PRESENT

Our hearts can help us face suffering, but not everyone can bear it in the same way: some, stronger and more determined, are able to endure more; others, on the other hand, reject a stronger blow and give in to tears; and then there are some who soon reach the limit of their endurance, but their control over their own sufferance is seemingly endless, because they are guided by love.

Vlad had now reached the height of his suffering, after having spent long years of continuous agony. He felt a great emptiness in his heart, a feeling of absolute oblivion. He didn't feel alive anymore.

In the past, he had given up on being a hero, now he was giving up on everything else. The only thing that made him breath was the desire just hatched in his chest, the desire to eliminate Comodo before his body gave up too. Even consuming all his vitality, Vlad knew he didn't have much time to get rid of that monster.

It would not have been bad up there: he would meet Francesca again and would love her forever, without reservations. And there would also be Frankenstein, together they would have fun.

The only regret would be leaving Snowflake to grope the earth. The half Goblin felt the cat's gaze sting his back with insistent plea, but he didn't want to turn around to look at him, to be softened and to regret his choice.

Snowflake was a true warrior, strong and determined, he would have to keep it up, even alone.

In front of Vlad, Comodo was exhilarated by the new feeling of power and control over his body. The half Goblin did not lose his grip on his decision and became more and more convinced that he had to eliminate the monster in front of him.

After the torture he had received he had rapidly advanced in Level and had reached the Late stage of the Seventh Phase. But his Mana had become unstable, difficult to manage; he believed that after such a treatment it would take a long time to rebalance it, if it ever was possible. But now the Hydra, with its fearsome Aura, had allowed his Mana to coalesce into an impurity-free crystal within his Soul.

And now, not only did he have Helial and his friends at his mercy, but perhaps he could even get the Assassin to pay for it. With the newly discovered talent in his flesh, what good would it do him to follow Hades to gain higher power?

The Hydra seemed to have disappeared completely, Comodo could no longer feel a particle of it in his blood. But his power was still there and the Goblin wasn't going to miss this opportunity.

And while two Auras, one scarlet and one bright green, were engaged in an invisible battle, and their owners ready to engage in carnage, Helial was approaching the Assassin.

Using the blades like a juggler, the figure in black scoffed at Helial, ready to vanish into the shadows and attack him from behind. Yes, the orders said he couldn't kill him, but he just had to avoid inflicting mortal wounds before Comodo finished the other kid. Foolishly, the Assassin had underestimated Vlad only because he was still at the Third Phase. Still, he didn't know that the scarlet-haired half-goblin had just burned the vitality even of the legacy of the Blood God.

Skill Activated:

Perception

"Today you will understand how a worm must live," Helial hissed.

Curse of the Demon began to glow, completely covered in his Mana.

The black shadow vanished into thin air.

"The greatest skill of an Assassin is being able to disappear from the sight of his enemies and launch unexpected attacks," Helial said, carrying the Demon's Curse behind him and blocking a direct hit to his left arm. The Assassin was strong, but if he had counted on facing him head-on, he would have had no hope. The young Human wasn't particularly fast, but he was a warrior with far more experience than anyone imagined.

"Once the shots are blocked," he continued, using Perfect Background with a Runic Framework under his feet to move half a meter sideways in a split second, "or even dodged, the true potential of an Assassin becomes reduced."

A blade missed Helial's leg by several inches.

The Assassin's face had turned serious in an instant. His brows were furrowed and his lips thin.

"And if being cowardly were a quality, you would be the first among the lowest."

Curse of the Demon crossed a Runic Frame as Perception guided its trajectory, and the boy suddenly accelerated.

A cut, a few scarlet drops.

Finally, for the first time, Helial had managed to draw blood from someone related to his brother Hades.

The boy smiled and looked out of the corner of his eye at the half Goblin next to him.

Vlad's bow emitted divine light as he built up energy to deliver his first strike. Comodo felt incredible pressure descend on him, but he also knew that his enemy was running out of time. Burning one's vitality allows to become more powerful only for a short time. The more time passed, the more Vlad would weaken, until he died.

However, it would not necessarily have been that easy to stay alive as vitality burned. The first trail of energy thrown from Vlad's bow cut into Comodo's flank, since he had only partially dodged.

In response, Comodo shot a beam of bright green light from his hands. He did not use any weapons due to the nature of his power. Poison Mana required no catalysts, only direct contact with the enemy. As long as he managed to hit, he wouldn't need anything else.

Vlad's speed, covered from top to toe in a scarlet veil of energy, had passed the Eighth Phase. He was probably already faster and more agile than the Assassin at the moment. Not only had the bloodline that had unlocked Alexander in his body made him infinitely more powerful, but he had immediately resorted to extreme action to win.

Whichever way you looked at it, from Comodo's daring dodges to Vlad's terrifying attacks, Vlad seemed to have all it takes to win.

He had launched a few attacks, fewer than five, but already Comodo was covered in wounds and panting.

Aure's son bit his tongue, but he didn't panic. He continued to observe the situation calmly, as if everything were still under control. He had an awareness with much deeper roots than Vlad's or Helial's. Comodo was born into the nobility, Orma's elite. Whether they tortured him or not, his status would always remain Prince. And a Prince would never lose his temper for so little.

No matter what anyone said, Comodo wasn't as wimpy as everyone thought.

He kept dodging Vlad's scarlet darts, similar to a divine punishment, for a hair's width. Yet the moment of his defeat did not seem to be approaching. It looked like the fight was in a stalemate, even though Vlad was clearly in the lead.

"He's winning," Lumia briefly commented to Snowflake, while all the rest of her attention was turned to her brother. Helial, however, was in a situation of absolute advantage and it seemed that the Assassin was bitterly regretting having challenged him. From the miserable situation in which his black cloak had been reduced, one could already tell who was winning.

Circe nodded without saying anything. Unfortunately, despite the Divine Sense and her powers of observation, she was far from the monstrous experiences of Snowflake and Lumia. Caliban was also silent, particularly concerned about what was happening.

The huge white cat rubbed its belly, while strange bowel movements clashed with what it was seeing.

"This cat's supreme belly seems to be restless. I don't understand what's going on. Vlad is winning, but my gut seems to be uncomfortable."

Ready never to ignore the signals of his digestive system, Snowflake had a strange feeling of restlessness and anguish about him. He then began to observe the fight more carefully.

He realized then that something was wrong. The stall was all too artificial: Comodo managed to keep his distance and launch his attacks despite his injuries. If, in fact, it seemed at first glance that the Goblin was in a bad situation, none of the cuts he had received were deep enough to slow his movements.

"Oh shit," Snowflake suddenly exclaimed.

…

Inside Helial's Soul

"The greatest skill of an archer is his enormous attack range and the ability to tire the opponent from afar. Have you ever read those retarded, idiot books where archers are thought to attack once or twice at most, with maximum power, then collapse, exhausted? Fools! The greatest characteristic of an archer is his ability to drag the fight, keep away from his enemy and keep kiting (Author's note: Kiting is a technique used mainly in MMPROGs which consists in hitting an opponent to attract his attention and bring him to the place where the real attack will take place). Attacking from a distance without ever being reached, no matter how ridiculous the wounds he inflicts, he will sooner or later defeat his opponent. Before I taught the members of Destruction how to do kiting, no one used this method and everyone saw archers as mere glass cannons. (Author's: warriors with huge attack power but very low defense)

"But the problem here is that it's not the archer the one who's kiting," sighed Alexander, as he analysed the fight.

"Eh. Unfortunately, at the moment, Comodo is doing that. Vlad doesn't have the time to make the most of his Class and is in too much of a hurry to win the fight. Comodo is exploiting the terrain, his Skills and all the cunning of which he is capable of winning. By doing so it will be difficult for Vlad to survive: his enemy wants to keep going, but to him every second is extremely precious."