Chapter 40: The War of the Sugos (Emissaries)
The battle in Plaridel continued. In the midst of the chaos, the three sugos (emissaries)—Ifugao, Hustisya, and the Spanish general Salazar—converged on a single spot, each bearing a purpose that would decide the fate of Plaridel.
Standing in the center of the raging fight, Ifugao stood between the other two, his red sword glowing with blue energy. He knew the situation was worsening, and he waited for the next moves of the pair. His eyes were full of determination, yet tinged with worry as he looked at the panicking people around them.
He faced General Salazar, his voice brave but pleading. "Mister Salazar, I am begging you, stop torturing the Filipinos!" he shouted. "Stop arresting and killing the innocent! This is not the right way to govern this country!"
But Salazar merely laughed, his voice cold and filled with mockery. "What do you want me to do, Indio?" he asked, his voice full of arrogance. "Should I let the rebels who killed my men just escape and sleep in their homes tonight as if nothing happened? I will not end this night until I have wiped out every last one of the Indios in Plaridel!" His voice boomed like thunder, full of menace, while his crystalline monsters stood behind him, ready to obey his every command.
Suddenly, Hustisya erupted in anger at Salazar's threat. Her eyes blazed with red fire, and her gigantic skeleton, ablaze with the same color, lunged to attack Salazar.
"You demon!" she yelled, her rake-like spear glowing with energy as she charged. But before she could get close, Ifugao suddenly blocked her path, his sword raised to stop the girl.
"Calm down, Hustisya!" he pleaded, his voice full of entreaty. "Don't resort to violence for everything! It's not the solution!" Because he stopped her, Hustisya's anger redirected towards Ifugao, her eyes filled with intense hatred.
"Calm down?!" she shrieked, her voice broken by rage. "How can I calm down, Ifugao, when this demonic general plans to massacre the Filipinos?! Are you forcing me to make peace with the Spaniards while they kill the Filipinos in my town?!" Her hands were shaking, and the red fire on her skeleton flared even brighter, seemingly reflecting her burning emotions.
Ifugao could not answer immediately, his heart torn between worry and duty. He knew Hustisya had a point, but he also knew that if she continued to fight Salazar, the battle would never end, and many innocent lives would be caught in the crossfire.
He turned back to Salazar, trying to convince him once more, his voice firm but filled with supplication. "Mister Salazar, look at your town, Plaridel!" he said, pointing to the ruined buildings and the bodies of the dead, both Spanish and Filipino. "Many Spaniards died because of the rebel attack. Yes, the Filipinos did this, but shouldn't you find out why it happened? They don't desire fame or wealth—all the Filipinos want is a decent life and equal treatment in society!" Ifugao pleaded, his eyes full of hope that Salazar would listen. "For the sake of the innocent who might be affected, stop this, Mister Salazar!"
But before Ifugao could finish his words, a sharp crystalline spike suddenly struck him and lifted him up, pinning him with many crystal spikes so he couldn't move. The pain shot through his body like lightning, but his protective armor kept him from being wounded.
Amidst his shock, Salazar spoke, his voice filled with contempt. "I don't care about what Indios like you say!" he shouted. "As long as España owns the Philippines, we are the only ones to be obeyed in this land! These rubbish Indios have no right to dictate what we want to do in this country!"
Hustisya was enraged by what she heard, her eyes blazing as she yelled, "It's pointless to talk to a demon!" Her voice was like thunder, full of hatred and determination. "There's only one way to stop the bloodshed—to kill the root of this evil!"
In an instant, she charged at Salazar, her rake-like spear blazing with red fire. Salazar was delighted, his smile full of mockery. "Do your worst, Hustisya!" he challenged, his crystalline monsters behind him ready to attack. "I'll show you how weak you are against me!"
The battle between them erupted, Hustisya's rake glowing with energy as she smashed Salazar's crystal spikes. Each hit caused a strong explosion, shaking the ground and sending objects flying.
As the fight raged on, Ifugao slowly descended from the crystal spike, his body unharmed due to his strong protection. But his mind was confused and he didn't know what to do. He knew that simple talking would no longer work to stop this battle—both Salazar and Hustisya were determined to fight until death.
"What should I do?" he whispered, his eyes full of doubt. At that moment, a strong blow from a stick hit his head, accompanied by a voice saying, "This is not the time to lose heart, Ifugao!" He turned around and saw Hiyas again, her cold gaze filled with intensity.
"Why do you always pop up suddenly?!" Ifugao asked, his voice filled with frustration. Hiyas didn't answer his question. Instead, she spoke calmly. "If Salazar unleashes his crystalline monsters to wipe out the Filipinos, it will be harder for you to save Plaridel," she said. "You need to act now, Ifugao."
Ifugao knew there was truth in what Hiyas said, but he worried. "I can't defeat the general," he said, his voice full of doubt. "Besides, if I happen to kill him, I'll be the criminal in everyone's eyes again!"
But Hiyas reminded him of the greater danger. "If Hustisya kills the general, a bigger problem will come," she explained that once Hustisya absorbs the energy of a dead sugo, her power will intensify twofold. "In Hustisya's current state of mind, I don't see her stopping at killing all the Spaniards."
Hiyas's words struck Ifugao like lightning. He knew he had to stop Hustisya, but he worried about how to do it. "Salazar is stronger than me in battle, and Hustisya is full of energy," he said, his voice full of frustration. "What can I do to stop them?"
Hiyas sighed, her voice calm but emphatic. "You underestimate yourself too much, Ifugao," she said. "You can do many things, and you will succeed if you act." She reminded him that he was not alone in this fight. "Don't forget that you are not the only one fighting for Plaridel."
Ifugao was confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Is there someone else who will help us?" But instead of answering, Hiyas hit his head with the stick again, making him move faster. "Stop asking so many questions and just act!" Hiyas exclaimed, continuously hitting Ifugao until he was forced to jump away.
Although confused, Ifugao had no choice but to leap away and head towards the battle. "She's so sadistic for a deity, it's a good thing she's not my diwata (goddess)."
As he watched the fiery clash between Salazar and Hustisya, the tragedy in Urdaneta crossed his mind. "I won't let what happened then be repeated," he whispered, his heart filled with determination.
In the middle of the fight, as Salazar and Hustisya exchanged blows with their weapons, Ifugao suddenly positioned himself between them, his two arnis sticks glowing with blue energy. The two stopped and were surprised by Ifugao's intervention once more.
Hustisya shouted angrily, "Why are you interfering again, Ifugao?!" "If you won't help the Filipinos in Plaridel, just leave!"
"I am here to save the Filipinos, just like you, Hustisya!" Ifugao answered with a courageous tone. "But if you plan to harm innocent Spaniards, I am ready to stop you!" Hustisya shouted, unable to believe what she heard. Disappointment and confusion were evident on her face because of his words. "Stop your madness, Ifugao!" she screamed. "How can you force peace in the middle of a war? People have died and lost loved ones because of the Spaniards! Can you face the bereaved and tell them to befriend those demonic Spaniards as if nothing happened?!" Hustisya reminded him of the Filipinos' suffering. "Filipinos didn't want to die or be orphaned! I don't want anyone to die either, but how can we prevent this tragedy if the Spaniards who are committing evil against us remain?!" Her voice was filled with bitterness. "You will never understand what we are fighting for, Ifugao! I don't care about your views as a hero—I swear I will deliver the Hustisya (justice) the victims deserve, even if you stop me!"
Hustisya attacked Ifugao, her rake-like spear blazing with red fire. Ifugao quickly parried the attack with his sword, but the intensity of Hustisya's energy made every blow heavy. His feet almost left prints on the ground as he parried one of Hustisya's attacks. Ifugao did not immediately surrender, matching Hustisya's every move.
Hustisya's gigantic skeleton began to attack, its massive fist hurtling towards Ifugao, but Ifugao quickly dodged it. "You are wrong, Hustisya, if you think I don't understand what you are fighting for!" Ifugao shouted, as he evaded another attack. "I am Filipino, too, and I pity our countrymen! But simply killing is not right! If you retaliate against the Spaniards, even the innocent civilians, you are no different from the terrorists or the Spaniards you despise!"
Hustisya did not accept what Ifugao said and became even angrier at his perspective, and then a large shadow appeared on the ground beneath Ifugao, and from it, a gigantic skeleton arm shot out to punch Ifugao. Ifugao's sword parried it, but the punch was so strong that it sent Ifugao flying, and his body smashed through the wall of a building. The impact caused a massive explosion, and pieces of the building wall scattered around. As Hustisya released a powerful aura, her eyes blazed. "You have no right to stop me, Ifugao!" she yelled. "You better leave, because if you don't, I will kill you!"
While Hustisya and Ifugao were fighting, Salazar suddenly laughed, his laughter full of amusement. "I'm glad to see the rats killing each other in front of me!" he said, but immediately added, "But I also wanted to be the one to kill both of you!"
Hustisya was furious. "You'll be the first to die, Salazar!" she shouted as she charged again, her rake blazing. Salazar once more released crystal spikes from his hand to match Hustisya's attack.
Their battle continued, every blow of the rake parried by the crystals, causing explosions all around. Hustisya's gigantic skeleton also kept attacking, striking the crystalline monsters that kept regenerating even after being repeatedly destroyed.
In the middle of the battle, Ifugao suddenly burst out of the building and charged, his two arnis sticks glowing with blue energy. He quickly parried Hustisya's attack and Salazar's crystal spike, causing a massive explosion between them.
Hustisya shouted angrily, "Why are you interfering again, Ifugao?!" But even though he was forbidden, Ifugao continued fighting. Salazar saw an opportunity to attack Hustisya, but they were surprised when Ifugao parried it, protecting the girl.
"Hahahaha, what? Are you serious about what you're doing?" Salazar laughed loudly, his laughter full of mockery. "You want to protect Hustisya, but she wants to kill you!" he said.
"I am here to save Hustisya and stop her from committing evil!" Ifugao answered, his voice full of determination. "Crazy!" Hustisya shouted. "I don't need saving—I need Hustisya (justice) for the Filipinos!" She kicked Ifugao, sending him tumbling to the ground. Following this, Hustisya attacked Salazar again, her rake glowing with even fiercer fire. Ifugao didn't waste time and quickly stood up to charge again, joining the fight between the two.
Ifugao quickly parried a crystal spike from Salazar that was meant to hit Hustisya, while simultaneously dodging the girl's rake aimed at him. His arnis sticks glowed again, showing his speed and skill. "Hustisya, stop this!" he yelled, but the girl continued to attack, her rage darkening her mind. A few moments later, Hustisya's gigantic skeleton punched Ifugao, but he quickly jumped to avoid the fist and at the same time parried a crystal spike that Salazar released towards him.
The impact caused a massive explosion, and the ground lifted up from the force of the battle. "I won't let you continue!" Ifugao yelled, as he parried attacks from both sides. His body was starting to tire, but his determination remained. Hustisya was annoyed because she couldn't attack Salazar due to Ifugao's obstruction, and because of that, the girl released an extremely powerful, intense aura, and her skeleton spewed red fire that hit the surroundings. "Stop your foolishness, Ifugao!"
A large punch from the skeleton hit Ifugao, but he quickly parried it with his arnis, while simultaneously dodging Salazar's crystal spikes. "Hustisya, if you want me to stop, then stop attacking the Spaniards first!" he pleaded, his voice full of supplication. But Hustisya's rage was unyielding, and she continued to attack, while Salazar laughed, seemingly enjoying the chaos. "You impress me, boy, but how long can you keep this up?"
While the battle unfolded in the area, on the roof of the city hall, Apyong, Hiyas, and Jana stood watching as if expecting something to happen, their eyes focused on the action below. Jana asked Apyong, her voice filled with worry. "General, is it okay that we're not moving? Ifugao is too young to bear this kind of responsibility!" But Apyong merely smiled, his expression calm. "We don't need to move, Jana," he replied. "First of all, we shouldn't be here. We only came here because I wanted to personally see what Ifugao would do in these moments."
Jana sighed, but her eyes were amazed by the overwhelming energy Ifugao was releasing. "I don't understand you, but I admit I can't believe the energy this boy possesses," she said. "The energy he carries… it seems unusual for a young sugo like him!"
Hiyas suddenly responded, her voice calm but full of confidence. "Ifugao possesses more than that," she said. "What we see now is not just an ordinary sugo. That power comes from the people of Plaridel who believe he can save them from this chaos. What we are seeing is a hero of the Philippines." She spoke as she watched the extremely powerful blue energy emanating from Ifugao's body, which almost surpassed that released by Salazar and Hustisya.
End of Chapter.