In the midst of Richard's home, the intense battle raged on.
Nubby unleashed a torrent of stigma energy, which coalesced into an array of tiny stigmata spears, each no larger than a pencil.
He hurled them at Richard. But Richard countered, encasing his sword and shield in a dense, pulsating stigma barrier. He too charged forward, meeting Nubby head-on.
As Nubby recognized the formidable shield surrounding Richard, he hastily leaped backward, gesticulating with his arms to direct the spears toward their target. The stigma spears surged forward, colliding with Richard's protective barrier, causing a spectacular explosion of energy.
Out of nowhere, Nubby managed to conjure a colossal stigma spear, which he hurled at Richard. The spear pierced through Richard's barrier and appeared to pass right through him.
Triumphant, Nubby exclaimed, "Yes, I got him! Hahaha, I told you…" Before he could finish his sentence, a zigzagging bolt of black lightning streaked through Nubby. When it halted, the luminous discharge converged to form a human figure.
Slowly, Nubby turned to discover that the human figure was none other than Richard. "He tracked me," Nubby declared, but before he could complete his thought, his left arm fell from his shoulder, and he too collapsed.
"You're lucky you moved ," Richard said, "That left hand of yours could have been your head."
"How…how did you escape my attacks?" Nubby inquired.
"It's simple. By manipulating stigma energy I can create a hologram or a clone. In this case, what you saw was a hologram, which is why your last attack went through it."
Nubby puzzled over the failure of his spear to penetrate Richard's shield. "Why didn't they penetrate your shield then?"
"Oh, that was a real shield. Now tell me, why are you attacking us?"
Nubby hesitated but eventually stood up and dashed away from Richard, retorting, "Like I would tell you."
"This fight is already over," Richard proclaimed. "You have only one arm left, and just so you know, I won't miss next time."
Overwhelmed by the reality of his dire situation, Nubby had a moment of realization. "Of course you are him… Richard, Richard of the Black Lightning, one of the Seventh Kingdom's Black Knights."
"Indeed," replied Richard as he added, "You have no stigma energy left. It's fading from your body, and soon, you'll be completely drained."
Turning around, Richard signaled the end. "I think I'm done here."
"Don't you turn your back on me, Richard!"
In response, Nubby channeled all his remaining stigma energy, forming a colossal stigmata spear, as large as a submarine. He was about to launch it at Richard when, in an instant, Richard vanished. Nubby felt a strange sensation, and as he glanced down, he realized it was his own blood flowing down his pants. In disbelief, he murmured, "But… I don't feel any pain."
Suddenly, Richard's sword twisted through Nubby's chest. He whispered, "Black lightning strike," and a massive bolt of black lightning scorched a hole through Nubby from his back, following the path of Richard's sword and creating a devastating impact.
No dust remained near Richard and Nubby, for the black lightning obliterated everything in its path. As Richard sheathed his sword, Nubby tumbled to the ground, rolling into a crater and landing on hot, scorched earth from the lightning strike. He lay there, breathing his last, gazing up into Richard's eyes.
"Do you feel pain now?" Richard inquired.
Nubby smiles and it slowly starts to faded along with his life.
[Center Of The Village]
At the heart of the village, Tony and Flex are confronted two man-beasts, Tago, and Gip rages on.
"We should finish this fast, Gip," said Tago.
Flex laughs, "You can't possibly think you could."
Gip, with a grin on his face, says, "Let's see about that."
Flex unleashes his elemental power. A deafening roar shatters the air, and a massive shockwave erupts, enveloping the area in a dense cloud of swirling dust.
Gip, caught off guard and stricken with fear, is stunned. "What? It can't be! How does he possess such immense energy?" Gip stammers in disbelief.
Flex taunts Gip, "You thought you could win easily, man-beast? It's time to face the consequences." Gip, seething with fury, launches a rapid assault but finds himself unable to land a single blow against Flex, who stands shielded within an invisible stigma barrier.
Mocking Gip's failed attempts, Flex taunts him again, "Feel the weight of impending defeat, Gip was it?. You're so close to your downfall." Overwhelmed by Flex's impenetrable defense, Gip retreats, his eyes betraying his disbelief. "I… I can't accept defeat!" Gip grits his teeth, refusing to yield.
With a sly grin, Flex reveals, "Shrouded in this form, my stigma emanates from my body. Despite sensing its presence, you're still trapped by my defenses."
As Gip struggles to find a way to breach Flex's barrier, Flex suddenly materializes before him, delivering a brutal kick that shatters Gip's rib cage and propels him through the crumbling remains of the village.
Gip crashes to the ground on the far side of the monolith, incapacitated. Tago, witnessing the dire situation, realizes the urgency of intervening to save his friend.
Unexpectedly, Tony swiftly joins Tago, positioning themselves back to back, ready to face each other. "Don't dare avert your gaze; your end approaches," Tony quips, while Tago, sporting a confident smile, retorts, "Don't underestimate me, human."
Meanwhile, Gip, buried beneath a cascading onslaught of debris, lies motionless, appearing lifeless. Flex, believing the battle to be won, turns away, only to feel Gip's residual stigma pressure intensifying. Wheeling around, Flex is perplexed by Gip's sudden disappearance.
"What the -?"
A swift blow lands squarely on Flex's jaw, sending him reeling. "He breached my barrier? How?" Flex grapples with the unexpected turn of events, catching sight of fleeting footsteps before another strike connects, hurling him against the monolith.
Gip reappears, transformed into a grotesque, formidable entity, declaring, "This is my ultimate form, the last sight you'll ever witness."
Gip proceeds to conjure a formidable attacks, trapping Flex in a web of invisible of mud.