Klaus' eyes narrowed slightly.
Is this damn parasite of mine afraid? Reacting like he's telling me to run.
Not a chance.
He shifted his footing, heel grinding into the hot sand. The desert stretched endlessly around them, wind dragging thin veils of dust across the ground. Heat shimmered between them, bending the air just enough to blur the edges of Rio's figure.
Klaus exhaled slowly.
"Alright," he murmured under his breath. "This one's expensive."
Power of Gold: Fifty gold coins.
A surge of raw power spread through his body—muscles drawing firm, senses sharpening, the world slowing by a thin, crucial margin. Shadows all over his body dance wildly.
"…Fifty," Klaus muttered, almost annoyed. "What a waste."
Rio grinned widely…then vanished.
The sand where he had stood erupted an instant later.
Klaus moved.
Steel met steel with a violent crack that split the air.
The force traveled up his arms, heavy and jarring. His boots carved into the sand as he was pushed back, leaving shallow trenches behind him.
Rio did not give him time to recover.
The square-shaped blade came again, fast and direct, slicing toward Klaus' neck.
Klaus leaned just enough.
The edge slipped past—
And then—
The air burst.
BOOM!
A delayed explosion tore through the space behind the swing.
Klaus twisted mid-step, barely avoiding the blast as heat licked across his back.
"…You're fast," he said, steady, though his gaze sharpened.
Rio's grin widened. "You're slow."
Another strike came.
Klaus read it early, shifting aside before it landed.
The blade passed.
No explosion.
Klaus' eyes flickered.
This is dangerous.
…His attack was unpredictable.
The next came low.
He stepped back—
The ground erupted.
BOOM!
Fire and sand blasted upward, forcing him to break distance.
Rio laughed, loud and unrestrained.
"Surprised?" he called. "I don't always feel like blowing things up."
Klaus clicked his tongue softly.
"…That's annoying."
He stepped forward.
Their blades met again, ringing sharp in the open desert.
Klaus moved with the impact.
A subtle turn. A shift of weight.
His sword slipped along Rio's guard instead of meeting it head-on, guiding the force aside.
With Hevert's form.
Klaus managed to match Rio's swordsmanship.
A cut slipped toward Rio's side—
And with it—
A black crescent peeled away from Klaus' blade.
It moved without sound, a curved arc of dark flame slicing through the air.
Rio's eyes flicked.
He twisted away.
The crescent passed him and struck the sand behind—
No explosion.
Only a clean, blackened scar carved into the ground.
"…More." Rio's grin sharpened. "Show me more."
Klaus said nothing.
He stepped in again.
Another swing—
Another crescent followed, low and fast.
Rio jumped back.
He countered immediately just as he landed.
A horizontal slash—
Klaus read it—
Moved early—
The explosion came anyway.
It tore through the space behind him, disrupting his rhythm, forcing him to break his flow.
Rio was already there.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
Steel rang in rapid succession as they exchanged blows.
Each of Klaus' strikes sent black crescents slicing outward—some wide, some narrow—forcing Rio to adjust, to reposition, to respect the distance.
But Rio adapted just as quickly.
Some of his swings exploded.
Some did not.
Some detonated too early.
Some came late.
The rhythm broke itself, over and over.
Klaus read the first.
Adjusted for the second.
The third slipped through.
A delayed explosion threw him off balance—
Rio's blade grazed his shoulder.
A shallow cut through his cloak.
Klaus slid back, boots digging into the sand.
"…Tch."
Rio grinned wider.
"Can't keep up?"
Klaus exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"…You're annoying."
He lowered his stance.
Sharper and tighter.
The black flames along his blade curled inward, denser now, as though responding to his focus.
He moved first.
A step in—
A slash—
A crescent cut diagonally toward Rio.
Rio dodged.
Klaus followed through—
Another strike—
Another crescent—
This one forced Rio to block.
For the first time, Rio's stance shifted—just slightly.
"…Heh," Rio breathed. "Now that's better."
Behind him, the serpent of molten fire started to move again.
Its head tilted slightly, as if studying Klaus with something close to curiosity.
Then—
It moved on its own.
Without Rio's command.
Its jaws opened—
Fire gathered—
And it breathed.
A torrent of flame surged forward, sweeping across the desert toward Klaus.
Klaus couldn't see it. But the curse egg inside him reacted.
It pulsed, once…twice—stronger than the last.
He frowned.
Again?
He moved instantly.
The flames chased him, scorching the sand where he had been. Heat surged past him, forcing him to roll aside.
"…Tch. Luckily, this parasite of mine reacted fast."
He came up just in time—
Rio was already there.
A strike came—
Klaus blocked—
Another—
He stepped aside—
No explosion—
Then—
The serpent struck again.
Its tail lashed through the air, flames trailing behind it, forcing Klaus to duck low.
"…So curses can move on their own," Klaus muttered.
Rio laughed, clearly pleased.
"Yeah," he said. "It doesn't listen much."
The serpent seemed to agree.
It lunged again—faster this time—its jaws snapping as it spat bursts of fire, smaller but rapid, forcing Klaus to keep moving.
Now it was two against one.
Rio from the front.
The serpent from anywhere.
Klaus adjusted.
A strike came—
He read Rio—
Dodged—
A crescent followed his counter, forcing Rio back—
Then—
The serpent breathed fire again from the side.
Klaus twisted mid-step, barely avoiding the blast.
His coat scorched at the edge.
"…Annoying," he muttered again, quieter this time.
Relying on the curse egg reaction. He moved differently now.
Less direct.
More controlled.
Each swing of his blade sent crescents not just at Rio—but at the serpent too, forcing it to recoil, to shift its position.
But it did not retreat.
It circled.
Watched.
Then attacked again—independent, unpredictable.
Rio pressed harder.
A storm of strikes came—violent and unpredictable.
While the serpent layered chaos over it, breathing fire at uneven intervals, lashing out without pattern.
Klaus read what he could.
Adjusted where possible.
Still—
Not perfect.
A delayed explosion broke his footing—
The serpent followed with a burst of flame—
Klaus twisted—
Too late to fully avoid it.
Heat burned across his side.
Another shallow injury.
He slid back, breathing heavier now.
"…Still faster," he muttered.
Rio stood before him, grin unchanged.
"Don't slow down," he said. "You're fun."
Klaus exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
He lowered his stance.
Sharper.
Tighter.
The black flames along his blade coiled denser.
He moved first.
A step in—
A slash—
A crescent cut diagonally toward Rio—
Rio dodged—
The serpent lunged—
Klaus pivoted—
Another swing—
Another crescent—
This one clipped the serpent's body, forcing it to recoil slightly, flames flickering unevenly.
"…Heh," Rio breathed. "You're fighting both now."
Klaus didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Then—
Rio stepped back.
Just once.
His grin shifted.
Focused.
The serpent rose higher behind him, flames gathering deep within its throat, thicker, heavier than before.
Klaus felt it immediately.
The egg in his chest throbbed violently.
"…Yeah," he murmured. "That's bad."
Rio lifted his hand.
The air folded.
Darkness gathered.
From it emerged something massive—metal, grotesque, wrapped in shadowed flame.
A howitzer. Covered with shadowy flames.
It pulsed faintly, as though alive.
Rio rested it on his shoulder.
"Let's end it," he said.
The serpent lowered its head beside him, jaws opening wide, fire building within.
Two attacks.
One moment.
Klaus stared for a breath.
Then sighed.
"…I really hate spending money."
More gold slipped away. Technically, the howitzer was mostly time consuming not expensive. But time is gold.
His stance tightened.
The black flames surged along his blade.
His eyes locked onto Rio—
Then the serpent—
Then both.
Every movement.
Every breath.
Every possibility.
"…Come on then," Klaus said quietly.
The serpent roared.
The howitzer aimed—
The black flames surged along the big gun.
His eyes locked onto Rio—
Then the serpent—
Then both.
Every movement.
Every breath.
Every possibility—
Then—
A hand tapped his shoulder.
Light and casual.
Klaus froze.
At the same moment—
Another hand rested on Rio's shoulder.
Rio blinked.
The flames faltered.
Two figures stood beside them.
One behind Klaus.
One beside Rio.
Both smiling the same easy smile.
It was Eason.
"…Huh?" Rio muttered.
Klaus exhaled quietly, tension easing just a fraction.
"Well now," Eason said, as if nothing had happened. "That will be quite enough."
Rio frowned. "Oi. I was just getting to the good part."
"…Same," Klaus muttered.
Eason clasped his hands behind his back, both copies mirroring the motion perfectly.
"I have no desire to exhaust my champions prematurely," he said calmly. "Restraint, gentlemen, is occasionally a virtue."
Rio clicked his tongue.
The serpent hissed—almost displeased—before dissolving into embers.
The howitzer faded into shadow.
The heat eased.
Klaus felt the pulse in his chest settle.
Once.
Twice.
Then silence.
Eason's gaze moved between them.
"You may continue another time."
Klaus lowered his blade slightly, black flames dimming.
"…Yeah."
Rio grinned again.
"Don't die before that."
Klaus allowed a faint smirk.
"…Same to you."