*Ystir Kingdom - East Gate - (Minutes before the start of the battle)*

  Kassie was away from everyone, her body trembling, the gate was being opened and she didn't know\... if she was ready for this.

  "Move forward and take your positions!" shouted Ririam, and all the knights advanced quickly with the war machines in front of them.

  "?Don't be afraid... Because I'm here...!" added Ann, trying to encourage them with her voice and flying close to them.

  "What do I do? I'm trembling..." Kassie was looking at the ground, her hands were trembling uncontrollably. "No! I must be strong!" She clenched her fists and took on a determined look. "Mei trusts me, everyone trusts me... I must do it!" Suddenly, her red gem shone, she looked at it for a second and her retina reacted... Several images passed through her mind; a werewolf with a purple aura, fighting with Louis and defeating him... Then the kingdom, being destroyed from within, and an image with the silhouette of a tall man, saying goodbye.

  Kassie came back from her trance, hearing the shots of the war machines. The gate was being closed. "It can't be... It was supposed to not work anymore... Brother?" Kassie looked one last time outside... before the gate closed. "Louis..." She looked back and began to run toward the center of the kingdom, while pulling out her communicator.

  The violet shield began to cover the entire kingdom. "Come on, Louis...".

  "Kassie?..." Someone else could be heard taking the communicator and hitting Louis.

  Upon hearing this, Kassie stopped, worried. "Louis! What's going on?!".

  "Why did he do that?!" shouted Louis, and the transmission was cut off.

  "No, not again..." Kassie continued running with the communicator in hand, her face only showing concern and fear for a memory from the past.

  *Ystir Kingdom - South Gate - Present*

  The war machines kept firing at the shields without stopping for a single moment. Both the machines and the shields were quite worn out.

  "It's time to activate the boxes!" said one of the wolf leaders, and instantly two groups of three wolves began digging tunnels forward. They carried a golden, very old and worn-out box.

  Mei was watching from behind the electric walls with Xitlari on her right. Her communicator rang and she answered, taking an earpiece from the communicator. "What's going on, Kassie? Are you okay?".

  "I'm fine, but Louis isn't... Something is happening in the center of the kingdom, someone snuck in!" she responded through the communicator while running with all her might.

  Mei was surprised by the response, slightly opening her eyes and mouth. "Wait, wait, what do you mean someone snuck in!? Are you sure about that?".

  "My gem gave me a vision, something is going to happen or rather is already happening!" Kassie's words unsettled Mei, as the shots of the war machines could be heard.

  "I'll tell Mern to go to the center of the kingdom immediately. Are you heading there? Do you see anyone from Zthur or hear anything?" Mei began to pace back and forth, worried about the situation.

  "Yes, I'm on my way and no, I don't see anyone, but I did hear some impacts," Kassie responded without stopping for a second.

  "Alright, I'll let Mern know. If you can talk to me when you're there, tell me if there's anything about Zthur." Mei took her communicator and wrote a message to Mern.

  "Understood." Kassie cut the transmission and increased her speed.

  "They're digging a tunnel," mentioned a knight who had his hands on the ground, along with four other knights.

  "Don't let them take ground!" shouted Mei, and the knights used their magic to attack the tunnels.

  The two groups of wolves were attacked by several hands of earth under the ground and their tunnels were being closed.

  "This is it!" shouted one before starting to be suffocated. "Do it!" added the other, trying to help his partner, but the hands were grabbing and hitting him.

  "Here it goes!" The third werewolf opened the box, and a structure came out of the ground. It was made of old rock with several ancient symbols (like hieroglyphs), with an entrance to a completely dark place. The other team also managed to activate the box, creating the same previously mentioned structure. The groups of wolves came out of the ground and returned behind the Jhotlyn shields.

  From the structures began to emerge beings with their heads completely bandaged. They wore white and black robes and carried many types of cutting weapons.

  "What is that?! Din, look to the south! What the hell are those things!?" asked Mei, surprised, through the communicator.

  Din looked in the book, flipping several pages. "Let’s see... Ancient structures... It’s a Ritiut box, also from the ancient age. They summon several soldiers who were cursed... Oh God! You have to destroy them immediately! If you wait too long, more powerful creatures will come out."

  "Understood, inform the others!" Mei approached the controllers of the war machines. "I want those structures taken down immediately!".

  "Right away!" they all responded, and all the war machines aimed at the two structures, but several Jhotlyn shields were placed in front of the structures.

  "Damn it, they removed the shields and placed them in front of the structure... Keep the 10 war machines firing and add ten more, the rest eliminate every being that gets close!... Knights, prepare to go to the battlefield, we must destroy those structures. A group commanded by Xitlarí will go!" All the controllers followed the orders and the knights began to come out of the electric walls with Xitlari at the head.

  *Center Of The Kingdom*

  Tension filled the center of the kingdom. Louis was looking at Gilbred, who smiled sadistically, and he was running out of options to get out of this.

  "How is it possible? How did he take away my magic?" thought Louis, looking at his katana in the distance. "I have to stay on the sidelines, until Mern arrives. I'm sure he must be coming." Louis searched all around for Gilbred's companions, but they were nowhere to be seen. "I hope he took down those two quickly."

  Gilbred began to run on all fours and Louis headed toward his katana, trying to run as fast as possible.

  "Why don’t you face me without weapons or magic?!" shouted Gilbred, furious, running after him.

  "No one will follow your rules just because you want them to!" replied Louis, about to pick up the katana.

  Gilbred growled before managing to reach him and land a blow that sent him flying until he crashed into a bench and through a house wall.

  Louis tried to hide there, a bit sore from the blow. "Yes, he's getting stronger... What’s going on?!".

  "In the ancient age, everything was solved with punches! And it was totally fair... Without weapons or magic!" he implied as he approached the house.

  "That you stay stuck in the past isn’t my problem! Everything changes, and those who don’t change... fall," commented Louis, knowing a truth told to him long ago.

  "Nonsense!" Gilbred went through the wall, and instantly Louis punched him in the jaw and then elbowed him in the left side... Gilbred barely flinched. He grabbed Louis by the face and smashed him against the remains of the wall, making them fall completely. Louis tried to break free, kicking him in the snout, and Gilbred threw him upward, breaking through the roof of the house. He jumped after him, smiling sadistically. They both began exchanging blows as they fell, but Gilbred had complete advantage... Before hitting the ground, Gilbred grabbed Louis tightly and put him below him, making him take the full impact of the fall. The ground cracked massively, and without giving him a break, Gilbred raised both hands and delivered a brutal blow to Louis' face, but a blue shield stopped his hit; this shield completely covered Louis (the Grión shield). Desperately, Gilbred began punching again and again with both hands.

  The shield was cracking more and more. "What do I do? The shield won't hold..." he thought, looking side to side, trying to come up with something, but... nothing came to mind.

  "It’s over... Victory is mine!" he shouted, preparing to destroy the shield and strike Louis' face at the same time... with all his strength, so much that the veins in his hands bulged.

  "Of course not!" shouted Kassie, launching a great torrent of water that sent him flying.

  "NOOO... DAMN BASTARD... THE VICTORY WAS ALREADY MINE!" Gilbred punched the ground, almost creating a hole. "HOW DARE YOU?!" He was so furious that small purple veins marked strongly in his eyes. Kassie stood in front of Louis and Gilbred ran at her with uncontrollable rage, but Kassie used her water magic to stop him... Gilbred extended his hand in front of him, managing to block the water and get closer little by little, then Kassie used the water falling to the ground and managed to trap Gilbred, freezing him from head to toe.

  "Louis!" Kassie knelt down and the Grión shield disappeared. "Are you okay?".

  "I'm fine, thank you, Kassie" said Louis with gratitude, sitting and trying to recover.

  Kassie looked at Gilbred, who was still frozen. "Where did he come from?".

  Louis got up and went toward where his katana was. "I don't know\... You should let Mei know, my communicator got damaged".

  "Sure, I’ll do it now" Kassie got up, took her communicator and sent a message to Mei.

  "Magic, how unfair... If it's not with magic, they can't defeat me... My whole life I've spent collecting objects, watching how the Ancient and Dark Ages disappeared, watching the kingdoms grow\... Watching how my loved ones died and how the person who gave me new hope died... And from being feared I became a Nobody, anyone could mock me, even the smallest human... I could only take it out on someone who didn't deserve it... I DON'T WANT TO BE A NOBODY ANYMORE!" Suddenly Gilbred began to release a greater purple aura, his body began to grow, shattering the ice and reaching two and a half meters.

  "Do you think that just because you have magic you're better than me?..." Gilbred's face showed nothing but contempt and a murderous glare.

  "Get away from him!" shouted Louis, and Kassie jumped far back. Louis grabbed his katana and ran toward her.

  "Whatever magic you have... you're not... BETTER THAN ME!" he shouted, howling so loudly that several windows of nearby houses shattered and broken glass crashed to the ground with a thunderous sound.

  *Kingdom of Ystir – South Gate*

  The knights and Xitlari advanced with the war machines, destroying the creatures coming out of the structure.

  "Are all the boxes in place?" asked the wolf leader who wore a golden bracelet on his shoulder.

  "All of them, it's been confirmed, but... apparently the knights went out to destroy the ancient tombs. We must take advantage and finish off most of them before the Jhotlyn shields stop working," replied another wolf leader with a silver bracelet. He was also holding a mirror as green as an emerald.

  "Then, it's time to activate the object Gilbred gave me," the leader with the golden bracelet pulled from his pocket a round object, black and white, with the moon in the center. "Let's hope this doesn't ruin his plans, but we must do it or we'll lose." He tied it with a cord and began to spin it forcefully.

  "Minilia, your wolves need your help, bring us... the MOON!" The wolf threw the object into the sky with all his strength. It began to glow and then made the entire sky darken as if it were night... The moon became full and looked as if it had moved closer to Earth; all the werewolves received a boost of strength and were ready to enter the battlefield.

  "Now what...?" said Mei, and all the knights stood alert to what was happening.

  Mei watched as darkness took over the entire battlefield... until she got a call.

  "Mei, I don't know where they got this object from, but I don't think I need to explain what it does... that thing existed 450 years ago, in fact, it's not in the Book of the World... I heard about it from the witch Galia," said Din with awe as he looked at the sky and the moon through binoculars, with several books on his desk.

  "How long does this object last?" Mei didn’t seem intimidated, her expression was firm, serious, and ready to go to the front as well.

  "An hour... Mei, I’m starting to think they’re not with Zthur, they might be the same ones who attacked us 20 years ago." As he said this, Din was sending the information to the others through his communicator.

  Mei put on a crystal mask that covered her whole face. "Either way, we need to stay alert, I don’t want a surprise attack." Mei stepped out of the electric shields with several knights who put on the same crystal mask. "Din... launch the Joshquach if necessary, when Zthur shows up."

  On the other side of the field, the wolves were also ready to fight. "It’s time, wipe them out and use the fallen warriors to take more ground!" shouted the werewolf with the golden bracelet, holding the emerald mirror.

  "Everyone, get ready, take advantage of Rhy's sweep and don’t hold back!" shouted Mei before starting to run toward battle.

  "For the kingdom!" shouted the knights. Each had their own weapon; some, elemental weapons; others, pistols, shotguns, spears, gloves, and swords of silver and plasma.

  *East Gate*

  Ririam had all the knights ready to go into battle, all wielding their weapons and already wearing the crystal masks. "Use everything you have available, remember we have plenty of resources... Charge!" Ann flew high and began to launch several explosive bombs that floated around her thanks to her magic. All the knights and Ririam ran toward battle after smoke grenades were thrown, which spread quickly.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  *West Gate*

  "Support each other, remember you're fighting for your families, don’t let any of you die... I’ll go ahead with Caspian so all those who were linked can receive his support magic. Those same ones will follow with Jazmín. Now, in the name of Ystir... TO BATTLE!" shouted Reck, wielding his sword and charging a reddish-brown aura in his hands, thanks to his impact magic.

  Smoke grenades were launched and everyone ran toward the battlefield with determination and courage, ready for anything.

  All the werewolves from the south, east, and west began to run toward the knights while dodging the shots and magic being cast at them. The werewolves howled loudly as they ran on all fours toward the knights.

  Suddenly, from the ancient structures came several two-meter-tall beings with golden skin, wielding golden spears adorned with golden scarabs.

  *Center of the Kingdom*

  Back in the center of the kingdom, Gilbred was running on all fours, dodging the ice blocks Kassie was throwing. She was also running alongside Louis to keep distance. Gilbred was starting to go much faster and allowed some ice blocks to hit him, but none could stop his advance. Surprised, Kassie created a large ice wall and giant water arms that held Gilbred, and the ice wall fell on top of him.

  "Well done, Kassie, but I doubt that will stop him. We need to buy more time for Mern to arrive," said Louis beside her, katana in hand.

  "You think I can't defeat him?" asked Kassie, briefly looking at Louis.

  "No, he managed to regenerate the wounds I made with my magic and now he's much stronger. Not even together can we beat him, unless I recover my magic," replied Louis seriously, with no doubt in his words.

  "What? What do you mean recover? YOU LOST YOUR MAGIC!?" Kassie was shocked by what she had just heard, but their conversation was cut short.

  From the rubble, Gilbred emerged, roaring in fury. "You're just making me WASTE TIME!" Completely unharmed, Gilbred kept running toward them. Kassie created a side platform that sloped upward. She and Louis began to run on the platform, and Gilbred, tired of chasing them, destroyed the platform with one blow. Kassie created an ice slide, and as they slid down it, she made the ice from the platform fall on Gilbred, creating a loud crash as the ice shattered.

  Now on the ground, Kassie and Louis stayed alert for when Gilbred would emerge.

  "I’ll have to go stealthily..." whispered Gilbred as he watched them from within the ice rubble.

  "Mern is taking too long, maybe we should..." Louis hinted, but was interrupted by the sky darkening. Louis and Kassie watched as the moon turned full and moved closer to Earth.

  Gilbred let out a gasp of surprise. "No... I must hurry!" Quickly, Gilbred took advantage of the distraction and shot out of the rubble at great speed... and slapped Louis, sending him crashing through a house's entrance. Wasting no time, he attacked Kassie with his claws. She tried to back away, but it was too late... her Grión shield activated and absorbed the attack. Kassie fell to the ground and Gilbred approached her.

  "This thing again..." Gilbred began to press the shield with one hand, cracking it.

  Kassie started to gather a large amount of water and Gilbred pulled out with his other hand the ancient object he possessed. It emitted a high-pitched sound wave and erased all of Kassie’s gathered magic. "What?" Kassie was stunned, unable to use her magic. She could only watch as Gilbred destroyed the shield.

  "I hoped to use it on the paladin Reck or the yellow wind girl, but honestly, I’m running out of options." Gilbred threw the object to the ground and it shattered, but a grayish layer began to spread across the center of the kingdom and beyond, stopping at the walls and trapping several houses and buildings inside the barrier. "With this, no one can help you and I’ll finally have my victory." The Grión shield was cracking more and more... But suddenly a large square pillar emerged from the ground, striking Gilbred and lifting him into the air, and then many more pillars hit him, slamming him into the ground.

  "Good thing I got in before that thing closed," said Mern with a smile. "Are you okay, Kassie? Where's Louis?"

  Louis exited through the house’s entrance he had passed through. "Here... I am. Ouch... that hurt." He walked toward Mern and Kassie, sore from the hit. "What is this barrier? And why is the moon out at this hour!?"

  He moved a little closer to where Gilbred had crashed. "Looks like these guys have some very old artifacts, but one like this... Come out already, beast!" Mern shouted with a determined expression, showing he was ready for battle.

  "Golden Gyverna... very tough, but with this strength it won’t be enough," he thought as he removed the pillars from on top of him. "How do I do this...? He won’t let me get near Louis and he’ll probably recover his magic in a few minutes... I must try to knock him out and that’ll count as a win, but he’s so tough... What?" Gilbred fell to his knees. "What’s happening!?" He began screaming in pain and his body released an even stronger purple aura and started to grow. His coat fell to the ground and he was left wearing only a loincloth.

  "This doesn’t look good..." Louis said, seeing how Gilbred reached a height of three and a half meters. Kassie was speechless, and Mern’s expression full of determination didn’t change.

  Gilbred was breathing heavily after the transformation was over. "The plumorium... must’ve caused this... I have to do it, I was so close. I must at least defeat Louis and the victory..." Gilbred thought while breathing hard. "Will be ours!" he shouted as he stood up from the ground.

  "Stay back... I’ll take care of this..." said Mern, throwing his coat at Louis and Kassie. "Now you’ll fight me!"

  "You... just like the other one... You’re just in the way!" Gilbred threw a piece of debris at Mern, but he smashed it with a punch... Then Mern struck the ground and a large square pillar shot out of it and headed toward Gilbred... He managed to stop it and, pushing with all his might, shattered the pillar.

  "That was 40% pure Gyverna... and he broke it with little effort." Mern touched the rune on his chest, never taking his eyes off Gilbred.

  "Gyverna used to be way tougher if I remember right. Could he... make it tougher? Doesn’t matter, I must ignore that and defeat Louis!" Gilbred looked toward Louis and then blinked for a second. Mern appeared in front of him and punched him in the jaw using a golden Gyverna glove. It made him stumble back several steps. Furious, Gilbred howled with all his might and many house walls shook, but Mern just stared at him, unafraid and unbothered.

  "Think you’re tough? Mages... Are not tougher THAN ME!" he shouted and slashed with his right claw. Instantly, a giant Gyverna hand appeared and blocked the attack, grabbing him and dragging him along the ground, leaving a massive trail. Then it slammed him into the ground multiple times, creating a huge crater. Around Mern, more square pillars emerged and rushed toward Gilbred. The hand turned him to face forward and his face began to get pummeled by the incoming blows.

  "Looks like I won’t need your help, Mark." Mern had one pillar choke Gilbred while the blows kept hitting his face.

  "Enough already!" Gilbred shouted, trying to free a hand to remove the Gyverna from his neck. "Bast...ard!" Again, Gilbred released more purple aura and his body grew even larger. The hand holding him and the choking pillar shattered; same with the square pillars hitting his face. Gilbred now stood at five meters tall. His breathing was once again erratic from the transformation. "This isn’t normal... Did the second dose I took really affect me that much...?"

  Mern was surprised by this, his eyebrows raised a little and his eyes opened slightly, but he returned to his determined expression. "How is he getting so big?" Mern extended his right hand and summoned Mark.

  Mark yawned and immediately began growing as well. "Hey! What’s going on? Oh... A giant werewolf! What the heck happened and what is that barrier?"

  "Calm down, even I don’t know what’s going on with that wolf. Focus on defeating him before he gets bigger," Mern replied while continuing to grow Mark until he reached five meters tall.

  "Alright, time for action!" shouted Mark excitedly, cracking his knuckles. "And I thought I wouldn’t fight anyone in the war."

  Gilbred had already caught his breath and took a fighting stance. "That magic’s even better than the two the girl had... Would’ve been better to take his magic instead."

  "What’s wrong, little wolf? Come closer! I’ll give you a proper beating," said Mark, throwing several punches in the air, and instantly Gilbred lunged at him. "Hey, get off me, bastard!" Mark tried to push him off, but Gilbred was gripping his neck. "He’s really strong!"

  "Stop fooling around!" Mern created a pillar to gain height and made a huge jump toward them and punched Gilbred in the eye. He screamed in pain and loosened his grip. Then Mark grabbed him by the torso and slammed him into a building, completely destroying it. "Mark! Why did you do that!?" Mern put his hands on his face, incredulous at what he’d just seen.

  "I had to get him off me," replied Mark, raising his hands and pointing at Gilbred.

  "You could’ve slammed him in the center of the kingdom and avoided damage! Well... at least it’s a war, so Mei won’t scold me," he said, slightly easing his anxiety.

  "I’ll try not to damage the buildings, but I can’t promise anything." Mark was instantly kicked in the face with a double strike that sent him flying and crashing into a building.

  Mern once again stared in disbelief at how another building was destroyed and then turned his gaze to Gilbred. "Hey, those are people’s homes, damn mutt!"

  Gilbred got up from the ground and destroyed a nearby house with one of his claws. "I don’t care, I came to tear apart everything you’ve built!"

  Quickly, Mern created his Gyverna armor, added boosters, and launched himself at full speed toward Gilbred. He managed to punch him in the jaw, making him stumble and almost fall backward, but he managed to stay standing and began slashing at Mern with his claws. Mern dodged them with ease, then created a sword and cut off four fingers from each of Gilbred’s hands. Gilbred winced in pain and could only watch as purple blood spilled from his hands, but his fingers regenerated quickly.

  Mern backed off to witness this. "He regenerated them almost instantly... We need to kill him quickly or he might get even stronger." Mern moved toward Mark.

  "Argh... damn, my head." Gilbred pressed his head with both hands. "Every time the plumorium does something... I feel like I’m losing my mind."

  Mern reached Mark and stood on his shoulder. He was on his knees, rubbing his head. "Mark, get up! We have to finish him."

  "I’m going... Didn’t you see the hit I took?" he said, getting up from the ground and then running toward Gilbred. Seeing him approach, Gilbred also ran toward him. Mern split off from Mark and he collided fists with Gilbred, creating a massive shockwave that shook the ground and nearby houses. They continued trading punch after punch; with each hit, a thundering sound rang out that made the ground tremble.

  Taking advantage of the distraction, Mern created several giant Gyverna blocks that wrapped around Gilbred and started forming an armor. Mern approached, touched the armor, and several spikes pierced Gilbred’s body from within... He began screaming in pain; he fell to his knees, trembling uncontrollably. Mern touched Mark and made his elbow form several spikes. "Finish him!"

  "Alright...!" Mark made a huge jump and came down with his elbow aimed at Gilbred’s head. "HERE I GO!" As he landed on him, a massive shockwave created a dust curtain and many pieces of the ground flew out, crashing into houses, and the ground at the center of the kingdom cracked entirely; nearby houses collapsed from the impact. Louis stabbed his katana into the ground and held Kassie to keep her from flying away, shielding her with his body.

  After everything settled, the dust began to slowly fade away... revealing Gilbred’s condition.

  "What incredible power..." Louis was stunned by what Mark had done, and many doubts and thoughts filled his mind.

  "I’m awesome, hahaha!" Mark clenched his fist, looked at it proudly, and was filled with ego-boosting joy.

  Gilbred’s head was completely dislocated, his jaw in pieces, and purple blood was dripping from it.

  "Mark..." Mern fell to his knees upon seeing all the destruction caused by Mark. "Mei’s going to kill me... I can already imagine her saying I had the right magic to prevent this from happening."

  "Mern, look! He’s totally wrecked, hahaha" Mark looked extremely excited, poking Gilbred’s body a bit.

  "You could’ve just hit him hard! Why the hell did you jump that high?!" Mern yelled angrily, flying up to him using his booster.

  Mark's excitement and happiness turned into sadness and remorse. "I'm sorry..." Mark looked at everything his attack had caused and the only thing he could do was lower his head.

  Mern sighed and walked over to where Louis and Kassie were. "Are you two okay? And my coat?"

  "Yeah, we're fine..." Louis replied, pulling his katana out of the ground.

  "Here's your coat." Kassie handed him his coat, and both Louis and she remained silent.

  "Do you know how he got in?" Mern asked as he put on his coat.

  "When I got here, he had the form of an old man along with two others; it seemed they were wearing masks, but I don’t know how they got here," Louis replied, sheathing his katana.

  "Masks... That purple aura gives me a bad feeling. We have to inform Mei." Mern pulled out his communicator and tried to call Mei. "The communicator isn't responding... The barrier... should already be gone."

  Suddenly, behind them came the sound of a heartbeat, and Gilbred's body began to restore itself... His jaw reconstructed and his head returned to its place... His entire body regenerated its wounds and grew again... now he was ten meters tall. Gilbred let out a mighty roar and many pieces of debris went flying, and the ground completely shattered; Mark shielded the three of them from the rocks, putting his arm in front of them.

  "This... must be a dream," said Louis, unable to believe what he had seen; he tried to stay calm, but a hint of fear was visible on his face.

  "How is he still alive...?" Kassie's eyes were completely filled with surprise and fear. She began to tremble; she seemed like she would go into shock.

  "This is impossible..." said Mern, completely baffled. "We must finish him quickly. If he keeps getting stronger, he'll kill us and the barrier will open... I'll need your support. Kassie, I need you to freeze his heart after Mark destroys his chest." Kassie didn’t respond, she seemed frozen by the situation.

  "Kassie!" Louis shook her, snapping her back to reality. "Calm down, everything will be fine."

  She managed to calm herself, taking deep breaths. "No, I can't use my magic... He used an object... and it took it away from me," Kassie exclaimed, catching her breath.

  "He used an object?... Where the hell did they get those ancient items?" Mern started thinking of a solution to this, before Gilbred stopped roaring. "Louis... Did you also lose your magic?"

  "Yeah, he mentioned the object would take away magic for a few minutes. Maybe, if he faces him, he’ll get even bigger... Maybe we should hide until... Kassie gets her magic back," Louis replied, trying to avoid what Mern was going to suggest, because he knew what he was going to ask him.

  Mern approached Louis and put a hand on his right shoulder. "Louis... We can’t wait, nor can we hide. He no longer even has control... He’s not a person anymore."

  "I... can’t do it." Louis looked away; he was scared and conflicted.

  "I know you have a trauma... but you'll have to overcome it today or we will all die. When you get your magic back, you must do it..." Gilbred stopped roaring and Mern took off his coat again to put on his armor and booster. "I'll try something, but if it doesn’t work... it means you’ll have to do it."

  Mark lifted Mern with his hand and made him grow bigger until he reached ten meters. Louis could only watch them go... with doubts and thoughts rushing through his mind, remembering the day that had haunted him so much. "I... don't want to be a killer again." Louis fell to his knees and looked at his hands, trembling.

  Kassie heard what he said and walked up to him... She knelt and held his face with both hands so he would look at her; her expression was full of the pain caused by that past event. "You won’t be a killer, you never were! You're a good person who has worked hard to get here... You're a brother to me. Who knows if I could... I was just in shock, and we can’t wait too long either. Every time I’ve fought by your side, you don’t lose composure under any circumstances... Don’t let this change that... You are more than your past."

  Meanwhile, Mark and Gilbred clashed hands with force, fingers interlocked, pushing each other with all their strength. Their feet were embedded in the ground, struggling to keep balance and gain ground, each trying to overpower the other in a battle of pure endurance and strength. Mern flew over Gilbred, created a sword shaped like a drill and embedded it in his head. "Can’t feel this!? Well, you’ll feel this!" The drill began to spin and grow larger. Gilbred began to scream in pain, but an even greater rage surged in him and he tore apart Mark’s hands, then pushed him, making him fall backwards and destroy some nearby houses, which caused an explosion inside for some reason. Then he tried to grab Mern; he managed to escape but took a hit that slammed him into the ground. Gilbred desperately tried to crush him, but Mern managed to dodge every attempt, doing several flips and using his booster.

  Then, Mern, muscles tense and eyes fixed on his target, stepped one foot back, planting it firmly on the ground, and with a roar of pure determination, launched a Gyverna spear with all his strength! He extended his hand toward the spear and... the spear grew much larger and started spinning at great speed! Gilbred tried to stop it with both hands, but the spear managed to push him until he crashed into a building.

  "Mark, are you still there?" Mern shouted, flying over to him.

  "Yeah, this guy is really strong. Look at my hands! If only I had 160% purity..." Mark replied, showing his destroyed hands while trying to get up.

  "I’ll give you 10% more and repair your hands... That will give you 110%." Mern placed his hands on Mark and his hands were repaired.

  "Do you think it’ll be enough?" added Mark, managing to stand up from the ground.

  "I don’t have much magic left. Covering the castle with Gyverna at 160% took a lot of magic, and I also had to enlarge you and stay in the fight, so... do your best," he replied, looking toward Gilbred. A slight concern showed on his face, but he was going to keep fighting anyway.

  Gilbred managed to stop the spear and then destroyed it, crushing it with both hands. Then he looked at Mern and Mark with fury and began to run toward them on all fours. He leapt above with his claw pulled back... Mark punched him in the snout and he hit the ground, breaking it further.

  "Hold him!" Mern shouted with a small stake in his hand he was preparing.

  Without a second thought, Mark lunged at Gilbred and put him in a lion killer hold. Mern went at full speed, making the stake grow larger... White and golden cracks appeared on his face! And with a scream full of determination, he managed to pierce Gilbred’s heart with the stake.

  Mark let go of Gilbred and he fell to the ground... Mern backed away and his limit caused his booster to stop working, making him fall toward the ground. Mark tried to catch him, but Gilbred stood up again and grabbed him by the leg. In an instant, he lifted him and slammed Mark into the ground, destroying several houses. Gilbred pulled the stake from his heart and it regenerated rapidly.

  Mern fell to the ground and tried to get up immediately. "I knew it... Secondary magic is needed to kill him..." he mentioned, and Gilbred was already in front of him... With great effort, Mern managed to stand and jumped backward, but Gilbred attacked with one of his claws... The Grión shield activated, but it, like Mern's armor, shattered with the touch of one of the nails that managed to reach him... leaving him with a large diagonal wound from his abdomen to his chest; the attack sent Mern flying until he crashed into the remains of a building.

  Seeing this, Kassie ran desperately to where he was, with the jacket in hand. "Mern!"

  "No... Not even he can... Why would I be able to?" Louis watched as Kassie ran toward Mern... Then he looked at his hands, which were now covered in lava... Several memories came to his mind like a white light passing through it.

  In his mind came his mother Lin's voice. "Son... Someday you’ll have to do it, and you’ll understand it’s necessary."

  At sunset, on the roof of a palace, young Louis was with his father Elio at his side. "I won’t kill anyone, I’ll defeat them all and try to help them change!" Louis's voice and expressions... were full of life and excitement, innocence, but also a love for everything he knew.

  "That sounds really nice, son... but one day you’ll have to do it. There are people in this world who won’t stop until they reach their goal, even if they have to kill many... You can’t always change others," said Elio as he stroked his son's head, ruffling his hair. His words carried wisdom, sorrow, and composure... He knew what the world was and wanted his son to understand it too.

  "Father... You were right... but I’m no longer that child. Since that day... I stopped trying to change others... because I wanted to be accepted," Louis clenched his fists. "I am not my past, I am someone different who has lived a lot... It’s time to let go of the past and finally walk without looking back."

  “Mern, oh my God!” Kassie ran toward him, removing several pieces of debris around him; she pulled the max kit from Mern’s coat and began searching. The max kit was a box with several compartments, filled with healing objects of all kinds.

  “Get out of here... Leave my coat and go... I’ll sacrifice myself to buy you and Louis some time... so you can get your magic back. Mark will help you... Tell Mei that... I love her so much!” Mern spoke with difficulty, he seemed to be losing his breath, but he had a smile on his face. He was almost crying, but his willpower held it back. The cut on his chest was slightly deep, but still very serious. He also had white and golden cracks on his face.

  “No, no... you have to tell her yourself!” Kassie exclaimed, with tears streaming from her eyes as she desperately searched for the healing object in all the compartments.

  “Kassie, you have to go!...” The sound of Gilbred’s footsteps approaching only made Kassie more nervous.

  Gilbred was just about to arrive and saw Louis in the distance, preparing to attack. “Louis!” Gilbred shouted, grabbing a rock and throwing it at him.

  Louis managed to dodge it and, with one knee on the ground... he watched as Gilbred approached him, crushing houses that exploded, causing a fire around him, while he kept repeating “Louis”, with the full moon behind him.

  Seeing the blazing fire, several memories from that day flashed through his mind. The windows of the buildings seemed to glow, but it was only the memory of the fire lighting up the palace windows he had incinerated. On the other hand, through the flames, the only thing he could see... were several people burning, screaming in agony, and others who craved revenge and justice... Louis clenched his fists and looked at Gilbred with pity, ignoring everything else. “Do you still have some consciousness left? I’m really sorry, I couldn’t help you... but still, you would’ve never let anyone HELP YOU!” Louis expressed with sadness as both his arms were covered in lava.

  Mark began running toward Gilbred, causing a great roar, and grabbed him from behind, once again using the lion killer hold. “I’ll end this once and for all!”

  “Mother... I couldn’t fulfill my promise, the promise of the Keepers,” he said with some disappointment and sadness, but with a serious expression as he rose from the ground.

  His gaze turned into one of full determination, and with a great shout, he extended both arms backward and then thrust them forward, releasing a burning torrent of lava in a straight line. The powerful blast extended with devastating force, advancing like a blazing, unstoppable, direct lightning bolt. As it hit, it began to incinerate Gilbred’s chest. The burning made him scream louder and louder; he tried to break free, but Mark used all his strength to keep Gilbred from escaping. Even his arms began to crack from the intense force he was using. Louis’s red eye glowed intensely... And suddenly, with the sound of a crystal sphere shattering, his eye and the lava turned yellow. Additionally, red tattoos appeared on his face.

  Kassie helped Mern get up and out of where they were. “Kassie... When your magic comes back, you have to put out all the fire... before it spreads.”

  “I understand, I will,” she replied, observing the event for a moment.

  The lava managed to incinerate all of Gilbred’s chest and, finally... he took his last breath... The barrier began to disappear... Louis stopped his magic and dropped to his knees, hyperventilating... his hands were trembling as he watched Gilbred fall to the ground with a charred chest, after Mark let go of him.

  “Calm down, Louis... Calm down, Aaron... Don’t look!” he said with fear, trying to breathe normally and closing his eyes.

  Mark approached and gently touched his head with one of his fingers, making Louis calm down a bit. “Well done...” Then he headed toward where Mern and Kassie were, causing a rumble with every step he took.

  Louis lifted his head toward the sky and opened his eyes... and let out a deep sigh that made his hands tense.

  A dark hand appeared, grabbing something. “Now it’s my turn!” And then it snapped its fingers.

  A strange and deep silence took hold of Louis. Every muscle in his body tensed, and a wave of heat ran through him.

  Meanwhile, Kassie was opening her max kit to apply the potion to Mern and help him recover faster.

  “Kassie, go to Louis... Keep your max kit for yourself, I’ll be fine,” Mern held his coat with both hands. He was calmer, and his wound had a yellow and green aura around it.

  “I don’t want Mei to lose you,” she said, as the sound of Mark’s footsteps could be heard approaching.

  “I’ll be fine, here comes Mark...” he added, pointing toward Mark.

  “Alright, I’ll go right away... He must be... really sad,” Kassie ran toward where Louis was, passing by Mark.

  First came a tingling in his chest, then a cracking. His gloves tore apart, his boots shattered. His bones lengthened, his muscles grew, a tail emerged behind him, and a dense red fur began to cover his body, now standing two meters tall.

  Kassie saw him kneeling with his head on the ground, showing only his back. “Louis! Are you okay!? Answer!... Your... shoes, Louis?” Kassie stopped approaching and instead took a step back upon seeing Louis’s ears and red fur. “It... can’t be...”

  “Yes it can... I took what belongs to me, for I was born inside... this body!” shouted Dark with excitement, turning around, revealing Louis’s werewolf form, with a sadistic and malicious smile.

  “Finally...

  The control... IS MINE!”

  End of the chapter