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Conqueror of the Verse
By ColdLink Writer
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CHAPTER IV
Fangs Against the Throne
The beast moved first.
Its enormous body surged forward, crushing the snow beneath its weight.
Kashihero disappeared from where he stood.
The creature’s claws struck the cliff behind him, tearing through stone as if it were fragile ice.
Fragments of rock scattered across the mountainside.
Kashihero slid across the snow and immediately countered, his katana rising in a sharp arc.
The blade struck the creature’s armored hide.
The impact sent a violent shock through the surrounding forest, splitting nearby trees and scattering snow in every direction.
But the beast did not bleed.
Instead, it watched him calmly.
Then its tail moved.
The strike came faster than he expected.
Kashihero’s body was thrown across the slope, smashing through trees before colliding with the stone wall of the mountain.
A fracture appeared along the edge of his mask.
Warm blood touched his throat as he coughed.
The injury was not fatal.
Yet.
The beast approached slowly.
Each step carried immense weight, pressing deep marks into the snow.
Its glowing eyes never left him.
This was not a hunt.
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It was an execution.
Kashihero forced himself back onto his feet.
Pain spread through his ribs and shoulders, but he steadied his breathing.
Control.
The katana vibrated faintly in his hand, responding to his will.
Suddenly the beast vanished from sight.
Kashihero’s instincts reacted instantly.
He twisted sideways.
Even then he was barely fast enough.
A claw swept across his side.
The attack spun him across the snow and sent red droplets scattering across the white ground.
The world rang in his ears as he struck the earth again.
Before he could recover, the creature appeared above him.
Its claws descended toward his body.
Kashihero rolled away at the last moment.
The ground where he had been standing shattered beneath the beast’s strength.
He struck upward with his blade.
This time the katana cut deeper.
The creature staggered slightly, a shallow wound visible across its armored chest.
It was not serious.
But it was enough to anger the beast.
The air around them grew colder.
Frost spread across the ground and nearby trees as the creature gathered spirit energy inside its body.
Snow began spiraling toward its open jaws.
Kashihero immediately understood the danger.
This was not a physical attack.
The energy condensed until it formed a concentrated beam of frozen spirit power.
When it released, the mountain itself seemed to tremble.
Everything in the attack’s path vanished.
Trees disappeared.
Stone crumbled into dust.
The shockwave alone threw Kashihero across the mountainside once again.
He rolled several times before stopping near the edge of a broken cliff.
Half his body hung over empty air.
Below him stretched nothing but thick fog and darkness.
The beast approached him once more.
Unharmed.
Dominant.
Kashihero’s arm trembled as he tried to rise again.
His strength was fading.
The mask suppressing his aura began to crack further as the pressure inside him built.
The Throne pulsed within his chest.
Not encouragement.
Pressure.
The beast lunged again.
This time Kashihero did not retreat.
He stepped forward.
Their collision shook the mountainside.
Claw met blade in a violent clash of strength.
The impact forced him backward, his boots carving deep trenches through the snow.
His muscles strained.
His bones trembled under the pressure.
The beast pushed harder.
Its jaws opened above him, enormous fangs descending toward his head.
At that moment the mask shattered.
Golden light burst outward.
The seal that had suppressed his spirit energy finally broke.
Power erupted from him like a storm.
For the first time, the beast hesitated.
Only slightly.
But that moment was enough.
Kashihero moved again.
Faster.
More precise.
He stepped beneath the creature’s guard and struck three times in rapid succession.
Each cut landed along the same narrow line across the beast’s chest.
The creature roared and lashed out violently.
One claw tore across Kashihero’s back and threw him aside.
Pain flared through his body, but he forced himself back to his feet.
The katana shone brighter than before.
His father’s will flowed through the blade.
A memory surfaced in his mind.
Do not meet strength with strength.
Break its rhythm.
The beast charged again, putting all of its remaining power into the attack.
The ground shattered beneath its approach.
Kashihero waited.
He measured the distance carefully.
One breath.
Two.
Then the creature overextended.
Kashihero stepped forward at the exact moment its balance shifted.
The world slowed around him.
Snow seemed to hang motionless in the air.
He twisted his body and poured every remaining ounce of strength into a single strike.
The blade moved in one perfect arc.
Golden light crossed the battlefield.
Then everything went silent.
For a moment the beast remained standing.
Then its massive body collapsed.
The cliff behind it split apart as the force of the strike traveled through stone and earth.
The creature fell heavily into the snow.
The battle was over.
Kashihero stood where he was for several seconds.
Then the katana dissolved from his hand.
His legs finally gave out.
He collapsed into the snow.
His breathing grew shallow as blood slowly spread across the frozen ground.
Deep within his chest, the Throne pulsed again.
Stronger than before.
Acknowledging victory.
Far below the mountain, in the hidden chamber of the Hollow Sigil, a masked elder opened his eyes.
“It has fallen.”
The others remained silent.
“And the vessel?” someone asked.
A pause followed.
“Alive,” the elder answered.
Then he added quietly,
“For now.”
Back on the mountain, snow began falling again.
It slowly covered both the fallen beast and the wounded warrior.
Kashihero’s fingers twitched once.
Then went still.
In the distance, far beyond the clouds, Star Mountain waited.
Watching.
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End of Chapter IV
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