The Sword and The Shadow

Spatial Explosion

The hand of Leguna's devilish silhouette raised the sword of light as his main body looked at it. The weapon and the sun both shone brightly at him. The piercing feeling in his eyes infuriated him.

That light! That light! That light!

It was that very light that had killed Annelotte and taken all he had. It was all because of the light!

"Aaaaaaaaah!" he shrieked ear piercingly. Not only was he in a saint-realm state, he even had Host of Darkness used at its full capacity. The power he wielded wasn't something others could compare to. Not even Alissanda could measure up to him, despite being a saint himself. Leguna's roar was infused with his impetus and the crowd was scattered by the sheer power of the voice. It was even more powerful than a level-seven greater roar spell.

The sound traveled really quickly. In a short second, his voice drowned out the entirety of Melindor Plaza and shattered almost everything it touched. Countless commoners clutched their ears as blood flowed out of them. People without any power couldn't handle such a blow at all. More than half of them died from the sound waves themselves, and the rest, even if they survived, would probably end up deaf for the rest of their lives.

"Shield bearers, form a square! Defend the injured that still survive! The Guards and magi! Split up and surround that fellow! The magi are to give priority to attacking! Warriors, protect the magi!" Alissanda roared. Leguna had heavily injured him in one strike, but with the recovery of Host of Radiance, he managed to heal up enough to be in a state to fight.

"Magi, fire at will!" Alissanda raised his longsword and pointed it at Leguna, who still hadn't figured out how to control his power well.

The storm of magic was unleashed on his order.

Fireball spells, icicle spells, blizzard spells, lightning bolt spells, roar spells, weakening spells, slow spells and spells to increase magic vulnerability were all used on him. All sorts of elemental attacks and curses were unleashed by the court magi. They didn't hold a single of their tricks back. They knew that if the devil wasn't eliminated then and there, he would be an unstoppable destroyer of worlds.

The bombardment lasted for two whole minutes. It was a massive torrent of spells used by more than ten mid-order and high-order magi. Those who knew magic were confident that no living being could possibly survive such an attack. Leguna being reduced to dust was the obvious logical conclusion. However, what they saw after the dust settled completely stupefied them.

Even though Leguna looked even more haggard than before, with his demonic silhouette form starting to blur, he still breathed. Both his legs were completely severed and his left arm was nowhere to be seen, yet he lived on stubbornly without dying. His remaining right hand still clasped Alfreid's sword of light tightly.

"This…" Looking at the incomplete demon that had crawled out of hell, everyone took a step back unconsciously. They could feel the despair and bloodlust radiating from him. It was a flood of emotions no dam could contain. When they felt it, they understood that if they didn't eradicate the demon then and there, they would never know peace.

"Gaaaaah!" Leguna shrieked and rolled to a half lying down position before raising his right hand. The demonic arm that held the sword of light was in front of his eyes. His eyes turned bloodshot at the object of pure, sacred energy. He yelled unintelligibly once more and opened his battered mouth and bit forwards. The devilish silhouette opened its mouth in response and swallowed the sword of light.

"What is it doing?!" Alissanda asked, shocked. Light and shadow were clashing and opposing aspects. Leguna's body was currently filled with shadow energy, yet he could use it to touch light? Was he trying to get himself killed?

"No… It doesn't look right…" Alfreid said to Alissanda, furrowing his brow at the sight. "I recall reading in a magic tome that while light and shadow will consume each other, they don't completely neutralize and annihilate each other. Instead, they'll be absorbed into space… At a small scale, that wouldn't do much, but if the two forces are large enough that space can't take the burden…"

"What'll happen?!" Alissanda shook Alfreid by the shoulder.

"Space will tear and explode!" he cried in a panic. He ran the calculations nonstop in his mind as he said, "Based on the level of power here, the explosion is enough to engulf the whole of Melindor!"

Alissanda was taken aback for a moment, but his expression soon firmed.

"Everyone! I order you in the name of the emperor, leave!"

"Your Highness…" Alfreid didn't know what he was planning. Even though he ordered for the rest to leave, he took a step forward with Lunaminous in hand.

"The battle is not something you can interfere with. I'm the only one who can stop him," Alissanda said to Alfreid, "Even if I die, I won't let him destroy Melindor. This is my home, and I am the emperor. I must protect my people."

"But…" Even though Alfreid wanted to say something else, Alissanda pushed him away.

"Obey your emperor! For the empire!"

"For the empire!" Alfreid kneeled on one knee and rammed his right fist onto his heart. It was the highest form of salute reserved only for the sole ruler to express absolute loyalty. As an elder through three generations of emperors, Alfreid had only used the salute on the founding emperor, Hector. He didn't give Larwin the same courtesy, and now, Alissanda was the second person Alfreid came to acknowledge.

"Everyone, retreat!" Alfreid stood up and turned back to Alissanda one last time before he went his own way.

"Run! Run! Ye shall never escape!" Leguna floated in mid-air as he cruelly smiled at the fleeing insects. Those were the fools that had killed Annelotte, those scum! They would die, men, women, elderly, children, infants alike! Death does not discriminate! All of them were unfit to exist in this world!

"Leguna!" Alissanda yelled while letting all the impetus in him surge. He tried to charge towards the silhouette but no matter how many attempts he made, he couldn't penetrate the silhouette.

"Thou hath destroyed mine cherished! I shall thy favor return!" Leguna hissed as he turned to him with his eyes glowing red.

"I've wronged you, but I don't regret it! This world can't afford any more disasters!" he said, meeting Leguna's gaze squarely.

"What hath Annelotte done wrong?! Why her?! Why?!" he growled.

Alissanda paused for a moment.

"No matter who it is, anyone who tries to stop me from defending the empire, nay, the whole continent, I shall annihilate them!"

"Alas, watch as thy empire to dust turneth!" Leguna raised his right hand in a mad frenzy as he formed a lightless ball of shadow in his silhouette's palm.

The devil opened its mouth and swallowed the ball of shadow. The light of shadow inside the mouth resisted its counterpart.

Now, perish with me! he thought as he pushed his right hand down faster.

Right at the moment the two balls of energy were unable to maintain stability, a face appeared in front of him.

"Child, do you remember what I said?" Eiron looked at him like a warm, gentle old man. His voice was calm and serene. It didn't feel like he was talking to a devil or a soon-to-be slaughterer of thousands.