Yarika slowly raised his eyes. What he saw was a man whom people called the Big One. Suddenly, the direction of the wind changed, and fierce gusts began to sweep across the battlefield. His hair fluttered wildly in the raging wind. A stream of black smoke circled around Makhulu's head before slowly spiraling down toward his hand. He breathed heavily like a demon. Every time he inhaled, one of his hands trembled slightly, and whenever he exhaled, it looked as if hot steam was escaping from his mouth. He appeared utterly exhausted.
Yarika was stunned when he saw Makhulu standing above him.
"Who... who are you?" he asked, his voice filled with shock. "Why are you standing there like a corpse?"
A faint smile appeared on Makhulu's face.
"Even if I can't leave the Red Moon, I can still accomplish what no one else ever could."
"Just a short while ago, I brought Kazime back to life... only to have him killed again."
Suddenly, Makhulu fell silent.
"I shouldn't waste my words on an ignorant human," he thought to himself. "Speaking to someone like him only diminishes my pride. Now... this world will witness what pride is truly capable of."
Then, Makhulu spoke in a loud, commanding voice.
"Do not seek what does not belong to you."
"Believing in what you do not understand is meaningless."
"There is only one thing capable of bringing this entire world to its knees..."
Makhulu took a deep breath before uttering a single phrase.
"Self-surrender."
"I will transform this entire world into a Red Moon, where no curse will ever be able to touch me again."
Makhulu slowly clenched his fist and raised it in front of his face.
Suddenly, something flashed through his mind.
"Is there... something holding me back?" he muttered.
"Could that... actually be the truth?"
Makhulu slowly unclenched his fist.
Resting in his palm was a handful of crimson-black, shimmering sand from the Red Moon. It slipped through his fingers and scattered into the wind, vanishing without a trace.
Watching the scene, Yarika thought to himself,
"Something beyond imagination... is about to happen."
Suddenly, blood began to pour from his wings. Without hesitation, he shot into the sky at incredible speed, distancing himself from Makhulu.
Meanwhile, Makhulu stared at his now-empty hand.
Suddenly, his hand began to tremble violently. The veins on his arm swelled until they looked as if they were about to burst.
"Am... I feeling pain?" Makhulu muttered in disbelief.
At that moment, the same dragon Makhulu had once defeated appeared above him.
It was as if a rain of crimson blood had begun to fall from the heavens.
Makhulu slowly lowered his gaze toward the ground.
Then, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth...
...as though the vows he had made to himself had finally been broken.
Makhulu slowly lowered the same hand toward the ground, drawing it back in preparation for a strike. Rage and overwhelming pride were clearly reflected on his face.
He was ready to attack.
The next instant, his fist crashed into the ground with terrifying force.
It was as though even the land beneath the Red Moon trembled. Countless particles of soil were blasted into the air, shimmering as they floated around him.
Makhulu pulled his arm back, preparing to throw another punch.
"This... is the principle of pride."
"The principle of the Big One."
To be honest, I had never seen anyone so consumed by pride that they could shake the very earth just to uphold their own principles.
If someone could go this far for the sake of his beliefs... then what wouldn't he do to achieve his own purpose?