A.N. I finally came back to this story. A lot has changed with my life, and with it I found my way back to reading over old works during late night hours. When I read over everything I had for chapter five, I decided to finish it. This was written over a few years span so the writing style might shift (I did not rewrite anything). I hope the fans of this story are still out there! Without further ado or wait, I give you chapter five!

The wind swept through the scene of escalating intensity. The blonde-haired Mamodo boy seemed frozen in shock, his golden orbs locked onto the face of his assailant: Brago. It almost seemed as if the whole thing was a painting, and the two figures were lifeless as there was a lack of movement; and then, in the blink of an eye, both figures sparked to life.

Energy quickly assimilated in Brago's extended hand. The dark energy took the form of a small orb that then doubled in size as Brago shouted, "Reis!" Zatch rolled out of the way right before the spell slammed into the ground where he previously laid. The Mamodo king rose to his feet.

"Brago!" The Mamodo king called out, "What are you doing!?" He demanded to know. The only response Zatch received was Brago's hand extended in his direction again.

"Reis!"

Another sphere of blackest energy emitted from Brago's hand. The sphere blotted Brago from Zatch's sight. As it approached the Mamodo king, Brago appeared from behind it. It was too late for Zatch to react as he had jumped to the side to evade the spell. Brago's body made a single slow twirl in the air as he pushed off the ground; he then delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to the side of the Mamodo king's face. Zatch's face whiplashed to the side and was accompanied by a loud cracking sound and the pluvial discharge of saliva. Zatch unbelievably landed on his feet, however he stumbled a few steps before collapsing onto the ground.

"Is this it?" Brago murmured in an exasperated manner. He lifted up the Mamodo King by the collar of his garments. There was a short pause in which Brago continuously glared at Zatch's cringing face. "Is this all there is to the mighty king?" Brago asked mockingly. His eyes narrowed as he saw Zatch's lips move. The Mamodo king had whispered something, and now his mouth was hanging open and his eyes closed. Brago's eyes widened. Lightning burst forth from Zatch's mouth and hit Brago point-blank. The attack had caused him to lose hold of Zatch and to stumble backwards before he fell to one knee with electricity coursing throughout him. The energy soon filtered itself from Brago's body, and he lifted his head to see Zatch standing proudly a few feet in front of him.

Brago's lips curled into a smirk. "Now that's more like it." He stood as he spoke. "Reis!" Another orb of black energy shot out from his now extended hand. It was quickly cancelled out by a bolt of lightning from the Mamodo king, and the dark Mamodo barely had time to move to the side as another bolt of lightning whiplashed into the ground where he previously stood. In one hand another orb of black energy assimilated and his other was consumed by a dark aura.

"Gravirei…Reis!" The dark Mamodo called out his spells one after another, the first of which pounded down onto the Mamodo king. His body felt like it was being crushed by the black aura that had encircled the area around him. It was trying to take him down to the ground, but he fought to stay on his feet. Unfortunately, coming straight for him was a ball of dark energy. With his body as if it were shackled, he could do nothing but take the blunt of the spell. His body begged to recoil from the force, but under the weight of dark aura it instead had to absorb the shock.

His fists clenched and amidst his cries of agony he screamed, "Rauzaruk!"

The answer to his prayers came piercing through the clouds in the form lightning that struck him; energy surged throughout his body before resting into a multi-colored aura. In an instant he broke free from the imprisonment of his enemy's spell and charged him full force. Three quick punches were all evaded by the dark Mamodo, a kick that he blocked with his arm, another punch that he shifted his neck to avoid; an attempt to counterattack was a mistake for the dark Mamodo, whose arm was then grabbed. It felt as if his arm was being torn off as the Mamodo king yanked him overhead and slammed him into the ground. His eyes snapped shut upon impact, and when they opened a small fist was over his face.

"Stop this, Brago!" The king pleaded with his eyes glazed in regret.

The dark Mamodo grunted in disgust, "The Mamodo World needs a strong king! Our race is one built on pride and strength, not weak beliefs of kindness!"

"What is so wrong with kindness?" Zatch retorted with sincere confusion. His mind couldn't wrap around the idea of kindness being a bad thing—it was unheard of, paradoxical even. When the dark Mamodo rolled away from him, Zatch didn't bother to pursue.

Standing, Brago eyed his opponent with detest. "Kindness is a disease. You would spread it like a plague until it changes the very thing that we are!"

"But it's what we need." The king proudly replied, fully aware and persistent of his own beliefs.

Brago shook his head, his hand once again extended. "Who are you to erase our beliefs with your own? You are a false king, nothing more than a tyrant forcing upon us your beliefs! Reis!" The end of his statement launched a spell from his hand in the direction of the tyrant he spoke of.

With his speed currently enhanced, dodging the spell proved effortless. The king believed it was foolish for his opponent to initiate close-combat again, but that's exactly what happened. Instead of seizing the opportunity to deal damage, the king enacted his belief of kindness and attempted to reason with his opponent while dodging the punches and kicks. "Hasn't there been enough fighting already?"

While still attempting to land a hit on the nimble king, Brago replied, "We live to fight. You have outlawed the use of spells and are working towards ceasing future battling to determine a new king! You are stripping away the very culture of our race!" At this time the multi-color aura faded from the king and with it his nimbleness. Brago struck at him with his fist and then proceeded to hold the king in front of him by the collar of his garments. "And you are replacing it with that of those weak humans!" He shouted into the face of the king, his words carrying powerful emotions. He then hurled the king forward, "Gigano Reis!"

Airborne as he was, the king could do nothing to evade the attack. His body was rammed by the massive energy sphere, the unwelcome energy pushing into his body with harmful intent.

"Gravirei!"

The king was forced to the ground by the increase in gravity around him, the massive energy sphere following suit and adding another powerful force that beckoned his body be swallowed by the cracking earth around him. His screams made him unable to cast a spell and soon the earth toppled in on itself and buried him in a shallow grave.

As the massive dark sphere dissipated into crackles of energy, the dark Mamodo smirked at the befitting burial of the so-called tyrant. He gave the king not a second thought and turned to leave. A sound of shifting rocks halted him, and turning around he saw the king rising up from the earth.

"You're wrong, Brago!" He declared, hands on the rocky terrain around him and forcing him up from the small crater. He stood fully and proudly as he could with a limp arm and exhaustion. "The humans are not weak! They are stronger than us!"

Brago grimaced at those words, bile burning the back of his throat caused by powerful emotions of disgust. "You compare us to those weaklings?!"

Zatch closed his eyes momentarily and nodded. "Maybe they're not strong here," he lifted his less injured arm and flexed it, a symbol of strength, "But they are strong here," he brought his arm down and clasped his hand over his heart. "And that is what counts!"

"Reis!" Brago lashed out furiously in the form of an attack. The king's words made him sick.

Fighting would be unavoidable after all, Zatch decided. He knew it was wrong, but he also had learned that it was an ultimatum when two conflicting beliefs struggled for supremacy. Focusing on the sphere of energy approaching, he opened his mouth, "Zakeruga!"

The lightning beam spiraled forth and tore through the sphere of energy, disrupting its composition and causing it to implode. The dark Mamodo was hit with the unhindered beam of lightning. Trying to resist it as he skid backwards at high speeds only increased the strain and damage done, even though he was eventually successful in warding it off; his legs were shaky and wanted to give out on him as he remained standing afterwards.

"Zaker!"

The following burst of unfocused lightning brought the dark Mamodo to his knees as it coursed through his body. His pride had been broken from the electrical surge as he unwillingly kneeled before the king he claimed to be a tyrant. His hands went to the ground and balled into fists, scraping dirt as they did. Bowing before this king was unacceptable. He rose and dashed at the king, initiating again close-combat regardless of the condition of his strained legs. His size gave him the advantage. He punched at the king, aiming towards his torso. The first attack was parried and the second was stopped by the king's hand grasping at Brago's wrist. The third, however, connected with the king's stomach; an attempt to block it was in vain as the king's injured arm still wouldn't respond fast enough. Freeing his other hand from the king's grasp, he planted another punch into the side of the king's face. A third successful attack came in the form of a knee to the chin, one that sent the king a short distance into the air.

"Gravirei!"

The increase in gravity once again pulled the king to the earth, this time amplified in force by the fall distance. A cry of pain was heard upon collision.

Brago extended both his hands over the earthbound king "Rior Reis!" With his words two green beams shot out from his palms and collided with the king, causing his body to curl and screams to escape his mouth.

The pain was excruciating and the attack seemed to go on forever. The green energy pierced into two separate spots on his body—his upper back and lower back—and he could do nothing to escape it. When the onslaught was over, he remained there, gasping and trembling from pain and exhaustion.

The dark Mamodo grunted and then began to walk away as the king struggled to rise. He kept walking, behind him the king falling once in his relentless struggle to stand. On the second try, the king made it to his feet; his opponent stood opposite of him, a distance spanning between the two.

"Only the strong have the right to judge." The dark Mamodo stated emotionlessly as he raised his hands into the air. A moment of silence passed and then the dark Mamodo slammed his hands downwards, "Baber Gravidon!"

Battered, torn, and exhausted, the Mamodo king could do nothing but wait for his end to come. He wasn't one to ever give up—and even now he was putting everything he had forward; but he had nothing left. Above him the black aura materialized and was about ready to come forcing down on him when he felt a different force, a strong push that sent him just outside the spell's radius. As he collided with the ground he could hear over the sonic-boom a scream that made him cringe. Alarmed, he turned to the source and became as white as a ghost.

Pinned to the ground under the immense gravity of the spell and face twisted in an incomprehensible pain was his dearest friend, someone he had been dying to see again.

"Tia!" He cried out desperately.

She didn't reply right away as she struggled to move her head to look at him. Soon he could see her pain-stricken eyes.

"Brago, please!" He pleaded to his enemy. He attempted to stand, but failed.

His enemy's reply was putting more force into his spell as he spat out in disgust, "Where is your pride, Zatch?" The king's eyes widened as he took in both what the dark Mamodo said and Tia's agonizing cry.

"Zatch…" She cried out weakly, then stronger, "Zatch…!" Something was happening above her as white particles gathered. "You have to…" Above her the white particles had taken shape into a heart-crested sword.

"Tia, stop!" He pleaded. He knew what she was doing, "You have to save your strength!" But he couldn't do anything to stop her.

"…Beat this punk!" The sword lunged at Zatch and stabbed him through his chest.

He could feel the energy—her energy—coursing through his veins. He watched her with sadness in his eyes, and even though her eyes were full of pain, he saw a smile flash across her face.

Then the sparkle of life in her eyes vanished.

Suddenly he couldn't hear anything and everything around him seemed to slow down. He continued to stare into her empty eyes—waiting, hoping, and praying to see them sparkle again. When they didn't, he stood and ran to her. The spell around her had just lifted. He stood above her momentarily, looking down at her unmoving body. His legs gave out on him and, falling to his knees, he scooped the girl Mamodo into his arms and shook her.

"T-" The violent shaking that had taken hold of his body prevented him from speaking clearly. He touched her cheek, and when she didn't move everything sparked back to life.

"If you had been a strong king you could have saved her."

His eyes closed.

"You're weak, Zatch!"

He laid her down gently and rose to his feet, his head down and bangs covering his face.

"The throne doesn't—"

"A kind king is a weak king…"

The king spoke as he clenched his fists so tight that blood dripped from his palms and seeped through his fingers.

"A strong king…"

His teeth gritted as he spoke.

"A merciless king…"

Heavy sobbing gasps came from him.

"If that's what you want…"

He laughed crazily and then looked up, his wicked expression startling the dark Mamodo.

"I'll make sure there's nothing left of you!"

Brago's eyes widened and he swallowed hard.

"Zagurzem!" Coming from his mouth as he spoke was an orb of lightning. His hand reached out and caught it and then slammed it into his chest. "Zagurzem!" He repeated the action, "Zagurzem" again, "Zagurzem" again, "Zagurzem" and again. His body felt stiff as the energy inside him just waited to burst. "Rauzaruk!" When the lightning pierced through the heavens and hit him, he let out a scream of agony at the top of his lungs as the energy stored inside him exploded. The blood in his veins boiled and burst out of his body from his arms. His painful screams suddenly ceased and his hateful gaze landed on the dark Mamodo.

Brago took a step back, almost stumbling. He watched, as ready as he could be, as the ground broke with each step the approaching king took. Gritting his teeth, he held his hands out in front of him and in an attempt to stop the approaching crazed Mamodo cast, "Dioga Gravidon!"

An orb of purple energy appeared before him and expanded outwards into great proportions as multi-colored auras pulsated around it. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, Brago thrust his arms forward in a motion that sent the devastating spell in the direction of the crazed Mamodo.

A sudden momentary ear-piercing screech of the wind alarmed the dark Mamodo, and in an unbelievable maneuver (or perhaps it was luck) managed to dodge the fist the came from behind him. Thrusting his arm out at the king, the dark Mamodo shouted "Re—"

His spell was interrupted as the king planted his hand over his opponent's mouth. The king pushed forward and as soon as he was on top of the dark Mamodo he began whaling on his face. Punch after relentless punch expressed the unwavering hatred that consumed him. Unable to convene words from his lips, he simply put even more force into his punches that were mutilating the face of the Mamodo beneath him. Nothing he could say would extricate the hatred and rage; but even this was not releasing it faster than it was growing. There had to be more—there had to be nothing left of this Mamodo. This Mamodo had to be erased from existence. After one more punch that tipped the total to uncountable, the multi-colored aura dissipated. He looked heavenward and cried aloud.

The Mamodo beneath him couldn't move or fight back. Whether he was even alive still was questionable, but that didn't stop the mad king from continuing.

"Zagurzem!" The king cast the spell and the orb of electric energy absorbed into the Mamodo beneath him. "Zagurzem!" Again, and again, and again, the mad king cast the spell and each orb absorbed into the body of the Mamodo.

"Bao Zakeruga!"

The electricity that should have formed into a dragon never had a chance to from the close proximity. Instead it just poured onto the body of the Mamodo and on first contact exploded into an electrical storm that expanded outward into an orb that consumed both Mamodo and the surrounding area. At the peak of the onslaught, the orb quickly shrunk into a pillar that shot skyward as it became thinner and thinner.

When the monster of a spell finally fully dissipated, Zatch laid there unconscious and in tears on a black streak of scarred and burning land. Brago's earlier spell erupted on the horizon, finally coming in contact with something. The resulting shockwave blew over the battlefield like a sort of signal cuing the end of the battle.

A.N. So Brago fights like a total awesome guy in this chapter by combining his immobilization spells and offense spells into one package. And Zatch went insane, haha. Hope you enjoyed reading! Until next time, take care!