Chapter 62 - A Battle Between The Strongest Rivals

E.D.L.'s territory at the eastern coasts, specifically the Serendipity District, has been destroyed by the relentless exchange of destructive attacks with the I.E.A.

Then as the war rages on, more and more deaths happens within every second passing by. Veterans in the battlefield have even grown accustomed to the endless and deafening sounds of desperate screams, guns and bombs, as well as to the ever growing smell of rotting and burning flesh from all the corpse left on the ground.

And through that field, the corpses of I.E.A. soldiers keep piling up with enraged fighters from E.D.L.

"WAAAAHH!! HELP!! HELP ME!!"

"AAAAHH!! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!"

"WATCH OUT!! HE'S COMING, THE E.D.L.'S MAD DOG!—"

Raphael was quick to land a hit on the enemy's head with his shifter fist, and it crushed the enemy's head flat instantly. Those that tried to shoot him have been easily taken down by Raphael without getting any hit or damage since no one can ever compete against E.D.L.'s top dog.

"Haa!!" And to Raphael, killing his enemies were just like stepping on roaches. It became his way to vent out all his anger and frustration, though the unending murder wasn't helping ease these tense emotions.

"P-PLEASE, I!! AAHhhh—" despite the pitiful pleads of an enemy, he heartlessly pierce a hole into their body and ripping out their guts like a mad man. He still ended up unsatisfied with the mess he made and suddenly, a familiar voice calls out his name.

"Raphael Novick!..."

His head turns to the direction where he heard his name and found his rival. "Reginald. I'm getting sick of your face." Raphael bickered.

Reginald's lips curled into a sinister smile, getting amused upon noticing the restraining collar on Raphael's neck. He cackled like a maniac that worsened Raphael's mood. "Are you begging to get killed right now?!"

"Pff, it's a miracle that E.D.L. have come to their senses and finally put a leash on their savage mutt!" As Reginald's words crossed the line, Raphael makes the first move by launching an attack at him with his shifter cannon.

Easily deflecting Raphael's attack, Reginald closed the distance between them in a heartbeat and strikes back with a shifter sword. Raphael quickly transforms his shifter into an axe that blocked with Reginald's sword.

"HAAA!!" The two clashed once again. Their brutal forces meant to kill one another have done nothing but damage to those around them.

However, this fight falls into Raphael's favor, helping himself get immersed on the battle to keep his thoughts and worries off his mind.

"...err! He's insane!" Reginald composure falters with the ferocious blasts from Raphael's shifter cannon. He was pinned on his place as Raphael didn't gave him any chance to escape.

The ground Reginald stood on eventually caved him in with all the attacks he was receiving. When Raphael strained himself, he stops and goes on to combat mode and made his way to Reginald with a shifter fist.

Reginald caught his fist and got his arm broken from the force. His face flinches at the pain, but managed to retaliate by kicking him off and immobilize Raphael with a shifter chain. "Let's see what that collar can do!" He grins and spun around, hittin, then catapults Raphael into the air.

When Raphael surpassed the limits set by the restraining collar, it began to ring like a countdown until it explodes. "Shit!!"

Before he can go any farther, he transformed his shifter into some kind of rope with a hook on its end to halt his advancement before it's too late.

As Raphael landed, he runs back to return in the boundaries to stop the collar from counting down to his death. However, Reginald gets in his way while pointing a shifter rifle at him. "You won't be going anywhere, Novick. I'll have you die here once and for all!" He's declares.

Not having any intention to waste any time, Raphael hasten without hesitation even when he's faced with Reginald's threat.

"DAMN IT!!" It frustrates him to have this kind of life threatening limits. Raphael doesn't plan to die anytime soon, he's determined to fight until the very end just for Claire's sake.

Though he's not entirely sure if the person he's fighting for is still alive or dead. And it's driving him crazy after not seeing her for months, causing him to be anxious and agitated about it all the time.

He sometimes can't help but think that she might have been long dead by now and that all his efforts were meaningless. Although he would also try to convince himself that Claire is still alive, waiting for him to come to her rescue.

"AH! Shit!" Some of Reginald's attacks hit him on the left shoulder and slowed him down for a bit. Though that wasn't enough to stop him from moving.

"QUIT RUNNING LIKE A COWARD!!" Reginald roared and chased after him.

The collar eventually stops ringing as he made it back within its boundaries, and he continues to evade all the attacks Reginald have been sending from behind. Reginald became even more aggressive on him, knowing well that Raphael is weakened from the shots he took.

Although he was suffering from an injury, Raphael can still keep up with Reginald's pace like it's nothing. "Damn fucker, are you a monster or something!?" And his persistence baffles Reginald.

"What, you think a mere wound is enough to stop me? Are you getting tired now?" Raphael smirked provokingly.

"LIKE HELL I AM! THIS BATTLE JUST BARELY BEGAN!"

"THEN LET'S JUST SEE WHO WILL BE THE LAST ONE STANDING!!"

Throughout the span of their unyielding battle, both poured every ounce of their strength to destroy the other like never before. And those who witness them fighting can barely follow their superhuman moves and did everything they can to avoid crossing paths with them that can lead to instant death.

On the mark of their 13th dawn, the two were utterly drained from all the fighting. Their battered appearance made them hardly recognizable. They stand in silence, catching their breaths and glaring at one another. The scene seemed somewhat of a miracle as they're still standing and survived many fatal wounds and injuries.

"...why is it that you're still alive?" Reginald suddenly asks, barely keeping his stance anymore.

Raphael grinned. "I could ask you the same."

"No... not really." Reginald knew that his time has finally arrived, he can no longer fight Raphael after suffering from various wounds, losing his left arm and a chunk of flesh from the left side of his waist. Whilst Raphael only had deep cut wounds and shots and bruises all over his body.

The conclusion of their fight led Reginald to congratulate his rival. "...congratulations for being the strongest man alive."

His words gave Raphael a moment of relief, letting him know his victory. Raphael sighs and fell to his knees from exhaustion. Meanwhile Reginald began to see his whole life flash before his eyes. "Ahh... I'm really going to die at this point." He told himself.

All of the memories and the faces of people he cared about have appeared in his mind. And the last thing he ever thought of was his last moments with Heinz. Tears flowed down on his face as he reached for something in his pocket. It was already time to pull off the 'sacrificial card' for the sake of I.E.A.'s future.

"...sorry to disappoint you, but we're not over yet." He says.

"Huh?" Raphael was caught off guard by his rival's last words and saw Reginald injected himself with a shifter weapon's seed.