The Strongest With Nothing Left

The two warriors clashed again and again, their movements so fast that the human eye could barely keep up. Every exchange sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield, tearing apart what little remained of the castle ruins. 

Li Vrak's elbow slammed into Rein's ribs, sending him skidding backward. But before he could recover, Rein launched himself forward faster, stronger. Their fists met once more—a battle between titans. But then 

"Rein! We're coming to assist!" The voices of soldiers and adventurers rang out. Rein's eyes widened. "NO! STAY BACK!" He roared, panic flashing across his face. They couldn't handle this fight. But it was too late. 

Li Vrak's expression darkened. He slowly turned his head toward them, his piercing purple eyes brimming with annoyance. "Pests." In a single, smooth motion, he unsheathed his katana. With a casual flick He slashed the airThere was no visible attack. Just a brief silence—

A massive invisible slash cut through the battlefield like a phantom's blade. The soldiers and adventurers froze. Their eyes widened in horror before their bodies split apart. Blood burst into the air as they were cleaved in half, their expressions still frozen in shock as they collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Rein's heart dropped. His breathing stopped. His fists clenched so hard that his nails dug into his palms. Li Vrak exhaled, flicking the blood off his blade before sliding it back into its sheath. He didn't even look at the bodies. 

"I warned them," he muttered. "This is not a fight for weaklings." Slowly, he turned back toward Rein—his face unreadable. Rein's entire body trembled. His rage boiled.

His golden eyes burned with pure, seething fury. Then—his power surged. The battlefield trembled beneath his feet as his aura exploded. His fists tightened—his next attack was coming. Li Vrak grinned. 

"Ah… show me more."

The ground shattered beneath Rein's feet as his aura exploded outward, sending cracks ripping across the battlefield. The air distorted from the sheer pressure radiating from him—his golden eyes burned with fury. The moment Li Vrak had killed those soldiers—something in him had snapped. Li Vrak smirked.

Li Vrak's eyes widened. Rein was already in front of him.

A devastating punch smashed into Li Vrak's face, sending him flying. His body tore through the air like a bullet, crashing through ruined walls before finally slamming into the ground, skidding across the dirt.

Before he could even process it Rein was already there. A second punch—a shockwave exploded from the impact, sending tremors across the entire battlefield. Li Vrak coughed, staggering back—his arms tingling. Rein didn't stop. He vanished again.

A kick to the ribs. An uppercut to the chin. A devastating knee to the gut. Li Vrak gritted his teeth. He was actually being pushed back.

His body was straining to keep up. For the first time Rein was overwhelming him. The moment Li Vrak blocked one strike, Rein was already behind him. Another punch. Another shockwave. Another wound. 

Blood dripped from Li Vrak's mouth. Rein clenched his fists, his voice booming across the battlefield. 

"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST KILL THEM AND WALK AWAY?!" Li Vrak wiped the blood from his lips. Then— 

For the first time—he frowned. There was no amusement in his eyes anymore. "...You're actually strong now," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "This might be—" 

Before he could finish, Rein's fist slammed into his stomach so hard the ground beneath them completely caved in. Li Vrak's breath hitched. That one he felt that one. 

Rein didn't stop. His fists were relentless. A storm of blows each one sending shockwaves tearing apart the battlefield. Li Vrak stumbled. The once-invincible Living Nightmare was actually losing ground. 

Rein pulled his fist back for the finishing blow. "FALL!" He swung. But then— Li Vrak vanished. Something just changed. Li Vrak is no longer smiling. No longer taking the hits for fun. 

Rein was overwhelming him but now what? 

The battlefield was silent. Rein's breath was ragged, his fists still clenched from his last attack. He could feel it for the first time, Li Vrak had been forced back. 

But something felt wrong. He noticed it immediately. The glow in Li Vrak's eyes was gone. That playful amusement vanished. His expression was blank. No smirk. No grin. Nothing. Then—

A single movement. Li Vrak's hand reached into thin air his storage and pulled out his katana.

The blade gleamed under the broken moonlight, its edge razor-sharp. He stood there, silent, the wind making his cloak ripple as his grip tightened on the hilt.

Rein felt it. Pressure. A crushing, suffocating pressure that settled over the battlefield like a heavy fog. 

His piercing purple eyes locked onto Rein. Cold. Unforgiving. Deadly. Rein's body tensed. This was different. 

The monster standing before him now— This was the true Li Vrak. And then— He moved.

Li Vrak vanished. Rein's eyes barely had time to widen— A thin line of red appeared on his cheek. His body reacted before his mind could process it, instinct screaming at him to move. 

He jumped back just in time. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Invisible cuts tore through the air where he had been standing just a second ago. Too fast. Too precise. Rein landed, his breath sharp his heartbeat pounding.

Then he saw him. Li Vrak was standing right where Rein had just been. Sword lowered. Not a single wasted movement. But his presence— It was overwhelming.

Rein finally understood. Before, Li Vrak was toying with him. This… this was different. Li Vrak wasn't just fighting now. He was hunting. A predator who had finally decided to kill. 

Still, he didn't speak. Didn't taunt. Didn't smirk. Only silence. 

That was somehow more terrifying than anything else. Rein's pulse pounded in his ears. But then, he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to smirk through the tension. "Tch. So you finally got serious, huh?" 

Li Vrak didn't respond. He simply raised his katana. And then He attacked. 

The force of Li Vrak's movement shattered the ground beneath him. One step. That's all it took for him to close the distance. Rein barely managed to duck, the tip of the katana slicing through his hair. His instincts screamed, body reacting on pure survival as he twisted to the side— 

A second slash came instantly, aimed straight at his ribs. Too fast! Rein crossed his arms, blocking with his gauntlets. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through his body, forcing him to skid backward. 

But there was no time to breathe. Li Vrak was already gone. Rein's eyes flicked to the side— He's behind me!

Rein barely twisted his body, avoiding a clean cut, but— A deep wound tore across his side.

Pain exploded through him. Rein gritted his teeth, stumbling—but he couldn't stop now. 

He threw himself forward, rolling to gain distance. But Li Vrak didn't let him. In the blink of an eye, Li Vrak was already in front of him again. His katana rose. A downward slash— 

"Tch—!!"

Rein crossed his arms again just in time.

BOOOOM!

The impact cratered the ground beneath them. Rein's legs buckled from the sheer force. His entire body screamed in pain.

He grinned. Blood dripped from his lips as he stared up at Li Vrak. "That all you got?" Li Vrak's expression didn't change.

But Rein felt it The pressure was growing. This wasn't even his limit. Li Vrak tilted his katana slightly, adjusting his grip. He disappeared again. 

Rein's breath was ragged, his eyes darting in every direction. Where?!Li Vrak had disappeared—completely. No sound, no movement, nothing. A ghost in the battlefield. Rein clenched his fists, frustration boiling in his chest. His wounds burned, but he couldn't stop now.

If he couldn't see him— Then he'd force him out. Mana swelled inside him, his body trembling from the sheer force of it.Then—

"HAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" A deafening roar erupted from Rein, his voice tearing through the battlefield like a shockwave. The sheer force of his mana rippled through the air, shaking the castle walls and sending debris flying. For a split second— Li Vrak froze. 

It wasn't hesitation. It wasn't fear. Just a momentary break in his rhythm. But it was enough. Rein's eyes locked onto him—his silhouette flickering into view for just a heartbeat.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Rein lunged forward, his fist crackling with mana. The punch landed, slamming straight into Li Vrak's ribs! The sheer force sent Li Vrak flying, his body smashing through the ruined stone pillars of the castle. 

Dust and debris exploded into the air. Rein didn't stop. He charged forward, leaping into the air above the destruction, his golden eyes blazing. "I'M NOT LETTING YOU CONTROL THE PACE ANYMORE!" Rein brought his fists down—

Li Vrak stood up from the rubble, his grip tightening around his katana. Something felt off. He glanced down at his hands. A strange, faint flicker of energy his own life essence was slipping away. Slowly, but surely. For the first time in a long while, Li Vrak felt something foreign. A sensation he had almost forgotten. 

Decay. His body wasn't healing as quickly as usual. The damage… was lingering. "Hah…" A quiet, almost amused exhale left his lips. His piercing purple eyes lifted, locking onto Rein, who was already mid-air, preparing to strike. Li Vrak slowly rolled his shoulders, feeling the weight of his own mortality settling in. 

This fight… It was the first in years where he truly felt alive. And yet— His life was fading. But instead of fear— A grin slowly spread across his face. Rein's fist came crashing down. Li Vrak met it head-on. 

Rein's fist crashed against Li Vrak's katana, the sheer force splitting the ground beneath them. A shockwave erupted outward, tearing through the castle ruins, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. 

Li Vrak stood firm, his blade locked against Rein's strike. Their eyes met— ierce golden against cold purple. 

The pressure between them intensified. "Tch!" Rein gritted his teeth, pushing harder, his muscles straining. Li Vrak's feet dug into the cracked stone floor, his grip on the katana unwavering. Despite the growing weight of his own fading essence, his stance remained unshaken. 

Then—he moved. With a sharp twist, Li Vrak redirected Rein's momentum, spinning his katana in a precise arc. Rein barely managed to lean back as the blade sliced inches from his throat. But Li Vrak wasn't done. He vanished from sight. 

Rein's eyes widened. A sudden impact smashed into his gut—Li Vrak's knee. The blow sent Rein soaring backward, crashing through a ruined wall and skidding across the battlefield. 

 Rein coughed, blood splattering onto the cracked stone. He barely had time to recover before— Li Vrak was already there. The Living Nightmare's shadow loomed over him, katana raised high. 

"You're keeping me entertained," Li Vrak said, his voice calm, emotionless. "But let's see how long that lasts." The blade came down. Rein roared, crossing his arms in defense— 

Li Vrak's katana halted inches from Rein's arms. Rein's breath caught in his throat. Why did he stop? Then— CRACK.

A faint sound echoed through the battlefield. Rein's eyes widened as he saw it. Li Vrak's body… was breaking. Thin, glowing fractures spread across his skin like shattered glass, flickering with an eerie light. His once-unstoppable form, the embodiment of terror itself, was now crumbling before him.

Yet— He was smiling. Not in pain. Not in fear. A genuine, content smile. As if he had finally found what he had been searching for all along. Rein, still catching his breath, clenched his fists. What the hell was happening? 

"Li Vrak…?" His voice was hoarse, uncertain. Li Vrak lowered his blade slightly, glancing at his own cracking hands. His life essence was vanishing faster. And yet, he chuckled. "Looks like this is it." His voice was calm, almost peaceful.

The mighty Living Nightmare was fading. And for the first time in his existence— He didn't seem to mind.

Li Vrak exhaled slowly, his once-imposing form cracking apart with each passing second. The energy that had once made him unstoppable was now slipping away, piece by piece. Instead of fighting it, he simply sat down beside Rein, his expression unreadable. 

Rein, still breathing heavily, watched him cautiously, gripping his wounds. He should have felt relieved, victorious even but he didn't. 

Then, in a quiet, almost wistful voice, Li Vrak spoke. "I wish this was the universe where I was your master." Rein's eyes widened slightly. Before he could respond—

Li Vrak's body shattered. His form crumbled like fragile glass, dissolving into nothingness. No screams, no struggle just silence. The only thing left was his katana, which fell over, landing across Rein's lap. The battlefield, once filled with chaos and destruction, was now eerily still. 

Rein clenched his fists, his golden eyes staring at the weapon in front of him. He had won. But for some reason— It didn't feel like a victory.