The Last Therion Part Two

Velvet pinned the Seraph under her piercing gaze, studying the spirit's movement. He swept a glance in disinterest and looked over at the temple behind, recognizing Maotelus standing guard in front of its gate.

Rokurou, Eizen, Lailah and Eleanor stood shoulder by shoulder alongside Velvet. Rokurou jerked his chin at the seraph, eager to put him down. "Is this one of the things responsible for the attack?"

Magilou joined them and crossed her arms over her chest. A sense of uncertainty flitted behind her eyes as she squinted into Seraph's face. "This thing seems to be different from what we've faced, idiot. So don't be hasty." Magilou advised.

Eleanor's instincts alarmed the presence of the Seraph too, feeling a sickening dread in her stomach. "What is that thing?"

Velvet stepped closer, raising her voice at the Seraph. "Are you the one responsible for all this?"

The Seraph's gaze shifted to Velvet, acknowledging her presence. His voice was cold and emotionless, devoid of any life. "You are… her. I expected something more intimidating."

Velvet raised her therion arm, coiling in in a fist. "Why don't you ask the daemon I devoured?"

The Seraph looked at her arm, noticing it radiating with magic and malevolence. "If she fell to you, that means she was weak. Every insignificant creature yields to a greater force and the cycle continue."

Eizen came closer, punching his hands together. "Why don't you try and find out for yourself? We defeated more dangerous threats than you."

The Seraph broke eye contact and stared at Maotelus, ignoring the team completely. "You have not earned my attention." He bent and sat on an invisible chair, putting his leg over another in total calm. His body began to levitate from the ground, going up high.

Rokurou jumped forward in anger. "Oi! Where do you think you're going?! Come back here and fight!"

The Seraph waved his hand and howls of despair shriek from the jungle behind him. They spotted pairs of glowing crimson eyes piercing the darkness and coming straight at them.

"Daemons!" Lailah yelled, positioning herself beside them and raising her arms, ready to conjure her fire artes.

The ground shook beneath their feet. Velvet squinted into the darkness of the jungle, sensing an overwhelming horde coming right at them. "There are a lot of them! Get ready!"

The bushes and small trees burst into hundreds of pieces as werewolves zoomed out of the jungle rabidly.

Rokurou charged them head-on and pulled both long swords at the same time. "Here I go!"

The daemons stormed him with their greater number. They extended their piercing claws, pouncing toward him.

Rokurou's left eye flared up in bloodlust and a wide grin formed across his face in excitement. "Feed my blades!" The swordsman threw a wide slash from his blade. The first swung cut the air and then slashed straight through their flesh, cutting the first wave of daemons with precision.

"Four!" He counted his kills and switched his attention to the next horde.

Before he could engage, Eizen passed him with great speed and pulled his coiled fist. His bracelet lit up with earth magic and he smacked it into the leading daemon. His punch broke the Lycan's jaw and an orb of magic entered its skull. The earthen power burst out of the daemon's body and the magic wave hit the group behind them. The ensuing mana ate away at the daemons and their bodies were reduced into atoms, disappearing under the brilliant green light.

"Four for me!" Eizen yelled and turned to Rokurou with a satisfying smile.

Rokurou nodded. "You want to resume our bet from two years ago?" The swordsman couldn't be happier as he waved his swords around him, shifting into a battle stance. "Let's go, then!"

With two men rushing at the daemon army, Velvet joined Eleanor, Lailah, and Magilou. "We cover their flank and any creature they miss! Let no one through!"

Magilou shuffled her cards and with a flick of her wrist, she summoned a long queue of guardian papers flowing in a wide formation around her. "Feeling like a leader?" She teased.

Velvet turned her head up at the Seraph. "No, but I get the feeling we can't do it without a proper plan."

The shriek of a few frenzied daemons that passed Rokurou and Eizen grabbed her attention, coming straight for them.

With a push of her feet, Velvet took off at a great speed. Her instincts flared up, studying the daemons' movements in seconds. Velvet's wrist blade ejected from its sheath and found the flesh of the attacking daemon. A quick swing was the end of the creature, splitting its corrupt body two, with Velvet following her attack on the second one with a fast stab. The tip of her bloodied sword pierced between the daemon's eyes. Velvet spotted the third one and whipped her left arm in a heavy swing.

"Moonfang Flash!"

The crimson light burst from Velvet's therion arm and her fiery claws ripped through the corrupted flesh, slicing the daemon's abdomen. The cursed creature screamed as intense heat from Velvet's claw burned it to a crisp, spreading the ashes in the dark of the night.

Velvet turned toward the forest and saw a new wave rushing out of the dark woods, running on their fours.

Then, the air around them heated up and the grass around the horde burst into a wall of flame, rising all around the creatures. Velvet watched the daemons trapped behind the orange flames and their black silhouettes disintegrated with an eldritch cry.

Lailah waved her arm and finished her arte. Velvet nodded favourably at her, acknowledging her help.

As Lailah nodded back, Velvet's instincts picked up another daemon pouncing through the fire and right at Lailah. In an instant, Eleanor jolted at the werewolf and brought down her dual blades. The werewolf spotted her late the moment her short sword pierced its eyes and it crashed to the ground, its body disappearing into a purple mist.

"They are not letting up," Eleanor said, turning to Lailah. "Let's do it!"

Lailah smiled and levitated off the ground. Velvet looked back and forth in wonder. "What do you- wait…" Velvet guessed what they wanted to do; armatization. "Are you sure? Have you two practiced it before?"

"Don't worry about us, Velvet. We practiced a few times." Eleanor assured and raised one of her blades, her body beginning to swirl with magic, visibly glittering from her outfit.

"Here we go… Fethmus Mioma!"

Eleanor rose from the ground and Lailah merged with her, sinking into her body. Velvet's reawakened senses picked up a surge of magical energy flaring up within them and then Eleanor's figure lit up and engulfed in blinding light.

Velvet's attention was fully on Eleanor and Lailah's armati. As the light stretched over the area and Eleanor was visible, Velvet instantly recognized armati's visual features; A blond long hair that was coiffed with a feather hairband and a white and gold slim fit outfit.

"Did you copy Avernus' look?" Velvet said shamelessly.

Eleanor paused and blushed, nodding. "I-It was Lailah's idea and I agreed with it. In the future, every armati wielder should have the same attire, you know."

"Why is the hair the same as Avernus?" Velvet asked immediately, her voice waved with the sense of obsessiveness as if they needed her permission.

Lailah stepped in. "The hair is the extension of my mana."

Velvet reluctantly agreed."Fair enough."

Magilou leaned near Velvet's ear. "I'm sensing some obsessions, Velvet."

Velvet hummed in annoyance, but her attention was disrupted by Rokuour shouting at the seraph.

"Why don't you come down here and fight? You are letting your army and friends waste and die."

The seraph looked at Rokurou. "Friends" and "Armies", you say," he said in an emotionless voice. "We don't need armies or friends. Everything is here to serve us. We are the perfect beings that transcend life and death, gods that worlds bow to us."

Eleanor's focus shifted to the new wave of daemons and she pressed her feet on the ground. "Let's put an end to them!"

Eleanor left a blazing trail as she shot herself forward with her dual blades flaming in her hands. "Haaa!"

Velvet's eyes followed her slashing away at the werewolves, knocking a few down to the ground. Their black fur burned from Eleanor's flaming swords and they rolled on the ground. Eleanor strengthened her body and flew upward vertically, gaining altitude before stopping mid-air and looking back down on the remaining enemies.

"Heaven's Wrath!"

Eleanor dived down with her arm stretching forward. Her entire body was engulfed in flames, darting down like a blazing meteor. The werewolves stared dumbfounded at the sky before Eleanor slammed the ground between them.

Velvet felt the ground shudder as a column of firestorm walled up to the sky and pulled the ground of Lycans high up in the air. The fire tornado rattled their corrupt bodies and they turned into ash, leaving nothing but a smell of burnt hair.

Eleanor stood triumphantly and with a smile, waved her long blond armati hair.

Velvet again remembered Avernus and his haughty smile. Her heartfelt sense of longing and sadness. For a long time, she was spared from experiencing these gloomy feelings. Velvet missed him and her kids.

A surviving lycan crept up behind her. "Shit!" Velvet whipped her head and growled in anger. "Damn it, you bastards!"

Velvet yelled from the bottom of her throat and threw a huge claw at the werewolf. She batted the daemon and it flipped in the air before crashing hard into the ground, dying instantly from the sheer force of Velvet's swing.

The smile was wiped from Eleanor's face as she heard Velvet. "What did you just say?"

Velvet heaved a heavy breath with her brows knotting and sounding furious. "I said "shit"... and "bastards"."

Lailah's disembodied voice came from Eleanor in surprise. "But Velvet you never cursed like that."

Magilou called back her guardian cards after flattening a few other daemon attackers with her enlarged papers and sneered. "Velvet almost sounded like Avernus."

Velvet snorted with her eyes shifting to another group of werewolves jumping out of the jungle. "I never used to." She rushed and attacked them head-on fearlessly. "But then tonight happened and now this! Heeyaaa!" Velvet cut down the two front werewolves with a quick slash and smacked her coiled claw into the final straggler, breaking its bones and throwing it away like a ragdoll. "Avernus is not here and I'm far from my kids!"

Eizen turned to Velvet as she yelled from the bottom of her throat and rolled his eyes. "It's always the man's fault."

Magilou sent another wave of her guardians to deal with a new group of Lycans. "It's another phrasing of "I'm missing my Avernus."

Velvet collected her breath, shooting a death glare at Eizen. "Of course it's his fault! He did this to me! He gave me this life and now, I'm like him, caring for people I don't know! "

A lone werewolf dashed at Velvet. Her claw lit up with flames and a ball of fire appeared between her therion palm. Velvet threw the fireball right at the werewolf and the flames engulfed the beast, obliterating it instantly. "God damn it! I'm talking here!"

Everyone stopped fighting and watched Velvet cutting werewolves down in a frenzy.

Eleanor turned to Rokurou and he shrugged. "That's true. I remember meeting Velvet in Titania for the first time and when I compare, Avernus is totally at fault here. She wasn't like that at all."

Eleanor frowned with a scolding gaze. "I can't believe how stupid you can be, Rokurou!"

Rokurou pulled his head back in surprise and scratched his head, grinning apologetically at Eleanor's furious expression. "I was joking-"

Rokurou was cut short with a violent shake of the ground. The team turned alarmingly to the forest and saw tall trees getting trampled as something approached them fiercely.

A black draconic figure of enormous proportion burst through the tall, thick trees.

The monster raised on both of its legs and let out an eldritch roar beneath the crimson moon, pushing the trees to each side as they bent beneath its sharp claws.

Velvet noticed the Seraph didn't react to the monster's presence and was still staring at her with a stoic expression.

The humanoid dragon heaved heavily after his ear-piercing shriek and his red slitted eyes locked on Velvet.

"Found you!"

Eleanor's eyebrows darted to the top in shock, hearing the terrific voice of the dragon. "I-It talked! The dragon just talked!"

Eizen bared his teeth slightly with a darkening uneasiness flitting behind his eyes as if his worst nightmare came true. "That's not a mindless dragon."

Rokurou joined him. "What do you mean by not mindless?"

Magilou stepped between Rokurou and Eleanor, shuffling her guardian cards. "It's another seraph."

"Seraph?!" Rokurou squinted at the dragon. "But that's corrupted-"

"No, they are right." Velvet interrupted Rokurou. "Dragons are the furnace of malevolence. This one, however, has it completely under control. I can sense it controlling the corruption, but he is… a seraph in its core."

The dragon walked forward and closer to them, growling under its teeth.

The first Seraph that was levitating above them suddenly spoke in its emotionless voice. "I haven't summoned you here, Balor."

Fire spewed from the gaps between the dragon's teeth and pointed a finger at Velvet. "I'm here for her!"

Magilou rolled her eyes as the guardian papers circled her head. "What did you do again, Velvet? Why do you have to piss off every god and devil?"

Balor coiled its claws into a fist. "Her cursed mate killed Goll in the city! I heard his death cry echoing in the night. I will have vengeance!"

The seraph's face betrayed no emotion except his voice hardened. "You will die if you interfere with my plan, Balor."

Velvet's lips curved into a satisfied smile, her face loosening its tension. "So, Avernus is alive."

Magilou clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Of course. It's Avernus' fault again! He owes me for all the damage to my Menagerie's wagon! He has to pay it all. Right, Velvet, right?!"

Velvet ignored Magilou as her heart was filled with newfound hope and confidence and returned Balor's murderous gaze with a cold, deathly stare of her own. "Then I guess you haven't heard of me," Velvet raised her therion arm. A wave of swirling fire danced around it. "I'm the devourer of daemons and seraphim alike. If you want to meet your doom, come and I shall eat you whole!"

Velvet's fearless invitation and expression appeared to amaze Balor, in which he strengthened his body to full height. "I know who you are, glutton. But… you haven't heard of me. Allow me to enlighten you…" He opened his arms and wings. "I'm Balor, the conqueror of humanity. Whenever mankind's civilization fell through the eons, I was there, devouring despair and fear of pitiful men and women as they died beneath my shadow. This time, I will make sure I eat every last one of the humans from this world!"

Velvet suddenly felt a great power building up behind them from the temple. She recognized the source and turned, looking behind her. "Laphicet?!"

Maotelus's body was glowing with silver light and began to pulse. "I'll take care of it. Get down, everyone!"

Sensing Maotelus was going to use his silver flame, Velvet raised her therion arm and her rings emitted red light and it stretched above the group, forming a shield bubble.

"Do it, Laphicet!"

A wave of silver flame burst from the aura of Maotelus. The blinding light travelled in an instant and washed all over the bubble and hit Balor and the daemon army.

Magilou checked the new magical shield. "This is new. When did you learn to cast such magic, Velvet?"

"I didn't. It's part of the ring Avernus gave me. He made it with the help of Laphicet so it wouldn't hurt my arm during the days when Laphicet uses silver flame."
Eleanor turned to Rokurou. "Wait, so what do you do during that?"

Rokurou grinned in pride, hitting his chest. "I take it like a champion. It's not that painful as Velvet puts it."

Velvet dropped her arm and the shield disappeared. She checked their enemies' position and scanned for anyone who was left standing.

The daemon army was rattled and nothing was left but crisps. Eleanor stepped forward with a terrifying expression, sweeping a gaze over the battlefield. "W-Why didn't they turn back into humans?"

"Because it's been so long that they've been corrupted," Eizen said. "There was nothing left of the human they once were."

"You mean these were turned a long time ago?" Eleanor asked as her face sank into more despair.

There was no sign of the levitating seraph. "At least we got one of them," Rokurou said.

Velvet heard a yelp and turned to the source. Balor was on one knee and grunted before suddenly laughing hysterically with hot steams rising from his skin. "This is interesting! I have never fought against seraphim fledgling with such power to cleanse malevolence."

Rokurou's hand whipped over to the Stormquel's handle. "I guess your theory on these being seraphim were true."

As Balor stood up, Velvet saw his body illuminating a red light. A sadistic grin formed on Balor's face with fire spewing behind his sharp teeth. "In that case…" A fiery sword stretched out from Balor's palm. "You will be paralyzed by fear when you meet my charge!"

Eizen stepped forward with his hands calmly on his belt. "Stop this nonsense. We've defeated gods, daemons and dragons alike. We're not afraid of you."

Velvet unsheathed her blade, stalking fearlessly towards Balor. "You will be nothing but another notch on my belt!"

Balor took off to meet her assault head-on, raising his flaming sword. "DIE, VELVET CROWE!"

The seraphim beast slammed his blade heavily.

The ground exploded as his blade made contact with the soil. Velvet dashed to the side, evading the flames and debris and pressed her feet and jumped at Balor, ready to slash his head.

"You are quick!" Balor's spiral horns lit up and a pair of red beams shot at Velvet. She immediately bent over back as the beams zipped past above her chest. Velvet slid over the dirt and slashed Balor's knee.

The beast growled and dragged his sword through the ground at Velvet. "Annoying little snack! I'll devour you, wretches!"

Before the sword could reach Velvet, a chain wrapped around the flaming blade and held it in place. Balor turned and saw Rokurou holding the chain. Then, an enlarged guardian sheet smacked him in the face.

Magilou, looking annoyed, charged up another spell between her hands. "You're getting into this whole devour thing, huh? It's even more irritating compared to when Velvet used to say it."

Eleanor flew toward Balor with her swords brimming with magic. "Let's do something about that raging appetite of yours!"

Eleanor swung her swords and a wave of fiery artes shot and hit Balor to no effect. The beast let out a mocking laugh. "At the rate, you're going, you'll defeat me in another… ten years or more."

Eizen suddenly appeared beside Balor and jumped high, ready to smash his face. "You're talking too much."

Balor's jaw pushed to the back as Eizen's fist hit him square in his face. Eizen proceeded to unleash a flurry of his face right into Balor's chest." Deyaaaah!" But a wave of light pulsed from the beast and Eizen was thrown to the back and he safely landed on his feet.

"What is that thing made of?!"

Magilou and Eleanor circled the seraphim beast and bombarded him with a valley of destructive artes. Balor shrugged the attacks easily. "These are not enough! Nothing is enough to fell me!" Balor yanked the chain and Rokurou lost his balance as he was dragged closer to the beast.

A pair of magical circles appeared around Balor as he directed them to fire at Rokurou. "You are first to die!"

The beast fired two solid crystals out of the sigils, but Balor felt a huge claw slashing against his side and his shots missed. Balor spotted Velvet attacking him again. "You-!"

Suddenly, Rokurou hit him with a wide slash of his swords. Winds of great proportions swept the huge beast, hurling him back.

Rokurou readied himself for another attack from behind, grinning in the process. "Time to finish you off!"

Balor quickly regained his balance and raised his left hand. A fiery whip appeared out of thin air. "You and what army, daemon?"

Balor's whip hit beside Rokurou, exploding the ground beneath his feet, tossing him away.

Balor swung his flaming sword at Rokurou. "I'll make you scream in agony!"

His sword was instead hit by an elemental shield that was conjured by Eleanor and Lailah. "Not when we're here!"

Balor's red eyes lit up in anger and threw his whip at Eleanor. "You resist the will of a god?!"

Velvet jumped between them and raised her therion claw as the fiery whip twirled around it instead.

"How about this?" Velvet yanked her arm with a hard pull and Balor surprisingly lost his balance and hit the ground. "What-?"

Eizen took the opportunity and jumped above the beast. "Eat this! Draconic Drive!"

Balor looked up at Eizen's figure sprouting dark wings from his back as he landed on his head.

"I'll ground you into dust!" Eizen's power pushed Balor's enormous body away, surfing it like a giant board.

But another magical pulse emitted from Balor's body as it hit Eizen hard and pushed him away. "I will not be defeated by the likes of you!"

Eizen crashed into the ground before Velvet helped him to get up.

Balor's growl intensified into an eldritch howl. "You are all bound for an ultimate demise." He rose to his feet, glaring at the team. "You wish to know the true extent of my rage? Very well."

Magilou pointed to four sigils forming around Balor. "That is not good!"

Balor's growl turned into a maniacal chuckle. "I can't abide by your existence. Cosmic Catastrophe!"

Velvet focused on the sigils as they rotated faster, charging up. "It's a seraphic arte! Which means…" She turned to Rokurou and he understood her and nodded.

"Time to show an overwhelming power of malevolence, then?" Rokurou said.

"No," Velvet's eyes brimmed in a golden hue. "Determination of not yielding to an arrogant seraph."

Rokurou sneered. "Call it what you want, Velvet. However..." Rokurou unsheathed Stormquel and Stormhowl together. Both of his eyes turned crimson. "This is the best time to unleash what I have into this so-called god!"

As the magical sigils fired four beams of blinding light, Velvet and Rokurou rushed towards Balor at a breakneck speed.

The beams hit behind Velvet and Rokurou, but they were too fast for the beams to catch up.

Rokurou crossed his swords together and slashed his swords widely, creating devastating winds that cut through the Balor's torso.

"Gng!"

Rokurou followed his attack with a wide cut of his two swords combo, carving great wounds into Balor's body. "I'm the embodiment of that which can only thrive in the heat of battle! This was your last mistake! Infinite Judgement!"

The strong swings of Rokurou's blades engulfed the beast in storms of slashes and cancelled Balor's seraphic arte as he growled in pain.

Velvet opened her therion hand and its reddish and black colour lit up in flames and it enlarged as the claws swirled with fire. "Keep your filthy hands off of our future, fiend!"

Velvet's battle cry prompted Balor to look in her direction.

"I'm giving this everything I have!" Velvet extended her huge and fiery claw. Balor watched in horror as Velvet grabbed his throat and with an inhuman force, pulled him off the ground as they both went flying.

"Heeeyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The team stood in awe, observing the scene with Velvet picking the beast up and like a flaming uncontrollable meteor, flying around until Velvet pushed the body down towards the earth. Her long dark hair turned crimson as it burned in her soul's fire.

Balor's body crashed into the ground and the land shook underneath him. Velvet choked the seraphim beast as she stood on his chest. Her expression was of frenzied berserk, eyes glaring with the intent of erasing the beast. "This will end you! END EVERYTHING"

Velvet's therion claw flowed with fire magic, illuminating the dreaded face of Balor.

"MOONFANG NOVA!"

The magic was released and burst into a deafening and blinding explosion. The orange orb stretched high above as Velvet jumped back and landed right between her friends. She whipped her therion arm and the claws shifted back into her black lace, her hair turning normal once again. "You're hardly worth remembering."

Magilou used one of her guardian sheets as a hand fan as they stared at the fireworks and intense explosion. "Another god wannabee has fallen at our feet. Guess that was no surprise-"

Magilou ate her word as they spotted a black silhouette rising amidst the fires.

"The anger… The rage… they are overwhelming every essence in my body." Balor, looking unharmed, stepped out of the fire with a slight struggle. "Ignorant, reckless creatures. You don't know when to give up."

Velvet and the rest readied themselves for the attack. Magilou was annoyed. "He loves to talk, doesn't he? I supposed he talked his victims to death."

Balor raised his arms, preparing to conjure his weapons again. "I'll destroy your world-"

A bright blue flash suddenly passed into Balor's body and he stopped talking, eyes widening in dread. "What-"

Velvet gasped as the first seraph appeared between her and Balor, standing stoically without emotion.

Balor's breath shorted and he coughed abruptly. "Vassan! Why you!"

The seraph twirled his trident in a vertical slash while had his back at the beast, cutting Balor from head to bottom. The seraphim beast lit up in white light and burst into a column of light, extending up high to the sky.

"He… killed him!" Eleanor observed, her voice shaking. "W-With just one slash."

"He was wasting my time," Vassan spoke. "I don't have time to spend on losers like him and like you."

Rokurou stepped forward. "Scared of us, seraph? I have all night to kick your ass." Without waiting for an answer, Rokurou dashed at Vassan. "I'll finish it here!"

In instant, Rokurou's shoulder was torn open and blood gushed out of his open wound. "How-?"

Velvet's eyes picked up a faint quick movement of an attack that was too fast for them to detect. "Rokurou! Stop!"

Velvet screamed but the next attack hit Rokuour square in his chest. His dark robe tore open and he was thrown to the back.

Eleanor took off immediately without a thought. She raised her sword and swung it at the seraph, but her fiery blades only cut the empty air. "Where-"

Eleanor's eyes widened as she sensed an attack coming from her behind. Vassan dodged her attack effortlessly and hit her from the back with a magical orb.

Eleanor was engulfed in a blue wave of light before her figure flickered between the armati and normal form. Lailah was forcefully ejected from Eleanor's body and both hit the ground.

As Eleanor struggled to get up, he found Vassan standing on top of her staring down at her emotionlessly.

"Amatur."

Vassan brought down his trident but before it could pierce Eleanor's chest, Stormquel and Stormhowl barred it from hitting her. Eleanor turned to see Rokurou, bloodied and wounded, holding the trident in place and glaring into Vassan's eyes.

"Eizen! Now!"

Eizen dashed and pulled his fist and let loose a flurry of punches into his face. "Perfect Mayhem-"

Vassan's trident immediately broke from Rokurou's swords and hit Eizen in a blink of an eye. Eizen however, regained his control and managed to land a punch into Vassan's face.

"Gotcha!"

Vassan remained unflinching, turning his head slowly at Eizen. "Begone."

With a wave of his hand, Eizen and Rokurou pulled from their feet and were tossed to the other side.

As Vassan turned to Eleanor and Lailah, Velvet's burning claw greeted him with a quick slash. Vassan moved to the side as Velvet's attack missed. With a yelp, Velvet resumed her attack with blades from her boots and wrist sword, slashing away at the seraph. But she couldn't match his power as if Vassan could read her every move. Then, Vassan's trident came straight for her face and at the last moment, Velvet grabbed it with her claw.

Velvet's knees began to fail at the strength of the seraph, pushing her down. "Why are you doing this?! What do you want?"

"You shouldn't be here," Vassan said. "If it wasn't for your beloved Avernus, you'd be alone, for eternity. He gave you love, bravery and hope. You haven't earned them."

Vassan pushed even harder as Velvet's boots dug into the ground.

"But the only reason those emotions exist is to draw out greater grief, suffering, and despair and I know, you are no stranger to them." Vassan's eyes turned slit like a dragon. "I will gladly return you back to oblivion, Velvet Crowe."

Velvet felt her power draining. But suddenly, a flash of light was fast approaching her. Vassan raised his head only for a ball of silver flame to hit them both. Velvet felt her left arm was torn off and hugged it in pain as all her muscles cramped. Velvet cried in pain as she and Vassan hit the ground. Velvet opened her eyes and saw Maotelus' draconic silhouette flying directly at them.

"Hands off of Velvet!"

Maotelus extended his silver claws and grabbed Vassan. Maotelus squeezed the seraph and smacked him against the ground, flatting him. Maotelus did it again and again. With each hit, the ground shook heavily. Maotelus then hurled Vassan and opened his jaws, charging a beam attack. "Go back to the void!"

Velvet's eyes tracked the shining beam that hit Vassan and carried him all the way into the forest and a blast of light rose where the seraph crashed.

Maotelus leaned above Velvet. "Are you okay?"

Velvet whipped her arm, shrugging the pain. "I'm fine. Thanks."

"I'm sorry, but I had to do it." Maotelus apologized.

The rest of the team joined them with Eleanor helping wounded Rokurou and Lailah healing him with her arte.

Magilou corrected her jester hat, glaring at Maotelus. "Why didn't you do it sooner? It could've saved us a lot of time."

Velvet glared at her. "I didn't see you help in the last fight."

Maotelus intervened. "I apologize I couldn't leave the vicinity of the temple."

"Why?" Velvet asked.

"I had to protect the earthpulse in case someone wanted to temper with it."

Lailah interrupted them and pointed to the jungle. "Look…"

They turned and noticed purple smoke rising from where the seraph crashed.

"Unbelievable-" Eleanor mumbled as she saw a pair of blue wings rising from the smoke.

An aquamarine dragon with blue scales and yellow eyes appeared. His size was the same as Maotelus, big enough to be seen from miles away.

"Is that the same seraph?" Magilou wondered with Bienfu appearing beside her.

"We have no chance! Bieeen what is happening? What are these things?!"

The dragon instantly flew to the sky and dived down right at Maotelus with great speed.

"Everyone get down!" Maotelus threw himself in front of the dragon and their claws locked into another and landed on him.

"So young yet so talented. My mother was right about your potential."

Vassan's disembodied voice echoed around them. Velvet rose on his feet and instantly recognized who Vassan was talking about. "Tiamat!"

Maotelus appeared to be struggling against the power of Vassan but he resisted nevertheless. "Cease this madness before more people get hurt!" Maotelus flapped his wings and pushed Vassan to the back, overcoming his grip.

"Not until every mortal is cleansed from this world, whelp." Vassan pushed Maotelus and picked his body off the ground and tossed it toward Velvet and the rest. They barely managed to dive away from Maotelus as he hit the ground.

As Vassan prepared to conjure his arte, Velvet sensed another otherworldly power flowing near them. She looked up and saw dark clouds covering the Scarlet Moon.

Vassan growled as he shifted his head toward the sky and a thunderbolt hit him in the face. Then, another bolt came down from the sky and struck him in the wings, electrifying him. Vassan roared as more thunderbolts constantly rained down and pushed him against the ground like an invisible weight crushing him.

Vassan struggled to turn his head to the side. Velvet followed his gaze to the small figure of an old man levitating near him. Vassan broke into a burst of laughter as he was tied down by lightning. "Treacherous lowlife. Look what time did to your immortality. Frail and scared, there is nothing for you but despair."

"Who is the old man?" Velvet asked.

"That's Zenrus. The leader of a newfound seraphim tribe that lives close here." Maotelus said.

Velvet recognized his name as she heard it from Avernus. "I know him. Avernus asked for his permission for our home to be built near his territory."

All of a sudden, Maotelus growled in pain and bent his head down. Velvet rushed to him.

"What happened?!"

Maotelus turned toward the temple's entrance. "The earthpulse! There is a seraph in the temple!"

"It is too late," Vassan growled before freeing himself off of the thunder chains and flying away into the night.

Velvet and the rest rushed toward the temple and shoved the door open. Heldalf and the rest of Platinum Knights took shelter behind the entrance.

"Have you seen anyone barging inside?" Velvet asked.

Heldaf shook his head, "No. Why?"

"We got an uninvited guest inside." Velvet quickly moved toward the inner chamber, confirming that indeed a seraph had infiltrated the temple.

As they managed to make their way inside, Velvet spotted a young girl levitating above the ground in the middle of the main chamber with a floating opened book. The young girl had long blue hair with fish fins over her ears and a dark dress but didn't seem to be a threat.

"Stop this." Velvet ordered.

The girl looked at Velvet and waved her hand, conjuring a trident similar to Vassan. "It is done. You are too late." She said with a surprisingly soothing and kind voice as she hit the ground with her trident. An invisible pulse stretched out and the girl immediately disappeared into thin air.

Rokurou turned around, looking for her. "What has she done?!"

The temple suddenly began to shake and Velvet felt an enormous flood of malevolence coming up from the earthpulse. "We need to get out of here!"

The team quickly exited the temple alongside the knights. Maotelus was watching over the entrance. Velvet joined him. "There was a seraph and she did something. I feel malevolence rising up from the earthpulse."

Maotelus moved closer to the temple. "She cursed the earthpulse, but I have a plan." He flew to the top of the temple and landed on the roof. "There is one way to stop malevolence coming from the earthpulse."

Maotelus began to emit a silver shine as he wrapped his majestic wings around himself.

Velvet noticed his body starting to be crystalized alongside the whole temple. "What are you doing, Laphicet?!"

"Sealing the earthpulse!"

Velvet and the rest covered their eyes from the blinding light as it flashed and enveloped both Maotelus and the temple.

With the light faded away, Velvet discovered the temple was now enveloped in a silver crystal, alongside the dragon of light. As she felt her heart sink, Velvet spotted Laphicet's humanoid figure walking toward them.

"You're okay!" Eleanor said and joined him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Laphicet turned to the temple. "I think I contained it, but I had to trap it with my body."

Velvet nodded. "That was brave of you."

"I did what I had to do. But I have to ask; do you have a place for a lone sailor?"

Velvet chuckled. "Always."

Rokurou stood beside Laphicet. "Just like the old times?"

Magilou still had her gloomy expression. "Had to ditch the dragon body, eh? We couldn't use that power against those seraphim brats, though."

"I had to. There was no choice. We need to find the girl and see what she has done so I can reverse it." Laphicet explained. His eyes fell on Zenrus approaching them.

"We need to talk," Zenrus said, prompting Velvet to look at him.

"With the attack of these ancient seraphim and the possibility of Claudin's son lost at the hands of them, I demand you bring the twins into my care," Zenrus ordered, which made Velvet irritated and angry at the mention of Avernus' death.

"I will not do such a thing."

"Don't be foolish and stubborn. If we lose your children, the bloodline will be lost forever and we will lose the chance we have at coexistence."

"My kids are safe with me." Velvet said.

Zenrus groaned. "It is because of your actions that the world nearly fell into despair and chaos. You are not a suitable parent or protector to bring up the seraphim bloodline."

Velvet whirled on her heels and ignored Zenrus's demand.

"Foolish woman! You will doom us all!"

Velvet stopped and coiled her therion hand, extending it threateningly toward Zenrus. "If I see you or any seraphim near my kids, I will devour you all. Consider this your last warning, seraph!"

Without exchanging more words, the team left to rejoin the silver knight's platoon that regrouped in the temple courtyard, preparing to move to the city and help Avernus escape the city.

Back in Loegres, Avernus and Max mode their way across the dark alleys and streets toward the castle. Max's thoughts were busy with what he saw of Avernus and how he took down the seraphim beast. "Those swords that you used, you wield them like you are already familiar with their power."

Avernus scanned the empty street. "I know how to use swords. It's nothing special."

"What about that technique you used? The sword fusion."

"What about it?"

"There is a legend about the swords that are both gifts from the seraphim and only those with seraphim blood can use their true potential and fuse them into the Eternal Blade," Max explained, looking for any reaction from Avernus.

But Avernus stayed stoic. "Not all legends are true. I wielded magic against daemons back in Hyland. This technique came into my mind. Again, nothing unique."

Max sensed that Avernus was not going to spoil his secret. "Alright, but I know how we both can benefit."

"Hmm?"

Max pulled his lute from his backpack. "I have lost my opportunity and you appear to have lost your position in the palace. We both need to make money and with the current events, I think we can start a partnership in hunting daemons. Like Shepherds used to do. For all you have shown, you could be a Shepherd, you know." Max began to play a tune, singing in the process. "Toss a coin to your Shepherd, oh valley of plenty, oh valley of plenty, ohoho!"

Avernus rolled his eyes and growled in annoyance. His focus was now on the top of the royal castle. He could sense Lancelot was waiting for him. Avernus knew he had to face the sins of their past. But Avernus knew he had to break the cruel cycle of vengeance before it engulfed Velvet's life once more.