The first strike drew blood.
Marek staggered back, crimson soaking into his shoulder. But there was no pain on his face—only amusement.
"Well," he muttered, rolling his shoulder as the wound stitched itself shut. "This might actually be fun."
Then he vanished.
No sound. No warning. Just… gone.
But I was already moving.
A split second later, the ground where I had stood erupted into a crater, obliterated by the force of his strike. A direct hit would have turned me to dust. But I wasn't the same boy he had left broken from years ago.
I twisted midair, flipping over him, my blade flashing toward his throat.
He evaded effortlessly, and the mere pressure of his movement sent shockwaves rippling through the ruins. The remnants of a collapsed skyscraper were sucked into the force, lifted into the sky like leaves in a storm.
Marek grinned. "Fast."
I didn't answer.
I surged forward, my blade singing through the air. He met my attack with his bare hands, deflecting each strike with raw strength. Metal rang against reinforced flesh, the impact splitting the earth beneath us. Cracks tore through the battlefield, spreading like veins of destruction.
Then he countered.
His fist tore through the air toward my ribs. I twisted at the last second, avoiding the full force, but the shockwave still sent me crashing through a crumbling tower. Steel and concrete exploded outward, dust swallowing the battlefield.
Before I could land, he was already there.
Marek loomed above me, his fist drawn back, ready to crush me into oblivion.
I reacted instinctively.
[Apex Titan Mode]
The world slowed.
Power surged through my veins, my body adapting to every motion before it even happened. My blade swung—not to block, but to redirect.
Marek's punch connected—just not with me.
The force met my sword and redirected skyward, splitting the heavens in two. Clouds twisted into a vortex, as if the very fabric of the sky had been torn apart.
For a fraction of a second, Marek looked… surprised.
I drove my knee into his chest.
A shockwave detonated outward, sending him rocketing through four buildings before he vanished beneath the rubble.
Silence fell.
The battlefield lay in ruins. Whatever was left of the city had been obliterated by our clash. Dust and debris choked the air, turning the sky to shadow.
But I wasn't done.
I stepped forward—
And the ground beneath me erupted.
A pillar of crimson energy shot from the wreckage, carving through the sky. The sheer force of it warped the air, bending reality itself.
Marek emerged. His eyes burned red, his body crackling with uncontained power. His grin was gone.
"No more playing around" he said his expression becoming serious.
Lightning arced around him. The ground at his feet melted from the sheer heat of his energy. His aura pulsed—a living storm of destruction.
For the first time in years…
I felt something burning in my heart.
"Come," I said, raising my blade. "Show me what a Titan truly is."
Marek lunged, his crimson aura ripping through the battlefield.
I met him head-on.
Our fists collided, and the resulting shockwave shredded the ruins around us. Buildings that had stood for decades crumbled in an instant. The earth caved beneath us, forming a crater large enough to swallow an entire city block. Even the air itself vibrated, splitting apart from the force of our battle.
But he was too slow.
I saw every move before it happened. Every muscle shift, every micro-adjustment in his stance. My Apex Titan Mode was fully active, my body adapting to his attacks before they landed.
He swung a right hook. I sidestepped, my blade carving across his ribs. Blood sprayed.
He roared, swinging wildly. I ducked, twisting behind him, my knee hammering into his spine. Bones cracked as he was sent flying through the wreckage.
Before he could recover, I was already above him, blade poised.
I struck.
Marek barely managed to block with his forearm—a fatal mistake.
My blade carved through flesh and bone, severing his arm at the elbow.
He howled, staggering back, crimson gushing from the wound. His energy flared wildly, but it was no use. His stance wavered. His strength faded.
And for the first time…
Marek looked afraid.
"You…" he gasped, blood dripping from his lips. "Who are you…"
I stepped forward, my blade gleaming with his blood.
I said, voice cold and empty. "I am justice."
His justice.
The justice of every family he had slaughtered. Every innocent life he had erased. Every soul that had suffered under Titans like him.
But I wouldn't let him die easily.
That would be mercy.
---
Few minutes later---
Marek tried to crawl away.
I grabbed him by the throat, lifting him effortlessly. His remaining hand clawed at my arm, weak and desperate.
"You don't remember me, do you?" I whispered.
His eyes widened. Recognition flickered through the haze of pain.
I tightened my grip. "You killed my family."
Realization dawned.
Then—laughter.
A broken, wheezing sound. Even now, even in defeat, he had the arrogance to laugh.
"Ah… now I remember…" he coughed. "That… the little boy…"
Rage burned in my veins, but I refused to let it control me.
I dropped him. He collapsed onto the rubble.
Then I stomped, shattering his knee.
His scream echoed through the ruins.
Good.
I wrenched his remaining arm back, snapping it at the elbow. Another scream.
I knelt beside him, watching his face contort in agony. "Do you feel it?" I murmured. "The helplessness? The weakness?"
His breath was ragged. "Go to hell…"
I drove my blade into his leg, twisting slowly.
"Hell?" I mused. "You don't deserve hell."
I yanked the blade free. His body convulsed in agony.
"You deserve nothing."
****
Marek's healing faltered. His Titan abilities were failing him. Too much blood lost. Too broken to regenerate.
He knew it.
He looked up at me, lips trembling, fear finally overtaking arrogance.
"P-Please…" he choked.
I stared at him.
This was the man who had butchered my family. Who had stood over my sister's corpse and smirked. Who had ruined countless lives, believing himself untouchable.
And now, he begged.
Pathetic.
I grabbed his face, forcing him to meet my gaze.
"This is what happens," I said, "to those who think they are gods."
Then I drove my blade through his heart.
His body jerked. His crimson eyes widened. Lips parted—perhaps to curse me, perhaps to beg again.
No words came.
I twisted the blade.
And Marek Vallis, the butcher of thousands, the Titan who believed himself invincible—died on his knees.
I pulled my sword free, watching his lifeless body slump forward, blood pooling at my feet.
For years, I had dreamed of this moment.
But there was no satisfaction. No relief.
Only silence.
Only hunger.
Because Marek was just the first.
And there are thousands other titans alive and moving needed to be killed.
TO BE CONTINUE...