Chapter 1.4: The price of love

The wind moved with a mixture of serenity and intrigue, as the warriors' gazes met.

Some eyes were calm, yet carried a faint trace of fear.

Others were filled with arrogance and a thirst for revenge.

And before them stood a pair of eyes filled with overwhelming calm…

Yet also with concern for that boy who still could not understand the world he had been thrown into.

Gen looked at his opponents and declared:

—I'll give you one chance.

—If you leave this place right now, I'll allow you to live.

Those words left Eden wide-eyed. Confused, he spat:

—What the hell are you talking about, old man?! Can't you see everything they've done?!

—That is precisely why I'm giving them a chance.

—There is something beyond simple revenge, Eden.

—Don't come at me with that crap! These guys are damn monsters! They don't deserve any kind of mercy!

Interrupting the conversation, Kai added:

—I'm sorry, but we're not going anywhere.

—I thought you'd be smarter…

—As the warrior you are, you should know very well that there are things that stand above your own life.

—Interests that surpass even the knowledge of a god.

—Is the objective of your mission truly that great?

—Far greater than the lives of millions of people.

—I see… —Gen murmured, with a mixture of frustration and helplessness—. Then I have no other choice.

…

The air in that place suddenly became heavier than a planet.

Kai and Ryu fell to their knees beneath that pressure, with no chance of standing back up.

And before them, looking down upon them, stood that old man.

His eyes became as sharp as those of a lion.

Fangs grew in his mouth, while his hair turned an orange hue.

It was as though age had never touched that man.

His aura was terrifying.

So much so that Kai and Ryu could only swallow hard at what they were witnessing.

A lion of fire stood before them, ready to deliver his punishment.

And on the ground, still conscious but weak, his grandson watched the birth of an unknown world.

—Who will be first? —Gen asked, drawing his sword, wrapped in flames.

——————

Gen watched his staggering opponents as they faced the king of the savanna before them, and declared:

—Do you understand now? Not once did you ever stand a chance against me.

But at those words, a laugh as dry as it was ironic made Gen feel uneasy.

—Ha… ha… ha… ha.

—What's so funny?

—The world truly is interesting —Kai murmured between laughs—. There are so many different kinds of people… I never grow tired of it.

—The strong, the weak, the tall, the short… All kinds.

—What's wrong? Has fear made you lose your mind? —Gen asked with irony.

—No… It has only made me regain it.

—Huh?

—Tell me, Gen… What is the most important thing to a grandfather?

—What are you talking about…?

…

The mask covering Kai's face came loose, falling to the ground with a dull thud.

That face, once flawless, had now become one ravaged by the scars of an unknown pain.

Cuts, stitches, and burns dominated what little untouched skin remained.

Beneath that cold, calm image, a twisted smile emerged with terrifying clarity.

A smile so distorted that it froze Gen's blood in an instant.

And instinctively, Gen stepped in front of Eden, like a mother protecting her cub.

—You bastard…

Slowly, Kai began to stand, while a gray and purple aura started rising behind him.

His body began to sway from side to side as his hair whipped wildly.

His eyes, once purple, now shone crimson beneath the moon.

And with a powerful scream, crimson lightning tore through the air with ferocity.

—Auuuu-argh!

…

—Do you know what separates us, Gen?

—Unlike you, I have nothing left to lose —he declared, glaring fiercely at the man before him.

—————

The attacks came without delay.

Kai launched himself at his opponent with tremendous speed.

His crimson whips broke the sound barrier, seeking to land a blow on Eden.

However, Gen was not falling behind.

He answered each and every one of Kai's attacks with incredible precision.

Clashes came and went.

Whip strikes so powerful they cracked the ground itself with ease.

Kai's attacks were like a psychotic dance.

They followed no pattern.

No rhythm.

They simply sought destruction.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

There was no stopping the attacks of that ferocious wolf.

…

"Damn it… This guy really is a nuisance," Gen thought, blocking every one of Kai's attacks. "And on top of that, that other bastard is still kneeling there without moving a foot."

—Don't look away!

In a single lapse of attention, one of Kai's whips grazed Gen's face, leaving a severe burn behind.

—Grandpa!

Gen was forced to put some distance between them.

And after seeing the blood running down his face, he muttered:

—Shit… This is going to leave one hell of a scar.

Kai looked at him in confusion and asked:

—Has fear made you lose your mind?

Gen could only smile upon hearing that, and said:

—Yeah… I think I've gone insane.

Kai frowned at those words and instinctively stepped back.

—Eden… The weather is nice today, isn't it?

—What are you talking about, Grandpa…?

Gen looked up at the sky and, with a smile on his face, murmured:

—Today is a good day to die…

Before he could say anything more, his arm was violently torn off by Ryu.

—You owed me this one, you damn old man.

—GRANDPAAAAAAA!

However, that man did not let out a single sound in the face of such a horrifying act.

His eyes looked down with disdain at the man before him, who suddenly saw a rain of blood falling upon him.

But that blood did not belong to his opponent.

It belonged to him.

His stomach had been pierced in the blink of an eye, causing him to collapse beneath the king's feet, screaming in agony.

Faced with that scene, Kai stood frozen as he realized the truth.

"This old man has lost all sense of reason… He sacrificed his arm for the sole purpose of finishing Ryu."

—Now there's no one left to get in our way —Gen said with a smile stained in blood.

—You bastard! —Kai shouted, before releasing all of his power and blowing away everything around him.

Those eyes no longer held even a single drop of humanity.

They had lost every trace of sanity.

Gen took advantage of that and launched himself into the attack.

Thrusts.

Side slashes.

Vertical cuts.

His techniques were endless.

And yet, that beast did not yield.

Gen unleashed a powerful slash that split the ground in half, but Kai did not flinch.

Seeing that, Gen wrapped his sword in flames once more and declared:

—Solar Blaze!

Without giving him time to dodge, the flames struck Kai instantly.

And then they swept through meters upon meters of anything in their path, consuming everything without leaving a trace.

Iron.

Flesh.

Bones.

Nothing could withstand those flames.

Everything was devoured.

—I told you that you should have left… —Gen murmured, clenching his fists.

The sight before them was desolate.

Everything had been consumed by the heat of a grandfather's love for his grandson.

Gen turned around and looked at his grandson, who was smiling despite being covered in tears.

—Grandpa…

—See? Your grandpa really is strong —he declared with a wide smile.

Eden could only smile through his tears upon seeing that his grandfather was still there.

Gen crouched down and extended his hand toward his grandson, saying:

—Let's go home, Eden.

—Yeah!

…

But in the blink of an eye, a large amount of blood splashed across Eden's face…

Before him, a hand coldly pierced through his grandfather's chest.

—You bastard… It was always you, wasn't it…? —Gen stammered before coughing up even more blood.

—GRANDPAAAAAAA!

Gen collapsed toward the ground.

But before he could fall, Eden caught him in his arms.

—Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpa!

—Shut your mouth, Eden… You're really damn noisy —Gen murmured between broken laughs.

—Don't talk! You'll keep losing blood!

—Tell me, Eden… Was I a good grandfather?

—You're the best… The best grandfather in the world —he said, sobbing.

—Thank goodness…

Filled with uncontrollable rage, Eden met Kai's empty gaze, while his grandfather's blood ran down Kai's arm.

—You son of a bitch! —Eden spat, consumed by fury—. I'll kill you! I'll kill you!

Kai did not answer.

He simply stared at Eden with hollow eyes.

—I'll kill you! I'll kill you!

Space began to distort within Eden's eyes.

Short circuits.

Shattered, twisted images.

Before his eyes stood that son of a bitch who had taken his grandfather from him…

Space began to warp between streams of energy.

And amid that chaos reflected in his gaze, a disturbing voice echoed.

"Kill them."

With a thunderous scream, every trace of light vanished from his eyes.

They became pure darkness.

…

—E-Eden…

At that sight, his grandfather's eyes opened wide.

Amid heart-rending screams, voices that seemed to play in reverse, and his skin tearing apart, a new world was being born.

One that would turn the world upside down.

—They will all die…

But before Gen could do anything, the world fell silent…

And in the blink of an eye, everything turned black.

BOOM!

Everything once known as life was consumed by an infinite darkness…