At those words, Reno felt a horrific pain throughout his entire body. He screamed in agony. It felt as if his body was doing the same thing as the mysterious warrior's—as if it were bursting into thousands of insatiable bubbles.
He had heard him scream and couldn't help but do the same. He could no longer think, but like a true warrior, he remained standing.
Rita watched from afar. Her husband was screaming in pain. She had never seen him like this. Her heart felt like it was about to give out. This wasn't normal—nothing that had happened that day was normal. She had gone through every possible emotion, but this one hurt the most. Her husband screamed like a monster, and the thing seemed to revel in it. But she herself felt terrible.
Before her heart could give out completely, Rita tried to stand as well. Little by little, she rose against the immense pressure crushing her back. Clenching her teeth, enduring that unbearable weight—because she too had something to protect more than anything.
Soon, she was standing as well, and she moved toward her husband.
The thing saw her, and its expression grew even more delighted.
"You two are truly incredible."
Rita didn't listen and moved toward her husband, who was gritting his teeth and groaning in pain. Blood was flowing from his mouth.
In the end, the only thing that could harm the ogre was the ogre himself. His body convulsed and twisted in every direction, but Reno's sheer willpower held everything together to the point that his body could only tremble violently without collapsing.
Rita reached him with difficulty, forcing each step so she wouldn't fall. She might not have been as powerful as her husband, but for him, she could endure anything.
Seeing him up close made the pain even worse. Not knowing what to do, she panicked. Her mind was filled with dreadful thoughts.
She kept repeating his name over and over, examining his broken state.
"Reno, Reno, Reno, Reno, Reno. You're going to make it… please, you're going to make it… you're going to make it… Reno, Reno, no, no, no, no, no, no, Reno, please…"
Her thoughts raced, panic overwhelmed her, but she didn't move from in front of him, watching him convulse, standing with blood in his mouth. Not knowing what else to do, she took him into her arms and held him with all her strength, crying.
"Reno, please… please, Reno, please… Reno… Reno… no… Reno…"
Reno felt Rita's warmth pressed against him. Suddenly, a warm and comforting sensation spread through his body.
He gradually calmed down, and the tremors slowly subsided. Orubos' voice no longer echoed in his mind. The terrible pain stopped on its own.
Soon, he managed to return to a stable state.
He regained control of his body and lowered his head toward Rita. She was still clinging to him, repeating her words at lightning speed.
He smiled, seeing how worried she was for him. From his point of view, she too had never seemed so powerless. But it was in moments like these that he himself felt relief.
He placed a hand on her head, gently stroking her with tenderness.
"It's okay. I'm here."
Orubos watched the scene with a look full of sadness. Moved by the moment, he seemed to appreciate the sincere love between the two.
However, that was not why he was here.
"That was truly touching, but I must admit, that's not why I'm here. I managed to get through, so I'll make the most of the time I have to show you what magic is."
At those words, two blue lights appeared in his hands, and he began to float gently upward, rising majestically like a balloon.
But what followed was far from gentle…
The wind began to blow violently, and the air swirled around him, whipping his hair in every direction.
His robe danced with the wind, and soon he was floating more than ten meters above the ground.
"I truly respect you, Reno Gazor. I will never forget you. Now, you'll have to show me what you're capable of. Even though I think I already know."
His voice could still be heard despite the roaring wind. But more precisely, Rita felt as if his voice itself had become that terrible wind crashing down upon the capital.
Reno continued to hold his beloved, but at the same time cast a murderous glare at the magician. Even from high in the sky, Orubos could feel the terrible killing intent trying to drag him down.
However, despite being pleasantly surprised by Reno, he didn't seem particularly worried.
"Such an aura? Are you really human?"
Rita let go of him as well, slowly but surely. But instead of tears, the look she gave Orubos was just as murderous as her husband's.
For any human, the killing gaze of the two strongest beings in the world would have been enough to end them. The pressure emanating from Reno and Rita's stares was harder to endure than the magical pressure released by Orubos.
This was their land—and they were the strongest here.
Orubos felt it. Even for him, it was intense. Too intense.
Their gazes pierced through his magic as if it were nothing. Two starving beasts—not seeking to feed, but to destroy whatever had dared harm them.
Reno alone was enough to instill fear across the entire country, but everyone knew that if Rita stood beside him, sending anyone against them was pointless.
Even the whole country might not be enough.
And Orubos knew it too…
He smiled nervously.
"Damn it… come at me, monsters…"
Reno didn't move. Instead, he turned his face toward Rita.
"Rita, you need to get out of here."
Rita didn't understand and showed a frustrated expression.
"And why is that?"
"I got some bad news from the boot-licking clan leader. I'll have to pay a heavy price for my victory."
Rita looked confused. Was he afraid of the Valon clan's predictions? It was true that the clan was a mystery, and everything it had done in the shadows probably deserved more light. But could they really read the future?
"Do they have an oracle?"
"No. They had the book."
Rita's heart skipped a beat.
The kingmaker and its book were extremely famous in Nozras. It was probably the most well-known thing after Nozras itself. Anyone who possessed it miraculously reached the throne—without exception. So if the book truly created kings, couldn't it kill her right now?
Moreover, the being before her was not human. That much was undeniable. The combination of that creature and the book was likely the most horrifying thing imaginable. And the Valon clan—witness to Nozras' entire history—had predicted a heavy cost for Reno's victory against this thing.
It sounded insane, but given the situation… not impossible.
However…
"You think I'm the heavy cost."
Reno looked at her with a dark expression.
"Exactly."
"So if the heavy cost isn't there, you'll win?"
Reno hesitated for a moment.
The question was unsettling. But if destiny was truly destiny, then the answer was obviously no. Unless Rita wasn't the heavy cost… he wanted to believe it, but his soul screamed that it was her.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm going to win."
"Not this time, Reno… right?"
The floating magician was amused by the scene. There was clearly a dilemma, and while he waited for the fight, letting the lovers finish their argument, he was growing slightly impatient.
Reno, however, was far less calm—for the simple reason that his heart felt like it was about to burst.
The situation was rushing too quickly toward a tragic and inevitable end. Toward an ending where even if he won the battle, he would lose far more.
He looked at the magician, his expression beginning to crumble.
"Can't you just leave ?"
The magician almost burst out laughing but held it back.
"What's the point, warrior? Your fate is already sealed. I came to take what you call aura, and I won't leave without it. I need it for a rather spectacular trick later."
Anxiety twisted Reno's face. His heart couldn't take it anymore. He was about to collapse.
He turned back to Rita once more—this time completely terrified.
"Go! Just go! I'll find another way."
Rita answered calmly, her eyes slowly filling with tears.
"There isn't one, Reno. There never was."
Reno's voice began to crack.
"We can delay that heavy judgment until we die. I can fight him until the end of my old age—until my days are over. You know I can…"
Reno tried to hold back his tears.
But Rita let hers fall freely.
"And you know I won't let you do that."
"And I can't watch you leave."
The conversation went nowhere—on both sides, neither of them was willing to reach an agreement.
However, the magician's patience was reaching its limit.
"Sorry for not being so kind, warriors… but I can't let you leave."
Suddenly, an intense light spread across the area.
The warriors in Rita's group had to cover their faces to avoid burning their eyes.
Reno, however, did not look away from his beloved Rita. His body wanted to force him to stop her from being there, but he knew it was impossible. A feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him—a feeling he had never experienced before.
The freedom of the strongest.
That was how Reno had lived until now. He was strong, he was free—neither the world nor men could stop him from doing what he wanted. Since childhood, he had achieved his dreams. And on top of that, he had met Rita.
It had been one of the most beautiful days of his life.
He had everything—glory, honor—and even if the throne sometimes felt missing, Rita filled that void with her mere presence…
Reno watched her blonde hair glow under the magician's light.
Rita was more beautiful than she had ever been. Her brown eyes became bright and full of life. Her beautiful face looked at him with sadness and compassion—and Reno couldn't bear it. He couldn't look away, even though it hurt so much to keep looking.
After all, the last dance was often the most beautiful.
On her side, Rita looked at her husband's broken expression. He looked like he was about to cry like a child. In a single day, she had seen more emotions on his face than in their entire life together.
She was happy about it—and at the same time, her heart hurt so much. It was likely the last time she would see that beautiful face so closely.
Reno had been her life. He had been her new beginning, her new identity, her joy and her peace. He had been the source of a life full of happiness. Being with him had completely changed her. She had been a slave to her name—and thanks to him, she was now free.
Free to help him defeat the magician.
Free to run away and watch him die.
For most people, that wouldn't really be freedom—but for her, who had never had a choice before him, it was already everything.
She gently placed her cheek against his and said in a soft voice:
"If we defeat him quickly… maybe I won't be the heavy cost."
It was true.
After all, Armes had never said what that heavy cost would be.
But…
He had still told Rita to turn back...