"There's not much we can do until they get back then." Said Yuri, their little group standing at the entrance to Halure. "Hey Rita, do you have any kind of magic that can help in tracking people down?" he asked.
Rita shook her head. "I'm a mage, not a miracle worker."
"Jin telling us to wait here...tell me again why none of us disagreed with his order?" asked Carl. Not that he was complaining though.
Yuri shrugged. "He seemed to know what he was doing at least. And with them gone, we're left in charge of the Fell Arms." He said.
"Where the hell is Duke right now? He can't be in Tarqaron yet..." Rita complained, "I mean, yeah...three days of waiting is fine but they can't just disappear on us at any time."
"Hold on." Carl said. "Sis, you can feel something?" he asked Nirvana.
"Ada, what do you mean it's approaching?" Rita questioned.
"The Black Beast is headed this direction?!" Carl cried out. "I swear, if it's heading here because of Cadet Kisaragi..." he said nervously.
"My, my...the whole lot of you are in a bit of a pickle aren't you?" a voice said, the group turning around and watching Hazama approach, clapping his hands.
"You..." Rita frowned, holding out her hands and ready to cast a spell. "What are you doing here? Didn't you make a mess of things at Tarqaron already?" she asked.
"Rita, you know this person?" asked Estelle.
"Yeah Rita, don't you know who I am?" Hazama asked sarcastically, trying to stifle a bit of laughter. "Sorry...I just had to come here. Don't worry too much, I'm not here to follow on my threat a day or so ago." He said.
"Who are you?" asked Estelle, slightly hiding behind Yuri. Something felt wrong here...and seeing Rita and Carl's hostility towards the man just furthered it.
Hazama was still smiling though. "Ah, well....I'm here to help, wouldn't you agree old friend?" he asked.
Who was he talking to? It didn't take long for the group to find out that Hakumen was already there, lunging forwards in an attempt to take down Hazama from behind.
"You don't waste that much time do you?" laughed Hazama, jumping back to avoid the strike. "You can sense it too can't you? The Black Beast is approaching...and there isn't much you can do to stop it."
"We do have a plan, Terumi." Said Hakumen, pointing the cold steel of his blade at him.
"Oh really? So you say you won't be accepting my offer of help any time soon?" questioned Hazama, tipping his hat slightly.
Hakumen did not utter a proper response. "The Final Judgment – Infinity!" he replied, holding up the Ookami and gathering a massive amount of energy.
"You're really taking this seriously aren't you?" Hazama asked, still smiling though.
"What's going on?" whispered Estelle. "These two are not on good terms..."
"From what I know, those two were once part of a group of six. Hakumen told me that his opponent can be considered a traitor of their group but even I do not know as much as I'd want." Duke said, approaching them from behind. He wasn't concerned, Hakumen explained a few things to him...and the feeling of the Black Beast approaching swiftly.
"Hey wait, is that...?" Carl asked, looking at a dark, blob-like object behind Duke. "I swear I've met you before."
"A new pet I bet." Frowned Rita, staring at Arakune. Repede barked, which made Rita turn around and step backwards. "Ugh, I'd rather hang out with that thing rather than you, dog." She said.
Estelle shook her head. The fight in front of them was something that can't be explained by mere words. Hakumen and...what did he call him...Terumi? Two warriors in single combat battling with all their strength, light reflecting off sword and chain and the shadow of swinging blades.
But the amount of escaping magic and the intense heat were different. If it was merely a clash of cold metal, what would be the mighty torrent of air that accompanied it and destroyed all in front of them?
The foot that landed crushed the ground. The wind that followed the swinging of Hakumen's blade crudely severed a tree in half. Estelle could no longer see the movements carried out at such intense power. She was only feeling the aftershock caused by the conflict between those two.
"They're in a different league than any of us." Said Yuri, watching the battle with amazement. It made his own sparring session with Jin look like child's play. He wasn't the only one who thought that, everyone else other than Duke were too mesmerized by how Hakumen and his opponent fought. Repede and the blob looked like they were watching as well.
The bushes in front of Halure's entrance was ripped away by the wind from Estelle's side as if it was just a piece of garbage. She could not comprehend how the plantlife was torn away. Perhaps it was Hakumen's sword or Hazama's chain that brushed against its adjacent hollow space. Apart from that, she could not come up with any other explanation.
The wind was moaning. Faced with a force of impact caused by the clashing of the two fighters, completely at odds with the laws of this world, the air emitted paranoid wails. A chaotic storm raged outside Halure, destroying, trampling anything that may get in the way of the battle. Their strength and speed were unimaginable...it basically told Estelle the reason why Jin couldn't have won against Hakumen. Maybe Yuri as well, but she doubted he would be eager to face Hakumen any time soon.
"Oof!" Hazama cried out, slammed right into the ground in front of Yuri before watching Hakumen drop down from the air. "I'd say you've recovered quite a bit of your original strength haven't you?" Hazama asked, picking himself up and dusting off his clothes. "I'd say that was...fifty percent perhaps?" he continued.
"You are also not using your entire power." Hakumen said, sheathing his blade. "What is it that you want?"
"I thought I told you already?" asked Hazama, "But that takes secondary now. I have no way of reaching that lofty goal with the Black Beast around so I'm here to offer a temporary truce. You can do whatever you want with me after this but I'd suggest a team-up to defeat this enemy. What do you say, old friend?" he chuckled.
"You're not thinking of a direct confrontation with the Black Beast are you? We are only two of the Six Heroes after all." Asked Hakumen.
"Don't forget, we do have Duke's plan with Tarqaron to help out as well." Yuri said, hoping to add something to their conversation.
Nirvana seemed to step forward, approaching the two.
"Hmm? Ada?" Carl wondered, watching his 'sister' approach the two 'Heroes.'
Hazama turned towards the Nox Nyctores and chuckled, "Still don't trust me, eh? Ah well, I never said you had to. After all, this is just a temporary truce."
"I'll be coming with you then." Said Rita, dragging Carl forward towards Nirvana. "I need to make sure someone keeps an eye on that guy. Not just you, Hakumen. No offense." She continued.
"The first thing to do would be to evacuate the residents of this city. I'm quite certain the Black Beast will be passing through here." Hakumen said, keeping his gaze locked on Hazama. "We'll be staying here and keep it from moving."
"Yipes, this is what's been going on while I was away?"
The whole group turned, spotting Raven and three others following him. "You took your time." Yuri said, grinning at the 'old man.'
"Yeah well, I was sidetracked by these three." Raven said, looking back at the ones following him. The twins, Gauche and Droite and a certain young, pirate-looking girl.
"He wasn't side-tracked. We found him first while spying on us." The red-haired twin, Gauche said. "Can't believe he's being made the new leader of Leviathan's Claw." She muttered.
"Better him leading than having the whole Guild disbanded though. And besides, we have a bone to pick with the creature that defiled Yeager's grave." Said Droite, "But...what the heck is going on here anyways?"
"Nothing that Yuri can't handle right?" Patty grinned, tipping her little hat. "I just went with them to see what's happening. Somehow we're only allowed to sail the ships from Capua Torim or Capua Nor but not allowed to sail anywhere else."
"Children such as yourselves really shouldn't be getting involved with this. Now before we waste any more time..." Hakumen started, pointing at Yuri and Estelle. "You and that girl will be the ones to get the residents of this city out of here. I don't care where, just not anywhere that leads to Tarqaron." Then he looked at Duke, and Rita. "You should be in charge of activating Tarqaron as soon as possible." Said Hakumen.
Hazama was...bored. All this time to plan their line of defense? No wonder he preferred to work alone. So, it was Hakumen, himself, Nirvana, and that boy who will be staying here and fight then. The others are either helping to evacuate this tiny city, or doing something with whatever plan they had. Hell, the four newcomers aren't even needed.
"Go. We don't have much time." Hakumen ordered, turning around.
"Well, whatever." Rita frowned. "Carl, keep an eye on that guy." She said, glaring at Hazama, who also promptly turned around to avoid her gaze.
"Oh before I forget..." Hazama smiled, tossing something to Rita. "I really couldn't find much use for this thing." It was the Fell Arm, Ouroborus. "You need this don't you?"
"Why you little..." Rita muttered, turning around to leave. "There's going to be a lot of explanations once this whole thing finishes."
"Is it me, or is that thing getting bigger?" Sodia asked, looking down at the Black Beast.
Jin frowned. How the heck was he supposed to know the answer to that? The Beast was something he only actually heard about, not seen directly until a few moments ago.
"Just the fact that it passed by one of those rock-covered aer krenes and then suddenly growing bigger? That's not a good thing." Said Flynn, wincing at a few more bandages that Witcher used to wrap around his broken arm.
"Once we pass these mountains, that's it. We won't be able to head anywhere else. Any way we travel and we're going to run into a major population center." Judith said. "What do you suggest we do then?"
"In that case, we'll have no choice but to actually fight it. From what I know, we probably have no chance of winning." Replied Jin. "Or would you rather suggest that we continue running away?"
"I guess that's it then." Flynn sighed. "Unless Duke's plan works, it's all over."
Jin was quick to interrupt. "For a Commandant, your lack of faith is rather disturbing. I only said we have no chance of winning. We don't, but the others may have a way. After all, we're not the ones going to win this fight." He frowned, looking down at Flynn. "And you are not in a position to fight anyways."
Flynn knew it was true. Even if he managed to perform his Mystic Arte back at Heliord, that really did just drain him of everything he had. Maybe if he could use both his arms, he can stay but that would take a while to heal.
"We've passed the mountains." Judith said. "I guess we're going to have to land and prepare?"
"Land by Halure." Said Jin. "Hopefully we can get some of the others and ask for their help. And to tell them to do whatever it takes to further their original intention in beating the Black Beast."
"I think they already know." Judith said as they started to descent. Right outside Halure, she can make out the images of five individuals. There were also a large group of people heading away from the city, straight towards Deidon Hold. "I'm going to guess the city's being evacuated then."
"They're..." Jin whispered, staring down at the ones who stayed. Three of them, he didn't care about that much. But Hakumen and Hazama? What the hell's going on?!
Once they landed, Jin got off of the Fierta, walking over to Hakumen and his group with his hand on the handle of Yukianesa. "What the hell is he doing here?!" he asked, pointing at Hazama. His existence at close proximity was giving him an annoying headache. His face even, and it's not the first time they met either. Whatever it was, Jin knew that something about Hazama was tied to his own past.
"As one of the original Six Heroes, Terumi will be helping us in our fight against the Black Beast. This is only a temporary truce with him and he will answer for his crimes once we get rid of the primary threat." Hakumen replied.
"Whoa, Whoa...he's not one of the good guys?" Raven asked.
"Raven, you decided to stay then?" asked Judith, approaching with Flynn and the rest of his brigade. And a few of the knights who had no choice but to go with them.
"I volunteered. The others are going to be waiting at Tarqaron in hopes of speeding up the process of whatever it is that Duke has there. Yuri and Estelle lead the inhabitants of Halure out so this place is probably going to be a battleground pretty soon." Raven answered.
"Commandant, you should be heading to Deidon Hold as well." Said Sodia, looking back at Flynn. "Like Jin said, you won't be able to fight properly in that condition." She continued with a worried expression.
"It's not you 'should' stay away. It's you 'have' to leave." Frowned Jin, still glaring at Hazama. "But I can assume that our strategy is basically to buy time by providing the Black Beast a distraction then?" he asked Hakumen.
"That is correct. You two will have to act as our aerial support then." Said Hakumen, looking at Raven and Judith. "The rest of us will be staying here on the ground. Just one thing, me and Terumi are the only ones capable of incapacitating the Beast's heads individually. The rest of you will have to focus all your attention on each individual head. Do not be separated from each other and don't even expect to do any lasting damage."
Hazama yawned before clapping his hands. "Good way for a strategy as always. I can't believe I've forgotten the reason why you were chosen to lead the Six." He smiled. "But you can sense it can't you? Any time now, and the Beast is going to burst right over those mountains and attack. I sure hope anyone who can't fight will be gone by then."
"..." Flynn was hesitant, but he did have no choice. "Sodia." He said, removing the replacement blastia from his gauntlet. "You take this." He continued, handing the sphere to the young captain.
"Commandant." Sodia whispered.
"I'll catch up with Yuri and Lady Estellise." Flynn continued, saluting the other knights with them before heading off. "Take care."
A few minutes after Flynn was gone from sight, they heard it.
"And now it finally begins." Hakumen said. "Brace yourselves, and once it begins...try not to get killed." He continued, drawing his Nox Nyctores.
Seconds after he said that, part of a far mountain range that was visible was drilled right through by the head of a dark creature. Another head also appeared, tearing right through a portion of the Quoi Woods. Before long, the rest of the heads showed up as well, before the body appeared.
"We're only buying time...we're only buying time..." Sodia shuddered nervously, staring at the Beast before it roared a challenge at the small group. Hakumen and Hazama were the only ones who didn't flinch.
Ba'ul flew up, Judith and Raven looking down at the Beast with determination in their eyes.
With its opponents not backing down, the Beast saw it fit to charge now. It's heads roaring and snapping as it approached. It only looked slow, but it was definitely gaining momentum as it moved. A giant snake-like beast with eight heads.
"Larger than ever, Ragna the Bloodedge." Hakumen frowned.
"Brother!" Jin shouted.