Chapter 114: The King Does Not Bow
Gaius slowly rose into the skies.
Relaxed. Triumphant.
Like a god without faith or cause, sated by his own sadism.
But behind him...
On the devastated ground, among the broken stones and fallen allies...
A groan.
A movement.
A presence that refuses to stay down.
Nairo, on his knees, his face bloodied, grits his teeth.
His body still bends under gravitational pressure...
But his spirit screams.
(Internally)
— So that's it?
Am I a king?
A king who bows before a monster?
Me, Nairo? The one who was supposed to become the best king of this generation?
He closes his eyes.
And there, in the tumult of his mind, an image pierces him.
A memory.
That of his mother.
Sitting in that old garden.
Gentle hands, trembling voice...
...and yet always smiling.
Even when his raging father hit him for nothing.
One day, she held him in her arms while he complained about what his father was doing to him, his mother said:
— I know. But you must understand...
— What he does to you is his twisted way of preparing you for a merciless world.
— You have a future greater than you imagine. You must survive. And one day... you will be able to choose what you want to become.
Then came the tragedy.
Her body, lifeless, among the flowers.
Murdered. Coldly.
That day, he swore one thing to himself.
(Nairo)
— Mother... I will never cry again...
His eyes reopen.
And they burn.
Not with anger.
But with that ancestral will found in legends.
He straightens up.
One step.
Then another.
Gravity still crushes him, but he moves forward anyway.
His feet crack the ground.
His aura awakens.
Black, unstable.
Sally, lying on the ground, sees him and whispers:
— He... he's getting up...
Grafay, on the ground, chuckles despite his wounds:
— Hah... A nice counterattack is coming... I can feel it...
ErMut smiles, eyes squinting:
— Show him...
Nairo raises his eyes.
Fixes Gaius, still suspended in the air.
And he shouts, his voice cold as steel:
Nairo
— HEY, GAIUS!!!
The titan stops.
Slowly turns his head.
Curious.
Then... he sees the look.
The look of a man who will never yield.
Gaius bursts out laughing.
Gaius
— What's that?
The little microbe still resists my gravity? I must admit... I'm almost impressed.
But Nairo clenches his fists.
And his aura explodes.
Black lightning splits the sky.
His shadow lengthens and becomes vibrant, chaotic.
Flames coil around him.
Shards of blue light pierce his silhouette.
The ground crumbles beneath his feet.
Nairo (icy)
— Shut up.
And come here...
...so I can kick your ass.
Silence.
Then Grafay, despite the pain, bursts out laughing while coughing:
— HAH!
That's it, damn it!! Nice counterattack!!!
Gaius, meanwhile, remains suspended, surprised...
...then delighted.
He smiles, wide, a predator's smile.
Gaius
— I take back what I said.
You... you seem more fun than I thought.
He descends a notch.
Just enough so their eyes meet at the same level.
The wind howls.
The sky slowly tears above them.
Gaius extends his hand.
A sphere of void appears there, orbited by fragments of broken space.
Gaius (calmly)
— Come on, little one.
Show me... what you're worth.
Nairo advances.
His body crackles.
His shadow becomes a monster of flames, metal, and pure intent.
His eyes are two burning moons.
Nairo
—I have a surprise for you. It's a grave for all who think they can crush others.
He charges.
And the titanic battle begins.
The wind rises.
The ground rumbles.
Two presences face off in a breathtaking standoff.
Nairo, standing, body tense like a rope about to snap.
Gaius, predator's smile, like a lion watching a worthy opponent.
A lightning splits the sky.
They move at the same moment.
BOOM!
Their fists collide.
The impact is so violent the ground beneath them implodes, forming a gaping crater.
Debris rises in a spiral around them, frozen in a chaotic gravitational dance.
Nairo pivots, strikes with a knee. Gaius blocks with his forearm, barely retreating.
Nairo leaps again, chaining a flurry of blows.
Fists, elbows, heels whistling through the air.
Gaius steps back... then smiles.
He counters.
His own series of blows is brutal, precise, and devastating.
But Nairo holds firm. He blocks, dodges, counterattacks.
Each exchange causes a shockwave, blowing dust miles around.
On the ground, Sally, still on her knees, eyes wide, breathes:
Sally (astonished)
— Wow...
He... he's holding his own against Gaius?
Beside her, Grafay, leaning against a rock, raises an eyebrow.
He watches the scene for two seconds.
Then...
Grafay
— Looks like... no.
Gaius, as if to confirm his words, suddenly grabs Nairo by the head.
A brutal, sharp move, without warning.
He slams him against the ground with terrifying force.
BOOM!!
The ground cracks, a spray of earth and stone rises.
A mini-crater appears under the impact.
Gaius (snickering)
— You're fast...
But not fast enough.
He lifts Nairo by the head like a rag.
Then violently throws him through the air, his body tracing a line in the sky for several dozen meters.
But...
Nairo recovers mid-flight.
He spins, plants his feet vertically on the ground, braking in a spray of flames and energy.
His gaze ignites again.
Nairo (panting, but smiling)
— Not finished... not yet.
And he charges at full speed.
The two silhouettes meet again at the center of the ruined field.
BOOM!
They leap.
And disappear into the skies.
Up there, their bodies collide again.
The blows are unbelievably violent.
Each strike releases a titanic shockwave, shaking the atmosphere.
Clouds scatter. The wind goes wild. The sky rumbles under the intensity of their duel.
Black and purple lightning whirl around them.
Gaius (laughing)
— Not bad, you.
You're pretty good!
He dodges a hook, then counters with a spinning strike.
Nairo blocks with a shadow barrier, then projects a wall of vertical flames.
Gaius passes through laughing, without even slowing down.
They are no longer two men.
They are two natural forces crashing like forgotten gods.