The pain from activating his royal eye drove Renny to his knees. Kev and Old Man Baro glanced at each other, unsure what he was doing.

Zauric sneered. "Defeated before he could even raise a hand."

Kev shifted, trying to push himself upright, his body trembling, half-numb. His words came out strained, broken by effort. "Wh-what you doin', homie? G-get a hold of yourself… s-snatch Ammy outta there!"

He turned his head toward Baro, teeth clenched. "C-come on, old man… h-help him!"

Baro snorted, leaning on his staff. "Me? No, ragazzo. This is your fight. Don't drag me into it. What could a grade one demon do against that, if it could put you in such a pitiful state? No, no… I will rather watch. If Renny boy needs me, then I will help him. But only him."

Kev sucked his teeth, frustration sharp, then forced his gaze back toward Renny, eyes burning.

Zauric chuckled, lifting Ammy onto his shoulder as if she were nothing. "Such a pathetic demon." He turned to leave.

Renny's voice broke through, low but firm. "Don't move."

Zauric paused, his head tilting, intrigued.

Renny grunted, clutching at his eye as the mark burned. "Trust me… this hurts me more than what I'm about to do to you."

The scar split, blooming into the mark of royalty. His breath slowed, steady. His gaze locked onto Zauric, stripping away the façade, and the beast's truth unfolded before him.

The first layer: ragged cloth-flesh, seeping with the poison of his hook.The second: a lattice of shells, cracking and knitting themselves back together, riddled with fractures that healed only to break again. And beneath it all: the core. Void of shell. Void of toxin. The soul that housed these layers.

"I see it all," Renny whispered.

His mind raced. With his silent fracture spell, he could shatter that second layer, an explosion from within that would strike him entirely. But at grade one, the spell was far too weak to create the effect he envisioned, especially against a beast who could endure a grade three demon head-on.

Unless… Dominion. Of course. If he could channel it, elevate fracture into a branch-level effect, it might work. He wasn't sure, but he had read of it in the Dominion Spell Handbook. And this... this was the perfect time to test it.

And with that in mind, Renny knew the perfect variation of Dominion to infuse into the fracture spell. His voice was steady, his gaze locked on Zauric, the royal eye glowing deep purple.

"Domaveth Zereth Krynn." — Empowered Silent Fracture.

The words cut through the air like a decree.

Zauric's body jolted. A hairline crack echoed inside him, too faint for the others to hear but sharp enough that he dropped Ammy. He snarled, confusion in his voice.

"What… what have you done to me, demon? What trickery is this? Have you not learned? I am untouchable!"

Renny's lips curled into the faintest smirk, though sweat slid down his temple, his knees trembling beneath the weight of the strain. His chest heaved, each breath drawn as if through broken glass.

"Not to me. I don't need to touch you to break you… Your makings have done that for me."

Zauric's eyes narrowed, his breath sharp. "What do you mean, demon?"

Renny staggered a step, a low grunt slipping through clenched teeth. His palm pressed hard against his head, as though hammers pounded inside his skull, each throb a spike of agony that nearly buckled him. His voice came out low and ragged, yet steady in intent.

"Your shells… they'll shatter from the inside out. One after another. Until nothing's left."

Another crack tore through Zauric, but at the same time, Renny's body seized, his face twisting as pain rippled through him in equal measure. Still, he forced his words between labored breaths:

"…It'll kill you in the process… but don't worry. You're a beast. You'll recover. Eventually."

Another sharp fracture burst within Zauric's chest, then another. His inner shell split again, shattering deeper. He staggered, collapsing to one knee, the hook falling loose from his hand.

Renny didn't hesitate. He surged forward, grabbed Ammy, her eyes wide with shock and helplessness, and dragged her back toward Kev. He set her down beside him, then fell to his knees himself, breathing hard, the strain of His royal eye tearing at his body.

Kev grit his teeth, forcing the words out. "Renny… y-you alright? Wh-what the hell did you do?"

But Renny was too exhausted to answer. His chest heaved, every breath a battle.

Zauric collapsed fully now, his monstrous body convulsing as more cracks split through him, the sound of shells fracturing filling the air.

Old Man Baro's eyes sharpened. "Heh… perfetto." Slowly, he rose, staff in hand, and approached the fallen beast.

As Zauric writhed, Baro knelt and drew out the Soul Key, its silver metal glinting faintly. He tied it carefully around Zauric's thick neck, speaking with calm finality.

"Subdued. When you recover, beast, you'll guard this key with your life. And only Renny boy will be able to take it from you."

He rubbed the top of Zauric's head almost like a master binding a hound, then stepped back, watching as the beast finally crumpled, collapsing under the weight of his shattering inner shell.

Baro returned slowly to the group, his boots crunching against the stone, eyes drawn to Renny as he knelt there, shoulders shaking with every breath. The old man crouched down, his weathered hand reaching for the demon's shoulder.

But Renny lifted a weak hand to stop him, his voice no louder than a whisper, yet firm in resolve."The souls… free the souls first… those Zauric held captive."

Baro's brow furrowed, his jaw tightening."No, Renny boy. That's not why we came here. Our business was with the beast, nothing more."

Renny's eyes, dulled yet unwavering, met his."…Please… old man…"

For a moment, Baro stood silent, grunting low in his throat, clearly displeased. Then, with a curse under his breath, he rose."Tch. Fine, then. Have it your way."

He strode to the twisted bindings where the souls were shackled and, with a sharp motion of his hand, tore them free. The spectral figures trembled as their chains snapped, their forms glowing with gratitude.

"Thank you… thank you…" voices echoed, before the souls wasted no time fleeing down the mountainside, vanishing into the horizon.

Baro dusted off his hands with a scoff, turning back."Alright, Renny boy. That's enough heroics. Time to go."

Kev, still catching his breath, glanced at the fleeing souls, then back at Ammy, who was struggling to steady herself."Come on, old man... help Ammy first. Renny'll be fine, he can walk…"

Baro gave a rough laugh as he stooped to lift Renny into his arms."I told you already, ragazzo… I'll only help Renny boy. You are higher grades, no? You'll be fine."

He chuckled, carrying Renny as if he were a prize of war, humming before breaking into a booming tune in Italian, an old soldier's victorious song. His voice echoed proudly across the mountain as the pair descended, leaving the higher-grade demons and the broken beasts behind.

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