The battlefield, which had only moments before been engulfed in a maelstrom of light and darkness, was now shrouded in an almost surreal silence. The smell of ozone still permeated the air, traces of the psychic rays Kaizen had conjured. The floor, once firm and solid, was cracked and dusty, a testament to the eerie forces that had been unleashed. Read the latest on M V L
Most of all, there was a subtle tension, as if the universe itself awaited the outcome of this confrontation.
Kaizen remained standing, an imposing figure in the midst of the destruction that surrounded him. His body still vibrated with the aftermath of the energy he had channeled.
Every muscle was tense, every breath heavy, but his eyes, those intense, deep eyes, remained fixed on Gieneno. There, kneeling before him, the once great Warrior of Light looked like a shadow of his former self. His armor, once shining and immaculate, was now in tatters, and his spear, the symbol of his authority and power, lay broken at his side.
Gieneno struggled to stay upright, the pride in his face slowly replaced by a mixture of pain and resignation. He raised his eyes to Kaizen, still unable to fully accept defeat.
"You... you evolved too quickly, Kaizen," he murmured, his voice laced with exhaustion. "Surprisingly fast... I never thought you'd be able to bend your own light like that..."
Kaizen remained silent for a moment, letting Gieneno's words linger in the now quiet atmosphere. He watched the defeated man with a mixture of respect and something that could be interpreted as pity, but his eyes carried an unwavering determination.
"I have evolved as much as I needed to, Gieneno," Kaizen finally replied, his voice low but carrying undeniable authority. "To save Midgard... To protect those who could not protect themselves. I did what was necessary."
Gieneno looked away, trying to process what he had heard. The mention of Midgard brought a glimmer of understanding to his tired eyes, but also an added weight of guilt.
Gieneno hesitated. The conviction in his eyes seemed to tremble under the weight of the truth Kaizen laid before him. "I... I believe, Kaizen," he replied, but there was a hint of doubt, a wavering that did not go unnoticed.
Kaizen approached, each step sinking slightly into the ruined ground until he stood directly in front of Gieneno. The hand that had been a symbol of power and destruction now rested on Gieneno's shoulder with unexpected gentleness.
"And what do you say about Cephal?" asked Kaizen, his voice lower but no less intense. "He is also an Evolved, and yet he helped me. He wasn't at the mercy of agreements, he didn't hold back because of some law or outdated code. He acted."
"Cephal is... a case apart," Gieneno admitted, his voice laden with bitter acceptance. "He is a lone Evolved, a renegade in many ways. He doesn't follow the same rules we do, because he never cared about the codes that govern us. Maybe he's right in his own way, but that's not the choice we other Evolved have made."
"Choice?" Kaizen replied, a tone of frustration now evident in his voice. "That sounds more like an excuse for inaction than a real choice. How many lives could have been saved if you had acted?"
Gieneno's silence was answer enough for Kaizen. He knew that his question would not be answered satisfactorily, for there was no answer that could justify the loss of life, the pain and suffering that Midgard had experienced.
Gieneno, still on his knees, felt Kaizen's hand slip from his shoulder and was overcome for a moment by a feeling of disappointment. He had failed in so many ways, not only to himself, but to those he was sworn to protect.
"You seem like a good person, Gieneno... You and Zukas. I think that's why Odin sent us here?"
"Odin? Ha... You'd think so."