So now I am going to be making updates and yes you will be seeing them seeing as I am still working on them as we speak so here we are with the next update and since I am on a roll with this story so far I figured that it would get yet another update for this story. So in the last chapter we saw Kazuma, Hajime, and Yue fight and defeat the hydra guardian though Hajime and Kazuma did take some damage in said fight. Also the pink haired girl showed up when Kazuma was pretty banged up but he and Hajime rose to the occasion and together with Yue they defeated it before Hajime kind of passed out from all the damage he took before Kazuma took Hajime and Yue to the Maverick lair. In this chapter we are mainly going to focus during their time in the Maverick liar and nothing more so if you want you can consider this the filler chapter if you so desire. Disclaimer: I own nothing at all nor will I ever save for the O.C. I made for this story.
After the fight with the Hydra, Kazuma and Yue managed to bring the still unconscious Hajime into an oasis deep inside the labyrinth. After Kazuma healed Hajime up as best he could he placed his best friend in one of the beds before he started to explore the mansion.
"Damn to think that a place like this exists in the bottom of hell" Kazuma said bluntly.
After looking throughout the first floor, he found no traps whatsoever, not even his Extrasensory Perception was able to pick anything up, so he assumed that this place was a safe haven.
"From the looks of it, this is some sort of safe zone for the Maverick" Kazuma said firmly.
After looking awhile longer, Kazuma decided that he would check on Hajime to see if he was awake only to see a massive amount of purple lighting from the distance along with Yue's scream.
"What the hell are those two doing" Kazuma thought dryly.
Kazuma then made his way over to Hajime and Yue.
"Took you long enough" Kazuma said teasingly.
"Kazuma" Hajime said happily.
When he opened the curtain he saw a naked Hajime and Yue, there was an awkward moment before Kazuma turned around and closed the curtain.
"I'm sorry, it seems as though I've come at a bad time, I'll leave so that you two can continue your love moment" Kazuma said plainly.
"WAIT THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE SLIGHTEST" Hajime yelled in embarrassment.
After explaining the reason, about how Yue stripped Hajime of his clothing so that she could clean him properly, Kazuma then told his side of the story about the place being the Maverick lair.
"Come on you two get dressed" Kazuma said bluntly.
"Where'd you find all these clothes, was the Maverick a guy then" Hajime asked in wonder.
"I found them in the mansion. I also found more than just clothes. I only searched the first floor of the mansion, and I can confirm that this is a safe zone of sorts" Kazuma said honestly.
"Sounds like we got to start searching this place" Hajime said bluntly.
After Hajime and Yue got dressed, Kazuma looked at Yue's shirt.
"What's the matter Yue" Kazuma asked in wonder.
"Nothing fits me" Yue said dryly.
As they exited the bedroom, Hajime was stunned at the sight that greeted him outside. The sun was shining brightly into the room. Of course, they were still underground, so it couldn't be possible for the sun to have been real. There was a giant conical structure hanging high above the ceiling, with a dazzling bright orb hugging the cone's bottom side. The reason Hajime's mind instantly went to sunlight was not only due to light and warmth, but also because it had none of the artificial quality present in lamps or fluorescent lighting.
"The sun, no it can't be" Hajime said in shock.
"At nighttime, it turns into the night sky" Yue said honestly.
"Are you serious" Hajime asked in wonder.
"Come on, let's start searching" Kazuma said firmly.
The three of them went towards the mansion the Maverick had. Most of the rooms on the first floor were locked, and not even Hajime's or Sora's Transmute were able to break them open. Inside the mansion, they were able to find a hot tub, kitchen, and living room. They then reached the third floor which oddly enough only had one room.
"Looks like this is the only room" Kazuma said plainly.
"Yeah" Yue said honestly.
The three of them went inside and something caught their eye. A person sitting in an ostentatious chair right next to a circle. Said person was clearly dead as the corpse had already decayed until nothing but bones remained, and it was clothed in a grand robe of black and gold. There wasn't a single hint of dust or grime anywhere on the robe. The impeccable cleanliness made it more akin to a haunted house or something. It was splayed out on the chair in a relaxed position, with the skull's empty eye sockets staring down at it's own figure. Almost as if the person it had once been simply sat down there and died that way, the skeleton and magic circle were the only objects in the room.
"Why'd they chose to come here to die and not their bedroom or living room" Kazuma thought in wonder.
"It is like he is waiting for someone" Hajime said honestly.
"Yeah, it looks really suspicious...what should we do" Yue said bluntly.
Yue seemed concerned about the skeleton as well. Hajime assumed it must have belonged to the Maverick that was said to live here. The strange thing was that he died peacefully sitting like that, as it he was waiting for someone.
"Well, if we want to find a way out, this room seems to be our best out. Even Transmutation couldn't do anything to the locks we found in the library and the workshop, so... this is the only thing left to investigate. Yue, Kazuma, be ready for anything. I'm counting on you two if something happens" Hajime said firmly.
"Okay... be careful" Yue said honestly.
Hajime tentatively took a step forwards. Nothing happened, so he kept advancing slowly. Then, when he reached the center of the circle, the room was filled with a yellow light.
"What the hell" Kazuma asked in shock.
Hajime closed his eyes, unable to handle the intensity. A second later, it felt as if something invaded his head, and he began having flashbacks about his time in the abyss, starting from the fall all the up to the fight with the hydra. Finally, the circle's power began to wane and the light dimmed somewhat. Hajime opened his eyes, and saw a black robed young man standing before him. He hadn't sense him even enter the room.
The magic circle still glowed faintly, filling the room with a mystical light. Hajime soon adopted a battle stance, but after a few seconds he lowered his guard. Not only could he not feel any hostility or malice coming from the man in front of him, but the figure didn't even seem real. When he scrutinized it a little further, Hajime realized the robed he was wearing was the same one that the skeleton was wearing. That told him enough to guess who the man in front of him probably was. Hajime silently gazed at the figure, waiting for something to happen and finally the figure in front of him spoke.
"I congratulate you on overcoming my trial. My name is Oscar Orcus. The man who created this labyrinth. I suppose to the world I am known as a Maverick" Oscar said honestly.
It seems as though the dead man in front of them Oscar Orcus was the same creator of the Orcus Labyrinth with Kazuma, Hajime, and Yue half expecting it and half surprised.
"By the way, please spare me the questions. This is nothing more than a recording i left behind, so I unfortunately cannot answer any questions you may have. I wanted to tell those who made this far why it was that we, who learned the truth about this world, chose to fight against the gods... so I decided to leave behind this message. This was the simplest form to convey that message in. I want you to know... that though we were Mavericks, we were not rebels" Oscar said firmly.
The story he wove for them was completely different from the history that Kazuma had learned from the holy church, or the stories Yue had been told about the mavericks. The revelations Oscar had for them shocked them to the core.
A short time after the age of gods, the world was engulfed in strife. Humans, demons, even beastmen fought against each other in a never ending war. Their reasons were numerous as were their battles. Land, resources, personal values, greed, but most important among them was theology. In that age, the races and countries were split into numerous factions, each of which had their own god. It was each tribe's god that incited its people to fight against those who worshiped others.
After some time, a group appeared that sought to put an end to this centuries long war, they called themselves the Liberators.
There was only one thing that they all had in common. Each member was a direct descendant of one of the gods. Their leader was someone who had, by coincidence, happened to learn of the gods' true intentions. It appeared that the gods were using the various races like pawns, playing a grand game of chess with the world as their board. The leader of the Liberators couldn't stand for their sickening disregard for life, and began looking for comrades who felt the same way he did.
After an arduous search, they were able to discover the location of Asgard, the home of the gods. There were eight among the Liberators who were exceptionally powerful, and they were chosen to be the vanguard in the battle against the gods. However, their plans were foiled before the battle could begin. The gods had manipulated the sentient races and made them believe the Liberators were trying to destroy the world. They were marked as enemies of the gids, every human, demon, and beastman considered them their mortal foe.
After a great many conspiracies, events, and dramatic encounters, the Liberators found themselves on the run. They couldn't bring themselves to fight the people they had sworn to protect. But those very people believed they were ungrateful heretics trying to bring about the end of the world. Their true name was forgotten, and they were known simply as Mavericks in the annuals of history.
The Liberators were killed off one by one, until only the strongest eight remained. With the entire world against them, they realized they wouldn't be able to defeat the gods. So seven of them scattered to the ends of the earth and built huge labyrinths to hide themselves in. They created a series of trials, praying that someone who could clear them might someday appear, so that they could bequeath their powers onto them in the hopes that these new warriors would carry out their dreams of freeing the world from the gods.
Only the last Liberator who didn't build a labyrinth like the other seven had decided to fight to the bitter end, even if it meant fighting the world alone. After that long speech Oscar smiled peacefully.
"I have no idea who you are, or why you chose to fight your way down here. Nor do I have any intention of forcing my own dreams of the gods' demise onto you. I simply wanted you to know what it was we fought, and died for. As a reward for hearing me out, I shall grant you my strength. How you use it is entirely up to you. I can only prey you won't use it for evil. That is all I have to say. Thank you for listening to the end. May the 'blessing' of the gods never reach you" Oscar said honestly.
Oscar's appearance soon vanished once it was done talking. At the same time, Hajime felt something strange enter his mind. The sensations were very painful, but he knew what was happening, he quietly let it enter his mind. The pain finally subsided, and the magic circle grew dim once more. Hajime let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in the whole time.
"Hajime, are you okay" Yue asked in wonder.
"Yeah, I'm fine" Hajime said honestly.
"But man, what a tale" Kazuma said bluntly.
"Yeah, what are you going to do" Yue asked curiously.
"Nothing really, it was those good for nothing gods that summoned us here in the first place and told us to go fight this war" Kazuma said honestly.
"I hate them as it is anyways. Still, this world's got nothing to do with us. All we care about is making it to the surface and finding a way home. That's all...did that story bother you Yue" Hajime said firmly.
"No my home is wherever you two are, I don't care about anything else" Yue said honestly
"I see" Hajime said plainly.
Hajime blushed a little, which made Kazuma sigh once again at the two lovebirds. Hajime then cleared his throat and the blush disappeared before he dropped a bombshell of an announcement.
"Umm, also I think I learned a new spell. Some kind of magic from the Age of Gods" Hajime said firmly.
"Really" Yue asked in amazement.
She had a reason to be amazed after all magic from the Age of Gods was something that the gods only used once, magic that no longer existed in the present day such as teleportation magic.
"The magic circle did something to my head, and it's like I kind of understand how it words" Hajime said honestly.
"Are you sure you're alright" Yue asked in concern.
"Yeah, I'm totally fine. Even better, this spell will be perfect for Kazuma and I" Hajime said happily.
""Now you piqued my interest, what kind of spell is it" Kazuma asked in wonder.
Umm, it's a creations spell of some kind. It lets me add magical properties to minerals, and create new ore with special properties" Hajime said firmly.
"You can make magical artifacts" Yue asked in shock.
The creation spell Hajime had inherited was the same magic people had used during the Age of Gods, it was the perfect fit for a person with a Synergist job such as Hajime and Kazuma but what they didn't know was that Oscar's job was also a Synergist.
"You should learn it as well, Kazuma. You want to learn it too Yue? You just have to step into the magical circle, it does this kind of thing where it runs through your memories. Oscar said something about a trial earlier too, since we cleared it together, you should have the right to learn it as well" Hajime said honestly.
"Yeah that's a good idea, it will come in handy since our job is Synergist" Kazuma said honestly.
"I can't use Transmutation" Yue said bluntly.
"That's true, still it is magic from the Age of Gods so there is no real harm in learning it anyways" Kazuma said honestly.
"If you want me to Kazuma" Yue said honestly.
Urged onwards by Kazuma, both he and Yue stepped forwards into the magic circle as it began to glow and started to probe their memory. It must have decided that both Kazuma and Yue had cleared the trial as once again Oscar's ghost appeared. He began his speech all over again but Hajime, Kazuma, and Yue just tuned him out and continued their conversation.
"So how did it go, did you both learn it" Hajime asked in wonder.
"Yeah we did, but the artifacts don't make much sense to me" Yue said honestly.
"I guess ancient magic is useless if you don't have an affinity for it" Kazuma said bluntly.
They then turned to Oscar who smiled at them as he finished up his tale for a second time before he faded away leaving the three living people to talk more.
"Since this house is pretty much ours now, we should get rid of the skeleton" Kazuma said bluntly.
He had no respect for the corpse at all.
"Yeah... He'll make great fertilizer for the fields.
Neither did Yue, then the skull fell off the body and rolled up close to them. So they buried Oscar near the edge of the field and even gave the dead man a modest gravestone. In the end, even they felt enough pity for him that they didn't make him into fertilizer. Once the burial was finished, Kazuma, Hajime, and Yue returned to the two places that had been locked before. When they buried Oscar they relieved him of his ring that he had been wearing on his skeletal finger, it wasn't grave robbing since Oscar hadn't been buried yet. The ring had a symbol of a circle with a cross splitting it into even sections engraved on it, which matched the engravings of the locks perfectly.
First they went to the library, they were hoping that some of the books would have some information on how to get back to the surface. Kazuma, Hajime, and Yue broke the seal on the bookshelves and started to pour over the volumes. During their search they found something that appeared to be the buildings blueprints but it wasn't a proper set of blueprints as a lot of memos were scribbled on it.
"Hey I found it" Kazuma said happily.
"Nice. It looks like this magic circle is connected to the surface" Hajime said happily.
"But to connect it, we need Oscar's ring" Yue said bluntly.
"Well it's a good thing that I took it when we buried him" Hajime said proudly.
"So the workshop is full of Oscar's artifacts and all of his materials. We better take them with us" Kazuma said firmly.
"Kazuma, Hajime look at this" Yue said honestly.
Yue had been looking through the other books while Hajime and Kazuma had poured over the blueprints, and she came to them with one of the books in her hand. It turned out to be Oscar's diary, it chronicled the normal life of Oscar and his six companions. One of the passages in it talked about the labyrinths his six comrades had made.
"So basically, that means if we conquer the other labyrinths, we can get all the ancient magic the other Liberators possessed too" Hajime said firmly.
"Maybe" Yue said honestly.
According to his diary, his six comrades had also designed their labyrinths so that anyone who made it all the way to its furthest depths would be granted magic from the Age of Gods. Unfortunately, it didn't go into the specifics of what kind of magic it was.
"One of them might help us get back to our world" Kazuma said bluntly.
"You got a point there. After all, the teleportation magic that brought us to this world was from the Age of Gods" Hajime said firmly.
"Well, now we have an idea on where to look next. Our goal after we get to the surface is to conquer the other six labyrinths" Kazuma said firmly.
"Yeah" Hajime and Yue said seriously.
They searched around the library for a while longer, but they couldn't find any books telling them the exact location of the other labyrinths. For now, they were stuck with the two whose locations were known, the Grand Guren Volcano and the Haltina Woods. They could also start searching around the Reisen Gorge and the Schnee Snow Fields, were the other labyrinths are said to be hidden.
Once they finished rummaging through the library, the trio made their way towards the workshop. There were many locked doors, in the workshop, all of which Hajime unlocked with Oscar's ring. Crammed inside were all manner of ore, tools with unknown purpose, and work manuals. The entire treasure trove was a Synergist's dream. Hajime crossed his lone arm as he started to think about something, Yue noticing this tilted her head in wonder and asked him the question on her mind.
"What's wrong" Yue asked in wonder.
"Yeah you've been silent for a long time" Kazuma said honestly.
"Well I was thinking, how about we stay here for a little while. Don't get me wrong I want to to get to the surface too... but since there's all this stuff to explore and learn about why don't we make it our base and rest up for a bit. Especially if we are going to be going to the other labyrinths next, it's be best to prepare ourselves as much as possible" Hajime said seriously.
"Yeah I agree that would be the best choice, in here we can learn a bunch of stuff. We can learn new types of magic, items, artifacts, and many other things" Kazuma said firmly.
"I don't mind as long as I am with you two" Yue said honestly.
With that settled the three decided to stay there and train, and learn as much as possible.
(Time skip)
After about a month there, Kazuma learned many things. As it turned out there were a few books that described how to use Spirit Arts. However the identify of who the Dragon King is still unknown to Kazuma. He learned how to use Spirit Arts, to the point that he no longer needs to visualize the process. As the morning sun hit his face he peels away his sheets as he once again got up but this time something was vey different.
His hand suddenly grasped onto something very soft. It definitely wasn't his blanket or bedcover, and it wasn't the mattress either, it had a strange elasticity and springiness to it. It fit perfectly into the palm of his hand, along with being warm and comforting. When Kazuma moved his hand to confirm this sensation, he could feel the wonderful response in his hand.
"What the hell is this" Kazuma thought in wonder.
When he tried to move his hand again he heard the seductive sigh of a woman and with it the rustling of fabric as well. Kazuma gently removed his hand from the soft sensation, and with his poker face still on he slowly removed the sheets. Sure as shit there was a girl sleeping right next to him and it looked like she was in her late teens just like Kazuma and she was an incredibly gorgeous girl with long peach colored hair. However there was a transparency to her existence, almost as if she wasn't real; an evanescence that gave a mystical and artificial impression.
The girl stirred restlessly under the covers, reaching out and grasped the sleeve of Kazuma's pajamas, before drawing herself closer to his. Her breath blew gently against her ear and this caused Kazuma's mind to completely awaken but his mouth failed him. He gazed at the face of the unfamiliar girl from point blank range, then turned his eyes back to the ceiling and relaxed, sinking deeply into the mattress once again and closing his eyes.
"This has to be a dream, after all the alarm hasn't gone off yet" Kazuma thought firmly.
Kazuma was just trying to convince himself that this was all a dream and not accept the reality of his current situation. No mater how soundly he was sleeping he would awaken the minute he detected the presence of an unknown person next to him. Not to mention the fact that the intruder detection barrier around the mansion would have activated first so to Kazuma this all had to be a dream. He tried to close his eyes and go to sleep once more but oddly enough he was wide awake which did not please him.
After a couple minutes Kazuma once again opened his eyes and flipped back all of the covers in a single movement and sure as shit right in front of his eyes was a woman of stunning beauty with snow white skin color, extremely well balanced limbs that were smooth and feminine, and two soft looking breasts. So in other words there was a very beautiful peach haired girl right next to him.
"Why on earth am I sleeping next to a girl" Kazuma thought in wonder.
Kazuma was completely lost for words at this moment. There was truly indeed a completely naked peach haired beauty sleeping soundly right next to him. Not even the alarm had gone off so this woman next to him is not a foe nor anyone with malicious intent. Seeing the girl open her eyes, Kazuma quickly moved his gaze away from her as he was still trying to wrap his head around his current predicament. Then the female sat up right next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder and went back to sleep.
Kazuma let loose a very loud 'huh' which awoke the young woman altogether as she sat in the bed with her legs folded underneath her as she stared at Kazuma in a daze. The movements she made were strangely erotic, which made Kazuma avert his gaze without even knowing it.
"W-why is there a naked girl right next to me" Kazuma thought curiously.
Just then Yue and Hajime entered the room and Kazuma now having his best friend and blond vampire looking at him as the peach haired girl clinging onto him was slowly making his poker face drop which was surprising as he always had a good poker face. Hajime from his point of view did not know if this woman clinging onto his best friend was hostile or not so he whipped out Donner and fire off six shots in rapid fire succession. To everyone's shock the girl easily caught every bullet and now Yue was about to step up and try and attack the unknown woman but nothing happened.
"I can't use my magic" Yue said in shock.
"Say what" Hajime asked in concern.
Kazuma then looked at the girl and noted that her magic essence and right away noticed that is was Spirit Arts.
"I think its her. She's using Spirit Arts to overwrite the magic that Yue tried to manifest" Kazuma said seriously.
"But who is she" Yue asked in wonder.
"That's right, who are you exactly and please explain the situation as best you can" Kazuma asked honestly.
Kazuma then gave the woman a blanket to cover herself as he wasn't going to leave her as she was but hey he needed some answers and so in his mind this woman had all the answers.
"Spirit" the mystery woman said softly.
"What" Hajime, Yue, and Kazuma asked in wonder.
"I am the spirit that formed a contract with you Kazuma" the mystery woman said honestly.
"A spirit, I see so you are the spirit in my dreams" Kazuma said calmly.
The woman tilted her head slightly and gave off a divine look which made Kazuma's heart to beat a bit faster.
"There is a lot of thing that I want to ask you. Who are you? Why are you contracted to me? You were the one who taught me how to use Spirit Arts. Are you the one who helped me escape from that pit" Kazuma asked honestly.
Hajime and Yue couldn't believe what they were hearing as Kazuma told the two of them that when he was trapped under the debris, he heard a voice that belonged to a girl telling him that she was a spirit, and she was the one who taught him how to use Spirit Arts.
"I don't know" the spirit said emotionlessly but there was a hint of sadness to it.
She quietly extended her hand and gently grabbed Kazuma.
"Warm" the spirit said with a murmur and an expression that looked rather relieved.
"Umm, okay... Could you tell us your name" Kazuma asked in wonder.
"I don't have a name, either" the spirit answered with a sad look in her eye.
"You don't know your own name, then what do you know" Kazuma asked in wonder.
"I will stay by your side Kazuma, so I want a name. Just like how Hajime gave Yue her name" the spirit said firmly.
That left Hajime and Yue more shocked than before.
"...By my side, huh" Kazuma said softly.
"Can I" the spirit asked softly.
"Sure you can, but why me" Kazuma asked curiously.
"I exist only for you Kazuma" the spirit said with no shame.
Her words were almost like a graceful and pure confusion, thought the girl most likely didn't mean for it to come out that way. Kazuma's eyes went wide before a small laugh came out of his lips.
"Is that so, Well she's not out enemy so you two can drop your guard" Kazuma said honestly.
For some mysterious reason, he didn't feel any hesitation in accepting the girl's attitude. Was it because she was a contract spirit, he didn't know for sure but that was what he assumed and with everyone now relaxed it would make the conversation more easy.
"Then I guess it is what it is, we'll have to think of a name for you" Kazuma said honestly.
"Yeah" the girl said softly.
"...Speaking of, you know who I am right" Kazuma asked in wonder.
"I know everything there is about you Kazuma" the girl said honestly.
"Everything... Which means, umm... Everything" Kazuma asked softly.
"Yes. About how your parents not giving you much choice in your future. Your friendship with Hajime meaning the world to you. Along with the incident that left a scar within you" the girl said softly.
"A scar" Yue asked in wonder.
Hearing about that incident caused his hair to cover his eyes.
"So you know everything huh" Kazuma said softly.
He then looked at Hajime and Yue and while he did tell them both about his life back on earth he never once told them about the incident as he never wanted to tell that story. But given the looks that his two friends were giving him Kazuma decided that maybe it was time to finally air out some dirty laundry so to speak and after taking a breath he told them. One night his father came home after blowing a great investment and he was drunk as hell due to the anger and frustration and he took it all out on his son who was at the wrong place at the wrong time which caused Kazuma to further distance himself from his family as his grandfather passed away before that event happened.
"Damn Kazuma I never knew that happened to you" Hajime said softly.
"Big Brother, I am so sorry that happened to you" Yue said honestly.
"Its fine, it all happened in the past. By the way why do you know these things" Kazuma asked in wonder.
"I don't know, Because I knew before" the girl said honestly.
She shook her head, remaining expressionless as ever as she tilted her head in question. Kazuma watched her quietly as she watched him back. In the end Kazuma, was the first one to avert his gaze there was no telling how long they could have stared at each other.
"About your name. Are you sure you want me to name you. Afterall it is your name, so maybe you should think of one yourself" Kazuma said honestly.
"I want a name from you Kazuma" the girl said firmly.
"Then do you mind giving me some time to think about it" Kazuma asked honestly.
"Sure" the girl said blankly.
"For now, she doesn't seem like a bad person" Kazuma thought honestly.
"Alright, since that's clear, we need to find you some clothes. We can't have running around naked can we" Kazuma said firmly.
The girl murmured quietly before a flash of light escaped from beneath the blanket before she lifted the covers as Kazuma quickly averted his eyes from such a bold action, but the flash of non skin color in the corner of his eye made him glance back timidly as the girl was now wearing a dress.
"How" Yue asked in shock.
"I weaved it with ode and mana" the girl said blankly.
"Right so that flash of light was Spirit Arts, wait a moment you can do that" Kazuma said impressed.
"Your so pretty" Yue said honestly.
"You are also pretty Yue" the girl said honestly.
She then turned to Kazuma and he was once again captivated by her sheer beauty as her pink hair flowed in the wind which made him think about the cherry blossoms back in Japan.
"Aishia" Kazuma said softly.
"What" the girl asked in wonder.
"Your name, what do you think of Aishia" Kazuma asked in wonder.
"Aishia" the girl asked curiously.
"Yeah back in my world the name Aishia means warm spring or beautiful spring. It may be a bit to simplistic, but your hair was the gentle peach color of cherry blossoms so you gave off a strong impression of spring" Kazuma said honestly.
"...Spring" the girl said softly.
"Yeah is it a bad name" Kazuma asked in wonder.
"No I want that one" Aishia said firmly.
"...Um, we could keep thinking with everyone and come up with a few options first" Kazuma said honestly.
"Nope Aishia is good, I like Aishia" Aishia said happily.
"Well, if you like it, then Aishia it is" Kazuma said honestly.
"Nice to meet you Aisha" Hajime and Yue said honestly.
"Nice to meet you Hajime and Yue" Aishia said softly.
(Time Skip)
After they ate, Kazuma called Aishia to join him outside so that the two of them could speak and both Hajime and Yue followed.
"You can fly with Spirit Arts correct, do you have an elemental specialty" Kazuma asked in wonder.
As a spirit the progenitor of Spirit Arts, Aishia would naturally know Spirit Arts herself. With Spirit Arts, a caster or spirit usually had their own specialty element. Experienced casters and high ranking spirits could all use a certain level of every element, so Kazuma assumed that Aishia could fly as well.
"Yes, I can fly and my specialty is the same as your Kazuma, so I am proficient in all of them" Aishia said softly.
"...I see, from the books that Oscar left, that universal users are very rare" Kazuma said honestly.
Universal users and spirits are few and far between. Because Kazuma was once of those few users, he didn't show that much surprise other than raising his eyebrow.
"That's why I can fight too, I can protect you Kazuma. I can stay besides you" Aishia said firmly.
"Aishia..." Kazuma muttered.
"That's why you can lean on me whenever you need me. Just say the word, Kazuma" Aishia said firmly.
"Heh, just like Hajime and I. You must love Kazuma very much don't you, Aishia" Yue said honestly.
"Yes! I love Kazuma so much" Aishia said happily.
"...Thank you, I look forward to working with you Aisha" Kazuma said happily.
"Okay" Aishia said bluntly.
"Thanks..." Kazuma said happily.
"Is there anything else" Aishia asked in wonder.
"I actually wanted to try fighting in the air together, but could I check your fighting capabilities instead? We won't be using flashy Spirit Arts, though... Can you fight at close range" Kazuma asked honestly.
"I can" Aishiasaid bluntly.
"Then, lets do some light sparring" Kazuma said seriously.
"Alright" Aishia said plainly.
"Okay then, when this rock hits the floor, the match begins. Are you ready" Kazuma asked seriously.
Kazuma picked up a rock, then placed a 15 meter distance between Aishia and himself.
"Yup" Aishia said bluntly.
Kazuma gave Aishia a slight nod before he gently threw the rock upwards. The rock drew a parabolic line through the air before landing and when that happened Aishiadisappeared.
"She's fast" Hajime thought impressed.
In actuality, Aishiahad moved in front of Kazuma in an instant and at the same time she reached out and gripped his clothes.
"Damn she's fast, and a throwing technique as well" Kazuma thought firmly.
Kazuma went wide eye in shock before his hands moved in reflex as he broke out in a cold sweat, and he avoided Aisha's hands white backstepping.
"She's amazing" Yue said impressed.
Kazuma had underestimated Aisha, he had unknowingly categorized Aishia as someone he needed to protect. However Aishia had blown his naivety away at a moments notice, as though she was proving her own strength to him. Aishia then closed the distance between the two of them with determination, launching a skillful attack. With a combination of feints, her fists and feet moved at Kazuma at terrifying speed as the force behind a single hit would be enough to damage his enhanced body, though Kazuma was still able to dodge it smoothly.
"There is definitely something familiar about the way she moves, wait a moment is she copying me" Kazuma thought in shock.
Seeing Aishia's close ranged combat techniques were consisting of his own style. While he was unsure of the reason, it was possible that Aishia learned the same techniques as him through osmosis. For several moments Aishia continued to launch her attacks at Kazuma before she suddenly changed her attack pattern which made Kazuma cock an eyebrow. Aishia backed away for a moment and made some distance between the two of them, then used wind Spirit Arts like Kazuma to accelerate her movement, stirring up her surroundings as she took off.
With a deep breath, Kazuma mustered a large amount of ode from within himself to raise the effect of his physical enchantment and sharpen his senses even more. Aishia closed in on him, Kazuma was only barely able to perceive Aisha's movements with his Sharpened Senses as Aishia's palm suddenly appeared trying to strike him. Kazuma quickly sidestepped her outstretched palm at the same time, he then aimed to trip Aishia off balance and used that momentum to lightly fling her in the direction she was moving. Aishia's eyes slightly widened at this, but she gracefully flipped over in midair to deftly land on the ground, then she resumed her stance to attack once more.
"Wait that's enough, Aishia! I have a good idea of your abilities now" Kazuma said seriously.
"I couldn't land a single hit, you dodged them all" Aishia said softly.
"Umm, well, they were all movements that I knew already, so you could say I've been learning longer than you" Kazuma said honestly.
Kazuma didn't know much of Aishia's actual experience on the battle field, all he knew was that she has been asleep ever since he was born. It wouldn't be strange for her skills to have dulled, even if she was a spirit.
"You're really strong Kazuma" Aishia said impressed.
"Thank you" Kazuma said honestly.
"Her skill is something alright" Hajime said firmly.
"She's as strong of a Magic user as I am and as good at combat just like Kazuma" Yue said honestly.
"I think she will be a good ally for us" Hajime said seriously.
(Time Skip)
Another month had passed since Aishia had awoken from her slumber, she too learned Creation Magic from Oscar, after learning everything they knew Kazuma was now looking his status plate.
Kazuma Yatogami
Age: 17
Level: Unknown
Job: Synergist and Spirit Arts User
Strength: 12500
Vitality: 10950
Defense: 10670
Agility: 14000
Magic: 15000
Magic Defense: 15000
Skills:
Transmute [+Ore Appraisal] [+Precision Transmutation] [+Ore Perception] [+Ore Desynthesis] [+Ore Synthesis] [+Duplicate Transmutation] [+Compression Synthesis]
Iron Stomach
Lightning Field
Air Dance [+Aerodynamic] [+Supersonic Step] [+Steel Legs] [+Riftwalk]
Night Vision
Far sight
Hide Presence
Poison Resistance
Paralysis Resistance
Mana Manipulation [+Mana Discharge] [+Mana Compression] [+Remote Manipulation]
Detect Magic [+Precision Sensing]
Sense Heat [+Precision Sensing]
Hide Presence [Illusion Waltz]
Fear Resistance
Elemental Resistance
Foresight
Intimidate
Tracking
Increased Mana Recovery
Mana Conversion [+Stamina] [+Healing]
Limit Break
Creation Magic
Language Comprehension
Superhuman Physical Characteristics
Extrasensory Perception [+Precision Sensing]
Martial Arts
Healing
Weapon Mastery
Mind Manipulation
Sleep Manipulation
Perception Manipulation
Power Nullification
Air Manipulation
Enhanced Senses
Flight
Fear Manipulation
Ice Manipulation
Light Manipulation
Darkness Manipulation
Water Manipulation
Earth Manipulation
Fire Manipulation
Telepathy
Reality Warping
Vibration Manipulation
After that the four of them had gotten everything prepared as they were preparing to leave for the surface.
"The new arm fits perfectly" Kazuma said happily.
"Yeah, feels nice to have a second arm again, the prosthetic arm I made with Creation Magic is perfect" Hajime said honestly.
"Kazuma... are you thinking about the stuff we found a while ago" Aishia asked in wonder.
"Yeah, but we can't do much about it" Kazuma said plainly.
"We'll find the magic to bring us home, and then do so. That's the only goal" Hajime said firmly.
Hajime then pulled out a ring and a necklace and gave them to Yue.
"What are these" Yue asked in wonder.
"They're accessories I created from from the dried up God Crystals. You can store mana in them, use this quality of storing a vast amount of God crystal magic and continue training certain parts of your body" Hajime said honestly.
Yue didn't say anything as she looked at the accessories.
"Hajime... is this a proposal" Yue asked happily.
Aishia was looking at Yue enviously, it was clear that she was jealous to which Kazuma take note of this, as he quickly grabbed something from his pocket.
"Here Aishia" Kazuma said honestly.
From Kazuma's pocket, was a beautiful moon necklace with a ruby attached on it.
"Kazuma" Aishia said softly.
"I thought that you would look beautiful in it. It is also enchanted with super telepathy, so that we can stay in touch even from thousands of miles away from each other. Since our regular telepathy only reaches a few miles" Kazuma said honestly.
Aishia looked at Kazuma as she held the necklace tight.
"Thank you Kazuma... I really love you" Aishia said happily.
"...You're welcome" Kazuma said happily.
Aishia gave Kazuma a kiss on the lips for the first time since they met. Kazuma was surprised by the sudden action, but he just let her do it and returned the kiss instead.
(Time Skip)
They completed their preparations to the upmost over the two months. Ten days later Kazuma, Aishia, Hajime, and Yue finally decided to return to the surface. Kazuma is now wearing black mithril fiber cloth armor, black dragon leather armor, gauntlets, boots, and long coat.
"Time to say goodbye to this place" Hajime said honestly.
"Yeah" Yue said plainly.
"Can't believe its been two months since then. Our powers are probably considered heresy by the Holy Church. I doubt they or the various human kingdoms are going to just let us roam free" Kazuma said firmly.
"Yeah" Aishia said softly.
"If it was just humans we had to deal with, it wouldn't be a huge problem, but those crazy gods pulling everyone's strings are most likely going to be after us" Kazuma said seriously.
"Its fine, as long as I am with you Kazuma and the people he holds dear" Aishia said firmly.
"We might end up making the whole world out enemy. No matter how many lives we have, it might not be enough to come out unscathed" Hajime said seriously.
"So what" Yue said plainly.
Hajime smiled at Yue's unconcerned response. She looked up at him, and he gently stroked her golden blond hair in response. He looked deeply into her crimson eyes, and saw that they were glowing with happiness. After a moment, he took a deep breath, then spoke aloud his hopes and convictions in order to carve them into his soul.
"I'll protect all of you, and you guys will protect me. As long as we watch each other's backs, we'll be stronger than anyone. We're going to defeat everything and everyone... and surpass the entire world, together" Hajime said passionately.
Kazuma, Aishia, and Yue smiled at him as Kazuma held his hand forward and placed it in the middle. Aishia, Yue, and Hajime all overlap their hands with his in the center.
"All four of us are going home together. As long as we are together, nothing can stop us" Kazuma said firmly.
"Yeah" Aishia, Yue, and Hajime said firmly.
Holy hell that took me longer than I expected but hey I finally completed this chapter of mine and now onto more things.