Thick smoke and the sound of collapsing rubble still echoed through the Galangs District. Amid the debris and flames consuming the ruins of buildings, Lucy's body lay unconscious. Blood trickled down her temple, soaking her silver hair, now dirtied with dust and earth.
A faint voice echoed in her ear.
"Lady Lucy… can you wake up?"
The voice was young, but trembling with worry. Aron.
Lucy slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, but gradually focused on the young man's face. Aron knelt beside her, hand extended. He helped her sit up.
"What happened…" she muttered weakly.
"Cerberus is still rampaging," Aron replied, helping her to her feet. "This place is almost completely destroyed."
Lucy staggered, holding her aching head. Her eyes swept the surroundings, then locked onto a man standing tall, facing the center of the explosion—where the roar of Cerberus still shook the air. Easton. He stood still, his hair fluttering in the hot wind and lingering energy.
"What happened to Shina?" Lucy asked.
"Still fighting. But even she's struggling to freeze that thing."
Lucy clenched her fists. "Canis?"
Easton didn't turn around. "He was taken. I don't know where. But one thing's clear… he won't be coming back anytime soon."
Staggering, Lucy tried to walk toward the battlefield.
"I have to help her—"
Easton quickly turned and raised his hand, stopping her. "No. You need to get out of here. I'll help Shina."
"I can—"
"Not this time, Lucy," Easton cut her off firmly. "Even Shina might not be able to bring Cerberus down in this condition. And you… you're injured."
Easton looked at Aron. "Take her away. Now. Force her if you must."
Aron hesitated, nodding reluctantly as he prepared to obey—but their steps halted.
The ground trembled. The air grew heavy. Through the smoke and ruins, a tall, muscular figure emerged with a sharp, cold smile. He walked with a casual gait, but carried a menacing aura.
Gultor.
He stopped a few meters from them, eyes locked on Lucy.
"Finally found you… older sister of the Frost Queen," he said flatly, but with deadly intent. "I'm only here for her. Move aside."
Easton stepped forward, blocking the way. "You'll have to get through me first."
Gultor narrowed his eyes, examining the man before him. "You… I know this aura…"
Easton threw his cloak to the ground. A black, engraved magic staff appeared in his hand, gleaming like a death omen. He gave a thin smile.
"I'm Easton. Former member of the Black Death. And if you're smart, you'll reconsider."
Gultor only grinned wider. "At last… a worthy opponent!"
Their auras clashed in the air—pure energy colliding in challenge. Aron gritted his teeth, gripping Lucy's arm tightly.
"It's time to go," he whispered.
But Lucy could only stare at the two figures, standing amidst the ruins and the red light of dusk—a duel that would determine who had the right to touch what little hope remained in Galangs District.
---
Cerberus's massive body exhaled heat that distorted the air around it. Its three giant heads roared in unison, tearing the evening sky. One of its claws slammed forward—toward Shina Mariposa.
But before the claw could reach the ground, Shina had vanished from where she stood.
SRAKK!
Thin ice cracked in the air as Shina appeared on Cerberus's left side, then vanished again to the right, then above, then below. Each movement left a trail of white mist and icy flowers, which melted instantly from the monster's body heat.
"Too hot," Shina thought, gritting her teeth. Her body moved constantly, creating a faint ring of snow around Cerberus. "I'm struggling to freeze it. This power… doesn't belong in this world."
Shina leaped high and drove her ice sword into the ground, triggering a cold blast beneath Cerberus's feet. The earth around the beast began to freeze, ice spreading quickly upward until one leg was trapped.
Cerberus growled, lifting its heads toward the sky and preparing to unleash a fire roar—but Shina didn't give it a chance.
"Now."
With blazing speed, she dashed forward, her ice sword glowing in deep blue aura. She leapt onto Cerberus's body and slashed from its neck, then slid down in a single fluid motion, slicing through its blazing flesh from the spine to its tail.
SSSSHHHHKTT!
Smoke billowed from the deep wound. Hot blood and steam shot into the sky. Cerberus roared with all three heads, the sound exploding with fury and pain.
Shina landed on a pile of rubble, panting, her body dripping sweat despite the freezing air around her.
"That's not enough," she muttered. "I have to push it into full rage—until its body heat drops. Then I can finish it."
Cerberus's six red eyes locked onto her now, angrier than ever. One head opened its jaws, ready to unleash fire hotter than hell itself.
Shina raised her sword. This time, she wouldn't defend.
She would hunt the monster.
---
Not far from the frozen battlefield where Shina faced Cerberus, the earth trembled under heavy steps. Gultor, the iron-bodied giant, strode forward with a savage grin. His muscles bulged, and a layer of dark red magic energy wrapped his skin like an invisible armor.
Easton stood calm before him, his thin robe fluttering in the hot wind from Cerberus's direction. He held his magic staff—a short rod with a glowing blue crystal at its tip. His eyes were sharp, unblinking.
"Step aside, damn you," Gultor growled, rolling his shoulders. "I've got no business with you. I'm after the Frost Queen's sister."
"I've got business with you," Easton replied flatly. "Or rather, my boss does."
Gultor spat on the ground. "You're like a cat, hopping around. Disgusting."
"Cats are better than wild bulls," Easton smiled faintly. "Especially bulls that can't even reach their target."
Gultor roared and charged. The ground cracked beneath his feet, dust flying everywhere. But Easton was already in motion. He leapt lightly to the side and fired an energy blast from his staff. The blue light struck Gultor's side—not deeply harmful, but enough to stagger him.
Easton kept moving, spinning, leaping over rubble, then attacking from above. A series of energy blasts rained down like arrows. Gultor roared in frustration. His punches and kicks missed again and again, destroying the terrain and buildings around him, but never touching Easton.
"Stop jumping, you rat!"
"You swing like a drunk," Easton retorted, dashing to the side and firing another blast at Gultor's shoulder.
But that's when Gultor changed.
His body began to emit red steam. His energy surged.
In a flash, Gultor dashed straight forward—faster than before. An explosion of earth followed his movement. Easton, just landing, barely had time to turn his head before—
"DUUUGGHH!!"
Gultor's fist slammed squarely into his face. A faint crack of bones echoed. Easton was flung dozens of meters backward, his body crashing into a metal pillar before collapsing hard to the ground.
Gultor sighed and shook his head. "I told you. Stop jumping around."
But from the dust and rubble, light footsteps could be heard. Easton slowly stood again, blood dripping from his lips, one lens of his glasses shattered. Yet he still smiled.
"That was a good punch... But just one."
His magic staff glowed brighter, and in the air appeared a magic circle he had never used before.
---
The cliff where they fought was almost leveled. Explosions of energy from their endless sword clashes scorched the air, shattered rocks, and splintered the surrounding trees. The ground was cracked. Hot winds swept between the two figures standing apart: one in a tattered cloak with a long sword in his right hand—Canis. The other in the signature red robe of the Bloodminers—Lagos.
They had just clashed with full force, flung in opposite directions. Yet both landed lightly, as if everything so far had only been a warm-up.
Canis brushed a bit of dust from his face, his smile wide, his breathing still steady.
"You're pretty tough, old man," he said, raising an eyebrow, his tone nearly teasing. "Not many can stay standing after a blow like that from me."
Lagos didn't smile. His face was hardened, marked by old scars. His hand gripped his sword tighter. But his voice was calm when he replied:
"It's an honor… if the Black Death remembers my name." He raised his sword slightly, its tip pointing straight at Canis. "My name is Lagos."
Canis's eyes narrowed briefly, then he nodded slowly. His smile faded, replaced by a heavier expression.
"Lagos, huh... If only I had destroyed that place that day—"
Canis's voice caught in his throat. The wind suddenly blew softly, as if the earth itself held its breath. His eyes looked at Lagos not as an enemy, but as a ghost of a long-buried mistake.
"—The Bloodminers wouldn't exist today. There'd be no you. No Selen. No one else would have to suffer like that."
Lagos didn't respond. But his eyes shimmered—not with weakness, but with rage held back for decades.
"So… now I'm here," Canis continued, stepping forward slowly. "Not to kill. But to atone. I'll take you all down. One by one. Alive. And end all of this."
Lagos hissed. "End our suffering...? You think we're victims?!"
He slammed his sword into the ground, sending a burst of dark energy erupting from the earth. "We are the result of the Empire's sins! You were just one of the blades they used, Canis!"
Canis stopped in his tracks. His eyes were now dead serious, and his soft voice cut like a knife:
"Exactly why… I have to atone. With my own hands."
Both leapt at the same time, their swords clashing mid-air, unleashing a shockwave that shook the heavens and the earth.
{Chapter 31 end}