Leon and Shiro paused for a moment.
Five meters apart. Both gasping for breath. Shiro still held the sword of light — but its glow was beginning to fade. Not as bright as before. Leon still held Lokantaka — but his hand trembled. Blood flowed from the wounds across his body.
They stared at each other.
Leon sighed. "You... are strong."
Shiro did not answer.
But he raised his sword slightly.
Leon nodded. "Fine."
---
Leon attacked first.
"Black Grasp!"
From Shiro's shadow, slender black hands emerged — gripping his ankles.
Shiro could not move. But he did not panic. "Radiant Wheel!" A spinning ring of light circled his body — cutting through the black hands, freeing him.
Leon was already before him. "Shadow Claws!"
Three giant claws, each five meters long, shot from Leon's shadow — slashing toward Shiro.
Shiro dodged with Flash Step — appearing beside Leon. "Hydra's Talon!"
Three claws of light — at close range.
Leon blocked with Lokantaka. "Dark Edge!"
CLANG!
Sparks of light and darkness filled the room.
They exchanged attacks — fast, deadly, without pause.
---
Leaping backward, Leon raised his hand.
"Sea of Thorns!"
From the ground, black thorns erupted — covering the entire area within a thirty-meter radius. Rolling like a sea, stabbing toward Shiro.
Shiro could not run. The thorns blocked every step. He had to keep jumping, moving constantly, never staying still.
Leon exploited that. "Shadow Claws!"
Black claws struck from a distance — forcing Shiro to defend.
Shiro dodged — but the thorns pierced his legs. Blood flowed.
Leon did not stop. "Hell Chain!"
From Shiro's shadow, black chains emerged — binding his hands and feet. Channeling dark energy that weakened his muscles.
Shiro fell to his knees.
Leon stood before him, Lokantaka raised.
"Done?"
Shiro did not answer.
---
But he had not given up.
"Radiant Burst!"
From his chest, a spherical wave of light spread outward — not an explosion, but a wave that burned from within.
Leon felt it. Scorching heat in his internal organs. His body felt like it was burning from the inside.
But he did not fall.
He ran through that wave — straight toward Shiro.
Shiro was shocked. His eyes widened slightly — for the first time, his expression changed. Leon had exceeded his expectations.
Leon raised Lokantaka. "Thousand Night Slash!"
One swing — but it produced hundreds of shadow blades. Slashing Shiro from all directions simultaneously. A storm of dark attacks covered the entire view.
Shiro raised his sword of light — but there were too many. Too fast. Several slashes struck his body.
Blood flowed.
But Shiro still stood.
He raised his right hand. For the last time.
The Dawnbreaker sword, which had been dimming, suddenly trembled violently. All the compressed light particles within its two-meter blade began to radiate unsteadily, ready to be released in one final slash.
Shiro was no longer absorbing surrounding light — he was releasing everything.
Leon knew this was the limit. He raised Lokantaka high. "Eternal Darkness — Final Strike!"
Lokantaka's blade transformed entirely into a dense, pitch-black mass, with glowing purple cracks spreading wildly like lightning across its surface.
Shiro slashed downward, splitting the darkness with a massive vertical white line. Leon leaped to meet it, slamming all his remaining life into a single swing.
CLANG—BOOM!
That final collision was no longer merely a magical explosion; it was opposing laws of nature rejecting each other. The room shattered into pieces, marble walls crumbling into fine dust.
As the dust began to settle, only one remained standing.
---
Leon stood atop the rubble. Lokantaka in his hand. Blood flowed from his entire body. His breath was ragged. His eyes were still red — but beginning to dim.
Before him, Shiro lay motionless.
Leon lowered Lokantaka. "You... fought well."
Shiro did not answer. But at the corner of his lips — there was something. Not a smile. But... acceptance.
Leon fell to his knees. Lokantaka nearly slipped from his grasp. His body could no longer move.
"Damn..." he whispered.
---
In the distance, Kin'iro still sat. Still smiling.
"Five," he whispered.
He did not move. Still waiting.
=== CHAPTER 46 END ===