Kapitel 464: Sometimes, a man has to...

"Since you are not coming down…", "Tsss", "Ziit", "Click, Click, Click", "Swoosh!", "...Moon Blade: Sharpshooter Form", I said and aimed my bow at Aranak. "Interesting weapon Human. I might be tempted to keep it for my collection", he said before raising his arms. "Swoosh!", "Swoosh!", "Swoosh!...", I shot one arrow after another, each with different Element. 'Fire, Earth, Fire, Air, Air, Earth…', I said in my mind judging which Element the arrows had.

"BOOOM!", "Bam!...Voom!", "BOOOM!", "Swoosh!... Screech!"... The arrows flew at his defensive Formations, each producing different results. Fire Element produced large explosions, Earth Element collapsed the Formations, while Wind Element pierced right through them. I didn't stop firing the arrows, but Aranak was able to cope with my attacks. "Not bad, these are some powerful arrows. The idea of incorporating Elements is great too, but this will get you nowhere", he said.

'Arts Mastery: Illusionary Shot', I thought, and ten identical copies of me appeared around the area. Each with a bow and an arrow, each shooting at the same time. As soon as the arrows left the bows, they disappeared. This was no longer a simple attack that utilised an Art, it was a combination of two Arts, two masteries. "BOOOM!", a loud explosion broke the protective Formation Aranak set up. "Again not bad, but...", "Moon Blade: Reaper Form...". "Swoosh!, BAM!... SCREEECH!", I swung the scythe as hard as I could, while appearing behind him.

"Shatter!, Shatter!, Shatter!...", the Formations protecting Aranak began shattering like cheap pottery. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Human!", "BAM!". He released enough energy to make the illusion explode. The illusions I created, were no longer basic and simple. These things could attack, and couldn't be simply ignored. As soon as my copy vanished, another attack arrived. "Shooo!, BOOOM!". The condensed ball of fire, slammed into him from below. I wasn't finished though. With his focus on my previous attack, I released another. This time, it was the real me appearing a few metres away from him.

With the scythe in hand, I swung it continuously producing air blades aimed at him. At one point, the scythe separated creating a storm of silver air blades. The barrier protecting him showed cracks, I knew it would give way soon. I used Swords of Rage to make myself spin faster and fast, until the scythe returned back to normal. "RAAH!", I screamed and swung the scythe as strongly as I could. A huge silver air blade left the scythe, flying straight at Aranak. This was not a simple air blade anymore, it was covered with my Unyielding Aura.

"Hmph!", he snorted and extended his hand. "BOOM!...SCReeeech…", the silver air blade disappeared into thin air, while Aranak stood there unharmed. "I must say, you are indeed different. You should be proud, Human. I will show you my real power", he said.

'This guy…', I thought upon landing on the ground. I changed the Moon Blade's Form back to the bow, and awaited his attack. I could feel something powerful waking up inside Aranak. A dark smoke escaped his body, and I felt a familiar power. As soon as he extended his arm, I evaded immediately. "VOOOM!", a huge hole appeared in the place I stood. 'Just as I suspected, the Darkness Element', I thought while moving constantly.

Aranak simply stood in the air, pointing his finger at my locations and creating a multitude of holes on the ground. "You don't seem surprised Human, have you seen this power before?", he asked. I wasn't surprised, because I was able to use that as well. The problem was, North lacked night and day cycles, there was no Darkness Element present. "How did you collect the Darkness Element?", I asked while running and shooting.

My arrows simply disappeared, before they could even arrive near Aranak. "Darkness Element? Is that how you call it? It's not called Darkness Element, this is the Void Element". I didn't know how he managed to collect the Void Element inside North, but I knew this was bad. The Element was really powerful, it would disintegrate anything in its path.

'There's no other choice', I thought and hid the Moon Blade away. "Have you given up, Human?", Aranak asked. 'No, I intend to end this. All Elements must have their limits, even this Void Element', I thought and began condensing a spear in my hand. "Oh? You still have tricks up your sleeve?", Aranak asked while stopping his assault. I snorted, "Are you that confident? For you to wait so patiently, you must have great faith in that Element". "I told you Human, I will show you the difference between our powers. Condense your Aura, show me the most powerful attack you can muster!", he exclaimed.

I poured everything I had into that spear. Every Aura, every last bit of energy, for this one final shot. "Booom!", the ground beneath my hand caved in and shattered. The spear became incredibly dense and heavy, but it didn't wail, screech or make any noises, it was serene. "Oh! That is very interesting, Human. Come, show me your strength!", he exclaimed again. "Arts… Mastery… Unyielding Spear!", I exclaimed while throwing the spear at him. "VOOOM!", the spear travelled a few metres before disappearing. When it appeared again, there were hundreds of them surrounding Aranak.

He extended his hands, and willed the Void Element to cover his body. Although he disappeared from my view, the spears were already aimed at his location. Ear piercing screeches reverberated through the area, as they clashed with the invisible Aranak. Although loads of spears were destroyed, his protection suffered as well. After about half of the spears hit him, I could already make out the hooded figure inside the protective barrier.

"Did you think those spears were illusions?... All of those spears are real, all of them possess the same power", I said towards him. I created an illusion, without an illusion. He expected for me to use it, but I didn't. This was the combination of Art of War and Hidden Weapons, but I made it look like the Art of Stealth was involved as well. More spears arrived, while Aranak became more visible. "AAAAAH!", he screamed trying to resist the spears flying his way. With only ten spears left, he was almost defenceless.

He resorted to using Formations, because his Void Element couldn't keep up. "You damned Human! Don't be so smug just yet!", he exclaimed while more Formations appeared. All of them were being shattered by my spears. Everything vanished, but a lone spear. "Swoosh!", "BOOOM!". This was a direct hit, he had to take damage from that. Silence filled the area. No corpse fell down, only a cloud of smoke hung in the air. "... Grrrr… Are you happy Human?", Aranak's voice sounded from within the cloud of smoke.

I smiled, "I would be happy, if you actually perished". "BOOM!", I got slammed into the ground. "I give you that. You were the strongest Human I ever faced. That alone is a great honor for you", he said. I struggled to pick myself up, and barely managed that. "You still have strength to stand, a true warrior indeed. You deserve a proper death, Human".

Sometimes, a man can't give up…

"Boom!", "Where do you think you are going?", "Booom!", "Argh!".

Sometimes, a man has to carry everything on his shoulders...

"Still alive?", "Boom!, Boom!, Boom!, Boom!...".

But sometimes, that is not enough…

"BOOM!".

"This is where you life ends, Human", he said while lifting me into the air. "You fought well, I can respect that. Once you are gone, I will not kill your friends. Consider this as a gift from me, while I'll take your weapon as your gift to me", he added. I laughed and coughed up some blood. "I already proved one thing", I said weakly. "What would that be?", he asked. "You are like any other creature. You bleed as well. You are as mortal as I am… One day… One day your life will end as well", I replied. "Boom!", he threw me to the ground.

I could hear people calling my name, but it was no use. I used everything I had just to wound him. I couldn't move anymore, this was the end indeed. As I closed my eyes, I felt regret. I regretted not spending more time with Fox. I regretted my lack of power, the inability to help Frosty when it was necessary. 'Would I do things differently, if I could turn back time?... Probably not', I thought. I didn't regret my life. However tough it was, there were people who cared. People I could call my friends, people I could call my family.

My old friends and my family appeared in front of me. 'It seems I am about to join you guys. It's been a journey indeed… Father, Mother, Shelly, Nick and you Dina… I shall also leave with a smile on my face'. I felt strangely at peace. Although this was the end for me, I was satisfied with my life. It was time to let go of everything.