"Six... they are six. Wait a moment, is this even possible? Can we still call him a monster in the meantime? Even I can't tell what this thing standing above us now is."
Ryo raises his hand towards the sky, and Aka energy begins to emanate from all over his body, gathering in his palm. With determination and confidence, he says to her,
"What is that look on your face? I told you, after three minutes, I'd end this battle. And here I am saying this fight is already over. I am the victor... No matter how much power you gain, it's useless if it becomes mine. Isn't that right, monster? That wasn't your power from the beginning, so allow me to take back what I gave you."
The red light from Ryo's hand glows and swallows Hiro's light. In a few moments, both of their lights vanish, and with its disappearance, Hiro falls unconscious to the ground. Meanwhile, Stella's body returned to its normal state, but she was unconscious. There was no trace of Wendy in that place. The only person standing there was Ryo, alone. The six black wings adorned his back. While markings filled his body. His white hair and the scales under his red eyes. All of it suggested that he was no longer a king or even a monster. From his tired eyes, tears began to fall heavily.
"Ah, I understand now... So this is what they call sadness. What an interesting feeling."
And while Ryo was examining his new body, someone jumped towards him and burned his chest with a sword of white fire.
"Hoh, I thought you were finished already, but I didn't expect you to survive after all that happened to you. So, are you the monster now, or is that boy?"
The boy standing there was Hiro, carrying a sword of white flame, and he had one wing on his left shoulder. A wing of white flames that melted everything. "Did you think the fight was over, old man? I saw everything. But I couldn't do anything; it was like facing the sun. But that doesn't change the fact that you exploited us all."
Before a new battle could begin, there was a Phoenix girl waiting for her turn. Just then, Stella's body rose into the sky, and the clouds began to gather and thicken. When Hiro saw what was happening, he realized what Stella was about to do.
"One of the three Swords of Light, isn't it? Not bad, a worthy opponent against whom I can test my new strength. Isn't that right, boy?"
As Stella began chanting her words, and before the Phoenix Sword descended to the ground, Stella sustained a severe injury to her back and fell to the ground. A person in rural clothes with white hair and intensely green eyes caught her. His straw hat shielded his face from the sun's rays. His four wings made his simple appearance something that brought fear. With a smile on his face, he said, "Will you stop here now, King of War? This battle is already over."
Astonishment filled Hiro's face at what he saw. His resolute eyes and cold face turned into a calm smile and a look filled with sadness. Then he said to him, "Titus. Why are you here?"
The boy looked at Hiro with a smile on his face and said, "Hayami. What are you doing here? Don't tell me you were fighting that old man."
Ryo's body was in chaos, and he wasn't sure if he could control all this power in his current state. He then decided to leave that place.
As Ryo began to move away, Hiro couldn't accept that it would end without understanding anything.
"You're not escaping now. After all you've done, you're trying to leave as if nothing happened. Tell me, what was the purpose of everything you did? You already had immense power, so why do you want more? What are you trying to achieve?"
Ryo smiled and replied, looking into his eyes, "It's something silly. Perhaps some might consider it foolish or even madness. Nevertheless, I don't mind, for something like this is only done by a madman. But if you ever thought of trying to kill the White Raven, then doing something like this to gain power is not strange. Isn't that right, green-eyed one?"
"Fighting the White Raven, then. I didn't expect the King of War to have such a grand goal. What a noble goal. Have you become arrogant after reaching the peak of the mountain, and now you raise your hands to reach the sky? How greedy are you, old man?"
The young man, Titus, spoke with full confidence before the King of War, without signs of fear or tension, which made Ryo pay him some attention. Meanwhile, Hiro was in shock from the King's reply. Their talk about fighting the White Raven left him speechless.
"Your name is Titus, isn't it? Even though you're just a little child, you have eyes that look towards the sky. Eyes like mine. Or perhaps you're just a fool. In any case, there's no reason for us to fight now. Those who look forward to the twilight are destined to see it at least. Our paths will cross again one day, that's what I feel. Let's see who you become then."
Ryo disappears from their sight, leaving Hiro bewildered.
"Brother, what is that man saying? Fighting the White Raven, is that even possible? And what did he mean by that? Did you understand what he said?"
Titus looked at the sun, finding it difficult to answer his brother's questions.
"I'm sorry, Hayami, I hurt your friend. But I had no other choice. If I hadn't stopped her, she wouldn't have survived the aftermath of that battle. And don't worry about what that man said. It's not something you can prevent, so thinking about it will only cause a headache. All you need to know is that this summer will be very hot."