That very moment…the moment Raym stood before them…his aura felt different...
He was no longer that hesitant boy.He looked mentally and physically prepared for battle… more than ever before...
He glanced back one last time…and saw Lyra trying to support Vail...
He took a deep breath…
And in a fleeting instant, before anyone realized…he launched a fierce attack at the dragon...
When the dragon tried to strike…he evaded swiftly and countered...
The dragon began to show signs of damage…
And at that moment, Raym realized it wasn't like the previous dragon…most of his attacks were having a clear physical and mental effect on it.
But Raym's body wasn't the only thing fighting.
Every strike he delivered…felt like a stab into his own memories.
Lonz's voice scolding him...His voice laughing...His voice saying:
"Stand straight, boy..."
All of it mixed with the sound of tearing flesh and the groans coming from the dragon's body.
He no longer knew…was he fighting a monster…or killing a memory?؟؟
He continued his attacks with speed and ferocity, without rest...A strike from the right… a swift dash… then another strike from the left…
The dragon couldn't keep up...
All of this unfolded before Zak and Araki,and Araki seemed delighted by what he saw… for some reason...
Just as Raym leapt and stood directly before the dragon, ready to deliver a finishing blow…
He saw that face again…a face filled with pain and suffering...
His sword froze in the air...
That face…wasn't just a twisted form.
It was the face of a man…who once sat with him beside a quiet fire…and gave him the first real advice of his life.
Those memories…were too weak to protect him,and too strong to let him strike...
His attacks stopped...
The dragon seized the moment, grabbed his arm again, and began crushing it.Raym struggled with all his strength to break free…but the dragon's power was overwhelming.
Once again, the dragon released him…and began to thrash and roar wildly.
The place was already collapsing.
And suddenly…a familiar voice called out:
"R… Raym…"
Silence filled the air for a moment.
That voice…it was Lonz's voice!!!
Raym's eyes widened slowly...
The voice was weak… broken…as if it came from the bottom of a dark well.
Yet it was more familiar than anything else in that place.
It wasn't the voice of a monster...It wasn't the voice of a dragon.
It was the voice of a man…calling him one last time.
The dragon knelt on the ground…and the voice said:
"Raym… please… end it…those attacks won't hurt it…you must strike its weak point…the point… we don't share…"
Raym couldn't bear it...
The dragon suddenly attacked and hurled him away.
Lyra rushed toward him…but he stood up without showing anything and whispered:
"Lyra… please… take care of Vail..."
Then he began circling the dragon rapidly,searching for that weak point...
Amid the collapsing ruins and tension…
Araki began to show his irritation.
The dragon grew restless,opened its jaws to their widest point,and the terrifying yellow eye appeared.
It stared at Raym…
And his speed began to slow.His strength began to fade.
The moment he realized it,the dragon struck and threw him aside.
Raym stood with difficulty…
Then he heard Vail behind him:
"Raym… that yellow eye… it's not just an eye…it's something far worse…when it looked at me…my strength began to drain away…it feels unnatural…"
The moment Raym understood…he realized that was the weak point.
He glanced at his sword...
His hand trembled…not from exhaustion…but from the decision waiting at the end.
He whispered softly:
"Forgive me…"
Then he charged.
He leapt toward the dragon's mouth…the dragon tried to swallow him…
But Raym attacked from inside...
The dragon seemed to be in terrible pain.It opened its eye again…
And Raym struck it with force...
The dragon screamed in agonyand hurled him away...
The eyelid tore…and the eye remained exposed most of the time...
The dragon's strength began to fade.
Raym attacked again,but he was slower this timeand took another hit.
He realized he had reached his limit.
The dragon approached himand roared strangely…
The air vanished once more...
Pink auras began to pour from its body.
Raym knew it was the end.
But Lyra rushed in front of him,summoning the wind,restoring the stolen air.
Vail stood beside him,looked at Raym, and said:
"Raym…you must finish it at the next chance."
Vail focused all his power on the dragon…
And suddenly, the dragon was forced to the ground,as if crushed from above...
Both Lyra and Vail shouted:
"Raym… now!!!"
Raym ran toward it with difficulty...
The dragon resisted Vail's power,until Vail began reaching his own limit...
The dragon looked at him…and weakened his strength...
So Lyra stepped into its line of sight,shielding Vail...
When Raym finally reached it…
The dragon snapped its jaws shut...
Raym tried attacking its head, but it was useless...
The upper head looked at him and whispered:
"R… Raym… t… the eye…"
The dragon opened its jaws again…and the eye was exposed...
Raym hesitated for a second…
That second…felt as if time had stopped...
He saw Lonz as he used to be…standing, smiling, patting his shoulder.
Then he saw what was before him now:a torn body… and a dying voice.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again…nothing remained in them…except a single decision.
He drove his sword into the ground,dragged it forward to gather momentum,and shouted:
"Dark Breaker!!!"
A decisive strike…that destroyed the eye completely.
Then a massive explosionsent everyone flying.
The dragon vanished...
And all that remained…was Lonz's frail, twisted body...
Raym stood quicklyand ran to him with Vail and Lyra.
The moment he saw his condition…he dropped to his knees.
Every attack that struck the dragon…had struck him as well.
Raym tried to apologize…but the words died in his throat.
Lonz smiled faintly and said:
"Raym... you... you are a restless soul... You remind me so much of him... of my greatest sin. I had a son once, Raym,
about your age... some ten years ago...
I neglected him, consumed by the relentless demands of the Battalion...
He was a gentle boy, full of life, the kind of presence that brought peace to everyone around him...
But because of my cold indifference,
he left on a mission I knew nothing about...
Time passed, and none of those who went with him ever returned. Without a second thought
, I went after him, chasing shadows and clues...
My path led me near the very city where we faced that dragon...
There, I found them—the bodies of his squad mates and the cultists...
but his body was nowhere to be found...
All that remained was his shattered blade and a worthless scrap of cloth...
still clinging to his scent...
I collapsed. It was my obsession with duty that had led to this. Since that day
, I have held that piece of cloth to my chest every single night,
weeping over what I lost...
Raym... you resemble him so closely that, for a moment, I truly thought you were him. I never wanted to repeat my mistake...
but at the very least, I have paid the price for it..."
He placed his hand on Raym's face and whispered:
"Raym… please… live…"
Then his arm fell…amid blood and tears...
His hand remained on the ground…near Raym's knee...
As if it was still trying to reach him.
But Raym didn't move...
He didn't scream...He didn't cry...He didn't speak...
He simply sat there…
As if something inside himhad quietly gone out...
Amid the collapsing surroundings…
Araki dashed toward Raym with a sudden attack...
But Raym didn't even raise his head...
The strike came closer at deadly speed…yet his body didn't respond...
As if…he no longer cared whether he lived or died...
Suddenly…
Someone appearedand blocked the attack...
Araki said:
"Oh… so you found me..."
The man replied:
"Yes… I can't live far from you..."
They clashed in a fierce exchange…it seemed evenly matched, until the man pushed Araki back.But just as he tried to attack again…Araki suddenly fell to the ground in pain...
No one understood what was happening...
Amid the collapse…everyone fled...
But Raym stayed for a few more seconds...
He lifted Lonz's body in his arms...
He said nothing...
But his grip on Lonz's clothes…was stronger than any scream...
And the last thing seen…was Araki's smile at the man…as if saying:
"We'll meet again...!!!"