Zafron walked through the mansion''srge halls, his steps measured and purposeful. The red slime still clung to his hands, pulsing with barely contained energy. His voice echoed off the walls, dripping with anger.


    "Gustavo! You gutless worm! Come out and face me like a man, or are you too busy cowering in the shadows?"


    For a moment, silence reigned. Then, from somewhere ahead, Gustavo''s voice rang out, thick with disdain.


    "Cowering? That''s riching from you, Zafron. Have you forgotten our little dance in Astoria?"


    Zafron''s eyes narrowed, his pace quickening as he followed the sound. "Big words from a man hiding behind closed doors. Why don''t youe out here and say that to my face?"


    Gustavo''sughter echoed through the corridor. "I should have finished you when I had the chance. A mistake I won''t repeat today." Gustavo shot back, his voice growing clearer as Zafron drew nearer.


    Zafron''s lips curled into a vicious grin. "Keep pping your gums, you miserable excuse for a man. When I''m done with you, they''ll need a mop to clean up what''s left."


    He rounded another corner, his eyes darted from shadow to shadow, searching for any sign of movement.


    "Come out, you miserable coward!" Zafron''s voice echoed off the marble walls.


    A mockingugh seemed toe from everywhere and nowhere. "I''m here waiting for you to find me." Gustavo''s disembodied voice taunted.


    Zafron''s face contorted with rage. "I''ll find you, and when I do, I''ll make you wish you''d never touched Matilda," He kicked open a door, finding only an empty room leading to a staircase.


    His knuckles whitened around the red slime as he stormed towards the stairs.


    ''From what I can tell, I don''t think he''s with Mara or Matilda. I need to finish him off and then find them. I believe they are hiding somewhere in the mansion,'' Zafron thought as he scanned his surroundings.


    As he ascended the stairs, his breath came in ragged gasps, a mixture of exertion and barely contained fury.


    He reached the top, finding himself in a vast, open room. Ornate chandeliers hung from a vaulted ceiling, casting dancing shadows across the polished floor.


    "Your games end now, Gustavo!" Zafron snarled. "Face me, you spineless—"


    A cough interrupted him,ing from directly behind. Zafron whirled around, the red slime pulsing in his grip.


    There, seated in a high-backed chair with an infuriating grin spread across his face, was Gustavo. "You were saying?" he asked, his eyes glinting with amusement.


    Zafron''s face twisted with hatred as he red at his seated foe, the confrontation he''d been seeking now finally at hand.


    Gustavo''s gaze flickered to the pulsating substance in Zafron''s hand. "I see you''ve brought a gift," he said, his tone deceptively light. "Or were you hiding that little trinket thest time we danced in Astoria?"


    Despite his mocking words, Gustavo''s mind raced as he observed his adversary. Something was... different.


    Zafron stood taller, his presence moremanding. The look in his eyes had changed – a newfound intensity that sent a chill down Gustavo''s spine. It was as if he was facing an entirely different person.


    ''He''s evolved,'' Gustavo thought, weighing his options. ''Can I still beat him? Especially now that I''m...''


    A sudden cough escaped his lips, betraying his weakness. Gustavo cursed inwardly, knowing Zafron wouldn''t miss such a tell.


    "Let''s just say you were lucky back at Astoria. But right now, no amount of luck will save you," Zafron snapped angrily at Gustavo.


    Gustavo leaned back in his chair, a smirk ying on his lips despite the tension coiling in his gut. "I must say, Zafron, I''m impressed," he drawled, his tone a mixture of genuine admiration and calcted mockery. "You''ve... evolved. What''s your secret, hmm? Did you stumble upon a wish-granting fairy in some enchanted forest?"


    Zafron''s jaw clenched, his grip on the red slime tightening.


    Gustavo''s eyes glinted with mischief. "Or perhaps... you''ve finally found that long-lost Stone of Power? The one that''s supposed to grant unimaginable magical abilities?" He chuckled, the sound tinged with a hint of nervousness. "Come now, don''t be shy. Share with the ss."


    As Gustavo continued his yful interrogation, Zafron''s mind began to race. The conversation at the door of the mansion suddenly reyed in his head – those two men, Brutus and Ratface had mentioned Gustavo, yes, but they''d also spoken of another person inside.


    His eyes darted from corner to corner, searching for any sign of movement, any hint of an ambush.


    ''Why is Gustavo alone?'' Zafron thought, his pulse quickening. ''He''s stalling. Buying time. But for what?''


    The red slime in his hand pulsed faster, responding to his rising agitation. Zafron''s gaze swept the room once more, expecting an attack at any moment.


    "What''s the matter, Zafron?" Gustavo taunted, noticing his adversary''s distraction. "You seem a bit... jumpy. Not losing your nerve, are you?"


    Zafron opened his mouth to retort, but before he could utter a word, a new voice cut through the tension –ing from directly behind him.


    "I guess he''s looking for me!"


    Before Zafron could fully turn to face the presence he sensed behind him, a blinding pain exploded at the base of his skull.


    The impact was so severe that it momentarily shattered his concentration, causing the protective slime to dissipate from his body.


    Stars danced in Zafron''s vision as he stumbled forward, his legs buckling beneath him. The force of the blow was far beyond what human knuckles could deliver - it felt more like he''d been struck with a sledgehammer or some equally brutal weapon.


    Warm blood trickled down his neck as Zafron copsed to the ground, his hand instinctively moving to staunch the flow from the wound. Despite his efforts, red liquid seeped between his fingers, staining the polished floor beneath him.


    [Critical hit sustained..,]


    [Emergency healing deployed]


    With great effort, Zafron managed to turn his head, his blurred vision slowly focusing on the towering figure above him.


    ''Who is this guy? Another ckthorn''s bodyguard?'' Zafron wondered, despite the pain coursing through head.


    Mordred stood there, a triumphant grin spreading across his face as he looked down at his fallen foe, while he adjusted his dreadlocks. In his hand was a vicious-looking spiked gauntlet he had picked up from searching for Matilda after discing Mchi.


    Mordred casually began to remove the gauntlet, sliding it off his hand with a deliberate slowness that spoke of his confidence. The heavy weapon ttered to the ground beside Zafron.


    From across the room, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor drew Zafron''s attention. Gustavo rose from his seat, his movements unhurried as he approached Zafron.


    Zafrony prone on the ground, his breathing in ragged gasps. The red slime that had pulsed so menacingly in his hand earlier was now a dull, inert mass on the floor beside him.


    Gustavo approached slowly, enjoying his victory, while Mordred kept a watchful eye on their fallen foe.


    Zafron attempted to push himself up, but Mordred''s foot pressed down on his back, pinning him in ce.


    Gustavo crouched down, his face inches from Zafron''s. "After all this time, after all your...new findings" he spat the word, eyeing Zafron''s hand where the slime was before..."you''re still that same scared little ve from ckthorn''s mansion."


    Zafron''s eyes zed with fury, but Gustavo merely chuckled at his impotent rage. He grabbed a fistful of Zafron''s hair, yanking his head back painfully. With his free hand, Gustavo made a fluid gesture, and a shimmering de materialized in his grasp.


    "Let... go," Zafron growled through gritted teeth, struggling against Gustavo''s iron grip.


    "Shh, shh," Gustavo soothed mockingly, bringing the de to Zafron''s exposed throat. "No need for that now. It''ll all be over soon."


    The cold steel grazed Zafron''s skin, drawing a thin line of blood. Gustavo''s eyes glittered with a mix of triumph and something darker, more primal.


    "You know," Gustavo mused, almost conversationally, "I genuinely thought you might surprise me this time. That maybe, just maybe, you''d finally be more than the little boy I almost killed." He sighed theatrically. "Such a pity it all has to end like this again."


    Zafron''s muscles tensed, ast desperate attempt to break free, but Mordred''s grip remained unbreakable.


    "Anyst words?" Gustavo asked, his de pressing ever so slightly harder against Zafron''s throat.


    Zafron managed to squeeze a word out of his mouth, "Yes..."


    "Screw you!"


    With that, his eyes began to glow with a fierce red intensity.