"I'm the one who's going to kill you, you old geezer."
Oldman stood firm, axe in hand, his stance low and ready. His eyes didn't leave the dragon rider's warped frame.
And the smell…
That stench—it clung to the air like rotting metal and burnt bone.
"Forbidden dark magic," Kaizer muttered under his breath. His fingers tightened around the axe handle.
How the hell does someone so young wield that kind of power?
We ended this… years ago. We purged it. How is it still alive?
"What the hell have you done to your body, kid?" he asked aloud, his voice low and steady.
The dragon rider's smile widened.
"Curious, are you?" he chuckled. "Well… it's still not perfect, but impressive, isn't it?" He stretched his arms slightly, his joints popping. "Immortality."
Kaizer's jaw tensed.
He'd suspected as much. But hearing it out loud still hit like a hammer.
"…Bullshit," Kaizer snapped. "Immortality isn't something you gain through half-baked rituals. It's not a prize you steal from corpses and ruin."
"Oh, please," the raider rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, 'only the Great Mage of the Tower can grant a blessing like that,' I've heard it."
His grin sharpened.
"But tell me… isn't it worth trying anyway?"
Kaizer's grip on the axe tightened until his knuckles paled.
"What do you think you're going to do with it?" he growled. "Live forever and what—play god? Immortality isn't a toy. It comes with weight—responsibility. Even those blessed by it fall under its cost."
He stepped forward, his voice suddenly quiet.
"Or is this all just another experiment to you?"
The raider tilted his head, amused.
"Wow," he said with a lazy chuckle. "Didn't think you'd get so serious. You've gone and ruined the mood now, old man."
His smile returned—but it was colder now.
"Or maybe… immortality hits a little too close to home for you."
Kaizer's eyes narrowed, his anger rising.
"As expected… You have no idea what kind of power you're playing with."
"'Blessing,' 'responsibility'..." The raider scoffed. "I don't give a shit about any of that."
His body twitched. Then—
His fingers cracked, stretching unnaturally. Nails lengthened into blackened claws. His forearms thickened, his skin darkening. Muscles shifted under skin like writhing snakes. His right arm now resembled something between a man's and a werewolf's.
"For me, Immortality…" the raider growled, crouching low.
"…is just my excuse to be as reckless as I want."
And with a savage snarl—he launched toward Kaizer.
Kaizer sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the incoming strike.
The dragon raider didn't slow. He followed with a flurry of blows—jabs, swipes, slashes. Kaizer blocked each one, his axe moving with brutal precision, deflecting the unnatural speed of his opponent.
Then, without warning, the raider's leg elongated, grotesquely stretching mid-swing. He planted it behind Kaizer's right leg, twisted his body, and spun—crack!—a sharp kick struck the back of Kaizer's head.
Kaizer stumbled forward.
In that brief opening, the raider appeared behind him—fingers clasped into a blade-like point. He drove his hand forward, aiming for Kaizer's heart.
Kaizer reacted fast. He twisted just enough.
The clawed hand didn't pierce his heart—but tore through the right side of his chest.
Grunting through the pain, Kaizer gripped the raider's wrist, locked it—and with one powerful swing of his axe, severed the limb.
He stepped forward, turned sharply, and slashed in a wide arc.
The blade hissed through the air, aimed straight for the raider's midsection.
But the dragon raider bent backward, spine arching like a contortionist, the blade grazing past. He lunged forward, head-first like a lightning, aiming for Kaizer's gut.
Kaizer shifted, dodging just in time.
The raider's hand shot out again—this time toward Kaizer's right eye.
Kaizer grabbed it, yanked it sideways, and drove his axe down—cleaving off the second arm.
With a grunt, he kicked the raider mid-chest, launching him backward through the air.
Before the raider could hit the ground, Kaizer hurled the severed hand straight at him—impaling it into the raider's heart.
The body slammed into the dirt.
Still.
Unmoving.
No breath.
Kaizer stood silent, chest heaving. Blood ran down his side.
"No matter what power you claim," he muttered, voice low, "if the heart dies… there's no coming back. Unless—"
His words stopped.
The raider twitched.
Then moved.
Slowly, he sat up—fingers curling around the hand still lodged in his chest.
A sick grin spread across his face as he ripped it out.
Purple smoke curled from the wound like mist from a grave.
Both his arms… began to regrow.
Tendons stretched. Flesh knitted. Bones reformed with grotesque snaps.
"Aaah…" he exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "That's how it feels…"
He laughed. Quietly. Then louder.
Kaizer's eyes narrowed.
He died.
I watched him die.
That… That's not how immortality works.
The aura around the raider was different now—deeper. Heavier.
Stronger.
This isn't regeneration… It's resurrection!
Kaizer tightened his grip on the axe.
What kind of monster have we come across…?
"Shall we start again, Kaizer?!" the raider shouted, his voice echoing across the canyon.
A wave of purple smoke erupted from his body—thick, corrosive, unnatural. It surged outward like a crashing tide, engulfing everything in its path.
Kaizer's eyes narrowed, his breath low and steady.
There's no mistaking it… This is dark magic…
But the fury in his gaze wasn't just for the raider.
It was for himself.
I thought we wiped this out… How the hell does someone this young wield it?
The smoke coiled and twisted around the raider—and then it stopped.
From the raider's back, four snake-like entities burst forth, writhing through the air. They lunged straight toward Kaizer.
He didn't flinch.
With one clean motion, he severed all four mid-air—without moving his feet.
The raider closed the distance instantly, driving a devastating kick toward Kaizer's chest.
Kaizer blocked it with crossed arms—but the power behind it was far beyond before.
The impact sent him flying back several feet. Before he could steady himself, the raider was already upon him, launching a relentless barrage—kicks, punches, spinning strikes.
Kaizer blocked. Dodged. Countered.
Steel and muscle clashed in a blur of movement.
Neither landed a decisive blow.
But then—the raider ducked beneath a swing, gathered mana into his leg, and spun with brutal force.
The kick slammed into Kaizer's ribs, hurling him into the canyon wall like a comet.
The stone cracked on impact.
And the raider didn't stop.
He charged.
Fists slammed into Kaizer, who barely raised his axe to block. Over and over, the raider hammered down on the weapon, ignoring openings—driving power into the same point again and again.
And finally—the axe shattered.
A shockwave burst from the impact, forcing the raider to stagger back.
Kaizer surged forward, grabbing the raider by the throat, and slammed him into the canyon wall.
Then the old warrior unleashed a storm of brutal punches, hammering the raider's face with raw, relentless fury.
But the raider kicked out in the middle of the onslaught—just enough to knock Kaizer back.
Kaizer leapt away, landing on solid ground.
"Eh… Ohya," Kaizer muttered under his breath.
The fragments of his shattered axe began to tremble—then rose into the air, spinning.
In a blink, they reformed into a complete weapon, flying back into Kaizer's outstretched hand.
His left hand gripped the base.
The right rested calmly across the shaft.
The runes on the axe flared gold.
Kaizer's eyes blazed to match.
"Heaven's… Slash!"
The canyon split open.
The ground trembled beneath the force of the blow. A golden arc of energy tore through the air, carving a massive crack in the rock behind the raider with a thunderous roar.
The raider stood, frozen.
His right chest and half his right leg—gone.
A quarter of his body obliterated.
His face was a mask of disbelief.
Kaizer moved in and drove a punch square into his face. The raider bounced off the canyon walls like a ragdoll—then Kaizer met him midair with another punch that launched him above the canyon.
Kaizer jumped up, landing on the canyon's edge.
But the raider was gone.
Kaizer spun—too late.
From behind, the black snakes shot toward him.
They bit into him, digging through his cloak and armor, sinking into his skin.
Kaizer growled, trying to shake them off—but he felt it. The drain.
They were sucking his mana.
He tried to leap back—too slow.
The raider appeared behind him, grabbing Kaizer by the beard and slamming his feet into the ground, locking them both in place.
With his face pointed toward the sky, the raider grinned.
"Argh… I see it now," he said, voice reverent. "Can you see it too, Kaizer?"
Kaizer growled, struggling. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I finally get why my master sent me here," the raider said, eyes wide, mouth twisted in ecstasy. "It was because of you."
"…What?"
"You, Kaizer," the raider whispered. "You are the perfect version of myself."
His grin widened.
"And now… I'm going to surpass you."
The raider opened his mouth.
It stretched unnaturally wide—far beyond what any human jaw could allow. There were no teeth inside, only jagged fangs, stained black at the roots and gleaming with venomous shine.
Then—
Thud!
A dull, heavy sound rang out.
The raider froze. His eyes twitched. A guttural gasp escaped his throat.
"Aaaaahhh—"
He turned his head slowly, mouth still agape in grotesque distortion.
Erik stood behind him.
His right arm was buried to the elbow—impaled straight through the raider's gut from behind.
For a moment, everything went still.
The snakes, still latched onto Kaizer, spasmed—then were cleaved off cleanly as the raider's hands went slack.
Leena flashed forward, grabbed Kaizer by the collar, and leapt away with a sharp burst of mana—dragging him to safety as blood splattered onto the canyon floor.
Erik's eyes burned with fury.
He tightened his grip.
Then he calmly said.
"Inferno!"