The field falls silent once more.
Dust lingers in the air. The bodies of soldiers from the five kingdoms lie scattered. In the midst of the devastation, Predator stands.
His massive sword hangs low at his right side.
Santiago steps forward first.
He stands directly before the nearly three-meter-tall figure. His arquebus is raised. His eyes lock onto vital points—the abdomen, the gaps between the ribs, the neck.
His breathing remains steady.
"Fall."
BOOM—
The first bullet shoots straight toward the abdomen.
SKLASHH—
A flash of steel.
The bullet splits in midair.
The distance between them is close. Far too close for a swing that fast.
Yet Predator does it.
Santiago does not waver. He reloads in a flash.
BOOM—BOOM—
Two more shots fire in rapid succession.
SKLASHH—SKLASHH—
Both are cleaved apart before touching his body.
Predator begins to advance.
One step.
THUD.
Santiago aims higher.
BOOM—
The fourth bullet heads for the neck.
SKLASHH—
Split again.
"Damn…" Santiago mutters quietly.
Predator is already before him.
His sword rises.
SPLASHH—SPLASHH—SPLASHH—
Several metal stones strike the blade from the side. Bartra fires his sling relentlessly, attempting to alter the trajectory of the descending strike.
Sparks flare in the air.
SKWASHH—
The sword continues downward.
Santiago throws himself aside and rolls. The ground cracks where he had stood.
He rises at extremely close range—almost within reach.
This is the chance.
His arquebus lifts.
But Predator steps forward… passing him.
As if Santiago is no threat at all.
The sword barely appears to move.
There is no wide swing.
No dramatic sound.
Yet—
BLASHH—
SKWASHH—
Two red lines appear.
The arquebus splits in two.
Santiago's body is severed in the same instant.
He falls without ever understanding how.
Grizz and Gruzz stand frozen several steps before Predator.
Their faces tense. Their jaws tighten.
"Come…" Grizz murmurs.
They attack simultaneously.
Two greatswords swing from opposite sides.
Predator walks between them.
Not running.
Walking.
His blade moves almost imperceptibly.
SLASHH—
CLASHH—
Two cuts.
Grizz falls silent.
Gruzz falls silent.
Thin lines appear across their bodies—then both collapse at the same time.
Silence.
Bartra now stands alone before Predator.
His hands tremble. His sling remains drawn. A metal stone is still clutched in his grip.
But his body refuses to obey.
"I—I…"
Predator stops directly before him.
A massive hand reaches out.
It grips Bartra's face.
Effortlessly, he lifts him and throws him aside like a weightless object.
Bartra strikes the ground and does not move again.
Now—
Only Olivia remains.
She stands several steps away from Predator.
"Bastard… who are you really?!" Her voice trembles slightly.
Yet she maintains her stance.
"I will not let this… end the way you want it to!"
Predator remains silent.
He does not raise his sword.
He does not move.
He simply stands there, open.
Olivia attacks.
SKLASHH—
Her blade cuts fully from shoulder to waist.
Blood sprays.
On the elevated ground above, Johan chokes on his drink.
"—What?!" His expression shifts in confusion.
"Yes, stay that way, you oversized beast!" Olivia steps forward again.
SKWASHH—
The second slash cuts even deeper.
Blood pours from Predator's body.
"What the hell is happening to him now?!" Johan rises, furious.
Olivia draws a breath.
"I will end this."
Her stance changes.
No longer her master's style.
Wilder. Sharper. Entirely her own.
She prepares to swing again—
But Predator moves.
No preparation.
No visible wind-up.
He passes Olivia.
SKLASHH—
A single slash.
Olivia's body freezes.
Her sword slips from her grasp.
She collapses instantly.
Predator stops several steps behind her.
Olivia coughs, attempting to crawl away, blood flowing from her body.
Predator slowly turns.
His steps echo once more.
He stands directly behind Olivia.
The massive sword rises high into the air.
His left hand extends, aiming with precision.
The blade is ready to fall.
And time seems to halt just before the final strike descends.
Jiza recalls Johan's words on the battlefield—
"As I told you, I know your weakness. The government exploits it. I know your weakness, Jiza," Johan says with a cynical smile.
"You are the Mad Warrior's disciple. You should be the world's fugitive—the world's enemy—just like him."
"Yet the government protects you from that fate, and now you are about to betray them? How pitiful. It makes no difference to me. The government has used you all this time. If you betray them, you will be declared a world fugitive. If captured, you will be executed." Johan speaks firmly.
Johan inhales and exhales.
"I will bring forth another figure from the previous generation—one even stronger than Predator. Can you face that? I do not think so."
"We shall see," Jiza replies.
The massive sword hangs in the air.
Its blade cuts through the wind, ready to descend and end Olivia's life as she crawls weakly across the ground.
But—
SWIING—
A sword flies in from the side.
CLANG!
It strikes the side of Predator's blade. The direction of the swing changes. The blow that should have split Olivia's body instead slams into the ground beside her, carving a long crack.
Dust erupts upward.
The thrown sword spins high into the sky.
Predator slowly turns his head.
Several meters away, Jiza stands.
His entire body is wrapped in bandages. His arms, neck, even his face are concealed beneath layers of cloth.
The sword falls directly toward him.
Without looking, without panic, Jiza raises his hand and catches the hilt smoothly.
"Turn around," he says calmly. "A worthy opponent stands behind you."
Predator looks at him.
Two figures wrapped in bandages.
Two shadows from different generations.
Slowly, Predator fully turns, leaving Olivia collapsed on the ground.
Now he faces Jiza.
From the elevated ground above, Johan exhales heavily.
"Damn… you act like this and expect no consequences?" he mutters irritably. "Bravery fitting your appearance."
Jiza steps forward once.
His sword lowers into a ready position.
Predator charges.
The earth shatters beneath his step.
Jiza does not retreat.
He lowers his body, stance firm, one foot forward, one behind. His blade aligns with his shoulder.
The distance between them closes in an instant.
Above, Johan slowly smiles.
His eyes gleam.
"This is it…" he says softly, then louder, filled with fervor, "the true spectacle has begun!"