Dante's Seal magic shimmered around him like a defensive barrier. Nicat struck swiftly with his dark blade, but each time, Dante deflected the blows with his shield. Seeing the impatience on Nicat's face, Dante smirked.
"Guess you won't be landing a hit anytime soon, huh? Hope you're getting used to this shield thing!" he said mockingly.
Frowning in anger, Nicat replied, "Fine. Then I'll take you seriously." He drew a second dark sword. The dark energy radiating from both blades made the air heavier, and the atmosphere grew even more oppressive. As Nicat attacked with both swords, the ground began to tremble.
"Let's see if you can still talk so comfortably now, boy!" Nicat shouted.
Dante stepped back after a strike and chuckled lightly. "Yep, still talking. Maybe one day you'll get better at swinging those swords," he said, reinforcing his barrier.
Meanwhile, Nahid had reached the throne room. His eyes scanned the chamber and found Nihad sitting on the throne. There was a dark expression on Nihad's face, his eyes looking at Nahid as if he were a stranger.
"Brother… I'm here," Nahid said in surprise.
But Nihad gave no response. Silence hung heavily in the throne room.
Taking a deep breath, Nihad stood up. His paranoia and mental collapse made it hard for him to recognize Nahid. In his mind, Nahid wasn't real—he was a threat.
"You… Who do you think you are?!" he shouted, summoning the power of the Water God and launching a powerful attack. A massive wave surged toward Nahid like an ocean itself.
Nahid was forced to step back in shock, but his reflexes were sharp. He immediately drew the Sword of the Flame God. The moment the blade left its sheath, a new arm made entirely of flames formed where his missing arm had been. That fiery arm gripped the sword tightly.
When Nihad saw the flaming arm and sword, his anger intensified. It further shattered his already fragile mind. Now, he felt both jealousy and hostility toward his own brother.
"How can you be this powerful?!" he roared, attacking even more fiercely.
Nahid struggled to block his brother's attacks, but Nihad's rage was evident in every movement.
The throne room shook as fire and water clashed violently. Nahid deflected Nihad's water attacks while calling out to him:
"Nihad, my brother! It's me, Nahid! Come back to your senses!"
But Nihad's mind was clouded with paranoia and rage. "Liar! You're not my brother! My brother is dead! You're a lie!" he shouted, launching another attack.
Nahid could feel his brother's pain, but there was no other way to stop him now. Gripping his sword tightly, he lunged forward. "Then I'll show you the truth, brother!" he cried.
The intensity of the battle kept rising. Nahid's flames and Nihad's water tore through everything like two opposing forces of nature. It was as if they had forgotten they were once brothers—now they fought only as enemies.
Outside the throne room, in a wide and dark corridor, Kagehana and the Vizier faced each other. The air between them felt heavy like a battlefield, tension thick with every step. The Vizier's eyes burned with fury; flame magic twisted in his hands like a volcano ready to erupt. Kagehana stood silent, his lightning sword crackling and lighting the corridor in flashes.
"You stabbed me in the back, Kagehana," the Vizier said through clenched teeth. "You'll pay for it with your blood."
Kagehana didn't take a single step back. "I once fought for you. I was loyal to you and your kingdom. But I see now that loyalty was never returned," he said quietly.
Instead of replying, the Vizier unleashed a blast of flame. Kagehana leapt aside as it shattered a wall and shook the corridor. Raising his lightning sword, he charged forward. The blade came down like a bolt from the sky. When sword and magic clashed, sparks flew and the walls echoed with explosive force.
The Vizier tried to overpower Kagehana with his magic. Flames danced along the corridor walls, surrounding him like a shield. But Kagehana cut through them with each strike, closing the distance step by step.
"You're like a ghost now, Kagehana," the Vizier laughed. "I left you with nothing. You have nothing! You can't win this!"
But Kagehana's expression didn't change. "You're right," he said. "I have nothing. But that makes me free. I only need to stop you."
As the battle intensified, the Vizier found an opening. When Kagehana struck, the Vizier suddenly shifted and drove his flame-imbued hands into Kagehana's abdomen. A burst of fire echoed through the corridor. Kagehana's body jerked, his eyes widening in pain. The wound burned with flames.
The Vizier smirked. "This is it," he said calmly. "It ends here."
But instead of retreating, Kagehana gathered his remaining strength. Gripping his lightning sword with blood-covered hands, he looked into the Vizier's eyes.
"When you understand… it'll be too late," he said.
With all his strength, he brought the blade down on the Vizier's neck.
The Vizier's head flew through the air like a lightning strike. His body staggered for a moment before collapsing to the ground. Silence fell over the corridor, broken only by Kagehana's heavy breathing.
Kagehana dropped to his knees. Blood continued to flow from his wound as his strength faded. His sword slipped from his hands. His vision began to blur, but there was a strange sense of peace on his face.
"Life… to truly live…" he murmured weakly. "I never learned it. Always fighting, always obeying… But in the end… I became myself."
His head slowly lowered. As his eyes closed, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Kagehana fell—like a warrior of lightning, with honor.
And the corridor was left in the silence of death.