Do you still remember him, Khaslana, who never saw the dawn?
Praise be to Mydeimos, the greatest conqueror, the greatest protector, the strongest; the dying lion, with eyes that burn like torches, the king of no nation.
Tell me, if Kephale never forgets, how many scars have you etched upon him, how many bones have you shattered, piercing his chest from behind?
How did the Gērbānipār Library crumble in the flames? What color was the last Kremnosians's Destruction?
You pathetic performer, you are not only suited for song, dance, tricks, and jokes, but also adept at betrayal and ruthless betrayal.
You could use the weight of the entire world to cover up your folly, and then use it to embellish the tragic scene of your infighting.
The last glazed tile of Castrum Kremnos shattered in the wind, falling into the surging Black Tide below the arena, splashing up tiny, dark purple sparks.
The final roar of Mydei still echoed among the ruined city walls, and the burning crimson battle patterns around his body had reached their peak brightness.
That wasn't the divine power that a demigod usually wields; it was a sacrificial fire that ignited flesh and blood, souls, and even the entire thousand-year war history of the Kremnos Dynasty.
"With bone as the handle, blood as the edge, and countless battle spirits as the blade—"
Standing before Khaslana were the guardians of " Strife," whose madness had calmed the resilient soul, and whose master now stood firm.
Like a battle song, like the north wind, its spears are always swift and decisive: bringing annihilation to the enemy, tempering the warrior, and bestowing glory, respect, and resolve upon dearest friends and saviors.
Click!
The voice of Mydei, carrying the roar of countless heroic souls, exploded above the ruins of Castrum Kremnos:
"Conquer this world, or be conquered by me--"
Buzz--!!!
A colossal divine spear, a thousand feet long and flowing with molten gold and crimson flames, materialized out of thin air.
On the spear, countless golden phantom images of heroic spirits appeared and disappeared: there were ancient Sovereign clad in heavy armor, soldiers with bloodstains on their faces yet still holding high their battle flags, and even ordinary little sentries.
These phantoms roared and howled around the spear, and the killing pressure emanating from the spear tip alone caused the remaining ruins around the arena to crumble into dust.
Even the surging Black Tide in the distance was forced back three miles by this pure and extreme fighting spirit, not daring to approach even an inch.
The spearhead pointed at Khaslana, and his hand holding " Dawn's Advance " tightened slightly.
His movements were already as precise as a computer program, but when the thousand-foot spear shadow pierced through with a world-destroying pressure, his hand holding the sword still paused for a moment.
In that brief moment of respite, the golden spear shadow had already torn through space, without any fancy moves, only the purest and most violent killing intent.
The first strike cleaved the dark, eternal night sky of Castrum Kremnos in two.
The Black Tide was forcibly torn open by the spearhead, creating a gap several miles wide. Even the stars beyond the sky trembled slightly under the spear's sharpness.
Wherever the spear tip passed, space was compressed into layers of folds, and even time seemed to be frozen by this murderous aura, with no escape.
clang
The " Dawn's Advance " giant sword stood horizontally in front of him, and the divine flames of " World-Saving " and the war flames of " Strife " collided with a deafening roar.
A terrifying shockwave exploded outwards in a ring around the two of them. The foundation of the Castrum Kremnos Arena, which had survived 100,000 cycles of reincarnation, collapsed completely under this attack, and ravines hundreds of meters deep spread out like a spider web.
Scorching magma erupted from the fissures in the earth's veins, scorching the surrounding ruins into a wasteland. Khaslana's feet plowed two deep, bottomless tracks into the hard basalt ground.
The soles of his boots scraped against the rocks, producing a piercing shriek. His tiger's mouth split open, and golden divine blood dripped down the hilt of his sword, only to be instantly evaporated by the intense heat emanating from the spear.
The thousand-foot-long divine spear trembled violently, and its shadow instantly split into thousands upon thousands of spears.
The dense rain of spears, like a swarm of falling meteorites, shot towards Khaslana from all directions.
Each spear shadow carried the full force of Mydeimos, whether fierce, cunning, or treacherous, completely blocking all his escape routes.
Golden spirits darted and roared amidst the shadows of spears, as if all the souls of those who had perished in the past thousand years of Castrum Kremnos had gathered around to judge this " Savior " who had gradually lost his way in the cycle of reincarnation.
Khaslana took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the last trace of human emotion in his eyes.
He knew he couldn't wait any longer.
"As you wish--"
A dark purple Black Tide spread from his fingertips, climbing up the spine of the " Dawn's Advance " sword, dyeing the original divine flames into an eerie color that was half light and half darkness.
"And in my full glory, I salute you!"
"--I couldn't ask for more!"
Khaslana's swordplay no longer possessed the noble spirit of World-Saving; each strike was ruthlessly precise, cleaving at the points where energy flowed through the spear.
"If you can do it," the Savior... " Mydeimos took a few steps back, "Then carve your own body with the scorch marks of your anger at the injustice of fate!"
The crisp sounds of swords and spears clashing mingled together, each collision exploding into a blinding ball of light.
Khaslana's figure weaved through the countless spear shadows, his sword light, a blend of dark purple and golden red, like a woven net, shattering one spear shadow after another.
At this moment, the tip of the " Spear of Divine Retribution " turned into a pure white, burning with divine fire, and even the surrounding light was distorted into a vortex by the extreme heat.
The Wildfire of the entire Castrum Kremnos surged to its peak at this moment, transforming into countless pillars of fire that shot straight into the sky and coiled around the spear.
The final ceremony in Castrum Kremnos reached its climax.
The thousand-foot-long divine spear, carrying the ultimate strike that could scorch the heavens and boil the seas, transformed into a white meteor that pierced through the heavens and earth, crashing down fiercely towards Khaslana!
Khaslana slowly raised the " Dawn's Advance " sword above his head, pouring all his power into the blade.
" Mydeimos... let's settle this with ' Strife '!"
"To incinerate—your curse of immortality."
The moment the sword and spear clashed, the whole world fell into an eerie silence.
The white spearhead was only an inch from Khaslana's brow, the murderous aura emanating from its tip almost slicing through his skin, and golden divine blood slid down his cheek.
The blade of " Dawn's Advance " had already pierced Nikador's core with unparalleled precision, following the crack in the spear shaft.
The phantom of Mydei being slowly emerged from the shattered spear shaft, "Well done... Let my blood... replace the crown."
"In the next life, I will surely block your path again..."
He patted Khaslana heavily on the shoulder. " Savior... I wish you... constant victory."
As soon as he finished speaking, the phantom of Mydei vanished, turning into countless golden specks of light.
The thousand-foot-long divine spear shattered with a deafening roar, leaving only a fist-sized Core Flame, carrying the last warmth of Mydei, which gently landed in Khaslana's palm.
The wind swept through, carrying dust and sand from the scorched earth, turning the entire Castrum Kremnos into a desolate, lifeless lava wasteland.
The cold, impersonal system notification sounded outside the performance, exactly the same as it had in every single one of the hundred thousand reincarnations:
>>> Eternal Recurrence #108642: Object Khaslana successfully acquired the " Strife " Core Flame, current progress...
>>> Mental function damage rate: 78.2%, irreversible risk continues to rise.