On the western side, while Kartz was fighting Mumba, Lord Berin had encountered Zes in the east.
Zes:[Flame Fists]
Zes covered his hands in flames. It was a mix of enhancement magic and elemental magic.
He charged at Lord Berin at great speed. Berin blocked Zes's punches one by one with his sword, but after a while he could no longer keep up.
Zes: You're too slow, Lord Berin.
Berin failed to keep up with Zes's speed and took a blow to the chest, sliding backward across the ground — skrrrch!
Zes: HAHAHAHA! You can't even keep up with this speed, yet you were talking so big earlier.
At that moment, Lord Berin's soldiers, angered by the situation, rushed at Zes. Berin shouted at them.
Lord Berin: NO—DON'T GO! YOU CAN'T BEAT HIM!!
But it was already too late. The soldiers attacked. Zes welcomed them with laughter.
Zes: —Flame Burst—
In an instant, a massive wave of fire erupted around him — FOOOOOSH!
Half of the thirty soldiers burned to death, the rest fell to the ground badly injured.
Lord Berin grew furious.
Lord Berin: YOU BASTAAAAARD!!
He quickly stood up and slashed at Zes, but Zes blocked it easily with the aid of his elemental fire.
Mockingly, Zes said:
Zes: I heard rumors that you don't have an element… turns out they were true.How can a city lord not even have an element? What a disappointment.Without elemental magic, you can't use enhancement magic either.I actually thought you were strong. You were talking about how "you wouldn't die," too.
Lord Berin: It's true that I don't have an element.But that doesn't mean… I can't use magic.
Berin gripped his sword tightly, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
Lord Berin:[As.te.ra]
He shot forward at incredible speed — FWOOOSH!
Zes used fire to soften the blow, but the attack still sent him flying backward where he CRASHED into the ground.
Then Lord Berin unleashed a flurry of strikes.
Due to the speed, Zes couldn't fully defend and began receiving wounds.
Berin's final blow hurled him into a house — KRAAAASH!The house collapsed, burying Zes beneath the rubble.
Lord Berin: Is it over?
The rubble began to tremble — rmmble… rmmble… — then suddenly BOOOOM!
When the smoke cleared, Zes was standing. His body bore cuts from Berin's sword, and he was smiling.
Zes: Now this is starting to feel like a real fight. Mana arts, huh?But still not enough to beat me. Do you know why?
He paused—his grin widened.
Zes: Because I can use mana arts too. [As.te.ra]
Zes used the same mana spell as Berin and accelerated. Berin was shocked.
Lord Berin (thought):(How? How can he use mana arts? You need real academic training for them—otherwise mana tears your body apart.)
The fight between Berin and Zes intensified.Zes's flaming fists and Berin's sword clashed again and again — CLANG! CLANG! WHAM! — mesmerizing and terrifying everyone around.
Berin was still faster, since he was better at mana arts, but Zes compensated with sheer power and elemental magic.
They continued to clash relentlessly.
*****
Meanwhile, in the west, Kartz was checking on the wounded when a soldier ran up to him — TAT TAT TAT
Soldier: Sir! Lord Berin is currently fighting Fireball Zes… and he looks like he's about to lose.
Kartz froze for a moment in shock, then answered.
Kartz: Stay here and help the wounded. And be alert for more attacks.I'll go alone — it's too dangerous for you.
He then leapt off, dashing across rooftops with the help of enhancement and elemental magic — thup—thup—FWIP—FWOOOSH
When he arrived, he looked down from a rooftop.Lord Berin and Zes were fighting — and Berin appeared to be losing.
Berin blocked Zes's punch with his sword, but the combination of enhancement and elemental magic overwhelmed him — Zes's blow SLAMMED him into the ground.
Berin was badly injured. Blood trickled from his mouth.
Kartz shouted:
Kartz: MY LOOOORD!
Zes glanced toward Kartz and extended his hand toward him.Berin, reading the mana flow, instantly understood what Zes was about to do.
Lord Berin: KARTZ, RUUUUN!!
Zes:[Ar.te.sa] — [Sonic Fireball]
He combined mana arts with elemental magic and launched a super–high-speed fireball.
It ROARED through the air — FWOOOOOOM! — and the rooftop Kartz stood on COLLAPSED beneath the explosion.
Lord Berin: KAAAAARTZ!!!
Lord Berin, enraged, forced himself to his feet and charged at Zes — but the Astera spell's duration had ended; his speed was normal again.
Zes:[Flame Fists]
Berin took heavy blows and was smashed into the ground — THUD!The impact made him close his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was somewhere entirely different.Everything was dark.
He called out, walking through the darkness.
Lord Berin: Where am I? Did I die? Is anyone there?!
After wandering, he saw a scene. From someone's eyes — a small child, carrying us.He realized the viewpoint belonged to a baby being carried by a child.
He walked further and saw another scene.The child carrying us fell into a river and struggled in the water.
Then the scene vanished, and he saw a hand reaching toward our face.On that hand was a scar shaped like the letter G.
He walked on and saw yet another scene.A man made of pure shadow stood there.
Even though he was just a pitch-black silhouette, Berin could feel him laughing —and it deeply disturbed him.
Then a small beam of light shone from above.
The black-eyed man's smile vanished. He shot forward, rushing toward the beam of light.
Berin felt something terrible in his chest — and before he even realized, he too had begun running toward the light.
The shadowy man was about to reach it first—Berin used [As.te.ra] and surged forward.
At the very last moment, the first to reach the light was Berin.The moment he grabbed it, the light expanded and washed away all the darkness.
*****
At that same moment, White Flame was in his prison cell, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, concentrating on the battle outside.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes with a grin.
White Flame: I knew it… you would awaken.