Chapter 13

Suero stood frozen in place, staring in silent horror at the ground where Baysal’s lifeless body lay. Her headless corpse. He tried to breathe as he stared at her remains. He tried to cry, but something inside him had stopped working. His ragged breaths and hoarse voice reflected a massive shock that had locked everything inside him. His vacant eyes could not break away from the scene, as if time itself had stopped.

On the other side, Solio was running wildly, his maddening laughter echoing through the metro as violet sparks danced around his hand. He shouted with insane delight as he advanced at an unbelievable speed:

“Ohhh! … What a thrill I’m living right now!”

His laughter grew louder before he screamed in a voice that pierced the ears:

“Really?! … Am I truly your curse, Suero?”

With a single blow, Solio’s fist slammed into Suero’s face, sending him flying like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Suero hit the ground violently, rolling like a lifeless body, but Solio didn’t relent. His arm shot out, grabbing Suero’s clothes roughly and yanking him up, only to hurl him against the wall like a worthless toy.

“Do you think you can provoke me, you filthy wretch?!” Solio bellowed, his face alight with hatred.

Suero, his face entirely covered in blood, seemed to have lost everything—movement, spirit, and even hope. His eyes were empty, as though he no longer existed.

Solio charged at him again, his voice dripping with contempt:

“This is war, you fool!”

Another powerful punch drove Suero’s head into the wall. Blood splattered everywhere, and Suero’s face looked like a shattered mask. Solio pulled his head from the wall, a terrifying grin spreading across his hysterical face:

“Oii, Suero Rashid!”

But Suero didn’t respond. He couldn’t respond.

Solio continued, his voice dripping with deadly mockery:

“Have you counted how many Monsters you’ve killed?”

Then, with unbridled fury, he rained blows upon him, his screams shattering the silence:

“I bet you haven’t. And I haven’t either... counted how many humans I’ve killed!”

Suero’s blood sprayed in all directions like a crimson fountain as Solio’s merciless fists pummeled him. His hysterical voice roared:

“You scum! I am you, Suero Rashid, and you are me… Just as I kill humans without a second thought, You too help them without a second thought… This is war! Didn’t your teacher Sbyam teach you that?!”

He grabbed Suero’s battered body again, lifted it high, and slammed it to the ground, only to pick him up and throw him down again, as if asserting his absolute dominance:

“This is the war that will decide who survives in the future—humans or Monsters! You need to understand this, Suero Rashid!”

Once more, Solio hurled him against the wall. The sound of impact reverberated through the metro as blood poured endlessly from Suero’s mouth. The wall seemed to shudder in protest against the violence.

Solio began to approach with slow, deliberate steps, his face twisted with frightening madness, his eyes gleaming with an indescribable eagerness:

“Just as I killed the rest of the humans and forgot them... so too will I forget you in the end.”

Solio’s hand began to morph slowly into a sharp blade that reflected the dim light of the metro. That sick grin never left his face; it was a promise of death. He advanced slowly, his hands trembling with excitement, while Suero remained motionless, as if awaiting the end.

Solio thrust the blade toward Suero’s neck. The air was thick with a suffocating tension as Solio’s hand sped toward its deadly target. The blade was moments away from severing Suero’s neck…

But the blade suddenly stops before it touches Suero’s neck. Solio’s arm, transformed into a knife, freezes in mid-air. A green spark begins to glow slowly on his hand until it completely envelops it. Solio stares at his halted hand in panic, muttering in astonishment:

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“What...?!”

The sound of steady footsteps approaching him reaches his ears. He turns his head to see Moryo advancing slowly toward him, his hands behind his back, and his sharp eyes piercing like a blade. Moryo stops a short distance away, staring at Solio with a gaze devoid of mercy, then speaks in a voice like steel:

“What are you doing to that child?”

Solio smirks mockingly, tilting his head slightly:

“And who are you to ask?”

Moryo doesn’t reply immediately. Instead, he steps forward with confident strides, his eyes locking onto Solio’s in silent defiance. Then, Moryo leans down slightly to lift the frozen Suero off the ground before moving away calmly.

Solio watches him with a mocking smile, speaking with exaggerated confidence:

“As if I’d let you both escape!”

Moryo gently places Suero on the ground, then turns to Solio with a cold demeanor and says with a decisive tone:

“And who said we’re going to escape?"

He stands facing Solio, tilting his head slightly, and continues with a voice as sharp as a blade:

“I’m here... to kill you.”

Solio’s smirk widens with sarcasm as he responds with a grin:

“Kill me? Of course... that’s natural. Sorcerers and Monsters have always been enemies.”

But Moryo’s eyes focus on the necklace around Solio’s neck. He speaks in a tone tinged with coldness, as if his words are directed more at the necklace than at Solio:

“Where did you get that?”

Solio raises an eyebrow in surprise before replying with a question:

“What are you talking about?”

Moryo points at the necklace with his finger, his voice growing sharper:

“How did you get it?”

Solio lets out a short, mocking laugh before replying with a cold tone:

“It’s a long story. I wanted to kill a member of the Raipozi clan to obtain the Time Technique. But... it seems it was all for nothing. I didn’t get it. I don’t know why... but I needed it. I wanted to become a supreme Shikigami!”

Moryo stares at him in grim silence before asking, his tone filled with menace:

“That means... you killed my family, didn’t you?”

Moryo’s tone gradually darkens, and his eyes ignite with fury, like those of a beast hungry for revenge. His next words erupt as a scream charged with hatred:

“I will never forgive you... NEVER!”

Solio smirked mockingly, but before he could reply, a faint, shaky voice came from behind him. It was weak, barely audible:

“Commander Moryo? … I’m sorry.”

Moryo turned immediately upon hearing the voice, his eyes filled with concern:

“Suero?”

Suero continued in a broken tone, his breaths ragged and his voice heavy with regret:

“I couldn’t… I couldn’t protect anyone. Spailo wiped out everyone, and I… I just stood there watching. Mr. Veb… Baysal… everyone…”

Tears streamed from Suero’s eyes like rain as he went on, hugging himself in despair:

“I kept justifying it to myself… I thought if I stayed alive, I could protect others. But…”

His voice rose into a heart-wrenching scream that echoed through the empty station:

“But I did nothing! I just watched… I’m completely useless. Why am I even alive?! I should’ve died!”

His tears fell onto the cold tiles as Solio approached him with wild abandon, shouting mockingly with a tone full of madness:

“That’s what I wanted, Suero Rashid! Speak up, I can’t hear you!”

But before Solio could reach Suero, the green spark flared to life again, enveloping Solio’s entire body. He froze in place, as if time itself had stopped. In that moment, Moryo moved with calm, deliberate steps. The spark danced on his hand, and in a flash, he delivered a devastating punch to Solio’s abdomen. The impact sent Solio flying backward like a ragdoll, but he quickly regained his footing, somersaulting through the air to land upright. This time, however, his face was devoid of mockery… replaced by an expression of cautious anticipation.

On the other side, Moryo had turned his back on Solio, ignoring his presence entirely, his sharp gaze fixed on Suero lying on the ground. With a calm but resolute voice, Moryo spoke:

“What are you doing, Suero? Get up now! … Do you think your death will stop the cycle of death? Death chases everyone, without exception.”

Suero remained silent, drowning in his despair, while Moryo continued, his tone steady yet brimming with strength:

“Veb… Baysal… everyone who joined the Sorcerers’ Organization knew that death could come at any moment. Whether they sacrificed their lives to protect humans or to save their friends, it wouldn’t have saddened them. But…”

His words were interrupted by the sound of Solio’s footsteps as he charged recklessly toward Moryo, shouting mockingly:

“When will your lecture end, you fool?!”

Moryo didn’t move from his spot, nor did he bother to look behind him. Instead, he continued speaking to Suero with unwavering determination:

“What would have truly saddened them is seeing their sacrifices go to waste… They wanted you to live and gave their lives for you. And now you want to die?! … Is this how you repay their sacrifices?”

Before Solio’s fist could reach Moryo’s back, Moryo flipped effortlessly, soaring through the air to land behind Solio with fluid grace. He then delivered a powerful kick to Solio’s back, sending him flying like a broken puppet. Solio crashed into the wall, which crumbled under the force of the impact, blood dripping from his nose. Yet, he stood again, wiping the blood away with a mocking grin, thinking to himself:

“That bastard! … He looks tired. I need to finish him quickly.”

Solio started running again, laughing maniacally:

“You sorcerers are such fools! Your beliefs are utterly ridiculous!”

Violet sparks ignited around his transformed arm, flickering like furious flames. He charged toward Moryo, who remained motionless, his piercing eyes challenging every ounce of Solio’s madness.

But suddenly, Suero broke his silence and shouted:

“Shrine Punch!”

Solio quickly turned toward the source of the voice and caught sight of Suero charging at him, his fist glowing bright red. Before Solio could evade, Suero’s punch landed squarely on his face with immense force, unleashing a wave of destructive pressure that rippled through the surroundings. Solio was hurled like a shattered puppet, crashing into the station walls one after another, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

Suero stood firmly, his expression now serious, his eyes ablaze with newfound determination. Moryo approached him, standing by his side with a faint smile and a stern demeanor. In a commanding tone, he said:

“Welcome back, Suero.”

Suero responded with confidence and resolve:

“Thank you, Commander Moryo. I won’t let my friends down again!”

Moryo nodded and replied with calm severity:

“Then… let’s start this fight.”

He took a step forward, his voice filled with righteous fury as he declared:

“I won’t return home until I’ve killed that bastard!”

Suero, his voice steady and unwavering, answered:

“Then… let’s curse him together!”

From within the wreckage caused by Suero’s attack, Solio emerged, his body battered and covered in wounds, yet still wearing a sinister grin as if nothing had happened. He sneered and said mockingly:

“This will be the last time we curse each other… Either I survive, or you do! None of us will walk away unscathed.”

Moryo and Suero locked eyes with Solio, their resolve unshaken, their determination burning brighter than ever. Sparks ofdefiance and rage flickered in their gazes. Solio’s grin remained fixed, as though the battle only fueled his excitement and passion.

End of Chapter.