The basilisk's roar tore through the entire valley with almost unreal violence, as if the very air itself had cracked under the pressure. The resulting shockwave swept across the ruins, shaking loose debris and forcing the survivors to shield themselves however they could, some collapsing to their knees under the sheer sonic force.
The creature, though its eye had been wounded by the previous attack, showed no sign of lasting retreat. Its massive reptilian body slowly rose again, each movement crushing the ground beneath it, while its mutilated gaze continued to scan the battlefield with cold fury.
At the center of this storm of dust and destruction, a figure walked forward without haste. His steps were measured, almost detached from the devastation around him, as if the violence had no claim over his presence.
Ryuji, still half-buried beneath the rubble of a collapsed wall, struggled to make sense of what was happening. His vision was blurred by pain, lingering poison still flowing through his veins, and the accumulation of injuries. Yet, even through that haze, he immediately sensed a presence he knew too well.
A voice rang out, cold and cutting, dominating even the chaos of the battlefield.
— Do you intend to stay there, kneeling in the face of such a catastrophe?
Ryuji slowly lifted his head, his trembling muscles forcing every movement. When he finally saw the figure clearly, his eyes widened in disbelief.
— …You…
The word escaped him in a rough breath, filled with both hatred and shock.
Marcellus.
For a moment, silence seemed to thicken around them, as if even the battlefield hesitated to interrupt this confrontation.
---
On the cliff where the survivors had gathered, the atmosphere had become almost surreal. The wounded, the remaining soldiers, and the men in black all stared down at the scene with complete confusion.
Aeryn broke the tension, turning sharply toward Alpha.
— Alpha, what is happening exactly? How can that man be here?
Alpha remained still for a moment, eyes fixed on the battlefield. His usually controlled expression now showed rare uncertainty.
— Even I… don't fully understand the situation, he finally replied. But what I can confirm is that the one who just wounded the basilisk is indeed Marcellus.
A heavy silence followed.
Roy immediately frowned, unable to accept what he had just heard.
— The director of this prison is directly intervening in a fight like this… and helping that kid? That makes no sense.
Another soldier muttered under his breath:
— This feels like a mistake… no one does something like this without a reason.
But Aeryn kept her eyes locked on Ryuji. Even from this distance, she could sense something unstable in him. A raw anger, but also an inner tension that seemed ready to break him apart.
---
On the battlefield, Ryuji struggled to regain control of his breathing. Each inhale felt like it tore through his body. Poison, burns, and countless injuries made every movement a punishment.
Yet Marcellus' presence acted like a trigger far stronger than pain itself.
A surge of rage rose within him, fast and uncontrollable. The urge to leap at the man, to strike him until he stopped moving, burned through his mind. But his body refused to obey.
Marcellus looked down at him without the slightest hint of sympathy, his gaze filled with cold disdain.
— Pathetic, honestly.
He took a step forward, studying Ryuji as if he were something beneath him.
— You keep talking about hatred, destruction, and your will to fight calamities… yet the moment you face one, you collapse.
Ryuji clenched his teeth, his trembling hands digging into the rubble.
— Shut up… he muttered weakly.
Marcellus didn't react immediately, then continued in an even colder tone.
— The truth is simple. You are not ready to survive in this world. You fight things you don't even understand.
Those words struck Ryuji harder than any physical blow. Not because they were new, but because a part of him knew they were true.
The basilisk, however, had no intention of waiting for this absurd exchange between humans. With a furious roar, it charged once again. Its massive body moved with terrifying speed, heading straight for Ryuji.
But Marcellus moved instantly.
A blinding flash cut through the air, followed by a precise sword strike. The blade tore into the monster's scales, sending dark blood spraying outward. The basilisk roared in pain, its trajectory slightly disrupted.
— Move! Marcellus shouted without even looking at Ryuji.
But even so, the basilisk's massive tail still slammed into Ryuji, sending him crashing violently to the ground.
Marcellus glanced at him with visible annoyance.
— Seriously… are you planning to stay down forever, or are you going to start being useful?
Ryuji coughed, blood dripping from his lips, but his eyes never left Marcellus.
— You… annoying bastard… he muttered.
---
The basilisk took a step back, then its behavior changed. It paused, scanning the battlefield. Its gaze locked onto something disturbing.
The statues.
The petrified soldiers began to move.
Cracks spread across their stone bodies, and slowly, unnaturally, they started walking again. Their movements were stiff and broken, but all of them were heading in the same direction.
Toward Ryuji and Marcellus.
Horrified screams echoed from the survivors above.
— They're moving… impossible!
— They're not statues anymore, they're alive!
Alpha narrowed his eyes.
— It's not direct control… it's reactivating what was frozen. A form of magical residual effect.
---
Soon, both fighters were surrounded. Ryuji, still on the ground, slowly looked around before shifting his gaze to Marcellus.
Then he spoke, his voice rough.
— Why… are you here?
Marcellus didn't answer immediately. He studied the basilisk, then the statues, before replying calmly.
— Because if you die here, everything I planned falls apart.
— Always so charming… Ryuji muttered.
A brief silence followed, broken only by the heavy footsteps of the approaching stone figures.
Ryuji finally forced himself to stand, each movement costing him greatly. Flames began to ignite around his fists, a draconic heat wrapping around his arms.
— I hate you… he said quietly.
Marcellus smirked slightly.
— Mutual.
The basilisk roared again, preparing to strike.
Ryuji stared at the creature, then at Marcellus, then at the encircling statues.
His voice lowered, steadier.
— After this… I'm going to settle things with you.
Marcellus lifted his sword slightly.
— Get in line.
For a brief moment, everything stilled, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Then the battle resumed, even more violent than before.
A fragile alliance had been born, not from trust, but from necessity.