The Lizard's Counterattack

Three hours had passed, and every subject of the kingdom had gathered in the Colosseum of Champions—the most coveted venue in the entire Fairy Forest Kingdom, frequented equally by the rich and the poor.

The queen, her ministers, her retinue, and her bodyguards settled into the royal balcony, while the princesses and their champions were seated one level below, side by side—even the Fairy was included! (Yes, indeed!) After all, the queen wasn't about to construct a special seat just for herself—that would be far too much honor. Nonetheless, the royal suite had been rearranged to accommodate both her and her champion, for the queen insisted on having that free-spirited one by her side.

Everyone from the populace had taken their places in the stands; the wealthier a person was, the better the seat they received—right in the middle.

Why not higher or lower, you ask?

The explanation is simple: at the very top, visibility is almost nil—even with eleven-out-of-ten vision—and the seats aren't exactly "regulated." Meanwhile, at the very bottom, the risk of being struck by an errant object—a stray fragment of a spear, a pitchfork, a trident, a sword, a gladiator's chariot, a golem's arm, or even a minotaur—is far more common than one might imagine. The Colosseum wouldn't even score average on review sites.

The public was perplexed. The tournament's opening day was supposed to be the day after the parade—a grand spectacle full of magic and all that jazz—yet now they were being told that an unusual fight would be held instead. Moreover, the kingdom's security—and every one of its branches—had been beefed up. Sure, a few failed assassination attempts might be amusing for a couple of minutes, but eventually it became obvious that the security in the Fairy Queen's fiefdom was nothing short of a sieve, especially since danger was now closing in on the kingdom's very subjects.

People could no longer behave as casually as before; precautions had to be taken. Guards were posted at every administrative entrance and at any place where princesses or other important figures might be found. Every meeting spot was under tighter watch, patrols were sent into the Stippled White Woods of the Deer, magical mines outside the kingdom were secured, additional forces were stationed atop the ramparts and towers, and suspects—along with the slums—were subject to searches.

It took the endangerment of several princesses before the Defense—the royal unit in charge of the kingdom's security—finally got moving. Everything had been arranged for the "Battle for the Kingdom of Sylvania" to proceed without a hitch.

The stadium's showman arrived amid a shower of fireworks, riding a starry, flying manta ray. He was greeted by a thunderous applause from the spectators—there was no denying that this character was adored by the delirious crowd. This "man" (for he had no defined gender) was none other than a blue slime sporting a top hat.

When the sea creature landed, the blob rolled across the ground and began to assume a humanoid form, and the celebration resumed with even greater fervor.

"Are you ready for the greatest show of your life?" the blob bellowed through a magical, megaphonic sphere.

The crowd responded in unison.

"Then I'm delighted! I, the great Tadzi, am here to present the most magnificent battles you'll ever witness—battles fought by the champions of their princesses as they strive to ascend the throne of Sylvania! But for now, you will witness a fratricidal duel between the two miscreants who attempted to take the life of one of our beautiful princesses. The winner of this match will earn his freedom back! Allow me to introduce our two comrades!"

With a flourish, he conjured an arm from his trunk, then a fist, and finally a finger that pointed to the right side of the stadium—where one of the holding cells was located—and exclaimed:

"On my right, waiting in his 'lounge'… A HUMAN! I know you've seen them before, but remember: although they may resemble many of us, they remain vile creatures."

At that moment, the barrier leading to the combat zone swung open, and the Hero emerged from his "lodge" still in chains, dragging an "iron" chain along the floor, his wrists bound to his ankles. He was even more restrained than in his cell in Limbo, and his body was battered all over. Blood streamed from his mouth, which was agape.

That lowlife Triface didn't hold back at all, the outraged queen thought. Why such bitterness, old kings?

The Fairy rose up, seething with rage; she wanted to rush into the arena to put an end to this impending farce of a fight—which was destined to be utterly unfair—but Queen Audisélia ordered her to sit. Any rash action on her part against that human could tarnish the little reputation she had left—especially if it was merely to defend a mere human. Reluctantly, the Fairy sat back down, though she cast a dark look at Her Majesty.

"You're mistaken, young lady; such a barbaric order would never come from me…"

"Do not be fooled by his wounds," warned the presenter. "These wretched creatures have the peculiar habit of revealing their true nature when teetering on the brink of death. Expect nothing noble from them. Especially not this one! My little investigators, Mali and Malas, and I have gathered some information on our dear human."

Mali and Malas were nothing more than flies that had acquired the gift of "human" speech. They were Tadzi's devoted sidekicks and held the unofficial title of the kingdom's celebrity gossip reporters—and it must be admitted that they were remarkably effective in their field.

"Before you stands, ladies and gentlemen, a high-ranking criminal…"

He then conjured a huge parchment which he unfurled, letting it spread along the floor.

"He is accused of… oh, but that is terrible…" he exclaimed, feigning shock even though he had read it just the day before.

"Of murder, pimping, torture, genocide, fraudulent measurements, fraud, possession and production of fakes, illegal arms sales, conspiracies… and I leave you to imagine the rest (or rather, the worst)!"

With that, he rolled up the parchment filled with the lad's crimes—and swallowed it.

Among the long list of charges, there was one falsehood that particularly annoyed the Hero.

"As you have heard, this Man is no choirboy and is reputed to be the greatest criminal in all of Franca. Do not be swayed by his youth or his juvenile appearance," he warned, "for you are not dealing with a frightened, wounded puppy but a true abomination of nature! He is known beyond these walls as the 'Faceless Demon.' Behold, our first combatant!"

A chorus of boos erupted throughout the stadium, and the jeers of "Abomination!" rang out vehemently. It wasn't the first time he'd been called that, nor was it unusual for him to receive that very insult—from both humans and fairies alike. He was undoubtedly an anomaly among all the peoples that populated the Earth's crust.

No matter where he went, nothing ever changed…

Tadzi swept his arm from the right side to the left and pointed to the cell cage opposite the Hero's. The grille slowly creaked open, its rusted joints and gears groaning as it struggled to rise.

"On my left, soon to appear, is the accomplice of this human! A pitiful lizard-man—so frail, forced to obey the malicious orders of that man. He has even been given a typically human name. Tonight, I ask you to applaud this powerless reptile who must reclaim his freedom by facing his persecutor. Behold, Jor…"

An explosion resounded near the grille of the waiting cell for the Hero's opponent. Out of it emerged an enormous green reptilian creature, roughly four or five times the Hero's size! The gentle little lizard Rango had transformed into the hulking brute known as Dr. Connors.

The lizard broke his chains and charged at the presenter. The young man sprinted toward the humanoid slime, grabbed him, and reduced him to the size of a basketball before hurling him into the crowd.

In doing so, he "saved" the blob—after all, a slime doesn't die so easily—but in its stead, he suffered the crushing blow that Jordan had reserved for him. The giant lizard pounded the ground with repeated fists before seizing him by the head with his enormous fingers and sending him barreling against the wall beneath the stands with his tail.

Among the royal audience, Queen Audisélia and the Fairy were struck with astonishment at the assassin's new appearance. The queen suspected it was the work of that mud-splattered brute; she rose to pursue him with Sawyer, only to be startled to find him standing right behind her.

"You can say what you will about humans, but they truly excel at being the worst," remarked the Judge in an ironic tone.

"So it is indeed your fault that he assumed that hideous, monstrous form?" the queen demanded.

"It had to be done," he admitted. "If I hadn't done it, he would have suffered an even more monumental beating."

"But that's not fair!" exclaimed the Fairy.

The queen ordered her to return to her seat, but the Fairy ignored the command and stepped forward to face Triface. She attempted to grab his arm, but the moment she touched him, Audisélia felt a strange shiver run down her entire body—it was the first time she had experienced such a… "special" sensation.

"And so?" snapped the inquisitive golem.

Queen Audisélia seized the Fairy by the shoulders and pulled her back behind her. Both of them began to fear this three-faced being. She had never seen him lose his composure so much—why was he so intent on killing him? Had he been ordered to do so? And by whom?

Regaining her composure, the queen ordered the Fairy to return to her seat. This time, she obeyed without protest—even though she had moments of courage, she remained, after all, a timid soul. The queen then declared:

"This treatment is not impartial, Triface. I have already allowed you to pass judgment based on no tangible evidence—a mere worthless testimony from a criminal—and I cannot tolerate this machination you're engaging in. Unless it is simply the condemnation of the young human…"

"Very perceptive, Your Majesty," he complimented her. "You are, without a doubt, one of the most intelligent individuals in this kingdom."

"Cease your vain flattery—and, while you're at it, end this foolish fight," she ordered.

"I was designed to exterminate all harmful beings that infiltrate this prosperous kingdom, free of those human cockroaches. I am the fusion of the first three warrior kings who fought off the human invaders during the founding of this place. I am the one who will deliver justice to all Her Majesty's subjects!" he declared, advancing toward the queen with determined, firm steps.

Sawyer and Globox stepped forward, pointing their respective weapons at him, but he paid them no heed. Transforming into sand, he passed right through them and continued his advance toward the queen.

"So I see no reason to concern myself with the life of an inconvenient, miserable human. Granted, that mysterious magic that shrouds him is intriguing, but we have absolutely no need to keep him alive merely to study it. Unless you have hidden something important about this man from me—and I sincerely hope it isn't based on your stupid beliefs about that damn legendary hero! I have already been generous enough to spare that human woman you once adored."

The queen suddenly began to blush.

"Such nonsense you spout!" stammered Audisélia, embarrassed as she looked down at the ground.

"To others, I couldn't care less about your interspecies love stories," spat the third face as he continued his march toward the stands to watch the fight. "I was forged in an age when there was not a safe haven for our Fairy brothers and sisters—a time when Men relentlessly persecuted us, mistreated us, and toyed with us… I will not allow another catastrophe to occur, as it did during the days of the Félonne or the kingdom's construction, all because of a so-called 'impartial' judgment…"

In the stadium, the Hero emerged from the rubble caused by his body colliding with the wall. He was a bit dazed from the blows dealt by the steroid-fueled lizard-man (one must admit his pharmacist was exceptionally skilled for loading him with so many "good intentions"), but he was managing for the moment—even though he wasn't exactly himself after that "bolt from the blue" he'd taken right on his head. His stomach churned, and he was on the verge of vomiting his guts.

The Hero returned to the arena and faced that massive green ice wardrobe—still handcuffed, still with his ankles chained, bound to his waiting cell. He advanced with a staggering step, feeling his stomach twist in pain. The wild look in the eyes of the lizard-man assassin confirmed that in his current state, he stood no chance against that two-legged reptile, utterly devoid of reason. He would give everything he had before even considering using it.

They charged at each other. However, the Hero had forgotten that he was tethered by a little wheel inside his waiting cell, restricting his movements so that the distance he could cover was minuscule. His chains held him back, and he fell on his back. The unfortunate kaiju seized the opportunity to lunge at the Hero. Though the Hero narrowly dodged by rolling on the ground, the shockwave generated by the assassin—now transformed into an incredible, scaly jade monster—sawed him into the air and then slammed him violently onto the arena floor with its fists, exploding his abdomen as a deafening cry shattered his eardrums.

The Fairy was outraged by the sheer brutality unfolding before her; an immense weight pressed on her heart at the sight of the man who had defended her being so savagely assaulted simply because he was human. No one dared react; everyone remained stoic in the face of such an abhorrent spectacle.

"Are humans really so malevolent as to deserve such punishment?" she wondered.

She approached Yeneltig and asked, "Can you help me?"

"Of course… no! Are you insane, for heaven's sake? You want me to take on not only that monster but also the Mad Judge?" he replied. "Compared to him, I'm nothing more than spaghetti—and that lizard is the meatballs in a plate of spaghetti bolognese."

"Huh?"

"Forget it. All you need to know is that I won't fight that monster, especially not for him."

"Even for me?"

"Even for you."

Is he serious? I'm not the only one who's shocked, after all!

And she wasn't the only one taken aback. The protector's response astonished the Fairy—she would never have expected such words from him, even if they weren't entirely out of character. How much disgust she must have felt toward him!

Yet she chose instead to focus on the survival of her savior—the man in the arena being beaten to death simply because he had defended her.

The Hero rose once more, hardly believing he was in such dire straits. Under normal circumstances, he would have had no trouble shaking off such a weak brute with predictable blows, but his confrontation with the queen had numbed his limbs and clouded both his concentration and his vision.

Clearly… he was going to have to use it.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hands to the sky and waited for her head to lower.

The burly lizard circled around him warily, anticipating a surprise attack from the young warrior. Although he had lost his tongue and was acting like a savage, he did not seem entirely devoid of intelligence. Was the boy preparing a powerful spell? No—he hadn't been seen using magic before. He must have simply abandoned the idea of fighting and was offering up a pitiful prayer to his god.

Mouth watering, delighted at the prospect of soon feasting on the body of this kid who had humiliated him, the lizard-man charged and raised his arm to crush him into a delectable pancake of flesh.

The Hero could hear it approaching at full speed—no matter the distance, the depth of its origin, or the weather and any other hindrances, it always arrived in the same instant. Hearing it coming, he looked up toward the heavens and opened his eyes; he saw something shining far away, slicing through the air.

The miniature kaiju hurried to snap up a piece of our Hero, but unfortunately for it, that was not going to be its lucky break. Descending from the sky at full speed, it seized the Ymir sword—which pulverized its shackles and severed the mutant lizard-man's right-hand fingers—before reappearing behind him.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" cried the queen. "It can't be Ymir!"

The Fairy, who did not want to see her human savior get crushed like a dinner plate, had covered her eyes with her hands. Hearing the gasps of astonishment from her peers, she feared the worst. But curiosity overcame her, and she parted her fingers to witness a miracle and the conclusion of this long-awaited moment: the human, freed from his shackles, now wielded a sword—and the giant lizard had lost the fingers on his right hand.

Who could have given him such a singular weapon? A sword whose blade was red at its tip, turning orange toward its base before adopting the gray of steel; its pommel was riveted, and its hilt was fashioned from ancient yet exquisite leather. Four holes ran down the center of the blade, and small spikes adorned its side. And whenever the boy moved the sword, it emitted a most surprising sound.

Although she was relieved that he had finally managed to break free, the Fairy sensed nothing good about that weapon. Even if she detected dark magic emanating from the human's very being without being able to fully determine his true nature, to her it was undeniable: this sword was purely evil.

Judge Triface was livid that the human had managed to escape with such sleight of hand. Even though it wasn't intended for him to remain chained during his fight, it would have suited him if the assassin—whose body he had modified using the biotechnology he'd acquired—lost control of his mind and went berserk, leaving no time to stage a "fair" fight.

However, the arrival of that ridiculous weapon ruined his plans—it was so hard that it effortlessly shattered the Ardésium into a thousand pieces. The queen, seemingly well informed about the nature of both this Man and his blade, now saw that there was little chance her judgment would prevail, and he could not let that happen.

"Humans must all die."

The Hero fixed his cherished weapon, scrutinizing it from every angle. He saw no impurity, no flaw—it was as "pure" and pristine as the first time he had received it. It was remarkable that despite all those who had fallen under its blows, the blade never dulled—in any case, it had no reason to, as long as it didn't end up in a knight's chest!

For now, although he detested using his powers, he was forced to employ them more than usual in order to face this monstrous foe.

He parted his lips and whispered a few words to Ymir, and a spurt of blood flowed from his arm—but then all his vital fluid hung in the air before returning to the boy's body. Red markings spread over his arms and his featureless face, gradually revealing his form a little more clearly. His pupils became encircled by a golden halo; his muscles grew more defined, his teeth sharper, and a predatory smile spread across his face. Smoke began to billow from his mouth and the pores of his body. He resembled the steam-powered machines of Elestigma—a city run solely by machinery, reminiscent of the ancient cities before Humanity's fall or the aborted space conquest. In fact, he seemed to hail from a far distant time—an era known in old history books as "The Belle Époque."

Here was a glimpse of the true form of the one nicknamed the "Faceless Demon" or, more recently, the "Demon with a Face of Darkness."

The giant lizard writhed in agony, furious at having its fingers so easily severed. That was too much—another humiliation inflicted by that damn human.

It turned around and tried to seize the transformed Hero, but his opponent stopped him by clamping his own hands over his.

They pushed against each other with all their might, but it wasn't long before the victor of this contest was clear: the supremacy of the human was undeniable. Everyone could see the assassin's nervousness—his face beaded with sweat in the face of inevitable defeat. The Hero's strength surged so immensely that his hands passed through his adversary's palms; he grabbed the lizard-man's wrists and twisted them.

Without any resistance, Jordan—the lizard-man—dropped a knee, overwhelmed by the horrible pain inflicted by the Hero. He could not escape this unbearable agony; it was inconceivable that such a being could exist, especially if he were human— even ogres or high-ranking goblin generals never fought with such savagery. He was determined not to lose face once again, particularly with his employer watching from the stands. This reminded him that he had a job to complete—and with that monster before him, he wouldn't be able to carry out the assassination of the fairy princess without complications. Moreover, with his newly acquired form, he could easily escape and even confront the Forest Guardians!

The Demon with a Face of Darkness shattered his reverie by hurling him against the arena wall just as he had done before. He shook his hands to rid them of every drop of fluid, then leaped onto the Lizard and delivered a barrage of blows to his jaw and abdomen—relentlessly, with unimaginable violence—cracking a few teeth and ribs in the process, before seizing his tail and hurling him back to the center of the stadium, then launching a double jumping kick in continued assault.

However, the lizard-man managed to grab him with his tail and pin him to the ground. In that moment, he noticed the sadistic smile on the face of the man he was facing—as if he delighted in inflicting pain on the lizard-man. That kid had gone completely mad; he was pinned to the ground, thrashing like a madman, all the while sporting that diabolical grin. Jordan could have driven him even deeper into the floor by compressing his lungs with his weight, yet he maintained that atrocious, mocking smile. No matter that he was on the brink of death, he kept that insane expression, which was beginning to frighten the reptile.

He then hurled the demonic Hero far away. The Hero landed on his feet and hands, finding himself on all fours. He now resembled less a rational human being and more a repulsive beast.

Thus, the lizard—who had transformed himself to easily beat the Man who had so thoroughly humiliated him, at the cost of his sanity—now found himself facing someone who had paid a far higher price for graver consequences. In that moment, he saw the outcome of indulging in such practices for a mere fight, embodied in the form of the Hero.

It was undeniable that despite all the dreadful creatures that populated Fayiera Terra, Man strove ever harder to remain at the top—to be above the food chain of the cruelest beings on the planet.

The fear the reptile felt toward the human was beginning to restore his senses and reverse his transformation; if he were to regain his true form, he would have no chance of defeating this abomination.

The lizard-man received a swift kick to the face, halting his existential musings. Jordan countered immediately, but the Hero dodged the blow without realizing that he had knocked Ymir to the ground. The assassin grasped the weapon and sensed all the malevolence radiating from it, but he had no time to study it further. He would use it—not to attack the Hero—but to finally complete the job for which he had been hired: to kill the legendary Fairy!

He hurled the Hero's weapon at the wingless Fairy with all his might. The Hero watched the sword's trajectory to gauge when it would hit its target. The Fairy, however, had no time to notice that a projectile was coming straight at her—right onto her nose.

No guard, protector, champion, or even Triface had time to react; if they did, they might inadvertently kill the princess—and besides, they cared nothing for her life. It would mean one less rival, and more importantly, that piece of trash would be gone from this world for good. The queen and one of her bodyguards might have been capable of intervening, but the queen, struck by a sudden curiosity, used her powers to block the two guards from acting. She wanted to see how the Hero would react.

Unfortunately for Triface and the xenophobes, a large, dark shape appeared before the Fairy—its two feet positioned at the ends of its head, with one hand resting on its thigh.

"What are you doing?" cried the Fairy, eyes wide with surprise. "And how did you get here?"

Then she noticed the blade that her savior held between two of his fingers; a little blood trickled from them, but they were only superficial wounds. She could quickly picture the scene—and seriously, if she didn't have rock-hard abs, she would have lost it.

Always wearing that macabre smile, he seemed to revel in the excitement of the battle. That lizard-man was pushing him to exert more effort than in his previous fights. Then he glanced at the Fairy to check on her, and he noticed the image he projected to those around him—seeing the fear in her eyes toward him. After all, he knew full well that in this form people feared him, and that was his aim, since he had deliberately sought it, regardless of the consequences they would suffer. Still, the fact that the very person he had saved twice was now afraid of him affected him somewhat. His smile faded, and he felt that, at the same time, his gigantic superhuman abilities were waning—a phenomenon he had never experienced before.

He knew he had to end this fight quickly before the powers of the sword and the curse faded from his body.

He flung it back at the lizard-man and propelled himself from the Fairy's seat—shattering its backrest—quickly reclaiming the sword. As the blade nearly reached the height of his opponent, the Hero teleported right beside him, revealing to anyone who hadn't noticed that he was capable of teleportation thanks to that weapon.

"But… wasn't that one of your abilities, Sawyer?" asked Globox and Audisélia.

"Indeed," replied the principal, clearly surprised.

Taking advantage of the chains he had been dragging since the start of the fight, the Hero slipped between the giant lizard's legs and severed his tendons, forcing him to buckle to his knees. Then he teleported to each side of the assassin, wrapping him in his chain to restrict his movements—thankfully, his lackeys had tied him up with extremely long chains. With a series of swift teleportations and the agility granted by Ymir, he dismembered the lizard-man.

The giant lizard was defeated—tied up like a pork roast, rendering him nothing more than a lizard roast.

Exhausted, the Hero lost the faculties granted by that demonic sword and collapsed against the monstrous lizard-man. He was out of breath—it was truly the first time he had lost his powers so suddenly.

How could this be?

He had only met that girl's gaze, and now he was losing his composure…

"Huh, huh!"

No. It must have been that lightning-like blow to his brain that had weakened his powers.

Surely so!

And then, whatever!

As long as the worst was over and he hadn't been forced to kill, it was all profit for him—and he was satisfied.

He didn't have to use the sword.