Steel screamed against steel.
The sound shattered the sky itself.
Lightning erupted across the upper floors of the Obsidian Tower as two figures clashed again and again, their movements too fast for ordinary eyes to follow.
A silver blade carved through the air.
A black claw intercepted it.
Shockwaves burst outward.
Windows across the floating structure exploded simultaneously.
Far below, the ruined city trembled.
A young man slid backward across cracked stone, boots carving deep trenches as sparks scattered beneath him.
Blood dripped from his chin.
His breathing was uneven.
But his eyes burned.
Across from him stood a man dressed in flowing dark robes.
Tall.
Elegant.
Perfectly human.
Except for the horns curling slightly from his temples and the golden slit pupils glowing with ancient cruelty.
The Dragon King smiled.
"So," he said calmly, brushing dust from his shoulder, "you are still standing."
The young man laughed weakly.
"Disappointed?"
His name was Auxrien.
And today—
He was supposed to die.
The sky above them flickered with countless floating screens broadcasting the battle across the entire world.
Cities.
Hunter headquarters.
Dungeon camps.
Even underground shelters.
Everyone watched.
Some prayed.
Some trembled.
Some cheered.
Because this was not merely a duel.
This was humanity's final defense.
In this world, power came in two paths.
Hunters.
Warriors who strengthened their bodies beyond human limits.
Muscle.
Swordsmanship.
Instinct.
They climbed towers and fought monsters alone or in squads, relying on sheer physical mastery.
And then—
Wexture.
Mages blessed with mana.
Spellcasters who conquered dungeons through teamwork, weaving destructive magic formations capable of leveling entire battlefields.
Both stood equal in strength.
Hunters possessed unmatched endurance.
Wexture possessed overwhelming defense and magical control.
They rarely crossed paths.
Rarely cooperated.
Rarely understood each other.
Auxrien was the only exception.
The only being recorded as both.
Hunter.
And Wexture.
Lightning crackled faintly along his skin.
Blue energy flickered around his arms like restless serpents.
The Dragon King tilted his head.
"You humans truly are fascinating creatures."
His hand slowly rose.
Darkness gathered into his palm.
Gravity warped.
Stone fragments lifted from the floor.
Air twisted violently inward.
Auxrien's eyes widened slightly.
"…Already?"
The Dragon King smiled wider.
"Allow me to end this boredom."
Black energy compressed into a spinning sphere.
Dense.
Hungry.
A miniature void devouring light itself.
He whispered softly.
"Xyrein."
The sphere screamed as space folded inward.
XYREIN."
He thrust his hand forward.
The black hole launched like a meteor.
Auxrien moved instantly.
Too late.
Impact.
Reality shattered.
The explosion swallowed the entire floor.
Auxrien's body slammed through stone walls like paper.
One.
Two.
Three.
Rooms blurred past him.
Furniture vaporized.
Support pillars collapsed.
Fourth wall.
Fifth.
Sixth—
He crashed through the seventh chamber before finally stopping.
Dust swallowed everything.
Silence followed.
Blood pooled beneath him.
"…Damn."
He coughed violently.
Broken ribs shifted painfully.
Above him, the ceiling split open.
A colossal shadow descended.
The Dragon King no longer wore human skin.
Massive wings unfolded across the sky.
Black scales reflected burning clouds.
Golden eyes glowed like suns.
A dragon large enough to eclipse the tower itself roared.
The world shook.
Auxrien laughed despite himself.
"So you finally decided to kill me, huh?"
Electricity surged violently around him.
Bones cracked back into place.
Lightning erupted outward.
Blue aura exploded from his body.
Hair lifted, turning silver beneath the glow.
Thunder rolled endlessly.
The Dragon King's laughter echoed like collapsing mountains.
"Indeed."
Flames gathered within his throat.
"For centuries… I have not enjoyed a battle this much."
The sky darkened.
Black fire condensed between his fangs.
Entire clouds evaporated.
Observers around the world screamed.
Cities activated emergency barriers.
Even Hunters watching through broadcasts felt suffocated.
Auxrien stood slowly.
Both hands lifted.
Light gathered.
Weapons formed from pure lightning itself.
Twin blades.
One longer.
One curved.
Energy screamed along their edges.
He exhaled slowly.
"Then let's make it worth remembering."
Blue dragon-shaped lightning wrapped around his arms.
He lowered his stance.
Wind spiraled violently.
"Oblivion…"
The Dragon King inhaled.
Black flames swallowed the sky.
"…Requiem."
Auxrien vanished.
Not moved.
Vanished.
He became a streak of lightning cutting through the heavens.
Dragon breath erupted simultaneously.
Black inferno consumed everything forward.
The two attacks collided.
White.
Black.
Blue.
Sound disappeared.
Then—
The world detonated.
Shockwaves flattened nearby towers.
Mountains cracked miles away.
Ocean tides rose violently.
Across the planet, people watched in frozen silence.
Some cried.
Some prayed.
Some whispered his name.
Light faded slowly.
Smoke drifted.
Auxrien collapsed first.
His left arm gone.
One leg severed below the knee.
Lightning flickered weakly.
Across from him—
The Dragon King crashed heavily.
Both wings shredded.
Legs broken.
Tail torn away.
Blood burned the stone beneath him.
They stared at each other.
Two monsters refusing to fall.
The Dragon King laughed hoarsely.
"…Magnificent."
Auxrien forced a grin.
"Still breathing?"
"For a moment longer."
Silence lingered.
Then the dragon's eyes sharpened.
"I refuse… to let this battle end in stagnation."
Energy gathered violently around his core.
Auxrien's expression froze.
"…You idiot."
Cracks spread through the tower.
Mana surged uncontrollably.
Self-destruction.
Enough power to erase the entire structure.
The city below.
Millions.
Auxrien fell backward, exhausted.
"So…"
He stared upward.
"This is how it ends."
Light swallowed everything.
Then—
A voice echoed.
Calm.
Ancient.
Close.
—
"Not right now."
Darkness consumed him.
—
He woke choking.
Cold liquid filled his lungs.
Auxrien gasped violently as he dragged himself upward.
A lake stretched endlessly around him.
Red.
Thick.
Blood.
Above him hung a ceiling of endless darkness.
No stars.
No sky.
Only silence.
"…Where…"
Applause echoed slowly behind him.
He turned.
A chair stood upon nothing.
A figure sat upon it.
Covered entirely in black.
Face hidden.
Yet presence alone crushed the air.
Auxrien tried to stand.
Pain exploded through his missing limbs.
"…Who are you?"
The being leaned forward slightly.
"Someone who dislikes wasted potential."
Its voice sounded layered.
Like thousands speaking together.
"You are dying."
Auxrien laughed weakly.
"No kidding."
"Make a contract with me."
Silence.
"And you will survive."
The being rested its chin against its hand.
"My power will be yours."
Auxrien glared.
"And the price?"
A low chuckle echoed.
"Revenge."
Dark aura flooded the space.
"For me."
A massive clock appeared behind the being.
A timer began counting down.
Auxrien trembled.
Instinct screamed danger.
But memories flashed.
The collapsing city.
The Dragon King.
Failure.
"…If I refuse?"
"Then you return."
The being gestured.
The lake rippled.
He saw himself exploding alongside the tower.
Nothing left.
Auxrien closed his eyes.
"…Fine."
Painfully.
Slowly.
"I accept."
The being laughed.
Mad.
Joyful.
"Excellent."
It rose.
Endless shadows spread outward.
"Remember my name."
The darkness peeled away slightly.
For a moment—
Auxrien glimpsed eyes older than existence.
"Chronos."
Time itself trembled.
"I grant you another beginning."
Laughter echoed endlessly.
"Become stronger than before."
The timer struck zero.
—
Auxrien opened his eyes sharply.
Morning sunlight entered through cheap curtains.
A familiar ceiling.
His room.
His apartment.
Whole.
Hands intact.
Legs unharmed.
Breathing fast, he sat upright.
Calendar on the wall.
Date circled in red.
The day he first awakened.
The only Hunter capable of becoming Wexture.
"…What?"
A faint whisper brushed past his ear.
Invisible.
Watching.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Somewhere—
A clock began moving again , and the one seal broke that prevent something dangerous to be exist.