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  Chapter 27: When Allies Become Enemies**

  #### **Part I: The Tension Explodes**

  The silence in the castle library was deafening. Yuzuki remained motionless, his hand still on the hilt of his sword, while Gotier stared at him with an intensity that made the surrounding air vibrate with contained energy.

  "Gotier," Yuzuki said, his voice controlled but with a coldness Nina had never heard before, "this is not the time for personal discussions. There are threats approaching Neversand that..."

  "NO!" Gotier exploded, taking a step forward. "I won't let you change the subject! I won't pretend I don't know what you did to Stallo's family!"

  The energy around Gotier began to pulse, a golden aura mixed with lightning that made Nina's hair stand on end. The books on the nearby shelves trembled slightly.

  "Gotier, please," Nina tried to intervene, placing herself between the two men. "You are both on the same side. The enemy is out there, not in here!"

  But Gotier did not take his eyes off Yuzuki.

  "Are we on the same side? Are you sure about that, Nina? Because the man who tortures entire families doesn't seem very different from the monsters we came here to fight."

  Yuzuki sighed, a look of weariness crossing his face.

  "You don't understand the situation, Gotier. Sometimes, to protect many, we must..."

  "Make difficult choices?" Gotier laughed bitterly. "I know that speech, Yuzuki. I've had it with myself three hundred thousand times."

  The tension in the room increased exponentially. Nina could feel Gotier's energy growing, becoming almost unbearable.

  #### **Part II: Observers in the Shadows**

  In the tavern in the Low Quarter, Minamino stopped abruptly in the middle of his conversation with Dare. His silver eyes narrowed, focusing toward the castle.

  "Do you feel that?" he asked, his voice low.

  Dare nodded, his imposing posture becoming even more rigid.

  "Two powerful presences in conflict. One of them... there's something familiar about it."

  "The golden energy," Minamino murmured. "It's not like Yuzuki's. It's different. More... divine?"

  "And more unstable," Dare added. "Whatever is happening in the castle, it's not a friendly discussion."

  Minamino stood up, adjusting his hood.

  "Perhaps we should investigate. If they are fighting among themselves..."

  "It would be the perfect opportunity," Dare completed, his two-meter height making the tavern seem small as he rose.

  #### **Part III: The Situation Escalates**

  Back in the library, the argument had intensified. Gotier now radiated electrical energy, small golden lightning bolts dancing around his fists.

  "You want to know what I think, Yuzuki?" Gotier said, his voice filled with emotion. "I think you are becoming exactly what we swore to destroy. And if you continue on this path, I will have to treat you as the enemy you are becoming."

  Yuzuki closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, there was a cold determination in them.

  — *Amok* — he said mentally —, *if I back down now, I will seem weak. And weakness is something we cannot afford to show.*

  — *I agree* — Amok replied. — *Gotier needs to understand that you are no longer the same as before. That we are no longer the same.*

  Suddenly, a dark presence materialized beside Yuzuki. Amok emerged from the shadows like a black mist that gradually took shape—a hooded figure with eyes that glowed like red embers, emanating an aura of power that made Nina recoil.

  "So this is how it's going to be," Amok said, his voice echoing with a supernatural authority. "Gotier, you are not just questioning Yuzuki, but me as well."

  Gotier felt a shiver run down his spine. Amok's presence was different from before—denser, more threatening. It was as if the Kugutsu had evolved since the battle with Kerchack.

  "Nina," Gotier said without taking his eyes off Yuzuki and Amok, "get out of here. Now."

  "No!" Nina shouted. "You are both being ridiculous! Stop this!"

  But neither man heard her. The tension had passed the point of no return.

  #### **Part IV: Arrival of Reinforcements**

  In the tunnels under the city, Akari and Zeke felt the explosion of energy simultaneously.

  "That's..." Akari began, her eyes widening.

  "Gotier and Yuzuki," Zeke completed, already running toward the tunnel exit. "And they're not just arguing."

  They emerged from the tunnels and ran through the castle, climbing the stairs toward the library. The energy emanating from the place was almost palpable. Meanwhile, in the sky over the city, Kaien and Soken were conducting their reconnaissance patrol when the Tailax stopped abruptly in mid-air.

  — *Soken* — Kaien said, his mental voice filled with concern —, *there is a conflict in the castle. Gotier and Yuzuki are...*

  — *I feel it* — Soken replied, his connection with the dragon allowing him to perceive the conflicting energies. — *Should we intervene?*

  Kaien hesitated.

  — *No. Yuzuki would not want us to get involved. This is something he needs to resolve on his own.*

  — *But what if they get hurt?*

  — *Then it will be a lesson they both needed to learn* — Kaien said, sadly. — *Keep your distance, Soken. This could get very dangerous.*

  #### **Part V: Taida's Revelation**

  In the library, Yuzuki tried one last time to appease the situation.

  "Gotier, listen to me," he said, his voice firm. "Everything I did were necessary tactics to bring down our enemies. To know them and understand their weaknesses. Stallo's family..."

  "And Aygon's daughter?" Gotier interrupted. "Is she also a 'tactic'?"

  Yuzuki did not hesitate.

  "She is our asset. Our source of information on the Leper King. I will not give her up."

  "Even knowing that makes you a kidnapper? A torturer of children?"

  "Even knowing that," Yuzuki confirmed, coldly.

  Gotier felt something break inside him.

  "Then you have truly become a monster."

  "Perhaps," Yuzuki said. "But I am a monster who protects this city."

  "Speaking of protection," Gotier said, his voice becoming more serious, "there is something you need to know. Skull is coming. The Leper King already knows about the situation in Neversand."

  Yuzuki frowned.

  "Why didn't you tell me this immediately?"

  "Because I was busy finding out what kind of monster my ally had become!" Gotier exploded. "But since you want to know, their leader is named Taida."

  Yuzuki's blood ran cold. His eyes widened, and for a moment, all his composure vanished.

  "What did you say?" he whispered.

  "Taida," Gotier repeated, noticing Yuzuki's reaction. "Do you know him?"

  Yuzuki took a step back, his mind racing.

  "Taida... he is from Kugutsu Island. Or rather, he was. He betrayed the island, killed Gaz's brother when Gaz was just a young man from the Salt Clan, and stole the leader's Kugutsu."

  "And?" Gotier asked, not understanding the gravity of the situation.

  "Gotier," Yuzuki said, his voice trembling slightly, "they say Taida had two Kugutsu at the time. No one believed it because it was considered impossible. But I... I also have two. So it must be true."

  The silence that followed was absolute.

  "If Taida really has two Kugutsu," Yuzuki continued, "and if he is a Kanji now... Neversand is in mortal danger. And you took HOURS to tell me this!"

  Yuzuki's anger exploded.

  "You could have ruined all our plans! All our preparations!"

  Gotier felt a wave of guilt, but his pride would not let him back down.

  "I didn't know he was so dangerous."

  "Of course you didn't know!" Yuzuki shouted. "Because you were too busy judging me to do your job!"

  #### **Part VI: The Point of No Return**

  Gotier felt the guilt turn to anger.

  "My job? My job was to trust you! To believe that you were still the man I knew!"

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "And I was!" Yuzuki replied. "But the circumstances changed! The world changed!"

  "No," Gotier said, his golden aura intensifying. "You changed. And not for the better."

  At that moment, Mao's voice echoed in Yuzuki's mind, filled with malice.

  — **Look at that. Your own ally sees you for what you really are. A monster. Just like me.**

  "Shut up," Yuzuki muttered.

  — **He's right, you know** — Mao continued. — **You tortured that family. You're holding a child prisoner. You are exactly like me.**

  "I SAID SHUT UP!" Yuzuki shouted, but it was unclear if he was talking to Mao or to Gotier.

  Gotier interpreted the shout as directed at him.

  "So that's it? You're going to shout at me now? Threaten me like you did with Stallo's family?"

  "Gotier," Yuzuki said, his voice dangerously low, "for the last time, get out of my way. I have a city to protect."

  "And for the last time," Gotier replied, "I will not let you continue to be a monster without consequences."

  Yuzuki turned his back on Gotier, as if the conversation were over. That was the trigger.

  "DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!" Gotier roared.

  And then, for the first time since they had met, Gotier attacked Yuzuki.

  #### **Part VII: The Fight Begins**

  Gotier's fist, charged with golden electrical energy, flew toward Yuzuki's back. But Yuzuki was too fast—he turned and blocked the blow with his forearm, the electrical energy causing sparks to fly between them.

  "So this is how it's going to be," Yuzuki said, pushing Gotier back.

  "This is how it has to be," Gotier replied, already invoking his next technique.

  "*Dankai* Barrier!" he shouted, creating a shield of mystical energy around himself.

  Yuzuki drew his sword, the blade glowing with a sinister light.

  "Amok, get ready."

  — *With pleasure* — Amok replied, his form becoming more solid and threatening.

  Nina screamed as the two men clashed in the center of the library. The force of the impact made the shelves tremble, ancient volumes falling to the floor.

  "STOP!" she shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of metal against energy.

  Gotier dodged a cut from Yuzuki and counterattacked with a punch charged with electricity. Yuzuki blocked with his sword, but the force of the impact made him slide back.

  "You're holding back," Gotier said, his golden aura intensifying. "Fight me for real!"

  "You don't want me to fight for real," Yuzuki replied, but there was a coldness in his eyes that made Gotier hesitate.

  At that moment, Akari and Zeke burst through the library door.

  "What the hell is going on here?" Zeke shouted.

  "Master!" Akari ran toward Yuzuki, but Amok blocked her.

  "Don't get involved," Amok said. "This is between them."

  "Gotier, stop this!" Zeke shouted, but Gotier did not hear him.

  "Inner Seal Release: Don'yoku!" Gotier roared.

  #### **Part VIII: The Demon of Envy**

  Gotier's transformation was instantaneous and terrifying. An aura of golden lightning completely enveloped him, and for a moment, a second presence became visible—a dark figure with eyes of pure envy, whispering poisonous words in Gotier's ear.

  — *Finally* — Don'yoku said, his voice echoing along with Gotier's. — *Let me show this pretender what true power is.*

  The energy in the room became suffocating. Nina was thrown against the wall by the force of Gotier's aura, and even Zeke had to lean on a bookshelf to keep from falling.

  "Gotier," Yuzuki said, his voice now serious, "you don't know what you're doing."

  "I know exactly what I'm doing," Gotier replied, but his voice was distorted by Don'yoku's presence. "I'm stopping you from becoming the next Leper King."

  Yuzuki sighed.

  "Amok, full evolution."

  — *Finally* — Amok said, and his form began to change.

  Yuzuki's Kugutsu grew in size and density, its presence becoming almost physical. The shadows in the room deepened, and a sense of absolute emptiness emanated from Amok.

  "This is the form we achieved after defeating Kerchack," Amok said, his voice echoing with power. "I hope you are prepared for the consequences of your actions, Gotier."

  Akari looked between the two men, tears in her eyes.

  "Please, stop! You're friends!"

  "Not anymore," Gotier said, and attacked.

  #### **Part IX: Battle of Titans**

  What followed was one of the most brutal fights Neversand had ever witnessed. Gotier, empowered by Don'yoku, moved like lightning, his fists leaving trails of golden electricity in the air.

  "Spear of Judgment!" he shouted, conjuring an electrical spear that tore through the air toward Yuzuki.

  Yuzuki barely dodged, the spear exploding against the wall behind him in a sonic shock that made the entire castle tremble.

  "My turn," Yuzuki said, and attacked with a speed that made Gotier retreat.

  Yuzuki's sword cut through the air where Gotier had been a second before, but Gotier had already moved, appearing beside Yuzuki with a punch charged with electricity. Yuzuki blocked with his forearm, but the force of the impact sent him flying across the room, breaking a bookshelf.

  "Yuzuki!" Akari shouted, trying to run to him, but Zeke held her back.

  "Don't get involved," Zeke said, though his own hand was on the hilt of *Rupture*. "You'll only get hurt."

  Yuzuki stood up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

  "Impressive, Gotier. Don'yoku has really given you power."

  "And this is just the beginning," Gotier replied, his aura intensifying even more.

  But then Mao decided to manifest in Yuzuki's mind.

  — **Look how he hates you. Your own ally wants to destroy you. Because he sees what you really are.**

  "Not now, Mao," Yuzuki muttered.

  — **Now is the perfect time** — Mao continued. — **Let me out. Let me show him what true terror is.**

  "Never," Yuzuki said, but the distraction was enough.

  Gotier seized the moment of hesitation and attacked again, this time with a devastating combination of electrical punches that forced Yuzuki to retreat.

  #### **Part X: Desperation and Revelations**

  "Master, let me help!" Akari pleaded, but Yuzuki shook his head.

  "Stay away," he said, dodging another of Gotier's attacks. "This is between us."

  "Exactly," Gotier said, his voice distorted by Don'yoku's presence. "Between a hero and a monster."

  "You want to see a monster?" Yuzuki asked, and for a moment, his eyes glowed with a red light.

  — *NO!* — Amok shouted. — *Yuzuki, don't let Mao out. Not here, not like this.*

  Yuzuki took a deep breath, controlling himself.

  "You're right. Mao is not the answer."

  But Gotier had seen the red glow in Yuzuki's eyes, and it only confirmed his worst fears.

  "I knew it," he said. "You're losing control. You're becoming like them."

  "Maybe," Yuzuki admitted. "But I'm still fighting it. You, on the other hand, have embraced your demon."

  "Don'yoku is not my demon," Gotier said. "He is my penance. My way of paying for my sins while protecting the innocent."

  "And how many innocents will you hurt using that power?" Yuzuki asked.

  As if to prove his point, Gotier's next technique—"Lightning Emperor"—unleashed an explosion of electrical energy that shattered all the library windows. Nina screamed as shards of glass flew toward her, but Zeke was quick enough to protect her with his shield.

  "Gotier!" Zeke shouted. "You're putting everyone in danger!"

  But Gotier was lost in Don'yoku's fury.

  "Final Song!" he roared, creating a sphere of divine electricity that pulsed with enough power to destroy half the castle.

  "This is madness!" Akari shouted.

  Yuzuki looked at the sphere of energy, then at Nina, Akari, and Zeke. If Gotier released this technique here, they would all die.

  — *Amok* — he said —, *we need to end this. Now.*

  — *I agree* — Amok replied. — *But you know what that means.*

  Yuzuki nodded.

  "I know."

  #### **Part XI: The Price of Victory**

  "Gotier," Yuzuki said, his voice echoing with an authority that made everyone in the room stop. "You want to judge me? You want to call me a monster? Then let me show you what a real monster can do."

  Yuzuki's aura changed. It became denser, darker, more terrifying. It was not Mao—it was something different, something that had grown within him since the battle with Kerchack.

  "This is the evolution we have achieved," Amok said, his form becoming almost solid. "The power we gained by defeating a corrupted Tailax."

  Gotier felt a chill of real fear for the first time in the fight. Yuzuki's presence was now almost unbearable.

  "You want to protect the innocent?" Yuzuki asked, pointing to Nina, Akari, and Zeke. "Then lower that sphere of energy before you kill them."

  Gotier looked around, finally realizing what his fury had caused. The library was destroyed, his friends were injured and terrified, and he was about to release a technique that could kill them all.

  "I..." he began, but Don'yoku whispered in his ear.

  — *Don't back down now. Show him who is stronger.*

  "No," Gotier said, fighting against his Kugutsu's influence. "This isn't about strength."

  Slowly, painfully, he began to dissipate the sphere of energy.

  "Gotier," Yuzuki said, his own aura diminishing, "we are both monsters. The difference is that I accept it. You are still pretending to be a hero."

  "And you are pretending that your actions are justified," Gotier replied, but the fight had left him.

  "Perhaps," Yuzuki admitted. "But my actions save lives. Yours, right now, almost took lives."

  Gotier looked around the destroyed library, at his injured friends, and felt the weight of his actions.

  "This isn't over," he said, but his voice was tired.

  "No," Yuzuki agreed. "But for now, we have bigger enemies to face."

  #### **Part XII: Consequences**

  As Gotier and Yuzuki faced each other in the middle of the destroyed library, neither of them realized that their fight had been observed. In the tavern in the Low Quarter, Minamino smiled.

  "Interesting," he said to Dare. "They are destroying themselves from within. This makes our job much easier."

  "Should we attack now?" Dare asked.

  "No," Minamino said. "Let them weaken themselves further. When the time comes, they will be so divided that they won't be able to resist us properly."

  In the sky, Kaien and Soken watched the broken windows of the castle.

  — *They've stopped fighting* — Soken observed.

  — *But the damage is already done* — Kaien replied, sadly. — *The trust between them has been broken. And broken trust is harder to repair than broken windows.*

  In the library, Nina finally found her voice.

  "You are both idiots," she said, tears streaming down her face. "Complete idiots."

  Neither Gotier nor Yuzuki replied. They both knew she was right.

  "Taida is coming," Yuzuki said finally. "With two Kugutsu and the power of Skull behind him. And we just showed whoever was watching that we can't even trust each other."

  "So what do we do now?" Akari asked, her voice small.

  Yuzuki looked at Gotier, then at the others.

  "Now," he said, "we try to survive the consequences of our choices."

  Outside the broken window, the golden light of the golden tree shone on Neversand, but even that light seemed dimmer now, as if hope itself had been wounded by the fight between allies. And somewhere in the distance, Taida and his forces were approaching, ready to exploit the division that had opened in the heart of Neversand's resistance.

  The war had come to Neversand. But the first battle had not been against enemies from without. It had been against the demons from within. And no one had won.