"Itâs been a long time since I last saw you, my boy. I let you wander and grow... until you became what you are now.
But with those same golden eyes, I can see you havenât changed much."
Smoughâs words reflected in Snowâs mind as his body reacted on instinctâ
He unleashed the Warlord Form at full force, ignoring the agony, and lunged without hesitation, aiming straight for the manâs neck.
"You havenât changed either ..but youâre no longer the obedient child I once knew."
Clang!
Without warning, a crushing wave of pain slammed into Snow Lionheartâs mind, shaking him to the core.
His sword bit into Smoughâs neck... but the manâs body was so impossibly solid that the blade stopped halfway through, cutting only part of it.
In turn... Smoughâs massive fist drove deep into Snowâs chest, punching through until it burst out of his back.
"The child I raised would never have attacked me... but youâre no longer that obedient boy. Youâve rebelled, my son, and itâs time to come home."
Clutching at Smoghâs fist, Snow coughed up blood, swearing through the agony.
"Burn... to hell!!!"
From within Snowâs body, more power surged into his sword as he tried to cleave Smoghâs head off, but the latter remained unmoved by his struggle.
Veins crawled across the Hollowâs skin, his body hardening manyfold.
"You canât win. In your current state, you wouldnât be able to swat a mosquito."
Pulling his hand from Snowâs chest, Smough left a gaping, bloody crater in his sonâs body.
Snow writhed on the ground, screaming in pain.
Vermithor was still lodged in Smoghâs neck, irritating him. The Hollow wrenched it free and tossed it aside.
"Annoying sword," he muttered, wiping away the bleeding wound. That blade was a bane to those who wielded demonic power.
His gaze returned to Snow, who was still writhing on the ground, trying to clutch the hole in his chest.
No matter what he did, the wound refused to stop bleeding.
Snow tried to rise, but Smoghâs foot came down hard on his head, forcing him back into the dirt.
"I donât want to mutilate you any more than this. Be a good boy and stay down, Snow. Be a good boy, and everything will be fine."
Those words were a curse in Snowâs ears.
He was racing against time, his mind spiraling into chaos.
âDamn it... is all of this my blood?â
He kept trying to press against the void in his chest, but all his hands found was more bloodâfar too much of it.
He felt his consciousness slipping away.
His sword was gone. His strength completely spent.
âItâs fine... itâs fine... Iâll be okay.â
He spat out more blood, sobbing beneath Smoghâs boot.
âI just need to circulate my aura... just focus, and the wound will heal on its own... Iâll be fine... Iâll be fine...â
Snowâs breathing was ragged.
Inhale... exhale... then a hacking cough, splattering more blood around him.
âIâll be fine.â
Breathing became a task in itself. Blood filled his throat entirely, and his vision began to dim.
âIâll be fine...â
He kept repeating it blindly, unable to process that his blood had already pooled around him.
"Itâs truly pitiful..." Smough said, a look of disgust twisting his face.
"You think yourself a noble hero, pure and righteous... unlike me, the monster who devours humans. Isnât that so?"
The Hollow whispered into Snowâs ear with a faint chuckle.
"How naĂŻve you are, my son. You and I are no different at all."
Dipping his hand into Snowâs blood, he smeared it across the boyâs face.
"The same blood runs through your veins... I injected it into you myself."
"Demonâs blood."
Patting Snowâs white hairânow stained crimsonâSmogh continued to pour his venom.
"And not just demon blood... but the blood of all the other children who lived under the same roof as you."
Those final words made Snowâs head boil with rage... but he could do nothing.
"Your body was always the most perfect. Thatâs why I chose you as the ideal vessel for all that blood. So donât hold it against me... my son!"
Smough laughed loudly, as Snowâs consciousness slid into darkness.
He couldnât speak in this state... but inside his mind, he cursed.
He cursed the man standing before him, and he cursed his own weaknessâthe weakness that had once again left him powerless to do anything.
The man heâd searched for years to find was right in front of him... and heâd lost to him in a single blow.
Pathetic. Truly, utterly pathetic.
And so, Snow fell completelyâdefeated before the Hollow, Smogh.
The latter reached out to take him.
"Seems youâve finally fallen."
The Hollow had chosen to appear at the worst possible moment, after Snow had drained himself completely.
He knew full well that if heâd fought Snow at his peak, no one could say how things might have turned out.
That was why he struck when he did. And his plan had worked flawlessly.
Now, all that was left was to claim the body.
But the moment his hand extendedâ
âthe pressure around them shifted from nothingness into something crushing, and Snow Lionheartâs eyes snapped open once again.
The Churchâs hero slapped Smoghâs hand away, and with a flick of his wrist, Vermithor came flying back to him.
Gripping it, Snow plunged the sword deep into his own chest, unleashing a brilliant radiance that engulfed the battlefield.
With quick, deliberate steps, he retreated from Smogh, who stared, baffled by what he was seeing.
"You?!" Smogh barked, as Snow smiled.
"Ah... damn, that hurts more than I expected."
With the sword still buried in his chest, Snow stood face-to-face with the Hollow.
"You really are a cursed bastard, Smoughâattacking your enemies like this? Pathetic..." Snow laughed, while Smoughâs brow furrowed.
The man before him had changed entirely. As if...
"Someone else..."
"Ah... you caught me."
Smiling faintly, a ghostly image of another figure appeared behind Snow.
*Third-Person Pov: Target possessed (Affinity insufficient, possession will be
canceled shortly) *
Glaring at the systemâs notice, Snow gripped Vermithor tightly.
"I donât have much time... so letâs finish this quickly."
It was Frey Starlightâspeaking through Snowâs bodyâready to face the enemy who had tormented his friend for far too long.