The Moonlight Swordsman



While the nobles and prince were having their meeting, Aizel was catching his breath, resting his weary body after a long day of battling the monsters that plagued the area.

He rested on the rocky ground and stared up at the stars, their beauty a stark contrast to the peril he faced below.

He knew that the night was almost over and the sun would soon rise, but he couldn't shake the feeling he hadn't yet faced the most dangerous challenge that lay ahead of him.

"Still no Grade III monster. Were things overhyped here?

"I wonder why no high-grade mages have cleared this, I bet they could clear it with one or two attacks.

"Is it because once you become too powerful, this type of thing doesn't matter anymore?"

As Aizel sat quietly, he felt a tiny stinging sensation in his head and reached up to massage his temple.

"Why is this happening now? I didn't spend that much mental energy, nor did I overwork my core."

Aizel felt a surge of tremendous emotion that caused his hand to reflexively grasp for his head. As the feeling intensified, he began to nod off, and the next thing he knew, he was seated in front of a blazing city.

To his horror, he realized it was Felgura City, with pole spikes jutting from the ground, adorned with the severed heads of its citizens.

Blood gushed from their open wounds as he looked into the lifeless eyes of the victims.

And at the center of it, all were the faces of Daisy and the other children.

"No no no no what is happening?"

Aizel's legs shook as he got to his feet, but as he did, he took off running in the direction of Daisy and the other kids' faces. Tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes as he ran frantically. Finally, he reached the spike and carefully pulled it out of the ground.

"Hahahaha…Told you, Aizel, if you had agreed to help me, this would not have happened.

"They died because of you, Aizel. Everyone in the city is dead because of you. How are you going to pay for the sins?"

Aizel's ears perked up as he followed the direction of the voice's resonance.

Tears of wrath and grief welled up in his eyes as he stared at Vespara floating above him.

She seemed to take pleasure in the carnage she had wreaked, celebrating the mayhem and suffering she had brought upon defenseless people.

"W..Why d-did you do this,"

"Because they were in my way, Aizel, and you are too. It's time for you to die too,"

"You motherfucker did the one last thing you shouldn't have done. Vespara never CALLS ME

BY MY NAMEEEEE..."

*PSSSSSS* *PSSSSSS* *PSSSSSS* *PSSSSSS*

*VROOOOMMMM*

Aizel's hellfire armor screamed as his blade fans whirled rapidly, spewing jet steam smoke out of all the vents.

Tiny spikes suddenly emerged from within the armor and pierced his body, causing him immense pain.

"YAAAAAAAAAA…."

Aizel's vision cleared as he let out a scream, feeling a tight grip around his tail.

He soon realized a huge mountain snake was gently squeezing the life out of him with each breath it took.

In a desperate attempt to save himself, Aizel's armor roared to life, emitting blue flames and smoke that burned the snake's tail. The Grade III snake let out a hiss of agony as it loosened its hold on Aizel.

"YOU INFERIOR CREATURE, HOW DARE YOU SHOW ME AN ILLUSION WITH MY LOVED ONES..."

Aizel's authoritative voice echoed off the mountains and shook the ground.

As he held Sekki, the sword began to hum and emit a bright glow. Suddenly, another sword appeared in his left hand, an exact replica of Sekki.

*Vrooommm*

Aizel's armor let out a deafening roar once more as he tightly gripped both Sekki and its exact copy in his left hand.

Suddenly, both swords ignited in a bright blue blaze.

With his leg muscles tightening, Aizel propelled himself towards the towering snake, releasing a burst of blue flames from his mouth that engulfed his body.

In an instant, jet smoke spewed out of his armor, causing him to spin furiously and increase his speed, like a blue-burning meteor.

Before the snake had time to respond, Aizel sliced through it with his flaming swords, leaving a massive X-shaped mark of fire on its body. The blue flames tore into the snake's body, and blood spurted from the wound.

The snake's internal organs were being brutally burned by the expanding blue flames, causing it to writhe in pain and thrash about wildly.

Despite its struggles, the fire continued to burn until the snake collapsed to the ground, writhing and convulsing.

Aizel approached the creature steadily, and with a flick of his wrist, Sekki extended into a long, blazing blade. In a single swift motion, Aizel raised the sword and beheaded the snake, finally ending its life.

"Motherfucker really had me there."

*Pssssssssss*

The snake's hissing gradually subsided and the battle concluded, and Aizel's armor slowed down.

The fans that had been spinning at full speed began to slow down, and the jet steam released from every hole slowly subsided.

The tiny spikes that had emerged from the armor and penetrated Aizel's body began to retract back into the armor, leaving no trace of their presence.

"Ouch, it hurts. Are you going to leave holes every time I use you?"

Suddenly, the green blood of the slain creature began to pool and flow towards Aizel's armor as he stood there.

The armor eventually became drenched as blood seeped into it. As if by magic, Aizel watched in wonder as his wounds and injuries began to heal.

"Now I really understand why the magic artifacts are so powerful. Grade really doesn't matter to them, and Grandmaster Gogo really made one hell of an armor."

*Psss* *Psss*

"Oh, so you do understand that, hehe"

*Humm*

"Yes Yes, Sekki, you are overpowered too."

"Now let's head toward the peak; I am sure of it; this was not the last Grade III monster.

"Even though it was Grade III, it was pretty weak, and it was only good at illusion.

"Illusions and mental attacks really are my weakness, I need to find a way to defend against this."