NOVEL NEXT Chapter 384: The Death Oath
Daniel, seeing that he finally managed to injure the Hero of Death, smiled and took the chance—though first he had to block the strike that was just about to hit him.
The [Demonic Twilight Shield] appeared around him again and blocked the next blow of the Death Sword. This time, the returning energy gave him a surge of power. Daniel roared and slammed a [Strike of Destruction] into the air.
The aura of destruction burst out from his sword, splitting into thousands of small blades that cut through the air.
The black clouds were torn apart, lightning shattered and scattered to the sides.
The Hero of Death was pushed back. For the first time, his steps trembled.
But he only clapped. The sound of his hands echoed in the absolute silence like a bell.
"Good… finally you understood that you need to use the enemy's energy against him. That is the true principle of death. It always comes back… and you are the one who chooses whether to stand against it or to draw strength from it."
Daniel shouted and released [Death Roar].
The roar shook not only the sky but also the minds. For the first time the Hero of Death's face froze slightly. His gaze turned darker and his movements slowed for a moment. The Death Sword missed its intended path.
Daniel jumped out from the shadows at full speed, raised his sword, and activated [Eyes of Destruction].
His eyes released destructive light; beams shot straight out of his gaze, piercing the clouds and shaking the space around them.
Explosions bloomed in the air. The Hero of Death was thrown back, but he steadied himself with a single step, slammed his sword into the invisible ground of the sky, and took a deep breath.
He gave a crooked smile.
"This is it… this is what I wanted to see. Now you are a disciple of death. You have brought death onto the battlefield."
Daniel, breathing heavily with blood on his lips, gripped his sword tighter.
"And this is just the beginning."
Their eyes locked again.
No longer the advantage of the Hero of Death, no longer the weakness of Daniel… now their swords were equal. Each strike was answered by another, each wave of power was neutralized by the other.
Their swords clashed again and again in the air, and each time the sky cracked apart, lightning was destroyed, and stars disappeared behind smoke and sparks.
The sky trembled.
Daniel activated the [Burning Mana Armor], covering his body. In the middle of the clouds, he shone like a burning star. The flames absorbed both the energy of the moon and the aura of death. The blade of The Heavens Honor multiplied its destructive aura a thousandfold.
He jumped out of the shadows at a speed beyond imagination. His sword danced in the air, and [Strike of Destruction] slammed down dozens of times in a row. Each strike, like a massive meteor, ripped apart pieces of the clouds and darkness.
The Hero of Death tried to answer with his sword, but the burning armor absorbed every strike.
Daniel used the opportunity and released beams of destruction with [Eyes of Destruction]. Two beams hit directly onto the Hero's chest.
For the second time, the Hero of Death was thrown back.
Daniel immediately cut his hand. His blood sprayed into the air, and with a roar:
[ Eternal Judgment ]
A sword of blood formed in the sky. Its sound was like the toll of a falling star. The gigantic blade descended toward the Hero.
The explosion ripped the sky apart. The moon disappeared behind the black smoke.
In the middle of the flames and dust, the Hero of Death stood still. Daniel, out of breath, with dried blood on his cheek, raised his sword.
Silence.
"Excellent… but still not enough." Suddenly, a quiet voice echoed in Daniel's ear.
The Hero of Death raised his sword and activated [Dirge of the End].
Daniel suddenly felt a strange heaviness in his heart. As if his lungs stopped breathing and his body was fighting with the last breaths of an old man.
His movements slowed.
The Hero of Death walked forward, his gaze cold.
"Death is the end. When you die, everything is over."
With a slash, the Death Sword cut Daniel's chest.
Blood gushed out.
Daniel was thrown back. His breath stopped. His heart ceased beating.
His eyes went blank.
For a few moments… it looked like the Hero had won. Daniel was dead.
[ It has been detected that your consciousness is dying ]
[ Undying Soul of Dragon restored the consciousness ]
Daniel opened his eyes. His eyes were blazing—not only with the flame of life but with a new understanding of death. The Burning Mana Armor ignited again, and The Heavens Honor in his hand pulsed like a beating heart of light.
"Seems like you're hiding a lot more secrets, kid. How do you have the soul of a dragon?" The Hero of Death laughed.
With one motion, he activated [Necrotic Timeflow].
For Daniel, every moment stretched into years. His wounds burned a thousand times more painfully. But he smiled.
Without hesitation, he activated the [Temporal Aspect of the Moon's Law] and completely shut down his opponent's attack.
"The Moon's Law? Interesting." The Hero of Death smiled. His satisfaction with his successor grew more and more.
Daniel gave no reply. He stepped forward and activated [Glass Domain].
The space cracked. Thousands of shards of glass spread across the broken sky.
A transparent but crushing domain formed around them. Inside this domain, Daniel's power rose by fifty percent, and the Hero of Death's power was cut in half.
The Hero of Death gave a cold smile.
"Clever. But know this—death is never measured by numbers."
He charged forward, his sword marking Daniel's body with [Stigma of Thanatos]. The pain burned on his body like a thousand deaths.
Daniel roared, but did not fall.
His arm shook, and he released [Thunder of Lost Dreams].
A massive thunder tore through the sky, carrying not just light and sound but all of Daniel's rage, regrets, and scars of the soul. The thunder struck the Hero of Death.
For a moment he stopped, trembling. His gaze became serious for the first time.
"This… this is the power of pain? You've learned… to turn suffering into a weapon."
But he was still standing. With a bitter laugh, his body suddenly collapsed:
[ Rebirth in Ashes ]
From the ashes, he appeared again, his aura of death darker and heavier than before.
All the attacks that had been used against him until now were completely broken, and even the domain itself shattered apart.
Daniel gave a bloody smile. What the hell kind of skill was that bastard using?
"You gonna teach me that skill?"
"You'll learn it yourself later." The Hero of Death smiled, giving an answer that was really just a no.
Daniel sighed and raised his hand.
Above him, a small but blazing sun formed.
[ Eternal Burning Sun ]
Its heat evaporated the clouds, brightening the sky brighter than day. The sun was hurled toward the Hero.
A massive fiery explosion erupted in the sky, and for a moment, night turned into day.
In the middle of the flames, the Hero of Death was still standing… but his body was cracking. His gaze wavered, and his sword grew heavy for a moment.
"It's time to finish this," Daniel said seriously.
The Heavens Honor trembled. Its blade took on a different aura: cold, calm, and at the same time merciless.
"This… so you're going to use that?" The Hero of Death muttered.
Daniel said quietly:
"Death Oath ."
The sky went silent.
The sun, the moon, the stars… all vanished. The world turned gray in an instant.
A heavy, quiet bell echoed across the entire sky.
Daniel's blade descended.
Not just on the body of the Hero of Death, but on his very existence.
For a moment, the Hero of Death was both alive and dead.
His face split in two: half with a cold smile, half with eternal silence.
A black crack appeared in the sky, stretching into infinity, soundless, endless.
And then, silence.
This wasn't a simple skill. The strike entrusted everything to death—it granted death to all things.
It didn't just target the body and soul, but went straight for existence itself, the very thing that meant life for demigods and gods.
The Hero of Death knelt. His sword turned to dust.
But before he collapsed, he smiled and said:
"I accept defeat."