Chapter 120: Champagne the Hero
Back at the ruins of the Underground Auction, the battlefield had fallen into an eerie silence.
The roar of collapsing steel had faded. The screams of fleeing civilians had grown distant. Only the crackling of spreading fires and the occasional groan of fractured concrete echoed through the devastation.
Then—
FWOOOOOOM!!
Space twisted violently.
A circular distortion rippled through the air before folding inward, and in the next instant Mardale Aranos stepped out from the warped space.
The moment his boots touched the shattered floor, his expression hardened.
Bodies everywhere.
Royal Guards lay crushed beneath collapsed pillars. Members of The Stars were scattered across the ruined auction hall, some unconscious, others unmoving forever. Fires burned through the wreckage while smoke curled toward the broken ceiling.
The luxurious Underground Auction no longer existed. It had become little more than a battlefield soaked in blood. As his eyes swept across the destruction until they stopped on the only two figures still standing.
The Boss and Champagne.
Champagne looked nothing like the man who had entered the auction earlier that evening.
His expensive suit had been ripped apart during the battle, exposing wounds that covered his arms and chest. Blood dripped steadily from the corner of his mouth while the greenish-blue dragon aura surrounding him flickered erratically, no longer stable but refusing to disappear.
He was exhausted but he was still standing.
Mardale quickly looked around.
"...Where's Zachia?"
Champagne wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand before answering.
"I sent him after the Silver Moon leader."
His eyes never left the Boss.
"The one heading toward the dam."
For the first time since Mardale had arrived, genuine concern crossed Champagne's face.
"But it's bad..."
He slowly exhaled.
"This bastard..."
He pointed directly at the Boss.
"...can control the minds of anyone he touches."
Almost as if waiting for his introduction—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
An enormous mountain of concrete exploded into the sky.
Chunks of steel and marble rained across the battlefield as a golden pillar of energy erupted from beneath the rubble.
The King emerged as dust rolled from his shoulders. His elegant coat had been torn in several places, but otherwise he looked almost untouched.
WHOOOM!
Golden rings of energy slowly rotated around his body, each pulse stronger than the last.et something had changed.
The calm, analytical ruler of Playmore was gone. His breathing had become heavier. His jaw tightened. His eyes burned with unmistakable fury.
He first looked toward Champagne.
"...Your attacks are fast."
His voice remained controlled.
"But weak."
Then...
Fwooo..
His gaze shifted toward Mardale and everything stopped.
The King's body froze and his pupils contracted until they became tiny pinpoints. Veins bulged across his forehead.
For a brief moment... absolute silence swallowed the battlefield.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Golden energy erupted from the King's body with such overwhelming force that nearby buildings instantly shattered.
The ground split open, walls collapsed, even the smoke surrounding the battlefield was blown away.
SHWOOOFFF!
Champagne instinctively raised an arm to shield his face.
"...What the hell?"
The King's trembling finger pointed directly at Mardale. His voice echoed across the ruined district.
"YOU!"
Mardale's expression immediately darkened.
He knew that voice, the King's breathing became erratic and his composure had completely disappeared.
"...THE DECEIVER!"
Champagne looked back and forth between the two men, utterly confused.
"...Wait..."
His eyes narrowed.
"You two know each other?"
Mardale simply stood there in silence.
And that silence... told Champagne everything.
His mind raced back through every strange detail since arriving in Playmore. How Mardale had navigated the underground tunnels without hesitation. How he had known the city's political structure. The hidden auction routes. The secret passages. The royal security systems.
None of it had made sense before, but now...it did.
Champagne slowly turned toward him.
"...What did you do?"
Mardale closed his eyes for a brief moment before speaking quietly.
"...It's complicated."
Wrong answer. The King's patience shattered.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
He vanished.
The ground where he had been standing exploded beneath the force of his acceleration. In less than a heartbeat he appeared directly in front of Mardale and Champagne. Golden energy erupted around his fist like a miniature sun.
"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!!"
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!
His punch struck both of them simultaneously.
The impact was catastrophic. The underground level completely collapsed. Walls exploded outward. Support pillars disintegrated.
BOOOOM!
Champagne and Mardale were launched through building after building like cannonballs, smashing through concrete, steel, and glass as shockwaves rippled across the city above.
Even people several streets away stumbled as the ground beneath them shook.
For the first time since entering Playmore... Mardale Aranos looked genuinely shaken.
* * *
He crashed through another office building.
CRAAAAASH!!
Concrete burst apart around him. Glass rained from broken windows into the streets below.
Before he could even stabilize himself the King was already there.
SHWOO!
Too fast.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
A golden fist slammed into Mardale's stomach. The air itself warped from the impact. Blood exploded from Mardale's mouth.
Before he could breathe, the King grabbed him by the face.
GRAB!
His fingers tightened like steel.
"You think..."
CRAAAAASH!!
He slammed Mardale through another wall.
"...you can RUN..."
BOOOOOOOM!!
Another building collapsed.
"...from what you DID?!"
Still gripping Mardale's face, the King dragged him across the city like a living missile.
Roads split apart beneath them, cars were hurled into the air, streetlights twisted apart like paper and terrified civilians fled as two blinding streaks tore through Playmore, leaving destruction in their wake.
* * *
Back at the Underground Auction...Champagne slowly climbed out from beneath a mountain of broken concrete.
Dust rolled from his shoulders as he straightened himself. His dragon aura flickered weakly around him.
Across the ruined battlefield, the Boss watched him with almost casual amusement. Static suddenly crackled through Champagne's communication device.
"...Champagne..."
Mardale's voice.
It was broken, distorted and barely audible.
"...Survive somehow..."
Heavy breathing.
"...Or wait... for reinforcements..."
Then—
KRRRRRRRSHHHHH...
Only static remained.
Champagne lowered the communicator. His eyes slowly lifted toward the Boss.
The Boss casually adjusted his jean jacket before brushing invisible dust from one sleeve.
"What exactly..."
A small smile appeared beneath his sunglasses.
"...can you possibly do..."
He took a single step forward.
"...alone?"
Silence settled over the ruined battlefield.
Then...Champagne smiled, but not arrogantly and not recklessly but genuine almost nostalgic.
"You know..."
He slowly rolled one shoulder.
CRACK... CRACK...
Dragon energy began wrapping around his arms once more.
"Back in my hometown..."
He looked directly into the Boss's eyes.
"...they used to call me a hero."
The Boss raised an eyebrow.
Champagne took one step forward.
The shattered ground beneath his feet trembled.
"So right now..."
Greenish-blue dragon energy erupted violently beneath him.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
"...I'm doing hero work."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The earth exploded beneath his feet.
He launched forward like an unleashed dragon, leaving a crater where he had been standing only a fraction of a second earlier.
The Boss's grin widened.
"That's the spirit."
He rolled his shoulders before raising both fists.
"Bring it on, then."
The distance between them disappeared instantly as two fists collided.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A devastating explosion tore apart another section of the Underground Auction.
Stone vaporized and steel twisted.
The shockwave blasted through the surrounding streets as both figures vanished into a blur of impossible speed, their battle beginning anew amidst the burning ruins.
to be continued....