The plaza was silent except for the hum of two weapons.
The elder's chi-sword radiated blinding brilliance, a blade of pure light that sang with the heavens themselves. Every flicker of its edge rippled through the cracked stone beneath our feet, each pulse thundering like a war drum.
My blade—the Oblivion Inkblade—was its antithesis.It dripped darkness that hissed and sizzled as if devouring the very air. Every drop of shadow that fell left a mark upon the ruined plaza, small pits where even the memory of light seemed erased.
Around us, the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect disciples spread in a wide circle, blades raised, but none dared to interfere. Even they understood this duel was no ordinary clash. This wasn't mortal against mortal. This was script against stain.
At the far edge, the forgotten cowered. The girl with the crowbar clutched Dev's sleeve, the boy with the broken crutch shivered, the mother shielded her child. The old man mouthed prayers he no longer believed in. Their fear was thick enough to taste.
And then—the system descended.
A faint, crystalline glow fell from the rift above, lines of light etching themselves into the air around me.
[ Sub-Condition Initiated: Duel of Blades. ][ Victory Condition: Survive the Elder's strike. ]
Only survive. Not win. Not kill.The gods wanted me to crawl.
I tightened my grip on the Inkblade. Its whispers pressed against my skull. "…we cut… we bleed… we devour…"
I had no intention of crawling.
✦
The elder moved first.
No warning. No words. Just steel.
His sword cut the air faster than sight, a gleam of annihilation. The world seemed to tilt as the blade descended, and instinct alone forced me to move.
The Inkblade rose.
Light clashed with shadow—And the world shattered.
The impact roared like thunder. Stone buckled beneath us, fractures racing across the plaza. Dust and debris exploded skyward in a choking storm. The disciples staggered back, shielding their faces.
In the heart of it—our blades locked.
The elder's gaze bore into me, calm as stone, unwavering. His blade did not tremble.Mine did.
The Inkblade shrieked against the pressure, shadows screaming in my ears. My arms shuddered, bones creaking, muscles burning. It wasn't just strength pressing me down. It was centuries of mastery—every ounce of chi honed to the singular purpose of cutting.
✦
Again and again, the elder pressed.
Each strike was perfect. No wasted motion, no hesitation. His blade descended like falling stars, sharp enough to split heaven and earth.
My Inkblade struggled to keep up, shadows writhing and splitting into jagged shields, spears, claws—adapting in real time. Each strike that landed tore through them, only for the shadows to reform, slightly sharper, slightly faster, slightly crueler.
For the first time, his step faltered.
His eyes narrowed, just a fraction. "So the scriptures were not lies."
I gritted my teeth, breath ragged. "What scriptures?"
He didn't answer. His silence was heavier than stone.
Instead, he raised his sword high. Chi blazed, drowning the plaza in light. The brilliance was so pure that even the shadows trembled, recoiling as if they were prey before a predator.
The elder's voice was cold iron."Then I will see whether you are truth… or shadow."
✦
The strike fell.
The chi-sword tore the air, a single arc that carried the weight of mountains, the authority of the heavens. The disciples shouted warnings, the forgotten screamed, but all of it blurred into nothing.
The Inkblade shrieked. Shadows erupted, not defending but howling. They surged forward like a storm tide, claws and teeth and chains of blackness snapping at the light.
And for a heartbeat—I wasn't Reed.I was a vessel.
The shadows roared through me, their whispers turning into thunder.
"…devour his light…""…anchor his blood…""…his chi is sweet… let us carve it…"
The blade in my hands grew heavier, hungrier, more alive. The world slowed. Each pulse of my heart echoed like a drum.
Then—
[ Survival Threshold Reached. ][ Duel of Blades—Condition: Cleared. ]
✦
The elder's strike froze—His blade stopped inches from my throat.
The brilliance dimmed. The storm of chi dissipated. Silence fell, so sudden it felt wrong.
The elder's eyes, calm as stone, lingered on mine. For a long, terrible moment, I thought he would finish it anyway.
But then—slowly, deliberately—he lowered his sword.
The disciples gasped. Some staggered, some whispered in disbelief.
The elder turned, cloak sweeping. His voice carried across the ruined plaza like steel dragged over stone.
"…The Anchor Beyond Time still stirs. Whether it walks in this one's shadow, or hides elsewhere… the heavens will not forgive."
Before I could speak, before I could demand answers, he and his disciples dissolved into light. The rift swallowed them whole, leaving nothing but silence and ruin.
✦
I stood there, chest heaving, the Inkblade pulsing in my hand like a living heart. Shadows bled from its edge, dripping into the cracks of the broken plaza.
The forgotten didn't move.
The girl clutched Dev's arm with white knuckles, staring at me with something between awe and terror. The old man crossed himself with trembling fingers. The boy hid behind his crutch.
To them, I hadn't just fought. I had become something else. Something they didn't recognize.
Dev's voice was hoarse. "…Reed… what the hell are you?"
I didn't answer. Because I didn't know.
The Inkblade pulsed. Its whispers crawled across my mind.
"…more… more battles… more blood… evolve us…""…he was only the first… the others will come…"
The system chimed again.
[ Hidden Quest Unlocked: The Anchor Beyond Time. ][ Condition: Unknown. Progress: Untracked. ]
My grip tightened until my knuckles bled.
The duel was over. But victory tasted like ashes.
Because the elder hadn't spared me out of mercy.He had spared me because the game had only just begun.