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  ## Chapter 25: Death Among Brotherhood

  Zack's scream, a sound of pure agony and denial, tore through the silence of the square. "COME TO ME, BLACK MOON!!!"

  In the next instant, a black lightning bolt, dense and alive, descended from the blood-stained sky. Tobi, his hunter's instincts signaling a bad omen, leaped backward in a series of somersaults, narrowly dodging annihilation. The lightning struck Zack's hands, not as a punishment, but as an embrace.

  The entire square was swallowed by the electrical discharge. The lightning spread across the ground, a tangle of crackling energy. The sound of the electricity mingled with the agonizing screams of the crowd. The sadistic smile on the faces of the Red City citizens twisted into a grimace of horror. They were receiving continuous doses of electricity, an energy strong enough to burn the skin and wrench cries of pain from them.

  Zack slowly rose, his body interwoven with ebony stripes that looked like lightning bolts. The intense black emanated from his eyes and covered his skin, pulsing with power. The Hunter had awakened.

  "What the hell is this?! According to the information I got, you were without the Black Moon!" Tobi shouted, his voice filled with disbelief and rage.

  Zack merely looked at the sword in his hand. His old friend, the Black Moon, had heard his call of pain.

  "I always hated this shit!" Tobi's gaze was one of anger and discomfort. "What worries me isn't the lightning, it's the sword. Bastard."

  Zack's Hunter gaze was cold, like a snake's. His body emanated blood, not from wounds, but from power. "Tobi, I'm going to break all your bones. I will make you understand every detail of my suffering. You will feel the weight of the Black Moon."

  What stood before Tobi was no ordinary enemy. The Black Moon was pointed at the heavens, absorbing lightning and summoning thunder. Deep down, the sensation of a black snake with red eyes was emerging from Zack's presence. It was him demanding blood, the desire to hunt fused with the will of the sword.

  "I always wanted to fight you, but now I understand the difference between a fight and a hunt. I am the prey here!" Tobi smiled, realizing the situation was unique. He took a long drag from his cigarette, closed his eyes for an instant, and murmured: "Let's begin."

  Zack's eyes fixed on Tobi.

  **Level 1 Technique - El Thor!**

  In seconds, a black lightning bolt ten meters in diameter fell in Tobi's direction. There was no time to react. The blow hit him squarely. The explosion was seen from afar; the heat of the lightning created a huge crater in the ground, and houses and buildings shook, shattering windows.

  Tobi emerged from the dust, his clothes burned and torn, his long coat ablaze at the edges. His right arm was completely scorched, with raw flesh exposed.

  He raised his left hand and made a two-finger sign.

  **Level 1 Technique - Symbiotic Concealment.**

  There were a thousand Tobis surrounding Zack. He had his own army, but he alone was enough.

  "Do you think you'll make me retreat, Tobi? I won't go easy on you. Come!" Zack's voice was thick; he craved blood.

  Several Tobis attacked Zack. It was two thousand punches, two thousand kicks, all aimed at him, but for Zack, it was easy. There was no challenge. He was too fast. The lightning protected him from the attacks, seeming to have a life of its own, defending his back, his sides, his world.

  All of Tobi's clones were decimated in the blink of an eye.

  "Where are you, Tobi? Don't hide in the shadows. I am the shadow. Remember? I am the one with the black eye that everyone hates."

  Zack looked at the crowd, some fallen, others watching the fight with a macabre smile. The baby cried desperately.

  Tobi, silently, without making a sound, emerged from Zack's shadow, attacking his neck directly. A small white knife struck a layer of electrical energy. Tobi's eyes widened. Zack was protected by the element itself. He had never seen that.

  Tobi backed away, but he wasn't fast enough. A lightning bolt fell from the sky beside him. There was Zack, who had teleported through the lightning. Zack swung the Black Moon, which struck Tobi's burned arm directly.

  "Aaaaaahh!!" A sharp cry of pain echoed throughout the area. The sound was so intense that it drowned out all other noise.

  His arm was severed.

  Tobi quickly retreated as blood gushed and fell all over the ground. He was at a disadvantage and knew he needed to change the situation quickly or he would die.

  "I told you, Tobi! I'll show you why I'm feared. You will understand what it is to stand before death."

  Zack was graceful, fast, and his spiritual energy mentally crushed his enemies. Seeing him consumed by the lightning, by the Black Moon, was a nightmare.

  Tobi realized that Zack was not acting normally. He seemed to be enjoying himself, smiling with pleasure at every blow. He was treating him with disdain. It was the image of a Hunter torturing his prey.

  Zack quickly appeared beside Tobi, but Tobi was faster. He used his coat, which was still catching fire at the edges, and threw it in Zack's direction, obstructing his vision. Then, Tobi kicked, driving through his coat and hitting Zack's stomach hard, sending him flying, crashing through walls and houses until he stopped in a pile of stone and wood rubble.

  "Bastard, he's strong." Tobi, panting, used his left hand to grab a scroll with golden symbols and unusual letters, placing it over his severed arm. The wound healed, and the bleeding stopped.

  "Alright, Zack. Then let's use everything!"

  Again, Tobi grabbed a scroll and put it in his mouth. Using only his left hand, he released a green energy around his body.

  **Seal Released, Soul for Soul.**

  Tobi, with a confident look, gazed in the direction of Zack, who was rising from the rubble.

  "Let's dance, friend. Let's relive the golden age."

  The scroll disappeared from Tobi's mouth. Without pause, he pulled out another scroll, throwing it high and opening it in the air. He spun his entire body and slammed the palm of his left hand onto the scroll. A white smoke spread, and from it emerged Tobi with a two-meter golden scythe in his hand. He ran toward Zack.

  He was fast, strong, and his spiritual energy had changed. Tobi laughed with pleasure.

  "Then let's dance, old friend!"

  Zack plunged his sword into the ground and used both hands to create a black dome around the baby, protecting it.

  Immediately afterward, Zack used his breathing technique, forming a clone that possessed 50% of his power. It was not a common clone, but one that had its own life, thoughts, and choices, in addition to half of Zack's power.

  The clone appeared beside Zack and ran toward Tobi.

  "The bastard, besides having an element, knows how to fight!" A laugh of pleasure followed. "You know how to cause fear, Zack." Tobi was different. He had unleashed all his power, and now there was no turning back.

  Zack's clone threw a punch toward Tobi's face, but it was slow and easily dodged. The clone did not have all of Zack's speed and strength. "Do you think you'll beat me with a clone, Zack?"

  But Tobi didn't know that something would change his perception.

  "Baron!" roared the clone, trading his strength for speed. The punch was faster, grazing Tobi's face. He did not expect this change in velocity.

  Tobi counterattacked using the scythe, coming from above, but the Clone was quick. He kicked Tobi's left hand, preventing him from moving the scythe, destroying his base. Immediately afterward, he spun in the air, delivering a kick to Tobi's chest, pushing him back.

  "Do you think increasing your speed will change anything? Your blows are weak!" Tobi said, confidently, as he put his scythe in defense mode. Then, a thunderbolt fell, and Zack emerged from it, swinging the Black Moon at Tobi's back. Tobi was fast and executed a flip, dodging the attack. Then, he spun his body like a top in the air and fell onto Zack. The scythe spun with him; it was an absurd attack power. Zack merely held the impact, and his clone came to his aid.

  "Stench!" shouted the Clone. The world slowed down. Tobi's vital points became apparent; his internal organs were visible, and so were his weak spots.

  The high concentration of the ability forced the clone's musculature, making his body rigid, but using the Baron technique, he managed to compensate for the stiffness with speed.

  The Clone noticed that, even with Tobi spinning at an absurd speed, he had a weak point: his legs were left unprotected while forcing the rotation.

  The Clone quickly used dark energy around his body, giving him a layer of protection and strength, leaping toward Tobi.

  Tobi was fast and broke out of the top formation, jumping backward with several somersaults, moving away from Zack.

  "You're good, Zack. Do you think I don't know your techniques? You use vital points. I remember well." Tobi placed his scythe on his shoulder and smiled.

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  "One minute, Zack. I need to smoke my cigarette, and right now I only have one hand."

  Zack laughed at the situation, a funny joke for a cruel moment.

  The clone stood in front of Zack while he laughed at the situation. "Tobi, let me light it for you."

  Tobi plunged the scythe into the ground as he took the cigarette, putting it in his mouth.

  "Do the honors, my friend." A sincere and cheerful smile from Tobi. From afar, the killer's gaze vanished and was replaced by Zack's joyful and gentle smile.

  "I will." A spark of lightning fell onto Tobi's cigarette, lighting it.

  "Thank you," Tobi replied, nodding and looking at the red moon.

  "What a wonderful night. I feel alive. Lighting a cigarette with lightning should be an everyday custom." Tobi burst into laughter, and Zack did too.

  The red moon illuminated the entire place. The weight of the choices, the weight of the environment, was felt.

  In seconds, Zack disappeared, and Tobi did too. Both clashed, sword and scythe, in a loud metallic strike. A wave of red and dark energy swept through the entire Red City.

  The duel had resumed. The final dance between betrayal and brotherhood.

  Eclipse of the Black Moon

  The sound of metal dissipated, replaced by the crackle of the freshly lit cigarette. The red moon, suspended in the sky like a bloodshot eye, bathed the square in a sickly scarlet hue. The air was heavy, loaded with the smell of ozone, gunpowder, and the blood that trickled from the wounded in the crowd.

  Tobi took a long drag, the momentary pleasure on his face contrasting with the devastation around him. Zack's clone, with a gentle smile, nodded in acknowledgment. It was an absurd truce, a brief respite of humanity in the middle of a carnage between brothers.

  "What were you going to do with that baby, Tobi?" Zack asked, his voice low but firm. The smile had vanished, replaced by the cold determination of the Hunter. "There's no point in lying anymore."

  Tobi slowly exhaled the smoke, watching it mingle with the mist rising from the damp ground. "I told you at the bar, it would be inevitable. We would have to fight to the death. Remember our promise?"

  "Yes," Zack replied, a faint smile returning to his face, but not reaching his eyes. "Not on the face, to preserve the burial. We need to look good for the ceremony."

  "Yes!" A genuine smile formed between the two, a ghost of lost brotherhood.

  Tobi continued, his voice returning to a casual, cruel tone. "This baby was requested by the King. He was born in the Golden Empire. I hired the 'gentlemen' and the couple who cared for and guarded him. The reality is they were infiltrated agents of the Polyhedron Empire."

  Zack questioned, fury growing in his chest. "If you made an agreement to kill all the black eyes and hunt them, why are you at war? The King is crazy, he wants to start a war! He no longer has the disposable armies of black eyes. Now they'll have to use people with blue and green eyes to fight."

  Tobi spat on the ground, the sound dry and disdainful. "What a beautiful irony. Disgusting pigs are what every country deserves."

  "How did you find out about this boy?" Zack pressed. "The Golden Empire is the only one no one has ever invaded or entered." Zack knew that even he, at his peak, couldn't invade that place. Not even the strongest beasts of the Void ever came close to that kingdom.

  Tobi smiled, a dangerous glint in his blue eyes. "Did you forget, Zack? I'm the perfect person for this. No one can sense my presence, not even you can, and that makes me perfect for infiltration. I'll show you what it's like to fight someone whose presence doesn't exist."

  In the blink of an eye, Tobi disappeared.

  Zack desperately tried to find him, but his aura had been erased, his presence vanished. Zack knew this was a real problem. He tried to look everywhere, but Tobi's silence was absolute.

  Zack's clone stood in defense mode, behind the original, awaiting Tobi's action.

  "Shit!" Zack thought, the frustration evident. "I hate when he uses this overpowered ability. Calm down... he needs to be nearby to hurt me. I'll use a wave of energy around me to hit him."

  A pulse of energy began to form around Zack. The damage would be area-wide, and everything around would be affected. Tobi couldn't dodge.

  But before Zack could complete the action, Tobi's voice echoed throughout the area, coming from nowhere.

  **"Level 2 Technique - Butcher!"**

  Tobi descended, spinning the scythe like a saw, striking Zack's lightning defense. If it weren't for it, Zack would be dead. Sparks of black and gold lightning scattered, accompanied by the screeching sound of metal against energy.

  Tobi gave Zack no time to think of the next action. In fact, he didn't even give Zack's clone time to react. From all sides, Tobi's scythe attacked, gradually breaking Zack's defense. He was fast; before Zack could even counterattack, Tobi would disappear.

  Zack's instinct was scrambled. The lightning defense didn't sense Tobi's presence. Zack's clone received several blows all over his body, cutting arms, legs, and face. The clone didn't bleed; it was just a dark smoke coming out of the wound.

  "Shit! I need to do something soon, he's going to kill me... Bastard, he's everywhere..." Zack searched his memories, recalling something from childhood, a game of hide-and-seek where Tobi always won.

  Zack plunged his sword into the ground and joined his hands, closing his eyes.

  *Calm... calm... he... needs...*

  **"NOW!!"** Zack shouted, a savage smile on his face.

  Tobi reappeared like a hurricane and sliced the neck of Zack's clone. "Now only the real one is left." Tobi was confident. But before disappearing again, he looked back and saw Zack's clone still standing, even without a head. Quickly, he looked at Zack and noticed the smile on his face.

  **"Explosion!!!!"**

  Zack's clone self-destructed, hitting Tobi's back and Zack himself. It was an explosion that extended for three hundred meters. A suicidal act by Zack, just to hit Tobi.

  The hole in the square was enormous. Craters rose high, falling onto the crowd. Many who were in a trance managed to get out and flee the scene; others were caught by the attack and turned to dust. Some were hit by stones and debris from houses.

  The baby was completely protected. Zack, at the moment of the explosion, transferred his lightning defense to the baby's dome, reinforcing the protection and preventing harm to the child.

  ---

  On the other side of the city, in an attic, Orpheus was treating Mira and Lyra. Both were alive and being carefully tended to. Orpheus used healing scrolls and his aura to transfer energy to both. Mira was in a coma, and Lyra was sleeping.

  The floor shook violently. Orpheus tried to hold the equipment that kept his allies alive, as well as holding the two so they wouldn't fall to the floor. The buzzing sound was loud.

  A mirror was in front of Orpheus. His tired eye and his body begged for sleep. "Master, I hope you are well. I am praying for your protection."

  ---

  Returning to the fight.

  From the smoke that hung over the ground, Tobi emerged with his face and half his body burned. The damage was severe and brutal. From above, Zack was falling, jumping over the high stones, heading toward Tobi.

  Zack was not wearing his long black coat. His body was exposed, without any protection, only wearing black pants, boots, and the sword in his hand. His chest, belly, arms, and back were all wounded. The scars from several past fights were clear, a map of pain and survival.

  "You thought I would die!" Zack shouted, his voice hoarse. "You thought this attack would affect me so much!" "The Black Moon is on my side!" "She asks for blood, she protects me, guides me, unites me."

  The red moon was bright. The Red Continent was anointed by the light, the only place on the planet where the light reached the ground, besides being the only one able to see the moon with the naked eye.

  Far away, the Lake of Black Stones, which received the moonlight and turned its waters dark red, trembled. Small animals watched the red moon as they hunted, fed, drank water. The moon was the compass, the perfect ecosystem that kept all plants and animals alive on the Red Continent.

  A flock of birds flew over the lake toward the moon, their eyes fixed on the red light that created their orientation.

  Suddenly, the color of the moon began to darken, little by little. The birds became disoriented, the animals confused. Predators lost their prey, the prey fled. The moon seemed to be taken over by a black eclipse.

  *Darkness...*

  *Fear...*

  *Death...*

  "Do you really think I'll give up like this!" Zack's voice was a primal roar. "Black Moon screams my name!"

  **Level 5 Technique: Lunar Eclipse!**

  The light that reached Tobi's eyes turned black.

  Tobi felt what it was like to be in a world of black eyes. His body trembled, his legs gave way.

  "Level 5?! How did you get that power!!"

  The world fell silent. Only the sound of Tobi's heart beating uncontrollably echoed in the void. The Lunar Eclipse had arrived.

  **END OF CHAPTER.**