Die Here

The two enemies silently faced each other beneath the sunlight.

One knelt on the ground, panting and utterly exhausted.

The other stood there in a daze, his mind shaken.

At last, Tales exhaled. The aftereffects of forcibly using Sin of the Hell River slowly faded from his body.

Compared with six years ago, when he would faint whenever Sin of the Hell River descended, Tales smiled in relief.

See?

Although I can't improve it...

I can still do this through practice and familiarity.

During the catastrophe in Dragoncloud City six years ago, Black Sword—the terrifying man who could contend with Magic Users—had told Tales that Sin of the Hell River could exist in any form. It was, in a sense, an all-purpose Ending Power.

For a long time, Tales had had no chance to put those words into practice.

Until one outdoor training lesson, when Nikolai knocked him down yet again. By chance, Tales activated Hell Senses and clearly observed the needle-like silver radiance of Ending Power within his opponent.

He then tried to call upon Sin of the Hell River and imitate that miraculous Ending Power—Fate's Bend.

Now, looking at the enemy before him, Tales forced a difficult smile. Six years of deliberately concealing his abilities had finally produced the desired effect.

Under the sun, Nikolai remained motionless, his astonishment refusing to fade.

He seemed to have fallen into the greatest confusion of his life.

Starfaller stood rigid, panting in disbelief. "How could this be... That was... That was something I could only occasionally awaken on the battlefield... Only on the battlefield..."

"Fate's Bend... Even the name was something he came up with on the spot..."

"You only encountered it during training..."

At that moment, Tales suddenly roared in fury!

"Ahhh!"

He abruptly threw aside his sword and charged