Kou dashed towards the cell, raising his leg. He kicked forward and slammed his sole against the paper cell's side. For a while, he repeated the practice of kicking the cell once and then again. Tomomi took a minute to gather pressure in her palm's tip. A dazzling white, transparent, and vibrating bubble expanded larger and larger around her palm.
"Are you sure this will do the job of destroying the cell, Tomomi?"
Tomomi bowed forward and shook her head in negation. Her eyes began to shine in a silver tint with an additional blue impact, indicating that she was connected to Tim's spiritual center. She gripped her right wrist to speed up the gathering process.
"It won't... But, it will be sufficient to demolish the cell's back wall. All I have to do now is aim it precisely and discharge the correct amount of force to avoid harming the monarch. Only if King Artemis approves and trusts me will I do so... Unless..."
Tomomi quickly stood next to Kou and softly rubbed him to the side before unleashing the crushing punch. The sonic waves reverberated around the room, alarming Kou and the king.
"Back up to the farthest corner of the room, as far away from the keyhole as possible. It will release a tremendous sound boom that will spread around the room upon collision... It'll just be an inch away from hitting you, so brace yourself."
"But, you Tomomi. You'll be in range of the wave, won't you?"
"I'll be fine... I promise..."
Kou and the king obeyed her commands and retreated to the farthest corners of the chamber. Tomomi raised her hand and pointed her palm towards the middle of the keyhole once they were ready and squeezed their backs firmly against the edge.
"Will this suffice? Both corners of the room have us at the far back." Tomomi double-checked that they were far away, then nodded and increased the pressure gathered in the energy she had created in a matter of seconds.
"Spiritual Detonation..."
The chamber suddenly went white as a gigantic detonation of energy slammed through the keyhole and extended all the way to the rear of the wall. The paper pulled away easily, and the wall was eventually shattered by the powerful force. With a quick flash of sunshine shining into the clock tower, the rubble, dust, and sand were hurled across the room. The clock on the opposite side of the temple became detached from the wall as it sped down the temple.
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Karisa and Ireene were racing on the third floor when they felt a loud tremor above them and realized that the fourth floor above them began to collapse. They were taken aback by the surprise and appeared perplexed.
"Did you hear that, Ireene?!?"
"Something exploded above us, but I can't tell what it was..."
The two girls dashed to the nearest stairwell and climbed them to reach the fourth floor, where they began their ascent to the fifth story.
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With the paper on the floor, the clock tower's interior was gradually cleaned of dust. As that happened, Kou gently opened his eyes and observed that there was no longer any cell blocking their progress, as well as a big hole in the wall. He looked at the king and finally grinned as he saw him alive and well after the explosion.
"King Artemis!"
He leapt forward and dashed toward him, swiftly kneeling by him. He braced his weight by Leaning the king's frail arms against his shoulders, then looking him in the eyes swiftly. "S-She pulled it off. You're free, King Artemis!"
King Artemis smiled and patted the top of Kou's head as he looked up at his tearful eyes. "Kou, I'm glad you're still as active as normal." Kou's mouth twitched with delight, and he instantly wrapped his arms around King Artemis, hearing his ancient laugh.
"Okay, not quite as tight. I'm exhausted from all of this horrific treatment."
Kou loosened his embrace and then stepped back. Tomomi's eyes went pale as he assisted King Artemis in standing up. Her vision became fuzzy, and she became aware of how her eyelids began to close. She passed out while bleeding from her right arm, shocking both the king and Kou. Tomomi was trapped in the arms of someone when Kou called her name.
Slowly raising his head, Kou and King Artemis became completely immobile. When he looked up, he saw that she had been seized by none other than Byron himself, who had materialized out of nowhere. "Y-You, It's B-Byron..."
In response to witnessing the harsh face, Kou swallowed and got afraid. He realized Byron wouldn't let go of Tomomi's body anytime soon, and he began to quiver with fear. "W-What exactly are you up to? L-Leave her alone!"
Byron grasped Tomomi's cheek in his hand and softly slid his hand downward. He smiled and felt privileged to be in possession of such a rare spirit.
"What a unique life to be a Spirit. She would be a fantastic character who would lavish me with wealth. Spirits are one of the rarest characters in the universe, and I happen to have one in my possession right now."
"Byron..." King Artemis was dissatisfied, and he couldn't move correctly owing to his weakness, nor did he have the strength to respond to Byron, who greeted him the next second. Byron laughed and squeezed Tomomi's limp body against his hip.
"Pops, take a look at you. You tried to get away from me? What a terrible decision, but to be honest, you're no longer useful. I'll be more than glad to achieve huge wealth now that I have this treasure in my possession. You two still have time to leave before I alter my mind. It was a simple roadblock for that fire kid, whom you had so much faith in. Now that he's gone, I won't have any more problems, nor will many others who have lost their battles. There's nothing you can do; your time has passed. Unless, of course, you want to get away. You still have a chance while I'm content with this sweet little spirit. What are your thoughts? Do you want to take a chance and trade that unfortunate king for this valuable spirit?"
The rivalry between King Artemis and his own son had been visible with a burning fire reflecting in their eyes. King Artemis seemed to be more than disappointed into his own son while Byron seemed to be more than welcome to have become somebody as important as he seemed, despite people despising his actions and leadership.
"After snatching my throne and stealing my title as king, you haven't changed a single thing. I had hoped that my son would not have a reputation for being fearful. Finally, I was proven to be inaccurate, and the title was bestowed upon the completely incorrect human. You've done everything you can to help. You've been torturing them with several trials and duties, and all you want is riches and fame at the end. You are a dreadful monarch who has no right to rule this kingdom or the people who live in its vicinity."
"Is my elderly father unhappy with the way I manage things? I must be mistaken. What a mean father. Kings are known as the director and ruler of the entire country as a king of one country. That means I have complete control over how I interact with others. I could easily decapitate them. I could throw them into a terrifying trial. There's nothing wrong with it because I can push them to eliminate each other. It's not like I'm breaking laws. As king, I choose my own regulations rather than following those established by the previous king."
"Where's Tim?! What happened to him?! I thought he was supposed to kick your ass, Byron!"
Byron cast a sidelong glance at Kou before gently grasping his brow. After hearing Kou's question, he began to giggle and gently shake his head. He saw him as an idiot who lacked understanding and rationality, and he appeared to have turned back to stare into his eyes.
"Your wonderful friend, whom you trusted implicitly to kick my behind, has been removed. There isn't a single moment when you won't notice him standing. My own murderous hands penetrated and killed him on the spot. Do you still intend to battle for our kingdom now that you've received such terrifying news? I wouldn't recommend it now that you have a chance to flee. If you run now, I guarantee I won't pursue you."
After hearing the dreadful news regarding Tim's failure, Kou's eyes began to shake. As Kou began to shake, the exact words Byron spoke repeated in his ears. His legs began to weaken to the point where he nearly collapsed to the ground.
~ "I will never forgive a cruel person such as Jawjack and Byron. Their way of treating people is unforgivable. That's why, no matter what happens, I promise that I'll kick Byron's ass. I'll do it, even if it kills me!"
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"Byron! I've heard everything about your treatment of others! You've disgraced Ireene's life by first imprisoning this kingdom's monarch, then putting people through these horrible trials, even forcing Walmo and his buddies to go on a mission that involves slaying innocent people if they violate the rules! All of these horrible activities will return to their previous state once I kick your ass right now!"
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"Kou! I'd like you to take her to the doctor you mentioned before! Make your way through the temple and make it there safely! Everything that is happening to her is a result of my sword completely vanishing from existence! Don't even try to avoid my request! Tomomi is my friend, and there is nothing else I would rather keep in the world than her! You better hurry, you got that?! Whatever happens, don't stop running and trust me!!" ~
"He promised... There's no way he'd lose! I refuse to believe it! He would never lose to you, not after making me a promise! He told me to trust him, so I trust him! Those words he said back in the Hatly were enough to prove me that he's no ordinary warrior! He's a man who I can trust! He helped the Sand Shark Surfers despite them trying to kill him! He promised Ireene that he'll beat you and even if you say he lost, I won't believe it! I trust him with everything I have! I know he'll kick your ass, and I know that he'll do it even if it means a sacrifice!"
Kou's eyes began to tremor faster. He expressed more and more of his fear with splashes of tears slipping down his face, in addition to his fist shivering. But despite feeling scared, he hadn't given up on Tim. He continued to believe that Tim would defeat Byron, that he would keep his promise. The emotional thoughts that continued to flow between Kou were quickly interrupted by Byron's menacing laugh.
"You don't believe me? Why don't you check it for yourself."
Through the balcony, Byron pointed his finger. When Kou glanced in the direction he was pointing, he saw Tim's body covered in sand. His torso, limbs, and head were the only elements of his body that were visible. He continued to bleed and lay still on the floor, with no small traces of movement.
Kou's eyes opened even wider.
Kou sobbed even more as he swallowed down his own spit after seeing Tim's body dug behind a pile of sand. King Artemis let go of Kou, who dashed for the balcony and leaned against the railing. He was silent and unable to form words. While King Artemis stood silently watching him, Byron continued to chuckle while still holding Tomomi's body.
"Tim! Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Don't just lie down there! Did you forget?! You said you'll kick Byron's ass! So, what the hell are you doing down there, slacking off! Byron is still here, so get a move on and beat him!"
"Are you listening?! Tim! Don't play around; get up! I know that you're still alive! Stop messing around, I know you can hear me! Remember that promise you made? You swore that people like Jawjack and Byron don't have the legal right to impose countries! I'm sure you remember, so get up!"
"Please hurry up and do it! Only you have the ability to defeat him! Byron will sell Tomomi if you don't hurry up! Please, just pay attention to me! Do you really want your friends to die?! Please, you're our only hope! Fight! Fight! Fight! Tim! We need you!"
"Tim! Please!!!"
"I BEG YOU!!!"
"WAKE UP!!!"
Kou shouted in the air. His voice reverberated through the vicinity of the kingdom. It was capable of being heard by everyone at every corner of the kingdom. It surprised everybody who still was conscious, involving Tim's friends as well as King Artemis. It was loud enough to wake up Tomomi's weak body who still remained dizzy and only see Kou standing in front of the fence.
"Kou..."
Despite the loud shouts, all seemed hopeless in bringing Tim back to consciousness. Kou gave up, he stopped screaming out to Tim, and he collapsed on his knees, crying out loud. He spoke quietly while hiding his eyes by squeezing them close to his arms.
"Please, Tim... You promised everybody... If you don't wake up... Everybody will die... You'll lose your friends, you'll break your promise... Tim, I beg you..."
Kou's tears streamed down his arms and onto the ground as he sobbed quietly. The end was near for the Wasakona's country, and most of those fighting to restore Golden Wasakona's harmony were on the point of defeat, while others were too far away to reach the temple in time.
Everything was over, with Tim's official defeat completely surrendering the kingdom into Byron's possession...
It continues...