They broke their lock, creating a gap between themselves.

Both sides were at a standstill.

But it did not last long.

Levi held his sword steady, bringing the blade up until it was higher than his face.

Flames erupted along the sword’s edge, condensing into a thick liquid-like substance.

Patrick lunged, delivering a kick toward Levi’s head.

Levi’s head snapped backward, letting the kick pass.

A tremor rippled out from the space the kick struck, sending a shockwave that crashed into Levi’s face.

It did nothing. Barely enough to move his hair.

Levi moved in tandem with Patrick’s kick, his sword a fierce glint as he swung toward the torso.

Patrick ducked beneath the sword.

Time slowed to a halt as the blade passed over Patrick’s head.

Drip.

The sound of liquid falling suddenly echoed through the void.

It was the substance coating Levi’s sword.

It dropped over Patrick, seeping through his body.

Patrick kicked the sword away.

Then backflipped simultaneously.

His figure trembled as a searing heat erupted from within him.

He looked down at his body.

Its light had begun to dim.

His body, supposedly indestructible because it was crafted from aether, had begun to burn.

"Scarlet Swordsman indeed," he remarked. "Too bad. Even if I fall today, I am taking you with me."

As he said those words, his body erupted, dark flames spiraling outward like a torrent.

The void itself grew so hot that nearby stars began to disintegrate into debris.

Levi looked at Patrick’s new form.

The previous Patrick was gone, replaced by a figure of pure ethereal dark flames.

"Void beast," Levi muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" Patrick asked, a smug smile spreading across his lips.

Levi shook his head.

"As expected. The Anti-Empire Alliance caused the sudden thinning of void beasts on the void battlefield."

Patrick did not refute this.

"Enough talk. Let’s fight."

He did not wait for a response. He pushed forward, space parting as he appeared before Levi in a single movement.

His leg tore forward, carving a trail of darkness through the space it passed.

Levi caught the leg with his left hand.

His sword moved in the same instant, swinging toward Patrick’s chest with the precision of a master assassin.

Patrick saw through the attack and reacted with the skill of a seasoned fighter.

He spun from that point, driving his leg into Levi’s head before the sword could close in.

Levi released the leg, his body moving as if on autopilot, ducking beneath the kick.

A wave of dark flames poured from the leg, devouring the void behind it.

Levi drove his sword upward toward Patrick’s chin.

Patrick leapt back.

Both fighters locked eyes for a moment.

They sized each other up with the scrutiny of predators.

Then they lunged, in tandem.

A few meters from Patrick, a crack opened in front of Levi.

He stepped through and it closed immediately.

Patrick twisted without delay, but he was too late.

Levi stepped out from behind, his sword cleaving through the void and Patrick’s arm alike.

Patrick did not flinch. He drove his leg toward Levi’s stomach.

Levi dropped, his body falling into a crack that appeared beneath him.

Another crack appeared above Patrick.

But Levi did not step out.

Patrick’s body tensed as an oppressive aura crashed into him.

But it was already too late.

The void stirred. Thousands of cracks appeared around Patrick.

Each one glowed with a concentrated energy that threatened to rip the void itself apart.

Patrick’s eyes widened.

"How did you create so many cracks?"

He received his answer immediately.

All the cracks poured their energy outward, bombarding Patrick in a torrent of elements.

Lightning, flames, water, wind, earth, light, darkness, plasma, and ice.

Everything poured down.

The display lit the darkness for thousands of light years in every direction.

Levi stepped out of another crack.

His eyes were fixed on the heart of the attack, where Patrick had stood a breath ago.

He knew without doubt that Patrick had not died.

After all, Levi had not attacked to kill.

"You are truly incomprehensible," the voice roared from within the haze.

It was accompanied by Patrick’s leg, aimed squarely at Levi’s face.

Levi stepped back, entering another crack.

Patrick roared in anger.

His arm had regenerated fully by now.

At least, the one that had been burnt in the earlier explosion.

The place Levi had slashed did not budge, even as Patrick’s other body parts continued to regrow.

Patrick was aware of this. Levi’s Law of Severance, paired with his use of flames and blood.

Those were the things that had earned him the title of Scarlet Swordsman.

Levi remained calm as he stepped out from a crack in front of Patrick.

"What is the Anti-Empire Alliance’s plan?" Levi asked.

His tone was calm and gentle, as though he were addressing a student rather than an enemy.

"You don’t have to always play dumb," Patrick said, tapping his head. "Do you really expect me to tell you anything?"

Levi nodded.

"I thought I would try the easy way first. It seems that is no longer an option."

Patrick laughed, almost rolling through the void.

Levi furrowed his brows.

"What is funny?"

"The fact that you think you can get anything from me," Patrick replied.

Levi sighed.

"It is pointless explaining."

With those words, his sword vanished, entering a crack that formed beneath his arm.

Light condensed in his grip until it straightened into a new blade.

"You are too arrogant," Patrick said, stepping one foot forward.

Levi did not reply.

Instead, he moved.

Lightning arced outward from his frame, surging in long erratic bursts.

Patrick nodded, then followed.

His body flashed forward, meeting Levi at the centre.

Space groaned.

Patrick’s leg collided with Levi’s sword.

Time paused.

Not metaphorically.

The point of impact fractured, the flow of time blocked at that single point.

A white liquid dripped out as a hole was blown into the void.

From the hole, an infinite river of pure white silvery water flowed without stopping.

The hole was covered immediately and time snapped back into place.