Dan and Stella landed beside Tekio, their presences firm as pillars keeping hope standing. The heavy air of battle vibrated around them, and on the nearby horizon, Hazau was already rising again. His body, deformed and regenerated by the roots and Abyssal energy, walked toward the trio.
Each of his steps made the ground creak, and a dense pulse of energy traveled up his arms to his fists. He raised them slowly, like an executioner preparing the blade, and spoke with a poisonous calm:
— You know it's useless to fight me, don't you?
The silence was broken by Dan's firm voice. He took a few steps forward, channeling white flames into his hands. The flames roared, reflecting in his eyes, which burned with determination.
— This time, I will incinerate you completely — he said. — I've burned you once before... and I'll do it again.
Hazau let out a dry laugh, laden with scorn, and quickened his pace. His fists clenched, and suddenly, a wave of energy distorted the scenery. Beams, spears, and twisted stakes emerged from the buildings, walls, and even the ground itself. All aimed at the group—especially at Amara, who was still recovering.
But before the structures could reach them, Dan's flames exploded like a living storm. The heat incinerated every beam, every root, every stake. The fire spread in circles, licking even Hazau's body, who kept walking, even while burning.
— Your flames aren't as aggressive as the first time… you false king — Hazau mocked, even as his skin charred.
And then he charged outright.
The clash between Hazau and Dan was brutal. Dan attacked like a living tempest, his flaming blows trying to pierce the enemy, but Hazau's body divided and molded like living wood, avoiding the impact. Hazau counterattacked, punching with devastating force, but the target exploded into a curtain of flames—it was a clone of Dan.
The next instant, the real Dan appeared from the side, wreathed his arm in white fire, and landed an explosive blow that hurled Hazau against the concrete wall, shattering it to pieces.
Hazau barely had time to recover when Tekio appeared, his electrified feet cutting across the ground. He charged the enemy with an overwhelming sequence of punches, pinning Hazau against the concrete. Each impact made the building tremble. The dry sound of bones, the thud of flesh being struck, and finally, Hazau's blood streaming down the walls.
Stella narrowed her eyes, watching this intently. Hazau was bleeding. Bleeding for real.
— That's it… — she murmured, while still maintaining her healing on Amara.
As soon as she stabilized the girl, Stella ran to join the fight.
Tekio didn't stop. His blows were fast, relentless, brutal.
One. Two. Twenty. Thirty punches.
Hazau's body seemed to finally give way—but then, an absurd concentration of energy exploded from him. His form distorted into thorny beams that tore through the surrounding space. Tekio was almost impaled but managed to leap back.
Stella immediately raised her bow and fired an arrow of pure light. The projectile cut through the air and exploded against Hazau's distorted mass, undoing part of the grotesque structure.
However, when the smoke cleared, Hazau was no longer there.
The trio regrouped immediately, alert. Tekio, however, turned on reflex toward Amara, running to her and placing himself as a shield.
— This guy… — he said through gritted teeth. — He moves, molds his body, disappears, and reappears. He's problematic. His energy has form, it's malleable. We're going to have to crush him until he has no fuel left.
He looked at Stella and Dan.
— And then… we help Mei.
The air grew dense. The Veil was there, pulsating. They all felt it.
Hazau then appeared beside Dan and Stella. There was no time for words. He lunged at the two, laughing, his mouth open in cruel mockery.
Stella and Dan reacted in the same instant. The exchanged blows were too fast for ordinary eyes to see. In a fraction of a second, Stella drove her sword of light into his torso, while Dan enveloped him in searing flames.
But Hazau kept laughing. His body began to swell, vibrating with uncontrolled energy.
— Mere toys…
And he exploded.
A devastating wave of energy swept through the entire environment. The ground cracked, walls collapsed, and the flash swallowed the trio.
— DAN! STELLA! — Tekio screamed, desperate.
But as he turned, his heart froze.
Behind him, amidst the smoke, was Hazau. Intact. And in his hands, Amara—already wrapped in beams that immobilized her.
— No… — Tekio murmured, his eyes wide.
Hazau laughed, dragging Amara like prey.
Dan and Stella emerged from the smoke moments later, wounded, burned, but still standing.
— This guy… he's much harder to read than before — said Dan, spitting blood, his eyes burning with fury.
Tekio shot toward Amara, while Dan and Stella ran right behind him.
Hazau, however, positioned himself in front, blocking them like a wall of pure hatred. His eyes glowed a deep red.
— Heroes… goodness… it doesn't exist. — He laughed, his voice reverberating like thunder.
And behind him, the Veil closed over Mei, locking her in a prison of darkness.
They all felt it. It wasn't just an ordinary Veil.
It was the true Veil.
Tekio knew. He felt it deep in his soul: Amara was already in the enemy's hands… and soon, Mei would be too.
Hazau held Amara trapped within thick, living roots, the stakes of Abyssal wood snaking around her body like living chains. Desperation was stamped on her face, her breath caught, her heart racing.
Tekio took a step forward, fists clenched, eyes sparking with electricity.
— Let her go! — he pleaded, his voice choked with rage. — There's no reason for you to kill Amara!
Hazau tilted his head, laughing, his deep voice echoing through the destroyed environment.
— Deplorable situation, isn't it? The warrior who shouts so much, begging for a child's life…
Suddenly, he choked. Coughed. And spat blood.
A heavy silence fell for a moment. Hazau wiped his mouth and lifted his eyes toward Tekio, glaring at him with hatred.
— Damned… This boy…
— Can hurt you. — Stella completed, firm, her eyes fixed on the enemy's figure.
Tekio stared at her, confused, but Stella continued.
— You still haven't realized? We've all faced Hazau, but our attacks always had a limit. They only worked under specific conditions, like attempts to delay his regeneration. But you, Tekio… every one of your punches lands deep. Every blow pierces his body and strikes something beyond the flesh. It's as if you're hitting the soul. The very spirit that keeps this monster standing.
Hazau closed his eyes and laughed, ironic.
— Hah. It's true. The brat can actually hurt me. — his eyes opened, gleaming with malice. — But it doesn't matter. I can still recover. And I'll show you now, Tekio, what a true difference in power really means in combat.
Amara, who had been trying to stay firm until then, let out a muffled scream. Her eyes, once merely desperate, now widened in absolute pain. A stake sprouted from her thigh, piercing it through.
— AMARA! — Tekio shouted, the lightning crackling around his body like living chains.
He pleaded:
— STOP THIS!
The pressure of his energy made the air vibrate. Yara, inside him, roared like a chained beast finally awakening.
Hazau guffawed.
— Oh… so I've irritated the little sister inside there? What a pity, isn't it?
But, before he could drive in another stake, the ground beneath Tekio erupted. Only a crater and the howling wind remained.
In the blink of an eye, Tekio appeared before Hazau. The impact of the blow was so brutal that the monster was launched like a projectile, hurled against the concrete and destroying columns and structures in its path.
Amara collapsed, free from the roots. Tekio caught her carefully, laying her on the ground. Blood flowed from the pierced thigh. Stella immediately knelt to heal her, while Dan positioned himself beside them, providing cover.
Tekio stood up. The air around him seemed to tremble. He began to walk slowly toward Hazau, who was rising, bleeding, furious, but still alive.
And then, Tekio stopped. His eyes lost focus.
It wasn't him who perceived it. It was Yara.
An icy shiver ran down his spine.
— No… — he murmured, suddenly retreating.
He turned back to Amara and lifted her in his arms.
— RUN! — he shouted to Dan and Stella, his voice cutting through the air like thunder.
The two didn't hesitate. They didn't doubt that look. They ran immediately, following Tekio.
Hazau, however, merely widened his eyes.
— Running? At this point? — he began to laugh, mockingly, wiping the blood from his mouth. — These humans… I'll never understand. Let them run, let them despair. I'll regenerate and hunt them down again.
He raised his arms, concentrating energy. Wooden veins began to sprout from the ground and walls.
— Next time, I won't just torture the girl. I'll kill her right in front of you, Tekio!
Hazau laughed, loud, insane.
— Run! Run, you damned! I'll get all of you!
But, the next instant, he stopped.
The laughter died in his throat. His body shuddered. Even he, in all his arrogance, felt it. Too late, but he felt it.
He turned slowly.
The Abyssal dome where Dante and Mei were pulsed. The air distorted, as if the world were being sucked into a vortex.
And then, the echo.
A single word. A divine roar.
— SUN.
And the blaze came.
A colossal explosion, the sky splitting with light. An inverted hurricane took form, sucking everything into the epicenter. Lightning and white flames danced together, consuming every particle of air, every piece of matter.
The ground shook as if the world itself were about to give way.
Even while running, Tekio, Dan, Stella, and Amara felt the impact in their bones. The air was torn from their lungs. Their vision turned to pure white, and the sound became an eternal roar.
And those who didn't run… poor them. Nothing was left of them to tell the tale.
To be continued…