Chapter 27: I am Nuclear
I walked forward, my black sword humming with energy in my hand.
Afro stood at the far end, his eyes glowing a fierce red, dark aura swirling around him. His claws flexed menacingly, sharp enough to tear through anything in their path.
"This is the first time, I'll be using it." I said, smiling as I walked towards him. "Try not to dissapoint me."
I twirled my sword once, feeling the cool energy resonate through it, then dashed forward in an instant, closing the gap between us in a blur.
CLANG!
Afro's claws clashed against my sword, the impact sending sparks flying in all directions. His red eyes glared into mine as we locked in a battle of strength.
"You're faster than I expected," Afro grunted, pushing back against my blade. "But it doesn't matter. I'll tear you apart, piece by piece."
I smirked, leaning in closer, our faces inches apart. "Oh? Is that what you've been trying to do all this time? I thought you were just warming up."
Afro growled, thrusting me back with a powerful swipe of his claws. I stumbled back a few steps, but my footing remained firm.
I adjusted my grip on the sword, shaking my head with a grin. "Seriously, this is getting boring now"
"You think I'm not serious?" Afro roared, his aura intensifying, swirling around him like a black tempest. "You're going to regret underestimating me!"
He lunged at me again, his claws slashing through the air with deadly precision. But this time, I didn't bother dodging. With a swift motion, I raised my sword and parried his attack effortlessly, knocking his clawed hand to the side. The sound of metal scraping against bone echoed through the chamber.
Afro staggered back, his eyes wide with shock. "What… how?"
I shrugged. "I've just been playing around so far. You know, giving you a chance to show off. But I guess I'm done with that now."
Afro's face contorted in rage. "You arrogant fool!"
He launched himself at me, faster this time, his claws glowing. He swung wildly, his strikes faster and harder than before, but I was always one step ahead, sidestepping his attacks with ease.
As I ducked under another slash, I whispered, "Too slow."
I spun around, delivering a swift kick to his face. The force of the blow sent him crashing into the wall behind him, the stone cracking under the impact. Afro growled in pain, but he wasn't done yet.
With a furious scream, he gathered dark energy into his claws, the aura around him growing denser, thicker.
I tilted my head, watching him carefully. "Oh, come on. You really think more darkness is going to help you here?"
"Shut up!" Afro snarled. His claws grew longer, sharper, and with a single, powerful swipe, he charged at me. But before his claws could even touch me, I moved in a blur of speed.
SHING!
My sword gleamed in the dim light, cutting through the air with precision.
Afro froze mid-attack, his eyes widening in disbelief. Slowly, he looked down at his hand—his fingers were gone.
"You…" he stammered, taking a step back as his other hand trembled. "You… cut off my fingers."
I smiled, twirling the sword in my hand like a toy. "Yep. And I'm just getting started."
Afro roared in anger, lunging at me with the remains of his hands, but with another swift motion, I sliced through his other hand, severing it cleanly from his wrist.
His scream echoed through the chamber as he staggered back, clutching the bloody stumps where his hands used to be.
"You… you bastard!" Afro spat, his voice filled with pain and fury.
I shrugged again, casually wiping the blood from my blade. "What can I say? You're just not that impressive."
Afro's eyes burned with hatred as he gathered dark energy in his remaining limbs.
Black orbs of energy formed around him, crackling with power. With a furious roar, he hurled them at me, one after another. The dark spheres flew through the air, fast and deadly, but I wasn't worried.
With a single, fluid motion, I swung my sword, deflecting each energy ball as if they were nothing more than harmless sparks.
Each one shattered upon contact with my blade, deflected into air and crashing around the hall.
"Really?" I said, blocking another energy ball. "This is your big move?"
Afro screamed in frustration, launching more and more dark energy towards me. But I deflected them all with ease, walking towards him as I did so. The energy cracked against my blade like lightning, but none of it even scratched me.
Finally, we ended up at the far corner of the chamber, away from most of the humans who were still fleeing the chaos.
Afro, panting heavily stumbled backward, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"This… this can't be happening," he muttered, more to himself than to me. "I can't lose… I'm Lord Afro. I have fed on the energy of thousands. I have the power of darkness itself!"
I chuckled softly, shaking my head. "That's cute. But, you see, your biggest mistake was thinking you were invincible." I took another step closer, lifting my sword slightly. "Now it's time to end this."
Afro's dark aura exploded around him one last time, engulfing his body in black energy. The force of it cracked the floor beneath him and sent a shockwave through the air. "I… I won't lose!" he screamed, his voice filled with desperation. "I will never lose!"
I raised my left hand's fingers slowly, feeling the energy gather around me. "You're done, Afro."
His eyes widened as I whispered, "Zone."
Suddenly, a blue-purple aura spread out from me, enveloping the entire chamber. The energy crackled and sparked around us, filling the room with a pulsating light. Afro staggered back.
He stared at me in disbelief as I clenched my fist, slowly, deliberately. It felt as if the time has been slow down to miliseconds
"I.....am..…" I said, with a very deep dense voice as if a true demon itself is speaking.
I lifted my sword high above my head, the blue-purple aura flowing along the blade.
Afro took a step back, fear finally flashing in his eyes.
".....Nuclear."
My voice echoed throughout the sorority house, vibrating through the walls and the ground.
And then, in an instant, a massive explosion of blue-purple energy erupted in front of me.
The shockwave tore through the chamber, obliterating everything in its path. The side of the sorority hall shattered, the debris flying into the sky as the explosion ripped through the building. The energy shot upward, piercing the sky itself, lighting up the entire city in a brilliant flash of blue and purple.
Far across the city, people stopped in their tracks, staring at the massive column of light shooting into the heavens.
"Look there's a light."
"What is happening there?"
Children pointed and gasped at the sight, their faces lighting up with awe.
"Wow. It's shinning."
While knights and guards looked on in confusion, unsure of what they were witnessing.
Even the Queen, from her distant palace, gazed upon the scene with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
As the debris began to settle and the dust slowly faded, I stood there amidst the ruins, my sword still glowing with the fading remnants of energy.
Afro lay at my feet, his body batered and broken, blood pooling around him.
His limbs were gone, and his once-mighty form was now nothing more than a wrecked shell of what he used to be.
"I... I can't believe…" Afro rasped, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I… can't…"
I looked down at him, my expression calm. "To think you're still alive," I said softly, almost in admiration.
Afro coughed, blood dripping from his mouth. He looked up at me, his eyes flickering with a faint realization. "Oh… now I see… You must be… Zero… Our greatest enemy…"
I nodded, a small smile on my face. "You're not wrong."
Afro laughed weakly, a bitter, broken sound. "I thought… I could win… But… your power…"
I didn't mock him this time. I just watched as he struggled to speak, his life slowly fading away.
He looked at me one last time, a twisted smile on his face. "You might have beaten me… but my energy… it doesn't just radiate from me."
Suddenly, I noticed the people in masks standing in the hall, their bodies beginning to pulse with dark energy.
The same black aura that surrounded Afro began to flow into them, their eyes glowing with the same red light.
Afro smirked, even as he lay dying. "You might survive me… but how will you fight them?"
The masked figures began to move, surrounding me slowly, their eyes burning with the same evil energy that once flowed through Afro.