(Planet Juxta, The Sky Above, Charles's POV)

Raymond took the bait to test Charles's defense, as he charged, the crimson domain rippling outward with each step until the skies themselves seemed to march with him.

His body blurred forward like a falling star, black hair whipping behind him as his eyes locked coldly on Charles, before launching the first strike.

*CRRRRSHHH*

It wasn't a slash of steel but an entire wall of intent, compressed into a red blade of force that tore through the sky and carried the weight of mountains.

Charles saw it in an instant, not with his eyes, but with Intent Mastery, the thread flashing scarlet from Raymond's hand to his own chest, as he moved at the last second to block.

*Block*

His sword tilted just so, sliding the cut aside with a ringing clash, but the force of it still shook his bones and sent his arms quivering.

'Even when I defend perfectly, I bleed power. His strength is absurd.'

Charles realized, as for the first time in a long time did he feel his strength to be insufficient against an opponent.

Raymond did not relent. His second strike came before the echo of the first had even died, a downward sweep that collapsed into three separate arcs mid-flight, each one cutting a different line of fate toward Charles.

For a lesser Monarch, this would have been certain death, a strike that left no space to dodge and no breath to counter.

But Charles had built his base as a warrior off sparring with Soron, and against that titan, he had learned never to look at the blade, but rather the threads.

He moved left, his shoulder dipping through the gap between two arcs, his blade cutting across the third in a flash.

Sparks roared, his sword groaning under the pressure, and though he escaped, the shockwave rattled through his body and drew a thin line of blood across his lip.

*BOOOOM*

The collision blew apart the clouds around them, scattering flame and smoke across the heavens.

"Not bad for an insect," Raymond sneered, his black eyes glimmering like pits of void. "But let's see how long your tricks hold out."

*WHOOOSH*

The Demi-God flexed his fingers, and the crimson domain pulsed again, this time shaping itself into chains of aura that lashed out like serpents.

Each one carried enough force to crush steel, and together they twisted around Charles in a storm of bindings.

Charles twisted, slashing at one chain, then another, his sword weaving arcs of silver light that tore them apart before they could bind him.

Yet even so, one chain grazed his leg, the pressure snapping across his thigh and sending him tumbling back a dozen yards before he righted himself.

Blood seeped slowly through his trousers, hot and stinging, but his stance did not waver.

'Every strike carries a purpose. He's not just swinging for death, he's probing for my true tier. He wants to first confirm that I'm a Monarch before coming in for the finishing blow.'

Charles thought as Raymond's aura swelled brighter, the crimson dome intensifying as he raised his hand high, his killing intent boiling into a colossal spear.

*SHHHHRRRRING*

The weapon of aura descended like divine judgment, so wide it split the horizon in two.

Charles braced his sword and let his Intent flare to the limit, his strength flaring to its limit, as he side stepped and raised his blade at an impossible angle to block.

*CRAAAASH*

Steel and aura collided, the force blasting him downward, slamming him through two layers of cloud until he steadied himself mid-air.

His arms throbbed, his shoulders screamed, but the spear dissolved into nothingness, broken by his parry.

He exhaled, sweat dripping down his temples. Minor cuts stung along his arms and chest, but nothing fatal injured him yet.

'So this is the gap between a Monarch and a Demi God, finally I have a worthy opponent to fight against after all these centuries.'

Charles thought as he lifted his blade again, his eyes narrowing and his lips curling into a thin smile despite the taste of blood in his mouth.

He had been waiting for such an exciting fight for quite some time now.

And although he was afraid of death, the near death fight experience exhilarated him nonetheless.

"You'll need more than these petty tricks to kill me, son of Kaelith."

Charles mocked as Raymond's aura rippled, the crimson waves trembling like laughter.

"Oh, you'll get more," he promised, stepping forward as the dome tightened, the space around them collapsing like a cage.

"You'll get everything I have."

He warned, as he closed the distance between them once again, his blade relentless as he pushed Charles back.

*CLANG—CLANG—CLANG*

Raymond's blade came down in a storm of crimson arcs, each heavier than the last, each layered with killing intent so thick it seemed to crush the very air around them.

Charles's sword moved like silver lightning, intercepting where the red threads told him death would land, his body jolting with every clash as sparks and blood mixed into the storm of their duel.

Every strike drove him backward through the sky, his boots carving invisible paths in the air as he refused to yield even an inch.

The Demi-God pressed harder, his movements clean, fluid, merciless, while Charles's guard grew heavier with each heartbeat, yet somehow it held.

'Not yet. I can't reveal it yet. If I use the orb now, he'll adapt before I get a chance to finish it. Just a little more.'

His mind whispered as he parried another crushing blow, the sheer force rattling his bones until his grip went numb.

Another spear of aura tore past his cheek, carving a canyon of flame into the clouds behind him. Another chain snapped inches from his chest before he cut it apart. Sweat rolled freely, his breathing sharp and quick.

'Not yet. Just a few more exchanges. Let him think I'm breaking. Let him believe he has me cornered. Then… I'll strike.'

Charles thought, his sword lifting once more, as the storm of red and silver swallowed the Juxta skies whole.

Yet he somehow held on.

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