The clash of two Evils Part 10

The wind howled through the frozen forest. I could feel the toll my demonic energy was taking on me, the power pushing my body to its limit.

My breath came in ragged gasps, each one a struggle as I **** myself to stay upright. However, I couldn't afford to think about that now. Duke Vanth stood across from me, his silhouette twisted and dark against the backdrop of shattered ice and lifeless monsters. He was also wounded and on the verge of the limit, just like me, but his eyes, filled with rage, locked onto mine, both of us knowing this was the end. I had regained control of myself, but I knew it wouldn't last long. My body was screaming, my muscles on fire from the relentless surge of energy coursing through them. The power that had once threatened to consume me was still there, burning hot, but now I wielded it. Barely. I had to finish this before it turned against me.

Vanth began calling forth the last vestiges of his demonic power. Dark demonic miasma coiled around his body, spinning with intensity. His army was gone, his army of monsters nothing more than frozen statues now shattered by my ice summons. But he wasn't done. Not yet.

"You really think you can defeat me?" He growled, his voice thick with venom, "I've mastered power beyond your comprehension, boy! I am more than a mere demon—I am a ruler of **** and chaos! My destiny awaits me! Once the Demon King conquers the entire continent, I will be generously rewarded for having helped from the beginning."

I didn't respond. I didn't need to. Words wouldn't end this. Only action would. I could see it—the strain in Duke Vanth's movements, the tremble in his fingers as he struggled to maintain control. He was exhausted, just like me.

"[Monster Subjugator]!" He screamed.

Vanth raised his hand, and with a sickening twist of his wrist, some of the dying monsters stood up. Some of them looked like walking corpses, without some of their body parts, or on the verge of **** —yet Duke Vanth's power **** them up, even though they were too broken to stand. Some collapsed the moment they rose, while others remained upright, but only a few were left standing. Normally, they wouldn't be much of a challenge for me to eliminate, but I can't afford to waste the little strength I have left. My ice summons have vanished, and it's too late to call the owl. I don't have enough mana for it, and if I push myself too far with demonic energy, I risk losing control again. And this time, I don't know if I'll be able to come back and regain control.

The dying beasts lunged toward me, their twisted forms barrelling across the battlefield. Knowing that my best alternative was to use my swords, I didn't hesitate. I swung my swords against the monsters that came at me, getting rid of one after another.

"You dare defy me with such pathetic tricks?" Vanth roared, his voice echoing across the frozen landscape.

With a wild scream, Vanth hurled a dark energy beam at me. I dodged to the side, barely avoiding the attack as the blast tore through the air, leaving a trail of darkness in its wake. Seeing Vanth ready for another dark beam, I mirrored his action, and we launched our attacks simultaneously. The beams collided midair, instantly vaporizing the last three monsters that were in the way. The impact was explosive, sending shock waves that shattered the frozen statues of fallen monsters into crumbling debris. Both beams seemed evenly matched, their power locked in a brutal standoff. It seemed that whoever ran out of demonic energy first would be the one to lose.

"I caught you!" Vanth suddenly screamed, making a worm much smaller than the previous ones emerge from the ground below me.

"SHIT!"

The worm caught me off guard, sinking its teeth into my leg and trapping my foot. The sudden pain shattered my focus, and my dark beam faltered, quickly overwhelmed by Vanth's. I made a grave mistake! I tried to pour more strength into my attack, but it was too late—Vanth's beam tore through mine, surging toward me. I couldn't move because the worm's jaws were still locked on my leg. W-What can I do?

I had no answer. The last thing I saw before closing my eyes was the massive dark beam, fueled by all of Duke Vanth's remaining demonic energy, about to hit me. It just can't be! I'm going to…

At that moment, I felt something—but it wasn't pain. It was more like a wave of dizziness. Seconds passed, yet the pain never came. Instead, a cold sensation spread through my body, followed by the unsettling feeling of falling. Am I still alive? Confused, I opened my eyes and found myself midair, hovering high above where I had been standing just moments ago. From above, I watched as Duke Vanth's dark beam obliterated everything in its path—including the worm that had latched onto my leg, still writhing on the ground where I had been seconds earlier.

"W-What's going on? Why am I here?" I muttered in shock, not understanding what was happening.

Was it Duke Vanth who sent me flying? No. It doesn't make sense for him to do it. If that dark beam had hit me, it is likely that it would have left me very badly injured or even killed me. Vanth would have won. So what happened? When I turned to see Duke Vanth, he was looking straight ahead, right where I was laughing and looking happy.

"I TOLD YOU WHAT WOULD HAPPEN FOR MESSING WITH ME! FUCKING KID I WARNED YOU! HAHAHAHAHA!" Vanth, badly injured, let out a triumphant scream as he lay on the ground, his eyes scanning the smoke-filled battlefield. Seeing no trace of me after the dark beam's devastation, he reveled in the belief that I was gone, "THERE IS NO TRACE LEFT OF YOU! HAHAHA!"

"It's a pity I couldn't bring you alive to the Demon King, but I'm sure I'll be rewarded for killing the boy with the red eyes that troubled him so much," Duke Vanth gloated, reveling in his victory, "Though, I still don't understand what the fuss was about. The Demon King was so concerned about you, yet even if you were stronger than I expected, you're still far beneath my level—let alone the Demon King."

Without fully understanding what was happening, I instinctively used wind magic to cushion my fall. Though I'm far from skilled in it, I managed to summon just enough at the right moment to soften the landing and avoid injury.

I didn't notice when Vanth realized I was still alive, too preoccupied with my own disoriented thoughts. But when my feet finally touched solid ground again, I looked up—and there he was, frozen in shock. His twisted, victorious grin had vanished, replaced by wide eyes and a gaping mouth as if the very sight of me had stolen the words from him. He stood there, speechless, staring at me as though I were a ghost rising from the ashes.

I could sense the confusion swirling in the air around us. The aftermath of his attack was still hanging thick with smoke and debris, but amidst it all, my heart pounded fiercely, fueled by a mixture of adrenaline and disbelief. From the expression on Duke Vanth's face, it is more than clear to me that he had nothing to do with what happened to me and that he was even more confused and shocked than I was.

"Duke Vanth," I called out, my voice steady despite the turmoil in my mind, "It seems your victory was premature."

His shock was palpable, eyes darting from me to the remnants of the battlefield, trying to piece together how I had managed to evade his lethal attack.

"What... What did you do?" He stammered, his voice trembling with disbelief, his arrogance stripped away like a mask, "This… This isn't possible!"

The dark aura that had previously surrounded him was no longer there. Vanth had pushed himself to the edge, draining the last remnants of his power. His bravado was replaced by panic as he staggered back, eyes narrowing in realization.

"No… it can't be. My monster was holding you without being able to move, and my dark beam was near hitting you," He muttered, the color draining from his face, "T-Then you disappeared and appeared somewhere else. I-Imposible! Did you... The magic you used… It's impossible! That magic should have died a long time ago with that family!"

"What?" I pressed, my curiosity piqued, "What do you mean with that?"

My question, however, did not receive an answer. Duke Vanth was lost in his thoughts, his eyes darting as he began to connect the pieces in his mind, "No… it can't be! One of them is alive?" He continued, the pieces falling into place like tumbling dominoes, "The red-eyed one the Demon King warned us about… but they told me they were not related... Did Jaron and the Demon King know there was a descended alive and lied to me?"

What the hell is he mumbling? "Hey! What are you saying so much? If you know something, it's time you told me how you knew about me and my father?" I screamed at him.

Vanth's mind raced, though the confidence he had moments ago had evaporated, "This is why the Demon King sought you out, isn't it? To ensure your existence was snuffed out!" His gaze turned sharp as realization dawned on him, "If you're alive, then you hold the power of that bloodline—power that should have perished long ago! It seems like everything I knew about you were half-truths, and you really are the real deal."

A chill ran down my spine. The weight of his words hung heavily in the air, thick with implications. But before I could gather my thoughts, Vanth suddenly straightened, a new determination flaring in his eyes.

"No! I can't die here!" he shouted, voice rising in pitch, almost frantic, "I have to report this to the Demon King! He needs to know! He must know that you are here!"

I sensed the shift in his energy as panic fueled his desperation. He was teetering on the edge of hopelessness, clinging to the last threads of his power.

"You won't get the chance, Vanth," I said, my voice cold as I took a step forward.

"Stay back!" Vanth yelled while he started running, trying to escape.

"You can't win this, Vanth," I said through gritted teeth, my voice strained from the effort of keeping up the ****, "It's over."

Vanth's face contorted with fear, "I-I will never lose..." He said with a trembling voice, "I am destined for greatness—more than you could ever understand!"

With the last thing I had left, I **** my demonic energy into one of my swords, turning the blade black, pulsed with dark power, crackling with demonic energy, and the other sword with my ice magic, turning it light blue with a light white mist coming out of it. I charged forward, my feet pounding across the ice as I closed the distance between us. Vanth's eyes widened in surprise as he tried to run away. But he was too slow. With a roar, I swung my swords, the ice and darkness converging in a deadly arc. Vanth barely managed to block the strike with a hastily conjured barrier, but the **** of the blow shattered it like glass, sending him stumbling backward. Vanth eyes wide with disbelief. His last defense was destroyed in an instant. I could see the fear in his eyes now.

"P-PLEASE, NO!!" He screamed.

"It's over," I repeated, my voice cold and resolute. I pressed the attack, my sword slashing through the air with relentless fury and, with a final strike, drove it into Vanth's chest.

He let out a choked gasp, his eyes wide with shock as the blade pierced through his armor, through his flesh. Dark blood spilled from the wound, staining the ice beneath us. For a moment, he stood there, frozen in place, as if unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Then, slowly, his body slumped.

I pulled my sword free, watching as Duke Vanth collapsed to the ground, the ice around him cracking and shattering. He lay there, gasping for breath, his once-mighty form now broken and bloodied.

I stood over him, panting, my body trembling from the effort. I was injured, my limbs heavy, and my energy almost completely spent. But I had won. The battle was over.

Vanth looked up at me, his eyes filled with hatred but also something else—fear. He tried to move, but his body refused to obey; his injuries were too much for him to overcome.

"You… you think you've won…" He rasped, his voice barely a whisper, "This isn't… over…"

I gazed down at him, feeling a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction, "It is," I said softly, "You lost, Vanth. And with that, your skill will now be mine."

"S-Ski *coff...* ugh..?" Vanth tried to speak, but the blood in his mouth prevented him.

The moment of truth had arrived. My main objective for confronting Duke Vanth, aside from avenging my village, was to steal his skill that allowed him to control monsters, as well as his relics. However, I was unsure if the [Goddess's Gift of Mastery], the skill granted to me by the goddess, would permit me to steal a demon's ability. Still, I had to try, and time was running out; Duke Vanth was on the brink of ****.

Currently, I possess two stolen skills: [Harmonic Drain] and [Thunderstride]. To acquire a new stolen skill, I would need to replace one of my existing abilities, as I could only hold two at a time. Both skills were immensely useful, but if **** to choose, I would prefer to keep [Harmonic Drain].

Having said that, and with a decision in mind, I sat down next to Duke Vanth and put my hand on his shoulder, "[Monster Subjugator]."

A brilliant burst of light enveloped my hand and Vanth's body, blinding in its intensity, before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

"Gh.. *coff* Hg... W-what did you do?" Duke Vanth asked with difficulty.

"Nothing," I replied with a smile, feeling the power within me, "I just stole your skill."

Duke Vanth's eyes looked at me, confused by what I just said. Seconds later, it seemed that he tried to feel his power, but he couldn't, which made his eyes widen.

"Y-Y gH.. WH... *coff* *coff*" Duke Vanth coughed, blood spilling from his lips as his body trembled, "Jaron… the Demon King… they'll come for you… they'll make you suffer…"

I stood up, and after identifying the relic, I stretched out my hand to remove the ring on his finger.

"Then I just have to kill them too," I responded, "I will use your skill to achieve that in addition to your relic."

Saying that I grabbed my sword and stuck it in his face, closing his lips once and for all.

The world around me faded into darkness, a heavy veil that wrapped itself around my consciousness. I felt myself slipping away, the exhaustion dragging me down like a stone. The last thing I remembered was the moon before everything went black.

A faint rustling brought me back to the surface of awareness. I blinked against the soft glow of the moonlight, my mind foggy. As my vision cleared, I saw Usofra hovering above me, her wings fluttering with excitement.

"Darx! You're awake!" she exclaimed, her voice a mixture of relief and amazement.

I attempted to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over me, forcing me back down.

"You did it!" Usofra's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, "You defeated Duke Vanth! I can't believe it! You actually won!" She hovered closer, her expression a mix of awe and admiration.

"Is… is everyone okay? Sunshine and Namy?" I asked, worry.

Usofra's smile faltered slightly, "They're both safe. Namy is injured but will survive. Sunshine protected her. Despite how badly they treated each other, Sunshine protected my sister to the point of being exhausted and covered in wounds."

A wave of relief flooded through me at her words.

"I managed to steal Duke Vanth's skill and relic before I… you know… passed out," I said

Usofra's eyes widened in shock, "What? You did? That's incredible! You really are something special, Darx!" Her voice brimmed with admiration as she leaned closer, her excitement palpable.

Before I could process the praise, Usofra's lips brushed against mine in an impulsive huge and kiss in the lips, surprising me into silence. My heart raced, and I stared at her wide-eyed. She quickly pulled back, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh! I—uh—just forget that happened!" Usofra stammered, flustered, "I mean… I just—oh, never mind!"

Usofra huffed with a red face, her wings fluttering anxiously as she began to float upward, "C-Come on! Let's go with Namy and Sunshine. They're waiting for us!"

"W-WAIT!" I tried to stop Usofra before he flew away at full speed.

I can't move...