With the Celestial Compass now grasped in Malakar's hand, he stood before the gate, moments away from unleashing destruction upon the world.
Knowing that time was running out, Ryo quietly placed his hand on Aladdin's shoulder from behind. Aladdin turned to him. Without uttering a word, Ryo quickly gestured with his hand, making sure Malakar wouldn't notice.
His signal was clear.
Ryo instructed Aladdin through silent motion — fly the magic carpet beneath the stone bridge and sneak toward Amina without drawing attention. Meanwhile, Ryo would handle the most dangerous part… distracting Malakar.
Aladdin understood instantly and gave a small nod.
Ryo then stepped off the carpet and carefully set foot on the cold stone floor without a sound, Aladdin guided the carpet to hover below the bridge, cautiously inching his way toward Amina.
Ryo removed his unused parachute and quietly laid it down, but kept his helmet and aviation goggles on, preparing himself for what was about to come.
Malakar raised his right hand high, the Celestial Compass now pulsing with an ominous glow of purple and black, illuminating the chamber in a sinister light.
Ryo, steadying his breath, quietly lifted his gun, aiming precisely at Malakar's hand gripping the compass.
Malakar began to chant, his voice echoing through the chamber.
Amina, wide-eyed and panicking. "NO, PLEASE STOP!"
Malakar: "OH GATE OF MALEVOLENT SPIRITS, I HEREBY UNLO—"
BANG!
Before Malakar could finish, Ryo pulled the trigger — the shot rang out, echoing like a thunderclap. The bullet pierced Malakar's right hand, forcing him to drop the compass. The glow immediately ceased, the compass clattering onto the stone floor.
Amina gasped, frozen for a second. Malakar stared down in disbelief at his empty palm, but it only lasted a heartbeat. His hand regenerated instantly with a sickening, supernatural snap.
Slowly, both Amina and Malakar turned toward the source of the shot.
And there, standing at the entrance, was Ryo — his gun still aimed, smoke curling from the barrel, with aviator goggles, and helmet securely fastened.
Malakar's eyes twitched. His body trembled as rage built up like a volcano about to erupt. His teeth clenched tight with fury.
Ryo, cocky, with a small smirk. "Yo, Fossil Boy. Did you miss me?"
Amina, blinking away her shock, broke into a breathless smile, tears still lingering in her eyes. "RYO, YOU CAME!"
Malakar erupted. "YOU WRETCHED DETECTIVE! ONCE AGAIN… YOU DARE GET IN MY WAY?!"
Amina then noticed Ryo's ridiculous but somehow fitting gear. "Ryo, what's with the goggles and helmet?"
Ryo gave her a lopsided grin. "What? Gotta have max defense in a boss fight, right?"
Amina blinked, thrown off by his ridiculous answer despite the situation. "... Oh... uh... okay?"
Malakar clutched his head, fingers digging into his scalp, ruffling his hair like a maniac. His furious mutterings filled the air—
"WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?!"
First, Zayd had ruined his plans to open the gate 1620 years ago, and now, centuries later, this annoying, cocky detective was pulling the same trick. The rage bubbling inside him was so intense it looked like it was about to burst through his skin.
Ryo just watched, he casually said. "Hey, chill out. You're gonna go bald at this rate."
Malakar didn't even hear him. His fingers clawed at his hair, making him look like a psychotic scholar who just realized he forgot to finish a project he had worked on for 1620 years.
Amina, watching, began to worry. This wasn't just a simple distraction anymore.
"Ryo… you're about to fight an immortal being. You were literally hiding last time. Are you sure about this?"
Ryo rolled his shoulders. "Don't worry. I got a plan."
Amina narrowed her eyes. "You mean the kind of plan where you run away and let others fight?"
Ryo smirked. "No, no. This one's way better."
Amina wasn't convinced.
Meanwhile, Malakar was done losing his mind.
The veins in his face and arms bulged with rage. His eyes glowed with murderous intent.
Then—he raised his arm, stretching his hand toward Ryo.
Dark magic swirled, crackling with sinister energy, ready to shoot Ryo.
"NEITHER ZAYD NOR YOU WILL STOP ME! NOW DI—"
Then—
But before he could finish the word "Die", Ryo let out the biggest, most dramatic sigh ever.
It was the kind of sigh you give when you realize the WiFi is down and now you actually have to talk to people.
Malakar hesitated. His dark energy flickered.
Ryo just shook his head, utterly disappointed.
Then, with a casual shrug, he launched into the roast of the century.
"Dude, You're IMMORTAL. You literally have eternity… and THIS is what you choose to do with your life? Just a never-ending revenge quest? You couldn't pick up a hobby? Travel? Learn to cook? Maybe get into gardening? You ever considered therapy?"
Malakar's eye twitched.
"You could've done anything, man. Opened a business, started a podcast, joined a sports team. Hell, you could've been out there vibing with Sinbad the Sailor! Imagine the adventures, the treasure, the babes!"
Malakar's magic flickered again.
Ryo kept going.
"But noooo, you wasted centuries just to get absolutely CLOWNED by me. And let's be real—I am not even that strong! I'm just some detective with a gun and this cool helmet!"
Malakar's magic flickered even more.
"Like, dude, you have literally seen history unfold with your own eyes. You could be out here TEACHING it! Giving TED Talks! Running a masterclass!"
Ryo crossed his arms, gun still in hand, and shook his head with exaggerated disbelief.
"But instead, you're standing here, throwing a tantrum over some hellish gate like some ancient drama queen."
Amina gasped in horror.
Aladdin—still hovering below the stone bridge—just listened in complete shock.
"Did Ryo just… start roasting an immortal enemy like he was some washed-up grandpa?!"
Ryo took a step closer, tilting his head.
"I mean, let's be real here. You may be immortal, but your dignity? That thing's been dying non-stop every time I show up."
Silence.
Amina, watching this, horrified. "Ryo… oh no… not again…"
He had done the same thing to Prince Jamil back at the prison hospital.
Aladdin whispered under his breath. "…Oh sweet mother of god, he's done for."
Malakar's entire body shook. His teeth clenched.
And then—
"DEEEETECTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!"
The entire pyramid shook with his fury.
Ryo just grinned.
And then, without hesitation, Ryo suddenly dashed straight toward the narrow stone bridge — charging directly at Malakar without even bothering to aim his gun.
Amina gasped in disbelief. "Ryo?! What are you doing? That's suicide!"
But Ryo didn't answer. He didn't even glance at her. His eyes were locked on Malakar.
Malakar flinched for a second, clearly thrown off by Ryo's insane move, then snarled and fired his dark magic without holding back.
But the moment the attack was released, time seemed to slow.
Ryo's sharp eyes followed every twitch of Malakar's hand, and every angle of his shots. His mind kicked into overdrive, the full power of his detective instincts burning at their peak. He analyzed it all — the trajectory, the timing, the intent behind every blast.
And he dodged. Not clumsily — precisely. Every deadly attack missed by inches.
This wasn't like the throne hall, where he hid like a cornered rat. Not anymore.
Ryo gritted his teeth as he kept weaving through the barrage. He wasn't running away. He was walking straight into the storm.
Malakar, clearly annoyed now, smirked. "HAH! Fine! Go ahead, fire your pathetic little gun at me! I'll just heal like I always do!"
Malakar stopped shooting, cockily bracing for a bullet.
But then… Ryo's eyes sharpened like a blade.
Instead of firing, he slipped the gun smoothly back into his trench coat. And in one swift motion, he pulled out two tonfas, hidden inside his sleeves.
Amina's jaw dropped.
Without missing a beat, Ryo leapt high into the air, spinning with full force toward Malakar.
Malakar grinned, amused at first — but then— SMASH.
Ryo's right tonfa cracked against Malakar's face with such brutal spinning momentum that Malakar was sent crashing to the ground.
Malakar in pain. "A-AARGHH!"
He squirmed, grabbing his face, struggling to even speak. Blood dripped from his mouth, and the swelling around his cheekbone was immediate.
Amina, wide-eyed. "He's… he's not healing?!"
Even Malakar couldn't believe it. His immortal body — wasn't regenerating.
Aladdin, hidden below the bridge, grinned to himself. He already knew. He remembered Ryo's insane plan they discussed back at the palace.
Malakar barely got the words out. "W-Why…?"
Ryo, standing tall, spinning his tonfas calmly, spoke without mercy.
"As long as your head's not blown off, limbs not torn off, and you don't take a lethal wound… you can't heal."
Malakar's eyes widened in horror.
Ryo, sharp-eyed, finally pieced it together. He realized that the royal family and the guards could never defeat Malakar because they only tried killing him — which allowed Malakar to regenerate every single time.
But non-lethal damage? That was Malakar's weakness.
Malakar, furious and scrambling, picked himself up and immediately began chanting another attack spell.
But Ryo wasn't about to give him the chance.
Without hesitation, Ryo slammed Malakar's casting hand down with a sharp strike from his tonfa, breaking the flow of the spell. Then, like a relentless storm, he laid into Malakar with a series of brutal blows. Every time Malakar tried to cast using another part of his body — a shoulder, an elbow, even channeling magic through his foot — Ryo shut it down, smashing the focus point before it could release.
Malakar gritted his teeth, roaring in agony. Every hit felt like it tore through his bones.
While Ryo kept Malakar occupied, Aladdin finally reached the gate, hovering just near the large rock where Amina lay on the ground, still tied. He kept the carpet low, careful not to draw attention.
In a sharp whisper, Aladdin called out. "Lady Amina!"
Amina flinched, startled, and turned to see him. "Wait… you're Aladdin, one of our guards? You're here too?!"
Aladdin quickly pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
Amina nodded, quickly shoving herself closer to the edge of the platform, straining against her restraints, just enough to reach for the carpet.
Aladdin stretched out his hand to pull her aboard—
But then, without warning, Malakar — in the middle of a beating — blasted his own head clean off with his own magic.
Ryo's eyes widened. "What the—?!"
Malakar's body collapsed… only to regenerate in mere seconds, emerging fully healed. He wasn't bluffing. Killing himself was part of his strategy.
Before anyone could react, Malakar grinned darkly as a massive dark claw formed from his right hand, slamming it down to imprison Amina like a cage of shadows.
Both Aladdin and Ryo gasped in horror.
Amina thrashed inside the claw, started screaming.
Malakar, standing tall, chuckled with chilling amusement. "Foolish. As long as I end my life... I can regenerate for eternity."
Aladdin wasn't about to stand by and let the king's personal attendant be taken by Malakar. His eyes flared with determination. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and, with a sharp swing, engulfed the blade in a violent whirlwind of magic.
"RAAAAAH!" Aladdin cried out from the depths of his lungs, pouring everything he had into the strike.
With sheer force, he shattered Malakar's dark claw into fragments of fading miasma.
Malakar snarled and immediately began casting another claw spell, desperate to snatch Amina again.
But Ryo saw his chance.
His sharp eyes locked onto Malakar. Then, without warning, he barked. "Over here, asshole!"
Showing no mercy, Ryo launched a fierce uppercut with the tip of his tonfa, smashing into Malakar's chin and knocking him off balance.
Without wasting a second, Ryo shouted. "GET HER AND THE COMPASS, NOW!"
Aladdin gave a sharp nod. His magic carpet responded instantly, lifting high above the stone platform. In one smooth swoop, Aladdin grabbed Amina, pulling her onto the carpet.
"Hold on!" he told her.
Then, without slowing, he zipped past Ryo and Malakar to snatch the fallen Celestial Compass. Without glancing back, Aladdin steered the carpet toward the entrance to make their escape.
Malakar's eyes widened in panic as he stretched out his arm. "MY COMPASS—!"
Before he could even finish, Ryo smashed another clean blow right across Malakar's face, sending him reeling.
Ryo, smirking through the adrenaline, taunted. "Your opponent is right here, fossil boy."
His tone turned sharp and fearless.
"You might be an immortal douchebag, but you're absolute shit as a fighter."
Ryo glanced at them out of the corner of his eye. "Good, they're getting out."
Now, he just had to keep Malakar busy.
Malakar's hands clenched into fists, his body trembling with fury.
He's gonna KILL this detective!
While soaring toward the exit, Aladdin swiftly cut through Amina's dark restraints with his wind-enchanted sword. The bindings shattered, finally setting her free.
Amina stretched out her arms and legs with a loud sigh. "Ahhh... free at last."
She glanced at Aladdin, half-annoyed, half-relieved. "You have no idea how uncomfortable it is being tied up like that the whole time."
Aladdin chuckled with genuine relief. "Thank goodness, Lady Amina."
But their relief was short-lived.
Suddenly, Malakar let out a desperate, guttural scream that echoed throughout the entire chamber. A dark barrier erupted at the entrance, sealing their only way out. Aladdin and Amina gasped in horror. The barrier had appeared as if Malakar cast it just with his scream — a terrifyingly reckless display of power.
Then, right before Ryo's eyes, Malakar slashed his own neck with his dark claw, killing himself — again. His body collapsed, only to instantly regenerate, emerging fresh, unscarred, and furious.
Picking himself up, Malakar gritted his teeth. "You call me a shit fighter…"
His voice boomed. "THEN I'LL GIVE YOU A REAL FIGHT IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT!"
Without warning, dark energy erupted from Malakar's entire body. Ryo's eyes widened as black miasma began pouring out of Malakar's forehead, hands, back, and legs.
Before Ryo could even react, the horrifying transformation began.
With a sickening crack, two black, devilish wings burst from Malakar's back, the torn flesh sizzling and steaming. His hands twisted and changed into massive, clawed talons as smoke curled from his skin.
His legs bent unnaturally, reshaping into devilish limbs with sharp black nails. Two jagged horns pushed out from his forehead, sizzling as they pierced through bone and flesh. His sharp teeth flashed beneath the swirling miasma, and worst of all—his pupils glowed like burning embers.
The way Malakar transformed was eerily similar to how the Vrakul hounds evolved when they chased him not long ago, back when he was helping that strange-looking cat, Lunaria (AKA Dusty).
Ryo stood frozen for a second.
"Great…" he groaned. "You're the freaking devil now?! What's next? Breathing fire?!"
Malakar didn't find it amusing.
With a powerful flap of his devilish wings, Malakar struck Ryo hard, sending him crashing sideways into the same large rock where Amina had been earlier. His head smacked against the rock hard.
Luckily, Ryo's helmet softened the blow, preventing serious injury. But as he staggered to get back on his feet, a sharp pain shot through his bandaged waist. He gritted his teeth. He wasn't fully healed.
Malakar, now in his monstrous devil form, suddenly took flight, soaring straight toward Amina and Aladdin.
Aladdin's face went pale the moment he spotted him. "W-WE'VE GOT A BIG PROBLEM, LADY AMINA!" he cried, panicking.
Amina turned around and gasped in sheer horror. "What the hell is that!?"
Aladdin, scrambling, frantically motioned his hands to steer the carpet, dodging Malakar's ruthless claw strikes. The sharp turns and evasive maneuvers left Amina dizzy and clinging to the carpet for dear life.
But the devil wasn't letting up.
Suddenly, Malakar lunged closer than ever. His monstrous claw raised high, ready to slash Amina into pieces.
Amina screamed and instinctively shut her eyes, shielding herself with her right arm — but the attack never landed.
CLANG!
Aladdin had already drawn his wind-imbued sword, blocking Malakar's claw just in time.
With a sharp and dignified tone, Aladdin declared.
"As the Royal Guard of Al-Munira, I shall not allow you to lay even a single finger upon the Sultan's esteemed attendant!"
Malakar roared furiously, his eyes burning with hatred.
Aladdin struggled to hold back the deadly claw, pushing against Malakar's overwhelming strength. But with his focus locked on the fight, the carpet was left pilotless. Amina's eyes quickly darted to the controls, realizing how Aladdin had been steering it. Without hesitation, she reached for the tassels and cast her own wind magic, taking control.
The carpet responded instantly.
"Lady Amina?" Aladdin called out in surprise, still locking blades and claws with Malakar. "You… know how to control it?"
Amina smirked confidently. "Yup. Former prodigy, remember?"
Even amid the chaos, Aladdin managed a proud smile.
Amina, once a gifted child in wind magic, quickly adapted. She skillfully maneuvered the flying carpet as if she had done it for years, weaving through the chamber and dodging Malakar's relentless attacks.
Malakar's attacks grew more vicious. His monstrous claws swiped furiously, and at one point, he unleashed a dark energy ball straight from his mouth.
Amina's sharp instincts kicked in. With a sudden tilt of the carpet, the blast missed them by mere inches, sending shockwaves that rattled their balance.
"Careful!" Aladdin shouted, nearly losing his grip on the carpet.
"Got it!" Amina replied, focused and determined.
But Malakar wasn't done yet. His claw grazed the edge of the carpet, ripping part of its stitching, sending the duo slightly off-balance.
With no time to hesitate, Aladdin unleashed a wind blade, swinging his sword mid-air and firing sharp gusts at Malakar. Yet, with a single powerful swipe of his devilish claw, Malakar casually dismissed the attack, tearing the wind blades apart like fragile leaves.
Malakar's rage only grew.