[Chp 23] Betrayel

Zero, Tirion, and the three others stepped through the shimmering gate, the radiant light folding around them as it transported them back to the heart of the 8th Realm. The familiar spires and banners of their guild stood tall against the twilight sky, a symbol of home and hard-won glory. Zero lifted his voice, strong and triumphant, the magic in the air amplifying his words across the entire realm. “Guildmates! We have won the tournament!” His announcement echoed through every corner, stirring cheers and celebrations far and wide. “We’ve proven our strength and earned this victory together!” From distant towers and hidden enclaves, the guild members erupted in jubilant applause, their spirits lifted by the triumphant return. Beside Zero, Tirion’s calm gaze held a faint smirk as he broke the momentary celebration. “Great speech, Zero,” he said, voice low but sharp. “But don’t forget — we promised a duel once this was over.” Zero grinned, the thrill of battle still fresh in his eyes. “How could I forget? The tournament’s done, but our fight’s just beginning.” The crowd that had gathered in the heart of the 8th Realm fell into a heavy silence. The cheers and celebrations from moments ago vanished, replaced by an electric tension crackling in the air. All eyes fixed on the two warriors standing face to face, their expressions locked in fierce determination. Zero’s gaze narrowed, his breath steady despite the adrenaline flooding his veins. “Tirion,” he said, voice low but firm, “this duel… it’s more than just a fight. It’s the truth we both have to face.” Tirion’s smirk deepened, his stance relaxed but ready. “Then let’s not waste time.” He flexed his fingers, steel glinting faintly beneath his skin. “Show me what you’ve got, Ice.” Without another word, Tirion lunged forward, a blur of calculated power. Zero responded instantly, his movements fluid and precise, the air around him chilling with every step. The battle erupted. Steel clashed against ice with a sound like thunder rolling across the mountains. Tirion’s fists hammered with relentless force, while Zero’s defenses shimmered with frozen elegance—each block and counterstrike a deadly dance of strength and strategy. Sparks flew as their powers collided, the ground beneath them cracking and frost spreading in intricate patterns with every impact. The arena itself seemed to pulse with their energy, the very air bending under the weight of their fury. Amidst the chaos, their eyes never wavered—two warriors bound by rivalry, trust, and the looming shadow of betrayal. The echo of their clashing blows reverberated like a storm across the arena. Tirion’s strikes came fast and sharp, each one aimed to break through Zero’s icy defenses. But Zero was no ordinary opponent—his movements were a seamless blend of grace and power, weaving through the attacks like a winter gale. Zero’s fist slammed into the ground, sending shards of ice spiraling upward like crystalline daggers. “You’re strong, Tirion... but not strong enough.” His voice was cold, cutting through the roar of the fight. Tirion’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of something unreadable flashing behind them. “We’ll see about that.” He charged again, his steel-enhanced limbs moving like deadly machinery—each blow shaking the earth, each strike capable of crushing stone. Suddenly, Tirion leapt high, spinning with the force of a whirlwind. Zero barely raised his arms in time, the impact sending a wave of icy mist exploding outward as steel met ice in a deafening clash. Both warriors stumbled back, breath heavy, eyes locked in fierce challenge. “Not bad,” Tirion grunted, a cold smile playing at the edge of his lips. “But I’ve held back until now.” Zero’s breath hitched. “Held back?” he repeated, wary. In a blink, Tirion’s body shimmered, steel plating rapidly enveloping his arms and chest, transforming his skin into near-impenetrable armor. A dark aura flared around him, sharp and unforgiving. “I’m done playing.” Tirion’s voice was hard, filled with something darker than mere competition. Zero clenched his fists, frost forming around his knuckles as his eyes glowed icy blue. “Then neither am I.” The ground beneath them cracked open, frost and metal colliding as the duel escalated into a brutal battle of wills, power, and secrets waiting to be unleashed. Tirion surged forward like a steel tempest, his armored fists smashing into the ground with explosive force. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the arena, chunks of shattered stone and twisted metal flying in all directions. Zero responded instantly, summoning a swirling vortex of ice that spiraled up beneath Tirion’s charge, freezing the very ground he ran on. With a roar, Tirion slammed through the icy trap, metal plates screeching as he pushed onward. He swung a brutal right hook aimed straight at Zero’s jaw, the force enough to shatter bone. Zero twisted away just in time, countering with a sweeping kick that unleashed a wave of razor-sharp ice shards slicing through the air. The shards clattered harmlessly against Tirion’s steel armor, but their distraction was all Zero needed. He dove forward, claws extended, aiming to pierce through Tirion’s defenses. Tirion twisted mid-air, catching Zero’s arm with an iron grip that sparked where ice met steel. With a powerful heave, Tirion slammed Zero backward into a crumbling pillar. The stone exploded into dust, but Zero rolled free, frost erupting from his skin as he rose. “Impressive,” Tirion snarled, breathing heavy. “But you’re running out of tricks.” Zero’s eyes gleamed coldly, the air around him dropping several degrees as he extended his arms. A blizzard roared to life, whipping fiercely around them, blinding and deafening. Jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground like jagged teeth, threatening to impale anything caught within. Tirion gritted his teeth, metal plating shifting and reinforcing. He smashed his gauntlets together, releasing a thunderous shockwave that shattered ice and silence alike, carving a path through the frozen storm. The battlefield trembled beneath their fury, the clash of fire-forged steel and ancient ice magic shaking the very foundations of the realm. Zero leapt from the shattered remains of the pillar, a trail of frost erupting beneath his feet as he streaked through the air like a streaking comet of winter. Tirion met him mid-air, the sky splitting with the sheer force of their collision. Fists collided, steel screamed against ice, and the resulting shockwave shattered the sky overhead, sending cracks of light arcing like lightning. They fell back to the ground, landing hard—Zero skidding across a frozen surface, Tirion crashing through a wall of solid ice. Yet neither stayed down. Zero’s hand touched the ground, channeling his energy—towering walls of ice shot up around Tirion like a glacial cage, frost biting deep. Zero exhaled, his voice sharp. “Stay down, Tirion. We don’t have to keep this going.” Tirion didn’t respond. He stood inside the icy ring, shoulders heaving, eyes unreadable. And then—he smiled. The ice around him shattered like glass as a blast of compressed force burst outward. Metal twisted and reshaped across his body, covering his arms with razor-sharp edges. In his right hand, steel began to fold and compress into something new—a narrow, jagged blade formed from condensed raw metal, forged from his very essence. He charged. Zero didn’t hesitate. He formed a glimmering spear of ice and hurled it with immense force. Tirion deflected it mid-run, sparks flying from the steel as the spear shattered against his armor. Then came the moment. Zero lunged to meet him—but just as he moved, Tirion twisted. The steel blade shimmered in the air—and with a brutal step forward, he drove it into Zero’s chest. Everything froze. The impact knocked the breath from Zero’s lungs, his body arching as the blade pierced through his armor of frost and deep into his torso. Blood bloomed, vibrant and sudden, trailing down the blade. Zero’s eyes widened in disbelief. Tirion stood inches from him, expression unreadable, his voice low. “You never saw it coming… did you?” “What….Are you doing…?” Zero coughs up blood. Tirion didn’t answer at first. Instead, he stepped closer, twisting the blade cruelly. Zero let out a cry, blood spraying across the marble floor. Tirion leaned in, voice cold, laced with bitter truth. Zero’s pupils shrank. The pain from the wound now barely compared to the pain cracking inside his chest. Tirion slowly pulled the blade free, letting Zero collapse to one knee. “The Oblivion Orb,” Tirion said softly, holding the steel blade with a strange reverence, as if it were a sacred relic. “The Orb that grants true power—true knowledge—to whoever wields it.” He exhaled deeply and began to rise into the air, his eyes burning with cold conviction. “You don’t get it, do you?!” Zero coughed violently, blood splattering on the ground. “No... I don’t get it! We fought side by side in the tournament—why betray me like this?!” As his wound began to knit itself closed, glowing faintly with unnatural energy, Zero clenched his fist tightly. A surge of raw power erupted from him—Zen’s G energy—raging outward like a tempest unleashed, crackling and roaring, filling the battlefield with a storm of unstoppable fury. His eyes ignited with a fierce yellow blaze as the hollow mask materialized across his face, sharp and menacing. “KOKAI!” he roared, crimson flames bursting violently around him, swirling like a storm of burning embers. In an instant, his form shifted — his clothes transforming into a sleek, jet-black jacket accented by a flowing crimson sash that snapped in the fiery wind. Heat radiated from him in waves, distorting the air, while his eyes burned with an unrelenting, almost supernatural intensity. In his palm, the Shinku — The Blade of Hell’s Guardian — materialized, glowing with deadly, infernal energy. Without hesitation, Zero lunged forward, voice raw with defiance. “You will not escape! Whatever this Orb is, you won’t take it!” Tirion’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile as a deep, resonant laugh echoed through the battlefield — dark and merciless. “Hahaha! Foolish Zero,” he sneered, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. “You still don’t understand, do you? This isn’t just about power... it’s about destiny — my destiny. The Oblivion Orb chooses who will rise, and I intend to claim it for myself.” He raised his hand, steel blade glinting coldly in the fading light. “You fight with heart, but heart alone won’t save you from what’s coming. This blade will carve the path to my future, and nothing — not even you — will stand in my way.” With a sudden, brutal movement, Tirion slammed his steel-clad fist deep into Zero’s chest. The impact exploded outward like a shockwave, sending Zero hurtling through the air. He crashed against the unforgiving ground, cracks spiderwebbing across the stone beneath him. Tirion loomed over him, eyes cold and merciless. “The Oblivion Orb’s power belongs to those willing to seize it… not to those too weak to claim their fate.” Before Iskar could reach them, Tirion smirked, his form shimmering like a mirage. “This isn’t over, Zero. Not by far.” In a flash, Tirion vanished, leaving behind only the echo of his cruel laughter as Iskar arrived seconds too late. Zero’s breath came in ragged gasps, eyes blazing with furious pain. With a roar of pure rage, he slammed his fists into the cracked stone beneath him. Each punch sent shards of rock flying, the ground trembling under his relentless fury. “Stop,” Iskar’s voice cut through the chaos like a calm blade. He stepped forward, hands raised—not in attack, but in steady restraint. “Rage won’t help you now, Zero. You need control… not destruction.” Zero’s fists stilled, trembling but refusing to drop. His gaze met Iskar’s, burning with raw anguish “Why is he after this Oblivion orb…?” Iskar’s eyes darkened with concern as he shook his head slowly. “I don’t know why Tirion wants the Orb. Zarif never said. But I remember his words clearly: ‘He won’t bear my name… but he will carry my will. He won’t seek the path… but the path will find him. And when it does—give him the orb. Let him consume it.’” He stepped closer, voice steady but heavy with meaning. “Whatever happens, Zero, you are the one meant to have it. Not Tirion.” Zero’s jaw clenched, his gaze dropping to the cracked earth beneath him. “If Tirion’s betrayal is just the beginning… then we have far more to prepare for.” Iskar’s voice grew firm, a spark of determination shining through. “We’ll find the answers. And we’ll stop him. Together.” Zero nodded slowly, the fire in his eyes cooling into a steady flame of resolve. A calm, familiar voice resonated within Zero’s mind, slicing through the chaos like a whisper in the dark.
“Well, that was quite the thrill after emerging from that endless void…” Zen’s voice echoed softly, carrying a mix of amusement and cold clarity. Tears welled in Zero’s eyes, blurring his vision as the weight of the Ninth Realm’s collapse pressed down on him. He choked back a sob, voice trembling as he whispered, “I thought... I’d never see you again.” For a fleeting moment, the crushing despair gave way to a bittersweet warmth — a fragile thread of hope in the darkness. Zero’s breath hitched as the tears streamed down his cheeks, the raw ache of loss mingling with the fragile hope Zen’s voice brought. “I thought I was alone… lost in that void forever,” Zero whispered, his hands trembling as he clenched into fists. The world around him seemed to pause, the distant roar of battle fading into silence. Zen’s presence, unseen but deeply felt, settled like a steady flame within Zero’s chest, igniting a quiet strength. Zero rose slowly, his eyes still wet, but blazing with something fiercer than grief—resolve. “I don't know why Tirion wants the Orb,” he said aloud, voice quiet but sharpened like steel. “But I swear... I won’t let him have it.” He turned toward the horizon, where the skies of the Eighth Realm still glowed with distant fire. Whatever the Oblivion Orb was—whatever secrets it held—one thing was now certain. The real battle had only just begun.