The clash between the two titans reached a fever pitch. Sparks and shockwaves filled the donguone as steel, sand, and brute force collided endlessly.
Rhino's hammer clashed against Pascal's twin blades, the impact strong enough to crack the massive stone pillars around them. Each strike from Pascal was like a storm of blades, each movement fueled by the terrifying might of the Desert Wolve bloodline. Yet Rhino—blood dripping from his chest and back—refused to crumble.
"There's no mistake about it…" Rhino growled, blocking a downward slash with the head of his hammer. Sweat rolled down his forehead, his breath heavy, but his eyes were sharp with determination. "I'm certain… that ability of yours—it's your bloodline. How far have you unlocked the Chronicles, Pascal?"
Pascal only grinned, his swords flashing beneath the dim light of the donguone. His smile was the kind that sent shivers crawling down the spine of any man who dared meet his gaze. "What's the matter, Special Darkside Knight? I thought you wanted a battle to the death. Show me everything you've got. Don't you dare hold back on me… because if you do…" Rhino lunged, smashing at Pascal's head.
I'll carve you into pieces!
Pascal said softly without flinching after the hammer hits his head,
Rhino hammers danced like shadows, smashing and smashing from every direction. Wounds keeps opening on Pascal head, though his bloodline ability makes them regenerate
"This is bad…" Rhino thought as Pascal pressed him relentlessly. "No matter how hard I hit him, he regenerates instantly. If his body really turns to sand upon impact, then nothing I do will stick. I can't win if I can't damage his body .… but—"
With a roar, Rhino swung his hammer down in a crushing arc. Pascal blocked it with crossed blades, but the sheer force still sent tremors through the floor. Seizing the momentum, Rhino unleashed a barrage of hammer strikes, raining them down with furious strength. Pascal's head split apart under one blow, only to reform as grains of sand scattered and reassembled in an instant.
"You fool!" Pascal's laughter echoed like thunder in the collapsing cavern. His eyes glowed crimson, his smile twisted. "Nothing will work on me. You can't damage sand. I am unkillable! A mere Shinra like you couldn't even scratch a single finger of mine!"
With that, he drove one of his glowing swords across Rhino's chest, tearing it open. Blood sprayed as Rhino stumbled backward, gritting his teeth against the pain.
Rhino's mind raced. If this keeps up… I'll lose. I can't keep defending forever. He tightened his grip on his twin hammers, sweat dripping down his jaw. Then I'll go all out… No more holding back.
He jumped back, putting space between them. With a deep roar, he slammed the edges of his two hammers together, the metallic ring echoing through the donguone like a war cry. Spinning them in a blinding circular motion, he created a vortex of force, the air itself screaming as shockwaves tore outward.
Pascal narrowed his eyes, not charging recklessly this time. Instead, he closed them—feeling. The earth beneath his feet trembled as his bloodline responded. "Another trick, is it?" Pascal murmured, his voice low but mocking. "You never disappoint, Rhino. But do you really think spinning your toys will save you?"
The ground quaked violently. Cracks tore open across the donguone, and from them surged a flood of sand, as if the desert itself had awoken beneath their battlefield. Pillars of sand shot upward like geysers, bursting with bone-crushing pressure. Spears of hardened sand rose in midair, hundreds of them, each sharp enough to pierce steel.
The air became a deadly maze of earth and steel.
"Nothing surprises me anymore, Pascal!" Rhino bellowed over the chaos, his spinning hammer creating a shockwave shield. The sand arrows clashed against it, shattering or deflecting as sparks of energy and debris filled the chamber. "One of us dies here today, no matter what!"
"Then perish, Rhino!" Pascal's voice thundered as he extended his hand, sending the sand spears raining down like a divine judgment.
The arena became a storm of destruction. Rhino stood at its center, his arms a blur as he swung the colossal hammer shield, deflecting waves of sand spears. Still, the arrows kept coming, endless and merciless.
"How long can you keep this up, I wonder?" Pascal sneered, his crimson eyes gleaming.
But Rhino ignored him. With a sudden burst of speed, he charged forward, hammer still spinning, sand arrows bouncing off his defenses. Pascal moved to intercept with his switch mode, appearing instantly behind Rhino with a blade aimed for his spine—
CLANG!
The sword struck Rhino's back—and didn't pierce. Instead, it rang like steel striking steel. Pascal's smile faded.
"Oh? What's this?"
Rhino's skin darkened, hardening into an armored hide. A horn burst from his forehead, sharp and gleaming. His muscles bulged, and his very presence grew heavier, like a mountain pressing down on the air.
"You should feel honored," Rhino growled,
Pascal's mocking smile faltered into wary silence. For the first time in their battle, he looked unsettled switching few distance from him.
"You have no idea what my real name is, Pascal," Rhino continued, stepping forward. Each footfall cracked the ground. "They call me Rhino, but I wasn't born with that name. My kingdom gave it to me as a boy. Do you know why?"
Pascal said nothing, watching him carefully.
"It's because I never felt pain. No blade, no spear, no hammer could ever make me feel pain. My skin and bones are stronger than iron itself. And not only that—I was blessed with strength that rivaled beasts. I am Rhino because no one… no one… could ever make me bleed with this skin."
Then he vanished. His body blurred like lightning as he closed the distance between them in an instant.
BOOM!
His fist connected squarely with Pascal's face, the impact sending Pascal flying like a ragdoll. He smashed through pillars, walls, and shattered stone, the entire donguone trembling from the strike. Dust and rubble rained down, the battlefield collapsing around them.
Pascal's body reformed in midair as he twisted, landing with sand bursting outward to cushion his fall. Yet his smile was gone, replaced by a cautious grimace.
Rhino was already upon him again, moving with speed that seemed impossible for his size. He slammed his palm down, a gear booster igniting at his elbow, doubling the force and speed. The ground split open as Pascal narrowly dodged with switch mode, his body reforming from scattered grains of sand.
"Tch…" Pascal clicked his tongue. "It was a mistake to underestimate you, Rhino. I acknowledge you… as one of the strongest Special Darkside Knights." He smirked again, but there was a nervous edge to his grin. "But don't think this will be enough."
Before he could finish, Rhino's fist came again. Pascal barely dodged, switch mode flickering him across the battlefield. But no matter where he landed, Rhino was already there, boosters igniting at his ankles, propelling him with terrifying speed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each missed punch shattered walls, pillars, and the very foundation of the castle above them.
Pascal's thoughts raced. He's keeping up with switch mode… no—he's even faster! Those boosters… he's using them with his bloodline technique. Damn it, what a unreal human!
The clash turned into a dance of death. Pascal immediately slashed with twin blades, while Rhino countered with hammer strikes, fists, and blinding speed. Sand arrows swirled and struck from above, but Rhino barreled through, shrugging off the damage. Their movements blurred, the donguone echoing with the clash of steel, sand, and bone.
Finally, Pascal slammed one of his blades into the ground, channeling his Renshi. The earth quaked violently as a massive eruption of sand pillars burst upward, like volcanoes exploding beneath Rhino's feet.
"You can't outrun the desert, Rhino!" Pascal roared.
The swamp of sand raged like a living beast. From the cracked ground, colossal pillars of sand shot upward, roaring into the air like jagged spears. Each pillar carried enough force to shatter bones and pulverize stone. The castle walls trembled with every eruption.
One of those pillars exploded right beneath Rhino's feet. He reacted instantly—his monstrous speed blurring his figure as he dodged, his claws scraping sparks against the stone floor.
Pascal's smirk widened. "Impressive—you evaded that. But let's see how long you can keep dancing!"
He raised both hands high. The ground obeyed, writhing beneath him. Dozens of sand pillars erupted in perfect sequence, chasing Rhino like predators hungry for his flesh.
Rhino gritted his teeth, his crimson eyes narrowing. Each time his foot touched the ground, a pillar detonated upward, blocking his path. He zigzagged, his massive frame vanishing and reappearing with bursts of raw speed, but Pascal's control of the battlefield left him cornered at every turn.
"Tch… I can't keep wasting time in this form. My Renshi is burning away too quickly," Rhino muttered under his breath, sweat trickling down his hardened skin. His voice dropped into a growl. "I'll end this quickly before my body weakens further."
With a thunderous roar, he surged forward. His feet tore into the ground as he sprinted directly toward Pascal, dodging each murderous column of sand by a hair's breadth. The closer he got, the faster and sharper the sand attacked, bursting like geysers beneath his every step.
Pascal's eyes gleamed with sadistic delight. "So reckless! You have a death wish—but I won't let you die that easily!"
In an instant, his body blurred. Switch Mode.
With a flash of golden light, Pascal vanished from Rhino's sight. The next second, he reappeared behind him, blade already descending.
Rhino's focus was locked ahead, blinded by the endless barrage of sand pillars. He never saw Pascal's movement until the strike landed.
SHIIING!
Pascal's sword, coated in radiant light-infused Renshi, carved across Rhino's back. The blade split through his monstrous hide, slicing deep into his flesh. Though his thick, armored skin dulled the damage to his inner body, the force of the strike was monstrous.
"Ghraaahhh!" Rhino roared in pain as the blow sent him hurtling forward. His massive body smashed into the floor, shattering stone. Before he could recover, a pillar of sand detonated directly beneath him—its crushing force launching him into the air.
The explosion ripped through the castle foundation, breaking through layers of stone until Rhino's body was blasted upward into the higher level of the fortress. Masonry crumbled, dust rained, and the entire lower structure quaked under the impact.
"GAHHHHH!" Rhino screamed, crashing violently onto his back inside his own castle. The ground cratered beneath him, blood dripping from his mouth as his body convulsed.
Pascal rose effortlessly on a wave of shifting sand, riding it like a throne as he floated up through the ragged hole Rhino's body had carved. He stepped into the chamber above, his blade still glowing, his smile cruel and calm.
Rhino struggled to his knees, coughing blood, his breath ragged. The single horn on his forehead began to shrink, its glow dimming. His once-impenetrable skin thinned, losing its beastly thickness.
Pascal tilted his head, mocking. "What's this, Rhino? Already at your limit?" His smile stretched wider. "Come now… don't fall apart so soon. I haven't even shown you all the Chronicles yet. You're not worthy of dying without entertaining me first."
Rhino growled low, clutching his side as his crimson eyes burned with fury. "Pascal… I still don't understand why you bastards are after children… but one thing is clear…" He spat blood onto the cracked floor. "You don't want Golden Katana to know about what you're plotting. You avoid it at all costs. Which means… your true interest lies in something far greater."