Kael and Noah stood facing a massive demon armed with a powerful hammer. At the same time, the ground in the chamber began to tremble slightly, and Arthur pointed his hand toward the chained Valdor.
"Forbidden Magic: Reincarnation."
The red magic circle on Arthur's hand lit up, and a moment later, a beam of energy shot from it and struck Valdor directly in the heart. Valdor clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. Darkness appeared in his mind, and after a moment, he saw a pair of yellow eyes and a dark green Demon Arc in front of him.
Leo.
Meanwhile, Noah charged at the demon, his fists bursting into flames. Kael rose into the air and began attacking his opponent with the silver swords he had summoned.
The demon roared, and his hammer began glowing with white energy. He swung it with tremendous force, sending a white sphere of energy straight toward Kael. Kael immediately moved aside, and the projectile struck the castle before exploding moments later.
"That was close..." — Kael whispered.
Noah accelerated, and his fist collided with the demon's hammer. For a moment, the two struggled against each other, but the demon successfully held off his attacks. Then Noah's Demon Arc began glowing with an intense orange light.
The demon's eyes widened as Noah's right hand became surrounded by powerful flames. The fire engulfed his opponent, but the demon quickly managed to extinguish it. Noah, however, used the opening to trigger an explosion and launch himself high into the air.
He stopped against the castle wall, then immediately pushed off it, leaving a small crack behind. He fell straight toward the demon at tremendous speed, and a moment later, a powerful explosion erupted
The demon's hammer flew from his hands and crashed several yards away. As the dust slowly settled, the demon was kneeling on one knee.
"Finish him, Kael!" — Noah shouted as he moved away.
The demon raised his head and saw Kael hovering above him. The warrior extended one hand, and four white swords began circling around it. An increasing amount of energy gathered at the center of their formation.
"Damn humans!" — the demon roared.
The energy became fully concentrated, and Kael grabbed a second sword and struck the center of the formation with its tip. In an instant, the accumulated power shot forward as a massive white beam of energy.
In the Chamber, Arthur continued the ritual without interruption. More streams of red energy flowed from the magic circle on his hand, surrounding Valdor. With every passing moment, the light grew more intense, and the seal inside Valdor's body began to crack. Valdor opened his eyes and felt that something deep within him was beginning to awaken.
"Just a little longer and you'll be free... Leo." — Arthur said with a wide smile.
At the same time, Kael and Noah returned to the portal. Without hesitation, Noah clenched his fists and headed toward it.
"There's no time to wait." — he said before stepping into the portal.
Kael immediately followed him. When they both reached the other side, their eyes turned toward the center of the chamber. Valdor stood chained before them, and an enormous amount of dark green energy was pouring from his body. It hovered in front of him and slowly began taking the shape of a figure. Arthur turned toward them, a calm smile appearing on his face.
"You're too late."
Noah's right fist immediately burst into flames, but before he could move, Sylphia appeared in front of him with a sword in her hand. Elio stood beside her, lightning beginning to surround his body.
"We won't let you pass." — Elio said.
"Then we'll make our own way through!" — Noah shouted, launching himself off the ground with an explosion. In an instant, he shot into the air, passed Elio and Sylphia, and found himself directly in front of Arthur. Arthur looked at the approaching opponent, and a spear immediately appeared in his hand. He blocked Noah's first strike with it, but the boy did not even stop. His second fist caught fire and, a moment later, struck Arthur in the stomach.
Arthur was knocked backward, but before he could touch the ground, a red magic circle appeared where he was about to land. He fell into it and disappeared, and a moment later, a similar circle appeared beneath Noah. The boy looked around cautiously, trying to predict where the next attack would come from. Suddenly, a spear shot out of the magic circle, but Noah dodged at the last second. Immediately afterward, another spear came from the side and lightly wounded him in the arm.
"Tch..."
Noah turned his head, but another spear suddenly appeared right in front of his face. His eyes widened, and he quickly leaned backward.
At the same time, Kael stood facing Elio. The warrior attacked first, activating his Demon Arc. His body became surrounded by lightning that jumped across his arms and blade. Elio appeared in front of Kael and struck him in the stomach with a powerful kick, sending him several yards away. Kael quickly regained his balance, raised his weapon, and immediately charged back into the fight.
Their swords collided with tremendous force, sending sparks throughout the chamber. Kael pressed harder and harder, but Elio responded with lightning-fast counterattacks. They moved so quickly that their figures nearly disappeared between each successive strike.
Several yards away, Sylphia watched the fight, gripping her sword tightly. At one point, however, her gaze shifted toward Valdor.
The energy emerging from his body began taking an increasingly distinct shape.
"Almost..."
Sylphia suddenly stopped watching the battle and looked toward the portal. She sensed a strange, familiar energy approaching at tremendous speed. Before she could react, a scythe flew out of the portal and slammed into the ground right in front of her.
"What the...?" — Sylphia said, taking a step back.
The next moment, Mayuri appeared where the scythe had landed. Without hesitation, she kicked Sylphia, sending her several yards away. Sylphia quickly regained her balance, raised her sword, and charged. Mayuri jumped to the side, then grabbed her scythe and swung it powerfully toward her opponent's head.
Sylphia leaned backward, allowing the blade to pass just above her. The scythe struck a pillar, but Mayuri had no intention of stopping. She tightened her grip on the weapon and, with one powerful movement, cut through the pillar, causing its upper section to begin collapsing. Sylphia blocked the next scythe strike with her sword, then jumped backward.
"Not bad... but you don't stand a chance against this..." — she whispered.
Her white Demon Arc flashed with intense light, and the next moment, time throughout the entire chamber stopped. Everything fell silent. Kael and Elio remained frozen in the middle of their fight, Noah stopped halfway through a movement, and even the energy surrounding Valdor hung motionless in the air.
Sylphia looked toward Mayuri, but to her surprise, the girl was already gone. A moment later, she noticed that Mayuri had disappeared into the portal.
"What the?!" — Sylphia exclaimed.
Sylphia restored the flow of time, and all the sounds immediately returned to the chamber.
"Where are you...?"
Suddenly, Mayuri appeared behind her. Sylphia sensed her presence and widened her eyes, turning her head sharply.
At the same time, Noah clashed with Arthur once again. His opponent's spear shot out of a magic circle, but Noah managed to avoid its blade and grabbed the weapon with his left hand.
"Huh?!" — Arthur blurted out.
Noah tightened his grip on the spear, and his right fist burst into flames again. Without hesitation, he threw a powerful punch toward Arthur's chest. The impact sent him flying backward, and the red magic circle beneath them immediately disappeared. Noah released the spear while Arthur flew several yards and slammed his back into the wall.
"You won't run away anymore!" — Noah shouted.
The figure was becoming clearer and clearer, while the energy surrounding Valdor began spinning violently. Noah immediately turned toward it. Both of his fists burst into flames, and he charged forward at tremendous speed. When he was only a few steps away from the mysterious figure, it suddenly broke apart into green light and transformed into a small sphere of energy.
"What is this...?"
The sphere exploded, and a wave of energy sent Noah flying backward. He traveled several yards through the air and landed beside Mayuri. He raised his head and looked toward the green energy, which slowly began to settle.
"Too late..." — Mayuri whispered.
Where the energy had been standing moments earlier, a tall man now stood. A dark green Demon Arc was visible on his right arm, and he held a sword in his hand. His gaze was cold and focused as he slowly looked toward Valdor.
Sylphia smiled slightly.
"Welcome back, Leo..."
Leo did not answer. He stood before Valdor and calmly nodded. At that exact moment, all the chains holding Valdor disappeared. Valdor lost his support and collapsed onto his knees, completely drained of strength. Leo slowly walked toward him, each of his footsteps echoing through the chamber.
"Valdor... I've finally escaped. All this time, I couldn't stand listening to your Alter Ego anymore..." — Leo said, stopping a few steps in front of him. — "It's time to say goodbye."
Meanwhile, Elio ran his right hand along the blade of his sword. In an instant, the weapon became surrounded by lightning that jumped along the entire length of the blade. Kael stood beside Noah and Mayuri, gripping his sword tightly. Noah once again took a fighting stance, ready to charge into battle, but Mayuri closed her eyes.
"What... should I do...? Valdor will die if I don't stop him... Why do I have to be so useless...?" — she thought, clenching her hands.
Suddenly, quiet whispers echoed inside her head.
"Mayuri... Mayuri..."
The girl opened her eyes and looked around, but the other warriors did not react.
"What are those whispers...?" — she whispered.
The voices suddenly fell silent. For a moment, there was complete silence, until finally, a single, much deeper voice echoed through her mind.
"Mayuri... the power of the God of Darkness lies within your body, and you also possess the Dragon Mark..."
Mayuri froze, her eyes widening in shock.
"Release it..." — the voice said. — "Stop suppressing it and allow your true power to awaken."
Mayuri tightened her grip on her scythe. In an instant, the blade began breaking apart into purple particles that rose into the air and disappeared. Instead of the weapon, dense purple-black darkness began gathering around the girl. With every second, there was more of it, until it completely engulfed Mayuri. Her figure disappeared into the darkness, leaving only her glowing purple eyes visible.
At the same moment, the portal behind the warriors opened again. Arwen stepped out and stopped right behind Noah. Her gaze immediately went toward Leo, who was slowly approaching Valdor, who was on his knees, and then shifted toward Mayuri, who was surrounded by the mysterious darkness.
Arwen narrowed her eyes as a memory suddenly returned to her. She remembered the tournament and the moment when Mayuri had first used this mysterious form.
"Mayuri..." — Arwen whispered.
Suddenly, the darkness surrounding Mayuri began spinning violently. The girl rose several yards above the ground, and the dark energy gradually spread around her. Her figure slowly emerged from the black cloud, while her purple eyes continued to glow intensely.
Noah looked toward her, and Kael tightened his grip on his sword.
"Is that... Mayuri?" — he asked quietly.
Arwen did not answer. She watched her tensely because she could feel that this time, her energy was far more powerful than it had been during the tournament.
Her cloak came undone and fell to the ground. Before them stood Mayuri in her Dark Form. Horns with a black-to-pink gradient grew from her head, and a black, dragon-like tail appeared behind her. Her clothing remained unchanged, but her entire figure was surrounded by dense, dark energy.
The Dragon Fang and the Dark Warriors widened their eyes as they witnessed Mayuri's transformation. Noah, Kael, and Arwen remained motionless for a moment, sensing the enormous energy beginning to emanate from her body. Valdor slowly raised his head and looked at Mayuri. A faint smile appeared on his face.
Mayuri slowly opened her eyes and looked toward Leo. Her purple eyes shone with an intense glow, and her voice sounded calm, yet distinctly different from before.
"I won't let you take him!"
Mayuri moved with incredible speed. A moment later, a small portal appeared in front of her, and she entered it and disappeared. Leo turned around, and Mayuri appeared directly in front of him. She made several quick slashing motions with her hand. Leo saw that long, sharp claws extended from her fingertips. Leo dodged every strike, but with her final attack, Mayuri hit him in the jaw, sending Leo flying upward.
Mayuri disappeared again and appeared higher up, exactly where Leo was about to fly. Mayuri kicked him in the chest, and he crashed into a small bridge above Valdor.
Leo got back up and dusted himself off, but Mayuri disappeared again and appeared at the other end of the bridge. She charged toward Leo at incredible speed.
Leo raised his left hand in front of himself and blocked Mayuri's strike, then raised his sword behind him and swung downward. Mayuri immediately jumped to the side, and the blade struck the ground. Leo, however, followed with another upward strike. Mayuri blocked it with her claws and was pushed backward. A portal appeared where she landed, and she fell into it.
She appeared behind Leo and slashed rapidly at his back with her claws. Leo tightened his grip on his sword and turned around with a swing, but Mayuri had already disappeared.
Leo stood still for a moment. Mayuri appeared behind him and drove her claws into his back, but Leo merely glanced over his shoulder and smiled.
Mayuri's eyes widened.
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, Leo disappeared without a sound and without any mana.
"Where is he...?" — she whispered, unable to sense Leo's mana.
She did not realize that Leo was standing directly behind her. In an instant, Leo swung his left arm backward and struck Mayuri directly in the back. Mayuri flew forward and crashed into the wall, leaving only dark green particles of Leo's mana at the point of impact.
"It's time to get rid of you, Valdor." — Leo said.
A moment later, he jumped from the bridge. Valdor was directly below him. Leo raised his sword and fell straight toward him.
In a single second, Mayuri's eyes flashed purple and then completely disappeared.
Leo was already close to driving his sword straight into Valdor when, a moment later, he saw only purple energy, followed by a white flash.
Leo saw that Valdor was no longer there, and his sword had struck a magic circle, which shattered along with the entire structure.
Leo pulled out his sword and turned toward the others.
Meanwhile, Mayuri appeared behind the Dragon's Pursuit with Valdor. Mayuri was already back in her normal human form, and she held her scythe in one hand. With the other, she held Valdor by the arm.
Valdor was standing in a slightly crouched position.
Leo walked toward the Dark Warriors. Each of his footsteps echoed through the chamber.
"Good job, Luna Warriors." — Leo said.
Leo stood beside Elio and Sylphia. A moment later, Arthur and Emi appeared beside them.
On the other side, the rest of the team Arwen, Noah, and Kael approached Mayuri and Valdor.
Leo looked Valdor in the eyes.
Valdor narrowed his eyes.
Soon, the final battle between the Dark Warriors and the Light Warriors was about to begin.