Unmei Force: Vengeance
Final Chapter: The Clear Sky Above Us
In the streets of the Vritannis Port, at night...
The group made their along the streets, as they found that the path towards where Serpico was going, was blocked off by several guards. Using Schierke, they followed after the blonde aide to Farnese, hoping that they'll lead them to where she was.
"Tch... guards..." Velouria answered back, before looking back at the group. "Alright, how shall we do this? We conk them out, or we use Richard to warp us behind them?"
"I rather not do something like that in the open." Richard denied the latter option, crossing his arms. "Too risky to get caught using this kind of magic and sending the entire city into a state of uproar just for a simple bypass. And as for the other one... That's nice, but you DO know that you'll bring down everyone on us, if they even REMEMBER being conked out, right?"
"Well, what would you have us do then!?" Velouria exclaimed back.
"I can attempt to influence their ods." Schierke suggested. "By doing so, I can manipulate their memories and perception of us temporarily, long enough for us to pass through undetected."
"That sounds like a better idea." Gus stated. "How close do you have to be, in order to do something like that? And will it work on all of them?"
"Yes, I'm able for the task, and I need to be within sight of them, in order for my magic to work." Schierke nodded.
"Then let's go. Just make sure you don't botch this, Schierke." Richard told Schierke.
The group continued along, as the guards stopped conversing with each other, noticing the large group coming their way, as they snapped their heads towards them, and reached for the weapons, except for one, who slightly raised his spear in a threatening manner.
"Halt! Who goes!?" One of the guards demanded from the group.
Schierke didn't answer the question, as she produced her staff, raising it. "I beg your pardon, but you will allow us to pass." Schierke spoke with a forceful tone, as the tip of her staff glowed briefly, as the guards froze up, as if their consciousness were severed from their bodies.
"Yes... you may pass." The guard spoke in a eerily hollow voice, before the guards themselves parted away to allow the group passage.
"Gooood night shift." Isidro told one of the mentally-influenced guards, as he passed by them.
"That's some real Jedi mind-tricking there, Schierke... Never thought that it's this easy for you." Antonio remarked at her method.
"What do you mean by Jedi?" Schierke asked back, as Richard gently bopped Antonio on the top of his head, causing the humanised hedgehog to clutch his head gently.
"It's just a foreign term. Pay no heed of it." Richard answered back coolly.
The spell over the guards eventually faded, as they immediately were back to themselves, as they were left confused about the brief lapse of unconsciousness they had, as they looked around for any strange signs. However, the group were long gone, already past a corner and out of their sight. Schierke was casting another spell, this time aimed at the group themselves, as the more magically-proficient noticed a gentle wave of magic energy wash over them.
"There. I have used a spell to distract od. But don't make too much noise, or it will attract the attention of others." Schierke added.
"You sure are handy with all of this magic." Reimu commented, with a fairly impressed tone in her voice. "Guess that means that it's smooth sailing from now on, so long as nothing goes wrong."
As if on cue, the Brands reacted, as Schierke sensed a ethereal presence coming towards them, and a fairly low layer of fog crept around them, covering their feet. Reimu groaned, as she felt like that she regretted saying that in the first place.
"Fog... Come to think of it, this fog appeared when those familiars attacked us... And the weather here doesn't seem to create as much fog as we are seeing now, unless it is a unnatural formation of the weather." Corrin stated, as she raised her hand towards her weapon. "Do you think-"
"Wait, then that means, those are going to show up again!? In the middle of this city-" Isidro shouted, before his mouth was covered by Meiling, who looked at him sternly, as Isidro got the message that he shouldn't shout, with Schierke's spell on them.
"Yes, definitely." Richard answered back, before the distant cries of the guards dying was heard, causing everyone to be alert. "It feels like many, so let's hope that it's not the entire pack coming towards us now."
The group turned back, as there was the sound of metal rolling across the ground, before they were accompanied by muffled footsteps in the distance, which was then accompanied by a large shadow creeping out of the passage, as it looked like a four-legged beast. When Velouria squinted her eyes to have a better look, she saw that the thing was, in fact, a large striped tiger, with demonic eyes and fangs.
"Well, looks like the kitties have come out to play." Velouria remarked, as she armed herself with her claws. "I've been itching to bring a few cats down to where they belong."
"Well... aren't you a cat hater..." Gus sweatdropped, before the demonic tiger charged at them, as the group prepared themselves to fight it, only for it to dart away from them and jump right into the fog itself, as it disappeared, although it most likely has ignored them, thanks to Schierke's spell concealing them, with its footsteps growing more and more distant.
"I guess this spell works well, if it did not detect us." Gunter stated, while Velouria let out a disappointed sigh, and withdrew her weapons. "So, if I may remark, this creature is most definitely a familiar, although of a different kind."
"If we can use the fog to our advantage, we'd sneak in no problem, and get both Farnese and Serpico out clean and simple, if the fog was big enough to hide that overgrown cat." Antonio stated.
They soon continued along, before they were near the front entrance of a great ballroom, as the entrance itself was guarded by armoured guards, which lined up along the entrance itself.
"...Figures this would be the tough part. Ain't walking past that, with our group this big." Isidro grumbled, before turning to Schierke. "Can't you do the same stuff you did before on all of them?"
"It will take a little time with that many people, but I will see what I can-" Schierke stated, before she then felt something communicating through her mind, as she went silent for a moment, worrying the group.
"Schierke... Are... Are you alright?" Elma asked the apprentice with concern.
"...Yes. I'm fine. Just follow me..." Schierke answered back after a moment, guiding the group around the hall. "Thought transference from Serpico. He says he's waiting at the rear entrance to the ball. There is also no guards posted there, so we can easily make our way in from there."
"...Something tells me that this ain't that simple. Why would he help us in... when he certainly didn't want us to interfere with his and Farnese's matters?" Reimu pondered, with a suspecting tone. "This is fishy... I think Serpico has something planned for us. It better not be outright back-stabbing, or he'd be stupid to try something, when everyone is here."
The group moved into the back entrance, as it took them into a large room, which was surrounded pillars lined up in rows and columns along the entire room, as if it was creating a maze of pillars for those who went into the room to thread past. Schierke was left looking around, as she called out Serpico's name again and again, trying to find the person who called them here.
Serpico then walked out into the light, as the group saw him, before he stopped. "This colonade chamber was, at one point in history, Kushan territory. When this land was won back from them, it seems one part of the palace was preserved as a victory monument." Serpico stated, before he then raised a finger. "I apologise for calling you over here."
"No... It's fine." Link responded back. "You still helped us to get around the guards. We should be grateful for your help."
"Link... That's not exactly what he's going for." Richard frowned, before turning back to Serpico. "You called us here for a reason. Tell us honestly, do you really call us here to help us, or did you pick this place for another reason?"
"As astute as always." Serpico responded back, before he drew his blade. "I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to meet Farnese. Guts... This is presumptuous, but you said you wanted to fight me. I will grant your wish right here and now."
"We don't have time to waste with you!" Velouria shouted, stepping forward. "This is not the time to act like a upstart-"
"Velouria, enough." Richard stopped the wolf-skin before she could finish, before turning to Guts. "...Make this quick, but don't push yourself. You know what's ahead of us right now."
"Fine." Guts grunted, before he then drew his large weapon out.
"Guts, you can't!" Schierke argued back. "What has gotten into you!?"
"Something we can't let go of, I guess." Guts answered back, before he continued walking.
"Let it happen, Schierke. We need to win back Serpico the proper way, and that is for Guts to beat him on his terms." Richard assured Schierke. "And even though the terrain is stacked against Guts... I'm sure that he'll prevail."
"Besides, what are you worrying about? There's no way they'll go at it seriously." Isidro added. "They'll stop just short."
"Wait, what do you mean that the terrain does not favour Guts?" Virion asked, before he then noticed the pillars. "Ah... clever lad... He knows what he was doing."
Guts tried to draw his blade back, only to find that the pillars around him were obstructing his blade, forcing him to be unable to swing his blade properly. Serpico noticed this, as he began to speak again.
"It must be a bit cumbersome, that huge sword. This colonnade chamber is also known as the 'Forest of Pillars'. The space between them is narrower than normal, and there is a vast number of them. Something tells me I would not win against you head-on. I do hope you'll understand why I use such under-handed methods to achieve my results."
"As always... You're one cunning bastard." Guts smirked, before he then swung his blade regardless, as he put extra force into it, as his blade smashed through a pillar in his path, as Serpico rushed back to avoid the swinging blade, as it broke through more pillars in the blade's path.
Serpico tried to mount an counterattack, by thrusting his rapier at Guts, who deflected it with his prosthetic arm, before Guts retaliated with a wide swung that took down more pillars, as Serpico ducked behind one of them, and used it to swing himself around Guts and launch an attack, that Guts's armour defended against, although sending the black-haired warrior reeling back, before he regained his footing.
"D-Damn... Serpico can do that good against Guts even without the magic hood..." Isidro commented on the fight. "Still... That's cheap, using the pillars so that Guts can't swing his sword properly. But I guess that's strategy as well..."
Serpico was slowly being cornered by Guts, as he was destroying more and more pillars with his wide swings, as he tried to thrust for Guts's head, only for it to graze against his armour, and force him to jump back, to avoid a downwards swing that slammed into the ground, cracking it. Serpico then noticed that Guts was going for a blade thrust, as Serpico noticed that his unarmoured hand was holding the blade, as he thrust at it, hoping to cause Guts to drop his blade when his hand is struck. However, Guts did a split-second switch of his grip, as the blade instead struck the metal prosthetic, as Serpico rolled away.
Serpico then rolled behind Guts, before jumping off the pillars, in order to reach above Guts, before he then thrust his blade again, as Guts turned to block the blow with his armour. He moved aside, to avoid a quick swipe from Guts, as he skidded in front of Guts, as he was beginning to sweat coldly, noticing that the pillars in the area were all destroyed, save for the single one behind him.
"And so... the tables turn against Serpico now..." Link commented.
Guts roared, as he thrust his blade forward, determined to run Serpico through with it, forcing the blonde-haired opponent to clutch the pillar behind him, and flip his lower half up to avoid the thrust. In doing so, the force of the attack collapsed the arch that the pillar was connected to, as Guts was distracted by the stone blocks falling towards him. He moved back, although Serpico saw an opportunity to strike Guts precisely.
Yet... Guts raised his blade, as he used the flat surface of the blade to block the falling stone blocks, and twisted it slightly to block Serpico's thrust. Guts then flattened Serpico onto the ground with a slam of his blade, as Serpico was left buried under some rubble. Guts was silent, as he kept his eye and blade on Serpico, as Richard walked over.
"Well... That didn't go so well, didn't it, Serpico?" Richard asked back. "You underestimated the fact that Guts have fought in these kind of disadvantageous situations before, and he powered through them."
Serpico groaned, before he raised his head slightly. "I never thought that you would utilise the crumbling pillar... Did you read my intent?" He asked Guts.
"No. It happened by chance and reflex." Guts answered back.
"Then, once again, with you and your reflexes..." Serpico sighed, slowly sitting himself back up, as there was a trickle of blood from his forehead, as it was smashed open by a rock.
"The jig's up, Serpico. We know what Farnese is trying to do." Richard answered back, crossing his arms.
"Guts... Richard... When you see Farnese... Then, what do you both intend to do?" Serpico asked back.
"...We'll see if this is truly the outcome she desires for herself, to end her journey with us prematurely. I'm actually fairly touched that Farnese went from swearing to have us killed, to becoming willing to be a hostage to political marriage, just to help us." Richard answered back.
"We haven't decided... But we're definitely seeing her for sure." Guts responded back as well.
"You really are... one to leave things to chance, the two of you..." Serpico chuckled, before Elma then moved over, raising her staff. "Young Elma... Your assistance would be most appreciated."
Elma nodded, before she then helped to heal Serpico's head wound, while Guts and Richard prepared to leave.
"Hey... Was that for real just now...? That fight...?" Isidro pondered.
"Damn right." Reimu answered back. "They would have killed each other, if they actually had the proper chance to. Well, not Guts, since he went for the non-lethal takedown. But Serpico definitely held nothing back."
Isidro gulped, as he was about to say something, only to be cut off by Reimu. "Before you whine about the fact that either of them could have died, recall that this fight was needed to persuade Serpico back. As I remember... What you brought with the blade, you win back by the blade. That's an old mercenary saying. Besides, if Guts really didn't give a shit about letting Serpico live... Well, how powerful do you think the cannon that Guts wield is? He had a lot more options to kill Serpico, but he opted to go with his blade to minimise Serpico's risk of death. That's why Guts was the one holding back, although not in terms of power, but in terms of lethality."
"Let's get a move on. We got familiars again." Richard called to everyone, as Serpico was surprised to hear that, turning to Meiling, who nodded firmly in confirmation.
"Pretty soon, this city's going to become a battlefield." Guts stated. "If it ain't, then it's going to be at least a heavy attack on the port. Antonio told me how the Kushan were responsible for the familiars. If that monster's their scout, or vanguard, then it might have headed for where the most important people are gathered. Considering that you speak highly of Farnese, and she has a house name... She's going to be in danger, if she's a former noble reinstated."
Serpico was tense, hearing those words, as he clutched his fists tightly, and his look turned serious and determined. "Let us go... I will guide you in." Serpico stated.
"Then you might want these back." Velouria responded back, before she pulled out the Sylph Cloak and Sylph Sword, before both of the items were pushed towards Serpico by a mystical breeze, as the cloak slapped onto Serpico gently, and the blade glided into his hands, intriguing Velouria. "Well, they did say that these things are inhabited by elemental spirits. Guess they've missed their old owner so much, that they decided to welcome you with great big hugs."
Serpico quickly grabbed the cloak and slid it over himself, before he then placed the Sylph Sword into his dominant hand's grip, before the group proceeded along the pathway, as Serpico lead them through the area.
They slowly ascended a flight of stairs, as it took them to one of the doors into the ballroom, although they couldn't see much light coming from the other side, through the gaps in the door-frame.
"I don't think that we made it quick enough..." Corrin spoke with concern in her voice, which triggered Serpico's desperation, as he smashed the door open, and rushed into the ballroom. Everyone else slowly moved in, as Serpico saw that Farnese was knocked down, as the frenzied tiger familiar from before was right on top of her, as it roared and swiped a claw to slice Farnese open.
However, Serpico sped up, as he used the cloak to glide him towards Farnese, before he grabbed her in a bridal carry, and dodging out of the tiger familiar's swipe. Farnese was surprised, as she was dressed in a royal ball dress, and there was an entire gathering of nobles, some of them already torn corpses by the tiger's rampage through the ball. The ones alive watched with awe, as Serpico held Farnese closely.
"Serpico..." Farnese muttered.
"My apologies. I was needed as a guide, and had to step away for a bit." Serpico answered back.
Guts immediately approached the tiger, as he drew his blade out, attracting the Kushan familiar's attention. "Looks like the party's in full swing." He remarked, before he then pointed his blade at the tiger, in battle stance. "Here, kitty-kitty, I've got a toy for you."
"Guts...!" Farnese exclaimed, before she saw the rest of the group moving into the ballroom. "Why's everyone here...?"
"Why, it's only for you." Richard answered back. "You think that you can be done with us just like that? We're too closely-knitted through the journey to be waved off like that."
"Wh-Who're they...?" One of the men, who was dressed in regal clothing, and had curled blonde hair.
"H-hey, you mean that man's... He means to fight the beast!?" One of the male nobles exclaimed in disbelief.
"That's insane! That monster tore so many people to shreds in an instant! What can he do himself!?" Another noble expressed their disbelief. "Call the guards!"
"But, look... Look at his sword..." Another noble chimed in. "Ridiculous! No man can wield a sword that large!"
The tiger, seemingly affected by Guts's earlier taunt, snarled before lunging at Guts. However, Guts merely shifted his blade back slightly, before then cutting through the tiger mid-lunge, as it cleanly bisected the familiar down the middle, as the two parts flew past Guts, spraying some blood on him, before they slammed onto the marble ground of the hall, shocking the nobles.
"Wh-What a man! In one stroke!" A noble blurted out in sheer shock.
"Unbelievable! Who is he!?" Another noble cried.
"Such splendid skill!" Another noble stated with respect, approaching Guts. "No doubt you must be a knight of renown... But of what army?"
"Not yet. It ain't over yet." Guts shook his head, before more tiger familars smashed through the ball windows, as one of them clawed through the nobles that were talking with Guts, as they rushed in and started mauling the nobles gathered by the windows, before they growled, encircling the nobles with bloody maws and claws.
"Eeee! So many!" One of the nobles panicked.
"W-We're done for!" Another noble wailed in despair.
"Oh, have some backbone, you spineless nobles." Velouria snorted back, before she then drew her claws out, with a sadistic smile. "Here, kitties, kitties... You're about to see who's the real king of the forests here, you overgrown cats!"
"There's spellcasters nearby!" Schierke exclaimed. "They're by the foot of a bridge, east of the palace!"
"I'll take care of that." Antonio stated, as he dashed out of the ballroom, as Schierke guided him quickly.
"Everyone... Um... I..." Farnese meekly stated, facing the rest of the group.
"Farnese... I know that you wanted to help us, but we can't just let you go that easily. Surely you don't want to leave that badly, do you?" Corrin asked back.
"Corrin... I..." Farnense muttered back, before she then looked back at Velouria, who was laughing madly, as she was tearing the tigers apart with her claws, spraying blood everywhere, as the nobles were disturbed by her near-maniacal rampage onto the tigers.
"We can talk about all of this later. Right now, we need to leave this place." Gus stated, before he then noticed the nobles that were trapped in the ballroom. "But... not before we save everyone here."
"If you can at least save my family... I will be in your gratitude." Farnese answered back.
"We will protect as many as we can, you have our word." Link responded back firmly.
Meanwhile, outside the ballroom in the palace, Antonio was sweeping through the streets, making quick turns, before he then found the Kushan spell-casters, who were hiding in a boat under the bridge, as he leapt down, and landed squarely on one of the wooden posts.
"Sorry, but camping is not allowed here." Antonio smirked, before he then leapt onto the boat, and cut down every single one of the spell-casters.
Back at the ballroom, Velouria was panting, as every tiger familiar that invaded the building, all lad near her, torn apart by her claws, as she was soaked with the blood of the animals, making her look like a blood-soaked demon, which unnerved some of the nobles, while the others were in utter awe and respect seeing such a brutal performance.
Guts merely sighed, before he then walked over to Farnese, who was still hesitant to speak, after everything that happened.
"Your family's here. It's the aristocratic world you know and are familiar with." Guts stated. "Is this the last stop on your journey?"
Farnese was silent for a moment, looking around, before giving her answer. "No... Within this cage of stone... I finally realised this isn't this place to which I wish to return. It's simply where my journey began long ago." She answered back, before she smiled back. "I just... missed it, and wanted to visit it again, for the sake of old times and memories. That's all."
"Glad that you're back with us." Richard remarked, before he showed the letter that Serpico gave them. "Then I guess that this might end up null and void, if you won't fulfil your end of the bargain. Well, ain't going to matter. We aren't that cheap, that we're going to use such a method to get a boat. Hell, with the people dead, I think that some of the vacancies for ships, have been opened up, so that's a solution there."
"Richard!" Gus shouted, appalled by Richard's words.
"Alright, maybe a little too harsh there. But let's deal with what's at hand first, before we then resume the search for a boat." Richard answered back, correcting his words. "Who knows, we might get offered the boat we need, as a reward for beating back the encroaching menace around the port?"
The nobles were chatting amongst each other, after confirming that they were indeed safe for the time being, as they discussed about Velouria, who seemed like a fierce and merciless demon to them, and the group in slight mention. Before long, the guards did arrive, although they were met by the bloody scene of nobles and familiars slain around the hall, as well as the group around them. With Velouria still blood-soaked, a hasty conclusion was drawn, and the guards pointed their weapons at the group.
"Well... Talk about being ungrateful." Velouria snorted. "Guess I went a bit too far."
"You think!?" Reimu exclaimed, quite miffed about Velouria's comment.
"This is getting complicated." Guts muttered.
"Nobody draw anything. We've done everything. Surely we can't be blamed for all of this-" Richard advised everyone.
"Wait." A elderly man, dressed with a bishop's hat, and regal robes, walked in front, as the guards lowered their weapons, while he slowly walked to the group.
"Lord Vandimon?" One of the nobles muttered.
"Father..." Farnese quietly uttered under her breath.
"First, on behalf of everyone here, I must offer gratitude to you people for putting an end to this mayhem. Thank you." The lord spoke in a grateful manner, as the nobles clapped on cue, applauding the group's efforts, while Velouria merely shrugged at how quickly the tension dissipated. "These repulsive monstrosities this evening... It hardly seems false to me to deem these ugly creatures war beasts sent by the Kushan in a scheme to take advantage of the party, and murder the personages of each nation."
"War beasts... But such queer beasts as these...?" One of the nobles questioned the lord.
"I have heard they are savages who prefer to use beasts in battle. Perhaps these were born of some secret art of crossbreeding or drug use." The lord explained clearly.
"Ah yes... That does make sense." Another noble agreed, before he then turned to Puck and Ivalera, who were floating above the heads of the group. "B-but Lord Vandimon. Th-These... What are your view on these things?"
"...I am not sure how to describe what I see. But they seem to have no effect whatsoever on the environment around them." The lord responded back. "Thus, we can only conclude that these are mere illusions."
This shocked both pixies, who were offended by the comment, and the nobles were slightly reluctant to accept the conclusion made by the lord.
"Well, that seems quite far-fetched..." Gunter answered back. "I wonder how this lord can spin the tale in a realistic manner..."
"Y-yes... But milord... For it to be so clear in the public eye..." The noble answered back.
"Perhaps the wine we drank was drugged, or it was the fog permeating the room that fouled up our senses. It is a kind of mass hallucination." The lord calmly explained back. "In any event, it is the aim of the Kushan army to strike at the heads of the Holy See domain and throw our allied army in confusion. To fall so easily for such a transparent tactic is the height of folly. It is disgraceful behaviour for an adherent. Or do you all of you gathered here, intend on the night of deployment, to go trumpeting about fairies and monsters, thus becoming a laughing-stock of the soldiers."
"...Ah... What you say is true." The noble conceded in turn.
"Pretty amazing reversal this old man pulled off. In a way, got to admire him for pulling through with that." Isidro commented.
"Your old man sure is tough." Guts added.
"Yes... I think so to..." Farnese nodded gently back.
"Well, it seems that we're likely to be done here. Now, all we have to do is look for-" Richard stated, before he then paused, when his Brand reacted, and Schiekre sensed a surge of ominous od rushing towards them.
From the fog itself, a large shape was forming, which disturbed the nobles, before the fog slowly gathered above them, as it slowly began to take shape.
"Illusion? Illusion, you say?" A booming male voice rang through the hall, before it created a face that Antonio and Serpico were familiar with, being the one they saw emitting from the deceased spell-casters back at the shore, as it was in much clearer detail, with wrinkles and vein dotted across the mouth-less face, and large empty eyes that bore into the entire crowd.
Everyone looked up at the large face above them, which spoke, as Isidro let out a surprised cry, while Guts growled, knowing that the being before them was a apostle, or at least a projection of them.
"Hear me. I am Emperor Ganishka the Great of the Kushan Empire. I have come to this place to declare a proclamation of war against you infidels." The large fog-made face declared. "Know this... That they are the start of a nightmare without end this evening."
The fog then dissipated, as it then rushed out of the ball windows, until there was not a single wisp left inside the building, as the nobles were in disorder, and even the lord himself was shaken upon seeing this supernatural occurrence.
"Wh-What's with that huge face!?" Isidro exclaimed.
"I sensed an enormous sinister magic power. He was the same as those who attacked the mansion of the Spirit Tree. An inhuman demon!" Schierke stated.
"I.e, he's an apostle." Richard responded back. "And if he's declaring war... right now, we're likely to have been attacked long before already."
"L-Look! It's terrible!" One of the nobles cried, looking out of the ballroom windows, as the skies above were glowing orange from fires in the distance. "The sky's red! It's an fire...!?"
"That's towards the harbour!" Another noble exclaimed. "So then it's true...!? The Kushan are..."
"Right, that's our cue to get going." Richard stated. "Not a moment to waste. If we wait too long, then our way out might be endangered, since the Kushan are likely to burn the harbor the ashes. No harbour, means no boat for us, so we need to work hard to prevent that from happening."
"Right, so, how are going to do this then?" Reimu asked back.
"If the Kushan are mounting an full offensive, then they'll have to have many spellcasters spread along the port, to control the horde of familiars swarming the streets. I'll use my ability to sense od to detect these spell-casters. If you are near them, I'll notify you as soon as possible." Schierke stated.
"Right then, time to save a burning city then. The situation's a little familiar." Antonio stated.
"Everyone, spread out. We need to ensure that we cover every district in the port, in our search for these spell-casters." Richard ordered everyone.
"I'll take the kid, Casca, Judeau and a few of your friends. Meiling. Link. Gus. Gunter. Virion Will you come?" Guts responded back.
The five of them nodded, as Richard then gestured for the rest to follow after him, as the two groups split off, in order to deal with the attack on the docks.
The groups slowly pushed their way through, as they found that the garrisoned forces were already in battle with the Kushan familiars, although among the familiars were strange humanoid creatures, that seemed to wear armour and fight like proper humans, although they were drastically different than them, with red skin, demonic faces with out-grown tusks on the edges of their mouths, short horns on top of their heads, and some of them were unnaturally large.
"...Oni? No... That's just something else." Reimu remarked. "Oni are nowhere as ugly as these things. At least an oni has a manly charm to them."
"I don't care what they are, they're going to be dead." Velourira growled. "We aren't letting them ruin our chances of getting out of here."
Corrin's eyes traced along the entire battlefield, as she found that there was sappers moving along the battlefield, as they were equipped with explosives, that seemed to be targeting a part of the harbour gates. She briefly separated with the group, as she slew the sappers before they could reach their designated locations, thus thwarting one of the Kushan's plans.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Virion managed to locate the spell-casters, while he was standing on top of an building, as he used the height advantage to help him snipe them in the head, killing them, as a part of the familiar swarm was left confused without control, as the rest of the group slew them quickly before they could be forced back into control. He then moved along, as he shot arrow after arrow into the head of the Kushan forces, hoping that there would be an end to the number of demonic familiars and soldiers that they had to face off against.
"I'm going ahead. The rest of you, spread out ahead." Richard answered back, as he rushed past the ranks of familiars, using his blades and magic to carve his way past. "I think that the spell-casters are ahead. When they're down, we're going to need to quickly sweep the enemy forces out of the docks."
The group made their way through the enemy forces, as they found that some of the red-skinned demons were riding onto tiger familiars, like beast-riders, as Serpico dealt with them, jumping amongst their ranks, destroying them row by row, with the cutting winds generated by his Sylph Sword, as the rest of the group clashed with the familiars rushing towards them.
Meanwhile, back with Guts, he came face-to-face with another one of the whale-elephant hybrid familiars, as it trumpeted loudly from its trunk, before it then tore through the nearby soldiers that tried to stop it, using a spout of water from its trunk to splatter some of the soldiers onto the nearby walls with the pressure created by the water jet.
"This sure is a problem..." Guts growled, before he then readied his blade, as he tapped into the Berserker Armour's feral power, just enough to even the odds, while keeping his mind serene. "You guys take the little ones. I'll handle the big one!"
"Alright, but don't let yourself get controlled." Judeau answered back, as he used his throwing knives to create a choke-point with the metal spikes he formed with them. "Schierke isn't here to snap you out of it right now."
Guts gently nodded in acknowledgement, as he dodged the large familiar's swinging trunk, as he took the chance to lop of a part of it, causing the familiar to bellow in pain, and flail uncontrollably. Guts then took this chance of vulnerability to throw one of his hand-explosives into the left eye of the demon, as it exploded, popping the eye messily, as it partially blinded the large creature. He then was forced to dodge to the side, as the familiar charged at him enraged.
In doing so, Guts tapped into the armour more, although this began to rouse the armour into activity, as the top of the helmet on his back began to rumble and glow, as Guts growled, trying to force the demon within the armour down. 'Not now...! I can't let myself get controlled here!' Guts thought strongly, actively repressing the dark desires running through him.
He then looked around, as he tried to find a way to get on top of the familiar's head, as he believed that a blow through its head, specifically its brain, will stop it dead quickly, before the fight gets dragged out too long for him to keep control over the Berserker Armour. He then looked behind him, as there was a large building behind him, whose roof was high enough for him to leap from, onto the beast. He looked back at the beast, that was preparing to charge again at him.
Guts then rushed through the front door, as he then quickly ran up the stairs, as the familiar growled, before then charging forward, and slamming right into the front side of the building, shaking it strongly, and crumbling a part of it.
"Guts!" Casca exclaimed, as the familiars thrashed to break the building down.
"No, don't worry just yet... Guts ain't the kind of guy to be taken out this easily..." Judeau assured Casca, before he then noticed Guts on the roof, as he pointed up. "Look! He made it!"
Casca looked up, just in time to see Guts catch the large familiar unaware, as he plunged his blade tip-first through the familiar's head, as it wriggled in agony, trying to shake Guts off. However, this actually instead gave Guts the momentum needed to slice his blade deeper into the familiar's head, cutting through more of the thick blubbery skin. When he was sure that he had a opening large enough to shoot his hand-cannon through, he loaded it, before then jamming it right through the fresh head-wound, and then firing it, as it shot through the upper jaw of the familiar, with a large spray of blood, as bloody brain matter splattered onto its tongue from the gaping hole.
The familiar then fell still, killed by its brain being blown apart by the cannon shot, as Guts backflipped off the top of the beast, while the gathered allied forces were shocked at how Guts easily defeated the beast.
"...That should do it here. We ain't got the time for this. The ships are gonna burn at this rate." Guts told everyone. "We got to wrap this up quick."
"Right..." Gus stated. "We need to get there quickly. I'm sure that we can save many ships, if we are timely enough to do so. In fact, I believe that Richard might have already made it to the harbour."
As Gus had stated, Richard was indeed at the harbour, running a single-man assault, as he managed to cut through the demonic soldiers and familiars lying around, as some of them were trying to use fire tactics to burn the ships stationed there. He then pointed his hand at a large group of familiars, as he quickly traced a magic circle in the air, then turning green, and firing off a barrage of green crescent projectiles that pelted the area ahead of him, as they cut through the familiars and demons easily, as well as extinguishing whatever flames were in their paths.
"It seems that the harbour is safe for now..." Richard answered back, before he then noticed that the fog in the area was beginning to gather, as his Brand began to sting. "Well now, looks like the emperor is about to make his debut..."
A figure was then formed by the swirling and rising fog, as it took place right in the midst of the port waters, as it then created the entire figure of the face that the entire group and all the nobles saw back in the ballroom, as it was completely, with a mist-like body, without limbs, its body only a large body of barely condensed fog, which crackled and glowed with short burst of lightning within it. The blue eyes of the large imposing demon slowly opened.
"I am the Emperor of the Great Kushan Empire! Supreme ruler and devastator of the world!" The large being bellowed, before its eyes then laid towards Richard, who stood by the edge of the docks. "First, I must say I'm impressed. I never thought a mere group of kshatriyas could strike down this many of my pishaca gana, and not show any signs of tiredness or exhaustion. Huhuh... War is not a thing to take lightly. And then there is you, especially you, Durga Kshatriya, and that other one, the viravadana kshatriya. You both bear the scent of some connection to us of the Spirit world. Are you followers of my Arch-enemy, the Hawk?"
"...Well, I can't deny you that answer, Your Grand Highness." Richard responded back with a mocking tone on his last few words. "How strange that you think of me as a male warrior of Durga, and Guts as a beast-faced warrior. Quite fitting if I say so myself, but I rather I get to answering your question, and that is, we FORMERLY were. We part ways on our own terms, and we want nothing to do with him. I may not be entirely human, but Guts, my friend? His strength far exceeds what a pure-bred human could achieve, because he's someone who surpassed his own humanity to gain the power to strike down all of your pishaca and daka."
"So, that's it. Interesting." Ganishka answered back, before his mouth cracked open, revealing the hundreds of shark-like teeth inside of it, as it twisted into a cruel grin. "So then, you're both Branded. Now that is a thing of wonder, to think, a sacrifice continues to live defiantly. I have a proposal for you. Wouldst you become a follower of mine?"
"...I'm sorry?" Richard asked back, his tone turning blank instantly.
"Nearly every apostle in this world has now gathered beneath the Hawk's flag." Ganishka continued. "Naturally, included amongst them must be the one who carved the brand into both of you. The one who gave you inescapable terror and despair, as well as hatred born of living in spiritual darkness. I find you agreeable. The malevolence and madness flowing through your friend, and the potent dark power flowing through your veins. I am the Supreme ruler of the crucible of chaos. Those who would lay hands on my beloved corruption, though they be as gods, they defile, violate and ravage it. Take thy blood, imbued with hatred, pour it into my military rule and sink the Hawk and the insects that swarm to his light into a murky sea of blood. Your hearts goes on beating for that purpose and that alone."
Richard was silent for a moment, before he then cracked a smile.
"Now, this is interesting. To find someone like you, who would defy the ones that granted you this unholy power." Richard remarked, tilting his head slightly. "A traitor to the rule of the God Hand. I guess that there are some that want the rule of the world for themselves. Not a single other apostle in your ranks, and yet you are so proud to do this. Why... It actually makes my decision easier. Because I... Reject it."
Ganishka was shocked, to hear that Richard's expression twisted into one of cold disdain when he spoke those words, as he could see that Richard wasn't amused.
"Unfortunately for you, I have little care about your petty little war against the Hawk." Richard continued, his tone icy. "You mistake that I actually care about murdering Griffith so much. However, that's most definitely false. Guts's the only one carrying the grudge. Myself? I could care less, so long as I ensure I repay my friend for his years of companionship. Truth is, Emperor Ganishka, even if I were to accept, you wouldn't have me for long. I've served my role in all of this, and I have repaid him for everything he had done for me. However, there is one last obstacle to all of this. YOU."
"Y-You dare...!? Do you not know who I am, you puny rat!?" Ganishka snarled.
"Oh please, you think that I would kneel to you? You act as if this power you have been granted, has made you strong enough to defy the God Hand." Richard replied back, spitting the words out with a condescending tone. "I'll tell you this, as both your senior in terms of overall strength and potential, as well as in terms of years of experiencing this unholy power. You believe that you would be able to succeed in rebelling against the God Hand with how little power you have? That kind of action can only be described as utter foolishness, as a act of self-destructive insanity. You think that they are foolish enough to give you the potential to reach their level of power? You're quite wrong on that. You were, and always, will be a pawn. Struggle all you like, but your desire to defy them, is merely a point in their grand plan, to bring about their desired outcome. But's that what I care about."
Richard then raised his blade. "You're in the way, 'Emperor'. In the way of my friend's path. As a final act of gratitude, I will make sure that my last battle by his side is done right. I will slaughter your pathetic army. I will shatter your beasts under my heel. And I will crush that body of yours you pride yourself in." He spoke back, as his eyes burned with pure animosity. "I have done so much to ensure that they would make it to today. And with how you are... I doubt that you would let them go. So in order for them to reach their promised land... Please die for me, Emperor Ganishka. Or resist me if you like, and face the power that have slain thousands upon thousands of gods. To me, you're the insignificant speck."
"ARROGANCE! SO BE IT! THEN YOU SHALL COMPENSATE ME FOR THE LIVES OF MY BEASTS WITH ALL OF YOUR LIVES!" Ganishka bellowed in fury, as his entire body began to glow from the lightning surging within it, as he then fired a series of lightning bolts towards Richard.
However, Richard swiped a hand out, as his arcane barrier wrapped around him, the lightning bolts clashing against the azure glow around him, dissipating harmlessly. Ganishka was horrified to see that his lightning bolts did very little to Richard.
"You know, with how you are, beating you is easy. All I have to do, is create a massive vortex of ice to freeze your form, and then shatter it." Richard remarked casually, not threatened by the attack. "You pride yourself being unable to be destroyed, while your body is merely mist, but a true master of magic, would easily turn that body of yours against you. If I killed you here... your real body... will rot in death as well. However, I have little interest in striking down you as you are now. It's not my role to deal the blow, but my friend."
Richard then disappeared through a sukima under his feet, as Ganishka roared with anger, as he blindly threw lightning bolts around the entire port, unable to control his shaking fury at Richard's taunting.
"What the, something's throwing lightning around!?" Isidro remarked.
"Something tells me that the real enemy has come." Gus stated.
"We have to get to the boat... If we can escape the port... Then we can get out of this mess, before it gets serious..." Casca pondered.
"I'll contact Schierke." Gus answered back, before he then used the telepathic connection to contact Schierke. 'Schierke, we're heading for the harbour to collect our ship. With the letter at hand, we can use it to obtain a ship and leave the port.'
'But what about the enemies in the bay.' Schierke responded back to Guts, as her group were in another area, taking out the demonic soldiers and familiars around them, before Richard appeared beside her, surprising her. "Richard...!?"
"We need a way to get out of here. But we aren't going to make it, without beating back Ganishka's large form." Richard stated, before he then looked around, as the entire group was nearby. "Good. Everyone's accounted for. Schierke, tell the others to head for the boat. Except for you and Elma."
"What...? Why?" Schierke asked back.
"I have a plan to take out Ganishka, but I will need the two of you to help me carry it out." Richard stated. "And we'll need a few people to protect us. Serpico, Farnese... You've done enough. Take the others, and head for the harbour. I'm sure that the other group are already planning to get the ship to leave. We've cleared the Kushan units in the port, but we can't stay here, lest even more come."
"You can count on me to get Lady Farnese to safety." Serpico answered back, before he then turned to the others. "Will you..."
"I'm staying." Reimu answered back. "The three of them will need someone to protect them."
"I shall remain as well, the rest of you can make your way across to the harbour." Corrin added.
"Right... take care, Lady Corrin." Gunter nodded, before the group split up again, with one of them heading towards the port as well, dodging the lightning raining overhead.
"Schierke, tell them that we'll be staying behind for a while, and that I'll transport you all to the harbour in time." Richard told the apprentice.
"I understand!" Schierke answered back, before she then conveyed the message, which was received by Guts with a simple 'OK.'. "They've been notified."
"Good." Richard stated, before he then sheathed both of his blades, and made the tip of his right index finger glow with a icy blue colour. "I'll need time to get the thing set up. I'm counting on you both, Reimu and Corrin."
"Leave it to us." Reimu nodded, before they proceeded to guard the paths around Richard, Schierke and Elma.
As Richard slowly traced the magic circle, the group then heard the sound of wings flapping above them, as they saw flying apostles soaring over their heads, as they headed towards where Ganishka was.
"Apostles...!?" Schierke exclaimed.
"Don't worry about them right now. Ganishka is not affiliated with them, but that means that we're amidst a three-way battle, with the Band of the Reborn Falcon rushing into battle." Richard answered back. "This don't change anything. Prevent anyone from interfering, both of you."
Both of the harbour-bound groups managed to reach their destination, just in time to see the flying apostles rushing towards the fog-bound form of Ganishka, as the large Kushan apostle king glared at them.
"How cunning are you weaklings who crowd around the fire." Ganishka taunted the flying apostles. "You are haughty, so fall within my scorching fire!"
Ganishka then let loose a torrent of lightning that honed on the flying apostles, frying them to a crisp, as the others were shocked beyond the point of lethality, as their smoking bodies landed on the ground with hollow thuds, around the gathered group.
"It seems that we're not safe here..." Serpico remarked. "With that emperor in the way, if we tried to run as we were, he'll sink the boat with a proper thunder-bolt through the ship itself."
"Then I guess that it's going to be up to me to face this bastard on a high horse." Guts answered back. "This is going to be just like Mozgus, isn't it. Might as well not let Richard do all the work here. I'm going to take this 'emperor' on myself."
Before he could advance any further, the group heard a familiar roar, as Zodd was standing atop one of the towers above, as his eyes locked with Ganishka's.
"That's... That's the one that appeared in Albion...! And also at the Spirit Tree Forest!" Farnese exclaimed.
"That's... Zodd..." Casca answered back.
"Zodd... What the hell is he doing here!?" Guts growled.
Zodd then let out a war-cry, as he rushed at Ganishka, as he was struck by a blast of lightning, causing him to roar in pain, although he powered through the strike, and continued his charge through Ganishka, as he drew back a claw to smash through Ganishka's body, before slashing down. However, he simply charged through the misty apostle, as the hole that he charged through, was slowly being covered up by more fog. Ganishka then snarled, before launching another stream of lightning towards Zodd, as the bovine apostle was struck down, as he crashed down towards Guts, as he plowed through the ground, as Gts was smacked along with him.
"Guts!" Gus shouted, as the long crater in front of them was silent for a moment, before Guts and Zodd came out the crater, as Guts was right on Zodd's back, clinging desperately at Zodd's neck, with his blade in his hand, as Zodd looked up to notice the black-armoured swordsman on his back.
"You! I never thought I would run into you here!" Zodd growled
"Zodd! You bastard!" Guts snarled back, before he then swung his blade to press against Zodd's neck. "If you don't want to lose your head, fly the way I tell you! My fight with you can wait. We're taking him down."
"What? Are you even awake? I told you! Nothing can cut mist." Zodd responded back.
"You want a mist cutter?" Guts asked back, before he tapped the blade against Zodd's neck. "Here it is."
Zodd was silent, before he then grinned. "Fine then,we'll do this your way." Zodd growled, before he then beat his wings strongly to pick up speed. "Show me that you can hack that thunder-cloud to pieces!"
Guts and Zodd then flew through Ganishka, as they weathered a blast of lightning, as they went through Ganishka, as Guts thrust his blade through, although it had no effect on Ganishka. On the other side, Schierke noticed that Guts was engaging with the emperor, using her od sensing, as she turned to Richard.
"We have to hurry! Guts is fighting against Ganishka! He can't fight against a monster that has a non-physical body!" Schierke hastily shouted to Richard.
"It's done!" Richard shouted back, as around them were a large magic circle around them, which was in a icy-blue colour, although it was only faintly glowing, before he then leapt back into the centre, where Schierke and Elma were. He checked on Reimu and Corrin, who have cut down many familiars, soldiers and apostles that got in their way, as he was certain that they were safe for the time being. "Alright, now then, everything's ready. Just one last thing. Elma, Schierke, put a hand on my shoulder."
"Wait, what do you intend to do!?" Schierke demanded.
"I'm going to freeze that Kushan emperor right where he stands." Richard responded back. "In order to do an ice spell strong enough to freeze the fog that is his body, into pure ice, we'll need truly powerful ice magic. And in order to do that, it will require a massive incantation, or a catalyst, which is what my magic circle is. But I need you to help my magic output by feeding me magic for me to fuel the spell in turn. The faster we can do this, the sooner this will all end!"
"...I trust you, Richard." Elma nodded, before she then placed a hand on Richard's left shoulder.
"...Am I still able to use my own kind of magic while I'm channelling a part of my power into you?" Schierke asked back.
"Yes, enough to sustain your various utility spells." Richard responded back. "Tell Guts to hang on, and tell him if you can find a weak point. With the ice making his body physically vulnerable, and striking that weak spot... It'll certainly be more than enough to strike down the emperor."
"...It should work." Schierke stated, before she then placed her hand on Richard's other shoulder, before she then activated her telepathic communication with Guts. 'Guts, if you can hear me, Richard, Elma and I are preparing a spell to freeze the apostle. Just keep on holding out until then, and you'll be able to defeat them. I'll also try to find a weak point for you to attack.'
'Right, got it... Although that'll have to depend how Zodd feels.' Guts answered back, before he then cut the connection. "You ready to do this, Zodd?"
"Hah!" Zodd barked in laughter. "You will have to do more to deter me from defeating this creature, even if it can't be struck!"
"I am the one who takes. Never the one taken from! I am the indestructible demon king! Burn now and regret this!" Ganishka boomed, as he then fired a surge of lightning at Guts and Zodd, as Guts used the blade to dissipate some of the lightning, as it spread out through the large and wide surface of the weapon.
"Alright, let's get started! Channel all you got, now!" Richard shouted, before Elma and Schierke did so, as Richard's body began to glow with blue energy emanating around his body, and he slowly let the energy flow into the magic circle below him.
Guts and Zodd was trying to cut through Ganishka, as they swung blade and claw, although their attacks did little but dissipate the fog, which slowly reformed itself, as Ganishka laughed cruelly at the futile efforts.
"Heed my words, pygmies. You are just insects writhing in the palm of my hand!" Ganishka cackled. "Your puny goal will not be achieved. Obey me and surrender now!"
"Gonna take a lot more than that to make me kneel before you, overgrown cloud!" Guts growled back. "You think that you're going to be rid of my that easily!?"
Guts then slashed rapidly, as Zodd flew around Ganishka's body, as it managed to blow apart a great deal of Ganishka's body, yet it still did no harm to the apostle emperor.
"I won't relinquish it! Even if it's blood-smeared and defiled, this world belongs to me!" Ganishka roared, before he then charged more lightning bolts, and shot them towards Zodd, who Guts was riding on. "FALL!"
Zodd weathered through the lightning strikes, although he was beginning to lose his strength to fight. Meanwhile, on the other side of the port, Richard's magic circle was completely charged, as it was glowing brightly.
"It's done!" Richard shouted, before Schierke and Elma placed their hands off, as they were a little exhausted spending this much of their magical energy for him. He then slammed his palm on the magic circle itself, as it let up even more, before it then created a massive ring of blue energy above Ganishka. "Take this!"
"Hmm...!?" Ganishka grumbled, as he looked up, before the halo of blue energy lit up, as it fired off a large breeze of icy wind onto Ganishka, as hail rained upon the fog apostle, as some of them exploded into freezing mist, as Ganishka felt his body numb and solidify. "Kuh... What is this sorcery...!? My body... It is... turning to ice!?"
"That, would by my doing, oh Great Ganishka." Richard mocked back, as he appeared through a sukima, with the remaining members of the group alongside him, as Ganishka looked down at Richard, who looked quite smug. "Like I told you, I know how that body of yours can be used against you. You are mist, which means that you can only be dissipated. However, with ice magic, of a grand scale, your body will be frozen into ice, and you will be left unable to move or act. Your own form is your undoing."
"Damn you, Durga kshatriya... Damn you to Naraka-" Ganishka cursed, before his own words were cut off, as his body quickly froze up into solid ice.
"Now's your chance! He's not going to be able to walk away from this attack! Carve that bastard up like a ice sculpture!" Richard shouted back.
"Aim for the space between the brow of his eyes!" Schierke shouted back. "It's where his connection to this body lies! It'll destroy the form completely."
"Well now, looks like you're not so tough anymore." Guts smirked, before he then raised his blade.
He then hacked right into Ganishka's body, as he sliced through the body multiple times, thanks to Zodd's flying, as pieces and pieces of the frozen apostle slammed into the sea, dissolving back into water, before Guts then aimed right at Ganishka's head, and thrust his blade between the weak-point indicated by Schierke, as it caused the entire head to crack, before turning into a icy powder from the resulting magical backlash from the lethal strike.
Zodd and Guts then crashed onto the ground in front of the group, as Zodd was kneeling, his body smoking from several lightning strikes, as Guts was the same, as he was thrown off, and bounced a few times off the ground.
"What's the matter..? Weren't we going to settle things? Come on, stand up!" Zodd growled at the prone Guts. "If you can't, then there won't be any fight to the death! I'll just tear you apart and devour you!"
Guts slowly rose up, as he grit past his pain, before glaring up at Zodd, who stood back up as well.
"We'll see to our duel another time, Black Swordsman." Zodd growled, before he then spread his wings out again. "A time when we can bloody each other to our hearts' content. Men, we're all done here!"
"Just a god... damn minute..." Guts growled weakly. "If you're all here, then is he...? Does that mean Griffith's nearby too...!?"
"What'll you do, once you hear the answer? If he is, will you fight with our master as he rides in here?" Zodd responded back. "Then that changes things. Even if you were crippled, our entire army would just mince you into a hundred pieces of meat."
"Now, now. We're done here as well, Zodd." Richard answered back. "And don't forget, most of us aren't as tired and hurt as Guts is. So if you pick a fight against us now, then we return the same sentiments back to you. Besides, Guts, you could care less for a feud between monsters, right?"
"Yeah. So that's that. Go on, get lost." Guts told Zodd.
Zodd wordlessly turned away, as he then flew out of the port, with the rest of the flying apostles following after him.
"And don't come back!" Isidro shouted defiantly at the fleeing apostles.
Guts then smiled, before he then began to fall forward, before he was caught by Meiling.
"I've got you, Guts. You done enough for now." Meiling assured Guts.
"...Thanks." Guts briefly thanked Meiling.
"Look, over there!" Judeau exclaimed, pointing at a empty ship nearby. "We could use that to leave the port."
"...Finally, all of this has ended..." Farnese exclaimed, before she then placed a hand to her chest. "I'm truly glad that everything gone well."
Richard then looked back at his friends, before he then turned back to the rest of the group.
"I guess that this is where we part ways then...?" Richard smiled back. "I hope that from here on, you guys will be able to make it the rest of the way through without us watching over you all."
"What... are you talking about, Richard...?" Casca asked back. "You're... You're all leaving."
"...Richard, are we...?" Gus asked back. "We..."
"We have other places to be." Richard stated, before he then bowed his head slightly. "...I'm sorry that I never had the heart to tell you all at once before this, but this is where our journey with you ends."
"...What?" Guts asked back.
"...You're not kidding us, are you? This is really goodbye?" Judeau asked as well.
"...Yeah. I didn't want to leave you guys, until I have done everything for you guys until you'll be able to make it safely to sea." Richard answered back, as he then gave a hopeful smile. "Because by then... You guys will be strong enough to stand up for yourselves, and fight against the rest of this cruel world without us."
Elma silently looked at the others, before she then brought out Puck, who was hiding in her cloak, as he was shocked at what he was hearing.
"...You're leaving, Elma...?" Puck asked back, as he was emotionally hurt, trying to fight back tears. "You're really... going to leave me?"
"...Richard, can't we take-" Elma pleaded.
"Unfortunately... Puck doesn't belong to you truly. I'm sorry for being so cruel, after the two of you spent a lot of time together. I'm sure that you, Puck, would have fitted better with Elma, but you are still needed." Richard answered back solemnly. "You need to be there to help Guts and the others, as Elma won't be there to help heal all those accumulated wounds. Your pixie dust, which I have seen in action so many times, would save their lives time and time again. You cannot leave them."
"...Elma..." Puck muttered back sadly.
"...Go, Puck... I can't just take you selfishly from the others." Elma responded back, with a sad smile. "You're going to do well without me, I know it. You were a really good friend, and you have done so much to help me... I hope that you'll be able tot help the others and stay alongside them, while I'm gone."
"Elma... I'll miss you. I really... really will..." Puck muttered back, as he slowly flew towards where Guts's group were.
"So, that's it then... You're just going to go, just like that?" Guts answered back, as he didn't seemed to be as betrayed as the others expected, his expression slightly longing, but not truly sad. "...I guess that when I fought alongside you, I knew that you weren't going to stay with us forever."
"...Sorry, Guts. That's just how things go. You were a great pal, Guts. We laughed together, we fought together, we defied the darkness together... And we learned to understand each other..." Richard smiled weakly back, before his eyes leaked tears, which he noticed. "Oh geez, look at me... I'm crying on the fact that I'm leaving all of you... Casca... Judeau... Guts... All of us have been together for so long, and yet we can only leave in such a grim manner... How selfish I am..."
"...Richard..." Casca muttered, before Richard wiped his tears off. "...Thank you. Thank you for everything you have done. I imagined that time, when I would have been raped by Griffith... I imagined that it would shatter me to be used by him like that... I would be unable to have found the will-power to keep on fighting."
"Don't forget me." Judeau smiled back. "If it ain't for your pal, I would have died back then. Thanks to you, we're able to stick together. Although you couldn't save everyone, being one of the lucky ones makes me feel grateful. You say that we can't take care of ourselves. With Guts, myself, Casca, and everyone else working together... We're going to be fine for the rest of the way, so don't worry about us."
"...You both..." Richard answered back, touched by their words.
"...Well, how could I just say no to a old friend of mine. Just promise me one thing, Richard." Guts sighed, before he then smiled back. "Make sure that you don't lose yourself like I did. You were there for me when things got tough, and I kind of appreciate that. I guess that you're also one of the unreplaceable things that I am constantly reminded about. Sad to see you go, but I guess that you got your own stuff to do. Like when I left Griffith. Surely you might come back one day, or we might meet each other again."
"...I promise that we will." Richard smiled back. "After all, in this world, you're the one that is most alike me around here. You better not die, because you're also my close pal."
"...Heh, just try me." Guts chuckled back, before he then saw Richard throw something. He then caught it, as it was a silver amulet styled in the shape of the former Band of the Hawks symbol. "What is this...?"
"A symbol of our journey together. I decided to ask Godo to make this one day, for the time when you would leave me." Richard answered back. "Guess this is the least I can do for you."
"Well, I guess that it's farewell then." Reimu smiled back. "Just make sure that you guys don't get yourselves killed, fighting all of those monsters."
"...We'll miss you truly, all of you." Gus stated.
"Guts... Casca... Judeau... Schierke... Isidro... Farnese... Puck..." Elma stated, before she then smiled warmly. "I hope that you'll all be able to see a bright future, if you keep on fighting on."
"Don't stop fighting on... This world needs people like you to make sure that there is someone to resist the deep darkness around this land, and strive to return peace and light to these ravaged lands." Corrin added.
"Heh, thanks for the pep-talk, all of you." Guts smiled back.
Meiling then lowered Guts on the ground, as Elma used her magic to heal Guts up, allowing him to get back up on his feet.
"Well then... Farewell to all of you." Richard answered back, before he then opened a sukima behind him. "One day... you'll see that even in this dark world... Hope shines eternal."
Richard's group then left through the sukima, as the sukima then closed behind then. And then suddenly, the skies above them turned clears, as the dark clouds began to part away, which surprised everyone.
"It's morning already...!?" Isidro exclaimed "How long has we been fighting for!?"
"I guess that the adrenaline made us lose track of the time." Judeau proposed. "Well then, I guess that this is one of the few days that we have seen the skies this clear, after the Eclipse happened. Wonder if it's a sign from the gods...?"
"Or perhaps... just perhaps... Richard cleared the skies for us, as a final gift to us. To remind us that there is still hope and light here, like he said." Casca stated, as she looked up to the skies with a smile.
"Come on, let's board the boat already!" Isidro exclaimed. "Don't want to get caught while trying to get our boat, don't we?"
"That would be recommended at this moment." Serpico answered. "Come with me everyone."
The group then boarded the boat, as they began to sail out to the sea, as Guts looked at the group below him, as Judeau and Casca were looked out towards the vast ocean, while Isidro was cheering about getting to sea, as Farnese and Schierke were chatting amongst each other, with Serpico watching from behind him.
"This is nice..." Guts looked up to the bright skies. "...I won't lose them again... Neither Casca, nor Judeau, or anyone else that I hold close to me... You watching, Richard...? We're going to come back, when we've turned this world back to what it was."
Back at the GFS Ryujin...
Richard slowly stepped onto the bridge, as everyone entered through it. The entire group looked around, as if they were worried about something, before Richard chuckled lightly.
"How ironic... We were meant to have a hellish experience there..." Richard chuckled. "But in the end, we managed to turn this towards a hopeful resolution for this crisis. And we managed to see the better parts of the world, despite everything."
"Do... Do you think Guts and the others can make it without us?" Gus asked back.
"You underestimate them, have some more faith in them. After all, we've been with them for all those years... What do you think...?" Richard questioned in turn.
"...True." Gus stated, as he smiled faintly.
Soon, the X-Stone appeared in Richard's hand, as it was purple, with a slight glow to it, and the symbol of a white spiralling void onto it.
"You who have defied the darkness that swallow the very land, and have defeated countless demons on your quest to seek light for those with you... You have proven worthy of acquiring the final stone. Now, only the final trial awaits you and your companions. Gather them all, as you will not be the only one tested. You will all be judged, to see if you are worthy of the answers to your dilemma. Not only that, I shall grant you boons, which you will acquire. Until then, come to where the stones point, if you believe you are ready to attempt your ultimate quest." The stone's voice stated.
"...It's all gathered." Richard smiled back, before he then turned to the elevator down the bridge. "...I wonder what this final trial will be."
The group then slowly descended down to the lab where the other X-Stones were stored, as the other six were floating from a artificial gravity field in their container. Richard then slotted the final X-Stone, his newest acquisition, as it joined the other stones. As soon as the stone was positioned, the stones then immediately shifted themselves into a hexagonal formation, with the dark-coloured stone being placed in the centre of the formation.
The other stones then began to spin around the stone, quicker and quicker, until they turned into a massive blur of colour, as it set off the energy reading alarms in the lab, causing all available tech personnel to quickly work on restraining and controlling the energy output of the storage container.
And then, with a loud sound of a massive shockwave, the ring of colour merged with the stone, creating a massive flash of bright light, as everyone shield their eyes, while they also protected themselves from what may come from the massive surge of energy.
When the light had died down, the container of the stones was destroyed, and floating amidst the ruins of the machine, was another stone, this one prismatic, as there was a shining symbol of a rainbow cross-symbol on both sides of it. Richard walked over to it slowly, before he then grabbed it, feeling the fluctuations of power emanating from the stone.
"Huh... So this is the result." Richard remarked, before his comm then buzzed on. "...I received your call... What is it?"
"...Sir... We found something. Just now, there was a new signal downloaded on our database." The bridge officer on the other side of the call answered back.
"What is the details of the signal?" Richard asked back sternly.
"...They're a set of coordinates, sir..." The officer answered back, as Richard's eyes widened.
"...Set of coordinates... Save those coordinates, officer. They're very important." Richard muttered, before he then cut the call off.
"...Richard..." Gus asked, before Richard then turned around.
"...The path ahead is clear, Gus." Richard answered back. "Rest yourselves up, one of our most important missions lies ahead of us. It's the final trial from the wielder of the stones."
Unmei Force: Vengeance
E N D