Raym's eyes widened the moment those words reached him...
"I may know more about your family than you think..."
His breathing suddenly grew uneven...
He clutched his head with both hands as if a sharp pain had erupted inside his mind...
At that exact moment...
His guard was completely open...
Without hesitation, Araki lunged toward him...
But despite his injuries, Lorian stepped in and intercepted the attack...
"RAYM!!!"
The shout snapped Raym back to reality...
The instant he saw what was happening, he rushed forward to support Lorian...
Together...
Their combined strength was finally enough to force Araki a few steps backward...
Without taking his eyes off their enemy, Lorian turned slightly toward Raym, allowing only his left eye to face him.
His broken voice echoed calmly...
"Raym..."
"I shouldn't have told you that now."
He took a slow breath...
"We'll postpone the answers..."
"For now..."
"Let's focus on surviving."
"And bring down that filthy bastard..."
Raym silently nodded...
A faint smile appeared on Araki's face...
"Heh..."
"So that's how you describe your old friend to complete strangers???"
"Have you already forgotten everything we went through together???"
Lorian's expression darkened...
"How many more times are you going to repeat those same words???"
"The bond that once tied me to all of you..."
"It was severed long ago."
His grip around his sword tightened.
"And today..."
"Those remaining threads will finally burn into ashes..."
"Our story will disappear forever, Araki."
For the first time...
Araki's expression changed...
A trace of irritation crossed his face before he smiled once more...
"Hm..."
"So you've finally decided to end your journey here..."
He chuckled.
"But guess what???"
"It certainly won't be me..."
"There are still things I have yet to accomplish."
Lorian smiled back...
"...You just said exactly what was on my mind..."
Then he glanced toward Raym...
"I made you a promise..."
"You'll get some of your answers."
Without a single word, Raym understood...
He raised his sword toward Araki...
His voice became firm.
"With this blade..."
"I'll satisfy Sir Lonz's thirst..."
"And I'll avenge him."
For the first time...
Araki's expression became completely serious...
He stared directly at Raym...
"That cursed blade..."
"Was he born with it???"
"It isn't even a legendary weapon..."
"Yet simply looking at it..."
"It feels like it could cut me apart..."
For the very first time...
Araki felt something unfamiliar...
Tension.
Suddenly—
Lorian's voice rang out.
"NOW!!!"
Raym dashed forward at full speed.
The sudden assault caught Araki off guard.
He barely managed to keep up with Raym's movements.
Their weapons collided.
Their eyes locked.
Neither looked away.
A sinister grin slowly spread across Araki's face...
"Heh..."
"Do you remember that old friend of yours?"
"Lonz..."
"His screams were deafening while I grafted those extra limbs onto his body."
"ENOUGH!!!"
Raym roared.
But Araki continued...
"Hehehe..."
"But do you know what disgusted me the most???"
"The sound..."
"The sound of flesh merging with flesh."
"It was revolting."
"Even for someone like me..."
Raym's composure began to crumble...
His footing weakened...
He was slowly pushed backward...
Then—
A voice echoed from behind Araki...
"You forgot about me..."
Without warning...
Lorian thrust his sword from behind...
Yet Araki blocked it instantly using his massive dragon arm...
Now trapped between both opponents...
His eyes shifted once more toward Raym's sword...
Then suddenly—
Araki unleashed a deafening roar...
A roar no human should have been capable of making...
It sounded exactly like a dragon...
The shockwave blasted both Raym and Lorian away...
His transformed body trembled violently.
It looked as though it had nearly reached its limit.
Then...
His gaze slowly settled upon the fallen Raym.
And more importantly...
Upon his sword.
Step...
Step...
Step...
He slowly began walking toward it.
Elsewhere...
After desperately calling for Raym, Agnyr collapsed onto the ground...
He clutched his chest in agony.
His breathing became heavier with every second.
"No..."
"Please..."
"There are many ways to pay the price..."
"But..."
"Not this one..."
"I've devoted my entire life..."
"To this very moment..."
Slowly...
He closed his eyes.
Not far away...
Daniel, Arvela, Lyra, Round, and Saun remained focused on Valerius.
Before anyone could even speak—
He vanished.
Like a flash...
In the blink of an eye, the transformed Valerius appeared directly behind Lyra.
A devastating punch exploded toward her.
She was launched across the battlefield before anyone had time to react.
Before the others could even process what had happened—
He appeared before Arvela, preparing another strike...
But—
Daniel intercepted it effortlessly.
His furious gaze met Valerius.
"Whatever you are..."
"I won't allow you to lay a finger on her."
With a powerful shove, he forced Valerius backward.
Then he immediately turned.
"Arvela!!!"
She steadied herself...
"I'm fine."
"Thanks to you..."
"I wasn't even scratched."
She looked toward Valerius, confusion filling her face...
"But..."
"What is happening???"
"Wasn't he our ally just moments ago???"
Round slammed his fist into the ground...
"...Now I understand."
"So that's why he bears such hatred toward Daim..."
He raised his voice for everyone to hear.
"Listen carefully!"
"The man we spoke with earlier..."
He pointed directly at Valerius.
"And the one standing before us now..."
"...are two completely different people."