Chapter 10: Day of Destruction
On this world, there exist twenty-four Hierarchical Cities across most of the seven continents. The cities serve as a means of protecting the remaining populace from the Seithr covering the planet. However, there is one more city that existed long before the twenty-four, and is still intact to this day even though it has been mostly abandoned by time.
It is the Magic City Ishana, once home to the Ten Sages and the Magic Association of which they governed. It was the birthplace of Nox Nyctores and Ars Magus and the home of two of the Six Heroes, Nine and Trinity. Nowadays though, the city is desolate, the streets deprived of the hustle and bustle of the young mages who lived there.
That's not to say the place is inactive though. It's Cauldron still burns to this day, and it's considered one of the strongest of it's kind. Most people don't remember this place exists, thanks to a barrier that cloaks it from the outside world. And it is because of that very barrier that this city is the perfect place for the evils that haunt this world to hide away and plot their nefarious schemes.
Far beneath the magical city lies the Cauldron, which was sealed up inside of a bright, crystalline Azure room. The energy from the Cauldron was so strong, that shining energy pushed through the creases in the multi-layered seal and illuminated the entire room. On the ceiling is a rounded seal depicting a machine shaped like a coffin with winged arms, and from it spread dozens of irregular cracks that made the roof look ready to break from even the slightest tap.
Basking in the center of the Cauldron's radiance without exposing so much as a single flaw in their body was a woman with the white-red attire of a Japanese empress. A dark cape was draped over her shoulders, covering most of the elegant outfit, all of it kept together by a light blue sash in the middle. Her hair was very long, reaching past her hips and being as violet as the most vile of posions. It was tied up by a golden lock with four small protrusions, and around her forehead was a circular ringed crowned with four spikes sticking downward around it. With all her clothes, the only bit of skin exposed was the ghostly pale skin on her face, which only served to accentuate how red and lifeless her eyes are.
The woman stared at the seal in the ceiling for a prolonged period of time, not even budging an eyelid to blink. She then parted her arms from their crossed state, spreading her sleek, spindly fingers out beside her hips in order to help focus. What she was doing was something known only to herself, yet as her sudden halting would show, her efforts appeared to be fruitless. She opened her eyes and stared back up at the seal, pushing her hands back into the folds of her sleeves.
"How perplexing…" She spoke with the elegance and maturity expected of one of her title, but could not be bothered to put any effort into being anything beyond monotone.
"Still having difficulty are we, Imperator?" With a deep tone of decorousness, a man approached the woman from behind without making any other sound.
He was a tall, studious looking person wearing a purple shirt with black rimming and a flowing magenta cape along with baggy white tights tucked into stylized black and purple boots. His rugged face was covered by a golden opera mask, and his golden hair is slicked back just a little. Behind him was a puppet even taller than himself, which looked too close to an actual human save for the snow white face and sharp, pointed fingers. It wears a lavender dress and had prominent, feminine features that ended near the head, which was adorned with a strange cap that had two praying Mantis like claws sticking out from the sides.
The man stayed at the edge of the Cauldron, his puppet hovering no more than a foot behind him, and looked at the woman with subdued interest. The woman nudged her eyes just a little to the right, acknowledging the man's presence with a miniscule hint of surprise.
"Relius Clover…You have returned sooner than I expected. I presume you have managed to activate Kazamotsu's Cauldron?"
"Everything is proceeding smoothly on my end, Imperator," The man spoke with a tiny smirk of confidence, "However, it appears the same cannot be said for you."
"Indeed," The Imperator spoke with only the mildest sense that she was perturbed, "Try as I may, the Takamagahara system appears unable to perform any manner of Phenomenon Intervention."
"Hmmm, what a rather intriguing phenomenon…" Relius responded while rubbing his scraggy beard, his tone beginning to blossom with curiosity.
"Is that meant to be a joke, Relius?" The Imperator pondered, pressing the man with a depravity of her own patience.
"Not at all, Imperator. I merely find this matter worth my time investigating," He said, his joy palpable in though his smile was not, "If you are willing, I can assist you in running a few diagnosis's."
The Imperator stood as still as a statue and parted her hands as though ready to address an entire audience of commoners. Looking towards the seal in the ceiling, she showed no weakness in her stature as she addressed the man with but one word, "Proceed."
Drawing his right hand out without a care, the man made a sharp click with his fingers and the doll behind him stirred to life.
"Ignis, prepare to Observe, then proceed to record and transmit all data to me." Relius gave his command and the doll complied, placing one of it's palm atop the man's hand while her azure eyes let out a glint of light while trailing it's gaze on the Imperator.
Through the Imperator's eyes, Ignis and thus Relius saw a white void with only three standard wooden chairs decorating it. The shadows from the chairs stretched in a curve to the right of each other, nearly making a complete circle. A silence born of nothingness permeated the void, even as the Imperator concentrated her power into it. Yet, as she did so, everything shook and contorted with walls of static, and the silence was broken by what sounded like claws scratching against the hardened walls of reality itself.
As the static grew violent to the point of leaving tears in the void, a figure with draping pink hair and a priestess' robe appeared for only a nanosecond and threw a glare towards those observing this void. The trio were thrown out of this realm, Relius finding his head forced to hunch forward while Ignis' claws draped at her hips. The Imperator, meanwhile, looked none the different.
Relius raised a hand to cover the right side of his face, the left rising in tune with his smirk, "How very intriguing…It appears as though we are the ones being intervened upon."
The Imperator, draped in a veil of silence, looked towards the seal once more and furrowed her brows just a little. Relius composed himself, renewed by the energy brought upon by rising curiosity, and gestured towards the woman, "Could this be the work of the Master Unit, perhaps?"
"Impossible. Were it her doing, then any further efforts on our end would be futile…" The Imperator replied with a shake of the head.
"Hmmm, you may be right. Then perhaps you simply do not have the energy necessary to maintain the Takamagahara system. Do you feel any strain in your vessel, Imperator?"
"Not at all…" The Imperator began to caress the front of her body nice and slow, "My essence is perfectly captured within this vessel you created. Relius Clover, there is naught a flaw in your design."
"Your praise shall always be appreciated, Imperator," Relius bowed, then gestured his right hand out past his cape, "But if the problem does not reside within your vessel, nor in the Master Unit…Then perhaps it lies in the system itself."
"Ehehehe! As if a system as advanced as that could get screwed up by something as banal as a little gunk in the works!" A gleeful, cackling remark echoed throughout the chamber, coming from near the back. The Imperator peered over her shoulder while Relius turned around, watching as Terumi hopped down from the nearby ledge while holding down his hat with his right hand.
"Come on now…We all know who's to blame here." Terumi smirked and perked his head up just enough to stare at his comrades with his glowing, snaky eyes.
"Do you have something you wish to tell us, Terumi?" The Imperator inquired with a piercing stare his way, which made the man's vessel shiver from the head down.
"Hey hey hey now, why am I the one getting the stink eye here?" Terumi tried to play himself off like an innocent bystander being interrogated by the police, before proceeding to crack a wide smirk and taking some glee in asking, "What? You don't believe that I had something to do with this screw-up, do you? It's not like it was my virus that left those three old geezers crawling to their graves!"
"There isreason to doubt your competency, Terumi, especially in light of your failure to eliminate that meddlesome Elemental Overlord." The Imperator remarked without so much as a hint of mercy in her scolding.
"Cut me a little slack, won't you? I had that pathetic worm dead for rights…Yet again, you have that Phantom to blame. Guess some dolls just don't hold up as well under pressure as others!" As Terumi shrugged, his body was surrounded by three electrified triangles aimed at his heart and neck, guided there by a wave of the Imperator's left hand.
"There is but little difference in who is responsible, Terumi…If that child is the one who has caused this intervention, then I shall ensure that your death is made certain."
Terumi closed his eyes and continued to be one cool customer, flipping his hands up beside his face as only a single bead of sweat trickled down the face, "Take it easy…'Your Highness'…It's not as though I hadn't planned to deal with those loose ends…"
He opened his eyes and gleamed at the Imperator with his glowing slits, "But since that day, that chicken's gone and holed himself up in a coop to lick his wounds. I didn't have even a single clue to go on…Until now."
The Imperator stared at Terumi for a few seconds then lowered her hand, the triangles shrinking and being pulled back into the fold of her sleeve, "Is that so? Speak, Yuuki Terumi."
"Whew…Always the hard-ass, aren't you?" Terumi grumbled under a sigh of relief, then smiled and laid a hand atop his hat.
"As it just so happens, I received a peculiar call from Captain Hibiki Kohaku of the Yabiko Branch. He claims to have…received key intel on our runaway traitors, and wishes for me to come and discuss what he's learned today," Terumi then tipped his hat back and grinned, "At the same time, Lieute-…Oh I'm sorry, Major Tsubaki Yayoi, received a call from the Black Knight himself to discuss a lead on our meddlesome little Raggy."
Closing his eyes, he proceeded to speak with a forcibly curious tone, "Now, doesn't that strike anyone as a little odd? It's far too much of a coincidence for both meetings to be requested for at the same time…"
"The Izayoi is not allowed to leave our sight. Restrain her by any means necessary." The Imperator demanded with great authority.
"Oh yeeaaaaah, hehe, funny story about that," Terumi giggled all nonchalant before forcing a frown upon his face, "I tried…Honestly, I did…But you know how that child is. The moment she heard the name 'Ragna' she dropped whatever she's doing and took right off for Ikaruga."
With a grin as wide as his face, Terumi took great delight in taunting the girl behind her back, "Guess she's blind in more ways than one, eh?"
The Imperator looked away from that deplorable man and tilted her head towards the ceiling, closing her eyes and pondering the situation as best she could.
"You have underestimated that child, Terumi…To think that he would use members of our own organization as bait to lure you and the Izayoi out of hiding."
"Heeeeey, look on the bright side 'Your Highness'," Terumi remained as chipper as a baby bird, providing his own twisted manner of reassurance to the sullen woman, "Thanks to that brat's misguided efforts, we now have confirmation of Colonel Kagura's treachery. This sounds to me like a perfect opportunity to snip the flower of rebellion in the bud. Aaaaand…what better way to test the Izayoi than to set her upon the Black Knight?"
"There is reason in what Terumi says, Imperator," Relius spoke up, providing his deductive reasoning to the table, "Even the Elemental Overlord cannot be in two places at once. And by process of elimination, it is more than likely that the child means to confront Terumi. Personally, I see no harm in allowing the Izayoi to engage the Black Knight in combat."
"Lest you forget, Relius, that the Elemental Overlord is not alone." The Imperator noted with a glance to the left.
"You refer to the Aurian?" Relius laid a hand on his chin and cracked a tiny smile of intrigue, "It would be a most interesting endeavor to dissect and learn just how their power works…"
He then swung his hand out and relaxed himself into a more natural state of mind, "But if it comes down to it, having the Izayoi eliminate her would be in our best interests. Wouldn't you agree, Imperator?"
The face of the Imperator creaked as she cracked a small but sinister grin, responding to her comrade with a lucid tone, "It matters not how they are eliminated. So long as death is brought upon those fool-hearty enough to stand in defiance of my will, then that is all that I require."
"And as far as that bratty Overlord goes, I might as well play along with his little game. If he's got the balls to come out of hiding, then I might as well crush them and his fragile little heart while I'm at it." Terumi had a nice grin on his face, but then put on a mild-mannered demeanor before addressing the Imperator.
"Oh, but if it's no burden to you, 'your highness', I would like to borrow your 'Sword' temporarily. Figure I might need the little extra help this time."
"Is it even ready?" The Imperator inquired.
"You'd be surprised how quickly a 'Sword' smelts with a little…motivation, heheh…" His chuckle was deep and oozing with malice, but the Imperator held not a care towards his tone.
"Do whatever you must, Terumi, but know that failure shall no longer be tolerated."
"Honestly, if you're so concerned about that brat, then perhaps you'd be better off dealing with him on your own," Terumi raised his head a bit and peered at the Imperator with a smirk, "Unless of course…you're scared of him."
Before the man could blink, the Imperator was behind him with her back turned and a cold air present around the body. Terumi shivered and his body went stiff, even though the woman had not a hint of aggression in her being.
"You believe I know fear, Yuuki Terumi? Man and woman alike, shackled by their pitiful mortal flesh, pray and beg for my grasp to avert from their fragile existences…Time, as primordial as the universe itself, holds naught any thrall over me…And even Gods, drunken on their heathen pleasures, shall all be toppled from their lofty thrones. I know no fear, Yuuki Terumi, for I AM that which all that live and breathe fear…I am Hades: Izanami, I AM Death…"
Before Terumi could yet again blink, the Imperator was gone without leaving even a trace of her existence behind. The man laid a hand atop his hat and wiggled what little unsettlement remained off his body.
"Boy, that bitch really knows how to leave me in chills," He then looked up at Relius and put on a jolly good smile, "Well! Guess I'll head-off! Wouldn't want to be tardy for my 'meeting' now would I?"
As Terumi spun on a dime, Relius began to advance towards him and remarked with inquiring respect, "Hold on, Terumi."
"What? What? Can't you see I'm in a rush here Relius?" Terumi said with a gleam of impatience from his eyes. The man stopped a few feet away from his ally, Ignis choosing only to hover precariously behind him.
"This shall only take a moment. It's regarding that stone you procured from Number 13's body. If you have it on you, I would like to take a look at it."
"That's it? Seriously?" Terumi seemed a bit miffed at the request, but wasted no time in reaching into his jacket and pulling the curved stone right out. He then waved it at his face like a fan and grinned.
"Don't know why you care, but whatever. I was planning on leaving it here anyways." He gave a nonchalant wave of the hand to flick the stone over to Relius, who clasped it out of the air and brought it up to his face without even a second of pause.
"The carvings on this stone can be dated back to two-thousand years ago, and it appears to have been undisturbed as far as surface structure goes. However…" Relius gave the stone a nice and slow swivel around, "The innards have been tampered with. There are fragments of two souls residing within."
"Two souls? I can imagine there's a remnant of No. 13's, but-"
"No. Number 13's soul is not present within the stone. In fact, I cannot even begin to recognize the nature of these souls."
"Really? You of all people can't analyze a soul?" Terumi said with a bit of shock, while Relius seemed to find this revelation worth smiling about.
"It's fascinating, isn't it? A stone that can house souls, a child that can wield all the elements, a girl who can manipulate the essence of the self with relative ease…" Relius raised a hand to his face, spreading his fingers to cover the expression of curiosity born ecstasy.
"To think, even if I were to exhaust all there is to learn in this world, there exists entire other worlds for me to pilfer for knowledge. Truly, I have to thank the Elemental Overlord for opening my eyes to these possibilities."
"Don't get too ahead of yourself there Relius. You're stuck on this crappy world just like the rest of us." Terumi said, taking a couple cautious steps back as his ally's joy was disturbing him.
"Why should I constrain myself to the limits of this world, knowing what I know now? The possibilities for what I could accomplish are as infinite as the universe itself. Just imagine what could lie on those countless worlds…There could be a planet dominated by talking beasts, a world where fantasy is reality and reality is fantasy. Hahahah…! I must explore these possibilities, and discern whatever truths they may hide!"
Terumi raised his brows and twisted the left side of his mouth into a worried scowl, then plucked the stone free from Relius' grasp while telling him, "That's enough of that."
As soon as it was out of his grasp, Relius paused and drew the hand away from his face, placing it under the fold of his cape while letting out a dry cough.
"…Hmph, I suppose there will be plenty of time for that later. For now, I find the presence of two fragmented souls within that stone most fascinating." His tone had renewed composure, as though what just happened was beneath his notice.
"Two souls, eh?" Terumi dangled the stone between a couple fingers before his face, using the artifact to hide a sly, fanged grin.
"Though it was impossible to discern their natures at a glance, there was one thing I noticed. One of the souls appeared to be actively avoiding the presence of another."
"What? You saying one of the souls has…sentience?"
"A soul forming it's own sense of autonomy beyond the death of it's vessel is not unforeseen, as Unit 13 has demonstrated to us through it's possession of Unit 11."
"Grrrr…No need to remind me of that one, Relius." Terumi tucked the stone into his right pocket and glanced aside with a trembling, bitter scowl. Then he turned around and waved that hand out without a care.
"Well whatever. I'm going to go take care of that brat now. Later!" He strolled through the Cauldron area until he exited the room, at which point he paused and reached down for the stone, taking one more glance at it.
"Hehehe…! Well then, so there's more to this thing than meets the eye, is there now?" He gave the stone a quick toss and then clasped it down, bringing it before his chest with his gaze palpable with excitement.
"So long as you hold up your end of the bargain, I couldn't give less of a shit about what secrets this stone holds!" He then thrust his fists out at his hips and screamed towards the sky, "Pay attention you damn witch! I'll give you the greatest show you've ever feasted your eyes upon! A banquet filled with that brat's screams of ever-lasting agony and despair! So watch, observe to your hearts content, for I shall be the one who stands triumphant!"
A few hours later…
Standing at the rooftops of Yabiko HQ, Hibiki looked to the cloudy skies and watched as an advanced looking jet descended upon his general vicinity. He kept his poise at it's utmost peak, only moving to ensure his tie is adjusted. Though his task was a daunting one, his heart did not beat any faster than the norm, even as the shutters of the jet opened and the ramp touched the ground, 'Hazama' trotting his way into view.
Hibiki kept his gaze laser-focused on the man while crossing an arm before his chest and bowing, even as it wounded his pride to do so knowing the truth.
"Welcome to Yabiko. You must be Captain Hazama of the Intelligence Division, correct?"
"Ah, and you must be Captain Kohaku." 'Hazama' stopped and offered his hand to the man, knowing full well that the two of them were playing a game of deception.
"I've heard a lot about you. You're got a killer record…" For a moment 'Hazama' popped a fanged grin, then continued as though his sentence flowed naturally, "…when it comes to keeping your superior officer in line."
"It's not the most thankful of jobs at times," Hibiki raised his hand to shake the man's own, "but so long as he requires my aid I shall always be there for Lord Kagura."
"Speaking of the young horndog, I'm surprised he's not the one who arranged our little get together. Is he preoccupied?"
"Lord Kagura is currently busy attending to his own affairs. He should be back within the next hour. However, even I have not disclosed this information to him."
"Ohohoh! Being a secretive little squirrel, are we now? Then why, pray tell, am I being the first to learn about this lead on Ragna the Bloodedge?"
"Simply put, after word spread about the incident in Kagutsuchi, I was concerned about inciting mass panic within the populace by having Ragna's presence be announced. The way I see it, it was much safer to contact someone who has had experience dealing with the Grim Reaper, and with those traitors Jin, Noel and Makoto on the run you were the only one I could confide in."
Even staring into 'Hazama's' unsettlingly closed eyes, Hibiki came up with lie after lie on the fly, causing the man to be able to do little but grin and keep following along.
"Well you've chosen wisely, Captain Kohaku. Though I may abhor fighting, I have plenty of expertise to offer when it comes to Ragna the Bloodedge that will serve us well in containing him. Though, this windy rooftop might not be the best place to discuss such matters, wouldn't you agree, Captain?"
"Quite so. Luckily, I have prepared Lord Kagura's office accordingly for your arrival. Shall we be on our way?"
"Lead the way!" The two then crossed the roof to the door leading down into the building, leaving the door to the jet open. A second after they had left, an arm flopped onto the floor of the jet just under the frame of the door, where it was soon nudged aside by a blood drenched, thick bladed foot to reveal that it had been cut clean off a person's body. Then, through the silence, a childish fit of giggling broke out…
Outside of the HQ, at the bottom of the winding staircase leading up to it, Alex looked up at the rooftops as the jet heralding Terumi's arrival landed. He then tapped a couple fingers on the side of his head and glanced away from the sky, Ragna sitting impatiently on a branch behind him.
"Kokonoe. Is everyone else in position?" He inquired to a hidden communicator.
"My men are escorting Tsubaki Yayoi to the Coliseum as we speak." Kagura replied first.
"And our groups are in the rafters waiting for the signal to go after Izanami!" Shina exclaimed with a lot of energy.
"And I've got everything ready on my end. So, Terumi's arrived, huh?" Kokonoe added to the mix.
"Yeah. Ragna and I'll be engaging him in a second." The boy turned to the Grim Reaper, who perked his brows up and thrust himself to his feet in an instant.
"What're we waiting for? Lets take that bastard down now." He was raring to go, and for once Alex wasn't going to dissuade his energy.
"Good luck to the rest of you. Oh, and Kokonoe, thanks for teleporting Tao back to Kagutsuchi. Least she won't get caught up in all this."
"Don't mention it. Just don't screw this up. I want to see Terumi's head rolling on the ground when you're done with him!"
"Ha! There won't even be any ashes left by the time we're done with him!" He then pulled his fingers away and thrust them at the HQ like a pistol.
"Lets go kick some ass Ragna!" The Grim Reaper had no disagreements to that plan and readied a hand onto his sword to make sure it's secure. The two then ran up the stairs and charged their way into the building, whose front doors were already open ahead of time.
They ended up in the lobby, which was illuminated by a strange blue-leaved tree in the center of the room and dangling red spheres coming down from the ceiling. Around the tree was the way to the inside of the HQ, with Kagura's office not too far beyond it. For a moment, Ragna cricked his neck and cracked a scowl in preparation.
"You're going to pay for everything you've done, Terumi…!"
"Yeah, he will…This time Terumi, I-" As Alex's thoughts were shrouded in a fog of vengeance, he was suddenly perturbed by a gruesome sensation pulsing through the entire building. It was as though the gravity had been tripled, and both the boy and the Grim Reaper found their legs having the urge to cave-in on the spot.
"G-Guh…! This is…bloodlust? What the hell…I've never felt anything like this before…!" Ragna buckled forward and curled a hand before his chest, which was tightening up around his heart. Alex's own muscles stiffened for a moment, but he didn't find himself too fazed by the overwhelming pressure of bloodlust.
"…This isn't Terumi." The boy mumbled, and Ragna turned his head aside and exclaimed, "No shit! Then what the hell's going on here?!"
His jaw would soon lock up and leave him silent as the sound of footsteps entered their ears. A person could be seen walking down the right staircase, the first thing visible being a pair of pure white trousers, the left side being covered by half an overall draped from a belt.
"…Son of a bitch, it can't be." Alex had a little more reason to be concerned as the person revealed his entire presence from behind the cover of the nearby statues. The pants belonged to a tall, grizzly man with even more visible muscles than even Tager and Bang combined. He flaunted those muscles off by keeping his white trench coat unbuttoned, and a series of large tattoos covered most of his tanned skin. Once at the bottom of the stairs, the man tucked his beefy hands into his pockets and turned his head aside, grinning like he was some sort of hyena. His long, dark blue hair was spread wildly across his face and back, and came complete with a goatee and blood red eyes.
"Perfect. So this is where my prey's been hiding." His voice showed an absurd degree of confidence and anticipation, and as the man turned he flexed his elbow muscles and released audible bone cracks.
Ragna froze up and stared at the man as he walked around the statues and stood before the tree, the usually pacifistic blue radiance somehow increasing the depths of his projected ferocity. The man pulled his right hand out and gestured it out, unable to contain his joy as he began laughing.
"Wonderful! The Grim Reaper…and the Phoenix of Destruction! Hahaha! This battle of ours will be like no other!" Upon his words, the man was bathed in a violet-red aura that looked like it was seeping out from the pores in his skin.
"…So that's what's going on…" Alex bemoaned in his mind, finding himself a rather unsurprised by his title being mentioned. He quickly put a couple fingers on the side of his head and got in contact with Kokonoe.
"Hey Kokonoe, you're not going to believe this but…We've run into an unexpected problem."
"What? What's going on."
"SOMEONE let the Mad Dog Azrael out of his cage."
"WHAT?! How the HELL?! Did those old bastards at Sector Seven lose their goddamn minds?!"
"I don't think they're responsible. I may not know their identity, but I have a pretty good idea who is…"
"The…Mad Dog?! Son of a bitch, no wonder I'm sensing all this bloodlust…" Ragna growled a mixture of anger and fear as he pulled his sword from the sheath and pointed it at Azrael.
The man raised his brows a little and noted, "So, Kokonoe's listening in, is she? Tell her when I'm done, I'm coming to tear her apart next!"
"Shit! Who cares how he got there! This isn't an opponent you can defeat! He's more powerful than Terumi! Just get out of there and I'll come up with something to seal the bast-"
"Out of the question, Kokonoe." Alex pulls his fingers away from his head and glared straight at Azrael, the two recognizing the other's lack of hesitation to fight.
"Oh? So you want to fight, do you now, Phoenix of Destruction?"
"Are. You. INSANE?! This isn't the time to be pussy-footing around with that monster!"
Alex grinned as wide as his face, then thrust a pointer finger straight at the Mad Dog, "I should be thanking the bastard who let you out! You're just one more evil in this world who needs to be put down for good, Azrael!"
"Good? Evil? Ha! Who gives a damn about any of that nonsense?!" Azrael flexed his muscles, bulging them out from the expanse of his body as he looked utterly excited, "The joy of battle! The carnage born of tearing one another apart for all eternity…! How can you not be delighted to relish in such carnal pleasures, Phoenix of Destruction?!"
The boy swung his arms beside his body and turned to get into a battle pose, "Ragna! Get ready to fight! If this Mad Dog wants to bark and get in our way, then we'll just have to put him down!"
Next Time: The Tyrant