Reborn as the Last van Ambrose-Chapter 44: Yongrun’s Entrance

A flash of colorful light cut through the darkness of Malaxis's void. Yongrun stepped forward, and the ground beneath him began to disintegrate as he stepped. Behind him, Dongmei already had her hands raised, frost forming in the air around her fingers.

Cassius gasped, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he staggered backward toward Grim.

Malaxis looked down at his right hand, or where it had been. The Sundering Strike had severed it cleanly at the wrist, the cauterized stump smoking with aurora energy that fought against the darkness trying to reclaim it.

"Impossible," Malaxis hissed, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Yongrun. "How does a non-Ambrose know an Ambrose technique? The Sundering Strike can not be wielded without Ambrose blood."

Yongrun didn't answer. Instead, he advanced steadily, his blade held down by his side held with one hand. The air around him began to smoke as his red aura got more intense.

"Unless..." Malaxis's eyes widened in realization, then narrowed in rage. "Caius, you crafty old bastard."

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The stump of Malaxis's wrist began to pulse. Black blood oozed from the wound, dripping to the floor, where it sizzled like acid.

"Dongmei, get Grim out of here," Yongrun commanded without taking his eyes off Malaxis. "Cassius, can you still fight?"

Before anyone could move, Malaxis vanished in a burst of shadow. One moment, he stood before them. The next he was behind the group, his severed hand reattached as if it had never been cut. Only a thin line of darkness around his wrist showed where the wound had been.

"I underestimated the Great Nation of Colere," Malaxis said, his voice filled with grudging respect. "To think they harbored such secrets."

Dongmei spun and thrust her palms forward, sending a barrage of ice shards hurtling toward Malaxis. The crystalline projectiles streaked through the air, leaving trails of frost in their wake. Malaxis caught the largest one mid-flight, the ice dissolving into black smoke between his fingers.

"Run!" Cassius shouted, pushing Grim toward the exit.

But the Malaxis was faster. With a slash of his blade, he sent a wave of darkness crashing across the corridor, cutting off their escape. "No one is going anywhere."

Yongrun stepped forward, his sword erupting in flames. Fire coated the blade, dancing and spiraling up to his arms without burning him. "I'll handle this. Get them to safety if you can."

"Brave," Malaxis sneered. "But futile."

"Black Abyss: Devouring Spiral!" Malaxis launched himself forward, his blade becoming a vortex of darkness.

Yongrun met the attack head-on. "Fire Heart: Phoenix Ascendant!"

Their blades collided in an explosion of opposing energies. Fire and darkness battled for supremacy, each trying to consume the other. The force of the impact sent cracks splintering across the walls and ceiling.

"Fire Heart, is it?" Malaxis chuckled as they strained against each other, blades locked. "A lesser art. Allow me to show you true power."

"Lesser?" Yongrun replied, his voice calm despite the exertion. "Then why are you struggling?"

With a burst of strength, Yongrun pushed forward, forcing Malaxis back a step. He followed with a series of fast strikes, each trailing fire that lingered in the air. "Fire Heart: Dancing Embers!"

Malaxis parried each attack, but Yongrun was getting faster with each strike. Shallow cuts that smoked from where he was cut kept appearing on his body.

"Enough playing," Malaxis growled, black energy swirling around him like a tempest. "Black Abyss: Total Eclipse!"

Darkness exploded outward, smothering Yongrun's flames and driving him backward. But instead of retreating, Yongrun planted his feet and raised his sword high.

"Aurora Flash!"

The fiery light that erupted from his blade cut through Malaxis's darkness like a knife through silk, forcing the entity to dive aside.

"So it's true," Malaxis said, his expression darkening further. "Caius shared his techniques outside the bloodline. How... disappointing."

Yongrun didn't waste breath on a response. He pressed his advantage, combining Fire Heart techniques with occasional bursts of the Aurora Flash Sword Dao. The combination was devastating, keeping Malaxis constantly on the move.

Meanwhile, Cassius had dragged Grim toward the wall, away from the direct line of combat. Dongmei moved to stand protectively in front of them, frost gathering around her hands as she prepared another spell.

The battle at the center of the corridor intensified. Malaxis, recovering from his surprise, began to match Yongrun blow for blow. The Black Abyss Sword Dao clashed against the Fire Heart techniques, darkness, and flame began intertwining.

"Black Abyss: Endless Night!" Malaxis roared, driving his blade into the floor. Darkness spread like liquid, rising in tendrils that sought to ensnare Yongrun.

"Fire Heart: Eternal Pyre!" Yongrun countered, stomping his foot. A circle of flames erupted around him, incinerating the approaching darkness.

In the brief respite, Yongrun glanced back at the others. "The void is weakening. If you can, get to the exit now!"

Cassius nodded, pulling Grim to his feet. "Can you walk?"

Before Grim could answer, Malaxis launched a new assault. "Black Abyss: Shattered Realm!"

The floor beneath them trembled, then broke apart into floating segments surrounded by darkness. The entire corridor was transforming into a fragmented nightmare, isolating each of them on separate pieces of stone.

"Dongmei!" Cassius called out.

The ice mage immediately conjured a crystalline path between their platforms, allowing Cassius to help Grim across the void.

"Enough games!" Malaxis declared, leaping from one platform to another with inhuman agility. "Black Abyss Final: Oblivion's Embrace!"

His blade grew to massive proportions, the black flames consuming all light around it. With both hands gripping the hilt, he swung down toward Yongrun with enough force to split mountains.

Yongrun raised his sword in response, fire swirling around him in a protective vortex. "Aurora Flash: Sundering Slash!"

The two techniques collided in a cataclysmic explosion that shook the entire palace.

Light and darkness warred against each other. The air itself seemed to scream as it tore apart. Grim shielded his eyes, the wound on his face burning as if responding to the energy in the air. Through his fingers, he could see Yongrun standing firm, his silhouette unwavering amidst the chaos, while Malaxis's form seemed to flicker and distort. The walls around them began to crack and crumble, fragments of stone seem to stand still in the air around Grim as he witnessed the clash.