Immortal Paladin

"Do you mind if I make my preparations first?" I asked.

The Supreme Death stood beneath the silent canopy with his spear resting casually at his side. There wasn't a trace of impatience in his expression, nor did he make any attempt to pressure me into beginning immediately.

"You are free to do as you please," he replied. "I'll wait."

I exhaled slowly and settled into the opening stance. The familiar weight of the longsword steadied my thoughts. There was no room for hesitation. If I allowed myself even the slightest doubt against someone like him, I would lose before the battle truly began.

"Divine Favor."

Golden radiance descended from above, weaving itself around my body like countless threads of sunlight. Every sensation sharpened as blessings settled into my soul.

"Divine Protection."

A translucent layer of sacred light enveloped my skin, hardening into invisible armor capable of intercepting both physical and spiritual attacks.

"Divine Sanctuary of Life."

Life surged outward from me in a circular wave. Emerald-gold light spread across the forest floor, grass sprang taller, flowers bloomed between cracks in the earth, and ancient trees straightened as if years had been restored to them. The rejuvenating field merged seamlessly with my Divine Zone, creating an ever-present sanctuary where my vitality and divine energy continuously replenished themselves.

Finally, I rested two fingers against my blade.

"Divine Forge."

Liquid gold crawled across the sword's surface before sinking into the steel itself. The weapon hummed with restrained divinity, every inch of its edge refined beyond immortal craftsmanship until even the surrounding air seemed reluctant to brush against it.

The Supreme Death watched everything without interruption.

"Fortune favors the bold," he remarked. "Yet it seems fortune has rarely smiled upon you. The misfortune accumulated within your main body is... remarkable."

"You can see that much?" I asked. "This body is only a clone."

"The Tower's Laws are absolute," he answered. "Within this place, the authority of Laws is elevated beyond what most worlds can sustain. Many truths become impossible to conceal."

So even my connection to my true body wasn't hidden from him.

That was troublesome.

"Divine Myriad Nebula."

Golden clouds seeped from every pore in my body.

The clouds poured into existence like an endless celestial sea, rolling across the forest in every direction. They flooded between trees, drifted over cliffs, and swallowed the battlefield beneath a veil of divine radiance. Even after extending beyond the limits of my Divine Zone, the clouds continued expanding until the horizon itself shimmered with gold.

"Be patient," I remarked. "I will give my all."

Each cloud possessed its own Weight of Existence. They weren't mere manifestations of energy but tangible extensions of my authority, existing somewhere between illusion and reality.

I resisted the temptation to consult Ophanim.

Normally, I would have relied upon its calculations to identify the optimal sequence of actions. Against an opponent like the Supreme Death, however, that would rapidly exhaust my mental reserves. If I wanted to survive a prolonged engagement, I needed to force victory through my own instincts instead of relying upon endless predictions.

"I have no plans to lose," I declared.

The Supreme Death raised his spear.

"Then give me your worst."

"So be it."

I couldn't employ Divine Mandate of the Executor. Its foundation rested upon an Ultimate Skill, and the Tower's restrictions wouldn't permit it. Fortunately, I had more than enough alternatives.

"Designate Holy Enemy."

A reversed crimson cross materialized above the Supreme Death's head.

"Righteous Challenge."

A brilliant white halo descended immediately afterward, anchoring itself above the crimson symbol.

The moment both marks settled into place, my Divine Zone responded as I cast a series of Halo of Restriction in a single breath. Silver halos burst into existence from every direction. One locked around his wrists. Another bound his elbows. Two restrained his shoulders. Several more wrapped around his torso, waist, knees, ankles, and neck.

Dozens of radiant restraints overlapped one another until the Supreme Death stood imprisoned within a cage of divine authority. I moved and Divine Step carried me across space itself. One instant, I stood before him. The next, I had already appeared behind him with my sword descending in a single unstoppable arc.

"Thunderous Smite."

Divine Speed ignited simultaneously. Lightning exploded across my blade, compressing into a razor-thin line that accelerated my strike beyond what ordinary perception could follow.

Ophanim's warning erupted inside my mind of a future death.

Without questioning it, I abandoned the attack and activated Castling.

One of the countless golden clouds exchanged places with me. At the same instant, Divine Phantasm of Dreams projected an alternate reality into existence. My illusion completed the attack instead.

The Supreme Death moved. Every silver restraint shattered simultaneously. His spear moved in his hand without so much as a ripple in space. One thrust pierced the illusion's chest before my false body even realized it had been struck.

The projection dissolved into golden mist.

His spear continued upward in a smooth circular sweep. The reversed crimson cross split apart. The white halo followed. Both divine authorities disintegrated as though erased from existence.

I remained concealed within the endless sea of golden clouds.

One illusion became ten.

Ten became fifty.

Fifty multiplied into hundreds.

Divine Phantasm of Dreams alone already produced terrifying illusions because each projection embodied a possible future forced temporarily into the present. Coupled with Divine Myriad Nebula, whose clouds possessed genuine Weight of Existence, every false Da Wei carried convincing substance. Even Death's perception would struggle to distinguish illusion from reality.

The clouds also served as countless secondary reservoirs of divine energy.

Instead of drawing solely from my own body, every golden cloud contributed power toward sustaining the army.

"Now... the final touch. Summon: Holy Spirit."

Each illusion gained its own Ezekiel. Radiant spirits emerged beside every duplicate before immediately conjuring gleaming swords, spears, bows, shields, and hammers from condensed holy power.

An army descended upon the Supreme Death, and he welcomed them.

Death's spear danced. The first thrust pierced three illusions standing in a perfect line, shattering both the projections and their accompanying Ezekiels into fragments of golden light.

He pivoted without wasting a single movement.

The spear's butt slammed into another illusion's chest before the blade reversed direction and severed an incoming radiant halberd. The same motion continued into a sweeping cut that decapitated four Ezekiels attempting to flank him.

A dozen arrows descended from above.

He stepped once.

Every arrow missed.

The returning sweep of his spear generated no visible energy, yet every illusion within its path dissolved simultaneously as though existence itself had rejected them.

An enormous radiant hammer crashed downward. The Supreme Death rotated his spear around one hand, allowing metal to meet wood. The impossible collision redirected the hammer into another wave of advancing illusions, obliterating friend and foe alike before he calmly thrust through the opening he'd created.

Another Ezekiel conjured chains. He caught the chains around his spear and spun once. The divine restraints wrapped around a dozen nearby illusions instead, allowing him to eliminate the immobilized projections with effortless precision.

Two minutes passed, and thousands died. The battlefield glittered with dissolving clouds and fading holy spirits. Not once did Death's breathing change.

I observed every movement with absolute concentration, while I remained hidden inside the nebula. He was neither relying upon overwhelming power nor suppressing me through sheer levels. Instead, he was using Laws in their most fundamental forms with tiny adjustments and minute tugs. They were barely perceptible manipulations woven naturally into every thrust, every sidestep, and every rotation of his spear.

The Laws answered him as though they had always belonged there.

"Not yet," I told myself, feeling disbelief.

Even while analyzing him, I never stopped attacking.

My Divine Zone transformed into an enormous artillery platform.

"Divine Smite."

Columns of concentrated radiance erupted from every direction, converging upon the Supreme Death like falling stars.

He shifted his footing.

The first beam grazed his shoulder.

The second missed entirely.

By the third volley, he had already begun reading the rhythm of my attacks, slipping between blasts with movements measured to the width of a single step.

"Holy Smite."

Thousands of silver arrows manifested overhead.

Instead of retreating, he advanced.

His spear became a blur of intersecting circles that redirected arrow after arrow into my own illusions. Every projectile he deflected found another false Da Wei waiting somewhere within the clouds.

"Searing Smite."

Explosive pillars of sacred fire erupted beneath his feet.

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He vaulted over the first eruption before using the second explosion as leverage to propel himself through an incoming formation of Ezekiels. Midair, his spear carved elegant arcs that dismantled every conjured weapon before their wielders vanished into drifting motes of light.

"Thunderous Smite."

Lightning descended in relentless succession.

He accepted the first strike upon his spear.

Electricity crawled harmlessly along the weapon before dispersing into the surrounding earth. By the fifth bolt, he had begun adjusting the angle of his spear to redirect the current away from himself entirely, allowing thunder to become little more than harmless illumination.

"Frost Smite."

Glacial winds erupted across the battlefield.

Ice spread through the forest, freezing trees and clouds alike.

The Supreme Death responded by altering his footwork instead of resisting the cold. Every step shattered precisely the portion of ice necessary for movement while preserving the rest, preventing the frozen terrain from hindering him in the slightest. Illusions trapped by their own frozen battlefield became easy prey beneath his spear.

I cycled through every Smite I possessed.

Radiant detonations.

Silver lances.

Sacred infernos.

Lightning storms.

Blizzards.

Explosive shockwaves.

However, Death continued to keep up with them, applying what he learned from his observation as soon as he saw my techniques.

Every exchange refined Death's understanding until attacks that had initially demanded his full attention became instinctive responses. Even while adapting to the relentless bombardment, his spear never ceased harvesting illusions or destroying the Ezekiels hidden among them.

The forest had transformed into a battlefield where golden clouds, holy spirits, radiant explosions, and dissolving illusions filled every corner of existence.

"How are you still alive?" I asked.

My voice echoed from every corner of the golden nebula.

Divine Phantasm of Dreams projected my words through every illusion, making it impossible to determine which Da Wei had truly spoken. Hundreds of voices overlapped one another, some near, others impossibly distant.

"You should've killed yourself already," I continued, taunting him in hopes to one-up him even just with the slightest advantage. "The one outside the Tower was more than willing to do exactly that. In fact... wasn't that your greatest wish?"

"I never truly had the choice," he answered calmly, unmoved by my words. "I am not even real. Even if I were to end my own existence, the Tower would simply recreate me. Again. And again. Like an echo that never fades."

His fingers tightened slightly around the shaft of his spear.

"The Tower has use for me."

Meng Po had told me something similar before.

She had explained that the Supreme Death inside the Tower wasn't the original person but a recreation born from the Tower's authority. Still, this was the first time I'd heard him admit that the Tower deliberately kept him alive for a purpose.

"What use does the Tower find in you?" I asked.

"Rouse my interest, and maybe I'll bother answering," he said dismissively. "The Tower isn't some benevolent prison. It only uses what it can and recreates whatever it needs." His spear descended. The metal butt struck the earth with a heavy thud. The entire forest fell silent. "Origin Art: Death Knell."

A single bell rang.

The sound was neither loud nor particularly deep, yet the instant it echoed across the battlefield, every illusion and Ezekiel stopped moving.

The whites of the Supreme Death's eyes darkened until they resembled an endless abyss. At the center of each pupil rested the unmistakable shape of a funeral knell. The world withered beneath his gaze. Grass blackened. Leaves crumbled into ash. Ancient trees aged centuries in moments before collapsing into rotten husks. Even the earth itself lost its color as death spread outward in widening circles.

The sound reached me, and I coughed blood violently. My chest tightened as though invisible hands had wrapped around my heart. The golden clouds surrounding my hiding place dispersed against my will, revealing my true position.

Our eyes met.

His gaze alone felt like countless invisible blades stripping away layers of my existence.

He raised his spear.

Ghostly wails erupted from its tip.

Thousands of mournful voices screamed together as silver death condensed into a crescent blade. The straight spear twisted and elongated, transforming into an enormous scythe whose edge seemed capable of harvesting souls themselves.

"If you show me something impressive," the Supreme Death said, "then I shall show you something equally impressive."

I steadied my breathing despite the blood still staining my lips.

"I'll give it my best shot."

Golden radiance erupted from within me.

"Legacy Art..."

Power answered my call.

"...God Emperor."

My Paladin Legacy awakened completely.

A torrent of divine authority surged through every fiber of my being, elevating my existence itself. Brilliant silver and gold replaced my ordinary garments, transforming them into regal robes befitting an emperor of heaven. A golden crown materialized upon my head, its radiant brilliance rivaling the sun.

At long last, I'd mastered it and this was the first time this power would see the light of day.

The countless golden clouds responded immediately.

Rather than remaining scattered across the battlefield, they gathered around me in graceful streams, wrapping around my shoulders like a floating scarf before cascading behind my back. Layer after layer accumulated until they formed an enormous golden cape that billowed without wind.

The Supreme Death simply watched. His eyes never left me. His gaze peeled away at my blessings. Divine Favor weakened. Divine Protection trembled. Even my newly awakened Legacy began losing fragments of its brilliance beneath those dreadful eyes.

The Ophanim continuously projected information before me as I began to earnestly think of a way to win.

"Divine Step."

Space folded.

I appeared directly before him, my sword already halfway through its arc.

"True Divine Smite!"

Our weapons collided. The impact sent divine lightning roaring across the battlefield. He parried. The instant his scythe diverted my sword, I unleashed another technique.

"War Smite."

Rather than channeling it through my blade, I released it through my Divine Zone itself. Invisible force erupted beneath his chin like an uppercut delivered by heaven. The Supreme Death calmly raised one hand, covering his chin. His palm met the invisible strike.

Boom!

The shockwave exploded skyward. He slid backward only half a step before planting his foot firmly into the ground, and then he stomped. The earth fractured. Massive cracks spread beneath us as countless skeletal hands burst through the soil.

Wraiths emerged. They were made from humans, beasts, giants, and creatures I couldn't even identify. Thousands clawed their way upward while dragging trails of black mist behind them.

"Divine Zone," I gritted my teeth. "Divine Smite!"

Columns of holy radiance erupted throughout my Divine Zone. The first wave of wraiths vanished instantly beneath overwhelming divine light. The second wave followed. Then the third. Yet no matter how many I destroyed, more continued climbing from the abyss below.

"Tch," I clicked my tongue in annoyance. "Summon: Holy Spirit."

Hundreds of Ezekiels descended once more. Radiant spirits immediately charged into the sea of wraiths, buying me precious seconds. Half of them never reached the battlefield. The Supreme Death merely looked toward them. His gaze extinguished their existence before they could even conjure their weapons.

Every second drained my stamina faster than before as Death's Origin Art wasn't merely attacking my body. It was steadily eroding everything sustaining my techniques.

I couldn't drag this battle out forever.

"Divine Forge..."

Golden circles unfolded across the sky.

"...Thousand Swords."

The technique originated from the innate conjuration possessed by Holy Spirits. By mastering Divine Forge, I'd learned to elevate that miracle myself. One sword became ten. Ten became a hundred. Hundreds multiplied into thousands. Golden blades emerged from the surrounding clouds before raining across the battlefield like divine judgment.

The wraiths were shredded. Ancient trees exploded into splinters. Even the ground disappeared beneath endless impacts.

The Supreme Death moved.

His movement technique bordered on absurdity. Every step threaded through impossibly narrow openings between falling swords. His body flowed like drifting smoke, never wasting motion, never accelerating unnecessarily. Not a single blade touched him.

"I've got you now."

I chased him relentlessly.

"Divine Step."

Again.

Again.

Again.

Every teleportation brought me closer as sword after sword sought his neck.

"You are not going anywhere," I told him.

"I can say the same to you," answered Death.

My blade completed its swing.

It cut him cleanly in half, except it wasn't really 'him', but his shadow.

The severed silhouette split apart beneath my sword while the real Supreme Death had already appeared overhead. His scythe descended. I vanished in response. Divine Step carried me away at the final possible instant, while Divine Phantasm of Dreams left another convincing illusion behind.

The scythe erased the illusion effortlessly.

I reappeared above him.

The golden cape behind me unfolded like celestial wings. Countless halos ignited within its folds.

"Holy Smite!"

Every halo unleashed torrents of silver arrows. The sky disappeared beneath sacred light as an endless rain of divine projectiles swallowed the Supreme Death in a blinding explosion that lit up the entire forest.

Suddenly, an unaffected hand burst through the storm and reached straight through the barrage of holy arrows. Cold fingers closed firmly around my face. The Supreme Death looked directly into my eyes, as though the countless explosions raging around us didn’t exist at all.

An overwhelming sense of danger seized every instinct I possessed.

Without hesitation, I abandoned offense.

"Dao Domain: Sanctum of the Indomitable Radiance."

The world changed.

A colossal cathedral manifested around us, replacing the battlefield in an instant. Towering pillars of immaculate gold stretched endlessly toward a ceiling that no longer existed. Vast stained-glass windows depicting countless saints and forgotten heroes extended across infinity, each one glowing with divine brilliance. Sacred hymns echoed through the cathedral halls as radiant light poured from every direction, washing over the forest until even the blackened earth shimmered beneath holy splendor.

The domain continued expanding, swallowing everything within its reach.

The Supreme Death smiled.

At that exact moment, my sword severed his arm.

Golden blood scattered across the cathedral floor.

"I've been waiting for this," muttered Death as darkness swallowed him.

The detached arm dissolved into black mist as countless screaming wraiths emerged from every shadow surrounding his body.

"Dao Domain: Cemetery of the Dead."

The cathedral trembled, while the cries echoed louder.

Graves erupted through the polished floor by the thousands.

Stone monuments stretched as far as the eye could see, replacing rows of sacred pillars with endless cemeteries. The heavens above fractured open like shattered glass. Beyond those impossible cracks drifted dead worlds suspended in eternal silence. Broken continents floated through the void alongside shattered moons, ruined stars, and fragments of civilizations long erased from existence.

Death itself had become the sky.

The collision of our Dao Domains distorted reality.

Within my Sanctum, every blessing became absolute.

Resistance. Healing. Protection. Damage reflection. Invincibility.

The cathedral elevated each of those authorities to their highest expression. I had no idea how long the Tower would allow my Dao Domain to exist, but whether it lasted a minute or merely a heartbeat, I intended to make every second count.

"Divine Step."

Space folded. I appeared at Death’s flank.

"Thunderous Smite!"

Lightning burst from my sword. Before the blade even completed its arc, my Divine Zone activated.

"Divine Smite."

A pillar of holy radiance erupted from beneath him.

He parried both.

His scythe intercepted my sword while his free hand redirected the pillar of divine light harmlessly away. I vanished again with Divine Step and followed with another Divine Smite through my Divine Zone.

The cathedral became a blur of golden flashes as I chained Divine Step after Divine Step, striking from impossible angles while simultaneously bombarding him with ranged attacks. Yet every strike met the same conclusion. They were parried, deflected, avoided, or countered.

He wasn’t simply defending anymore. He had begun driving me backward. Each clash forced me to yield another step. Each exchange revealed another layer of his Dao Domain.

The Cemetery of the Dead wasn’t merely suppressing me. It was cursing me.

My movements gradually slowed. My divine powers grew sluggish. Even my healing no longer restored me completely before another unseen curse settled upon my body. At the same time, he became impossible to injure. Every successful strike lost its meaning. Cuts sealed instantly. Broken flesh reformed. Attacks that should have cleaved him apart simply failed to remain.

His Dao Domain had granted him true invincibility.

“…Damn.”

The realization came too late.

The golden cathedral flickered. One stained-glass window shattered. Another pillar dissolved into particles of light. Then the entire Sanctum of the Indomitable Radiance collapsed.

The cathedral vanished. My blessings disappeared with it.

The Supreme Death stepped forward. His kick landed squarely against my abdomen.

Boom!

Every layer of Divine Protection shattered at once. The impact launched me across the ruined battlefield. I barely managed to drive my sword into the ground and skid to a stop.

Blood filled my mouth. I coughed violently.

Only then did I understand something that should have been obvious from the beginning. He had been holding back from every exchange, every counterattack, and every opportunity to kill me. The Supreme Death had been carefully controlling his strength so he wouldn’t accidentally erase me from existence.

I stared at the blood dripping from my lips and silently cursed. Right. I still had the constitution of a damn grape. With the way we’d been exchanging blows, I should have exploded into a cloud of blood long ago. The only reason I was still breathing… was because he had made sure of it.

The Supreme Death rested his scythe upon one shoulder.

"Interesting," he said. His expression remained disappointingly calm. "But lackluster." He shook his head once. "I am not impressed."

"I still have one last thing I want to show you," I replied.

"You are free to try."

I lied.

I had absolutely nothing left. This stupid squishy clone had reached its limit.

The instant he finished speaking, hundreds of illusions scattered in every direction. I dove underground.

"Divine Step."

The earth welcomed me.

"Egress."

The escape technique activated as I chained Divine Step after Divine Step through the bedrock, fleeing deeper beneath the battlefield. Run first. Think later. That was my flawless strategy.

It lasted less than three seconds.

Dozens of skeletal hands burst from beneath the soil. They seized my legs, my waist, my arms. The earth split apart with a deafening roar.

"Egress."

It didn't work, because it had been forcibly cancelled. I was dragged violently back to the surface. Hovering above me was the Supreme Death.

I sighed. "You aren't planning on letting me go, are you?"

He smiled. "Now, that was impressive. What gave me away?"

There it was, confirmation. His curiosity toward me had never been fake. Still, there was no reason for him to wait until now just to spring an ambush. He wasn't the sort of person who created dramatic moments for the sake of appearances. No. The moment he'd admitted that the Tower had use for him, I'd begun piecing everything together. He understood the Tower. He understood the system governing it. He knew far more than he allowed others to see.

And I'd never forgotten the bounty hanging over my head.

"Is there any chance you won't kill me?" I asked. "I swear I won't snitch on Meng Po."

If anything, that was probably another reason he'd chosen such an isolated battlefield. Whatever relationship existed between him and Meng Po, he clearly had no desire to provoke her unnecessarily.

The Supreme Death chuckled softly. "I told you earlier." He slowly raised his scythe. "If you showed me something impressive, then I would show you something equally impressive."

I snorted. "If by that you mean you're going to run away too, then sure. Go ahead."

He ignored my sarcasm.

"A Supreme Being..." The Cemetery of the Dead grew eerily quiet. "...is defined by their Supremacy Trait." His voice echoed across the endless graveyard. "Rejoice."

The countless wraiths lowered their heads.

"For you shall witness mine."

The Supreme Death lifted his scythe toward the fractured heavens. His voice became almost a whisper.

"Supreme Art..."

Everything stopped.

"...Departure of the Dead."

I died.