Good and Evil

Hundreds of Demon Flashes pierced into the shadowy figure's body without hindrance, then exploded within it.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Countless dark shadows exploded from within, shattering into tiny black fragments that eventually disappeared into the night.

Countless pale blue ripples bloomed on the earth, destroying everything in their path with devastating force. But amidst these ruins, a striking figure, wielding a relentlessly spinning Rasenshuriken, rushed toward Bolunte.

"Dark Shield!"

The latter held his hands outstretched, his face grave. Even he dared not underestimate such an attack. He immediately used defensive magic.

A black magic circle formed in front of him, and then, jet-black magic surged out, transforming into a giant black shield that blocked his way.

"The Seven Generations of the Age of Gods!"

Mangekyō suddenly materialized, and jet-black energy surged into the Rasenshuriken in his hand, staining it black. In an instant, the Rasenshuriken's power expanded several times over, finally slamming into the giant black shield.

"Bang!!"

The Rasenshuriken rapidly expanded into a giant hemisphere centered on the two individuals, black winds raging across their skin and drawing blood. Soon after, the shockwave from the Rasenshuriken dissipated, leaving them both utterly disheveled.

Ha~ Ha~ Ha~

Ha~ Ha~ Ha~

Both of them were breathing heavily, their clothes were tattered, and blood was constantly flowing from their bodies, turning them into blood-soaked figures.

"These two moves... are..." Bolunte gasped for breath, unable to resist exclaiming in admiration.

Chiba didn't answer him, but instead stomped his foot and clasped his hands together.

"Bite!"

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

The sound of the magic circle being formed rang out simultaneously with his low shout. A huge green magic circle formed beneath Chiba's feet, and then countless trees burst forth from the ground. At the same time, green energy emanated from the magic circle, merging into the trees, causing them to grow even faster.

In just a few seconds, this place was transformed into a sea of trees!

Countless trees and vines attacked Bolunte. He defended and retreated, his Shadow Legion nearly wiped out by Chiba's Demon Flash Heavenly Feathers. And it vanished completely under the attack of these trees. Only he remained to fight these trees alone.

"Black Sword!"

With a low shout, dark energy gathered in his palm, condensing into the shape of a black longsword.

Then, Bolunte, who was running, suddenly turned around and stopped. His body slid dozens of meters across the ground, and his black longsword slammed into the ground, forming a dark magic circle.

"Moon Sakura!!"

A roar erupted from his throat, followed by a surge of magical power emanating from a dark magic circle, which flowed into the black longsword in his hand.

Bolunte suddenly drew his jet-black longsword and slashed at the surging trees. The sharp sword tore a large gash through the sea of trees and arrived in front of Chiba in the blink of an eye.

Chiba manipulated all the trees in the forest, blocking his advance from the front while chasing after him from behind. Just as Bolunte reached him, the trees finally reached his back and wrapped around his entire body.

But! A sword aura detached from the blade and slashed towards Chiba's face.

"Lava Release! Lava Armor!"

The scorching magma surged and instantly covered his entire body. Outside the magma, a layer of snow-white Tailed Beast Chakra clothing floated on top.

"Boom!!"

The sword energy finally struck Chiba head-on, blasting him back hundreds of meters. The trees binding Bolunte finally loosened, and the latter's body fell to the ground.

Dust filled the air, but soon dissipated. Chiba knelt on one knee, breathing heavily.

Bolunte walked toward him, somewhat disheveled, but with steady steps and an upright posture.

He stood before Chiba, who was kneeling on one knee, and grinned.

"Hehe... hehe... haha!"

From a soft chuckle at the beginning to a wild, unrestrained laugh later, Bolunte seemed to have gone mad, laughing uproariously.

"Finally... I can finally... stand shoulder to shoulder with Zeref!"

He looked up at the moon, filled with excitement.

"Is obtaining my body really that important to you?" Although he had exhausted his magic and Chakra, Chiba's tone was surprisingly calm.

Bolunte noticed that he wasn't flustered at all, which struck him as odd. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Why are you so calm? Could it be that you have some hidden magic... and... Chakra?"

"That's all, we've used up everything we could..." Chiba simply sat cross-legged on the ground.

Bolunte sensed something was wrong and hesitated to make a move.

But Chiba spoke up, saying, "I've investigated your background. You've been active on the Ishgar Continent for years, eliminating various dark guilds. Yet you also cooperate with these dark guilds, and even your magic is [black]."

"Why?"

"Why?" Bolunte's sword vanished, and he grinned. "You're not the first person to ask me that question."

"Let me think... The last person to ask me this question... it seems like it was a year ago, when Linweier asked me."

"That enigmatic sage?" Chiba said, "None of your three subordinates seem to have appeared. [Holy Sword Princess] Suomeier, [Storm Knight] Kailin, and [Mysterious Sage] Linweier."

"In a battle of this level, even if Suomeier and Kailin were to intervene, you would kill them anyway. It makes no difference whether you're here or not. As for Linweier... to be honest, I don't know anything about her..." Bolunte replied.

Chiba smiled, "That's truly an enigmatic sage..."

He chuckled, seemingly with a sigh, "I thought you'd stay hidden in your attic, letting your knights fight for you, and I'd keep fighting and fighting until I reached you. I just didn't expect you to show yourself so quickly."

"They are all knights who have sworn allegiance to me; I cannot allow them to make meaningless sacrifices," Bolunte said. "Enemy opponents of equal rank should be dealt with by opponents of equal rank; otherwise, such battles are pointless."

"You see me as an equal rival? I'm truly honored..." Chiba smiled, then his expression turned serious, revealing a look of confusion. "I don't understand, which kind of person are you?"

"You mean, good... evil?" Bolunte said calmly, "No one is purely good or purely evil. A so-called good person is someone whose good outweighs their evil, thus concealing their evil, and vice versa. As for me... actually, that's not good either. I've always measured everything by self-interest. My knights can sacrifice themselves, but not this kind of meaningless sacrifice. If I can't defeat you, their deaths are meaningless to me."

"Then what do you mean by destroying the Dark Guild, yet cooperating with its members?" Chiba asked, staring into his eyes.