Online In Another World

"It won't reach."

A stomp from the foot of the legendary warrior emitted a force strong enough to rip up the cobblestone around him, dispelling the incoming arrows that came from the front before he squeezed the handle of his sword.

The crimson-haired man spun around with a masterful slash of his sword; the speed at which he swung it, the perfect trajectory in which he moved it–such factors played into the majestic, yet horrifying result of the "spatial slash".

Space warped around the blindfolded swordsman, contorting it as it vibrated with a deafening hum before–all of the projectiles were cut away as if never there.

"...Hm," Avdima looked as bored as ever.

Godfrey held a giant smile, ready for more as he parted his lips, "That again?"

The words weren't meant for Avdima, but the man who attempted to attack his back. Vandread ducked down just then as Godfrey spun around with a slash that cleaved the air itself. A dart shot straight for Godfrey's head before being dodged by a simple head movement, bringing the man's attention to the elf who shot it.

"Weaklings always find the most annoying ways to fight, huh? Not that I mind–give me everything you've got before I wipe you out!" Godfrey announced with a smile.

Before the legendary swordsman could retaliate against Vandread or Blimpo, he was pushed back as Avdima blasted him back with an infused kick, unleashing a riptide of darkness that swept the swordsman off of his feet.

Godfrey flipped back, catching himself against the wall with a bright grin, shuffling his bound arm before snapping it free from its hold. The emergence of the man's bandage-wrapped around seemed as though a portion of his natural aura had been unshackled as well, producing a sense of despair that hung dense around the courtyard.

"I can't remember the last time an opponent forced me to use both arms. Prepare yourself, Avdima!" Godfrey shouted, "Don't die on me now! Not before I've had my fill!"

The baggy-eyed man stood with an abyssal aura around himself, seeming to indulge the wishes of the battle-loving legend.

"You two–stay back. I'm going to get destructive now," Avdima said.

Blimpo blinked, "You…weren't already destructive?!"

There was hardly anything that could be done by the two as the clash of the two figures felt out of the realm of mortals to step into.

"Erebus: Era of Terror."

Once more, Avdima unleashed the tidal wave of darkness; an abyssal sea that consumed all in its path, leaving only death and emptiness behind. Even so, Godfrey confronted this natural disaster openly with a grin, squeezing the handle of his black-steel sword with both hands before unleashing a counter slash of his own:

"Sword God Style: Total Bisection."

The swift movement of the sword surpassed the concept of range entirely, ripping through the air with such masterful violence that sound itself failed to manifest for that brief second. It was but with nothing but his blade and technique honed by endless battles did Godfrey cut through the life-consuming wave of darkness.

"C'mon! You'll need more than that!" Godfrey taunted.

"I've got much more than that," Avdima quietly responded.

'Just who is this "Avdima" person, anyway? He hardly seems to be taking this fight seriously, yet he's pushing somebody like the "Crimson Death' this hard. He's an enigma,' Vandread thought.

Avdima moved with speed unable to be perceived by neither the elf nor the veteran adventurer; a sweeping darkness that Godfrey met with an open smile, swinging his sword towards what only looked like blinking shades of darkness that swept around.

Each slash that the legendary swordsman used cut through the air as though it were the flesh of his enemies; rending the abyssal sky and carving through the land without restraint. Avdima did well to remain elusive to the edge of the man's rangeless cuts, flipping around them before tossing a sphere of destructive darkness forth:

"Erebus: Taste of Death."

The massive boulder of the abyss ate through the land before it, though the blindfolded swordsman merely flexed his arms, wielding his pitch-black sword with both hands, squeezing it with enough force to crack the wind.

"Sword God Style: Erase Thy Enemy."

It couldn't be perceived; the strike came so fast that the resulting sound only came moments later before the entirety of the grass around Godfrey was eradicated, cutting the sphere of darkness into tens of thousands, if not millions of particles that dissipated quickly. 𝙛𝑟𝑒e𝘸𝑒𝗯𝘯𝗼𝘃el.𝒄𝒐m

Godfrey couldn't help but grin, reminiscing of the days when he was unshackled from the realm of death in times of glory.

["...How long ago was it that my blade still shined brightly with the glow of spotless silver? I slew so many thousands of enemies–worthy and unworthy–staining my blade. I never washed the blood of my foes from it; it was a reminder of them and the battles they offered to me with their lives. Overtime, this hunk of steel that was nothing special became both "blessed" and "cursed" by all of that spilled blood. But, Avdima! Your blood will be the greatest offering to my blade! Let's dance till death does us part!"]

Breaking through the bounds of the courtyard, the battle took to the eastern section of the checkered forest, where those unbound by the normal limits of human beings clashed. Godfrey's feet slid across the grass as he smiled ear-to-ear, slashing downward as the wind howled, unleashing a massive wind pressure forth:

"Sword God Style: Crater of War."

The land was split; the soil cleaved through deeply as a new crater filled the forest, parting the mist with the howl of wind as Avdima defensed with a shield of darkness in front of himself:

"Erebus: Maw of The Bottomless Fiend."

The barrier of darkness held an open mouth, which openly ate the slice of wind pressure before spitting it back out as a loogie of darkness. It came with such speed that it distorted space, eating away at it as it instantaneously blasted against the legendary, battle-loving swordsman.

"Oh!"

The impact created a swirling explosion of darkness which hummed with an augury of death, decaying the surrounding nature as the white leaves dried up and crumbled away, while the black decayed, turning white.

–Even still, the massive release of anti-matter darkness couldn't bring the legend down as the resulting smoke was forced away by a swing of that blood-stained sword.

Godfrey stood, his yukata being tattered as his chest lay bare–now covered in cuts and bruises, yet his smile did not fade.

"I almost died again! Hah!...I'm not the only one enjoying this, am I, Avdima?" Godfrey asked with a grin.

It was true; the once emotionless-seeming man was now smiling himself, clearly enlightened by the prospect of fighting a worthy foe.

"There were few in my life that could make my blood run hot in my veins and make my heart beat with the joy of life again–you're one of them, Godfrey," Avdima said as his tied hair came loose, cascading down his back as he cracked his knuckles.

Godfrey raised his bandaged arm, slowly pulling down the blindfold that sealed his eyes, revealing that they were pitch-black with irises that resemble a scarlet kaleidoscope. They were inhuman, yet transcendent in some way.

"I won't hold anything back against you, Avdima," Godfrey said, "So, give me everything you've got in return!"

"Without a doubt," Avdima obliged as a massive pillar of darkness manifested from him, revealing his unrestrained aura that sent tremors through the vast land.

["Even in death, the dreams of the dead can be found; unshackled by the realm beyond life, those with the vigor to always look forward and pursue their goals, no matter what the cost or without second thought, can live all the same in death."]

Avdima called out to the two who were standing at the sidelines, "You both–return to your friend; I have this."

Blimpo looked hesitant, "Are ya sure? I mean…"

"I am sure. Now go," Avdima clarified.

Vandread recognized the futility of his and the elf's presence in such a battle, only nodding as the battle between legends, worlds apart, brought together, continued throughout the After.

[The great battle between the Sword God Style inventor and the man hailing from the mysterious world of "Gaia" would continue for weeks and even months, reshaping the land as the two warriors smiled and laughed as their hearts thumped in their chests as if experiencing the highs of life.]

—

[The Checkered Forest]

Rushing through the forest, Asher found himself once more forced onto the defense as all he could do was block and attempt to evade the speed of the true form of the Speed Demon. Every sharp turn he took, every roll and dodge he used in an attempt to subvert the demon's pursuit, he found it immediately appearing beside him with that malevolent grin.

"Slow," it taunted him again.

The words met his ears just as a set of blows thundered against his body, knocking him off of his pace as he rolled to the side.

"Tch," Asher quietly clicked his tongue.

'It somehow got even faster. Just how fast can this thing go?' He questioned.