59 ~Eyes that Defy Death

Darkness began to descend, and the rain grew heavier.

Yet the house remained quiet.

Elyes was asleep, while Amira sat beside the window, gazing at the distant mountains through the rainy weather.

Suddenly...

Elyes's eyes snapped open, and he jolted upright.

Amira immediately turned toward him.

"Elyes? What's wrong?!"

He spoke, trying to focus.

"I... felt an energy."

"Energy? Could it be... them?"

Elyes quickly got to his feet and opened the window.

"I don't know... Damn it, it only appeared for a few seconds before disappearing."

Amira asked him,

"Can't you teleport to it?"

Elyes exhaled anxiously.

"I can teleport directly to its source, but only if I can sense it... Once it disappears, I can't pinpoint its location."

Elyes jumped straight out of the window, then shouted,

"Lock every door and window! Don't you dare open them!"

Then he flew off into the distance.

---

Near the City...

A vast stretch of land was engulfed in flames, which devoured everything in their path, while blue lightning illuminated the sky.

Amin hovered in the air, flames coiling around his body and excitement written all over his face.

"Here I come... Waaaail!"

He moved through the flames and appeared before Wail in an instant.

He grabbed Wail by the shoulders.

But Wail showed no reaction.

His entire body burst into flames.

Amin smiled.

But his smile didn't last long.

The flames surrounding Wail suddenly dissipated, and Wail drove his head into Amin, forcing him to retreat.

Amin lunged at him again.

Wail dodged his successive attacks, prompting Amin to gather red energy in his hand and fire it at him.

But a bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck the attack, dispersing it.

In the next instant, Wail followed up with a powerful side kick that sent Amin flying backward.

Amin stopped in midair, then smiled.

"Prove to me that you've really gotten stronger..."

The red pattern began to appear in his eyes.

"Come on... Show me everything you've got!"

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Wail answered coldly,

"This form alone is enough to kill you, Amin."

"Kill me?"

Amin burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! You really want to kill me, Wail?"

He clenched both fists. His smile gradually faded as his energy grew denser.

"Do you really think your strength and intelligence are enough to kill me?"

Suddenly...

Fiery strands wrapped around Wail's body, binding him in place.

He tried to break free, but he couldn't.

Then his eyes widened as he looked up.

A gigantic ball of fire was forming above him.

"Tch..."

The fireball came crashing down.

A tremendous explosion engulfed the area, its impact reaching the outskirts of the city.

Then, from the center of the explosion, a sky-blue aura mixed with red erupted and surged toward the heavens.

Wail had used his Power Pulse to protect himself.

Even so, burns were clearly visible across several parts of his body.

Amin rose into the air, watching him with a faint smile.

Wail spoke.

"So... You're not going to use Power Pulse?"

Amin laughed.

"Power Pulse? Hahaha... I really did want to learn it."

His expression shifted slightly.

"But whenever I thought about it, I remembered you... and how weak you and your friends were."

He raised his hand.

"So I decided not to learn it."

Wail exhaled.

"Has your arrogance really reached this level?"

"I had no other choice. After all, I..."

Amin suddenly coughed up blood.

He froze for a moment.

Wail's punch had struck him from a distance.

Amin looked at him.

Wail's hand glowed with a silver light that was already beginning to fade.

Amin's eyes widened.

"So... Is that how you defeated Aetherion?"

Before he could finish speaking, Wail appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the throat.

He shot toward the ground, dragging Amin with him.

Just before they struck the earth, Amin broke free and unleashed flames at Wail.

"Did I upset you with my words? Hahahaha!"

Wail dodged the flames, then descended upon his opponent with a barrage of electrically charged punches.

But a small beam of fire suddenly pierced his abdomen.

Wail recoiled, and Amin kicked him away.

Then he smiled provocatively.

"I just remembered something... You didn't actually defeat him fair and square, did you?"

His grin widened.

"You just got lucky..."

Wail's anger surged.

He fired a beam of electricity at Amin.

Lightning tore through the area as bolts struck Amin from every direction.

Wail continued panting, gradually regaining his composure.

Suddenly...

He stopped.

Amin spoke.

"You know, Wail... Aetherion wasn't defeated by his two opponents."

Silence fell.

"It was his own immense energy that ultimately led to his death..."

Wail's eyes widened.

Amin stood amid the smoke.

His right hand was gone.

But before Wail's eyes...

The missing hand began to regenerate.

Amin's energy grew denser.

"What did you do?!" Wail shouted.

Then he glared at him.

"And what do you know about what happened that day?!"

Amin laughed.

"Hahahaha! Easy..."

He raised his fist.

"Fight seriously, and you'll learn plenty of things... before you die!"

He charged at Wail once more.

Wail rushed toward him as well.

The two exchanged a rapid series of blows, until the clash ended with Amin being hurled into the distance.

But he returned even faster.

Suddenly...

He stopped.

There was a hole in his abdomen.

Because Wail's lightning moved at such incredible speed, the sound of thunder was delayed by a few moments.

First came the wound...

Then came the thunder.

Amin plunged toward the ground.

Wail descended after him, grabbed him by the hand, and lifted him up.

But Amin smiled.

The red pattern in his eyes glowed once again.

"Wail... No matter what you do to my body, it'll regenerate thanks to the power of these eyes!"

Wail was taken aback.

The hole in Amin's abdomen was visibly closing before his eyes.

Then Amin's energy began to rise again.

Amin placed his palm against Wail's chest.

Wail's entire body burst into flames.

But the flames vanished moments later, revealing Wail in the sky, with even more burns covering his body.

Amin raised his head.

The smile never left his face.

"Didn't you say you wanted to kill me?"

His grin widened.

"So why don't you do it?"

Wail remained suspended in the sky, staring into Amin's eyes.

For the first time since the battle began...

Concern began to show on his face.

"What is the secret behind this power...?"

"You're starting to look nervous... Don't ruin that intimidating presence of yours, Wail."

Wail realized how dangerous the situation had become. He could no longer afford to hold back.

His energy began to rise and condense alongside his Power Pulse, and soon the two auras began to merge.

His hair and eye glowed crimson red.

It was time to reverse the transformation.

"Looks like you know quite a lot, Amin... I think I'll keep you alive."

Amin burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! I'd love to see you try!"

He formed a blazing bow and began firing a barrage of flaming arrows at incredible speed.

Wail dodged every arrow until he caught the last one. He infused it with electricity before hurling it back at Amin.

The arrow pierced Amin's chest.

But Wail didn't stop there.

He gathered electricity in his hands and unleashed a continuous barrage of lightning bolts at Amin.

The ground erupted again and again until Wail finally stopped.

Amin emerged from the smoke, his body riddled with holes and covered in blood.

And yet...

The smile never left his face.

"Looks like it's time I told you what these eyes are."

Wail looked at him in confusion.

Amin raised his eyes to meet his and spoke.

"The Bloody Eyes... That's what they're called. Each eye possesses a different ability."

Wail repeated the name in surprise.

"The Blood Eyes...?"

Then his eyes widened.

Amin's body had already begun to heal. His lost energy was gradually returning, and his eyes glowed red.

Wail spoke.

"So... Your ability is regeneration?"

Amin smiled.

"It's more complicated than that... Fight well, stay alive, and you'll learn more."

Wail began thinking about the nature of this ability, but Amin gave him no time to figure it out.

He lunged at him.

Wail dodged his first punch, blocked the second, and retreated.

Amin formed a massive blade of fire and swung it at him, but the blade dissipated as soon as it approached Wail's dense aura.

Even so, Amin didn't stop.

His excitement only grew as he continued his assault.

Wail dodged his attacks one after another, forcing Amin to change tactics and attempt to trap him inside a cage of flames.

"You won't escape this time!"

Flames surrounded Wail, then erupted within the cage with tremendous intensity, engulfing him completely.

---

Inside Wail's Mind...

Wail's voice echoed through his thoughts.

"Amin... I honestly don't know what you've been through or what drove you down this path... But you don't know what I've been through, either."

Memories of his childhood appeared before his eyes.

He and Amin...

Close friends.

Then came the memory of the cave collapsing on Amin, and the shock Wail had felt as he watched his friend disappear before him.

The memories faded.

Red and black electricity flooded his mind.

"I'm no longer the same person you once knew, Amin...And I'm gonna kill you..."

Suddenly...

A red lightning beam, threaded with black sparks, erupted from within the flames.

It shattered the cage and pierced through the clouds above.

Amin stared in shock, his eyes widening.

In the next instant, the beam tore away the entire lower half of his body.

Wail appeared before him, about to seize his face.

But Amin managed to force out a few broken words.

"Y... your... bro...ther... is alive..."

Wail's eyes widened.

Suddenly...

The entire left side of his body burst into flames...