Dark-gray mist drifted through the dirt-stained haze, colliding with spiraling gusts of wind and pale dust as two figures slowly emerged from the smoke.
A pair of dark-brown boots trudged forward. The instant they struck the fractured earth, a sharp pulse of aura rippled outward.
Tellewin: "My god. You two have no class whatsoever. Just a pair of brainless beasts. Look at this mess."
His pristine white curls fluttered softly in the breeze. Faint, pale sparks shimmered around his ruby eyes as he adjusted his crooked jester mask.
Angela stood only a few inches from him. Her bright yellow hair lashed violently across her face, strands pulled in every direction as her breath hitched in horror.
Angela: "W-What have you done…?"
Tellewin glanced across the ruined town, his gaze sweeping over the carnage with detached indifference.
Tellewin: "Quite the clutter, isn't it? It appears only the heart of the town has been completely devastated. The outer districts are merely damaged.
Good."
Jerry turned to face the two newcomers, eyes locking onto the traitor's slender frame.
His signature smirk returned.
Jerry: "AHA! Looks like the punchline finally decided to show up! Goodness gracious, Tellewin. You look even worse than I remember."
Tellewin rolled his eyes, paying the insult no mind as he took another step forward. His teal-green cloak billowed behind him while he examined the destruction left in Jerry's wake.
Tellewin: "Your empty words don't concern me, Windfield. I can see straight through the act you're putting on… by the way—how's Korosa?"
Jerry's smirk sharpened. He cracked his bruised knuckles, tilting his head slightly as a quiet chuckle slipped from his throat.
Jerry: "Funny. You're accusing me of putting on an act… yet here you are, trying to rile me up just to keep your little performance intact. This pathetic role you're to playing.
You're more blind than ever, Tellewin."
Tellewin's expression tightened, a scowl creeping across his face before he forced it back into a composed smile. His fists clenched at his sides.
Hera: "Enough."
Hera's voice cut cleanly through the tension.
Hera: "Tellewin Seer. Angela Destinies. You are now both considered high traitors to the First Ones Kingdom. The punishment for such treason… shall be death.
Whether you accept it or not, your graves will lie here."
Jerry snickered.
Jerry: "Heh. That's assuming you're even allowed one."
Angela's face drained of color. She opened her mouth to speak—but Tellewin's sharp gaze silenced her instantly.
Tellewin: "You speak with such confidence. Be careful not to underestimate me. You'll soon learn that I've become very… Lucky."
Angela shifted her footing, swiftly drawing forth an ancient wooden staff decorated with intricate runes—the Rocher Staff.
A surge of golden energy erupted from its bark, spilling outward like waves of molten lava that warped the surrounding air.
She raised her palm, grasping the mystical force and guiding it around Tellewin's body.
The effect was immediate.
His strength, durability, endurance, and speed—every facet of his physical being—rose far beyond its natural limits, bursting into something unprecedented.
Tellewin launched from the ground.
A trail of white and gray smoke trailed behind him as he blitzed across the wreckage. His rabid and unrestrained movements mirrored that of an enraged lion.
Jerry: "Eh?"
Tellewin blurred past him.
In the same motion, he twisted sharply, eyes locking onto Jerry's exposed back before propelling himself forward once more.
His leg rose, aiming a sharp, deadly strike straight for Jerry's unguarded spine.
The white stars held within Jerry's eyes suddenly began to spin.
He slipped aside, sidestepping as Tellewin's calculated attack cleaved through empty space.
Before he could even register the miss, Jerry's fist crashed into his face.
A vile impact rang out.
Tellewin's porcelain skin shattered on contact, his features stretching under the pure force of the blow as blood sprayed into the air.
He slammed into the ground, the devastating impact rippling through the ruined area as a pile of scraps erupted around him.
He struggled to breathe.
Above him, Jerry gazed down with a taunting smile.
Jerry: "Luck, huh? Sure, buddy. Whatever helps the poor little baby sleep at night."
Hera exhaled sharply, stepping forward and grabbing Jerry's shoulder before turning him around.
Hera: "Listen. I'm heading back to check on the fleet. Handle this on your own."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and disappeared into the sea of smoke.
Jerry silently watched her go. His expression seemed to sink into that eerie blankness from long before…
Tellewin: "Pay attention!"
Tellewin rammed his boots into the side of Jerry's head, the savage collision echoing as it sent the First Captain soaring backward.
Tellewin straightened, a psychotic grin sprawling across his face as the bright gold energy blazed along his figure.
He ran his fingers through his platinum curls, breathing steadily.
The torn flesh and skin across his face had already begun to mend—knitting itself back together in moments, leaving behind only faint burn scars.
Behind him, Angela dragged the Rocher Staff through rubble and mud, carving a series of glowing trails as she lathered more enchanting energy onto his frame.
Angela: "Létta!"
Jerry staggered upright, mildly dazed—but relatively unharmed. Only a few thin drops of scarlet traced their way down his cheek.
A soft giggle escaped him, low and unsteady. He then jolted upward, his previous excitement resurfacing as he stood.
Angela's robes billowed gracefully behind her as she planted her feet into the earth, forcefully wrenching her Blessed Tool free from the dry roots and caked mud below.
Her pupils shifted. They gleamed—radiant and clear, like unspoiled emeralds catching the sunlight. They shined brighter than ever before.
Angela: "Nauð!"
An enormous ray of vivid green energy beamed from the staff's limber tip, piercing through the air before crashing directly into Jerry's abdomen!
He was rocketed forcibly into the open skies.
The toxic force wrapped around his body instantly, coiling and tightening like a writhing mass of squid-like tendrils. It clung to him, invasive and alive.
The edges of his crimson cloak shredded further under the strain, tearing apart as his body spun uncontrollably through the sunlight above.
He slammed straight into the town's clock tower, blasting through its white brick exterior before tumbling inward and down through its endless staircases.
Stone crumbled.
The entire structure creaked under the force of his sudden descent.
Just as Jerry started to gather his bearings… his body lurched.
A gush of dark-green fluids burst violently from his mouth, splattering across the splintered floor as it rushed past a few of his newly rotting teeth.
Jerry grimaced, watching the acid-like liquids form into puddle beneath him.
It hissed and bubbled.
The corrosive substance ate into the ground under it, releasing faint, venomous fumes as it festered and churned.
Meanwhile, in the outer districts of Senson Town, the remaining citizens gathered in uneasy clusters, their bodies trembling as they stared toward the destruction consuming the heart of their home.
Fear spread rapidly among them, infecting every whispered word, every shaken breath.
Hope began to wither inside their chests as their eyes settled on the shattered remains of the central statue.
The symbol of their order—the very bosom of the foundation they had built their lives upon—had been completely erased.
From within the crowd, a ragged housemaid stepped forward, her frail figure stumbling as she gazed upon the distant devastation. Cold, icy tears poured down her cheeks, cutting quiet paths amidst the dust on her skin.
Housemaid: "This isn't right…"
…
Tellewin: "Public appearance, eh?"
Tellewin calmly slid a delicate golden ring onto one of his bleached fingers, the aurum glinting underneath the sunlit sky.
The Viax Ring—Tellewin's Blessed Tool.
A colossal rush of scarlet thunder ejected from the clouds, rolling outward before crashing straight into the ravaged earth below. The impact detonated, sending an ocean of colorless debris flying into jagged spires.
Fiery ruby currents surged through the streets of Senson Town, slithering across broken roads and flickering against the hollow shells of buildings.
Tellewin's arms twisted, morphing and warping into something grandiose.
They expanded. They unfurled into massive, feathered wings of pristine white, each plume gleaming with an almost sacred brilliance.
The scene was sensational.
The so-called "God-King" launched himself skyward, sailing into the vast heavens as a trail of crimson electricity screamed behind him, dancing wildly alongside his flowing teal cloak.
His wings stretched wide—monumental in scale—beating against the rising fog with thunderous force as he ascended.
Below, the townsfolk looked on in awe.
Their passion-filled cries rose together, echoing throughout every district, overwhelmed with emotion.
Hands reached toward the sky, each shaking and desperate for their king's attention.
After so many years... their Lord of Prosperity had returned.
Tellewin: "Perfect."
Drawing back midair, he gathered momentum. He then hurled himself forward like a divine spear, tearing through the air with explosive speed.
At the clock tower, Jerry wiped the remnants of green bile from his lips with the back of his hand, smearing it carelessly across his skin.
Step by step, he climbed. Higher. Until he reached the tower's peak.
—
Tellewin's feral grin sprawled across his face as the distance between them rapidly closed.
Wind howled vigorously around Jerry's form, causing his light-blue curls to lash in the breeze. He brushed his armored shoulders with unsettling calm.
Tellewin: "You simply don't understand! I will never allow myself to lose, Windfield! Not again—NOT EVER!"
Boom.
The instant Tellewin entered range, Jerry raised his hand, catching him in seconds.
His fingers clamped down around one of Tellewin's wings, gripping it with crushing force and halting his momentum entirely. This so-called lord was now held in place like a captured animal.
Jerry slowly lifted his other hand, curling his fingers.
That's when he dug into his own mouth.
Crunch.
A wet, sqelching sound split the air as he ripped free two of his own canines—tearing them out viciously from the root. A gush of blackened green fluids spilled from his mouth, mixing with thick streams of blood as it poured down his chin.
His lapis eyes widened.
His throat burned like a furnace, the caustic substance eating away at him from the inside… yet it meant nothing to the ravenous creature that was Jerry Windfield.
A monstrous laugh erupted from his chest, bellowing out like a shockwave as his grip tightened further around Tellewin's wing.
Jerry: "You wretch. Now you've piqued my interest…! What else does this pathetic bitch of a king have to offer? IT EXCITES ME!"