The Clash of Realms

In hot pursuit, Sword and Alexander doubled team the prideful Alkibiades, who could not help but chuckle at them. He found their attempts to kill him — comical, to say the least. The apparition that fought beside him was more human than spirit.

The woman was quite a sight. She was drop-dead gorgeous, her platinum hair was a dark contrast to her dark armor. The woman had a frail body — yet she was able to carry a giant two-handed sword that no man should be capable of wielding.

The most surprising part is that the weight of the sword did not hinder her movements. She carried it with ease and swung at the opponents with little to no trouble. For the first time in his life, Alkibiades was faced with a power never seen before.

This power is something unique to a contractor. A contractor is one of the six types of warriors in this world. The other five types are mutation, emission, creation, emission, arrangement, and conquerors. To Alkibiades, one thing was clear. Alexander was a contractor type.

A contractor is a rare sight to behold. Most of the time, they are not gifted with power that ties spirits to their power. In the case of Alexander, his spirits served as an extension of his power. The spirit woman had yet to display an ability. However, she has proven to be a formidable close quarter combatant.

Soul energy is quite unique in humans. Every person is born with a power unique to them. Oftentimes, most people do not fall into one of the six types. They are able to harness their soul energy, but they are unable to make use of that energy for greater things.

Therefore, the number of people able to make use of their energy is a rare sight. In rare circumstances, some people are born without the ability to use their energy. People like this lose all chance of being able to fight in wars without tools, that is.

Creators can create weapons to aid those without powers or energy. These weapons naturally provide the user with a weapon far greater than one crafted by normal means. It is oftentimes much more durable and the essence of the weapon being energy allows wielders to deliver a much more effective blow, compared to people who have to manually coat their weapons with energy.

Oftentimes, people naturally imbue their own powers into their weapons. A person that uses their technique simultaneously with their weapon unknowingly channels their power into the weapon. Essentially, it is teaching the weapon how to harness the user's power. This is how a person’s power can remain in the world, even if they were to die.

As long as the weapon remains intact, the power of that person remains. However, this phenomenon is not to be mistaken with a creator.

Whoever Sword was, she was proving to be quite the challenge for Alkibiades. He had to destroy her now. It was easier said than done.

In an attempt to destroy Sword, Alkibiades attempted to pin Sword with his constructs — however, his hand was cut off by none other than Alexander. Sword began to close in on Alkibiades, forcing him to resort to his trickery.

In an attempt to buy time and heal his wounds, he created light constructs of himself to join Alexander and Sword. Four constructs were made to combat the two fighters, who proved to be a thorn to Alkibiades.

Each construct had a fifth of Alkibiades’ power. Three out of the four constructs tripled team Alexander, who was having trouble keeping them at bay. While the fourth construct kept Sword busy — trying to keep her from assisting her master.

In the meantime, Alkibiades spent the time lounging around — slowly regenerating his arm and recovering from the battle at hand. Alkibiades could not help, but have a profound admiration for the young Alexander.

He was the first person in a while that forced him to buy time. Not to mention the wounds from Sword were quite tedious to deal with. They were not mere ordinary sword cuts. She was damaging his soul, causing him to lose control of his energy.

He had not taken a lot of attacks from Sword. But if he had to estimate, his output had decreased by twenty percent. Sword not only served as an offensive combatant, but her weapon also proved to have the ability to cut away at an opponent’s energy output.

It would not be crazy to say that sword’s ability was to seal the opponent’s energy away. Something that she was doing quite well already. Alkibiades came to the conclusion that his wounds were not healing slowly because of Alexander and Sword fighting him — it was because Sword had weakened him.

Sword had to die. There was no question about it.

As he watched his opponents struggle with the constructs, Alkibiades smiled. His hand had almost finished regenerating. A couple of more seconds, and he could rejoin the battle and destroy Sword. The weakness of all contractor types was that once their apparitions were killed, they disappeared forever.

In addition to this, Alexander may not be able to maintain Sword’s presence any longer. By now, he had expended a fourth of his energy reserves trying to keep Sword outside. The constructs were slowly tearing at his reserves — making it much easier to weaken him and kill him too.

As Alkibiades plotted against his opponents, he had failed to anticipate the appearance of a second apparition — the second spirit of the Holy Trinity: Spear.

Alexander was not going to give Alkibiades the time to catch a break. He would simply summon another of his spirits — forcing Alkibiades to abide by the rules of battle. In a brief moment of vulnerability, a spear pierced Alkibiades from behind, shattering the lion’s bronze breastplate completely.

Alkibiades vomited blood — forced to figure out where that spear could have come from. But he did not have a chance to look. He was struck behind once more — this time a powerful blow to his back, causing him to recoil from the pain.

The one to deliver the brutal blow was another apparition. The apparition was tall. It had light brown hair and possessed a lean build. It sported armor similar to Alexander. On the apparition’s back was a shield.

Alkibiades regeneration ceased — not voluntarily but because of the spear. Spear’s weapon possesses the ability to nullify the powers and realms of individuals. In other words, the spear had forcibly stopped Alkibiades apparitions — forcing them to return to him. This was the opportunity Alexander had waited for — the opportunity to kill Alkibiades at his most vulnerable.

With the spear sealing his power, Alkibiades could not use his powers until it was removed. This was it! Alexander and Sword quickly attempted to close in on Alkibiades, who was trying to pull the spear out of his body desperately.

He had managed to heal a portion of his severed hand, but the surprise attack had sealed his abilities. For any normal person, this would have been the end for them.

But not for Alkibiades. In a moment of desperation, he lunged at Spear — trying to destroy the spirit. Despite being injured and hindered, Alkibiades moved with ease — proving he was no slouch without his abilities.

The lion had given up on trying to pull the spear out of his chest — his eyes were set on killing Spear. Alexander and Sword were quickly closing in on Alkibiades.

As Alkibiades reached for Spear’s throat with his partially healed hand, the air was thick with the scent of copper and blood. Diana and Illya halted their advance on the flanks, realizing that the fate of their alliance lies at this moment.

Spear was helpless — he had failed to anticipate Alkibiades’ attack. He squeezed the life out of Spear, trying to put an end to its life by force or force Alexander to recall his fighter. Alexander did not recall him — this battle required sacrifices to be made.

Noticing this, Alkibiades put all his strength into his partially healed hand, bringing Spear to his last breaths. Alexander bit his lip — not wishing to sacrifice his spirit, but there was no choice. However, Alexander had reached his limit.

He could not possibly provide this much energy to two other beings — leading to Spear being forcibly recalled, along with his spear that had pierced Alkibiades. The short moment of advantage between Alexander and Sword disappeared — the ball returned to Alkibiades’ court.

And he would not disappoint. Alkibiades acknowledged Alexander to be worthy of his true power, as he began to manifest a realm on the battlefield. Alkibiades was careful not to include any other bystanders — his intent was to trap Alexander and Sword to kill one of them.

The final trump card of the lion of Rostov had been played — forcing Alexander to recall Sword and join Alkibiades in a battle of realms.

As Alkibiades’ golden world expanded, Alexander planted his feet firmly. From the side of his eye, he could see the worried face of Diana. He could not let her down. If she could not be happy with him, she deserves the opportunity to be happy with that boy.

He did not have the energy to create a barrier for his own world. However, this was a good thing. As an open barrier realm would be much more effective against Alkibiades, who has so far displayed only being able to create a closed barrier realm.

Alexander joined Alkibiades in his clash of realms. He used Alkibiades’ own barrier to input his own. To Alkibiades’ surprise, he noticed the shift to his own realm.

Alexander was manifesting his will into Alkibiades’ own makeshift world. Something that Alkibiades’ had never seen before himself. In order to perform this high level technique, he had to rewrite his own realm requirements.

The new conditions for his realm were to rid the hassle of putting up an enclosure. In addition to this, he had to make himself the focal point of the realm moving forward. Lastly, he had to use incantations to bring up his realm.

Alkibiades had used his ultimate move, believing it would be enough to trap and kill Alexander. However, his gamble had proven to be quite ineffective. As his ace move gave move to Alexander’s.

In a matter of seconds, Alexander’s realm overwrote Alkibiades’—canceling the guaranteed hit that comes with realms. The scenery of the realm was no different than the battlefield that they stood on.

The only key difference was that besides Alexander stood an army of Swords, Spears, and Shields. At long last, Alexander had presented Alkibiades to all three of his loyal servants, who had their eyes set on finishing him off.

For the first time in his life, Alkibiades felt cornered. If he managed to survive, he would be unable to use his power for a short period of time. However, Alexander too, would be unable to use his power for a short time. Whenever a person casts a realm, it takes an enormous strain on them.

Additionally, it leaves them without their technique for a short time period. However, if a person wishes to recast another realm afterward, they are welcome to do so. The only issue is that it is uncertain whether the realm will have the power it normally would have.

Any normal person can cast a realm once a day. At this age, a person has not been recorded to have cast more than one realm.

Alexander and his army of apparitions stormed Alkibiades. His severed hand was fully restored now. To Alkibiades, this was nothing more than a mere challenge to make him greater than before.

“Show me, Jarl!” Alkibiades screamed. “Show me what the son of Phillip can do!”

In an attempt to make the odds in his favor, Alkibiades split his power into five constructs. Each construct was to handle a part of the incoming warriors, in an attempt to alleviate the burden.

The five constructs collided with the spectral army. It was a chaotic explosion of gold and silver. Alkibiades was forced to exert himself in this battle. In ordinary circumstances, Alkibiades never goes all out in battles. Usually, he tries to pace himself to fight more effectively.

However, he had to constantly avoid the deadly strikes of the dozens of Swords — her soul-sealing strike proving to be lethal at this stage. There was no way to figure which of the spirits were the originals, leaving him little room to destroy the source of the power.

In addition to this, he had to deal with the overwhelming power of Spear — who proved to be a bigger nuisance due to his ability to seal his power away. Sword sealed his energy away. Spear sealed his powers away. The other apparition — what was it capable of doing?

Alkibiades wanted to know. But he did not wish to take chances with it, so he annihilated each one that came across him.

There was no way Alkibiades could keep fighting Alexander like this. He was drowning in the sheer numbers of his servants. Realms can usually be maintained by the user for a long time.

However, they can also be taken down by the user. This would be exactly what Alkibiades would do. He realized that Alexander was using his own makeshift world to overpower him. Therefore, he took it down willingly.

As the makeshift world came crashing down, a horrific sight for Rostov was seen. However, it was the best case scenario for the alliance. The brutal sight was Alexander piercing Alkibiades side, Sword severing his left arm, and Shield holding him in place.

It was a sight to behold for the allies. But it would not last long, as Alexander’s apparition was phased out of existence — a sign that he had burnt out. The young Jarl knelt on one of his legs, using his sword to keep his head up.

He was exhausted. Alkibiades was in no better shape. The prideful man stumbled around — trying to keep himself afoot. Never in his life had he knelt before an opponent — Alexander would not be the first!

“Out of gas…” Alkibiades huffed, his voice carrying mockery and excitement.

Alexander laughed. “You going to keep that up as you fight me?”

“Referring to my hand? It may be futile trying to restore it, but I will not stop,” Alkibiades replied. “I have not broken a sweat quite yet.”

“It is a shame,” Alexander smiled. The young Jarl stood afoot again, his legs shaky. “If we had met in another circumstance, you and I would have been quite acquaintances.”

Alkibiades grinned. “You are a man worthy of my admiration and respect,” he admitted. “There is no doubt in my mind that would have been the case.”

The action on the battlefield ceased as the two armies watched in awe of what was taking place. This was a battle of legend between men. To the Rostovian army, the sight of their general bloodied and maimed, sent shivers down their spine. Conversely, the sight of Alexander struggling to stay afoot brought the allies into awe and tears.

Diana and Illya moved instantly. They saw what the others did not see. Diana’s eyes were fixated on Alexander’s health. She saw his shaky legs and knew he could not keep on going. The brazen Jarl thought of intervening, but she was stopped by her sister, Hermes.

“Do not dare intervene, Jarl,” Hermes warned, her voice cold and serious. “This is no longer a duel between two sovereigns. This has become a duel between two men fighting for their ideals.”

“But…” Diana muttered.

“But nothing!” Hermes exclaimed, her armor scratched and broken. “Do not let your personal feelings get in the way!”

Illya’s eyes were too fixated on Alkibiades. The wild beast of Rostov had been weakened. This was his opportunity to kill him.

As Illya attempted to make his way, a soldier from Belomas grabbed onto his soldier.

“I know what you are thinking, young man,” he said. “You have no right to step into a duel that does not concern you.”

Illya pushed his hand off, furious at the soldier's words. “Are you kidding me? He is weakened! This is our chance!”

“Your youth blinds you, boy,” he replied. “Their battle has become something much bigger than politics. Those men giving it everything they got to beat one another. There is not a single move they had not tried against each other.”

“Do you know what that means?” he continued. “These are two men who have come to terms that one of them will not step foot from this battle. They are leaving everything on the battlefield.”

His words hit Illya hard. The boy turned back, not wishing to rob the moment of glory from either warrior. This was their duel, and they deserved to see the conclusion. Win or lose.

As Diana watched with a breaking heart and Illya stood with clenched fists, the two generals stood on a ten-meter scorched Earth. Their burnout had stripped them of their powers and brought the battle to a stalemate.

Alkibiades spat a glob of blood into the dirt and wiped his face with his remaining hand. He did not look like a general anymore; he looked like a man, who fortune no longer favored.

“You are shaking, Jarl,” Alkibiades mocked, though his legs too were visibly trembling.

“And yet,” Alexander replied, his voice a dry rasp. “I stand intact. Something you cannot say yourself.”

Alexander took the first step. It was a slow, agonizing moment. Every muscle in his body began to tear as he made his way to Alkibiades. Alkibiades did not wait for Alexander to come to him. With a guttural roar that had nothing but agony behind it, he lunged forward at Alexander.

He did not use his light — he used his remaining hand to form a fist, aiming to uppercut the Jarl. Alexander did not use his apparitions. He did not have the energy to summon another. He raised his sword, not to swing, but to thrust his sword — in an attempt to finish him off.

That moment never came. Alexander collapsed onto the ground, his heart finally giving up on him. His body caused a loud thud, the force of the thud was enough to knock the weakened Alkibiades off his feet.

For the first time, Alkibiades' back came into contact with the ground. At the sight of the sky, Alkibiades could not have imagined a much more beautiful sky.

How beautiful the sky was.

He never took the chance to look at it back then.

Perhaps he will get to enjoy it some other time.

As his time on this earth had come to an end.

‘Kynaios,’ Alkibiades whispered, his voice growing weak and faint. ‘Take care of Eleni. Honestly, it would just be best if you married the woman in my stead.’

Not a single person was able to hear the last words of Alkibiades. As his heartbeat grew weaker, he let out a peaceful expression. An expression of a man having lived out a satisfied life to the very end.

Diana did not wait for Hermes’ permission this time. She broke into a sprint, her boots thudding against the shards of the barrier, a strangled cry catching in her throat.

Illya followed her lead, his crimson aura absent. The Rostovian army stood paralyzed at the sight. Their general had lost and died in battle. Most men began to flee from the scene, knowing what was to come next.

However, those with honor and pride stood with their deceased general — not abandoning him even in death.

Diana reached for Alexander first, falling to her knees in the dirt. She did not give a single glance to the corpse of Alkibiades, she grabbed onto Alexander’s shoulders, pulling his limp form into her lap.

“Alexander, Alexander, look at me!” she cried.

Beside them, Illya stood over the body of Alkibiades. The boy, who had spent a month training in the harsh wilderness of Stalavat to kill this very man, found no joy in the sight. He looked at the severed arm, the hole in his chest, and the peaceful expression on his face.

Such an overwhelming force of nature had met his end. An end all to unbelievable for a man of his stature. This man was said to be a fighter equal to his father.

But it was far from true. His father would not have died like this. Illya gritted his teeth, tearing at the sight of Alkibiades. Once again, he had failed to kill another enemy, again.

Illya cursed Alkibiades for dying, like this. He was supposed to die at his hands, not at the hands of Alexander. The one to claim the glory for his death was to be him, but the deed belonged to a dead man, like Alkibiades.

A man who would be etched in history for his battle against Alkibiades. Not only had Alexander robbed him of his glory, but he had robbed him of Diana’s admiration too.

The battle was over now. The threat of Rostov was handled, but the victory felt hollow for the allies. The line of Alexander had come to an end in this battle. While Belomas felt no satisfaction in avenging Bay’s death. As the death of his murderer was at the hands of a foreigner.