Behind them, people began to gather.
Subjugators. Soldiers. Even the Keepers stepped out, forming a loose circle at a safe distance near the camp.
The heat of late morning rose from the sand, creating a faint shimmer between the two men.
Peter Madlock adjusted his robe slightly, eyes calm but sharp.
"Should we intervene now, Old Eason?" he asked in a low voice.
Eason rested both hands on his cane, smiling like a man watching a play.
"Why intervene now?" he replied smoothly. "You should have done so earlier, my dear Madlock."
Madlock glanced at him, then sighed softly.
"So you wished for this to occur."
Eason's eyes gleamed.
"I merely wish to measure the worth of our mysterious guest."
Samantha stood with her arms crossed, her gaze locked on Klaus.
She didn't speak.
But her eyes were cold.
Sharp.
Watching.
On the subjugators' side, the mood was far less serious.
"This is great!" Ulon laughed, clapping his hands. "Finally, something fun. I bet five silver on the creepy man!"
"Oi, I'm betting on the Keeper!"
"No way, that shadow guy looks dangerous!"
Coins started exchanging hands.
Kiel pushed forward, eyes bright. "I'll go with the shadow guy."
Orlane shook his head, arms crossed.
"You people really loved betting."
Maynard chuckled softly.
"Let them. Even a short distraction can ease a heavy heart."
Hellhound, silent until now, muttered,
"Like eye of the storm."
Maynard nodded. "Indeed."
Elaine stepped forward, composed as always.
"I shall place my wager on the Thunderous Flame."
Ulon turned to her with a grin.
"Oh? You're going against me even here?"
Elaine didn't even look at him.
"And you shall lose. As always."
Ulon clicked his tongue. "We'll see."
Despite the chaos, Ulon somehow managed to list every bet with surprising efficiency.
When he finished, he leaned toward Shane.
"Boss… who do you think wins?"
Shane's eyes stayed on the battlefield.
"I do not know," he said quietly.
Ulon blinked. "That's rare."
Shane continued,
"My appraisal skill reveals nothing on Enigma. No name. No level. No class."
Ulon frowned. "Nothing?"
"Nothing," Shane repeated. "Only… darkness."
Ulon scratched his head. "That's creepy."
Shane's gaze narrowed slightly.
"…And familiar."
Ulon snorted. "Not a chance. I don't get close to weird people."
Shane glanced at their group—Maddy laughing loudly, Petra nodding quietly beside her, Shalotte and Kiel arguing again.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"…And what about them?"
Ulon followed his gaze.
He sighed.
"Worse."
**
At the center of the desert, the two finally stopped.
Dozens of feet apart.
Facing each other.
Rio cracked his neck, grin widening.
"Ready to lose, Enigma?"
Klaus stood still, cloak swaying slightly.
"I was about to ask you the same."
Rio took out a copper coin and flipped it between his fingers.
"This hits the ground… we start."
Klaus nodded once.
A dark blade formed in his hand—the Sword of Despair—black flames curling around it, blending with the cloak as if they were part of the same shadow.
Rio's eyes lit up.
"Now that… that's smokin' hot."
He flipped the coin high into the air.
Time seemed to stretch.
The coin spun.
Fell—
And before it even touched the sand—
Klaus moved.
Phantom Step.
He appeared in front of Rio, sword already swinging. Black flames carved an arc through the air, sharp and precise.
The blade stopped—
Blocked.
Rio's strange, square-shaped sword caught it cleanly.
The impact kicked sand outward, but Rio didn't move an inch.
Klaus frowned slightly.
Rio grinned wider.
"This is awesome."
His grip tightened.
"You're really smokin' hot."
Then his eyes sharpened.
"But not enough."
He leaned in slightly.
"Kaboom."
For a split second—nothing.
Then—
BOOM.
A violent explosion erupted from his blade, fire and force bursting point-blank toward Klaus. The sand beneath them blasted outward, heat distorting the air as the shockwave spread across the desert.
The crowd staggered.
Some cursed.
Others cheered.
Ulon raised both hands. "That's my money right there!"
Samantha didn't move. Her eyes stayed locked on the smoke, cold and sharp.
Eason, however, was not looking at the explosion.
His gaze rested somewhere else—farther.
He smiled.
"Interesting… utterly unscathed."
Fifty meters away, a figure stood. Dusting sand on his cloak. Untouched. Not even a burn mark.
Ulon blinked, then grinned wide. "Yes! My bet's alive!"
Rio turned his head, then laughed, loud and thrilled.
"I knew it!"
Without waiting, he kicked the ground and shot forward.
Klaus didn't move at first.
His eyes narrowed under the hood.
Fast.
Rio closed the distance in a blink, sword already glowing, cracks of heat forming along its strange, square edge.
"Let's go again!" Then swung his sword.