Capítulo 55: The Battle for Control
The air was thick with tension, and the dimly lit room seemed to shrink around me as Maria's form lunged toward me. My instincts kicked in, and I ducked just in time to avoid the strike, feeling the swish of her arm missing me by inches. The anger in her eyes fueled her every move, and for a moment, I felt the weight of all her hatred pressing down on me.
But I wasn't about to be her victim again. Not now. Not ever.
I regained my footing, spinning around to face her as she quickly corrected her stance, a dangerous glint in her eyes. The force of her anger radiated from her, and I could tell she wasn't holding anything back.
"You still don't understand, do you?" Maria hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "You think this is some kind of game, but this is real. There are consequences to crossing me. There are always consequences."
I stood tall, my body tense, but my mind was clear. Her threats didn't scare me anymore. Maria's power was built on manipulation, but that wasn't enough to stop me. She was strong, yes, but she had no control over me anymore.
"I'm not afraid of you," I said, my voice steady. "I'm not afraid of anything you do."
Maria's lip curled into a snarl, and she took another step toward me, the heel of her shoe clicking against the stone floor with each stride. She was calculating, but I could see the cracks in her confidence. It was her desperation that made her dangerous. She was starting to panic.
"Do you think you're the only one with power?" she spat. "Dante is nothing compared to what I can do. You'll be nothing when I'm done with you."
Her words were venomous, meant to provoke me, but they only strengthened my resolve. She didn't understand who she was dealing with. I wasn't the same person I was when she first manipulated me. I had learned. I had grown. And now, I was ready.
"Dante will always be a thousand times more than you," I said, my voice unwavering. "And you've already lost."
Maria's eyes narrowed, and for the briefest moment, I saw something that resembled doubt flicker across her face. But it was gone almost instantly, replaced by that same cold, calculating look.
"You think he'll come for you?" she sneered. "You believe that? After everything he's done? After everything you've done to him?"
I couldn't deny the truth in her words. Dante and I had been through so much, and the things we had done to survive in this ruthless world… It had all left scars, on both of us. But those scars didn't define us. We were more than the pain and betrayal we had endured.
"I don't need to believe anything," I said, my voice firm. "Because Dante will always come for me. And no matter what you do, you'll never take that away."
Maria's gaze flickered with something darker, something primal. It wasn't just anger I saw now—it was a kind of desperation. She was unraveling before me. And I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me falter.
She lunged again, faster this time, her fingers outstretched like claws. But this time, I was ready. I sidestepped, grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her back. The move was smooth and practiced. I had learned enough from the battles I'd fought alongside Dante and the power I had gained through our shared experiences.
Maria gasped, her breath catching in her throat as I held her in place. "You're not in control anymore, Maria," I said, my voice a low growl. "You never were."
Her breath was shallow, and I could feel her struggle against me, but I held her firm, my grip tightening just enough to remind her who was in charge now.
"You think you've won?" she hissed. "You're nothing. You're just a pawn, a tool in a game that's too big for you to understand."
I shook my head. "I'm not a pawn, Maria. I'm not even a player in your game. I'm the one who's ending it."
I could feel her pulse under my fingers, her resistance weakening as she realized just how much power I had over her at this moment. But I wasn't going to let it end with me just holding her in place. This was my chance. My chance to make sure Maria knew that she had lost, that her games of manipulation were over.
I shoved her away from me, and she stumbled, her back hitting the wall behind her. She glared at me, but there was a flicker of fear in her eyes now, something I hadn't seen before.
"Get up," I spat. "You're finished."
Maria stood slowly, wiping a trickle of blood from her lip, but her stance was more defensive than before. She was still dangerous, but she knew she couldn't outmaneuver me anymore. The tables had turned, and now I was the one with the upper hand.
"You're a fool," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "You think you can take everything from me? Do you think you can destroy me? I've spent years building my empire, and you… You're just a fleeting moment."
I took a step forward, not out of anger, but out of the need to put an end to this. Maria's empire, her manipulations—they didn't matter anymore. All that mattered now was stopping her from destroying everything I cared about.
"Your empire is built on lies," I said, my voice cutting through the air like a blade. "And it's going to fall. You can't control people forever. Eventually, they fight back."
Maria's eyes widened in disbelief. "You think you can destroy everything I've built?"
I smiled, cold and resolute. "I don't think, Maria. I know."
The room was silent for a long moment, the air thick with the weight of our words. Maria's expression shifted, and for the first time, I saw her falter. The walls she had built around herself, the manipulations she had used to keep everyone in check—they were crumbling.
"You're finished, Maria," I said again, quieter this time, but no less determined. "Your reign ends here."
Her lips trembled, her fists clenching at her sides. "You're making a mistake. You'll regret this."
But I didn't flinch. I had made my choice, and there was no turning back now.
As I turned to leave, the sound of Maria's voice followed me, but it no longer held any power over me.
"You'll never win," she spat. "Dante will never love you. Not like he loves me."
Her words were a last-ditch attempt to undermine me, but they didn't affect me the way she had hoped. I had already made peace with the choices I had made, and no one—least of all Maria—could change that.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder