As Mori and Zora prepared to deliver the finishing blow, Mori imbued a massive amount of energy into his sword. The immense power overflowed across his body, crackling violently, while Zora formed a light arrow packed with an overwhelming amount of energy.
Zora grinned and said,
"I'm putting everything into this final blow, so let's go!"
Mori then launched his attack,
"Divine Spear of Heaven!"
A large and powerful arrow made entirely of condensed energy shot forth from Mori, racing straight toward Zora. Zora, on the other hand, simply smiled as he gathered an enormous amount of power into his light arrow and fired it directly at Mori's attack.
The two techniques collided.
A massive explosion erupted, completely wiping out everything in the ancient ruins of a city. Buildings vanished in an instant, reduced to nothing but debris and dust.
As the smoke slowly cleared, Zora was seen leaning against the wall of a ruined building, his body covered in severe injuries. Mori had survived as well, but his wounds were just as grave, and he panted heavily as he struggled to remain standing.
Zora let out a laugh and said,
"Well, what do you know? I lost. Didn't see that coming."
Mori slowly walked toward his opponent and replied,
"I never thought I'd win either. I guess I miraculously survived. But tell me… why? Why did you end up like this? Surely a guy like you couldn't have just decided to become a criminal. I could tell from the way you spoke."
Zora answered weakly,
"You're right. I didn't decide to become a villain. Like I said before, it was due to certain circumstances."
Mori frowned and said,
"You're about to die, so just say it. From one soldier to another… why did you do it?"
Zora smiled faintly.
"Well, it was about three years ago. I came from a clan of assassins that carried out countless missions. I also had a younger sister. Despite the age difference, she was just as skilled as I was—though she specialized in swordsmanship."
He paused, coughing up blood before continuing.
"We went on a mission, but somehow we failed. The information we were supposed to secure was taken by the enemy. We failed our mission."
His smile turned bitter.
"The clan head was furious. For generations, our clan had never failed a single mission. So my sister and I decided to run away. That's when we were labeled as criminals."
Zora coughed again, blood dripping from his mouth, yet he laughed softly.
"You know, it's funny how the bad guys always lose, even when they have valid reasons."
He continued,
"At some point, I met a woman who influenced me to join the Dark Sign. She was different—kind, approachable, nothing like other villainous group leaders. I ended up working for her and made friends in the organization."
Zora smiled more genuinely.
"Sorata, Kenji, Shinki, Garou, Kirihai, and the others… we all got along. We all had our reasons for becoming what we were. We were like a big family."
After listening quietly, Mori asked,
"And your sister? What happened to her?"
Zora replied,
"She's fine. She takes assassination jobs to earn money for herself. I dont get to see her much since I was captured and imprisoned.".
All of Zora's organs were destroyed, out of his stomach was blood gushing out without fail. He coughed up blood once more and said calmly,
"In a few minutes, I'll be dead. I'm glad it wasn't a gruesome death. This way, I can close my eyes and rest."
He looked at Mori and added,
"My sister is somewhere in the mountains. In fact, she should be around your age. If you ever meet her, tell her to stay safe… and not act so recklessly, okay?"
Mori nodded.
"Sure. I can do that."
Zora slowly closed his eyes and said with a peaceful smile,
"Yeah… thanks. Now I can die in peace."
Zora passed away while smiling.
Mori stared at his lifeless body and muttered to himself,
"How unfortunate. If only tragic events never happened, maybe people wouldn't feel the need to turn evil. I guess this is the cruel reality we live in."
Meanwhile, in the completely destroyed city of Kagahara, Kazuki walked aimlessly through the ruins, a worn out and traumatized expression of sadness frozen on his face.
"So this is what happened…" he said quietly.
"My dad, Yuji Takanoguro, was part of the Prodigy Children. He was killed by the higher-ups because of his immense strength."
Kazuki clenched his fists.
"My older brother… Shinki. He was adopted and trained by my dad. After our father's death, we ended up in an orphanage."
He took a shaky breath and continued to talk to himself
"I never had a mother. She died during childbirth. I'm guessing she was from the Spirit Clan. My dad didn't have any spirit-based abilities… so maybe I inherited mine from her."
Kazuki's eyes widened as realization struck him.
"Shinki fled the city at the age of twelve to seek revenge. Now I understand. He wanted me to become stronger—to be able to push myself and become stronger all on my own.".
His voice trembled.
"He even went as far as wiping my memories of him, making me believe I was all alone… just so I'd have the determination to work hard and grow stronger."
Kazuki's expression darkened, he started to get filled with rage.
"It's all because of this damn city. If the higher-ups weren't so afraid of power—if they didn't try to control it by killing strong people—none of this would have happened!"
A cold look settled in his eyes.
"It's no wonder Diablo was so wary of them… and harbored hatred toward them. He was once a victim too. With strength like his, I wonder what they put him through."
Kazuki looked around and finally noticed the extent of the destruction.
"Wow… this place is completely in shambles. The battle here must have been devastating."
He sighed.
"So what do I do now? I wonder where Alex is. He's probably fighting somewhere."
He shrugged lightly.
"Oh well. I'll find him later."
Suddenly, a beam of energy shot out of nowhere, heading straight for Kazuki. With a serious look in his eyes, Kazuki casually slapped the attack away.
"Who's there?!" he demanded.
"You're not even trying to hide your presence!"
He spotted three figures standing atop a building—two women and one man. The woman in the middle, dressed in a long pink gown, stepped forward and spoke calmly.
"Oh dear. I didn't realize we were disturbing you."
She smiled coldly.
"My name is Lady Rimeta, one of the higher-ups of Kagahara. I'm here to carry out your execution."
Her eyes locked onto him.
"Kazuki Takanoguro of the Spirit Clan."
END OF CHAPTER.