The walls were cracked, and the ceiling was on the verge of collapsing. Amidst the rubble, a tense exchange of gazes dominated the hall.
Among the broken stones, a dark presence slowly descended. It was him… the being who called himself Phaul, walking with slow, firm steps, crushing pieces of stone under his feet. As he descended, he murmured with a mocking smile on his lips:
— You know... since you're already pretty worn out... I think I can take it easy on you...
Babadar, the Tyrant Empress, gritted her teeth, her fury growing like an uncontrollable wildfire. She began walking slowly, dragging her massive hammer across the floor, producing sparks with every step. Her gaze was filled with hatred, and her voice rose, dripping with disdain:
— You've got quite the aura... but probably... you're just another arrogant fool.
Stopping right in front of Phaul, she stared him in the eyes, with a cold and deadly smile. Leaning slightly closer, she whispered in a threatening tone:
— If you want to stand in my way... I'LL CRUSH YOU!
Without waiting, she launched a punch. Phaul dodged it easily, and with a smirk, landed a precise punch to the Empress's ribs, sending her flying several meters back. She raised her head, her eyes glowing purple, and screamed:
— I'LL END YOU!!
Meanwhile, in the slums...The battlefield was pure chaos. Warriors fought to their last breath to hold back the two commanders. Bodies lay on the ground, as screams and clashing steel filled the air.
At the center of the chaos, Oliver seemed unfazed. Unlike the others, he showed no signs of exhaustion. With a mocking smile, he easily dodged Ghilher's attacks.
— You think you're gonna beat me with those pathetic strikes?! — Oliver taunted, vanishing like the wind.
In the next instant, he reappeared right in front of Ghilher. Ghilher barely managed to dodge Oliver's sword and quickly prepared a counterattack. His dagger lunged toward Oliver's chest, but Oliver blocked it with ease and launched him away with a single strike.
— Agh... he's really strong... — Ghilher muttered, breathing heavily.
Even wounded, he stood up, gripped his sword tightly, and charged once more.
On the other side of the battle, Laura was setting everything ablaze. Her fireballs ravaged the battlefield, and each time her flaming sword clashed with an enemy's defense, an explosion erupted, blasting her opponents away.
Phisil, frustrated, began chanting a spell, forming a powerful tornado of wind. The storm engulfed Laura, lifting dust and debris everywhere.
— Did... we get her...? — Wilana asked, watching the whirlwind with suspicion.
But suddenly, the tornado ignited, transforming into a devastating vortex of fire. Amidst the flames, Laura emerged, walking out unharmed with a serious expression.
— Stop getting in my way... and move.
Back inside the castle, the tremors grew louder. The ceiling was starting to collapse.
Phaul and Babadar exchanged brutal punches and strikes. The tyrant's hammer swung wildly, trying to crush him, but the lord dodged with ease, countering with hooks and kicks.
With two fingers near his lips, Phaul smirked and muttered:
— Soul.
A grotesque shadow emerged from beneath his feet, materializing and lunging at Babadar. She blocked it but had to use brute force to shove it away. Seeing Phaul next to her again, she mocked:
— Two against one? Looks like you talk big... but when you realize you can't handle it, you call for help.
— Help? — Phaul retorted, laughing. — This is my ability... Necromancy. A duel means using everything you've got to win. Lucky for you, my body is still weak... I can only summon one at a time. But relax... one is enough.
With a malicious grin, he pointed at the tyrant and shouted:
— Joint attack!!
The shadow blinked, teleporting to attack from the left. Babadar dodged but failed to notice Phaul appearing on her right. A precise punch landed straight into her ribs.
— AGH!! — she groaned, surprised.
The massacre began. Their synchronized attacks forced the tyrant into pure defense. Every punch from the shadow was immediately followed by a strike from Phaul. Babadar tried to crush Phaul, but he spun away, dodging, as his shadow delivered an uppercut to her chin.
The tyrant staggered, nearly falling, but rose again, furious. She spun her hammer in a brutal arc, trying to hit both, forcing them to jump back.
But... that was exactly what she wanted.
In a sudden move, she grabbed Phaul by the neck and seized the shadow by the arm. Swinging the shadow around like a toy, she yelled:
— TAKE THIS!!
The shadow was hurled violently into the wall, creating a crater. Without wasting a second, Babadar delivered a devastating blow toward Phaul, sending him crashing through several castle pillars.
He got up, coughing blood, and growled:
— SOUL!!
The shadow returned, appearing at his feet. They both charged again. The tyrant punched the shadow, sending it into the walls, but Phaul slid under her and landed a left uppercut followed by a right hook.
Even with blood dripping, Babadar didn't back down. She tried to smash him again, but he vanished from her sight.
The entire castle started to crumble.
Amid the debris, Anin, already weakened, tried to stand, but the ceiling collapsed toward her. At the last second, Phaul's shadow saved her.
Phaul shouted at the shadow:
— Get her out of here, NOW!
Then, with a wild look, he glared at Babadar and growled:
— NOW I'LL FINISH YOU!!
— COME ON THEN!! — she spat blood, her eyes burning with rage.
The two dashed at insane speed. Punches, kicks, dodges, and explosions made the castle tremble down to its foundations.
Phaul landed two punches on the tyrant's jaw, but she retaliated with a gut punch followed by a brutal hammer strike to his head.
Taking a deep breath, Phaul murmured an incantation:
— That's enough... time to end this... NOW!
His fists started glowing red, enveloped in his aura. He charged, breaking the sound barrier, and Babadar, even exhausted, screamed, rushing forward as well.
She tried to crush him with her hammer, but he vanished. Her eyes widened.
— Where did he go!?
From the sky, a voice echoed:
— CHARGED... PUNCH!!
A colossal blow descended from the heavens, smashing her so hard it destroyed the entire castle from the top down. Everything collapsed.
The impact raised a dust cloud that covered the entire city. The people who were being evacuated and the warriors fighting in the slums stared in shock, watching the castle crumble completely. When the dust settled, Phaul stood there, panting, watching Babadar lying unconscious, blood dripping from her face.
— For someone who was poisoned... and fighting against opposing will... you actually lasted quite a while... — he commented, laughing.
Walking away, he thought:
"Finally, I've gotten this body... Now I just need to leave and perfect it... Then I can fully restore my power."
But deep in his mind, a furious voice emerged. It was Shizu:
"What do you mean!? The deal was just for you to help me!"
Phaul smiled and replied out loud:
— Yeah, I know... but I never said I'd give the body back. I only said it was something that benefited both of us...
"You... you were just trying to steal my body from the beginning!"
Laughing loudly, Phaul cackled:
— YOU REALLY THOUGHT I'D GIVE UP A BODY I'VE WAITED CENTURIES FOR?! NOW IT'S MINE, KID!! AND YOU CAN'T DO A THI—
Suddenly, he vanished in a desperate dodge to the right. His left arm fell to the ground, cleanly severed. Phaul grabbed the bleeding stump, his face a mix of shock and rage.
In front of him, a cold and deadly voice sounded:
— Hm... missed? — said Oliver, pointing his sword. — No problem... next time, I'll definitely cut you in half.
Trembling with rage, Phaul stared at the enemy, grinding his teeth:
— Oh, kid... you're going to regret this so badly.
Oliver smiled, sharpening his gaze, and replied:
— Are you... sure about that...?