Ogen.

"Ha-ha, You want me to apologize to you?

Rea---lly.

SGRU---UNG!!!

Ptoey!" Ogen replied, Mockingly. Drawing mucus from his nose and spitting out the thick sputum to the ground.

His head was raised and cocked sideways, looking at Igbins from the corner of his eye, as a show of contempt.

He then turned around, intending to walk away.

"What! How dare you!?." Outraged, Igbins's thin body quaked as he yelled out.

He instantly, activated his ancestral spirit force, and took a step forward; intending to slap hard at Ogen.

'You arrogant prick! Now that you've upset me, I'm definitely going to teach you a lesson you won't forget anytime soon.' Igbins thought to himself. He was seemingly angry, however, there was yet a satisfactory grimace on his face.

Perhaps, he had made up his mind that this was the perfect moment to take his revenge on Ogen.

Igbins, who was always quick to anger, was also not known for being a person of patience.

Almost instantly, he took a step forwards and shot up—Leaving a trail of dust in the air as he jumped up from the ground, and soared—To hurtle down, and strike at the retreating Ogen.

His fist started to emit a faint blue glow, effectively demonstrating, what it look like, to have any part of a warrior's body, being heavily powered by the ancestral spirit force. And indicating without doubt, that his blow now, was going to be, not just an ordinary one.

However, Ogen, quickly turn around, Once he heard the formers booming bark. He alertly sensed the pressure from Igbins fist, and hastily prepared himself for a counterattack.

He quickly activated his own ancestral spirit force and whapped into the air to repel the now, diving, Igbins. Throwing first, his own glowing fist forwards. Then...

BANG!

One glowing fist, rammed against another, with a blast of gust, that rolled out rapid, ripply waves of dust into the air.

However, after the powerful collision, Ogen was thrown backwards, somersaulting multiple times, before landing hard on his buttocks and rolling uncontrollably over the bare, yellow, earthy ground.

Igbins however, landed gracefully, seemingly unaffected by the impact of the blow.

poof!

When Ogen finished crashing, he spat out a mouthful of blood and started coughing profusely, as he gasped for air.

Soon, blood started to trickle down from the corner of his mouth and from several open wounds his— Now charred—skin, had sustained from thoroughly scraping against the bare ground.

Apparently, not only his flesh but also, his internal organs had been roughen up and damaged by the effect of that blow.

'Although, i had anticipated his attack and had even readied my spirit force to defend myself against that attack, i still did not expect this lanky Igbins, to be so powerful.

With his level of power, there is no way I can defend against him, talk less of defeating him.' With wide open eyes spelling terrified, Ogen complained to himself.

He picked himself up, and dusted off the dirt from his shirt. Then he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. When abruptly. . .

"what!"

He panicked, when he glimpsed from the corner of his eye, a figure, brashly approaching him.

"Lights out!" The figure yelled.

"Uhn?" Ogen, cried out, feeling vulnerable.

However, just as he was about bringing his head to face his opponent again,

Pow!

There was complete darkness for him.

Pow pow pow!...

Through the darkness he was experiencing, he felt several panging pain course through his body.

Although he didn't see much, he however, knew that someone had hollered a battle cry one time, and that he had instinctively queried a response to that attacker figure.

However, his face hurriedly met a fist that rushed to kiss his eye. Even before he could thoroughly make out the face of his aggressor.

And then. He blacked out.

By the time he became conscious again, all he felt was an unbearable spasm of pain, coursing through all his nerves and stabbing; He had been seriously injured.

Although, while he was knocked out, Ogen had always felt that his body was been barraged, pounded upon, and tossed about, with numerous blows, that must have been delivered by that opposing, powerful overmatch—Igbins.

Nevertheless, since his mind was in an unsteady trip in the blank, and he couldn't accurately percieve his environment and situation, he then subconsciously pegged, all the assailing blows he was receiving as feebly strikes.

The pain weren't so twinging then; He was unconsciously, starting to accept the Less dangerous scenario, hoping for the best.

He would learn better when he was aware again.

And so it was.

His-awake, readily, revealed to him, the consequence of a black out, durinng a duel against a vexed opponent.

Blaargh!

The sight of his own battered body was so gory, even for him, that he instantly threw up on himself.

His torso had been whacked open and exposed, revealing several delicate organs. While his arms and right limb had been fractured; beaten numb or shredded apart—They were now attached to his body by pieces of flesh.

His face quickly became mauve and pallid, while his tooth were all bloodstained and dripping.

He was lying sideways— weary and motionless— with his head rested against, and touching the bare ground.

Overwhelmed, by his pitiful situation, sorrowful tears, began strolling over his face.

Moving along from his left eye, to the right, and then dropping with a splash of pint.

"You see... Killing you is not a task for me.

Challenging me even, would only end up bad for you.

Humph!

Okay... Now that you're already dying, I'll give you one last chance to survive.

Acknowledge to me as your leader, and I promise I'll show mercy, and not finish you off immediately.

Who knows, I might even take pity on you and give you a healing tonic. What do say? Haha." Igbins, who had successfully beaten the boy, Ogen, into a messy pulp said, smiling.

"Ogen! please apologize, so that he can heal you!" A soothing voice suddenly rang out.

Causing all heads to turn in the direction of the source of the dulcet.

It was the beautiful Slim-waist, Sonia, who spoke. She said in a low but audible voice, as she begged.

For the first time, since the beginning of their confrontation, she spoke.

A resounding silence followed her plea. Almost as if she had charmed away, all voices.

"There. Hmm... is no way. Hmm... I'm ever going to bow. Hmm... to you.

So just stop. Hmm... embarrassing. Your–self. I swear—" The fatally wounded Ogen, struggled to spit out a reply. Directed at Igbins.

Even he, the dying warrior with nothing to lose, didn't attempt to break the silence on Sonia.

Although, he had to pause with every breath to utter those words, he was adamant against a yield.

"Ogen Please... stop this! Your pride is not worth it!

You've already lost this battle, it doesn't continue afte you're dead,

you should just apologize and live on!

Do you really want to die like this!?

Iggy... please give him the healing tonic.

Please!

Dont let him die... It was just a small quarrel between you two just now, how come about, this?" With watery eyes and tremulous voice, The damsel, Sonia, abruptly cut-in again. She didn't, even let Ogen finish his statement.

She was just a lovely, innocent girl. I suppose.

"Damn you Sonia! Shut up!

BITCH!

The gods know that if it were you in my position, I'll just let you die without even flinching!

You damned bitch!

Fuck off!" Ogen yelled at her. Irritated by her plea.

Although he was dying, he still had the effrontery to abuse the only person who spoke for his favor.

Actually, It wasn't as if Ogen didn't value his life, However, he was too angry by the thought of his situation. The mere fact that he could possibly die just because of a small scuffle he had with Igbins, was too shocking and painfully unbelievable. It greatly upset him.

Moreover, he was a prideful person, who never budged to anyone. Also he was still so young and had his life laid ahead of him. He had never expected to die in such a gruesome and unbearable manner—that he would be killed by his peers, a fellow team member for that matter. He wasn't even killed by that Spineless Grey Octopus.

"Sonia! You heard him right? There is no way I'm giving him this tonic.

Let him just die a miserable one. Haha" Igbins replied, laughing casually. Unaffected by the gory he made.

He was holding a small bottle with a golden liquid inside. He took out the flask, that time to give to Sonia, when she pleaded with him. However, he immediately changed his mind, when Ogen started cursing Sonia again.

"To hell with your tonic! Hmm!" Ogen declared.

This time, his breath had already started to fade away, and his pupils were already rolling backwards.

"No! I can't let this happen!" Sonia cried out.

She grabbed the bottle from Igbins closed fist and dashed towards the dying Ogen.

"No!" Igbins protested; shouting. However, he didn't attempt to further, stop her.

She immediately opened the lid of the bottle and poured the golden- liquid, content into his mouth.

Ogen, although he was rebellious and would never have agreed to her help, he was however, too weak to resist.

Sigh!

She breathed out in relief after administering, the healing liquid, then she took his head into her arms waiting for the healing process to begin.

However,

She waited for naught, as his breath only waned and waned and waned until...

His chest started to slower it's thump. And his eyes, began to gently shut. Then his face, which was still tear-trailed commenced losing all it's color.

aaahh!...

Ogen released a soft breath. That marked his last.

"No." Sonia whispered under her breath.

A drop of tear rolled down her eyes and hit his dead body.

She did her best but she could not save him. She gently laid his head down, got up and quietly returned to meet her people.

She said nothing and did nothing but stood quiet.

A strange behavior, many there who witnessed, Thought.

"You should have given up when you had the chance.

Now you're dead. Your loss." Igbins murmured to himself, unperturbed.

His was looking at the dead body of Ogen.

His head was resting on the mess of his own vomit and tears.

Pah! Pah! Pah! Somebody's resounding clap resonated and jolted everybody.