Blitz of the Dark Hunter

Leegna stood motionless, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. The battle against the Guardians had taken its toll, but he was still standing. His dark blue eye, though dimming from overuse, faintly glowed with residual energy. Yuj observed from a distance, a smug grin creeping across his face, as if savoring the moment before the storm.

Leegna looked down at the Lost Rapier of Dark Matter in his hand. The weapon was a part of him now, its shadowy, dark form shifting slightly as if alive. It could pierce through both material and immaterial forms—a deadly tool against the Time Guardians. However, he had also learned its limit: if used too harshly, it would retreat into an embracing shadow, unresponsive and inactive. He couldn't afford that now. Not with what was coming.

"I see you've come to understand the rapier's nature," Yuj remarked, his voice smooth and confident. "It's not about brute strength. There's a finesse to it. Precision."

Leegna nodded slowly, his mind focused. "I'm ready. This time, I know what to expect."

Yuj's smile widened. "Good. Because the Time Guardians? They've prepared something special just for you."

Before Leegna could question him further, Yuj gestured, and two figures emerged from the shadows. One was the eyeless creature that had intervened in the previous battle—a presence Leegna still couldn't fully grasp. The other figure, however, was human. A man in plain clothes, his face pale and gaunt, his eyes hollow with despair. Leegna's gaze narrowed in suspicion.

"Don't concern yourself with him," Yuj said dismissively. "He's indebted to me—a soul bound to serve. He'll be useful to us in ways you can't imagine."

Leegna didn't respond, though unease crawled up his spine. The more time he spent with Yuj, the more he questioned the true depths of his manipulative power. But Leegna had bigger battles to fight; he couldn't afford to get sidetracked by Yuj's games.

They pressed forward, moving through the shadows of the realm. The cold, oppressive energy thickened around them as Yuj led the way to a secret path, one that bypassed the lower floors of the Time Guardians' tower. Their destination: the fourth floor. The place where Gersong, the master of the Guardians, awaited.

Leegna's body tensed with anticipation. This was it. The fight he had been building toward. Every hard-won lesson, every ounce of suffering and training, had prepared him for this moment. Gersong was the puppet master, the orchestrator of it all—and Leegna was finally ready to confront him.

As they crossed into the heart of the Time Guardians' domain, the air seemed to shift. The walls themselves pulsed with an eerie energy. They had reached the fourth floor.

But something felt off.

Stepping into the vast chamber, Leegna scanned the surroundings. Shadows flickered along the walls, and there was an unsettling silence in the air. Five figures emerged from the darkness—the remaining Guardians. But something had changed. Instead of the usual ten, only five stood before them, their power merged into one overwhelming force.

"You expected more?" one of the Guardians sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "We've adapted, evolved. Now we are one... and you, Leegna, are no match for us."

Yuj, standing at Leegna's side, grinned. "Let's see about that."

In a flash, the battle erupted.

Leegna moved swiftly, his movements sharp and calculated. His dark blue eye flickered to life, granting him brief glimpses of the immediate future. Every step, every slash of his rapier, was precise. He had learned to conserve his strength, using the weapon's power with controlled fury. Each strike pierced through the Guardians' forms, both material and immaterial, as the dark matter rapier tore through them.

The combined strength of the five Guardians made the battle fierce, but Leegna had grown. His training, his losses, and his trials had forged him into something new—a force the Guardians had underestimated.

One by one, the Guardians fell, their essence dissolving into the void.

Only Aternos remained, standing tall and silent at the edge of the chamber. But as Leegna stared into his eyes, he saw through the lie. Aternos wasn't real. He wasn't the mastermind Leegna once thought he was.

"You're not real," Leegna said, his voice cutting through the chaos. "You're just another tool. A fake."

Aternos faltered, his form flickering in and out of existence.

With a swift motion, Leegna thrust his rapier forward, piercing through Aternos with effortless precision. The figure dissipated into shadow, leaving only darkness in its wake.

But the victory was short-lived. The atmosphere in the chamber shifted once again. The oppressive energy grew denser, and the temperature plummeted. A figure stepped forward from the shadows—Gersong. The master of the Time Guardians.

"You've come far, Leegna," Gersong said, his voice echoing with a cold authority. "But it ends here."

Leegna's body tensed, his dark blue eye glowing brighter. Gersong raised his hand, and the air crackled with an unseen power. The moment of truth had arrived.

The Velvet Cloak extended around Leegna like a protective barrier, its dark folds rippling with energy. His rapier pulsed in his hand, ready to strike. And for the first time, Leegna felt the full weight of his power—the culmination of everything he had learned and endured.

Gersong unleashed a devastating wave of energy, but Leegna was prepared.

As the blast tore toward him, Leegna stood firm, his dark blue eye glowing fiercely, his cloak expanding, and his rapier poised for a final, decisive strike. In that instant, he was no longer just Leegna—he was the Dark Hunter, fully empowered and unstoppable.

With a single, swift motion, Leegna lunged forward, his strike aimed directly at Gersong.

And then, the scene froze.

Time itself seemed to pause, the air stilling around them. The cliffhanger hung heavy in the darkness.

Leegna was stronger than ever—but Gersong was not to be underestimated. The battle was far from over.