Previously~
"I came here for a dance. Why be so formal?"
"That strikes a nerve!"
Nvyhar unsheathed Featherblade—a slender sword, as thin and dark as a crow's feather.
[START]
A hologram shimmered around them.
RUSH!
CLANG!
Location – ????
Date – 25th, Month of Zephyris, XXXX
The clash of steel echoed through the air, shockwaves rumbling the marble floor.
Nvyhar took a step back.
"Vincent, take this seriously!"
He gestured to the kitchen knife in Vincent's hand.
"That really is a kitchen knife. At least cover it with aura."
Vincent knew that pushing further would wound the old man's pride.
With a sigh, he coated the knife in a paper-thin layer of aura.
"There. Happy now?" he asked, pointing at Nvyhar.
"Hah... you keep teasing me." Nvyhar sighed.
BOOM!
In an instant, he surged forward—faster than sound.
STAB!
Featherblade pierced through Vincent's body—
—but it vanished.
Behind Nvyhar, Vincent reappeared, slashing.
SLASH!
[Black Shield]
CAW! CAW!
A flurry of crows erupted, shielding Nvyhar and obscuring Vincent's sight.
SWOOSH!
Featherblade sliced through the darkness, parting the curtain of crows.
But just as the sword neared Vincent—
CLANG!
JUMP!
Vincent deflected the strike, landing behind Nvyhar mid-somersault.
SLASH!
His knife carved toward Nvyhar's back.
[Black Shield]
A burst of crows blocked the attack.
SLASH!
Featherblade grazed Vincent's hair.
THUD!
He hit the ground, skidding back before charging again.
CLANG!
The clash of weapons dispelled the crows.
Vincent grinned.
CLANG!
The grip on his knife shifted—he darted in, nearly slicing Nvyhar's neck.
SKID!
Distance widened again.
Then—
BANG!
CLANG! CLANG!
They clashed at blinding speeds, sparks raining down.
[Crow's Eye]
Nvyhar's eyes gleamed. His movements became sharper, more precise.
"You're using those eyes again?" Vincent chuckled.
[Embral Step]
Nvyhar vanished without a trace.
Vincent's eyes flickered—the knife was wearing thin.
[Murder Call]
Thousands of crows surged like a tidal wave—piercing, suffocating, overwhelming.
Vincent grinned.
BOOM.
A pulse of aura blasted outward, feathers scattering like snow as the crows fell midair, twitching.
Featherblade lunged in.
Vincent twisted away, barely dodging, and launched a counter-kick.
Nvyhar raised his guard—but too high.
Vincent's grin widened.
Mid-air, he snapped his leg down like a whip.
CRACK!
Nvyhar stumbled, ribs shattered from a single strike.
Vincent hurled his knife.
Featherblade deflected it upward. The blade embedded itself in the ceiling—too late.
WHAM!
Vincent launched upward.
In a blink—uppercut, cross, spinning side-kick.
Nvyhar was airborne.
Vincent followed, soaring skyward.
He twisted midair, descending with a crushing heel.
Nvyhar smirked.
His stance loosened—a trap.
Just as Vincent descended—
GRAB!
WHAM!
Nvyhar caught his ankle and slammed him into the ground.
[Namebreaker Bind: Vincent Duskrane]
Black chains surged out, wrapping around Vincent.
[Ultimate: Black Hollow Palm]
Nvyhar struck.
Then—darkness. Silence. Emptiness.
Vincent lost all sensation—sight, mana, even his sense of self.
But he smiled in that void.
Nvyhar attacked again.
Vincent raised his arms instinctively.
[Passive: Hawk Eye]
His vision returned.
Still no touch, no mana. But it was enough.
Nvyhar's strikes grew weaker.
Then—
SLASH!
Vincent dodged, then lunged.
[Knife: Hashashin]
He stabbed with terrifying speed.
STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB!
In a fraction of a second, Nvyhar was pierced dozens of times.
BREAK!
The knife evaporated into frost.
COUGH! SPLAT!
Nvyhar spat blood. Clutching his heart, he raised Featherblade one final time.
They exchanged nods.
"Mad God, Vincent... at least use a proper skill," he coughed.
"Even when blind, deaf, and numb—you held back."
Vincent, though still deaf, understood.
"Stand tall, old man. I acknowledge my mistake. Now, one last time."
[Ultimate: Silver Crow]
Nvyhar turned silver, aura radiating wildly.
With a pulse from his legs, he dashed forward—
BAM!
Featherblade collided with Vincent's fist.
Vincent's knee surged upward.
Nvyhar tried to block.
CRACK—CLANG!
Featherblade shattered. The knee drove into Nvyhar's gut with unrelenting force.
Vincent stepped back.
[CQC: D]
He zipped past Nvyhar—leaving a sonic boom.
CRASH!
Nvyhar hit the ground.
The strike didn't just land—it deformed him. A crater hollowed into his torso, ribs cracked like glass. His collarbone and temple caved in slightly.
"I lost..." Nvyhar whispered, smiling.
[BODY TIMEOUT]
His body slowly stabilized. A timer blinked above.
[2:59]
Vincent rushed to his side, helping him lean against the wall.
"You used a basic skill," Nvyhar muttered, then smiled.
"Old man..." Vincent sat beside him. "Why did you choose to die by my hands?"
"Just open the damn wine," Nvyhar groaned.
Vincent uncorked the bottle. A fruity aroma filled the air. Nvyhar drank deeply.
"Vincent... the Ashen Pantheon is moving again."
His hand gripped Vincent's shoulder—trembling with fury.
"I'll crush them now—" Vincent began.
Nvyhar yanked him back down.
"An angel is with them."
Vincent froze.
"An... angel?" he echoed.
Nvyhar wiped his lips.
"There's still time. Find me an heir before it's too late."
"Can't you fight?" Vincent's eyes welled.
Nvyhar lifted his robe—revealing a scar like lightning carved across his torso and back.
"This won't let me," he sighed.
[0:10]
He pulled Vincent into a final embrace.
"I'm proud of you, Vinnie," he whispered.
[0:00]
The wounds returned. His eyes faded into emptiness.
Vincent felt a shattering inside. He clung to the lifeless body, shifting back into his child form, sobbing until he could cry no more.
The corpse dissolved into ash.
Left behind: a black cube and a silver ring engraved with three crows.
Vincent buried him anyway. He laid the cube on Nvyhar's throne and pocketed the ring.
Snap!
He returned to Duskrane County.
The sunrise greeted his grief-stricken face.