Chereads / Spourting Gladiolus / Chapter 19 - Chapter 18: A fight for whose future (pt.1)

Chapter 19 - Chapter 18: A fight for whose future (pt.1)

[Log recording, 2021100]

…. Voice recording, by Amelia.

This is Amelia speaking, I am now recording the end of an era.

Now it's 7:05 p.m. some time before it commences.

The forest was dead silent, a perfect place for filming a horror movie. The dark gloomy skies above everyone's heads with bare minimum clouds hiding the half dimmed moon. It was a quiet day, yet so excellent for what was about to go down.

Footsteps were heard in the forest, slight movement masked by the harsh wind blowing through the grounds. Today was a rather odd day, as the weather had not been well once the sun had been replaced by the moon.

"It will be raining soon, we need to hurry."

Two men whispered amongst themselves as they noticed the massive laboratory close to them.

There were some guards outside, although they were wearing the same uniform which made it harder to tell who belonged to which cult. They knew that this was their chance to move forward with what was ordered, as there was a clear pathway for them to move through.

Their movements made the bare minimum sound, sometimes having to cover it by making sound elsewhere. Either way, they made it through without much of a problem. Now all they had to do was to go to the outside of the lab.

Although they were stopped in their tracks.

"Ho~. Look who it is."

A chirpy voice was heard behind them. They exchanged a glance at each other, nodding in unison before turning around. While they tried to throw bombs at the attacker, their tracks were stopped once they saw exactly who it was.

"Got some tricks eh? Don't worry, it won't hurt."

Falak answered them with a smile, as their souls were dragged out of their bodies. The bodies fell to the ground, causing everyone nearby to come check on it. He left before saying another word, his lips still curled up into a smile.

"Now then, where were we?" He said as a snake wrapped around his arm.

He laughed yet no one could hear him, "Ah yes! To Amelia!"

Least to say, they were bewildered. Since nobody had seen anyone around here and that they were clearly not part of them, they did not know who left the bodies here or how they died. They could only carry them somewhere and burn it.

Some of them knew something was about to happen.

7:18 p.m. Falak found me further from the laboratory while I was strolling.

"Ah, there you are." Falak's signature chuckle was too familiar, as was her letting out a long sigh.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, hi. What do you need from me now?"

"Don't sound so rude~ I'll be quick with it."

She noticed the snake around his arm as he spoke, it kept staring at her. Despite it not having the muscles to make an expression, part of her understood that it was reaching out for her for some help.

"Don't waste my time." She shook her head and stood upright.

He waved before saying, "I won't I won't~. Let's get on to it."

"So… Who are you siding with here?"

By the way he smiled, she understood that he knew everything. She narrowed her eyes at him who was simply laughing at her reaction. Although the change in atmosphere was clear that a conflict might go down if neither did anything to soothe the situation at hand.

"I'm siding with whatever my objective is." She answered honestly.

His tone swapped to a more serious one, "And what may it be?"

"Why does it concern you to know such things?"

They did nothing to diffuse the tension, it was now getting thicker and thicker. It was threatening to blow over, ruining any party's plan for the ordeal. Although there was something that interested her, one that stood out like a sore thumb.

It was why he was interested.

"They made another request to you, did they not?" She managed to deduce.

He laughed at it before saying, "Yes."

"Don't you think that it would be unnatural for you to be caring about any of this?" She crossed her arms.

"Then? What makes you think I don't care about it?"

Before she could say anything else, he started laughing. This time, it was much louder and way more maniac than the ones she usually heard. Once he stopped, his gaze landed on her immediately.

His eyes were filled with a level of insanity she had not seen for a long time.

"You already know what kind of bloodshed would be here."

"Then? It has nothing to do with who I side with."

He chuckled again, "Nope. I mean, is there a chance I could kill you with it?"

He knew that she could not die by his hands, not entirely. Although he had been itching to kill her for a while now, just never had the chance to do it. Now that he could, he was not going to let her go away that easily.

"So you will not help them?" She took a step back though not yet in a stance.

"I will of course, but what makes it wrong to not let me do something else as well?"

She was prepared to face him head on, her sword already appeared on her hip. She had not drawn it yet, just preparing that she had to fight him right now. Although, the chance did not come to either of them.

7:25 p.m. The sound of explosions going off near the laboratory.

"Boss!" A follower came up to him.

Sensu waved his hand at them, one of his fans in his left hand. He chuckled as the explosions went off, watching part of the forest go up in flames. The laboratory had red alarms, blaring loud enough for most to hear.

"What is it?" He asked while staring.

"Uh.. I think there is something going ahead of schedule."

He laughed and shrugged, "It's alright."

"Lady luck is on our side."

His follower looked confused as Sensu moved forward, one of his fans in his hands. A small smile appeared on his lips as he walked, humming slightly while reading himself for whatever that was to come.

"Come, let's cheer." He announced as he continued walking.

At the same time…

Cyliam was running through the forest, although the explosions had placed everyone on guard more than before. Which was how they had turned their attention to him.

"Intruder!" One of them shouted.

All of them turned their attention to him.

Some had placed blessings on their comrades, while the others raised their guns at him, ready to fire. He knew that he had to either dodge away from the raining bullets or take them head on without hurting himself too much.

He could do both, just barely.

He could feel his body crumble as his eyes turned crimson red, his consciousness got hazy as he moved forward.

He did not see bodies dropping down like flies one after another, their eyes completely blank as their souls were taken away. There was not any blood around them, although their sudden cold body would scare most away.

He quickly passed through all of them, despite him not knowing where exactly he was going.

Also at the same time…

"Oh.. They still have something after all."

He laughed out loud after seeing the blaze. She did not say much as her sword went away, knowing that he was going to leave her soon as well. He smiled at her, his body surrounded by fog before completely going away.

"Don't worry, I'll still see you.."

At 7:28 p.m. Everything had started.

Out of his haze, he made it to a side of the lab. He raised himself up enough to look through the window, noticing that there were a lot of people in there. It was more abnormal for the fact that it was nearly empty.

"So… they knew we were coming then?" He mumbled while staring at them.

They were mixed, though mostly holding different types of firearms. He knew that there were more people that he could take on by himself, especially seeing the symbols near the back end of the building, where the stairs to the underground were.

There were a few ways he could do this.

One, he could run in and break the floor below him. Like most buildings, it was made out of concrete. He could easily break it with the strength he borrowed from Noir, although there was more of a problem to it.

He could still die by gunfire, especially if Noir would not heal him.

Second, he could use Noir again like he did earlier. The issue with that was that if he used him anymore than before, Noir could take over his body and ruin all of their plans. After all, he needed this to succeed no matter what.

There was a third option, one that came earlier than he thought so.

The front door was blown open by flames, it burnt to ashes before it could hit anyone.

"Fire!"

They raised their guns at the flames that hid the people behind it. Unfortunately, they could not see them at all; They could not see the smile on Sensu's face as the flames died down, only ready to shoot blindly in the hopes to hurt someone.

"Now then, let it go up in flames." He laughed as he raised his fan.

He swung his fan, bringing a huge gust of wind with it. The flames started to spread everywhere, engulfing everyone in it when it spreaded. It was much stronger than the one that broke and burned the door.

Cyliam took the chance and broke in, once the fire around where he was had died down. Sensu and his men did notice him, though they let him go down first. He ran towards where the stairs were and kicked it down, breaking it and opening a path for them.

"So. This is where we start." Cyliam knew this voice, by the way his eyes widened up.

Charlie's staff hit the ground, surrounding them with a barrier that would be too complicated for either of them to break. Sensu simply turned around and walked away, the corner of his lips still curled up into a smile.

Charlie tilted his head as he spoke, "Nice to meet you again, Cyliam."

"Of course, nice to see you again as well." He said while being on guard.

Before Sensu could turn around and move any further, a body was thrown his way. He simply swung his fan, making the body go in the other direction by the wind. He hid the bottom half of his face away with his fan.

"Oh my…" He glanced at the body someone threw at him.

It was mangled as if something had eaten it hungrily. Parts of its flesh were missing, even some of the bones. Sensu had an idea of what had eaten it and who it was. It was one of his men that he sent out for the explosions.

"So you have your own skills?"

It was William, shrugging as if he was not the one that threw the body at Sensu. From the way their eyes stared at each other, they were challenging each other to be the one to walk first. Although as for now, none of them move a single step.

Sensu laughed, "I am stronger than you'd think."

"I didn't say you were weak, did you?"

"But you still implied so? Correct?" Sensu chuckled as he tilted his head up.

Both of their men were on guard, ready to pull out their weapon anytime soon. The tension was getting thicker and thicker. But for now, they were threading a very thin line with each other. Equally wondering who was about to start it first.

Will shook his head, "Is there something wrong with your head?"

"Don't answer a question with a question."

The thin ice was cracking.

At the same time

"You are going to kill me." Cyliam said without another thought.

Charlie shook his head, "You're going to kill us too."

Cyliam's eyes widened up as he noticed the subtle tone of sadness in his words. Charlie sighed out loud as he lifted his staff up, there was no one else but him here. It was a curious sight, nonetheless he was ready to be dead with him.

"Why did you do this?"

That question was presented to himself again.

He did not know what to say, as he himself did not understand his actions. Perhaps he had been blind to his own motive, all that he knew was taking everyone else down with what he wanted to do.

After all, they were about to kill each other by their own hands.

"Would you believe it if I said that I don't know?"

It saddened him, they were having a genuine conversation at such a moment. It was a moment before their death, and this was the only time that they could have an honest and open-ended conversation.

"Sounds like you after all." Charlie groaned.

The hallways felt more blinding white despite it being dark grey, the lights were way too bright even if it was warm. Everything felt more all consuming in the moment, his head began to hurt again as he continued talking.

"Then why do you want to still do this?" This time, it was Cyliam's turn to answer him.

Charlie took a deep breath before answering, "Too bad, I already built my own legacy on them."

"Do you not feel for the people?"

Charlie laughed bitterly, "It's too late for anything now Cyliam."

His staff hit the ground again, Cyliam's head had hurt more again. He tried to shake it off although he knew that he could not keep it at bay. Charlie realised that too, as he raised it up and pointed it at him.

"That you, is the proof of our deeds."

Cyliam did not answer him this time, placing a hand on his head as his headache got worse. Charlie closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before his surroundings started to light up. He trained his eyes on Cyliam.

"And now, like you said. Let's waltz."

7:41 p.m. The sound of violent winds blowing went off as dark clouds hung above our heads.

[On Sensu's side]

William ended up being the one to move first.

Maybe he was worried about the rain, or that he knew that he could not drag it on. Either way, he knew that he did not have enough time.

William's man had bonded Sensu's on their ground, meaning that they could not move very far away from where they were right now. Although Sensu did not seem to care, especially the smile in his eyes as he continued to stare at them.

"Now then, how easy should I go on you?"

Sensu shook his head, "No need, you will die if you do so."

William immediately rushed at him, Sensu's men unable to do much as some of Will's men started to bind them more. Sensu was still not worried, continuing to smile as Will's fist was about to connect with his face.

That was until a violent wind shoved all of them away.

He swung his fan around him, breaking the chains that bind his men. They immediately ran towards Will's. They began to exchange, coming into contact with each other in terms of physical attacks, magic and firearms.

It was a mess, nobody completely understood what was happening as they got a bloody nose, bleeding limbs and heavy breathing. The only thing they knew was to protect their own comrades, make sure that almost none fell.

Since both of their leaders did not need outside help.

Will got himself up again before rushing at Sensu, who was still smirking at him. It was clear to Will that he did not care. That were a few reasons why he did not, though Will currently did not care about it currently.

He began to understand how his fans worked, yet he still needed more information before thinking of a more strategic plan.

He took in another deep breath as he charged towards Sensu, his line of movement curved however. There was still no different reaction from Sensu as if he was born into this environment, he simply shined much more at the moment.

"So this is what you're going to do? Will it get a bit boring, you know?" He chuckled before swinging his fan again.

Winds gathered around from the tip of his fan, trying to shove Will away. However, this time he continued forward with the wind decreasing some of his speed. He still managed to reach Sensu, although he continued to smirk.

"I'll wipe that smirk off of your face."

Will's fist nearly connected with Sensu's face, yet this time he blocked it with his second fan. He stood completely still despite the ground beneath their feet cracking, the winds were felt around and behind him.

Will's fist quickly pulled away, it was bruised afterwards. He stared at Sensu who now had two hands in both hands. His eyes stared at it, noticing the slight light bouncing off of the gaps. Once Sensu noticed his gaze, he laughed.

"My… You notice pretty quickly at times don't you?" He says while fanning himself.

"The other one is made out of metal. Some kind of flexible metal."

He nodded, "Yes. Well it's not flexible."

Sensu tried to fold itself together. The actual fan folded up pretty easily, letting him keep it in his shirt when he needed to; The metal fan could not fold up as much which made it much harder to keep away.

"Like I said, not really flexible. I am just really crafty about hiding it."

Will looked at his knuckles, seeing how bruised it was. He glanced back up at Sensu, who chose to be on the offensive this time. He raised the actual fan up again, swinging it once again towards Will.

"Do you think it is just wind magic I could use?" He laughed as something gathered.

Electricity came from the tip of his fan and exploded in front of Will's face. Sensu swung it again, making it much larger and stronger than before. He chuckled as he saw the blood outside, people starting to drop like flies.

"This is what I want." He tilted his head up again and laughed.

Although he was unsure if it hit him, or where he was, at the moment he simply enjoyed himself in the chaos.

And rain, began to fall.

[On Cyliam's side]

Charlie had a feeling that this was not going to end well for him.

He understood what had happened to Cyliam, most evident in the speed he was unsheathing his blade. He continued to dodge his barrage of slashes, although it was getting harder and harder for him to dodge.

He was precise, moving right after Charlie's body moved; He was adaptive, the way he moved kept changing in order to slice up Charlie however he wanted to; He was observant, as he knocked away his staff with his sheath multiple times.

"Curse you and your demonic strength."

Charlie could barely keep up with him at such speeds, having to back himself more and more as he blocked him. His eyes were still keeping up with his blade, although it was hard to see where his hand was moving.

He had begun to destroy the ground beneath Charlie, who now was back to a corner. He stabbed his chest with his staff, usually it would be pierced through his flesh easily, yet this time it made a 'thud' sound instead.

He managed to shove him away enough to start running down the hall.

Cyliam, more accurately Noir, was much faster than he was. Charlie had to dodge the slashes as he continued to run, the walls had deep slashes in them that would take a while to repair. It was a horrifying sight to say the least.

The damage reminded him much of a dragon's claw.

"Watch your head~" That higher pitch tone unsettled Charlie to his very bones.

He could see the faint-blue painted walls, warm yellow light illuminating the end of this hallway. Yet from the corner of his head, he could see a blade coming at him. He relied on his instincts as he raised up his staff to block it.

Fortunately, it was strong enough to withstand it, if it didn't…

He could feel the strength by the mere winds that were carried with that strike. The wall behind him crumbled to pieces as soon as the blow hit it. His eyes widened up as he continued to run, knowing full well that if he stopped, he would die.

"I would've wished that it wasn't as strong as it was."

Charlie stood in the middle of the now empty room, much larger and easier for him to dodge than the narrow hallways. Noir stood in front of him, smiling so much that it revealed his teeth. He gripped on the staff, readying himself for any attacks coming.

"Why don't you stop running?" Noir asked, sheathing his blade.

"It's nothing to do with you."

Noir did not say anything else after, simply humming. Charlie took it as an insult though knowing if he did any rash decisions would cost him his life, perhaps more than that even. He tapped the ground once and started a chant.

"Whatever you think you're doing, it won't work on me." Noir chuckled as he slowly walked towards him.

He did not bat an eye, continuing his chant as their surroundings were covered in the same symbols. Noir still walked towards him slowly, giving him a chance to finish whatever he was doing. His crimson eyes revealed a curiosity as to what Charlie was doing.

Maybe, he should have stopped him.

Vander, who was tailing them the entire time, appeared from behind Noir. Noir laughed as he blocked Vander's incoming strike, yet it was more than it seemed. He noticed the snakes beneath his feet as Charlie's chant became more faint.

"Ah… you guys." He tilted his head up while laughing.

Charlie shook his head, "Not a being like you would understand the desire and will of humans."

"And I never will, or want to."

He turned his head to face Vander, who had his normal right eye be replaced with a snake's right eye. His right arm had changed into a snake's scale; The dagger he was holding had a snake all around it, from the blade to the hilt.

"Even if I were to die, I would rather die to Cyliam than to you," Charlie replied, his voice getting faint.

Noir wanted to say something, nonetheless his body was consumed by the snakes. He was not killed, simply brought to somewhere else as Vander went with them as well. Vander did not leave yet, staying behind seeing Charlie's body crumble.

"Do you think you will be free now?" Vander asked, his voice cold yet held some warmth to them.

Charlie laughed bitterly, "Free? I won't be free, for now. But, at least I get to live an interesting life."

"I guess, that is all I need."

His staff crumbled to pieces along with him, as his soul began cracking, his vision slowly taken over by darkness. Yet, there was a smile on his lips. Vander could not tell if it was a bitter smile or a peaceful one.

"May your soul be at peace, pastor." It was the last words he heard before he died.

7:58 p.m. Charlie's soul was taken by Falak

[Sensu's side]

Will had stood back up, although it was clear for all to see that he sustained a lot of damage from the electricity that hit him straight on. Sensu laughed at his state, his grin only growing wider and much more sinister as he watched.

"Yes… This is quite fun." He muttered as he watched Will's glare.

"Monster." Will mumbled.

The electricity had created some damages to the concrete walls and floors, some of it had been turned into rubble. They both knew what each other was going to do with it, depending on who took the first step.

Will's face was scarred, his left arm's skin had come off slightly. He had not bled yet, but at the rate he was fighting, he was going to die to Sensu's magic sooner or later. He needed to do something to gain an upper hand.

"I am a humble mage."

That line from Sensu simply filled the rage in him, same with the smirk on his lips as he watched on. Will again moved first, charging straight ahead at him. Nevertheless, the damages he took had impacted the speed he could move in.

Sensu swiftly blocked his strike with his iron fan, even as the ground began to crack, he still did not move an inch. He knocked him away with his other fan, shoving it onto his face, shoving him back to the wall.

Sensu was much stronger than he liked to let on.

Will nearly broke the wall again as he laid there, feeling some static in him as he tried to move. Sensu strolled towards him, showing how unbothered he was about his opponent. In fact, he was only entertained by Will.

"You fucking sadist." Will spit on the ground as he said that.

Sensu shrugged, "Now now, don't blame me for your inability."

"So you did do something to me."

He laughed when he heard that, placing his fan close to his chin as he smirked. Will's anger was visible on his face as he tried to stand up, yet the static was forcing him to stay still. His face started to twist in fury.

"For someone like you, who has the power to destroy any magic bonds that is tied to an individual, of course I would have to do something to you. If not, I would have a lot of trouble in my hands."

He crushed the rubble with his hands, using so much strength that his nerves were showing. He was lying above a bunch of rubble, only being able to position himself to glare directly at Sensu, who was now in front of him.

"How is the static? Great right?" He closed his fan and placed it on his other palm.

"It reponsed more and more to movement, right?"

Sensu nodded, "Yes, well versed in magic aren't you?"

"I learnt them a long time ago, but I can use them too."

"Is that a threat towards me? An honour."

The way Sensu laughed and talked only added more and more to his frustration, even as he wanted to move, the static would simply drag him back down. He knew that Sensu was taunting him yet he still gave into it.

"Why don't you kill me already?"

Sensu shook his head and explained, "Just want to keep you around a little longer."

He sat down in front of him, placing his other fan away as he stared outside. Noticing that rain had begun to pour down, even if it was a little. He knew that Will was not into chatting with him, but he did not care.

"What makes you think your men will die for you?"

Odd, was the first thing that popped into his mind when he heard the question.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Come on~ Just entertain me for a bit," Sensu laughed as he waved his hand.

Although it was not the first time someone had asked him that question, he still did not have an answer. He did not know, or completely, understood why his men would be willing enough to die for him.

"So you don't know then?" Sensu picked up on his hestitance.

He sighed and admitted it, knowing that his answer would only be a lie. Instead of being disappointed, Sensu continued to smile. He watched as the rain dripped down on their bodies, mixing in with their sweat and blood.

"Camaraderie. Those that are fighting are the higher up ones right? They would be willing to die for you because they respect you, and believe in your decisions. They basically see you as another friend, their comrade that they will protect even at the cost of their life."

His explanation was genuine, from the way his voice was deeper than usual and the smile on his lips felt more honest. Will understood it easily from that point of view, even though he was now drawn over to his men fighting outside.

"So, do you want to join me then?"

His mind was thinking about something when Sensu asked him that. It was an offer that came out of nowhere, especially considering they were trying to kill each other earlier. The confused expression was all he needed to understand his thoughts.

"I just think that it would be a shame if you die here, because you have so much potential for something much more than this."

Will groaned, "That's not even why I would join you."

"True, but you are not really interested in being a leader for them."

How Sensu realised it was a mystery to him, nonetheless he was not wrong about Will not wanting to be a leader anymore. That was why he was even here, fighting Sensu despite knowing he had a higher chance of dying.

"I still think you have lost your mind." Will narrowed his eyes.

Sensu laughed and said, "I know. But still, it will be a shame anyways."

"So, do you want to join me?"

[Inside Cyliam's mind]

It was silence, dead silence.

He did not know what to say, he was unsure of what had even happened as he sat on the grass field. The sky above him was grey, clouds that did not exist at all. There was no moon or sun, only a dull, blank sky.

If it was just him and his thoughts, it would be… boring. His thoughts were not one to be looked much into, akin to someone who had resting bitch face simply thinking about dinner in an elevator. Nothing of substance, nothing of interest.

Although, was the entertainment given to him afterwards what he hoped for?

"Ah~ I thought this was where you were~" A familiar high-pitched voice rang behind him.

He turned around, seeing Falak smiling at him. While Falak smiling was not anything abnormal to say, the way his smile felt was new to Cyliam. It was a genuine happiness that barely fell to his lips.

Falak noticed the perplexed expression on Cyliam's face, simply laughing it off without saying anything else. A snake wrapped around his arm as he walked towards Cyliam, his smile now went back to his usual.

"Is there something you need from me?"

Cyliam was on edge, especially so with the smile he had earlier. He also did not have any weapons on him, so if they were to fight here right now, he would easily die at Falak's hands. He narrowed his eyes at him, making sure he was not doing anything suspicious.

"Not exactly, there is something I'd like to know."

"There is something you don't know?" Cyliam was confused at his words.

Falak, although not a God that knew everything in the world, he still knew more than any of his prey. He had a lot of informants working for him since snakes could mostly fit in places where none would be bothered to check, unless they were paranoid.

"Even if I know, sometimes it's better to act dumb, you know?" He chuckled as he moved closer.

He moved closer, finally stopping as he determined that he was close enough. While Cyliam was standing up, Falak took the chance and grabbed his chin, lifting him up to the air as he laughed at him.

"What you…" Fear filled his eyes as he noticed the insanity in Falak's.

He chuckled before stating, "How much blood, sweat and tears will you be giving up for all this?"

At first, he did not understand his words. Not that it was hard to understand, simply he could not grasp the meaning of his words. Right up until something clicked in his head, he grabbed Falak's wrist as he tried to let him go.

"You're going to… have everything for yourself…"

Falak did not reply at first, simply laughing in his face after what he said. Mockery, blatant mockery for the sake of it. He understood that right now, he could not do anything. He was a mere human against the God of Chaos.

He tilted his head, "It was not a bad idea, was it? After all, who would clean up this mess after?"

"Amelia…"

"You have the audacity to think Amelia would do anything to help you."

Although Cyliam knew that his words were not fabrication, yet part of him would not buy into that explanation. He started to glare at Falak as the insanity in his eyes did not fade, instead having much more fuel for tormenting him.

"See it go up in flames, but end up with someone else as their legacy instead, isn't this amazing?!" He shouted as he began laughing again.

Cyliam could feel his vision fading, something covering his eyes as he tried to talk back. His eyelids tried to close by itself, yet he continued to resist it. He could only hear buzzing in his ears as he tried to keep his consciousness alive.

"And there, is where we have our climax."

Falak's words rang in his head as his eyes closed.

As he let Cyliam go, he was met by the woman who he wanted to fight all along. Before he could turn his head around, he noticed a blade coming for his face from the corners of his eyes. He halted, not daring to move any further.

"Is it wrong of me to take what is mine?"

Amelia replied, "That is not yours, or mine."

8:11 p.m. Vander taken Noir further away

Noir was thrown out onto the grass, snakes finally getting away from him as he hit the ground. Although he was not harmed in any way, it was still unpleasant to be wrapped around hundreds of snakes and transported somewhere.

Vander's figure entered his field of view as he stood up, smiling slightly at the opposing man. He did not move, simply stood there and stared. Vander had a rough idea of what he was doing, so he went ahead with what he was supposed to do.

He stabbed his palm as he spoke, "May my blood and soul be the sacrifice to the Gods above. Falak, the God of Chaos, I grant you my entirety in a trade for your power."

His body started to shift out of the half scales as his pupils turned snake-like, his iris dyed in a bright yellow. His dagger had been transformed into a long silver blade with a snake's head as its hilt.

He was dressed in a torned dark green shirt, having a black coat draped around his shoulders; He wore a less torned dark blue pants, simply barefoot on the grass. He raised the sword up and pointed at the smiling Noir.

"My name is Vander, and I shall put it all in this one wish, to eliminate the one in front of me."

Noir chuckled before commenting, "What makes you think a God's disciple will be able to kill me?"

Noir's words were clearly challenging him, especially by the way his gaze was staring at Vander.

"I didn't truly think so, only wanting to win this fight."

Noir took a step forward, Vander took a slight step back. Noir was beginning to understand something that Vander had not, nonetheless he had no such intentions in telling him. There was little reason for him to after all.

"Why are you humans so persistent?"

It was an unusual question, yet knowing the nature of Noir, it was not surprising. Simply, Vander would not have thought that there came a day where he would ask such questions, he was proved wrong in this very moment.

"Persistent? In what exactly?" His eyes were trained on Noir.

Noir sighed, taking a step back as he started to explain. His hands were moving along with it, although Vander was more interested in the stance he took. His body was leaned in front yet one foot was behind.

'Probably really on guard,' Vander thought.

"In protecting what you all had done. But, this legacy even if it is yours, you didn't want it too, right?" He tilted his head after he stated that.

It was not entirely a secret that not all of them wanted in on this. Some wanted to leave much earlier than others, yet they still stayed behind. For reasons themselves could not understand, staying behind to suffer for themselves and others much longer.

Vander could not give him an answer, he was unsure of what to say.

Noir knew that as well, he laughed before saying, "Ah, I know why you wouldn't leave now. Because you don't have a choice."

Choice. A word that he hated hearing all his life.

"Choice huh…"

"A pathetic life you have."

Despite Noir's ridicule, the determination of his facial expression did not change. He continued to face him forward, even knowing that this fight would be his very last. There was not an ounce of terror in his body language, only confidence.

"I wonder… Why are you still fighting for something you don't want?"

He gripped on his sword as he said, "Because that's all I have. So I will fight for it until the very end, even if there was nothing for me in return."

"Is this why humans are so persistent?"

He laughed, "Maybe so. Makes us more interesting, don't you think?"

Silence, Noir could not answer whatever he just said. He simply took it as a fact, chuckling lightly at it before staring back at Vander. Noticing how the confidence and bravery never left his eyes, continued to tilt his head up at Noir.

"I suppose so then."

They each took a step forward, before launching themselves at each other.

[Amelia's side]

"My… Are you angry now?" Falak chuckled while asking.

Amelia sheathed her sword, "Not exactly."

He turned around fully to face her this time, still having a smile on his lips.

"Now then, what exactly do you want?"

She shrugged, "Whatever that you don't want."

"You mean keeping Cyliam alive?"

"Yes." She replied without thinking twice.

Her answer did not surprise him, although he took the chance for something so much more than what was going on now. He laughed out loud as he walked closer and closer, her hand remained on her hilt.

"Then… you wouldn't mind dying, right?"

"So, you are going to kill me now?"

He cracked his neck, "I have been itching to do it for so long, this is the perfect opportunity right?"

He breathed out loud as he cracked another smile, one that showed his teeth. He extended a hand towards her, a snake suddenly now wrapped around his arm. She stared at it, wondering what he was going to do with it.

"Amelia… Amelia…" He mumbled her name as the snake dissipated.

She noticed that her surroundings were now filled with snakes, they were hanging off of the tree and staring at her. She had a feeling that it was more than that, especially with the way their eyes stared at her.

"Is this a humiliation to me then?" She said while looking around.

The rain started to pour down more, she was now soaked in water. His snakes helped him block out the water, forming into an umbrella somehow. It was wrapped around his arm so he would not need to hold it.

He shook his head, "What makes you think it is? It's just a show, is it not?"

They glared at each other, the tension was high up in the air as they stood there.

8:17 p.m. The rest of the big fights begin