Behind Zan-Xi, the Saradomin Godsword remained sealed inside its transparent case, its magnificent golden and blue surface reflecting the two figures standing several feet apart as though the sacred weapon itself were silently observing the confrontation, while the once-peaceful room had become saturated with an oppressive tension that seemed to grow heavier with every passing second, and even the warm glow of the fireplace could no longer make the chamber feel welcoming now that Teziel had revealed himself.
"If Shaniran sent you here to kill me," Zan-Xi said while tightening his grip around the firearm, his expression remaining calm despite the monstrous crimson appendage hovering inches away from his face, "then you should have brought more than one man."
Teziel's grin slowly widened as the crimson cloak surrounding his thin body began shifting despite the complete absence of wind, the fabric twisting around his silhouette as though something beneath it were alive, while the strange red hand hovering before Zan-Xi's face gradually transformed into something sharper and more monstrous, with its elongated fingers stretching outward and its palm opening into a grotesque, tooth-filled maw that seemed capable of consuming anything unfortunate enough to come within its reach.
Zan-Xi's instincts immediately screamed at him, causing him to launch himself backward before the monstrous appendage could strike, and while maintaining his balance several feet away, he quickly raised his firearm and fired multiple shots toward the crimson hand, sending a series of bullets tearing through the air with enough speed to create sharp cracks throughout the chamber.
The monstrous hand suddenly snapped forward.
Instead of allowing the bullets to strike it, the crimson appendage opened its grotesque mouth and violently chomped down on the incoming projectiles, catching the ammunition between its unnatural jaws before slowly chewing them apart one after another, producing a series of disturbing metallic crunches as though the hand were casually eating something completely ordinary.
Zan-Xi's eyes narrowed as he watched the bullets disappear between the crimson teeth, his expression remaining composed even though he had immediately realized that conventional ammunition would be nearly useless against his opponent.
Teziel slowly swallowed the pieces of metal before lifting his head and smiling.
The next instant, he dashed forward.
His body surged across the room with terrifying speed, the crimson cloak trailing behind him as he closed the distance between himself and Zan-Xi almost instantly, forcing Zan-Xi to react before Teziel could reach him.
Zan-Xi quickly reached toward his side and drew his Light Sword, but rather than remaining in its traditional blade form, the weapon immediately began transforming within his grasp, its luminous structure folding inward while its golden-white energy compressed into a mechanical frame until the sword had completely materialized into a specialized Light Gun.
Teziel suddenly phased.
His body became translucent just as Zan-Xi raised the weapon and fired directly toward him, causing the concentrated blast of light to pass through his intangible form without causing any damage.
Zan-Xi immediately changed his strategy.
Instead of continuing to aim at Teziel, he pointed the Light Gun toward the floor beneath himself and fired at point-blank range, releasing a powerful burst of radiant energy that struck the ground and generated enough force to launch his body upward.
Zan-Xi shot into the air as debris scattered beneath him, using the recoil of his own weapon to escape Teziel's immediate reach while simultaneously repositioning himself above the battlefield, but before he could properly orient his body, a quiet voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Stubborn fool."
Zan-Xi's eyes widened.
He quickly twisted his head around and saw Teziel standing directly behind him in midair, his crimson body having phased through the previous attack and somehow repositioned itself without making a sound, while his strange crimson hand had already transformed back into a fist.
Zan-Xi barely had enough time to react before Teziel drove his fist directly into his stomach.
The impact was devastating.
Zan-Xi's body folded around the punch as the force of the strike drove through his torso, and the overwhelming power behind the attack sent him crashing violently toward the floor, where he struck the surface hard enough to crack the wooden boards beneath him and send fragments of debris scattering throughout the room.
For several moments, Zan-Xi remained on the ground while his body struggled to recover from the impact, but eventually he planted one hand against the floor and slowly pushed himself upward, his breathing becoming heavier as he looked around the room for Teziel.
The crimson man was gone again.
Zan-Xi slowly narrowed his eyes as he realized that Teziel had already phased out of existence once more, leaving behind nothing except a faint distortion in the air that disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.
"Tch, how about you fight me for real instead of going in and ou—"
Teziel suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
Zan-Xi's eyes widened as the crimson assassin emerged from nowhere at point-blank range, his strange crimson hand already extended toward Zan-Xi's chest while an intense red energy began gathering inside the distorted palm.
The appendage opened.
A concentrated blast of crimson energy erupted from Teziel's hand and slammed directly into Zan-Xi before he could evade, sending him flying backward with tremendous force as the blast tore through his body and carried him toward the wall.
Zan-Xi crashed through it.
The impact destroyed a large section of the room as wood, stone, and fragments of furniture exploded outward, and Zan-Xi's body continued traveling through the destroyed opening before finally crashing into the hallway of his mansion, where he rolled several feet across the polished floor before coming to a painful stop.
For several seconds, Zan-Xi remained motionless.
Then he slowly pushed himself upward.
His breathing was heavier now, his clothing had been damaged by the repeated attacks, and a small trail of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, but despite the punishment he had received, his expression remained calm as he slowly touched the side of his head.
Zan-Xi gently pressed his fingers against his left ear.
"Inoue, change of plans.. tell everyone to get out and spread out. Looks like our plan has to start early.."
He slowly released his ear after ending the communication, his expression becoming more focused as he looked toward the destroyed room behind him.
Teziel slowly stepped through the enormous hole in the wall.
The crimson assassin walked toward him with an almost casual pace, his strange cloak moving around his thin body while his distorted presence seemed to make the hallway itself feel colder, and although Teziel had already demonstrated that he could easily overwhelm Zan-Xi through speed and his ability to phase through attacks, Zan-Xi showed no intention of retreating.
Instead, Zan-Xi suddenly spun around.
A brilliant golden-white aura erupted around him.
Several divine blades materialized through the air around Zan-Xi, each one glowing with sacred energy as they began rotating rapidly around his body, creating an enormous circular formation of holy weapons that filled the hallway with radiant light.
Zan-Xi's eyes narrowed as he extended one hand toward Teziel.
"Saradomin Style, Holy Cyclone!"
The divine blades suddenly launched forward.
A violent cyclone of wind erupted throughout the hallway as the holy weapons spun around Teziel from multiple directions, creating a storm of golden-white blades that tore through the air with tremendous speed while the force of the attack caused debris from the damaged mansion to rise from the floor.
Teziel immediately reacted.
His crimson body shifted to the left as he dashed through the storm of blades, moving between the gaps in the attack with frightening precision while the divine weapons passed dangerously close to his body without managing to strike him.
The cyclone continued raging behind him.
Teziel emerged from the opposite side of the attack almost completely unharmed.
His eyes remained fixed on Zan-Xi.
Then he charged.
Zan-Xi immediately recognized the movement and stopped spinning his divine blades, allowing the holy cyclone to dissipate as he rapidly transformed his weapon back into the Light Gun and raised it toward the incoming crimson assassin.
Teziel continued charging directly toward him.
Zan-Xi pulled the trigger.
A concentrated blast of radiant energy erupted from the Light Gun and tore through the hallway, striking Teziel directly in the chest just as he attempted to close the remaining distance between them.
The impact exploded against his body.
A powerful shockwave erupted throughout the hallway as Teziel was caught directly within the blast, forcing him backward while the crimson energy surrounding his body flickered violently beneath the overwhelming light.
Zan-Xi remained standing with the Light Gun still raised, his eyes fixed upon the smoke and radiant energy lingering in front of him as the mansion shook around them.
Teziel slowly pulled himself from the destruction surrounding him, his body rising from beneath the shattered pieces of the mansion as chunks of wood, stone, and broken furniture slid from his crimson cloak and crashed onto the fractured floor, yet despite everything Zan-Xi had thrown at him, the mysterious assassin still possessed enough strength to stand, and the faint grin beneath his hood made it clear that the previous attacks had done little to discourage him from continuing the battle.
As Teziel straightened his posture, the crimson arm hanging at his side suddenly began to change, with dark red energy crawling across the limb while the flesh beneath the cloak twisted and expanded, his fingers becoming longer and sharper as black markings spread from his wrist toward his shoulder, and the entire appendage gradually developed a far more demonic appearance than before, looking less like an ordinary human arm and more like a monstrous weapon that had been created solely for destruction.
Zan-Xi watched the transformation while tightening his grip around his weapon, his breathing becoming heavier as the accumulated damage from the battle finally began weighing upon him, and although he remained composed, the irritation in his eyes was impossible to hide because Teziel had already survived attacks that should have ended the fight several times over.
Zan-Xi clicked his tongue while staring at the crimson assassin.
"Tch, why the hell won't you stay down?"
Teziel simply smiled beneath his hood, his crimson eyes remaining fixed upon Zan-Xi as his body suddenly began fading from sight, and within the span of a heartbeat, the crimson assassin completely phased away, leaving Zan-Xi standing alone within the damaged hallway as the atmosphere became strangely quiet.
Zan-Xi slowly turned his head from one side to the other while searching the hallway, his weapon remaining raised as he carefully examined the surrounding walls and broken furniture, because after witnessing Teziel's ability to disappear and reappear without warning, he knew better than to assume that the assassin had actually retreated.
The hallway remained completely silent.
Dust drifted through the air while pieces of debris occasionally fell from the damaged ceiling, and Zan-Xi continued scanning his surroundings with narrowed eyes as he waited for even the smallest indication of Teziel's location.
His instincts suddenly reacted.
Zan-Xi immediately spun around and fired directly behind himself, sending a powerful shot through the empty hallway, but when the smoke cleared, there was absolutely nobody standing where he had expected Teziel to be.
Zan-Xi slowly lowered the weapon by a fraction while narrowing his eyes, realizing that Teziel had once again manipulated his senses and forced him to react to an attack that had not even happened.
Before Zan-Xi could turn around, the ceiling above him distorted.
Teziel suddenly phased into existence directly overhead, his crimson cloak hanging downward as his demonic arm pulled backward, and the enormous fist became surrounded by a violent crimson aura as he descended toward Zan-Xi with enough force to crush the floor beneath him.
Zan-Xi looked upward in shock.
Teziel's fist slammed directly into him.
The impact drove Zan-Xi straight into the floor with tremendous force, sending cracks racing across the surface while pieces of stone and wood exploded upward around his body, and before Zan-Xi could recover from the first strike, Teziel landed beside him and immediately began attacking again.
The crimson fist came down repeatedly.
Teziel struck Zan-Xi again and again without giving him enough time to regain his footing, with every punch carrying enough force to break apart the floor beneath them as Zan-Xi desperately raised his arms to protect himself, his body absorbing blow after blow while he struggled to find an opening through the relentless barrage.
The ground beneath Zan-Xi began collapsing into pieces.
Large cracks spread outward from his body while sections of the hallway floor broke apart and dropped into the level below, sending clouds of dust throughout the mansion as Teziel continued striking with increasing brutality.
Zan-Xi gritted his teeth while carefully holding his guard together, using his weapon and forearms to absorb as much of the punishment as possible, but the constant pressure from Teziel's attacks gradually overwhelmed his defenses, and every successful block still sent enough force through his body to leave another bruise or tear another section of his clothing.
Zan-Xi managed to catch Teziel's crimson fist between both hands for a brief moment, his arms trembling as he fought against the enormous strength contained within the demonic limb while the floor beneath his feet continued cracking under the pressure.
"You're really starting to piss me off," Zan-Xi muttered through clenched teeth while struggling to keep Teziel's fist away from his face.
Teziel's grin widened as he stared down at him.
"Good."
The crimson energy surrounding Teziel's arm suddenly intensified.
Zan-Xi's eyes widened as he realized what was coming, but before he could release the fist or reposition his body, Teziel violently broke through his guard and drove his full strength directly into Zan-Xi.
The punch struck with overwhelming force.
Zan-Xi's body was sent crashing across the ruined hallway as blood sprayed from his mouth, his body rolling several times across the fractured floor before finally coming to a stop among the scattered debris, and for several seconds, he remained completely motionless while his breathing became weak and uneven.
Teziel slowly dropped from the broken section of floor above him and landed several feet away, his crimson cloak settling around his body as he looked down at Zan-Xi with an amused smile.
"That was easy.."
Teziel slowly turned away from his fallen opponent and looked toward the clear display case in the ruined room behind him, where the Saradomin Godsword remained untouched despite the destruction surrounding it, its magnificent golden and blue blade still resting within its protective container.
Teziel began walking toward the weapon with calm confidence, apparently convinced that Zan-Xi was no longer capable of interfering, and as he stepped over the broken pieces of the mansion, his attention remained completely focused on the divine sword.
"Shaniran would be pleased with what I will give him."
Teziel reached the display and casually lifted the transparent cover away from the Saradomin Godsword, exposing the sacred weapon to the open air, and as he slowly extended his demonic hand toward the hilt, his fingers moved closer and closer until they were only inches away from touching the weapon.
A brilliant flash of light suddenly erupted from the Saradomin Godsword.
Teziel immediately recoiled.
The weapon disappeared from the display.
His crimson fingers closed around nothing.
Teziel stood completely frozen for several seconds while staring at the empty space where the sword had been, his expression shifting from confidence to disbelief as he slowly looked around the ruined room in an attempt to determine what had happened.
Then he heard movement behind him.
Teziel slowly turned around.
Zan-Xi was standing.
The man who had been beaten and bloodied moments earlier was now standing completely upright, his clothes still damaged but his body entirely restored, with every bruise, cut, and wound having disappeared as though the previous beating had never happened, while the Saradomin Godsword rested comfortably within his hand.
Zan-Xi slowly looked down at the divine weapon.
His expression softened as he studied the golden and blue blade, his fingers gently tightening around the hilt while the sword emitted a quiet radiance that illuminated the surrounding darkness.
"Év.."
Teziel's eyes widened.
He immediately understood.
The grin disappeared from his face as disbelief turned into anger.
"You…"
Teziel's crimson energy suddenly exploded around his body.
"HOW… HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!"
The assassin charged forward.
His demonic arm pulled backward as he prepared to unleash another devastating attack, his body accelerating across the ruined room with enough force to send debris flying behind him as he aimed directly for Zan-Xi.
Zan-Xi remained completely still.
He simply stood there holding the Saradomin Godsword while watching Teziel approach, his expression calm despite the rage surrounding the crimson assassin.
"Éveiller.."
The instant Zan-Xi finished speaking, everything changed.
A massive explosion of divine energy erupted from his body.
The entire mansion shook violently as a brilliant golden-white light swallowed the room, sending an enormous wave of dust and debris through the surrounding hallways while Teziel's charging body was caught directly within the eruption and launched backward with overwhelming force.
Walls cracked.
Windows shattered.
Furniture was thrown through the air.
The floor beneath Zan-Xi fractured outward as divine energy continued radiating from his body, and for several moments the entire mansion disappeared beneath a massive cloud of dust.
Then the front doors suddenly burst open.
Inoue rushed inside.
"Sir!"
The butler immediately began searching through the ruined interior, his expression becoming increasingly concerned as he stepped over broken pieces of furniture and shattered stone while attempting to locate Zan-Xi, and when the dust finally began clearing, his eyes widened at what he saw.
Teziel was unconscious.
The crimson assassin had been thrown against one of the remaining walls, his body hanging motionless against the damaged surface while his crimson cloak was torn apart and his demonic arm had returned to its normal appearance.
Several feet away stood Zan-Xi.
He was completely healed.
There was not a single bruise remaining on his body, the blood that had previously covered his face was gone, and even his breathing had returned to normal as he quietly stared down at the Saradomin Godsword resting within his hand.
Inoue slowly approached him while glancing between Zan-Xi and the unconscious Teziel.
"Sir…"
Zan-Xi slowly lifted his eyes from the weapon and looked toward the ruined mansion around him, his expression remaining calm despite the destruction that had occurred throughout the building.
He slowly turned away from Teziel and began walking toward the exit, carrying the Saradomin Godsword at his side as the divine weapon continued emitting a faint golden-blue glow.
"Let's go.."
Inoue immediately followed behind him.