The Eminence of a True Monarch of the Shadows

[Third Person's PoV] 

"It seems you've finally lost it, Ashborn," Antares sneered.

Cid placed a hand near his face, shaking his head as he chuckled. "This is the first time an opponent hasn't died in one hit from me. I'm relishing the fact that you can actually take a beating. So try not to die too quickly—keep struggling for my amusement."

Hate flashed across Antares' face as he trembled with fury. "For your own... amusement?" he repeated slowly, his voice shaking as he fought to contain the rage threatening to explode.

Cid took a step in the empty air and vanished. In an instant, he reappeared before Antares, a wide, manic grin on his face, his fist cocked back.

His fist gleamed black with Armament Haki, the color shifting as Conqueror's Haki crackled around it in a deep purple aura.

With a devastating strike, Cid's fist slammed into Antares' chest. The dragon's armored scales shattered under the impact, caving inward from the sheer force. The energy within Cid's strike surged into Antares' body, causing his lungs and heart to rupture and explode from the inside out.

Blood erupted from Antares' mouth, his ears, nose, and eyes leaking crimson. For a fleeting moment, he saw the eerie image of a skull looming behind him, ready to devour his soul. Then, Cid's voice echoed in his ears.

"Yes, my amusement."

BOOOOOOOM!

Antares broke through the sound barrier, his body a blur as he was sent hurtling through the air at breakneck speed.

Cid appeared above him, effortlessly keeping pace. With a cruel smirk, he raised his boot and slammed it down onto Antares' already-collapsed chest.

Antares crashed into the ground, an explosion of sand erupting upon impact. As the dust settled, his battered form was revealed—disheveled, but still burning with hatred.

His hand shot forward, gripping Cid's leg tightly. Sparks crackled at the point of contact as Antares' claws tried to dig into him, but Cid's Armament Haki held firm, preventing any penetration.

Yet, Antares was still a dragon—his raw strength far beyond any human's.

With a snarl, he lifted Cid's leg from his chest and roared, "I'll kill you, you bastard!"

With a powerful heave, he hurled Cid away before propelling himself from the ground with an explosive force. His narrowed eyes locked onto his opponent, flames seething at the edges of his mouth.

In a flash, he appeared before Cid, his claws igniting with blistering heat, distorting the air around them. With a deafening roar, he slashed at Cid.

Cid barely evaded, a red glint flashing in his eyes.

Antares thrust out his hand, and his sword flew through the air toward him. The moment it reached his grip, he roared once more—his blade erupting into flames. With all his monstrous strength, he swung.

Cid's arms gleamed with Armament Haki as he deflected the strike, redirecting the blade past his body. Where the sword struck, massive plumes of fire erupted from the ground, reaching unseen heights.

Then, Cid activated his God Rune.

Time itself froze around him. Ethereal markings illuminated his body as Antares came to a complete halt, his blade mid-swing.

Seizing the opportunity, Cid unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, each impact booming like cannon fire.

Yet, to his surprise, Antares' dragon eyes still followed his movements.

Then, without warning, a titanic aura of destruction erupted from Antares' motionless form, shattering Cid's control over time.

As the overwhelming energy surged, Antares' wounds began to mend—his ruptured heart and lungs regenerating in mere moments, his body restoring itself to peak condition.

He exhaled, smoke and embers escaping his lips, his gaze locked onto Cid.

"It seems you've picked up a few nice tricks along the way, Ashborn!" Antares bellowed before puffing out his chest. Flames flickered at the corners of his mouth, the air around him warping with heat.

Cid's eyes gleamed with a red glint, a clear sign of his Observation Haki at work. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured his slime sword, raising it toward the sky while his free hand supported his sword arm.

Channeling both Armament and Conqueror's Haki into his blade, Cid infused it further with his powers of Shadow and Death. He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as black flower petals began to drift from his sword.

[Death's Serenade]

Antares unleashed a spiraling breath attack of fire and destruction, a raging inferno tearing through the battlefield. The very sand split apart, the ground turning a blistering red under the intense heat.

Meanwhile, Cid moved with an effortless grace, swinging his sword downward in a precise arc. A crescent-shaped slash of black energy shot forward, trailing black rose petals in its wake.

The two attacks collided at the center of their battlefield.

Destruction and Death clashed

.

The very space around them trembled, unable to withstand the pressure. Cracks formed in the fabric of reality, splintering outward from the point of impact. Then—

Shatter!

Space itself fractured like glass, shards of reality falling away to reveal the shining, multicolored cosmos beyond.

As neither force could overpower the other, they began to meld, swirling chaotically—before erupting into a massive mushroom cloud of purple and red energy.

The battlefield echoed with the sound of glass breaking, reality itself groaning under the strain. Amid the chaos, the drifting flower petals ignited, burning with red flames as they fell.

Antares blinked.

And in that instant—

Cid appeared before him, sword in both hands, moving past him in a single, fluid motion.

A flawless slash.

Elegant. Precise. Beautiful.

Cid slowly sheathed his sword into its slime-forged scabbard, black rose petals swirling from the exposed blade.

Then—

Clink.

Blood erupted like a fountain, gushing uncontrollably from a single thin line across Antares' torso.

He staggered backward, disbelief etched onto his face, before his footing slipped—

And he fell.

Right through the exposed tear in space created by their clash.

As he tumbled through the void, drifting amidst the stars, Antares pressed a trembling hand to his gaping wound. He could feel it—

Death.

The energy of Death was crawling through him, seeping into his body, tainting his very being.

These wounds…

They would never heal.

Cid's attack had forced him to witness an impossibility—something he refused to acknowledge.

For the first time—

Cid's blade had made him see his own death. His own mortality. 

As Antares floated between the glimmering stars, his face twisted in a maelstrom of emotions—fear, embarrassment, and unbridled fury.

Then, his aura of destruction exploded outward, shaking the very cosmos. Distant stars caught in the shockwave erupted, going supernova as his power consumed them.

"I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS OUTCOME!!!"

Antares' body began to change.

A transformation.

His Dragonification surged forth—his body expanding, his form shifting to a massive, towering beast.

He dropped onto all fours, his neck stretching, scales cascading over his entire body. Massive wings erupted from his back, spreading wide like an eclipse. His tail grew longer, thicker—his very body pulsing with destructive energy.

Flames and raw destruction coursed through the cracks of his scales, glowing ominously.

Yet—

Even now, across his colossal form, a single thin slash remained.

A scar.

Blood oozed from the wound like molten magma, refusing to heal, a permanent reminder of Cid's attack.

"ROOOOOAAAAARRRRRR!!!"

Antares unleashed a guttural, world-shaking roar, the sheer force of it fracturing space itself.

And then—

Cid appeared.

He walked effortlessly through the void of space, as if it were solid ground. One hand rested on his sword, the other lazily picking at his ear.

"No need to cry, big baby. I hear you loud and clear," he said, blowing on his pinky. "Lucky for you, I have plenty of experience putting cranky babies to sleep."