The Strongest With Nothing Left

Li gritted his teeth, his body tensing. "Tch…"

The surge of dark energy settled and from the smoldering ground, Malakar rose. But he was no longer the same. His humanoid form was gone replaced by a towering abomination of pure darkness and twisted flesh. His body was now grotesque, covered in jagged spikes and tendrils, his mouth stretching into a gaping maw filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. His eyes once filled with arrogance now burned with pure madness.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!" Malakar's monstrous voice boomed, shaking the entire forest. "YOU THOUGHT YOU KILLED ME?! PATHETIC HUMAN!!"

Li immediately took his stance, katana in hand. "…So you transformed." His tone remained cold, but internally he knew this was bad. The sheer pressure radiating from Malakar now was far beyond what he anticipated. "Tch… annoying."

"NOW DIEEEEE!!" Malakar lunged — his monstrous arm now the size of a small boulder, aiming to crush Li.

Li barely managed to dodge the force of Malakar's strike creating a massive crater where he once stood. "Tch… fast." Without hesitation, Li dashed forward, slashing his katana across Malakar's arm.

The blade bounced off. "…What?" Li's eyes widened slightly. His katana, which could cut through anything barely grazed Malakar's skin. "You've got to be kidding me."

"HAHAHAHAHA!!" Malakar laughed maniacally. "FEELING WEAK, HUMAN?!" He slammed his hand down again, forcing Li to dodge. "I CAN FEEL YOUR FEAR!!"

"Shut up." Li retaliated — this time infusing his blade with his mana. "Haaaah!!" He slashed once more —

But Malakar grabbed the blade mid-swing. "PATHETIC!!"

Malakar crushed the blade in his monstrous grip, snapping it like a twig. "DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT TOY WOULD HURT ME NOW?!" He swung his massive arm SLAM!! sending Li flying through multiple trees.

"Gah—!!" Li crashed hard against a boulder, blood spilling from his mouth. "Damn it…"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!" Malakar approached, his massive form shaking the ground. "I CAN CRUSH YOU LIKE AN INSECT NOW!!"

Li quickly stumbled to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Tch… this is bad." His eyes glanced at his broken katana. "…Useless now."

"WHAT'S WRONG, HUMAN?! WHERE'S THAT CONFIDENCE EARLIER?!" Malakar jeered. "COME ON!! HIT ME!!"

Li's expression darkened. "You want me to hit you? Fine."

He dashed his broken katana still in hand. Malakar roared, slamming his fist down but Li dodged just in time, appearing behind Malakar. "Haaaaah!!" He drove the broken blade into Malakar's back.

Nothing. The blade barely scratched him. "Tch—?!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!!" Malakar spun around, his fist connecting with Li's gut. "DIEEEE!!"

Li was sent crashing again, his body breaking through boulders and trees alike. Blood spewed from his mouth as he hit the ground hard. "Ghhkk…!!" 

"WHAT'S WRONG, HUMAN?!" Malakar slowly approached, his twisted grin widening. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE FEARED!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE STRONG!!"

Li coughed up blood, his body screaming in pain. "Tch…" He tried to stand but his legs buckled.

Malakar raised his monstrous arm. "TIME TO END THIS PATHETIC FARCE!!"

As his massive arm came crashing down —

A burst of energy erupted from Li's hand as he instinctively raised it. Without thinking — he caught Malakar's fist mid-air. "H-Huh…?" Malakar's eyes widened. "W-WHAT?!"

Li's gaze darkened his body moving on pure instinct. "…Not yet." His voice was low deadly.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU—?!"

Li ripped Malakar's arm off. "GAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" Blood sprayed everywhere as Malakar stumbled back in agony. "M-MY ARM!!"

"Shut up." Li's body started moving without hesitation. His mana erupted like wildfire. His hands glowed dark purple, manipulating the mana around him.

"Y-You—!!"

Li dashed forward, his palm grabbing Malakar's head. "You're too loud." Without warning Li blasted a condensed wave of mana, blowing off half of Malakar's face.

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"

"Enough of your screaming." Li's voice was cold. His body screamed in pain but his mind was dead-set on killing Malakar. "I'm ending this now."

"Y-YOU—!!" Malakar tried to fight back — but his strength was rapidly fading. "IMPOSSIBLE!! HOW—?!"

Li's glare was devoid of mercy. "I told you already." He raised his bloodied hand. "Shut. Up."

A sudden explosion of condensed mana erupted from his hand — blasting through Malakar's chest. "GAHHHKKK!!" Blood and flesh splattered everywhere. Malakar's massive form crumbled to his knees. "I-I CAN'T—!!"

"Die."

Li unleashed one final blast of pure mana — completely erasing Malakar's body from existence. Nothing remained. No flesh. No bone. Only silence.

Li stood there, his body heavily damaged, blood oozing from every pore. "…Tch." His vision blurred as his strength finally gave out. "Dammit…"

Li stood amidst the devastation, his body battered and bleeding. "Haa… haa…" His breath was heavy, but his expression? Cold. Unbothered.

The Black Abyss Forest was completely destroyed. Trees turned to ash, the ground split apart from the sheer force of their battle. The air reeked of blood and death and yet, Li's face showed nothing.

He didn't even spare the destruction around him a second glance. The once-feared forest, reduced to nothing, held no significance to him. The lives that may have lived there? He didn't care. The monstrous archdemon he just slew? Meaningless.

"Hmph…" Without hesitation, Li turned his back and began walking away, blood still dripping from his wounds. "Another day, another corpse."

As Li approached the spot where Malakar had perished, there was no trace of a body only the crackling remnants of dark energy where the Archdemon once stood. However, amidst the fading darkness, a single, glowing core floated in the air Malakar's essence.

Without hesitation, Li grabbed it. The core hissed in his hand, radiating pure malice. "Tch… disgusting."

His gaze then shifted to his katana — or what was left of it. The blade was completely shattered, with only the hilt and a few jagged shards remaining. "Hmph… worthless now."

Yet, for some reason, his hand moved on its own. He pressed the core against the remains of his katana.

A violent howl of dark energy erupted from the core. The shattered fragments of his blade quivered, then devoured the core as if it had a will of its own.

Li watched, unflinching. The hilt shook violently in his grasp, dark tendrils forging a new blade from the core itself. The metal turned pitch-black, its surface writhing with faint crimson veins like it was alive. The very air around it grew thick with malice.

The katana was no longer his. It was something else.

"…Tch." Li scoffed, unbothered. "Figures. Even a core like that couldn't fix you properly."

The blade pulsed as if responding to his insult.

Li merely sheathed it without a second glance. "You're still just a tool."

And without another word, he walked away from the carnage, leaving the remains of Malakar and the destroyed forest behind him as if it meant nothing.

Back in the kingdom, the atmosphere within the royal palace was heavy. The king sat upon his throne, his brows furrowed deeply in concern.

One of his royal scouts knelt before him, his voice shaky. "Y-Your Majesty… I-I bring news from the Black Abyss…"

"Speak." The king's tone was firm, but the underlying concern was clear.

"The Black Abyss… it's—it's completely destroyed…! Not a single trace of life remains within it… The land is charred, the skies are still thick with the lingering malice of the Archdemon, and the forest itself… it looks as if it suffered centuries of ruin in mere hours."

The king's face grew pale. "And… what of Li Vrak?"

"He was seen walking away, Your Majesty… alone. Unharmed. As if nothing had happened."

The king leaned back, his hand resting against his chin in deep thought. "…So he really did it…"

"B-But, Your Majesty…" the scout hesitated. "I must ask… was sending him truly the right decision?"

The king's eyes darkened. "You do not understand. Had it not been him, the Archdemon would still be walking this earth. That man may be cold… but he is the only one capable of such a feat."

Silence hung heavily in the throne room.

"And the forest…" The king spoke softly. "It is truly destroyed?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Not even the monsters that once lurked within it survived. It's as if the land was purged by a calamity itself."

The king clenched his fists. "Li Vrak…" he muttered. "What in the world have you become?"

As the heavy throne room doors creaked open, silence immediately fell upon the room. Everyone's eyes turned toward the entrance as a lone figure entered Li Vrak.

His clothes were slightly tattered, his hair messier than usual, and his cold, dead stare never wavered as he walked toward the king. His presence alone was suffocating, and the nobles, who once spoke ill of him, now dared not utter a single word. 

The king sat straighter on his throne, trying to maintain composure. "Li Vrak…"

Without stopping, Li stepped before the throne and dropped something on the ground the shattered horn of the Archdemon Malakar.

"…It's done." Li's voice was void of any emotion. "The Black Abyss is no more. The Archdemon is dead."

A tense silence filled the room. The nobles stared in disbelief. The once feared Archdemon… slain by a single man.

"…And the forest?" the king finally spoke, hesitant.

"Destroyed." Li answered simply. "Nothing survived. Monsters, land — all gone."

Murmurs filled the room once again, nobles exchanging anxious glances. "That's impossible…" "The Archdemon should've been unbeatable…" "And he killed it alone…?"

The king leaned forward. "And you…?"

Another heavy silence.

"…I see." The king slowly stood up, his voice steady. "You have my gratitude once again, Li Vrak. The kingdom owes you a debt that cannot be repaid."

Li's gaze remained empty. "Keep your gratitude. I did what you asked. That's all."

The king bit his inner lip. "…Very well. You are dismissed."

As Li turned to leave, just as his foot crossed the threshold of the throne room door —

"MASTEEEER!!"

A loud shattering sound echoed through the room as a body suddenly came crashing through one of the tall glass windows of the throne room, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. The nobles screamed in shock and panic, some ducking for cover while Li, unbothered, merely turned his head slightly. 

Landing with a rough tumble on the floor, coughing dust, and glass particles, was none other than —

"Arin…?"

The entire room froze.

"Ugh… that hurt…" Arin groaned as he picked himself up, brushing glass off his clothes. His gaze then darted across the room, and when his eyes landed on Li — his face instantly lit up. "MASTER!!" 

Arin shifted into a fighting stance right in front of Li, his arms raised protectively and his gaze sharp as a hawk. "Master! Run!! I'll protect you from the king!!"

The entire throne room fell into dead silence.

Li's brows twitched, his face turning flat. "…What?"

"I-I heard them say the king summoned you!! I thought they were going to execute you or capture you or something!!" Arin shouted, his legs slightly trembling but his resolve unshaken. "I-I know I can't beat all of them, but I can hold them off long enough for you to escape! So hurry, Master!!"

Li ran a hand down his face, sighing heavily. "You absolute idiot…"

"I'm not an idiot! I'm protecting you!!" Arin barked, tightening his stance. "Don't worry, Master! I won't let them touch you!!"

The king, Venkur, and all the nobles watched in complete disbelief. "Is he… protecting Li Vrak… from us?"

"I-I believe so…" a noble mumbled, confused.

"Master!! Run already!!" Arin shouted again, now glaring at the king. "I'll hold them off!!"

Li finally snapped. "Arin. Stand down."

"NO!" Arin turned, gritting his teeth. "Master, they're trying to capture you—"

"Arin." Li's voice dropped colder. "They. Are. Not. My. Enemy."*

"…Huh?" Arin froze, confused. "But… but the knights… the summons… the throne room…"

"I was summoned because of the Archdemon." Li said, his patience thinning. "The king is not my enemy. Nor am I his. Stand down."

Arin's jaw dropped. "Wait… you're not in trouble…?"

No."

"You're not being executed?"

"No."

"…Oh."* Arin slowly dropped his stance, laughing nervously. "Ehehehe… my bad…"

Li exhaled deeply, his irritation practically visible. "You just shattered a royal window to protect me from an imaginary threat."

Before Arin could even respond —

WHACK!

"Ow!!" Arin yelped, clutching his head as Li's fist smacked down on him with a dull thud. "W-What was that for, Master?!"

"For your idiotic act." Li said coldly. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I-I thought you were in danger!!" Arin defended, rubbing his sore head. "The royal summons! The throne room! The tension! What was I supposed to think?!"

"Not to shatter a goddamn royal window and embarrass yourself." Li growled, rubbing his temples. "You're lucky they haven't arrested you for that."

"Ehehehe… sorry…" Arin chuckled nervously, still nursing the sore spot on his head. "At least now you know I'll have your back if anything happens, Master!"

Li sighed, clearly holding back another smack. "Idiot."

The entire throne room fell into stunned silence.

The king's eyes widened in disbelief, his gaze fixed solely on Li. "…A student?" he muttered under his breath.

General Venkur, who had fought alongside Li years ago, was equally dumbfounded. "Impossible…" he mumbled. "Li… the emotionless, lifeless ghost of the battlefield… took a student?"

But what shocked them even more… was how Li reacted to Arin's idiotic act.

They saw it a faint trace of irritation, a sigh of exhaustion, and even a hint of concern. All emotions that Li had long buried, yet now they surfaced. And it was because of the boy.

"…He's actually showing emotion," Venkur murmured, his voice filled with disbelief. "The man who once faced death itself without flinching… just smacked his student out of irritation."

The king leaned back, still processing what he just witnessed. "That boy… he's cracking Li's shell."

Venkur smirked faintly, his eyes locked on Li. "Hah… would you look at that. Maybe he's not as dead inside as we all thought."*