The Dragon Fist erupted, obliterating Hirudegarn's upper body. Raditz hovered in the air, bathed in gleaming golden light, standing proud and independent as the dragon's roar echoed across the sky.
Everyone stared in stunned silence, momentarily speechless.
Tapion finally understood why Jeice and the others held such unwavering confidence in Raditz. It was a faith forged through countless battles, a worship of absolute strength. Hirudegarn might have been an invincible existence at Tapion's level, but before Raditz, the demon had become nothing more than another obstacle to be effortlessly eliminated.
Raditz had said he would help destroy Hirudegarn. And he'd delivered on that promise.
"Haha! Told you no one can match Lord Raditz!" Jeice led the celebration, guiding his squad toward their leader.
"Wait!" Raditz's shout halted their approach. "It's not over yet. Hirudegarn's other half is approaching rapidly."
"But it's already..." Tapion froze mid-sentence, then suddenly understood. His expression transformed into horror.
Hirudegarn had been severed into two parts all those centuries ago. One half had been sealed within his own body, while the other... had been sealed within his younger brother Minotia. Could that part also be...? The thought made Tapion's breathing quicken, his fist clenching involuntarily.
At that moment, a blazing fireball streaked down from the upper atmosphere. Hirudegarn's lower half, curled into a ball, plummeted toward the surface like a meteor. Raditz's prediction was correct—the two halves of the monster shared a mutual attraction, and the lower body was following that pull. It had simply arrived a step too late.
BOOM! Just before impact, the curled lower body suddenly unfurled. Its massive legs planted firmly on the ground, sending dust billowing dozens of meters into the air!
The mighty, domineering entrance and grand presentation were unmistakably Hirudegarn's style.
"Hehehehe... so you've arrived?" An old, withered voice drifted through the air like wind-blown sand.
A short, emaciated old man stood atop Hirudegarn's severed torso. He clutched a pot-shaped ocarina in his hands, his loose robes fluttering in the violent wind.
Hoi—a dark sorcerer who had schemed relentlessly to undo Hirudegarn's seal, intending to use the monster to conquer the universe.
"That's the other half!" Both Tapion and Jeice recognized it immediately, crying out in alarm.
"Tapion... so the legendary hero is indeed here. But where is the upper body?" Hoi muttered to himself, his beady eyes darting around, searching for any trace of Hirudegarn's missing half.
Logic dictated there should be a reaction at such close proximity. Tapion shouldn't be able to completely suppress the Phantom's power. Yet as Hoi looked left and right, Tapion showed no signs of the demon breaking free.
In that instant, Raditz materialized before Hoi and seized him bodily. "Stop searching. I've already eliminated Hirudegarn's upper half."
The diminutive Hoi dangled in Raditz's grip, struggling uselessly against empty air. As a sorcerer, he lacked significant physical strength. Captured like this, he had no power to resist.
"Impossible! Release me! Or you'll die a hideous death!"
"Then why hasn't the other half emerged?" Raditz countered.
As if struck by lightning, Hoi's body went rigid, then began trembling violently. His expression shifted to pure terror. He'd used the mutual attraction between Hirudegarn's halves to track his target, but the agitation in the lower body had indeed been growing weaker. By the time he'd reached this planet, it had gone completely calm. Could what this man said actually be true?
Panic seized Hoi. He frantically raised his ocarina and played a bizarre, discordant melody.
At the sound of his music, Hirudegarn's lower half—which had remained motionless since landing—finally stirred. It took two heavy steps forward, then swung its tail in a wide arc like a long blade, smashing toward Raditz with devastating force.
So the ocarina served a controlling function, while Tapion's had been used to suppress the demon's nature. Unexpectedly, the sorcerer Hoi could command its specific actions.
Surprising as this was, Hirudegarn's movements were painfully slow in Raditz's eyes—nowhere near threatening enough.
Facing the incoming tail strike, Raditz simply shifted sideways and effortlessly evaded it. The attack created irregular turbulent fluctuations that triggered a massive spatial detonation. Raditz's mind moved slightly, and his psychic power rejected the force, redirecting it back at its source!
BOOM! Hirudegarn's lower half was sent flying by its own reflected shockwave, sliding along the ground for an extended distance before finally grinding to a halt. Both legs and tail had gouged three deep trenches into the earth.
Hoi was so terrified he couldn't even speak. This man wasn't bluffing—Hirudegarn's upper body had truly been annihilated by him. An inexplicable shock spread throughout the sorcerer's body, making him tremble as if his entire being had been plunged into ice water.
"Unfortunately for you, your plan to resurrect Hirudegarn has failed." Raditz released the sorcerer, and a ki blast erupted from his palm, chasing down the falling Hoi.
Hoi's blood ran cold with the certainty of death. His eyes widened as he watched the energy sphere rushing toward him, his mind filled only with a high-pitched buzzing.
Suddenly, a blade of light struck, intercepting the attack. It sliced through Raditz's energy blast, splitting it harmlessly!
The Sword of the Brave! Tapion had saved the sorcerer Hoi at the critical moment. Though Raditz's energy blast hadn't been particularly powerful, blocking it forced Tapion backward several steps, the blade vibrating violently until he could barely maintain his grip on the hilt.
But Tapion gritted his teeth against the pain and shoved Hoi to the ground, his longsword stabbing down to pin the sorcerer's face to the earth. The razor-sharp blade cut deeply across Hoi's cheek, blood welling instantly from the wound.
"Lord Raditz, please wait a moment. I have something I must ask him." Cold sweat beaded on Tapion's forehead as he glared down at Hoi with icy eyes. "Where is my brother?!"
"Hehehehe... your brother Minotia? I couldn't control Hirudegarn without eliminating him first! Hahahaha! He was still calling your name when I had him trampled to death!" Hoi laughed maniacally. Knowing death was inevitable, he simply vented his spite one final time.
"Minotia..." Tapion's throat constricted, a single clear tear tracking down his resolute face. Thinking of his younger brother's smiling face, boundless regret and rage surged through his heart. Fire burned in his eyes as he stared down at Hoi.
He swept his arm in one decisive motion, turning the blade. The edge severed Hoi's head cleanly from his shoulders.
The Sword of the Brave existed to protect the innocent, but it showed no mercy to the wicked. With that agonizing swing, Tapion collapsed weakly to his knees—whether from relief or overwhelming grief, no one could say.
He retrieved his brother's ocarina from Hoi's belongings and held it gently, his expression profound with sorrow.
However, Hirudegarn's lower half—no longer under the sorcerer's control—became active once more. Without the dark magician's restraint, it grew completely unrestrained, charging wildly toward Tapion.
Raditz teleported instantly, positioning himself before Tapion with an energy sphere already forming in his palm.
Then an ancient melody suddenly rang out, dispelling the chilling atmosphere. The world fell completely silent—only the sound of the ocarina swayed melodiously through the air.
Hirudegarn's lower body slowly began dissolving, transforming into white smoke that drifted toward Tapion. It willingly burrowed into his body, just as it had when sealed by the priest a thousand years ago.
The Phantom was sealed once more. Yet Tapion's expression remained unchanged, seemingly unaware of what was happening. He concentrated entirely on playing the piece that had belonged to his younger brother, calming all the world's restlessness.
His body had originally been the container for Hirudegarn's upper half, but now it accepted the lower portion as well. Unknowingly, Tapion had become the carrier for the entire Phantom. However, with the controlling consciousness of the upper body severed by Raditz, the remaining half couldn't escape Tapion's dominion at all.
This was his brother's final gift.
In this moment, Tapion became the master of Hirudegarn's lower half.