From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

The words were like a knife to the gut, twisting painfully in Daemon's chest. Chose him? Once, maybe. Once, Osalf had been a mentor, a guide, someone Daemon had respected. But those days were gone, and the man standing before him now was nothing but a shell of who Osalf had been.

Daemon's hand tightened around the hilt of his blade. "You chose betrayal," he said, his voice low, the words heavy with grief and anger. "You killed Realdo."

The name hung in the air like a curse, the weight of it pressing down on them both. Daemon could feel the grief welling up inside him, threatening to break free. Realdo's face flashed in his mind, the easy grin, the laughter they had shared. But that was gone now, replaced by the cold reality of what Osalf had done.

"Realdo was a fool," Osalf replied, his tone as dismissive as it was cutting. "He clung to his ideals even when they no longer served him. He refused to see the truth."

Daemon took another step forward, his body tense, coiled like a spring ready to snap. "And what truth is that?" he demanded. "That you've betrayed everything we stood for? That you've turned your back on the kingdom?"

Osalf's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "The kingdom is rotting, Daemon. You know it as well as I do. The corruption runs deep, deeper than you could ever imagine. I'm doing what needs to be done."

"What you're doing is murder," Daemon shot back, his voice hard. "You killed Realdo. You killed someone very close to Yun-Jin. And now you're hiding behind excuses."

Osalf's eyes gleamed with something dark, something dangerous. "Realdo did that to himself," he said, his voice cold and unfeeling. "He had a choice. I gave him every chance to walk away, and he refused. That was his mistake."

Daemon's blood boiled. He could feel the anger rising, threatening to spill over. How could Osalf stand there and speak so casually about Realdo's death, as if it had meant nothing? As if Realdo had been nothing?

"He was loyal to the kingdom," Daemon said through gritted teeth, his voice shaking with the effort to keep his emotions in check. "Loyal to the people we swore to protect." Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire

"Loyalty," Osalf repeated, his tone dripping with disdain. "Loyalty is a crutch, Daemon. It blinds you to the truth."

"And what truth is that?" Daemon demanded, his grip on his blade tightening. "That you've betrayed us? Betrayed everything we fought for?"

Osalf's smile faded, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. "The kingdom is dying, Daemon. It's rotten to the core. You've seen it. You've felt it. And yet, you cling to your loyalty, to the lies they've told you."

For a moment, the words hit Daemon harder than he expected. He had seen the corruption. He had felt it creeping in at the edges of everything he had once believed in. But that didn't change what Osalf had done. It didn't change the fact that he had betrayed them all.

"We were supposed to protect this kingdom," Daemon said, his voice trembling with anger and grief. "We were supposed to fight for it, no matter what."

"And that's exactly what I'm doing," Osalf replied, his eyes cold and unfeeling. "I'm fighting for it in ways you could never understand."

The silence that followed was deafening, the weight of Osalf's words hanging in the air between them. Daemon's heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming in slow, deliberate bursts. There was nothing left to say. Osalf had made his choice. And now, Daemon had made his.

Without another word, Daemon moved.

His blade flashed in the fading light as he lunged toward Osalf, the wind whipping through the clearing as the two men collided. Osalf drew his own blade, a sleek, deadly weapon that hummed with latent energy. Their swords clashed, the sound of metal on metal ringing out through the trees, sharp and piercing.

"You've grown stronger," Osalf said calmly as their blades locked, his voice unshaken. "But you still rely too much on what I taught you."

Daemon's teeth ground together as he shifted his weight, forcing Osalf back. His eyes burned with intensity, the fury he had been holding back finally breaking free.

"You taught me a lot," Daemon growled, pulling back and swinging again, his blade slicing through the air. "But not everything."

With a sudden burst of speed, Daemon sidestepped, his blade slicing upward in a diagonal arc aimed for Osalf's chest. But Osalf was fast, faster than Daemon had anticipated. He parried the blow with ease, his movements fluid and precise, as though they were rehearsing an old dance.

"Still predictable," Osalf muttered, his voice low as he twisted his wrist, deflecting Daemon's next strike and sending a shockwave of energy rippling through the air. Daemon's feet slid backward across the dirt, the impact sending a sharp pain shooting up his arm.

Daemon steadied himself, his breath coming in heavy, controlled bursts. "You always were the talker."

Osalf's eyes flashed, and with a sudden motion, he flicked his wrist, sending a thin needle flying through the air. The needle struck Daemon's shoulder, the force of the impact knocking him back. But instead of retreating, Daemon pressed forward, his blade flashing in a flurry of strikes aimed at Osalf's torso.

"You think your little tricks will stop me?" Daemon snarled, his voice filled with fury.

Osalf smirked, raising his hand as a small explosion detonated inches from Daemon's feet. The ground beneath him shook, sending him off balance, but Daemon adapted instantly, his reflexes kicking in as he shifted his weight, dodging to the side.

"You know what my skill is," Daemon muttered, breathing heavily as he circled Osalf, his eyes locked on the general's every move. "I've already adapted to your speed. Every strike you throw at me, I'm learning from it. I'm faster now."

Osalf's smile faltered for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "And you think that's enough? Against me?"

Before Daemon could respond, Osalf surged forward, his blade a blur of motion as he unleashed a barrage of strikes aimed at Daemon's vital points. But Daemon was ready. His reflexes had already adapted. He moved with fluid precision, parrying and dodging, his blade a blur of steel as he countered each of Osalf's attacks.

And then, in a sudden motion, Daemon struck back. His blade moved with blinding speed, slicing through the air with a force that sent shockwaves rippling outward. Osalf raised his blade to block, but Daemon's next skill activated—Kinetic Repulsion.

The force of Daemon's attack rebounded off Osalf's block, amplifying the kinetic energy and sending Osalf staggering back. The impact was enough to knock the breath from Osalf's lungs, his body jolting as the energy coursed through him.

"You didn't teach me that," Daemon growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Osalf wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes filled with a cold fury. "So, you've learned a few tricks of your own."

Before Daemon could respond, Osalf raised his hand, and the ground beneath them trembled. A faint glow radiated from Osalf's fingers as he summoned a surge of explosive force, the air around them crackling with energy. Daemon's reflexes screamed at him to move, but before he could, something sharp pierced his shoulder.

He gasped in shock, the sudden pain blinding him for a moment. He stumbled forward, his vision blurring as the harpoon lodged in his shoulder twisted deeper.