Everyone maintained a standoff: Frederick against Guz, Sofia against Rüsseüs, Anzor and Declan against Jørgen, Clementina and Carolina against Chesulloth, Leandro, Fiore, and Celeste against Dockly, and now, Krauser, Rozkiewicz, and Candado against Desza, the most loathed individual of all. He incited rage with just a glance. At the rooftop's summit, Candado and the others clashed against Desza, yet none could land a blow; their attacks seemed futile against his adept defensive maneuvers.
"Where's that thirst for blood? Your eyes tell me one thing, but your fists, another," Krauser remarked.
"You want to see my power? Well, I'll show it to you," Krauser said.
Then, his body contorted: his hands took on a sinister form, fingers morphed into dangerous blades, legs melded into swathes of black tendrils, his chest split open to reveal sharp teeth. His visage changed once more; dark sockets emerged, red circles within, and from his mouth protruded jagged teeth and a long, black tongue. When he finished, he stood as a fifteen-meter-tall monster.
"I'll show you what death is," Krauser growled in a distorted voice.
"Great," Desza replied.
Rozkiewicz and Candado stepped back, allowing Krauser to engage in battle undisturbed.
"Round two, then? Let's go," Desza said.
Desza charged at the abominable creature with his trademark insanity, cutting through everything in his path. Given Krauser's size, he was sluggish in movement; Desza exploited this, slicing through tentacles and part of his torso.
"Don't mock me!" Krauser bellowed.
He then assumed a smaller form and began attacking with all his might: tentacles lashed out at Desza, but he deftly cut through everything that came his way. Switching his weapon from hand to hand, Desza countered each tentacle as they moved independently towards him.
Taking advantage of Desza being preoccupied with cutting tentacles, Candado and Rozkiewicz each grabbed one of his arms, rendering him unable to retaliate. For a moment, Desza felt fear, but it vanished when he kicked Rozkiewicz's chin with his right leg, sending him flying. He then struck Candado's arm with his machete, but the latter, experienced from their first encounter, released his grip, then grabbed Desza by the neck and threw him against a wall, severely injuring him.
"I don't intend to leave this encounter with a wound," Candado said, adjusting his tie.
Desza grinned and charged at him. Candado, arms crossed, grabbed Desza's machete arm and struck his collarbone with a palm strike, somehow causing his arm to go numb. Swiftly, he seized Desza by the neck again and slammed him onto the ground, placing a foot on his chest.
"You're pathetic. Surrender," Candado demanded.
"Do you think so?" Desza retorted.
In that moment, Candado felt a foreboding and swiftly stepped aside. Indeed, he made the right move, for from Desza's belt emerged a massive knife.
"Oh, I see you still have some tricks up your sleeve," Candado said coolly.
At that moment, Rozkiewicz and Krauser appeared, now in their original forms, surrounding him.
"It's time for you to pay for what you did to the tricolor agency," Rozkiewicz declared.
"I'm innocent in that matter," Desza retorted.
"Do you dare lie to our faces?" Rozkiewicz questioned.
"No, because I'll make sure that never happened," Desza replied calmly.
Then, he reached into his pocket and pressed a button.
Out of nowhere, the building began to sway and tremble, as if an earthquake were imminent. Krauser was the first to realize what was happening as he ran to the railing and looked down. It turned out the building was collapsing.
"T-The... The... THE BUILDING IS COLLAPSING!" Krauser yelled.
Desza erupted into laughter.
"DIE!" he shouted, then leaped onto an iron column.
Everything started to shake and become unsteady. Rozkiewicz clung to one of the railings, Krauser used his tentacles to grip onto some lampposts, while Candado wasn't as fortunate; he fell and rolled to one of the destroyed railings, Krauser's tentacles unable to save him.
"CANDADO!" they both screamed.
"DEATH IS A ONE-WAY TICKET! DON'T WORRY! I'VE GOT A TICKET!" Candado yelled as he fell from the building.
And just when all seemed lost, and their friend had plummeted to his death, Candado responded.
"I'M OKAY!"
"CANDADO!?" they both shouted again.
Then, out of nowhere, Candado rose into the air, aided by a person with gray wings sprouting from their back.
"Without me, you're nothing, idiots," Candado taunted.
"Esteeman?" Rozkiewicz questioned.
"At your service, you pair of fools," Esteeman replied.
Then, he helped Candado reach the rooftop.
"You won't be able to do anything, and poor Rem will die like in the twin towers," Candado shouted.
"Rozkiewicz, DO IT NOW!" he commanded.
Rozkiewicz let go and dove downwards. Then, he leaped and, in mid-air, transformed into a massive creature the size of the building, resembling a snake with arms, resembling a naga, one of the mythological creatures.
Once transformed, he held the building with his back.
"Everything all right?" Rozkiewicz asked in a distorted voice.
"Well done, big guy. We'll take care of the rest," Esteeman replied.
"Good." And once the building was upright again, Candado headed inside to save Rem.
"I won't allow it," Desza said as he descended with his potent machete. Krauser shielded him with his deformed right arm and threw him against a wall.
"Go, friend, Rem needs your help," Krauser said.
"We'll take care of the rest," Esteeman added as he rolled up his sleeves.
"Don't die, okay?" Candado said as he opened the door and left.
"Such little faith you have in us," Krauser remarked.
Candado ran through the building, still damaged from the explosion, holding onto anything he could reach to avoid falling. As he ran, he shouted Rem's name, though explosions could still be heard from within.
"Darn it, if I don't hurry, this whole place will collapse, or worse, Rem might die," Candado thought, pausing to adjust himself. "That wouldn't look good on my record, though I couldn't care less."
"Hurry up, do you?" Tínbari chimed in.
"Shut up, Tínbari, I'm on it."
"No, you don't seem to be."
"THEN HELP ME!"
Tínbari separated from him and quickly scanned the area. After a few seconds, he said, "He's on the 70th floor of the building."
"And what floor am I on?"
"You're on the 90th floor, just twenty floors below."
"I hate architects, but I hate Desza more." Candado adjusted his tie and began to run with all his might, jumping over desks, beds, anything that obstructed his path.
When there was something in his way, he destroyed it; when there was fire, he extinguished it with his violet flame, continuing until he reached his target. But that's where things started to go downhill. Candado encountered a fire he couldn't extinguish with his powers, for two reasons: one, if he did, it would explode the building, and two, his powers would only fuel the fire further.
"Great, I'll ask for a raise next time," Candado muttered.
"What will you do? I can't control fire," Tínbari said.
"You?" Candado then took off his beret and handed it to Tínbari. "Hold this for me." He loosened his tie, rolled up his sleeves, and ran towards the fire.
"YOU'RE INSANE!" Tínbari exclaimed.
"OF COURSE NOT! I'M A GENIUS!" Candado shouted as he plunged into the flames.
Inside, it was scorching hot, and he could barely see through the roaring flames. He relied solely on instinct, avoiding standing still, as the fire would consume him, and he couldn't use his flame powers as they would only fuel the inferno. So he kept moving constantly, smashing bookshelves or anything else with his fists. After a few seconds, Candado found the way out and leaped into the room where Rem was, tied up and unconscious, likely from the smoke.
Candado drew his dagger, cut the ropes, and lifted Rem's limp body. Then, he kicked a huge window, shattering the glass and fueling the fire even more.
"Isidro, please help me," Candado called out.
He cleared his throat and jumped into the void with Rem's body in his arms. At that precise moment, Declan, who was battling Jørgen, their fight still evenly matched, saw Candado fall from a building.
"Sir," Declan said, sheathing his sword and rushing to Candado's location.
"What are you doing?" Candado questioned.
"Covering you, Anzor," Declan replied.
"As you say, brother."
Declan then stored his demon back into his spine, leaped into the void, drew his rapier, and tied a rope to it. When he was close to Candado, he threw his rapier at the building's column and swung on it until reaching Candado.
"Declan, how—" Candado began.
"At your service, sir," Declan interrupted.
But before they could reach the other end, Jørgen threw a knife, cutting the rope, causing Candado and Declan to plummet.
"Checkmate," Jørgen said coldly.
But just before they hit the ground, they stopped a few inches above it.
"Is this your doing?" Candado asked.
"No, sir, it's not," Declan replied.
And from the shadows emerged Cantero.
"Oh, you're the humanist spirit," Candado remarked.
"Yes, I saw you falling and decided to lend a hand."
"Thank you, but how do we get down to the ground?"
Cantero tapped the ground once with his staff, and both Candado and Declan landed on their feet.
"I'm glad you're here. We have an injured man among us; I'd like you to provide medical attention," Candado said.
"Right away, Candado," Cantero replied, levitating Rem's body and swiftly departing.
"Okay, Declan, I have some business to attend to with Desza."
"And I need to go back for Anzor."
"Thanks for the help."
"Don't mention it."
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Then they parted ways, each going their own route. Declan sprinted across the buildings until he reached his target, while Candado, now unburdened, unleashed all the power and rage within him, ascending the building at an incredible speed. He confronted Desza and struck him in the chest with his violet flame; the force of the impact sent him flying, leaving the others astonished by such a blow. At that moment, Tínbari appeared and placed the beret on Candado's head, giving a smile before disappearing once more.
"It's time for vengeance," Candado declared as he adjusted the sleeves of his shirt and his tie.
Candado ignited his eyes with violet flame and flew towards Desza. As Desza was getting up, he received a knee to his chest.
"FEEL THE WRATH OF HARAMBEE!"
Then Candado grabbed his leg and threw him into the air, following up with bursts of his violet fire. It damaged Desza, but he still wore a grin. Descending with all his might with his machete, but Candado halted him in mid-air. Nevertheless, Desza kicked him in the face, the blow doing nothing but showcasing Candado's serious demeanor, his eyes reflecting the violet fire.
"That's the look I wanted to see."
Candado seized him by the neck and slammed him onto the ground. Desza quickly got to his feet and began attacking, from top to bottom, left to right, but Candado stopped all his strikes. He didn't even give him a chance to defend himself, landing blows to his stomach, face, and neck.
Desza, in a treacherous move, pulled a knife from his boot and stabbed Candado in the waist. Surprisingly, Candado felt no pain, delivering a punch to Desza's face, grabbing him by the neck again, and hurling him against a wall. Then, he removed the dagger and destroyed it with his fire; the wound closed and healed on its own.
"You're a rat and a fool, you'll never kill me with your sharp toys," Candado taunted.
Desza laughed and got to his feet.
"This is very amusing."
"Your sanity is plummeting; you're no longer the same Desza who once showed commitment to the guilds," Candado remarked.
"Surprise, God opened my eyes and showed me what I needed to see. The world is evil, and evil must be punished," Desza retorted.
"I don't share your viewpoint."
"I'm the person who will save you from yourselves."
"It's foolish to think that. One doesn't change the world by killing but with good deeds. You have to lead people down the right path, not scare and kill them. You're not a savior; you're a murderer with a twisted mindset."
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Desza burst into laughter.
"Look at you, you're nothing but a person who has fallen very low. You're not a god, you're not a hero, not even a savior. You're just a poor idiot who thinks doing this will make him feel better. You're just a crazy egotist."
Desza laughed again, but this laughter was wilder than before.
"God gave me a purpose to leap for, and that's you. So all I have to do is kill you," he declared, raising his machete in the air and pointing it at Candado. "You're a demon, you're evil incarnate."
"I'm not, I would never even think of killing innocent people," Candado retorted.
"But you do think about it," Desza insisted.
"No, apparently you don't know me."
"Pullbarey, I think you've heard of him."
And out of nowhere, a person appeared beside him, a black mist.
"What?"
"Good evening, Candado Ernest Barret."
"You're the one who cursed me, who killed my grandfather."
"Candado, Candado, I think you don't understand. You stole something from me that belongs to me."
"What was it?"
"The powers you possess are rightfully mine."
"No, they're not."
"I'm going to kill—"
"You can't, my physical body is hidden. What you're seeing is a product of my power. I was waiting for Desza to utter my name to appear."
"Damned, only—"
Candado unleashed his powerful flame while manifesting his hatred, burning Pullbarey's entire body, but as he said, it did him no harm, only cutting off the conversation.
"How? You bastard."
"You'll never understand, Candado, never."
"I don't care if I understand or not, I just want to kill you."
Desza broke into laughter again.
"Candado, you and I know, on this path there are no innocents, we are all guilty, I am, but God gave me a chance to cleanse my soul."
"You're deranged, Desza."
"No, we're all deranged, I know you understand me."
"Well, what a twisted mind," Candado remarked, then he raised his fist. "You're nothing but a poor puppet of Pullbarey."
Desza laughed again and said, "Me? Of course not, I'm just the right hand of God."
"Oyik, Harry Joaquín Desza."
Then, from his fist, a violet energy emerged out of nowhere and was about to be launched at him, but before this could happen, Desza jumped into the void and fled. Candado shrugged, extinguished the energy sphere, put his hands in his pockets, and walked to where Desza had jumped. There he could see him, fleeing with his comrades, who had been defeated by Candado's and Rozkiewicz's team. Candado noticed the psychopathic smile that had caused all this havoc; he had underestimated his intelligence. Powerless, he remained dangerous to everyone. Candado turned his back and went to help his teammates; after all, the building was collapsing, so he rescued his friends and brought them to the ground, while Rozkiewicz worked on stopping the building, at least temporarily, so he could release it. At that moment, Hammya spotted Candado and ran to greet him and, incidentally, to see if he was okay. When she was close enough to him, Candado passed by, hands in his pockets, with Tínbari following to his left; he turned and flashed a smile, inexplicably giving the girl some reassurance. But as she looked at Candado's back again, her concern for him returned.
It was never known why Candado didn't pursue Desza that night, nor did he disclose the conversation he had with him. There are a few rumors; some say Candado wanted to see how far Desza would go with his madness and thus gave him another chance; others say Candado felt sorry for Desza, as they were once friends, and those in the inner circle say Candado wanted him to destroy himself. But whatever the answer, Candado didn't chase him that night and never spoke of the matter; the reason remains a mystery to all, but not to one, or in this case, one of those present at their massacre.
That same night, amidst the debris of the city of Buenos Aires, a female figure walked among the remnants of the cabin where Candado and the others fought with Desza hours before the city's destruction. The mysterious figure advanced over bricks and rocks, bending to move some stones aside and uncover a book wrapped in an old cloth.
"They're not very smart."
The woman removed her hood, revealing herself to be the same girl who had been in Nicolás's room. Then, she removed a patch matching her skin tone, revealing the tattoo of the number eight glowing in green. She opened the book, tore out a page, and smiled at the sight of the yellow full moon.
"I'm getting closer to achieving my goal."
Just as Eight achieved her goal, Cabaña, wounded and lying in bed, opened his eyes in a dark room. The only light came from the machine he was connected to, until he felt the presence of another person. Nicolás turned his head and saw Ramiro sitting there, using his cell phone.
"Hello, I see you've woken up."
Nico grabbed the respirator and removed it.
"Where am I?"
"You're at the agency's hospital. You were lucky. Not many people survive a wound like that. If it weren't for Krauser's speed and the healing powers of Cantero and Aldana, you wouldn't have made it."
Cabaña became agitated.
"And the others? What happened? How...?"
"Relax, you're still recovering. The others are fine, and everything is under control. You'll be back on your feet in three days."
Then he lay back on the bed.
"What is the agency's president doing here?"
"Keeping watch. In a few hours, your friend will come, the well-dressed guy with a balaclava on his head."
"Leandro."
"Exactly."
Nico looked out the window again.
"What could have happened outside?"
The next morning, after the police and gendarmerie arrived, Candado had ordered to assist the injured people in the city. As a display of his wealth, he compensated the entire city of Buenos Aires and every family that suffered losses, both physical and material. With the help of the Semáforos, Borradores, and some guilds, the city was rebuilt in just four days. During this time, Candado neither ate nor slept, affected by what happened that night. His friends worried to see him not moving from the hotel. He spent the four days on the balcony, seemingly staring into nothing. Hammya watched him every night, not understanding what was happening. Candado had paid for a private plane for his team, but they refused to leave without him, thus prolonging their stay. One night, as Hammya was falling asleep, Candado uttered, for the first time, a word: "We're all deranged, I don't understand. Why do you know that?" These words remained stored in her memory just before she fell asleep.
But on the fifth day, as Hammya got up, she saw Candado lying on the floor. Terrified, she ran to him and, using her powers discovered a few months ago, which allowed her to delve into memories (which she was trying to learn to understand Candado better), she could fully review the actions of that night. She also glimpsed fragments of her dream, where he was sitting amidst corpses, slowly going insane, giving the impression that he had caused it himself.
This discovery was overwhelming for her. She decided to abandon her dream and try to wake him up. When Candado opened his eyes, the sadness of his soul was evident. While others perceived him as a cold and emotionless person, she saw him as someone broken and wounded.
So Hammya, while waiting for Candado to recover from fatigue, sought advice from Walter about Candado's abrupt personality. Walter, an expert in human behavior analysis on Cantero's advice, suggested she talk to a person named Agustina Oviedo, assuring that she would be of great help in that situation. Hammya followed his advice and sought Agustina's help.
She recounted all the details of the night Candado experienced, point by point, until Agustina responded.
"The problem with Candado is that he feels completely abandoned. By giving him an enigma like that, he tries to extract a meaning that, although insignificant to us, becomes personal to someone with a broader mind like his. Typically, people like him take a phrase like that and analyze it in relation to their family environment or something related to their past. Surely, when he found the answer, he felt completely hurt. Being someone who seeks answers at all costs, it's obvious he would want to find one. But he wasn't prepared to receive an answer like that, which led his mind to defend itself by fainting."
"Sounds complicated."
"You remind me a lot of a friend named Alan. Don't worry, you're the only one who can help him. We need him now more than ever, Hammya Saillim."
These words, somehow, gave her an idea. Although Candado felt insecure about his family, and finding that answer made it worse, she decided to open his eyes and show him that he was completely wrong. At that moment, an idea emerged, and it was time to act.