Raizo and Gladion locked eyes, their gazes sharp enough to cut steel. Around them, chaos raged.
Fenra, Silvia, Akari, and Shekiah faced a swarm of lesser demons. Every strike, every kill, surged into their bodies as their stats updated—thanks to Raizo's Gluttony and the enchanted necklaces linking them to his power.
Fenra and Shekiah stood at the front, blades and claws flashing crimson under the firelit sky. Akari and Silvia held the rear—Akari's voice steady as she chanted buffs that coated her comrades in light, while Silvia's bowstrings sang death into the air.
But in the heart of the battlefield, two monsters collided.
In a blur, Raizo and Gladion clashed midair, steel against claw. Sparks split the night as their blows rattled the air itself. Gladion's speed was monstrous, forcing Raizo to shift weapons. His sword twisted into a spear, and with a sharp spin, he roared:
"Wind Magic: Cyclone!"
A swirling storm of cutting wind erupted from the spear, spiraling toward the demon. Gladion only sneered, wings snapping open as he shot upward.
"Demon Magic: Demon Swirl."
A torrent of black winds slammed against Raizo's spell. His eyes widened—no chant, just like his own.
The backlash crushed him into the cobblestone below, pain lancing through his ribs. He staggered, barely able to lift himself when Gladion materialized before him, claws reaching for his throat—
Fwoosh!
A fire arrow scorched past, nearly piercing Gladion's arm. He recoiled, eyes narrowing at the four girls now standing defiantly in front of Raizo.
Fenra and Shekiah spread their stances, protecting him. Silvia's bow was drawn, trembling with fury, while Akari chanted healing light over Raizo's battered body.
"Tch." Gladion's lip curled.
In a flash, he vanished—reappearing behind them. His kick slammed into Akari's stomach, sending her flying.
"Akari!" Fenra cried. Rage flooded her veins as she cast "Strengthening Boost", muscles flaring with raw power. She leapt high, foot snapping toward the demon's jaw—but Gladion caught her midair, cruelly slamming her into a wall.
"Fenra!"
Silvia's hands shook, but desperation overpowered fear. She loosed an arrow that sprouted thick vines upon impact, wrapping around Raizo's body like a living shield.
"You elf…" Gladion's eyes burned crimson as he lunged for her.
But a blade intercepted him.
Shekiah's longsword gleamed in defiance. "You'll have to get through me first, demon."
Gladion sneered. "Out of my way, lowly ogre."
Shekiah smirked. "Yeah? Try me."
Her blade pulsed pink, and suddenly Gladion staggered as his body felt heavier.
"My ability—Arena Trap." Shekiah grinned.
But Gladion only chuckled. With unnatural force, he shrugged it off. "Well, well…" His claw lashed out, driving into Shekiah's gut. She gasped, sword clattering as she collapsed to her knees.
Silvia cloaked herself with camouflage, vanishing among the burning houses. But Gladion's grin widened. "Do you think you can hide from me?"
He snatched her from the shadows, hurling her to the ground. Blood splattered from her lips. His claws rose for the killing blow—
Riiip!
The vines around Raizo shredded apart. His grip tightened on his weapon as he charged, fury blazing in his eyes. His blade locked with Gladion's.
"Stay away from them… You're fighting me, not them!"
Gladion's smirk deepened. "Then can you wait, boy? Let me finish your comrades' suffering first."
Raizo's eyes flicked to the girls—bloodied, broken, yet still standing. His fist clenched. His chest burned.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A crimson aura erupted around him as two skills ignited at once: Berserk and Rampage. His stats skyrocketed. His eyes turned blood-red, veins glowing like molten fire.
Gladion's grin faltered. A bead of sweat slid down his cheek. His hand trembled. Fear…?
Raizo vanished.
In the blink of an eye, his blade nearly skewered Gladion's eye. Only a desperate flap of wings saved the demon. Raizo pursued relentlessly, weapon shifting fluidly.
Gladion chanted, panic edging his tone: "Demon Magic: Demonic Shot!"
Black circles bloomed behind him, spewing a storm of jagged spears.
Raizo's sword morphed into a shield, deflecting the barrage as he advanced. In a single breath, the shield twisted into a hammer.
"—!"
BOOOOM!
The strike sent Gladion crashing into the earth, coughing blood. He staggered up just as Raizo loomed above, hammer swinging once more. The ground shattered beneath the impact, demolishing houses as the shockwave blasted outward.
Gladion darted low, fist slamming into Raizo's gut—yet the boy barely flinched.
Meanwhile, Akari, pale but standing, raised her staff. Golden light spread, healing Shekiah, Silvia, and Fenra all at once.
Gladion rose into the sky, desperation creeping in. "Dark Magic: Spiral Spear!"
A rotating black spear tore through the air toward Raizo.
His hammer melted into a bow, string glowing with lightning. "Lightning Magic—Arrow of the Storm!"
A thunderous eagle of pure lightning screeched forth, colliding midair with the dark spear. The explosion consumed the heavens, a blinding storm that shook the Kingdom of Dawn.
Villagers watching from outside trembled, many falling to their knees at the sight.
When the smoke cleared, Raizo knelt, panting heavily.
Gladion's chance.
He blitzed forward, claws reaching for Raizo's head—
"Raizo!" Silvia's desperate arrow loosed—but Gladion's hand found its mark.
His palm pressed against Raizo's skull.
"Ability: Chronoception."
Raizo's body froze as his mind ripped apart.
Gladion's vision filled with alien memories—strange glowing cities, towering steel beasts, lands without magic. What… are these? Running mountains? No, machines… A world of peace?
The sky ripped open.
A portal, swirling with blue and white light yet edged with consuming darkness, yawned wide before them.
Raizo's blade slipped from his hand, clattering on the ground.
Then both he and Gladion were swallowed by the vortex.
"RAIZO!!!"
The girls' screams tore through the burning night.