Alfred was fighting for his life in that duel with Paulo, but he could not afford to lose now. Even as he invested every punch with crippling intent, he found himself tiring. Paulo was not tiring. He was on his home turf, and it gave him power.
"Perhaps it is best that it happens like this, amigo," said Brazil. "I want to earn my place in the New Order, by defeating you for the Hegemony"
"And what exactly is the offer you couldn't refuse?" Alfred asked.
"I will rule the South. All land here south of Guatemala will now belong to me, and the glorious Brazilian Empire that will emerge"
"And Venezuela and Argentina? They won't go quietly into the night."
"My siblings will fall in line once they see me kill you" was Brazil's simple answer. "You have no idea what it's like, to be looked down upon by every single neighbor. I am the only Portuguese colony in South America. I have always been an outsider to them. But now, they shall bow down to me as their Herr. They will serve me"
"Your Nazi refugees are showing, buddy. So it didn't take much for China to convince ya, since you've always had that delusion that you deserved better"
"Screw the Nazis, that was just an expression. Nova Godoi collapsed years before. Some meddling federal agent of yours. That's all you Americans ever do, meddle and intrude."
"Forgive us if we have this strong urge to stomp out evil when we see it. And don't try to argue I'm not pure as the driven snow. I know I ain't, but this isn't about me, or you and your little sob story. It's about the Hegemony and all the pain they've caused already. They nuked Portugal off the map, dude. There's no way you're okay with that"
"Ha, you think I give a shit about my old man? It was his fault for letting himself get weak. He should've joined the Hegemony when we gave him the chance." But he wasn't all there when he said that. Alfred could see part of Paulo was shocked when the gravity of the event was finally brought to him, face-to-face.
"Henri was a good father to you, Paulo" yelled Maria. "That's why he only made you. He wanted a single son to dote on, he saw how Antonio struggled with all of us"
"Shut up. You don't know anything, cousin. You have no idea what he made me go through growing up"
"Oh, bother, you're so edgy sometimes," said Chile, turning his back on Argentina. "We've never looked down on you, you were just too prideful to mingle with the rest of us. You should hear how Antonio wishes he could give each of us the time and attention Henri gave to you"
Argentina ran Chile through with his spear. "Chile's right, ignore what I just did. You're such an anime villain wannabe, Paulo, just finish them already."
Colombia screamed and even Venezuela could not exactly take delight in her sister's despair though they were on opposite sides. The reality that South America's nations could only end up killing each other as the war drew on settled on everyone's minds. "And to think I'll finally have a bigger Pacific coast," Argentina thought cheerfully. Chile's body slumped to the floor. Maria punched Venezuela in the left breast and ran to Colombia to help her.
Colombia was weeping as she cradled Chile in her lap. "No, Carlos, it can't end like this. Not like this."
"What happened? There's no way Chile could just up and-"
"What we do reflects what is happening outside, dear cousin: Argentinian forces have already captured Santiago as we speak. War has begun, and I am but one of the first casualties"
"You're not going to die," Colombia said firmly. But Maria could feel his life force fading steadily.
"Promise me, mi amor," he said to Colombia. "Please promise me this"
"Anything"
"Always give peace a second chance"
"How can I do that? Even now, my heart screams for revenge"
"I was built on second chances. Remember me by doing as well"
"Carlos, I-"
"Remember me". Chile closed his eyes and faded away, leaving no trace. Maria was struck as to whether singing Dos Oruguitas right now would be appropriate or very rude. She comforted Colombia as best as she could. She looked back at the battle raging on. Japan had knocked Argentina out, and Venezuela was nowhere to be seen. In the middle of it all, Alfred and Paulo were still fighting, slugging at each other. Was it just her, or was the pavilion beginning to crumble?
Realizing Brazil was now alone in the fight, Maria called Kiku to tell him to charge Paulo now. Appearing at opposite flanks of Alfred, they pushed back against Brazil with renewed vigor.
"You forget my home court advantage" Brazil slammed his foot on the ground, sending a shock wave that knocked all three of them backwards.
Japan grabbed something from his pockets and threw it at America. "Kakashi-sensei's oldest trick in the book," he said with a smile.
Alfred grabbed the objects in midair and whooped for joy. "My cents" He flipped them in the air, and his beautiful Desert Eagles sprang back to life. He aimed them at Paulo. "Give up now, Brazil. We've got the advantage now."
"You have gotten nothing," Brazil snarled.
"I know your heart's not completely into this, Paulo"
"You know nothing about me"
"I know you're a big country, with a huge population. Surely not everybody here is on the side of the Hegemony. You're barely stable now."
"Lies"
"You don't want war, Paulo. You didn't want Henri to die, either"
"If you think this is the part where I realize I've been wrong the whole time, you're stupid. This isn't a damn shounen manga."
"I think I remember it now," said Maria, suddenly. "Portugal was an empire for only a short while, right?"
Alfred nodded. "He was beaten up by the likes of Spain and England. Beating me is really payback for what my father did to yours"
Brazil said nothing.
"You wanted to be strong, for your father. You didn't really hate him, but it hurt you to know he didn't approve of what you've become after throwing your lot with the Hegemony"
Brazil trembled.
"In a nutshell, you're just a little boy crying on the sidewalk, because Daddy doesn't seem to appreciate your love for him, aren't you, Paulo?"
A guttural scream, and Paulo dashed for Alfred at a speed that shocked everyone. Almost everyone. Alfred calmly pulled the trigger. Paulo staggered backwards, gasping and clawing at air as he collapsed on the floor.
"This won't kill you, buddy. It'll just give you time to think about everything"
Down at the breathtaking sceneries of Rio, Klara Bohringer took in her coffee in short sips, letting every single moment melt with pleasure, shutting off her mental faculties for a while, to let sweet bliss in as she held Tayana's hand. Suddenly, the ground began to shake.
"Mein Gott, Raze, there's an earthquake!"
"Nothing's shaking, Killjoy, but you're right, I can feel something shaking"
"What on Earth could that have been?"
"I don't know, but suddenly, I feel something's very wrong with the place. Something's not right with Brazil."
"I hear shouts outside," Klara said. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the place. "People are fighting each other on the streets!"
"I don't like this, KJ, not at all"
"Should we call the Vulture?"
"Yeah, just let me gather all my stuff from the junk shop…"
All humans had fled the pavilion. Alfred, Kiku, Maria and Colombia stared one last time at Paulo's body before running. "We've gotta get out of here. Civil war will brew soon, now that the spirit of Brazil has been killed," said Colombia.
"He'll be back, right?" asked Alfred, no longer sure he did the right thing back there.
"With such a big country, it's hard to tell. He may split into several new nations and the real Paulo may never come back."
Kiku nodded. "But at least the Hegemony's lost a member"
"Let's hope China pulls a Muzan, and kills another of the six remaining out of sheer spite," added Maria. Alfred had to laugh, despite everything.
Back in the crumbling pavilion. Paulo coughed blood. He had been so close. So very close. He knew he was going to die and had no notions of coming back. For years, he had fought the schisms within himself like some deadly cancer. All for the sake of becoming stronger. His life flashed before his eyes.
He was a little boy again, running for his father.
His mother was the mighty Amazon. His father was a strange white man from a faraway land.
His mother lived deep in the jungles, where he was born. When he was of age, his father called for him.
He was begotten when his mother charmed his father by the river, her beautiful, gold-covered body swaying delicately, mesmerizing. They made love by the banks of the river. She bit his throat, he tore her gold necklace from her, ripping her bodice and exposing her breasts.
His mother loved him and raised him in his first years. But his father at last called for him. His parents had drifted apart over the years, but his father was calling, and his mother bid him ready.
His father was kind, if a bit silly. He told him of the faraway land's great need for sugar and other goods that could only be made here. He christened him Paulo, after the faithful servant of Christ, and told him that if he worked dutifully and studied hard, he would be first among all the colonies of the New World.
Paulo loved his father, and his father loved him. But bad people, also from the faraway lands, harmed his father. Paulo would weep seeing him covered in wounds and scars.
He wanted to fight. He wanted to get back at those people who hurt his father. But his father told him he was not ready. One day, his father left and never came back. You are free now. Make the best of it, my son.
Of course, later on he knew his father was still alive, but he had become a shadow of his former self. You used to be so big, Papa.
All his days since, he had only ever wanted to be stronger. He feared what had happened to his father. He hated being weak. Two great wars washed over the world, and after the second one, strange white men came to him, asking for refuge. They told him funny things about master races, and how to become a powerful nation, and while he never entertained their silly assertions that the white man was strongest and smartest of all, he kept on thinking about becoming stronger.
It was then that China had come and offered him a place in the Hegemony. But now, none of it mattered. He had failed. The Amazon would not help him. Live or die was his mother's wild motto. And his father was dead.
Paulo thought he could see Henri kneeling over him, caressing his hair, weeping. Perhaps his beloved father would shepherd him into the afterlife. "I was not strong enough, papa," he whispered painfully. "I hated you. I let you die"
"Could a father ever truly forsake his son? Paulo, I love you, and I have always been proud of you. Justice will come for those who have misguided you, my son. Come, it's so beautiful here, in the Summerlands, on the other side…"
The pavilion collapsed and became Paulo's tomb.