The silence after Grace's death hung heavy like the weight of a broken oath.
Raphael's claymore trembled in his hands, his golden eyes burning brighter, veins of light pulsing beneath his skin like molten fire barely contained.
"You… You're no different," he growled, voice low, venomous. "You think you're protecting him? You're just another beast… standing over corpses."
Rowdy didn't move. He stood beside Joshua's limp body, his expression still cold, blank, unreadable.
Raphael's grip tightened. "I guess monsters travel in packs."
The holy knight roared, golden light surging through his entire body, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he lunged forward.
"RADIANT STRIKE!"
His claymore glowed with divine fury, blinding light coating its length as he swung down with both hands.
CLAAAANG!!!
Rowdy's claws met the blade, stopping it just above his shoulder, barely. Sparks exploded, and the sheer force sent a shockwave through the courtyard, shattering nearby stones.
But then...
SHHHING!!
Jack appeared to Rowdy's right, a blur of motion, his red eyes burning, fangs bared. His scimitar came down in a vicious slash aimed at Rowdy's ribs.
SLASH!!
Rowdy twisted, but too late.
Blood exploded from his side as the blade cut deep. He growled, spinning away, only to find Raphael already repositioned.
"I'll show you what it means to face judgment."
Raphael's next strike came fast, a horizontal arc, followed by a crushing overhead swing.
Rowdy ducked under the first, claws slashing up to parry the second, but the sheer weight behind the claymore pushed him to one knee.
Jack was already behind him again.
"You should've stayed out of this, Rowdy!"
Jack lunged, his scimitar aimed for Rowdy's exposed back.
Rowdy spun, barely catching the blade with one bloodied claw. He twisted his body, launching a kick that sent Jack skidding back, but Raphael took advantage.
"DIVINE LUNGE!"
He stepped forward with a burst of holy power, stabbing his blade toward Rowdy's heart.
CRUNCH!!
Rowdy barely dodged, the blade grazing his chest, slicing clean through the flesh. He reeled, coughing blood, then dropped low and swept Raphael's legs.
WHUMP!!
Raphael hit the ground, but before Rowdy could follow up...
CLANG!
Jack was already there, bringing his scimitar down in a lethal arc.
Rowdy blocked with both arms, steel bit into his forearms, more blood dripping. He shoved Jack back with a roar and leapt into the air, spinning.
His foot cracked across Jack's jaw, sending him flying backward, but not before Raphael surged to his feet again.
"Too slow!" Raphael shouted.
He drove his claymore forward, stabbing straight into Rowdy's shoulder.
PIERCE!
Rowdy howled, blood spraying from the wound.
Jack was back instantly, charging in tandem.
Two blades, two different energies, divine and bestial, closed in from opposite sides.
Rowdy braced.
CLANG! SLASH!
He parried one strike, ducked under the second, then leapt backward. But Jack followed, faster than before, slashing high, low, then spinning with an upward arc that nearly took Rowdy's head off.
Rowdy stumbled.
His claws trembled. He was breathing hard, wounds bleeding heavily now, movement slowing.
Jack charged again, seeing an opening.
Raphael mirrored him, the claymore glowing with full holy light.
This was it. The killing blow.
Jack leapt, scimitar raised, muscles coiled for the strike.
Rowdy turned, too late.
"AAAAHHHH!!"
"JACK!! DON'T!!"
Sam's scream pierced through the battlefield like a knife.
Jack's eyes flicked to the side instinctively and locked with Sam's horrified expression. Her eyes brimming with tears. Her lips trembling.
"Please… stop," she whispered.
Jack's blade froze mid-air.
His pupils contracted.
And suddenly, he remembered.
Rowdy's face.
Sam's smile.
The time they laughed together.
How her eyes lit up when Rowdy touched her hand. How protective he was. How she told Jack, in secret, that she was falling for him.
His little sister…
And the boy he was about to kill…
Was the one she loved.
SNAP!!
His glowing red eyes dimmed.
His wolf ears faded.
His tail vanished.
The bestial rage evaporated like smoke on the wind.
Jack's feet hit the ground. The scimitar trembled in his hand.
He lowered it.
"…Damn it," Jack muttered, stepping back. "I forgot..."
Rowdy didn't waste the moment.
With a snarl, he surged forward, slashing a claw across Jack's chest, not deep, not fatal, just enough to throw him back.
Raphael exploded in fury.
"TRAITOR!!"
He launched at Rowdy with another radiant strike, all his golden energy ignited in a fiery blaze.
Rowdy blocked, the impact sending him crashing into a ruined pillar. Stone exploded around him.
But now he stood tall again, bleeding, panting, but alive.
"You hesitate?" Raphael spat at Jack. "You're letting feelings cloud your duty?"
Jack looked away, breathing hard.
"I'm not gonna kill the guy my sister loves. I'm not that far gone."
Raphael roared.
Then turned his gaze back to Rowdy.
"Then I'll kill him myself."
Rowdy flexed his claws.
His wounds ached.
His vision blurred.
But still, he raised his head.
"I don't care who you are," Rowdy growled. "You come for him... you'll go through me."
Raphael's eyes glowed even brighter, the blade crackling with energy.
And from the distance, thunder rumbled.
The wind howled through the courtyard, carrying the scent of blood and scorched stone.
Rowdy's crimson eyes glowed brighter as he bared his fangs. His claws twitched with tension, his body screaming for rest but he stayed on his feet.
Across from him, Raphael stood like a statue of vengeance, his golden eyes blazing, holy claymore humming with divine energy that rippled like heat waves.
Rowdy squinted.
(That sword… it's wrong.)
He could feel it pulsing through the air. Not like Sawyl's cursed blade, laced with the arcane whispers of witches.
No, this one burned cleaner, harsher.
(It's not witchcraft… it's priest-forged. Anointed with holy blood, or maybe… sanctified through some ritual. This thing isn't just a weapon. It's a damn decree.)
His gut twisted.
(This is gonna be tough.)
Raphael raised the claymore again, stepping forward with righteous fury. Sparks of gold leapt from his blade, lightning cracking in the distance as the sky darkened.
But before he could strike...
Jack stepped in front of him.
"Enough."
Raphael stopped mid-step, eyes narrowing.
"Jack. Move."
Jack didn't budge.
"It's done," he said quietly. "I'm not letting you kill him."
Raphael's knuckles whitened around the hilt of his sword.
"You're choosing him?"
"I'm choosing mercy."
"Grace is dead," Raphael hissed. "And you want me to walk away?!"
"I didn't say walk away," Jack said. "Just don't take another step toward him. Not when Sam's watching."
Raphael's lips curled back in disgust.
"You're letting emotion cloud your judgment..."
"So are you."
The words hung in the air like a slap.
Raphael's mouth tightened. His shoulders trembled, then slowly, deliberately, he exhaled through his nose.
He lowered the claymore.
The golden light fizzled out.
His eyes dulled from molten gold to weary blue.
And with a heavy motion, he sheathed his sword.
"...Hmph."
Without another word, he turned around and walked away.
Jack let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and followed.
Rowdy's glowing eyes tracked them, still wary, still wild.
But as the two knights moved away… the rage drained from him.
His body finally loosened.
The crimson glow in his pupils dimmed…
...and faded.
He stumbled.
His knees hit the ground.
Then the rest of him followed, thud.
Dust puffed around his body as he collapsed, bloody and broken.
"ROWDY!!"
Sam rushed to him, nearly tripping over rubble in her haste. She dropped to her knees beside him, cradling his head.
Rowdy groaned, his voice hoarse but still laced with sarcasm.
"Your brother's kinda an asshole."
Sam gave a short, shocked laugh through her tears. "Yeah. He is."
She brushed his hair back, eyes wide with concern. "But… you're okay."
Rowdy coughed. "Define okay."
Then, horns blew in the distance. Hoofbeats thundered against the cobblestones.
From the western gate of the noble house of Kaizer, a procession of noble knights arrived, bearing the blood-red banners of House Kaizer. Their black armor gleamed beneath silver-trimmed capes.
Behind them came witches in ceremonial robes, some flying on floating discs of magic, others cloaked in shadow and wind. Energy shimmered around them, healing spells and wards ready.
The lead knight, Commander Vance, dismounted and marched forward, eyes scanning the devastation with a grim frown. His blade remained sheathed, but his posture radiated tension.
He stopped at the sight of Joshua's limp body, still resting beside the shattered column.
"If it ain't Joshua Xeno, I heard alot about you from my son, but you have alot of explaining to do ..." he muttered. "Get him to the healers. Now."
Two witches floated forward, gently lifting Joshua with their magic. They moved fast, murmuring enchantments, golden threads of energy knitting wounds together mid-air.
Another group of knights approached Raphael, who stood motionless with his back turned.
One knight knelt. "Sir Raphael. Are you injured?"
Raphael didn't respond.
And kept walking.
Meanwhile, a young witch bent beside Sam and Rowdy.
"He needs urgent attention. If we don't stabilize him, he could..."
"I'm not dying," Rowdy rasped.
The witch raised an eyebrow. "You're bleeding from four major arteries."
Rowdy grinned, blood on his teeth. "I've had worse dates."
Sam giggled softly, wiping her eyes. "Take him. He needs help."
As they gently levitated Rowdy into the air, the commander turned to Jack, who stood silently watching it all unfold.
"Report," Commander Vance ordered.
Jack's face was pale.
But his voice was clear.
"There was a fight. An ambush. Grace… is dead. Joshua was the target."
The commander nodded grimly. "Understood. We'll debrief at the estate."
As the witches and knights began their retreat with the wounded in tow, Sam stayed by Rowdy's side, holding his hand in mid-air as the floating spell carried him.
He turned his head weakly toward her.
"Thanks for screaming when you did. Might've been a bat rug by now."
She squeezed his hand, smiling through her tears.
"Don't scare me like that again."
"I'll try," he whispered.
But deep inside, he knew...
This was far from over.