Chapter 96: Zayne’s Illusion

The battlefield crackled with tension.

Kin’s claws clashed against Caelum’s blade, black smoke and red-tinted mana grinding against pale blue wind energy. His crimson eyes darted once toward Zayne, who had just caved in the skull of a lesser Abyssal.

“Tch,” Kin hissed, his grin faltering for the first time. This might be little troubling… If that brat can take down lower-class, then this human won’t have any distractions.

Caelum’s stance remained firm despite the blood soaking through his sleeve . His right arm alone held the blade, his missing left sleeve whipping in the storm of power. His single sharp eye narrowed.

I have to finish this quickly, he thought, every muscle coiled with urgency.

A screech split the air. From the shadows, a spiderlike Abyssal lunged at Zayne, its many jagged legs stabbing downward.

Zayne tilted his head, eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Heh… this acting gig is getting more fun by the minute,” he muttered.

He sidestepped gracefully, his foot snapping up to crack one of the monster’s legs, then spun low to sweep another off balance. The spider crashed to the dirt with a hiss, only for Zayne to slam his palm against its head, crushing it in a burst of mana.

“Not bad for ’just a kid,’ right?” he said cheerfully, brushing his coat sleeve as if this was all play.

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.

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Kin’s corrupted aura erupted like a storm, a miasma of black smoke streaked with a sickly gold tint. The land around him decayed instantly—grass withering, tree bark crumbling into dust, even the air itself carrying the stench of rot.

Caelum’s single blue eye widened. Panic flickered across his face. He’s serious now…!

The Abyssal charged. Each swipe of his claws split the ground into craters, sending shockwaves through the forest. Caelum met him blow for blow, wind-infused sword sparks tearing against the abyssal miasma, but every strike pressed him down harder. His chest heaved, sweat beading. Damn it… my divine energy hasn’t recovered fully yet…!

Wherever Kin’s claws touched, corruption spread. Leaves blackened, stone cracked, even the edges of Caelum’s blade shimmered with decay.

Kin’s grin widened, merciless and cruel. With a sudden surge of power, he lifted his arm high, black-red smoke flaring.

“—Erosion Slash!”

The claw swept down, releasing a massive arc of abyssal energy. The air howled as the attack ripped forward, eating through the battlefield.

Caelum’s eye snapped wide. He braced his sword, divine wind gathering desperately to meet it. The clash lasted a heartbeat—then the wave overwhelmed him.

“Oh no…! It’s too strong!” he gasped, twisting aside at the last instant.

The corrupted arc roared past him. Kin’s smirk deepened. Yes… just as planned.

Caelum’s head whipped around—his stomach dropping. The attack wasn’t aimed at him at all.

“No…! Zayne…!”

The boy, still fending off lesser Abyssals, turned just in time to see the wave of corrupted mana screaming toward him. His face froze in horror.

BOOOOM!

The blast tore through him, detonating in a violent explosion. Dozens of lesser Abyssals were shredded to pieces in the shockwave. Smoke and ash billowed thick, blotting out the sky.

Caelum’s chest constricted as silence followed. His sword trembled in his grip as the smoke slowly cleared.

There—on the ruined earth—lay Zayne’s body.

A diagonal gash split across his chest, blood spilling, his lifeless form sprawled in the dirt.

For Caelum, everything stopped.

“…What…” he whispered, his voice hollow.

Kin threw his head back, laughing, his crimson eyes burning with triumph.

Kin’s crimson gaze shifted from Zayne’s fallen body back to Caelum. A wicked grin stretched across his face.

That’s it… he’s losing confidence. Now I can take him down.

Caelum’s chest heaved, his sword trembling in his grip. His single eye was wide, haunted.

“D-Dammit…! Why… why am I so weak…??” His voice cracked with frustration, pain, and grief. “Zayne… that kid… he was just helping me…!”

The Abyssal lunged, claws arcing down. Caelum snapped out of his daze just in time, twisting his body as the strike carved the ground beside him, sending dirt and rock scattering.

I can’t… fall here!

With a roar, he swung his sword in tight arcs, each slash bursting with pale blue wind energy. The cutting gales tore at Kin, forcing the towering Abyssal back step by step. But with only one arm, his movements grew sloppy, shallow. Each strike cost him blood, his wounds splitting wider.

Kin laughed, unfazed. “Hahaha… struggling already, human?”

Another swipe of his claws, another blast of corrupt mana. Caelum blocked once, twice—then the third attack came.

“—Erosion Slash!”

The wide arc screamed through the battlefield, slamming into Caelum with unstoppable force. His sword shuddered, cracks splintering down its length before it was blown from his grip. The weapon clattered to the ground, its glow flickering out.

Caelum dropped to his knees, clutching his side as blood seeped through his robes. His chest heaved, his one eye glaring defiantly—but his strength was fading.

Kin loomed over him, shadow falling across the broken warrior. His merciless smile twisted into something grotesque, sadistic delight sparking in his eyes.

“Ahahaha… you fall, human. Just because you worried about someone you barely met.” His claws gleamed with abyssal corruption as he crouched low, savoring the moment. “This is the weakness of your kind—so conflicted with emotions.”

His laughter echoed through the ruined battlefield.

“I won…!” he declared, voice booming with triumph. “Now… time to torture you, human.”

The Abyssal’s grin split wide, teeth jagged, eyes burning with cruelty as his claws hovered inches from Caelum’s chest.

Kin stood tall, his corrupted aura still seething, abyssal claws twitching in excitement as he prepared to tear through the fallen Caelum. The battlefield was silent except for his cruel laughter.

“Hahaha! Look at you, human,” Kin sneered, leaning close with his sadistic grin. “Falling to your knees just because of some brat. Pathetic. That’s why humans are weak—your hearts are shackled by emotions. And now…” His claws glimmered with corrosive energy. “…time to torture you.”

Before the strike could land, a mocking voice echoed across the land, clear and sharp—like it came from everywhere and nowhere at once.

“Ahahaha… look at him. Dumbass.”

Kin froze, his twisted smile stiffening. He whipped his head around. “Wh-Who’s there…?” His corrupted eyes widened. That voice… “No. That can’t be… that kid…!”

His gaze darted toward the corpse of Zayne lying on the ground, still split in half, motionless.

Kin snarled, his voice shaking. “No… impossible. Who are you!? Show yourself!”

And then—he saw it. A figure standing just beyond the body, arms folded, black coat swaying in the corrupted wind. Zayne Creed, unharmed, smirking like the world itself was a joke.

Kin’s face twisted in disbelief. “No… You—You should be dead! That body… what the—”

Zayne tilted his head, amusement glinting in his deep purple eyes.

“Didn’t understand till now, huh? What a dumbass.”

“You… what?!” Kin’s voice cracked between rage and panic.

The battlefield itself began to shift. Cracks spread across reality like shattered glass. Kin’s corrupted aura sputtered for a moment as he realized something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

“No… No, that can’t be…!”

The cracks splintered apart—shattering the false world around him. The abyssals that had been crowding behind him were gone—no, not gone. Their corpses littered the ground, ripped apart, mangled as if reality itself had chewed through them.

The Caelum who had been kneeling, defeated, vanished like smoke. Instead, the real Caelum stood at Zayne’s side, his sword still in hand, his expression caught between shock and disbelief.

Kin’s entire body trembled. “I… I was in an illusion this whole time…?”

Zayne’s grin widened, calm yet suffocating. “Yes, little abyssal.”

Kin’s claws dug into the corrupted soil, rage and terror colliding inside him. “Since when…?!”

Zayne’s smirk turned razor-sharp. “Since the moment you arrived here.” His voice carried the weight of inevitability. “I was bored, so I tried a different approach.”

Caelum’s jaw tightened as he looked at Zayne. Even I didn’t notice… not once. I thought I was fighting at my limit, struggling against Kin’s overwhelming power. But the truth… was that I was pulled into his illusion from the very beginning.

His grip on his sword trembled. Just what kind of monster is this man…?

Kin’s corrupted aura flared violently, his expression twisting in horror and fury. “You… you bastard…!”

Zayne chuckled, low and mocking. “Oh? You angry, little abyssal?” His smirk cut deeper than any blade.

Zayne’s smirk didn’t waver as he slowly turned his gaze toward Caelum.

“Well… I’ll finish him first,” he said casually, as if Kin wasn’t even worth his attention. “Then let’s finish our talk.”

Caelum’s expression was tight, but he gave a simple nod. He could already tell—Zayne didn’t need his help in this fight.

Zayne then turned back toward Kin, his deep purple eyes gleaming with amusement.

“Now, little abyssal… let me make this interesting. I’ll give myself a handicap. To fight you…” He raised his foot, casually stepping forward, the ground cracking beneath the pressure of just that movement. “…I’ll only use my legs. That way, maybe you’ll have a chance to defeat me.”

Kin’s jaw tightened, his corrupted aura writhing as rage battled pride. His teeth ground together before twisting into a sharp smile.

“Foolish human,” he spat, but his mind was racing. So… that’s it. He’s an illusionist. Now I know his trick. I won’t fall for it again. And illusion-users… they’re always weak physically. This brat is arrogant enough to fight me without his arms? He’s already lost.

He pointed one jagged claw at Zayne, his lips curling into a grin. “Fine. You want to die with only your legs? Then I’ll grant your wish. Come, human!”

Zayne tilted his head, chuckling. “Heh. Brave words from a bug who already danced inside my web without noticing.”

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