Though to anyone watching, Rio had just spoken a mere empty word, to Ark whom the word had been spoken and the grand priestess who was watching, his word was daring to impose changes on a much deeper level of reality.
Ark flinched, releasing Rio and taking a step back as his head was hit with a deep, echoing headache. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew Rio had just become 10 times dangerous and needed to die immediately.
To the Grand Priestess who could see into this deeper level and understood what was happening, shock flashed on her face and for a moment, she considered the option of killing Ark to save Rio and had to stop herself.
"I've already invested so much in Ark, it will be a shame to just end him."
Watching the two boys and considering ending the conflict between them, the grand priestess's face scrunched when she noticed that Rio was reaching into the metaphysical realm again and about to move his mouth once more.
"Idiot, don't use that power again, you're just killing yourself."
Doing nothing though, the Priestess watched as Rio once more commanded Ark who had only stumbled backwards and fallen to his knees.
"Die"
The look in Ark's eyes had reminded Rio of the faces back in Lincoln's corporation, and his emotions were sent even deeper when he began talking.
Rio couldn't understand a thing Ark said, but the careless confidence he had spoken with, like Rio was a powerless bug, took him right back to his last time with Raymond.
The swaggering confidence that the fat old man had exuded, Ark also exuded, the supreme surety in his position that the white-haired monkey possessed, Ark also possessed and lastly, just as Raymond sat on an elevated position, so did Ark.
Last time, he had swallowed the anger, worrying about the consequences of his actions, but now things were different.
The changes to the world had opened Rio's eyes to a choice he had always had right from the day he was born,
"do or die"
It was okay if others were scared of death, he wasn't.
Never would he stand before another man like he had Raymond.
After declaring death the second time, Rio lost all feeling, his body felt like a prison to him and though he felt a dangerous sensation building up in him, the light of his life about to be snuffed out, he ignored this danger.
Peering through his eyes which had become the window of his prison, the moment he saw that Ark was still alive, his anger boiled and forcefully reached out, took control of his body and made it speak again.
"Ark Pulmas, Die"
Before the three words left Rio's mouth, the feeling of death washed over Ark, he didn't know how, but he could feel that he was already a doomed man.
Desperate to avoid his fate, Ark struggled to his feet, his helmet popping over his head, yet as he stood, Rio's voice sounded and the next second Ark Pulmas fell to the ground dead.
Raaaahhhhhhhhhh!!
This roar didn't come from Rio, the two-headed direhog or the grand priestess, it came from the centre of the village.
It was a roar that had everyone in the village, even those at the base of the hill, falling to their knees, some dying as their heart stopped beating and the lucky ones passing out.
On the hill, Rio, who had fallen to his knees jerked and fell flat on the ground. He was passed out but it didn't save him from leaking blood from his ears and nose.
Lying on the floor covered in blood and dirt, Rio was like the victim of a deadly virus.
The roar didn't just apply to those in the village, it applied to every living thing and at that moment in the region, there were only two people unaffected by the roar, the two-headed direhog and the grand priestess.
"Grawl! Grawl!"
Glancing at the beast which had gotten into a frenzy and was clawing at its cage with all its might, the grand priestess looked to Rio and shook his head.
"There is nothing to return to, he's about to become a corpse."
"Graa! Graa!"
"Fine, suit yourself."
For the grand priestess, understanding the two-headed beast even though she shared no familiarity with it, was no hassle.
She waved her hand over the cage trapping the direhog, making it shatter apart in red-dotted lights and watched as the beast sprinted to Rio.
The direhog's little size rapidly increased as it ran, its frame swelling to 5 times its previous size by the time it stood before Rio.
The two-headed beast bit Rio by the arm and flipped him in the air so that he landed on it's back, but before it took off, it turned towards Ark.
The mouth of the right head stretched open, widening past parameters for its size, but before anything could happen, the Grand Priestess, waved her staff making Ark's body disappear and appear beside her.
"That armour would buy a 100 of you and there would still be change" the woman chided.
Aggrieved at losing such a valuable snack and recieving such an insult, the two-headed direhog growled at the seductive female, turned and bolted away, its figure turning into several blurs as it disappeared into the forest whose flames had been quenched by the loud, still ongoing roar.
"Another noisy boy," the grand priestess muttered under her breath, exasperated at the sound echoing all over.
Several more seconds passed before this roar died out, and when peace returned to the land, the uncaring expression on the female's face disappeared.
She staggered towards the Ark's corpse, which was still well in the pristine silver armour, fell to her knees and with a tear dropping down her eyes, let out a harmless high-pitched wail that spread out for miles, enveloping even the village.
"My King", The grandpriestess screamed, her voice dipped in agony, and this time echoing just around the hill.
She placed her head on his silver armour and sobbed, remaining in this position till about a minute later when several men riding on mounts climbed up the hill and hurriedly came to her aide.