The street was burning.
Thick smoke rolled between the broken buildings, carrying the smell of ash and burnt stone.
The air was hot and hard to breathe.
Justus stood in the middle of the mess.
His dark hair was dirty, and he held his sword tightly.
His red eyes were quiet and sharp as he looked ahead.
A huge man walked out from the smoke.
It was Ragnar Veil.
He brushed grey dirt off his shoulder.
Orange lines glowed like fire across his skin.
He was a famous criminal with a hundred-million-Gold-Crown bounty, and he smiled like a hungry wolf.
“You’ve got some nerve coming into my town and beating up my men, kid,” Ragnar grumbled.
His voice was deep and heavy.
Justus didn’t back down.
“They were in my way.”
Ragnar laughed and looked at Justus’s sword.
“Is that so?
That’s a nice blade you have.”
He lifted his heavy hand.
Liquid rock slid between his fingers like hot melted gold, dripping onto the ground and sizzling.
“Too bad the guy holding it won’t last long.”
“You talk too much,” Justus said.
Ragnar’s smile turned dangerous.
“Then let’s see if you can back up your words!”
BOOM!
The ground under Justus burst open, shooting hot magma into the air.
Justus moved fast.
He jumped out of the way just as Ragnar’s heavy fist slammed into the spot where he had been standing.
Cobblestones exploded everywhere.
Justus slid under the flying rock and attacked Ragnar’s right side.
His sword flashed, cutting right at Ragnar’s neck.
Ragnar turned quickly.
The blade cut his big shoulder, leaving a thin line of blood.
Ragnar stopped.
He touched the cut with his fingers and looked at the red blood on his hand.
“Huh.” He grinned.
“You’re quick.”
“And you’re slow,” Justus said, resetting his sword.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
Ragnar laughed out loud.
“Kid, you haven’t seen anything yet!”
Ragnar swung a massive backhand at him.
Justus raised his sword to block.
CLANG!
The hit was so strong it pushed Justus back across the street, his boots scraping deep lines in the dirt.
Before he could catch his breath, Ragnar rushed at him again.
A hot punch came at his face.
Justus ducked under it.
A downward strike came next.
Justus tilted his blade to slide the force away into the ground.
A third punch aimed right for his ribs.
Instead of running, Justus grabbed Ragnar’s thick wrist with his free hand.
He used all his power and drove his knee straight up into Ragnar’s stomach.
THUD!
Ragnar grunted as the air left his lungs.
Justus immediately twisted the wrist and smashed his elbow into Ragnar’s jaw.
BAM!
Ragnar’s head snapped back.
He took a step backward—losing his balance for the first time.
Justus moved in fast.
SLASH!
He swung his blade at Ragnar’s chest.
But before the sword hit, melted rock covered Ragnar’s chest like hard armor.
The sword scraped against the hard rock, shooting sparks everywhere.
Ragnar grinned and pushed his stone hand against Justus’s sword, testing his strength.
“Not bad!” Ragnar spat.
“Who taught you to fight like this?”
Justus’s red eyes narrowed.
“An old guy who hits way harder than you.”
“Is that right?” Ragnar laughed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment!”
Justus pushed Ragnar back with a blast of energy to break free.
“Does it matter who taught me?” Justus asked, taking a step back.
“You’re still losing.”
Ragnar wiped soot from his mouth.
“Fair point.
Let me show you what I can really do!”
He slammed both hands into the dirt.
CRACK-THOOM!
The whole road broke open.
Hot magma ran through the dirt like a river, swallowing everything.
Justus jumped high into the air and landed on the roof of a broken building.
Ragnar looked up through the fire.
“What’s wrong, kid?
Scared down here?”
Justus looked down calmly.
“I just like looking down on you before I knock you out.”
He jumped off the roof.
Ragnar raised a stone fist.
“Cocky brat!”
In mid-air, Justus twisted his body to dodge the fist.
The moment his feet touched the ground behind Ragnar, he turned and swung his sword.
CLANG!
Ragnar was fast too.
He caught the sword between two pieces of hard rock on his arm.
Justus pulled, but the sword was stuck in the cooling rock.
“Got you,” Ragnar sneered, raising his other fist.
“Game over!”
“Not yet,” Justus said softly.
He let go of the sword completely.
Ragnar’s punch hit empty air.
Justus stepped inside his defense and hit him three times fast: a palm to the chest, an elbow to the jaw, and a knee to the gut.
The raw force shook Ragnar.
He stumbled back, coughing.
“Dammit…
you…” Ragnar gasped.
Justus pulled his sword free from the rock and jumped back to get some space.
Ragnar spat blood onto the ground.
“You fight dirty, kid.”
Justus held his sword ready.
“You talk too much.
I thought you were going to show me your real power.”
“You want real power?” Ragnar roared.
“Fine!”
He charged again.
They traded blows in a rush of steel, rock, and blood.
Ragnar swung hard.
Justus blocked, feeling the heavy hit run through his arms.
“Stand still!” Ragnar yelled, kicking low.
“Make me!” Justus jumped over the kick and slashed at Ragnar’s neck, forcing him to lean back.
Before Justus landed, Ragnar grabbed him by the waist.
“Got you now!”
Ragnar lifted Justus and slammed him hard into the ground.
BOOM!
The ground cracked, and the air knocked out of Justus’s chest.
Justus rolled to the side just before Ragnar’s heavy boot came down to crush his head.
Justus pushed himself up, but Ragnar was right there.
“You should have stayed down!” Ragnar growled, punching Justus in the face, then hitting his ribs.
He grabbed Justus by the coat and threw him hard into a stone wall.
BANG!
Justus hit the wall hard.
Ragnar pinned him there with one hand.
“You know your problem?” Ragnar said, his face hot with heat.
“You’ve never fought someone who can actually break you.”
He pulled his fist back, wrapping it in glowing hot magma.
Justus opened his eyes.
He smirked through the blood on his face.
“Are you going to keep talking, or are you going to hit me?” Justus whispered.
Before Ragnar could react, Justus smashed his forehead right into Ragnar’s nose.
CRACK!
“Gah!” Ragnar backed off, holding his bloody nose.
Justus dropped down, spun around, and swung his sword with all his strength.
SLASH!
The blade cut deep across Ragnar’s chest.
Ragnar jumped back, holding his bleeding chest.
His smile was completely gone now.
“Now you’re really making me mad, kid.”
Justus spat blood onto the ground.
“Good.”
The ground around Ragnar melted into hot liquid.
Melted rock covered his arms and chest like heavy armor.
“You’re dead,” Ragnar said, taking a heavy step forward.
Justus tightened his grip on his chipped sword.
“Then do it.”
Ragnar disappeared.
He moved so fast the air rushed behind him.
BOOM!
A heavy magma fist hit Justus right in the stomach.
He flew into the air, and Ragnar hit him again with a spinning back-fist.
Justus crashed through a wooden building and tumbled into the dirt on the other side.
His sword dropped out of his hand, landing a few feet away.
Ragnar walked through the broken wall.
“Stay down,” he said quietly.
“It’s over.”
Justus groaned and pushed himself onto one knee.
He reached for his sword.
“Not…
yet…”
Ragnar stopped.
“Don’t touch that sword.
I don’t like killing kids who can’t stand.”
Justus grabbed the handle.
“Good thing…
I don’t care what you like.”
He used the sword to help himself stand up.
His legs shook, but he didn’t back down.
Ragnar narrowed his eyes.
“You really want to die?”
Justus stood tall and wiped blood from his face.
“I just hate leaving things unfinished.”
He pointed his sword at Ragnar’s chest.
“Your move.”
Ragnar looked at him for a moment, then gave a small smile.
“You’ve got guts, kid,” Ragnar said.
“Let’s end this!”
They ran at each other one last time.
There were no more taunts.
Just metal, stone, and movement.
Ragnar hit hard from above.
Justus blocked it, though his hands burned from the force.
Ragnar swung across.
Justus slid under it.
Ragnar thrust forward.
Justus ducked inside his guard.
Justus stopped trying to match Ragnar’s strength.
Instead, he moved smoothly like a shadow, slipping right past every heavy attack.
Ragnar swung wildly, missing completely.
“Stop dodging!”
Justus slipped past his guard.
SLASH!
His sword cut deep into Ragnar’s shoulder.
Ragnar’s arm went limp.
“What—?!” Ragnar gasped.
Before he could react, Justus grabbed Ragnar’s wrist, used the giant’s own weight against him, and slammed his shoulder into Ragnar’s chest.
THUD!
Ragnar lost his balance and stumbled back.
Justus turned on his heel, putting all his remaining power into the blade.
“This is for Eldermere,” Justus said quietly.
He swung his sword in one final, clean stroke.
SLASH!
Silence fell over the street.
Justus stood behind Ragnar, his blade covered in red blood.
Ragnar stood frozen.
He looked down at his chest, where a massive cut had ended his power.
His knees gave out.
THUD.
Ragnar fell to his knees as his stone armor crumbled into ash.
He coughed up blood and gave a quiet laugh.
“Well…
look at that…
You actually beat me…”
Justus slowly stood up straight, breathing heavily.
“You fought hard, Ragnar.”
Ragnar forced himself to stand one last time, holding his bleeding chest.
He looked at Justus, vision swimming, but a small smile on his face.
“You’re going to give everyone…
a hard time…”
Ragnar raised his fist one last time to strike.
Justus met him.
The final hit was almost quiet.
Ragnar’s fist stopped just an inch from Justus’s face.
Justus stood behind him with his sword pulled back.
Ragnar’s eyes went dark, and the hundred-million-Gold-Crown criminal collapsed into the dirt, face down.
The flames around them slowly went out, leaving the village quiet.
Justus stood there alone.
His vision began to blur.
The strength completely drained from his legs, and his knees buckled.
As he fell backward onto the cool, ash-covered ground, his heavy eyes looked up at the night sky.
High above the burning ruins, a massive warship descended through the clouds—searchlights cutting through the dark smoke, its hull bearing the official crest of the Guardians.
They were arriving to arrest everyone in the sector.
Justus couldn’t hold his eyes open any longer.
Darkness took him over as he hit the dirt.
When Justus opened his eyes again, the light made him wince.
The air was clean and smelled faintly of sea salt and leather.
He wasn’t on the ground anymore.
He was lying on a small bed inside a moving cabin, the rhythmic hum of an engine vibrating beneath him.
He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain flared across his ribs.
“Easy, kid.
Don’t tear the stitches.”
Justus turned his head.
Sitting on a wooden crate nearby was Daemon, his broad frame leaning casually against the wall.
He was putting away clean bandages and a roll of medical tape.
Justus looked down at himself.
His chest and shoulder were neatly wrapped in fresh white bandages.
“You…
patched me up?” Justus rasped, his voice dry.
“Someone had to,” Daemon said, setting down a cup of water on the small table next to Justus.
“You used up every last drop of your energy back there.
Using techniques you haven’t mastered yet will tear your body apart.”
Justus swallowed a gulp of water, feeling the cool liquid clear his throat.
He looked around the narrow wooden cabin, then glanced at Daemon.
“Where are we?
What about the Guardians?
I saw their ship descending right before I passed out.”
Daemon smirked faintly.
“You saw right.
A whole squad of Guardian officers landed in Eldermere right as you collapsed.”
“Then how are we here?” Justus asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Because I carried you,” Daemon answered simply.
“The moment the searchlights hit the square, I grabbed your sword, threw you over my shoulder, and slipped out through the tree line before they set up their perimeter.”
“And Ragnar?”
“Ragnar couldn’t move,” Daemon said, his expression turning neutral.
“The Guardians surrounded him.
By now, he’s locked in heavy iron chains on his way to a high-security prison.
He was the only one who got caught.”
Justus sat back against the pillow, letting out a slow breath.
He stayed quiet for a moment, processing everything.
Daemon stood up, picking up his jacket.
He looked down at Justus with a calm, steady gaze.
“I don’t owe Ragnar anything anymore,” Daemon said quietly.
“And after watching you fight back there…
I want to see how far you’re actually going to go.”
Daemon paused at the doorway of the cabin, looking back over his shoulder.
“When you’re ready to stand up, come up to the deck.
I’m coming with you.”
Justus looked at him, then let out a small, tired breath.
A faint smirk touched the corner of his lips.
“All right,” Justus said softly.
“Let’s go.”