The battlefield was in ruins. Fires burned, the ground was littered with bodies, and the sky was dark with smoke. Luz stood weakly, gripping his Sword of Light, breathing heavily as he faced his dark clone. It had no emotions, no hesitation—just pure strength and destruction.
Den stood at a distance, watching the fight with a smirk despite his own injuries. "End this," he commanded.
The clone lunged at Luz with insane speed, throwing a punch so powerful that Luz barely had time to block. The impact sent him skidding across the battlefield, his feet dragging against the dirt. The force shook the ground, making even the dark soldiers step back.
Luz gritted his teeth. This thing is a monster…
"Are you scared, Luz?" Den mocked. "Your own power… and yet you can't control it."
Luz ignored him. He couldn't overpower the clone head-on—it was too strong. He had to outthink it.
The clone charged at Luz again, aiming to finish him.
Now!
Luz created his own clone using light energy—a perfect copy of himself. It stood beside him, glowing faintly.
The dark clone saw it and instantly attacked, thinking it was real.
It was a mistake.
Luz's fake clone vanished in a flash of light, revealing it was just an illusion. The real Luz had already positioned himself behind the dark clone.
Before the dark clone could react, Luz stabbed his sword straight into its stomach.
But the dark clone was still alive. It didn't feel pain. It roared, grabbing Luz by the neck, lifting him off the ground. Luz struggled, his vision blurring from the lack of air.
Then, something unexpected happened—the dark clone's body began to glow.
It's going to explode!
Luz realized it too late. A blinding light burst out as the clone's body detonated like a flash bomb, covering the battlefield in pure white light.
Everyone—even Den—was momentarily blinded, but Luz had expected this.
The dark clone stumbled, completely blinded for a few seconds.
Luz took his chance.
He rushed forward and shoved his sword straight into the clone's mouth.
The clone's dark eyes widened in shock. It tried to move, but Luz lifted the sword upwards—slicing its head in half.
As the clone's body collapsed, Luz looked down at it and said,
"This is the power of a Light Descendant."
The battlefield fell silent.
Den's smirk was gone. His expression turned cold and angry as he watched his "perfect" clone fall, lifeless.
The dark army hesitated. Seeing their strongest weapon defeated, they knew they couldn't win this fight.
"Fall back!" Den finally commanded. The dark side retreated, vanishing into the shadows.
Meanwhile, in different cities across Aetheris, the light warriors fought back, taking advantage of the dark army's retreat. Some of the cities Den had conquered were now freed.
Luz stood tall, holding his Sword of Light, watching the enemies disappear into the distance. His body was covered in wounds, but he refused to fall.
Den watched from afar, his eyes filled with rage. This wasn't over. Not yet.
The war continued, and the balance of power had shifted once again.
What will Den's next move be?