Chapter 172: Final Requiem – End of the Line
The battlefield thundered beneath their feet.
King Thalanor and General Delrat stood among corpses, crushed stone, and auras so dense the very air trembled. The sky above the South Nation grew dim as the sun struggled to pierce the chaos.
Blood stained the ground. Delrat's knuckles were raw, his lip split open. Blue Aquarian mana surged around him like a hurricane made flesh. But King Thalanor was far from finished — in fact, he had just begun.
The wind howled around him as he tightened the grip on his sword.
Thalanor (thinking):"He's faltering. I can see it. But one mistake and it's over."
Delrat roared, leaping into the air, fists drawn back. A burst of mana exploded from his body — raw, unstable.
Delrat (snarling):"KIIZUN SHA RAGORAAA!!" (Aquarian tongue: "NOW, RELEASE IT!")
The moment his scream left his throat, an Aquarian soldier in the distance raised a small black canister and slammed it against the ground.
A loud CHTSSSSHHHH! echoed, and dark purple mist began to spread.
Delrat (laughing):"Hahaha! Even if I fall, your kingdom falls with me!"
Thalanor's eyes widened for a heartbeat, then sharpened with resolve.
Thalanor (calmly):"…Then I better finish this fast."
Suddenly—
He moved.
FWOOM!
He vanished from Delrat's sight — reappearing to his left, then to his right, then directly above him. Delrat barely had time to raise his arms before—
CLANG!
A powerful slash met his forearm, and a fountain of blood sprayed into the air. Delrat growled in pain, backing up as three more cuts slashed across his chest, thigh, and shoulder in a flash.
Delrat (roaring):"YOU BASTARD! STAND STILL!!"
He swung wildly, mana-infused punches slamming into the ground, missing Thalanor by inches. The Kenjutsu master darted like lightning, every step measured, every breath controlled.
Thalanor (thinking):"He's losing form. Let the rage blind him."
Delrat threw another wild fist. Thalanor ducked, slicing clean across Delrat's abdomen. Blood sprayed again.
Delrat (furious):"FIGHT WITH HONOR, DAMN YOU!"
Thalanor:"You abandoned honor when you slaughtered my people."
Their blades and fists met again, sparks flying. But even in the flurry, Thalanor's eyes remained sharp. Calculating.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the moment.
The opening.
Delrat lunged with his fist, blue mana surrounding his whole arm — the sheer impact cracked the ground, sending dust everywhere.
Delrat:"I'll kill you before that gas even touches the town!"
Thalanor (quietly):"...Wrong move."
Through the smoke, Thalanor's eyes glowed.
FLASHBACK – 4 MONTHS AGO
In a secluded chamber beneath the South Nation castle, Thalanor stood shirtless, his sword resting on a slab of obsidian.
Before him was a stone dummy. At its center, a glowing crystal pulsated.
Thalanor (breathing slowly):"Kenjutsu... Ultimate Form... 'Final Requiem.' If this fails, it'll tear my body apart."
He took a stance — feet shoulder-width apart, blade extended forward, both hands gripping tightly. His left leg slid back as he twisted his torso.
His mana wrapped around his body, not wildly, but like silk tightening around steel.
Then—he struck.
WHOOSH!
The dummy exploded.
BACK TO PRESENT
Dust cleared.
Delrat looked up and saw Thalanor in the same stance.
Feet planted. Shoulders squared. Blade forward. Left hand raised above his head, right hand gripping the hilt at waist level.
His eyes burned gold. His body radiated golden-white mana.
Thalanor:"…Kenjutsu: Final Requiem."
Delrat lunged forward, trying to interrupt—but it was too late.
THREE STEPS.
One breath.
One strike.
SLAAAAAAASH!!!
An arc of pure mana exploded outward like a crescent moon. The sky itself split open. The shockwave cracked the stone beneath them, shattered the earth in a forty-meter radius, and silenced the battlefield for a moment that felt eternal.
Delrat stopped mid-stride.
He dropped to one knee.
Blood erupted from his chest in a geyser.
His arm fell limp, hanging by sinew. His mana shattered like glass. He coughed, trembling, and looked up at the king.
Delrat (choking):"...Incredible…"
Thalanor stood tall, sword at his side, panting slightly. His chest bled where Delrat had struck earlier, but he stood firm.
He walked toward his opponent — calm, respectful.
Thalanor:"You were a worthy opponent."
Delrat, barely able to breathe, managed a weak smile.
Delrat:"You're… a true warrior…"
He collapsed.
Dead.
The battlefield froze in awe.
The soldiers stopped. The Knights of the South looked toward their king with tears in their eyes. Some dropped to one knee. Others roared in victory.
But it was short-lived.
A sound.
"SSSSSSHHHHHHH..."
The dark purple mist began crawling across the streets — quietly, lethally.
Thalanor (turning sharply):"...No..."
He sprinted to the town square, eyes wide. The canister had ruptured fully. The Aquarian gas spread like a plague. Children screamed in the distance.
Thalanor (shouting):"RETREAT! EVACUATE NOW!!"
He leapt to a broken tower and amplified his voice with mana.
Thalanor:"All Knights — fall back! Get to the outskirts! The gas is spreading!!"
A lieutenant ran to him, eyes wide.
Lieutenant:"My King! What is that?!"
Thalanor:"Poison... It transforms you. We cannot fight it. Run!"
The soldiers began grabbing civilians, sprinting toward the village of Elaria. Others covered their mouths with mana masks, dragging wounded allies through the smoke.
Thalanor (thinking):"We won the battle... but the war has already begun."
He turned one last time to Delrat's fallen body.
Thalanor:"…Rest well, warrior. Your sins are over. Ours have just begun."