It was already night.
The sky was dark, but not completely empty, some stars still insisted on shining, as if ignoring what was about to happen. The air was colder than usual, and the silence of that place carried an almost palpable tension.
Daytona took a deep breath.
She was standing, in front of everyone, her gaze firm… but inside, there was a slight weight growing.
— First… — her voice came out controlled, but more serious than usual. — Let's try not to expose our presence to Raydillon.
No one interrupted.
Everyone was attentive.
The sound of the campfire crackling was the only thing breaking the silence between one sentence and another.
Daytona then slowly turns her gaze to Saravia.
— Second… Saravia will restrain Raydillon, just like she did with Lucifer… — she pauses briefly — …and Ghost will inject the complete antidote into his body, directly into the neck area.
Saravia swallows dryly, even trying to keep her posture firm.
Ghost simply watches, silent, already calculating every possibility in his mind.
The group's eyes were fixed on Daytona.
— Third… — she continues, now crossing her arms for a moment — Me, Martin, and Nylon will prevent any attempt of his to use abilities. No matter what he tries to do… we hold him.
Nylon slightly clenches his fist, feeling his body still recovering.
Martin just keeps a serious expression.
Daytona takes another breath, feeling the weight of what she was about to say.
— Fourth… Raphaella will open a portal to Setealem… to the Ring of Pride. — she looks directly at Raphaella — There, the antidote will act faster… and no Archangel will interfere.
A small silence forms.
The plan was complete.
— Everything clear?
For a few seconds… no one says anything.
Then, one by one, they all nod.
But it wasn't absolute confidence.
It was acceptance of the risk.
Martin looks away for a moment… thinks… sighs.
Then he speaks:
— We're risking our lives to fulfill your request… — he raises his gaze again, serious — I hope it's worth it, Daytona.
The silence that followed was different.
Heavier.
More uncomfortable.
His words weren't an attack…
But they were enough.
Daytona didn't respond immediately.
That hit.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, absorbing it… questioning, even if just for a moment, whether she was taking everyone too far.
Without saying anything, she turns.
— I thought you knew what you were doing. — her voice came out colder than expected.
She starts walking away from the group… toward the nearby river.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Metatron appears through a silent teleport.
The environment around him was a complete massacre.
Bodies of Virtues scattered everywhere… some still emitting a faint glow, as if their energy was slowly dissipating.
He hovers over the area, observing calmly.
— Let's see…
His gaze was cold. Calculating.
But then…
Something catches his attention.
A presence.
Small. Subtle.
Ghost.
Inside the cabin, watching through a small opening.
Without moving. Without breathing too deeply.
Just analyzing.
Metatron, for a moment, narrows his eyes… but doesn't fully notice.
— I'll notify Raydillon… — he murmurs to himself. — I don't know what he intends, but this… is already enough.
Without hesitation, he disappears again.
Inside the cabin…
Ghost remains still for a few seconds.
Then his eyes widen slightly.
— This is a problem…
His tone wasn't fear…
It was urgency.
He acts fast.
He grabs the syringe with the now complete antidote and carefully stores it inside a small case.
Without wasting time, he leaves.
Martin was sitting on a log, looking at the ground… clearly thoughtful.
Then…
Ghost appears behind him.
— I have news. — his voice is dry — It's not good.
Everyone immediately looks.
The tension returns like a shock.
Ghost keeps his eyes fixed on Raphaella.
— Those Virtues… that you and Daytona killed…
He pauses briefly.
— They were a trap.
— What? — Raphaella reacts instantly, confused — What do you mean?
The others also move, uneasy.
Ghost continues:
— I saw Metatron. Just now. Luckily… he didn't see me. — he takes a deep breath — That was a test. Raydillon used the Virtues to measure our strength… and locate us.
Silence.
But this time… it wasn't just tension.
It was confirmation.
— He already knows. — Ghost finishes.
Nylon stands up immediately.
Without hesitation.
— Then it's now. — he says firmly — Let's begin.
There was no more room for doubt.
Only action.
Everyone moves quickly.
The atmosphere changes completely.
It was no longer planning.
It was execution.
They head to Ghost's small cabin, the same place that had been observed.
Each one takes their position.
Saravia takes a deep breath, trying to control her nervousness.
Raphaella keeps her gaze distant for a moment… feeling something strange within herself.
Martin flexes his fingers, preparing.
Nylon watches the sky.
Ghost holds the case with the antidote firmly.
And Daytona…
She just remains silent.
Her gaze fixed.
Cold.
Determined.
Because deep down…
She knew.
From that moment on… there was no turning back.
Metatron arrives at the Golden Castle, he walks to the top, where Raydillon's Hall was.
Raydillon was standing, back turned, just waiting for Metatron's response regarding the Virtues, then he asks, glancing sideways. — Any news… Metatron?
Metatron kneels and says calmly. — I went to the location where I sent the Virtues, all 100 thousand were killed in a very short time.
Raydillon then says. — It's decided.
In fractions of milliseconds, Raydillon makes a devastating leap out of the Golden Castle, destroying the upper part of the structure.
Raydillon releases seven pairs of wings (which had eyes) on his back and flies at a speed hundreds of times faster than sound.
He flies low, his speed causing buildings and cars to shatter their windows as he passes, the sound was devastating.
As he advances, his desire to kill Raphaella grows more and more. — Today…! — he mutters.
After some time, he arrives at the location, but not calmly. He lands destroying the ground around him, the impact of his "landing" destroys everything nearby and raises a lot of dust.
As the dust settles, he analyzes his surroundings, observing every movement. — I already know where you are, Raphaella. — he says, in a somewhat ironic/childish tone.
But… he hesitates: He doesn't feel any presence nearby. — Huh, but what…?
Then Raydillon hears a sound coming from behind him, when he turns…
Two large anchors with chains wrap around him and restrain him, he becomes confused about what happened, but still not worried, until he tries to break free.
He tries to break free from those chains, but realizes that even using his godlike strength he couldn't break them, he becomes very confused.
Then… he sees a silhouette in the dust that formed… it was Daytona, emerging from the dust. Raydillon then says calmly. — It's you… the demon who helped Raphaella do all this mess, isn't it?
Daytona calmly draws her Kōken from its sheath and says. — Actually… it wasn't just me. — She makes an aggressive gesture with her Kōken, dispersing the dust around.
And there everyone is revealed; Martin, Nylon, Saravia and, especially, Raphaella. Raydillon is surprised to see that all of this was actually a trap.
But he gives his attention to Raphaella. He looks directly at her, focused. — Rapha! My dear! — he says, ironically.
Raphaella speaks seriously, without thinking. — Go to hell, don't call me that you bastard.
The atmosphere becomes heavy. So much that even the group didn't expect it or react. Raydillon then continues, in a more neutral reaction. — I am completely disappointed in you, Raphaella. I created you trillions of years ago and this is how you treat me?
Raphaella continues. — The past is over, I'm no longer your creation, you always use us and shouldn't even consider us as your children, the truth is that you are greedy…
— Prideful…
— And above all….
— LONELY. — she says, almost mocking.
Raydillon becomes enraged in silence, without response, but he watches Raphaella with absolute hatred, already thinking what he would do to her once he got out, when suddenly…
Ghost.
Ghost appears and inserts the antidote into Raydillon's neck, which makes him freeze for a few seconds, then Ghost says. — Pay more attention next time.
— What? A human? — he questions.
He says this while trying to fully inject the antidote into Raydillon's neck.
Raydillon tries to punch him, strong enough to tear him apart instantly, but at the same moment Raydillon's arm is cut by Daytona. He also looks at her furiously.
The antidote was almost 100% applied to him, then… Raydillon roars. He becomes even more enraged and drives his arm into Ghost's chest, piercing through him and the antidote falls to the ground.
— NO! GHOST! — Daytona screams, desperate and in shock.
— Ah… no… — Martin says quietly, hiding his emotions.
Raydillon then says to Ghost, still impaled on his arm. — I'll show you the real Hell, you filthy human!
Ghost spits blood, with his last words he says. — Your fate… is already sealed.
Raydillon then rips his head off, Ghost's body falls dead onto the antidote, which had been injected about 90%.
Daytona then screams, running toward them. — RAPHAELLA! NOW! — Raphaella nods.
A large portal opens beneath all of them. A portal to Setealem. A portal to the Ring of Pride. They all fall inside.
They all crash violently onto the ground, only Martin and Nylon land properly. Martin then exclaims. — Guys! Is everyone okay?
No one answers, but he already knew the answer.
Daytona and Saravia get up, Saravia notices her anchors were no longer restraining him, so she pulls them back and shouts. — Raydillon is free! Be careful!
The dust settles and his eyes begin to glow, he looks at the sky and sees the portal closing, then he thinks to himself.
The atmosphere was extremely tense, someone there would leave that battle dead, it was one of the most powerful beings in the world. The sun of the Ring of Pride had already set.