Bloody duel.

"What does that have to do with me? Don't you dare lump me in with filth like him," Zavaikal snapped, his voice sharp as steel, cutting through the charged air. His eyes burned with disdain as he directed his ire at Jafar, who remained unfazed, the corners of his lips curling into a dark grin.

Unperturbed, Jafar continued, his tone laced with grim satisfaction. "After I followed Erebus to the Stygian Frontier, I saw what the imperial authority had done to him. Erebus wasn't the same. The lively, orphaned boy who had once shielded his timid twin with fierce devotion was gone. Instead, I saw a man reduced to a leash-bound hound, dragged along by the iron fist of imperial authority."

He paused, casting a lingering glance at Vlad, whose expression betrayed shock and frustration despite his silence. Jafar stepped closer to Zavaikal, his presence heavy, menacing.

"Asmodeus," Jafar began, his words deliberate, every syllable weighted with intention. "I intercepted your letter of proposal before it ever reached Amanecer. It was I who altered its contents, steering events to my will. I sought to awaken Erebus from his subjugation, to remind him of the man he once was. That's why I suggested he marry the 'wronged princess'—the very one you ordered executed should she dare set foot in this realm. Two birds, one stone."

A sinister laugh escaped his lips, reverberating in the stillness that followed. His words struck like venom, each revelation coiling around them, suffocating.

"You... you manipulated my brother into laying with that woman and to impregnate her?" Zavaikal's voice trembled, a low growl rising from the depths of his chest. His hands clenched into fists, his fury barely contained.

Jafar shrugged, a casual dismissal of the accusation. "No need. A man seeks solace where he will. Just as you did—couldn't resist her, could you? Even knowing she was already with child." His grin widened, mocking. "I had no reason to stop her marriage to you. My purpose was fulfilled the moment Erebus regained himself."

Jafar recounted with grim satisfaction how he had orchestrated Luciana's return to the Central Capital, ensuring that her every attempt to escape would fail. "Every piece of this was in motion long before you ever ascended as a prince," he concluded, his voice cold and final.

Zavaikal stood frozen, disbelief and fury warring within him. His body trembled, his breaths ragged. Then, in an explosion of wrath, he roared, "I will kill you! You, Erebus—every last one of you who dared to cross me!"

With a blinding flash of steel, Zavaikal charged, his blade unsheathed and aimed to cleave Jafar in two. The strike narrowly missed, slicing through the air where Jafar had stood moments before.

Watching the chaos unfold, Iblis clapped his hands, a twisted amusement lighting his ugly and twisted features. "How entertaining. Even with the seal upon him, the dog still has bite. This calls for a duel," he declared, his voice ringing with cruel delight. His gaze flicked to Vlad, who remained a silent spectator of a bloody battle unfolding before him, torn between shock and hesitation.

"I shall form a contract with the victor," Iblis announced, his tone as casual as if discussing a trivial wager.

The battle erupted in full fury. Swords clashed, each impact reverberating like the tolling of a bell. Arrows sliced through the air, loosed from Jafar's bow with deadly precision. Zavaikal's movements were relentless, a storm of rage that refused to be stilled even as one of Jafar's arrows found its mark, driving him to his knees.

Still, the combatants pressed on, their blades weaving a deadly dance. To Iblis, the clash of steel was a symphony, each strike a note in a melody of violence.

"Die!" Zavaikal bellowed, desperation and fury melding into a primal roar. His attacks grew erratic, his form wavering with the weight of his fury and exhaustion.

Jafar, still poised despite his wounds, smirked. "Let's finish this in one strike."

Both men charged, their weapons raised, their final blows aimed with deadly intent. The world seemed to hold its breath as they collided in a crescendo of power and ferocity spilling each other's blood without hesitation, the fate of duel- and perhaps hanging much more to the balance.

Both of them stood fixed in one place not daring to make another move. And after several heartbeats, both of them fell on the ground with their weapons still in hand.

Watching a gruesome sight Vlad looked at Iblis.

After nodding slightly Vlad approached the fallen men and checked for their pulse.

"He lives. Oh great evil one." Vlad announced.

"Bring him to me." Iblis ordered. Vlad hastened to obey him and lifted up the unconscious body and pulled him closer to to the dais.

Iblis stood up from the claimed throne formerly Vlad's place and stepped down the steps.

He looked at the battered body and grinned.

"What a persistent bastard." He spit and then looked at Vlad.

"We're leaving for the human realm."

Vlad obeyed him and waited for the possession to be complete.

The body that no longer belonged to the owner was now under his possession.

The eyes that were once gold and the latter black now turned red.

"Not bad for a seal holder." He grinned and clenched his fists then loosened them feeling the new vessel he acquired.

"Let's go." He commanded.

"As you command my lord."