Primordial Heir: Nine Stars

Nero fought for thirty seconds.

But in those thirty seconds, he had carved through wave after wave of water clones with ruthless efficiency. Flames danced and roared around him, burning trails through the misty battlefield. Each swing of his sword turned bodies of water into bursts of steam.

Slash. Twist. Dodge. Burn.

Dozens—no, hundreds—of water clones were obliterated in his wake, their shattered forms evaporating before they even touched the ground.

His presence was so overwhelming, so ferociously focused, that even the demonized mage—with all his hatred and arrogance—couldn't help but smirk in dark amusement.

"Hehehe! You're sure something," the mage chuckled, his burned lips curling into a grin that revealed bloodstained teeth.

"Let's hope you don't die from my next spell. Like I said... you won't get an easy death."

With a sharp wave of his hand, the mage withdrew the remaining clones, the mist pulling back like a curtain before a performance.

"He was a promising talent I killed a few months ago…"

"Come forth—my Water Knight!"

RUMBLE—!!

The ground trembled. Then—

WHOOSH—!!

A torrent of water surged up from the earth, spiraling into the form of a human warrior. The liquid shifted rapidly, condensing into a tall, athletic figure clad in layered, semi-transparent aqua armor. His face was expressionless, carved from liquid, but the pressure he released was all too real.

In each of his hands, he wielded curved twin blades, crackling with condensed water energy that cut through the mist with a high-pitched hum.

A cold, controlled aura radiated from the warrior's body.

Silent. Precise. Merciless.

It wasn't just a summon—it was a reconstructed soul.

A reflection of a warrior once slain, now bound in cursed water magic.

His power—undeniably—was equal to that of an Advanced Blue Knight.

The air around him grew colder. The ground beneath his feet shimmered with wet frost.

Everything happened in an instant.

Nero's eyes widened—his breath caught in his throat.

This... This wasn't what he had anticipated.

A water-type soul summon? On this level?

He inhaled deeply, white mist escaping his lips, crystallizing in the cold.

His sword hand twitched, the fire in his veins flaring again. Even with pain clawing at every inch of his body, he stood tall.

His stance shifted. His will sharpened.

"Tch... So it's going to be like that?"

Nero exhaled, his feet sliding slightly apart, fire curling around his body like a battle shroud.

"Go forth, my knight!"

The demonized mage's voice echoed like a death sentence. At that instant—

BOOM!

Both Nero and the Water Knight vanished, moving at such high speeds that they became blurred flashes of red and blue, colliding in midair like thunder and lightning.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks erupted.

Water exploded.

Flames ignited the mist.

The two warriors exchanged dozens of strikes in mere seconds—sword against blade, fire against water, brute force against chilling precision.

Nero's flame-forged short sword clashed against the twin watery blades, sending shockwaves that cracked the earth below. Every time they clashed, the air trembled, creating ripples that scattered the surrounding mist.

Their silhouettes blurred again.

They reappeared above the battlefield.

CLANG!

Nero spun midair, his flame wing propelling him into a wide arc as he slashed diagonally.

The Water Knight parried with one blade, spun with the other, and tried to stab through Nero's flank, but Nero twisted midair, kicking off a gust of flame to dodge backward.

WHOOSH!

Water spears shot up from below. Nero backflipped, barely evading them, but the Water Knight was already behind him—he had followed through the mist like a phantom.

THRUST!

"Kh…!"

The Water Knight's blade sliced Nero's shoulder. Blood sprayed, but Nero gritted his teeth, pivoted his body, and delivered a crushing elbow to the Water Knight's chest.

BOOM!

The sheer force of it sent the Water Knight flying down like a meteor, crashing into the forest floor, leaving a crater of splashing water and broken roots.

But it wasn't over.

From the crater of mist and debris, the Water Knight emerged again—unfazed, unfeeling. His wounds regenerated with liquid grace, droplets pulling from the surroundings to mend his form.

"This bastard regenerates…"

Nero's eyes narrowed.

His second gear was still active—his skin glowing red, heat pouring from his pores, his heartbeat pounding like war drums.

But inside—he was breaking.

His ribs screamed.

His sword arm ached.

His time was running out.

Only forty seconds left. Maybe less.

The Water Knight rushed him again, both blades shimmering.

FWWOOOSH—!!

Nero dove to the side, creating a wall of fire to force a clash. It exploded like a furnace, steam bursting outward from the contact.

CRASH!

They collided inside the firestorm.

Blade met blade again. Nero ducked, spun, slashed upward, aiming for the Water Knight's chest. It connected—a huge gash tore through the liquid torso, but it was already reforming.

"Not fast enough!"

Nero blasted flames from his heel, zooming to the Water Knight's back and stabbed his flame blade directly into the spine.

SHHHAAAA—!

Steam hissed as fire drilled into water, bubbling and churning. The Water Knight spasmed, and for a brief second, Nero saw a crack form in the creature's liquid core.

'There!'

That's the weakness!

He was about to follow up—

But the Water Knight turned with unnatural speed, grabbed Nero by the face, and slammed him into the ground like a comet.

BOOM—!!!

Dirt and fire exploded. Trees snapped and burned. The entire battlefield shook.

Thirty seconds left.

Nero grunted, body trembling, blood pouring from his temple.

"Still not enough…"

The Water Knight descended, bringing both blades down like twin guillotines.

CLANG—!!!

Nero crossed his flaming forearms, blocking with everything he had. The blades pushed him deeper into the ground, forcing cracks through the earth around him.

"I can't keep defending…"

He roared, a burst of fire exploding outward from his body, launching the Water Knight into the air.

Nero leapt up, flames coating his body like armor.

Twenty seconds.

He rocketed toward the Water Knight midair—blade pulled back, eyes locked on the cracked core.

"BURST—BLADE!"

A self-made combo. He spun like a flaming drill, plunging his sword into the knight's core again—this time, deeper, channeling everything into the strike.

CRACK—!

The core splintered, and the Water Knight twitched violently, both arms spasming.

But it wasn't enough. The regeneration began again.

Fifteen seconds.

Nero grabbed the hilt with both hands and ignited the blade, causing the sword to explode inside the core like a miniature sun.

KRA-KOOOM!!

The Water Knight screamed, a guttural, unnatural sound of shattering mana. His body convulsed, cracking like melting ice.

"NOW!"

Nero drove his foot into the knight's chest, kicking off and flipping backward, creating another flame sword midair.

With the last of his strength, he plunged downward, roaring like a blazing meteor, and stabbed the core one final time—

CRACK—!!!

The core exploded.

The Water Knight's body convulsed… then crumbled.

The water lost shape, collapsed to the ground in a loud, wet crash—lifeless, defeated.

Nero hit the ground on one knee, panting heavily. His second gear flickered, then vanished completely. His body turned pale, his wounds reopened, blood spilling freely.

But he was alive.

And the Water Knight was gone.

From the other side of the battlefield, the demonized mage stood still.

His expression twisted—not with surprise, but a slow-building fury.

"Tch… I was going to use that body to kill dozens more," he muttered. "You really are annoying."

Nero raised his head, blood dripping from his jaw.

He stood, shaking—but standing nonetheless.

"What's wrong?" he spat, voice hoarse.

"Running out of puppets?"