The Author's POV Chapter 856 The Last Battle – What Is An End Is Also A Beginning [3]



'Am I hurt?'

Gazing down at his hands drenched in his own blood, Jezebeth found himself stunned. He never anticipated the strike landing such a brutal blow.

His armor had likely spared him from even graver wounds.

The blow arrived without warning, and he could scarcely fend it off. As he lifted his gaze toward the heavily breathing Ren, a fierce emotion stirred deep within Jezebeth.

'Right… I can't ignore his efforts without giving back in kind.'

Noting how the assault had weakened Ren, Jezebeth quelled his own wounds and surged ahead. A faint haze clouded his sight, exposing Ren's unguarded back, and he thrust his palm out.

Golden runes wrapped around his palm, cracking the space near his hand.

Right before the hand could touch Ren's back, a sword blade halted it abruptly. Somehow, Ren had whirled around and swung his weapon.

The pair eyed one another in tense silence while the surrounding space began fracturing.

No words passed between them as earlier. With no moment wasted on speech, they pulled apart and charged once more.

BOOOM—! Their strikes ravaged everything, splintering space and unleashing vast air surges that swept across the heavens.

All below them ripped asunder, the earth crumbling with each clash. 

No edge belonged to either fighter. Jezebeth's prior injury was offset by Ren's total depletion, leveling the bout.

SHIIIIIIING—!

Toward Jezebeth rushed a dazzling burst brimming with awful force. Blindingly quick, it reached him in seconds, and moments from brushing his nose, his palm met its edge, exploding it into powder. 

Swoosh!

Feeling a threat from behind, Jezebeth spun and lashed a kick, striking something yielding.

"Umpf!"

Catching the sound, Jezebeth realized his blow connected, and upon refocusing, he spotted Ren hurtling skyward away from him.

That opening went unmissed.

Eyes fixed on Ren, Jezebeth jabbed his finger forth, birthing a huge rift meters before his foe.

A massive finger image burst from the rift, timed flawlessly to slam down onto Ren's path.

BOOOM—!

True impact hit Ren's frame squarely, blood erupting from his mouth as he flew further from Jezebeth. 

Ren endured the full brunt, blood gushing out while coughing more as his body kept tumbling away. 

Seizing the chance, Jezebeth trailed after, flashing ahead to clamp his hand over Ren's face.

Swoosh—! 

Ren writhed to twist free from the grasp but came up just short. In vain, as Jezebeth's fingers seized his face with iron hold. 

BANG—! 

Mighty power exploded from Jezebeth's grip, flinging Ren's body soaring with explosive speed. Without pause, he darted below, knee rocketing up in a savage strike.

"Aukh!" 

Spittle burst from Ren's lips crashing onto the knee. 

Faintly audible came a snap, confirming Ren's fresh hurts. 

Still… He refused release. 

Jezebeth spared no pity for adversaries. 

Seizing Ren's hair, he jerked the head up and hammered a fist into the face. 

BANG—! 

Solidly the knuckles met flesh. 

BANG—! 

One strike fell far short. 

BANG—! 

White and black radiance sheathed Jezebeth's fist as he relentlessly battered Ren's features with full might, shoving onward all the while.

BANG—! 

Quickly his knuckles grew slick with Ren's blood dripping from them.

Hot sticky liquid trailed down, carving elaborate trails over his fingers, proof of the savage hits.

Metallic aroma saturated the air, fusing with the clash's fury, Jezebeth's steadfast stare glued to the scene.

That crimson flow etched memories of every hardship faced to arrive here, searing into Jezebeth's mind amid the unrelenting fight.

Stretching his hand out while gazing at Ren's staggering form ahead, Jezebeth attempted to pull the laws from his body. Yet, right as his hand drew nearer, a rift suddenly ripped open in the space nearby, starting from around his arm.

Inside the fissure, a ghostly sword image formed, its shining form intensifying the tense air around them.

WIIIIIIIIING—! 

With no choice left, Jezebeth released Ren's body, letting it plummet from the heavens.

Unhappy with his action, Jezebeth clapped his palms together, summoning two massive projections near where Ren fell. 

These projections drew nearer and slammed straight into Ren's dropping body from above. 

BOOOOM—! 

A tremendous blast sent Ren's body hurtling downward, smashing into the earth below and carving out a huge crater on the surface.

'That ought to have worked.'

Remaining in place, Jezebeth heard anxious gasps rise from below. Ignoring them completely, he stepped forward once.

As his feet hit the ground, he glanced downward, spotting Ren sprawled in the crater's center. His outfit was torn, his hair disheveled.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his gaze foggy. 

Even so, his eyes stayed wide and fixed straight on Jezebeth.

WIIIING—!

Just as anticipated.

Upon Jezebeth's arrival, the earth underfoot shook, and a flash appeared right behind him. He twisted away, narrowly dodging the strike, but then a hand seized his head, slamming it into the solid ground below.

BAANG—!

Tasting soil in his mouth, Jezebeth sensed a pull on the back of his head. It lifted up again, only for the ground to rush toward him once more.

BAANG—!

A taste he knew well—one he despised. Trying to shift, his head got yanked back, smashing down hard yet again.

BAANG—!

Pain surged as his sight blurred. His hand shot out, clamping the forearm holding his head, squeezing with all his might.

Cra— Crack! Bones snapped like dry twigs, the grip released, allowing Jezebeth to roll free.

Regaining his footing, Jezebeth eyed Ren's arm, twisted unnaturally and dangling limp.

A grin crossed his face; he wouldn't waste this chance and launched another assault.

Noting the damaged right arm, Jezebeth targeted Ren's right flank.

Swoosh!

Materializing in a rush of wind, he punched toward Ren's unguarded belly. Golden runes swirled over his fist, shattering space in its wake.

BANG—!

His blow struck something solid, space fractured, and a huge blast echoed out. Dust clouded the air, but a wave of his hand cleared it. Peering at the result, he was shocked to find his fist blocked by Ren's raised knee.

Golden runes spun around Ren's thigh, mirroring his own.

Swoosh!

A fist plunged from overhead; Jezebeth pulled back and kicked out, which Ren evaded by arching backward.

BANG—!

The clash's shockwaves obliterated their surroundings, deepening the crater they fought in before they realized.

They sank so far that daylight from above faded, leaving only a narrow slit visible overhead. 

Undeterred, they kept battling fiercely. 

BANG—!

Ren's punch connected squarely with Jezebeth's face, hurling him into the dirt. Seizing the opening, Ren backed away to grab his sword. 

Rumble! Rumble! 

Air nearby warped, then a mighty power burst from Ren's form, sweeping over everything nearby.

Cr— Crack! 

A fissure split the space above, a sword tip emerging from it. 

Right after, the ground fractured, air splintered. 

Though Ren's face grew ashen watching the sword, his mana depleting swiftly, he pressed on, summoning it fully. 

"Ukh!" 

His teeth ground together as his face twisted in strain. Still, his relentless efforts started yielding results, with the sword rapidly emerging from the chasm below, unveiling its majestic form in full splendor.

The instant the sword fully manifested, the space around them froze abruptly, and the colors of the world began fading away.

Creack! Creak!

The immense pressure from the sword made Ren's bones creak loudly, but he ignored it completely, locking his gaze on Jezebeth, who watched the sword ahead with intense wariness.

"Go."

Spreading his palm open, he aimed his finger straight at Jezebeth, propelling the sword directly toward him.

Rumble! Rumble!

The ground quaked violently, and the terrain nearby crumbled apart. In the sword's wake, only devastation remained wherever it carved through.

Even amid the roaring chaos and widespread ruin, Jezebeth held his composure steady, his eyes fixed on the incoming sword with an unnerving tranquility.

Brushing aside the looming peril, he slowly shut his eyes, sinking into a deep calm that enveloped both his surroundings and his inner thoughts.

It seemed at first like he had surrendered, but Ren knew otherwise... he knew this wasn't the truth.

A heavy hush blanketed the world, weaving together with the peace radiating from Jezebeth's stance.

As his eyes reopened, Jezebeth suddenly stood right behind the sword, his hand reaching out instinctively toward its hilt.

"..."

*Grip*

What followed left Ren completely stunned—the sword's unstoppable force halted dead in Jezebeth's firm hold.

Time hung frozen, letting the weight of the moment settle, as the sixth movement—his ultimate technique—yielded to Jezebeth's unyielding determination.

But the shock didn't stop there.

"Argkhhhhh!"

A sharp yell ripped through the silence, exploding Jezebeth's armor and baring the ripped, powerful muscles hidden below.

His swollen muscles throbbed with dominant force, projecting a fearsome aura of raw might.

Silently pinning Ren with a piercing stare, Jezebeth shifted the sword with precise intent, turning its edge to menace Ren directly, tip aimed like a fatal promise.

"I.. h… how?!"

Eyes wide on his own sword's point, Ren reeled in total disbelief, his face paling dramatically.

Sadly for Ren, he couldn't linger on the shock; clenching his jaw, raw power surged from within as veins swelled along his neck.

The sword burst into hundreds of fragments, blood gushing from his mouth—he had no option but to abort the attack.

"Pfttt."

He lurched back several steps from the backlash, and that's when he sensed danger rushing at him.

Pure reflex yanked his hand from his lips as he swung a punch ahead.

BANG—!

His knuckles smashed into another fist, shoving him back multiple paces. The impact set his blood aflame, but he powered through the hurt and lunged onward.

He whipped a kick straight out.

BANG—!

His leg struck solid again, demolishing the area around them.

BANG—!

The furious barrage dragged on until Jezebeth at last spoke softly.

"Seal."

Chains erupted from the soil, twisting around Ren's limbs like serpents. They assailed from every angle—overhead, crater walls, underground—wrapping his form tight in a smothering cocoon.

A soft white light flickered over him while elaborate golden runes etched across his skin. Cracks spiderwebbed the chains encasing him, but they endured just long enough, exactly as Jezebeth intended.

Exploiting the brief window, he flashed before Ren and hammered a fist into his midsection.

BANG—!

Solid impact. Fist burying into the abdomen, Jezebeth saw Ren's face warp in torment as his body lifted off. The binding chains exploded apart, flinging him skyward through the crater's breach.

Striding ahead, Jezebeth's sight adjusted; looking down, he spotted Ren charging up from beneath.

He stretched his arm out, palm wide. Golden runes flared across his hand, but moments before Ren slammed into it, his body blinked out of sight.

Swoosh!

It unfolded in a flash, catching Jezebeth off guard with barely any chance to counter.

A tremendous force slammed into the side of his cheek, causing Jezebeth's vision to blur and whirl chaotically while he plummeted helplessly toward the earth far below.

His fall was incredibly swift, leaving a thin trail of vapor in his wake as he plunged downward. 

"!!" 

Glancing below, Jezebeth's eyes bulged in shock at the horrifying scene—a massive array of sword projections etched with glowing golden runes burst forth from the soil, their deadly points thrusting upward toward him.

The immense scale of the display shook Jezebeth to his very soul, compelling him to summon all his strength to stop his plunge just before colliding with the fatal sword formation.

"Ukh!" 

Through frantic maneuvers, he barely stopped himself inches from the deadly spikes, his heart racing wildly from the close call.

Yet, before he could catch his breath from the narrow dodge, a sudden attack from behind battered his body, igniting waves of burning torment that surged through his every nerve.

BANG—!

A thunderous crash rang out, paired with a sharp yelp of anguish bursting from Jezebeth's mouth.

"Akhhh!"

Sharp implements stabbed into his skin across his entire frame, skewering his limbs and splattering his blood onto the dirt.

Swallowed by unbearable torment, he clamped his jaws tight, barely holding back his cries of suffering.

The agony nearly broke him completely, but with raw determination, he held on to his composure and sealed his lips.

Letting out screams would just drain his strength.

"Ukh."

Thrusting his forearm ahead, Jezebeth lifted himself upward, sensing the piercing tips of the projections impaling his arms, legs, and torso. Piercings covered nearly all of him, yet fortunately, no spikes had struck his core, leaving it unharmed.

His fist tightened, shattering the surrounding sword projections into fragments, and relief washed over Jezebeth instantly. Still, he stayed vigilant, spotting a shadow looming directly overhead; he quickly jerked his head aside.

BANG—!

Good thing he reacted fast, for right after dodging, a foot smashed into his former spot, pounding the ground hard.

"Arkh."

The instant the foot hit, Jezebeth lunged his hand out, seizing the foot and squeezing with maximum force. 

Crack! 

Bones snapped right away, sending Ren tumbling down beside him. Ignoring his own agony and lifting his leg, Jezebeth steadied himself and drove an elbow straight into Ren's face.

BANG—! The strike landed perfectly, and as his elbow smashed into Ren's cheek, disorientation hit Ren hard. Seizing the moment, Jezebeth ignored his body's raging pain, lifted his hand, and hammered a punch into his face.

BANG—! The punch went wide, but simultaneously as he swung, he slammed his head forward, clashing their skulls together.

BANG—!

A massive ache pounded in his skull from the move, leaving Jezebeth dazed, though Ren fared the same, blacking out briefly.

BANG—!

Clenching his f