"Welp, it''s now pretty obvious that you''ve betrayed the Nether Cult, Beruel. I have every right to eliminate you. As for Kuzon''s girlfriend, I personally have nothing against you, but I''ll just treat you as coteral damage."


    "I-I''m not his—!"


    "Yeah, yeah. You look just like his type. Hahaha." Kido waved off Ana''s response with such levity that one wouldn''t think he was trying to kill all three of them off.


    It truly was paradoxical how he interacted with them.


    Even Ana was surprised by her instinctive reply to him. It almost made it seem as though Kido was a likable father figure and not a mass murderer.


    "Beruel, Ana, stay out of this. It''s my fight, and I''ll be beating Kido with my own ability." Kuzon stared at his two partners.


    His focused eyes were enough to show them how much he meant it.


    "W-what? No way! There''s no way you can win! You can''t—!"


    "I don''t remember asking for your input." Kuzon silenced Ana as he stared at his opponent.


    For some reason, Kido wasn''t attacking. He simply floated in the air, waiting for the three to resolve their conflict and fight him.


    "We can simply retreat. With Jared''s help, and Neron, and Serah... with everyone''s assistance, we''ll be able to win!" Ana protested desperately.


    She didn''t seem to care about Kuzon''s indifference towards her. Her sense ofpassion and worry for her dear friend outweighed the hurt she was feeling.


    "That''s enough."


    In a sh, Kuzon snapped his fingers, causing the Spell Card in Ana''s possession to glow. It shone brightly, warping space and surprising everyone present.


    "K-Kuzon, what are you—!"


    "Young Midas!"


    The two couldn''t move thanks to Kuzon''s [Marite], and the blue swirl magnified. They all knew their looming fate, but their reactions clearly depicted how they much were trying to resist it.


    "Stop! Kuzon, don—!"


    >VWOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!!!<


    Even as the blue spatial rupture swallowed the immobile Ana and Beruel, they never ceased theirints and protests. Shock filled their faces as they were helplessly transported somewhere else.


    "You really think I''ll let them escape?" Kido''s voice interrupted the teleportation.


    "It''s not up to you," Kuzon responded with a more intense expression than before.


    An undeniably immense pressure swept the room, and the entire ce was covered with Kuzon''s [Marite].


    "You guys..." The golden-haired boy turned to watch the look of disbelief on his allies'' faces.


    Only their heads were still visible at this point. It was being consumed by the portal, but they weren''tpletely transported before Kuzon could give his farewell.


    "... Thanks for everything."


    >SHWUUUSSHHH<


    It seemed like Ana wanted to yell something—perhaps she did—but her voice waspletely consumed by the swirling gate, and so was she.


    "Haa..."


    For a moment, silence permeated the area. Only Kuzon and Kido remained there, and they never stopped locking eyes. With one gaze filled with yful frivolity, and the other possessing boundless rage, they remained in this deadlock.


    Until...


    "That was a dumb move, you know? Letting go of your allies. You can''t beat me alone."


    Kuzon didn''t say anything. He simply continued to stare at Kido—the man he had once respected.


    "Well, even with the three of you it still wouldn''t have changed the oue. Still, Beruel''s new body seems to be flowing with Aether, and his Light Magic is pretty good. I understand wanting to protect your woman, but weren''t you too harsh? I mean, she seemed hurt."


    "That''s none of your business."


    "Well, maybe. But it would suck if thest thing you did before your death was to upset her. I can imagine her having to live through all that."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Kuzon remained silent. Perhaps he was sorting through his thoughts on how to defeat the man who was currently suspended in the air. Kido''s appearance hade as a surprise to him, as well as everyone else.


    It wasn''t difficult to understand why Kuzon would be stuck on how to make do with the situation.


    "Well, she''ll be joining you shortly, so I suppose it''s not so bad." Kido noticed Kuzon''s re intensify once he made this statement.


    "You''ll never find them."


    "Hahaha! Debatable. Besides, they''re your good friends. I''m sure they''ll return here as soon as possible. I should kill you quickly and then kill them too. I really should, right?"


    "We''ll see about that." Kuzon''s statement seemed to ring of utmost confidence.


    Golden sparks of lightning covered his body, and his golden hair glowed ever so brightly. His irises shone bright gold, and markings appeared around them—like tattoos.


    "Ah, Mage Mode. Brings back memories. You could do that since you were a kid, right? My brother was so proud of you. Such talent, even for a Midas..."


    Kuzon ignored Kido''s gratifying statement and put his Original Magic into action. Pouring as much Aether as he could into his threads, he made the most durable kind and wrapped himself in golden-coloured clothing.


    With his appearance now changed, after the manifestation of his Mage Mode and Original Magic, Kuzon proceeded to utilize his Familiar.


    "Xenia, full power. As much as my body can handle..."


    ~It''s not toote to retreat, Kuzon.~


    "Xenia... please."


    In response to his pleas, golden mes manifested around Kuzon. ming wings appeared behind him, pping to create waves that easily destroyed the small room that was already melting away.


    >BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!<


    With everything gone in the blink of an eye, Kuzon and Kido found themselves in therge but damaged hall.


    With Kuzon now transformed into an ascended being, even the surroundings began to crumble. The only thing—or rather, person—that seemedpletely fine—was Kido.


    Kuzon''s legs and hands were now pure golden mes, and his wings were gloriously keeping him afloat. His hair also seemed like bursts of me, and he still retained the effects of both his Mage Mode and Original Magic.


    This was the culmination of Kuzon''s power.


    "Not using your Arcana?" Kidomented with a brilliant smile of expectation coursing through his face.


    "There''s no point. It won''t work on you since you have [The Empress]."


    "Well, true..."


    "I have a question, though." Kuzon''s face was calm.


    Even as the whole world burned around him, he no longer seemed bothered, troubled, or angry. He was quite simply lulled.


    "Why aren''t you doing anything... Kido?"


    *


    *


    *


    [A/N]


    The long-awaited sh is upon us. Who will win? Kuzon or Kido!!!


    I know we''re all rooting for our boy, but this seems difficult already. Anyway, leave ament and let me know your thoughts.


    Also, ever thought of joining the Discord server? You can get ess to character arts, interact with the author, and other readers, and also get book updates. Well...


    https://discord.gg/yMPNRURZJh


    ... Here you go.