Descendant of Sloth
Chapter 53: The Shattered Pride

Chapter 53: The Shattered Pride

"Gyosu... why are you doing this?" I finally asked, my voice steady despite the ache in my body. "Why are you wiping out your own race?"

He paused, lowering his hand as his expression shifted. For a moment, I thought he might not answer, but then he spoke, his tone laced with disappointment.

"This generation is worthless," he said, his gaze distant like he was staring into the past. "All they do is trample on the pride of the Eladrins. There was a time when we dared to stand against demon lords, when we fought with courage and strength. Now, what are we? Hiding on an island like cowards... waiting for the world to forget us."

I spat blood to the side, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Times have changed," I said, glaring at him. "It’s you who failed to change with them."

His eyes flared red, veins bulging on his forehead as his anger erupted. He raised his arm, white energy swirling around it like a storm, his voice trembling with fury.

"What would a lazy brat with immortality, who spends his life sleeping away the years, ever understand?"

I didn’t flinch, even as his power grew. "And yet, that lazy brat is the reason you defeated the demon lord," I said, my voice sharp and cold. "That lazy brat stood with the Eladrins and saved them. And now, once again, I’m here, risking everything to protect them. But you... as their elder... you’ve failed them...So tell me, Gyosu.... what’s the worth of that pride you’re so desperate to protect?"

A tense silence filled the air. For a moment, it felt like even the wind had stopped.

Then, his rage exploded. His long white hair twisted and coiled into his hands, glowing with overwhelming energy as he screamed,

"Just DIE!"

He brought his hand down with full force, the ground trembling as his power surged toward me.

*BOOM!*

A thick cloud of dust erupted, filling the air. When it settled, Gyosu froze, his arm trembling.

I had stopped his hand.

The black aura around me pulsed like a heartbeat, coiling protectively as I gripped his wrist. My eyes locked on his, calm and cold.

"You underestimated me," I said, my voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

"Impossible," Gyosu muttered, his voice low, filled with disbelief.

I steadied myself, meeting his stunned gaze. The weight of my anger boiled to the surface as I clenched my fist around my dagger. I tilted my head upward, my eyes locking onto his with a deathly stare.

"Now..." I growled, each word dripping with finality. "It’s finally here."

Gyosu’s expression hardened, but I didn’t give him a chance to respond.

"I am done... ADAPTING!!!" I roared, my voice echoing through the forest.

Pushing his hand aside with a surge of strength, I dashed forward, ignoring the rush of his hair barreling toward me. Tightening my grip on the dagger, I screamed as I thrust it toward him, the blade piercing his eye.

"Aaaaaaaa!" Gyosu screamed, staggering backward as I removed the dagger free, blood dripping from its edge. He clutched his face, the radiant white aura around him flickering like a dying flame.

The ground beneath us shook as Gyosu released a primal roar, his body trembling with unrestrained fury. "I will kill you, Esther!" he snarled, his voice guttural.

Veins bulged across his body, his once-pristine clothes tearing away, leaving behind only a lean, muscular form. His pale skin glistened under the glow of his aura, each muscle flexing with overwhelming energy. His long white hair writhed around him, striking out like a serpent, forcing me to dodge and block with everything I had.

But I didn’t back down. Not anymore.

"Let’s see you try!" I shouted, charging at him again.

His hair whipped toward me, sharp and unrelenting. I ducked and twisted, my movements fast and precise. Each strike I deflected sent sparks flying, but I didn’t let up. I was already too close, too focused.

"You’re nothing but a shadow of what you once were!" I shouted, slashing through another wave of his hair.

Gyosu’s growl deepened, and he lashed out with his fist, but I sidestepped, my dagger slicing through the solid strands of his hair as I closed the gap. The black aura around me surged like wildfire, crackling against his white glow.

"Aaaaaaa!" I screamed, my voice matching the intensity of my attacks as I relentlessly tore through his defenses. Each strike of my dagger left deep gashes across his body, but he refused to fall.

"Esther!" Hina’s faint voice reached my ears, but I didn’t dare look away.

Gyosu roared again, his hair thrashing wildly in every direction. One sharp strand grazed my arm, drawing blood, but I ignored the pain, pushing forward with everything I had.

"Enough of this!" I shouted, my black aura exploding outward, forcing his hair to retreat for just a moment. That was all I needed.

I leaped forward, locking my legs around his torso to keep him in place, as his back laid against the wall. He thrashed and struggled, but I held on, raising my dagger high.

With a scream, I plunged the blade into his stomach, again and again, each strike driving him closer to the wall behind us.

Gyosu’s aura dimmed, the white glow fading as the black consumed him. His strength waned, but his rage burned brighter than ever.

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

*Slash* *Slash* *Slash* *Slash*

"I... will... END YOU!" he bellowed, his voice hoarse, as his hair tried to strike me again. But it was slower now, weaker.

With a final roar of my own, I raised the dagger one last time, my grip trembling from the force of my emotions.

"AAAAAAAAAA!" I screamed, thrusting the blade deep into his chest.

The impact sent shockwaves through the air, the black aura consuming the remnants of his white glow. Gyosu’s body went rigid, his hair falling limp as he let out a shuddering breath.

*Hufff* *Hufff*

I stayed there, holding the dagger in place, my breaths ragged and heavy.

"Esther..." Hina’s voice was soft, filled with disbelief.

Their widened eyes looking at my back in surprise as I killed Gyosu, locking him in place