In the ocean of the soul, Mordret calmly looked at the Awakened.
"Why did you do it? Why did you destroy the portal?"
His question drew a dark expression from the Awakened.
"Isn't it obvious? You're a damned monster! I'm doing my duty by stopping you!"
A sigh escaped Mordret as he shook his head in visible disappointment.
"The elders must have filled your head… have you ever questioned it more deeply? About all of this?"
The Awakened looked at him suspiciously.
"Should I? I'm simply delivering justice."
"…Did you know my father used me as a bargaining chip?"
The question, thrown like a stone into a calm lake, made silence reign.
"A bargaining chip?" the Awakened hissed. The look of disbelief made Mordret let out a low laugh.
"They told you I was handed over to a trusted ally, didn't they?"
The Awakened nodded, not understanding the point.
"Tell me, what ally? What kind of father hands his eldest son to a 'trusted' ally? Does Clan Valor even need such an ally to begin with?"
Mordret paused, the seconds stretching slowly.
"I was handed over to a beast that devoured everything. Imprisoned without a chance to defend myself. Years alone, with no one to comfort me."
He looked directly at the young man.
"And I'm a monster for wanting to escape?"
The Awakened fell silent, unsure how to respond.
"May I ask another question?" Mordret walked slowly toward him, perhaps seeking empathy.
"A-ah… sure."
Now only a few meters away, Mordret raised a hand in greeting.
"What's your name? I really want to know."
The Lost looked momentarily confused before accepting the gesture.
"My name? My name is Toshinori Ya—!"
Suddenly, Mordret lunged forward, his hands closing around the young man's neck.
The young man startled, feeling Mordret's icy hands.
"W-what?!"
A groan of pain escaped his throat as he tried to pry Mordret's hands away.
With cold eyes, Mordret murmured:
"I'm sorry, but I won't die here…"
His lungs strained desperately for oxygen.
But Mordret did not let go.
The dark surface, which until then had rippled gently like a night lake, began to vibrate beneath their feet, as if the very spiritual essence of that space was unsettled by the imminent confrontation.
The struggle continued, the two locked in a stalemate.
Until a light ignited in the man's eyes.
When the flames rose around Toshi, it wasn't just fire that appeared—it was a presence.
"…!"
Mordret swiftly stepped back without hesitation as he felt his palms burn.
Columns of steam slowly rose, forming white veils that distorted vision and created the sensation that the world itself was being cooked alive.
'A fire Aspect…' Mordret's cold eyes analyzed every variation of the flame, every instability in the combustion, every fluctuation in intensity. It wasn't just a physical attack; it was a manifestation of his opponent's soul, and that made it far more interesting.
Becoming a living flame, the Lost stared at Mordret while coughing harshly.
"Damn you… you tricked me!"
He raised a hand, forming blazing flames. His arms spread like a comic-book hero's, and then he shouted:
"Hellfire!"
It came as a continuous torrent, compressed and dense, so concentrated that the surrounding air visibly warped, creating shimmering mirages that made it impossible to distinguish distance from depth.
Mordret moved laterally with calculated precision, his feet touching the liquid surface of the ocean without sinking. Even so, the heat grazed him, burning the sleeve of his garment and leaving blackened marks on his skin.
'He just shouted the name of his attack? Ugh…'
Mordret felt every inch of his skin burn, registered the intensity, calculated the probable maximum range of the attack, memorized the recovery time between bursts.
Suddenly, he felt the water beneath him begin to boil; it was like standing in a sauna. Moving quickly, Mordret leapt from side to side, avoiding the attacks.
"Stop dodging, demon!"
Toshi advanced, wrapped in flames that now spread across his body like living armor. His steps left incandescent trails on the liquid surface, evaporating everything in his wake.
Clicking his tongue, Mordret grasped the young man's Aspect, his lips curving into an ironic smile.
"Pyrokinesis… quite useful…"
With a basic understanding achieved, Mordret relaxed his stance.
"Huh… given up on running?"
Young Toshi let out a sigh of relief, then raised both hands above his head. The flames slowly converged, forming a colossal sphere spinning upon itself like a miniature sun.
"Scorching Sun!"
The radiating heat didn't just boil the ocean—it caused the surface to crack into glowing fissures, as if the soul itself were about to rupture under thermal pressure.
Mordret lifted his gaze to the growing attack, and for a brief moment, the reflection of the flames illuminated his eyes in golden hues.
Unusually, there was no fear in them—only cold calculation, even before the infernal heat.
He waited until the exact moment when the sphere reached maximum internal instability, when the compressed energy stood at the brink of collapse.
Then suddenly, Mordret raised his right hand and, in a sarcastic tone, said:
"Solar ray."
The light that emerged from his fingers did not appear violent at first glance. It did not explode in exaggerated flashes or tear through space with spectacle. It formed as an absurdly pure, concentrated beam—thin as a line, yet dense as a blade.
When it passed through the flaming sun, there was no immediate impact—only silence.
For a fraction of a second, fire and light coexisted in absolute tension.
Then the sphere collapsed inward upon itself, imploding before exploding, and the resulting shockwave made the entire ocean rise like a liquid wall crashing down in every direction.
But it did not stop there—it surged violently toward the man.
"My Aspect?! How did yo—!"
Toshi's arm was torn off in the same motion.
"Argh!"
Clutching the stump with difficulty, Toshi groaned in pain. The burning sensation was unbearable, nearly making him faint.
The smell of burnt flesh mixed with the steam, forming a thick mist that enveloped both combatants.
Before he could retreat, a shadow appeared before him.
He slowly raised his head, cold sweat gathering on his back despite the heat surrounding him.
There stood Mordret, watching him with curiosity.
Toshi did not understand why he had not been killed yet—but he did not complain.
Carefully, he slowly knelt on the ground.
"Please… spare me…"
In silence, Mordret watched the young man kneel, placing his remaining hand on the ocean's surface.
'Damn… this makes it difficult.'
Even though his cold gaze and impassive face suggested he did not care, Mordret was still reluctant to kill the Awakened.
He seemed like a good person—someone who could save many others in the future.
Ending that Awakened felt wrong… deeply wrong. They were few compared to the world's population. Killing him here meant one less protector of the planet.
His value might seem insignificant in the grand scheme, but isn't the ocean made of drops? Each one matters.
Anxious within, Mordret raised his hand, ready to finish him.
He hesitated for a second.
"Any last words?" His voice came out peculiarly hoarse.
The Awakened lifted his head, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Only yours!"
He pressed his remaining hand against the ocean, and flames began to spread across the surface like burning roots, transforming the spiritual sea into a blazing field. It was a desperate attempt to reverse the unfavorable situation.
The fire consumed Mordret.
White steam covered Toshi's entire vision.
"I… I won!" With a roar of joy, he struck a victory pose, imitating a manga character.
"Victory for To—"
Suddenly, Mordret emerged from the explosion itself as if he had torn it apart from within, his body scorched, yet his eyes still clear.
The smile on Toshi's face did not vanish immediately. He was still trapped in that instant of triumph, breathing hot vapor, chest swelling with pride.
Then he saw.
Mordret was there.
There was no rage in his gaze, no haste. Only cold, conscious decision.
The arm moved with absolute precision.
The hand pierced through the opponent's chest with surgical accuracy, reaching the invisible core that sustained his existence.
Toshi's eyes widened—not in pain, but in understanding.
His lips moved, perhaps trying to say something. No sound came out.
Mordret felt beneath his fingers the invisible core pulsing—hot, unstable, fragile now. The essence that upheld that soul.
He hesitated.
For an interval so brief no one would have noticed—except himself.
Then he closed his fingers.
The heat exploded inward, not outward. The flames that once burned with fury now folded in on themselves, consuming their own master in a muffled, silent, inevitable glow.
Toshi's body trembled once.
Then again.
His eyes lost focus while still open, as if searching for something on the nonexistent horizon of that ocean.
With his other hand on the Awakened's face, Mordret ignited with full force, incinerating him completely.
The body convulsed for a few moments before losing strength, the movements ceasing forever.
The remaining hand fell limp. There was no scream.
No final attack.
Only the distant sound of steam dissipating.
All that remained was a charred corpse.
"Huff… huff…"
Breathing deeply, Mordret steadied himself. His entire body was scorched. If not for his reflexes, he would have been carbonized, with no chance of survival.
Silence.
When the light faded, only he remained.
'…are you happy now?'
Mordret remained silent.
The body collapsed into the ocean of the soul, but did not sink.
It stayed there, floating on its back, eyes still open, staring at a sky that did not exist.
"I… whatever, let's finish this."
He approached the body.
It was time to take it.