Lycans and werewolves were not the same. Lycans were wolf-like creatures, while werewolves have the appearance of humans, but they have the ability to transform and power up. Before they were exiled from the human world, they lived separately. Werewolves often interact with humans, while lycans hide from them because of their different and remarkable looks. They decided to unite their people when they'd been thrown into Igdris. Now, the peace they're enjoying is at stake.
People still wonder about Kharzu's imprisonment. Some of them question the emperor's reason, while others deeply respect it; for them, it was for the benefit of the empire. Kharzu's friends and party wanted to free him by challenging the emperor into a fight. Whoever wins leads the empire. The emperor and his three generals discussed this matter. They needed a resolution to fix their people's confusion.
"Are they out of their minds? The emperor didn't need to fight him for the throne," Parhatis exclaimed.
"Indeed, but what should we do to calm down the people?" Hekharold asked.
"What if we accept Heimdilfir's offer and free Kharzu? "Parhatis answered.
"That would be a shame for us! "Gaurdon responded.
"So what are we going to do about the prophecy?! "Parhatis angrily asked.
"The prophecy isn't real! The emperor already said that! "Gaurdon insisted.
"My Lord, could you tell us more about this blade prophecy that brought fear to our race for so many years? "Hekharold asked the emperor.
"I'm not quite sure either about the real origin of this prophecy thing. However, my father used to say that the blade prophecy was mere rumor spread along the Horkhun and Dalish tribes. Nobody really knows who made up that story, but they often used that to scare the young ones to stay away from whoever wields a blade. Until now, that prophecy has brought fears among our land; some still believe in it, some don't," the emperor said.
"What if it's true? Are we going to let our race be wiped out by that blade? "Parhatis worriedly asked everyone.
"We won't let that happen, never. If someone with a blade comes our way, we will protect this empire with all our might," Hekharold answered.
"That's easy for you to say! How about you, Gaurdon? What happened to your intelligence exchange with that vampire peace officer? "Parhatis asked Gaurdon.
"Well, it's kind of surprising to know that the colony is making its move against the nameless," Gaurdon answered.
"Does she mention an alliance with someone, wielding a blade? "Parhatis asked again, and suddenly Gaurdon remembered the one with whom he met Melisha in their meeting.
"No, but she said that their plan has started and it's just a matter of time to proceed to its final phase. A war might break out soon," Gaurdon answered.
"Hmp, foolish vampires, do they really think they can beat the nameless? "Parhatis said.
"I don't think so, but they don't have a choice. The nameless already had the creator's grimoire, so we can assume that the nameless already conquered the whole Igdris," Gaurdon sadly replied.
"It can't be; what are we going to do now? I knew it; the best way is to accept their offer of alliance," Parhatis worriedly uttered.
"Enough! I didn't think you could be a coward like this! "Gaurdon angrily said.
"I have made my mind; I will face Kharzu and restore peace to our people's minds," the emperor said.
"But my lord, Kharzu, didn't even qualify as a challenger; he's a werewolf. No werewolf ever challenges an emperor," Hekharold said.
"Well, there's always a first time; I think we should give the werewolves a chance to prove themselves," the emperor said.
Parhatis was about to complain again, but Gaurdon and Hekharold furiously stared at him, implying that he should never say anything.
"If that's what you want, I can arrange your duel as soon as possible, my lord," Gaurdon said.
"Thank you, Gaurdon. That's it for today. All of you, go back to what you are doing," the emperor said.
"As you wish, my lord," the three generals said altogether.
"Gaurdon, you can stay; I have something to tell you," the emperor told Gaurdon. Parhatis and Hekharold left the room.
"What is it, my lord? "asked by Gaurdon.
"You have something that you didn't tell us, right? "The emperor replied.
"What do you mean? "Gaurdon confusingly asked.
"About your meeting with the peace officer, it seems there's something you were hiding," the emperor said.
"Well, about that, I didn't think that it would be a good idea to mention this. Maybe it will complicate things even more," Gaurdon replied.
"If you say so, I will not force you to tell me anything," Zaptan said. Gaurdon felt the disappointment in the emperor's voice.
"You see, the peace officer was accompanied by a human," Gaurdon replied.
"A human, huh? And he can cause more problems for us? "The emperor curiously asked.
"Well, I think so. He wields a well-honed blade, so at first, I thought he was the one in the prophecy. But now that you told us that it's not true, I think it's just a coincidence," Gaurdon answered.
"I see, and where are they? Did they already leave the empire? "The emperor asked one more time.
"I hope so. I told them to leave as soon as they could so nobody would see them," Gaurdon answered.
"Good job. I always admire how you do your job precisely. Now you may go," the emperor told Gaurdon.
"Thank you, my lord; I'm on my way out," Gaurdon humbly responded. He made his way out of the throne room and decided to visit Kharzu from his prison.
"Look who's here; what do you want from me? "Kharzu arrogantly asked Gaurdon.
"Your followers were suggesting a duel for the throne. You against the emperor," Gaurdon answered.
"That's absurd; there's no way a mere werewolf like me could challenge an emperor. Those guys were insane," Kharzu sarcasticly replied.
"The emperor accepted it; tomorrow your duel will take place on the coliseum," Gaurdon said.
"That's surprising; I thought he would reject such a crazy idea," Kharzu teased Gaurdon.
"I don't know if you planned this, but I can see that you've changed. You're not the fang of destruction that I've known," Gaurdon replied.
"Everybody changes for the sake of others. I will save this empire from the blade, you'll see," Kharzu confidently uttered.
"Good luck; have a nice evening," Gaurdon said, then he walked away.
The night has fallen; everyone is resting and waiting for tomorrow's duel.
The day of the duel finally came. People's emotions about the event were different from one another; some were excited, while others were worried or anxious about what would happen next. At the coliseum, a lot of the audience was waiting for the two warriors. The two generals, Gaurdon and Hekharold, take their seats, close enough to witness the battle.
"Where's Parhatis? "Gaurdon asked Hekharold
"I have no idea; maybe he had something to attend that's more important than this match," Hekharold answered.
"I see. I hope he can make it. The emperor needs every support he can get," Gaurdon said.
"Your right, this match will decide the fate of the Lycan Empire," Hekharold worriedly uttered.
At last, the emperor entered the arena, and Kharzu walked in next. The battle judge introduced them.
"Stand up to show respect to the emperor, Zaptan Regur! ," the battle judge shouted, then the crowd stood up and gave respect to their emperor. Zaptan just proudly walked his way to the center of the arena.
"On the other side, our challenger, Kharzu Derunda, the Fang of Destruction! " The battle judge shouted again, introducing Kharzu, who was also walking his way to the center.
"This battle won't only prove your strength as a warrior; it can also change your fate as a corpse or an emperor. This fight will last until you die. Fight with honor; die with it! " The battle judge shouted as he commenced the battle.
The two warriors stare at each other, waiting for whoever makes the first move. Kharzu started to make a stance; he lowered his head while grinning fearlessly. The emperor composedly prepared himself for any incoming attack; he brought out his claws and extended his arm in front of his opponent. Kharzu started to attack; he jumped over the emperor and unleashed a powerful kick, but the emperor blocked it, and he followed it with a wide swing of his claws. Kharzu barely dodged the emperor's counterattack. He charged again, aiming for the emperor's leg. He kicked it with all his might, but the emperor did not move. It feels like nothing ever happened. The emperor stomped the ground violently, creating a strong shockwave that traveled to the whole coliseum. Kharzu felt it; he was in so much pain because of the impact, but he never stopped attacking. This time he aimed for the emperor's head, and with both of his hands, he wanted to smash his opponent's skull. Unfortunately, the emperor quickly dodged his attack, but the persistent Kharzu consecutively released punches and kicks that never landed.
"Is that all you got? You'll never hit me if you're that slow," Zaptan teased Kharzu.
"I didn't know you also like teasing people, but just so you know, I'm only warming up," Kharzu replied as he continued attacking.
Kharzu stopped and took a breath, then he stomped the ground, the same move as the emperor has done before but more powerful. The shockwave it produced also released a strange magic attack that dealt damage to the emperor.
"How about that? You can't dodge what you can't see, huh?! "Kharzu shouted arrogantly.
"What kind of attack was that? Is it magic? "The confused emperor asked himself.
Meanwhile, in the audience area, Gaurdon witnessed what really happened. He was quite surprised to see the emperor at a disadvantage.
"What happened? No attack should affect the emperor when he's in battle mode, right? "Hekharold asked Gaurdon.
"No physical attack should affect him, but if it's magic, it's a different case," Gaurdon answered.
"You mean, the fang of destruction uses magic? Since when? "Confused, Hekharold asked again.
"I don't know, but forget about that; the problem is, what would the emperor do against his weakness?" Gaurdon composedly said.
Kharzu started to walk in a circle around the emperor. He was smiling, as if he already knew he would win the battle.
"What are you thinking? Are you confused about how I manage to bring damage to you? "Kharzu boastfully asked.
"I should calm myself; I'm still faster than him. However, if he uses that trick again, I might be in danger, and the worst thing is, he didn't even transform into his wolf form. I should declare the pace; I won't let it end here," Zaptan told himself.
The emperor started to attack Kharzu; he unleashed a wide swing of his claws and consecutive kicks. Kharzu barely dodged some of them, but when a powerful punch landed on his face, the whole crowd started to cheer. Kharzu spat blood on the ground; his eyes were glaring with rage. He started to charge towards the emperor, but Zaptan got him first. With his claws, he scratched Kharzu's chest, causing a large wound. Kharzu kneeled down on his knees; he was in so much pain.
"That speed was amazing; no wonder you've been at the top for so long. But today, it will be different," Kharzu said as he faced the emperor.
"I think I should end this now. I have a bad feeling about this," Zaptan told himself.
"You're done! "Kharzu shouted, then he began to transform.
The audience cheered, excited to witness how the fang of destruction will destroy his foe.
"He's transforming. Kharzu is serious now," Hekharold said.
"He was called the fang of destruction, because when he's in his wolf form, his fangs destroy everything," Gaurdon responded.
"That's fearsome; how would the emperor fight such a powerful opponent? "Hekharold asked Gaurdon.
"Well, the emperor also has something on his sleeve. He's just waiting for the right time to attack," Gaurdon answered.
"I see, maybe this is the right time," Hekharold said.
Gaurdon was just quiet and watched the battle. The emperor took a stance; he was ready for Kharzu's next attack. The fang of destruction started to charge at the emperor with all his might. He tried biting Zaptan, but he was too fast to be caught. The emperor consistently dodged all of Kharzu's biting attacks, until he made a mistake. Kharzu's true intention was to corner the emperor, and then he used his howling attack.
"A howling attack? I didn't know that he could pull off such skill," Gaurdon shockily said.
"It was indeed a howling attack. Only a few of the lycans were able to use that, but a werewolf? It's quite surprising," Hekharold said.
Kharzu's howling attack affected the emperor badly; he went down on his knees, and some blood spilled from his mouth. He was glaring at Kharzu, really mad.
"Don't look at me like that. It's your fault for not knowing your opponent's capability," Kharzu teased Zaptan.
"It's not just an ordinary howl; it feels like it was mixed with magic," the emperor told himself, then he tried standing up.
"You're quite tenacious, are you? Maybe my next attack will end your suffering," Kharzu boastfully said.
He took a deep breath and prepared his next attack, but the emperor preceded him. Zaptan also used his howling attack. It was stronger than Kharzu, which is one reason he was pushed back so hard.
"The emperor's howling attack. It is stronger than Kharzu," Hekharold said in surprise.
"In addition to its physical damage to the opponent, the emperor gains additional defense. Kharzu's attack might not hurt him this time," said Gaurdon.
Kharzu fell to the ground, but the emperor wasted no time and followed it up with another attack, unleashing a powerful blow that landed on Kharzu's face. But this doesn't affect him; he tries to bite Zaptan's arm, and this time he succeeds. The emperor's hand fell to the ground after Kharzu bit his arm. Some of the audience screamed out, terrified, and some cheered for the fang of destruction.
"That's brutal; I can't watch this anymore," Hekharold said.
"You better prepare yourself; something horrible will happen anytime soon," Gaurdon warned Hekharold.
The emperor just stood still; he was facing the ground, like he was still in shock. Kharzu proudly stood up and came close to him.
"Finally, I caught you off guard. Hahaha, how does it feel to lose an arm? Don't worry, I'll cut the other one too," Kharzu airily said, then he felt threatened and stepped away from Zaptan. "What's that? It felt terrifying! "Kharzu told himself, wondering what made him step back.
Zaptan remained still, the whole coliseum wrapped in silence, and little by little, an overwhelming power petrified everyone. Kharzu couldn't believe what he saw; the true power of the emperor is truly above everyone else. When the emperor took a step towards Kharzu, a flying chariot pulled by wolves took Zaptan by force. It was driven by Hekharold, together with Gaurdon.
"This match is over; you can have the empire and your life! But remember this: we're not your enemy! "Gaurdon shouted while the chariot flew away from the coliseum.
Everyone was still in shock over what happened. Even Kharzu was relieved when Zaptan and his generals escaped.
"Is he alright? "Hekharold asked Gaurdon about the emperor's condition.
"He's fine for now. We need to treat his wound first," Gaurdon answered.
"I don't know if my ability can make it, but that kind of wound can only be treated by a healer from the Horkhun tribe," Hekharold worriedly said.
"Then that's our destination. I know you can do it." Gaurdon cheered up Hekharold.
"If you rely on me too much, I might exceed your expectations, hahaha," Hekharold replied, laughing.
The chariot continued to fly, towards where the Horkhun tribe was.