"Don't you know?"
Rita raised an exasperated eyebrow.
"How would I know? I've never been here."
This time, her face almost collapsed.
"No one told you how to enter?"
"The legend of the star that guides to the capital is rooted in some villages, and luckily mine knew it. But as for the entrance, someone would need to have already been there. No one in my village has ever gone that far."
Reno looked at the wall with a neutral expression. His eyes wandered across the immense message that Nozras supposedly left behind:
"You cannot pass the wall. You cannot reach me."
Even if it seemed completely ridiculous, Reno also saw in this wall a kind of pride and bragging.
Rita, on the other hand, saw a wall. Not a physical one, but a psychological one. She didn't know Nozras's message, but in this wall she saw despair. As if the entire journey had been in vain and they simply had not been validated by the presence of the dead king to enter the arena.
"How ironic…"
The two stared at the wall in silence for long minutes. Then Reno sighed.
"Well… I guess we just have to break it."
Rita didn't take her eyes off the wall and answered in a monotone voice:
"Yeah."
Their minds, completely in agreement, categorically refused the king's refusal. After all, they were here to take his place.
Reno stepped back and took a deep breath. He clenched his fist, took a running step, and slammed his fist violently into the wall. The wall trembled under the impact and a huge crack spread across it.
But it did not break.
Reno looked at the damage with a dark determination in his eyes.
"Again."
Rita stepped back next. Her strike was smoother but more precise. She aimed exactly where Reno had already hit. In a flash, the crack widened, but the wall held.
Rita did not seem ready to give up.
"Again."
Reno stepped back once more. He charged his fist even more, took a larger running step, and drove his massive fist into the wall. The impact shattered it instantly, and chunks of stone scattered on the other side of the wall. No matter how other warriors had entered before, the path was now open for the determined young couple.
Soon, Rita and Reno entered the capital and saw its state.
The first thing they noticed was its advanced technology. The tents had been replaced by tall stone buildings rising dozens, even hundreds of meters high. At least… when they had still been in good condition. Most of them had not survived without maintenance, and the stone city was now completely in ruins. Almost no path was usable because of the debris covering the streets and the corpses rotting on the ground.
Yes, the city was filled with the bodies of warriors everywhere they looked.
Reno was surprised that such technology had existed in Nozras. It made him think that the capital had truly been another world compared to the rest of the country. No matter how much it had once evolved, the rest of the land had chosen to bury itself in weapons and survival. Warriors were nomads, so no one built anything.
On the other hand, it made sense to think that all of this had been built when Nozras was still alive, back when the city had been stable and free of battles. The nobles must have developed their districts while the others lived enjoying the glory of their king.
However, Rita still found it strange that despite such a city, the villages and towns around the capital looked like nothing more than garbage pits. Nothing else. Nozras seemed to have favored only the capital with his presence.
It was disappointing because, given the country's magnificent landscapes, they could have done great things for the other cities. Even though she liked the wild nature of the villages, since they blended well with the environment.
However, the bodies scattered on the ground disturbed Reno.
"I was told they were thrown out of the capital."
"Normally they are. The Valon clan hasn't passed through here this month yet."
Suddenly, in that part of the arena-city, a voice echoed.
A warrior appeared out of nowhere right in front of the young couple.
Reno grabbed the club from behind his back instantly, and Rita drew her daggers. They should have known that every second in the capital meant a fight to the death.
Yet the warrior did not take an attacking stance. Instead, he simply raised his arms to show he had no desire to fight.
"You're new? I see… this will be more entertaining. Hmm…?"
But very quickly, his gaze changed when he looked at the couple.
"Aren't you the young couple who defeated the king of Ouhkor and massacred the three clans of the Lost Shore? I am honored by your presence."
The warrior bowed slightly in respect. He was tall, slim, and elegant. His gaze was calm but deceitful. His clothes fit him perfectly. A light armor gleamed under the pale rays coming from the sky. He only wore shoulder guards, and his hands were covered with silver gloves. His upper body was covered with worn black clothing. He looked at the couple with a gaze full of desire.
Like a malicious serpent ready to play with its prey.
"The famous ogre and the last of the Obu. It truly is an honor. But if you are here, it is to take the throne, isn't it?"
Reno sensed the man's deceit and tightened his grip on his club.
"Who are you? So I know the name of the great warrior who's about to die by my hands."
The man smiled at Reno's question.
"I am Armes. The leader of the Valon clan in the capital. I heard quite a noise, so I came to see what was happening. Of course, it was once again warriors trying to enter the capital by destroying the wall that we repair every time."
Rita knew this clan. As an Obu, she had access to much of Nozras's history. The Valon clan ensured everything related to cleaning for Nozras — whether material… or human. They eliminated undesirables and repaired and cleaned the capital. A support clan that remained in the capital even after the king's death, continuing that task.
Rita couldn't help but ask:
"As an Obu, I'm entitled to favors, right?"
Reno looked confused by her question.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Rita?"
Armes smiled again.
"Of course. If you wish, we will support your campaign. We will crush your enemies and place you upon the throne."
Rita felt that something was wrong. Despite the supposed loyalty of the Valon clan, something didn't add up.
"Then why have the Obu never kept the throne again?"
The question was legitimate. After King Nozras's death, the Obu had never held the throne again.
Three clans had supported Nozras, including Valon in the shadows. Aside from Valon, the Kinra and Morbir clans were the most powerful in the country and had supported the king during his reign. However, they did not help any descendant after Nozras died. Kinra were the first to revolt, then Morbir tried to seize power as well. Only Valon did nothing. At least, no one knew what they were doing. Civil wars followed one another without any news from them.
Later, when the endless hunt for the throne was born from chaos, it was discovered that Valon had remained in the capital, continuing their cleaning duty. No one knew what they had done during that time.
Rita looked at Armes as if she might finally receive the answer to that question. But Armes smiled.
"I see what you mean, Lady Rita. It is true that the past events unfolded without us. Valon did not help Nozras's descendants and did not pursue the throne. However, princess, if you wish to know, it was simply an order from Nozras himself."
"What??"
Rita was surprised by the answer. But not entirely, because it matched the king's personality perfectly.
"Valon received the order not to help the royal descendants. When his death was announced, we remained in the shadows watching the country fall into flames and chaos. However, we received a second order — this one from the queen."
Rita's eyes widened. It was the first time she had ever heard about the queen. For the simple reason that she had never influenced history.
Nozras had countless concubines. It was said a second castle had been required to house them all. Everything in the country belonged to him. So the legitimacy of his wife could easily have been questioned.
Yet Nozras constantly declared that anyone who insulted her deserved death. The queen held exactly the same authority as the king, and no one dared question her orders. However, because the king spoke constantly and ruled alone through his laws, she never had anything to say.
There was something no one knew about her.
Unlike Nozras, the queen was pure and gentle like a flower. It was said that listening to her and being in her presence made the tyrant's reign more bearable.
Knowing this, the order she gave to Valon was a complete surprise.
What could have pushed them to remain in the shadows like that?
"The queen ordered us to keep the bloodline alive. We were to save you. To do that, she entrusted Valon with her youngest hidden child and ordered us to protect it. Valon obeyed. During the civil war, the first children of Nozras fought bravely while the last was taken far from the capital under Valon's protection. Rita died before her husband. She had a terrible genetic trait. No one knew where her blond hair came from — completely unknown in Nozras."
Rita remained frozen when she heard that.
"Rita… you said… Rita?"
Armes paused.
"Yes. Although her name remained secret, the first queen was called Rita Obu. Nozras had no family name, so he gave his descendants his wife's name, which meant king. Before dying, she told Valon and her children that if the last child ever turned out to be a girl, they must name her Rita. Like her."
Rita collapsed to her knees.
Her name meant "the one who abandoned us" or "the one who was abandoned." But it was also the queen's name.
She had passed down that cursed name as if she wanted to erase her own. It was easier to blame the last than the first. Who knew what terrible crime the queen's birth had hidden for her to inherit such a name?
In any case, Rita had carried it because she was the last. The one who had abandoned her lineage, her king.
But strangely, she could no longer blame her mother for giving her that name. It had come from the queen's order.
But Armes had not finished...
"Do not worry, Lady Rita. Your name does not mean what you think. It was twisted with time because as the last gift to the bloodline, it needed to sound terribly cruel. Your name does not mean 'the one who was abandoned.' Your name means 'pure,' or rather 'the one who begins where purity exists.' In a way, Queen Rita crossed the ages to end her own lineage and bring an end to her husband's bloody reign."
Reno, who had been listening, seemed lost and troubled. Learning so much about his wife and her country left him speechless, his face marked with pain because he knew what Rita had gone through. When he looked at her, she was kneeling on the ground in tears.
She no longer knew what to say, what to do, or what to think. Emotions clashed inside her mind like a storm. Her mother, her history, her ancestors — all of them were rooted in a poignant story that had cut through the ages only to fall upon the poor young girl who now had everything to carry on her shoulders.
Seeing Rita cry, Armes felt a slight sadness. The Valon clan had fulfilled their order, and so they remained like ghosts wandering through the capital, cleaning the streets. But even if that was what he did, and even if he usually felt no remorse for warriors, that day Armes felt sorrow when he saw the last of the Obu crying.
"You don't need to worry, Lady Rita. You don't need to worry."
Rita, kneeling and leaning forward, stared at the ground, her eyes full of tears. She felt heavy, yet somewhat relieved. There was nothing she could do about it — she was the last, and after her the name Obu would disappear. It wasn't her fault, yet she could still feel as if it was somehow her responsibility.
Nozras himself wasn't even called Obu, but no one knew that. The secret of that name had been kept by the clans residing in the capital and by the warriors who reached it after a long journey.
From the world's point of view, she was the last of the name.
"And so what?"
Reno's voice suddenly cut through the distant sounds of battle in the capital.
Angrily, he said:
"It's just a name, right? So what? Did Nozras want his country remembered for some stupid name? I don't think so. I never knew the guy, but one thing I can say is that he only cared about fighting. His name meant very little to him. Whether it disappeared or not, he wouldn't care. Besides, how could anyone forget him? He didn't even have a family name, and his first name became legend."
Rita looked at him with tear-filled eyes.
"But the name doesn't matter. His genes crossed time to end up right here — and they'll go further. Even if the Obu die out, Nozras's power will still influence the world, whether people know it or not. Whether they carry his name or not. Your mother could have had another son or another daughter… but Rita was born instead. Today she's here. No one else is. It's not chance and it's not sacrifice. I'll keep loving her for who she is, not for what she could have been."
He continued:
"My children will be Gazor, and that will be the new prestigious name of the world. Because yes, I will rule this country. Yes, my children will rule this country. And their descendants too. And do you know why? Because they'll be the descendants of Reno Gazor and Rita Obu. And that's only possible because it's Rita — the last of the Obu — and no one else."
Armes was surprised by Reno's words. His face filled with astonishment, and he remained frozen there for a long minute. Rita stopped crying, her face pressed against the ground. Silence settled over the area, and even in the capital, the warriors seemed to pause.
Suddenly, Armes smiled.
But this time, it was a satisfied and understanding smile. A gentle, tender smile that reassured instead of casting doubt.
He lifted his head and looked at the young couple.
"Sorry. I won't be able to hold them back any longer. Your declaration was magnificent, Reno Gazor. I truly hope you achieve what you desire."
Suddenly, many footsteps echoed through the area. Dust rose on the horizon, and the sound of weapons clashing rang out in great numbers. Reno felt some presences retreat while many others approached, enraged and determined.
After all, they were in the arena. It was even strange that he hadn't had to fight until now.
Warriors emerged from the shadows, still battling other warriors along the way. Soon, a frenzy of fighters arrived, tearing heads off, crashing into each other as if it meant nothing. An overwhelming wave surged from the horizon of the city, rushing toward the place where the three of them stood.
However, they had no intention of talking.
Reno understood that Valon had been holding them back so Armes could speak with them. Armes himself stood motionless before the chaotic wave of warriors. Reno feared that the first one to reach him would rip his heart out, but just as the wave seemed about to swallow him, he disappeared.
A smile remained on his lips as he looked at the couple with compassion.
In those final moments, Reno could read his last words on his lips.
"Good luck."
Reno smiled.
"As if I needed luck."
He then looked at Rita.
She was still kneeling.
But Reno felt something. Rita seemed to be holding something inside. Something terrible that had to come out. Something that needed to be unleashed upon a hundred warriors. A mad rage. A devastating storm.
For a brief moment, Reno thought he saw a slight fluctuation in the air. A fluctuation tinted with blood-red. But it vanished instantly.
"Rita…"
Rita slowly stood up.
Very slowly.
Her dark expression revealed nothing. Reno watched her rise without saying a word until she was fully standing. Head lowered, she grabbed her daggers.
"Go on…"
Reno encouraged her quietly.
In a fraction of a second, she disappeared.
The mass of advancing warriors felt something like a needle passing calmly through their wave. None of them noticed her until the first turned his head and saw a sharp, gleaming dagger flash before his face.
The blade sank silently into his skull.
She pulled it out and pierced a second.
Then a third.
Then—
Soon the wave of warriors stopped and began to swirl around the young warrior. One by one, as they were cut down, the warriors hurled their weapons and their fury at Rita. The wave quickly turned into a tornado.
And as Rita killed them one after another, she eventually found herself at the very top of it.
High above the chaos, on a mountain of corpses and warriors, a small star struggling to shine appeared.
Rita stood at the summit, crushing warriors with effortless grace.
The last of the Obu looked up at the starry sky with a lost gaze.
Then suddenly, she screamed.
The last of the Obu, standing upon blood and war, cried out atop a mountain of death beneath the stars.
Reno watched the scene from afar.
Maybe today… he simply needed to stay back.
.