"Naruwa? Brother? Is that you?"
Ieza gazes on Naruwa, as he stands there firmly without saying anything.
"Rika, go. You should help everyone on the other side. This battle is between me and him."
"Alright big brother, be careful!"
Rika runs away from Naruwa and Ieza.
Naruwa glares on Ieza with his hands curled, ready to attack him.
"So, you're choosing their side. You just want to save your own skin, traitor."
He chants wind magic and dashes toward Ieza.
He punches Ieza's chest, resulting him coughing blood for a second and get himself thrown backwards again, crashes onto the wooden fence nearby.
Naruwa exhales and readjusting his hand. While Ieza struggled to stand up.
Ieza casts wind gust, hitting Naruwa's chest resulting him being knocked away. Naruwa tumbles and then he jumps to regain control of his footing.
"Listen, brother! You're mistaken! Please let Rika tells the chief and he will understand what should they do!"
Naruwa casted Firestorm magic and shoots them toward Ieza. Ieza cast his wind barrier to repel all the fireballs dropping on him.
They are glaring on each other despite all the explosions and dusts blocking their visions.
"Do not use her for your stupid goal! I know from a start you're only saving yourself. You never care about me, nor much about this village! Once this village become ashes then you will be joining their ranks! I told the chief that you are lying. You even left me there by yourself!"
Naruwa curls his fist and a fire rock emerges from the ground. He punches the fire rock, sending it on immense speed, crashing and exploding area surrounding Ieza.
Ieza being knocked down and hit his head on a small rock.
He feels dizzy, and yet he is able to recover his stance.
"Damn this is not going anywhere, brother!" Ieza yells toward Naruwa. "You're very little vision always blocks yourself from being a better person."
"I don't need vision and all crap! I know what I want, Ieza! I am capable of doing something more! Why wouldn't you or our parents see that?"
Naruwa repeatedly swing his hands, throwing fire spells multiple times toward Ieza. Ieza keep deflecting those fire spells and goes spreading toward civilian huts.
The fire enlarges and engulfing the Kartika Village. Many citizens running away scattered.
"When I'm here, the people acknowledge me as their savior. I will protect this land until I die. And I wouldn't mind throwing you away from my life, because my life will be better without you!"
"Naruwa, please stop! We can't continue fighting like this! We should be working together to save everyone!"
"Saving everyone? Now you're being delusional. You just brought the Akgardian bastards here to demolish this village! Not a chance I would believe you, Ieza. I won't!"
Naruwa waves both of his hands, unleashes a firewall as tall as his body height. It travels at the immense speed toward Ieza.
Ieza cast earth magic to summon the rock wall to cover himself from the moving firewall. The firewall crashes, causing the rock wall explodes and almost hitting Ieza in the process, resulting him tumbled down for a brief moment.
After he regains his consciousness, he glares on Naruwa.
His eyes begin to glassy, as if almost dropping the tears. He closes his eyes and breathes slowly.
In his mind, he realizes that he won't be able to knock some sense on Naruwa at this rate.
"You're right, Naruwa." Ieza slowly stands up for himself. "I too, despise about what my parents did toward us."
"Your point being?" Naruwa replies with his anger still burning inside his heart.
"Goddess has given us the chance, the secondary life of us here in this timeline, to fix everything."
"Yet you brought us imminent destruction."
"Not while I'm here, Naruwa!" Ieza gasped, the fires surrounding causing himself to experiencing hyperthermia. "I'm trying to stop their movement from inside! We want to save our family, our village here and the Kingdom of Akgardia also need saving! In fact, I wanted you to help me from outside to lead the rebellion. I know someone used to live here and she is actually the true heir of King Borealis VII!"
"Wait, what?" Naruwa asking in doubt. "Do not try to make the stories up!"
"You know I'm pretty bad at lying, brother."
"Then you already lied to me, Lieutenant Ieza."
Ieza and Naruwa turn their neck, gazing on a shadow appeared behind Ieza, emerging from the flames. Before they have a chance to react, an axe flown with immense speed, directly slashing Ieza's left arm.
The arm and the splash of blood, flies toward Naruwa's face. Half of his body painted with Ieza's blood.
Ieza shook for a brief moment then he falls facing down, screaming in agonizing pain. He tries hard to close his blood vessels with his remaining arm. His vision begins to darken.
Naruwa quickly chant several fireballs toward the culprit in shadow.
The fire magic successfully hitting the target. Despite all of that, the target remains still unflinched.
"I knew something was off with you. Thanks to this battle, you guys uncovered every secret about Felicia, and Master Olford surely be happy to receive this news."
"Herga...You bastard!"
"Oh, that fire ball magic you have, that is truly pathetic magic power. Now die by my axe!"
He swings his axe with such immense speed toward Naruwa. He chants a wind barrier, focusing that magic on the point of where his axe would hit him. Unfortunately, the strength of his axe is unmatched. It only makes him launched away, crashing several civilian huts in the process.
"Hmm. Clever. You just avoided a fatal strike against my axe."
Herga approaches downed Ieza. He pointed an axe on his head, and raises it in the air.
"Now, there will be nothing stopping Master Olford for taking the throne. Say goodbye to your brother."
As he swings down the axe, everything become slows.
The flame dances slowly. The sweat begins to drop from Herga's forehead. The blood flowing slowly from Ieza's severed arm.
Everything slowed to a point it almost stopped completely.
A lightning appears in split second, under his axe, hitting directly on Herga's torso.
The armor deformed slowly before it begins to puncture Herga's rib.
His feet floating slowly then gradually speed up as the lightning appears to be human.
"Your axe definitely tough nut to crack, asshole!"
It is Naruwa, with his eyes glowing purple, and his hair turned white, punching Herga directly on his solar plexus.
Herga gasping blood, splatting Naruwa's face, before eventually launches away with immense speed.
He crashes onto twenty civilian huts and several fence. The citizens nearby almost got hit from it. The destruction is inevitable.
While the citizens nearby escaping from the scene, Herga quickly regains his consciousness and his footing. He charges back toward Naruwa from across the crash pathway.
Naruwa leaps away with lightning speed, dodging Herga in the process, causing him crashes onto another hut.
"I knew you would do that. Now, stay still!"
As Naruwa dashes toward Herga, he punches Herga with multiple lightning barrages, exploding Herga's armor in the process. He launches his last punch but suddenly an axe flying in front of his punch.
The punch causing a massive explosion, eradicating almost all trees and huts in their surroundings. Both his fist and Herga's axe glowing hot red.
Herga notices this and quickly seize the moment. He swings his axe to creates a gap from Naruwa, narrowly slashes his chest.
Both Naruwa and Herga retreats back and readying his axes.
"That, was pretty hurt." Herga grinning then laughing maniacally. "You're done, kid?"
Naruwa removes his robe, he appears to be wearing leather armor imbued by wind magic to enhance his movement. The wind magic also acting as secondary armor to repel all magical attacks, though it is ineffective against such physical damage from Herga's attacks.
"Damn, not even my strongest attack would make you down."
"Of course! I am the only Prime Wizard in Akgardia that utilized both physical and magical power. Guess you have run out of your ace cards!"
Herga grab his axes tightly, points at him and immediately charges toward Naruwa. His eyes become glowing red and so does his entire body. His acceleration become doubled compared to his previous charge.
Naruwa leaps sideways, but Herga easily follows whichever direction Naruwa is moving
He casts the wind barrier magic in attempt to slows him down. Herga quickly slash that barrier, creating a small gap enough for himself to pass through.
"Oh, my luck. Your wind element appears to be unfavorable match with mine, physical and fire element! That makes it easier for me!"
The fast-paced battle ensues. Lightning and Fire bounce almost everywhere in Kartika Village, even somewhat passing in between of Rika, Kartikan troops and Akgardian troops.
More explosions and thunderstorms occurring alongside the chase.
Almost nobody notices the flash chase but not for Rika, as she follows those movements. Not for long until she gets distracted by incoming soldiers from Akgardia.
She raises her spear, signaling her troops to advance forward.
"Those troops just keep coming. Everyone! Keep pushing!"
The Kartikan troops are chanting more magic spears and throwing those weapons directly on the Akgardian soldier, as they're marching deeper into the village area.
---
Meanwhile, Ieza struggle to get up. He crawls himself to the nearby tree and lean his back there.
Between all the agonizing pain and exhaustion, he takes off his shirt to make himself a makeshift bandage to cover his severed arm.
The bandage loosens and falls off. He tries to pick it up and tying up the cloth bandage. Still unsuccessful.
He is about to picking the bandage again, but suddenly the wind blows.
The cloth blown away to the engulfing flames nearby.
"Damn, I have to find the Chief. This place is not safe enough for me to stay."
He takes deep breath and slowly exhales, focusing his mind toward one goal.
He is pushing himself against the tree with both of his legs.
As he finally stands up, he hears multiple explosions from faraway.
He gazes on the blackened sky, filled with flickering red and purple lights. He turned his neck around to see every pathway is engulfed in flames.
Chapter 9 – End