Mako's face was battered, bruised, and covered in open wounds that wouldn't stop bleeding. His vision was blurry from those same blows.
Erick, Mako's brother, was preparing to deliver the final blow and end that torment.
Mako was at rock bottom, completely defeated, preparing for his death. Even if he died, even if he had a way to fight thanks to the wound he inflicted on Erick, Mako had no intention of fighting anymore…
But Polyphemus had not given up.
"I will protect… the heirs… but… I cannot disobey Erick and Mako's orders," murmured Polyphemus while flying high in the sky.
Polyphemus was that distant spot in the sky, standing in contrast to the moon.
The demon couldn't intervene in the battle.
But he couldn't save them. He couldn't stop them from killing each other. Polyphemus was falling into the same spiral of despair as Mako.
Yet, even in those moments when Polyphemus felt he couldn't do anything, the demon realized the only thing he could do to prevent this was to take drastic action.
Polyphemus snapped his fingers, and before him appeared a yellowed paper, burning with dark fire, signed in golden ink.
"Many years ago, you signed this contract with me," said Polyphemus.
The amber eye of Polyphemus scanned the paper from top to bottom.
Polyphemus emphasized two names…
"Forgive me," Polyphemus continued as he read the names.
They were the names of Mako's parents.
"But now I have no other choice," Polyphemus mumbled, tears pouring from his one eye.
Polyphemus gripped the scroll with both hands, squeezing the paper with his claws, feeling that with just a little more pressure, he could destroy it.
"If I destroy this piece of paper," Polyphemus began, in a very serious tone, "everything will end."
The demon kept remembering the moments when he saw Mako's parents die and begged them, desperately, that he would protect their children at any cost.
"What do I do? If I do something to stop them, I'll be breaking the agreement. But if they kill each other, I'll be breaking it anyway!" Polyphemus whimpered repeatedly.
'I have no choice,' Polyphemus thought, tightening the contract with increasing fury. 'Damn Mako! Damn Erick! Damn kids!'
Despite cursing the names of his masters, Polyphemus held them in a special place in his heart.
Polyphemus stopped flapping his wings, diving straight down.
Mako, at that moment, could see how the distant point that was Polyphemus began to fall and grow larger.
"\Mako! Erick!" Polyphemus shouted as he fell.
Mako remained on the ground, held by Erick's arm. They both looked up at the sky as they heard the approaching shouts.
Polyphemus kept shouting their names until, when he was close enough, both heard the demon say:
"If I can't save them…!" Polyphemus's words came out in loud cries as he fell through the air.
Polyphemus gripped the piece of paper, the contract…
And without further ado, he tore it up.
The piece of paper turned to dust after being torn apart by Polyphemus's long claws. The golden ink became a sparkling dust that vanished into the night. Nothing remained.
'Now… only my punishment can fall,' Polyphemus thought.
Polyphemus understood it perfectly. As a demon, he was at an impossible crossroads. He had a contract to fulfill, but fulfilling it meant breaking the very contract.
In other words...
'No matter the outcome of this battle, I will die. I will die forever,' Polyphemus continued thinking as he fell.
"Damn cockroach!" Erick exclaimed at Polyphemus as he saw him falling toward them, "You won't take this from me!"
After saying those words, Erick took his eyes off Polyphemus to focus back on Mako.
Finally, Erick launched his fist toward Mako. He hit with all his strength.
Erick's fist sunk into Mako's face and…
Nothing happened.
There was no explosion. Nothing.
Erick was left stunned. He looked at his bloodied knuckles and hit again with more force.
Mako was barely conscious.
"What?" Erick exclaimed, increasingly nervous, "Why isn't it exploding?! Angel!"
Erick shouted, accusing the angel of being a fraud. But at that moment, Polyphemus finished his fall.
It was then that Mako, severely wounded, could see the blurry image of Polyphemus.
What was once the usual reddish demon now looked pale, struggling to rise from the ground. Polyphemus hadn't stopped flying because he didn't want to.
Even Mako could see it. Polyphemus had no strength left for anything.
"W-When a demon breaks a contract, their existence is at stake. They are condemned to perish in the purest of voids. No hell or heaven," Polyphemus's voice spoke as he shakily stood up.
"What are you talking about, you damn bug?" Erick answered furiously.
"It's the end... I couldn't fulfill my contract. I'm going to die, do you understand?" Polyphemus said, his tone very serious.
Erick fell silent.
Mako finally reacted to Polyphemus's ruined appearance.
Slowly, Mako saw how Polyphemus began to disintegrate before his eyes, with no time to speak his last words.
Polyphemus was vanishing into nothing.
Mako extended his arm, watching as Polyphemus disintegrated in the air.
'I've made a decision,' Polyphemus thought, and before he died, added:
"Don't worry, Mako."
Polyphemus was dead.
He vanished into a gray dust in the night. As a demon, he had no place to go. He had, in one way or another, broken his contract, the highest law among his kind.
Zork, who was leaving, couldn't help but stop to watch this.
The angel wiped the smug smile from his face and approached.
"What does this mean?" Erick said, so shocked by the fact that he couldn't use his powers that he stopped hitting Mako.
"He had your contract with your system," the angel replied, getting closer to the two brothers.
Erick glared at the angel. The angel sighed in response.
"You haven't lost your powers; once you awaken your system, it cannot disappear," the angel said assertively to Erick.
After responding, the angel looked at Mako's face. Mako had tears in his right eye. His left couldn't cry, as Erick's blows had swollen that part of Mako's face.
"You'll have to wait for the demons of the underworld to decide on a trial to determine their case," the angel finished speaking, beginning to fly away again, "It's better that you kill him quickly. You still need to pay my debt."
After hearing those words, Erick was about to attack Mako again and finish him off.
But something changed inside Mako. Because of his mistake, not only had soldiers and men from Baja Galandria died in that massacre, now Polyphemus was dead... forever.
Forever.
Mako felt like he was hitting rock bottom again, but from that dark pit, something emerged—a corrupt emotion began to form in his soul.
When Erick attacked, Mako intercepted the attack and, violently, began to land multiple blows on Erick's abdomen.
Again and again.
With one of his arms, Mako gripped Erick's right arm. He yanked it and removed his grip, pressing the open wound to keep pounding Erick's abdomen.
Again and again.
He wasn't going to stop.
Both fell sideways. Now Mako wasn't on the ground anymore.
Erick couldn't use his powers, nor could Mako.
Erick was the one suffering more. Not only did he not have his powers, but he felt much weaker than before.
Mako, in theory, was the same. But now, standing, what he felt was the accumulation of all the physical pain. But it was manageable...
On the other hand, Erick had a deep, glowing wound in his arm that didn't stop bleeding throughout the battle.
"Pay for this, pay for that," Mako spoke to himself as he approached Erick, who was trying to get up.
But Mako didn't let him. He put his foot on Erick's arm, making Erick scream.
The angel, who had already considered Erick the winner, turned. Zork was about to step forward and stop Mako, but the angel stopped him.
"If you intervene, it will be worse… He already signed the contract," the angel said.
It wasn't just rage. It wasn't just emotion that kept Mako standing.
It was the only reason he had been there from the start—to change his destiny at all costs.
"I've already paid, damn it! Alone? Were you alone?" Mako began shouting as he started hitting and dragging Erick around the square, grabbing him by the hair, "You betrayed me first! YOU!"
After that heartbreaking scream that echoed across Baja Galandria, Mako, exhausted and tired, decided to end everything with one final blow.
Grabbing the broken piece of his sword stuck in the ground after dragging Erick around the place, gripping the sharp part of the blade with his bare hands, Mako decided to return the favor to Erick.
Mako placed the blade against Erick's neck and said:
"This is my payment," said Mako, exhausted.
Erick thrashed and tried to fight back, but his right hand no longer responded.
With a movement of his hand, Mako ended Erick's life, slitting his throat.