(Don’t give in! Don’t be afraid! Don’t run!! Even if I can’t beat the monster, at least let me overcome my own weakness! Come on, Seto!!)
While nearly buckling under the weight of his own self-loathing, Zenon sprinted forward, desperately fixated on the path ahead.
Hypno swept his arm, manifesting a sea of roaring flames in his path.
(It’s an illusion! Don't be scared! Just an illusion!!)
Zenon screamed the words inside his head as the blazing fires filled his vision. Even as the searing heat scorched his skin and the roar of the blaze filled his ears, he steeled his resolve. He was certain Hypno was only manipulating his senses. Without slowing his pace, he charged headlong into the inferno.
(If I flinch, I lose! Go! Go!!)
He forced his trembling heart to find courage in the face of the massive wall of fire. He repeated the words like a desperate mantra: this isn't real. With eyes wide, he plunged into the brilliant, dancing Hellfire.
"Ugh, uoooooooohhhhhhh!"
"Hoh...! Now this is a surprise...!!"
The Hellfire was so intense that even a moment's hesitation would have turned his entire body into a pillar of ash. Yet, Zenon burst through the other side. As he emerged from the flames with his sword leveled and a ragged war cry on his lips, Hypno let out a murmur of genuine astonishment.
(I did it...! I did it!)
Having overcome the Fear within himself, Zenon leaned into his momentum and raised his blade. In just a few more steps, he would reach Hypno. He would finally land a blow on his Nemesis.
He didn't know if his strike would be enough to end it, but at least he would reach him. Just a little further... please, let there be a miracle, he prayed as he roared.
"Prepare yourself, Hypno!!"
He took a heavy, powerful stride, fixated on his target. Zenon threw his weight into a Thrusting Stance, aiming his blade straight at the enemy who had poisoned his world. He lunged forward—!!
"Gah!?"
Suddenly, an impact like a sledgehammer blow shattered his focus. A sickening crack echoed through his skull, followed by the sensation of something warm and wet sliding down his face. His momentum vanished as if it had been a lie. Zenon staggered, his vision swimming, and came to a dead halt.
He couldn't comprehend what had happened. He had been charging straight toward Hypno, and the man hadn't even moved to defend himself. So why was he reeling from such a massive blow? As blood pooled on the ground and his body began to fail, a cold, indifferent voice drifted toward him.
"Seto Haino... you truly are a fool. Exposing one lie is hardly the end of the game. To truly deceive someone, one must weave many fakes together to ensnare them."
"Ah, a...!?"
Hypno snapped his fingers. In that instant, a massive iron wall materialized directly in front of Zenon. It wasn't a new creation; it had been there all along. Hypno had simply used his magic to make it an invisible Illusion.
Zenon had been lured into a trap, manipulated into charging full-speed into a solid object. He had been nothing more than a puppet dancing in the palm of Hypno's hand. Struck with horror, Zenon collapsed.
"A lie isn't just making something appear out of nothing," Hypno said, his tone dripping with professional disdain. "It is also making what exists appear as if it is not there. A man who cannot grasp even that much has no hope of defeating me."
"A-ugh..."
Blood gushed from Zenon’s head. Strength drained from his limbs, replaced by a suffocating ache in his chest. Hypno stood over him, mocking his stillness as he lay unable to move.
"I was certainly surprised when you braved the flames. But did you really think that would change your fate? Did you think you could stab me with that pathetic sword, win the battle, and become a hero who saves everyone? Truly... you are naive. Someone like you could never hope to touch me."
"Uu, u..."
He had thought, even if just for a fleeting moment, that a miracle might happen. Even though he understood the vast difference in strength between himself and Hypno, he had allowed himself to hope.
But such things didn't happen. At the point where his weak heart had clung to a miracle—a miracle that was itself a hallucination—his defeat had been decided. Zenon's eyelids grew heavy.
(I should have... known from the start... that it would end like this. Miracles... don't happen...)
Feeling his spirit wither, Zenon succumbed to the encroaching darkness and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to accept his pathetic end, a voice resonated in the depths of his mind.
『Let’s win this, Seto. Then, let me introduce you to everyone properly. As my New Friend...!』
(Yugo...!!)
The words Yugo had spoken to him last night surfaced in his mind. Sensing that voice, light flickered back into Seto Haino’s eyes.
(That's right... I can't lose. I have a friend who believes in me. I won't stay down!!)
He reignited the fire in his heart. Forcing his broken body to move, he snatched up his fallen sword and dragged himself to his feet. He glared at Hypno through a veil of blood.
"...You still intend to fight? You have no chance of winning; you are truly a fool."
Hypno's mocking words didn't even reach Zenon's ears. He focused everything—every drop of Stamina and Magic Power—into his blade. The sword began to glow with a brilliant, blinding radiance. Assuming a final stance, Zenon squeezed out every ounce of strength from his gasping body and leaped into the air. He descended like a falling star, swinging the Sword of Light toward Hypno.