Amon watched the fight with focus, ready to help Selena and Jareth if they needed.

Jareth stomped his foot hard against the floor.

Crack!

The ground beneath Vikir's feet suddenly rose in jagged spikes of stone.

The demonized man leapt back just in time, landing with catlike grace as dust and debris burst around him.

"Earth manipulation, huh?" Vikir sneered, his purple eyes glowing faintly.

"How pitifully human... well, I am also still half human."

He swung his sword, and a dark wave of energy exploded outward. The arc sliced through the stone spikes like paper, sending shards flying in all directions.

Selena raised her hand, her crimson eyes flashing. "Spatial Shift!"

The space in front of her distorted, bending like rippling water.

The shards that were about to hit her stopped midair then, with a flick of her fingers, she sent them flying back toward Vikir.

Vikir crossed his arms and blocked them with a burst of violet energy. The shards shattered harmlessly against the demonic aura.

"Nice trick, princess," he said with a twisted grin.

"But you'll need more than parlor tricks to-"

"Shut up!" Jareth roared, slamming his shield into the ground. "Terra Burst!"

Jareth didn't use magic spells often unless needed in a dire situation, since he belonged to a knight family.

The floor cracked and erupted beneath Vikir. A torrent of rock and soil blasted upward, engulfing him.

Vikir raised his hand, and demonic flames burst from his palm, burning through the earth.

His laughter echoed through the room as he slashed the air again, sending a shockwave that forced Jareth and Selena to jump back.

Selena appeared beside Jareth, breathing heavily. "He's fast… and that aura's no joke."

"Then we hit him harder," Jareth said calmly as always, summoning another spell.

The earth beneath his feet glowed faintly, his body surrounded by a dull brown light.

"Let's end this before he does something worse."

Vikir smirked and lunged forward, his movements blurring.

His sword, wreathed in purple fire, clashed against Jareth's shield with a deafening clang. Sparks flew as the ground quaked beneath their strength.

Selena moved behind him, muttering under her breath.

"Space Distort."

She didn't want to use magic spells since her body was already overdone by using her ability that depended on her space element and mana.

But she had no choice. She coughed a little blood.

The air twisted violently. A ripple tore open beside Vikir, bending gravity itself. He was pulled sideways by the sudden distortion, staggering.

"Now!" Selena shouted. Jareth dashed forward, his sword starting to form solid stone on it. It formed into a greatsword, ready to slam on Vikir.

But before they could close in, Vikir's body radiated an even darker glow.

"Don't underestimate me!" he roared. His aura exploded outward. The shockwave threw both Selena and Jareth back several feet.

Vikir laughed, lifting his sword high.

He suddenly froze.

Something was coming.

From the corner of his eye, he caught a small, metallic object spinning through the air-straight toward him.

Amon stood in the shadows, arm extended, his face grim.

"Catch this," Amon muttered.

BOOM!

The grenade exploded with a blinding flash and a thunderous roar.

The force shook the room, sending debris flying everywhere. Flames and smoke engulfed Vikir as he was thrown back.

Selena shielded her eyes from the flash, her hair whipping from the blast wave. "Amon!?" she shouted.

As the smoke cleared, Vikir emerged from the haze. His clothes were tattered, parts of his skin burned and charred, but he was still fine. It didn't have much effect on him.

"You-" he growled, glaring at Amon, his aura flaring again.

But before he could move-

Zzzt!

Selena vanished.

Space twisted around her as she blinked out of existence, reappearing silently behind Vikir in a shimmer of light.

Vikir's eyes widened. "What-"

Shhk!

Her sword pierced through his back, driving straight into his heart. The sound of steel cutting flesh echoed through the room.

Vikir gasped, blood spilling from his mouth.

"You damn… woman…"

Before he could recover, Jareth charged in from the front, his sword glowing with earthen energy, covered with heavy stones.

Bang!

He slammed the edge of his blade against Vikir's chest, knocking him backward and pinning him against the wall. The demonic aura around Vikir flickered violently.

He was bleeding heavily now, his strength waning.

Selena pulled her blade free, stepping back as blood dripped from its edge. Her cold crimson eyes stared down at him.

Vikir coughed, clutching his chest, trying to stand.

But Jareth's shield pressed against his throat, forcing him down.

"Don't kill him," Selena ordered sharply.

Jareth looked at her but didn't argue.

Amon walked closer, his expression grim.

"Why?" Selena asked, her tone low and dangerous. "Who made you do this? Who's behind all of this?"

Vikir looked up at her, blood still running from his mouth. Despite his wounds, a faint smirk appeared on his lips.

"Heh… You think killing me will change anything?" he said weakly. "You're already too late…"

Selena's gaze hardened. "Then start talking before I make you wish you were dead," she said with a cruel and cold tone, leaving no room for argument.

"Hah... I... I wasn't always like this... I had grown up in this orphanage. At that time also, the one who used to run this orphanage was Domnhar... I had always wished to be strong and powerful, just like how most children wish to be... so when I got old enough to live on my own, I left this town and joined a mercenary group."

Selena stood before him, her blade lowered but her gaze sharp. Amon and Jareth remained silent, watching.

The faint crackle of dying fire from the earlier battle filled the ruined house.

For a long moment, Vikir said nothing. Then, in a voice rough and hoarse, he spoke.

His eyes flickered, distant, lost in memory.

"I thought strength was everything. That if I became strong enough, the world would finally respect me. But…" He gave a small, bitter laugh.

"The world doesn't care about the weak. It grinds them down until they either break… or become monsters."

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