Outside the Deko Forest, Hifung stood beside Shelyn, who was sitting on the ground.
Ray and Kobayashi stood shoulder to shoulder.
In front of them, Yuita faced the king.
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Yuita: I never thought… you would come here, King Filz.
Filz stared at Yuita, his gaze sharp and cold.
Filz: I never thought… he would return again.
Filz's eyes shifted toward Hifung in the distance.
Noticing this, Yuita's face tensed. He hurried to explain.
Yuita: You're mistaken. He's not He—
Before Yuita could finish, the king suddenly dashed toward Hifung with terrifying speed.
Yuita reacted instantly. Just before Filz's clawed, scaled hand could pierce Hifung's head, Yuita's aura-clad kick struck him.
The impact sent Filz flying back. He wasn't hurt, but his expression betrayed surprise.
Filz's gaze sharpened on Yuita.
Filz: You dare defy the kingdom!?
Yuita hesitated briefly before answering, while Ray and Kobayashi rushed to shield Hifung and Shelyn.
Yuita: The Jister Academy is not bound to your kingdom.
Yuita: That means I am free to act… On the contrary, you have no right to seize a student of Jister Academy!
Filz stifled a laugh, then smirked coldly.
Filz: How amusing… Even if I cannot kill him as king—
His eyes turned to Hifung, his claws glowing with blue aura.
Filz: I will kill him… as the son of King Yuza, whom he murdered.
Hifung's eyes widened slightly.
Hifung: King Yuza? The king that Hery killed?
He turned to Yuita with disbelief.
Yuita's voice grew heavy with reluctance.
Yuita: Yes… that's right. Filz is the son of King Yuza, slain by Hery decades ago.
Hifung froze, shaken by the truth.
Filz: Oi, Yuita.
Hearing his name, Yuita turned, glaring at Filz.
Filz: Do you intend to protect that boy!?
Yuita faltered at the question, pausing before he answered.
Yuita: Yes. Because this boy is not Hery… and I will not let him be condemned as a criminal.
Filz's muscles tensed, his claws brimming with blue aura. His eyes glowed, shifting into a deeper blue.
Filz: In that case… all of you shall die!
In response, Yuita drew both of his lightning blades, coating them with aura. His own eyes glowed as he activated their hidden power.
Yuita: At the very least… I'll hold you back with everything I have!
Filz charged at Yuita, both hands blazing with dense yellow aura.
He unleashed a flurry of claw strikes, each one sharper and faster than the last.
But every blow was met and deflected by Yuita's twin blades.
The clash of their auras sent shockwaves rippling through the forest.
Filz did not relent—his claws hammered against Yuita's blades until they began to crack and shatter.
Yuita: You've got to be kidding me!?
Filz's speed and strength only increased. His glowing eyes drew ten percent of the chi energy from every one of Yuita's attacks, weakening his destructive edge.
With Yuita's own power suppressed, his strikes grew less effective.
Taking advantage of a momentary opening, Filz thrust his right leg forward, unleashing a burst of wind magic.
The sudden blast caught Yuita off guard, hurling him back violently and tearing a gash across his chest.
His breathing turned ragged.
But before he could recover, Filz appeared behind him, claws gleaming with aura.
Ray: Watch out!
Kobayashi: Sir!
Hifung and Shelyn froze, panic in their eyes.
Yuita sensed it just in time. His body erupted with an even greater surge of aura, blasting Filz back before the claws could strike him down.
The shock destroyed both of Yuita's blades instantly.
Yuita's expression twisted with fury. Aura swirled around his right hand, condensing into a dense, crackling force.
Filz: Tch.
Filz's own right claw swelled with power, dense aura wrapping around the scaled limb.
Both men's eyes blazed with their full power.
Before Hifung, Ray, Shelyn, and Kobayashi, the two warriors faced each other with their strongest aura unleashed.
The collision of their energies whipped the air into violent storms.
As the raging gale began to subside, Filz crouched low, preparing to pounce with lethal force. His glowing blue eyes locked onto Yuita with merciless intent.
The next strike would decide everything—one would fall, the other would prevail.
In an instant, both Yuita and Filz sprinted toward one another.
Filz lunged with his right claw, cloaked in dense yellow aura.
Yuita countered with his right fist, wrapped in compressed blue aura.
Their blows collided.
A thunderous explosion burst outward, lightning scattering across the battlefield.
The storm itself was silenced by the impact.
Hifung instinctively pulled back his aura, conserving what little strength he had.
But the clash created a massive explosion that engulfed the area in dust, blinding Hifung, Shelyn, Ray, and Kobayashi.
Brown smoke shrouded the two fighters.
Moments later, the haze slowly began to clear.
Hifung: What happened!?
Hifung, Ray, Shelyn, and Kobayashi trembled as if their hearts had stopped, their eyes shaking in disbelief.
Hifung's hands quivered, too shocked to process what he was seeing.
Ray: …Impossible.
As the dust settled, Filz stood tall behind Yuita, who had collapsed to the ground, clutching his shoulder.
Yuita's face twisted in pain. His right arm lay severed on the ground beside him.
Filz, in contrast, bore only a burn mark across his arm.
Yuita's mind sank into despair—his defeat absolute, his arm lost.
Kobayashi: No… impossible.
Kobayashi's body froze, paralyzed by shock and hopelessness.
Filz's voice cut through the silence, cold and certain.
Filz: This is the end. I hope you can accept it.
He staggered forward, step by step, toward Hifung.
Ray's panic grew. His instincts screamed, but his body wouldn't move fast enough. He knew he could not defeat Filz.
Still, he stood his ground in front of Hifung, even as Hifung shouted at him.
Hifung: Ray! Go! He'll kill you!
Kobayashi tried to act but his body betrayed him—he couldn't move.
Filz saw Ray and Kobayashi's futile defiance and his anger deepened.
He raised both hands high above his head.
Hifung's heart pounded.
Hifung: Ray! Get out of here, now!!
Ray charged forward anyway, striking at Filz.
But Filz swatted him aside effortlessly, sending him crashing to the ground.
Hifung: RAY!!
Despair gripped Hifung. His anger boiled over.
Hifung: Damn it! Your target is me, isn't it!?
Hifung: Then just kill me! Don't hurt them!
His words stunned Yuita, Shelyn, Kobayashi, and Ray alike.
Filz approached Hifung slowly, his eyes cold as ever.
Filz: It seems… you have a surprisingly noble spirit.
Filz: Very well… I'll gra
nt your wish.
He raised his clawed hand, coating it in aura.
Hifung unleashed a gust of wind magic, blasting Shelyn toward Ray.
Ray caught her in his arms, startled.
Hifung: Ray… take care of Shelyn.