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At first glance, the room shared its appearance with the previous room: dark, long, cracked and yellowed stone with ominous air that reeked of death. They stood huddled together near the entrance. The first room and the endless stagnant path had taught them that this castle should not be taken lightly, that a trap could spring at any moment. They were especially wary as a trap had split their forces in half. Despite their fear for the traps, the fear that drove them was their memory of the contents of the previous room. It had seemed empty, but that was merely a ruse. Hidden inside was an equally dark pair of glowing red eyes, though it had been another demon and not the cloaked figure who could bat them away with only a sweep of his hand. Why did it seem as though that cloaked figure was the master of all demons? It grinned with arrogance as it towered above them, slit gashes into Nick’s cheeks, and tossed their priestess against a wall with ease.

Compared to those horrors, the glowing eyes of the previous room were much less fearsome. And yet, even against something less horrifying, they had cowered in fear. Only Nick had been willing to stand against him, and yet, the one who had fought him so valiantly was Minako. Their priestess seemed like more of an illusion than anything in this world, even the long dead soldier. The priestesses did not stand up to the demons unless they were supposed to be companions. Before the other demons, they cowered in fear because the priestesses were meant to battle each other, not the demons. Yet Minako had stood her ground against a demon, even as blood streamed down her violently shaking body. Was that the meaning of friendship? To stand strong against the impossible when losing was inevitable? Was that love?

A small clatter interrupted the silence. Howie clenched the grip of his sword tightly. Their first impression was misguided, there was something else in this room. After scanning the room again, Howie noticed the faint glimmer of mounting ornaments covering the walls that cradled various weapons. It was a soldier’s dream, the gleaming metal ornaments were the spotlights for a show of strength. However, one set of mounting ornaments was ominously empty.

Howie frowned as he took a hesitant step into the room. “Come out. We know you are there.”

Even the brief light of the candles and the air were unresponsive, as though the room was dead. The castle was an enormous crypt. It was possible to enter it while living, but certainly almost everyone within was deceased. Perhaps a crypt was the incorrect house for the dead, as it would house only one sect, the ruby demons. Yet, the bodies of the first kings had been perched above the doorway and the topaz demons had also died within the castle’s walls. In reality it was likely a catacomb, especially as the remains here were non descript and virtually undifferentiated from each other.

Howie scanned the room again as he took a second hesitant step. “Your silence does not threaten us. Show yourself.”

The silence gave no response to Howie’s words, but a glowing pair of yellowed eyes emerged from within the darkness. It was as though a fire had risen in the room and caught the glint of the weapons.

Howie pulled his sword toward his chest. It seems that the dead have ears. If I had kept prodding, would the eyes have revealed their master? He caught a new gleam of metal as he scanned. There is no time to ponder. He dug his foot into the ground quickly to project himself into the air.

The unfamiliar metal, however, reacted quicker than his reflexes. As he descended back toward the ground, he felt a jab of pain in his side. He clenched his sword tightly as he touched his hand to the throbbing area, then raised the hand to his eyes. The room is too dim to tell, despite the candlelight and glowing metal ornaments, but my hand must be stained with blood. He winced as a smile crossed his face. No harm done. It is the duty of a king to bleed for his country and my position as a cardinal demon is chief to all the roles I play for my country. He clenched his stained hand tightly as he tightened the grip of his right hand on the hilt of his sword and began whispering inaudibly. He then placed his stained hand on the blade of his sword as he shut his eyes. His hand and the sword began to glow with a brilliant sapphire color. The glow spread across the sword and into his fingertips then slowly encased his entire body. His lips fell silent as he tightened his grip on the sword.

“Your Majesty...” AJ reached his hand toward him as he started walking forward.

Kevin pulled him back quickly. AJ flinched and gaped at him..

“Don’t falter his concentration.” Kevin’s serious tone permeated the shadows, even as his face was shadowed.

AJ nodded and stepped back beside Kevin.

Howie rose his sword slowly and thrust it toward his wounded side. The blades of two swords resonated together like bells.

“How low.” Howie growled, “To strike us twice in the same manner is barbaric.” Howie thrust his hand toward the second sword and grabbed it. Its lightning blade was caught in his grip. “Would you choose to move your weapon? Our blood would spill onto your fingers from the blade.” He smirked, “Then should you grab another weapon, we would see it immediately through the stain.”

Smoke wrapped around the hilt of the weapon tightly, as though it were forging a figure. As the smoke flowed from the hilt, clawed hands took its place, then the smoke flowed up the arms and began molding a figure. Once it dissipated, the blade-like shape of the soldier’s yellow armor covered its body similarly to Rubiihoppou’s spherical armor. The glowing yellow eyes lit up the room and they sneered while gripping the hilt of the sword tighter.

“Just as we thought, a commander specializing in weaponry.”

“How old is this armor, Your Majesty? A decade?”

The figure growled as he ducked beneath Howie’s arm, then pulled the tip of the sword from his grip and lunged toward AJ and Kevin.

Howie pivoted quickly and hit the sword with his own, then caught the ornate designs on the hilts within one another. The straight spikes of the figure’s sword found escape impossible from within the bejeweled spirals of Howie’s sword as he pulled the sword back toward him.

“Are we not your enemy?” he smirked as the figure turned to face him and let out a low growl. “Lay one hand on them and this swordplay will end quickly.”

“Swordplay?” the figure sneered. “Does a king really think he can defeat a weapons expert?”

“So, he speaks...”

The figure growled once more.

Howie reached beneath his tunic and pulled a dagger from beside his thigh that was identical to the first, only smaller. Howie aimed the sword at the neck of the figure. “Your concern should be skill rather than rank. We have been trained in all manners of sword combat.”

The figure growled and released his hold on his sword. His wings unfurled, then he propelled into the air. His steel boots hit a ledge above the sapphire demons with a small ring. He kneeled on the ledge and stared down at Howie as he crossed his arms across his lap and let his clawed fingers hang limply. “Sword combat? Is that all?” He sneered, “Sword combat is meaningless when there are other weapons.”

Howie pulled the soldier’s sword from the hilt of his own. He eyed the craftsmanship of the blade carefully. “Perhaps, but mastery of a sword is still superior to all other weaponry skills. The strongest and most prestigious men in all the countries use swords. The ritual of combat is dependent on a sword.”

The figured smirked once more, “For a man who sits only on his throne, your knowledge, or perhaps your arrogance, is extensive.”

Howie tightened his grip on the sword with the spiked hilt and smirked as well. “Perhaps it is our arrogance, but you concur with us.” Howie held up the sword, “Your weapon must never hit the ground.” He tossed the weapon toward the figure with ease as the hilt was made of a softer metal.

He caught the blade then pulled it across his lap and continued to stare down at Howie.

Howie held his blade tightly and turned to AJ and Kevin. “We will take this next battle with this Topaz commander who has waited patiently for a decade. Meanwhile, you two must prepare the exit to the next battle.”

“So this demon is from Topazuseihou?” Kevin crossed his arms.

Howie’s eyes narrowed as he nodded, “Yes, it seems that this castle has trapped both sects of demons.”

“Meaning, Your Majesty?”

“It seems ultimate fate has appeared clearly before us.” Howie clenched his sword. “But, we will not die, so neither of you should either.” His blade began to glow sapphire once more. “As long as we breathe, Minako awaits victory.”

Kevin clapped Howie’s shoulder. “Then we must always continue forward.”

Howie nodded and pulled his blade near his face. A gust of wind surrounded him as he shut his eyes and gripped the hilt tightly. As his entire form was encased within the wind, the brief candlelight in the room flickered against the wind instead of glinting against the metal ornaments.

The Topazuseihou demon shielded his eyes and raised his sword, holding the flat face of the blade toward the wind. Instead of hitting him directly, the wind diverged into two paths from the sword’s blade and swept to his sides. The Topazuseihou demon shut his eyes as he struggled against the force of the divine breeze. Just as the candles flickered, his power seemed to be flickering as well. As he gripped the ledge, the power of the wind subsided. The Topazuseihou demon opened his eyes and lowered his sword as he peered at the king below him.

In place of the elegant man, a true demon stood below him. Long wings rose from his back, horns sat nestled among his hair, fangs curved over his lips, and claws gripped the hilt of the sword. But it was clearly the same man, he wore the same sapphire calf-length tunic, the same cream pants, the same cream ribbon pulled his long hair back from his face. The sword gripped in his claws retained its bejeweled, spiral hilt. However, the sword and the man now exuded demonic energy as his eyes glowed a brilliant sapphire color. His eyes were not the soulless glowing orbs of the Rubiihoppou and Topazuseihou demons they had met in the castle, nor were they Nick’s snarling, sightless demonic eyes. Instead, only his chocolate irises glowed sapphire. In the dead, the glowing eyes of their Priestess’ star meant that they were soulless, immobile, and deceased, clinging to life only through their association to her. In the living, it meant no mastery of the demonic powers, slaves to an emotional trigger ripping their demonic hearts from within them. While Howie’s powers lay dormant, he had detailed knowledge of them. In fact, the very notion that he could conceal his true form meant that he held unmatched mastery over his powers.

Howie clenched his sword tightly as he stared into the glowing eyes of the Topazuseihou demon, trying to penetrate his soul. A smirk spread across his face and his fangs protruded from his mouth as he spoke. “Should we rise to you or will you descend to us?”

The topaz demon growled and arched his back as he stood his wings unfurling and flapping in the remnants of the wind. As he rose from his hunched position, a smirk spread across his face. “Come.” His wings flapped once more as he tightened his grip on his sword, “Come show me how the royals are taught to use their precious swords.”

Howie flapped his wings and used his foot to propel himself upwards once more. As Howie ascended toward the topaz demon, the topaz demon jumped from the ledge. Howie’s eyes simmered as he stared at the falling demon.

“As a testament to your supposed skills, we will fight in midair!” the topaz demon announced.

At that moment, the two men had reached the same height and the blades of their swords clanged against each other. The ringing of bells echoed off the weapons covering the walls. Moment by moment, deep gashes appeared in the skin of both demons and blood poured from them like tears as though a storm brewed droplets of red rain that hit the ground. This was the soundtrack of their battle. The sound of piercing skin, the swords resonating with each other, and the blood red rain. Outside the room, however faint, this sound was likely heard quite clearly.

While the sound of the battle echoed through the stagnant halls and the blood red rain showered on the spectators below, the Topaz demon’s soulless eyes reflected the unseen heart of their battle. His glowing yellow eyes simmered with the anger in his heart. Death and failure stained his soul black like the Ruby demon in the previous room. They had no care for the quality of the priestess’ hearts, only their powers, and only cared about the suffering the others gave them. After all, true to form, they were bred to be cold and conniving. In the eyes of the sapphire demons, Minako was different. Her heart was warm and her kindness resounded like small bells. Though the sound was weak at first, the vibrations and ringing grew stronger each moment, like the friendship and love she offered them without hesitation. It seemed her heart was large enough to encase the entire world. But, these demons refused to recognize this. Their only concern was that her heart had slept while they had suffered alongside their priestesses. There was no denying that the world was at least a bit more peaceful now than it had been previously. Though the countries were still at war, it was not constant. Armies still littered the land, but they were assigned to enforce borders as opposed to expanding them. The peace of the land was directly reflected by the sapphire cardinal demons, none of them were soldiers. Yet, they could still battle. While humans had proclaimed demons were created to fight, they had all been happiest at peace. To be a demon, meant to be constantly wishing, not fighting. To be a cardinal demon meant to be constantly reaching for something beyond their grasp.

The fighting had escalated to a point where both men had critical hits on their bodies. Howie thrust his sword toward the topaz demon’s side, which the demon countered with his own sword. Though his movement was equivalent in speed to Howie’s, the motion was angular and when the swords hit, his sword was knocked from his grasp and fell against the wall. The topaz demon began to descend toward his sword. Howie caught his neck quickly with his own sword.

“Remember what we said, your sword must never hit the ground.”

The topaz demon let out a low growl, then spread his clawed hand. Another sword began glowing and removed itself from its ornamented mountings and he summoned it to his hand and clenched the grip. The two demons began fighting again. Time and again, Howie would get his sword within inches of critical points on the topaz demon’s body, but the other demon would always block it with an angular motion, sending his weapon flying. He would then instantly retrieve another and continue fighting. The clanging of swords against each other and the clack of the swords against the wall resembled a beat.

Howie growled. The quiet resonating of the weapons seems like a familiar sound. I have heard it many times, though only once in great detail inside a shrine. When father had died, the priests began chanting a low-pitched sound. This is similar to that requiem! Howie drew his sword close to himself, “This battle must cease!”

The topaz demon growled, “I will not stop until you are dead! It is my duty!”

“Do not be stubborn!” Howie growled and began to descend to the ground.

“Don’t back down now, Your Majesty!” In his sudden fit of rage, the topaz demon swept toward Howie.

“Stop! Stop!”

The topaz demon coughed up blood. Howie's sword had been thrust into the side of his abdomen in the haste of his own attack. A slow stream trickled down his chin as his eyes began closing slowly. “Why?”

Howie’s claws clenched his sword tightly, “When the requiem sounds, it means someone is already dead, or that God knows someone will die.”

The yellow glow of the topaz demon’s eyes became faint. As the blood continued to stream down his chin, droplets formed in his eyes. “Why?”

Howie thrust his arms toward the topaz demon quickly, but the demon fell from his grasp. The demon’s limp body fell toward the pile of swords on the ground. Once he fell into their pile, the lifeless swords jumped and pinned him against the wall causing rubble to tumble from it and pile around the limp body. The pile of rubble glowed a bright topaz color, then shot in the opposite direction. From the launch, two items appeared. From its origin, a stone statue of the Topazuseihou demon and at its conclusion, the exit.

Howie landed on the stone ground softly. He shut his eyes then glowed sapphire, his wings disappeared along with his fangs, horns, and claws. He gripped his sword tightly as he returned it to its scabbard. When he opened his eyes, he revealed that the sapphire glow had subsided. His eyes narrowed as he clenched his fist tightly. “Why is the only purpose of the box needless killing and suffering?! Does searching for the box mean only death and imprisonment?!” Howie growled, “Even in death, there is no rest! No peace! What sort of monster would play with eternal death like a toy!”

AJ and Kevin stepped toward Howie.

“Your Majesty....”

Howie stared down the empty corridor. “I won’t let you turn my friends into part of your collection!”