its stomach. Ae’s sword reappeared in his hand, and then he continued the previous slash, sending the fragment of Oblivion carving through the Tyrant’s chest.

Critical hit!

Your [Vessel of Annihilation] has obliterated the Tyrant’s chest.

You have gained Essence.

You have gained internal energy.

The Tyrant’s impossible sword faded out of existence for the last time as the black blood began to evaporate. A constant stream of silvery mist flowed into Ae’s mask.

The Tyrant looked up to Ae with a deep frown, black blood flowing from the corners of its mouth. “You… are… a monster…” it whispered. “Rinne… will never… give you back… your name… now…”

Ae narrowed his eyes. “What? Who is Rinne?”

“You stole… the Rev—“ the Tyrant groaned, as black and blue flames began to pour from the mortal wounds on its stomach and chest. ”… you will… never…”

The Tyrant fell on its side, its form bursting into flames that vanished as quickly as they appeared, yet in that instant they consumed the Tyrant entirely and left not even ashes behind.

A deep sound rang through the [Ancient Battlefield]. It was a gong.

You are victorious. Sending you back to the Sanctuary Chamber.

The sky darkened. It was not as if the sun was going down, but rather, it felt as if the world was unraveling. Everything was disappearing, devoured by an encroaching emptiness.

"Victory, huh?" Ae sighed. He did not feel victorious. The Tyrant's final words bothered Ae, and in a way, he understood them. His name was gone. His name was not merely just a sequence of letters; it was far more important than that. It was his destiny, his memories, his personality... it was everything.

Being called a monster, by a monster, did not please Ae either. He understood the meaning of those words; Ae accepted [Retribution] and his Origin became Corrupted.

"This was a defeat..." Ae whispered, as everything disappeared.