Solflare: The Painter's Secret

The sheer force of Lucas’s downward strike forced Leon to crouch down on one knee.

Sparks ignited and sent embers flying between them as Leon parried Lucas’s left blade with his Hi-no-Kami.

The heavy impact of his knees against the floor caused a crater in the earth as the swords clashed into each other like two clashing titans.

Sweat dripped down Lucas’s face when he loosened his grip on the left sword and put full force into the right.

A deafening slash erupted when Lucas landed on the ground and increased his grip on the hilt of his right sword.

A whistling hum filled the air as the blade dashed through the atmosphere like death itself.

Just as the tip of the sword reached Leon’s side, he rolled away and watched the steel pass an inch from him like a curse.

A cloth rustling moved through the air as the black material wrapped around Leon’s neck flapped against his chest when he slammed his right, clenched fist on the ground.

Spiderwebs of cracks spread through the ground like ancient tree roots as Leon pushed himself upward and spun his legs like a fan.

A haze of wind moved around his boots as he delivered a horizontal slash against Lucas’s ear. The moment the second kick dashed toward Lucas, he caught the limb with his elbow and used Leon’s own momentum to push himself back.

"Is that all you have gained over years of training?" Lucas wiped the bead of blood from his lips with the back of his left palm, then grinned.

Metal screeched as he increased his grip on his sword hilt and dashed forward like a flash.

The fallen moon-like sword glowed on the ground as Lucas diverted his course from Leon and dashed toward it.

Metal screeched and sparkling embers flew upward as the blades of the weapon slashed against the floor when he picked it up.

When Lucas straightened himself, a blinding, blade-spinning light dashed toward him. But he ducked and smiled at the sharp edges of Leon’s spinning war disc. ’Useless tool.’

Dust parried beside him like his ancestors as he straightened himself and leaped into the air. The blades of his dual moon-like swords glowed when he spread his arms apart and crossed his legs.

He clamped down with a pressure that got blocked by Leon’s black cloth, but he did not stop pushing forward.

Lucas shoved his foot toward Leon’s ankle and swept himself under him. Strands of Leon’s jet-black hair danced through the air as Lucas’s legs lifted him and struck him headfirst on the floor.

A bone cracked from Leon’s neck, followed by a haze of dust and collapsed stones as he rolled himself backward. Blood dripped out from the back of his palms when he flipped himself back up to his feet.

The moment his boots firmly touched the ground, Lucas dashed forward with a death smile stretched across his face.

Countless black lightning bolts tore through the skies and struck the pillars of Baek castle. A plopping and shattering impact erupted as the castle ignited into flames.

The tips of Lucas’s swords dashed through the smoking chamber like needles as he aimed them straight for the hollow of Leon’s throat.

Lucas caught the spinning war disc dashing toward him, but that did not make him change his course. ’Not this time, Leon Storm!’

The thin red cloth wrapped around the hilt of Leon’s Hi-no-Kami flapped against his wrist, where the rose flower outline was, while Leon stood there watching and waiting.

He blinked once and saw the sword closing in from three feet away, but the moment he blinked again, his eyebrow furrowed. The tip of Lucas’s sword was just two inches away from him.

Thunderous vibrations rambled through the skies above the Baek estate, followed by a series of golden lightning bolts when Leon sidestepped smoothly.

Two darkened, golden lightning bolts tore from the sky and struck the front of the Baek estate, igniting lava hidden in the crevasse of the earth.

Strands of Leon’s hair danced across his face when he saw his reflection in the blades of Lucas’s sword. Part of the black cloth wrapped around his neck tore when Lucas tilted the blade slightly and caused the edges to screech against Leon’s neck.

With a single hop, Leon lifted his right arm and drove the blazing blades of the Hi-no-Kami straight into Lucas’s left side.

Metal groaned as the tip of the Hi-no-Kami clashed against Lucas’s indestructible war suit with a crack.

Lucas pivoted himself and caused Leon’s sword to screech against his chest. He rolled the hilts of his swords and directed them toward Leon’s cheeks.

A fine cut line lanced through Leon’s skin as he snapped his head back and dodged the sword.

A sinister grimace tore across Lucas’s face when he saw blood seeping out of the cut as Leon pushed himself three steps backward.

"This is for humiliating me years back at the Alchemania arena." Lucas’s chest heaved as he brushed his palms against the side of his war suit, where the blade of Leon’s sword had struck, then smiled. "You are nothing more than a Rat, Storm."

Fire plopped and sputtered around them as the wooden bars that had caught fire began raining down on them.

Two sparkling embers from the burning bars flew at Leon’s front when he sighed once. A golden, grey glow flashed out of his darkened gaze when he shifted glances between the flaming bars and the tiny red cloth flapping against his wrist.

His dual heart plummeted hard against his chest like an explosive when Lily’s face reeled into his head.

Sharp air gashed out of his mouth when he coughed. Just as the cough faded, Lily’s smiling face transformed into a pale, dying one. "Brother, I need you."

Black flame dashed out of Leon’s back and the corner of his eyes when the voice looped in his head.

In a blur, all the falling burning bars froze mid-air when Leon squinted at Lucas. ’I’m coming, Little Athena.’

With a single blink, the frozen time diluted and caused the falling, burning bars to continue their fall.

Strands of Lucas’s hair flapped against his forehead as he moved his dual, moon-like swords upward.

Sparkling embers danced across his face when he screeched the swords against each other and watched Leon through the X-pattern of his swords.

’Your dad shouldn’t have gone after my uncle that day, Leon Storm.’ Lucas’s cheeks hardened while bones cracked from within him.

All the veins reeled up on his skin when memories of his childhood flashed behind his eyes.

A blue glow seeped out of his eyes when he remembered the clashing swords at his uncle’s estate when he went to visit him and saw the luxurious estate crumbling in flames.

The sparkling blue glows in his eyes snaked down his face and moved toward his shoulders like insects, creating jagged bars on his war suit.

"Uncle!"

His heart pounded heavy in his chest when he remembered the bleeding face of his uncle when he screamed out his name and later found him crawling in his own blood.

"Lucas, run!"

The ground beneath him burned as the blue glows dashed into the blades of his moon-like swords and glowed like midnight fury.

Sweat beaded on Lucas’s forehead when he remembered the black cloth he saw that day, flapping on Andrew Storm’s neck, while stubbornly staying and neglecting his uncle’s plea.

Saliva snaked down his throat when he remembered the sparkling black Hi-no-Kami’s blades Andrew Storm held that day, when he lifted it.

The moment he remembered the chopping and blood blooping on that day, he shut his eyes hard. ’For you, Uncle.’

Hazy midnight fury lingered around him when he cracked his eyes open and charged toward Leon like a madman.

Wood crunched and splintered in the room as Leon watched Lucas charge toward him, stepping on the flaming bars and shattering them with his boots.

With a decisive lunge, Lucas swung both swords toward Leon’s neck, while the flying head of his uncle reeled into his mind.

A chilled breeze gashed out of Leon’s lungs as he shifted calm glances between the two swords, then exhaled once.