A resounding silence invaded the great hall of the ancient castle. Those words still hung in the air; everyone knew what they meant.
Gunlaug tilted his head and then began to laugh. At first, it was a low chuckle before turning into a full-bellied roar.
Uriel watched Gunlaug, unmoving, waiting for him to finish laughing.
"To be honest, I'm tired of your insolence..." Gunlaug made a dramatic pause. "It was amusing at the beginning, it was, but the more I watched your clumsy attempts to become a hero, the more disgusted I felt. I couldn't believe how naive, manipulative, and clever you turned out to be. It sickened me, but that's to be expected from someone linked to the world's darkness." Gunlaug let out a grunt.
"It's a shame it all has to end now. You see, I can't help but applaud your effort; you managed to turn some useless fools into a devastating force in just a few weeks. But in the end, you turned out to be a stupid Dreamer like the First and the Second Lords."
"But don't think you have the right to demand something like that. After all, you are not the one accused of the crime. If anyone should invoke the right to challenge, it should be the one who caused this whole situation, shouldn't it, Sleeper Tom?" Gunlaug asked, looking at the man in black armor who shuddered.
"True, but I already told Tessai. The Sleepers of the settlement are mine. Any crime or any act they commit results in my own actions."
Gunlaug observed Uriel's face, which remained unaffected by his armor's mental attack.
"You're absolutely right. So, whom are you going to challenge?"
"Whoever made the verdict."
"Oh, really? That would be me then."
A small smile passed over Uriel's face.
"Then I challenge you," said Uriel, causing the Sleepers to open their eyes in shock.
"What arrogance! I wonder what gives you the confidence to challenge me. Many people have tried to kill me. You know? In fact, I have a hobby: collecting their skulls. Now that I think about it, your head would look nice on my throne."
"Are you done talking?" Uriel asked, letting out a yawn.
"When we're finished, there will be a part over there, another part over there, and the rest will be over there," he said, pointing at the throne.
Behind the mask, Gunlaug grimaced in anger.
"Fine. I accept your challenge."
Uriel watched as a golden liquid materialized from the golden armor, forming an axe.
"Any last words, Lord of Darkness?"
"Nothing worth mentioning."
"What a pity."
An instant later, Gunlaug lunged forward, delivering a swift thrust in a fraction of a second.
Gunlaug swung his axe in a wide arc against Uriel, who calmly watched the axe.
Everyone saw as Gunlaug swung the axe, cleanly cutting through Uriel, but something strange happened.
Instead of being split in two, the axe passed right through him as if he were a ghost.
Uriel raised his leg, delivering a devastating kick that sent Gunlaug sliding several meters backward.
A black sword materialized in Uriel's hand as a mocking, arrogant smile appeared on his face.
An instant later, Uriel lunged at Gunlaug, thrusting with his sword, which was blocked by the axe. Gunlaug attacked, but Uriel evaded the strike with a fluid motion, letting the axe's edge cut through the air.
Both moved at great speed, leaving sparks in the wake of their weapons clashing.
In the span of ten seconds, they exchanged a flurry of blows, each one deflected, blocked, or dodged. The clash was brutal; it was a level of combat none of the Sleepers had witnessed before. Each contender did everything possible to shred their enemy.
Uriel kept his mouth shut, avoiding making any sound. His eyes moved constantly, observing every movement, every detail, and every contraction of his opponent's body.
He was learning the pattern of his movements and the inner function of the Transcendent Echo.
He knew the superior strength and speed were products of the armor, not the Sleeper.
'It's a crutch,' Uriel thought, deflecting another attack.
After a few seconds, both separated, staring fixedly at each other, increasing the tension of the fight.
Unlike Gunlaug's immaculate armor, Uriel's suit had a few cuts here and there, but there was no wound on his body.
Uriel could feel everyone's gaze, especially three: Nephis, Sunny, and Caster, each analyzing the combat he was engaged in with Gunlaug.
An instant later, both the lord of the castle and Uriel disappeared from everyone's sight.
A sound of impact was heard for a moment, followed by sparks. Then another was heard in a different place, and then another, and another.
Soon, countless sparks materialized with each blow. No one could follow the enormous speed with which both enemies moved, attacked, and blocked each attack.
Uriel saw as Gunlaug left his axe behind, creating two twin daggers, which he used for greater mobility. However, for Uriel, this was only a minor inconvenience.
The attacks became more intense. Uriel received several cuts until he began to counter the movements, having discovered his pattern and fighting style in an instant.
Uriel used his sword to deflect Gunlaug's daggers, opening his defense. He moved at high speed, appearing behind Gunlaug, wrapping his fist in darkness, and delivering a devastating punch that sent Gunlaug flying several meters, leaving several holes in the stone floor.
Gunlaug stood up in the area where Uriel had hit him; a considerable dent was visible. Although his memory was Transcendent, Uriel was on the verge of becoming a Terror; his strength was enough to dent and damage the mystical metal.
With a grunt, Gunlaug charged at Uriel with his daggers. Uriel struck the first dagger, then moved his head, avoiding the second. Gunlaug moved at high speed, launching a chain of rapid attacks that Uriel avoided before jumping backward, landing several meters away. A visible wound was on his cheek, just below his right eye.
"What? Is that all you have?" Gunlaug asked.
"No, but thanks for asking," said Uriel. His body became covered in darkness, becoming nothing but a black shadow; the only things visible were his unsettling white eyes, which stared at Gunlaug. A wide, fanged smile spread across his face.
Uriel moved instantly, punching Gunlaug's helmet mask. The sound of cracking glass was heard clearly.
Gunlaug flew backward, barely managing to recover. The polished surface of his helmet showed cracks from Uriel's single punch in his new form.
Gunlaug became visibly enraged, charging at Uriel, who only widened his smile further and charged at Gunlaug.
Both exchanged attacks at an even greater speed than before; golden light and darkness intertwined in a deadly dance of steel that resonated throughout the great hall under the gaze of all the Sleepers of the Dark City, stunned by the display of power and skill from the two most powerful Sleepers of all.
Gunlaug's attacks passed through Uriel's body as if it were air, while Uriel's attacks landed on the armor, denting it with each impact he delivered.
Slowly, more and more damage materialized on Gunlaug's armor, especially the polished visor, whose cracks grew larger and larger.
Uriel soon felt an insidious mental attack invade his mind, making him grunt in pain and distracting him for an instant.
Gunlaug took advantage of this opening, thrusting his sword through the body of the figure made of darkness.
"Okay, okay. Enough. And die," he said in a friendly tone.
Uriel coughed up darkness and then turned his head completely, looking at Gunlaug despite the mental attack he kept launching.
"Well, it was fun while it lasted, but there are more important things to do."
Upon saying those words, everyone opened their eyes at what happened. Uriel's body exploded into a dark sea that took a form similar to a nightmare beast.
Uriel's form lacked any human shape or anything resembling it.
It was a large, wide figure, with a body made of darkness. Innumerable blocks and tentacles materialized, followed by countless slitted eyes that focused on Gunlaug.
Gunlaug jumped backward, seeing the nightmare creature Uriel had become.
The pressure exerted by that thing was terrifying.
"I told you, Gunlaug," Uriel's voice sounded distorted, as if countless voices spoke at the same time.
Several tentacles were thrown at Gunlaug, who cut them, but more emerged, replacing the previous ones until they gripped Gunlaug by his limbs.
"This is for being a traitor," said Uriel, exerting pressure. A loud crunch was heard, followed by something tearing off.
A piercing scream came from Gunlaug's mouth after one of his legs was torn off with devastating force.
"This is for all the Sleepers you have murdered to this day," Gunlaug's left arm was completely torn off and thrown away. Finally, the mass condensed, taking the form of a human wrapped in darkness. His hand swelled, forming a wide, black stake.
"And this is for committing the greatest sin: abandoning the dream of leaving this cursed place."
Uriel launched his attack. His limb, made of pure darkness, pierced cleanly through Gunlaug's chest, emerging from his back, leaving a considerable hole in his armor.
Uriel then threw Gunlaug forcefully toward his throne, where he landed in a seated position.
"Now die on your throne," said Uriel as the darkness disappeared from his body.
All the Sleepers looked on in shock, unable to utter a single word at what they had seen. The lord of the city, the one who had ruled for almost a decade, was dead.
Gunlaug was dead.
As the last vestiges of darkness vanished, Uriel's eyes turned white, and he fell to the floor with a dry thud.
Tessai paused for a second and then said in a deep voice, "...What are you waiting for? Kill them all!" And with that, he lunged to kill Uriel, who was vulnerable, but a white sword blocked Tessai's weapon. It was Nephis.
In the next second, the great hall erupted into frenzied chaos.
In the following moment, Tessai's soldiers summoned their weapons and all their echoes, launching into the fight against the settlement's Sleepers.
"Protect Lord Uriel! Kill the bastards!" roared a Sleeper from the settlement.
Sunny immediately moved to fulfill his deal, heading to confront Horus.
Nephis became locked in an intense fight against Tessai, who used his Aspect to freeze Changing Star, who invoked her flames, serving as a perfect counter.
Both moved at great speed, exchanging attacks.
All around them, chaos erupted, with countless fights happening simultaneously. Nephis glanced sideways and saw Sunny was failing in a fight against Horus.
She also saw a group of Sleepers carrying Uriel away from the battlefield to ensure his survival.
"Die, Changing Star!" roared Tessai, launching a wide swing that Nephis evaded with great agility.
The floor beneath her feet froze, but she paid it no mind.
Wincing slightly in pain from her flames, she lunged back into the attack against Tessai, her sword clashing against his axe in a mortal combat.
Unlike her duels against Uriel or Shade, Tessai was clearly inferior in terms of skill and creativity, but he made up for it with years of experience against all kinds of nightmare creatures.
Further back, Cassie moved with surprising grace and elegance, eliminating Gunlaug's followers. Her ascended sword, along with her armor, allowed her to know everything that was happening.
It was just as she had seen in her vision. The blood of the Sleepers spilling onto the floor in a river of blood, the golden corpse dead on its throne.
She also felt that Nephis was fighting against Tessai, and the battle would end soon.
Although the settlement's Sleepers outnumbered the Hunters, the latter were not as weak as they seemed, as they possessed good teamwork.
Cassie blocked an arrow before raising her forearm, blocking the blade of a sword; her ascended armor easily blocked the Awakened sword. Sensing the Sleeper, she delivered a slash that left a deep wound, then finished him off on the spot.
Doing this, she felt no remorse. A bit of Uriel's life philosophy had stayed with her. If something tries to kill you, just kill it first. After all, that's how this world worked.
After a few minutes, Tessai lacked arms and was kneeling before Nephis of the Immortal Flame clan, a bewildered look on his face, wondering how it had happened.
However, he was Gunlaug's former right-hand man; he still had one last card to play.
Using his Aspect, he unleashed all its power. With a crazy smile, he shouted, "Die, you changing bitch!"
An instant later, Tessai's head was cleanly cut off.
"Better go and die in my place," said Nephis, now looking at Tessai's corpse.
A few moments later, an enormous influx of Essence invaded her Soul Core, making her grunt in pain as she formed her fourth core, becoming a Devil.
Sunny, who had killed Horus, saw that Nephis was suffering from the awakening of her fourth core. He observed Caster moving silently to kill Nephis.
Summoning his kunai, he threw it, causing the Legacy to fall, but he rolled before a Sleeper from the enemy side jumped to kill him, eliminating that opportunity.
Sunny watched the terrifying woman Seishan and her handmaidens, worried they would join the battle or not. A moment later, the handmaidens and their leader moved, beginning to eliminate the remaining soldiers of Gunlaug, as did Genma's men.
In a matter of a minute, the last of Gunlaug's men fell dead to the floor.
Nephis and Sunny looked at Genma, Seishan, and Kido.
"Why did you help us?" asked Nephis.
"We're on the same side. Your leader convinced us to join his side," said Genma.
Sunny blinked.
'So that's why Uriel was so calm. He had already won from the beginning.' Sunny's feeling of respect for Uriel rose even higher than before.