The barrier had been deployed.
Every one stood ready, their weapons steady, their breaths held in anticipation. All eyes were fixed on Leon, waiting for the signal that would ignite the duel.
Vine's voice broke the silence, laced with mockery."So, young lord… is it still time? Put your weapon down and apologize. Maybe we'll spare you."
Ruke responded with nothing more than a faint smirk, his fingers tightening slightly around his weapon.
Rick, however, said nothing.
He simply closed his eyes.
In that stillness, memories surged through him—fragments of pain, echoes of the past, and above all, the haunting image of his mother. The weight of it all pressed heavily against him.
Vine scoffed, his tone sharpening."What's wrong? Are you so scared you can't even open your eyes?"
He chuckled cruelly. "What happened to that bravery you showed earlier?"Still, Rick did not react.
His eyes remained shut, his expression unchanged. But inside, everything was shifting. His grip around the sword tightened, knuckles whitening. Something within him stirred—something fierce, something uncontrollable.
Then—
"Start!"
Leon's command cut through the air.In an instant, chaos erupted.
Before anyone could properly register what had happened, Rick had already moved.
He vanished from their sight.
A heartbeat later, a scream tore through the battlefield.
"AHHH—! M-My… my hand!"
Ruke staggered backward, his voice trembling with shock and agony. Blood poured from his severed arm, which lay discarded on the ground. His body shook violently as he clutched at the wound, screaming in unbearable pain.
Behind him stood Rick.
Silent.
Unmoving.
One hand gripped Ruke's remaining arm tightly, holding him in place. In the other, he held his sword—its blade stained dark with blood.
The arena fell into a stunned silence.Drake stared in disbelief, his hands trembling.
"What… what the hell was that?" he whispered. "Did you even see that?"
No one had.
No one could.
"We're going to die…" someone muttered, their voice breaking.
"No… no, we're all going to die!"
Vine's confidence shattered completely. His spirit, once so arrogant, crumbled under the weight of fear. He fell to his knees, desperation consuming him.
"Let me out… please… I'm begging you… let me out…"
His voice cracked, tears streaming down his face.
Vine was broken.
Completely.
And at the center of it all stood Rick—eyes still cold, presence overwhelming—like something far more dangerous than any of them had imagined.
The man… no—he was a knight.
A knight who had never once seen war, never tasted blood, yet spent his life tormenting the weak. It was almost poetic that someone like him would be the first to break.
And yet—
Drake did not.
Perhaps it was the experience he had gained through countless fights. Perhaps it was something deeper. Whatever it was, he managed to hold himself together, his mind refusing to collapse into panic.
"What trick did he use to become this strong?" Drake wondered, his thoughts racing." We never had any information about him being this powerful…"
But this wasn't the time to think.
The truth stood right in front of him.
Rick was strong.
Terrifyingly strong.
And now… Drake was the only one left.He clenched his fists. "I need to find a way to defeat him."
A bitter thought crossed his mind. "If only… if only things had gone differently years ago…"
Disbelief still clouded his judgment.
He had never imagined Rick could become something like this.
But realization came too late.
Rick vanished.
Again.
Drake's eyes darted wildly across the arena, searching, desperate to track even the faintest movement.
"Where is he?""Is he coming for me?"
Then—
A scream.
Another one.
Ruke, already broken, now lay in pieces—his remaining arm gone, one leg severed. His cries echoed across the battlefield, raw and desperate, begging for help that would never come.
Vine, too, had lost all composure. Tears streamed down his face as he cried out, his voice shaking uncontrollably."Help him! Someone—please! Help him!"
But no one moved.
No one answered.
There was nothing left to be done.
Ruke bled out before their eyes, his screams fading into silence as life slipped away from him.
A slow, painful death.
And then—
There was Rick.
Standing in the distance.
Still.
Covered in blood.
His expression was distant, almost empty—as if he wasn't fully present in the moment.Drake's breath grew uneven.
"What… what is happening?" he whispered. "What's happening…?"
Sweat rolled down his face. His hands trembled uncontrollably.
Fear had finally found its way into him.Then Rick disappeared once more.But this time—
He didn't strike instantly.
Instead, he appeared beside Vine.
Before Vine could react, Rick dropped him to the ground and grabbed his arm with brutal precision.
Vine's scream shattered the silence."PLEASE! LET ME LIVE! I'll do anything—anything you want! Please… I beg you… I have a family…!"
His voice cracked under the weight of terror and desperation.
Vine, who once mocked and belittled others, was now reduced to nothing more than a broken man—crying, begging, clinging to life.But Rick stood there, unmoved.
Rick's anger didn't fade—it deepened.
The voice echoed again, cold and deliberate."Oh… you have a family, don't you?"
Vine froze for a split second.
"Do you think the people you've killed didn't have families too?"
The words cut deeper than any blade. Rick's voice crept closer, wrapping around his thoughts, suffocating him with guilt and rage.
"You should have thought about that… before doing the same to someone else's family."
With a broken roar, he lunged forward. This time, he didn't rely on any power—no magic, no shortcuts. Only raw, uncontrollable strength. His hands gripped Vine tightly as he forced him down, his muscles trembling under the sheer force of his anger.
Vine cried out, struggling, trying to break free—but Rick didn't stop.
The arena fell silent except for Rick's scream and Vine's desperate pleas."Stop! It hurts… please stop!"
But Rick couldn't hear him anymore.
To him, there was only the voice… and the storm inside his head.
Vine fought with everything he had—kicking, twisting, gasping for breath—but it wasn't enough. Rick's grip was relentless, fueled by something far darker than strength.
And then—
It was over.
Vine's body went still.
The arena stood frozen in horror.
Drake, who had been watching from a distance, felt his legs weaken. Fear rooted him in place. He wanted to move, to help—but his body refused to obey.
"I… I'm going to die…" the thought echoed in his mind as panic began to take over.
Rick stood there, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling like he had just fought a war. But even then… he wasn't done.
As if lost in something beyond control, he grabbed Vine again.
"Please… just end it…" Vine's weak voice barely escaped his lips.
But Rick didn't respond.
There was no recognition left in his eyes.
No hesitation.
Only emptiness.
And rage.
After everything Rick had done… there was only silence.
His chest rose and fell heavily as he turned his attention toward Drake. But what he saw stopped him cold.
Drake stood motionless.
A blade had already done what fear could not.
In his desperation—perhaps to escape the fate he had just witnessed—Drake had taken his own life.
For a moment, the world felt unreal.
Rick staggered forward.
"No… no, no… you can't die like this…" His voice broke as he dropped beside Drake's lifeless body. "Wake up… you bastard… wake up!"
He shook him, again and again, as if force alone could bring him back.
But nothing changed.
Drake was gone.
Leon stood nearby, frozen in shock, unable to process what he had just witnessed. Around him, the entire arena had fallen into a heavy, suffocating silence.
Then—
"Leon."
The voice snapped him back.
It was Duke.
"The winner… is the young lord… Rick Van Vick."
The words felt hollow.
Meaningless.
Rick didn't react.
He hadn't heard a single word.
He remained there, clutching Drake's body, as if refusing to accept reality. Slowly, Leon approached him, hesitation in every step.
"Young lord…" he said gently, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm. "It's over. You can stop now."
Rick didn't move.
"Let him go…"
Still nothing.
Leon's voice hardened." He's already dead."The words struck something deep inside him.
For a moment, Rick resisted—his body tense, as if caught between rage and reality. Then, slowly… the strength left him.
The storm faded.
"Snap out of it, you bastard!" Leon's voice rang louder now, cutting through whatever remained of Rick's madness.
And finally—
Rick let go.
His grip loosened, and he collapsed onto the ground, his body trembling as he struggled to breathe. The weight of everything crashed down on him at once.
For a while, he stayed there… broken, silent… trying to gather what little strength he had left.
Then, slowly, he stood.
Leon extended his hand.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
Rick looked at him, his eyes distant, exhausted.
"I'm… fine…" he muttered, though nothing about him suggested it was true.
A faint, hollow chuckle escaped him.
Rick stood slowly, drawing in a deep, unsteady breath. His body felt heavy, as if the weight of everything he had done was finally catching up to him.
Seeing him rise, Duke straightened as well."Father…"
Rick's voice came from behind him—low, but steady.
Duke turned.
Rick's eyes met his.
"What is it?" Duke asked.
There was a pause.
Then Rick spoke again, his voice edged with something deeper than anger.
"Why do you think I killed them like that?"Duke said nothing.
Rick let out a slow breath, his chest still rising and falling from exhaustion.
"Do you think it's because they tormented me… or my mother?"
He looked directly into Duke's eyes, searching—demanding an answer.But none came.
"I killed them," Rick continued, his voice rising, "because they didn't just hurt us… they hurt countless others. This wasn't just my anger."
"Rick, that's enough," Leon stepped in, trying to calm him.
But Rick didn't stop.
"What about you, Father?" he shot back. "What about you watching your people die in agony… while you did nothing?"
The words hung heavy in the air.
"You may be someone who can kill thousands," Rick went on, his tone hardening, "but a lord… a real lord… isn't someone who can destroy thousands."
He took a step forward.
"A lord is someone who can save a thousand."
Silence followed.
"Stop, young master," Leon said sharply, his voice rising now.
But Rick's restraint shattered.
"AND YOU, FATHER…" his voice thundered, "YOU ARE NOT A LORD!"
"The people are dying—and you are doing nothing!"
Before his words could fully settle, the cold edge of a blade pressed against his neck.
"I will not tolerate this kind of disrespect," Leon said, his voice firm, controlled—but burning with anger. "You are speaking to the head of this house."
For a moment, everything froze.
Then—
Rick smiled.
Not with joy.
Not with madness.
But with something quiet… and hollow.
"If you need something," he said calmly, "just ask the head butler."Leon's grip tightened slightly.
"Now leave."
Rick turned away without another word.
"Don't worry, Sir Leon," he added faintly as he walked. "There is nothing in this house that I desire."
And with that—
He left the arena.
Behind him, only silence remained.And the faint, lingering weight of everything that had been lost.
Meanwhile, at the far corner of the arena, the second knight captain stood frozen, lost in his own thoughts.
"No… I can't let him live."
His jaw tightened as he replayed what he had just witnessed.
"How did he become that strong… in such a short time?"
A cold realization settled in his chest.If I let him live… he will become something far worse.
His hand slowly moved toward his weapon."I have to kill him… even if it means defying the Duke."
On the other side, in the seating area, Duke remained standing—motionless, distant, as if trapped inside his own mind.
Rick's actions had shaken something within him… but not enough to break the silence.
"You said he would be safe… if we sent him away from the house."
The voice came softly—but it carried weight.Duke turned.
Veronica stood there, her face pale, her eyes filled with fear… and something deeper.
"Then why?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Why did he become like this?"
Her gaze locked onto Duke's.
"Is this what you call 'safe'?" she continued, her tone rising. "Look at what he's become."Her voice hardened.
"A monster… who tears his enemies apart without fear."
The words struck sharply.
"Is this what a child is supposed to become?"
Duke opened his mouth to respond—but Veronica didn't let him.
"No," she cut in, shaking her head. "Don't explain. I don't want excuses."
She stepped closer, her emotions spilling over.
"What are you going to say?" she demanded.
"That this is the life of a warrior? That this is what he was meant to be?"
Her eyes burned now.
"Why don't you just tell me the truth?"Duke took a step forward, his voice softer now.
"It's not like that—"
But Veronica didn't stop.
"No," she said firmly. "It is like that."
Her voice trembled, but her words did not.
"My first son… you drove him away. You pushed him so far that he won't even return home anymore."
She clenched her fists.
"And now… he…"
Her voice broke slightly.
"He's become like this."
Silence fell between them—but it didn't last.
"So go on," Veronica whispered. "Say it."Her eyes searched his face, desperate, wounded.
"Just tell me that you hate me."
Duke's expression faltered.
"Veronica—"
"Tell me that you hate me because I married you," she pressed on. "Tell me you hate me because I came between you and Ellena…"
Her voice cracked completely now.
"Tell me you hate me…"
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"…because I love you."
And with that—
Veronica broke.
Duke slowly approaching her placing his hand on her shoulder. "I don't hate you."
"And why do i believe you?" Veronica in a angry voice taking few steps back.
"BECAUSE SHE NEVER DID." Duke in a loud voice echoing throughout the arena. "She never.....;hated you."
A silence fell upon the entire arena. Veronica hearing that left the arena in tears leaving Duke alone.
And just like that a new chapter was about to begin for House Vleck.