Death System: I awakened SSS rank System

The courtyard of rift rooms stretched like an open wound beneath the starless sky. A place used to allow the players to rest and think over their doings now seemed more like an arena chosen by fate for a blood duel.

Zakar's boots pounded the dirt as he dashed across the uneven ground, the Tyrann Sword hanging loose in his hand. He could hear the fire roaring behind him, each burst of flame chasing him closer, trying to pin him down. He didn't run because he feared Justin. No. That wasn't it at all.

He ran because killing Justin would mean surrendering to the same cruel game their enemies had designed. Killing him epiuld mean him becoming what the Negative Entity wanted. He had no intent of doing so.

"You can't run from me forever!" Justin's voice tore through the night, twisted by fury and heat.

The words struck Zakar's ears, but he didn't look back. He forced his legs to move faster, weaving through shattered stone pillars. His chest heaved, his heart pounding, not from fear, but from the unbearable weight of the choice pressed onto him.

"Justin… damn it, wake up!" Zakar barked into the wind as he ran. "This isn't you! I know you hate me for my weakness but i can't imagine you going this far."

A spiral flame shot answered him.

The ground beside him erupted, flames spearing out like the claws of a beast. The blast hurled chunks of rock into the air, showering Zakar as he dove forward into a roll. Dust coated his face. The heat seared across his back and it scorched him badly.

When he rose again, his grip on the Tyrann Sword tightened. The polished steel hummed faintly, as though urging him to swing, to cut, to kill.

But still, he resisted. He struggled to restrain. He had to beat the Negative Entity in their own game.

Justin emerged from the smoke a heartbeat later. His presence: a figure clad in fire. His eyes glowed charging molten rays, his hair flickering with the light of his flames.

The way he moved was no longer human. Every step was predatory, relentless, like a devil chasing a prey that dared to defy him.

"Stop running, Zakar!" Justin roared. His arm swept forward, conjuring a wave of fire that rolled across the riftyard like a tide.

Zakar pivoted sharply, boots digging into the earth as he sprinted sideways. The wave of fire washed past him, close enough that the heat scorched the edge of his cloak.

BOOOOM!!!

The blast shot against a rift but nothing happened. Only the deafening roar of the Justin's blast.

Then his body reacted before his mind could process sliding low, rolling out of range and using every instinct carved from years of survival as an assassin.

But Justin was faster than before. Each movement he made carried the speed of desperation, the precision of someone who was more of a beast than a human. He lunged through his own fire, swinging his arm to create a burning sword with lethal pure flames.

The clash came suddenly. Steel struck against flame.

Sparks exploded in every direction as Zakar caught the strike with his Tyrann Sword, the clash ringing through the night like a bell. His muscles strained, his eyes narrowing as he held Justin back. Heat licked at his face, the air scorching his lungs.

"You think I want this?!" Zakar shouted through gritted teeth, locking blades. "I don't want to fight you, Justin! I just want us to work together for once. I just wanted the both of us to get over this together."

"Then die!" Justin spat, his voice raw and broken. With a surge of strength, he shoved Zakar back, swinging him away again.

The flaming blade cut arcs through the air, each strike swift and merciless. Zakar parried, deflected, stepped back. The Tyrann Sword whistled as it carved defensive motions, his body movements dancing to the flow of the fight.

Every time Justin's flames came too close, the edge of his sword redirected them, cutting through fire with the force of iron will.

But Justin didn't restrain either. He pressed harder, chasing Zakar step for step, blow for blow and his eyes burned with desperation.

"Justin!" Zakar growled, his patience thinning. He ducked beneath another flaming slash, rolling to the side, then countered another with a single horizontal swing. The Tyrann Sword swung up as it cut the air, forcing Justin to stagger back to avoid being cleaved in two beat halves.

The strike carved a scar into the earth where Justin had stood and the dept of it was about 2 feet.

For a moment, there was silence. Both men panted, sweat dripping down their faces, steam curling from their bodies in the heat of the battle. Their eyes locked two warriors bound by fate and betrayal.

Zakar's chest rose and fell. His mind screamed at him.

'If I keep holding back, I'll die. If I fight, he'll die. What the hell do I do? He just isn't listening.'

But Justin's eyes held no such hesitation. They burned with a fire that spoke of pure rage and depression. He wasn't fighting as Justin the allly and roommate. He was fighting as Justin the weapon...

And weapons didn't hesitate.

"Fine," Zakar muttered, shifting his stance. He raised the Tyrann Sword high, the blade gleaming under the firelight.

"If it's a fight you want, I'll give you one. But don't blame me when you regret it."

Justin smirked, flames gathering around his arm like a coiling serpent. "That's more like it."

And then they collided again.

This time, Zakar didn't only defend. He struck back, each swing of the Tyrann Sword carrying raw force, each clash scattering sparks and embers into the night. Justin answered with firestorms, his blade burning with every strike, his body glowing like a living torch.

The battle had truly begun and he had to stirred himself to control his emotions or else he would make the wrong move.