The clash of steel still echoed through the hollow plains.
Sparks burst with every swing as Ezekiel and Haido's swords collided again and again, each blow carrying the weight of exhaustion and stubborn resolve.
Neither man stepped back.
Each attack was met with equal force — a perfect balance of offense and defense. The ground beneath them was already carved by the marks of their battle, the grass burned and torn apart by the relentless exchange.
Their movements had slowed, but their eyes burned brighter than ever.
Haido twisted his blade, deflecting a strike before countering in a sharp motion. "You really are tough," he said, his voice steady despite the fatigue creeping into it.
Ezekiel didn't reply. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, breathing heavy but controlled. He shifted his stance, waiting for the next move, eyes fixed on his opponent.
Before either could make another move, a new voice cut through the silence — calm, confident, and slightly amused.
"You're still here fighting, huh, Haido? I thought you would've already finished your mission."
Both men turned toward the sound.
A tall figure approached through the smoke and dust — Gara, his cloak fluttering in the wind. His presence was sharp, cold, and deliberate.
Haido lowered his sword slightly, his expression shifting from irritation to mild surprise. "Gara… I was on my way," he said flatly. "But I ran into some resistance. This one's quite the opponent — he's got both a powerful Ren and…" his lips curled into a half-grin, "he's even mastered Shinrai of the Soul."
Gara's eyes widened slightly, genuine surprise flashing across his face. "Mastered Shinrai of the Soul?" he repeated. "I see…" He smirked faintly, turning his gaze toward the distant castle. "Well then, I'll go ahead and claim my prize."
Ezekiel's jaw tightened. "Tch…" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "He's going to reach the castle. I can't let that happen."
Before Gara could take another step, the air split apart with a sudden burst of pressure — a slashing force roaring across the battlefield like a storm.
A figure sprinted from the distance, blade glinting crimson in the moonlight, striking with terrifying speed.
The impact sent Gara flying backward, his boots carving through the dirt before he crashed hard into the ground.
He coughed once, dragging himself up, eyes narrowing. "Who the hell—" he started, but froze mid-sentence.
The air grew heavy. Suffocating.
Haido's eyes widened in shock as his gaze locked onto the approaching figure. Gara felt it too — the immense aura pressing down on his chest like an iron weight.
(That presence… it's monstrous,) Gara thought, his pulse quickening. (He's not an ordinary man. The only one in the Black Fang Kingdom with strength like this is—)
He took a small step back, tightening his grip on his sword. Then, aloud, he spoke the name with a mix of tension and disbelief.
"You… are you the Minister—Mikel Silvestre?"
Ezekiel exhaled slowly, gripping his sword tighter. "So… you managed to reach here, huh, Mikel?"
Mikel turned his head slightly, his calm expression carrying the faintest trace of a smile. "Yeah," he replied casually. "Good job holding them back, Ezekiel. Leave the rest to me."
Haido's eyes narrowed, his tone serious now. "Gara, be careful. That guy is strong. Even if it was just for a few moments, he fought toe to toe with His Majesty himself."
Gara gave a small nod, his eyes never leaving Mikel. "Yeah… I can feel his strength."
Mikel tilted his head slightly, studying them both with cold, sharp eyes. "Knights of the Hidden Demon Kingdom, huh? What's your motive behind this attack?"
Gara smirked faintly. "You'll see it for yourself soon enough."
Mikel's gaze hardened. "If you won't tell me…" he said as his hand reached for his sword, "…then I'll force it out of you."
In the next instant, Mikel lunged forward with incredible speed, his blade slashing through the air like a silver streak. Gara reacted just in time, raising his sword to block. The clash of steel rang out violently, sparks flying in all directions.
Mikel pressed the assault — slash after slash, each faster and heavier than the last. Gara gritted his teeth, parrying every blow with precision, but the sheer force behind each strike made his arms ache.
The ground beneath them cracked from the pressure, dust swirling around their feet as their blades collided again and again.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ezekiel and Haido continued their duel — both battered, both relentless, neither willing to fall. Every strike was matched by another, every attack countered by sheer will.
Mikel caught Gara's blade mid-parry, forcing him back a step. "Well, well…" Mikel said, his tone calm yet laced with intensity. "You're strong. I expected nothing less from the Hidden Demon Kingdom."
Mikel's eyes sharpened as he adjusted his stance, his calm demeanor vanishing in an instant. He lunged forward, his attacks growing faster and more aggressive. Each swing carried a weight that tore through the air with terrifying precision.
Gara struggled to keep up, his sword ringing again and again as he barely managed to block and evade the relentless strikes. Sparks scattered like fireflies each time their blades met.
"Tchh… shit," Gara muttered under his breath, his arms trembling slightly from the force. "This guy is really a problem."
Before he could recover, Mikel's next strike came down like a hammer — a heavy, powerful slash that sent Gara skidding backward across the broken ground. Dust and debris flew into the air as Gara steadied himself, panting.
The faint orange light of dawn began to creep over the horizon — the night's darkness finally giving way to morning.
From a distance, two figures were rapidly approaching the battlefield.
"It's Minister Mikel… he's here," Haruto said, spotting the familiar silhouette. "Well, that's good news. And there's Captain Ezekiel too!"
He raised his voice, calling out as they neared the fight. "Hey! Captain Ezekiel! We're here!"
Ezekiel, still engaged in his duel with Haido, briefly turned his head at the sound. The sudden distraction caused both him and Haido to pause for a moment, their weapons locked mid-air.
Haido's eyes flicked toward the newcomers, his expression darkening.
Gara noticed them too, his lips curling into a faint, bitter grin. "If they're here," he muttered, "that means… those idiots were defeated."
Gara grit his teeth as he barely deflected another strike from Mikel, the sheer weight of the blow pushing him several steps back. His breathing had grown uneven, his expression tense.
"Haido!" he called out sharply. "This is going out of our hands. Those idiots are most probably defeated already. Let's retreat for now and get back again!"
Haido parried a heavy attack from ezekiel, the force rippling through his arm as sparks burst between their blades. "Yeah… let's get away from here," he said through gritted teeth.
The two of them quickly closed the distance between each other, standing back to back as Mikel's gaze narrowed.
"You won't be able to escape from here," Mikel said coldly, stepping forward with his sword half-raised.
Gara smirked faintly, his eyes glowing with determination. "Yeah, it would be difficult for us to defeat you… but don't underestimate us by thinking we can't even get away from here."
He shifted his stance, thrusting the tip of his sword into the ground.
"Scorpion Ren: Stinger's Veilstep!"
The ground trembled slightly as a burst of black-crimson smoke erupted upward, swirling and coiling like the tail of a massive scorpion. The air grew thick and heavy — the smoke curling in shapes that flickered with a crimson glow.
From within the heart of the smoke, a jagged shadow formed — a stinger-shaped silhouette that lashed out and embedded itself into the nearby wall.
The smoke twisted tighter, forming a swirling shroud that hid both Gara and Haido from sight.
Mikel's eyes darted sharply through the haze. "Tch—!"
Ezekiel moved instantly beside him, both of them slashing through the black-crimson fog, but their blades met nothing but air.
Inside the smoke, Gara's shadow disappeared through the faint opening of a narrow shadow-bridge that connected to the stinger's anchor point. He turned once toward Mikel's silhouette fading in the haze.
"Till next time," Gara muttered.
And in the next moment, both Gara and Haido vanished — the shadow bridge sealing shut as the black-crimson smoke dispersed into the early morning light.
Mikel lowered his sword slightly, the edge still humming with ren. "They escaped…" he muttered under his breath.
Ezekiel's eyes narrowed, scanning the empty space where the two once stood. "They won't stay hidden for long," he said quietly.
The wind blew softly through the battlefield, carrying away the last trace of the crimson smoke.
The black-crimson smoke finally cleared, leaving behind nothing but the scent of burnt steel and dust.
Mikel stood still, his sword resting loosely at his side, eyes fixed on the direction where Gara and Haido vanished.
"They used a teleportation-type Ren," he muttered, his tone edged with frustration. "Tch… troublesome bastards."
Ezekiel sheathed his blade, the faint glow around him fading away. "They've gotten away this time," he said quietly. "But it seems their goal wasn't destruction. They were after something else."
A short silence followed — only the sound of the wind brushing against broken stones and scattered debris.
Footsteps approached from the ridge. Kurayami and Haruto appeared through the pale morning mist, their clothes torn, weapons still stained with battle.
Haruto raised a hand. "Yo! Minister Mikel! Captain Ezekiel!" he called out with a half-grin. "Looks like we made it just in time, huh?"
Mikel turned slightly, his sharp eyes softening for a brief moment. "You two held your ground well," he said. "The battlefield on your side must've been rough."
Haruto chuckled weakly. "Rough is an understatement… but we're still standing. Barely."
Kurayami didn't speak; his gaze swept over the wrecked land, then toward the faint traces of smoke in the distance. "They retreated," he said quietly.
Ezekiel turned sharply toward him, his expression cold. "Retreated? You mean the enemies that got inside the outer ring — the ones you were supposed to stop?"
Kurayami's eyes flicked to him, calm but silent.
"You left them alive," Ezekiel continued, stepping closer, his voice hard as steel. "They were almost near the castle gates. If Mikel hadn't arrived, we would've had a disaster on our hands."
Haruto frowned. "Hey, take it easy—Kurayami fought the hardest among us—"
"Stay out of this," Ezekiel snapped, his gaze never leaving Kurayami. "Strength decides survival. And weakness puts everyone else at risk."
His tone dropped lower, cutting through the quiet air. "This kingdom is no place for weaklings like you. If you can't keep up, you'd better leave already."
The words hung heavy between them.
Haruto clenched his fists, ready to speak, but Kurayami simply turned his gaze aside, his expression unreadable. The faint light of dawn caught the edge of his blade — silent, steady, and cold.
Mikel finally broke the tension. "Enough."
His voice carried authority, firm and absolute. "Now's not the time for arguments. We've lost too many already."
Ezekiel said nothing more, only turning away with a quiet "Tch."
Haruto muttered under his breath, "Always acting like he's the only one carrying the world…"
Mikel's tone softened slightly. "We return to the castle. The king must be informed immediately."
He looked once more toward the horizon. "This battle is far from over."
The four of them started walking back toward the castle — their silhouettes stretching across the broken field. The rising sun bathed the land in a faint golden hue, washing over the bloodstained ground as the night finally gave way to dawn.