When Arisa reached near the capital, she took a deep breath and said:
"It seems the tremors don't reach here… pheww…"
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the earth and sky.
Graaaaooom…!!
When she turned around, a gentle wave moved her hair, and a strange light spread around her—
as if the sun had descended.
But this was only the beginning.
"What is this?!"
Her eyes widened.
In the sky, a white light mixed with black and blue lightning was devouring everything in its path.
A gigantic explosion was growing, getting closer every moment.
Arisa said dryly:
"If that reaches the capital… the capital will be destroyed."
Sweat ran down her forehead.
"I have to do something… I have to stop it."
She raised her hands and shouted:
"Heavenly Protective Shield!"
A massive golden shield appeared, covering one side of the capital.
Arisa clenched her teeth, sweat poured down her forehead and cheeks, her body trembling under the pressure of the white wave.
When the massive explosion struck the shield, the ground beneath the capital shook.
Terrified people dropped their belongings, some hid inside shops and shouted:
"The Demon King has returned!"
"The gods are angry with us!"
"The Blood-Iron Kingdom has come back for revenge!"
Fear spread everywhere.
But more than anyone, Arisa herself was trembling—not from fear, but from the immeasurable pressure of the unleashed wave created by Zeno and Itsuki.
Her clothes were torn apart, her sleeves falling like dry leaves.
Her teeth painfully cracked, her mouth filled with blood.
But she was still holding the shield.
Suddenly, a cracking sound—crrrrch—echoed from the shield.
With clenched teeth and eyes full of fear, Arisa looked at the crack:
"Damn it… now is not the time to break! Please don't shatter…"
And in a single moment—the second crack, darkness, and the final explosion—
The shield shattered.
Arisa vanished within the massive white wave…
Light covered everything, leaving behind a terrifying silence.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zeno and Itsuki both descended toward the ground with white eyes and open mouths.
Their impact with the earth was so violent that the rocks beneath their feet were crushed, and the desert collapsed under the pressure of the explosion.
Veil was nowhere to be seen; no rock, no mountain had survived the intensity of that blast.
Itsuki was unconscious, until he slightly moved.
Slowly, with a face covered in blood and a battered, exhausted body, he stood on his feet, pressing his hands against his back.
With an effort to maintain his pride, he said:
"I am the winner! You can never defeat me!"
When Zeno heard those words, he opened his eyes…
But their color was no longer the same as before.
Itsuki was laughing, when suddenly his laughter stopped.
Zeno's aura was so powerful that even he could not endure it.
With difficulty, he stood on his feet and whispered:
"This aura… it's completely different!"
Zeno, still floating with his back toward the ground, levitated in the air.
His eyes had turned gray, blood vessels on the verge of bursting.
Suddenly, Zeno straightened and looked directly at Itsuki.
His movements were like a digital glitch—sudden and unpredictable.
Itsuki's right eye was injured, but his left eye was about to explode under the pressure of Zeno's aura.
With a cold and merciless voice, Zeno asked:
"Are you scared?"
Itsuki was unable to move his legs.
Suddenly, the air turned dark, as if trapped inside a black sphere.
Absolute silence filled everything. Nothing moved—except Zeno.
Zeno raised his fist and ran toward Itsuki.
His speed wasn't high, but that terrifying face and slow movement were enough to frighten Itsuki.
Itsuki said to himself:
"Why won't my legs move… my mouth is locked…"
With every blink, Zeno got closer.
Finally, Zeno stood right in front of Itsuki.
His fist, with a force that tore through the air, came down directly toward Itsuki's face.
Itsuki stood frozen, his gaze filled with terror.
He whispered to himself:
"So… this is the end of my story…"
Zeno whispered with a dreadful voice:
"The final strike… Absolute Destruction."
Booooooooom…