Chapter 40- Return of Disaster

May 31, 2057

Altina didn't understand what was happening as she, Merlin and his familiar, Cath Palug, were rushing through many halls and corridors to reach the surface. Apparently despite being an expert sorcerer, Merlin couldn't teleport them out due to powerful wards that prevented any teleportation. They were lucky to have avoided any confrontations with the guards, but that likely won't last for very long as it was only a matter of time before they came across a patrol group. Although the girl did find it strange that none of the alarms have been raised despite her obvious breakout.

It didn't help that her body still felt pretty weak from being in that pod for so long, making running constantly more difficult than it should have been. Her lungs were screaming at her to take a break to just breathe, but she kept on moving. Merlin even looked impressed at seeing the girl's resilience.

"You'll regain your strength soon enough," he said encouragingly as they hurried down another corridor. "Just try to keep moving. We'll be outside soon."

"Okay."

The underground catacombs were built under Cayenne's castle after the War of Light and Shadow, likely to be used to create homunculi like Altina without alerting the other lords of his plans. They were intentionally designed to be confusing to navigate so as to trap any intruders who dare to sneak in and bust someone out. If the trio were on their own, they would likely get lost soon, but thankfully Merlin thought to bring in some assistance for this rescue mission.

The sounds of metal clashing could be heard further down. There were people fighting each other here. Having a feeling on who it was, the Mage of Flowers led the young girl down the hall, towards the battle. The group soon reached a small corridor where a lone man was fighting three armored soldiers at once.

The man had short blue hair and orange eyes. His outfit consisted of a regal white coat with gold trimming, a red and black tunic, a purple ascot, white gloves and pants, and black boots. Attached to his right wrist was a short golden blade that could be concealed under his sleeve.

He was practically running circles around the three soldiers, his lighter equipment improving his mobility despite the tight space, over their heavy armor. One soldier attempted to stab him in the shoulder with their spear, only for him to dodge to the side and cut off the tip from the handle with his blade. He then delivered a swift kick to their gut, sending them careening at the wall, knocking them out instantly.

"I should execute every single one of you for daring to violate the royal family with your wicked schemes and take advantage of their absence," the man declared venomously as he raised his blade in a threatening manner. "But that is not my objective here tonight. Give your thanks to Lady Sinestra that I will simply render you unconscious, traitors. That is, of course, if you've got the courage to fight a true supporter of the Umbris family."

The remaining soldiers eyed the man nervously, their arms practically shaking. They had the advantage in numbers, but they were totally outclassed in terms of skill. Weighing their options carefully, they did the only logical thing they could do. They dropped their weapons and ran away in sheer terror, abandoning their unconscious comrade in the process. The man chose not to pursue, simply scoffing and calling them cowards, before noticing the observers.

"Lord Merlin," he said formally as he approached the mage, his blade retracting under his coat sleeve as he did so. "I take it things went successful on your end?"

"Indeed, they have. I see it was wise to recruit you for this mission. Your combat skills have not dulled at all over the many centuries."

The man smiled with pride at the complement. "As a loyal servant of Master Lelouch, I must always be prepared for when my service is required," he replied. "I eagerly await the day of his return, and of the return of our crown prince."

Merlin let out an amused chuckle. It wasn't surprising to see that he hasn't changed at all over the long years. It was actually quite reassuring. "And that day is soon upon us. But we should focus on the present for now." The mage tossed a glance over his shoulder, noticing that his companion has been strangely silent. "No need to be shy. This man is here to help us."

"Help us?" Altina, who had been hiding behind Merlin as a precaution, peeked her head out and stared at the stranger in curiosity.

Upon seeing the girl, the man's eyes lit up with joy and immediately fell to one knee while bringing his arm to his right breast. Was this some kind of salute? "It is an honor to finally meet you, young princess," he said with pride. "I am Jeremiah Gottwald. My young master was very loyal to your family during the War of Light and Shadow several millennia ago. As such, I too serve the Umbris family with the same dedication. Might I ask my lady's name?"

The girl was taken aback by the clear passion the man before her said. Loyalty seemed to mean a lot to him given his hostility towards the soldiers. However, he didn't seem like a bad guy. After a few seconds of thinking, she finally said, "Altina."

"Altina," he repeated softly, smiling as he said it. "A beautiful name. One befitting a princess, regardless of her birth. Upon my honor, I shall ensure you manage to escape the grasp of these traitors and reunite with your family."

Her family? He must be referring to the boy and girl that she saw in her dreams. Was it really possible for her to meet them? Her existence may be young, but that didn't mean she was stupid. Some of the scientists did implant her with basic knowledge the moment she was able to form conscious thoughts. She knew from the start that her birth was unnatural. That she isn't a demon like her siblings are. She is something fake, a false person created by the blood of real beings. A homunculus.

"Is it really okay for me to meet them?" Altina asked in concern, her hands clutched close to her chest. "Would they even accept me despite my origins?"

"Of course they'll accept you!" Jeremiah argued fervently, his tone surprising her. "It doesn't matter that you're a homunculus. The blood of the Umbris family flows through your veins. That means you do have a family to go to. I swear it."

Altina wasn't too sure about that her gaze wandered aimlessly. She found it really hard to convince herself that Jeremiah is right and that her siblings will accept her. The only way to find out the truth is to go to them, wherever they are. If her brother and sister do accept her and take her in, that would make her happy beyond words. However, if they rejected her, then Altina wouldn't know how to react, but she wouldn't really blame them.

"Master Merlin."

Altina perked up when she saw a woman suddenly appear from the shadows, standing right next to Jeremiah. Her outfit was bizarre, a mix between that of a maid uniform and of an assassin. She had short brown hair and brown eyes. Her weapons of choice were a pair of kunai knives. Was she another ally?

"I have succeeded with destroying the remaining blood samples," the woman continued in a professional tone. "Now Lord Cayenne has no way of creating any more Umbris homunculi."

"Excellent work, Sayako," the Mage of Flowers replied. The sounds of soldiers shouting could be heard from the halls. "We'd best make our leave before we are overrun. Is our exit still secure?"

"Yes," Jeremiah spoke up as he rose to his feet. "Anya should still be there guarding it. There's no way any of the guards here can defeat her. I trained her myself after all. Dr. Lloyd also made sure to disable the enemy's communication and security features. We should have no problems with our escape."

"Perfect. Now let's move. Sayako, stay close to Altina and keep her safe. Jeremiah and I will take the front to clear the way if we run into more soldiers."

The strange assassin nodded her head in acknowledgement before the two men hurried down another hallway. Sayako then took Altina's small hand into her own and said, "Everything will be fine, my lady. Just stay close to me."

Altina could only nod before they hurried after the others, with Cath Palug riding on her shoulder. The young girl found herself wondering if she would really be able to leave this place. Despite their few numbers, her rescuers were able to infiltrate the castle catacombs in an attempt to free her. Were her creators so incompetent that they didn't plan for a potential attack if her existence got leaked out? She mentioned this to Sayako, who was thankfully able to answer her question.

"Oh, they were certainly prepared for a possible attack," the assassin responded. "Lord Rufus planned for many forms of infiltrations, including a small strike force. However, he never factored in the possibility of Merlin leading the charge. His clairvoyance is what allowed us to come this far."

Clairvoyance? Searching through the knowledge that she did possess, that meant that Merlin is able to see into the future. If that is true, then it is no surprise that her rescuers have been so successful with their operation. If their leader can see what will happen before it does, they can discuss all possible routes and determine which one is the most viable. After all, it is practically impossible to predict the actions of one who can see into the future.

The group soon found themselves at a garage of sorts. The large room was held up by several large concrete pillars and was lit up with electrical lights. There were many vehicles parked, but the one that caught Altina's attention was an armored black and purple truck parked near the exit. Standing by the vehicle was a young, petite girl with light pink hair tied into a ponytail, thick strands of hair falling next to her face, and rouge-red eyes. Her attire consisted of a white vest with a stiff collar pointing outwards, a long-sleeved black and purple tunic underneath, and a white skirt. She also had black gloves, long black boots, and pink leggings. In her right hand was a shortsword, its scabbard strapped to her waist.

There were about a dozen soldiers lying unconscious near the girl. Their weapons ranged from swords, spears, to even guns. It was clear that fighting did occur here as there were bullet holes and slash marks in the both the concrete and some of the vehicles. The girl looked relatively unharmed, with only a few scratches on her arms and legs, and only slightly fatigued.

"Are you alright, Anya?" Jeremiah asked in concern as he hurried over to the girl.

"I'm fine, Dad," the girl answered nonchalantly. "Just got into a little scuffle, is all. These people hardly posed a challenge for me." She turned her gaze at Altina and cracked a light smile. "So you're our new princess. It's nice to meet you. I'm Anya Gottwald. What's your name?"

"Altina," the homunculus answered simply. It was nice to see a person close to her age. Anya at first seemed like a stoic, detached person, but there was indeed some warmth in her. There even was the possibility of them becoming friends, but Altina found herself wondering if she even deserved that luxury.

The back of the armored vehicle opened up, revealing a man with lavender hair and greyish-blue eyes. He wore a green turtleneck, a white lab coat, as well as black pants and shoes. He also had a pair of large glasses that covered most of his face and a light smile, though it didn't appear to be genuine.

"If you all are done chatting, we'd best make our exit," the man said dismissively. "It won't be long before Cayenne's forces regroup and try to reclaim their master's 'pawn'. I for one do not want to be anywhere near this place once the lord and his right-hand find out she's gone."

Merlin nodded his head in acknowledgement. Thanks to his clairvoyance, the Mage of Flowers was able to predict when the castle's defenses were at their weakest. Right now, Lord Cayenne and Rufus Shinra were currently paying visit to another ruling lord in a far-off territory. Being as arrogant as he is, Cayenne brazenly took half of his security personnel with him, both to show off to his fellow leader and foolishly assuming that no one would dare sneak into his palace and sabotage his plans to rule all of Eternus.

"Agreed," the mage replied. "Everyone, into the truck. We've finished what we came here to do."

The others agreed and hurried into the armored vehicle, with Jeremiah taking the wheel. The male demon hastily turned on the engine and drove towards the exit that led to the outside world. Everyone else simply buckled down in their seats to make sure they didn't get thrown around, though Anya had to help Altina with her seatbelt as the younger girl was having a difficult time because of all the moving around.

"I'm sorry," Altina said sincerely. "It seems my reaction speed isn't the greatest."

"It's fine," Anya replied. "You've only been moving around for an hour or so. I'm sure you'll get your bearings soon. You are an Umbris after all."

Altina found herself smiling at that, though she had no idea why. "You said your last name was Gottwald. Are you related to Jeremiah?"

"No, not by blood anyway. My parents died when I was little over some political unrest in our territory. I barely managed to escape and wandered around the wilderness until Jeremiah found me. He ended up taking me in as his daughter and I've been with him ever since."

It brought a strange pain to Altina's heart to hear that the girl beside her had lost her family. Was this feeling, sorrow? She never could have imagined that there were those who lost their loved ones to tragedies like that. It would seem that the outside world is darker than she initially expected. Now she really worried if her family would accept her or not? Emotions may be new to her, but she felt that she couldn't handle such a rejection from her own siblings.

"Unfortunately, Anya's story isn't a rarity," the lavender-haired man spoke up. He was most likely the Dr. Lloyd that Jeremiah and the others have mentioned. "The political environment in Eternus is very unstable, especially over the last few months. The nobles are vying for the throne and the commoners suffer from the turmoil they create. There's even rumors of the False King Zarc's potential return, which makes things even tenser for the populace."

"That can't be!" Sayako argued back. "That tyrant perished on Earth when he invaded Japan thirty years ago. There's no way he could still be alive."

Lloyd simply shrugged half-heartedly. "Except his body was never recovered. Plus there are rumors that his followers are plotting not only his return, but the return of something terrible."

"I've heard those rumors too," Jeremiah added. "I've even heard received word that my young master has infiltrated Arcanos's Order of Nightfall to uncover their plans. I do worry for his safety and wish to rush to his aid, but I must wait for his signal before doing something so rash."

"I too wish to return to Master Lelouch's side," Sayako agreed. "I've watched over him for thousands of years, waiting for the day when he is needed again. I will not let him down again, not after I failed to get his sister to safety that terrible day."

It became deathly silent within the armored truck as it drove into the night, under the cover of trees. Altina didn't know why but she had a feeling that something horrifying had happened years ago, in another era. She wanted to question it, but ultimately chose not to, unsure if whether or not she could handle it. As if reading her thoughts, Anya took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

After a few moments, Lloyd turned his gaze towards the Mage of Flowers. "Just to cover all bases, there's no way for Cayenne to track the girl, right?" he questioned intently. "It would be such a hassle if we wasted all this time preparing for this operation, only to have an entire army at our backs the very next day."

"You can relax, Dr. Lloyd," Merlin responded casually. "I made sure there weren't any tracking devices or spells on Altina the moment I freed her. Cayenne will find it very difficult to find her since he can't go public with this information for obvious reasons of course."

Jeremiah nodded his head in agreement. "Indeed. Even though homunculi are qualified to take the throne of Eternus as long as they are created from the blood of an Umbris, only the royal family has the authority to allow such a thing," he explained. "If Cayenne went public that a homunculus he created from the blood of Altena, Zane, and Lucia was taken from him, he would lose his title and position as a ruling noble and be arrested."

"A shame we can't go public about this either," Anya spoke up in annoyance. "Since there's so little faith in the Umbris name, Altina's appearance would just put a big target on her back. We need someone who can restore the faith and respect the Umbris family once had."

Was such a thing possible? That was certainly unknown to Altina. The name "Altena" sounded familiar to her as well. Not only was it incredibly similar to her own name, but she felt that she had heard it before. One of the scientists must have mentioned it when she was in her pod. For some reason, whenever she thought of that name, she would visions of a woman with long, lustrous black hair. A woman who appeared both kind and fierce. Was it possible that that woman is meant to be her mother? If so, then is she still alive and how can she meet her?

Exhaustion started to overtake the girl, likely from all the running around, making her eyelids very heavy and her thoughts sluggish. Immediately noticing this, Anya told her that it was okay for her to get some sleep. It has been a stressful night for the homunculus, and she needed to recover her strength. The slightly older girl reassured her that she was safe and that though they had a long drive ahead of them, she would be meeting her siblings soon.

In the end, Altina couldn't fight it anymore and simply leaned into her chair and closed her eyes, falling asleep instantly. She looked relatively peaceful despite being an indirect member of the most powerful family in Eternus.

"I can't believe anyone would want to use her as a puppet to control our kingdom," Sayako said in disgust. "She may be a homunculus, but she deserves to choose how to live her life."

"Sadly there aren't a lot of demons who share that sentiment," Lloyd replied while going through his laptop to pass the time. "Most demons simply see homunculi as pawns or expendable tools. It's very rare for any of them to be treated as living beings like the rest of us."

Merlin agreed with the sentiment but remained silent. His clairvoyance only allowed him to see the present, the immediate future. Normally he wouldn't interfere as much as he already has, but given the stakes of what he has seen, he decided to make an exception. That and he felt that this was the best way to make amends with the Twilight Remnant after what he and that man did to the boy during his first life as Zane.

With his future sight, Merlin saw the Dark Swordsman being consumed by a terrible shadow, a darkness of rage and resentment. This was the most fragile moment the Mage of Flowers has witnessed when he began his plans. The next battle will determine whether or not the three realms will have a future or not. It is impossible to stop coming darkness without Marth. His power will complete the group.

"Your brother's fate lies in your hands, Thorrnn," the mage said to himself. "You must awaken your power and your dragon. Otherwise, none of us can survive what is coming." He glanced out the darkened window, peering at the clear night sky. "Your move, Morgan. Let's see if you can actually control that mad beast."


That Afternoon

"Gaaah!"

Meg watched in worry as her brother got pierced in the shoulder by Scathach's Gae Bolg. After getting his ass handed to him by Lucius, Marth had decided to train even harder to awaken his demon blood. Since she was his mentor during the War of Light and Shadow, Scathach offered to take that role again and be his sparring partner. Naturally both Meg and Rias were worried about the Blade Eater since the Witch of Dun Scaith isn't known for holding back, but he assured them that this is what he wanted.

Kazuto, Kuroba, Yuna and C.C. tagged along as well, with the former two wanting some training of their own and the idol acting as moral support. The other AI, on the other hand, came simply to watch the half-demon fail. Fuko wanted to come as well, but since today was another territory battle, Kuroba told her old friend to focus on protecting their territory. Ever since Fuko regained her legs, she has become much more active in the Accelerated World, with her fighting in duels again. It was rather reassuring to see, especially when the group found out that she is a Remnant too.

"It's honestly surprising that quite a few of us are Remnants," Kirito spoke up. He was in his Aincrad form, with Elucidator and Dark Repulser in their scabbards. "I never would have expected Fuko to be one."

"Me neither," Kuroba agreed. She was in her Black Lotus form, her arm swords retracted as hands. "I always felt that I knew her long before we became friends. Now I know that she used to be my retainer during my life as Celine. Small world huh?"

Rias simply chuckled at that. "Indeed, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few other Remnants that we don't know about. Anyway, are you both ready?"

Both teens nodded and drew their swords while the demoness got into a fighting stance. With Marth deciding to up his training by sparring with Scathach, both Kirito and Kuroba wanted to do the same. While Scathach could easily handle all three at once, Rias felt it was best to take it slow, especially given her son's condition. As such, the Crimson Sorceress volunteered to be the duo's sparring partner.

As the trio began their battle, Meg returned her gaze to her brother, who was continuing to fight Scathach, despite being outclassed. Just like with Lucius, Marth couldn't seem to match the Witch of Dun Scaith's speed. Plus, thanks to her spear, she had the better reach. At least Scathach wasn't using her runes, not yet anyway. This was simply a clash between warriors.

"You've got a good spirit, Marth," Scathach commented as she parried Lunara away with a flick of her spear. "Just like back in the War of Light and Shadow. Unfortunately, you'll have to do a lot better than that to beat me."

Meg noticed that her brother tightened his grip on his swords. "I know," the male demon answered coldly. "I'll show you exactly what I'm capable of."

Scathach simply smirked before getting into a fighting stance. Marth made the first move and rushed at the spearwoman and swung his right sword towards her right arm. Scathach effortlessly parried it away with her lance before twirling around and blocking her foster son's follow up attack from his left sword. The two opponents exchanged a flurry of blows but neither one seemed to overpower the other.

"Marth can't win," C.C. suddenly spoke up. "He's up against the gatekeeper of Eternus, the woman who keeps the dark beasts living there from escaping. He's not ready to face such an opponent yet."

"Don't say that," Yuna refuted, trying to stay positive. "I've read about Marth's feats online and I think he can take her."

"Oh really?" C.C. challenged with a knowing smirk. "I seem to recall him getting destroyed by Lucius a few weeks ago. If it wasn't for Fuko's little rescue as well as Rias and Scathach's timely appearance, he most likely would have lost."

"W-well," Yuna stammered, unable to find a way to object to that statement.

Meg couldn't really argue that either. They were very lucky that Rias and Scathach made it in time to force Lucius to retreat. Even though they outnumbered him, the male demon lord was easily able to keep the tide in his favor. Demon lords are truly a force to be reckoned with.

Speaking of which, Rias was easily handling both Kirito and Kuroba, despite their skill as swordsmen. The Crimson Sorceress kept them at a distance with her spells and blocked any ranged attacks with a magic barrier. So far, neither teen has used an Incarnate attack, though they may be forced to use them if they want to make any progress. Kirito in particular was getting pretty annoyed at seeing his dark magic projectiles easily getting blocked by yet another barrier.

"Damn it," the Black Swordsman said bitterly. "This isn't working."

A barrage of black fire balls soared towards the swordsman, only to be cut down by the swords of the Black King. It was always incredible to see Kuroba fight. She is one of the few people Meg knows that can actually keep up with the Darkness Duo. She truly made an excellent partner for her beloved brother.

"I agree," Kuroba said firmly. "We may be forced to go all out if we want a chance to win this."

Kirito glanced at his partner in concern, but not before activating Spinning Shield with Dark Repulser to block the incoming barrage of elemental spears heading for them. Kuroba, on the other hand, just cut right through them as if she were dancing. "Are you sure?" he asked hastily. "I thought you said we can only use Incarnate attacks when we're attacked by them."

"I did," the black-haired fairy answered as she kept cutting through spears with her swords. "But this match is a test to push ourselves and become stronger. Plus our opponent is a demon lord. We can't really afford to hold back."

"True," Kirito said slowly as the barrage of magic finally ended.

Rias was twenty feet away from the duo. That's within the range of their Incarnate attacks. However, the demon lord was very much aware of them and how to evade them. They couldn't just unleash them without thinking and expect things to go well. They needed an actual plan.

"Kuroba, I'll keep Rias distracted. You focus on unleashing your Incarnate attack."

The Black King nodded her head in acknowledgement and pulled her right arm sword back as far as it could go. As she did so, Kirito rushed at the demoness with incredible speed, using his inhuman reaction speed to evade the many spells she fired to stop his advance. It took the Black Swordsman about ten seconds to close the gap and strike at Rias with the Dual Blades Sword Skill, Double Circular. However right before his swords made contact, Rias was able to block them with yet another magic circle.

"Nice try, Kirito," the crimson-haired woman said with a confidant smile. "But you'll have to do better than that to defeat me."

Kirito then smirked back. "Oh, I know," he said casually as he struggled to hold his ground against the sorceress. "But I did manage to keep your gaze off of Lotus."

"What?" Rias said in surprise. She looked over the boy's shoulder and saw Black Lotus's right arm sword was glowing purple, building up power. It was the one-hit special attack, Death By Piercing. It has the same range as Vorpal Strike, so it could only go about five feet, but Kuroba was too far away to strike the demoness. Which meant…

"I see," the sorceress realized, a smile appearing on her face. "So that's your plan. Let's see if you can actually pull it off."

Kirito could tell that Rias was about to move away. He had to keep her locked in place so that his partner could strike her with her special attack. An Incarnate Death By Piercing attack may be fast, but it wasn't unavoidable, especially for someone like Rias. He has to keep her here. He needs to show the demon lord just how strong he is, that he is strong enough to protect his friends.

Unbeknownst to him, his body became enveloped by a golden light and his eyes became yellow. His strength somehow increased as he was finding himself pushing his swords towards Rias, creating hairline cracks in her barrier. Rias let out an audible gasp at seeing the human's newfound strength. Was this all from the boy's willpower? She even caught a glimpse of the first Kirito, a faded image of him wielding a black sword that absorbed light and a blue sword with a rose on the hilt.

"It can't be," Rias thought in surprise.

That distraction proved to be a mistake as her barrier crumbled before her, allowing the dual-swordsman to press his attack. His speed had also increased as Rias was barely able to evade his attack by backflipping away. Kirito's body then went rigid due to the post-motion delay of using Sword Skills, giving the sorceress just the opening she needed. She gave a quick apology to her son's best friend before striking him with a bolt of black lightning. Her spell hit true and sent a surge of electricity throughout Kirito's body. He screamed in pain before collapsing on the grass, his gold aura fading. He was down for the count.

"Death By Piercing!"

Rias muttered a silent curse towards herself. She had forgotten about Kuroba. The reincarnated fairy lunged her right arm sword forward, sending a beam of purple light rushing towards the demoness at high-speed. There wasn't enough time to teleport away or raise another barrier. Gritting her teeth, she opted to jump to the side to minimize any potential damage. With incredible speed, she was barely able to evade the augmented Death By Piercing, though the left side of her tunic did get scratched by the beam in the process.

"No way," Kuroba said in shock. It was unbelievable that she could have missed. She suddenly heard the sounds of a teleport to her right. She turned in that direction and saw none other than Rias. Before she could even react, the demon lord fired a barrage of dark magical arrows, damaging the Black King's armor and forced to her knees.

The female Driver looked up at the sorceress, the older woman holding a fireball right towards her face. "I…yield," Kuroba said reluctantly, her arm swords retracting back into hands. "You win again, Rias."

Rias let out a light chuckle as she dismissed her spell before offering her hand to the girl. "You did rather well, Kuroba," she said as pulled the fairy back on her feet. "You actually managed to damage my clothing and Kirito was able to break through my barrier. That's quite the achievement. You're both coming along quite nicely."

"Thank you, but I still haven't been able to fully awaken my fairy blood. At this rate, I don't know if I can do it in time to help Marth stop Arcanos."

The two glanced over and saw Marth barely able to defend against Scathach's onslaught. His swords were easily getting repelled and his Stormveil wall getting parted by the Witch's spear. Just seeing it made Kuroba's shoulder ache, reminding her of her link with Marth. Sometimes it sucked sharing a core with an Aegis, or Aegis Eater in this case.

"You have to be patient, Kuroba," Rias advised calmly. "This is not something you can rush. I understand your impatience, I truly do. But we must have faith that we can find a way to save my son, your love. Lady Sinestra may help us achieve such a miracle."

Sinestra, the Goddess of Shadows and the progenitor of the demon race. No one truly knows if she managed to survive the War of Light and Shadow. No one has seen her in ages. But if anyone could save her boyfriend, it would be her. Marth's condition was getting worse by the day. The ether in his body is attacking his demon cells, as if trying to purge him of it, but his demonic soul refused to yield and is fighting back. There were times where Marth couldn't even move because the pain was so bad. It broke Kuroba's heart to see him in such a state. Then there was his sister.

Meg was desperately trying to awaken her own demonic blood and has been relentlessly searching for a way to save her only brother. Such devotion made Kuroba feel a little jealous. Her family rarely gave her such affection.

"No, this is my family," she corrected. "I don't care what happens, I'll protect Marth and my friends to the very end."

"Well this just got interesting." That was Kirito. He must have recovered enough to get back on his feet and decided to watch the final duel with her and Rias.

Marth had just activated his most well-known skill, and arguably one of his strongest attacks. The sixteen-hit Dual Blades Sword Skill, Starburst Stream. This is one of the attacks that is practically ingrained in his muscle memory. His swords shining with azure light, he unleashed a flurry of slashes at his opponent. Scathach cracked a light smile before moving her left hand aside and created a copy of Gae Bolg. Projection magic!

She then began to effortlessly block the half-demon's assault, all while waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Thirteen slashes…fourteen slashes…they all ended in failure, unable to reach their target. It was after the fifteenth attack that Scathach saw her opening, one that both Kirito and Kuroba were well aware about. The sixteenth hit of Starburst Stream was a powerful overhead slash with the left sword, but it had a dramatic pause before happening. Since all Sword Skills are preset movements and couldn't be canceled during their activation, there was nothing Marth could do to stop what was coming.

"It's over!" Scathach declared as she thrusted her left spear forward, right underneath Marth's left shoulder. Both he and Kuroba cried out in pain as blood poured from their wound. Since his body became unbalanced, the Starburst Stream was nullified, preventing the final hit.

Marth fell to one knee, his swords hitting the grass, and clutched his open wound with one hand. His breathing was rapid as he struggled to fight off the pain.

"Brother!" Meg shouted in worry as she hurried over to him. Once she reached him, she got on his level, extended an open palm to his injury, and channeled her mana into it. She may not have awakened her demon blood yet, but she was able to use some healing spells thanks to Rias's coaching. Already she could see the wound starting to close.

"That was a decent fight," Scathach said firmly as she dismissed her left spear before twirling the Gae Bolg with both hands. "However you cannot get by with copying Kirito's moves. You must make them your own."

"What are you talking about?" Marth questioned as the others approached them. "Kirito and I got the Dual Blades Skill at the same time. How am I copying him?"

Scathach simply rolled her eyes at that. "Did you seriously think it was a coincidence that Kirito managed to get the Dual Blades Skill and had an easier time replicating them after you both escaped that floating castle?" she said brazenly, moving her spear to a resting position. "While his mind and body may not fully remember, parts of his soul does. That can't ever go away, at least not entirely, no matter how many times you reincarnate. Kirito was always a master when it came to dual wielding. You, or rather Zane, tended to switch from a single weapon to dual wielding during battle. You were skilled at both, but it was Kirito who developed the Starburst Stream and The Eclipse attacks during the War of Light and Shadow. You simply learned them from him."

"No way," Meg said in shock. Now that she mentioned it, Meg did always notice that Kirito did have an easier time replicating the Dual Blades Sword Skills with the OSS system from Alfheim Online. Marth tended to require Kirito's help or another hour or so before he could get it down. Then there was the fact that Kirito was the first to recreate both Starburst Stream and The Eclipse. Her brother was barely able to recreate the sixteen-hit skill but could never finish the latter one, which had twenty-seven hits. The Black Swordsman ended up giving Marth an OSS scroll with the skill on it because the half-demon just couldn't do it.

"So Marth has to come up with his technique?" Yuna questioned. "That sounds hard."

"Yeah," C.C. added, her arms folded across her chest. "Especially since Marth here is used to relying on his Dual Blades skills for winning his fights."

"I guess I should do the same as well," Kuroba spoke up, catching everyone's attention. Her wound has since closed thanks to Rias. "I also find myself struggling to recreate the Starburst Stream, no matter how much coaching both Kirito and Marth give me. Maybe I'll have an easier time developing my own Dual Blades attack instead."

Kirito simply scratched the back of his head. "Maybe," he said dismissively. "But it is weird that you guys are both struggling with the Dual Blades techniques despite not being human. I would have thought you two would outclass me because of that since I'm just a regular human."

"Everyone has things they are good at and bad at," Rias explained inquisitively. "Plus there are people that can adapt easier than others. Just because you're human doesn't mean you're weaker than us, Kirito. I've met quite a few humans who were incredibly powerful, easily able to hold their own against a demon or fairy. sometimes even entire armies."

That caught Kirito's interest as his eyes widened in excitement. "Really? Who were they?" he asked eagerly.

"Well one of them is me as I'm technically a human, just one cursed with immortality," Scathach spoke up knowingly. "Another is a huntress named Atalante. She was blessed by the wild at a young age and never missed a shot. If you were in her sight, you're dead."

Meg silently gasped when she heard the name. That was the name of the same cat-eared girl from her dream last night. So it was a memory from her first life because she has never seen anyone like that before in her current life. Then there were those knights. Who were they? What was their story? Also, why did Scathach's description remind her of a certain someone in Nega Nebulus?

"Don't forget Charlemagne and Astolfo," Rias added with a light smile. "Those two always seemed to brighten up the room with their antics, especially Astolfo. Cu Chulainn and Uathach were pretty powerful as well. Then there's her."

Meg raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Her? Who are you talking about?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't mention her." Scathach then let out a scoff before looking away, towards a random direction. "Lianna Pendragon," she answered solemnly. "One of the few warriors who can match my spearmanship. We fought a few times before and after the war but there's never been a clear victor. She's easily one of the strongest humans to ever exist."

Pendragon? That name sounded familiar to the Emerald Fencer. Wait, it couldn't be. "Could she have any relation to King Arthur?"

"Indeed she does," the Witch of Dun Scaith replied. "Lianna is their aunt. Since she was a bastard child, she couldn't inherit the throne, but her skill with the spear didn't go unnoticed. Since Sinestra recruited me to help defend her lands, her sister Celestia decided to do the same. Lianna accepted the Goddess of Light's offer and was given immortality, though hers is less of a curse than mine is. Even now, she still defends the realm of Arun."

"Cool," Kirito said in awe. "I kind of want to fight her just to see how long I'd last."

Marth let out an amused chuckle. "Oh, please. You'd barely last a few minutes if she went all out. One wrong move and you'll get shish-kebabbed. I only lasted this long against Scathach thanks to my affinity to the wind boosting my speed."

"True," Kirito replied with a casual smile. "You've always had a good grip at using wind and lightning magic. I bet once you fully awaken your demon blood, you'll practically rule the sky."

Everyone laughed at that, even C.C. It almost made Meg forget about the looming threat of Arcanos and his forces. She wanted to stay in moments like this, where she can hang out with her beloved brother and not worry over their survival. However, her little world was shattered by the sound of thunder. Dark clouds were gathering in the sky. That can't be right. The forecast said that there would be clear skies all day. A strong wind soon followed, rattling the nearby trees.

Wolffff!

That metallic voice boomed in the air, coming from all directions. Never has she heard a voice filled with so much anger and hatred. It chilled her right to the bone. What really terrified her was that it was directed towards her brother. She wasn't the only one to have heard it as Marth, Kirito, Kuroba and Scathach readied their weapons while Rias got into a fighting stance, all of them examining the area cautiously.

"Those clouds aren't normal," Rias advised. "Something is coming."

Yuna let out a whimper as she hid behind Meg. "Uh, what could it be?" the idol questioned nervously.

"I don't know," Kuroba spoke up as she kept analyzing the area with a skeptical eye. "I feel like I've heard that voice before. Kirito, Marth, can you two tell where its coming from?"

"Nope," Kirito said grimly. "My Hypersense is warning me of danger, but I can't tell from where. That's never happened before."

"Same with me," Marth added.

That didn't comfort Meg in the slightest. Hypersense is a skill that Marth and Kirito developed during their two years in that floating iron castle. It allowed them to sense the presence of others and even a person's killing intent. There have been many instances where it came in handy to avoid enemy ambushes. If this enemy is able to evade that, then they were in trouble.

Suddenly a metallic silver magic circle appeared under the group's feet, surrounding them. It was a teleportation circle! Kuroba ordered for everyone to move away, but they all found out that they couldn't move their legs, preventing their escape. Scathach readied a few runes in her open hand to try to destroy the circle with brute force, but before she could unleash them, the magic circle released a blinding light forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

When Meg finally opened her eyes, she found that she could move her legs again. However, her surroundings had changed. No longer was she in a city park, but a rocky highland with multiple stone pillars. From the corner of her vision, she could see a green gauge and an empty one below it. In the top center was a broken timer.

It can't be! That teleportation circle had brought her to the Unlimited Neutral Field within the Accelerated World. Thankfully she wasn't alone as Marth and the others were nearby, with the Burst Linkers now in their Duel Avatars.

"What the hell?!" Marth said in disbelief. "How did we get here? Who brought us here?"

"Wooollllfffff!"

It was that same metallic voice, only it sounded much closer than before but no less angry. She could even feel an ominous presence getting closer, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. As Thorrnn drew her rapier, she noticed that Kuroba had frozen up, her eyes wide as dinner plates.

"It can't be," the Black King said weakly. "But we destroyed it. It can't still exist. That's impossible!"

"What are you talking about?" C.C. questioned as she summoned her own sword and got into a fighting stance. "Do you know what's coming?"

A large gray figure suddenly slammed into the ground, landing twenty feet away from the group, the collision creating a powerful shockwave that stirred up the dust and obscuring the group's vision. When the dust finally settled, it revealed a large being covered chrome armor. It had big shoulderpads, gauntlets and pauldrons. It had a strange v-shaped helmet with a red circular gem at the center as well as a dark blue collar. In its right hand was a massive red greatsword with a black hilt, an identical gem in the center.

The creature let out a bloodcurdling howl. It felt like the very world was shaking in response. "Wolf! You will pay!" it declared venomously. "My curse is eternal!"

In a rare instance, Thorrnn saw her brother step back in fear. He clearly knew who this person was. Where they another Burst Linker? No, the presence they gave off was too different to be a Burst Linker. It mentioned something about a curse. Didn't Marth mention something about a curse that resided in Brain Burst that he helped stop? Both Kuroba and Kirito were frozen as well, meaning that they must know as well.

"It can't be," Marth said in disbelief. "Why are you back? Niko and I destroyed you! There shouldn't be anything left of you."

Niko, as in the Red King, Scarlet Rain, and leader of the Red Legion, Prominence. The younger girl mentioned something about teaming up with Nega Nebulus back when its numbers were small. But what was the reason for the temporary alliance? Thorrnn's blood ran cold as she put the pieces together.

It was impossible. This couldn't be real, and yet it was. A being that was believed to be destroyed and yet has returned to plague the Accelerated World once more. A nightmarish creature who craves nothing but death and destruction, to devour anything it sees.

Chrome Disaster.

To be continued


Yeah, I ended with a cliffhanger, but it was just too good to pass up. I hope you guys look forward to what's coming. This arc is going to be pretty different from the light novels since a piece of Chrome Disaster never stuck to Marth, meaning it can't corrupt him like it did to Haruyuki. However, don't think that Marth's out of the woods because of that. He's got a few issues of his own that put him in danger. If you like this chapter feel free to leave a review, but please give me some feedback of sorts if you make one. I like getting feedback from people as it helps me improve plus it gives me opportunities to interact with people. It doesn't help me in the slightest if its just something like "hoh" as I don't know that that implies. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time!

Edit (2/5/2020): Btw, I decided to do a small retcon that Marth struggled to replicate the Dual Blades skills in ALO, at least the high-level ones. It doesn't really change anything, but it was just a little detail that I decided to include.