Diablo took a step back, his voice low and venomous.
"What's your deal, child? It doesn't matter if you understand my power—you won't defeat me. Look around. Jessie's down to one arm, and Kazimir's nowhere near. You've already lost."
A sudden gust tore through the air. From it, Felicia materialized in her wind form, swirling like a hurricane condensed into human shape. With a smirk, she forged a bat from condensed air pressure and swung it like a home-run hitter, sending Diablo hurtling through the air. He crashed into a pillar, coughing blood.
Felicia floated down, grinning.
"Did you guys see that?! I felt his body weight this time!"
Meanwhile… on the Moon
Kazimir stood at the edge of the crater, gazing down at the planet.
"It looks peaceful from here," he mused. "Time to head back—"
A sudden pressure engulfed him. The moon, the stars—everything vanished. He turned around sharply, now suspended in an endless void. A woman in all black stood silently, a veil shrouding her face. Her presence was cold, distant, overwhelming.
Her power mirrored his own—but far older, darker, and deeper.
"That must be Nebula," he thought.
He met her gaze.
"So, you're the god of greed… a true calamity," Kazimir said. "I assume you summoned me for a reason, so what is i—"
Before he could finish, she appeared directly in front of him. Close—too close. He didn't even see her move. She lifted a pale hand, brushed his cheek, and whispered one word:
"Mine."
Then everything blinked out.
He found himself back on the moon, alone again.
"…These gods, man," Kazimir muttered. "What the hell do you mean by 'mine'? Then you vanish like some shady villain in a cliffhanger episode… Whatever. It's cold up here. Time to head back. Tyrone's probably losing his shit without backup."
Back in the Kingdom
Diablo groaned, pinned into the crumbling pillar. Tyrone launched into the air, feet-first into Diablo's stomach, knocking the breath out of him. He barely had time to recover before Mia dropped down with a thunderous right hook. She pummeled him—seventy-five slow, deliberate punches.
Lihanna joined in, her blade glowing with a crimson aura. She sliced through the pillar, collapsing it on top of Diablo. He survived only by triggering his ability, but even that left him on his knees—bruised, swollen, and sobbing.
"This isn't fair!" he shouted. "You call yourselves noble?! Where's the honor in ganging up on me?!"
Tyrone looked up, ignoring the plea.
"A one-on-one, is that what you want?"
Diablo forced himself to stand.
"Exactly! Are you finally going to fight me, man-to-man?"
Tyrone pointed to the sky.
"No. You're fighting him. Your turn, General."
A crack of thunder tore through the clouds. A blinding blue light split the sky as Kazimir reappeared in a flash of energy, his presence clearing the mist like a divine storm.
Diablo trembled.
"How… How did you get back so fast?"
Kazimir hovered above him.
"Doesn't matter. What matters is the weight of your crimes."
With a brutal kick, Kazimir launched Diablo out of the kingdom, the man crying in disbelief. Kazimir followed, floating effortlessly above him.
"You're a monster!" Diablo screamed. "A demon that shouldn't exist!"
"I know," Kazimir replied coldly. "But I didn't make myself. You did. You made this monster."
Kazimir struck again, sending Diablo crashing to the ground.
"Normally, I'd sheath my blade when my opponent is down. But not this time."
Desperation filled Diablo's voice.
"You can't! I'm your father! Your mother's dead—I'm all you have!"
Kazimir's face hardened.
"You're not. I never had you. You stole everything from me. Made me a demon to my own people. You caused their deaths… all to steal the power Karah held. But you'll never be half the person she was."
Lihanna stepped forward. She summoned a sphere of water, encasing Diablo in a drowning prison. Inside, his own ability ravaged him from within, strokes wracking his body as he gasped for air. Slowly, painfully, his heart stopped.
When silence fell, Kazimir unsheathed his blade and sliced the bubble. Diablo's body disintegrated—everything except his head, which Kazimir left to rot as a final judgment.
The silence afterward was deafening.
"Wow," Tyrone murmured. "He really left just the head…"
They returned to the dungeon where Jessie had been held. Upon seeing them, she melted the ice encasing Vanessa. Tyrone caught her limp body—no pulse.
"Come on…" Felicia whispered, her body crackling with lightning. She surged into Vanessa's chest, again and again—six times in total. Finally, Vanessa gasped, her pulse returning.
She opened her eyes, saw everyone, then locked eyes with Tyrone.
"I'm sorry," she said. "For almost killing you… all of you."
Tyrone smiled, brushing it off.
"It's okay. You're okay. That's what matters."
Vanessa looked deeper into his eyes, then pulled him close.
"I see it now. You've got potential—but something's holding you back. I can help."
Before Tyrone could react, she kissed him, their mouths meeting in an electric exchange. It only lasted a few seconds, but it left him stunned as she pulled away, dragging a trail of saliva with her fingertip.
He stood there frozen. Speechless.