During that night, with the sound of cicadas and crickets filling the air, there they were. Groups formed, positions set. At the front stood Shizu and Anin. Then, Anin steps forward and begins her speech, her voice firm, cutting through the silence:
— LISTEN UP! This will be the end of all this suffering and sadness! I know everyone here carries anger, hatred... BUT! — her voice echoes — I want you to fight not for revenge... Fight for FREEDOM and VICTORY! Fight with your heads held high, with clean consciences and hearts full of strength. Don't give up, not even in the final second… Because with faith and determination, WE WILL WIN THIS BATTLE!
As she finishes, Anistina steps forward, raises her sword, and shouts:
— IT'S TIME! LET THE ATTACK BEGIN!!!
A roar of screams erupts. Everyone charges, heading straight into battle. On the rooftops of the slums, mages and archers take position by the windows, preparing magical stones and ice spells.
A guard patrolling the walls notices the movement. His eyes widen in shock:
— I-IT'S AN ATTACK!!! GET READY, MAGES AND ARCHERS!!
Before the archers can even react, a MASSIVE EXPLOSION obliterates the anti-air posts on the walls. Debris flies everywhere, crushing the guards below. But it doesn't stop — another SEVEN explosions thunder across every corner of the castle.
— ENEMYYYY ATTACK!!! — they scream.
The sounds of alarms, footsteps, and clashing steel spread everywhere. Guards rush out in desperation, trying to defend the castle.
In the slums, Laura and Oliver hear the blasts. Laura stands up, staring at the sky lit up by the explosions.
— This... THIS IS AN ATTACK! — she shouts, running.
But then, high above, a magic circle appears... A violent explosion detonates, creating a wind so strong it clears all the smoke in seconds.
From the rooftops, Ghilher, Phisil, and Walina watch. Oliver turns, facing the fading smoke, and a DENSE, BRUTAL YELLOW AURA bursts around him. His gaze darkens as he roars:
— DAMN YOU... HOW DARE YOU... YOU'LL PAY WITH YOUR LIVES!!!
His aura expands, twisting the very air. From above, Ghilher stares and shouts back:
— Such an insane aura... BUT WE DO NOT FEAR! If we're going down… WE'LL GO DOWN VICTORIOUS!!
They leap.
— CHARGEEEEEE!!! — they roar.
From every direction, warriors emerge. Oliver and Laura rush forward.
Meanwhile, inside the castle, Shizu and Anin sprint through the corridors, heading towards the throne room. They're intercepted by guards.
— INTRUDERS!! KILL THEM!!
Their group charges the soldiers. One of them yells at Shizu and Anin:
— GO! FINISH OFF THAT WRETCHED WOMAN!!
They nod and rush forward.
Inside the throne room, Babadar coughs up blood, trembling, barely able to stand.
— Ugh... W-What... What's happening to me...?!
The doors burst open. She looks up and sees Shizu and Anin. Shizu's gaze is cold, determined.
— PREPARE YOURSELF... Your reign of terror ENDS TODAY!
Babadar grips her double-headed hammer. Her purple aura floods the room, thick and suffocating.
— OH, YEAH...? THEN BRING IT ON! LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN!!
Anin doesn't wait. She vanishes, appearing right in front of the Empress with absurd speed. Their blades clash. The impact shatters windows, cracks the walls, and makes the floor tremble.
Even poisoned, Babadar fights ferociously. She throws Anin far away, but Anin lands on her feet and charges back without hesitation.
They exchange brutal blows. Shizu tries to step in, landing a punch, but Babadar dodges and tosses him aside.
Anin then shouts:
— MALEVOLENT SLASH!!
A dark, fast slash rips through the air. Babadar blocks it, but fails to notice Anin blinking behind her, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks. The Empress holds them off and with a swing of her hammer, slams Anin's sword to the ground and lands a devastating punch, sending her crashing through several pillars.
Shizu reappears, pulls out his dagger, and tries to slash Babadar — no good. As he tries to retreat, she spins her hammer toward him, but...
— MALEVOLENT SLASH!!! — echoes.
The attack tears through the throne hall. Babadar blocks it but gets thrown backward. Anin dashes in like lightning, aiming straight for her neck. The tyrant blocks it at the last second.
They clash again in another furious sequence. Anin, already wounded, starts slowing down. The Empress grins wickedly.
With a devastating kick, she sends Anin flying, her sword slipping from her hands. Babadar then charges straight at Shizu. He barely dodges, pulls something from his pocket — a red stone — and hurls it at her.
— TAKE THIS!!
BOOOOOOM!!
The explosion blasts Babadar back.
— AGH!!! — she screams.
Shizu keeps advancing, grabs another stone and shouts:
— THAT'S NOT ALL WE HAVE!!!
Another explosion hits the Empress in the back, throwing her to the ground.
Anin gets up, runs forward, and presses the attack. Even kneeling, Babadar struggles to block, swinging her warhammer and smashing part of the floor.
Anin dodges and shouts:
— MALEVOLENT SLASH!!!
Babadar dodges, but...
— SURPRISE!! — Shizu yells, appearing from the side and throwing another stone.
KABOOOOOM!!!
The tyrant falls violently to the ground, wounded.
Shizu then remembers Carlius' words:
"I know you don't know how to fight, Shizu... So take this. These are stones condensed with gas, fire, and magic. When they hit something... they explode. Use them wisely, partner. Oh... and don't steal Anin's spotlight, okay? Hahaha."
— "Thanks... I GUESS?!" — he replies in his memories.
Anin smiles and shouts:
— NICE, SHIZU!!
He gives a thumbs up. But...
— GRRRRAAAAAAHHHH!!!
Babadar stands up. Her muscles grow, her purple aura turns monstrous, even distorting the light around.
Anin swallows hard:
— T-THIS...! She's entering BERSERKER FORM!! WE CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!!
Without hesitation, Anin charges. Babadar roars and rushes forward.
Outside, chaos reigns. Carlius yells:
— THAT'S IT!! DON'T STOP, WE'RE GOING TO WIN!!!
In the slums, Ghilher and some warriors try to hold Oliver...
But Oliver plants his feet, concentrates... and disappears.
In the blink of an eye, he crosses the entire field. When Ghilher realizes, his allies are on the ground, fallen without understanding what happened.
Oliver, expressionless, asks:
— Did you... come out... victorious...?
Meanwhile, Laura faces Walina and Phisil. The two try a combo:
— WIND CUT!!
— FIRE ENCHANTMENT!!
The attacks merge, creating a flaming vortex aimed straight at Laura. She sighs... spins her sword once... and with a simple strike, DISPELS EVERYTHING.
— You'll need MUCH more than that to take me down! — she says with an arrogant smile.
In the city, tremors shake everything. Houses collapse. Citizens panic, and those evacuating start yelling:
— WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE CASTLE?!
On the throne, the battle rages on wildly. Walls crack, the ceiling begins to fall.
Anin slips. Babadar sees an opening and tries to finish her, but...
— TAKE THIS!!! — Shizu explodes another stone right in the Empress's face.
— AAAAAAHHHH, YOU BITCH!!! — she roars, with part of her face burned.
She looks at Shizu, insane:
— I... I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!
But Anin won't let it happen. She interrupts and rushes forward. They exchange blows until Babadar hits her, throwing her away.
Shizu runs to grab more stones, but...
— DAMN!! CARLIUS' KRACK STONES ARE ALL GONE!!! — he thinks in panic.
Babadar notices. She laughs.
— OUT OF TOYS, HUH?! THEN DIE!!!
She charges at him, warhammer raised. At the last second, Anin grabs Shizu and pulls him back.
— FRONTAL SLASH!!! — she shouts.
A powerful, short but concentrated strike. Babadar tries to block, but the impact throws the attack upward, DESTROYING HALF OF THE CEILING. Shizu takes advantage of the opening and tries to stab Babadar with his dagger, but... nothing. The blade doesn't even scratch the Empress's skin. She spins her body and tries a violent punch, which he narrowly dodges, feeling the sharp wind pass by his face.
Anin appears in front of Babadar, sword in hand.
— HAAA!! — She tries to cut the tyrant, but their blades clash. Babadar was kneeling, which gave her a disadvantage.
Seeing this, Shizu quickly grabs an elemental stone — one of lightning and one of fire. Determined, he shouts:
— ANIN, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!
Without hesitation, Anin steps back. At that moment, Shizu throws the lightning stone first, then the fire one. The impact creates a devastating explosion. The ground shakes, and smoke fills the area.
When the smoke starts to clear... Babadar is on the ground, coughing blood, breathing heavily. Anin sees her chance and dashes toward her.
— NOW!!! — she shouts.
But...
Babadar violently turns, raising her warhammer and roars with all her fury:
— FUCK YOU!!!
At the same moment, Shizu notices and throws himself, pushing Anin away. He tries to block the blow with his dagger — but the impact is overwhelming. His dagger shatters into dozens of pieces, and his body is violently slammed against the wall, destroying it completely.
The boy falls sitting, all broken, groaning in pain. His arms tremble, but he can't get up anymore.
— One less... — Babadar spits the words with contempt, turning back to Anin.
Anin tries to resist but has no strength left. Every strike from Babadar's warhammer is like being crushed by a mountain.
Meanwhile, lying on the ground, Shizu feels a growing hatred inside him. He starts blaming himself, clenching his fist with the little strength left.
"How pathetic I am... I can't even help Anin..."
In his mind, memories echo... that scene...
"How does it feel... to be so pathetic you can't do anything?" — Babadar's voice from their first fight resonates in the dark void of his thoughts.
But... in the middle of that mental darkness, a strange, mocking voice emerges:
— Wow... you're just dust, huh...
Shizu, with a vacant and confused look, weakly replies:
— ...Who... who are you?
The shadow, smiling wickedly, answers:
— Me...? I'm just... a being wandering around, looking for someone... and looks like I found you.
— Found me...? — Shizu asks, barely understanding.
— Yeah... how about we make a deal? — the voice is filled with malice, but at the same time tempting.
With a suspicious look, Shizu asks:
— A... deal...?
The figure responds, stroking his chin:
— A deal that can... benefit both of us. — His voice turns darker, full of intent.
— ...And what do I have to do...? — Shizu asks, starting to give in.
The shadow, calm but threatening, replies:
— Just... say "Appear"... and leave the rest to me.
Shizu looks forward, sees Anin being slaughtered, barely able to defend herself. His fist trembles...
"I... can't... let her die..."
Then, through gritted teeth, he murmurs:
— Appear...
At that very moment...
A massive explosion of energy bursts at the back of the room.
The fight halts. Even Babadar steps back two paces, looking frightened. A dense, blood-red aura begins to fill the place.
From that crimson mist, a figure emerges. Babadar tries to see... but no longer recognizes that boy.
He looks different... taller, his body covered with black tattoos shaped like stripes running across his arms and neck. On his forehead, seven black stars glow sinisterly.
He runs his hand over his head, looking at his own body and speaking with pure mockery:
— Wow... this guy's body is trash... honestly, I thought it would be better... — He snaps his fingers. — But... a few tweaks and some training will fix it. It'll be perfect.
Babadar's eyes widen, confused.
— W-WHO ARE YOU!? — she yells, pointing her warhammer at him.
The figure smiles maliciously, closes his eyes and places his hand on his head with total disdain, answering:
— Sorry... I forgot to introduce myself. — His eyes open, glowing red like embers. — I am... Phaul Luccius. — A smile spreads across his face, full of arrogance and dominance. — THE FIRST... DEMON LORD.
Babadar's whole body trembles. A chill runs down her spine. Her eyes widen even more, and she thinks, trembling and confused:
"Wh-why...? Why... just hearing that name... my body... is shaking...? Who... who is this monster...?"
Anin, in the background, lying down, watches the scene. Her breath catches. She whispers, barely audible:
— F-first... Demon Lord...?