Chapter 493: The Outcome

Barak was disappointed.

Even after enhancing his physique, he still couldn’t defeat Nero.

He had never held the advantage.

Not once.

From the beginning until now, he had been thoroughly dominated.

Despite the rage burning within him, Barak managed to control himself.

Because, in the end...

He would be the victor.

He would kill Nero.

He would take everything from him.

His power.

His talent.

Everything that made him superior.

He would consume it all.

Only then would the endless envy that had tormented him finally be satisfied.

Finally...

Barak unsheathed his sword.

The black blade gleamed viciously, resembling a serpent patiently waiting to devour its prey.

He circulated the prana within his core.

Then—

He unleashed his Law of Lightning to its fullest.

The sky above darkened.

Thunder roared.

Countless bolts of lightning descended from the heavens, wrapping around his entire body.

Black lightning covered him from head to toe.

Even his sword was enveloped in the same ominous lightning, transforming it into a weapon filled with destructive power.

But that was not all.

Barak revealed why he had once been hailed as a genius.

His prana surged.

The surrounding space distorted.

A domain formed.

A small domain.

Less than twenty meters in diameter.

But it was still a domain.

A feat that only Purple Rank Knights could achieve.

Inside it, lightning constantly raged.

The world itself seemed to belong to him.

Barak looked toward Nero with pride.

He expected shock.

Fear.

A reaction.

Anything.

Unfortunately...

Nero’s expression remained unchanged.

Calm.

Still.

Like the surface of a lake untouched by the wind.

Barak let out a frustrated chuckle.

"Hah..."

Even now.

Even after showing everything.

Nero still looked at him like this.

That only made his hatred burn hotter.

He lowered his stance.

Then—

Boom!

He shot forward.

His Law of Lightning erupted.

His sword carried not only the power of lightning but also a sinister property gained through his contract with the demon, the Sin of Envy.

A twisted power.

A foreign strength.

But it was enough.

He could feel it.

The overwhelming energy flowing through his body.

His confidence soared.

There was no way he could lose.

No way.

Looking at the charging Barak, his face distorted by madness and obsession, Nero made his decision.

He would use only the Law of Lightning.

Not because he underestimated him.

Not because Barak wasn’t worthy.

But because defeating him with the same Law would hurt far more.

The person who had always chased after him.

The person who envied him.

Would lose against the very power he sought to surpass.

Besides...

He couldn’t reveal everything.

That disgusting existence was watching.

Lurking.

Waiting.

Nero would not expose all his cards before an enemy he had yet to understand.

Having made his decision...

He acted.

The moment Barak entered his range—

Nero became one with his Law.

The transformation began.

His dark blue hair slowly changed.

Strands stretched longer, flowing behind him before turning into a radiant golden color, sharp and wild like lightning itself.

His ominous crimson eyes changed.

Within them, golden symbols of lightning appeared, flickering like ancient runes carved by the heavens.

His presence changed completely.

He was no longer simply controlling lightning.

He had become its manifestation.

The surrounding prana trembled.

Then...

It retreated.

As if the very energy of the world instinctively avoided his existence.

The sky above darkened.

Thunder descended.

Countless lightning arcs danced around him, illuminating his figure.

For a brief moment, Nero appeared unreal.

Mystical.

Like a being born from the storm itself.

Barak’s expression froze.

Even he was momentarily stunned.

But he did not stop.

His obsession was stronger than his instinct.

His hatred pushed him forward.

The two brothers closed the distance.

Their weapons collided.

BOOM!

The world erupted in lightning.

The moment their weapons collided—

BOOM!

The entire battlefield disappeared beneath a storm of lightning.

Black lightning and golden lightning intertwined, tearing through the sky.

Barak gave everything.

His sword art.

His physical strength.

The power granted through his contract.

Every ounce of power he had gained was poured into this single battle.

At the beginning...

He had the advantage.

His movements were faster.

His attacks were heavier.

His black lightning carried a strange destructive property that constantly pressured Nero.

Each exchange forced Nero backward.

Each collision left marks.

But Barak didn’t realize something.

Nero was not being pushed back because he was inferior.

He was observing.

Analyzing.

Understanding.

Every movement.

Every technique.

Every habit.

Every weakness.

The injuries Nero received were the price of learning.

The price of understanding his opponent completely.

And once he understood...

Everything changed.

The next time their swords met—

Barak felt it.

The difference.

The person before him was no longer reacting.

He was controlling.

BOOM!

Barak’s attack was redirected effortlessly.

His balance broke.

Before he could recover, Nero appeared beside him.

Too fast.

A flash of golden lightning.

A single strike.

Barak barely managed to defend.

Yet even then, he was pushed back.

Again.

And again.

The storm that had once belonged to him was being taken away.

His black lightning was swallowed by Nero’s golden lightning.

His domain trembled.

His sword became heavier.

The gap he had desperately tried to close only became wider.

"No..."

Barak gritted his teeth.

Impossible.

He had sacrificed everything.

He had accepted that power.

He had endured everything.

Why?

Why was Nero still standing above him?

Nero moved.

No wasted motion.

No unnecessary action.

Each step was perfect.

Each strike represented absolute control over the Law of Lightning.

He was not merely using lightning.

He was its ruler.

The storm obeyed him.

The heavens answered him.

Barak swung desperately.

Nero avoided it.

A golden flash.

A single counter.

Barak’s arm was struck, forcing him to lose control of his sword.

Before he could react, another attack followed.

His defense collapsed.

His domain shattered.

The black lightning surrounding him flickered violently.

For the first time...

Fear appeared in Barak’s eyes.

Not fear of death.

Fear of the truth.

That even after everything...

He still couldn’t reach him.

Nero continued forward.

Calm.

Silent.

Unmoved.

Barak tried everything.

His sword techniques.

His lightning.

The power from the contract.

Nothing worked.

Every attack was seen through.

Every movement was predicted.

The difference between them was no longer a matter of strength.

It was a difference in understanding.

A difference in their Laws.

Nero’s lightning had reached a realm where it no longer needed to prove itself.

It simply existed.

BOOM!

The final exchange began.

Barak gathered every remaining bit of strength.

His sword became covered in darkness.

The entire domain condensed into one final strike.

"NEROOOOOO!"

He rushed forward.

Nero looked at him.

Those golden lightning symbols within his crimson eyes shone quietly.

Then—

He moved.

One step.

A flash.

The two passed each other.

Silence.

The storm stopped.

Barak remained standing for a moment.

Then he looked down.

The sword in his hand slowly fell.

His final attack...

Had never reached Nero.

Nero stood behind him, expression unchanged.

His sword slowly lowered.

The battle was over.

The person Barak had spent his entire life chasing...

Had defeated him without anger.

Without hatred.

Without even a trace of satisfaction.

Only absolute calm.

Barak’s vision blurred.

All his resentment.

All his envy.

All his obsession.

Everything he had built his life around...

Collapsed in that moment.

Nero turned away.

For him...

This was not a victory.

It was simply the end of a confrontation that had been inevitable from the beginning.

Well, it was time for that thing to finally make a move. Soon, this assumption was proven right, the real fight thus started.