Slya had never seen anyone like him before. He looked like a monster, but she wasn’t feeling the same vibe as if she were standing in front of a real monster. He felt... human.

Eirikr snorted. "Just do what you must do. Why are you talking about my methods?"

The insect-like man smiled, his teeth tiny and dark like coal. "Of course, that’s what you paid me for in the first place."

Then his full attention turned to Tong. "Right, you are the stronger of the two, and man, why do you smell like a monster?"

Slya blinked and looked from Tong to the insect man. "What? You look like a monster. How do you have the mind to call others a monster?"

The insect man spread his hands. "I am Georg. I am from the Prime Order, a Beastmaster. I’ve just studied a technique that moves away from the norm. I am very much still human, unlike him, who is not smelling one bit human at all."

Slya opened her mouth to say something, but Tong interrupted. With a gleam in his eyes, he asked a simple question. "Can you hold him down till I’m done with the throne?"

She nodded without hesitation. "Of course."

That seemed to anger Georg because the moment she finished speaking, the man blurred forward, shimmering brown, and his claw-like hands came for her neck.

His hands were about to clamp onto her neck when a Shadowforge creation shield appeared, small but durable, blocking him as she danced back.

Georg stopped and raised his brows. "Not bad, not bad at all! You can block me, a Master Knight. I should have fun with this!"

But his neck attack wasn’t aimed at her. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He flung his hands backward, his robe flaring, and sharp dark shells shot forward, hurled with incredible speed at Tong.

"Watch out!"

Slya shouted, even though it was already too late. Georg did a sneak attack just when Tong was bending to examine the throne. There was nothing she could do but watch in horrified silence as the projectiles shredded through Tong...

.....the projectiles attempted to. Tong... flickered. There was no other way for Slya to describe what she saw. Tong flickered as if he moved at such speed that the brain and eyes couldn’t keep track of him.

The projectiles clattered uselessly against the throne.

Slya wasn’t the only one surprised. Georg’s four eyes widened as he watched. They couldn’t believe what they saw, Georg especially, since he’s a Master Knight.

He felt a chill drill through his shell skin. "I said it, he’s not human! He’s a monster...!!"

Of course, Slya didn’t let go of the opportunity. As soon as she saw her opponent distracted, she launched an attack. A giant sword of black fell from above, cutting off the insect man mid-sentence.

Georg twisted out of it in surprise, but with ease—right into the path of Slya’s real attack. A pillar of dark forge rammed into him, sending him hurling back and ramming him through the wall.

Slya flew after him. "I’ll keep him distracted, Tong. Do what you can!"

As she said this, she poured more power into her sword. Dark energy cracked around her as she jumped into the new hole in the wall, joining Georg.

Surprisingly, Georg was waiting there calmly for her. He sat on the ground, his legs crossed. "I did not think that an Errant Knight could be strong like this. You have an artifact, don’t you? I guess I’ll make a windfall!"

He grinned.

Slya didn’t reply immediately. The dark energy crackling around her furiously had evaporated, and now what remained was calm and steadiness. "I only need to restrain you."

Just then the ground trembled. It was a faint sound, but to a Master Knight, it might as well have been a roar. Georg leaped to his feet, but it was already too late.

A monster, black as midnight, with a head the size of a mountain and a maw that seemed to go on forever, tore through the ground and swallowed Georg in one go!

Slya gritted her teeth, and her two hands came together in a clenched fist. "Now, let’s see if I can hold a Master Knight!"

☆☆▪︎☆☆

Eirikr looked as if he’d just heard the funniest joke, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to laugh. He huffed. "What? You... think you want to kill me?"

"You will die, Eirikr," Vale said with authority, his voice containing both solemnity and maniacal viciousness at the same time.

His voice was finality.

Eirikr Akatsuki took a step back. He didn’t know why, but at that moment, his body reacted and he retreated a step. His eyes widened as what he had just done registered. "What?"

What? Indeed... WHAT! He’s the Master Knight! The one with the throne behind him, the one with the upper hand. What? Why did he take a step back? He couldn’t believe it, he couldn’t understand the logic—that he actually took a step back from Vale Athrimir.

His eyes went flat, and he turned his fear to fury. He covered it up with an instantly erupting rage that roared high into the heavens. He shuddered. "You...!"

He couldn’t speak. His voice turned into a howl, a forceful wind of power that gathered around him, whipping the sands into a storm again, and the whole thing lashed at Vale with a crack that shook the ground.

The attack collided with hurricane force. There was no avoiding it; Vale couldn’t even try. It rammed into him so hard that he knew some of his bones turned to dust—or was it just his imagination as the pain flared into his brain, blanking it out for an instant as up turned to down and down to sideways?

For the second time that day, Vale lost consciousness. But this time, when he came to, he knew there was no healing to ease his pain. Every single thing hurt.

Was hair supposed to be that painful too? He couldn’t even open his mouth to groan for fear of making things worse.

He... was defeated.

The only thing that seemed to be working was his eyes as he stared up at the sky—the Eternal Skies. He had promised to rule everything under that sky someday.

"What a joke," Eirikr said, his voice dripping with furious acid. "I tho.. ught... I actually thought you had something up your sleeves! Why do you talk big when you’ll fall like this? Isn’t this just a little too pathetic?"

"The rest of your men are defeated, and soon we’ll wrap things up on the other side. Vale Athrimir, you have lost!"

Vale blinked. He could hear Eirikr very well, but he was also hearing something in the man’s voice—anxiousness. But why? ’...I’m the one lying down here... why’s he feeling... ah... he really still thought I have something up my sleeves. A new card to play eh... eh... eh...’

When Vale said nothing, Eirikr sneered and shook his head. He prepared to say something when he suddenly froze, stiffened, and his eyes glazed briefly. When he focused, he looked at Vale with a combination of shock and awe. "You actually managed to find the capital and my throne? I’m impressed. No, I’m really, really impressed."

Vale said nothing, but his eyes lit up. Although it was already too late, Slya still managed to do it. He was proud. He was proud of those two.

"Vale Athrimir, although we are enemies, I must apologize for the words I said previously. You are indeed worthy of being my enemy. In fact, even more so than your father. It is with this that I will kill you with respect."

With that said, a curved wide sword appeared in his hand. "I’ll cut your head the old-fashioned way. Then I’ll go back to learn from that girl how you found my palace."

’.....just be quick about it.....’

Eirikr raised the sword, his posture smooth and his eyes steady. Then he added, as if in consolation, "I’ll rule my new Clan well."

The sword came down like quicksilver.

Time seemed to slow. Vale felt everything intently at that moment—the pain ravaging his body, the blood and essence in his body, the sand and small stones digging into his flesh, the harsh smell of the air. The sword—it filled his vision. He could feel it as it seemed to trace his neck.

And for some reason, he felt his Forbidden Mark Order like an irritating heat coming to life.

Vale closed his eyes.

He heard a distant shout, a bark of order, rustling winds, and a grunt. The ground shook. Then...

...ping!

The sound of metal meeting something hard.

And then silence.

Vale knew he wasn’t dead because he could feel—his heightened sensation was still there, and his Mark Order was truly burning now.

And... he could hear loud breathing above him. He could smell thick blood and fur.

His eyes snapped open.

Eirikr’s sword was being blocked by something, and for his part, Eirikr looked as if he was tired of surprises for the day.