721 You Fought Well

Using his lightning and water powers, Varian formed two wings on his back. With a single flap, his body blurred and he dodged Ron's fist.",

"Var, Archduke was so trusting of you. He even treated you like you were his family. Dammit!" Ron spew curses as he threw punches at lightning speed.",

Even though he was injured, Ron's strength remained at level 8.",

With each punch that targetted Varian, the space shook violently and a powerful shockwave capable of blasting away level 7s spread out in all directions.",

Unlike the easy time he had with the 'hunters', Varian had to give his best to face off Ron.",

His psychic power was constantly affecting Ron's movements while his powers overlapped to defend against his punches.",

Unlike the hunters, Ron's punches were able to break Varian's defense every single time and reach him.",

Though, by the time Varian punched back at them, they were significantly weakened.",

So, a spectacular scene appeared in the space above Purple Sky planetoid.",

An abyssal threw hundreds of punches and kicks at a human. A bright shield filled with mixed colors popped up before being broken and the human countered the attacks with his own kicks and punches.",

The shield disappeared so quickly that it appeared that the man and abyssal were just fighting directly.",

Their figures blurred across the space and when Ron punched Varian in the chest, the latter raised his arms at the last moment.",

But this time, the punch was too forceful and Varian's body was blown away.",

Like a meteor crashing, Varian's crashed on the planetoid.",

Boom!",

A huge crater formed as the ground shook violently.",

"Wha—!"",

"Hel—"",

"Sav—"",

The abyssals in the base Varian crashed in and didn't even have the time to scream before they were all wiped out.",

Including three level 6s, a thousand abyssals were gone just like that.",

"Cough. Cough."",

In the cloud of dust, at the center of the crater, Varian coughed as he wiped the blood from the corner of his lips.",

His eyes reflected the purple sky and the dark figure in it that was fast approaching him.",

Clenching his fists, Varian's bones made a cracking sound.",

"My name is not Var, it's Varian."",

In response to his words, an ash-colored fist reached Varian's head in an instant.",

The clouds in the sky broke apart and the ground caved in.",

The massive force broke through the defensive barrier he set up and was about to blast his head to pieces—only to be stopped by a hand that held it in place.",

Varian held Ron's fist and stared at the abyssal who was now in an upside-down position.",

Ron snorted and his other fist reached Varian in a flash.",

But he grabbed it in the same manner.",

As Ron began to increase the pressure, the ground beneath Varian started to crack apart.",

Varian's hands were slowly crushed under the pressure. His skin ruptured and his finger bones began to splinter.",

"After I kill you, I'll take your corpse to Mendis and let him punish you for deceiving him." Ron's icy voice resounded in Varian's ears.",

Varian gritted his teeth as blood leaked out from his mouth.",

His legs continued to sink into the ground as he fought back a level 8's strength.",

Compared to the ease he felt facing the 'hunters', this was incomparably hard. The difference between one level and another, especially at higher levels, was considered unsurmountable for a reason.",

But.",

"Deceive Mendis? The same Mendis who slaughtered 10,000 humans because he couldn't find Enigma?" Varian's lips were bleeding but they curled up into a cold smile.",

He concentrated his powers and exploded them all at once.",

The rocky crater was flooded with water, submerging Varian and Ron in it.",

Ron's eyebrows jumped and he tried to escape.",

But Varian firmly held his fists and refused to let go.",

The next moment, the water rushed to Ron and contracted, enveloping him in a cocoon.",

Then, lightning snakes entered Ron's body.",

"A-Arghh!" Ron yelled as the lightning wreaked havoc in his body all the while he felt as if someone was slicing his brain apart.",

Before he could react, the space around his chest cracked and drew a large gash.",

Then, an invisible force struck his wound and caused him to cough out blood.",

The water enveloping him acted like a blockade and restricted his movements as the remaining powers wreaked destroyed him from the inside.",

A few minutes passed as Ron struggled before collapsing.",

"I…" Ron looked at the purple sky as a searing pain engulfed his body. His flesh was burnt, his bones were broken and he could feel his life slowly slipping away.",

"Ron."",

Varian's face towered over the abyssal sprawled on the ground.",

Even though Varian's hands were practically smashed when he kept Ron from escaping, he was in great shape compared to the abyssal.",

Seeing the face he now hated more than Judie, Ron struggled. "Y…"",

His throat was too burnt to even utter a single word.",

"I…"",

But he still struggled.",

"P…"",

Even when his injuries worsened and his death accelerated due to his movements, he continued to struggle.",

To speak.",

Varian sighed lightly and placed a device on Ron's broken wrist.",

It was a device that 'Var' used since he couldn't speak properly.",

[V-Var…]",

A mechanical voice void of all emotions sounded from the device.",

But Varian didn't need to hear the emotions from his voice, Ron's eyes showed how he was feeling.",

Closing his eyes, Varian took a deep breath and sat beside the abyssal.",

"Ron, I don't know what I should say."",

[I…I hate you.] Ron glared at him.",

"Of course, because I'm killing you." Varian smiled nonchalantly, but there was a hidden bitterness in it.",

[N-No…]",

His response startled Varian.",

Ron's eyes wandered to the beautiful purple sky and he recalled the short time he spent with prince Var.",

[…Why weren't you born as an abyssal?]",

"Wh-What?" Varian blinked in confusion.",

[I…I thought I could be good friends with Prince Var.] Ron's eyes flashed as he lost the feeling of his legs.",

"Friends?" Varian raised his head to gaze at the purple sky as a wistful smile formed on his face.",

No matter what he achieved so far, there were things Varian failed at miserably. Except for Kyle and Maya, he didn't have any person who he could call a 'friend'.",

"Yeah. If your race wasn't intent on exterminating mine, we'd have been friends as a human and an abyssal." Varian gave a hollow laugh.",

[…]",

Ron fell silent. He was beginning to lose the sensation of his torso.",

"But you know what?" Varian still looked at the purple sky with an intense gaze. "I know abyssals are forced to stand against humans because you have to survive fairies and Zions.",

You, or at least, your leaders aren't trying to kill humanity for fun. You want to save your home and for that, you're willing to burn ours.",

I can totally understand where you're coming from."",

[…]",

Ron was surprised at the words filled with empathy. ",

"My father fought on this planetoid." Varian's lips curled into a nostalgic smile as he looked at the purple sky.",

He retrieved a white box from his storage box and started playing a song.",

Pointing the item to Ron, he said with an excited smile. "He promised to give me this when he returned from the planetoid, but…"",

Varian's smile disappeared and a sad expression filled his face. "He didn't return. He died on this planetoid and we couldn't even find his remains. It was exactly ten years ago."",

[ ! ! ]",

Ron's eyes widened.",

"I checked the military records and…" Varian shook his head. "Your father was the reason my dad was killed."",

If not for him, Varian's father would've survived the incident without a doubt.",

Ron's eyes flashed as he lost the sensation of his chest. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. But he tried his best to keep his eyes open.",

"I'm a very vengeful person. Because a single Xander tortured my love, I'm slaughtering their whole family." Varian's eyes flashed with a cold light.",

"What should I do about a race that was responsible for my father's death? My lover's mother's death and her brother's death?"",

Ron's consciousness slowly started to grow foggy.",

"No matter how much I understand, no matter how much I empathize, I will remain your enemy."",

Those were his truest feelings.",

[T-Thank You.]",

Ron's inexplicable words caused Varian to glance at him in surprise.",

The abyssal's vision was slowly losing focus.",

…Why?",

Why did he thank him?",

Varian didn't understand. But he did realize that the abyssal was breathing his last.",

So, he smiled softly. "You fought well. Rest in peace, warrior."",

Ron's turbulent eyes calmed down with his words and a peaceful light shone in them before they lost dimmed forever.",