The moment Rin Sakuma's body disintegrated under Paulo's cosmic punch, the battlefield fell into stunned silence.
Momo Yokoyama, still recovering from her clash with Riku, stared at Paulo with a mixture of fury and disbelief.
"You killed her," she whispered.
Paulo's eyes were cold, "She made her choice."
Momo's aura flared, "So will I."
Before anyone could react, Paulo vanished in a blur of cosmic light and reappeared behind Momo.
With a single, devastating roundhouse kick, he launched her skyward.
She crashed through the clouds, then through the first of five distant mountains, each one exploding in a shockwave of rock and energy.
The second mountain shattered as her body tore through it like a meteor.
The third cracked in half.
The fourth collapsed entirely.
And the fifth, deep in the wilderness, was where she finally came to a halt, embedded in a crater of her own making.
Paulo landed moments later, his cosmic katana still sheathed.
Momo rose slowly, blood trailing from her mouth, "You wanted me alone?"
Paulo nodded, "I want no distractions. No interference. Just you and me."
She gripped her Blood Scythe, "Then let's begin."
They clashed in an instant.
Paulo's katana met Momo's scythe in a burst of sparks.
Neither used the Zone, this was raw power, pure technique.
Momo spun low, her scythe sweeping in a wide arc.
Paulo leapt over it, flipping mid-air and bringing his katana down in a vertical slash.
Momo blocked, but the force drove her into the ground.
She retaliated with a blood whip, lashing out from her palm.
Paulo caught it with his bare hand, cosmic energy burning through the blood magic.
He yanked her forward and delivered a knee to her gut, sending her flying backward.
She landed on her feet, skidding across the rocky terrain.
"You're stronger than before," she said.
"You're slower than before," Paulo replied.
Momo raised her hand, and the ground beneath Paulo erupted in a geyser of blood spikes.
He dashed sideways, dodging each one with fluid grace.
He sprinted up a cliffside, using the terrain to gain height.
Momo followed, leaping from boulder to boulder, her scythe spinning defensively.
They met mid-air, exchanging a flurry of blows, Paulo's katana a blur of cosmic arcs, Momo's scythe a whirlwind of crimson steel.
Each strike echoed like thunder.
They landed on opposite cliffs, breathing heavily.
"You're holding back," Momo said.
"So are you," Paulo replied.
They charged again.
This time, they fought in tight quarters, inside a collapsed cave system beneath the fifth mountain.
The narrow tunnels forced them into brutal, close-range combat.
Momo's scythe was less effective here, but she adapted, using blood magic to form short blades and spikes.
Paulo fought with his fists and elbows, his katana sheathed.
He ducked under a swipe, slammed his shoulder into her chest, and pinned her against the wall.
She grinned and headbutted him, then drove a blood spike into his side.
He grunted, grabbed her wrist, and twisted, snapping it with a crack.
She screamed but did not stop.
She kicked him in the chest, sending him tumbling through a stone pillar.
They emerged from the cave, battered but unbroken.
Momo summoned a blood storm, razor-sharp droplets swirling around her like a cyclone.
Paulo responded by drawing his katana halfway, releasing a wave of cosmic pressure that parted the storm.
They charged again.
Their weapons clashed in a dazzling display of skill and strength. Momo ducked under a slash, spun, and slashed Paulo's back.
He turned, elbowed her in the jaw, and followed with a rising slash that sent her airborne.
She recovered mid-air, forming wings of blood and diving down like a hawk.
Paulo met her with a cosmic uppercut that shattered the air around them.
They landed, panting.
"You're not using the Zone," Momo said.
"Neither are you," Paulo replied.
"Why?" Momo asked.
Paulo replied with, "Because I want to beat you without it."
Momo's eyes narrowed, "Then you'll die without it."
Their fight slowed for a moment.
"You killed Aliya," Momo said, her voice trembling, "She was more than my commander. She was my sister."
"She tried to kill my people," Paulo replied, "I gave her a warrior's death."
Momo screamed and charged, her scythe glowing with raw blood energy.
Paulo met her head-on, their weapons clashing in a shockwave that split the earth beneath them.
They fought across rivers, through forests, over cliffs.
Each blow was a story. Each wound, a memory.
They were no longer just warriors.
They were history colliding.
Momo's scythe locked with Paulo's katana. They pushed against each other, faces inches apart.
"You can't win," she growled.
"I already have," he said.
She broke the lock, spun, and slashed. He ducked, countered, and struck her ribs.
She gasped, blood spraying. He followed with a kick that sent her crashing into a canyon wall.
She rose, barely.
Paulo stood tall, his aura beginning to rise.
Momo's eyes widened, "You're going to activate it."
"So are you," Paulo commented
They stared at each other.
The Zone was coming.
But for now, they stood, two monarchs, bloodied, breathless, and burning with purpose.