His body jerked slightly, not from pain, but as if something inside him had just activated. His smile never faltered, but his eyes sharpened with something new. Rage. A brutal transformation swept over him, twisting his fighting style. The cold precision was gone, replaced by something primal, a berserker's savagery. His boot slammed into Kibo's chest, sending him staggering back.
The duel found its rhythm — brutal, unrelenting. Veyron's blade was a storm, each strike a flash of practiced death. Yet within the chaos, Kibo felt something strange rise within him. The bloodlust did not overwhelm him; instead, it settled into a chilling clarity. The madness of battle brought his mind into sharp focus, every breath measured, every step deliberate. It was unsettling… but it was perfect for fighting. I could get used to this.
Ben's mother, the Ironfur bear, roared with primal fury and charged, her massive frame crashing into the duel. Her paws slammed down like boulders, forcing Veyron to sidestep.
Kibo moved in with her, his Mana Track Vision blazing. The glowing lines of Veyron's future movements revealed themselves, and Kibo adjusted, striking where the openings appeared. Together they became an unspoken pair — the bear's massive swipes and Kibo's swift katana slashes forming a desperate, instinctive rhythm.
But Veyron matched them with terrifying ease. His sword blurred, deflecting Kibo's strikes, carving shallow lines into the bear's tough hide. His placid smile remained, even as blood from his wound trickled down his side.
Around them, the secondary battle raged. More robed men emerged, circling Syl and Lily. As Syl conjured, the ground shuddered, and vines erupted, twisted into jagged, brutal shapes that lashed around her foes, piercing and crushing with relentless force.
Lily, her body already marked with shallow cuts, fought with desperate ferocity. Her dagger flashed silver in the moonlight as she parried and slashed, shielding the elf girl with every move.
But the tide of the main fight began to shift. Veyron's strikes lost their polish, becoming jagged, unpredictable — less precise, but far more vicious. It was a deliberate shift, a chaos meant to overwhelm Kibo's vision.
Kibo's Mana Track Vision struggled. The glowing lines of Veyron's movements no longer guided him cleanly. Instead, they tangled, a confusing web of light that fractured his focus.
"Stop acting like you are nothing without that crutch, brat!" Ignis's voice thundered, venomous with rage. "Stop trying to follow him with your eyes! Let the mana guide your body! Do not think. react!"
Veyron's blade rose high, his eyes narrowing with cold intent. This time, his target was not Kibo. His gaze locked on Ben's mother.
Kibo saw it in his vision, the fatal arc — and he moved. His body launched forward, katana flashing, but he was too slow.
Steel met steel. Veyron's strike was a blur, and the Ironfur mother's roar cut short, silenced in a spray of blood. Her massive body fell in two halves, collapsing to the ground with a sound that shook the earth.
At Lily's side, Ben let out a strangled cry. His small body convulsed as sorrow and rage surged through him like fire. The severed bond with his mother ripped into his spirit, a searing pain that left his eyes burning with tears.
Syl froze for a heartbeat, her eyes widening as she could feel Ben's rage. Then the vines bursting from her hands twisted darker, their green turning to a furious, earthy brown. They lashed out wildly, not with control, but with murderous instinct, crushing and writhing with violent purpose, spearing through the robed men. The ground was soaked in blood, but the battle was far from over.
Ben's small body suddenly convulsed, his cub form trembling with a force he could not contain. His soft fur bristled, thickening, hardening into plates of iron. His frame grew larger with every heartbeat, muscles stretching with unnatural rage.
"Ben… no, come back!" Lily's voice cracked, her hand outstretched in desperation. But the adolescent Ironfur was gone. The cub she knew was swallowed by grief and fury.
The roar that tore from Ben's throat shook the trees themselves. He charged, a beast of rage, straight for Veyron.
Veyron turned, his face smeared with the blood of Ben's mother. His expression was not fear, nor surprise, but sheer delight. "Yes… come to me!" His voice carried a twisted joy, his eyes gleaming as though this was the moment he had been waiting for.
He stepped forward, but before he could finish his thought, Kibo's guttural cry ripped through the night. He threw himself at Veyron, grabbed him, and seized his neck with desperate strength.
The impact staggered him just enough for Ben to slam into Veyron's back. The Ironfur's fangs sank deep into his shoulder, tearing flesh and muscle.
But Veyron laughed. A chilling, joyous sound that froze the air. "More! Yes, more!"
He hit his forehead hard on Kibo's head, letting him go, but before he could recover, his blade moved faster than thought. Steel flashed. A single, searing line burned across Kibo's chest, blood spraying as the cut tore deep. Kibo winced in pain, but it was lost in the chaos as Veyron's boot slammed into him, hurling him aside like broken glass.
Ben's jaws only tightened, his growls vibrating with pure fury. Yet Veyron did not flinch at the pain. Instead, he spun with unnatural strength. His sword plunged into Ben's eye.
The cub's scream shook the battlefield, but Veyron was merciless. He twisted the blade, and with one vicious pull, the eye tore free. Blood streamed down Ben's face as his roars turned into wails of agony.
"No!" Kibo's cry was ragged, breaking with horror. He staggered forward, katana trembling in his blood-soaked grip.
But Veyron did not hesitate. His blade arced once more, swift and merciless, cutting through flesh and bone.
Ben's head separated cleanly from his body, rolling into the dirt with a sickening thud. His body fell moments later, a lifeless heap in a pool of blood.
"Ben!" Kibo's voice broke, a scream torn from the depths of his soul. His legs nearly gave way, but rage forced him forward. With every ounce of strength left in him, he raised his katana.
Veyron was faster. His hand shot out, seizing Kibo's wrist mid-swing. His grip was iron, unyielding. His palm glowed with a corrupted holy light, and the energy surged into Kibo's arm.
The pain was immediate and unbearable. It wasn't the pain of flesh — it was deeper, ripping through him, severing the flow of mana within his veins. His body convulsed, every nerve on fire. His katana slipped from his hand as he collapsed to the ground.
I can't… move.
Ignis's voice came cold and final. "Brat, you disappoint me."
Kibo's vision blurred. Darkness closed in. He fought it, but his body was already limp, his strength stolen from within.
Veyron stood over him, eyes alight with cruel amusement. "I would like to kill you," he said softly, almost tenderly, "but someone like you… would make a fine henchman."
His gaze lifted, and seeing that the beasts were all dead, along with some of the robed men, his voice rose, sharp and commanding, as he turned to the others. "You two! Enough of this foolish struggle."
Syl froze, her blades half-raised, vines still writhing at her feet. Lily's dagger dripped with blood. Both looked up, breathing hard.
Veyron's smile widened. "You wouldn't want your friend here to end up like…" He paused deliberately, pointing his bloodied sword against Ben's headless corpse. His voice dripped with false thoughtfulness. "Now, what was that creature's name again? Ah… yes. Ben."
The name alone was a dagger.
Syl's breath hitched, her vision swimming. Her blades trembled in her hands, clattering uselessly to the earth. She couldn't even recognize the mangled remains, but a grief she couldn't explain tore her apart. No… not Ben. he can't be died.
Lily's heart shattered. She saw everything clearly — the blood, the broken body, Kibo lying motionless. She knew. They had lost. Her dagger slipped from numb fingers, falling to the dirt with a soft, final thud.
"Good," Veyron whispered, as though savoring the surrender. His voice rose, cruel satisfaction dripping from every syllable. "Now, let's move"
Two robed men obeyed his signal immediately. They stepped forward with silent obedience, their hands cold and merciless as they seized Syl, Lily, and the elf girl. None of them resisted. They couldn't.
Veyron laughed, his bloody sword still gleaming. His cruel smile lingered, the air heavy with what was left unsaid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The Sin of Greed."
The words fell heavy, like a gavel striking stone. Subaru's expression hardened, the corners of his mouth pulling tight.
"No," he said at last, his voice firm, measured. "It's not Greed that's behind this."
The Morganya leaned forward, her fingers steepling before her lips. Her tone was low, almost curious, but sharpened like a blade hidden beneath velvet. "And how do you know this, Subaru?"
His eyes swept the chamber, studying the faces across the long table..
"Because, Morganya," Subaru replied, his voice cutting into the silence, "how long have the Sins been dormant? How long since even a whisper of them reached any of us?"
The question hung, unanswered.
Vaelorain's gaze remained locked on the polished surface of the table, his silence deliberate, while Thorn sat rigid, staring ahead as though carved from stone. Raizen, however, bristled, unwilling to let the matter slip into quiet denial.
"That is a bold claim," Raizen said, his tone sharp as steel drawn from its sheath. "To dismiss the Sin of Greed so easily. He is…"
"A Sin?" Subaru's voice lashed out, sharper still, cutting across him. A bitter edge underlined his words, a cynicism that bit into the chamber's air. "Is that what you were going to say? Then let me remind you, Raizen. The Sins have not moved, not acted, since the death of the Demon King."
A low rumble broke the silence. King Vareth's voice, deep and commanding, filled the chamber. "That may be true," he conceded, his eyes narrowing, "but we are speaking of an entity that need not raise a hand to topple a kingdom. Greed could unravel nations with whispers alone, without expending so much as a drop of his strength."
Raizen nodded firmly, seizing upon Vareth's words. His gaze drilled into Subaru. "Exactly. This is the Sin of Greed we are speaking about. One of the great terrors of our age."
Morganya's voice, in contrast, slipped into the debate with a measured calm, her tone deliberate, as though weighing each word upon scales. "Subaru, honesty compels us to look beyond mere convenience. To think on a broader scale. We cannot simply dismiss the possibility because it unsettles us."
Raizen's lips parted, ready to strike back, but another voice rose, cooling the rising heat. The Saintess's tone flowed like clear water, calm yet firm enough to command attention. "I do not believe Greed is involved," she said, her hands folded in serenity, "yet wisdom demands that we hold every possibility in view."
Subaru's frustration broke the thin layer of calm. His voice rose, edged with anger that carried through the chamber. "We do not need to consider possibilities that lead nowhere! If Greed truly were involved, what then? Where would we find him? Will you scour shadows and ghosts for answers? Convenient enemies make for easy targets, but empty accusations do not protect kingdoms."
King Vareth gave a low chuckle, his voice dripping with derision. "Pointing fingers is not convenience. It is caution. And every soul at this table knows well that Greed may indeed be at work."
"That is right," Raizen pressed, his tone unwavering. "Subaru, whatever your disdain for the Sins may be, you cannot blind yourself to the reality. We are speaking of a threat that endangers all life, not just borders."
"A threat to all life?" Subaru's voice dropped, twisting into a quiet, mocking whisper. His eyes swept across the leaders, piercing. "Then let me ask you all plainly…how long has it been since a single whisper of the Sins reached us? The Sins are not our plague. The covenant is."
The words struck, and silence swallowed the chamber whole.
Raizen leaned forward, refusing to break Subaru's gaze. "The Sins may not plague us today," he said, voice low, unyielding, "but they will return. And when they do, it will be with the rise of the next Demon King."
A heavy stillness weighed upon the hall. The tension stretched until, at last, King Vareth gave a dry chuckle, humorless and sharp.
"The next Demon King?" His voice carried both mockery and warning. "I would like to see such a day. Tell me, Saintess... has your Goddess given no sign of who that successor might be?"
The Saintess's voice was as calm as a placid lake, carrying a quiet certainty. "No. The Goddess has only revealed that the next Demon King will return. But she did not reveal who they will be."
King Vareth drew in a breath, his lips parting to speak, but Subaru's voice cut across him, rising with barely restrained irritation. "What is the point of speculating about who the next Demon King will be? We are speaking about the covenant, not chasing phantoms."
A rare sound broke the chamber's stillness. Thorn stirred at last, his deep voice steady, deliberate. "The Demon King… no. What we should place our attention on is the covenant itself."
"I agree," Morganya added smoothly, her gaze flicking to Subaru, the faintest curve of intrigue on her lips.
"Agree or not," Raizen interjected, his fury barely veiled beneath the polished tone of a statesman, "we are speaking of whether Greed might be involved. That ties directly to this matter."
Subaru's hand clenched upon the table, his voice erupting like thunder. "It is not the same thing! To drag the Sin of Greed or any of the other Sins into this reckless. Do you realize what that accusation means? Do you realize the harm it could bring upon innocents?"
Raizen's composure snapped, his reply a roar that rattled the chamber's air. "What innocents? The people will not be touched by this debate!"
"Yes, they will, Raizen!" Subaru's voice dropped into a growl, low and seething with fury, his eyes ablaze. "If any one of you dares to raise arms against the Sins, you doom the people you claim to protect. Your crowns, your armies, your thrones…all of it is meaningless before their power."
Raizen let out a sharp laugh, cold and merciless, his words striking like a blade. "Meaningless? Then tell me, strongest man in the world… where were you when we the whole world stood against the Demon King?"
Subaru's reply came quiet, dangerous, like a knife drawn in the dark. "I was where I needed to be, dealing with matters that were supposed to matter." His gaze bore into Raizen. "And what sort of question is that? Even when the world rose against the Demon King, the Sins themselves were not involved."
His voice grew louder, swelling with a chilling presence that seemed to fill every corner of the chamber. "And then… the so-called Hero died in that war. How do you live with yourselves, knowing you lied to the very world you swore to protect? You spread a tale that the Hero vanquished the Demon King and returned to his own world. A convenient lie to cover a bitter truth."
King Vareth threw his head back and laughed, cruel and mocking, the sound echoing off the chamber walls. Raizen's eyes, however, stayed fixed on Subaru, sharp and unblinking, as though searching for the crack behind his words.
The Saintess's lips parted, her voice soft but resolute. "What has passed cannot be undone. The Hero, I…"
"We do not need to invoke your Goddess at every breath," Subaru spat, venom burning in his gaze. "I do not trust her, pulling at lives like a puppet master. But she should not even be the focus here."
Raizen's voice, for once, softened, turning calm, almost sorrowful. "The Hero's death was a wound to us all. But the Demon King was vanquished."
Subaru's reply was flat, stripped of all warmth. "By my son."
The words dropped like a hammer.
A suffocating silence smothered the chamber. The weight of it pressed down on every aide, their shoulders stiff beneath the crushing atmosphere.
Elorandir alone allowed himself a smile, thin and private, his knowing expression speaking louder than words.
"My son killed the Demon King," Subaru repeated, his voice trembling with a strange mixture of sorrow and pain. His words carried like iron across the chamber. "He killed the Demon King."
Raizen's eyes narrowed, his reply quick, clipped. "And he was honored for it."
Subaru's hands slammed against the table, his voice erupting like a storm. "And that is meaningless! A Duke's title? You gave him that title only to keep him close, to put a leash around his neck. Do not pretend it was honor. You wanted to tame my son."
Raizen's sneer cut across the air, sharp and merciless. "For someone like you to even speak such words… when you abandoned him, left him alone after your wife died. You think you have the right to call him your son?"
Subaru let out a dry, dangerous chuckle, the kind that chilled the chamber more than a roar could. "Oh, Raizen. Watch your mouth carefully."
Vaelorain finally raised his voice, his tone calm but edged with warning. "It would be better for us all not to begin a quarrel that could lead to disaster."
But Elorandir leaned forward, his voice soft, almost polite, yet carrying a shadow beneath the courtesy. "King Vaelorain, do not be troubled. No quarrel of that kind will happen in my chamber."
Raizen, ignoring the caution, pressed on. His voice was sharp, unrelenting. "I said it, Subaru. You abandoned your son when your wife fell. You call his title meaningless, yet it was we who raised him when you would not."
Subaru's gaze turned icy, his reply a low whisper that crawled along the walls like smoke. "It is meaningless. You fear my son. And because you cannot control him, you wrap his achievements in chains of nobility. You should realize, Raizen, that you have crossed a line you may not return from."
Vareth's voice broke the stillness, tinged with sardonic amusement. "Ah, yes. The boundaries. Remind me, was it not the Imperial King's son who attempted to murder you and your grandson?"
Raizen turned, his eyes flashing with malice. "Attempted, perhaps… but let us not pretend we do not both know the truth. Attempted is a word that can't be used for a person like Subaru…The Reaper."
Thorn's voice cut in, sharp as a drawn blade. "It is attempted. And nothing more. Your son has become a nuisance, Raizen. He should offer an apology to Subaru for what he has done."
Raizen inclined his head slightly, his voice quieter now but still edged with pride. "That, I have already considered. And the message will be carried to Subaru without delay."
At his position, Auren turned toward his father, his face shadowed with disappointment, his eyes betraying a wound deeper than words.
"I do not need your son's apology," Subaru said, his voice flat, every word cold as winter steel. He leaned forward, his eyes locked on Raizen. "But understand this: I could kill your son. I could cut off his leg and still call it an attempted murder."
Raizen gave a slow chuckle, a sound of cold confidence. "You do not have the resolve to do such a thing. For the strongest man in the world, you waste far too much breath."
Subaru chuckled as well, but his laughter was darker, more menacing, echoing like the growl of some ancient beast.
Thorn and Vaelorain exchanged glances, each weighing the tension with practiced caution. Vareth allowed himself a grin, his tone sly. "The strongest man in the world and the Imperial King. Now that is a fight I would truly enjoy witnessing."
"That will not happen," Raizen said, his voice steady, carrying the tone of a man who would not be moved. "My son has erred, yes. He is growing, he is learning. But we all, gathered here, have made our share of mistakes. Even Subaru has made a mistake that cannot be overlooked. For if we speak of attempted murder, then we must also speak of the truth… that he killed his own blood in cold blood."
The chamber froze.
A deadly silence swept across the hall, thick and suffocating. The aides instinctively shrank back. The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
Elorandir's eyes sharpened. He caught it first—the subtle shift in Subaru's expression. The calm mask fractured, replaced by a predatory glint that promised violence. He is going to move.
Then it happened.
Subaru's body blurred, his motion faster than sight could follow. In a heartbeat he stood upon the great table, groaning and cracking beneath his weight. His dagger gleamed in the light, its edge flashing down toward Raizen's left eye.
At the last instant, Elorandir's hand struck out. His grip clamped around Subaru's wrist, halting the blade a breath away from Raizen's face. The steel quivered, frozen mid-strike.
Elorandir's voice followed, smooth and unwavering, his authority filling the chamber. "I am sorry, Subaru. But the rules stand. There is no killing in this chamber."
And it was then the weight descended.
The air thickened as Subaru's killing intent bled into the chamber, raw and terrifying. The aides apart from Elarenya felt it like chains coiling around their throats. Raphael staggered under the pressure, his heart pounding as the truth struck him. Grandpa wasn't lying. Neither I nor Kibo could ever land a proper strike against him.
Subaru's eyes, fixed on Raizen, were a void of deadly resolve. Yet Raizen did not flinch. He sat unmoved, his gaze steady, as though daring Subaru to finish what he had begun.