Chapter 25: The Commander of Valenhart
The ancient Emberthorn Forest stood silently beneath a crimson sunset.
Towering trees stretched toward the heavens like giant pillars supporting the sky itself, Their bark shimmered with faint silver veins, and their leaves glowed with an ethereal red hue that painted the forest in shades of fire and blood.
Hundreds of soldiers had gathered within a large clearing.
Some sat around campfires while roasting meat, Others sharpened their swords, spears, and axes with practiced motions, Laughter occasionally echoed through the camp as warriors exchanged stories of past battles.
Despite the relaxed atmosphere, an air of anticipation lingered in the forest.
Everyone knew why they were here.
A duel.
A duel between two monsters.
Near the center of the clearing stood a young woman.
Her long golden hair flowed down her back like liquid sunlight, Her golden eyes were calm and unwavering, carrying the authority of someone who had commanded countless battlefields.
She wore elegant silver armor decorated with the crest of the Valenhart Kingdom a soaring dragon surrounded by golden flames.
Her name was Aria Valencrest.
The Commander of the Valenhart Kingdom.
The strongest kingdom in the world.
At the moment, Aria stood silently with her eyes closed.
Her hands were clasped together as though she were offering a prayer.
A gentle breeze swept through the clearing.
Then
"Thud"
"Thud"
Heavy footsteps echoed.
The soldiers turned their heads.
A giant man walked toward the battlefield.
His height exceeded two meters.
His body was covered in mountains of muscle, and countless scars decorated his skin like trophies earned through endless combat.
A massive sword rested on his shoulder.
His name was Darius Blackthorn.
One of the strongest wandering swordsmen on the continent.
The moment he appeared, whispers spread through the camp.
"That’s Darius Blackthorn."
"He looks even stronger than the rumors."
"Look at those muscles..."
A soldier nudged his friend.
"Hey, who do you think will win?"
His friend immediately answered.
"Darius Blackthorn."
"Why?"
The soldier pointed toward the giant swordsman.
"Look at him. His physique alone is terrifying. One punch from him could probably shatter a mountain."
"Yeah..."
However, another soldier shook his head.
"I disagree."
The others looked at him.
"You think the Commander will win?"
"Of course."
The soldier crossed his arms.
"If she wasn’t strong, she would never have become the Commander of Valenhart."
"And don’t forget..."
He lowered his voice dramatically.
"Valenhart is the strongest kingdom in the world."
The surrounding soldiers nodded thoughtfully.
A third soldier scratched his chin.
"You have a point..."
"But I still think Darius wins."
"Then let’s bet."
A grin appeared on everyone’s faces.
Soon more soldiers joined.
Then even more.
Within minutes nearly one hundred soldiers had gathered around the betting circle.
"I bet on Darius."
"Same."
"Me too."
"I’ll choose Commander Aria."
The betting continued.
When everything was finalized.
Seventy soldiers believed Darius would win.
Thirty soldiers believed Aria would emerge victorious.
The rules were simple.
If Darius won, the seventy soldiers would receive ten gold coins each.
If Aria won, the thirty supporters would receive thirty gold coins each.
The excitement instantly exploded.
Meanwhile.
The two fighters finally stood face-to-face.
The forest became silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Darius rested his massive sword on his shoulder.
"I’ve wanted this fight for years."
Aria opened her eyes.
Golden light flickered within them.
"As have I."
A smile appeared on Darius’s face.
"Good."
BOOM!
Without warning.
The ground beneath his feet exploded.
His enormous body shot forward like a meteor.
The earth shattered.
Shockwaves ripped through the forest.
Many soldiers stumbled backward from the pressure alone.
Darius swung his sword.
A single slash.
Yet that slash carried enough force to split continents.
The space around the blade distorted violently.
Aria calmly raised her own sword.
CLANG!
The collision shook the world.
A deafening explosion erupted.
Thousands of trees were uprooted instantly.
The clouds above were torn apart.
The soldiers watched with wide eyes.
To them, it looked as though two planet-destroying warriors were fighting.
What they didn’t know.
Was that both combatants were suppressing themselves heavily.
If they unleashed their true strength, entire universes would collapse beneath their attacks.
Yet this world was extraordinarily durable.
A world capable of enduring universal-level beings.
BOOM!
The battle intensified.
Darius launched hundreds of attacks every second.
Each swing carried overwhelming destructive force.
His sword became a storm.
A hurricane of death.
Yet Aria blocked every strike.
Her movements were elegant.
Precise.
Perfect.
She flowed through combat like a dancer performing a sacred ritual.
Suddenly.
Darius roared.
His muscles expanded.
Black energy exploded from his body.
The surrounding ground collapsed.
"BLACKSTAR TITAN FORM!"
BOOOOOOM!!
A pillar of darkness erupted into the sky.
The soldiers gasped.
"What the hell?!"
"His aura doubled!"
"No... tripled!"
Darius attacked again.
This time his sword descended with enough force to flatten entire worlds.
Aria’s eyes narrowed.
For the first time.
She moved seriously.
Golden flames erupted around her body.
The forest was illuminated by divine light.
A majestic aura spread across the battlefield.
The soldiers felt their knees weaken.
"Commander..."
"She’s terrifying..."
Aria raised her sword.
"Golden Sovereign Art."
A single step.
Then.
She vanished.
Darius’s eyes widened.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
CLANG!
A strike landed against his sword.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
Thousands of golden slashes filled the battlefield.
The entire forest became a sea of golden light.
Darius was pushed backward repeatedly.
His expression turned serious.
For the first time in years.
He felt pressure.
Real pressure.
"HAHAHAHA!"
He laughed loudly.
"This is incredible!"
His aura exploded once more.
He swung his sword with all his strength.
The attack transformed into a gigantic black crescent.
The sky split apart.
The earth trembled.
Everything in its path was annihilated.
Aria calmly watched it approach.
Then.
She closed her eyes.
Silence descended.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
When she opened her eyes again .
The world seemed to stop.
"Divine Judgment."
A single slash.
Nothing more.
A thin golden line crossed the battlefield.
The black crescent shattered instantly.
Darius’s eyes widened.
His strongest attack...
Destroyed with one strike.
Before he could react.
Aria appeared directly before him.
Their eyes met.
For the first time, Darius understood.
She had been holding back from the beginning.
Far more than he had.
His lips curved into a smile.
"You’re incredible."
Aria nodded respectfully.
"So are you."
Then.
Their swords collided one final time.
CLANG!!
A sound like the birth of a universe echoed throughout the forest.
Cracks spread across Darius’s blade.
His eyes widened.
The cracks multiplied.
Then.
SHATTER!!
His sword exploded into countless fragments.
Silence.
The battlefield froze.
Darius stared at the broken remains of his weapon.
Then he laughed.
A genuine laugh.
"I lost."
The clearing erupted.
"WHAT?!"
"Commander Aria won!"
"No way!"
"She actually broke his sword!"
The thirty soldiers who supported Aria jumped in celebration.
"We won!"
"Thirty gold coins!"
"Hahaha!"
Meanwhile, the seventy supporters of Darius looked devastated.
"My money..."
"I can’t believe this..."
"I’m never betting again."
Darius approached Aria.
Then bowed respectfully.
A gesture that shocked everyone present.
"You have my respect, Commander."
Aria returned the bow.
"And you have mine."
The setting sun cast its golden light upon the battlefield.
The duel had ended.
But its legend would spread across the entire continent.
For generations to come, people would speak of the battle in Emberthorn Forest.
The battle where Commander Aria Valencrest of the Valenhart Kingdom shattered the sword of Darius Blackthorn and proved why she stood among the strongest warriors in existence.