"According to the map, we should be getting close," said Matt.
Unfortunately, he was not looking where he was going and managed to get snagged by a white viper. The snake hoisted him up into the tree and stared him down as it decided whether or not it was worth the trouble to even bite him.
Gus, smirking, quickly pulled out a Plant Glyph. "Don't worry, Matty, I gotcha."
The prodigy illusionist pressed the glyph against the dirt, making a vine sprout up and stretch all the way up to where the white viper was.
"Hey! Only Bria can call me 'Matty'!" Matt exclaimed.
The vine poked the white viper in the side, and in the end decided he was not worth the effort and dropped him. Matt yelled as he fell, hitting the forest floor hard. Gavin and Angmar walked up and picked up the former Glandus student and carried him until he regained consciousness.
"C'mon, dude," said Gavin.
"I'm not surprised you couldn't handle Glandus," said Angmar.
Gus raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do they mean, 'Couldn't handle Glandus'?"
As they walked, Bria sighed in dismay. "Things work…differently at Glandus. It's survival of the strongest. The weaker students are controlled and pushed around by the stronger ones. But if I had a Galdorstone, I might be able to change things for the better!"
Gus found himself admiring Bria more and more as their journey went on, the racing of his heart was not doing him any favors, though. Was he really developing a crush on this girl? C'mon, Gus, don't do that to yourself. She's only impressed because you're using the glyphs that Luz lent you. Once she finds out, she'll want nothing to do with you. Still, her dream is admirable, and I don't mind helping her out to see it come true.
"HEY, OVER HERE!" Matt yelled.
Gus and Bria double timed it and rendezvoused with the rest of the group. Finally, they had arrived. The Looking Glass Ruins. Before them was a stone gate with two carved faces, one showing joy, and the other sadness. Wrought iron bars formed part of the stone fence, winding around the ruins for who knew how long. There was an arch above the gates that had the words "Looking Glass" carved into them, but part of the arch was broken off.
"Okay, Angmar, you're on lookout duty." When Bria did not receive an answer, she turned around and saw the young demon boy chasing after a butterfly. "Oh, Angmar~"
The demon child froze in place.
"I said you're on lookout duty. And if I catch you playing with anymore bugs, I'll make you eat them," said Bria in a sweet, yet threatening manner. "Okay?"
Angmar slowly nodded his head in the affirmative.
"I believe in you!" Bria added before turning back to the ruins. "Now, let's head inside!"
Together, all four of them pushed open the huge stone doors and gained access to the ruins. While this was going on, Luz and Amity were still on their tail, watching from the tree line as they entered the ruins.
"Something feels…off," Luz whispered.
"Agreed. Should we move closer?" Amity asked.
"Let's try for the gates, we'll stay here and keep watch."
Amity and Luz nodded to each other and broke in different directions, with Luz going right and Amity going left. Angmar was completely oblivious to their presence thanks to Luz's invisibility spell masking their presence. Once they made it to the sides of the gates, the girls peeked inside and watched what occurred next.
Gus, Gavin, Matt, and Bria entered the ruins, the center of which was filled with many statues that were cracked, and had vines and moss covering them, along with dust and cobwebs. From what they could tell, no one had been to this place in many years. Behind the statues were columns, and from the looks of it, there might have been a larger structure that loomed over these ruins, but the passage of time seemed to have done away with it. Either by design or divine intervention, the statues remained standing, with the rest of the structure having fallen down around them, as if sparing them intentionally.
Bria looked around until her eyes locked onto one of the statues, more specifically, what was in the statue's hands. Something shiny was hidden under the overgrowth, prompting the young witch girl to see what it was. She climbed the statue and tore off the vines and leaves that obscured the object. Once cleared, she saw it. Clear blue stone, the Galdorstone. Bria gasped upon seeing it and ripped it out of the hands of the statue, inadvertently causing the stone hands to crumble.
"Oh, whoops." Bria jumped down from the statue and held the Galdorstone out for her companions to see. "We did it everyone! The power of the Galdorstones is ours!"
As she held the stone in her hands, Bria's eyes started to tinge with an orange glow. That same glow appeared around her hands as the stone's magic amplifying power was already at work. Bria twirled around, drawing a spell circle with her left hand right before slamming that same hand onto the ground. A pillar of stone erupted from the earth and jutted high into the sky, clear over the tall trees that littered the area.
"EEEEEEE! I can't believe it! The legends were true!" Bria happily cheered.
With this confirmation, Gavin, Matt, and Bria went to work retrieving the rest of the Galdorstones. Although Gus was feeling a little uneasy about this. Something just did not feel right to him. Gus walked to one of the statues and brushed away some of the vines, and that's when noticed a plaque on the statue.
"Huh, 'Mari, the Phantom Bringer'?" Gus rushed over to another statue and found another plaque. "What the – 'Aleth, the Vision Creator'?" Gus ran to another statue, uncovering yet another name and title. "And 'Khari, the Mirage Maker'? But these titles are reserved only for…Oh no…GUYS STOP!"
Gavin, Matt, and Bria stopped in their tracks and looked at Gus questioningly.
"What's your problem, Augustus?" Matt asked snidely.
"These aren't ruins! This is an Illusionists Graveyard!"
Matt's eyes widened with shock as he dropped the Galdorstone in his hands. "EEEW! What the heck?! We're in a graveyard?!"
Bria, on the other hand, giggled. "Oh, Gus, you're saying that as if it's bad thing."
Gus shook his head in disbelief of her words. "What?! Of course, it is! These stones belong to them, we shouldn't be robbing the dead!"
Bria sighed as she tried to explain, "Gus, even if these witches were alive, what good would having these do? Illusions can't be enhanced by the stones, and even if they could, maybe it'd make them bigger or more fantastical, but other than that, at the end of the day, they're just illusions. Nothing but high-def party tricks." The witch girl walked up to Gus and placed one of the stones in his hands. "C'mon, Gus, don't you want to charge up those powerful spells?"
Gus furrowed his brow. "NO! This isn't right, I won't let you steal these!"
Bria shook her head disappointedly. "Gus, you know, I really thought you were better than this. And here I thought you were cute."
"C-Cute?!" Matt squeaked.
"W-What?" Gus gasped.
Bria slowly advanced on him as she continued. "I knew you were an illusionist, but you proved yourself on this quest so well that I thought you would get me. But I guess that's what I'd expect from someone as useless as you."
"S-Stay back!" Gus warned as he readied to draw a spell circle.
Bria feigned shock. "Gus, are you really going to hurt me?"
Gus' hand shook. "I don't want to! But I will!"
"Gus…that really hurts." Bria grabbed Gus' arm and tossed him across the ruins, making him release the Galdorstone as he landed against one of the statues. "But not as much as that probably did."
"Whoa…Bria, that was a little harsh," said Matt.
"Tch, Matty, just collect the stones. Pretty please? Or you might be next~"
Gus drew a spell circle and began casting an illusion over the area. Darkness enveloped the graveyard, obscuring everyone from sight.
"Gus, Gus, Gus…You just don't get it."
Suddenly a flash of red light blasted forth and dispelled the illusion. The red light was coming from Bria as her eyes glowed scarlet red, giggling like a madwoman as a transformation took hold. Bria's body turned into pure red light as it suddenly grew taller, about seven feet in total, and took on more feminine curves and even some muscle definition. The light started to break off her body, revealing something else in her stead.
The new being had angry red skin, toned arms and stomach, and had six arms. The extra arms appeared from black discs that floated off this being's back and were exact copies of the attached arms. The creature had a black, iron-like chest plate the covered the upper part of her body and exposed her midriff. Below that were white pants, and further down were black greaves with esoteric markings on them, she had no shoes or boots, just bare feet. Her face was that of a mature woman, her ears were much pointer, and from her head she had two curved horns, and long black hair. Her sclera were pitch black, in contrast to her piercing yellow eyes, behind her alluring smile were rows of sharp teeth. Behind the monster was a black metal wheel that rotated slowly, the wheel itself had several small holes, as if something was to be placed there.
"No…No way…Bria, you're a–!"
"A Phantom? Yes, I am. You can call me Asura in this form, by the way." Asura glanced over at Gavin and said, "Gavin, start collecting the stones, please~"
"Got it Bria," said Gavin.
Gus managed to get himself back up, and said, "DUDE! She's a Phantom! Why are you helping her?!"
Gavin looked at Gus and smirked.
"You knew, didn't you…?"
"Angmar knows, too," said Asura.
"I DIDN'T!" Matt exclaimed in shock.
Asura walked over to the witch boy and leaned down to look at him in the eyes. "Well, this happened while you were at Hexside. I'm still me, just a lot more powerful, now. And with the Galdorstones, I'll be even more powerful! Of course, I keep my word. Gavin, you and Angmar will have what's left, not like either of you stand a chance with them against me anyway."
Gavin rolled his eyes, he knew it was true, but she did not have to remind him. "So, yeah, that's how it is. Bria gets the manticore's share of them, and Angmar and me will get the rest. But even with those, we'll still be stronger than a lot of witches around here."
"Why would you help her?!" Gus asked, utterly confused.
"Uh, dude, look at her! She's strong, powerful, and it's still Bria, so, yeah, why not?"
If what he's saying is true, Bria's not a normal Phantom, she's one of those Rogue Phantoms like Luz talked about! Bria merged with hers, thought Gus.
Asura giggled. "Honestly, for an illusionist, I easily fooled you. I honestly was just going to use you as fodder for whatever we faced out here, given you're a useless illusionist, but man you managed to be useful, up until now. C'mon, Gus, do something!"
Gus tried to form a spell circle, but it shattered with each attempt.
"What good are you? You're nothing. You probably could've used the Galdorstone to fight back, but you let little old me charm you into not attacking. Face it, Gus, you're useless now, and you'll always be useless," Asura mocked.
Cracks started to form along Gus' body with each passing second as his despair started to build up. All his fears and anxieties were starting to boil up to the surface, here he was facing down a Phantom, and there was nothing he could do to fight against it. He did not know any spells that would be remotely useful against this monster. He was a prodigy of Illusion magic, what good did that do him now?
[Light, Please.]
[HI~KA~RI!]
[Ready, Open!]
[Roar of the heavens!]
[The Goddess Descends!]
A flash of yellow and purple light went off at the entrance to the ruins, and in a matter of seconds a hail of light infused silver bullets struck Asura, forcing her to raise her arms to defend herself. Sparks flew from her body as she backed away from Gus, and when the attack stopped, Asura looked around, trying to see who it was that attacked her.
"UP HERE!"
Asura looked up and saw none other than Witch and Heka standing upon the ruins' wall.
"You're trespassing on hallowed ground!" Heka warned.
"The dead should not be disrespected like this!" Witch declared.
"Heka! Witch! Tch, I wasn't expecting to run into you two way the heck out here! Whatever." Asura jumped back and took hold of six Galdorstones as her metallic wheel floated before her. "Even you can't fight against me, not with these!"
Asura placed six of the Galdorstones into the empty slots of her wheel, and upon insertion, their amplification power activated. The Phantom felt a surge of power coursing through her, granting greater strength and magical power. The Phantom's yellow eyes now shined with power as she fixed them on Witch and Heka.
"Okay, let's have some fun!"
Asura cracked her knuckles as she launched herself straight for Witch and Heka, the two heroes jumped in different directions as the Phantom slammed her right middle fist into the stone wall, smashing that part to pieces. Witch turned in midair and fired her WizarSwordGun, while Heka drew a spell circle and fired off several Abomination spikes. A hail of spikes and bullets struck Asura from both sides, resulting in an explosion that kicked up smoke around her. Both Riders flipped in the air and landed back on the ground, waiting to see if their attack had any effect. It didn't.
The six-armed Phantom burst through the smoke cloud, wielding two swords in her upper arms as she readied to bring them down on the Riders. Witch switched the WizarSwordGun to blade mode, while Heka flipped Lady Luck around to use the bladed end. Both magical heroes braced themselves as their blades struck against Asura's, the impact feeling as if part of a mountain was thrown at them. They dug their heels into the dirt, but they were being pushed back. Asura grinned toothily as her lower arms conjured two spear weapons, and with no time to react, Asura thrust those spears forward, hitting Witch and Heka in their chests.
The hits sent them flying into two of the statues as sparks flew from their armor. Asura laughed maniacally as her scarlet aura layered itself over her body, showing that the Galdorstones were still increasing her power. "This is exactly what I needed! And this is just with six stones!" Asura glanced at her wheel, knowing that there were slots for at least five more. "Imagine what I could do with eleven?"
"W-Wait! Bria, you said we could have the rest!" Angmar cried out as he ran into the graveyard. "You promised!"
"Yeah, you're already strong, so let us have some!" Gavin argued.
Asura turned around and squatted as she put on a sweet smile. "Yeah, I did promise that didn't I? But here's the thing you two…we're playing by Glandus rules. You can have anything you want, so long as you're strong enough to take it."
[PLANT OWL.]
[SODATSU! SODATSU! SODATSU!]
[Call to Arms: Scarab Saber!]
Asura glanced over her shoulder and watched as Witch changed into her Super Form, Plant Owl Style, while Heka armed herself with the Scarab Saber. "One sec, guys, I need to deal with them first. And just in case you think about running off with the stones…"
The six-armed Phantom released a burst of energy that sent Gavin and Angmar flying into the statues. The two teens hit the statues, hard, and effectively knocked them out.
"Now, where were we?"
Heka dashed forward, using her enhanced speed to blitz Asura as she slashed her at her body from different angles. She knew the power of her attacks was lessened with this weapon, but that was not her true goal. With the added burning effect of Bast's magic, the more hits she landed, the more the burn should eat away at the Phantom's mana. Asura had enough and swung her spears in a wide circle, forcing Heka to back away. Witch charged in next and grabbed one of the spears as she anchored herself into the ground, stopping Asura's attack.
"Oh, you're stronger than I thought, Witch," said Asura.
"Strong as tree, and as sturdy as a mountain!" Witch stated.
"Let's test that theory, shall we?!"
Asura raised her spear up swiftly, taking Witch along with it. The hero was tossed into the air, allowing Asura to jump straight up, she used her middle right fist to punch her, sending Witch flying back to the ground, her crash forming a crater upon impact. Asura switched her attention to Heka as she began to punch the air, rapid firing spheres of scarlet energy, and raining them down on her. Heka glanced about, she was not in the best position to be running around and dodging the attacks, running the risk of those attacks hitting Gus or the Glandus kids. With little options she went on the defensive.
[Call to Arms: Sphinx Shield!]
The Scarab Saber was quickly replaced by the Sphinx Shield, Heka raised her shield and braced herself as a hailstorm of energy blasts rained down, exploding all around her and against her shield. The explosions were so powerful, they made Heka go down one knee.
"I don't get it! Shouldn't your burn be affecting her by now?!"
"Grrrr! Those stones must also be regenerating her magic faster than it can be burned away! This isn't good, Little Miss Perfect!"
"OH, MY TITAN! THIS IS SO EASY! I'LL BE THE MOST POWERFUL BEING ON THIS ISLAND FROM NOW ON!" Asura declared.
However, something started to rise in the distance. A rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning prompted Asura to stop her attacks as she turned her head in that direction. She landed back on the ground and got into a ready, stance. Heka looked in the same direction, and when Witch pried herself from the crater, she did as well. Whatever Asura was looking at, she was visibly anxious, and that made them wonder if what was coming was worse. The thunder kept roaring, and the lightning continued to flash as something blue glowed through the tree line, and it was getting brighter.
Within moments, the creator of the light and storms made itself known. A huge plume of mist bellowed out from the forest and whisked itself into the graveyard. The mist churned around the area, coalescing above them until it formed a sphere, that same sphere began to glow as blue lightning gathered to it. In the next moment, the sphere broke apart and revealed a creature of unknown origins. It had characteristics that looked whale-like in appearance, but it had two arms with five long claws at the ends. It had fins on its back, which released flaming blue energy, along with the tip of its tail, the fins near its lower half, and the ones on its head. The creature's head was small, really, it looked like a gaping mouth, and within that mouth were a pair of glowing blue eyes, and a long tongue that stuck out from it.
"Oh my Titan…IT'S THE GUARDIAN!" Matt screamed.
Asura seemed to relax a bit, whatever she thought it was, this apparently was not it. Still, she was not about to let her guard down. She had heard of the Looking Glass Ruins' guardian, a creature that had the power to conjure storms and summon the dead. Something that was unknown and did not fit in the normal category of demon beast.
"It doesn't matter, with these stones, I'm powerful enough to fight even you!" Asura proclaimed.
The six-armed Phantom opened her mouth and released a blast of fiery scarlet energy right at the monster. However, the attack merely passed right through it, causing it no harm whatsoever. Asura growled angrily as she came in and swung with her two swords, looking to decapitate it. But just like earlier, her attack only passed through it, as if the monster was a ghost.
"What's going on here?! Are you even alive?!"
Th creature gave bellowing moan as it grew in size, conjuring more lightning and thunder as it glared down at Asura. The Phantom was starting to get worried, how was she to defeat something she could not even touch? If this thing was some sort of spirit, then none of her physical or energy attacks were going to even hurt it, but from the looks of it, it's lightning could. But she was not worried, if Witch and Heka combined could not even scratch her, then what hope did this thing have? The creature kept bellowing and releasing lightning, but for some reason it did not attack. It was acting hostile, and threatening, but it did not make a single move to attack Asura.
Heka rushed over to Witch, helping her out of the crater as she asked, "I don't get it, if that thing's the guardian of this place, why's it not attack Asura?"
"I don't get it either, it's like its' trying to scare her away rather than fight," Witch observed.
"Bast, can you feel that?"
"I do Laly, this creature is not what it seems."
Asura was growing tired of waiting, even if she knew her attacks would not faze it, she did so anyway. With a slash of her swords, Asura fired two crescent energy blades that flew at the monster. The attacks, again, passed through it, but not before hitting the ground below it. The moment they did, an explosion went off, and the creature went away in a puff of blue smoke. When the dust settled, it was revealed that there was someone else there. An old man in raggedy robes, bearing the emblem of the Illusionist Coven.
"Oh dear…"
"Seriously? Another useless Illusionist?" Asura turned to Gus and said, "See here, Gus, this is what I was talking about. Illusion magic is useless, and those who actually decide to use it are even more useless! JUST LIKE HIM!"
Asura roared again, shooting another of her fiery mouth beams. The old man ran to the left, but the blast hit the ground where he was standing, causing a huge explosion that threw him against the ground. Asura laughed sinisterly and mockingly at the feeble old man, and really, at Gus as well. The young teen prodigy did not know what to do, illusions really were useless.
*Crack!*
Gus suddenly screamed in pain as his body began to show visible cracks that let out ethereal violet light. Heka, Witch, Asura, and Matt all turned to Gus, watching as something unbelievable was happening.
"Oh Titan, this day really does keep getting better! I didn't know Gus was a Gate! HA! Well, hopefully it won't be as useless as you. If you're lucky, maybe you'll merge with yours like I did. But I doubt you can, I just don't see you having that kind of…resolve," Asura mocked.
"Heka."
"Yes?"
"Launch me!"
Asura slowly walked over to Gus as she crossed her middle arms and thought aloud, "I wonder, would it be more beneficial to let the Phantom inside you come out? I mean, there's no guarantee that it'll obey me. But then again, it might? Although, if it's coming from you, a useless Illusionist, then it's probably not that powerful." The six-armed Phantom raised her upper right sword. "Better to just put you out of your misery right no–!"
The Phantom did not get the chance to finish her sentence as Witch came crashing into her with a palm heel strike, sending Asura flying out of the Illusionist Graveyard, and into the tree line far away.
"Whew, yes! I've been wanting to do that since she started on that mess!" Witch knelt next to Gus, berating herself for not noticing another person close to her was a Gate. "Don't listen to what Bria said, Gus, all magic is useful! And your Illusion magic is what gave me one of my rings! You're magic is great, and I won't let her take away your hope in it!"
Heka appeared next Witch and said, "Go! I can handle her long enough for you to deal with that Inner Phantom!"
Witch nodded and slipped the Engage ring over Gus' right middle finger. She then maneuvered his hand over the Hand Author.
[Engage, Please.]
Witch's magic circle appeared, once it had, she jumped right through it. Heka turned her attention back to Asura, who burst out of the forest, clearly enraged by the sucker punch Witch gave her.
"WHERE IS SHE?!" Asura roared.
"Busy, but I'll play with you!" Heka retorted.
The golden Rider drew a large spell circle with the heel of her left foot and stomped down. That same circle rose up above her, with a flick of her wrists, it broke out into five different circles. Each of them summoned an Abomination, but unlike the clunky versions, these were more streamlined and muscularly lean, these Abominations were built for combat. All five of the Abominations got into fighting stances, with two dual wielding swords, and two others wielding spiked gauntlets, while the last formed a crossbow.
"Sorry, I meant we'll play with you!"
~(GUS' UNDERWORLD)~
Witch landed in, what she could only describe as, a huge fantastical stage. Or it would've been if it the Underworld wasn't cracked and demolished by the Inner Phantom.
"We can't let what happened to Lilith happen here! I don't know if what we did that last time would work again, so the moment we see the Inner Phantom, we destroy it!" Witch stated.
"Agreed."
Just then Witch stared to hear crying, she looked around the once whimsical theater, and strangely, she found Gus. Witch ran up to him and asked, "Hey, are you alright?!"
Gus was crying and looking afraid.
"Are you the Inner Gus? Wow, this is the first time I've seen one in the Underworld. Have you seen the monster that did all of this?"
Gus nodded and pointed behind her.
Witch swiftly turned around and readied herself for combat, but there was nothing there. "Hey, it's not…" When Witch turned around, she was now staring at herself. "Uh…I'm confused."
The Clone-Witch, without any warning, struck Witch in the chest with a palm heel strike, sending her skidding backwards. Witch dug her heels into the ground as she came to a stop, noticing that Clone-Witch was getting into a fighting stance as well.
"What's going on here?"
"That's the Phantom. Strange, I barely sensed it at all."
"It looked like Gus earlier, and then me, it must be a shapeshifter."
"Ah-ha! Changeling! That's who it is! Be careful with it, they can be anything and anyone, this is one Phantom you do not want to have running free."
"Tch, it's bad enough they disguise themselves as their hosts, but having one that can literally be anyone, that's a headache and a half."
Witch ran towards Changeling and the two began their battle, however, it was as if she as fighting a mirror, every strike was copied and countered. Whenever Witch ran one way, Changeling would run in that same direction. Witch thought she could trip him up by attacking head on but feinting into a knee strike. However, it seemed as if copying was not Changeling's only trick, as it could also read the attacks of Witch, so it saw the knee strike coming and blocked it before it could land.
"Okay, let's see how you handle a two on one!"
[OwlRise, Please.]
A green magic circle opened up high overhead, and from it flew out La Lechuza. The great owl Phantom had transformed yet again, now sporting green accents on her metallic body, while her wings were now made of glowing green leaves. La Lechuza flew down from the air, baring her talons as she attacked, but Changeling summoned its energy and struck the ground, sending up a huge plume of dust into the air.
A flash of light went off, and in the next second, two La Lechuzas came barreling out of the smoke. Witch watched as the two bird Phantoms dueled in the skies of the Underworld, blasting each other with energized whirlwind leaf blasts, or coming in with their talons. The two Phantoms collided with each other, sending both of them plummeting into the ground as they rolled about.
[Connect, Please.]
Witch drew out her WizarSwordGun as she ran to the two Phantoms. She came to a stop before the two giant birds and pointed her weapon at them, although, she was unsure as to which one was the real La Lechuza at this point. In all the fighting, and the smoke from earlier, she lost track of Changeling.
"Niña! Shoot her!" Right-La Lechuza ordered.
"No, don't! That's Changeling! Not me!" Left-La Lechuza stated.
Great, so it can even sound like her, too. Alright, then how about this.
"Alright, to the real La Lechuza, let me ask you. What do you think of me?"
"Niña, you're courageous, and a hero that I am proud to fight beside," said Right-La Lechuza.
"I think you're the biggest busybody in the Demon Realm, you're sweet nature gives me a tooth ache, and I don't even have teeth. And you're drama with Amity is the only thing that gives me any sort of entertainment in this life at this point," said Left-La Lechuza.
Witch deadpanned.
[C'mon shooting, shake hands!
C'mon shooting, shake hands!]
} PLANT OWL, SHOOTING STRIKE {
Witch took aim at the Right-La Lechuza and fired a concentrated blast of nature energy straight at her. The ball of energy struck her, exploding on impact, and sending Changeling screeching backwards onto the ground.
"Huh, for a moment, I actually thought you'd shoot me," said La Lechuza.
"You can be rude, but you're still my friend."
La Lechuza's feather's ruffled at being called a "friend." "Let's end this already!"
"Got it!"
[C'mon slashing, shake hands!
C'mon slashing, shake hands!]
Witch switched the WizarSwordGun into blade mode and ran toward La Lechuza. The great owl Phantom lowered her head and let Witch onto it before her Inner Phantom launched her high into the air. La Lechuza flapped her mighty wings and flew up with her, getting right over Witch as she aimed for Changeling down below. With a flap of those wings, she released a tornado of energized leaves that flew down towards Witch. The hero of hope placed her left hand over her weapon's Hand Author and channeled the Plant Owl's power into it.
} PLANT OWL, SLASH STRIKE {
Witch dove towards Changeling as she held her sword in the air, the tornado of leaves danced around the blade as it mixed with her own energy, and right as Changeling got up to counterattack, Witch slashed the air in front of her. The tornado of leaves followed the arc of her slash as hundreds of energized, razor-sharp leaves slashed at the monster over and over again. Witch twirled in the air before coming down with another swing, creating a green blade of light that cut through Changeling. Witch landed on the ground behind the Inner Phantom, shaking the ground as she touched down.
Changeling's two severed halves fell apart, and exploded, sending a wave of light that washed over the Underworld and began to heal the damage that had been done. Witch did not stick around to see the mended Underworld, Amity was fighting a powered-up Phantom on her own, and she needed backup. The portal for La Lechuza and herself appeared, and both jumped through, exiting the Underworld.
~(OVERWORLD)~
Heka was having a hard time against this monster, she had to keep her Sphinx Shield up just to survive the blows that Asura was dealing her. Her Abomination squad kept attacking, but she had no blind spots. If her Abomination attacked from the back, one of the arms would just swing back and slash it apart, and if they all rushed at once, she would spin around with her spears and swords, turning into a spinning top of destruction and shredding her creations before they had a chance to do any harm.
"Well, this was fun, but I think we need to wrap this up," said Asura.
"Oh, now you're getting serious. Sorry, I thought you were. I was starting to get worried there for a second," said Heka.
"Tch, all that bravado is about to be snuffed out!"
Asura brought her two middle hands together, focusing the power of the Galdorstones as she formed a sphere of energy. Heka responded by pressing her right ring back into the slot a second time.
[Sphinx Shield: Royal Guard!]
Heka dismissed her Abomination soldiers, drawing her mana to focus on defense. A hard light shield appeared in front of her, taking on the form of a sphinx's face, and widening itself until it was twenty feet in diameter. Heka glanced over her shoulder, seeing Gus still unconscious.
I won't let you get hurt, Gus!
"TIME TO DIE, HEKA!"
Asura unleashed a roaring scarlet beam from both of her hands, the beam slammed against her shield, making Heka grit her teeth as she stood her ground, unwilling to move an inch. Cracks started to form on her shield, and some of her shield began to chip away. Meanwhile, it did not seem as if Asura was even straining herself. Heka thought she might not be able to keep this up, but that's when Witch's magic circle appeared, only this time it was bright red.
[Defend, Please.]
A shield of bright red fire appeared around Heka's shield, merging with it, and empowering it. Heka looked to her right and watched as Witch emerged from the circle, now in her Fire Owl Style.
"WITCH!"
"I GOT YOUR BACK, HEKA!"
Together the two Riders weathered the storm of Asura's attack until she cut off the beam attack and sneered at both Riders.
"So, you're back, now I can finally get rid of both of you, and then I'll have one less thing to worry about!"
Heka and Witch readied themselves for another round, but something happened. The area around Asura became shrouded in an azure field, and the Phantom within suddenly started to panic.
"NO…NO! NO! NO! Why are you here?!"
Asura began to panic and started lashing out at something, what it was neither Rider could see, but whatever it was it was terrifying enough to have her ignore them and attack it. But there was nothing there.
"Uh…did you do that?" Heka asked.
"No…" Witch turned her head to look over her right shoulder, and that's when she spotted Gus. His eyes were glowing bright blue as his right hand was thrust in Asura's direction. "GUS?!"
"I don't know how long I can hold this…I don't know what she's seeing, but she's more concerned about that than you two!" Gus explained.
Matt, who had made his way to them, looked at Gus and then to Asura, despite his slight bit of loathing for him, he had to admit, he was impressed. "Whoa…"
Witch looked at Matt, he was a jerk, but maybe he could be useful in this moment. "First thing's first, we need to find a way around her power. She won't let us get near the Galdorstones."
Heka tried to think, there had to be something they haven't used yet to try and gain the upper hand. That's when an idea struck Heka, but she did not like it. "There might be a way…"
"How?"
The golden Rider dismissed her Sphinx Shield and made Lady Luck appear in her right hand. "My staff has the power to affect the status of myself or my opponent. Depending on the color number it lands on, I can decrease my opponent's power, strength, or defense. I can also increase one of those three attributes for myself or someone else. Downside is if I call it wrong, I can either increase their power, or decrease ours. It's literally a gamble."
Witch looked back at Asura, then to the straining Gus, and then to Matt, and finally back to Heka. "Let's do it!"
"WHAT?! I just said it's a gamble! I have no control over it!"
"I just have faith, Heka. Even if it's a gamble, it's still your power. And I believe in you," said Witch as she patted her on the shoulder.
Heka blushed under helmet and stared at Lady Luck. Witch, Luz, believed in her, in her power, so, maybe it was time she did as well.
"Okay, let's try it."
"Great, but I think we'll need something else." Witch walked over to Matt, making the witch boy gulp as he looked up at her. "Young man, I need your help with this battle."
"W-What?! Me?!" Matt asked in shock. "I can't fight that thing!"
"Nor do I expect you to. But I'd like your help in forging a magic ring, one that will give me the power to use Construction magic. It's your choice, and you should know, I've had other witches help me forge my rings as well. You'd be among the select few who have," said Witch.
Gus could tell what Witch was doing, she was appealing to his ego, and thankfully, it seemed to be working.
"Oh, well, I think you can count on me for that," said Matt confidently.
Too easy, thought Gus
[Connect, Please.]
Witch reached into her magic circle and pulled out a magic stone. She put it between Matt's hand and placed her own around his. Brownish light and yellow light shined forth around them, the two lights converged onto the stone as it grew warm in Matt's hands. After a few seconds, Witch released his hands, allowing Matt to open them and reveal Witch's brand-new ring, the Construction ring. The gemstone was brown in color and featured the insignia of the Construction Coven upon it.
"Heka, it's showtime!"
"Then let the show begin!" Heka announced as she pulled the tail lever of Lady Luck. "Decrease Asura's defense!"
[Spin 'round and 'round!]
The Roulette spun around, Heka watched anxiously as wheel continued to spin, but Witch was focused on the enemy before them, not once doubting that Heka would come through for them. Heka gripped her staff hard as her anxiety vanished.
Luz believes in me, in our power! So, then, I'll believe in it, too!
A golden light emanated from Heka that spread to her staff. Making Bast raise an intrigued brow. The Roulette finally came to a stop, landing on a purple number.
} WINNER: 36 {
A thin purple aura appeared over the monster, making Asura stop for a moment as she felt something was off. Witch slipped on her new ring and activated it.
[Construction, Please.]
Witch slammed her right hand against the earth, and as soon as she did, several fists made of stone shot out towards Asura. Gus released his illusion prison just in time to allow Asura to see dozens of rock fists come flying at her. One after the other they pummeled her, striking her in the face, chest, stomach, legs, and arms. The fists kept colliding with her, carrying the Phantom into the air before she came plummeting down back to the earth.
Asura managed to pick herself up, feeling pain radiate throughout her body. "W-What's wrong with me?! That hurt! Why did it hurt!"
"HEKA, AGAIN!"
"RIGHT! DECREASE POWER!"
[Spin 'round and 'round!]
} WINNER: 54 {
A thin purple aura appeared over Asura, and immediately after, she felt a severe drop in her magical power. Witch dashed for the monster as she used her new ring's powers to make the stone and rock wrap around her two hands, becoming two large rock fists. Witch got in close and smashed her first fist into the monster's face, Heka ran up behind her, and Witch conjured a rock ramp, allowing Heka to vault herself up and over Witch. The golden Rider slashed at the Asura with Lady Luck, and the moment she did, the Phantom cried in pain, feeling the burn.
"There we go!" Bast exclaimed.
Heka slashed again and again, causing the burn effect to multiply as it ate away at her extra mana. Forcing Asura to go on the defensive. Witch raised both of her rock fist, smirked under helmet, and fired them both like rockets straight for Asura. The six-armed Phantom barely had time to react as the first fist nailed her in the face, exploding into pieces, and the second one came in and hit in the gut, knocking the wind out of her.
"ROCKET FISTS FOR THE WIN, BABY!"
"Witch, it's time for the final curtain call!"
"Right behind you, Heka!"
[ VERY NICE, KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS! ]
[ LET'S GO! KICK STRIKE! ]
Heka's left foot was aglow with gold and purple energy, at the same time, Witch's right foot was set ablaze with raging, glowing flames. The two Riders jumped high into the air as they thrust their legs forward. A burst of energy propelled them forward as they headed straight for Asura. The six-armed Phantom managed to gather what energy she had left and fired it in the form of a scarlet energy ray, but with Heka's hex still upon her, it did little to nothing to stop them. Witch and Heka pierced right through the beam and struck Asura with their combined power, the resulting explosion released a massive amount of power that shattered her wheel, scattering the Galdorstones around the graveyard.
When Witch and Heka landed, they saw that Asura was still alive, she had been knocked back towards the entrance of the graveyard, but she was on the ground, and still there.
"Guess the Galdorstones gave her enough of a power up to survive our Rider Kicks," said Heka.
"Yeah, that won't happen a second time," said Witch as she prepared to scan her ring.
"WAIT! PLEASE! I'M SORRY! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Asura begged.
Heka scoffed at this display. "You were willing to show us no mercy, now you plead for it?"
"Look, it's true I wanted the stones to make myself stronger, but it's also for another reason! T-There's something out there! It's been hunting Phantoms! Hunting me! When Matty told me about the stones, I thought they'd make me strong enough to fight this thing!"
Witch's eyes widened when she heard that. Lala…you don't think?
"The creature…"
Witch held out her arm, prompting Heka to halt. "Hold up, Heka, I wanna hear what she has to say. Asura, Bria, what's been hunting the Phantoms, do you know?"
"I don't, but I've been hearing things! I think it's hunting Inner Phantoms, too! I don't know what it is, but I know it's there…It's like its' eyes are on me wherever I go! I can't stand it! Listen, just spare me! You can put me away or whatever, just don't let that thing – AAAUGH!"
Witch, Heka, Gus, Matt, and freshly conscious Gavin and Angmar, watched as a bony white claw suddenly broke through Asura's chest. A glowing gash appeared where the claw punched through, making Asura look down in horror. Asura got up to run towards them, but the claw began to retract, pulling Asura back like a fish on a hook. The six-armed Phantom fell to the ground, but she tried with all her might, clawing at the earth, grabbing onto anything she could to stop what was about to happen to her.
"Help me…GAVIN, ANGMAR! SOMEONE! HELP ME – AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Witch gritted her teeth and readied to go after her but stopped when she saw it. The dual pair of glowing red eyes shining from the darkness of the forest. That creature that those eyes belonged to opened its red glowing maw and released its unholy screeching roar as a wave of fear washed over the entire area. Witch felt her body quake, along with Heka, and everyone else, paralyzing them, and preventing them moving an inch.
They could only watch as Asura was dragged past the gates, lashing out with her arms, and grabbing the columns of the gates, doing everything she could to keep from going into the woods. But her strong grip only managed to crack the stone, letting her get reeled in more and more. Asura kept screaming and pleading for help, all the way up until she disappeared into the shadows of the forest. They could still see her glowing yellow eyes as they now drew close to the red of the unknown monster. The creature opened its maw again, and Asura released one last scream before that mouth clamped down and silenced those screams. Crunching noises could be heard as the group heard the monster eat Asura, after a few seconds Asura's body broke down into particles of red light, which were then inhaled by the monster, its meal finished.
The creature turned its head back to the group and narrowed its gaze at Witch and Heka. The two Riders weren't sure what to expect, but they were relieved when they saw the creature turn around and start to leave, hearing the heavy retreating "thump!" of its footfalls as it disappeared from view. The paralyzing fear field had finally gone, allowing everyone to move again and breathe.
Heka dropped to one knee, she had never felt fear like that before, she could not move an inch. "Witch…W-What was that?!"
"I…I don't know…"
After those horrifying events, Witch took Gavin and Angmar back to Bonesborough, while she disliked the Emperor's Coven, they were technically the only law enforcement on the island, so she had to take them to them. An explanation needed to be given, especially considering what just happened, with Bria now officially dead, killed by some Phantom killing monster. Plus, they were complicit in her schemes even though they knew she was a Phantom, so that needed to be addressed. Witch also used her magic to heal the old man, and sent Heka, Amity, back to her house as her transformation time was almost up. Matt and Gus had told Witch that they would stay behind until the old man regained consciousness, and Witch vowed to be back quickly just in case the monster was still there.
The two of them sat down next to a broken statue, silent as they tried to process everything that had just happened. Gus looked at Matt and said, "Hey, I'm sorry about Bria."
Matt sighed. "I really didn't know she was a Phantom…I'm sorry you got caught up in all of this."
"That's just how these Phantoms are. You don't know that they are until they show it. There was this girl back at Hexside, Zera, she was in the Illusionists Track like me. She was really nice to me, but one day, I found out she was a Phantom, and she almost turned Willow into one," said Gus.
"Oh, right, I remember hearing about that. I didn't know you knew her…Listen, I want to…apologize to you, about saying Illusion magic was useless. You managed to keep…Bria…occupied long enough for Witch and Heka to do their thing."
Gus smiled at Matt. "It's like Luz says, 'Every type of magic can be useful, you just need to know how to use it.'"
"Huh, never thought I'd hear that human girl say something that profound," said Matt.
"She's full of surprises."
"Oh…my head."
Matt glanced over at the old man who was regaining consciousness. "Looks like he finally woke up."
The old man carefully stood up and asked, "W-What happened?"
"Uh, first of all, sir, who are you?" Gus asked.
"Oh, I'm the guardian of the Illusionist Graveyard. And protector of the Galdorstones," he said.
"Why were they here anyway?" Matt asked.
"Well, an Illusionist has always kept watch over the stones. Since we don't get any boost to our spells or magic, we're the least likely to use them for evil…Probably," he shrugged. "But, really now, what happened."
Matt and Gus filled the guardian in on what happened while he was unconscious, explaining why the graveyard looked like a mess. After they were done, the old man stroked his beard in dismay. "I see…I must say my boy, to do that against such a powerful foe, you're skills are truly sharp. Keep honing them and there's no limit to what you can do!"
Gus looked around at the damage to the ruins. "There are some things. I just wish I could repair the damage that was done."
"Um, it may not be much, but maybe I could help?" Matt offered.
Together with Matt's Construction magic, the trio managed to repair some of the graveyard, at least it was not the wreck that it was earlier. Once they were done, the old man thanked them for their assistance in fixing the damage and helping in its defense.
"Perhaps it's time I hid this old place for good," the old man pondered.
"But, sir, there's so much history here! It'd be wrong to just hide it away," said Gus.
Matt thought for a moment and said, "What if we come by on the weekends and help build up the defenses for this place? It might not keep out any Phantoms, but at least we can keep other snooping witches away."
"I'd like that very much, thank you. And you boys are welcome back whenever you please."
As he said that, the old man backed away as fog wrapped around him, making him disappear from sight.
"He is definitely a ghost."
Gus rolled his eyes. "So…does this mean we're, like, friends now?"
Matt glanced over his shoulder at Gus, and then to the ground as he thought about his question. "I…don't know."
Gus sighed and shrugged, at the very least, he did not say they were enemies.
Matt smirked a little as he turned and shoved Gus a little. "Squirt."
Gus smirked and shoved him back. "Jerk."
A magic circle appeared before them, and from it jumped out Kamen Rider Witch. "Whew, okay, that took way longer than I expected! I won't say everything's okay, but at least it's been explained. You guys ready to head back home?"
"Yes! Please!" Matt exclaimed.
"Thanks, Witch," said Gus.
"Anytime."
When all was said and done, Luz was exhausted. Battling Asura, nearly wetting herself when that monster appeared, and then there was the whole…slime and plant situation. Luckily, or unluckily depending on your point of view, Luz did not remember if she saw anything of Amity, so they decided to mutually forget about those events. Besides there were more important things to think about.
Luz was currently upstairs in her room, staring out into the night through her window as she replayed the events of the battle in her mind. Remembering how Asura, Bria, told them that some kind of monster was hunting Phantoms, both freed and Inner Phantoms. Luz would have dismissed this outright if she had not first encountered the creature in Lilith's Underworld. Not only did the monster have the power to eat Phantoms, but it could enter a person's Underworld and devour them as well.
There was no telling how many Gates were hurt because of that thing. But if such a creature was roaming around the Boiling Isles, why had it not attacked her? Surely it must consider Kamen Rider Witch as a threat, same with Heka? Yet, back at the Looking Glass Graveyard, it only went after Asura, ate her, stared at them, and then left the area. It did the same thing in Lilith's Underworld, it ate the Phantom and left. Did it not see Witch or Heka as an enemy? Maybe it had a grudge against Phantoms specifically?
"That still wouldn't make sense, I have you inside me, so wouldn't that make me it's target as well?" Luz asked.
"It's strange, logically that makes sense. But perhaps this monster has a different set of conditions, maybe it sees you and Amity, individuals who have Phantoms but fight against Phantoms, as allies in a way. The enemy of enemy is my friend."
"I don't know…there's something about the way it looked at us, I don't know why, but I got the feeling that it was glaring right at me and Amity. Maybe it's just deciding we're not worth the effort, or that it has bigger fish to fry before it comes for us," Luz suggested.
"Truly a conundrum. I can't detect its presence, and when it makes its presence known, it releases that field of terror that paralyzes even myself, I've never seen such an ability like that even among our fellow Phantoms."
Luz looked at her right hand and balled it into a fist. "Well, one thing is certain, if that thing is our enemy, I need to become a lot stronger in order to fight it in case it decides to attack us."
Suddenly, the world started to lose color, all except for her. Luz was not scared as she knew what this meant, although it had been awhile since she sought council from that person, or had that person appear before her. Luz turned around and in a flash of flaming embers, Kamen Rider Wizard appeared, or rather, his simulacrum.
"Mr. Soma! I was just thinking about talking to you!"
"I know why, Noceda-chan, but before that, I think we need to have someone else hear this conversation."
With a wave of his hand, a flash of light went off to Luz's right, and from that light appeared La Lechuza, although scaled down to Luz's height.
"Lala!"
La Lechuza looked at herself and blinked in surprise. "Huh, this is new. Tell us, Wizard, why have you deemed it necessary for me to be present in this conversation."
"I have seen the goings on through Noceda-chan's eyes. I have seen this creature you are worried about, and I believe it is time for the next evolution of your power to take hold. And it will require you, La Lechuza."
Luz's eyes sparkled as she thought she knew what he meant. "Does this mean I'm getting my Final Form?!"
"Not quite."
Luz's expression fell slightly.
"But it will grant you both a significant power boost and an edge over your opponents. Up until now you've only been able to access portions of La Lechuza's power. But if you undergo a certain ritual, you will be able to call upon every last drop of it."
Luz glanced over to La Lechuza and asked, "Wait, you've been holding out on me, Lala?"
"If I have, not by choice. You're saying I have greater reserves of mana?"
"Indeed, you do. You are right that it is not by choice, it is a kind of limiter that prevents your full power from overwhelming your host. However, you must know that the process by which you are able to obtain this power has a high risk of destroying you, Noceda-chan. It is your choice whether or not you want to do this."
Luz glanced at La Lechuza, and then back to Wizard. "But if I don't, I won't be strong enough to fight against that monster. Have you ever seen anything like that before?"
Wizard shook his head. "No, I haven't. I once fought a Phantom that had the power to enter Underworlds and destroy Inner Phantoms. But since you are in a world of magic, there may be creatures there that might actually be natural predators of Phantoms that I have never encountered."
La Lechuza gulped at the idea, Phantoms never had a natural predator to speak of, so the idea that one might exist here, and that the thing they encountered twice now might be that predator, it made La Lechuza bristle with anxiousness.
Luz knew what her answer was, for her friends, her family, and the people of the Boiling Isles, there was only one answer to give.
"Mr. Soma, tell me what I have to do."