I don't own Re:Zero or any of the characters.
Second Round
Ian slapped Otto across the face. The plan was set, and the demands of the Witch Cult in their third and final broadcast were finally all explained. Subaru possessed the Artificial Spirit, namely Beatrice, but Anastasia also had one. She and Subaru had told him that her fox scarf was actually an Artificial Spirit by the name of Echidna, created without memories except the name of her creator as her own name, and the knowledge that she was an artificial spirit. The other demands were mostly ridiculous. Regulus wanted his forced wedding to Emilia to go uninterrupted, which wouldn't happen, Capella wanted a large group of couples to fuck with, and Wrath wanted the Book of Wisdom. That demand was why Ian slapped Otto, because Otto had admitted to having brought one. Ian had assumed the demand meant his own, and may still, but Otto had salvaged some of Roswaal's and brought it to the city. Apparently, he'd meant to have someone called the Restoration Master Dartz.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" Ian asked. "After all the trouble Ram, Rem, and I went through to destroy the thing, you went and saved it? You realize that was the entire reason Roswaal was a manipulative bastard, and a borderline enemy, right?"
"I'm sorry," Otto said, massaging his bright red cheek. "But seriously, did you get stronger?"
"I grew a horn and became a demon," Ian said offhandedly.
"Half-demon," Ram corrected him.
"Not the point," Ian said. "Give me the book so we can finish destroying it."
"I can't, Otto said. "I gave it to Master Dartz yesterday. It should currently be sitting in his workshop."
Ian sighed heavily, shaking his head. "When this is over, you and I are going to have a very long conversation about your choice of reading material."
He sighed a second time, eyes narrowing as they shot a split-second glare across the room at the most unwelcome of the group. Priscilla. Al had apparently shown up while Ian was fighting Capella, but while thw discussion of strategy was ongoing, Lilianna and Priscilla had arrived. And within seconds, she'd told them that if they acted like good slaves and told her the situation, she'd "reward them" with her help dealing with the cult.
Ian shook his head slowly, turning his gaze to Reinhard. If this world were an anime, Reinhard was the epitome of overpowered, plot-armor-protected, plot device character. Apparently, when Subaru had asked Reinhard if he could somehow tell what Divine Protection Lilianna had. Reinhard had responded that the wielder of a Divine Protection that could do that was in Vollachia. However, not even ten seconds later, he'd announced that he had somehow, spontaneously received that same Divine Protection, and used it to identify her Divine Protection as the Divine Protection of Telepathy, which apparently could be used to counteract Sirius's Authority. As such, she'd be accompanying Al and Priscilla to deal with Sirius. Honestly, Ian was debating suggesting a bunch of random blessings for Reinhard to "receive", such as immunity to Sin Archbishop Authorities, or Immortality, or the ability to make unlimited clones of yourself who all have the same level of power as the original.
Reinhard would be accompanying Subaru and Beatrice against Regulus. And although Ian had volunteered to go as well, having the most experience against him, he'd been out voted and assigned elsewhere. He'd be joining Wilhelm and Garfiel against Capella, and potentially her guard dogs. He'd already out-fought Capella once, and with his newly increased power, and his swords still being coated in the same toxin, he was the best choice against her. Naturally, Rem and Ram would be accompanying him, as would Elena, while Aria and Wolf would be maintaining their previously ordered positions with Elena and Subaru respectively. That, of course, left Roy Alphard to Julius and Ricardo.
"You know, Ian, you're doing things all wrong," Elena said as everyone finished getting ready to leave.
"How so?" Ian asked.
Elena grinned. "You were always supposed to be the actual angel child, and yet now you've got a devil horn. Plus you've got two girlfriends, and they're twin sisters to boot. Are you sure what 'angel child' means?"
Ian laughed. "Let's be honest. You were the angel child to Mom and Dad, so I'm just accepting my role."
"So Rem and I are simply superficial?" Ram scoffed, though Ian could tell she was joking, despite her scathing tone.
"It's alright, Sister," Rem said. "I still love you."
Elena shook her head. "You corrupted them pretty well, Ian."
"This from the girl trying to seduce Frederica, who I'm relatively certain is straight," Ian smirked.
"A hunter's favorite part is the chase," Elena shrugged.
"Alright," Subaru said. "Time to head out."
Everyone who was going nodded, and they all left the City Hall, beginning to head through the city. As they walked, Ram instinctively reached for her wand, only to remember it disintegrated and instead extended her horn, reaching up to it as though to reassure herself it really was still there.
"I'm a little jealous," Ian said. "Even with a horn, I still need a weapon. You're like the Grim Reaper. You're Death Incarnate. Weapons are basically a friendly suggestion for you."
"How could you possibly know such a thing without having seen Ram fight with her horn?" Ram asked.
"I can sense your power," Ian said.
Ram smiled slightly, nodding. "Well, if I'm to be the incarnation of Death, then I'll need an appropriate toy."
She waved a hand casually and a torrent of raging, razor-sharp wind tore into the ground, and a moment later a stone scythe flipped into the air, Ram catching it equally casually and spinning it, stopping it with it resting on her shoulder, the blade hanging down behind her. Being made from stone, it looked rough and crude, but was clearly razor sharp, the blade was jagged and serrated both inside and out, the base of the shaft was a spike, and she's even carved a piece of cobblestone where the shaft met the blade into a decorative eye with a slit pupil. Ian snorted, nodding approvingly.
"Yup," Ian said. "Totally jealous of your magic abilities."
"It's not only magic," Rem said. "Sister is a master of close combat as well. Where I specialize with a flail, sister excels with all weapons."
"Yeah, I remember," Ian nodded, rubbing his right side at a phantom pain. "Her training me to wield a sword at first was horrible."
"You were especially hopeless with a weapon back then," Ram said. "You're adequate now."
Ian chuckled. "True."
"Ya should be more focused," Garfiel said. "Th' bastards might attack any time."
"Relax," Ian said. "Judging from what I'm sensing, Rem's now the second strongest combatant on our side, right behind Reinhard."
Garfiel glanced at her. "I believe it. Ram always was scary. Still, 's not a problem 'f strong'r weak. 'S just that the female can create wounds that can't seal."
"Leave her to me," Wilhelm said. "He'll help you with Kurgan."
"If you need help, let me know," Ian said. "I can't handle her alone, but I can help you, thanks to my ability."
Wilhelm nodded stiffly, clearly not meaning to accept that help. Soon enough, they reached the control tower, quickly working their way through to the control room. Except, there was no one there. There was however, a message written in blood, one asking why Lust would feel obligated to wait for them there. All of them turned and raced back toward the City Hall again. If it was Capella, that'd be the first place she went. However, within moments, the attack was sprung. Wilhelm intercepted Theresia flawlessly, tossing Garfiel the Conversation Mirror he had with him just before meeting his wife, the entire group, without even needing to speak, agreeing Garfiel was the best option to get back to City Hall. Meanwhile, as Kurgan moved to attack, a blast of wind magic the same as Ian had first used to drive the White Whale to the ground exploded into Kurgan in the same instant as Rem's flail. Except, it wasn't Ian who'd sent the blast. It was Ram. He stared at her as she stepped forward, wind magic roaring to life around her, matching Ian's magic flawlessly from the instant it was tried. Kurgan pushed himself to his feet just in time for Rem to slam a fist into Kurgan's back, sending him exploding forward. Ian activated his own magic and exploded forward, not drawing his swords yet, and slammed his fist into the underside of Kurgan's jaw just as Ram's wind-magic-enhanced kick exploded into his chest from just to the side of his head. The combined force, of which Ram had delivered more than double, sent Kurgan exploding skyward. As he fell, he righted himself, landing beside his lost swords as Ian drew his his own. Rem and Ram lined up alongside him, Elena waiting at the edge of the city square. Then, just as Kurgan charged, Ian slashed at the same time as Ram spun her scythe once. A pair of Hundred Man strikes severed all eight of Kurgan's arms before Rem's flail exploded into his chest, sending him exploding backward.
"Really, Ram," Ian said. "There should be a limit to how good you can be with wind magic."
"Ram will be as good as Ram wants to be," Ram said.
"Somehow, I don't think that's an exaggeration," Ian said.
"It seems like overkill having all three of us fighting this one," Rem said.
"Give it a minute," Ian said as Kurgan lay between his arms, rolling slightly to align one of his shoulders with a severed arm.
A moment later, it was reattached. Then he held another in place. Then two more. Then four. As soon as he had all eight reattached, he hurled off his coat, exposing his black tribal outfit, pale blue skin, red eyes, and his frighteningly muscled body. Then, he charged. As he did, however, he hurled a cleaver. It spun in a blurred disk and crossed the gap in the blink of an eye. Ian prepared to skip backward, only for Ram's scythe to deflect it into the air. Then, she met Kurgan's charge, her scythe clashing with his remaining cleaver just right to redirect it, rather than trying to take the force of the blow. The blade swung out to his cross-body side, but as his legs both fell away, his momentum carried him past Ram and out of range of her scythe. He landed on six hands as his seventh free hand caught the blade Ram had deflected. Then, his six free arms hurled him forward and into the air, avoiding a blow from Rem's flail. Icicles stabbed into his body ineffectively, but as he began to flip to land on his feet, Ian's whip sword wrapped around Kurgan and yanked, pulling him upside down again and toward Ian. Then, Ian shot forward, his White Whale Sword splitting his upside-down left shoulder to his heart before Ian spun, his collapsed whip sword angling carefully to deflect a cleaver, after one skip backward. Then, Ram passed over Ian, her scythe removing Kurgan's head. He crashed to the ground, rolling for a moment before coming to a stop. Then, his body lifted itself on its arms and scurried to its head, reconnecting it before reclaiming his blades.
"This is annoying," Ram said.
"Wilhelm said we have to remove or destroy the seal," Ian said. "Or you could simply mutilate his entire body beyond repair."
"It's tempting," Ram said.
"Ian!" Wilhelm shouted.
Ian wheeled around, seeing Wilhelm's side bleeding profusely, and his magic roared to life, launching him at Theresia. She moved to finish Wilhelm, her longsword, as long as she was tall, but before the strike could land, it met Ian's White Whale Sword, deflecting into the air. Her hood had fallen during her duel with Wilhelm, but he'd yet to score a single hit, where as both his side and his forehead were split open, his side particularly badly. Ian crouched, readying his magic, Authority, and pumping mana through his body to enhance his abilities. Then, he grit his teeth and focused, willing his horn to extend. As he'd expected, the agony of his forehead splitting open accompanied his horn growing in, and a rush of rage and bloodlust flooded his veins. However, both the pain and the violent emotions lasted less than a second. The pain was simply because his body wasn't used to the horn, not that his forehead had actually split open, and the emotions he was more than able to cast aside, despite having used them against Capella.
Theresia readied herself as Ian sheathed his whip sword and removed it from his belt, tossing it aside. He may be good with two, but for this, he needed to be at his best. He was better with one sword than two, plus he had no doubt that Theresia would shatter his whip sword if he used it. He took a slow, preparatory breath in, then reacted at the same time as Theresia reached him. His eyes widened as her sword split him across the chest, then skipped backward. He deflected the strike and suddenly his sword arm sailed into the air. He skipped backward and avoided the strike and a blade protruded from his back. He grit his teeth as he skipped backward again. If he couldn't survive two strikes, he was useless. He deflected the first strike as he stepped into point-blank range, too close to be slashed, and her knee drilled into is gut with enough force to rupture organs. He skipped backward, focusing harder. He'd severely underestimated both van Astreas. He placed a hand on the knee that swung up to meet him and flipped into a one-handed hand stand, slashing at her neck. She leapt backward and suddenly, his horn tingled as time seemed to slow, his eyes catching light reflecting from the blade of her sword for the briefest of an instant as it swung around at his head. His own sword tilted slightly, deflecting the strike down under him, and the force spun him, allowing him to land on his feet. Then, he slashed toward her, an arc of wind magic flashing outward. Except, she spun and ducked around the strike, her sword sweeping around at him in a lethal arc, splitting his torso entirely.
He skipped backward, releasing his sword and spinning around her blade before catching his sword in reverse grip with his left hand, finishing his spin and slashing. She easily deflected it before beginning to fend Wilhelm off again. His jacket lay discarded on the ground, and his shirt had been torn into bandages for his side and a small amount was packed into the gash in his forehead to stem the bleeding. His flawless skill with a blade very nearly matched Theresia's, but given his wounds, it was clear who had the advantage. And so, Ian moved. As Theresia moved to strike at Wilhelm, Ian shot toward her from behind. However, Theresia's blade shifted mid-slash, using Wilhelm's block to allow her to keep her strike's momentum as she spun, splitting Ian's chest. He skipped backward, ducking under her strike and slashing downward as she raised her knee, but she was suddenly in the air, deflecting both of Wilhelm's blades as her foot crashed into Ian's chest, hurling him backward and cracking his ribs, though his body was able to withstand the blow for the most part.
Ian narrowed his eyes as he pushed himself up, Theresia and Wilhelm's lethal dance continuing as though Ian had never tried to cut in. He looked over to where Rem and Ram were fighting Kurgan, seeing him now wielding four blades. He wasn't able to hold his own against the newly re-horned Ram, however, so Ian wasn't concerned. He turned his eyes back to the duel before him. He waited, watching for an opening. However, seeing the futility of watching for something that would not come, and seeing Wilhelm struggling to continue his assault and ignore his wound, Ian shook his head. Then, he struck. And then he reset. And reset. And reset. Within an instant that lasted what felt like ages, he struggled to give Wilhelm even the smallest of openings. The battle dragged on in its futility. A span of seconds for two of its combatants felt like an hour for Ian, and all the while, he knew, Elena was in a constant state of Hell, her mind being scrambled and rescrambled by the constant looping of his strikes.
She could probably close her eyes and fight off the worst of her dejá vu, but she resolutely watched both battles, forcing herself to witness the results, in case her memory was needed. And so, she suffered, beginning to gag, only to flash backward with Ian and start all over again. Unable to calm herself and resist gagging, but likewise unable to vomit and get it over with. And so, she hovered, trapped on the brink of vomiting, but unable to complete the action, causing an eternal choking sensation, but unable to die due to time not passing long enough for her body to require air before time was reset.
Finally, Ian leapt backward, allowing Elena a moment to vomit and catch her breath. As she did, she flipped him off. He sighed, shaking his head, then stopped, looking around as someone ran into the square. He looked to have a suit on, but his appearance was haggard, and his torso was wrapped in bandages. Ian leapt over to him, landing lightly in front of him. As he stood, he readied his sword, knowing full well it could be Capella.
"Who are you?" Ian asked. "And why are you here?"
"There's...child...Gluttony...Baten...kaitos," the man panted, apparently exhausted, before pointing at himself. "Kiri...taka." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Felt."
Ian's eyes widened before he spun. Ram seemed to read his mind, because the instant he turned, a blast of wind magic sent his whip sword spinning to his free hand. Then, he turned, his magic roaring to life, and picked up Kiritaka before flying into the air.
"Where?" Ian asked.
Kiritaka kicked forward, pointing with his foot, and Ian shot in that direction. After about two minutes, he finally found the slaughter fest. Whether it was the group of a dozen shredded Water Dragons or the White Dragon Scale members, the progress of the fight was exactly as Ian had anticipated. He dropped Kiritaka off with his men and landed in front of Lye, glaring at the young-looking Sin Archbishop as Lye vomited, spewing bike across the ground. Behind Ian, Otto and Beatrice sighed in relief while the last member of the White Dragon Scales standing, a man with a bushy beard, checked on Felt, who was holding her chest in pain.
"What'd I miss?" Ian asked.
"These people aren't waking up!" Kiritaka shouted. "And their uniforms...Dyne, do you recognize them?"
Dyne, the White Dragon Scale member, shook his head. "That bastard ate their names, and removed all memories of them from everyone else."
"Beatrice, why are you here?" Ian asked.
"Subaru and I were separated during the battle against Greed, in fact," Beatrice said. "I ran out of mana, so Subaru ordered me to run, I suppose. I met Kiritaka while he was searching for you and he gave me several Magic Crystals to use instead and sent me here ahead of you, in fact."
Ian nodded. "Your part in the fight is done. I'll face him alone."
"Huh!?" Felt demanded. "You may be kinda good, but-"
"I've beaten him before," Ian interrupted. "When I fought him after the battle with the White Whale, I very nearly killed him." Ian extended his horn, wincing, Felt and Otto gaping at it in shock, Otto having not been told and Felt not having been at City Hall. "This time, I'll take his head from his shoulders."
"A member of the Demon Clan!?" Dyne gasped.
Ian drew his White Whale Sword as Lye pushed himself up, glaring at Ian with eyes full of hatred and a grin full of wicked, malicious excitement.
"Found you," Lye snarled, his voice low and threatening.
He stood, turning to Ian fully and spreading his arms to his sides, exposing the countless scars marring his body, of all types and causes, his body being covered only by a glorified loincloth and the cloth holding on his right dagger, his left missing. Other than his clothes being destroyed and blood leaking from his eyes, he was unmarked by the battle. That would definitely change.
"Your scars are the ones we hate the most," Lye stated, indicating a scar on each arm where they'd been amputated and reattached, then turning to show the stab wound in his back before turning back to the front. "We've been dying to devour you. You're the most prized meal. Delicious, tasty, scrumptious, appetizing, good, great, delectable, perfect!"
"Within five minutes, you'll just be dying, no eating involved," Ian said.
Then, he was off, the force of his forward leap shattering the cobblestone. As he slashed at Lye, Lye let out a startled yelp, eyes shooting wide open. However, his surprise didn't detract from his lethal level of skill, and he deflected the sword off of his dagger, allowing it to continue its slash over his head while striking at Ian with his left hand. Ian spun around it, however, and slammed a roundhouse kick into Lye's back, the sheer force of it sending Lye bouncing and rolling across the ground, everyone else gaping at the immediate progression of the battle, except Beatrice, who was watching silently.
"Without even using his magic!" Otto breathed.
As Lye stood, Ian slashed downward at him, but Lye's feet seemed to react of their own accord, pivoting out of the way before he slashed at Ian. Ian bent forward under the strike, then slashed upward at Lye the instant the strike had passed far enough to not hamper his own. Lye again avoided the strike, but Lye's hair from in front of his left shoulder was left behind, a huge amount of it, revealing the near miss. Then, as Lye was finishing his evasion, Ian's heel exploded into his sternum in a hook kick that Ian threw even as he turned to face his victim. Lye sailed backward, sternum cracked, and slammed into the wall of a building, cracking it.
"Looks like my horn's other benefits are finally beginning to kick in," Ian mused. "Reaction time, perception, strength. Could have used those five minutes ago."
"He's incredible!" Felt gaped.
"He's still not going a hundred percent," Beatrice remarked flatly.
"You!" Lye snarled as he picked himself up off the ground. "You were barely able to fend us off before, even without Greed! Why, now..."
"I chose to become stronger," Ian said. "As things stand, you won't even be able to touch me. I probably won't even need my Authority this time."
Everyone but Beatrice gaped at him. Then, Lye shrieked in rage and charged. Ian met his charge, deflecting several strikes before Lye's left palm crashed into him, launching him. He clicked his tongue irritably and skipped backward, avoiding the palm. Sloppy. He had forgotten that this was Lye Batenkaitos, one of the deadliest foes he had ever met. Lye slashed at him wildly, the dagger deflecting off of the sword over and over again. After a moment, Lye began to strike with his left hand as well, then his legs also. Ian skipped backward twice in the span of four minutes. Finally, Ian's magic suddenly erupted to life around him as he spun around Lye's dagger, slamming the back of his left fist into Lye's head and sending him spinning and flipping through the air until he splashed down in the nearby waterway. After a moment, he leapt out, ice spikes appearing in the air around him and firing at Ian, whose magic had deactivated again, only for Ian to slash and shatter them all with his White Whale Sword, on the third try.
"You!" Lye snarled, hands grabbing fistfulls of his own hair. "Completely different than before! Just what are you!?"
"Haven't you figured it out? I'm Pride." Ian kept his face an even mask of distaste as he glared at Lye. "I am the greatest of the Seven Sins. This entire world and everyone in it serve at my pleasure and continue to exist at my mercy and grace."
"No!" Lye seethed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Lies! Pride is a Sin Archbishop! Pride would never defy the Witch Cult! Even someone like us, obsessed with eating, follows the writ! You don't even have a gospel!"
Ian reached into his suit's jacket, withdrawing his Gospel, everyone's jaw dropping, again besides Beatrice, as Beatrice already knew of its existenceand true nature. "You think you know what I would or wouldn't do? You have the audacity to believe that you, a slave to your own insanity and your own stomach, would be capable of comprehending Pride?" He tossed the book over his shoulder to Beatrice, who instantly hugged it to her chest. "Why should I, the true pinnacle of existence, stoop to the level of you pathetic scum by worshiping the Witch? Why would I, great and near-perfect as I am, serve a foolish woman so pathetically jealous and greedy as to steal the powers of the other six witches and, in doing so, drive herself insane beyond any semblance of reason? I am greater than someone so base and wretched as the Witch of Envy. I'm not perfect, but I am beyond the comprehension of the likes of you, by far, at least." He spat onto the ground. "In order for one to grow stronger, one must first know their own limits. In failing to know one's limits, the Witch of Envy is the result. No longer a person, merely a thing that you fools worship as some kind of god, as though doing so would mean she wouldn't simply devour you along with the rest of the world if she were released. Unlike that wretched, deplorable creature, I know my limitations. And, in meeting a limitation, I determine the best way to overcome it, and achieve it. I see something that would allow me to become a more perfect version of myself and I take it. What you do is, at base, the same general idea, but where my method is the correct one, yours is a messy, frail imitation, at best, created by your wretched subservience to your own infantile cravings."
Lye shook with fury, but was rendered speechless by Ian's words.
"Lord Pride," Otto said suddenly, playing along with Ian's bluff, "please. Save us, and please forgive us for our patheticness."
"It can't be helped that someone like you is lesser than I am," Ian said. "Make sure to stay out of my way."
Otto nodded just as Ian exploded forward again, his magic roaring to life once again. Lye shot forward as well, much faster than before.
"Lunar Eclipse!" Lye snarled.
Ian's blade clashed with Lye's several times before both spun around each other in unison like a practiced dance, only Ian knowing how many times that maneuver wss repeated. Sparks continued to fly as they revolved before both leapt away, slashing. A few droplets of Ian's blood flew from a scratch in his left cheek, while a few drops flew from the side of Lye's left hand's palm, just below his pinky. Both were barely a scratch, but the effect was vastly different.
Ian watched with disgust as Lye shrieked in pain, clutching his left hand to his chest, eyes wide with surprise. "My blades are encased in a special kind of toxin created with Lust in mind." He drew his whip sword as well. "To the likes of you, it'll be enough to shatter your mind and make you choose to stop living to escape the pain."
Lye roared in annoyance and charged, deflecting Ian's whip sword with his dagger, only for Ian to explode forward even as the blade retracted. Then, as they both slashed, there was a metallic crash and Lye shouted in pain, crashing to the ground and clutching at his freshly sliced-open cheek, the broken blade of his dagger skittering across the ground. Ian turned back to him just as Lye reached him, a wide, crazed smile mismatched to his furious, desperate, fearful eyes.
"Palm of the Fist King!" Lye roared.
Except, Ian spun around him, avoiding the strike and coiling his whip sword around Lye's torso before turning sharply, flinging Lye and carving a mess of jagged, deep gashes around his torso. Lye crashed to the ground and rolled to a stop, writhing and shrieking in agony, unable to even clutch at his wounds through the pain. Ian spat in disgust and pulled his whip sword back, then spun, crossing his blades and using them to block Capella's left arm, which had transformed into a blade, only to be hurled backward into a wall, shattering it. However, as soon as he took flight from the impact, Capella shrieked in pain, staggering backward and clutching at her left eye.
"Again!" she seethed. "You filthy, rotten meat! Even when you're being flung aside like garbage, you're flinging your shit in people's eyes! Just get stepped on like the insect you are!"
"If I'm an insect, I choose to be a wasp," Ian growled, climbing out of the hole he'd made in the wall. "Now stand still and let me sting you to death!"
Capella roared in rage, turning to flee, only for Ian's whip sword to wrap around her torso, yanking her back and splitting her in two in the process. She shrieked in pain before landing on her feet just as Felt drove the base of a staff into the ground, pointing the head of it at Capella. Then, a blast of rainbow-colored light erupted from it, Felt instantly falling to her knees as the blast streaked through the air. Capella finished regrowing her lower half in time to avoid the blast, only for it to arc back around, heading for her again.
"What the hell!?" Capella shrieked, avoiding it again, only for it to again close in.
She turned, fleeing directly away from the blast, only for Ian to leap into her path, slamming a punch into her face, sending her streaking backward toward the blast. Capella shrieked, and a moment later, an explosion rocked the square, only for Capella's amputated upper body to spin into the air, her lower body regrowing again rapidly. Then, a pair of feathered wings burst from her back before she swooped down and scooped up Lye before taking off. Ian's magic instantly roared to life.
"I don't fucking think so," Ian growled.
Just as he was about to take off, however, Rem and Ram ran into the square with Elena, who Rem was carrying and who was extremely pale and trembling, looking around, making him hesitate.
"What's going on?" Ian asked. "Did you kill Kurgan already?"
"Garfiel was too late to stop the attack on the City Hall, so he came back to face Kurgan," Ram said. "His pride needed mending."
"Since that was handled, and since Wilhelm refused our help, we came to help you," Rem said.
Ian looked up at Capella and Lye. He could still catch them, as could Ram, probably easier than he could, but even Ram would be outside the city limits by the time she caught the pair, and there was no way of knowing if anyone else would need help against their opponents."
"Ram, head to the control tower controlled by Roy Alphard," Ian instructed. "Make sure our side wins that fight. I'll head back and help Wilhelm."
Ram nodded and took off with Rem, Beatrice having moved over to check on Elena.
"Elena, you'll be having more déjà vu episodes," Ian said. "Keep your eyes closed. It should help a little."
Elena nodded, closing her eyes before Ian took off, heading back to Wilhelm.
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