The battlefield had fallen silent. Only Kael's echoing laughter resonated over the broken trees and shattered earth.
Akira shook the unconscious Arisawa, trying to wake him, while Noa struggled to stand despite her bloodied body. Though they had only fought briefly, exhaustion seeped into their bones; they trembled under the weight of fatigue.
Finally, Noa staggered to her feet, placed a hand on Akira's shoulder.
— Hey, kid… Get up. This battle isn't over.
Akira gritted his teeth and rose. When he drew his swords, the anger burning in his eyes was irreversible.
— You're right… We're going to kill this bastard here!
Kael cut his laughter, turning his gaze to Akira with icy seriousness.
— Your last hope is dead. Nothing can stop me from killing you now!
— We'll attack together! — Noa shouted, charging forward.
Akira followed, wielding Setsuna and his other sword.
Kael activated his ice, wrapping Noa's feet. She broke the chains with her own ice, while Akira shattered the ice on the ground with his sword, advancing relentlessly.
Kael deflected Noa's close-range attack and blocked Akira's strikes.
Noa realized the severity of the situation. They were at a disadvantage from a distance, and even up close, there was no difference—Kael was on an entirely different level.
Normally, she wouldn't have entered such a battle, but the image of Daigo, her closest friend and the source of her strength, fueled her rage. She couldn't die without avenging him. So she made a dangerous choice: she began firing ice attacks from mid-range.
Akira attacked relentlessly in close combat while Kael taunted him as if he were merely toying with them.
— Is that all you can do? I expected a bit more from you.
— We'll kill you! — Akira shouted.
Kael approached with a mocking grin.
— What's your name, kid?
Akira didn't answer.
Kael appeared behind him in an instant. Instead of attacking, he touched Akira's head. Akira leapt back reflexively.
Kael assumed a thoughtful expression.
— Valen… That name sounds familiar.
— Where did you…
— Volgrath trait. — Kael suddenly accelerated his attacks.
Despite flawless combos with Akira, Noa noticed the battle's outcome wasn't changing. She shifted fully into close combat; together, they could move faster and more in sync.
But Akira was still struggling. He thought of only one thing: drawing more power from Valtherion.
— I'm going to talk to the spirit inside me! — he shouted.
— Hey! Are you kidding me?! — Noa exclaimed.
— I'll ask for more power from the stingy moron inside me… — Akira began retreating from the battlefield.
Noa nodded and continued attacking Kael, while Akira closed his eyes, delving deep into his mind. After a long moment, he stood before an elderly man with white hair.
Valtherion's voice was filled with disgust.
— Why have you come?
Akira shouted.
— I need more power… Your son Kael is in front of me!
Valtherion's face turned serious.
— Sorry, but if Kael is really in front of you… even I can't do anything right now.
— What! I thought your crimson chaos was strong!
— It already is. But you're a complete fool! How dare you fight Kael?!
— What else could I do?! Should I have befriended the man who killed my friends?! I'll kill him! With your help or without!
Valtherion stayed silent, then spoke in a low voice:
— Alright… I'll increase the power I gave you. But that won't guarantee you'll defeat him. Even at my best, I might not have been able to kill him.
— How could your children be stronger than you?!
Valtherion laughed.
— They were my weapons. Once I had ten children, they would strengthen my chaos… then I'd kill them all to take their power.
— That's cruel!
— It didn't go as planned anyway.
Akira thought for a moment, then asked:
— Because of the 10th child?
Valtherion's eyes widened.
— You know him?
— No… but I recognized him from a photo. And with that child, all the puzzle pieces fell into place. I've been thinking about it for three months.
Valtherion first laughed, then his hands trembled, his face twisting with fear.
— I never imagined one of my sons would have such power… such a monstrous strength.
— So how did he die?
Valtherion closed the topic.
— I'll talk to Kael for you. But I don't expect a positive outcome.
When Akira opened his eyes, Noa was still battling Kael, gathering her crimson energy and charging back into the battlefield.
Kael stopped abruptly. Then he laughed.
— Valtherion is inside you…
He saw Valtherion's silhouette.
— Father… It's been a long time. How are you?
Valtherion spoke seriously.
— Kael… don't kill my vessel.
Kael brought his hand to his chin.
— Hmmm… No! I think I will kill him. Because this will be fun.
— You never change, fool! — Valtherion roared.
— Wasn't I your favorite son once? What happened? After death, did you decide to be a good person?
Valtherion was shocked.
— So you… never tried to purge your sins after death?
Kael spread his arms.
— No. Why would I? Just because I was killed, should I abandon my pleasure?
Valtherion looked down and chuckled softly.
— You don't want to mess with this child. This may be the last thing you do.
Kael opened his eyes and resumed the fight, ignoring Valtherion's warning.
Akira's attacks grew stronger every second. Now, Setsuna's slashes could cut a small mountain in half. Kael couldn't reach her easily thanks to Noa's defense.
Kael still had many tricks, but the combined attacks of the two were beginning to bother him.
Kael suddenly lunged and struck Noa hard. Now he could reach Akira. Akira raised Setsuna for a major strike, but ice chains rising from the ground suddenly ensnared him.
He was trapped in a massive ice cage. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't move.
Noa rushed to help, but Kael blocked her, intensifying his attacks. Noa couldn't reach Akira despite her efforts.
Kael laughed.
— Now this battle is one-on-one.
Noa attacked Kael relentlessly with ice, while Kael blocked each strike with equal speed and precision.
Akira struggled against the chains, powerless, only able to witness this terrifying fight. Ice versus ice… a fierce duel, but Kael still had countless unseen tricks.
Noa launched hundreds of ice blades into the sky, raining them upon Kael. This technique… she had learned directly from Kael.
Kael used the same technique to defend. The blades clashed in midair, shattering, the crashing echoes spreading across the battlefield.
Noa formed a colossal ice sword in her hand and struck with all her strength. Kael countered by creating a massive shield the size of a mountain; her sword descended like a skyscraper.
The clash of the two ice giants shattered the surroundings. Ice shards flew across the sky as they rose for aerial combat. Noa delivered a fierce punch to Kael. He fell but rose immediately, encasing himself in a thick layer of ice.
Noa noticed and mimicked him. Soon, both had grown massive, their ice-covered bodies colliding. Now, the battle relied on the power of fists rather than swords. Each blow shook the ground, each strike cracked the earth.
Kael hardened his right fist and delivered a devastating strike to Noa. Her ice body shattered, and she fell to the ground, bloodied and unable to move. Kael laughed.
— You lost… just like that fire guy.
Noa's eyes blazed with fury. She forced herself to lift her head, clasped her hands together.
Kael, now enormous, charged. But small ice fragments began falling from the sky. His eyes widened in surprise.
— Could it be…
Noa smiled.
— Exactly! That's your technique!
The small ice shards rapidly grew and accelerated, now falling like bullets, each harder than before. Kael laughed, standing under his shield until the ice storm subsided. He cast it aside; his face was now completely serious.
Noa foresaw the next attack. She raised her hands and formed a colossal ice fortress. Larger than a mountain.
Behind Kael, an ice dragon slowly formed. Akira and Noa's eyes widened in terror.
— T-this… is Daigo's!
Kael smirked.
— Exactly.
But this dragon was different from Daigo's; not fiery, but entirely made of ice… and at least five times larger. Kael pointed to the palace with his thumb. The dragon soared into the sky, smashing into the palace with terrifying speed. The explosion's force leveled trees for miles.
Akira could only freeze in place at the sight.
Kael's hands were trembling… and so were Noa's.
Both screamed at each other in fury.
The energy clashes tore the sky, and it was unclear who would prevail. Eventually, Noa's human energy began to run out. She couldn't endure Kael's limitless chaos power any longer.
The moment had arrived. Kael's dragon smashed the palace and advanced toward Noa. As she flew through the air, memories of Daigo flashed before her like a film reel. Tears streamed from her eyes.
— I'm sorry, Daigo… I couldn't take your revenge… I was too weak…
As Noa's body hit the ground, Akira broke free of the chains and shouted:
— Noa! Stay alive! Hold on!
Akira ran to her, but Noa spoke one last time before closing her eyes.
— Akira… you… are a good person.
And he closed his eyes.
His heart was no longer beating.