Chapter 115: A Voice


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    Kan''s thoughts raced as he assumed a battle-ready stance, leaning forward, his hand tightening around the hilt of his greatsword.


    ''Grip the earth... Lean forward, circte your mana...''


    Cracks rippled beneath his feet as the ws on his toes dug into the ground, anchoring him tightly.


    ''And leap forward.''


    In that instant, Kan sprang forward, his body streaking across the earth as purple lightning crackled around him.


    The ground beneath him buckled from the force of his leap, sending shards of stone flying as he moved.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Arriving right before Alexei, he paused momentarily to swing his sword.


    Alexei barely had time to react; from his perspective, Kan closed the distance in the blink of an eye.


    Instinctively, he swung his own sword in a wide, vertical downward arc, aiming to intercept Kan''s strike.


    But Kan''s speed was too much. Instead of meeting Kan''s de head-on, Alexei''s sword seemed to cut through empty space, or rather an afterimage.


    His eyes widened in shock, ''What? Where did he go?'' his thoughts racing as he scanned his surroundings in those split seconds.


    "You''re wide open." A deep voice said behind him, though it was clearly close by, because at the speed they were traveling, it would take a couple more seconds before any sound would reach his ears.


    He instantly knew it was Kan. Alexei looked behind him, where the voice came from, his eyesnding on Kan who had already leaned back, ready to attack.


    Alexei wanted to counter, but the momentum of his earlier swing caused him to overextend slightly.


    Kan''s eyes narrowed as he adjusted his grip on his greatsword, shifting it into a reverse hold. His left foot nted firmly on the ground, and with a swift twist of his hips, he brought the de down in a diagonal sh aimed at Alexei''s exposed side.


    ...


    The de moved in a blur, whistling through the air. Alexei barely managed to bring his sword back in time, parrying the strike with a grunt of effort.


    The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the air, the force pushing Alexei back several feet, his boots carving grooves into the stone floor. Sparks flew from the sh of steel, lighting up the space between them in brief shes.


    As Alexei made a huge leap backward, Kanunched into a series of rapid strikes, each one faster than thest. His sword moved, cutting through the air in deadly arcs-horizontal shes aimed at Alexei''s midsection, upward strikes targeting his arms, and quick, jabbing thrusts intended to pierce through his armor.


    Alexei was forced on the defensive, his eyes wide with frustration and anger. He swung his sword desperately, trying to keep up with the barrage, gusts of wind created in the process whipped violently around them, leaving massive sword marks.


    His legs moved quickly to maintain his bnce-left foot stepping back, right foot sliding to the side, pivoting as he blocked and parried each blow. But Kan was faster, his movements a blur.


    Each time their swords collided as they charged around, Kan''s de seemed tond with even more force, pushing Alexei to the limit, disrupting his stance and throwing him off bnce.


    At one point, Kan feigned a downward sh, causing Alexei to raise his sword high in defense. But instead of following through, Kan twisted sharply on his left foot, rotating his body to the right. His sword arced in a low sweep aimed at Alexei''s legs, the movement so fast that the de was nearly invisible.


    Alexei barely managed to leap back, but not without sustaining some damage. The tip of Kan''s sword grazed his armor, cutting through the scales and grazing his flesh, drawing a thin line of blood. Alexei grimaced in pain, stumbling slightly as hended, but swiftly rising to his feet.


    Kan didn''t give him a moment''s rest. He leaped forward, his greatsword already in motion for another strike. This time, he aimed for Alexei''s sword arm. The de came down in a sharp arc, the force of the swing creating a rush of wind that sent dust swirling around them. Alexei raised his sword to block, but the force of Kan''s strike was too much. The impact jarred his arm, sending a massive numbing shock up to his shoulder.


    His grip loosened, and Kan seized the moment. With a quick flick of his wrist, Kan twisted his de against Alexei''s, using the chance to wrench the sword from his grasp.


    The sword ttered to the ground, skidding across the floor beforeing to a stop several feet away. Alexei stared in shock, his hand tingling from the loss of his weapon. He charged toward his sword, trying to mount a counterattack, but Kan was already moving.


    Arriving right in front of him before he could reach his sword, Kan nted his foot firmly on the ground and shot forward again, this time angling his body low as he approached. He brought his sword around in a wide, sweeping arc, the de slicing through the air. Alexei had no choice but to dive to the side, rolling across the ground to avoid the strike.


    But Kan was already anticipating his move. He shifted his weight onto his back foot and turned again, his sword following Alexei''s movements like a predator tracking its prey. As Alexei tried to rise to his feet, Kan was upon him, his sword arcing down in a powerful vertical sh aimed at Alexei''s leg.


    Alexei managed to twist his body at thest second, avoiding a direct hit, but the de still grazed his thigh, cutting through scale, flesh, and muscle. He cried out in pain, his leg buckling beneath him as he fell to one knee.


    Kan stood over him, his greatsword raised high, its de gleaming in the light. Alexei looked up, his face a look of pain, fear, and anger. He tried to summon the strength to move, to fight back, but his body refused to obey. The battle had drained him, and Kan''s relentless attacks had left him on the brink of copse.


    Kan, breathing heavily but stillposed, slowly lowered his sword until the tip hovered just above Alexei''s chest. His purple eyes, glowing with the remnants of his lightning surge, locked onto Alexei''s.


    "It''s over, Alexei," Kan said, raising his sword, about to thrust it down and end his life. But then he felt a strange sensation in his chest as it suddenly tightened, causing him to pause and


    grip it tightly.


    ''W-what is this pain?'' Kan wondered. Out of nowhere, he heard a voice echoing in his head,


    definitely not belonging to the system.


    ~''It''s not his fault, he''s only a child.''~


    ~ ''He mes me for everything because he''s still not ready to face the truth of what happened; the pain would be too much for him to bear.''~


    ~''He may hate me for what he believes is the truth, but I won''t hate him; that''s what a big brother would do.''~


    The voice belonged to Kan, the original owner of the body Alister''s mind now inhabited. The words didn''t seem like they were directed at him, but rather as if they were Kan''s own


    thoughts.


    For the first time since Alister''s time as Kan, the body and mouth moved without his will.


    "I could end this now," Kan said. "But I won''t. This ends with you defeated, not dead.


    Learn from this, Alexei. Learn the difference between pride and arrogance."


    "My lord will unite us all under his protective barrier, and we won''t have anything to worry about. Not even the darkness."


    With that, Kan stepped back, withdrawing his sword and allowing Alexei to slump to the ground, clutching his wounded leg. The battle was over.