Axel sizes Strick up, noticing the hatred on his face, he smiles as he sees Strick change his stance. He calmly approaches him before throwing the first attack, a fast jab to test Strick’s reactions. He dodges while bursting forward to stab Axel with his sword. He catches his wrist before the sword reaches him and lifts him into the air. Before he can do anything, Strick kicks his body repeatedly, causing him to laugh in amusement. This surprises Strick, and he tries one last kick before getting thrown back. He lands on his feet and doesn’t skip a beat; he comes rushing back to swing his sword at Axel. Axel sees him and decides to wait until he comes, taunting him. “Come, boy, show me the energy you put into killing all of those innocents. Don’t tell me you can’t handle this, almost like all of your victims.” Strick ignores his words before swinging his sword at Axel, multiple sword swings aimed at his head. Axel dodges swiftly, weaving in and out of each swing until he ducks to hit a vicious uppercut to Strick’s jaw. The force of this blow is felt throughout the town as the people hiding in the various buildings are sent back. His uppercut sends Strick to the ground, and Axel plans to capitalize on his position. He jumps high into the air to stomp on Strick. He misses his attack as Strick rolls out of the way before countering with another combination of sword swings, this time aiming for the body. His counterattack is successful as all of his slashes land, but Axel’s armor manages to protect him despite this. Strick jumps back before Axel’s hand can reach out to grab him. He knows to win this fight, he’ll have to measure his distance and not let him get close. But before he can enact that plan, his rage gets the better of him when Axel taunts him again. “So, do you now understand how useless this fight is for you? You could never hope to stand up against my might. I’ve slain too many beasts for a simple killer such as you to damage me.” This angers Strick, and he throws his plan away as he rushes Axel again. Axel smirks before being surprised when, instead of rushing in head first, Strick jumps to his side and slashes at his legs, barely managing to graze him. He rolls before standing up once again to look at the damage he caused. He gets annoyed when he sees that he didn’t manage to do much to Axel. “Oh, you thought that little trick was going to work? I want you to understand how screwed you are, boy. You see this little axe right here on my back.” He gestures towards it and pulls it out before pointing it at Strick. “I won’t even have to use this to beat you senseless for your murders. I can see that you like to prolong your kills and cause as much pain as you can. So I think I will do the same to you, now, how about we start the next phase of this battle?” Axel places the axe back on his back as Strick is amazed at how he easily holds the axe and considers it ‘little’. He begins to doubt his chances of winning until he remembers why he is fighting Axel. He has to survive, he has to damage Axel, and he has to win. Strick gains a newfound conviction as he prepares for his next exchange with Axel. He knows what he has to do so he can gain a chance at beating Axel. He has to give in to his anger and let it truly consume him; he stops caring about what happens to him and focuses on one clear goal. To defeat the Beast Slayer Axel. Meanwhile, in a realm filled with dark emptiness, Thorne wakes up. He looks around and he is amazed but disappointed when he realizes what happened to him.

“He took control, I can’t believe it. He managed to abuse that life link; he’s learning. At such a crazy rate as well, given that I'm still alive, it seems he hasn’t been killed by that brute with an axe. Damn you, you better make it out alive because I can't afford to fail now. I can’t believe what I'm saying, but I have to entrust you with keeping me alive so you get out of there. But I promise you, when this is all set and done, I will be getting my revenge for that beating you gave me.” Just as he stands up to patiently wait until he either dies or gets his control back, he feels himself changing. It's like the rage he felt Strick emanating leads to a transformation of his body. “What is going on out there!?!?” He hopes that Strick is doing okay, so he doesn’t have to worry about his own life. Back in the town-turned-battlefield, Bristain, Strick’s anger has fully consumed him. He stops thinking and just lets his hunting instincts dictate what he does. Before he can go to attack Axel, he feels a chance starting to form in the sword he’s wielding. It starts to change its shape and form as the blade starts to slowly curve, and it grows in size alongside its weight, although slightly. It loses its identity as a sword and transforms into a different weapon. Something more fit for a ruthless killer. Strick’s anger has caused a change bigger than just his actions but in the form of the sword itself. His anger drives a new function out of the weapon, becoming something else entirely. Strick has managed to do the unthinkable and turned his sword into a scythe. This briefly catches him off guard, but he is too blinded by rage to care as he rushes down Axel once again. Axel is frozen in his tracks as he never expected something like that to happen; he is so frozen that Strick can take advantage. His speed has increased, and he blitzes Axel, elbowing him in the face and sending him back. He doesn’t let up as he continues his assault with a slash aimed at Axel’s neck, intending to take his head off. Axel gets his mind back together as he attempts to dodge the slash by leaning back, but it still manages to get him on the cheek, leaving a cut. He throws a punch at Strick, but he jumps away and disengages. Axel feels the blood trickle down his cheek as he stops to just stand there. He puts his hand on the cut and is shocked that Strick managed to wound him.

“Wow, you drew blood, now this is getting interesting. Looks like that sword transformation turned you into a better warrior. You might be worth it, you demon.” His expression changes as he grows serious while wiping the blood away with the back of his hand. He stomps his way towards Strick but stops in his tracks when he sees him wind up a scythe swing. He stops his swing by blocking the attack and grabbing the weapon before lifting it, bringing Strick with it. He lets go, letting Strick and his weapon drop before grabbing him. He slams him into the ground, causing a mini shockwave throughout the town. He waits for Strick’s next move as he stares at his scythe. He parries Strick’s kick as he attempts to get back up in a hurry. Axel grabs hold of his legs and lifts him before spinning him around, throwing him into a place, the market. He slowly walks up to the market, seemingly waiting for Strick to come back out to attack. He is caught off guard when, instead of rushing from the front, Strick arrives from beside him and jabs him in the throat with the back of the scythe's blade. Screams can be heard from inside the market as the ‘wanted’ man bursts in and quickly runs back out. Strick continues his assault, landing continuous jabs with his scythe on Axel. He dodges a slow, lumbering attack from Axel before cutting his leg. This angers Axel, so he tries to slap Strick away but is met with a kick to the face. Strick plants the curved blade into the ground, and he uses it as leverage to spin in the air and kick Axel again. He lands and picks the scythe back up, intending to cut Axel more, but he stops as he gets confused when Axel pulls out a tiny glass bottle with a green substance from the hidden pouch in his armor. “I can’t believe you forced me to use this. Only the worthy earn the right to face my full might, and it seems you may have joined that upper echelon. Damn you, SCUM.” Axel grows angry as he drinks the substance with Strick watching on, confused and curious about what its effects could be. But he is shocked to see that after drinking the substance, Axel’s wounds go away, and his skin regenerates back to full health. “You proved me wrong, boy. Allow me to finally give you a taste of my skill and power, unmatched by any other.” He looks visibly annoyed and slightly ashamed that he had to use his axe on someone like Strick. Under those feelings, there is a hint of excitement as Axel knows he’ll finally get the opportunity to use his axe in a battle after a long period of zero use. He casually pulls out his axe from his back and points it at Strick as he did earlier in the fight, but this time, he gets into his fighting stance. “My axe versus that pathetic scythe, let’s see which comes out on top!!!” Axel runs at Strick with more vigor and energy than before. He believes that the fight will be over soon, now that he has been forced to use his legendary weapon. Strick patiently watches him run at him and waits for the right time to strike. He sees Axel wind up an axe swing and thinks it is going to be slow, due to the size of the axe and Axel being so huge compared to him and his scythe. He is surprised, however, when instead of being met with an easy-to-counter attack, he is forced to dodge a mighty axe swing by Axel. He barely manages to dodge another and blocks another with his scythe as he thinks of a way to counterattack. Strick gets his chance when Axel stops swinging momentarily, and as soon as Strick realizes, he takes control. He attempts to strike Axel with the back of the scythe, but he easily dodges and laughs in his face. “Seriously? No way you’d believe something like that could work on me, now let’s turn it up a bit.” Axel swings his axe with an upward motion to catch Strick by surprise, and he barely manages to jump back in time, but it leaves a cut down his hunting top. He thinks about how lucky he was to dodge that before getting sent back by a knee to the stomach. He recollects himself as he looks up to see Axel running at him. He readies his scythe to defend himself from Axel’s onslaught. He ducks under the first swing of the axe and leans back for the second. He swings his scythe, causing Axel to jump back briefly before rushing back in. Strick notices Axel preparing for another axe swing, and instead of dodging, he prepares to meet his attack head-on with the swing of his scythe. The two weapons clash as the two warriors begin bombarding each other with powerful swings of their respective tools. They grow faster and faster as they pour more of their energy into their swings. Axel wins this desperate clash as he skillfully disengages as Strick goes for another powerful swing, leaving him wide open to another devastating blow from Axel, sending him flying back towards another section of the town. He lands right next to a run-down store and feels a presence emanating from it, but before he can wonder much longer, Axel is right in front of his face. This shocks Strick as he doesn’t understand how a man as big as Axel could be so fast and skillful. He breaks open the door of the store and runs in, finding the right place to hide so he can think of another plan. He knows that letting his anger consume him won’t be enough to help him in a fight like this. Seeing Strick run away amuses Axel, so he doesn’t give chase and only mocks him. “Wow, what happened to all of that anger you felt earlier? I’m guessing the beating I’m giving you is making you change plans? You are pathetic scum, most others would’ve just accepted their fate but you, you’re too stupid to die.” He laughs to himself as he walks into the store and immediately stops laughing. He looks around and notices the horrible state of the place. He also notices how everything was moved around to leave a giant amount of open space. He is suspicious but then smells the faintest smell of blood. He walks over to the counter and sees where it’s coming from as he looks at the pool of blood behind the register. He keeps his eyes on the blood as he realizes that it leaves a trail, leading to a locked door. His brute strength allows him to just open the door despite the locks, and he is not surprised as he sees the dead body of the old man who owned the store. He closes the door back before looking down at the ground, feeling saddened. “Earl, I’m sorry, I knew I should’ve given you the korpas you needed to pay for your retirement. You told me that you wanted to work for your money, but I knew you didn’t have much life left in you.” Axel picks his head up, growing angry and disappointed as he knows who he believes to be responsible for that. “Even the elderly, you are one sick freak. I promised to avenge them and I will NOT be made a liar. Now show yourself!!” He looks around, keeping his guard up for any potential ambushes. He hurls one of the shelves away as he is prepared to get attacked from behind, but is caught off guard when he looks up to see Strick on the ceiling. He planted his scythe so he could hold onto the end of it to hide up there. He pulls it out of the ceiling and lands a big slash across Axel’s armor, damaging it and leaving a visible tear in it. Before Axel could land a blow, Strick ran out of the store and back into the streets, thinking of a way to combat Axel’s combination of skill and strength. He is running out of options and knows it, but before he can make another plan, Axel comes running out of the store, looking to make him pay for that slash. He is too fast for Strick, so he palms his face and drives him back into the ground. Strick makes sure to hold tightly on the scythe so he doesn’t lose his only way of damaging Axel. Axel laughs before running forward at top speed, dragging Strick’s face into the ground, damaging his face and hunting clothes. He reaches back to where their fight started and stops his deadly rush. Strick uses this opportunity to dig his free hand into the ground, digging up as much dirt as he can. Axel doesn’t recognize this. So when he lifts Strick back into the air, he throws as much dirt as his hand can handle into Axel’s eyes. He drops Strick and kneels as he feels the pain shoot into his eyes. Strick can barely move as the damage from Axel’s previous assault causes tears across his face and clothes. Before he can think of another means of damaging Axel, he sees Silique’s dead body, moved when Axel dropped her when Strick rushed him. This reminds him of why this fight even started. He remembers when Axel first arrived and stated that he was the killer of his niece. Strick barely manages to stand before walking over to her and tearing up. He looks back at Axel, who is still reeling from the dirt in his eyes, and he can’t see anything, so he doesn’t even know where Strick is. He yells out, promising to end the fight once he gains his eyesight. “I’M DONE!! We’ve fought for long enough. All I want to do is tear you apart for that attack, have you no honor!? I’ll make you regret that deeply!!” Strick turns to see him rub his eyes furiously, desperate to gain at least partial eyesight, as it is good enough for him to fight with. He grows even more saddened and starts to feel bad for his actions in fighting Axel. He begins to think that he should’ve let Axel get the kill on him that he deserved. He gets closer to Silique’s dead body as he feels another shift happening before his very eyes. In the realm of nothingness, Thorne feels the shift as well. During the battle between Strick and Axel, he was unaware of everything that transpired in the fight; he was just amazed at how he was still alive. His eyes perk up as the shift feels similar to the one beforehand, but with a different feeling piloting it.

“So the idiot managed to survive this long, off of pure rage alone. But now it seems like his anger has run out, I feel something else is taking over him right now. It’s almost like a sadness of sorts. It must be that weakling girl that he got all emotional over. Looks like this fight is truly over now. Damn it, he lasted longer than expected but now it seems like my time is done.” He grows annoyed as he feels another shift; his body is now feeling the effects of the sadness pouring onto Strick. His regret for letting Silique die is now taking over; all he wishes to do is plead for forgiveness from her. The fight is meaningless to him now. Bristain has changed to an unbearable level as its previously luscious and awe-inspiring atmosphere turned into something bitter. The battlefield shared between Strick and Axel has been given momentary stillness as Strick’s scythe transforms once again. As he lost all of his rage upon realizing what this fight truly meant, his original feelings came back to take over him. His sadness and regret. He doesn’t even pay any attention to the transformation happening right beside him, as all he wants is forgiveness from Silique. But as the transformation finishes, the scythe is turned into a shield. It ultimately ends up becoming essential as Axel finally finishes getting most of the dirt out of his eyes. Strick notices him and picks up the shield before rolling away from Silique’s body, being sure not to anger Axel anymore. He sees him rushing towards him and puts up his shield just in time before Axel starts furiously bashing his axe into the shield repeatedly. He is so angry that he doesn’t realize that Strick’s weapon shifted again. His only focus is to kill Strick for all of his evil deeds; he believes he must avenge everyone Strick has killed. “Stop hiding behind that damned shield!! Come and face me like you were before!! Are you afraid now, boy? It’s too late to fear for your life as it will all be over soon.” Strick is so focused on blocking his attacks that Axel’s means of intimidation don’t work as he continues to keep his shield up, blocking even more of Axel’s furious axe swings. Even though he doesn’t wish to fight anymore, Strick knows that he has to at least get away from Axel’s brutal onslaught. So before another devastating swing of his axe strikes his shield, he jumps forward and bashes it, square in Axel’s face, sending him back for once. He steps back and maintains his ground, and immense pain shoots out across his entire body as it can no longer handle that much movement without dangerous consequences. The shot of pain reminds Strick again of why he fights, to survive and clear his name. He thinks about the emotions he’s felt during his battle with Axel and knows that those can’t help him overcome a threat like him. He knows that the only way he could stand a chance is if he stops letting his emotions take control of him and gives it everything he has. He sees Axel recollect himself and spit blood on the ground beside him. He doesn’t move, and after a while of just staring into Strick’s soul, he smiles before getting ready for one last exchange. Axel is done playing around; he plans to finish this fight now. Strick knows what he has to do to finally stop Axel from killing him. He weakly tosses the shield beside him and puts his fists up. Axel sees this and respects his choice, placing his axe back on his back as he waits for Strick to make his last move. “You choose to end this fight, fighting like a real man? I am proud, you may be scum but you stuck through to the bitter end. Now let’s finally end this fight.” Strick smiles weakly at the comment Axel makes before rushing in, no more plans, no more weapons, just his fists and his ability to stick it out. Strick doesn’t care about anything other than finally defeating Axel. The shield behind him starts to shift once again as Strick’s emotions are finally in check, with his determination outweighing everything else. In the empty realm of darkness, Thorne sees the darkness around him start to crack as he slowly gains back his control. He feels himself shifting back into his normal self, feeling whole again.

“He did it, he managed to survive this long against that brute. So long that I’ve been allowed to arise from my makeshift prison and come back into the world. All I have to do is bide my time before this finally cracks open, allowing me to fully gain my control back.” Thorne laughs manically just as Strick makes it to Axel to barely deliver a punch, Axel lands the fight-ending hit, a demonstrative clothesline, just as he is running. The force of the blow sends Strick into the air before he roughly falls onto the ground. His body was almost lifeless as it felt as if he had lost the ability to move. All he can see is Axel looming over him with a contented smile on his face. He lifts Strick into the air by grabbing hold of his neck, making sure to lightly grip it. After all of this fighting, Strick is made to realize that no matter how many transformations the sword goes through, no matter how much he changes the way he fights, and no matter how much he believes, he could NEVER hope to stand up against the might of Axel. He no longer sees him as just a person but more of a force of nature, built to make him pay for sins committed in his own body. He truly realizes how outclassed he is and barely manages to form a smile. Before uttering the first words he spoke since he took control of Thorne’s sword body.

“It’s over, I gave you everything I had, and I proved you aren’t invincible.” He is about to pass out before saying this, but Axel doesn’t allow him to rest as he knows what he must do now that the fight is over.

“I hate to admit it but you fought well, scum, you managed to last that long in a battle with me. I must give you my respect; you have earned the right to be killed in an honorable fashion. I promised to avenge everyone, and I intend to do it.” Strick knows he failed at his only goal, which was to survive against Axel, and knowing that his death will happen in front of everyone in the town, brings him sadness. Even though he can no longer move, tears begin to rush down his face as he starts to feel disappointed in himself for failing to stop Axel. Just before Axel can reach behind his back to get the axe to finally end Strick, he is stopped by a voice from afar. It’s Tobias’s voice.

“AXEL STOP!! That young man is not the same person who committed those ruthless killings. I could tell by the sheer emotion that let out against you that the one who was out causing a rampage couldn’t have been the same man. That evil that you heard apart is a dark part of his life that only he can gain enough strength to stop. I have a feeling that the young man right there will be a great help in saving the world from a world-ending threat.” Axel is shocked at what he is hearing and grows angry that he has the audacity to suggest something like that.

“I don’t think you understand the nonsense you’re spilling, old man. How could someone like him be a benefit in protecting the world as we know it? He’s a killer of innocents; he murdered my niece. He’s done too much to be given a pass.”

“Listen, Axel, I understand your feeling, and if you truly feel the need to kill him, then allow me to take his place.” He begins to walk out of the tavern until Axel yells at him to stop.”

“Stop it!! You want to save this killer’s life that badly? What could you have seen from such scum? It must be from that conversation you two had; you’re extremely lucky, I trust you, old man. But you don’t seem to understand that if I let him go, it's me putting his blood on Bristain’s hands. If we let him loose, then whatever crime he commits again will be on us. Do you understand that!?” He stares intently at Tobias, impatiently waiting for his answer, but all he gets is a solemn nod, as it seems that Tobias is willing to take that risk. “I can’t believe it, but I will allow him to live.” Axel goes from angrily looking at Tobias from outside the tavern, with everyone in the tavern far behind him. He stares back at the defeated Strick. “You should be grateful, the old man sees something in you, in his retired eyes, he doesn’t just see a merciless killer. I will be honest, I don’t understand you myself, but I did feel the change in intention throughout our fight. I can’t figure out why you could be like that, but I couldn't care less. I won’t kill you scum, but I will send you far away from here. I'd better never see you again, if I do, then I promise you, I’ll kill you.” Just before he gets ready to throw Strick out of the town, he remembers the weapon that he was using to combat his strength. By this time, having sensed the full emotional shift from sadness to emptiness, Thorne sees the realm cracking even more now as white light starts to shower in through the cracks.

“Finally, that idiot has done it!! I am free at last!! You slick fool, you better get ready because once I’m out, there is going to be hell to pay for what you did to me.” He finally feels whole as the darkness of the realm fully turns to white, and he jumps out toward it, feeling it envelop him with the sweet release of control being given back to him. His eyes open as he is on the ground where Strick tossed his previous state as a shield, but before he can react, Axel swiftly snatches him and forcefully places him in Strick’s hand. Now making sure all of the loose ends are dealt with, Axel throws Strick and Thorne out of Bristain with as much force as he can muster. He doesn’t care whether Strick survives or not, just hoping he never has to see him again. Strick and Thorne are flying through the air and get sent to deep underbrush, landing harshly as the birds fly away from the trees from the sound alone. Strick and Thorne are incapacitated by the force of the drop from Axel’s monster throw. Even after all the constant shifts of emotions, the desperate change of the weapons to turn the tide of the battle, and his proper remembrance of what he was fighting for, it still wasn't enough to overcome Axel. For once, Strick felt something he had never felt before: true failure.