Hayato stared ahead, breathing heavily.
"What was that dragon? It was huge..." he muttered, still stunned.
Archvivion, clearly tense, murmured to himself,
"That dragon came from Emma's area. Has she already died...? Though, it's not really my concern."
He turned to face Hayato with a faint smirk.
"Let's have a great fight. Fighting the Crimson King should be entertaining."
Without warning, Archvivion formed two glowing magic circles that transformed into light blades and fired them at Hayato. He barely dodged and rushed in—but a sudden burst of blinding light exploded in front of him. Disoriented, Hayato jumped back just in time.
As his vision cleared, the blades were already upon him. One scraped his arm, drawing blood.
"I thought I was dead for a second..." he gasped.
Archvivion chuckled.
"Most people may have the same basic magic elements, but how they use them is different. That's what creates real power. Flash and light circle blades—that's my style. I'm not a great fighter. I became a commander because of my knowledge, not brute strength."
Hayato gritted his teeth, thinking,
"I could use Hex and kill him instantly… but if I do, I won't be able to walk again. My body's still healing from the last time."
Archvivion's eyes narrowed.
"Thinking of using Hex? You'd beat me easily, but you haven't… which means you've already used it recently. Smart choice. The more magic power someone has, the fewer the consequences—but I guess you're not at that level yet."
"Shut up!" Hayato snapped and charged again—but he knew brute force wouldn't work.
"I can't just rush him. His flash magic will blind me, and if the blades hit, I'm done. I need another way."
Archvivion hurled more blades. Hayato dodged carefully.
"He's not my real enemy. Just a puppet of the King. I need to think clearly and survive this."
From a distance, he kept evading attacks.
"So, you're scared to fight up close," Archvivion taunted. "Wise choice."
He summoned two more blades. Hayato was struggling to keep up.
Archvivion thought,
"Even though basic and semi-celestial magic aren't as powerful as advanced or celestial types, it's all about technique. The god gives magic. But we must master how to use it."
"Dodging won't work forever," Hayato thought. "I need another way. Hearing his blades won't help—they're silent. I need to get close—just close enough. Neither too far nor too near. I'll increase my speed and charge up Cutting Slash at the right moment. That's my only chance."
Despite near-death encounters, Hayato inched closer.
Archvivion muttered,
"My biggest weakness is close combat. If someone gets close, I'm done. I rely on flash magic to blind them, then strike with my blades. That's my strategy—agile distance fighting."
Hayato predicted the flash.
"He'll use it the moment I get close. But if I can figure out the exact range where it's less effective and my cutting slash has maximum effect, I can dodge and strike."
Blades flew toward him again.
"I won't get close yet—I'll keep moving right and left since blades are coming from both back and forward. Jumping's too risky."
He repeated the dodging pattern, over and over—calculating. Finally, he found the ideal distance.
"This is it. I can see just enough to avoid being blinded. Now I need to focus on one powerful Cutting Slash. Just once."
He saw that Archvivion had remained in place the whole time, likely for better control of his blades.
"That's good for me. If he moved, I'd never find this distance."
This time, Hayato charged in—faster than ever—keeping just outside the blade's core range. Twelve glowing blades spun behind him.
Flash!
But Hayato's vision wasn't fully blinded.
More blades came.
"This is it!" Hayato pushed his speed to the limit and unleashed a massive Cutting Slash, striking not directly—but at an angle where it wouldn't be blocked by any blades.
"He can only create a limited number of blades.He had started calling his blade back .He's likely holding two for defense… which means he can't stop me now."
The Cutting Slash ripped through the air.
Archvivion's eyes widened in horror.
"What just happened...?" he gasped, as the slash tore through him vertically, cutting his body in half. The magic blades vanished.
Hayato stood, panting.
"When you choose to fight a warrior, this is the result."
He looked toward the town.
"I need to help the others. There's no time to waste."
With determination burning in his eyes, Hayato ran forward to protect the town from the invading soldiers.