1 The Battle of an Era

In year 3500 of the Luke calendar,

Two figures stood, or rather floated in the air, in an area that can be described as a desert, their faces blurred by mist. Both were in a battle-ready stance, as if waiting for the other to strike first, but no one went first.

After a few moments of silence, one of the figures finally spoke up in a melancholic tone,

"Zarkos, you've let me down. I considered you to be my brother, but you chose the dark side, the path of slaughter; are you pleased with the power you have gained by standing on the corpses of innocent people?"

Zarkos remained silent for a few moments before speaking up,

"You don't understand, Scezar; those sacrifices were necessary, and they became the nourishment for the accomplishment of my purpose."

"How low will you go, Zarkos, just for the sake of vengeance, you destroyed twenty lower worlds and a higher world, killing trillions, do you even comprehend how many innocent people were killed?"

Scezar yelled furiously.

Zarkos began laughing in-what could be described as a maniacal tone-before speaking,

"Scezar, you never change, you're the same as you were in our childhood, you're still ignorant to your surroundings and the world you live in, I guess they thoroughly brainwashed you. You couldn't develop your intelligence even with all that talent."

For a brief moment, Scezar's figure shook, but gradually calmed down. After pointing his spear at the head of Zarkos, he said,

"Zarkos, your tongue is as sharp as ever. I guess a battle to the death is the only way to bring this war to an end."

Zarkos chuckled in a somewhat aggrieved tone before speaking,

"Lets end this war Scezar....."

Zarkos drew his naginata

"....though I wish you knew the truth."

He muttered to himself

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After countless hours of battle, we could see two figures on a ground filled with cracks and cut-marks, one figure was standing in a somewhat shaking manner pointing his naginata towards the head of the kneeling figure,

"You lost Scezar, I suppose this is our farewell"

Scezar chuckled indifferently and said,

"It most certainly is, Zarkos. You did, after all, use that technique. I'm startled, though; why do you want to kill me so badly that you'd kill yourself for the sake of it?"

Zarkos remained silent for a few moments before stating

"I don't want you to become a puppet for those morons. I was going to die anyways, so it was better for me to assist you get out of your misery."

Scezar chuckled in an aggrieved tone and said

"Such a good friend you are, well it doesn't matter anyway, so just kill me already."

Zarkos hesitated for a moment before severing Scezar's head from his body.

After a few moments, Zarkos, too, kneeled down and coughed up a mouthful of blood,

"I guess burning my blood did pay a heavy toll on my physique. Well... I guess... it was.... worth it....now....what should I do with you...."

He stated facing his wrist, his consciousness fading as he slowly closed his eyes; ten minutes later, a transparent silhouette of a figure similar to Zarkos emerged from the similar-looking corpse

"I suppose there's still some energy left in my soul..... Well, though unexpected, it will certainly be useful in initiating the plan's final phase."

The transparent silhouette started burning away for purpose unknown

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After around a day, a transparent-looking silhouette emerged from the corpse of Scezar,

"You weren't the only one with a hidden technique, Zarkos....."

He stated while examining his condition

"... In such a feeble state, I don't think I'll be able to return to the realm... "

The silhouette fell silent for a few moments before resuming

"So, what exactly did I miss?... Why was he so adamant about killing his only remaining friend?..... Was he lying because he knew I would live or were they lying in order to overthrow the throne? ..... "

"*sigh* It's pointless to think about these things; I suppose I'll have to return after I recover to unveil the truth."

The silhouette muttered to himself before tearing the space open and disappearing completely.