Hellbound Heart

Chapter 398  Light and Darkness - Part 16

Zeke and Gav's blades clashed, sending shockwaves through the ground. Dark lightning bolts from the sky struck everywhere, illuminating the battlefield with a sinister glow. It was like watching two fallen angels, each fighting to claim the other's life.

Their soldiers and the monsters stood frozen, watching the brutal combat unfold. The generals had dropped their weapons, their eyes filled with sorrow as they witnessed their lieges in a deadly duel. They could see it clearly: Zeke was more than serious, and now Gav was revealing his true colors, his unrivaled darkness seeping into every strike.

Though they had always known this day might come, that this cruel game would never end until only one remained, the reality of it happening before their eyes was almost too much to bear. Because Zeke and Gav had been together for so long. They had fought so many battles together, and won together. Now here they were, against each other.

Ruka left his post and made his way to the corpse of a huge monster. He climbed atop it and sat down, resting his face in his palm as he turned away, facing the opposite side as if to avoid watching the death fight.

Archer followed him and sat beside him. Unlike Ruka, Archer faced the battlefield, his eyes vacant and hollow as he watched the fight with a detached resignation.

As he watched, he could see that the clash between Zeke and Gav was truly such a spectacle of power and fury. Their movements were a blur of speed and precision, each strike met with a counter, each parry with a riposte. The ground beneath them cracked and splintered from the force of their blows, and the sky roared with dark energy.

Gav's attacks were relentless, seemingly fueled by the darkness that now controlled him. His one pitch black eye, burned with an intensity that seemed to consume him. Every swing of his sword was like a dark promise of death.

But Zeke's every move was calculated, his strikes precise. It was as if he could read Gav's every move. As if he could see the future. "You're stronger than this, Gav!" he shouted, his voice rising above the clamor.

For a moment, Gav's movements faltered, his attacks losing their edge. But the darkness within him flared, seemingly pushing him on, demanding victory at any cost.

Gav roared and he came at Zeke like a powerful blast, and the battle raged on and on.

Gav and Zeke were fighting with everything they had. No one was backing down, and as time passed, the two of them only seemed to become more powerful, deadlier than ever before. Their sheer intensity and strength might as well destroy the underworld itself.

The soldiers and monsters, who had once stood around them, were forced to move away to avoid getting caught in the fray. Those who had witnessed similar battles in the past were shocked, for they had never seen a duel this intense, this overpowering, this endless between two princes.

"I know it's hard to accept, but you know this was meant to happen." Archer spoke in a low voice without tearing his eyes off the battle. "His liege knew this himself since the very beginning."

"I know," Ruka replied, throwing his head back and looking up at the eternal dark sky. "I just had my hopes up, I guess… His liege is powerful. So powerful I thought…" Ruka sighed deeply. "I wished he wasn't a part of this cursed, cruel game."

"Don't speak like this is already over. Like you said, he is powerful, so powerful he might win."

"Prince Gav is the destined one, remember that."

"Well, what if His Liege defies fate and wins in the end?"

"What if he doesn't?"

Archer ran his fingers through his hair, damp with blood and sweat. "Well… then I guess all we could do is accept it."

The two generals fell silent, Archer's eyes continued to stare at the intense duel before him.

"I want to leave this world," Ruka said, dropping his gaze to the pile of dead bodies spread like a blanket over the desolate land. "I'm tired. Tired of these endless battles…"

"If you can find a way and you need someone's help, let me. I'll help you get out of here," Archer replied, his voice softer. Ruka never thought this huge ass man who was always so loud could actually speak like this.

"How sweet of you." Ruka smiled faintly.

"Shut up. I'm trying my best to console you here."

"So, if there's another choice for us, you'd still want to stay here?"

"This world is tiresome, I admit. But… I don't think someone like me belongs anywhere but here."

"Don't say that. You're not even that bad. You're just a muscle head with a savage's body and soft heart."

"Say more stupid thing and I'll leave."

Ruka's smile widened before it faded again. "I still believe no one deserves to stay in this damned world forever. Unless, of course, if one day, things would get a little better. But even I know that will always stay a dream. Sadly, this world seemed to only exist for chaos and bloodshed."

Archer sighed. "I'd like to believe there's a chance for change. Zeke and Gav, they're different from all the princes in the past. The two of them fight for something more than just power."

Ruka nodded, his eyes distant. "Yeah, I see that too. That's why before we realized it, we ended up being so attached to them. I've been thinking as well for a long while now if maybe… just maybe they can break this cycle. Maybe they're the ones who will finally bring some hope to this world."

A loud explosion interrupted their conversation, and the ground shook violently, but Ruka still didn't turn to look.

"Let me know when it's over," he said, resting his head against Archer's broad back.

"Alright," Archer replied, as another explosion rattled the ground.

Gav and Zeke had proven to everyone that they were one-of-a-kind, the strongest princes this world had ever known. Their strength was such that if neither of them fell soon, this death fight might never end until the Underworld was reduced to ashes.

Then, suddenly, the entire battlefield went quiet. A deadly standstill ensued.

"Is it over?" Ruka asked, his voice tinged with hope and dread.

"Yes," Archer replied.

"Who fell?" Ruka's voice was almost a whisper. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

When Archer didn't respond immediately, Ruka dropped his head, clenching a fistful of his own hair.