Ito stands beside Ninía. Ninía's finger is bleeding. She lies half-reclined next to Ito on the battlefield. She has accepted her defeat.
Ito, in a very casual voice, says, "You were a worthy opponent. I enjoyed the fight. Actually I never had a strong wish to kill you. But I had to finish my bargain. So I tore off your nail."
Ninía, her voice burning, snaps, "I have never seen a creature like you. You! You alone took down the three of us? No—four. You defeated us."
Ito, with a scoffing mouth, replies, "Lost… um, you could say that. No one asked me to kill anyone. So I didn't kill anyone else."
Ninía says sharply, "You have a lot of power. You must be of our Empire."
Ito makes a contemptuous face and spits, "Pfft! Did I ever think you'd imagine making me your husband? No way…"
Before Ninía can reply, a sonic-powered punch suddenly strikes right at Ito's face. Ito is flung and falls far away.
Skols' eyes widen. "How dare you strike my daughter?"
At that moment a man places his hand on Skols' back. Skols turns. He had not expected the sight before him. It is none other than Thomas—followed by the Continental Knights.
Skols shouts, "What negligence is this from the Continental Organization?"
Thomas, calmly, "Do you think we wait around just for you?"
Those words hit Skols like a sharp arrow.
Thomas tells Folselor, "Try to move everyone to a safe place."
Then Thomas turns and looks at Ito lying in the distance and says, "This, then — right? The one with roughly a billion on his head?"
Ninía is astonished; she thinks, so this wild man's head carries a billion! Her eyes widen in disbelief.
Minz, who had been searching for Ito all this time, spots him and rushes toward him. Suddenly a terrible pressure sweeps across the area. Minj collapses face-down to the ground. From the side a shadow-like figure glides forward. Eliza emerges from the shadow and says, "Hey Ito! Is the war over?"
Minz and everyone—especially Thomas, Folselor, Minj and Ninía—are stunned. This voice—this is her?
Eliza, beaming, says, "Everyone—long time no see. How are you?"
Minz asks, "You—you're alive?"
Eliza keeps the same look and replies, "Why? Who would kill me?"
Thomas: "Not you—Black Eye—he killed—"
Eliza's face grows serious and takes on a demonic expression. "Alright. All of this was my plan. I only acted as a medium/player."
She grabs Ito's hair, drags his face forward, and forces him to listen, saying, "My Ito — listen. He wasn't supposed to have so much power that he would block my way."
"So, did you do my work, baby?"
Ito, in a fragile state, takes the Princess's nail and hands it to her with his hands behind his back.
Eliza, smiling, "Good my doll."
The Continental Knights cannot believe this real—this culprit!
Minz is left in deep trauma. He raises a pale face and says, "Eliza! You betrayed us like this? What does this mean?"
Eliza, very cold, says, "Everything happens according to the Master's plan. So I have nothing to do with you."
Minz, pitifully: "Then what about my proposal? That one?"
At that word Eliza pauses, summons a sword into her hand, and says foully, "Mother of love—" (an insult in your original).
She moves to stab Minz with that sword. Thomas tries to stop her, but suddenly it feels as if time has stopped. The surroundings begin to change. A presence starts to manifest. Eliza's body becomes trapped in something strange. Beside Eliza someone approaches and in a very cold, unnatural voice says, "Eliza. Aren't you going a bit too far?"
Eliza's spirit shudders. It's Master Ren!
Eliza pleads, "Forgive me Master. I—"
Ren: "I know. Go. I forgive you. Don't make another move."
Eliza, hearing this, bows and steps back. She then makes a plea to Ren: "Master please, don't release that Empire to him."
Ren: "Go, I have accepted your words."
Ren is a strange figure: thick white hair, a mask on his face—broken—one eye covered by the mask, the other visible yet hidden under hair. A completely secretive personality.
Skols is silent, but upon hearing this request he growls, "How dare they bring my Empire before me like this—"
He lunges with his sword. When he tries to strike Ren, Ren calmly stops the sword with two fingers. He says very quietly, "There is no difference between the chickens of the royal farm and the chickens in the market. They are spineless, mindless, and characterless."
Though small, these words carry a political weight.
Some people at a distance are capturing these scenes with strange devices. Yes, they are the reporters of this world. Their job is to film these moments and later sell them to people for money. Creatures of all races will greedily purchase them.
Thomas speaks formally, "We should resolve this through words. This will damage our relationship with the outside world."
Ren answers harshly, "Impossible! If the farm flock cuts the channel and brings the crocodile, the crocodile needs its prey. Let it be shown its due."
Ren: "Let him come to a duel. Whoever wins will decide what should be done. But yes—this will be a death duel. Are you willing?"
Thomas, not without reluctance: "First Emperor Skols will fight, then perhaps I will."
Ren: "I agree."
Meanwhile Minz trembles. He cannot accept any of this. Was this inevitable? Folselor says softly, "It was expected this way. We had the idea earlier. But who knew it would be this bad?"
Minz glares red-eyed but has nothing to say.
On the other side of the battlefield, Skols stands sword in hand. Maybe it's a magical sword, or some enchanted blade. Ren, on the other hand, picked up the sword of a dead soldier lying nearby. Although this duel is a death game, if one side yields, they will not be killed.
Thomas calls for the duel to start and Skols charges at Ren. Ren blocks. He stops 20–30 hits with ease; so far he has not taken a single hit.
Skols says to Ren, "Ha! Seeing your courage makes me feel—"
Ren calmly, "Feel what?"
Skols, enraged, swings again. Ren parries but doesn't let the hit cut his armor; instead the sword flies away and then returns to his hand. Perhaps this is the power of the sword.
Ren, thinking, suddenly says, "Hey nature, kindly stop for my own…"
Somehow the surrounding objects start to stop. Skolls realizes Ren's power isn't ordinary.
Ren: "I don't usually use this thing; it's very useless. But for you it's appropriate. I will make you like a farm chicken. How about that?"
Ren begins to approach and holds his sword to his own throat. When Skolls says, "I've lost. Please don't kill me. I will give you my realm…" Ren answers, "Huh."
Skols hears the voices of Nihal and Ninía. He realizes he's still standing where he had charged from.
Ren passes by him and says, "I knew what you would do at such a moment. That's why I created the illusion and used it. Now come—we must formalize our agreement."
Skols understands: this was all pre-planned.
He asks Ren, "All of this is your plan—?"
Ren, with calm eyes, "Uh-huh, you realized it late."
Skols understands why there was such fury against Black Eye, why Cross accepted Black Eye. All of this was for the Empire—
He wants to know: what will be in the contract?