The battlefield was cloaked in firelight, the ruin trembling from the echoes of steel, claws, and the rage of the fallen. The stench of wolf blood lingered, and in the center of the chaos stood Drango—his monstrous frame looming, his breath wild with sadistic joy. Before him, Michi gripped his sword tightly, his chest heaving, eyes narrowed with fury.
Veynar, Veylika, and Canberas stepped closer, bloodied and worn from slaughtering the wolves. They had freed Shiro, but the price was unbearable—the lifeless forms of Rishdania and Shiro resting in the shadows where they had collapsed together. The grief in the air was thick, crushing, and it settled over them like a suffocating weight.
"Drango…" Veynar spat, his voice shaking, his crimson eyes blazing with rage. "You monster… I hate you. As a father, you were nothing but a cruel shadow. A demon that wore the mask of blood."
Beside him, Veylika's hands trembled on the hilt of her blade, her voice breaking. "We should have killed you long ago. You don't deserve to live… not after everything you've done. You never were a father—just a brutal beast who used his children, who destroyed lives for his own greed!"
Drango's cracked lips curled into a grin, his clawed hands flexing as though he relished their hatred. "Ahhh, music to my ears. Do you think your words wound me? I raised you for one reason: to be tools. And now you bare your fangs at me? Pathetic."
Canberas growled, his hand tightening on his sword, his wings still aching from the wolves' bite wounds. He pointed his blade at Drango, his teeth bared. "You killed so many children… used them, broke them, turned them into corpses for your games. You're filth, Drango. No… you're less than that. I'll cut you down for every innocent you've destroyed!"
Drango only laughed, the sound harsh and grating, echoing across the ruin. "Bold words from scraps who think themselves warriors. Come, then. Show me your hate. Show me what children can do to the father who made them monsters!"
Michi stepped forward, steadying his anger though his veins burned like fire. He could feel the urge to tear Drango apart with blind rage, but he forced it down. He raised his sword, the steel trembling with his focus. His voice was low, grim, but firm.
"I won't let your cruelty blind me. If I lose myself, then I'm no better than you. I'll fight with everything I have… not just for vengeance, but to end this nightmare."
With a guttural roar, Drango lunged forward, claws slashing with blinding speed. Michi twisted his blade up, steel meeting claw, the impact cracking through the air like thunder. Sparks flew as the two clashed, Michi forcing himself to hold steady even as Drango pressed down with overwhelming strength.
"Is this all?" Drango taunted, his grin wide and savage. "Your strikes are lighter than before, boy. You grow weak with grief!"
Michi shoved back, swinging his sword in a wide arc that grazed Drango's side, drawing blood. He followed with a dagger in his off-hand, stabbing upward in a flash, but Drango caught his wrist mid-thrust and snarled. The two locked eyes, strength straining against strength.
Veynar charged from the side, his blade glowing with dark energy. "You're not walking away from this, Drango!" he screamed, striking hard at his father's ribs.
Drango twisted, catching the blade with his claw, but Veylika slid in low, slashing his leg. "Fall, damn you!" she yelled, fury raw in her voice.
Canberas followed up, wings flaring as he launched forward and smashed his sword down on Drango's shoulder with crushing force. The monster staggered back, growling, blood dripping from multiple wounds.
But even wounded, Drango laughed. "Yes! That's it! Strike me, children! Strike me with all your hate!"
He rushed them again, claws spinning in a deadly whirlwind. Veynar barely parried, his arms shaking from the sheer impact. Veylika was thrown back by a savage kick to her stomach, gasping for breath. Canberas slashed furiously, his eyes blazing, screaming curses at Drango with each swing.
"You don't deserve to breathe! For every child you killed, I'll carve another scar into you!" Canberas shouted, his blade cutting across Drango's chest, spraying blood.
Michi roared, charging with precise strikes, weaving sword and dagger together in a storm of steel. He forced Drango onto the defensive, his movements sharp and relentless. But Drango countered with brutal strength, claws gouging the earth, sparks flying as his talons ripped against Michi's blade.
"Impressive…" Drango grunted, his voice strained yet mocking. "But you'll never kill me with hesitation."
"I don't hesitate!" Michi snarled. "I fight for those you destroyed!"
The clash grew brutal, blood soaking into the ruin's broken stones. Every strike shook the ground. Veynar screamed in rage as he slashed at his father's back. Veylika, wiping blood from her lips, charged in again, her blade burning with energy. Canberas swung with all his fury, wings trembling but defiant. Together they pressed Drango, pushing him into the center of the ruin, their cries of hatred and grief echoing.
Drango bellowed, claws flashing. He struck all three back, leaving Veynar and Veylika bruised and bloodied, Canberas bleeding from his shoulder. Michi stood firm, chest heaving, face dark with resolve.
"This ends now." Michi's voice was cold, steady. His anger was no longer wild—it was focused, sharpened to a single blade of resolve.
With a cry, he charged. Drango's claws lashed, but Michi dodged low, driving his sword into Drango's stomach. The monster roared in pain, but Michi didn't stop. He ripped his blade free, spun, and with a final, brutal thrust, stabbed it deep into Drango's chest.
Blood sprayed as Drango staggered, his eyes wide, then narrowing into a grin even as he coughed crimson. His claws twitched, then fell limp.
"Heh… haha…" Drango chuckled weakly, blood dripping down his chin. "That… was a good fight…"
His body began to collapse, flesh peeling away, blood dissolving into nothing. Bones cracked and fell apart, until only a skeleton remained, lifeless on the ruin's floor.
Veynar stood trembling, his blade at his side. His voice cracked as he whispered, "Goodbye… father."
Veylika closed her eyes, tears streaming. "This… is the end. Farewell, monster."
Canberas gritted his teeth, his fury still boiling even as Drango was gone. He spat on the ground, glaring at the dissolving remains. "Rot in nothingness. You killed too many children… their blood won't forgive you."
The ruin fell silent, save for the ragged breaths of the survivors. Michi pulled his sword free from the skeletal remains, his face shadowed by sorrow and grim resolve. The nightmare of Drango was over—but its scars would remain forever.