The Past is now and so am I

Kaido and Noc battle dragged out with both side having their summons being killed , dragging out for about half an hour.

The battlefield trembled under their clash, the air thick with the scent of burning mana. Kaido's spectral warriors, twisted echoes of the dead, tore through Noc's summoned shadows, their forms flickering between reality and oblivion. The battlefield was like spectacle to the people around watching. Once the summons had fully decapitate themselves,

Swords met steel , but their fight was beyond physical. It was a war of will, of pain, of a lifetime's worth of choices.

Kaido fought like a man with nothing to lose.

Because he had already lost everything.

Once his summons were gone, he had wasted no time in going for Noc, even if he was going to die it wasn't without a fight.

Every strike was personal. Every movement carried the weight of the years he had spent in agony, in exile, in vengeance.

But Noc was different. He was precise, unshaken, watching Kaido unravel with every move.

Kaido attacked with immense speed and power , using his mana to increase his speed ,Noc had to use his mana to form a dark shield to block the brawl. His shield wouldn't suffice. He knew that. Kaido sword clashed the shield tearing through it and going for Noc left arm. 

His sight blurred. Silent followed.

Blood splattered across the cracked ground. Kaido's left arm ached, a fresh wound carving into his shoulder and in Noc hand appeared a swort sword made of shadow drawing blood from Kaido shoulder. Kaido body screamed, exhaustion digging its claws into his bones -poison-.6

Or so he saw, Kaido blinked changing his attack into defence guiding his left arm with his sword,

Sword met shadow. The Foresight of his artifact had saved him from easy injury. His expression were unreadable . With Noc face shock from his sudden defensive reaction

"Why do you keep fighting?" Noc asked, his voice oddly quiet amidst the chaos.

Kaido didn't answer. After all it was all obvious

If he stopped fighting, then what would be left of him?

Nothing.

With a loud sound, he lunged towards Noc, his sword once more carving through the battlefield like a storm going for Noc left flank. Noc barely dodged, shadows twisting around his form to shield him from the killing blow.

But this time Kaido was faster.

His blade found flesh, cutting into Noc's side. The legendary warrior smied his breath hitching as blood soaked his cloak.For the first time -

For the first time, Kaido saw it—Noc wasn't invincible.

For the first time, he had the chance to win.,

But then— he wasn't a fool to believe that

A fist buried itself into Kaido's ribs with immense speed that even his eye -the artifact -couldn't anticipate. Kaido almost bit his tongue out of reflex.

He gasped, the impact sending shockwaves through his already battered body. Noc knew about the artifact that served as Kaido eye and how it worked. The eye couldn't anticipate a attack that was less than a fraction of a second and even if it could Kaido wouldn't be able to react on time.

Then another strike-Kaido jaw snapped sideways, blood pooling between his teeth. His knees buckled, the world spinning.

Kaido exhaled. It only keeps on going worst.

"Curses"

And then—a blade.

Cold, sharp, deep.

Noc's sword buried itself into Kaido's stomach.

The pain was... unbearable.

For the first time since his wife's death, he felt true hard core pain that he couldn't hold in his body. He screamed for air

But still - he wasn't afraid, his breath ragged as he clutched his sword tightly bearing the pain.

Silent Technique 5th form: Quick Slash. His mana actively surrounded his sword

His fingers trembled as he clutched the blade lodged in him, blood pouring down his hands.

He tried to step forward—his legs failed him.

Goddammit!

He pushed his body, his mana enveloping his sword more as he slashed towards Noc. The mana served as a lengthened extension of his sword raging like black fire.

Noc eyes quivered as he tried pulling his blade from Kaido but failed , Kaido was using his body as a vessel of holding Noc down while using his mana to keep the sword in him, Noc hands quickly left the sword in Kaido then a dagger formed from his Interspatial ring to his hands, 

The dagger managed to stop Kaido sword but not before it cut through him from his shoulder.

His breath came out in ragged, broken gasps.

But still… he smiled .Holding Kaido sword up

"Not bad," Kaido snickered , blood dripping from his lips. His borrowed mana was burning through fast after all he never allowed it to considerate with his core, it was either he exhausted it quick or allowed it to evaporate from his body. 

And he wasn't going to let it just waste

Noc watched him carefully. His sword was still lodged in Kaido's stomach, but there was no satisfaction in his gaze. Only understanding. Seeing the way Kaido breathing dragged

"I told you," Noc said, voice low. "You were already dead the moment you started this."

Kaido laughed. A dry, hollow sound. 

"I might be" he whispered. "But you're coming with me"

His breath hitched, " Mana zone: Dome of Vidar" Everywhere felt silent with Noc body movement slowed down almost not moving. Kaido face turned serious his sword retracted from trying to cut Noc from his shoulder , he was going for his heart

"DIE" His strike was quick with his sword coated with mana using his might, For an instance Kaido saw Noc eyes followed his movement

No,

He was seeing things after all this was his mana zone where all his senses and will tend to surpass others.He speed up his attack going for a quick slash to Noc chest

With a swift move Noc blocked Kaido incoming attack,

Pure reflex? Kaido brain trembled for an explanation as he changed his attack going for the bastard side as he silent chant, "Silent technique 1st form: Strike through " His speed increased going straight to pierce Noc left side.

Noc lips curled up into a smile, he was about to show Kaido the true difference in their strength and skill,

"Mana Cancel !"

Kaido mana zone broke like shattered glass reverting into reality, with his face shocked and disrupted of emotion , his left eye -The Revenant sight- ached for him to get out of the way, he quickly imbued his mana into the vanishing artifact but didnt make it on time,Noc wasted no time in making quick hand signs .

Noc smile crept in, "My turn''

"Mana Zone 1st form: Instant shadow"

His mana Zone has forms?.... Kaido vision totally turned dark with his surroundings going all to darkness -all for a second then his vanishing artifact took hold ,his image flickered and he was out of Noc reach with his heart racing and vision back to normal, blood gushed out of his mouth. Noc sword still was in his stomach making him feel discomfort and pain, He imbued mana into the region and attempted to use his left hand to pull the sword out but surprisingly he couldn't feel his left arm.

His eyes trembled blood spitting from his nostrils,

Last time i checked i had two arms, right?.

He choked on air letting go of his sword and grabbed his - what remained of his hand , The pain flooded his mind as he got to his knees, he gritted his teeth trying to bare through the pain.

"Ha, ha, ha, your actually quick for a Increat Warrior" In Noc hand was Kaido arm ranging from his finger to his elbow

" I was going for your whole arm, but you managed to escape that" His laugh raged on , the people around whom didn't see how it all unfolded had shock all over their faces but stil they were happy , Kaido was losing. Kaido grit his teeth as he poured mana to his right palm as he pressed it against his left elbow, blood flowed down his lips,

At least it was his left arm. But he couldn't get happy because of that,

"It hurt like hell" he cursed,his stomach-pierced-and now his hand -slashed off -. He was losing blood and it was fast. He had forgotten the fact that he was far weaker than Noc even in his none battered state , he was two rank behind the monster, he had taught he stood a chance with the portion and his artifacts- The vanishing artifact and The Revenant sight- but no, he didn't still stand a chance. It was obvious that Noc was only playing with him for only amusement and nothing more and that fact made him sick.

Crap.

His blood wasn't stopping his eyes was getting dizzy, pain was almost driving him insane, his breath getting lazy but still he left his injury managing to use his attribute to burn the gruesome wound a bit closed -but still bleeding-and grabbed his sword with his one and only right hand quivering and hazy breath. No one needed to tell him ...death was close.He tried standing up but fell down , his head spinning

The people around Noc had all started to give themselves mocking smiles,

"Die you vermin" one of them yelled, Kaido sights were already blurred up he couldn't even make out their faces anymore. The remaining of them yelled out also but Kaido couldn't care less about what they said.

"I told you Kaido, You already knew you were a dead man the moment you saw me and didn't run" Noc approached slowly tossing Kaido arm away and licking the blood off his blade.

Kaido breath was wavering and significantly dropping. His situation now made his environment seem more relevant to him than ever before, the tall towering trees, the nice low sound of birds chirping,the cool Eastern air blowed pass-refreshing his body -,the sound of a waterfall pleasantly echoing in the atmosphere. 

"Noc end this!" A voice echoed among the spectators, it was the sound of a female, Kaido eyes could tell even though it was blurred out ,he could see her in an all-white attire and her face covered she was one of the unknown he had no business with among the thirteen people here.

" We need to remove the artifacts from his body" She added, her voice highly pleasant to the ear.

Kaido shook his head back from fainting away, they were after the vanishing artifact and his eye .That much was obvious after all they were worth more than money.

but most especially the vanishing artifact- an artifact said to be capable of transmigrating his wielder body to other worlds and also capable of making people vanish without trace- well that all were folklore being told to children- Kaido could tell after all he had been using the artifact for more than ten years, using it to escape most situations which would have ended in his death. One could say it was the artifact that had prolonged his life up till date with the addition help from The Revenant sight.

" On it" Noc growled back to the woman without looking at her, 

" So, Kai... any last word ?" Noc asked

"After all i won "