Heroes of the Holy War

When the entire gamble returns to normal, Vecton notices that the mask worn by Gamble is not ordinary.

"Ha! It seems we have someone here mistreated by fate," he says, aiming his spear at Gamble.

"You probably don't even know what that mask that possesses you is," he adds while regenerating his crushed eye.

"No. I don't. What I do know is that the power it gave me will be enough to defeat you," Gamble replies calmly, glancing at the star-shaped scars carved into his hands.

"We?" Vecton asks.

Gamble grins widely.

"It's 4 vs. 1, my dear," he says, casting a menacing glare. Moments later, Vecton is pierced by a bright arrow. Vecton, trying to remove it, causes an explosion. Despite the pain inflicted, Vecton is unharmed.

"You're tough. The arrow exploded in your liver, and yet you act like it's nothing," says Gamble, hidden in the dust.

"Our anatomy is different. It only hit my quarucium," Vecton replies, calmly scanning his surroundings.

"I've heard of that. You use that organ to generate compatible cells for transplants and other medical tricks," Gamble responds, attacking Vecton from behind. Vecton blocks the attacks and kicks Gamble in the face, knocking him to the ground. Without hesitation, Vecton attempts to stab him with his spear, but Seraphina parries it.

"Shine and fight!" she yells, and her axe transforms into a scythe wrapped in chains with a jagged, stone-like blade.

"A transformation with a command. The shield changed without spoken words," Vecton remarks, wiping the dust off his spear's blade.

"The shield has only one transformation. That's the reason," Seraphina replies, unraveling the chain from the scythe.

Vecton, thinking for a moment, responds,

"So that's it. They've modified these weapons quite a bit. Fine," he says, tying a band over his eye.

"A white band over an eye that works perfectly," Seraphina thinks.

"It's time to end this game. Because of the rain, my wife might catch a cold. And someone needs to take care of our ki—" Vecton doesn't finish, as Akira kicks him.

"You're slow," Gamble comments.

Akira ignores Gamble and slowly approaches Vecton.

"You know, maybe I can't defeat you alone, but I know how to hit you so it hurts. Your vitality will be your curse," Akira says, and as he speaks, tattoos appear on his face. Four black teardrops form under his eyes. His hair grows longer and brighter, and on his bare shoulder, a tattoo coils around his arm like a flaming snake. After finishing his statement, Akira attacks Vecton, who blocks each strike.

"So this is the power of the sage," Vecton remarks, but moments later, Gamble stabs him in the back with a light-infused dagger.

"You little—" Vecton tries to attack Gamble, but he dodges. When Akira begins a series of strikes, Vecton is unable to break free.

"Damn. He knows where to hit so I can't move. But he should drop soon. His heart can't take it," Vecton thinks.

His speculation proves correct, as blood spills from Akira's mouth. "You thought you could defeat... me..." Vecton notices a dark line piercing Akira's abdomen and his quarucium.

"You!" Vecton shouts, breaking the line that had pierced both him and Akira. Freeing himself and Akira, Vecton is struck by Akira's knee, sending him into the air.

"I'll regenerate soon... wait. HE USED SHADOW MAGIC!" Vecton shouts to himself.

"He noticed," Gamble smiles while healing Akira.

"The Sage's Curse has evolved. I feel no weight," Akira says, looking at his trembling hands.

Noticing Akira's trembling, Gamble asks, "Do you feel anything negative?"

After a moment, Akira vomits blood. "So it's still there," Gamble says, crouching next to Akira, who begins to laugh.

Akira's eyes turn blue. "And yet... he's entered the first stage of the curse," says a feminine voice from Akira's mouth.

"What do you mean?" Gamble asks, ready to knock him out.

Akira, with terrifying blue eyes, looks at Gamble. "Maybe he doesn't feel pain now, but I warn you. He should know when to stop. I won't help a second time," says the mixed voice of Akira and the woman.

After the healing is completed, Akira's eyes return to normal. "I blacked out," he says, confused. Gamble gets up and immediately rushes to attack Vecton. Seraphina, sneaking up behind the angel, entangles him in the chain of her scythe.

"Irritating wench," Vecton thinks, noticing Gamble flying toward him.

"You want to hit me in the face? Go ahead, if you can," Vecton says calmly.

"I've got you," Gamble declares, but moments later, a blue arrow flies through a hole in his hand.

"Must be stupid," Vecton thinks, dodging the arrow—until he notices a wound on his cheek. "Wait... I used atomic vibration," he mutters.

Gamble grabs the chains binding Vecton and slams him to the ground. Before Vecton crashes into a house, Seraphina leaps to him, driving her scythe into his body to pin him to the earth.

Gamble looks up at a nearby tower, signaling Elara. She leaps away, but in the meantime, Vecton breaks free. Breathing heavily, he regenerates his wounds, and a blue-green wing sprouts from his back.

"So you're a fallen angel after all. Did they clip your little wings?" Gamble asks mockingly.

Vecton starts laughing, and the white band on his eye begins spreading across his face.

"Do you know what your power truly is?" he asks. Gamble instinctively steps back as a mask similar to his own appears on Vecton's face. Black and white eyes gleam, with a single streak over his left eye.

"The Mask of Rejection. For those who reject reality," Vecton says, fixing his hair.

Seraphina rushes to Gamble. "I can't sense his mana anymore," she says.

Gamble places a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, but you have to trust me," he says.

Confused, Seraphina tries to look at him, but Gamble throws her toward Vecton. Vecton does nothing as Seraphina passes right through him.

"You didn't see the vibration?" Vecton asks.

Gamble conjures a shard of shadow magic and hurls it at Vecton, who dodges with ease. Gamble takes the opportunity to close in and tries to kick him, but he too phases through.

"I get it," Gamble says before disappearing. Vecton, confused, looks around, but all he sees are ruined houses.

"Shame all the residents disappeared. I have no hostages," Vecton mutters.

Gamble emerges from the shadows behind Vecton and stabs him in the back with a stone.

"Dematerializing what you see and consider hostile—clever. But your back is still exposed," Gamble explains.

Moments later, blades shoot out from Vecton's back. Gamble vanishes into the shadows and reappears next to Akira.

"That mask… what is it?" Akira asks, bewildered.

Gamble, wiping blood from his cheek, glances at Akira while slightly lifting his mask to inspect it.

"I don't know," he says slowly, with evident hesitation. "But it's almost identical to mine. Although..." He pauses, as if searching for the right words. "My mask didn't give me anything spectacular. Just enhanced shadow magic and..." He furrows his brow, gazing off to the side, deep in thought. "I think faster. Make better decisions."

A look of mixed surprise and disappointment crosses Akira's face.

"So… no epic power-up?" he asks in disbelief.

Gamble sighs, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"Yeah, you could say that..." he replies with resignation.

Gamble simply smiled. However, when he turned toward Vecton, his expression grew serious. Standing before him were four figures—one real Vecton and three translucent ones, like reflections running in different directions.

"So, Seraume has grown stronger as well," he muttered to himself, a hint of respect in his tone.

Without wasting time, he raised his hand, and the ground around Vecton trembled. Spikes shot up from the earth, effectively blocking every escape path the mirages had revealed moments earlier.

At the same time, a massive dragon landed with a thundering impact, sending clouds of dust into the air. On its back were three figures—Kaen, Elara, and Kazoto—who leapt to the ground.

"And where's the rest?" Akira asked upon seeing them.

"They're helping with the evacuation," Elara replied calmly, summoning a bow into her hand.

Kaen and Kazoto stared at Vecton with a mix of unease and disbelief.

"There's no way that guy's real. Look at him—he's got a creepy white face!" Kazoto blurted out, pointing at Vecton.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kazoto noticed Gamble casting a fleeting glance his way. His face paled, and his knees buckled.

"What's that on your face?" he asked in a trembling voice, barely holding back a scream.

Gamble didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to the dragon and gently stroked its muzzle, his expression clouded with thought.

"Did it swallow the cube?" he asked, looking at Kaen.

Kaen reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object—the cube the dragon was supposed to eat.

"How on earth did it fly with you without eating this?" Gamble asked, clearly baffled.

Elara, holding her bow steady, answered in a composed tone,

"It was enslaved. It's repaying us for the food and rescue."

Gamble glanced at her, then back at the dragon. His eyes narrowed as he observed the creature closely. Something flickered in his gaze as if he had glimpsed the dragon's soul.

"I didn't know Seraume could do this..." he thought, furrowing his brow slightly.

"Kaen, Kazoto, you'll guide the dragon to ensure Vecton doesn't escape through the air," Gamble said, brushing sand from his hair.

"And we'll finish him here," Akira added, clapping his hands together with determination as he once again entered the Sage Mode.

Gamble looked at Akira, who, in his Sage Mode, radiated immense energy, though his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. Seraphina and Elara readied themselves for an attack, while the dragon circled in the air, its massive form imposing, cutting off any potential escape routes. Vecton stood still, his tattered, blue-green wing emitting a faint glow, as if attuned to every minute movement around him. The black-and-white mask on his face radiated a sinister power, with shards of energy swirling around him, slicing through the air like blades.

"You think I'll fall so easily?" he asked calmly, raising his spear, the blade gleaming with an otherworldly light. "Fighting a fallen angel is something your frail bodies cannot endure."

"Wrong question. We'll crush you like a bug," Gamble retorted, his fists clenched.

Elara loosed an arrow crackling with lightning. In moments, it transformed into a streak of light. But with a single, fluid motion, Vecton raised his spear, deflecting the attack. The clash of energy and metal rang out like a death knell.

Seraphina acted without hesitation, summoning molten lava to engulf the ground beneath Vecton's feet. As the fiery substance erupted, she aimed to force him to move, but Vecton merely sidestepped, his wing cutting through the air and releasing a wave of energy that scattered the heroes like leaves in a storm.

"Not enough," he whispered, his eyes glinting with a brutal, unrelenting light.

Akira, disregarding the danger, charged forward, his sword blazing with an otherworldly glow. "Solar Blade!" he roared, swinging his weapon to unleash a fiery wave meant to consume Vecton entirely.

With a smirk of disdain, Vecton lifted his spear, deflecting the strike and immediately launching a counterattack. His spear clashed against Akira's blade, unleashing a burst of chaotic energy. Akira staggered back, his body trembling under the force of the blow.

"Its Futile!" Vecton shouted, his mask radiating an overwhelming power.

"I'll crush you like insects!"

Gamble, spotting an opportunity, slammed his fist into the ground, shadows spiraling out from the impact.

"Let's see if my theory holds," he said calmly, though tension was evident in his voice.

Vecton glanced at the shadows swirling around Gamble but remained unmoved. With lightning speed, he raised his spear and unleashed a massive energy wave that obliterated everything in its path. Gamble, shielding himself with shadows, redirected the beam toward Seraphina. Barely managing to save herself with a wall of molten rock, Seraphina's strength was visibly waning.

"I didn't expect this," Vecton muttered, observing his adversaries with an air of absolute confidence.

Akira, trying to retaliate equally, entered his full Sage Mode. All his energy concentrated into his blade, which began to shine like a full sun.

"Solar Circle!" he shouted, creating a vortex of fire that swept through the area around him.

Vecton effortlessly spread his wings, using them to block the fiery ring. His body didn't move even an inch as Akira, burning through the last of his energy, charged at him with full force.

"None of your attacks can even pierce my body anymore," Vecton said, deflecting Akira to the side and taking his weapon with a single cut of his spear. "You're too weak."

The dragon, seeing his companions being defeated, tried to shield them by charging at Vecton. But Vecton, unfazed, easily caught the dragon in mid-air using an enormous hand made of his mana, squeezing its body like a toy. The dragon roared in pain but couldn't break free from Vecton's unrelenting power.

Kaen and Kazoto were thrown off the dragon.

"Shit, my back," Kazoto said in pain. Kaen only muttered something before passing out.

"It's a shame you're so weak. You couldn't even defeat me," Vecton said, looking at the defeated heroes. "I shudder to think what will happen when the Goddess of War arrives."

Gamble, the only one still standing, formed a staff out of shadows. His arms were already exhausted, but the hope of victory still glimmered in his eyes. Gripping the staff tightly, he leapt at Vecton and managed to strike him in the face.

"Damn it, I forgot he can control shadows," Vecton thought as he pushed Gamble away with a gust of wind.

"So shadows are your weakness... angel boy," Gamble said, starting to smile menacingly.

"The kid cursed by that damned hermit, and now you've received a mask. This world is heading down the wrong path," Vecton said.

Getting up, Vecton ripped off his shirt. "For someone who had to destroy and heal his muscles and bones for four years since birth, this red one is quite strong," he said, pointing at Akira. Akira, with flames in his eyes and unwavering determination, continued walking toward him. His legs trembled, and his body shook, but he pressed forward without stopping.

"Alright. Enough playing around," Vecton said as he jumped onto the back of the fallen dragon. "I won't kill you. But I will seal you!" he shouted, raising his spear.

The dragon, with its final breath, unleashed a massive wave of mana directly at Vecton. The force sent Vecton flying far away as the dragon let out its last roar.

"If I'd known it was hiding such power, I would've made a better plan," Gamble said, stroking the barely alive dragon.

"Rest in peace," he added as the dragon died moments later.

"Akira, you'll manage—" Gamble started to say, but he felt Akira's mana drop to zero.

Looking at Akira, disbelief washed over Gamble. "This has to be some kind of joke… right?" he muttered, clutching his hair in shock.

Akira collapsed face-first onto the ground. "Akira… He can't just… die like this."