Chapter 72 72: The Ending

Rio kicked himself from the ground, running towards Aza.

Aza clenched his fist, running towards Rio head on. He raised his hand, slamming it at Rio in full force.

Woosh—! Bam—!

Aza's hand slammed into Rio's stomach, making him gasp in pain. Within him, he could feel his already broken bones crumble. His body stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

With all his strength and resilience, he stopped himself from falling—he clenched his hand as he raised it, appearing like a blur, it shot towards Aza's head.

Bam—!

Aza groaned, staggering from the impact. Rio's fist—filled with overwhelming, physical strength—pummelled his head, making him dizzy. His head shook from the force, his eyes blurring as he saw two things at once.

Not yet finished, Rio tightened his lower body. He raised his knee with all his strength, ramming it into Aza's stomach.

Bam—!

Aza choked, vomiting out blood as the ground beneath turned red. His body swayed, almost falling beneath the ground. But he stopped himself. He couldn't fall...the moment he does, he would die.

Woosh—!

Rio slammed his hand once more, appearing like a blur. This time, Aza managed to react. Aza clenched his hand tightly, using all his force—he thrusted it into Rio's head.

Woosh—! Bam—!

Both Rio and Aza's head twisted, their hands slamming at each other's face's. Crack. Their teeth shattered fom the sheer impact of their strength. They flinched as pain came to their body, assaulting their mind in torment.

But they ignored the pain, letting it enrapture both of their bodies as they continued exchanging blows. Each time a blow landed, they immediately recover—clenching their hands once more as both shot to each other's body.

Boom—!

...Both were equal in strength, neither stronger nor weaker than each other. Rio was equal to Aza. Aza was equal to Rio. Their body hardened like steel—their hands pummelled each other to no end as their blood leaked to the ground.

"Raaaaaaa....!" Aza suddenly shouted, grappling Rio's body. He moved almost instantly, his hands arriving onto Rio.

Rio panted, raising his hands as he grabbed both of Aza's arms. He shouted, grappling Aza's body. "Arghhh...!"

In that moment, both of them simutaneously reeled back—slamming their head to each other.

Woosh—! Bam—!

Their forehead struck at each other, making both of them flinch in pain. Dark red blood dripped from their head, yet their eyes stared at one another—Aza's pupils filled with hatred and anger, Rio's expression uncaring and unfeeling.

The rain dripped beneath the ground, reflecting their appearance on the puddle... Both of their bodies were broken beyond repair, their bones bended and shattered—organs ruptured and pained.

...Yet none of them stopped. Their eyes showed no falter as they shot their hardened hands at each other. Both arms appeared like a blur, showing superhuman strength and speed.

Woosh—!

Their hands, hardened by their convictions and blood, continued to attack without rest. Thrashing, and injuring one another, blood and wounds covering them—pain and numbness enrapturing both their mind and body.

The sight was... brutal and violent. Two dead men throwing at each other with everything they had, each their strikes holding their life on the line... They struck, and struck, and struck. The sounds of their blows being exchanged resounded.

Bam—! Bam—!

Beneath them, the ground was littered with their blood. The dark red liquid formed a puddle of their reflection... Both their bodies showed signs of death. Their breath waning, their heart beating slowly, and their bodies broken beyond repair.

It was as if at any moment their body would stop operating and die.

...And yet their resolve didn't falter; rising up once more from sheer determination and conviction. They stood up, slammed at each other's body and flinched. In each time their bodies staggered, they attacked more quickly, taking all their chances just to get an advantage against one another.

It was an odd, peculiar sight.

Within the vast landscape of the Harrowing Lands, the battle of two hollow men played out. It was a battle of two dead men, slugging at each other to their deaths. None dared to disturb. Even the wind stilled, the rain slowed down, the demons—beasts alike. They dared not to.

They continued to exchange blows without mercy, their attacks always with intent to kill and destroy. In each of their blows, it was enough to shatter sturdy walls.

Their footsteps resounded as they took a step forward, slugging their hands at each other.

The cacophony of their hands hitting each other's body echoed. It was like a beautiful melody—only there was no words that drifted, but the beat of their fist shattering each other's body.

Bam—!

Rio panted, his hand clenching. He was close to losing consciousness... from every attack he had received, something within his body broke. Whether if it was his organs, his bones, or merely just his flesh, it was torn apart by the man's strength.

...But the pain was nothing compared to his previous experiences. It felt like an ant bite. He raised his hand, slamming it to Aza once more.

Aza groaned, his hand clenching. He saw the fist. He felt the attack, yet he did not dodge. There was no point. There remained only a few time left, dodging would only prolong this battle.

Bam—!

Rio's fist connected to Aza's head—making his face twist from pain... But Aza quickly twisted his head back, recovering from the attack. Pain was nothing compared to death. A wound on the body isn't comparable to the silence of the soul.

He shot his palm, thrusting it to Rio's stomach. His palm appeared like a blur, striking swiftly.

Bam—!

The palm connected to Rio's stomach. Rio spat out blood, his stomach aching from pain. Within him, his organs—his bones shook, crumbling from the force. He could feel the touch of death on his heart.

Aza didn't rest, he tightened his lower body. Using all his strength, he raised his foot; slamming a kick to Rio's head.

Boom—!

The kick connected to his head. Rio staggered, his body swaying as intense dizziness took over his mind. His eyes occasionally blanked out, seeing darkness and light.

...It was an all too familiar state. He was almost..close to death.

Perhaps it was but his natural emotionless expression, but his eyes showed no terror. He raised his hand, covering his face.

Woosh—!

In that moment, Aza dashed into Rio—slamming his clenched fist to the Rio's head.

Bam—!

The fist connected to Rio's hands, blocking it from advancing. He grasped the man's fist tightly, not letting it go. Rio panted, his eyes clouded and pained. He tightened his lower body. In point blank range, he kicked Aza's body.

Bam—!

Aza shrieked, his body blown away to a distance. Inside him, the beat of his heart slowed down... Aza raised his hand to the air, feeling the corrupted energy reinforcing his body slowly disappear... Death was grasping onto his body.

In a similar situation, Rio felt the corrupted energy within him also steadily vanish... The moment it exhausted, his heart would stop beating. He felt his death gradually come to his body—yet his expression was still the same as always, uncaring and unfeeling.

Aza dropped to the ground, making a loud thud. His body writhed in pain, having a hard time standing up. He put both of his hand in the ground—pushing his body to stand up.

Woosh—!

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps not—but the moment he did so, the wind suddenly blew harshly. His cloak fluttered alongside the air, showing his appearance to the world. Gone was his handsome mature face, what remained was but a bloodied disfigured appearance.

"The moment of death..." Aza said, his body swaying as he stood up from the ground. "I could feel it. The stillness of my heart. The agony of my mind. The crumbling of my body. And yet, the waning fire of convictions within me refuse to dissipate..."

Within him, Rio felt the curse—the overwhelming pain slowly return. As the corrupted energy stabilizing his body from breaking slowly vanished, his ruptured organs and broken bones assaulted him in intense pain.

Perhaps it was just his delusions before his inevitable death, but he could hear the devil's sounds of mockery. He had lived two lifetimes, getting an answer to the question he wanted to have... only to die afterwards.

It was an ironic fate, but he didn't mind such fate.

Rio raised his head, feeling the energy within him slowly vanish. He stared at Aza from afar. This would be the last deciding moment. The last blow...without reinforcement nor magic attached. He could roughly guess the man was just the same as him.

...His heart throbbed quietly. The cold night covered his body, making his eyes shudder. His body was already broken beyond repair. He could only muster a single blow before he fall beneath the ground.

Aza closed his eyes, opening it right after. His eyes were resolved—determined, and prepared to die. Perhaps it was because of the utter silence of the land, but the memory of his divination passed through his mind... and for once the all-familiar melanchonly came back to him.

"So this is what it meant by that, huh...?" Aza muttered, mustering all his strength to stand up properly. He clenched his hand weakly. "...What is the title Miracle Invoker worth if such power couldn't even grant me the power to overturn destiny...?"

...Then again, in another perspective—he had already surpassed his own destiny and overturned it. Even the man had said so the moment he ascended to Rank B.

Was... the divination accurate or false? Perhaps, or perhaps not. In one side, he successfully achieved all of his plans and brought salvation to an entire sector of the world. In another side, Rio, the divinated person, would stop him here.

...He didn't know. But he knew one thing. He didn't believe in destiny, nor did he believe in fate. He only believed on himself, and on his words...if he was going to die...

...He was going to bring Rio Salem with him.

Above the sky, the rain fell to the ground. A melachonlic sound echoed around the area. The wind whistled as the moonlight shone. This time, it was the last moonlight. As if announcing the finale, an ancient mythical bestial roared in the lands.

Rumble—! Woosh—!

The ground rumbled as the wind blew harshly. In that moment, Aza ran. His body wearily moved, swaying from every step he took. His superhuman speed was gone...only what remained was his mortality and weak human body.

"Riioooooo....!!!!!!!" He shouted with all his strength. Aza writhed in pain as he moved.

From afar, Rio felt his body slowly die out. Despite the throbbing pain of his lower body, he moved his feet... He ran towards Aza, meeting the cult leader head on.

Both their bodies closed in—the land rumbled once more as the wind shook. Both their clothes fluttered as they ran to each other.

"Aza...!"

Rio weakly clenched his hand, his body approaching Aza. Mustering all the strength he could harness with his weak body, he directed it to his fist, enacting one last blow.

Aza raised his hand—clenching his fist. The corrupted energy within him bit by bit vanished. His heart slowly stopped beating... yet the flames of conviction barely disappeared, in sheer will and resolution, he breathed.

In that moment, their eyes met. Rio stared at Aza. Aza stared back. Then their hands dropped—Rio's hand connected to Aza's face. Aza's hand slammed onto Rio's head.

Bam—! Bam—!

Both of their face twisted in pain. Agony enriching their expressions. Both of them staggered, their body stumbling to the ground.

Thud—!

Rio choked, vomiting out blood. His body was marked ontop of the ground, unable to move. He couldn't move anymore...his body was already broken beyond repair. Within him, the corrupted energy slowly disappeared.

Aza was in the same state, his body broken beyond repair, unable to stand up any further. He could feel the corrupted energy utterly exhaust within him, only his will and conviction was keeping him from dying. But even then...his determination would not be able to do anything.

"Haa...haa..." Aza panted, his breath slowly dwindling. "So this is it, huh? We're both going to die..."

"...Yeah," Rio answered, his eyes closing. He was ready for it. He could feel the corrupted energy dwindle.

"Before we both die, I want to know..." Aza asked, his voice disquiet. "Why were you so insistent on fighting me? Is it because of the kids? Or... Is it because I'm evil? Is it because...of what? We could had just parted ways and...we would have both lived."

Rio opened his eyes. Right, kids. Arcuied and Eugene were probably somewhere in the forest. He had forgotten about their existence...Nonetheless, it wasn't because of evil. He answered the cult leader, "... I just wanted to die."

...That's right. The moment he had gotten his answer—the moment he accepted the meaninglessness of his answer and the emptiness of his humanity, he had decided to die. There was no worth living an empty, meaningless life.

"...But at the same time, I didn't want to just die without trying to live. Or else, I'l betray a promise." Rio said quietly. "...I thought it was the best scenario, me dying trying to live life as if I want to. It was my one last act to this world that I wanted something. But in truth, the only thing I wanted was death."

And he did achieve what he wanted. Death. There was only a minute before he completely, utterly die. It was a long minute... he stared at the sky, looking at the shining moon.

"Haha—hack!—hahaha—ack..!" Aza uncontrollably laughed, hacking as his throat strained. "You selfish piece of shit... but who am I to say that? In all my life, all I chase after was my desires—greed for instance. Greed led me to the path of Miracle Invokers, introducing me to..."

Rio waited for the man continue. The silence stretched for long. The wind whistled as a realization dawned on him—

Woosh—!

—Aza was dead. He had died before him.

He would've have tried to check on the man's face, only if he was able to move. Rio shook his head, silently staring at the sky as he waited for his death.

...He still had a minute or so before his death. That was enough time. He opened his mouth. "Aren't you going to come out and show yourself?"

Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind him. The footsteps were light, gracefully stepping over the land as a voice resounded.

"...When did you realize?"

"...So my suspiciouns are correct then." Rio muttered, his voice slightly strained.

"What do you mean? You just confirmed of it now?" The voice asked, surprised.

"I had suspiciouns ever since back then when Faust suddenly got knocked out and slumbered, It was obviously not from my attack—and obviously neither the cultist could that either, or else they would had done earlier..." Rio explained. "Adding up to that, I could only guess that another person was watching me and Ciel, and used that opportune moment to attack Faust. So, who are you..?"

"Impressive." The footsteps approached, nearing his body. "Who am I...? That's a bit cruel, don't you think?"

"...I don't even know who you are," Rio frowned.

The footsteps stopped, a person's figure standing on top of his head. Rio raised his eyes, staring at the person's face. In that instant, his eyes widened—a burst of memory suddenly assaulted his mind.

"You're as insensitive and rough on your words as always, my dear friend. Rio." The person's face popped above him. It was a man, a young mature man with an indescribable mystical face.

"....!!!" Rio gasped, audibly. His eyes widening in disbelief. In that moment, he shouted. "...John....Smith...!!!!"