Chapter 81 81~ Accept it Or Change it

Wail appeared before Vale in his red energy form and delivered a devastating punch to his face, shattering his skull.

Before the delayed black lightning could strike him, Vale activated his eye ability and managed to escape into the sky.

Wail raised both hands toward the clouds and let out a thunderous scream as red lightning began forming across the sky.

Then, suddenly, everything disappeared.

Vale found himself lying on the ground, his face covered in blood. He slowly turned his head and saw Wail staring at the sky, both hands still raised toward it. Vale grabbed his foot, causing Wail to turn toward him.

"Wait... They failed to kill me! I can still..."

But Vale's gaze suddenly went blank.

Wail's eyes widened when he saw Bahaa standing in front of Vale, two fingers buried in his eyes.

Bahaa spoke sternly.

"Don't let your guard down, you idiot. We wouldn't have gotten an opportunity like this if he'd managed to change his future again."

Vale didn't seem to be in much pain. He had completely accepted his defeat, and a smile appeared on his face.

"What just happened... That was your illusion, wasn't it, Bahaa?"

Wail looked at him as well, beginning to realize something.

"Could it be that, at that moment..."

...

Bahaa calmly explained how his ability worked.

"I know you've figured out the secret behind my ability during our fight, Vale, especially after experiencing it several times..."

He pointed toward his eyes with a confident smile.

"Illusions... I can make my opponent see anything I want simply when they're looking directly into my eyes."

He continued,

"But there's a condition. My opponent must look into my eyes while experiencing emotional disturbance, such as tension, surprise, or something similar. Once that condition is met, I can choose when to make them see my illusion, as long as I haven't deactivated my ability. However, I can only make them see one illusion."

Wail's eyes widened as he finally understood.

After Vale's words had affected him, just before he delivered his final punch, Bahaa had called out to him. Wail had turned toward Bahaa and looked into his eyes while still shaken by what Vale had told him.

And so, he too had fallen under Bahaa's ability.

Wail finally put the pieces together.

"Then what I saw after punching Vale... was the same thing Vale saw? And all of it was caused by your ability?"

Bahaa replied,

"Exactly... It was all part of my plan from the very beginning."

Amin approached them from behind. Most of his wounds had healed.

"Damn it! I wanted to land the final blow and get revenge on him after everything he put me through..."

Vale laughed.

"I laughed so hard when you lost to my brother, after all that talk about killing every last one of us."

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Amin charged toward him, flames igniting around his fist, but Wail stopped him.

"Wait... Not yet."

Amin exhaled angrily and brushed Wail's hand away.

Then Vale looked at Bahaa and asked,

"I want to know just one thing..."

He recalled the words Bahaa had spoken to him before their fight:

And if you've forgotten what happened that day... I haven't, and I never will.

Then he asked,

"What did you mean by that?"

Bahaa bit his lip from anger until drops of blood appeared. Memories of that day began flooding back into his mind...

---

Four years earlier...

Amid the destruction, Vale appeared wearing a black cloak, his Bloody Eyes staring coldly ahead. He was holding Bahaa by the throat.

"I thought you were better than this..."

He then threw Bahaa beside a woman lying in a pool of blood.

"Don't let me see your face again."

Then he left.

Bahaa remained where he was, silently staring at the woman. Tears began streaming from his eyes as he repeatedly struck the ground with his fist.

Golden energy gradually began glowing around his body.

He screamed in agony.

"Mother!! Mother!!"

The woman was his mother.

At that moment, overwhelming hatred and despair consumed him. He swore to take revenge on Vale, and for the first time, he awakened his Golden Transformation, driven by his rage.

...

After the battle between Noel and Dark, and Bahaa's disappearance inside the portal, Bahaa began to believe that staying with the others would only make him weaker, just as Wail and Amin had come to believe after fighting the cosmic knights.

But his desire for revenge against Vale never faded.

He began searching for him across the world until he finally found him.

However, Vale didn't recognize him. Back when Vale had defeated him and killed his mother, Bahaa had been far too weak to leave any lasting impression on him.

Bahaa took advantage of that and approached him.

"It seems you're planning something big... How about we work together?"

Vale looked at him in surprise.

"Work together? And you think we share the same goal? Who are you, anyway?"

"Nobody... Just someone who believes this world needs to be fixed."

Vale laughed.

"Haha! Really? But to get involved in something like that, you'd need to have experienced tremendous despair and hatred..."

He suddenly stopped when he noticed the sharp, cold look in Bahaa's eyes.

Bahaa replied,

"I've felt more than enough of both... I want something even greater."

Vale noticed that Bahaa possessed a Bloody Eye that had yet to awaken. He immediately agreed to let him join.

---

In the present...

Vale seemed surprised as he recalled the death of Bahaa's mother. Then he spoke mockingly.

"So, all three of you are fighting for revenge... How pathetic."

Bahaa asked him,

"Can't you see the distant future with your ability?"

"No... I can only see the future of battles, though sometimes I catch glimpses of the distant future."

He then pointed toward Wail.

"Do you think I was wrong, little brother? You'll regret rejecting me and standing against me more than anything."

Wail grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground, anger written across his face.

"Regret? After everything you've done?"

Vale smiled provocatively.

"I haven't done anything... Everything was for you and for the future."

The veins across Wail's body began bulging as steam rose from his skin.

"For me? You killed my friends for me?"

Then he shouted,

"Do you think I'll ever forgive you?!"

Vale lowered his voice and spoke calmly.

"Let me ask you something, Wail... If you were asked to sacrifice some of your friends to prevent even more of them from dying, would you accept?"

Wail's eyes widened. He couldn't answer.

Vale continued,

"They were supposed to be your companions, Wail... You're the only one capable of carrying out my plan, and I had to do all of this to make you strong enough to..."

He suddenly stopped and coughed up blood.

In the next instant, Amin's flaming fist pierced through his back.

"Why don't you leave this pathetic man alone and talk to me instead?"

Wail's grip loosened without him realizing it. Vale slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

Vale struggled to turn toward Amin.

"There's no point... in talking to you, you crazy fool."

Amin smiled provocatively.

"You're right. I don't tolerate anyone humiliating me, and I'll kill anyone who tries."

Wail leaned toward Vale and spoke coldly.

"Noah died because of you... because of your friend, Kyle."

Vale replied,

"It was necessary... Don't you understand? And so was hurting your other friends..."

Wail interrupted him, his gaze ice-cold.

"You killed our mother..."

Vale suddenly fell silent.

Then he replied hesitantly,

"I didn't..."

He bit his lip before continuing.

"Those two fools... I asked them to defeat you and make you experience some despair... But... not like this!"

Wail's eyes widened. He remembered how shocked Vale had been when he told him about their mother's death. At that moment, he began to understand what had happened.

Then he asked,

"What about... all those innocent people in the city?!"

He remembered Dua's face, illuminated by the rays of the setting sun.

His voice trembled with pain and anger.

"What had they ever done to you for you to kill them?"

Vale interrupted him.

"I didn't do that... I only lied about it to make you stronger."

Wail was stunned by his words. He couldn't say anything.

Vale finally explained,

"I told you... Despair was the only way to make you stronger. And it was necessary for us to have a safe future, little brother... But you never understood."

He struggled to speak, coughing up blood before continuing.

"It was a dream... I tried..."

He placed his hand over his eyes, sadness spreading across his face.

"In the end... I did..."

Wail gave him only one reply before turning away.

"Your methods were wrong... Now face your end and the consequences of your actions."

Amin approached Vale, flames burning in his hand as he prepared to finish him.

But Vale didn't see him. He didn't even sense his presence. His mind was elsewhere.

I tried, old man... It seems you were right... Possessing power means that pain and suffering will continue...

He remembered seeing Wail, Amin, and Bahaa in the forms of the spirits residing within them.

I'm certain the Golden Warrior thought the same thing... But even he couldn't eliminate the suffering those spirits brought into our world...

A sad smile appeared on his face.

It seems I couldn't defeat that suffering either... But I... tried.

Then he spoke in a low voice.

"We cannot change the reality of our weakness... That's all I wanted to say."

Bahaa suddenly answered with confidence.

"Then I'll become stronger and change that reality, even if..."

Vale slowly turned toward him and smiled.

Before he could finish, Amin unleashed the flames from his hand, engulfing Vale's entire body.

Bahaa watched the scene, then turned toward Wail, who was walking away. Wail suddenly stopped.

"Bahaa... The fight was already over at that moment. So why did you show me that illusion?"

Bahaa smiled and replied,

"I wanted you to remember what you've been feeling all this time..."

Wail turned toward him, looking at him coldly.

Suddenly, Bahaa added,

"Never forget that feeling... I'll remind you of it someday, anyway..."

At that moment, Wail was startled when he felt a hand touch his back.

He turned around and found Evelyn standing behind him, smiling, her eyes glowing.

Wail's eyes widened in shock.

"What did you... do?"