*Gizon and the blue demon now faced each other. The hero hovered in the air, arms crossed, staring him down*.
"You shouldn't have messed with the trees."
"Oh shit. *muttered the demon*."
"By the sky, he speaks. Demons speak. It's not mentioned anywhere in the records. *Ezio shouted excitedly*."
"Oh really? I thought it was common knowledge. Well..."
*The demon turned around to face him, releasing a sigh in the form of hot steam*.
"I thought you didn't like nature. *he said*."
*Gizon approached and landed slowly in front of the blue demon. The size difference was enormous*.
"It's different. I like the trees in this country."
"It's just wood, pal."
"Wasn't Allen supposed to have killed you?"
"And you, Krezios wasn't supposed to have killed you?"
"Okay, correction, I killed him first, and it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't let go of my armor."
"But you're dead...."
"It happened three years after the fact."
"But you're dead."
"I said that... okay, you win."
"Like an idiot. *added the demon*."
"Do you know we're taught that he broke your armor during the fight?"
"I should pay a visit to your historians one of these days. Otherwise, can you explain your case to me?"
"Oh... You're not aware of what they did to your buddy Allen, huh?"
"I don't know what they did, but that idiot must have deserved it."
"Haha, if you only knew, you wouldn't be so grumpy. Allen and I had a rematch 20 years after the castle battle, but neither of us could gain the upper hand. He said he'd be back in 30 years, but I haven't seen him since."
"That corresponds to about the date of his death. *Ezio said*. But what is he talking about? Hero Allen died of old age."
"When I think about what they did..."
"I'm not here for you to tell me about Allen; I want you to explain why you survived, Blue Demon."
*His aura thickened, and flames began to emerge, but strangely, the blue demon didn't react*.
"Pfff, listen. I don't want to fight, okay? I just want... to leave, far from here."
"To do what, kill other humans?"
"Kill others... *he repeated to himself, surprised*. Listen, a lot has changed over time, and my hatred for humanity with it."
"According to the books, the blue demon hasn't made an appearance since the death of Hero Allen."
"Until 80 years ago. *Gizon said*."
"Until 80 years ago. *Ezio repeated*."
"Prove it to me. Prove to me that you're telling the truth."
*The demon took a deep breath and said a phrase in a low voice. Gizon immediately dispelled his aura and uncrossed his arms*.
"Is what you're saying true? How is that possible?"
"It's the truth. And look into my eyes; you know I'm not lying."
"By Gizon's fire. *Ezio swore*. I mean, by you. The Blue Demon is..."
"Shut up, kid; the adults are talking."
*He fell silent and said nothing more. The demon smiled and fixed his gaze on Gizon*.
"Listen, I see that this body isn't yours; you probably just woke up or something, but your aura isn't as threatening as usual."
"You too, 80 years of sleep seem to have softened you. I think I have a good chance."
"I have no intention of fighting. But if you don't believe me, fine."
*He roared and grew an enormous pair of wings on his back*.
"I'm waiting. *he said in a deep voice*."
*Gizon walked up to him and suddenly tapped him with the claw*.
"Hey, chill; I'm not going to fight you."
*The demon exclaimed in surprise, along with Ezio*.
"Are you serious?"
"I just wanted to confirm your intentions. You know, the war is already over, and you're probably the only one of your kind still alive. I already have a fair amount of genocide on my record; it's bad for my karma."
"The Gizon I know would have tracked me to the Chaos world and killed me and any demons he found. That's what you did with the Black Demon."
"In my defense, I mistook him for the White Demon (Krezios). *He said offended*. His name is the Black Demon; why were his hair white like snow, again?"
"He tracked a demon to the Chaos world? *Ezio thought*. I thought no one had ever set foot there."
"Anyway, you need to hurry; the psykers won't be long in coming. *Gizon said*."
"Wait, I have an idea. *said the demon*."
*Suddenly, the demon's body began to crumble, his limbs shattered, and he collapsed onto himself. Ezio started to panic, but right in the middle of the debris was a man with tan skin and black eyes with blue irises. The demon made a gesture, and they turned black and white, like those of normal humans*.
"I see, you want to fake your death, not bad. But you're butt-naked, my friend."
"You thought I had the power to be a tailor? *the demon said, unimpressed*. Come on, put some effort into it; it has to look realistic."
"Don't worry, it won't be the first time the archaeologists of this world say nonsense."
*20 minutes after Gawain's arrival at the "battle" site, Ezio, who had regained control of his body, was heading west. On the way, he had already exterminated half a dozen hordes*.
"You're pretty silent, kid."
"You let a demon escape. *he said*."
"He'll be the first. So what?"
"And then? What if he kills other humans?"
"Haha... that's not my problem."
*He suddenly stopped in mid-air, his flaming wings still shining brightly*.
"I don't understand you. You fought so hard and relentlessly for your family, your friends, your people."
"Exactly."
"So why this indifference?"
"Where are the friends, family, and parents I fought for? *Gizon said in a chilling voice*. Where are Kurt and Briska, whom I'd invite for a drink? Where is Allen, telling me to go for a ride with the prostitutes? Where is Rhadim, explaining his crazy and complicated theories?"
"I... I mean, don't you feel somewhat responsible? I mean... This world, all of this is your legacy."
"What legacy are you talking about? For me, you're nothing more than strangers, and you're no exception, kid."
*Ezio widened his eyes with sadness, but somewhere he felt reassured*.
"What's gotten into you? If you're not happy, go catch Zola yourself."
"I probably should. But first, I have to make sure Belcraft City is okay."
"Your parents, huh. You're lucky, kid; you have no idea. Take care of them while it lasts."
*A tear rolled down Ezio's cheek, a bit surprising Gizon*.
"Hey, what's...?"
"That's the first kind thing you've said to me since yesterday."
-Oh come on don't act like a little girl now.
*Then he continued on his way as the sun rose on the horizon. Ezio was now flying at Mach 2, with a scarlet aura covering him. His hair had turned flame red, and he was unrecognizable. Belcraft is a port city in a neighboring country to Zenith. They are under protectorate, but both peoples live together under a common culture. Ezio's parents went there a few years after his birth for work, but the young boy mostly lived in Zenith. With the recent turmoil, it's not excluded that Zenith doesn't have the manpower to come to Belcraft's aid, so the boy hurried there*.
"Dad, Mom, I hope you're okay."
*He had barely finished his internal prayer when his heart skipped a beat. He had arrived in Belcraft, but the scene before him was surreal*.
"This... This is impossible."
"Ooooh. So, this is a wave. *Gizon marveled*. Rhadim told me they were smaller. This one is truly gigantic."
"A rogue wave. If it crashes, it will sweep the city away. *Ezio said in a panic*."
"What, really? I suggest you grab your parents and get out of here fast."
*Below, people could be seen panicking. General panic had caused people to flee in any way possible, causing massive traffic jams. Some had abandoned their vehicles and were running on foot. Seeing this panic, Ezio tightened the weights and faced the wave in front of him*.
"Hey, kid, what are you planning to do?"
*He spread the wings on his back significantly and rushed at full speed towards the wave, which was at least a hundred meters high. The inhabitants could observe him as a bright star in the sky*.
"Hey, kid..."
*Ezio rushed towards the wave, which was now close to the port. He spread his wings over the entire coastline and at the height of the wave, forming a wall of flames. Then he extended his arms forward. The wall was light with a transparent appearance. Ezio then closed his eyes and prayed for it to work*.
"Will it be enough? *he wondered*."
*The wave crashed against him and the wall, and the cries of the inhabitants echoed. But instead of being swept away with them, Ezio felt rather good*.
"This is strange; I don't feel anything, no, I even feel stronger."
"That's because I'm letting you use all my power."
*Ezio opened his eyes and saw that his wall had become incandescent*.
"You... helped me?"
*The water that had hit the wall turned into vapor, and this vapor quickly turned into a fog that engulfed the entire city. Ezio remained amazed at the result, with a broad smile*.
"Stay focused, kid; the enemy is in front of us."
*The cause of this enormous wave was a sea dragon. Its massive body moving was the cause of this calamity. Ezio had never seen anything so enormous; in terms of pure size, the Blue Demon was a toothpick*.
"Lord Gizon. *Ezio said in a low voice*."
"Say no more, kid; you have my blessing."
*The boy smiled slightly and just said*.
"Thank you."
*Ezio stretched his arms and pulled the flames that made up the wall into his hands. Quickly, the flames became so intense that they turned white like plasma. The sea dragon on the horizon felt the aura of death and turned to flee. Ezio formed a cross with the white flames and shaped them into a giant harpoon*.
"Burning Harpoon."
*He threw the harpoon like a lance at full power. The dragon plunged as fast as possible into the ocean, but its massive body became a disadvantage. The flqme hit him at the tail, and he quickly caught fire*.
"Burn. Filthy monster. *Ezio said with a icy look*."
-That's the spirit boy.
*The flames rose at a crazy speed on the snake body, but unexpectedly, it regained composure, bit the base at the torso, and ripped it off with a simple bite. The serpent itself let out an enormous cry of pain and looked at Ezio with anger. It let its lower part burn on the water's surface, then sank into the depths of the ocean*.
"Hahaha. Tough beast. *Gizon yelled*. Yeah, that's right, run away, and don't come back."
*Ezio began to feel a sense of fulfillment with everything he had been through in just one day. A certain feeling of pride overwhelmed him... or maybe it was also the fact that his body was slowly falling apart*.
"What... What's happening to me?"
"Haha, honestly, it was fun. I almost didn't believe it, but you have a true gift."
"I... I... But what's happening to me?"
*His body had turned black as coal, and red flame veins ran through it*.
"Normal, kid; with that amount of power you've used, you should have expected this, the backlash must be terrible."
"You knew this would happen?"
"Yep."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"What difference would it make? Would you have stopped anyway?"
*Ezio smiled as his body gradually turned into smoke. He looked at his hands as they turned to ashes and had a satisfied smile*.
"In the end, it's not so bad... to die."
*He closed his eyes, and his body evaporated slowly in the wind... or not. In fact, his body solidified like a rock and collapsed at the bottom of the ocean*.
*End of the chapter*