Chapter 291: Alaric Dies
The night sky over the island had turned into a battlefield of light and steel.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Countless blades clashed in the air above the beach. Alaric’s red-glowing swords, knives, and spears rained down like a deadly storm, while my black-purple blades shot upward to meet them. Every collision sent out a shockwave of sparks and sound that rolled across the sand like thunder. The moonlight caught the flashes, turning the sky into a wild light show of violet, crimson, and silver.
People on the beach stood frozen, mouths open, hands shielding their eyes from the bright explosions. Sand and wind whipped around them, stinging their faces.
Alaric stared up at the sky, his red eyes wide, mouth hanging open in disbelief.
"This... this is impossible..." he muttered, voice shaking for the first time.
I floated higher, black sword in one hand, laughing loud enough for the whole island to hear.
"Hahahaha!! What’s wrong, Alaric? Seems like my blades are standing toe-to-toe with yours!" I yelled, voice carrying over the roaring clashes. "Look at that—your fancy Hell Gate is getting shredded!"
The crowd below erupted in cheers.
"He’s matching him!" a man shouted, pumping his fist.
"Zero’s blades are everywhere!" another yelled.
A woman near the front wiped tears from her eyes and laughed. "He’s doing it! He’s really doing it!"
Alaric’s face twisted with rage. His red aura flared hotter, flames licking up his body.
"That’s not possible!" he roared. "I am one of the highest ranked among the Demon Lord’s forces!"
He threw his head back and screamed.
"Aaaaarrghh!!!"
His aura exploded outward. The portals behind him widened even more, and the blades shot down faster—faster than before, a silver-red blizzard falling toward the beach.
But I clenched my fist, purple-black aura surging around me like a storm.
"Just shut up and begone, you alien!"
I raised my hand toward the sky.
More black portals ripped open above me—hundreds, then thousands—matching his, then surpassing them. Sleek black blades poured out, moving like a dark tide.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
My blades met his in mid-air. Every collision destroyed both weapons in bright flashes of light. The sky turned into a fireworks show gone wild—purple and red explosions lighting up the night, sparks raining down like falling stars.
"Huhh!?" Alaric’s eyes went wide.
The black blades kept coming, cutting through his red ones, storming straight toward him. Bright light flashed as thousands of black swords hurled at Alaric’s body.
He raised his remaining arm, red aura flaring desperately, but it was too late.
The storm swallowed him whole.
The beach held its breath, watching the sky light up like the end of the world. And in the middle of it all, I floated, sword in hand, eyes shining purple, ready to finish what I’d started.
The beach had become a battlefield scarred by fire and steel.
*BOOM! BOOM!*
The sky was a storm of clashing blades and Alaric’s red swords and spears raining down in a deadly silver-red blizzard, while my black blades shot upward in a dark-purple tide. Every collision lit the night with blinding flashes, sending shockwaves that flattened sand dunes and whipped the ocean into foaming waves. The air smelled of scorched metal and salt.
Then it happened.
A dozen of my black blades broke through Alaric’s storm, slicing past his red weapons like knives through paper. They struck true—straight into his stomach with a wet, sickening *GUSH*. Blood sprayed in a bright arc under the moonlight.
Alaric’s eyes went wide. His body jerked backward as ten, fifteen more black blades followed, piercing his chest, shoulders, and legs. He staggered, red aura flickering wildly, then dimmed.
The portals behind him shattered like broken glass, white light fading into nothing. Mine closed one by one, the hum dying until the night went completely silent.
No wind. No waves. Just the soft drip of blood hitting sand.
The dust cloud from the final clashes hung thick in the air. People coughed, waved hands in front of their faces, tried to peer through the gray haze.
"What just happened?" a girl whispered, voice shaking.
Another girl beside her looked at her own hands like she couldn’t believe she was still whole.
"We’re... we’re still alive. Even though those blades were coming right at us..."
A man nearby covered his mouth with his shirt, eyes watering from the dust.
"Yeah... but look at all this mess. There’s dust everywhere."
Someone else asked, voice small and scared,
"Who won? Did Zero lose?"
The dust slowly settled, drifting down like dirty snow.
I stood in the middle of it all, black sword lowered at my side, grip loose but steady. Broken blades, red and black, lay scattered around us like fallen stars. The beautiful shore now looked like a war zone: craters everywhere, sand torn up, palm trees snapped and leaning. But no dead bodies. Not one.
I looked straight ahead.
Alaric stood slightly bent, blood pouring from his mouth, his chest, his stomach. Ten or more black blades stuck out of him like dark thorns. His red aura had faded to nothing. His eyes were open, staring at nothing. He wasn’t moving. He wasn’t breathing. He wasn’t blinking.
Alaric was dead.
The silence stretched for three long seconds.
Then the beach exploded.
"ZERO WON!!!"
Screams of joy ripped through the crowd. People jumped, hugged strangers, cried, laughed, threw their hands in the air. Phones flashed. Someone started a drum beat on an empty cooler. The chant started soft, then grew until the whole island shook with it.
"ZE-RO! ZE-RO! ZE-RO! ZE-RO!"
I lowered my sword completely, letting the last of the aura fade. I looked around at the cheering faces, the tears, the smiles, the relief.
A woman in a sundress wiped her eyes and laughed.
"He did it... he really did it..."
Her boyfriend pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.
"We’re safe. We’re actually safe."
The old man leaned on his cane, a proud smile on his weathered face.
"Told you all," he said quietly. "Zero always pulls through."
I took a slow breath, the salty air filling my lungs, and let out a tired laugh.
The fight was over. The island was safe and tomorrow morning, the sun would rise on a world that still had Zero in it.
