On a devastated landscape—as if it had been ravaged by hundreds of wars—three figures stood, staring at one another in complete silence.
Usagi and Yuchira kept their gazes fixed on Rikudo; their eyes were sharp and cold, carrying a faint, lethal intent. Rikudo, meanwhile, clutched his twin daggers, "Breaths of Hell"—blades wreathed in a black-and-white aura that flickered like the flames of life and death. He cast a glance toward the city of Luxembourg, a twisted, malicious smile playing on his lips. But as he turned his attention back to Yuchira and Usagi, he found them mere centimeters away—their blades hovering just millimeters from his throat. Yet, his expression remained chillingly indifferent. He muttered a few words, a remark so unsettling that sweat instantly poured down their faces:
"Is this all you've got? How pathetic!"
A surge of energy erupted from his dark, inscrutable eyes, hurling them several meters back. Warm blood gushed profusely from gashes that had suddenly appeared across their faces.
Though their expressions were etched with dread and terror, they wiped the blood from their lips and consumed a healing potion, causing their wounds to vanish.
"Yuchira, how much longer until the reinforcements arrive?"
Usagi's voice remained calm as he kept his eyes locked on Rikudo. Given his extensive experience—spanning a full four hundred years—he was highly skilled at gauging whether a situation favored him. Consequently, knowing exactly how long it would take for reinforcements to arrive was of critical importance.
"Only ten minutes left until they reach us."
A faint smile crossed Usagi's face as he glanced toward Rikudo, who remained entirely indifferent to their presence.
"Very well—we shall buy ourselves those ten minutes."
Usagi produced a sheet of paper inscribed with the words "Red Scorpion" and placed it on the ground. With a small smile, he nicked his finger and smeared his blood across the paper—a summoning talisman for beasts.
"Ruler of the Red Scorpions, I call upon your aid! Slay my enemies and show them your true power, Yungaki!"
His tone was laced with deep respect. He looked back at Rikudo, only to find him still completely unconcerned—a display of indifference that infuriated both Usagi and his brother, Yuchira. Yet, Usagi chose to let it slide; he had encountered many others with that same haughty mindset, only to see them eventually brought to their knees at his feet.
A few seconds later, a pillar of crimson energy erupted, unleashing a powerful shockwave that sent massive boulders soaring into the sky as if they were nothing more than autumn leaves or withered branches.
From the chaos emerged a colossal scorpion—the size of a mid-sized city—clad in a red chitinous exoskeleton. Crimson energy poured from its maw, and its wide, blood-red eyes glowed with a sinister, sanguine intensity. It possessed gigantic pincers and a massive tail, tipped with a potent venom capable of easily killing a warrior at the Sacred/Demonic Sovereign rank.
A powerful, roar-like sound erupted, shaking the entire area:
"Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeya!"
The scorpion raised its pincers toward the sky and lunged at Rikudo, moving at a speed that surpassed the speed of light.
Rikudo's expression remained cold and indifferent. He flicked one of his daggers through the air—a motion so slow that even an ordinary human could have followed it—yet it was enough to cleave the "Scorpion Sovereign"—a being of the High Demonic Sovereign rank—clean in two, as if it were nothing more than a charred doll. Meanwhile, Usagi began to bleed profusely from his eyes, mouth, and nose—a backlash caused by the death of his summoned creature, the Red Scorpion, with whom he had held a pact for centuries.
Yuchira helped his brother, Usagi, to his feet and fixed his gaze upon Rikudo. His eyes, initially burning with hatred and murderous intent, shifted to an expression of delight as reinforcements arrived.
"Brother, help has arrived! We're going to survive!" "Looks like your end has finally come, pal."
His tone was laced with mockery. The number of fighters had increased, all of them possessing significant strength—200 warriors ranging from rank X to XX. Furthermore, he sensed the presence of another individual—the leader of the Scorpion Organization—whose power was truly terrifying. He stood at the forefront of the soldiers, clad in black attire that covered his entire body, with a white, demon-like mask concealing his face. He descended, his hands clasped behind his back, followed by two hundred fierce, battle-hardened fighters.
A faint smile played on Rikudo's lips as he watched the leader of the Scorpion Organization approach Usagi and Yuchira—moving with steady, resolute steps that betrayed an unbreakable will.
Upon reaching them, Usagi and Yuchira offered their thanks:
"Thank you, Leader, for coming to our aid!"
The leader of the Scorpion Organization turned his gaze toward them. Though his features remained hidden behind the mask, the two sensed that something was terribly wrong.
"Your term of service to the organization has come to an end. I have come to deliver your discharge papers."
His voice was cold and calm, underscored by a subtle, lethal intent. With a single sweep of his hand, he erased the greater part of their bodies. Their faces froze in absolute shock; they had never imagined that betrayal would come from the very person to whom they had dedicated their lives. Life, it seemed, had a way of delivering betrayal from the one person you least expected.
"Why? Why would you do this? Did we not serve you for three whole centuries? Why?"
Yuchira's voice was little more than a wail. Most of his left chest had evaporated, while his brother, Usagi—having taken the brunt of the blow—had seen half of his entire body wiped from existence. Rikudo observed the scene as if it were a play about betrayal, all the while recalling a message he had received earlier from Yuto.
Flashback
As Rikudo watched the reunion of the siblings, Usagi and Yuchira Kurotagi:
*Ring, ring, ring, ring*
With a hint of annoyance, he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket.
"What kind of fool is messaging me at an hour like this?"
His expression shifted from irritation to a smile—the kind worn by someone promising total annihilation. In his right hand, another dagger, identical to the previous one, materialized:
[ Dagger of Hell's Breath – A 'Beyond-Existence' rank weapon ]
"It's time for the real game to begin."
Rikudo's aura—a deep black streaked with white—surged with such intensity that it obliterated every tree within a six-kilometer radius, as if they were nothing more than mere sheets of paper.and the ground had been smoothed over.
The message read as follows:
[ Yuta 🖌️☯️ ]
[ Usagi Kurotagi and Yuchira Kurotagi are no longer of any use to the Scorpion Organization. You may kill them yourself, or wait for the leader of the Scorpion Organization to arrive and do it—the choice is yours. Farewell; let us meet again once the competition concludes—though it is unlikely to last until tomorrow. ]
End of flashback.
Rikudo turned his gaze toward the leader, concealing the "Hell's Breath" dagger and sliding his hands into his jacket pockets with a mocking smirk:
"You humans are truly repulsive. You betray one another with such ease—a brother betrays his brother, a friend betrays a friend, a king betrays his subjects or allies, and vice versa. It seems that betrayal is an instinct buried deep within you humans."
The leader of the Scorpion Organization remained indifferent, as if Rikudo's words were of no consequence.
A faint smile touched Rikudo's lips. He snapped his fingers, and all 200 soldiers—every last one of them—exploded, transforming into a rain of blood.
"I won't kill you—whoever you may be—but your precious soldiers won't be surviving. Consider this a mark of my presence."
The leader's expression remained calm, and then, just as suddenly, they vanished—as if they had never existed at all. At the tournament venue, Yuta glanced at the messages he had received and spotted one from Rikudo:
[ Rikudo Navi 🌞 🌚 ]
[ The mission has been successfully completed; the Kurotagi brothers have been permanently eliminated. ]
A malicious smile spread across his face as he read the message. He then turned his gaze toward Yorchi and Lucy, who were preparing for their upcoming match against Jin Mori and Petrowist—members of the "Cannibals" team.
A few seconds later, the announcer's voice boomed, signaling the start of the third round:
"We now begin the third stage of the sixth round of the Magic Tournament! The matchup for this stage: Yorchi de Moliar and Lucy Kethali versus Jin Mori and Petrowist!"
The stands erupted with the roars of an enthusiastic crowd. With the heir of the de Moliar family (Yorchi) and the heiress of the Kethali family (Lucy) both set to fight, the excitement was well-justified—this was a clash featuring key pillars of the Human Empire.