FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

War can be matter of hours, days, years... but sometimes, it poisons entire generations.

Chapter 16: The darkest hour of Kesteven - From father to son

After their battles with the terrible Unmanned Combat Walkers, Killer and Alexis had finally a bit of time to talk together and relax themselves a little bit. They also rejoined themselves, since the forge in the Alexis's sector had been razed to ground by the raging Andromeda UCV during the fight and there wasn't any more something to defend apart a pile of ruins. Obviously, the UCV and the mystery of the RA badge occupied most of their little talk... but as always, even simply be together worked wonders on two both.

Two cargo helicopters come to the forges and loaded the wrecks of both the Ninja and the Andromeda, bringing them away to be studied as the four Typhoons fought fiercely to defend the operation from the raging Mottram fighters. Killer and Alexis had good expectations from the studies on the two combat machines, but they were also well aware that most of the two robots had been lost. Apart from the damages they had caused to the two metallic foes during the battle, they seemed to have had automatic self-destruction explosive charges on the more sensible systems, meant to erase the precious technology before it could fall in enemy hands.

But their victory hadn't lasted really long. A few hours later, most of the Mottram troops attacked the only road remained in the hands of the defenders that linked the industrial district and the royal palace decided to entrap them definitively. Preceded by terrible bombings of artillery and aerial attacks, the Riaku's forces advanced with a huge number of tanks and armored fighting vehicles, supported step by step by a massive army of soldier. Alexander and Siegfried, responsible of the defense of that vital street, had managed to gain time and repeal the attacks until late that same night, but at that point, under the two mighty, simultaneous pushes, was clear that any moment could be the last and the risk was simply too high.

Killer had feared and forecasted that move of Riaku, but he hadn't troops or vehicles to use for a counterattack and so he immediately understood that they had to retreat to avoid to be surrounded completely in a sack without way of escaping. They silently and rapidly sneaked away from the forge and the sheds of the industrial zone, section after section, offering support each to the other along all the route, joining again also the other units along the road and retreating towards the castle, opening their way fighting meter after meter into that dark night without stars, as snow fall again from the sky in a violent tempest.

Despite all the difficulties, they managed another tactical masterpiece, breaking the contact and sneaking all the way up to the ancient, massive fortress as the artillery around the castle helped them, keeping the enemy far with its fire.

The next morning, the free Kesteven was reduced to the lonely hill of the royal palace, surrounded on all sides by the enemy forces, in a real siege. But paradossally, the lights of the new dawn, a serene one after a so tormented night, enlightened a Kesteven covered of white, fresh snow and cheerful in absolute, reinforced confidence in the victory.

Killer leaned on the thick parapet of the bulwark with a slight smile as the slight, glacial breeze ruffled his dirty, bloodstained and uncared mane. He was tired, covered of ragged cuts and small wounds, his armor was badly reduced and his shoulder still stung, as his hip, where an enemy tank had literally run into him and he hadn't managed more than a few hours of bad sleep in the last two weeks... but he could only smile at the sight on the horizon.

As the sun slowly raised, down in the plain, white and shinning with snow, he could outline easily the lines of trenches of the enemy troops, the huge camps and the advanced bases for the air force they had made, all crowded of planes and helicopters... but at the horizon, other units were approaching. And they were definitely not of Mottram.

The defenders of the town had resisted long enough, and at the last the rest of the powerful army of Kesteven was arrived. Long columns of soldiers and vehicles crowded all the roads that from both East, West and North ran towards the capital and tanks were running into the fields, preparing their attack and trying to close a pincers-maneuver with two columns converging on the southern road from both East and West. If they managed to capture that way too, the Mottram's army was surrounded and deprived of its vital supplies and reinforces from home.

Killer smiled as flashes begun to blink on the horizon with gloomy rumbles, as the artillery of Kesteven begun to give voice to the shout of revenge that the nation was so willing to give. Also other soldiers and Predators on the same bulwark and along all the walls of the castle were smiling... the victory had never been so close, the help never before so near. They weren't alone... and sure, they were under siege... but also the same enemy that was surrounding them was at the last in the same situation.

"We did it, lover..." Alexis whispered in his ear as she silently slid behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing softly his cheek. He turned slightly backwards, meeting her lips in a warm kiss. "Almost. Riaku has still two possibilities... uncover his cards, come here and challenge me, or simply package all his stuff and take the way of home until he still can..." He observed with a slight smile. "I'm for the first hypothesis, anyhow." He added then with a nod of his head.

"I think, too... for you is not over, yet." She observed gently, caressing softly his muzzle with a hand as a slight smile of understanding crested hers. He nodded slowly, smiling at her... and then she surprised him as she pushed him against the parapet with an hungry and somehow threatening groan, grinning as her eyes glinted and she grasped his muzzle, kissing him almost violently for a moment, working hers maw against his and wrestling savagely his tongue as she bit playfully at his lip as he simply blinked for a moment, out of instinct. She ground hers body against his own teasingly, waving her hips as her hands traced the powerful, muscular profile of his body and she spread her legs, trapping his own in the middle.

He finally kissed her back, working his maw with equal strength and passion as he slowly repealed her... and then he forced over her as he embraced her tightly, one more time experiencing the amazing heat that she always instilled into his body as she sandwiched his mighty cock between their bodies with a special attention, grinding against it as soft moans of desire escaped from their sealed lips.

She finally broke the kiss, lingering for a bit on his muzzle with an affective lick as she stared at him with glinting sapphire eyes, panting softly. She licked eagerly hers lips as he chuckled softly a bit and then she bit gently hers lower lip, ruffling his mane with a hand as she reached up for his ear with hers wonderful muzzle. "There's something I can do for you... to prepare you?"

She watched into his eyes with an accomplice glance of affect and erotic lust all together and he couldn't help but grin, making his embrace tighter all the more as he released a low, enticed murr. "You know there's all sort of things you and I could do..." He said gently into hers ear as he rocked her gently in his hold. "But I'm afraid we'll have to wait some more. Riaku will be here soon, and what I need more are a few minutes of rest to recover a bit of energy. Do you want to keep me company, darling...?"

She laughed softly a bit, biting playfully at his neck as her hands continued to slowly caress his powerful body. "I'll never miss a chance to stay with you, you know that well..." She gently exited from their embrace as he reluctantly let her go and then Alexis took his hand and guided him towards the nearest door and into the long, shady corridors of the palace, guiding him into the first, calm room they found. Most of the palace was used as hospital for all the wounded and was now also a huge barrack, so their tranquil place was nothing else than a large cupboard... but they didn't cared, laughing a bit to the idea, mostly ridiculous, of a king and queen sleeping in a cupboard in their same castle. The good point was that no one would ever disturb them there... apart from the call of alarm of a sentinel on their visors. They knew it was gonna arrive soon... the problem was just when.

She slowly sat down on the floor, leaning backwards with hers back against the wall and smiling up at him as he approached calmly, with a slight, soft smile. "We both need to rest, lover... at least some minutes. Some minutes you and me alone." She said gently as he sat down at hers side and he turned towards her, smiling. "There's something better?"

"Have sex with you." She answered immediately with a smile before two both laughed sincerely. "Rough, powerful, endless and wonderful sex with you." She whispered gently, grasping his shoulders and guiding him slowly down, to rest with his head in hers lap as he smiled gratefully up at her. She smiled back as he gently set himself comfortably... and then snorted laughter as he idly leaned his muzzle against her plump, firm and perfect bosom, poking slightly with his muzzle into one of hers big breasts as he grinned amusedly.

"Hey! You take advantage of my generosity...!" She exclaimed amusedly, pushing playfully his muzzle away. He laughed, resisting to hers hand until she leaved him there. "Good wife you are. A moment before, you cry for sex from me, then you chase me away if I show my appreciation for your tits." He said playfully, looking at her with a fake grudging look. "And then, if you ever listened to me and kept up your armor instead of show all your beauty to everyone..."

She couldn't help but laugh a bit, stopping him as he too chuckled amusedly and she even rose a bit hers legs so that he stood suddenly with his head leaning on hers boson like on a pillow as she traced gently hers fingers into his mane. "You are right. I can't say I don't like that, even." She gently ruffled his long mane around his muzzle, idly curling his fur with hers fingers as they smiled each to the other as her left hand slowly traced hers way downwards, tasting and exploring his hard, muscular abdomen before reach for hers true target and grasp his enormous bulge, squeezing his massive cock across the fabric.

"I should have my part then, at least." She suggested with hoarse, seductive voice. He grinned up at her as he released an enticed murr when she begun to slowly stroke along the huge bulge in his pants. "You know, it's yours as it's mine." He said gently. She liked her lips in front of his eyes, purring as she jerked teasingly on his fly with a hand and continued to slowly caress his scalp and ruffle his mane gently with the other. "Can I play with it a bit, then, while you rest...?" She asked playfully as she smiled down at him... and he rolled his eyes with a smile. "You are supposed to rest, too... have patience, love. Let me kick the ass of Riaku, and we'll have all the fun we both want."

She nodded in understanding and they shared a smile of sad awareness that they had to wait once more... and she kissed him warmly before both closed their eyes to take a bit of rest after weeks of endless fight, stress, fatigue and pain.

"So they disabled both UCWs...?" The dark figure on the screen scratched lightly at his chin, his eyes betraying a bit that surprise that his tone always hidden perfectly. Riaku was instead visibly furious, ruffling the fur on his head nervously as his right hand grasped painfully tight the silvered steely handle of a huge sword and he looked up to the screen with a disgusted face.

"The word is 'destroyed', Raja, not that bullshit of 'disabled'. They took both the prototypes down like toys... they are not powerful enough to deal with Wyvern or Alexis." Riaku observed grudgingly, glaring to the tiger in the dark screen.

"We undervalued them, yes... especially the female. The analysis of the videos of the battle shows that she has an incredible agility and strength, even if hers power is not comparable to Wyvern's own. He isn't a stupid, neither... he discovered truly fast the chances to take down the Ninja and exploited them." Lord Raja wasn't really talking to Riaku, but more mumbling to himself as he watched apparently towards another screen at his side, likely visioning a movie of the battle for the hundredth time as Riaku glared irritably up to the screen.

"I warned you all more than a time that two both aren't to be undervalued. Alexis is a formidable sniper and a fencer without rivals... even is hers impressive strength isn't anywhere near to mine or to Wyvern's one, she can still kick any ass she wants. And for what I know, she never missed a target with a fire arm." Riaku growled irritated, glaring to the tiger on the dark screen and hating the fact that Raja as always never shown himself, living in the darkness... and mumbling furiously in his mind for the awareness that he was being all but ignored as the other king watched a movie. I need to kick his ass sometimes... I'm the one that's risking his ass and I'm the stronger one. Something is wrong in this alliance. He glared to the screen with a grimace of distaste, and then distracted his own eyes. At least give me the attention you should, shithead.

"You are right, Black Lightning. My fault." The tiger said evenly, his voice calm as always. Finally you understood, you fucking retard... Riaku watched up with a nod, looking irritated. "I think yes, it is. And the pilot of the Andromeda screwed up a lot... he fucking destroyed the damned forge. What this is, a joke? The project New Dawn needed that forges intact... and he pulverized one of them. He is an idiot!" Riaku observed coldly. "A sheer moron!" He added with a furious shout. "Many of my men died to capture those facilities intact, Lord Raja. I could simply raze them to ground with everyone inside with a bombing, then, and they'll all be here. What game are we playing...?"

The other tiger watched down at him from the screen, glinting with that astute and never really submitted golden brown. Riaku couldn't say what those eyes were hiding as the other remained silent for a moment as he glared up in answer... and then, the mysterious king named Raja nodded, closing them for a moment. "You are perfectly right, great Black Lightning. He committed unforgivable mistakes... I apologize for the stupidity of my man. He paid, anyhow." The tiger paused for a moment, and his eyes turned open, glinting with a cruel, golden light that was clearly amused. "I tortured him myself. Unfortunately, he died too soon... but surely he spent his last moments in a pain that taught him not to screw up with my orders again. If he will ever live again, obviously. Some civilizations believe that."

Riaku nodded, trying to hide a grimace of disgust. Suddenly, the doubts on all his alliance, plan and behavior augmented noticeably as his mind twitched in pain for the thought of that terrible murder... and a disgusted Diana turned away from him in his mind. What I'm doing...? This freak is insane...

"Anyhow, soon, the remained forge will work for us, to produce the plates of advanced armor in Neo Titanium for the series model UCWs. The model for mass production is being finished and perfected thanks to the final developing of the Ultra Compact Fusion Reactor and, obviously, to the lessons learned with the battles of the prototypes 01 and 02 against our enemies. I promise that the Samurai model will be absolutely and definitively deadly... even Wyvern will bend his head and crawl on the ground like the worm he is in front of them."

"He is not a worm!" Riaku exclaimed with rage, shutting his eyes in fury as he narrowed his grip on the sword so much to feel pain. Then he blinked, deeply surprised of that reaction... and found without wonder that Raja was watching down at him with cold and definitely not amusing surprise. "He can be defined in a lot of ways, but he is not a worm. He always fights with loyalty... and with his own, sheer power and wits." Not so, Riaku, you are screwing up... "I mean, you show that you still undervalue him." Riaku corrected himself at the last, managing a haughty glare up to the other king. "We can't do that error again."

Raja shifted on the chair a bit, looking a bit suspicious still, but reassured... and his voice didn't betrayed any emotion as he talked again like if nothing had ever happened. "As to the destruction of the UCWs, this is not going to slow us down in any way or change our plans. Despite the defeat, the prototypes proved themselves the all-powerful weapons that we need to crush every hotbed of aggressiveness, war or rebel groups around the world in order to bring a stabile peace in it forever. Besides, even if the enemy captured the 01 and the 02, we had confirmation that every sensible technology had been destroyed in time, so they'll take no information from them. Although I would have liked from you some better attempts to deny to the enemy this capture, Black Lightning. It could have deadly consequences on our plans."

Riaku twitched a bit, this time don't finding an excuse to give, feeling himself guilty... but then he glared again to the screen as a memory suddenly hit his mind. "What about those mad of yours that blow themselves up between the enemy... and between my men, too? I don't fucking like kamikaze, Raja! Aren't we trying to avoid useless victims building unmanned combat machines for the future campaign...? Where is the sense of destroy our same men in that crazy way...?" He roared furiously towards the screen.

Again, Raja looked unfazed by that, even if his tone faked perfectly a sincere excuse. "My men exceeded on their faith for our great mission, great Black lightning... they are ready to do everything to bring here soon the perfect world we dream, with you as guide. I already made clear, anyhow, that such moves are to be always avoided. I apologize... this sad fact will never again happen."

Riaku snorted irritably, but leaned back in the armchair all the same. "I hope that." He said grudgingly as his eyes roved in irritation all around, on the mostly empty room, in an instinctive gesture of rage. "As to Wyvern, I hope you understood what I said to you... despite all the time I spent with him and all the times I challenged him, I still can't say how strong he is. I'm sure I've not seen still all of what he can do... and this scares me."

"We don't undervalue him. We studied his file and all the information we had and analyzed all the news you gave us. We don't leave anything to chance... we gave you the Spirit, which will give you the help needed to crush Wyvern without problems. And we gave you those new steroids we designed after the first analysis of your DNA. You are not going to fail, Black Lightning... and soon, you'll be the guide of the new world we'll build together." Raja explained with cold, measured passion, gesturing slightly with a finger as his golden eyes pierced across Riaku with an ease that made the black tiger shift uncomfortably a bit. Raja paused for a moment, leaving time to his words to sink all the way to mind and heart of the younger king and then, coming no answer, he continued with faked affection. "It's the moment, Black Lightning. The moment for your legend to rise to new heights... and the moment to crush the other one in the dust. To begin a new age."

Riaku nodded absently, and the image on the screen faded immediately, with Raja that, as always, avoided to waste time for the waves he obviously considered useless wastes of time. The black tiger made a grimace to that, again noticing how little was really the respect of Lord Raja for him, once more facing his doubts and crushing them in a corner of his mind, preparing himself for the duel he had long delayed.

I should have fought immediately, as Killer said me. I wonder what could be the meaning of all these deaths... Raja is never clear. He's a serpent, a sly bastard. I should go on my own way and duel, instead of follow his suggestion and cause all this mess. He ran a hand into the thick fur on his head, sighing for the hundredth time that day. The worst things was see the faces of his mother and his old friends in his mind, all turning their backs to him even if he tried to explain that he was trying to build a better world for them both... to explain that was he was doing wasn't easy, but painful to the very soul. That he needed a help in that mission desperate... and that he had followed the bad guide for months.

He picked up a small silvered box, watching at it with a grimace as his fingers opened it, easily tearing the red tapes that sealed it and that had the seal of Raja printed over in a block of crimson sealing wax. He pulverized that between his fingers with a snarl, eyeing the four big pills inside, knowing that they were designed specifically to improve hugely his strength, his stamina and the efficiency of his brain and of all his nervous system, improving dramatically his already huge power. It was something he long dreamed for when young, when he was massacring himself with trainings to become a powerful warrior, a legend like his father... and then, even if sweating and suffering, he had begun to love his training, the honesty and perfection of every conquest as he beat down steroid-pumped junkies on his road. His father had never and would never use steroids... and would have never let him use that junk, as he called it. And this pushed again towards that short, easy road, in some way.

I'm not going to trust again Raja for such things. Not going to give in my path for the easy, disloyal road... I'm not going to become a junkie like the ones I always hated and defeated. This isn't the way... it can't be the way. I accepted the Spirit, but I'm not going to accept this too... and become a machine, living of a power that isn't mine. He grasped the four pills, looking over all of them for a moment... and then he angrily thrown them into a wastepaper basket, rising from the armchair. No. This will be a serious thing... me and him, alone.

He exited from the small room and entered into the Operative Section of the mobile combat post, where all his men were working at the various consoles as the generals examined a large map in the middle of the dark, narrow space.

"The 7 Armored Division of Kesteven is attacking in the North 3-0 sector, supported by the Parachute regiment." Come a nervous voice from one of the REMFs on the consoles.

A general cursed loud as he watched the map in front of himself, finding the sector and trying to analyze the danger. "Gods, they are the best of their army... Send there a group of S24 Harpy and move two of ours armored divisions in a counterattack. Stop them there!"

Someone else shouted other orders as red icons moved on the holographic map and the generals twitched, looking to the map with foreheads covered of sweat as they tried to repeal the furious offensive of Kesteven and maintain a front around town, but Riaku didn't listened or cared about. He snapped his fingers once, gaining the attention of everyone, and looked on them with cold, focused glance. "I'm going to duel with Wyvern. Just hold the line outside town until I kill him... use freely the troops around the castle for reinforce the line of resistance. He's not going to go to any place anyway."

The visor beeped rhythmically as the call come, awakening Killer after just twenty minutes of relax. He yawned loudly as his yawn changed almost into a low roar as he stretched idly his powerful body. He smiled a bit as he saw that Alexis was already awaken, looking down amusedly at him and looking strong and restored. He too, was feeling much better... he had learned long ago to recover his energy even with just two-three minutes or complete relax and isolation from the world, just shutting his eyes and emptying his mind... so he was lucky to have gained even some minutes of pure sleep. He was reaching up for the button on the visor, but stopped as he saw and felt the warm hand of Alexis still squeezing gently at his crotch. He snorted amusedly up at her as she smiled warmly, combing a bit his mane to move away some long bangs from his icy blue eyes.

He finally clicked the button on the headphones and a small window appeared on the visor, with the face of a saluting predator in the middle. He answered to the salute bringing two fingers to his forehead and then he nodded, authorizing the man to talk.

"Sir, the delegation of Mottram is climbing the hill with a white flag. Lord Riaku says that the time for the duel is arrived, your highness." He said evenly, his voice respectful and full of awe as he talked to the legend, to the king himself, obviously thrilled of that new honor and experience.

"The time come long ago... but he didn't understood. Or likely pretended not to." Killer mumbled grudgingly as he stood up, freeing Alexis and allowing her to do the same.

"Majesty...?" The soldier asked uncertainly, not understanding and Killer shook his head slowly. "Not mind, soldier. Say them that I'm gonna meet them on the hill, but keep them in the sight. If it sounds like a trick, shoot." He answered immediately. "Order to prepare the Arena for the duel... and, soldier, try to find a pair of combat boots for me." Even Alexis looked amused and surprised at that, well knowing that he was used to keep his feet uncovered even on the battlefield... "It will not be easy to find something of mine size... but at least you know in what section of the wardrobe you have to watch. If you find something raft-sized, they are ok."

Some minutes later, the two groups walked slowly and silently each towards the other in the tall, fresh snow on the hill, in front of the castle. For the occasion, even Killer was wearing combat boots standard of the Predators, made of hardened black leather, Gore-Tex and with reinforces of steel on tip, heel and sides and with the usual three long spikes on top. Find two boots of his sizes had been a challenge and he was still feeling himself awkward with them on, not so much for how they was narrow but rightly for the sizes of them. He hated feel himself ridiculous, and those huge boots still looked at him a bit of that. But nonetheless, it was also good to have some protection on his wounded, tired feet... and he was sure that in the duel he would have needed that protection, too.

Three Predators were following him, some steps behind, each holding in his hands, tips aimed skywards, a long spear with a flag that lazily waved into the cold breeze of the morning. At his right there was the standard of Kendrew, on the left the flag of Kesteven and in the middle a white standard in sign of peace. Mirroring that, there was the standard of Mottram, accompanied by a white flag, followed some paces behind by a full platoon of Assaulters, with their black uniforms and the powerful assault rifles shouldered.

Riaku advanced with coldness, glaring at his rival as they walked each towards the other and the two groups come to a stop when the two kings were facing themselves, at sword's range. Killer watched his rival with equal coldness, his face emotionless but focused. He had been his best friend, his best rival... he was his son, even. But he had caused too many loses, too much pain and destruction to forget. His icy blue eyes pierced across the rival as he glared back for a moment with his ruby ones, then Killer folded his arms and tilted his head to the side a bit, grinning. Despite all the rage he felt, all the wish to put the word end to that terrible battle, he could feel the thrill of the fight that he had long dreamed; the exhilaration of the duel with his only worthy rival, something much greater than any other feeling he had experienced during the war. He couldn't help but grin and wait impatiently for the beginning as all his body seemed to boil with the suspense and the hunger of fight.

"You know that you could simply have accepted my challenge the first day of this useless, idiotic war and have saved thousands of lives, plus the town, yes...? It was a deliberate murder of mass, Riaku... you knew that we would have reached this point, soon or later." Killer observed coldly, his voice calm but still threatening as a rifle aimed... or maybe more. "It makes me think that you fear your father."

Riaku glared back, switching a bit but not showing any other sign of uncertainty or doubts as he remained silent and challenging. Killer snorted, halfway between amused and irritated at that and then he raised his head defiantly. "You know also that now I should be the one to say no to this duel, right...? I could just wait for my army to arrive here and then kick your ass from here to Mottram without a problem. We both know that now you are the one in the desperate situation."

Riaku snorted amusedly at that, raising his head in answer and grinning. "I know... you could. But I know well that us both feel ourselves alive only on the sand of the arena, only when we are fighting. You'll never say no to a challenge." The black tiger grinned wider. "At least, you'll die doing what you always loved and did best. It's an honour I grant you."

"So generous you are." Killer exclaimed amusedly, grinning himself. "But you understood at least something of your father... It's already something, I suppose. I'll try to teach you some more, if you follow me." The white tiger turned towards the castle, looking to his son and rival from over his shoulder whit a question in his eyes... and Riaku nodded, advancing decidedly to his side as their two groups followed silently.

Killer didn't failed to notice how strong and toned Riaku looked. Possibly even more than the last time he saw him; surprisingly, for the little time passed since. The effect, he thought, was also strengthened by the fact that the black tiger was much fresher and had had much more rest and much less fights in those hard, long weeks. His muscular, toned body wasn't covered of cuts and wounds, nor he was stained with blood or had his fur uncared, ruffled and dirt for the life on the battlefield. His usual ivory armour was perfect and well cared, contrasting with his black one, bent in several places, bruised and with the left shoulder all but shattered where the minigun had struck him. But he wasn't nervous... instead, he was more and more eager to fight, challenge his rival to end the war and get his revenge... and also, sincerely, impatient to see how much his son was further improved.

The two kings turned around the triangular-shaped bulwark placed in protection of the entrance, climbing then the stairs for the large, open door of massive wood and steel placed on the side of the huge tower. Their paces sounded loud and gloomy down the long corridor with its imposing vaults of plain stone and the small overtures in the walls from which threatening machine guns were ready to destroy every possible enemy... as old holes in the top of each vault allowed the defenders to eventually water the foes with every possible, dangerous things from the upper floor. For all the time, no one talked, and the only sound was the rhythmic thudding of their feet on the long drawbridge, then over the stairs of the huge guardhouse and then on the marble of the atrium, where Riaku snorted amusedly at the sight of the sculpture of Wyvern.

"They finally dedicated a statue to you, huh...?" He observed amusedly as they walked near to it, under the focused glare of the sculpture. "So seems." Killer answered absently with a kind nod as he raised gently a hand as answer for the salutes of soldiers and simple people all around.

They were now walking under the eyes of soldiers, civilians and females dressed as nurses that stopped on their courses to stare at the weird procession. The air was electric with tension as even the soldiers trembled at the sight of the frightening, huge and toned mountain of muscles that Riaku had become, at the power that he seemed to emanate almost in a visible, tangible aura. The people all around stepped backwards in fear as Riaku advanced... but they all watched up to Killer with confidence and hope as they deeply bowed at his passage, at his own tangible power that seemed to burn into the air, already dueling with his rival. They were hopeless and helpless against the immense power of Riaku and all their hopes, their destiny was in the hands of Killer, the only defender that, once more, could save Kesteven from the ultimate defeat.

They reached the monumental stairs in marble, and Wyvern stopped his walk, pointing towards the double door of massive, chiseled wood and gold on top of it. "I suppose you remember where the arena is, yes...?"

"I could never forget." Riaku said simply, looking up at him with a nod. Killer smiled a bit, tilting his head slightly on the side in understanding. "Well then. You can use the room here on top to prepare yourself for the duel, I'll use the other one. It's alright?"

"Sure. This is still your home, after all." Riaku answered with a slightly ironical tone that Killer didn't missed. The white tiger snorted amusedly, looking as Riaku and his delegation climbed the steps of marble and he folded calmly his muscular arms, shaking his head a bit. "And it will remain mine forever, Riaku." He said gently but decidedly as the other male ignored him and pushed easily open the huge door, vanishing inside.

Killer followed soon, climbing the stairs and then walking rapidly along the interminable, curved corridor that ran all along the perimeter of the arena until reach another door, placed perfectly in face of the room where Riaku was. He pushed open the door and entered in the room, smiling to Alexis that was already waiting for him and then looking reassuringly over all his family that was smiling at him, standing at his side. He walked calmly towards his beloved wife, who embraced him tightly without a word as they muzzles joined one more time, and their tongues danced warmly together for a long moment... until she finally let him go with a smile and slipped elegantly behind him, taking the Wyvern in her hand and reaching up for the quick strap system of his armor with the other, removing it gently.

"So it's time." Alexander said with wondering voice. "I admit I'd like to be strong as you and be the one to duel with that... fucker." Siegfried made a grimace at the word, surely thinking that it wasn't something that should exit from the mouth of a prince, but then he nodded, smiling with understanding up to his older bro. "I'm sure you'll win again..." He said gently, twisting his fingers together a bit, clearly in difficulty in choosing the right words and deal with the tension... but Killer smiled at them both, feeling their support and confidence and loving that over everything else as he begun to remove his simple black shirt and Alexis placed his heavy armor on a rack on the wall.

Killer thrown the shirt away as his golden bullet jangled a bit with the necklace as it fell on his white furred, broad chest and he combed a bit his rebel, uncared mane to clean his vision from the long bangs of fur as he stood with his powerful, muscular torso exposed. Alexis come back to him and gave him his huge crimson sword, kissing fleetingly his cheek and tracing gently hers hands on his chiseled, masculine body. "Kick his ass and come back. You have a promise to live up to." She said sweetly as he smiled, grasping gently her hand and kissing it slightly. "I'll do... you are the only one who can completely understand how much I want to maintain that word I gave you." He answered playfully, but with serious eyes.

She smiled one last time, stepping to the side as he advanced towards the doors of the arena... and Kaya thrown suddenly herself at his neck, crying silently as he blinked a bit, out of instinct, moving outwards a bit the deadly crimson blade that he was holding to protect the much smaller female... and then he looked affectively down at her as she sunk her face into his muscular chest, reaching up with his free hand to ruffle affectively hers hair. "Hey, hey... not so. What is, you don't trust anymore your bro...?" He said softly at her, caressing hers head as she sobbed slightly... and then she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, but a sort of a weird smile, now.

"You know that I trust you more than anything else..." She whispered gently, hers voice broken. He smiled, drying hers tears with a finger as he gently rocked her in his hold. "Then let me go, give me a smile and then enjoy the show, sis. No one can dream to challenge your big bro, you know."

"Right." She said decidedly as she dried her eyes and stepped backwards, smiling embarrassedly up at him and leaving room to Isis to embrace his older son and whisper in his ear some last words as Seth approached slowly. "He is your son. He was your best friend. And now you are gonna kill him...?"

Killer stared back for a moment at his old, wise father, looking at his enigmatic, friendly smile, and then he nodded. "If needed. He isn't anymore the good, wonderful person we all known... and I need to think to the ones I allow to live killing him, first. People much more important."

"You learned your lesson." Seth said gently. "We are all with you... try to be the good father that you are and try to teach Riaku the same path. He's better than us all, but he lost himself. Be the father, Killer... and stop his plans. You are the only one that can do it. There will not be another possibility, another chance to save this and the other kingdoms and the world from his foolish plan."

Killer nodded in understanding and then pushed open the golden doors of chiseled wood, waiting a moment on the threshold to let his eyes adapt to the sudden, blinding light that hit him after the soft darkness of the room... and looking around to see the huge arena already crowded of people, as soldiers, nurses, females and civilians and even a lot of wounded but autonomous tigers occupied most of the terraces, filling up more than three quarters of the tier as the black mass of the Assaulters of Mottram filled the remaining space. He smiled as the people of Kesteven roared in joy and support as he stepped forwards into the light and then down the long stair of marble, towards the large, oval square of sand of the battlefield. He watched around himself, noticing that Alexis had placed for major security some of hers snipers on the highest ring, to prevent any disloyalty or attack by surprise from the not trustable Assaulters... but otherwise, filling his mind with fresh images of the arena, strengthening his loved memories. From the stairs in front of him, on the other side of the arena, Riaku was descending himself, applauded by his Assaulters... but the noise of the Kesteven's people was too loud, and covered everything. Not that he cared... the moment when his booted foot stepped into the soft sand of the battlefield, his icy blue eyes focused only on his rival as his senses isolated that roaring noise, making of it almost a distant background as he prepared himself to the duel. He allowed himself a distraction only when he walked in front of the royal dais, where his family was taking already place... and Alexis blew him a last kiss from the distance.

He smiled to her, blowing his own kiss in answer as he went down on a knee and placed the Wyvern on the ground, cupping his hands into the sand and then rubbing them together calmly, spreading sand and dust over them to gain a better grip as he prepared his mind and fined his senses before grasp the sword and stand up again.

Killer and Riaku faced themselves in the middle of the battlefield, glaring each to the other as icy blue pierced into ruby eyes when the two warriors slowly and elegantly raised their swords. Killer eyed with interest the new weapon of Riaku... but he couldn't hide a snort both amused and irritated as he saw how it resembled the Wyvern that he was holding almost perfectly.

Riaku noticed that, and grinned as he waved a bit the grey, plain steel blade and the simple, silvered handle in front of the rival. It was truly similar to the Wyvern: same sizes, similar threatening, long spikes at the bottom of the blade and the same handle with the two wing-like handguards that protected the hand and worked as deadly iron punches. "Nice, isn't so...? I called it Toryu." Riaku said with an amused and challenging grin as Killer snorted ironically. "It means 'dragon's exterminator' in Japanese, right...? But I have to warn you that a lot of people tried to kill Wyvern with more nasty-looking weapons a lot of times... and they always failed." The huge white male observed ironically as the two raised the swords with tips aimed skywards, following the tradition.

"Not this time." Riaku growled as they suddenly slashed the swords downwards, sinking the blades in the sand more than half way. They would have been the ultimate weapons... the last part of the dance. The expert hands of Killer found easily the handles of his twin Type 0 swords at his belt as he followed with focused glance Riaku do the same as the two begun to slowly walk in a circle, studying themselves and trying to find the way for a decisive attack.

Riaku was the first to attack, doing that with impressive speed as he suddenly turned towards Killer in the middle of a pace, turning on his heel in the sand and jumping towards the white tiger with a snarl, right sword raised in defense and the left one ready to sink into the chest of the rival. Killer backstepped, broking the circle they were doing, raising both swords in a X in front of himself with a grunt of effort as Riaku forced into it... the white male tried immediately to kick outwards the legs of the Black Lightning as he tried to force open his defense with surprising strength, and Riaku, without even watch, easily avoided to be caught with a jump, slashing now forwards in offense also the other sword, aiming to the muscular belly of Killer.

Wyvern snarled in surprise and rage at that, backstepping again and avoiding the sharp tip of the sword for a puff as the other one, sliding forwards over his crossed ones, whistled threatening near his ear when he tilted his head to the side to avoid it. Again Killer tried to kick Riaku, but once more the Black Lightning moved with incredible ease and rapidity, keeping faith to his surname as his eyes never leaved the burning contact with his own, sidestepping to avoid the blow and then reaching out with his own booted foot in a vicious outwards kick.

Wyvern's eyes bulged in surprise and pain as the spikes hurt his leg and sunk into the thick leather of his boot, overbalancing him as his leg was so suddenly pushed away. He let himself fall instead to force against the blow, freeing his leg and trying immediately to kick his rival away with a vicious blow at joined feet... but Riaku jumped easily and landed elegantly on Killer's soles, making him grunt as his legs were so suddenly heavily strained, his powerful muscles spasming.

He had no time neither to whine, because the huge black male jumped down and slashed both swords inwards, aiming to cut neatly Killer's neck as he parried fast with his own swords raised outwards... but so Wyvern leaved himself exposed, and Riaku grinned as he immediately viciously slammed down his heels, one down into his muscular abdomen and one over his powerful chest, forcing out all the air he had in his lugs as he spat drool and blood into the air with a chocking whimper of agony.

Killer shut tight his eyes for a moment, but forced outwards his two swords with all his strength, repealing the enemy blades as he forced himself into a roll on the side slamming his feet into the sand, freeing himself from the weight of the rival, that jumped immediately away to avoid being overbalanced. Riaku landed elegantly nearby him, and Killer kicked viciously towards him as he accomplished a full roll on his shoulder and landed in a crouch, skidding backwards into the sand for his own momentum, snarling. The black male had again avoided his attack... and before he could think to something else, Riaku was already attacking again, a grin of triumph on his muzzle as he slashed viciously his swords downwards on the rival, who deviated the blades with his ones, grunting in the effort of contrast the new, immense strength of his son as again he had to open the way for his chest and muzzle... but this time Killer avoided further damages, tilting his head all the way backwards as a booted foot flashed in front of his eyes in a savage kick. Before Riaku could use some other nasty trick, Wyvern went down on his back, reached up with a foot and aimed to the back of the knee of the rival with a fast, powerful kick... but again, he blinked with a snarl of surprise as the rival chuckled wickedly and simply brought his leg out of the range of the danger, without ever watch.

It's impossible. It was behind his fucking back... Riaku snarled cruelly as he stomped down towards his leg and Killer had to spread his legs wide to avoid the blow as his strained arms dueled with the rival, swords forcing each on the other as they tried to open the way to hit each other. He has some secret. He can be improved as he wants, have perfected every instinct, but he can't do that. Riaku then kicked forwards, aiming wickedly to the crotch of Killer, who snarled and raised both legs to protect himself, trying to slam a spiked knee into the uncovered opponent's belly.

Riaku easily escaped that attempt with a fast and perfect jump backwards, but at least Killer avoided his kick and easily rolled backwards on his shoulders, launching himself into the air with his hands and flipping once before land on his feet, swords held outwards as he watched the rival with interest, trying to find an answer. The Black Lightning simply grinned with complete self confidence, raising his head defiantly and looking challengingly up to his father... and Killer saw, or believed to see, amusement and irony for his own answerless questions.

"Accept the reality, Wyvern... you are not worth of me." Riaku observed with sly, teasing voice as he grinned wide, toying idly with a sword, twisting it fast in a mill as his skilled wrist rotated. "I'm not done with you, son." Killer replied with dark voice as he studied the rival with cold, focused eyes, making narrower the grip on both his blades... and then he started forwards with a snarl, both swords forming an X in defense as he approached the rival and then slashed both blades towards him.

Riaku slipped elegantly between the two slashes, turning on his side as he threw in the air the blade he was playing with and the rival Type 0 whistled in the air between hand and flying sword in the same moment when the Black Lightning raised the other hand and punched Killer hard in the face. Killer released a howl of agony as again he spat blood, skidding backwards in the sand... but he kept one eye open even if blood slowly flooded into it and slashed again his blade.

The black tiger this time growled in surprise, the foe blade slamming into his falling one, sending it far away in the arena and drawing a swallow, long cut into his hand, stretched out to grasp the weapon. Riaku backstepped on instinct, snarling and looking at Killer with hate and rage, making a grimace of fury and... could that be incredulity. "Matter of time..." He said sharply, his voice cold as ice as he glared at him and draw out his own thick, heavy gladius from the sheath on the back of his combat belt.

The two charged each against the other and Riaku snarled as he slashed forwards in a vicious sink the remained, slender Type 0, charging a deadly blow with the gladius. Killer faced that with coldness, sabre cutting one of his twin swords outwards and meeting on his road the attacking metallic foe, deviating the blow at his side as he raised the other blade to protect himself from the fierce downwards slash that Riaku aimed at his shoulder and neck.

Wyvern parried the attack, grunting as his lighter, smaller sword shook furiously in his hand for the violence of the blow and his wrist ached terribly in the effort to stop the decided enemy... and then Riaku slammed a knee upwards in a dangerous attack towards his exposed hip. Killer answered immediately, forcing himself forwards in a charge and slamming fiercely his shoulder into the broad chest of the rival.

Both fell down in the sand, Killer on top, crushing Riaku under his powerful body as he howled in agony, the bone-spikes of the Black Lightning sinking into his hip and drawing deep wounds as blood spilled out... Riaku spat drool into the air with a chocking gasp as he was crushed, two both still wrestling their swords as the black male forced himself up, trying to escape from that dangerous situation.

He managed to gather his feet under Killer's body, and the latter's eyes flashed in understanding of the incoming danger as Wyvern jumped backwards on his feet just a moment before Riaku could hit. The black male propelled himself into the air with his powerful, muscled arms, kicking upwards with his feet joined as Wyvern easily backstepped, then ducked as the rival suddenly spread open his legs and tried to wrap them around his neck... and Killer threw immediately an hard fist upwards as the opponent flew over him.

Riaku, however, kicked downwards in answer still before be hit, slamming his hell into the arm of Killer and sending him heavily down into the sand, on his muscular abdomen. Wyvern grunted slightly, turning immediately back a bit to see the rival land on his feet and turn... and Killer grinned, rotating fast his wrist and throwing his sword towards the rival with all his strength.

Riaku snarled, ducking just in time as the deadly blade flew over him rotating fast on itself before sink halfway into the stone wall that delimited the arena. Killer grunted irritably at that, but jumped immediately on his feet, drawing out lightning fast his own huge gladius, with its blue-glinting blade, opposing it to a vicious sink of the already charging opponent.

Killer parried with a grunt, forcing back the rival and trying to slash the Type 0 towards the chest of Riaku to take him in counter time, but no matter what attack he tried, he was always encountered and repealed with ease or even anticipated. Riaku had always been incredibly fast with swords, sure... but never before so much. Besides, it was truly like if he was able to forecast every move he was gonna try.

Wyvern sidestepped another attack, avoiding the blades of Riaku and then turning rapidly towards him, slashing hard upwards the slender Type 0, aiming to the belly of the rival as his gladius come all the way down like an hammer towards the enemy blades. He had just enough time to see the ruby glare of dark amusement and rage together that Riaku reserved to him, and the black tiger used the flat of his own gladius to counter the rival one, stopping suddenly his charge as his feet sunk into the sand, Killer's Type 0 only brushing his powerful abs as he mirrored the move of Wyvern, slashing his own blade.

Killer had to retreat fast with a howl of surprise and pain as the enemy blade drew another swallow cut on his form, but not managing to overcome his rock hard abdominals... but lightning fast, the black male reached up and smashed a fist into his muzzle, sending him down again in the sand, rolling once on his side for the power of the blow.

He snarled in agony, stopping himself with his feet and looking up to see Riaku cackle and advance slowly, completely self confident and apparently amused of his superiority. Or pleased for the good work of something or someone. Killer rapidly climbed on his feet in a crouch, rising both swords in defense as he glared at the rival, panting. He is also much more resistant than me, now... he is still fresh as a rose. How can he do that...?

As Riaku come close, Killer jumped on his feet again and faced him with all his strength and skills, but again he didn't ever managed to overcome his defense, while the black tiger gained terrain, grinning wider and wider as he forced slowly Wyvern towards a wall.

I seen me fight many a time, sure... but I don't have a true technique he can have learned. I fight on instinct... Killer growled lowly in frustration as another attack was parried and he had to rapidly backstep to avoid a vicious sink of Riaku, who proceeded in the same time in trying to snap his Type 0 from his hand with a perfect froissment. Yeah, but you have a style. He could have earned to counter that. Killer snorted with himself as his mind told him that, amused and irritated together. It can't be... he missed nothing until now... it's something much more astute and fine. And I'd better find it rapidly.

"It isn't going well, huh...?" Seth asked quietly, showing no worries or fear as his eyes continued to follow the battle. They were all standing on the royal dais, watching down at the terrible duel as the Kesteven people trembled in fear and tension, staring agape at their legend and defender that, for the first time ever, was suffering and staggering backwards against a rival.

"No, shit!" Alexander exclaimed, staring with surprise up at his father and mother with worried eyes, not understanding how they could look so calm and confident. "Sure that it's not going well!" He exclaimed disbelieving, pointing at Killer, who was slowly being forced towards the wall of the arena, managing only to defend himself. Even Siegfried looked with grudging surprise up at his parents... but Seth and Isis only smiled back, self confident.

Kaya trembled as she nervously bit at hers lower lip, eyes fixed on the battle as her hands twisted violently and absently hers long, white coat. She twitched violently when a warm hand landed on hers shoulder and squeezed her gently. She turned violently towards the side, meeting the blue, icy eyes of Alexis, cold and focused on his husband in the arena... and then the blond, tall female said some simple, confident word as she toyed idly with the golden bullet at hers neck. "He'll win."

"How can you say that...? Riaku is kicking his ass!" Siegfried exploded, surprising everyone with that vehemence that wasn't his own... but Alexis simply closed her eyes and shook hers head slowly. "He'll win. He is too proud, stubborn and strong to lose against anything." As he opened his mouth to speak again, hers glacial eyes snapped open, literally freezing him on the spot until she slowly turned towards the battle.

"Riaku is improved a lot, but he can't still stand against Killer without cheat. He has some sort of... help. He can forecast every move of Killer and everything in his body is boosted. I don't know what it is, but that collar is suspicious to me. And see... we met a time a Drakkaren who has the capacity to see about three seconds into the future. But sure as hell Riaku have never had the gift of precognition. I'm sure there's something more... and when Killer will find what it is, he'll crush that fucker like a bug." She said evenly, following the duel with her eyes and trying to catch any hint or particular sign that could give her an answer... and her heart continued to burn with complete confidence in his lover and master.

"Don't misunderstand me, Alexis... we all are sure that he'll win." Alexander said gently. "I'm only saying that I don't like how he's letting Riaku do what he wants."

Killer finally hit the wall with his back, and immediately rolled on his side against it as Riaku charged forwards furiously, slamming his heavy gladius in a deadly sink and snarling in fury when the blade sunk almost all the way to the hilt into the stone. Wyvern tried to exploit that moment, but the black tiger easily slashed the Type 0 and kept him far away as he fiercely extracted his major blade from the wall, shattering a large section of it and advancing calmly towards his rival.

Killer stared at him again, trying to find what was wrong... and at the last he noticed once more the weird, silvered collar that the black tiger had on. It looked like a thick but otherwise normal jewel... but between all the geometric symbols and the fancy doodles chiseled on it - Farsi! That's a phrase in Farsi..."Luck helps the audacious" in Farsi... - he noticed a chiseled RA on the front. Possible that it is..."

He jumped backwards as Riaku slashed his swords at him, now walking slowly backwards towards the Wyvern... and he met the glance of Alexis as he looked up to the tier. She was toying with hers golden bullet... and she nodded.

"What's that collar, Riaku...? You chosen to become the obedient pet of someone...?" He asked teasingly, trying to provoke him as the lonely glance of complete confidence of Alexis instilled new strength into him. Riaku snarled, attacking once more... but this time rage badly guided him as he charged forwards wind-milling his swords furiously. Killer grinned, easily throwing his light Type 0 into the air, slashing his gladius hard in front of himself in a violent sabrecut that almost disarmed the rival and almost in the same time slamming a formidable fist on the muzzle of his son, sending him down into the sand, skidding backwards several feet into the sand.

Killer rapidly approached to finish him, but Riaku snarled and kicked a foot upwards in the sand, raising a cloud of dirt and sending sand into the eyes of Wyvern, who roared in rage, closing them instinctively and using the back of a hand to try and clean them... and the black tiger grasped his torso violently, nailing him against the wall and snarling as he tried to choke him with his deadly grip, limps and bones cracking slightly as Killer roared in pain and rage.

"Disloyal maggot...!" He snarled irritably, using his immense strength to try to free his powerful arms and open that Death's hold. Riaku only laughed, reaching up for his ear with his muzzle, grinning in victory. "I'm not the pet... this ugly thing means that I'm the commander. The commander, Killer, supreme! More than general, more than king or emperor... more than what you'll ever be. I'll soon guide this world in a new age of peace under my guide."

"How you can talk of peace when all what you did was only murder your friends and old comrades!" Killer shouted in fury. "A time, the Riaku I used to know fought for a supreme dream of peace, at least for his loved ones and his home. For what you fight, now? For power...? For hunger of blood...?" He continued with fury as his eyes glared down to Riaku, who watched up with surprise, betraying for a moment his doubts and the true dolor he had for all the soldiers died during the battle in Kesteven. Killer closed his eyes with a grimace of disgust... but it was a façade. He was instead truly relied in seeing that fleeting shadow of the old, good Riaku. At least, he's not truly died... somewhere, somehow, he is still who he was. "Commander of what, besides...? What means RA...?" Killer growled irritably, opening his eyes and looking at his rival with distaste.

"It would be cruel see you die with that question in your mind..." Riaku begun, with fake sweetness in his tone as he grinned wide, before release only a snarl and make narrower his mortal hold.

"Bastard!" Killer exclaimed with rage, contrasting his efforts with his own brutal strength in a duel of sheer power. Riaku laughed, reaching his ear again... "I'll reveal at least one of my little secrets to you, generous as I am... This necklace hides a high-tech computerized system installed into my neck that communicates directly with my brain thanks to electric signals entered directly into my nervous system through synaptic link."

Killer blinked a time, looking in amazement over his rival as Riaku chuckled with a wide grin. "So this crazy thing says to you the moves I'm gonna do even before I do them...?" He asked softly, cold in his rage and now much more secure of himself as his mind processed rapidly that news, remembering also how Riaku had been able to send orders to his forces without even talk... all suddenly turned clear.

"It does a lot of interesting things." Riaku answered amusedly. "We call it the Spirit... it supplies me with basilar things like hour, and GPS position directly in my brain if I want it to. It can even say me what's the temperature, humidity and all that, giving me complete forecasts, even. You know how much weather can distress military operations..."

Killer made a grimace at the soft, sloppy town that Riaku used. "I know." He answered coldly. "I'm the one who taught you the little you know."

Riaku ignored that last statement, continuing in his pleased description of the Spirit system. "It gives me the ability to communicate with all my forces with a satellite data link protected, so I can give orders or receive news and updates just thinking. It has in memory entire manuals of strategy and tactics and thousands or maybe millions of page of data and statistics about each weapon, radio, tank or warship in service in the world... and it exploits some DNA-made circuits to carry out an amazing volume of operations of any sort, so much that a system based on normal electronics would require an elaborator big as a tennis field. Analyzing millions of mathematic and statistics operation in just a fraction of time, it gives me the ability, for example, to calculate and manage the consume and supplying of ammo, fuel, food and goods of my army, me alone, in a matter of a second. Besides, its capability to analyze everything effectively gives me a forecast of what my opponents are going to do, sending the forecast directly into my brain, together with a scheme of possible counter moves, all in a space of time much inferior to the hundredth of second. It boosts and improves my body. It improves all my senses by far, it reduces my perception of pain and increases dramatically my stamina, it squeezes out more strength and efficiency from every muscle of my body and from every neuron of my brain and helps my body to gain the best effects from every move or training. It makes me perfect, Wyvern. And there's no way that you can run to defeat me this time."

"If you don't are careful, they'll turn you into the worthless slave of a machine! Possible that you don't understand that they use you only as a guinea pig and a warrior good only to risk his life?" Killer roared with fury and rage, shutting his eyes tight as he forced outwards with his arms with all his immense strength, muscles bulging like tires in the effort... but it was successful effort. Riaku's eyes bulged in terror and surprise as Killer come free from his thought invincible grip, pushing away his arms and then hitting with fury his chest with joined hands.

The blow was like a powerful strike of a heavy warhammer on his chest, and it made him spit blood as all the air leaved painfully his lugs and he staggered backwards a bit. His eyes bulged in pain and fear as the Spirit warned him on what was coming next... but this time the surprise and the pain slowed him down a bit too much as Killer come on him like a fury, fangs opened wide...

Riaku howled in pain as he managed to parry the double sink of Killer skidding backwards into the sand but didn't stop his muzzle from attack his neck. The terrible fangs of the huge white male pierced into the silver and the steel like into flesh, cracking the necklace and shattering completely the metallic jewel with a sick sound as he snarled and pulled away furiously.

The black tiger fell backwards, looking terrified up at his father as he spat away the remaining of the necklace with an expression of complete distaste. Riaku brought a hand up to his neck and then watched idly his fingers, only slightly reddened with his blood, before rub them and jump up again with an irritated snarl as the entire arena seemed to shock with the ear-piercing roar of triumph for Killer, even if the warrior in question hesitated for a moment, panting and using the back of a hand to clean a bit his muzzle and especially his eyes from the blood. Riaku had been lucky and was well aware of that ... if his father had missed his throat or avoided to kill him on purpose, he could only try to guess, pointing on the second possibility... But, sure as hell, he had paid for his distraction and excessive confidence.

"I don't know what you had in mind... but I've to warn you that the necklace wasn't the Spirit. It is much smaller, and deeply inserted into my neck. Attached to the vertebrae. You didn't caused me any damage." Riaku observed with a grin as he rapidly stood up again, slamming a sabre cut of his heavy gladius into Killer's one as the latter attacked.

"Cases of life." Wyvern observed coldly, in reality a bit disappointed as his mind kicked at him snarling how stupid he was sometimes. Try at least to be faster and less predictable. Riaku isn't invincible, nor infallible. "You know, I would have loved a computer like that when at school. I was such a moron in math..." Killer said ironically as the two again forced their swords together.

Riaku snarled in rage at that, stepping forwards and trying to stomp over Killer's foot, then trying to smash his knee upwards when he stepped back to avoid the attack. Wyvern sidestepped awkwardly, something that wasn't into his style... and indeed, Riaku missed him stupidly, kicking only air and looking at him in surprise for a fleeting blink, enough for Killer to use his free hand to grasp the wrist of the rival and twist it hard, making the bones inside crack sickly.

Riaku howled of pain, trying to free himself and maintain the grip on his Type 0 even if his hand was losing rapidly strength. In the same time, he turned on his heel and slashed hard the gladius at head level, but Killer ducked fast and thrown himself inelegantly to the side with a grunt as he landed on the wounded shoulder. Again, the apparently stupid move tricked the computer and Riaku didn't reacted fast enough, being pulled downwards violently with the rival and falling heavily face first into the sand as his kick of answer missed completely the target.

Killer then tried to force his legs in a scissor around the neck of Riaku, but the Black Lightning raised fast both swords and he had to instead push himself away with a jump and a flip into the air as the black tiger slashed both blades viciously into the air, cutting fortunately only into his black pants.

Killer landed elegantly on his feet, still nearer to the Wyvern deeply hammered into the sand and he sprinted towards that as Riaku charged towards him with a roar of fury. Killer jumped on the handle of the Toryu of his rival, driving it all the more down into the sand as he propelled himself towards his crimson blade... but the Black Lightning appeared in front of him, cutting his road as he raised both the Type 0 and the gladius, his eyes focused.

Killer kicked hard the blade of the Type 0 as he flew into the air, using a move that was in a good place only on a soccer's field, apparently again surprising the Spirit... the blade flew away, whistling in the air as Riaku snarled and slashed in a hard sabrecut upwards his gladius. Killer stomped hard on the flat of the blade, hammering it downwards against the force of his son, who grunted in pain and surprise... and finally Killer landed on the sand of the battlefield in a crouch, throwing his last Type 0 towards the rival like an oversized knife and skidding fast forwards for his momentum until he grasped the handle of the Wyvern and stopped his sliding, turning hard on the spot and drawing out the huge blade in the same move, raising a cloud of dust and sand.

Riaku had easily avoided the flying Type 0 and already reached his own blade, drawing out the Toryu and slamming it in a full arc down on the Wyvern as Killer used it as shield, the two swords rumbling like thunders in the clash. The Black lighting slashed his gladius under that, trying to hit Killer, but the warrior in question answered with his own blade on the course, and then reached out with a foot to tackle the rival.

Riaku avoided the blow with a low jump on the spot and kicked forwards, but found on his way again the large flat of the rival's gladius and all what he managed was to push Killer backwards a bit. The white tiger then forced upwards with all his power as he tensed his powerful legs, pushing against the Toryu and managing almost to overbalance Riaku, who escaped backstepping fast. Killer, anyhow, slashed outwards the long crimson blade of the Wyvern, forcing the rival to duck and lose a precious moment.

Wyvern exploited that to charge forwards with a snarl, letting himself fall at the last moment under a vicious sink of the Toryu, almost brushing the blade with his muscular form as he entered on the legs of the rival with a wicked, hard tackle. The black Lightning fell forwards over Killer, but he stretched out his gladius fast and Killer had to tilt his head out of the route of the blade.

It sunk into the sand, and Riaku used that as a lever to propel himself high into the air, flipping fully twice as Killer slashed the Wyvern towards him, but a moment too late. The black tiger, still in the air for his jump, half flipped again, slashing then his blades in a furious mill around himself before land on his feet. Wyvern and Toryu slammed again together, and Killer skidded backwards for the strength of that formidable clash... then grunted in surprise as his rival kicked the flat of the crimson blade with all his power.

Wyvern tried to stand, but Riaku was fast as a lightning and went all the way down, stretching out a leg and kicking outwards in a mill, hitting hard both legs of Killer and making him fall on his back with a grunt. He was then forced immediately to deviate a vicious sink aimed at his chest and parry a sabrecut that tried to hit his hip. Killer answered with the Wyvern, showing his prowess and the great confidence he had with his old friend of so much battles and he tried to stand up fast again, but Riaku charged at him with fury, trying to nail him down again with a hard blow of shoulder.

Killer grunted in agony as the spikes of Riaku pierced into his own shoulder, but the rival cried himself... and Wyvern was cold enough to rise in time his other elbow and slam it forwards with rage, adding his strength to the momentum of the charging black tiger. His deadly spikes missed the muzzle of Riaku for a puff, digging only light, bleeding wounds on his cheek, but the blow was strong enough to send the Black Lightning staggering backwards with a howl of pain as blood erupted from his shattered face.

Killer, despite his own pain, was cold and fast enough to slam upwards his joined feet, kicking Riaku hard in the chest and sending him flying into the air until he landed heavily against the wall of the battlefield. The white tiger, instead, flew into the air, flipping forwards once as he charged a formidable sabrecut with the Wyvern, using the gladius for defense...

Riaku parried with the Toryu, but the eyes of the Black Tiger widened as big chunks of his sword flew away glinting in the light... and Killer stomped on the flat of the blade, jumping again into the air and slashing hard downwards his crimson blade with a roar and all his power. The two blades clashed again, and the Toryu gave in, noisily shattering in two big pieces and in several small slivers of light... and then Killer landed agilely in front of Riaku, aiming the tip of his sword to the throat of the amazed rival.

"I think I won." Killer said amusedly as Riaku snarled in endless fury... but then he grinned, slashing hard his gladius against the Wyvern. Also this blade shattered in pieces against the larger, thicker and harder one, but the strength of the blow was so great that Killer swayed on the side with a grunt of surprise. It was enough for Riaku to jump up and run towards the royal dais.

Killer snarled in fury, surprise and fear as he sprinted behind his rival and watched him easily jump over the wall of the arena and into the tier, hitting savagely a soldier with his spiked knee and then throwing the wounded man down in the sand as he knocked down another one with a hard punch, shouldering inexorably his way towards the royal family as surprised and terrorized soldiers jumped towards him to try to take him down.

Killer jumped up himself with a grunt, grasping the parapet and propelling himself up with a fast turning kick, but Riaku was advancing too fast and he missed him... and as he landed on his feet on the tier, his eyes bulged in horror at the sight of the right hand of Riaku that reached behind his back and draw out a heavy black magnum from a large pocket of his white, bloodstained pants.

Wyvern ducked fast, continuing to run as Riaku turned slightly backwards, looking at him with a foolish grin and firing three rapid rounds... and then the black tiger overwhelmed three bulky predators that obstructed his road like toys, pushing them roughly away as he blasted another one with a single shot. Siegfried was the faster to react, but as he sprinted forwards, trying to draw out his own Type 91 and rising a fist to hit Riaku, the Black Lightning knocked him down with a terrible punch into the stomach that cracked easily even the armor of the prince, sending him down on the floor of marble, sliding backwards for several feet.

Killer sprinted after him, jumping to avoid the agonizing predator on the floor and looking in fear as Riaku grasped Alexis, twisted her arm behind her and rapidly turned behind hers back to use hers body as a shield, pushing the barrel of his magnum against hers temple as he backstepped until have his back against a thick column of marble.

"Take this!" Alexander shouted, and Killer turned fast in his direction to grasp in the air a silvered Type 91 that his brother launched, landing finally in front of Riaku, aiming the pistol towards him... but Alexis, against hers will, covered him. She looked up at Killer with an apologizing glance as she stood tall and with hers head raised in cold indifference to the pistol aimed at hers head, but snarling in rage with herself for hers failure.

Killer shook his head almost imperceptibly, but she understood, answering with hers eyes... and then asking silently instructions with a glance, maintaining hers coldness and professionalism. Riaku, as all the others around, didn't caught sign of what the two were saying between themselves rapidly, a communication that was based on their amazing feeling and over nothing else... something hard to notice or understand for the others.

The black tiger grinned, without expose himself as he pushed the pistol into the golden hair of the taller female, peering at Killer as he stood in front of them with his pistol aimed. "Sorry. I had promised myself that I would have been loyal... but I can't allow myself to lose, this time." Riaku said gently, in a truly apologetically tone. "Put down the pistol, Wyvern. Declare your surrender and give me Kesteven and Kendrew. I'll let you all live and go away safe and sound... you can begin again somewhere. But as things are now, I can't let you rule these kingdoms. You are an obstacle that I need to remove. Put down the pistol and surrender. No one else will suffer."

Alexis snarled, trying to free herself. "Maggot! Killer made a grimace, moving slowly the pistol and trying to find an exposed point to hit... he knew that Alexis would already have blasted several bullets into Riaku without ever scratch the hostage... but he wasn't sure of can it such fleeting, reduced targets. "I can't betray what I believe in and the people who believe in me, Riaku."

The black tiger snorted, pushing roughly the pistol against the female's head with a snarl. "Then shoot! I'll kill her, Killer!"

The white tiger hesitated, but the icy blue eyes of Alexis pierced into his own with instructions and such conviction that it was a true order... and she silently and carefully slid a booted foot behind the leg of Riaku, preparing himself

"Do you have the courage to shoot her when she looks into your eyes? Do you have it?" Riaku shouted in fury and threat, rocking her violently as he pressed the mouth of the magnum against her head.

"Yes." Killer said coldly as Alexis slammed the steely spikes of hers combat boot into the leg of Riaku, hurting deep into his flesh as blood erupted from it and she roughly kicked outwards, ducking on the other side fast as a lighting, struggling against the male's grip as he howled in pain and fired a bullet that flew into the air, out of target, his body suddenly mostly uncovered... and Killer fired two shots in rapid succession.

The Type 91 barked two times, spitting out two smoking bullet cases that jingled on the ground after what seemed an eternity to Killer as he watched Alexis free herself and the hand and the shoulder of Riaku explode with blood. The black male was nailed against the column as the huge round pierced across his muscular shoulder and sunk into the marble behind, while two fingers of his right hand vanished and his pistol fell into pieces. He slumped slowly down to the floor with an expression of agony and disbelief, leaving a long strain of dark blood on the marble.

The Assaulters immediately jumped up, but predators hidden in the crowd suddenly stood up and aimed assault rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers against them as Alexis gave a fast gesture. "No one dares to try another trick, or we blast you all!" She roared in rage and cold command as her snipers come into view with their rifles aimed. The Assaulters threw immediately away their weapons, rising their hands to the sky in surrender.

"Now you, coward... disloyal... maggot!" She snarled as she turned back to Riaku, kicking him hard in the gut and making him slid fast on the floor of marble until he smashed into the parapet. He winced in agony, shutting his eyes, and she was already over him, closing his torso between her strong legs and grasping his neck, rocking him hard and slamming his head against the wall as she apparently tried to come up with a worth punition, probably trying to choose if tear his balls off or simply tore his throat.

Killer let her have a bit of revenge as he slowly walked towards them, followed nearby by some predators with rifles aimed on the rival and his family. "Alexis..." He called gently, and immediately the dangerous female let Riaku go, standing up and giving room to hers loved husband, even if not before give Riaku another vicious kick and look up at Killer with a slightly grudging look, something like... 'You could give me some more minutes.'

The black male forced himself up a bit, almost sitting against the wall as he panted and winced... and then looked up in resignation as Killer placed the crimson blade of the Wyvern in front of his throat and used the tip to gently push his head up from under the chin.

"Just do it." Riaku said simply as he offered his throat with a still proud glance, head raised defiantly. But Killer didn't move, continuing instead to look down at him with his icy sapphire eyes. Riaku sustained that glance, waiting for the mortal blow as the cold blade waited emotionlessly under his chin... "I've lost. Just do it."

"I'm not going to kill you today." Killer said as he retracted his huge sword and Riaku looked up in surprise. "Understand only this: I'm not saving the son, not saving the rival, not saving the friend or the comrade. You lost all of those titles, all mine admiration with your betrayal of your old friends... maybe I'm paying my personal debt of guilt for what happened and for the pain I caused to you and Diana, I don't know... but mostly, I'm saving the good person you were. The good, compassionate and generous soul I used to know and that I think is still living in you. I still think you are better than me... but that as happened to me years ago, you lost the right path. I believe you really have the wish and the will to build a better world... and I don't want to cut this hope."

Killer shouldered the sword and bent a bit, stretching out a hand to Riaku... and the black tiger blinked in renewed surprise, maybe even suspect... but he closed his eyes and grasped the offered hand, which helped him on his feet. And in that moment, both the warriors seemed to suddenly regain the hearing, finding themselves crushed by the collective roar of the crowd that applauded the victory of Wyvern, the end of the battle of Kesteven.

Wyvern looked all around in gratitude, rising a tired hand to answer at the rejoicing crowd as Riaku stood silently at his side, grasping his wounded shoulder and looking lost and confused. "Follow me, son." Killer said gently in his ear... and Riaku for the first time nodded with a smile, touched by that sincere use of that word he had long dreamed to hear when young and fatherless. "There's something you need to see."

Killer watched at Alexis, again talking with her without words... and she nodded with a smile, turning towards the rest of the family to explain as the two kings leaved the arena walking side to side. The white tiger guided Riaku along the corridors of the royal palace, along all the rooms crowded of bed, stretchers or with wounded and corpses that lay simply on the cold floor. Riaku watched all around himself at that, his features suffering in the sudden, complete awareness of what he had truly caused... and his pain only augmented all the time he saw old friends and comrades, his internal agony increasing as everyone looked at him like at a traitor, a murderer... a tyrant. A monster.

Wyvern finally reached the room he wanted, entering the door as Riaku slowly followed, looking around himself in horror and feeling himself die slowly with every pace along the palace. Killer entered first, looking with a smile towards a grudging patient that lay in the first bed on his left.

The muscular, athletic male sat in the bed was tapping nervously his fingers on the blanket, looking obstinately at the wall in irritation, and he didn't saw immediately Killer. "I say I want to see what's going on in the arena, Christ! I can walk, it's the arm that doesn't work!" He shouted irritably, generically towards the nurses along the improvised ward, waving the bandaged part that remained after the amputation of his right arm.

"There's nothing to see in the arena, by now." Killer said gently, and Ken suddenly turned with an expression of deep surprise, smiling himself as his eyes met the imposing, muscular form of the king. Then the sniper frowned a bit as he looked over the body of the friend, on the cuts and the wounds... "Christ, you look like... shit!" He said amusedly, pulling Killer's leg.

"I know. I so need a bath, too... but you aren't that better, you know..." The king answered amusedly as he stepped forwards and stood near the bed. Ken smiled, nodding a bit as he leaned back a bit more comfortably. "You won, at least." He said ironically, and Killer grinned. "You doubted that...?"

Riaku finally stepped into the room, stopping as he stared agape at the sight... Ken had always been the best friend of Riaku at the old times when they were the deadlier group of soldiers and the better friends of ever... and the black male shut his eyes for a moment, fighting back bitter tears of guilt and pain.

"Ken... sorry. I didn't want this... I didn't ever think it could happen..." Riaku started with broken voice, trembling and closing his hands in tight fists as his own claws dug into his flesh and blood dripped slowly down on the floor... and Ken turned towards him, looking at the black tiger with an expression of disbelief that rapidly turned into one of fury and utter hate.

"You!" Ken shouted in fury, turning towards the small bedside table as his remained hand tried to grasp the old, loved Enfield sniper rifle... but his fingers twitched back with a visible, tangible internal sharp pain at the sight of the barrel bent and the scope shattered... before he snarled again and grasped the Type 91 that lay nearby. "I'll kill you, bastard!"

Riaku staggered backwards in terror and horror until he hit another bed with his back, where another wounded looked up at him in distaste, trying to move backwards, far from him. "Ken... calm, I'm me, I'm Riaku... your... your old friend." He babbled as tears of regret and internal agony rolled slowly down his muzzle. Ken snarled in fury, trying to aim the heavy pistol as he too was shook by tremors of both sufferance and weakness. "You aren't Riaku! Riaku died... died long ago. You are a monster that lives in him and stains his name!" The wounded shouted with broken, pained voice as tears fought to gain his eyes, too. "Riaku was my friend... he was like a brother for me. But you... you instead... you are just a foe, a traitor that almost killed me, his friends and destroyed his homeland. And I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!"

"Stop that now, Ken." Killer said gently but decidedly as he stepped in front of the trembling black tiger, nurses and wounded looking to the scene in fear. "I saved him. I believe he can still return who he was... I can't let you kill him."

"Is that so, huh...?" Ken said grudgingly. "If so you want. I just hope you know what you are doing, Killer." The wounded sniper placed down the pistol and sighed, draining his eyes with his hand... and Wyvern gently pushed Riaku towards the door as he gave a gentle glance to Ken and followed the black tiger out. "Thank you, Ken... I'll be here again soon."

Killer closed slowly the wooden door and turned towards Riaku, who was leaning against the wall, crying silently as he hold a hand on his eyes, shaking slightly. "What about William, then...?" He asked with broken voice.

"He died... covering me from a burst of a minigun of one of your helicopters, when I got hurt to the shoulder. We lost him." Killer said sadly, standing near to his son. "We'll soon bury all the victims in the cemetery down in town... they are already digging the graves... and there are a lot of them."

Riaku cried new tears, shaking hard as he covered his eyes, realizing finally the size of the disaster he had caused following a crazed, distorted dream. "It's my entire fault... I'm a monster, Killer, a monster! I don't deserve the mercy you shown me... it's my entire fault."

"I said I still believe in you, son... I know you can remedy." Killer said gently, almost reaching out to at least pat his son and rival, almost upset in seeing him reduced so... but in the same time, also satisfied because he was paying for what he had done... and learning the lesson. But Riaku shook simply his head, sobbing at lost heart. "Impossible... I can't remedy to this. There's no way to. And they'll hate me forever. Everyone will hate me forever... and I can't neither say they don't are right in doing it. I betrayed my friends, my homeland... my family." He paused a bit, trembling hard as he punched the wall. "I hate myself... I betrayed even my mom. I... didn't understand what I was doing... how wrong I was..."

"You betrayed yourself, most of all." Killer observed gently. "I'm not saying it will be easy... but you can return the wonderful person that you were and with time, they'll accept you again. Nothing could erase these weeks of destruction, sure... but you can still change, and gain again their friendship." He paused, sighing. "You know, I'm not good myself... nor I'm good in comfort people. But this time I'm sure that mom doesn't wants to see you like this. This is useless pain added to all the havoc of these weeks... she wants to see you change, live up to your old ideals, to see you return the wonderful person you were... and... and I want it, too. I want to have again with me the old, good Riaku... and be again proud of my son, who build himself up alone and remained good inside and helpful towards everyone."

Riaku sobbed silently for some more, long minutes... but as he slowly calmed himself a bit, he surely thought rapidly to a lot of things... Killer could almost see, image the painful twist of thoughts into his mind as he looked at him softly. "You are right." He started with decision, at the last, even if still shaken. "I'll give you all the help I can to rebuild Kesteven... and I'll do all what I can to give Ken a... a robotic arm that will give him once more the life he had... and make of him again the terrible sniper we knew." Riaku said immediately, with sad, broken voice as he watched up to Killer.

"It's a beginning." Wyvern said gently. "The road will be long and hard... but you can walk it." He stopped placing a hand on the strong shoulder of the black male and squeezing it gently, smiling a bit. "I know it's late... and that apologize will not work anything for all what I did... but... I'd like to help you as I can and... and be the father that I wasn't at the right moment. I apologize for all what I did to you and mom, son. Apologize for not say you how much I admired that young boy that worked silently to become better and stronger for his mother... and that despite all, was always so gentle and helpful with everyone. I've been a terrible father and a lacking lover... but I truly want to remedy, if you give me the chance to."

"I'll need a guide along the road... and I couldn't ask for a better one." Riaku said softly as he smiled a bit, draining his eyes and trying to regain a bit of control to face once more the arena and his soldiers. Killer himself smiled wide, relieved... and he guided his son towards the arena again, thinking that yes, it would have been hard. But it was a good beginning... and the old Riaku was returning to the light.

They finally reached the arena and Killer walked to the royal dais, embracing immediately Alexis as the rest of the family surrounded him... and Riaku walked down into the battlefield, looking up at that scene with a slight smile. Killer had asked him to meet the family on the dais and explain himself... but he wasn't ready to stand in front of them with the huge weight of his sins on his shoulders. He had first to pay...

"Majesty, Wyvern is wounded and weak. Their defenses here are weak... we can still take the castle and win the battle!" Intervened the commander of the Assaulters as they reached their king... but Riaku shook slowly his head. "We retreat."

"But, your highness, we can..." The officer trembled as Riaku grasped his neck and shook him a bit, looking cold. "I've said, we retreat. Retreat now, everyone!" The black tiger ordered, and this time every soldier bowed and leaved fast, walking rapidly towards the exit of the arena and of the castle. Riaku, instead, hesitated a long moment, looking towards the royal dais with a smile. He had lost the war, lost himself, lost the path... but he had at the last gained a father.

"You are strong, dad. Good luck." He whispered before leave... and Killer, watching him walk away from the dais, smiled a bit.

"Good luck, son."

Alexis embraced him tight from behind, rocking him slowly as she reached up to kiss his cheek gently... and he turned towards her with a wide smile, kissing her warmly in answer.

"I think I can't maintain the promise, Killer..." She said with soft voice, hesitating as she caressed his body with sweetness, looking up at him with a strange expression on hers wonderful features. He frowned, fear invading him as he leaned down towards her... "What happens, darling...?" He asked with apprehension, almost trembling as he watched her to search wounds... and inside himself thinking that she was simply tired of him. "Don't keep me waiting, love... I'm dying here. What's wrong...?"

She smiled, grasping his hand and gently placing it on hers muscular, toned belly as she pulled him close with the other hand, kissing him... "I'm pregnant... daddy." She said softly, with low, sweet and hesitant voice. Killer staggered a bit, his smile spreading wider and wider as he watched down at her in growing, unbelievable joy and relief... until he bent slightly, grasped her gently and lifted her in his strong arms, turning on the spot as he laughed of true bliss and she threw her arms around his neck, laughing herself as she pressed eagerly hers wonderful body against his powerful, chiseled muscles and grind hers bosom slightly over his strong pecs.

They kissed again, hungrily and with boiling passion, working their maws together as Alexander shouted the news from the dais to the entire arena, which roared in cheerful joy so strong to shake all the walls. And when finally the two licked their muzzles to end their kiss, he reached down for her ears and whispered gentle words.

"It's wonderful, darling... why you said that like that...? I was truly dying of fear!" She laughed softly at that, kissing his cheek before answer. "I was scared to say that we have to wait again for all the fun we dreamed... for you is all good. You can have your other females and neither feel the difference. But I'll have to wait for you for almost three months, still." She paused, rolling her eyes to the sky. "I'm gonna die for it..." She said as she reached innocently down with a hand for the enormous bulge in his pants.

"Shhh. Don't you dare to talk like that. And I'll feel the difference, too. No one is like you... but it can wait, it can wait... it's beautiful so as it is. I'll wait and let you stay calm and relaxed." He whispered gently, smiling as he nuzzled her slowly and sweetly.

"Well, well... don't you reduce me already to a full womb, lover. I still have two hands, a mouth and a bosom that I thought you liked...!" She exclaimed playfully, smiling wide up at him as she ground her tits again his bemuscled chest, teasing him. He looked at her for a moment, smiling wide as he opened his mouth to talk but then he frowned a bit as an awareness struck him suddenly.

"Wait. We don't have sex from when we leaved Kendrew... you knew you were pregnant!" He exclaimed, looking down at her with reprimand. For have hidden that wonderful news to him all that time... but especially because doing so, she had exposed herself to terrible risks. She looked up at him with an apologetically smile, caressing him and teasing him in the same time as she tried to use hers beauty and hers seduction to exit from that situation. "I knew..."

"And you said nothing about until now! I would have never allowed you to fight if I would have known this in advance!" He exclaimed, but didn't really managing to make it sound like a reprimand. He was too happy to do it...

"In fact." She rolled hers eyes with a grin. "You would have leaved me at home in a bed, and come up here, alone, and get all the fun for yourself. No, thanks... And then, I couldn't leave you alone... nor remain without you for so long."

"Reckless..." He said amusedly before he kissed her again.

"There's another note, too... that one was apparently a strike day, for you. Serene is pregnant, too." She said amusedly, ruffling his mane. "And no wonder, with how you filled up that tight, small pink pussy."

"Oh, Jesus..." He laughed, rolling his eyes upwards. "Mine was an exemplar reign until that day... now press will banquet with this news... 'King breeds queen and minister!' All the details inside!" He exclaimed playfully as he looked in hers eyes with burning love. "Serene had to give me her pussy right in hers fertile period, blessed slut...?"

She laughed sincerely as one of her hands slipped into his pants after have stealthily opened his zip and he released an amused, surprised murr as he felt suddenly her skilled hand tease on his flaccid but already massive malehood. "Silly stud... you truly don't understand that the real question is how the hell she resisted the desire until then...?"

He laughed softly, shaking his head a bit as he bit playfully at hers neck. "Let's just hope that our son's a male." He whispered gently. In the same time, she said the opposite. "Let's just hope is a female." And the two paused in surprise for a moment, turning to watch themselves amusedly before laugh of true heart.

"Not that it matters... we'll have a lot of sons. Oh, baby, I want so many babes from you!" He said softly, kissing and biting playfully at hers neck. She smiled, ruffling his mane with a slight smile. "You do it simple... you get only the funny part, and you don't have to stay months without sex." He laughed a bit as she smiled sweetly down at the male... "But I'll be happy to have all the sons you want, with you."

Talon watched around himself, out of the cockpit. The day was wonderful, the sky mostly clean as the few, white clouds floated under them, confusing themselves with the white countryside fifteen kilometers under them. The sun was strong and hot across the armored glass, but he could even watch it directly without suffer thanks to the visor of his helmet... and sincerely, he did that soon, because the first rule of the war in the sky is that the enemy will always try to exploit the sun to not be visible. Days like that were the moments when Talon was used to feel his love for the sky burn stronger in his chest... but he was tired and sad. Too many friends lost, too many missions flew into the constant risk of die. And again they were flying... and the only consolation was that they were helping their comrades and friends of the army, down on the plain. That, and the fact that they were at the last attacking and not defending.

All the four Typhoons remained where flying in that formation, a tactical Spread, with the planes about at 9000 feet of distance one from the other; the two leaders flying side by side in the middle and the two seconds following, disposed about 30 degrees outwards and behind, ready to intervene rapidly in case of need... and protecting the tail of the leaders as all their four radars scanned continuously a large section of sky all in front of them.

"Here red one. Contact, radar, 216 kilometers, hours 3." Come the voice of the second leader into the ears of Talon. Here we are. "Here blue one, affirmative. Declare." He answered mechanically as Maverick turned immediately their radar's beam in the direction signaled. Talon was asking a secure identification before shoot.

"Bandits, repeat, bandits. Multiple tracks on 13000, hours three, 200 kilometers." Maverick exclaimed as their Indentify Friend or Foe turned the icons on the screen from green of neutral/unknown to the red of enemy. Talon immediately lead the formation in a slight turn to face the enemy as Maverick's fingers flew over the console, loading their six Meteor missiles, which begun to search their personal target between the tens that the radar of the fighter was catching. Rapidly, six icons turned orange over the large touch screen of Maverick, who confirmed the autonomous selection made by the system with his fingers as the Cooperative Engagement System ensure that each missile of each plane had a different target. No useless wastes.

"Here blue one to wing. Gate. Kill." Was the simple order of Talon... Gate was the code order for 'maximum speed' and kill was the simplest code-order of the air forces... and it meant precisely to hit the targets as soon as possible. The Typhoons roared in the sky, running towards the enemy Su30 MK, and when the distance drop under the hundred of kilometers, the Weapon System Officers like Maverick fired the Meteors and then stared at their touch screen, following their flight.

"Fox three! BVR missiles ended!" Talon get that communication three times, adding his one finally, warning everyone that he had fired his Active Radar Guided Behind Visual Range missiles... and that had finished them. Then the frequencies were suddenly crowded with cheerful shouts of "Splash!" The code for target destroyed... and Talon grinned at that stupid code as another, wicked grin come to his lips as he verified once more the mortal precision and speed of the Meteor. If he was still alive and 32 little black stars in sign of victories were on his rudder, he had to thank mostly them.

But he had little time to think, because soon the new messages were alarms. "Spike! Spike!" Meaning that the enemy had targeted them with his own radars... and then they danced a mortal dance into the sky to avoid the missiles of the enemy, until Red Two shouted into the radio. "Tally! Threat at hours 2, 16000!"

Talon looked immediately up as he guided his fighter towards the position, seeing rapidly himself the Su30 climb into the sky to gain the advantage of the height and put the sun behind their back, vanishing from the sight... the four delta fighters climbed immediately, all the pilots arming the short-range infra-red guided missiles for the fight as the formation broken into two, independent pairs. Blue and Red, turning in opposite directions to encircle the more numerous enemy.

Talon looked up to see into the small mirror in the cockpit that his second was following him, covering his tail, and he watched around, searching a target to hit as the planes roared confusedly into what the pilots call a Furball.

He saw soon an isolated Su30 fly high over the battle, surely searching a target itself as it rolled continuously from side to side and he pointed to that, but had to change his intentions as a Typhoon roared nearby, trying to clean its tail from three enemies. He pushed forwards the stick, looking his glance over the plane in the middle as the automatic aiming system in his visor begun to beep and follow the Su30.

Fast, but seeming never enough, the small circle turned red and a siren growled lowly into the headphones of Talon as an Asraam short-range missile locked the enemy plane. Talon didn't used the vocal commands this time, his finger pressing on the launch button immediately as he gritted his fangs... and a moment after, their Typhoon flew into a cloud of black smoke and fragments as a wreck on flame fell towards the ground.

Talon watched around himself, trying to find the remaining two enemies, but he saw soon with a smile the other Typhoon climb and turn back towards the battle as other two balls of fire rolled towards the ground, still connected to thin white tapes of white smoke. The other's Typhoon pilot had exploited the visor to look back and lock both planes, launching then the Asraams to kill them. Talon smiled a bit at that... by now, they knew all the tricks of their formidable planes, every trick of the air warfare... they had cried and suffered, they were tired and sad, but they were also true aces of the air force.

Talon and Maverick turned back themselves as on the radio come the thanks of the other pilot, everyone already searching a new rival... and it wasn't hard. The big, imposing silhouettes of the dark-green painted Su30 were dancing all around them, trying themselves to reach a good position of fire. The Typhoons had the advantage of the computer-visors and the Asraams, which could be launched in every direction all around the plane... the enemy was more numerous, but had a field of fire reduced to the only 180 frontal degrees. If the Typhoons were deadly in the Behind Visual Range fight, they were formidable dogfighters, too.

Soon enough, Talon had three more victories... but only two missiles and a few tens of rounds for the gun still to go, and already one of his men had shouted with terror the code Winchester on the radio. It meant "no more missiles. Only gun available." Talon knew that they were also running shorter and shorter on fuel, too... but every attempt to disengage was failing. The enemy was stubborn and fierce like a predator that smells blood into the air... and more and more Su30 were climbing towards the furball from the air bases in the plan below.

"We should really try to leave, Talon!" Maverick exclaimed, truly unnerved this time... but no matter what Talon tried, enemies engaged him from every forcing him into the battle again. "I know, I know...! Everyone! Try to disengage!"

But then he saw it... flying high over them all, the Su30 with the dragon drawn on the tail... the plane which he had dueled with, but didn't managed to destroy when his ammo were ended, in the first day of that long battle... The one who had loyally and chivalrously saved them. He couldn't resist the wish and the hunger to challenge that skilled pilot again... and so he pushed once more the Typhoon at all power and used the vectorial thrust to bring the fighter fast upwards, immediately climbing vertically to attack.

The visor was beginning to beep with the locking of the target when the Su30 suddenly speeded up, turning violently to the side and beginning to climb as it rolled on its wings right, exiting for a moment from the sight of Talon that, surprised, wasn't fast enough to lock it in time. The young ace guided his fighter in the shadowing, speeding up himself as Maverick muttered about fuel and about how they should concentrate themselves in attempts to return to base... but Talon was by now to enthralled by the duel and too thrilled to leave.

Both the planes climbed almost vertically towards the highest sky, following each the other in a rolling scissor, each trying to cut the road of the other during the turns, reaching a good position of fire... and Talon grinned, knowing all too well that the Typhoon was in advantage in that. In fact, it was littler, agiler... and when he used the vectorial thrust, he almost cut a turn into a right angle, attacking the enemy from the side and firing point blank a missile Asraam.

But his grin died when the Su30, expecting that move, turned on its belly, firing a full wave of chaff and flares as it dived violently downwards, the missile roaring over it and then turning, trying to follow the plane... but not managing a so violent, sudden maneuver. Talon turned away, thanking the designers for his visor protected against every form of dazzling, because the flares were luminous as flashes... and would surely had blinded him for a good few moments, otherwise.

He pushed violently the stick to the side as Maverick fired himself a good wave of chaff and flares and watched around to search the target as Talon did the same... and then they had to dive suddenly themselves as two short-range enemy missiles roared over them. The Su30 itself flew over them at maximum speed, something where it was superior even to the delta fighter which roared in the shadowing.

Talon managed to aim the last missile as the two fighters climbed once more and fired it, but the Su30's pilot was skilled and brought himself out of range with a turn so violent, sudden and fast that forced the plane into stall. Talon grinned, pushing forwards the stick to try and close the distance to the falling rival as he armed the gun once more... but he doesn't arrived in time. The rival astutely didn't contrasted the stall, leaving the plane free to fall and irritably sway three times towards left and three towards right before gain again enough speed to stay controllable into the air...

Talon turned hard himself towards the target, snarling as he fired a short burst despite the distance and the opponent easily avoided being caught, as the luminous drawing rounds vanished into the endless sky. The Su30 again surprised them, carrying out an impressive turn that challenged even the vectorial ones of the Typhoon and firing a short burst itself, forcing Talon to dive a bit and turn left to follow the rival again into the furball.

The two fighters dueled once more in the middle of the crowded, narrow angle of sky, following themselves between turns, dives and climbs, but both the crews showed to be skilled, expert and united... and no one of the two managed to take down the other into the battle, even if both ran short on fuel and ammo.

"Joker! Joker!" Talon twitched at those shouts, for the first time full of true fear... joker. Still worst of bingo, who already means "fuel enough only to return to base." The pilots of his wing had overcome that level... and as he watched down to the panel, he had to snarl and shout the alarm himself. They had to leave immediately or they would have never reached the base... and maybe neither a friendly zone... but again, the enemy surrounded and engaged them.

"Here Fenrir "Shadow" Wales to Kesteven's pilots. We know you are short on ammo and shorter on fuel. We'll not let you reach home." Talon snarled at that statement, but noticed also how gentle and soft was the tone of manly, deep voice that was talking on the radio on the free frequency. "You all proved to be valorous and loyal aces... and I don't want to take you down when you can't defend yourselves. Please, don't force me to kill you... you have no possibilities of escape. Surrender and follow us... we'll escort you all in ours base."

Talon snarled, punching the console in rage as he shut his eyes tight and then tried a hard turn to escape the surrounding, but immediately two Su30 loaded of missiles and decidedly threatening cut their road. The sirens of the Missile Warning system screamed at full voice into the cockpits of all the Typhoons as the enemy locked them and prepared at least two missiles for each of them.

"Please, don't force me to kill you." Shadow repeated gently... and Talon gritted his fangs, looking around at his other Typhoons as they flew in a tight circle, surrounded by foes.

"We did what we could, Talon... we have to accept, now. Died, we aren't useful in any case." Maverick said gently from behind... and Talon couldn't do anything else but accept.

"Here Richard "Talon" Huxley to wing... it's been an honor to me fight with you all. Our battle is done, now. Assume a box formation and fly to the enemy base. Fenrir, we surrender." He said evenly, his voice proud and strong. "I'll only add... Angel." He added finally, after a pause. It was a coded order to his pilots to prepare themselves to destroy the planes when on the ground. He could accept the surrender to save the lives of his men, but no one of them wanted to give his wonderful fighter to the enemy, together with all the precious state-of-the-art technology into it.

And apart from the roger and the encouragements which come from the mates of the wing on the radio, Talon smiled a bit when Shadow added his own. "You all did wonderfully. You couldn't do any more."

The four Typhoons formed a tight, square box, proceeding in two pairs of fighters in queue placed side by side as the Su30 MK formed a three larger formations, two on each side of them and one supervising from higher height, with radar-guided missiles already locked on the delta fighters for every possibility... and the dragon-painted fighter reached the head of this majestic parade and guided them all towards the plains, talking on the radio with the units of the air defense of Mottram and explaining the situation.

The base was really near, down into the snow covered plain... and Talon had just the time to extract from the console the small, pen-sized remote command of the self-destroying explosive charge of the plane and hide it just into his sleeve, where he could click the button in a blink. Maverick did the same... but they sincerely hoped to not have to press the button. Their Typhoon had become a friend during the long battle... its strong wings had brought them in the sky and then back home every time, even when so badly damaged, the first night of the war...

The prisoners landed first on the long, improvised runway of concrete in the countryside, and immediately soldiers ran towards them and threatened them with rocket launchers to guide them towards the spots a side, freeing room to the Su30 to land... and soon, the warriors of the sky of Kesteven descended from their flying horses, always under the aim of the rifles as they were guided away from the planes with care, hands well raised in the air over their heads... and Talon knew that he could now detonate his plane in security for his life... but he waited more, in hope, as all the others. And in the same moment, he realized how the battle was near, now.

He watched around as the gloomy sounds of the ground battle surrounded them, and he smiled as he saw at no more than a few kilometers of distance the massive Crusaders Kesteven's tanks advance, surrounded of rapidly moving red berets of the parachutists. And now that he watched, Kesteven's artillery was firing truly near to the base itself... and a lot of craters and havoc and wrecks all around the runway told him that their guns had had a bit of a revenge over the enemy air force. Now the fire seemed concentrated into direct support of the advancing of the armored division and the parachutists... and Talon hoped that it would have remained so. Being killed by your own artillery isn't good.

"Down that rifles, assholes!" Shouted irritably the same voice that he had heard on the radio... and Talon turned to see Fenrir "Shadow" jump down from his Su30... the dragon-painted one. He was even a bit too bulky to be a pilot of the air force... a tall, big, muscular tiger with a very dark fur, black in most places, and only slight lighter on the chest, for what he could see. He was very similar to Riaku... and had the same ruby eyes. Astute and nice... and not corrupted with the crazed glinting of cruel folly de grandeur that Riaku had had in the last times. His presence was rather impressive, because he truly was noticeably bigger than all the other pilots around him... and it was still truer when he was compared with Talon and mates, who had lost a lot of weight and muscular tone with their massacring, continuous fight and fly over the edge. Fenrir had obviously eaten and slept much more... and in that moment was likely able to kick the asses of all the pilots of the Typhoons along the entire runway without too much of a problem if he wanted to. Slightly behind followed who had to be his Weapon System Officer, a much smaller, athletic male with long orange, black striped fur and luminous brown eyes.

The soldiers looked grudgingly to the pilot, but as he snarled a bit, they backed off and shouldered their weapons under his glance. "You can go away." Shadow said simply, gesturing to the soldiers to leave... and then he turned towards the pilots of the Typhoons with a smile. "Down those hands, down...! Valorous like didn't deserve to do that. I'm Fenrir, the commander of the Mottram Air Force... but you surely understood that, by now. It has been an honor for me fight against you all... but I'd like to know who flies on the Typhoon with the ranging white tigers on the fuselage, which I dueled with..." He said gently as he pointed to the Typhoon in question.

"That's me, Shadow. Richard "Talon" Huxley... and my WSO, David "Maverick"." Talon said loud, smiling himself. The other two pilots reached them, and they exchanged a warm, friendly handshake.

"My WSO, Harry "Eagle"." Shadow completed as he pushed forwards gently his comrade, who was apparently a quite shy guy when on the ground. Maverick and Talon gladly greeted him, too, as Shadow took a moment to look at the Typhoons with a smile.

"You are a formidable crew... I'm truly impressed of all what you did in this war... and you fight in wonderful way. Our little duels leaved me deeply impressed." Fenrir said gently, nodding a bit as he smiled softly down at the slightly shorter Talon... and the he watched up again to the delta fighters. "And you surely have a wonderful plane to fly with. I'd like to have a spin on it."

Talon smiled back, tilting his head a bit to the side... "You too are impressive... and I wouldn't say no to a flight on a Sukhoi, sometimes. Pity that we are enemies."

"Under a certain view, yes. But at least, it gave us the chance to duel." Shadow answered with a slight, respectful and kind smile. "But we'll not be enemies forever. Valorous people like us should be remained united and friend... and duel friendly, without put lives on plate of the scales."

"Who knows... maybe a day we'll fight together, instead of duel between ourselves." Talon answered gently, smiling himself. Then he watched at his men for a moment, and sighed. "They are all very tired... we don't sleep well or have some proper rest from weeks. Where we'll be kept...? I would like to see them sat comfortably in a warm room, at least."

Shadow laughed. "Of course... but you can set yourself as you want. War's end... the message arrived when I landed. We are retreating fast... and your parachutists will be here really soon. The orders of my father Riaku are to release all the prisoners, so... you are all free." He exclaimed loud to be heard by every pilot of the Typhoons... and after his message, they all cheerfully exploded. Talon shook the hand of his rival once more, thanking him for his generosity and giving him sincere wishes of good luck...

And later on, after that Shadow had chivalrously given his respects to all the Typhoon's pilots and drank a glass of beer together with them in memory of the victims of both the air forces, he guided his refueled fighters again in the sky as Talon watched from the ground. Kesteven was free... and something in Mottram and in Riaku had changed. The rivalry of the fathers had infected the sons... but in that sunset over the mountains, as peace and silence finally fall again on Kesteven after five weeks of hell, Talon could watch his rival leave and think sincerely that yes, they were rivals and each wanted to overcome the other... but they were also friends. Again. Something had been repaired.