Zeco grits his teeth, staring sharply straight ahead—
His brows furrow deeply.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" His expression is wrapped in fear.
—A figure stands motionless directly behind Olivia.
Olivia freezes in place.
"—EKEKHH!" Her eyes widen in shock, her face overwhelmed with terror—
"RUN—" Zeco shouts loudly.
"HUH!?" Olivia cannot move her body.
"—OLIVIA!!!" Zeco roars once more.
CPTKHAAAAAAAHMNH!
"EHEKH!?!?" Zeco freezes in profound shock as he witnesses—
Olivia's head—
Both his fists clench so tightly that blood begins flowing from within his palms as he watches—
—Olivia being thrown out of the figure's sight, struck violently to the side with nothing more than a single punch.
CKTPHAAAAAAAAHMN!
Olivia crashes brutally against the ground—
CKHAMN—CTHAAHMN!
—the earth instantly cracks, explodes, and collapses apart. Amid the shattered rubble, Olivia falls completely unconscious.
The atmosphere falls into a suffocating silence filled with pressure, an invisible current of overwhelming force hanging directly above Zeco.
The figure furrows his brows, sensing the violent pressure surrounding him, before slowly reaching for his robe.
GRRRK—
The fabric is pulled.
—CKRAAK
The robe tears away from his body, fully revealing his face and his massive, broad, muscular frame.
"PREDATOR!!!" Zeco shouts loudly.
DUK—DAK—DUK!
He slowly walks forward, his face overflowing with fury and rage as he stares sharply at Predator.
SLAAAAAAAAANGNNH!
With every step, his blade drags across the ground.
SLAAAAAAAAAAHMNH!
It continues scraping, continuing to shriek loudly. His gaze remains locked forward without even the slightest blink.
BRAK!
His steps stop. His body trembles violently as his aura grows increasingly oppressive.
Zeco furrows his brows.
SCKHWAAAAAAAHMN!
Suddenly, he charges forward at tremendous speed.
"GET OUT—" he roars.
SCHWAAAAAAHMMNH!
Pressing against the ground, he leaps briefly into the air.
"—OF MY SIGHT—" he shouts again.
He draws the sword completely behind his body, preparing to swing it straight forward in a devastating slash.
"—BASTARD!" he roars again and again, his voice violently shaking the surrounding air.
The sword swings straight toward Predator at tremendous speed.
---
SCKWLAAAAAAAAAAHSHH!
—Another strike lands fully across Albrecht's body, slashing from the upper left shoulder down to the lower right abdomen.
"…and I suspect Grizz and Gruzz pressured you so heavily that you could never defeat them."
Another opening appears—
SCKWLAAAAAAAAAAHSHH!
—A second strike lands once again, carving completely across his body from the lower left abdomen up to the upper right shoulder.
"That means, Father… you possess nothing beyond that."
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANGHN!
The two blades continue colliding violently without pause.
"Do you understand that, Father?!"
CLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGGNNNHHH!
Proprioceptive Sense.
"You are no longer worthy of standing against me!"
Without using his eyes to aim—
Openings continue revealing themselves.
—He maps the reach of his sword, twisting his wrist into the dead angle of his opponent's defense, preparing to launch a precise and fatal counter thrust—
SCKWLAAAAAAAAAAHSHH!
—The attacks continue landing again and again, fully carving across Albrecht's body from the lower right abdomen up to the upper left shoulder.
SWANNGGNNH!
Albert pulls back his sword.
SHWAAAHMNH!
Albrecht is thrown several steps away from him.
DUK—DAK—DUK!
His body staggers backward continuously, struggling to regain balance—
BRAK!
Both feet slam hard against the ground, stopping his momentum. His body and face lower while both hands remain gripping the sword.
The distance breaks apart. Space is created between them.
Albrecht's breathing has already become extremely heavy, unlike Albert, who remains completely calm. There is no hesitation, no fear—only a sorrowful expression as he watches the man before him—
his own father.
There is no trembling in his body, only a gaze slowly filled with empathy.
"You have already lost far too much blood by this point," he says.
His breathing gradually calms, the trembling begins to lessen, and he draws long, steady breaths—
SCHWAAAAAAAHMNH!
—Then suddenly, he presses against the ground hard enough to shatter it and charges forward at high speed, tightening his grip around the sword's hilt.
His brows rise.
"Are you truly going to keep acting this stubborn?!" he shouts.
SKCHAAAAAAAWHMN!
Albrecht also slams against the ground, cracks exploding beneath him as he charges forward. Both of them drive one foot ahead, pull one arm back, and swing straight toward each other.
Their blades meet before them—
CLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGGNNNHHH!
The two blades collide and lock against one another, sparks bursting violently from the grinding steel.
"I have suffered, and I will continue to suffer—" Albert says halfway.
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANGHN!
One step drives forward as Albert begins pressing the attack.
"—watching my descendants remain bound by that oath of yours," he continues.
CLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGGNNNHHH!
Albert begins overwhelming him, advancing step by step.
"However, that has not fully come to pass yet… and I can still prevent it."
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANGHN!
Albrecht continues being forced back, cornered once again without openings, without space.
"Your suffering is no greater than what I have already endured," Albert adds.
CLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGGNNNHHH!
Many steps push forward, forcing relentless pressure until his opponent can no longer move and collapses.
"And I have no intention of tormenting you before death finally claims you… nor denying you a peaceful end."
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANGHN!
The pressure suddenly stops—
"EHEKH?!" Albert hisses, his blade only inches away—
Somatosensory Sense.
SWHAAAAHMN!
His skin senses the gust of wind from the enemy's blade before him.
SWCKHAAAAAAHSHH!
The attack is completely avoided.
Albrecht furrows his brows as his strike cuts through empty air before him.
"Surrender, Father."
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANGHN!
"EKH." Albert is forced back by overwhelming strength.
Albert furrows both brows.
"What are you forcing yourself toward?"
CLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGGNNNHHH!
Albrecht reverses the exchange and begins pressing forward with several advancing steps.
"What exactly are you fighting for?"
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANGHN!
Albrecht presses harder and harder, while Albert is forced backward under the overwhelming pressure.
"Stop struggling like this."
CLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGGNNNHHH!
Albrecht advances with many aggressive steps, while Albert is driven back even faster than before to avoid being cornered.
"Stop trying to prevent the death of your own son!"
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANGHN!
The clash halts momentarily as Albert struggles with all his strength to stop the pressure.
"Stop this for my sake!"
However—
CLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGGNNNHHH!
Albert is forced back again and again, even faster than before.
"I beg you—"
CLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGGNNNHHH!
Albrecht continues pressing relentlessly—
BLUARK!
Blood bursts from his mouth. His wounds continue reopening, his breathing grows extremely heavy, yet he still forces himself forward.
"Stop—"
SCHKAAAAAAAAHMN!
Albert smashes against Albrecht's sword, knocking it free from his grasp. The blade is hurled high into the air, spinning far away from them, and the sudden impact also sends Albrecht flying—
GDBRAAAAAAK!
—He crashes brutally onto the ground and collapses.
"Huft." Albert exhales deeply and heavily.
SLHAAHMN!
He points his sword toward Albrecht's fallen body.
"—For Mother!"