A sharp silence hung over the mountainside as Ardy stepped onto the cliff, facing Raven under the midday sun. The air rippled with their rising mana.
Raven stood with his arms crossed. "So, you really want a fight?"
Ardy's eyes didn't flinch. "You're nothing but an old brat playing god."
A smirk curled on Raven's lips. His eyes glowed a deep crimson.
"I'm nearly five thousand years older than you, boy. You're just a speck to me."
Ardy let his own energy rise, shadows leaking from his form.
"And you've already died once. Want to make it twice?"
Raven scoffed. "In your dreams."
Ardy turned to walk away.
"Hmph," Raven muttered. "Kids these days just like to bark."
Ardy paused, then glanced back. "You want a fight? Fine."
The wind howled as both released their full auras. Raven's blood-red energy clashed with Ardy's obsidian black, the collision cracking the stone beneath them.
They shot forward—first contact sparked an explosion.
Ardy struck first with a blinding flame-enhanced punch, but Raven sidestepped it and delivered a spinning kick to Ardy's ribcage, sending him skidding across the rocks.
Before Ardy could recover, Raven conjured ten paper talismans, each glowing red. They shot toward Ardy like daggers.
Ardy narrowed his eyes and clapped his palms, creating a barrier of compressed wind that deflected seven of the ten.
The remaining three struck his shoulder, exploding in bursts of flame.
Ardy grunted. "That's all you got, elder?"
He vanished.
Raven's eyes widened—Ardy reappeared behind him and landed a punch that shattered the ground around them.
Raven coughed, blood spitting from his mouth as he skid back.
Raven raised his hand and muttered an incantation. "Shadow Clutch: Crimson Bind."
Chains of dark fire erupted from beneath Ardy, wrapping around his limbs.
But Ardy smirked. "Your old tricks won't work."
He released his Shadowfire Pulse, blasting out a shockwave that disintegrated the chains and struck Raven full in the chest.
The elder flew through a boulder, coughing as smoke rose from his scorched robes.
Raven's expression darkened.
"I didn't want to go all out on you, kid… but you asked for this."
His eyes ignited with pure flame as he activated his ancient form—his aura twisted and darkened, and ethereal wings formed behind him.
He summoned twin flame-blades and dashed toward Ardy at blinding speed.
Clang. Slash. Boom.
The mountain quaked as sword met fist, blade met fire.
Ardy ducked a strike and retaliated with a black thunder kick to Raven's chest, only for Raven to twist mid-air and land a counter strike to Ardy's jaw.
Their final clash shook the summit—both unleashed ultimate strikes, Raven's Blade of Judgment versus Ardy's Eclipse Burst.
The resulting explosion tossed them apart—both warriors hit the ground, panting heavily.
Ardy stood up first, blood staining his shirt.
Raven chuckled weakly from the rubble.
"You're strong, I'll give you that."
Ardy looked down at him. "Stay out of my way. Next time… I won't stop."
And without another word, he vanished into the wind, leaving behind only a scorched battlefield and a groaning elder chuckling to himself.
"Hmph… brat's more dangerous than I thought."