Demon Lord's Reincarnation

Darius looked at the blackened remains on the ground and fell. Darius could no longer maintain his floating and was now on the ground on his knees panting. He had used every last bit of the mana reserves that he accumulated by sucking the blood of his citizens for the past few months. 

This was his final trump card, and he didn't really want to use it. But after battling with Kretos and watching him excitedly mow down his enslaved, Darius actually felt threatened. He knew that normal spells wouldn't cut it and using anything less than this big move Kretos might be able to evade. 

It was a good thing that he started this tournament distracting Kretos for some time, while he gathered mana by bloodsucking. Not only was he able to gather enough mana to use such a big spell, but he was able to fill a whole city with his enslaved. 

...

Darius tried to stand up but couldn't as he found that it was difficult to gather strength in his legs. It would seem that not only was his mana drained but so was his stamina. As he was trying to stop breathing so heavily Darius noticed an out of place shadow. 

The shadow started to tremble and a person came out from within the shadow and was now slowly rising. This was none other than Kretos whose body was now a total wreck. When Darius saw this he was surprised as he watched Kretos slowly moving forward with his sword at hand. 

"I never expected you would actually use that technique from the shadow clan. I thought you hated hiding in the shadows." Kretos stopped moving forward and looked at the weakened Darius and answered. 

"I do hate using these techniques that are meant for hiding. But if it's in exchange for my life then it doesn't really matter, does it?" 

"Heh, I see... So I miscalculated, I truly thought that you would rather die than give up your pride." 

"What's the use of having pride, what's the use of anything if you die? I seek death, but not because I want to die, but because I want to feel truly alive." 

"Hahaha, that doesn't make any sense. Seeking death to feel alive?... Hmmm, maybe I do understand a bit of that feeling. I loved playing games and in those games, I seek defeat so that when I win I truly feel like I won."

"Wanting defeat to feel victorious? It does sound like you do understand." The two mortal enemies smiled at each other and chuckled. 

"Hey, so what's your plan after this?"

"I just want to find a satisfying battle where I can go all out and still lose despite doing everything I can. This was a close one, but it wasn't it. So the next step would be defeating the other demon lords."

"I see..."

"We have talked long enough, time to end this." Kretos once again started slowly moving forward while dragging his tattered body and using his sword as a cane. 

"As you wish." Darius tried lifting his hand but he couldn't. He tried gathering mana to use a spell but he wasn't able to do that as well. He couldn't even activate a simple fire spell.

'I guess talking for that long wasn't enough to regain even a tiny bit of mana.' 

Darius who was famed for having a contingency plan for every possible scenario was unable to think of a way out right now. His mistake was using his strongest move too early, as he should have continued to whittle down Kretos's strength. 

'I guess my fate was sealed the moment I was intimidated by that undying will of his, coupled with that vicious smile that rattled my very core... Still, giving up before the game is truly over isn't my style.' 

Darius used every bit of the stamina he had left to stand up. He tried turning into mist or turn into a bat, but it would seem that in his current condition he couldn't do it. He then readied his arm to strike one last blow at Kretos. Kretos who was equally exhausted raised his sword and was about to swing it one last time. The two locked eyes and as if coming to an understanding moved at the exact same moment. 

The two stumbled past each other while delivering their strikes. The victor was decided in that one instant as blood sprayed out of Darius's arms. No longer able to hold on he lay on the ground looking at the night sky. 

Kretos turned around and looked at his fallen opponent and spoke. 

"Are you going to beg me to spare you?"

"Only second rate villains beg for mercy. I'm a demon lord, I shall accept my defeat with grace."

"Heh, so any last words?"

"It was a very fun game that we played. It's the most fun I had in centuries. I would have loved to play some more, but this is it for me. Thank you, for playing with this old man." Darius the demon lord known for his cunning, the demon lord that was said to be the closest to what the primordial demons were like, the demon lord who played around with people's hearts and souls, smiled an innocent smile. 

"It was fun for me too... Thank you for the battle, Demon Lord Darius." Kretos stabbed his sword into the heart of the oldest demon lord alive.

As he was dying Darius had a vision of a long-forgotten past. A time when he wasn't a demon lord, but an ordinary vampire. There standing beside him was his old friend Kir a Lycan and on his right side his beloved Elaine. The three of them used to play a lot and every day was a fun adventure. All this changed on the day Elaine died. After her death, Darius was never the same, and he grew apart from Kir. 

'The Game is finally over... Are you still waiting for me... Elaine...' That was the end of the Vampiric Lord Darius.