Every normal spectator could not keep up. Azure and platinum lights collided in the ring like dueling comets. The sonic ripples shook the entire ring.
Richard's six floating swords spun faster than before, forming a halo that shimmered in perfect synchronicity with his movement. His Flux erupted, flooding the arena in a blinding platinum haze.
"You think a single heirloom makes you my equal, little brother?! You've always been a shadow clinging to borrowed strength!"
Thales didn't respond.
When they moved, even the hologram cameras could barely track them. To the naked eye, there was only azure streaks clashing against platinum arcs. Every collision sent shockwaves that blasted the sand away, exposing the concrete beneath the arena. Thales gritted his teeth, feeling his arms numb from each clash. Richard was overpowering him again, forcing him back step by step. Every strike from Richard's swords carried the arrogance of a man who never had to bleed for recognition. Every hit from Thales was fueled by the rage of one who always had to prove he belonged.
And in that heat, he heard Phaser's voice echoing faintly in his mind.
"This is your chance to prove to the world who you are."
Thales ducked a spinning blade, rolled and slashed upward. Richard blocked with two swords at once, the impact forming a small crater around them.
Thales remembered he much he suffered to get the sword. He walked through the desert for her felt like days, escaping the Faceless. He spent days searching and escaping and nearly died there. The main reason he got the sword was because Phaser helped him without expecting anything in return. He had taken the sword but it had never truly answered him. Not until now at least.
Richard lunged forward, all six swords converging. The entire audience gasped as their Xana braided into one blinding spiral.
"You've always been beneath me!"
Thales blocked, sparks erupting from it. His knees bent under the force, blood dripping from his lips. His body screamed to stop but something inside him snapped instead.
'No more holding back.'
He thought of Phaser with his effortless confidence and how strong he actually was. Back when they were trapped in the Fluve Field in Reversa, he always won their duels without using their Flux. He hated that. He hated that Phaser could be everything he wasn't.
He hated relying on him.
He was supposed to be the one rising from the ashes of a tainted bloodline. He was supposed to be the first hybrid to stand on equal ground with the pure. Yet here he was again, being saved by someone else's words.
"Not this time. I won't need saving again!"
He raised his head, his eyes burning in a bright azure gleam. The markings of the sword carved faintly across his arms, fusing with his own Xana signature.
"I'm done hiding!"
The energy around him exploded outward that cracked the floor beneath his feet. Azure wind twisted violently, spiraling into a vortex that disintegrated every loose sword hovering near him. Richard snarled as he summoned his swords again.
"You think some tantrum will change your fate?"
He raised both arms. The platinum swords reformed, merging into a single giant blade twenty meters tall. The crowd screamed as the weapon blotted out the light above the dome. Even the dome's barrier flickered in response.
"Then be crushed beneath your own delusion!"
He swung the massive sword down.
Thales didn't flinch.
He exhaled once, centered his stance, and raised his azure sword vertically. The moment the two weapons met, a blinding light filled the ring.
A single slash of pure Xana condensed into a focused blade wave erupted from Thales' swing. It shattered the giant sword into thousands of platinum shards that dissolved in midair. The barrier around the ring shimmered violently. It didn't crack but the distortion made everyone clutch their heads as the sound rolled over them like thunder.
When the light faded, the arena floor was gone. Half of it was obliterated. Richard had been thrown back, sliding across the ruins. His armor was shattered and one of his arms was hanging limp. He coughed blood, staring up at the figure standing in front of him.
"This… is who I am."
Richard struggled to rise, panting, fury and fear mingling in his gaze.
"You… damn… hybrid…"
Thales looked at him without flinching.
"Say that again."
Richard tried to stand. His chest heaved like a cornered beast's with blood running down the side of his face.
"Y-you—"
He started to curse but the word never finished. A gleam cut through the air. Two blinding arcs carved across the ring and in the next breath, Richard's legs were gone, severed mid-motion. The sound of his body hitting the stone echoed like a cannon as Thales stepped on the stumps..
"You bastard! Do you even know who I am—"
Thales' blade blurred again, slicing horizontally twice. His arms were cut off. Richard's scream turned into a gurgle.
"Do I care?"
"You—"
"All my life, you and my brothers treated me like a monster. But not anymore."
Richard's eyes widened. Realization dawned on him but it was too late.
Thales swung horizontally. Richard's throat opened in a perfect line and a fountain of red liquid sprayed the air. He tried to scream again but no sound came out. His voices came as a choking, gasping noise as he fell to his knees.
"Since the whole world is watching, might as well let them see who I really am."
He lifted the sword one-handed, Xana surging so violently. Then, with one brutal slash, he decapitated him. Richard's head rolled twice and stopped. His last expression was frozen in disbelief and terror. His body crumpled beside it.
Six swords materialized behind Thales, each one gleaming. They rotated slowly behind him. Shockwaves rolled through the arena like thunder as the six swords began to fuse with his Flux. Gasps filled the stands. Spectators covered their mouths, some in terror. Others cheered from the brutality.
"Did he—did he just—"
"He killed his brother!"
"Lord Thales Erdict just... just—"
But in the VIP section, Phaser leaned back in his seat.
"Finally. He shattered his mentality. He broke his damn moral compass."
He exhaled softly, watching Thales stand amidst the silence, the six swords orbiting his back. The crowd didn't know whether to cheer or run. The Radiant Houses sat frozen.
Thales Erdict had just murdered his brother in front of the whole world.