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The pillars of gray flame clashed against Hazau's living tentacles and blades. The arena around them—a city already in ruins—was now just dust, bones, and structures hanging like tortured corpses.
Dan charged with everything he had.
He roared.
Each blow was loaded not just with energy, but with pain, with unkept promises, with loss.
Hazau smiled.
He absorbed, dodged, bent at impossible angles. Parts of his body turned into spikes, others evaporated and reappeared behind Dan. The sound of blades cutting the air was like screams of agony.
Dan used his clones, his combat techniques, and fought for real.
But Hazau laughed.
— You're giving it your all, aren't you? Everything you have. Everything that's left.
He grabbed Dan's arm, dodging a blast, and twisted it with a force that made the bones crack.
— How pathetic.
Dan roared and kicked the villain away, but Hazau spun in the air like a shadow and landed unscathed.
— That's your problem… Sifs, rebels, "heroes." — he made air quotes with his deformed fingers — You fight with emotion. With memories. With people.
His eyes turned black like bottomless pits.
— You wanna know what motivated me to kill Levi?
Dan froze for a second.
— …What?
Hazau smiled and snapped his fingers. A spectral form rose behind him, as if the ashes of the battlefield evoked an echo of the past. It was Levi, on his knees. With empty eyes.
— I saw everything when I destroyed that weak mind. The memories. The unsent letters. The scent of her hair…
— You bastard... — Dan murmured, his voice breaking.
"They must have discovered the temple's location, this is really bad..." Dan thought.
Hazau approached.
— Izabela. Her name was Izabela, wasn't it? The woman Levi begged the gods to live for.
He stared Dan in the eyes.
Eyes that trembled because he knew that name, a dear name of someone dear to a dear friend.
— You know what's funniest? When she died, he cried while smiling on missions. A piece of him was gone and no one noticed.
That's why he ran.
That's why he abandoned you.
Dan clenched his fists, swallowing his rage.
— Shut up.
— Ahhh, I saw how you try to look strong together. A beautiful little play. "Family forged in war," "United by pain"… all lies.
Hazau lunged and punched Dan in the stomach. The armor cracked.
Another blow. Then another.
Dan tried to counter, but Hazau was already moving behind him, delivering kicks and slashing attacks.
— Tekio? A child with a burden the world will crush.
— Stella? A cracked soul pretending to shine.
— Dan… you're just the monument to all these tragedies.
Hazau grabbed Dan by the neck, lifted him into the air, and threw him against a broken pillar. Blood painted the concrete.
— You really think you can beat me with feelings?
He kicked Dan on the ground with force. The impact cracked the earth.
— You're the ash of a fire that never truly burned.
Dan, panting, tried to get up.
But Hazau stomped on his chest.
— You think friendship is strength.
He bent down, bringing his distorted face close to Dan's.
— I think it's just another form of weakness with a bow and a pretty name.
Dan grabbed him by the neck and ignited in flames.
— SHUT UP — Dan screamed as he burned everything around.
Hazau writhed and retreated, smiling.
— Don't cry for Levi. He died believing in you. And he died wrong.
Hazau stood up.
— When I'm done here… none of you will be left to carry these stupid memories.
But I'll keep every single one, and mock them for the rest of my existence.
(...)
Far from the chaos.
Far from the screams, the smoke, the destruction, and the pain.
There she was.
Vernasha.
In absolute silence, sitting on the rubble of the square, as if the world no longer deserved her attention. Her eyes, as cold as death, were fixed on Azaroth's fallen body.
He breathed weakly.
He was alive.
Unconscious…
And useless.
— He's still alive. Perfect. When I need to, I'll extract every drop of his energy. For now, he serves me better this way… silent.
Her fingers slid along the edge of her black cloak as she watched the city in the distance.
Flames, debris, muffled screams. Everything was in place.
— Just a little longer… and this world will finally watch. Will bow. This city will be the stage for my revelation.
She stood up slowly, a wicked smile curving her lips.
— I will have… it back. — she murmured with a dark glint in her eyes.
With a soft snap of energy, her body vanished.
And, in the blink of an eye, she appeared atop a destroyed building near the square.
From up there, she watched.
Something had changed on the battlefield. She felt it.
A new pulse, an ancient vibration… familiar.
— So Akira has arrived… — she said with a small smile. — Excellent.
She adjusted herself, lifting her chin like a queen on her throne.
— My little boy has finally arrived…
But before she could take another step…
— Just going to watch?
The voice cut through the air like a blade.
Cold. Precise.
Vernasha froze.
She hadn't sensed anything.
One of the most sensitive entities in the spiritual world hadn't felt any approach?
She turned slowly. Looked into the eyes of the figure before her.
And that was her biggest mistake.
She, the perfectionist, had committed the sin she most despised:
Overconfidence.
She trusted too much in her own supremacy.
Trusted that she could turn to face the enemy and stare them down without fear.
But there is a price for turning your back on personified condemnation.
A price named Fenra Senhir.
The woman with short black hair and silver eyes stared at her with a neutral expression, but one laden with judgment.
— Who are you? — Vernasha asked, bored.
— You'll find out soon, Fenra replied with a subtle smile.
— Ah… — Vernasha sighed as if recognizing an inevitable fate. — You must be my judgment. The cosmos's creation specially molded for me.
She walked in a circle, studying her opponent.
— Your energy… is compatible. Perfectly so. Good that you came to me. It saves me the trouble of getting your attention and hunting you down.
She raised her hand.
— Let's play then, enemy of the heavens.
Fenra laughed.
— Heavens? Cosmos? You think you're some sacred entity? You're weak. You know that, right? Too weak for that title.
Then, she added with a sarcastic look:
— And, to your sorrow, your cosmic enemy isn't me… it's someone else.
A roar shattered the silence.
A shadow tore through the fabric of reality in a sudden fall, landing between the two.
Wounded. Clothes in tatters. Blood streaming from deep cuts.
But steady.
Standing.
Tekio.
His body bent, breathing heavily, eyes sparking with electric energy.
His right fist was lowered, and his left hand rested on it, concentrating an absurd force. The winds around him swirled, bowing to his presence.
— LET'S GO, YARA!!! — Tekio roared, his voice merging with the thunder tearing through the sky.
The aura around him exploded in a flash of electricity and spirit.
A blow was being prepared. A blow that mixed his soul with Yara's—the legendary warrior sealed within his body.
"I'm ready," Yara whispered in his mind.
— Alright, he replied.
Vernasha smiled.
Reckless, she thought.
Her gift was manipulating space. She was too fast to be touched by a mere boy.
But…
Something was wrong.
She tried to move.
Nothing.
Not a single muscle responded.
Her eyes widened. Her energy… was frozen.
Paralyzed.
— NO…
— ASCENDING THUNDER!!!
Tekio's scream exploded along with the impact of the punch that struck the center of her body—right in the navel, the source of spiritual flow.
The sound of the impact echoed like a thunderclap.
Ribs cracked.
Organs ruptured.
Blood gushed from Vernasha's mouth as she staggered back, gasping.
Fenra narrowed her eyes, attentive.
— Damn… It still wasn't enough.
— One more time, Tekio!
Tekio was already advancing again.
But this time, Vernasha broke free from the paralysis.
She teleported—not away, but to the top of the structure ahead, facing the two.
— That blow… — she thought, panting. — Destroyed my energy flow. Tekio… the weakest of them, managed that?
She gritted her teeth. Her spatial manipulation technique required concentration… and stability.
But she still had one card left.
She raised her hand.
From the void, a small purple black hole appeared. A point of pure destruction. Lethal.
Tekio saw it.
And charged forward anyway.
Determinedly.
He knew he could die. But he didn't hesitate.
In that situation, not rescuing Mei was the same as dying.
Vernasha aimed the attack directly at his chest.
But before she could release it…
An immense energy swallowed everything.
Dense.
Incandescent.
Divine and demonic at the same time.
— No… not now… damn it…
The flaming aura exploded inside Vernasha's mind and body, suffocating her essence.
She fell to her knees.
Mei Nuhay.
Even sealed in the dimension created by Vernasha…
Was there.
Imposing herself.
— Let's go, Tekio. — Mei's voice said, echoing within the distortion.
— I believe in you. I know you'll seize this chance.
The pressure from the Empress of Fire grew.
Like before…
Like the first time she was sealed…
Vernasha felt crushed.
Mei had kept her aura controlled, waiting for an opportune moment to pressure Vernasha.
And then.
Her powers were nullified.
Her body, vulnerable.
Exposed.
Before her, panting but firm…
Tekio positioned himself again.
Fist clenched.
Eyes shining.
And with a scream that tore the heavens…
Tekio charged.
In the memories of that group, in the echoes of a calmer time, was the plan.
In the scarlet heart of the Crimson Temple, under faint lights that seemed to reflect the blood of futures spilled, they had discussed it.
— Tekio, you can release Yara completely, can't you? — Fenra asked, her eyes serious but hopeful.
— Yes... — he replied, hesitantly — But she said it would be too much for me. That I wouldn't be able to keep fighting afterward.
Fenra crossed her arms, thoughtful.
— You won't need to. Not if Mei is back.
There, in that sacred moment among allies, the plan took shape. The priority was clear: free Mei Nuhay—whatever the cost.
The strategy was to locate Vernasha. And if Dante appeared to protect her, Tekio would release Yara completely. His mission would be to distract him, even at the cost of himself. Meanwhile, Fenra, Dan, Aisha, and Stella would do everything to free Mei from the dimensional prison.
But war changes everything. And war changes fast.
When they arrived, it was Stella who took the lead.
— Leave Dante to me. — she said, staring at Tekio with determination. Jade had faced Dante before, and Stella shared part of her experience. Her affinity with her inner light was in balance.
She was as strong as Tekio with Yara released. Perhaps even stronger.
The plan was adjusted under pressure.
Dan would face Hazau.
Tekio and Fenra would wait discreetly for an opening in the Soul Realm, a place where even Vernasha couldn't detect them.
Fenra would concentrate her energy—enough for only the first stage of her technique—and paralyze Vernasha.
Then, Tekio would attack. With full force. To free Mei.
And now, in that instant, as the sky filled with spiritual sparks, every soul on the field bled, sweated, cried.
The plan had changed. But no one had given up.
And, for the first time…
A crucial step toward victory was being taken.
Tekio concentrated his punch.
— This time it'll be in the face... — he murmured, his eyes shining in silvery white.
— Let's go, — Yara said inside his mind, her voice like tender thunder.
Their souls intertwined. One being. One lightning.
Tekio's aura exploded in radiant white, wreathed in silver lightning that tore through the air.
Fenra watched, eyes wide.
— GET HER, TEKIO!
Vernasha saw the blow approaching. And in her mind, only desperation remained.
— If I take this punch... I die. I definitely die. I can't. I can't. I CAN'T. I'm so close... I refuse!
But Tekio's energy was unstoppable.
The scream echoed like celestial thunder:
— ASCENDING THUNDER!
The fist descended. But before impact, a colossal explosion of energy filled the scene.
Shadows dissipated. And there, in the middle of the dust... a feminine silhouette emerged from the ashes.
Vernasha's eyes widened.
— I'm free... I can escape... — she thought.
But before she could even process the idea, a hand grabbed her.
Warm. Burning. But not comforting.
There was no compassion there.
Only justice.
The hand pulled her with brutality. In an instant, the impacts came.
One.
Two.
Ten.
Fifty.
As fast as thunder, as devastating as the fury of a collapsing sun.
Vernasha could barely react. Her mind tried to understand, but her body just flew.
A final punch launched her dozens of meters. She was thrown from the building, rolled on the ground, spitting blood, gasping, with fractured bones and burning lungs.
And then she heard footsteps.
Slow. Firm.
Each one like a hammer striking her condemnation.
— I saw everything. — said the feminine voice.
She recognized it.
Knew whose it was.
And feared.
— Saw how you enjoyed the pain. Saw your cruelty. Saw everything you did. Every plan. Every whisper. I watched in silence. And yes, you were clever…
— But you made a fatal mistake: you architected all this in an era where I still exist.
The golden glow appeared through the dust. A pair of flaming eyes that pierced the soul.
She appeared.
Mei Nuhay.
Alive. Intact. Colossal.
Her red hair waved like flames in the wind.
The cloak on her shoulder fluttered like a war banner.
Her presence was a sun. Her gaze—the sentence.
— Trying to run, huh? — Mei said, cold as burning ice.
— Must be confused. Trying to teleport. Or distort space. But I hit every point in your body. Every energy flow. Every spiritual current. I learned everything about you. Because I was inside you.
Vernasha just listened. In fear. Trembling.
There was no answer. No way out.
— Your ability is impressive. Distorts space, creates dimensions, accesses energy properties... A true cosmic spider. But now… it's broken.
You won't escape with outrageous methods anymore.
Mei extended her arm.
At the tip of her finger, a sphere of energy so dense formed that light itself seemed to be sucked into it.
— Normally, I'd play more. But today… I'm tired.
Vernasha panicked.
— Come on... energy, come back... I NEED YOU!
— It can't end here! IT CAN'T! I WON'T ALLOW IT!
She writhed, desperate. But nothing happened.
Not a spark. No salvation.
Mei stared at her for the last time.
— Nebula.
A beam of light cut through the world.
The sound of the impact was deafening.
The place where Vernasha stood simply ceased to exist.
Everything turned to dust.
Ashes.
Silence.
There was no more body.
No more threat.
Vernasha was dead.
The wall she was leaning against amidst the debris was evaporated, leaving only a huge hole in the building that pierced through it and others behind.
And the whole world felt it.
On the battlefield, everyone stopped.
Fenra smiled. Tekio too. Tears in their eyes. Hope rekindled.
Reconnaissance drones arrived, capturing the images, trying to understand what was happening.
And then, one of them saw her.
She was there.
Mei Nuhay.
Standing. Imposing.
Flames danced around her.
She looked forward, eyes burning with purpose.
— Who's next? — she murmured.
To be continued...