Sulaiman stared at the man standing across the ruined laboratory. His eyes were empty, almost lifeless.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
Victor smirked.
"What do you think, little brother? I came here to help the Reathagon."
Zain stepped forward slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"Every kingdom we go to, you people show up," he said. "So the real question is… who's following who?"
For a moment, silence filled the room.
The masked figure chuckled.
"Good question, Zain," he said calmly. "But I'll answer that another time."
He turned his attention toward the captured Damiks floating behind him. His gaze slowly moved across them—Raya, Kiriyu, Malu, Livia, Eagus, Violet…
Then his eyes stopped.
His body froze.
He stared directly at Nurami.
"…Over a thousand binding marks," the masked man said quietly.
The room went still.
"So he is the accursed one."
The other Damiks began murmuring nervously among themselves.
"I thought it was just rumors…"
"That many marks…?"
Livia's voice trembled.
"That means… the accursed one is right next to us."
Panic spread instantly.
The Damiks began shouting.
"Get us out of here!"
"We can't stay near him!"
Nurami suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hey, bozo," he said to the masked figure mockingly. "What exactly did you gain from that? All you did was make them fear me."
The masked man shrugged slightly.
"Nothing. I just wanted to make sure."
Before he could say another word—
Ryo moved.
In a blur, he rushed forward and threw a punch straight at the masked figure's face.
But the man dodged effortlessly.
"Shut up, you asshole!" Ryo shouted. "Accursed one or not, that's still my Damik you're trying to take!"
The masked figure smirked.
"I'll give it to you, kid. Your intuition isn't bad."
He suddenly rushed forward and delivered a powerful kick, sending Ryo sliding backward across the floor.
At the same time, Abraham quickly grabbed Maria and pulled her away from the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Rimazu vanished.
Using his invisibility, he silently moved toward Victor and launched a surprise kick.
But Victor's body reacted instantly.
He shifted slightly and avoided the attack without even looking.
Rimazu reappeared in shock.
"How the hell did he dodge me?!"
Zain watched carefully.
"I see it now," he said. "He didn't sense you. He felt your vibration."
Before anyone else could react—
Sulaiman rushed forward.
"Rimazu, thank you," he said. "But I'll handle this."
In his mind, his thoughts burned with determination.
I promised I'd become strong…
I promised I'd be as strong as big brother.
And I'll prove it… by killing him.
Sulaiman threw a punch straight into Victor's face and followed it with a spinning 360-degree kick.
Victor's head snapped to the side.
He smiled.
"Whoa. I'll admit it," he said casually. "You've gotten a bit stronger."
Then Victor moved.
In one instant, he punched Sulaiman in the stomach, grabbed his head, and slammed him violently into the ground.
Elsewhere in the room, the others were busy fighting the palace robots that had been reprogrammed to serve Rolencia.
Scarlet's water crashed through metal limbs.
Benjamin's air blasts shattered machines.
Aisha's flames burned circuits apart.
Through the chaos, Ryo saw Sulaiman hit the floor.
Something inside him changed.
His red Raiki suddenly faded.
For a moment, it disappeared entirely.
Then it returned.
Darker.
Colder.
A deeper shade of red.
Ryo looked toward Zain, who had just defeated his opponent.
"Handle the masked guy," Ryo said.
Without waiting for an answer, he disappeared.
In a split second—
The masked figure suddenly found Zain standing in front of him.
And Victor suddenly found Ryo standing before him.
Victor looked confused.
"And you are?"
Ryo didn't answer immediately.
With one arm, he lifted the injured Sulaiman from the ground.
With the other, he grabbed Victor's wrist tightly.
Ryo's cold eyes stared straight into his.
"I'm his big brother."