Victor looked down at the hand gripping his wrist and then up at Ryo's face.
A slow smirk spread across his lips.
"Big brother?" he said mockingly. "That's cute."
Ryo's grip tightened so much that Victor could feel the pressure digging into his bones.
"Shut up," Ryo said coldly. "Lay a finger on him again and I'll kill you."
The air around them grew heavy as Ryo's red Raiki flickered like a dark flame.
Without warning, Ryo suddenly turned to his right.
"Ruqayya—catch!"
He hurled Sulaiman through the air.
Ruqayya reacted instantly. Activating Stage 1 Raiki, she vanished in a burst of speed and appeared beneath him, catching him before he hit the ground.
She steadied herself and looked back at Ryo.
"What about you and the captain?" she asked.
Zain, still fighting the masked figure across the room, answered calmly without turning around.
"We'll be fine. Just get him out of here."
Ruqayya nodded and turned to leave.
But before she could take another step—
Sulaiman suddenly broke free from her grip.
"Sulaiman!" she shouted.
He dropped to the floor, struggling to stand as his legs trembled beneath him.
Ryo frowned.
"Sulaiman… what are you doing?"
Sulaiman wiped the blood from his mouth and stared directly at Victor.
"Victor is mine."
Ryo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I don't want you to kill him, big brother," Sulaiman said, his voice shaking but determined. "Please… let me prove it."
Victor burst into laughter.
"Prove it?" he mocked. "Prove what?"
For a moment, Ryo stayed silent.
Then he slowly released Victor's wrist.
"…Fine."
The moment he spoke, Sulaiman activated Stage 1 Raiki.
His body shot forward like a bullet.
At the exact same time, Ryo also activated Stage 1 Raiki.
In a blink—
The two switched places.
Victor barely had time to react before he realized something had changed.
Now it was Sulaiman gripping his wrist.
Sulaiman clenched his fist as Raiki surged through his arm.
He drove a powerful punch into Victor's stomach.
The impact forced the air out of Victor's lungs and made him cough blood.
Behind them, Ryo landed beside Ruqayya.
He glanced once at the battle behind him.
It's up to them now.
Across the laboratory, Zain was still locked in combat with the masked figure.
Activating Stage 1 Raiki, Zain rushed forward.
He struck with a quick jab, followed by a sharp right punch, then a brutal hook.
The masked figure staggered slightly as Zain continued the assault.
Finally, Zain spun and delivered a powerful 360-degree kick to the side of the masked man's neck.
The masked figure flew across the room—
—but before hitting the wall, he vanished.
Stage 3 Teleportation.
He reappeared several meters away and slowly stood up.
Inside his mind, his thoughts raced.
His Raiki…
It's on the same level as my Stage 3…
Maybe even beyond it.
How strong has he become?
Zain laughed lightly and cracked his knuckles.
"That's all you've got?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Even with your Damik, you're not that strong."
His eyes turned cold.
"Or maybe… you're just pretending."
The masked figure said nothing.
In the next instant—
He disappeared.
Zain clicked his tongue.
"Damn it… I should've finished him."
He looked down at his hand.
"…No."
His voice softened slightly.
"I made a promise."
He glanced toward the other side of the laboratory where Sulaiman and Victor were still fighting.
"Ryo's going to land the final blow."
Zain stepped closer and called out.
"You good over there, Sulaiman?"
Sulaiman ducked under another punch.
"Yeah!" he shouted while dodging. "I'm good!"
Victor swung again, but Sulaiman slipped past it.
Sulaiman glared at him.
"Why aren't you using your Damik, Victor?"
Victor wiped blood from his mouth and smiled.
"…Fine."
He leaned slightly forward and whispered:
"Stage 1."
Instantly, thin threads shot out from his body like living wires.
They wrapped around Sulaiman's arms, legs, and torso in seconds.
Victor pulled them tight.
"Well, brother," he said calmly, "looks like your time ends here."
But suddenly—
Sulaiman's Raiki exploded outward.
His pink energy surged violently.
Victor's eyes widened.
The threads began snapping one by one.
Sulaiman's Raiki continued rising.
Stage 2.
The threads shattered completely.
Victor stared in disbelief.
Most people would need their Damik to escape something like that…
But he broke it with Raiki alone.
Sulaiman rushed forward to attack again—
But his body suddenly collapsed.
The exhaustion finally caught up to him.
Before he could hit the ground—
Zain appeared beside him and caught him.
Zain slowly lifted his head and stared at Victor with a cold, deadly glare.
Victor felt a chill run through his spine.
Without saying a word, Zain turned and disappeared, carrying Sulaiman and the damiks away.
Soon he reached the others waiting outside the palace.
Victor stood silently for a moment.
Then he activated Stage 1 Raiki and dashed away as well, retreating toward Rolencia.
As he moved across the rooftops, his thoughts replayed the fight.
That man…
The one who took Sulaiman…
His eyes narrowed.
That was Zain Akashi.
Victor exhaled slowly.
"He's just a fighter like me…"
His hands trembled slightly.
"…So why am I shaking?"