Finally comes the time for departure. Ignoring his backpack and scabbard, the apprentice of flames carries the Slasher Platinum in his right hand, wearing the clothes he was wearing when he arrived on Netern Island. Fully prepared, Vektor does a light warm-up and then leaves Noogard's residence, heading to a shortcut to the Dawn Plateau. At the start of the trail, a few seconds after leaving, he meets Sych, who greets him:

"Good morning, Vektor. I was waiting for you."

"Sych! Showed up at the perfect timing! I thought I would have to go alone."

"What's wrong? You scared?"

"N- No! You know I'm not afraid of the dark! It's just that walking alone in an empty place at dawn is kinda awkward..."

"Well, I wouldn't judge you if you were scared. You're about to fight for your own life, after all."

"I can't say exactly what I'm feeling about this, but I know it's not fear. I mean, it's not every day that you duel a legendary swordsman under the light of dawn."

"Yeah, and also, there's no need to be afraid. With my help, you will definitely win!"

"Hm? No, you won't fight with me."

"...What are you saying?"

"I'll fight alone this time. You'll just keep me company me until I reach the agreed place."

"What?! Why?!"

"This is kind of a personal thing for me. I think it would be kind of unfair to get help right now."

"But I am your servant and guardian! I can't let you go alone knowing the high risk of death you'll have!"

"And that's exactly why I want to ask you a favor."

"Favor?"

"Well, I know I just said this duel is something personal to me, but I'm not a complete idiot either. I know this won't end here, this isn't just my problem. If I die today, I don't know what will happen to the people of this island, but it most likely won't be anything good. If that happens, I want you to stay here and help Kder protect the people. You two are very strong, much stronger than me even, if you join forces, I bet you would be invincible."

"Are you already going with the intention of dying...?"

"It's not that, I really want to live. It's just that I can't guarantee anything, so..."

"So what's your plan if you win?"

"Well, I'll try my best to get back to my usual routine. If anything else happens in the future, I'll probably be here to witness it, so I can think about it when it happens."

"I see... Well, we can only hope for the best."

Vektor and Sych continue talking until they reach the base of the Dawn Plateau. The two silently gaze at the place until Vektor suddenly says:

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"...Actually, I have one more favor to ask of you."

"Hm?"

"...Could you wait here until the battle is over?"

"Of course I can, but why ask for this?"

"Well, if I die, my body will probably be left on the battlefield and if they take too long to find me, I'll start to decompose. So if I die, please go get my corpse. I want to have a proper burial, with a tombstone and everything."

"You can count on me. If I wasn't capable of that, I wouldn't consider myself your friend."

"Thanks, man. Well... Time to go. Wish me luck."

"Good luck. Honestly, that's what you need the most right now."

"Hehe, you're right. See you later."

Vektor climbs the trail alone to the top of the Dawn Plateau. Sych patiently waits for the duel to conclude, until he hears footsteps coming from nearby.

"Who's there...?"

As soon as this person gets closer, Sych instantly calms down:

"...! You are..."

Meanwhile, Vektor arrives at the agreed-upon location. Early and unconcerned, he observes the scenery around him. Etykiran City is far away, and the Valley of Music is taking up most of his field of vision.

The early morning wind blows lightly. Vektor allows himself to be distracted, until his vision is dazzled by the light of the rising sun. As his focus shifts to admiring the sunrise, the wind suddenly picks up. As agreed, Maken finally arrives at the Dawn Plateau.

After hearing his footsteps coming from afar, Vektor observes the silhouette of his enemy, hidden amidst the dust raised by the morning wind. After the dust is blown away by the wind, Vektor and Maken actually confront each other. With his hair and clothes flying, Maken appears before Vektor with an undeniable resemblance to the legendary hero, something that makes Vektor feeling disgusted. The wind finally calms down...

Each of the two on their respective sides. Vektor holding the Slasher Platinum, and Maken holding a new complete sword. The decisive duel is about to begin. As dawn breaks, Vektor calmly greets his enemy:

"Yo."

"So you're actually here, Vektor Drenn."

"Well, that was our deal. It was kinda obvious that I would be here."

"Still, after witnessing our difference in strength, it would be natural for you to try to flee. I must say that I respect your courage."

"If I did that, you'd come after me and kill me out of nowhere, wouldn't you? I'm here literally only because I have no better option."

"You're right... So, your presence here means that you're willing to fight to the end to protect your own life, am I right?"

"Yes. I won't let myself go down that easily. I'll do everything I can to get out of here alive!"

"So you already came with the intention of taking my life...?"

"Whoa, wait, don't put words in my mouth! I only said I would fight to get out of here alive, I didn't say anything about killing you. First of all, I don't kill human beings, okay?"

"This is a duel to the death. If you want to leave here alive, you must ensure that I don't leave here alive to hunt you in the future."

"Hey, isn't that a little unfair?! I thought defeating you would be all it took for you to leave me alone."

"I thought you already knew how this duel would work from the start. I'm also here for that exact same reason, so there's no unfairness at all."

"You say that but you're not taking any risk."

"That's not true. My deadline to kill you was yesterday. I had to beg my lord for one more chance before I was punished. I challenged you to this duel to have one last chance to fulfill my mission. Therefore, I also have no better option. For my own life, I will end yours!"

"So that's why you're here... Kder will be relieved to know that."

"What does this have to do with Katsuo?"

"Earlier, I promised him that I would find out why you were doing all this. He'll be happy to know that you're not doing this out of pure will."

"How stupid... What, are you going to tell me now that you're going to be all nice like him, talking about brotherhood and stuff...?"

"Nah, don't worry about that. But I'd be grateful if I were you. After everything you've done, it's a miracle there's still anyone out there who believes there's goodness in you."

"...And how about you? Will you try to argue with me desperately in hopes of me joining your side?"

"...No. If I were to do that, I wouldn't need to bring my sword. We will talk but not using words, we'll use swords instead."

"Heh, interesting. Looks like you understand now how things work. You'll have no more reason to complain when I take you to your eternal rest..."

Without wasting any other second, the two of them firmly grip their swords as they position themselves for battle. Both of them move their legs right after Maken says:

"Now, let's duel!"