The moment Reno realized it, the mental assault on his mind ceased.
He barely managed to dodge the pillar that had been meant for him.
The beam slammed violently into the ground, instantly scorching the surface. But with no victim to consume, it withdrew almost immediately before Reno's astonished eyes.
As he retreated, he grabbed Rita and pulled her clear of the beam that had been descending toward her.
The instant he touched her, Rita snapped out of her trance.
Startled, she immediately demanded:
"Shit, what's happening?"
Reno raised his voice so she could hear him over the chaos.
"It's not divine judgment, Rita. It's just a cheap imitation made by the magician. He's screwing with us."
"What about our people?"
"Yeah. The imitation's pretty convincing. But I had my doubts. If that thing really wanted us dead, you and I wouldn't still be standing here talking."
A dark expression crossed Rita's face as Reno carried her through the battlefield.
"And to think we believed we were the strongest people in the world."
"We are, Rita. We are."
His eyes hardened.
"That bastard isn't from this world."
Reno zigzagged between the columns that were crashing down on each warrior, who was mesmerized by the being's light. Each one was absorbed by the angelic being's light, and as soon as the column touched them, they gradually disappeared, disintegrating.
Reno saw no way out, dozens of beams fell every second and the capital was lit up from all sides as death followed ecstasy.
The situation was hopeless.
"How do we get out of this?" he asked.
Rita thought for a moment.
"If it's only an imitation, then it won't last forever. Especially since he told us he was limited, and I want to believe that."
A faint smile appeared on Reno's face.
"Good."
He continued leaping from one safe space to another. Like a predator weaving through a forest of death. Every landing had to be precise. Every jump had to avoid the next descending beam.
Around him, he watched warrior after warrior disappear into the light.
Women. Men. Even teenagers.
His thoughts drifted to his children. Were they safe? He prayed they were. At least he was reasonably certain the attack was confined to the capital.
Then he thought of his men. The few who remained.
There was no saving them. Not if they refused to move. And so he watched them die. One by one.
A beam descended upon the last of them. The warrior vanished like all the others. Erased. As insignificant as the countless enemies Reno himself had crushed beneath his strength throughout the years.
The pain was distant. Not because he did not care. But because survival demanded every ounce of his attention.
Still, each death stabbed at something deep inside him.
Once upon a time, Reno had lived only for battle. There was no room for hesitation on the battlefield. He fought alone. And because he fought alone, he never had to mourn allies.
But when he met Rita, that changed; he was no longer afraid of losing anything because his wife was strong—stronger than anyone else. So he could fight by her side for the rest of his life; he could draw on her strength alongside someone who could keep up with him. And those were the freest days of his life.
Then Rita became pregnant. His first true weakness. He stopped being merely a king.Stopped being merely the Ogre. And became a father as responsible as he knew how to be.
In the end, he had accepted that weakness and discovered it was not weakness at all. He had learned to care about people weaker than himself. He had learned to fight as part of a group. To celebrate victories together. To build something larger than his own strength.
Reno had grown.
While the world admired him, he had slowly learned to admire the ordinary people around him.
He had always known that one day, even with him standing among them, there would be losses.
But when that day finally arrived, he discovered he was not ready for it.
He then thought about the leader of the Valon clan. Armes was probably there, somewhere in this city. For a disturbing reason he did not want to accept, he thought that bastard was still alive.
The columns kept falling cruelly onto the ground. Swallowing the life of every person present. The sky tore apart and then reformed, and the angel kept watching them with its sad gaze.
Only Reno and Rita could see the expression of satisfaction on its face.
Reno cursed it inwardly. He cursed it with all his being.
Then, as soon as he finished doing so, strangely, the columns suddenly stopped falling.
The darkness completely returned over the arena of Nozras as the illuminated being stopped emitting its light.
Reno could not see anything anymore, and he obviously doubted that it was his curse that had saved him from this desperate situation.
"What is he doing?"
Then, in answer to his question, the black clouds slowly dissipated. Natural light returned to the arena. Every warrior regained their senses and could see that many of their comrades were missing. Indeed, out of the tens of thousands of warriors present in the capital, only 401 remained. Enough to make anyone who understood numbers shiver. Every warrior looked around in utter confusion. Comrades were missing, allies, enemies, opponents...
Some then remembered their allies being disintegrated and began to scream. Like an old trauma resurfacing. Thus, screams rose through the capital.
It sounded like hell.
Each scream added an unpleasant note to the already extreme situation, worsening the mental state of those who remained...
But Reno did not take his eyes off Orubos.
The magician had reappeared in the air while the majestic angel had disappeared. His presence in the sky was far less impressive, but given the spectacle he had just shown, Reno felt immense fear toward him.
He still tried to maintain his determined expression and his anger.
After all, why would he be afraid of a mere magician? Because he made columns of light fall, disintegrating everyone they touched? Yes, he was extremely afraid of the magician after that. After all, both beings probably came from the same place.
A place beyond his understanding where the rules were surely different and power had no limits. He feared that world, and he feared the day he would have to face it.
However, that day had come sooner than expected, and here he was, facing a man capable of annihilating him.
He tightened his grip on Man-Eater, which suddenly looked less impressive. His hands were sweaty and his heart was beating wildly. These were the signs of a man under stress.
Orubos calmly descended from the sky, a proud smile on his face. He landed gracefully and shook his black robe as if brushing off dust.
Reno looked at him, his gaze as dark as his anger, and said:
"Was that your best move, magician?"
Orubos, however, remained calm and looked at Reno with the same amused expression.
"Don't be ridiculous. I can see that you're afraid. In truth, what I just did was impressive, yes, but not my best. In my full strength, I snap my fingers and you disappear, warrior."
Reno swallowed hard. For one reason, he believed the magician, but for another…
"So that means you can't do it, and I can even say that was truly your best move right now, wasn't it?"
Orubos slightly frowned.
"Yes. What you will see next will probably be less impressive. But how do you feel after witnessing such power? Do you still think you stand a chance against me?"
Reno knew well that the chances were slim. He knew well that his sword was weak compared to this man. That his strength could not destroy him. That his rage could not kill him. But it was no longer a question of knowing or not. It was a question of trying. Because the chances were slim but not zero. As proof, he was still alive after forcing the magician to use his best move. He was still alive after seeing a celestial apparition, even if it was only a copy.
Reno believed in his chances, but he also thought about his men being disintegrated. About the terrifying spectacle it had been, and the screams echoing through the capital.
What if that attack had been only slightly weaker than the next one? What if that wasn't his only celestial imitation? What if he lost even more people? Like… Rita?
Reno's hands were extremely sweaty.
Until now, he had imagined an easy victory, without loss or remorse. But after seeing that, he realized he would inevitably lose something—and since there was nothing else to lose here besides his own body, what he might lose could very well be his companion.
But he knew she hadn't left. She wasn't going to let him die in her place.
Reno gritted his teeth, a knot in his stomach.
"Damn Armes."
If only he hadn't listened to the Valon clan leader. If only he knew what the heavy tribute was.
If only…
"No, it's too late to turn back. I'm going to wreck you, that's all."
Reno extended his arm, and the sword weighing more than a hundred and fifty kilos followed.
Orubos saw his aura shift slightly. Although a bit hesitant, the ogre seemed ready to face the magician.
It was no longer the same fiery spirit as at the beginning. It was a completely different man standing before him.
"I see…"
Orubos also extended his hand, ready to cast a spell. They faced each other under the sunlight that was slowly returning over them and over the capital.
A natural sun, not a celestial one.
A nearly normal man, and a magician from another world.
"…may the best win."