Abel had never been defeated.
Not once.
He had fought gods.
He had fought demons.
He had fought beings who ruled entire realities.
He had even fought entities that considered entire universes to be nothing more than toys.
And every single time, Abel had won.
Sometimes easily.
Sometimes after a long battle.
But he had never experienced the feeling of being completely outclassed.
Until Zaad.
The forest had gone silent.
Abel stood several hundred meters away from Zaad, slowly wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Rin stood behind him.
She had never seen Abel like this.
He wasn't angry.
He was smiling.
"You really hit hard," Abel said.
Zaad shrugged.
"I wasn't trying very hard."
Abel's smile disappeared.
"...What?"
"I said I wasn't trying very hard."
Abel stared at him.
Then he laughed.
"Fine."
His aura exploded.
The surrounding trees were blown away.
The ground beneath his feet shattered.
Rin immediately moved backward.
"Abel!"
"I'm fine."
Abel looked directly at Zaad.
"Let's do this properly."
Zaad smiled.
"Good."
Abel disappeared.
The next instant, his fist was directly in front of Zaad's face.
Zaad moved his head slightly.
The punch missed.
Abel immediately followed with another.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Zaad avoided every attack.
Abel increased his speed.
The forest disappeared beneath the shockwaves.
Rin could barely follow their movements.
Then Zaad caught Abel's wrist.
Abel's expression changed.
Zaad twisted.
CRACK.
Abel was thrown into the ground.
The impact created a crater.
Before Abel could stand, Zaad was already above him.
A kick sent him through the trees.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Abel finally stopped himself in midair.
He looked down.
His clothes were torn.
His body was damaged.
But he was still smiling.
"Again."
Zaad nodded.
"Again."
The Second Fight
Abel attacked immediately.
This time, he used magic.
Multiple layers of spells appeared around Zaad.
Fire.
Lightning.
Spatial attacks.
Soul attacks.
Reality distortion.
Even an attack designed to bypass conventional defenses.
Zaad walked through all of them.
Abel stared.
"You're kidding."
"No."
Zaad reached him.
One punch.
Abel flew across the landscape.
He recovered.
Zaad appeared behind him.
Another punch.
Abel crashed into a mountain.
The mountain collapsed.
Abel climbed out.
He looked furious now.
"Again."
Zaad smiled.
"You're stubborn."
"You're annoying."
"I know."
The Third Fight
Abel changed tactics.
He summoned an Archangel.
The massive spiritual entity appeared behind him.
Its wings spread across the sky.
Rin stared upward.
"Since when can you summon something like that?"
Abel didn't answer.
The Archangel attacked.
Zaad looked at it.
"An Archangel?"
The Archangel released its attack.
Zaad raised one hand.
The attack stopped.
The Archangel froze.
Zaad flicked his finger.
The entire summon disappeared.
Abel stared.
"...You just erased my Archangel."
"Yes."
"That was supposed to help."
"It didn't."
Abel charged again.
Zaad grabbed him by the face.
Then slammed him into the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Abel's head bounced off the ground.
Rin covered her face.
"That is brutal."
Zaad finally let go.
Abel remained lying in the crater.
After several seconds, he raised one hand.
"Again."
Zaad laughed.
"You really don't know when to stop."
"No."
The Fourth Fight
Abel stopped trying to overpower Zaad.
Instead, he used everything he had learned during his journey.
Strategy.
Movement.
Feints.
Causality manipulation.
Spatial manipulation.
Multiple attacks from different directions.
For several minutes, Abel actually managed to keep Zaad occupied.
Rin watched in disbelief.
"He is actually pushing him back."
Zaad smiled.
"Better."
Abel grinned.
"Finally."
Then Zaad stopped holding back.
The difference became obvious immediately.
Abel's attacks stopped reaching him.
Zaad moved faster.
One strike.
Abel blocked.
The force broke through his defense.
Another strike.
Abel countered.
Zaad caught the attack.
Another.
Another.
Another.
Abel was forced backward.
Then Zaad appeared directly in front of him.
"You're improving."
He punched Abel in the stomach.
Abel coughed blood.
Zaad grabbed him by the back of his clothes.
Then threw him through the air.
Abel crashed into the ground.
He tried to stand.
His legs shook.
Zaad approached.
"You lost."
Abel glared at him.
"...Again."
Zaad smiled.
"Fine."
The Fifth Fight
Abel knew he was going to lose.
For the first time in his life, he knew it before the fight even began.
That realization bothered him.
But it also excited him.
He had spent so long being the strongest.
There had never been anyone above him.
Now there was.
Abel raised his hand.
"Zaad."
"Hm?"
"I've never lost before."
"I know."
"Not once."
"I know."
Abel smiled.
"Then I'm going to remember this."
Zaad nodded.
"Good."
Abel attacked.
He used everything.
Every ability.
Every technique.
Every trick.
The Archangel returned.
Reality warped.
Space collapsed.
Causality was rewritten.
The landscape ceased to resemble a normal world.
For several minutes, the battle became completely one-sided.
Not in Abel's favor.
Zaad dismantled everything Abel threw at him.
The Archangel was defeated again.
Abel's strongest attacks were stopped.
His defenses were broken.
His movements were read.
Eventually, Zaad grabbed Abel by the collar.
Abel was exhausted.
Zaad looked at him.
"Done?"
Abel breathed heavily.
"...Yeah."
Zaad threw him onto the ground.
Abel landed on his back.
Silence.
Then he started laughing.
Rin stared at him.
"Why are you laughing?"
Abel covered his face.
"I finally lost."
He laughed again.
"Five times."
Zaad stood above him.
"Five."
Abel looked up.
"You beat me five times."
"Correct."
"...I hate you."
"No, you don't."
Abel paused.
Then smiled.
"You're right."
Zaad turned away.
"Get up."
Abel sat up.
"Why?"
"I have something for you."
Zaad reached behind himself and pulled out a sword.
The blade was beautiful.
Its surface was clean and bright, and despite its ordinary appearance, Abel immediately sensed something unusual about it.
Zaad tossed it toward him.
Abel caught it.
He examined the weapon.
"What is this?"
"Excalibur."
Abel stared.
"Wait."
He looked at the sword.
Then back at Zaad.
"Excalibur?"
"Yes."
"Where did you get it?"
Zaad smiled.
"I took it from Arthur."
Abel blinked.
"You mean..."
"Arthur."
"The Arthur?"
"Yes."
"King Arthur?"
"That's the one."
Abel looked at the sword again.
"Did he give it to you?"
Zaad's expression remained completely calm.
"No."
Abel slowly understood.
"You beat him up."
"Yes."
"You beat King Arthur up and took his sword."
"Correct."
Rin stared at Zaad.
"You can't just casually say that!"
Zaad shrugged.
"He was annoying."
Abel laughed.
"You're insane."
"I've been told."
Zaad pointed at the sword.
"Keep it."
Abel looked down at Excalibur.
"Why?"
"Because you need a weapon."
"I can fight without one."
"I know."
Zaad's expression became slightly more serious.
"But you're relying too much on your abilities."
Abel looked at him.
Zaad continued.
"If you want to unite worlds, you'll eventually encounter people you cannot simply overpower. Learn to fight properly."
Abel looked at Excalibur again.
Then smiled.
"Fine."
He stood.
"What's the other thing?"
Zaad pulled out a folded map.
He handed it to Abel.
"This."
Abel unfolded it.
His expression changed.
The map wasn't of one country.
It wasn't even a map of one world.
It showed several continents.
Several realms.
Several territories connected through strange routes.
Abel stared at it.
"What is this?"
"A map."
"I can see that."
"It shows places worth visiting."
Abel studied it.
"Where did you get this?"
Zaad smiled.
"That's not important."
Rin leaned over Abel's shoulder.
"What are those markings?"
"Places where interesting beings live."
Abel's eyes narrowed.
"Gods?"
"Some."
"Demons?"
"Some."
"Dragons?"
"Yes."
"Other races?"
"Plenty."
Abel looked at Zaad.
"Why give this to me?"
"Because you said you wanted to unite the worlds."
Zaad turned around.
"So go do it."
Abel looked down at the map.
Then at Excalibur.
Then back at Zaad.
"You really are just going to send me away?"
"I have my own things to do."
"What things?"
Zaad smiled.
"Entertainment."
Abel sighed.
"Of course."
Zaad began walking away.
Then stopped.
Without turning around, he spoke.
"Abel."
"What?"
"You lost five times."
"I remember."
"Don't forget it."
Abel tightened his grip around Excalibur.
"I won't."
Zaad smiled.
"Good."
Then he disappeared.
Rin watched the place where he had been standing.
After a few seconds, she looked at Abel.
"So..."
"Hm?"
"You're finally not the strongest."
Abel looked at her.
Then laughed.
"Apparently not."
He looked at Excalibur.
For the first time since beginning his journey, Abel felt something he had never felt before.
Not humiliation.
Not fear.
Motivation.
He had spent his life believing there was nothing left for him to learn.
Zaad had destroyed that belief in five fights.
Abel folded the map.
"Come on, Rin."
"Where?"
He smiled.
"Wherever this map takes us."
Rin smiled.
"You've lost your mind."
"Probably."
Abel started walking.
Excalibur rested at his side.
The map was tucked safely away.
And somewhere far away, Zaad watched from another reality.
He smiled.
"Let's see what you do with it."
Then he disappeared again.
He had gotten what he wanted.
Abel was finally having fun.
And for Zaad...
That was enough.