"You've all heard me," the Zork copy said to his troops, "follow me. We're heading to the Baja Galandria port, and we'll finish off those damn vermin."
"But sir…" a soldier tried to argue, seeing how exhausted everyone was.
"It's an order!" the orc screamed mercilessly.
The Zork copy led the battalion, and without wasting another moment, began heading towards the port to finish off the survivors of the battle in the square.
"Are you taking my suggestion into account?" Erick said with a hint of malicious intent, "Do you now consider me the winner of this trial?"
The original Zork stayed behind. He was sitting on some rubble, trying to catch his breath, covered in both his own green blood and that of his enemies.
"What other option do I have?" Zork sighed, "Either you win, or we'll have to deal with a scandal in the Royal Court with a traitor in our ranks. Finish off Mako already and end this nightmare."
With the authority of the Royal Court, Zork signed the contract Erick presented after reading it. He didn't read it many times to ensure there were no tricks hidden in it.
Zork simply couldn't believe it.
'I don't know if it was stupidity from having too soft a heart or if you really are a traitor, Mako. But either way, you've messed up,' Zork thought.
Under normal circumstances, neither Erick nor Mako could kill each other. For such a small House, the death of one of its two remaining members would be a huge blow.
In Galandria's noble society, no noble could attack another without reason.
"Can you see me, Mako?" Erick spoke from the square, looking at the roof where Mako stood, "There's no law that can hold me back now."
Erick called on his angel, summoning it.
The sound of massive white wings flapping filled the air. That creature arrived, glowing with its own light in the dark of the night.
"Ready to pay your debt?" the angel spoke, but was quickly interrupted—not by words, but by Erick's crimson gaze that burned with murderous intent.
"I'm going to use my power non-stop," Erick said, pointing at the roof where Mako was, "I'm going to use my full potential."
The angel paused for a moment.
"I believe that exceeds the payment," the angel concluded seriously.
"Fine," Erick growled, "I'll deal with that later, just let me use my abilities without restrictions."
The angel revealed a long, sinister smile.
"Ah, the Lunar House will be very pleased to hear that news. Well, do as you please. I'll watch," the angel responded.
The angel conjured a contract in the air, then took it with its delicate hands. It made some adjustments, and with a flash of divine light, the contract was ready to be signed again.
Erick, without hesitation, signed that piece of paper again.
In this world, to use the hidden abilities of the soul, people must make contracts with demons…
Nobles pay enormous prices to activate these systems, acquiring powerful abilities. But even then, these powers are often restricted by their ability to pay.
Now, imagine being able to use your abilities and pay the price afterward.
Erick licked his lips. Both he and Mako were at their lowest points, and now, their two determinations would clash to determine who would take control of the House of the Sun.
"Defile the honor of our House," Mako thought to himself from the roof, standing at the edge of the abyss, "you'd never do something like that. Why, Erick? Have you really broken? Has your hatred for me blinded you to your own principles?"
Mako remembered when Erick warned him before his battle with Catherine. Even then, Erick had been capable of setting aside his pride to prioritize the needs of the House.
The duel that would decide the fate of the House of the Sun had begun.
After signing the contract, Erick started running towards the building where Mako was.
'I have to end this quickly,' Mako thought, 'I don't have much energy left...'
Deep despair consumed Mako's soul.
Then, in the middle of that run, Erick made a powerful leap. It wasn't something an ordinary person could do. He jumped several meters into the air, using his incredible physical abilities awakened after signing the contract with the angel.
"MAKO!" Erick screamed from deep within his lungs, "YOU WILL PAY, MAKO!"
Although Erick made a huge jump, his goal wasn't to reach the roof. Impressive as it was, he lacked several meters of height and momentum to make it. No. That wasn't his goal.
Erick was looking for more momentum.
Clenching his hands tightly, he slammed his fists into the ground as he fell.
It wasn't just any explosion. In the total darkness of the night, Erick's fists created a massive flash of light that lit up the entire square.
The earth trembled as if it were an enormous earthquake.
Polyphemus shook in fear, feeling that the building they were in wouldn't last long with the ground shaking beneath it. He began to fly, frightened.
Erick's explosion was a burst of fire and gunpowder emanating from his hands, but unlike his usual explosive strikes, this explosion continued in a sequence of destruction.
A path of explosions, the size of large carriages, began heading toward the building where Mako was, racing at full speed.
Chunks of the ground flew with the deafening blasts, and when it hit the building, it began collapsing immediately.
"Mako!" Polyphemus shouted when he saw the place start to crumble in a split second.
The explosions hit the base directly, causing the entire building to fall in a massive cloud of dust.
The square was unrecognizable. Just hours ago, it had been filled with life, dancing, and music. Now, the only thing lighting up the area was the leftover fire from Erick's explosions.
Erick laughed, but then, the black-haired, crimson-eyed man began hearing a strange fluttering above his head. It wasn't the majestic flapping of angel wings; no, it was fast fluttering, like a hummingbird.
"Damn it, Mako..." Polyphemus grunted with great effort, "you're heavy!"
Holding part of Mako's shirt with one of his claws, Polyphemus used all his strength to keep Mako from falling to the ground.
"That's fine, Polyphemus," Mako said, "lower me a little, and I'll be able to..."
But at that moment, Polyphemus's claws tore through the fabric of Mako's shirt. It disintegrated, the cloth slipping from the demon's grip.
Having survived Erick's attack and the destruction of the building, Mako now fell several meters toward the center of the square, straight towards his younger brother: Erick.
Polyphemus was about to lose his only eye from its socket at the sight of Mako falling.
At that moment, Erick crouched down. He was preparing...
Mako, gripping his sword tightly, held the hilt with both hands and aimed the blade toward Erick.
Both brothers knew it could only end one way:
One of them dead.
"Erick!" Mako cried, filled with sorrow that everything had come back to this: him betrayed by his brother.
On the other hand, Erick wasted no more time and jumped with all his strength. His leap created an explosion that gave him even more momentum than before.
Erick clenched both fists. It was like a human bullet—a human capable of creating explosions anywhere in his body upon impact…
"Mako!" Erick shouted back.
Finally, they collided.