Black String of Fate

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"Hey, before I talk to the emperor, I have a few things to discuss with you."

A while back, when Seraphina and Xavier were on their way to meet the emperor, Xavier stopped midway and asked her in a serious tone. Seraphina, catching on to the grave tone of Xavier, replied immediately.

"Can't it wait for later? That tone raises some flags…"

"Flags? You say weird things… Anyway, I believe that I may never get the chance to say this later, so listen carefully."

Seraphina sighed and turned around, facing Xavier and matching his serious energy.

"After I meet the emperor, I might not be able to guarantee my life. We are both aware of how treacherous these trials are and the path we've chosen here. In the case I die, I want you to ensure that Ava and Luke live a life of comfort and safety. Make it so that they never miss my absence and live happily ever after."

Seraphina was a bit surprised at this request. It raises a lot of flags, but she had to ask,

"I would've done so anyway, but… Why do you care about those kids? They aren't your real family, and you just met them a month ago. It is strange for a demon king to be so soft."

Xavier sighed deeply as he looked away in the distance. They were outside, so Xavier was able to gaze at the birds flying high in the sky.

"You seem to misunderstand, I'm not doing this out of love or care. I have possessed this little boy, and this boy has a family who is very dear to him. That family loves him back equally, if not more so. I'm pretty sure this world is not real, but on the off chance it is… It's my responsibility to take care of the kids dear to him."

Seraphina looked at him with a cold gaze as she replied,

"After you tore apart so many families with your sword… You sound disgustingly hypocritical, demon king."

"I'm aware. You may call me a hypocrite, and I may as well be one, but it doesn't matter to me. I have made the decision to be responsible, and I won't go back on my words. Perhaps I'm changing a bit, and those kids might have grown on me, but I feel like I'm doing the right thing.

Haha, it can even be that I might've unknowingly craved people who care for my well-being, so I'm deluding myself and using them as an escape. Now, after a month, I'm satisfied after experiencing a family, albeit a fake one, so I guess it's time I approach this trial like a trial.

I never saw anywhere in the trial that death will result in failure, so I want to ensure their happiness in such a scenario."

Xavier, without saying a word anymore, started moving ahead while hiding a bittersweet face. Seraphina looked at his wide back as she thought,

'Xavier, the fearsome demon king… There's much more to him than meets the eye.'

Seraphina silently followed along, digesting whatever she heard right now and redefining the image of Xavier she had up until now.

*******

Back in the current time, Xavier and the emperor were facing each other with a sword and a spear, respectively. The weapons did not emit any energy, but the sharp and deadly atmosphere could be felt easily.

"So, this seal ensures that we are equal in physical might, and we're not allowed to use any form of energy, is that right?"

Xavier said as he looked at the complicated design painted on the back of his hand. The emperor had the exact same design painted too.

"Yes, the only way you can prove your claims without harming yourself is if you defeat me in a spar. Since our difference in rank may make this meaningless, such restrictions had to be necessary."

"Alright, but I wouldn't have minded the use of energy. It'll be a disgrace for me if a grandmaster displays a better performance of it than me."

The emperor replied with a smile filled with fierceness,

"The only reason you aren't dead right now is because of your outrageous words. Frankly, given your rank and age, I obviously don't believe you at all. Don't test my limits now, brat."

"Let's stop the chit-chat and do this already."

Xavier raised his sword in front of him as he stood in a relaxed, confident stance.

"Attack. Come at me with the intent to kill."

The emperor said nothing more and rushed in with his spear. Usually, it would've been a good idea to take advantage of his weapon's length and stay on the defensive, but his battle style did not revolve around that idea.

*CLANG*

The two weapon metals collided. While Xavier was still in his relaxed position, it seemed like the emperor was putting all his weight into that attack. The seal ensured that both had the same raw physical strength, but their experience and application of their powers made such a difference.

"One of my stars is Strength, don't bother trying to overpower me." Xavier said as he applied himself more and pushed back the spear. The emperor, noticing this development, deflected the attack and spun the spear, trying to hit with the blunt side.

Xavier sidestepped the attack and swung his sword as a counter, which was also blocked with a slight maneuvering of the spear. Xavier was impressed, he realized that the emperor was using the inherent advantage of spears being longer to counter Xavier.

He jumped back, creating some distance from the emperor. While this may be an idiotic move in the eyes of those who knew the concept of weapons and distance, Xavier had a plan.

"I see that one of your stars may be Deflection. Very few train this one, I'm impressed."

"Good eye you have there, but that's not all I can do."

Saying that, the emperor disappeared from the eyes of the non-warrior spectators in the distance. Xavier smiled as he felt a hard swing coming from his right.

He raised his sword and blocked the hit, surprising the emperor who was sure he got him.

"The star of Agility, you impress me more and more! Unfortunately, I also possess the rarest star, Intuition. You'll be at a disadvantage if you try sneak attacks like that."

"Tsk, I never imagined that I'd face an Intuition star. You guys are the most cheat-like bugs who are blessed with talent."

"Heh, I still have two stars left." Saying that, just like the emperor, Xavier disappeared from the sight of the spectators.

"Hmm… You also have the Agility star. What a fearsome boy." The emperor said with impressed fear, anticipating just where the next attack will come from.

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