Chapter 27 - Freedom, at last

A tentacle shoots out of nowhere at Akio, who narrowly dodges it, as more appear, with each increasing the difficulty for the general, who does not appear to get tired. Gawain says that whatever Akio does, it'll be of no use, for his Last Stand has destroyed the nearby planets and absorbed them onto the wizard, giving him the strength to stand above the gods.

Akio reaches his breaking point, as he allows himself to be rushed at by the tentacles. Gawain laughs, seeing that Akio has finally given up, but instead, it is quite the opposite. Akio lightly smiles, as he screams:

"Resonance: Maximum!"

He had held off on using the full power of Resonance, knowing well that even using part of it would cause long-time harm, but this will most definitely kill him, however, Akio does not care. His goal is to defeat the monster standing in front of him.

Horns start to grow out of Akio's shoulders, as his eyes grow fangs and his eyes become slit, his hair becoming longer, while the wings on his back grow and open further. Akio had taken on the appearance of Roland, the Demon, and Apotheosis, the Staff of the Phoenix.

Gawain laughs, saying that no matter how many forms Akio takes on, this ultimate attack, he cannot defeat it! Akio, however, continues to have a solemn look. He rushes to punch Gawain, who takes the punch head on, seemingly getting stronger. Akio, however, has had lost all sense of self ever since he activated this power, so he cannot realize this, and thus, Gawain continues to grow stronger, while the opposite is true for Akio.. or so Gawain thinks.

With more and more punches, Akio appears to lose more and more control over his body, as his movements become slow and sluggish. Gawain notices this, but also notes that Akio, instead of getting weaker, gets stronger.

"What the.. hell? Akio.. I guessed that you were one mad bastard.. just like me.. but to go to this extent? You truly are.. a monster."

Losing even his ability to talk, Akio's former speech, that was barely comprehendible, turned into raging screams, as his irises start to disappear. Gawain, even though he wants to attain victory, decides that he must do something about this god-forsaken creature.

Gritting his teeth, Gawain powers up further, and so does Akio. The two clash, with the nearby land being destroyed by their sheer force. At this pace, Gawain will lose, so he empowers his Last Stand, as he absorbs energy beyond the planets, in an attempt to keep up with the monster.

What was used to be Akio screams and punches Gawain, breaking through his block, knocking him a few kilometers back. Gawain, however, does not falter. In one swift move, he hits Akio's chest, absorbing the dark energy controlling him.

Akio falls to his knees, having powered down from his Resonance: Maximum form, in despair, knowing that The Dark Wizard had not died. Gawain looks at the dark energy that he took from Akio, and it looks interesting, but for some reason, it leaves Gawain's hand and goes back into Akio.

Gawain, realizing that the past incident was now over, laughs. Akio was willing to give his own life, but he failed, and instead, he empowered the very wizard that he wanted to kill.

"It's over now, Akio Phoenix. With this, you shall perish, alongside your loved ones. Enjoy your time in the afterlife, for I will come after you again when I am done with this realm."

He (Gawain) grabs Akio from his hair, lifting him up. Akio is still looking down, but Gawain simply charges an energy blast, asking the young general if he has any last words, and Akio simply chuckles, raising his eyes, which appear to be yellowish-white, even though his hair remains black.

"Ha.. ha.. Gawain, you didn't really think that I didn't have a final trick up my sleeve, did you?"

Uttering this, Akio remembers what God and Satan had told him before he left, as they had put their hands on his shoulders.

"Akio.. This is the two divine magic attributes of Angelic Light and Demonic Shadow, so use them when you feel that the moment is ripe."

Remembering God's words, Akio screams:

"Divine fusion: Equinox!"

Akio is engulfed by a divine light, as Gawain is pushed back. His hand that had been grabbing onto Akio had started disintegrating, as if a stronger force was overwhelming it. Gawain, however, could only look on in horror.

As the light dissipates, Akio stands there, his hair and irises having turned silver. He simply looks at Gawain, though his presence generates such heavy gravity that Gawain's look of horror cannot even leave his face.

"Feast your eyes on this, Gawain. This is my ultimate form. This is Equinox. It's the power.. of gods."

Gawain struggles to even come close to Akio, but when all logic leaves his mind, he screams, rushing at Akio, who nods, seemingly taunting him. Gawain tries to punch Akio in the face, but the latter dodges, being unfazed, as he kicks Gawain in the stomach, then continuing to hit him in the face twice.

With one kick, Akio sends Gawain flying through the mountains, as they even travel to another region. Gawain is amazed at Akio's strength, but nonetheless, he does not lose his confidence. He uses all of his absorbed energy at once to try and match Akio, and they have a fist fight.

The speed of Akio is no joke, but Gawain's speed should also not be underestimated. Somehow, he's managing to keep up with Akio, let alone exchange blows with him. Akio smiles for the first time ever since unlocking this magic, as he punches Gawain in the face, then moving on to pummel him in the ground.

While doing so, and enjoying every last bit of it, Akio feels something inside him fading. He knows that he must finish it soon, as he rushes Gawain with a barrage of punches. Gawain loses his consciousness, but he regains it and immense strength, with only one thought; the scene of a woman holding a baby, with both laughing.

"Phoenix!"

With one word, Gawain knocks Akio away, much to the latter's surprise, as Gawain becomes the very thing he had destroyed earlier; a monster. Gawain rushes towards Akio, who blocks the former's attack, but fails.

The monster barrages Akio, but Akio feels his energy fading, so he must NOT falter now. Extending his hand and opening it, Akio shoots a blast at Gawain, engulfing him. Gawain, in his final moments, regains a part of his consciousness.

"Save.. them.."

The blast continues to engulf everything in it's path, until finally, it dissipates, leaving no trace of everything it had destroyed. Akio reverses that damage single-handedly, as he teleports back to the former battlefield, gathering the corpses of his loved ones.

Using the last bit of his new power, Akio channels it on all of the corpses, and most are healed. They wake up, but some do not. Alex, Leonidas, and most importantly.. Genkei. Akio tears up looking at the corpses of his two teachers, being unresponsive, knowing that their souls must've passed on, but Genkei... His soul was erased.. and those who've lost their souls.. can't return..

Akio blames himself for being unable to save his cousin, but everyone, who had been recently revived, try to comfort him, also asking if it is finally over. Remembering that, Akio confirms it; the world is finally free from the reign of The Dark Wizard, which had spanned for entire centuries.

Everyone is happy, and they celebrate. Meanwhile, Akio takes Kurayami to a private place, in which he can do his duties without anyone else listening or watching. Swiftly, he gets on one knee, grabbing Kurayami's hand, as he turns to look at her.

"Kurayami.. this most definitely is not the time.. but.. will you marry me?"

Kurayami was shocked to hear those words, at the very least. Akio then goes on, saying that he doesn't have a ring on him, but they can get one, it's not a big deal. Kurayami, however, simply cries with tears of joy. Only a few minutes had passed since she had been revived, and now this. This is truly the happiest moment of her life.

She hugs Akio, who hugs her back, saying that now, he must go.

"I'll see you soon, Kurayami."

Saying that, Akio starts to disappear, much to the shock of Kurayami, who does not become sad. Akio had just given her his word; he WILL return. She returns back to the others, who ask her what had become of Akio, but she says that he will be back soon, for he gave his word on it.

Knowing Akio, everyone plans a celebration, with the belief that Akio always keeps his word, but they decide to hold it off until the MVP of the fight returns from his mission. Meanwhile, in an unknown place, Akio wakes up.

"Well? Is this what you wanted to see.. Hades?"