The arena trembled, caught between the clash of light and darkness. Celestial energy surged from Argenti, his radiant form an incandescent beacon against the abyssal gloom that curled around Luocha. The two warriors stood within the ancient coliseum, its towering stone walls scarred by centuries of battle. Above them, enchanted torches flickered, their flames struggling against the forces at play.
Then, they moved.
Argenti's blade struck first, a golden arc slicing through the shadows like a divine decree. Luocha met it with a scything strike of his own, abyssal mist erupting as the two forces collided. The impact cracked the arena floor beneath them, sending shockwaves rippling through the dust-laden air.
Luocha twisted, his abyssal form elongating unnaturally as he slithered around Argenti's defense, his fingers like talons slashing toward the knight's throat. But Argenti's light flared, solidifying into a celestial barrier that repelled the attack. With a flick of his wrist, Argenti redirected the energy, sending a lance of pure radiance surging toward Luocha's chest.
Luocha hissed and vanished into the darkness, his form dissolving into tendrils of abyssal energy. He reformed behind Argenti, a cruel smirk playing on his lips as he drove a spear of writhing blackness forward. Argenti pivoted, his golden blade intercepting the strike mid-motion. The clash sent embers of divine energy spiraling into the void, the very air igniting in their wake.
Luocha's expression darkened. He leapt back, abyssal tendrils coiling around his arms, writhing with cursed power. "You shine so brightly, Argenti. But light has always feared the abyss."
Argenti lifted his sword, undeterred. "And the abyss has always fled before the dawn."
With a battle cry, he surged forward, his golden boots shattering the stone beneath him as he advanced. His blade became a burning star, searing through the shadows with every strike. Luocha weaved between the slashes, his abyssal form flickering like a mirage. He countered with strikes aimed at Argenti's joints, his talons seeking weakness, but Argenti's radiance shielded him, his form an unwavering beacon of celestial might.
Then Luocha changed tactics. Shadows rippled from his body, spilling over the edges of the arena like living ink. The golden light beneath Argenti darkened, swallowed by the creeping abyss. The runes etched into the coliseum's walls flickered, struggling to contain the overwhelming force of darkness.
"Fall," Luocha whispered, and the abyss roared to life.
Tendrils of darkness lashed out, forming countless spears aimed at Argenti's heart. The knight raised his sword, light surging outward in a pulse of defiance. The first wave of abyssal strikes shattered against his aura, but the second found purchase, lancing through the golden glow and grazing his armor.
Argenti winced as the abyss burned against his celestial form. The darkness clung to him, seeking to consume. But he gritted his teeth, his grip on his sword tightening. With a cry of defiance, he flared his power, his golden light erupting in a nova of pure radiance. The abyss shrieked, recoiling from the celestial explosion.
Luocha staggered, his form flickering. But his smirk returned.
"I see," he mused. "You truly are something extraordinary."
His form began to change, his abyssal energy coalescing into something greater. His silhouette stretched, his form shifting into a towering being of obsidian and void. Twin horns curled from his forehead, his eyes burning with the cold fire of the abyss itself. His arms, now wreathed in shadowed chains, bore claws sharp enough to tear through fate itself.
Argenti inhaled sharply. The abyss had granted Luocha its full blessing.
But Argenti was no stranger to miracles.
He lifted his sword, the golden light intensifying. His celestial form expanded, his armor becoming woven from pure radiance, his cape shifting into ribbons of starlight. Wings of liquid gold unfurled behind him, each feather crackling with divine power.
A being of true celestial majesty stood against a lord of the abyss.
The arena quaked as they clashed again. Argenti's blade became a comet, each swing carrying the force of divine wrath. Luocha met him with abyssal might, his strikes rending the air itself. They moved faster than mortal eyes could follow, each impact sending out waves of energy that cracked the stone pillars surrounding them.
Luocha hurled spears of darkness that coiled mid-air, seeking Argenti's heart. Argenti countered with beams of searing light, each one piercing through the abyssal tendrils and dispersing them before they could strike. Their battle carried them from one end of the coliseum to the other, each clash shaking the very foundation of the sacred battleground.
Luocha lunged, his claws aimed for Argenti's chest. The knight caught them mid-strike, their strengths locking in a test of will. Darkness and light interwove, reality itself struggling under the weight of their clash. Then, with a roar, Argenti channeled his full power and sent Luocha hurtling back with a burst of radiance.
Luocha landed, skidding across the arena floor before stopping, his breath ragged.
"You cannot sustain this forever," he sneered. "Even the stars die."
Argenti exhaled, his own energy flickering—but only for a moment. "Perhaps. But before they fade, they burn brightest."
Gathering the last of his power, Argenti raised his blade to the heavens. The sky above the open arena parted, divine light cascading down as the celestial realm itself answered his call. The sword in his grip became a weapon of pure divinity, a blade forged from the heart of a dying star.
Luocha snarled, his abyssal energy writhing in defiance. He lifted his own hands, the darkness condensing into a spear of pure void, pulsing with the hunger of oblivion.
They moved as one.
Golden radiance and abyssal blackness collided in a final, cataclysmic strike. The coliseum walls shook, ancient wards flaring to keep the battle contained. The heavens wept, the abyss screamed. A pillar of energy erupted into the sky, consuming everything in its wake.
And then—silence.
As the dust settled, only one figure remained standing.
Argenti, his celestial glow dimmed but unwavering, stood victorious. His blade, still gleaming faintly, pointed downward as he regarded the fallen Luocha. The abyssal lord lay broken, his power drained, his form reverting to that of a man once more.
Luocha exhaled a ragged breath, gazing up at the celestial knight. A tired chuckle escaped him.
"Forgive me... █████"
Argenti turned around quickly in response.
"You.. Why do you utter that name..."
Luocha was already out by this point as Argenti hurried to his body.
"Stop!" The announcer suddenly stepped in front of Argenti.
The Winner is Argenti!
And with that, the duel was decided.
Argenti looked back at the body of Luocha which was now being carried away by the medical staff...but...something was bothering him...
Argenti could have sworn he saw some sort of red sigil on his body...