Chapter 290: The Clash of Blades
The beach had become a stage under the moon, silent except for the low crash of waves and the nervous breathing of hundreds of people.
Alaric stood in the center of the crater, blood still dripping from his chin, his one remaining arm raised high. Hundreds of glowing white portals hung in the sky behind him like torn holes in the night. From each one, blades slowly pushed out long swords, short knives, curved scythes, spiked hammers, hooked chains, and countless other sharp things that looked like they were born to kill. The metal caught the moonlight and threw it back in cold, deadly flashes. The low hum coming from the portals grew louder, deeper, vibrating in everyone’s chest.
Alaric’s red eyes burned brighter than ever. He grinned, all jagged teeth, and growled through the blood.
"Ready to die, Zero?"
The crowd sucked in a collective breath. A woman in a sundress clutched her boyfriend’s arm so hard her knuckles turned white.
"He’s really gonna do it..." she whispered.
A man nearby shook his head slowly. "Those blades... there’s too many. Way too many."
A teenage boy stared up, voice small. "Zero’s gotta stop this... right?"
His friend just swallowed hard.
I stood on the wet sand, black sword still in my hand, purple-black aura curling around me like smoke. I looked down at my feet for a second, then gripped the hilt tighter.
"Let’s see... if I can pull this one off," I said quietly, mostly to myself.
Alaric’s laugh rolled over the beach again, deep and mocking.
"Hahaha! Zero!! What are you going to do now?" he yelled, spitting blood onto the sand. "Look at them, your little fans. They’re all going to die screaming."
The crowd shifted, fear rippling through them like wind over water.
"Oii, he’s going to unleash that on us," a woman near the front said, voice shaking.
A man beside her grabbed her hand. "Zero’s got us. He has to."
"Yeah," another guy muttered, eyes fixed on me. "He’s always pulled something out of nowhere before."
Someone started chanting, soft at first, then louder.
"Zero... Zero... Zero..."
It spread like fire. More voices joined. Hands went up. Phones flashed.
"Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero!"
Alaric threw his head back and laughed even harder, the sound ugly and wild.
"Hehehe, keep doing that! You’ll all be silent forever soon!"
I looked up at him, then at the portals, then back at the terrified faces behind me.
My lips curled into a small, dangerous smile.
"Haha... I can, and I will defeat you, Alaric."
I raised my black sword high above my head.
The purple-black aura around me exploded outward, thick and alive, swirling like a storm. The air started to hum deep, powerful, vibrating in everyone’s bones. The sand under my boots shifted, pushed away by the force.
Then the sky answered.
Black portals ripped open around me with hundreds at first, then more, then hundreds more. They hung in the air like dark mirrors, edges flickering with violet light. From inside each one, blades began to emerge: sleek black swords, thin daggers, curved scythes, spiked hammers, long spears countless weapons, all glowing with the same midnight-purple energy as mine.
The portals outnumbered Alaric’s.
The hum grew louder, deeper, until it felt like the sky itself was growling.
The crowd gasped.
"Holy crap... he’s doing it too!"
"Look at all those black blades!"
"He’s matching him... he’s matching him!"
Alaric’s laugh cut off. His red eyes widened for the first time all night.
I lowered my sword slowly, aura roaring around me, black portals stretching wider behind my back.
"Let’s see who runs out of blades first, alien."
The night sky held two armies of steel. One red and raging, one black and endless. And the whole island waited to see which storm would break first. The beach had become a place of pure shock and wonder.
The moon hung low, turning the sand into a silver carpet. The ocean rolled in slow and quiet, like it was afraid to interrupt. Hundreds of white portals floated in the sky behind Alaric, each one spitting out blades.
A man in a backwards cap stared up, voice shaking.
"Zero also brought those gate things that the alien mentioned..."
His friend next to him swallowed hard.
"Yeah... it looks scary..."
A woman nearby hugged her arms around herself.
"There’s so many... way too many..."
Another girl, voice trembling, asked, "Will they fall on us?"
The tension spread like fire. People started backing up, some turning to run, others too stunned to move. Phones were still up, but hands shook so bad the videos were blurry.
I stood on the wet sand, black sword raised high, purple-black aura swirling around me like a storm. The air started to hum deep, powerful, vibrating in everyone’s bones. The sand under my boots shifted, pushed away by the force.
"I.....am......" I growled slowly, voice low and rough. Every bit of my power rushed up from deep inside, gathering around me until the air and ground shook. My coat snapped behind me like a flag in a hurricane. My eyes glowed purple under my hair.
Alaric’s grin split wider.
"And now... DIE!!!"
He slammed his hand down on the ground.
The portals ripped open wider. Thousands of blades shot out at the speed of light, silver and deadly, falling like a rain of knives from the sky.
I whispered one word.
"Nuclear......"
Black flash erupted from me.
A blinding violet-black light exploded outward, swallowing the beach in darkness and purple fire. A thousand blades sleek black swords, thin daggers, curved scythes, spiked hammers launched from my own portals, shooting upward like a reverse storm.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
The blades collided in mid-air at impossible speed. Every crash sent out a shockwave of light and sound. The sky turned into a light shower of fireworks purple and red sparks raining down, explosions lighting up the night brighter than day.
The crowd screamed and dropped to the sand, hands over their heads.
"It’s too much!" a woman cried, shielding her kids.
"I can’t see anything!" a man yelled, eyes squeezed shut against the flashes.
Someone else shouted, "Zero’s matching him! He’s matching him!"
I stood straight in the middle of it all, eyes shining menacingly, hair blowing back in the wind of the explosions. My black sword stayed steady in my hand, aura roaring around me like a living thing.
Alaric’s eyes went wide. His grin vanished.
"That’s impossible..." he thought. "How can he match the Hell Gate of Blades...? The Zero that’s barely born in this world..."
His red eyes flickered with something new surprise, and for the first time, fear.
The blades kept crashing, purple against red, explosions lighting up the sky like a war between stars. The crowd watched, hearts pounding, as the two storms fought to see which one would break first.
And I stood there, sword raised, aura burning, ready to end it all.
