On the city side, calm had finally returned.
The fighting was over, leaving behind shattered streets, bodies scattered across the ground, and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. Kenny was sitting directly on the pavement, his back resting against a cracked wall. Beside him, Tenma slowly caught his breath, his eyes still heavy.
"Man… what a day," Kenny muttered with a tired smile.
Tenma turned his head slightly, curiosity flickering in his gaze.
"How are you already back on your feet," he asked, "when everyone else is still unconscious?"
Kenny shrugged.
"I'm an Animagus. My recovery abilities are far superior to yours."
"I see…"
A brief silence settled between them, broken only by the distant crackling of still-burning debris. Then Kenny spoke again, his tone more serious.
"By the way… can I ask you a favor?"
"A favor?"
"Yes. Please don't tell anyone about Jack showing up."
Tenma frowned slightly.
"Jack the Smoke? You didn't seem to know him… but I'm guessing this has something to do with Ikku."
"Exactly."
Tenma nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. You can count on me."
At that moment, something caught their attention.
Movement.
They both turned their heads at the same time the body lying a short distance away had shifted.
"He's already waking up?" Tenma said in surprise. "After the hit he took?"
"It probably has something to do with what Jack did earlier," Kenny replied quietly.
Ikku slowly pushed himself up, as if waking from a deep sleep. He stretched, let out a long yawn, almost casually—like someone waking from a nap. There wasn't a single visible injury on him.
Then his eyes finally focused on them.
"Guys… what happened?"
"You don't remember anything?" Kenny asked.
Ikku frowned, searching his memory.
"Well…"
Suddenly, the images came rushing back.
"I do!" he exclaimed. "We had Darius cornered! But then… Tenma attacked me! What was that about? And where's Darius?!"
Kenny studied him closely.
"You really remember having Darius?"
Ikku nodded.
"I see… You were caught in an illusion."
"An illusion?" Ikku repeated, confused.
"That's right," Tenma confirmed calmly. "But we'll talk about it later. Right now, we need to take care of the wounded."
"That's right!" Ikku said suddenly. "Yumé, Carla, Fenrir they're still unconscious!"
No sooner had he spoken than a figure appeared in front of him, emerging out of nowhere.
"Master Zeno!" Ikku shouted, relief washing over him.
The swordsman scanned the surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the ruins.
"What happened here?"
"There was a Calamity," Ikku replied. "Darius… the war criminal."
Zeno's expression hardened instantly.
"You said Darius? Are you sure?"
"There's no doubt," Kenny said, lifting Yumé's unconscious body and resting him over his shoulder.
Zeno closed his eyes briefly.
"If he came here, then he had a specific objective. We need to inform Ryu."
"If you're here," Tenma asked, "does that mean you defeated your opponent?"
"The war is over. Mekira's soldiers have withdrawn."
"Really?" Kenny said in disbelief. "Why?"
"Thanks to King Gabriel's intervention… and the rebels from Saymar."
Ikku's eyes widened.
"The LVD?! They showed up?!"
"Yes. They testified on your behalf. Thanks to them, the attack was called off. They've already left, though. I assume they were grateful to you."
Ikku lowered his head slightly.
"That's a shame… I wanted to thank them. But first, we need to take care of the injured."
"Don't worry about that."
The moment Zeno finished speaking, the sky darkened slightly. A swarm of cybernetic insects descended, landing with precision on the unconscious bodies soldiers, allies… even Dôma.
"What are those?" Ikku asked, fascinated.
"Medical insects. They specialize in treatment and transport. They'll take the wounded to the clinics. For now, we need to inform Ryu."
Zeno's phone vibrated.
"Speak of the devil…" he muttered, glancing at the screen. "Ryu was already warned by Nina. He wants to see us in his office."
"Go without me," Tenma said, holding Fenrir tightly in his arms. "I'm staying with him."
"Carla's still unconscious!" Ikku said, running toward her.
"Don't worry," Zeno replied. "Hypsen's robots will handle it. And from what I can see… everyone's alive. That alone is a relief."
Tenma remembered Darius's words.
He had been telling the truth.
He hadn't killed anyone.
On Kenny's shoulder, Yumé stirred weakly.
"W-Where… am I…?"
"Yumé?!" Kenny exclaimed. "You're awake?"
"It was… close… but I managed to use hardening at the last second…"
A short distance away, Ikku helped Carla sit up.
"How do you feel?"
"My muscles are numb… but I'll be fine."
Zeno nodded.
"Good. Let's go see Ryu. After that, you'll get some rest. There's no need for you to go to Hypsen."
"I'm staying," Tenma said firmly. "I'm not leaving Fenrir."
"Very well. You'll join us later."
They were quickly escorted to Ryu's office.
Ryu, still marked by his own battle, hadn't even changed his clothes. His damaged attire bore witness to the violence of the fight.
"Thank you for coming so quickly, children."
"Why summon us so urgently?" Kenny asked.
Ryu took a deep breath.
"The situation is delicate. I need to know was Darius after the jewel?"
"He said he wasn't," Kenny replied.
Ryu's expression darkened.
"That's what I was afraid of."
"What's the problem, old man?" Zeno asked.
"Darius stole something extremely valuable from Kul-Elna."
"What was it?" Ikku asked.
Ryu hesitated.
"The bodies… of the Conquerors."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"The bodies of the Conquerors?" Carla repeated, shaken.
"To honor their legendary deeds and for security reasons," Ryu explained, "their remains were buried in Kul-Elna. To prevent anyone from desecrating their bodies… or uncovering the secrets they carried."
"Then why would Darius want them?" Ikku asked.
Ryu looked straight at him.
"Ikku… you found a jewel. Most likely the Jewel of Destruction. Which means the others exist as well. And among them… the Jewel of Life."
Zeno clenched his teeth.
"Capable of bringing the dead back to life…"
"Exactly," Ryu confirmed. "Darius may be attempting to resurrect the Conquerors… and control them."
"Why?" Ikku asked, his voice tense.
Ryu slowly shook his head.
"I have no idea. But if he succeeds…"
He paused.
"Then this world will be in grave danger.
Because no one… is capable of standing against them."