Alice was singing softly to herself. In the distance, the Mountains of Frost rose, their peaks barely visible in the clouds on the horizon.
Zetto took a deep, calm breath.
And then, suddenly, Yarick's wagon exploded into flames. The carpenter hurried down from the driver's seat in a panic, barely making it to the second wagon before Hiro pulled himself his way out from the pile of splinters and fire. Hearing the chaos, Alice stopped the wagon immediately. Zetto quickly cast a protective spell over the Tiriga and Varii wagon, keeping any potential danger at bay. Alice's medallion immediately activated, putting a shield around her and the whole wagon.
Zetto stepped outside, telling the others to wait here. Tae protested, insisting she wanted to go with him, but Zetto ignored her, putting up another barriers around their wagon so that no one could get close or escape from it.
Tae struck her fist against the green barrier.
"What the hell does he think he's doing?"
"W-what's happening?" Ora asked, confused, sitting on Maghra's knees. The dog-woman hugged her tighter.
"Bad people are attacking us, but it's okay. Zetto's here, he'll protect us," Maghra said, holding Ora like a plush toy, her hug full of feeling.
"Auntie Maghra, too hard!"
"Sorry."
Zetto glared furiously at Hiro. The Messenger's gaze flicked for a split second toward a nearby hill where Luciia and Ren were standing. Luciia was concentrating, gathering mana for an wide-range spell. Ren tried to hit Zetto or destroy something, but even with his boosted magical strength, his attacks couldn't break through Zetto's protection.
"Zeeeeetoooooo!" Hiro screamed at the top of his lungs. "This is it for you!"
"Ts. So many days have passed, and you still haven't changed?" Zetto replied with an ironic smile.
I've dreamed of this day for so long. Finally, I can go up against him. No… I'll destroy him. And his team.
Finally, it's time for my revenge… and I never thought it'd hit me this fast, or so unexpectedly.
Hiro activated his ability. Thanks to how quickly he'd leveled up, his Burning Fist changed into Burning Armor, covering his body from the waist up.
With a scream, Hiro charged straight at Zetto, attacking from above.
"Huge mistake," Zetto said, smirking.
Even though Hiro attacked within seconds, Zetto was even faster. A massive, stone-like spike would've pierced Hiro's torso if Ren hadn't protected him with magic at the last second. Hiro struck with a sudden counterattack, and Zetto barely dodged. The bulky fighter appeared behind him in an instant. Zetto shot an irritated glance at Ren, who, instead of wasting energy on useless offensive spells, decided to back up Hiro.
Ugh, what a pain. Guess I'll take a shot - might just work.
Zetto shot his hand toward the two mages. At the same moment, Hiro hit him in the back. Zetto fell onto the ground hard, carving a crater, but still managed to strike Ren. The blond vanished into thin air, leaving only a blood-soaked robe behind. Luciia, who had dodged with a quick side jump earlier, let out a terrified cry.
"I won't forgive you, bastard," Hiro growled, hitting Zetto again and again, smashing him into the ground with a rapid, brutal series of strikes, his punches too fast to see. Smoke rose from the pit where Zetto had slammed down. Hiro panted, proud of himself.
"What's going on over there?" Alice asked nervously, peeking out from the carriage.
"No way Zetto could lose to someone like that!" Tae shouted, disbelief written all over his face.
Zetto emerged from the dust, brushing dirt off his cloak like it didn't matter
"Did you really think that could kill me? I let you hit me to take out Ren. He was so annoying."
Hiro, shouting at the top of his lungs, unleashed another storm of punches, only for them to be stopped harmlessly by Zetto's barrier.
"Now it's my turn," Zetto said, a demonic grin spreading across his face.
At the same time, dark clouds gathered in the sky. Zetto shot a hateful glare at Luciia, knowing exactly what was about to happen. Zetto reached his hand forward.
"For everything you've done to me," he said, fury blazing in his eyes.
Hiro's limbs exploded at once, blood gushing from them. He screamed as he hit the grass, keeping Burning Armor active, hoping to start a fire that would reach the carriages. Other than Luciia, this was his last desperate hope.
To his shock, Zetto trapped him inside a green magical circle, stopping his flames from spreading.
Meanwhile, the Blade of The Night struck the carriage carrying Tiriga and Varii, shattering five of Zetto's barriers and almost destroying the sixth, leaving only a thin green shell. The Messenger, fury written all over his face, rushed at Luciia faster than lightning.
"Get back here, coward!" Hiro yelled after him, but his voice shook. That was all he could do.
When Zetto reached Luciia, she screamed. Acting on instinct, she dropped her staff and tried to run – but tripped over a small stone and fell flat on her back. Tears streamed down her face.
"Please, no! I-I was just following orders! Please… spare me! I can still be useful in so many ways"
Zetto's red eyes burned with anger.
"If it weren't for my barrier," he said through gritted teeth, "you'd have killed them without even seeing their faces. They wouldn't have had a chance to beg for mercy like you are now. You're just as pathetic as the hero who chose you. Die."
Zetto thrust his hand at her, killing her with the same spell he had used on Asaki and Yua. Then he turned back to Hiro.
"Before I kill you," Zetto said, aiming his hand at him, "I want you to answer me one question: why?"
Hiro tried to hold onto his last shred of pride, but his lips trembled.
Who am I kidding? I'm screwed. I'm going to die here, right now.
What a cruel twist of fate – that one of my victims would be the person I could tell everything to, knowing they'd murder me anyway.
"Because I fucking envied you!" he shouted, his voice breaking. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "I could've been just like you if my drunk dad hadn't beaten the shit out of me and my mom every day since I was little! I wanted a carefree life like yours. It should've been me… if not for that bastard!"
After a brief pause to catch his breath, he began explaining to Zetto how things had looked from his perspective.