Power of Runes

"I am Orien, the firstborn of the Demon King. And the future ruler of the endless darkness."

....

....

Hearing that, Solareth did not react in any way.

He was calm, his expression steady as he looked at the true form of the demon. His voice was low but unwavering as he asked again, "Do you know the people who killed my daughter?"

Although Solareth asked, he already knew the chances of getting a clear answer were slim. At most, he might hear something if the demon was arrogant enough to let words slip, believing he could kill him with ease.

His heart was cold, yet deep within, the ember of hope still flickered that perhaps there would be something he could get, after all, the person in front of him was probably second to none in the demon realm.

But what happened next brought shock to Solareth's face for the first time.

"Are you talking about her?" Orien asked, summoning the dead body of a small unicorn. Her once white fur was now stained black in several places, her delicate head marked by three small horns. Her eyes were closed, and her lifeless form was sealed within a glass-like container that pulsed faintly with dark energy.

"HOW??" Solareth's body trembled as he saw the dead body of his daughter. His voice cracked with disbelief.

How is this possible? I made sure to return the body to nature….. then how does he have it?

His blood boiled as rage filled his chest at the sight of her preserved form, a sight that tore at both his reason and his pride.

Whenever a unicorn died, its body returned to nature if the death was natural, dissolving into the very essence of the world. But if the life was taken by someone else, the body remained, and only through a long and sacred ritual could other unicorns return it to nature. That was the law of their existence, unbroken since ancient times.

Yet now, in front of his very eyes, he saw the same body he had personally returned to nature. The sight alone was enough to shake his belief in what was real, making his very understanding of life and death tremble.

"HOW DO YOU HAVE THAT?" Solareth shouted, though he did not attack. His rage surged violently, but reason still held his hand. He wanted answers first, even if his soul screamed for blood.

"Now that expression is better," Orien said with a strange satisfaction. "It bothered me when you showed no fear, but this look… yes, this one suits you."

"Just. Answer. Me."

Solareth forced the words out, his aura flaring violently and pressing down on the entire space. The land beneath them groaned as his power rippled through the air.

Their auras collided in the air, clashing and grinding against one another, yet neither was able to overcome the other. The stalemate filled the valley like an invisible storm, the very space trembling as if unable to bear the weight of two beings standing at its center.

Seeing that he could not suppress Solareth in the battle of wills, Orien's smile grew wider, his eyes glinting with delight.

"Finally, someone who can fight me. Good. Very good. As for your question…"

"I have her body because I took it before it could return to nature. You see, if your daughter had lived and grown, her very existence would have brought forth something unimaginable."

His voice was calm, almost casual, though every word carried a weight that made the air heavy, as though the world itself strained to hold the truth.

"You may think I say this only because she carried the traits of both King and Queen, but no. That was not the reason she died. That was not why she was killed. The true reason was her mind. Those traits were merely tools, a medium she could have used to shape what truly lay inside her."

"I suppose even you never realized how special she really was."

"Of course, I will not explain how I knew all of this about her… things even you, her father, never understood."

Orien slowly stepped forward, his voice echoing through the darkness. With a flick of his hand, he stored the body away once again, the container vanishing into a ripple of shadow.

"Think of it another way, Solareth. A father grieving, lost in rage over his child's death. Do you think such a father would have the clarity to see what was happening around him?" He tilted his head slightly, his grin darkening. "The answer is no. You were so consumed that, even though you are a master of illusions yourself, you failed to notice the trick of someone weaker than you."

"You did not see her body being taken, even though it happened right in front of you. You only realized it now. Isn't it both amusing and maddening that after reaching such strength, you still let emotions blind you to the truth?"

He stopped a few steps away, his voice falling into silence as his gaze locked with Solareth's. The stillness between them was suffocating, heavy with words left unsaid.

Solareth's eyes remained calm and cold, but beneath that stillness, countless emotions churned and twisted, buried deep within. The storm in his heart did not show on his face, but its shadow lingered in his silence.

But Orien's eyes were deep and intimidating, brimming with cruelty, as if the darkness itself lived within them.

"Don't say anything. I do not want to hear something like... 'you dare' or 'you are dead'. That is boring."

He tilted his head slightly, a twisted grin curving on his lips. "But do you know why I am telling you all this? Because you are going to die too."

-BOOM!!!!

---

Their fight after that passed in a blur, a storm of steel, spells, and earth-shattering force. The clash stretched on for days, perhaps even weeks, though in the timeless void of their battle it was impossible to tell how long had truly passed.

Yet, no matter how long they fought, one truth became painfully clear—Orien and Solareth were equals.

Even their domains canceled one another out. Neither could exert control over the surroundings. If Orien tried to bend the world to his will, Solareth's will clashed and pushed back. If Solareth attempted to mold reality, Orien's presence denied it.

And when both tried to merge completely with their domains, the resulting surge threatened to tear the battlefield apart and drag them both into the chaotic mana storm raging in the depths below.

Neither was willing to take that risk. No Saint ever had, and neither of them intended to become the first. So they limited their domains, spreading them only far enough to reinforce the battlefield, ensuring the ground would not crumble beneath their struggle.

-CLANG!!

-CLANG!!!

That very restraint made the fight even more perilous. Saints possessed vast reserves of mana, and here, where the air itself overflowed with it, Solareth could replenish himself endlessly. Yet for Orien, that should not have been the case.

Logically, the demon should have faltered by now. But instead, he fought like a beast with no end to his strength, his demonic energy raging ceaselessly, never once dimming. His body showed no sign of energy exhaustion, as though he had endless demonic energy.

Solareth, despite his superiority in discipline and control, was beginning to feel the weight of their unending battle. Even gods among mortals had limits, and his were drawing near.

Maintaining a domain consumed both mana and will. It required constant mental strength, which could not be replenished as easily as mana. His body absorbed the endless flow of energy in the air, but his mind grew sluggish, weighed down by strain.

Even though he was at the peak of Monarch Rank, Solareth could not overpower Orien, who was not even at his own peak yet.

{A/N: Monarch - Saint}

And he reminds me of Ash...

The thought surfaced unbidden. Solareth did not know why, but Orien's blend of sword and magic stirred a fleeting memory of Ash, though only for a brief heartbeat before it was consumed by the battle.

-BOOM!!!

A deafening crash resounded, and both combatants pulled back, their bodies cloaked in smoke and dust. They breathed heavily, their chests rising and falling.

Solareth still felt the same raw demonic power around Orien, though the strain showed in the way the demon moved.

Even Orien was feeling the strain of fighting for so long.

Just stay put, you defiled thing...

{DIE YOU...!!!}

Shut up...

Solareth cursed inwardly. The voice clawing at his mind was the demonic heart itself; its seal was weakening under the unending clash.

To keep it bound, he had to divert a portion of his mana into reinforcing the seal, even as his body screamed for rest.

Every moment made him weaker. The atmosphere was thick with mana, yet his slowing mind could not absorb it fast enough. The endless flow slipped past him, like water spilling through trembling hands.

If this continues, I will die... But I cannot die... not like this... I cannot allow myself to fall here. I must return my child to nature. I will not let these demons defile her even after death...

The thought sharpened his resolve. He had been preparing for days, biding his time while his plan took shape.

"Looks like you are not powerful enough to kill me, huh?" Solareth mocked, his tone calm but dripping with bitter resolve. The rage that had surged when he first saw his daughter's body had become a steady fuel, sharpening his control rather than letting it shatter him.

He had long since realized the power between them was matched, and that neither could simply crush the other.

But that knowledge only made him more determined to end it his own way.

Orien did not respond. He steadied his breath, his smile curling back into place. Then, in the very next instant, his body blurred, and the fight resumed.

-BOOM!!!

-BOOM!!

-BOOM!!

Alright… time to teleport him into the chaotic mana…

The plan was dangerous, but it was his only chance. If he could force Orien into the chaotic mana storm, the demon would be compelled to burn nearly all of his energy just to endure. Teleporting someone of Orien's level was already close to impossible, even with their consent. Without it, the difficulty multiplied beyond reason, and the toll on Solareth's body and core would be immense. The act would consume almost everything he had left, stripping him of strength, but it was a price he was ready to pay.

This was also the reason he was constantly supplying energy into the seal of demonic heart so that he could gather some time, for his strength to return after expending his energy.

He steadied his breathing, gathering his will, weaving the spell, and focusing his entire being into a single strike of space-bending power. The air around him vibrated, reality trembling at the edges as the formation began to take shape.

But just as he prepared to release it—

What the hell!!!!

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