Author's Note: Well, my loyal fans, here is the second to last chapter of the six yearlong fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy this as things start to heat up!
"So, you're Shiny Chariot?"
Although this question has been heavy on Finnalin's mind ever since the revelation, only now that the enemy has been defeated does she feel safe addressing this subject.
For a moment, the redhead doesn't respond, both of them walking the halls as they attempt to locate the other students.
Chariot had considered transforming back into her usual Ursula self, but quickly realized the need for her unrestrained power in this situation. If there were any students or staff in need of rescue or respite from combat, she would come to their aid not as Professor Ursula, but as Shiny Chariot, and accept any consequences or prejudices that would come in the aftermath. She wondered most of what Akko would think if she happened to see her like this.
Thinking of her next words carefully, she decides on a simple answer.
"Yes."
Finnalin exhales through her nose, running a hand through her hair.
It's clear that such a confession is having an effect on the older professor. Finnalin doesn't have the best opinion of Ursula, and hearing of this secret identity certainly doesn't help matters. After all, the professor often declared her low opinion of Shiny Chariot; and now here she is right before her, and she has been one of her coworkers this whole time.
"Does anyone else know besides me?"
"Well, Theodore accidentally saw me transform when the dragon attacked us from The Labyrinth." Chariot recalls that day. "Faralda has known since we were students, and Headmistress Holbrooke knows as well."
"Headmistress Holbrooke…" Finnalin lightly sighs to herself. "That woman can be too compassionate for her own good sometimes."
Here it comes…
This is the same sort of hate and negativity which made Ursula strip herself of her Shiny Chariot persona and disappear in the first place. Although the young teacher is able to bite her tongue and otherwise hold back while students and staff spoke insultingly of the stage performer, now that she is exposed out in the open, it's different. And besides, Professor Finnalin's dislike of Shiny Chariot is perhaps only second to Diana Cavendish herself.
As Finnalin opens her mouth, Chariot cringes, preparing for a stern talking to.
"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad you're here. We likely wouldn't have gotten out of there alive had you not stepped up. Thank you."
The redhead in question stops, turning to face her fellow teacher in puzzlement. She really had not expected such a response.
Smiling at the elder in appreciation, Chariot switches the discussion back to the matter at hand.
"Regardless of myself being here, we need to find some way to stop Jiang-Shi. Once we take him down, Mendacius will be the last serious threat for us to face."
"I am in full agreement with your plan. However, now that you've taken this form, are you still Ursula the professor or are you now Shiny Chariot the stage performer?"
Finnalin eyes up her fellow teacher as she asks this. Although she is well aware of Ursula's loyalty and devotion to Luna Nova, Chariot did disappear for years after all. She might just do the same thing again.
"It is my duty as a professor of Luna Nova to make sure our students are provided with a safe learning environment. Even if we can't find Faralda, even if his power eclipses our own, we still have to try, for the children."
Smiling at this answer, Finnalin responds with
"Perhaps you're not as much of an embarrassment to the magic world as I thought."
The two continue their small talk, eventually meeting two other students.
The two of them spot Hannah and Sucy, idling around in a hallway. From the fresh burn marks and poisonous acid still clinging to the walls and floor, it appears a fight had only recently ended in their favor.
Hannah spots Finnalin, and then her eyes full upon Shiny Chariot, wearing the exact same outfit that Ursula does.
"Wait, aren't you-"
She cuts herself off, pondering the consequences of this new development.
She had spent a good part of her school year with Barbara, constantly insulting Akko and her love for the stage performer, even throwing jabs directly at Chariot. Now here she is, right in front of her.
Is she here for some sort of retribution?! Revenge for all the times Hannah made fun of her?! Is this her karma?!
Not able to even form words, Hannah is left a babbling and muttering mess, unable to cope with this new reality.
Hoping that the feeling of touch will snap her back into the real world, Chariot gently grabs Hannah's shoulders, kneeling down to meet her at eye level.
"Have you seen Faralda? We need to find her if we're going to take out Jiang-Shi."
The question is rather moot, as no one has seen sight of that teacher in a while, but maybe something has changed since the two were in The Labyrinth.
However, no response comes from the auburn witch, her mouth still agape, eyes still wide. Hannah can't answer that question, struck by a mix of bewilderment and slight fear at the sight of Shiny Chariot. Even though she is facing an army of ghosts, ghouls, and phantoms, led by a Roman God, Hannah could never have predicted seeing Shiny Chariot in the mix.
The potions girl isn't fazed at all by Hannah's hysteria.
Although Sucy has received her fair share of bipolar behavior from Akko, spending time with Hannah in the middle of a war zone isn't much different. Without Diana or Barbara at her side, she clung to the strongest person she saw first, that being Sucy.
Sucy, having no real opinion on her, and thus apathetic by her sudden appearance, speaks in Hannah's place.
"Yeah, last we saw Faralda, she went off to her classroom to fight Jiang-Shi."
Although the phrase was stated with Sucy's classic emotionless bluntness, her words still strike Chariot to the core.
Although the stage performer had yet to face Jiang-Shi in open combat, only catching a few glimpses of him before the battle started, she could feel his power, even at a great distance. Worst of all, something tug at the witch's heart, pulling her into believing that this power is actually only a fraction of what he's capable of.
"By herself?! And you didn't stop her?!"
Sucy simply shrugs.
"She insisted, we couldn't convince her not to. I think she might've been drinking."
After an unrestrained sigh, Chariot retreats her hold from Hannah's shoulders, standing up and directing her full attention at Sucy.
Running a hand through her red hair, Chariot takes a moment to compose herself before continuing.
"Where did she go?"
"Last we saw Faralda, her and Jiang-Shi were going to her classroom to duel. She told us not to follow her, said she wanted to do it alone."
Sighing once again, this action does not surprise her in the slightest.
"She's always trying to show off…"
"Oh yeah…" Sucy recalls. "She also told us to make sure you were okay."
"Well, you don't have to relay any more messages because I'm going to help her."
"I-Is that really necessary?" Hannah questions, biting her nails while trying her best to look collected. "I mean, if anyone can take him out, it would be Faralda. You should totally stay with us. You know, strength in numbers and all…"
By the shaking in both her voice and body, it's pretty apparent that Hannah is wishing for this alliance more so for her own protection than others'.
Although fully acknowledging and understanding Hannah's fears, Chariot also knows that so long as the two students stay out of the large fights, they more or less aren't in danger. With Vrykolakas defeated, the only real threats now are Jiang-Shi and Mendacius. Hannah is capable of holding her own against these lesser ghouls, especially with Sucy at her side.
With what limited strength she has, Chariot must concentrate it in supporting Faralda against one of these threats. She can't stand around doing nothing. She must act while she still can.
Turning her attention to Finnalin, Chariot nods at her.
"You should go and help the students and staff clean up Mendacius' army. Hannah and Sucy can join you."
"Yes, I-I'll stay around Professor Finnalin." Hannah meekly nods. "She's p-pretty strong too…"
Sucy rolls her eyes at this.
"Fine, but do take care of yourself, Professor Ur-" The teacher stops herself, pondering just what she should call the redhead in front of her. "Chario-"
After years of thinking lowly of her, the idea of wishing care to Shiny Chariot still didn't feel right, even if she now knows who she truly is.
Dumbfounded, and a little embarrassed by her own indecisiveness, the professor gives up.
Sighing, Finnalin asks her
"What should I call you?"
The fellow professor can't help but smile at seeing the usually stern and confident Finnalin displaying such emotions. Although it may be confusing just what she should be called and in what form she should be called, to the red head the answer is as plain as day.
"As long as I am at Luna Nova, I am still Professor Ursula."
Almost chuckling at such a simple statement, Finnalin matches Ursula's smile with her own.
"In that case, do take care of yourself, Professor Ursula."
Waking up in my bedroom dorm, I stretch my back, letting out a loud yawn.
I just woke up, and I already feel like going right back to bed. What's more, my back feels a little stiff; maybe I slept on it wrong or something. Taking a gander at my clock, I see that it's well into noon.
I guess I must've overslept. Damn, Professor Finnalin is going to kill me, she hates late students, and I really can't afford to be docked points.
Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I notice Akko, Lotte, and Diana sprawled out on my bedroom floor, the three of them just beginning to stir.
Wait, what the hell are these three-
These thoughts come grinding to a halt as everything that transpired comes rushing back into my mind, filling my thoughts with overwhelming memories. First there was Hannah and Barbara, then that mirror, Mendacius returning, being sent into my own mind, Luna Nova under attack, Diana, Akko, and Lotte saving me-
"Yay!" Akko cries out, throwing her arms in the air. "We did it!"
Akko's sharp cry finishes the job of waking everyone up, and as if by instinct, they avert their attention towards me.
"Theodore!" Lotte and Diana both cry out, Akko bearing a wide smile as well.
All three of us engage in a group hug, although my girlfriend and I share something that only us two can share. I have to admit, kissing Diana in the real world is so much sweeter than in my mind.
"Thank you all so much!" I choke, tightening my grip on all three as much as I can. "I really owe you all big time."
Sniggering at this statement, Akko smirks.
"If you really mean it, I saw some really good looking pickled plums at the market in town one time, but they were too expensive for me."
"Consider them yours." I faithfully respond.
"I hate to break up this happy moment, but we're not out of the woods yet." Diana informs us, breaking from the hug. "We still have to root out this evil that has infested Luna Nova."
"Yeah, you're right, Diana." I follow her lead, also breaking from the hug. "Let's not celebrate prematurely."
"What should we do now?" Lotte ponders. "Should we find Sucy and the rest of the group?"
"How about we find that guy controlling Barbara's body and put him in his place?!" Akko suggests, raising her hand as if in a classroom, a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. "I'm sure we all got a bit stronger from Tedsworld! If we sneak up on him, there's no way he can take on the four of us!"
Although all of these are decent ideas, I see flaws in both of them.
Turning to Akko, I tackle her suggestion first.
"As much as I would love to fight Mendacius, I'm not confident that we'd be able to defeat him. Remember what happened in The Big Caves?"
Breathing through her nose, Akko disappointingly glances away as she twiddles her thumbs.
"Yeah, whatever…"
"And I would love to find Sucy and the rest of our friends, but we have no idea where she, or anyone else, is." I say to Lotte. "We would just be walking around blindly, that's dangerous."
Seeing my point, Lotte meekly nods, albeit with a lack of enthusiasm.
Diana rubs her chin for a few moments, pondering what I'm sure is a brilliant plan in that genius brain of her's.
"Agreed, Theodore, it may be best to survey the situation and then act from there." She comes to the conclusion. "After all, we have been out of commission for several hours. The winds of war move quickly, it's likely things have changed since we've been gone."
"Yeah?" Akko raises a brow, slightly guarded. "And how do we do that?"
I see that Akko still has a slight attitude with Diana, not surprising.
"Well, the first step is to leave this room." I suggest with a smile, beginning to leave.
Nodding in agreement, the others follow suit, the three of us entering the dormitory hallway.
What greets us is a charred out husk of a hallway, burnt out, paint stripped away and replaced with a black coating of burn. Several doors have also been kicked in or otherwise destroyed, with tables, chairs, and other types of furniture spilled across the floor.
Gulping, I feel my throat begin to dry as I remember that this was just a normal dorm hours ago.
"Wow, this looks really different than before!" Akko declares, her voice matching my thoughts.
Nodding at Akko's words, Diana analyzes our surroundings, processing this new information just as she would a textbook.
"A battle must have taken place in this very hallway while we were unconscious. This means that the students and staff were unable to repel them at the main gates. If they've reached this far into the campus, it's likely the entire school is compromised."
Hearing such troubling news, Lotte slumps her shoulders, watery eyes drifting to the floor.
"I hope Sucy is alright…"
Of course she's worried about Sucy. It breaks my heart to see Lotte like this.
I step towards her side, and put a hand on her far shoulder, drawing her closer to me.
"I wouldn't worry about her, Lotte." I inform her with a reassuring smile. "She's tough, and with those powerful poisons of her, I'm sure she's the dangerous one."
Although my act hasn't calmed her nerves completely, I feel the tightness in her frame become more relaxed.
Scoffing at my statement, Akko places her hands on her hips.
"She better have some powerful poisons for all the time I've been her guinea pig!"
While Akko continues to grunt and groan to Lotte about her times as Sucy's test dummy, Diana steps towards my side.
"Just so you're aware, Lotte is the only other girl besides me that you can grab like that."
Although the playful smile she's bearing is genuine, something tells me there's at least a tiny bit of truth in her statement.
Chuckling, I otherwise keep silent, fearful of speaking the wrong thing.
"By the way, Theodore…" Diana begins. "I couldn't help but notice the reek of cigarette smoke in your room. Have you developed a nasty habit?"
It takes me a moment to figure out what she means, myself recalling my conversation with Faralda.
"Oh no, that's not from me. Faralda was in my room earlier." I inform her, consciously leaving out the part where I partook in a cigarette myself.
Hearing such a statement, Diana raises a brow.
"Oh, and what was she doing there?"
I guess the idea of having another girl, even if she is a teacher, alone in my room with me doesn't settle well with Diana.
I find this behavior rather humorous. Despite being the heir to the Cavendish family and the most accomplished student in Luna Nova's history, she's still a teenage girl, and the vice of jealousy can still take hold of her.
"She gave me some advice on the Hannah-Barbara situation, and helped herself to a pack in the meantime."
"And it was that advice that caused you to make up with Hannah?" Diana guesses.
Nodding in confirmation, I glance back towards Lotte to see how she's fairing.
It seems as though the constant rants from Akko have loosened up Lotte considerably, smiling and even giggling a little, as Akko goes into comical detail of Sucy's exploits and abuses over the past school year.
Well played, Akko. You've definitely earned those pickled plums now.
As the four of us continue down the hallway, we are greeted by an enemy that I would've preferred to not've.
We could've encountered a group of ghouls or ghosts, I'm sure with our combined powers it wouldn't be much of a challenge. However, we're not blessed by such.
No, standing before us is a lone Vrykolakas, his eyes meeting our own.
Funny, although I recall my first meeting with him in The Big Caves, he looks much different now. His clothes, although not exactly in pristine condition before, are much more torn up, slash and claw marks decorating his entire frame. Likewise, he clearly has sustained some substantial damage. Even if his entire frame wasn't littered in claw marks, bites, bruises, cuts and scrapes, his slumped shoulders and poor posture are dead give-a-ways of his fatigue. It's as if he was sucked into a washing machine wringer and then spat back out into a tornado.
"I'm surprised to see you alive, Theodore." He addresses me. "I thought for sure Mendacius sealed your fate in The Big Caves. To see you not only still breathing, but moving about, is impressive."
"Well, I have some great friends." I respond.
"And what about you?" Akko points at his disfigured form. "You look like you were caught in a paper shredder."
Growling at her remark, he folds his arms across his chest in a self-soothing manner.
"Not that it's really any of your business, but I had an encounter with some blue haired teacher and an old lady."
He must be talking about Finnalin and Ursula. By the looks of him, those two must've beaten him good.
I can't help but spread a slight smile at this fact, those two must be pretty strong to manage something like that.
"It was all going fine until that blue haired witch suddenly changed her hair color to red." He continues. "After that, things became difficult."
Hearing such a claim, Akko's brows furrow, her mouth stiff as she repeats
"Changed her hair color to red…"
I glance at Akko, just praying that she doesn't put two and two together. Although I'm impartial towards her finding out Shiny Chariot's true identity, I'm sure Ursula doesn't want it to be like this.
Thankfully, whatever mental gymnastics Akko is currently doing come to an end as Vrykolakas continues.
"No matter, I'll warm up with you lot before exacting my revenge." He cracks his neck, turning his attention towards me now. "This time, Theodore, I'll ensure you stay gone."
"Fine." I ready myself, drawing my wand. "Then I'll take you on alone, one on one."
Hearing my offer, the three witches simultaneously erupt in protest.
"That's too dangerous, Theodore!" Lotte informs me.
"Yeah, you'll get yourself killed." Akko adds.
"You needn't face him alone, Theodore." Diana pushes, pulling out her wand as she readies herself. "I insist that I fight with you."
I have to admit, I'm surprised by my bold acceptance of his challenge. In The Big Caves, it didn't take long at all for me to be down for the count, and that was simply from a token spell from Mendacius, not from an actual drawn out duel. But still, I feel a sort of protectiveness for the three witches with me. Even though I fully understand that Diana is far stronger than me, I would still prefer her to not engage in something so dangerous, the same goes for Akko and Lotte. I know that the three of them can hold their own, they all possess a great deal of strength and fortitude, it's something that they all have in common. The issue isn't them, it's me.
"Remember what happened in your mind?" Diana reminds me, breaking me from my internal monologue. "We agreed that we would work together, not apart."
"You're right." I turn to Diana, nodding in agreement. "But he seems much weaker than before. I think I can take him."
That's true as well.
From initial impressions, I can see that whatever Ursula and Finnalin did to him has taken its toll. He doesn't seem as focused as before, whatever head wound he suffered likely being the cause. The numerous cuts, gashes, and bite marks decorating his body probably aren't doing him any favors either.
I notice a burn temperature machine left alone on the floor, likely used by the students and staff to aid them in their battles against Mendacius's army, but now abandoned. As it attaches itself to Vrykolakas' burn temperature, it reads 5000.
Shaking my head, I brush off this new information. Quite a high number indeed, but perhaps still beatable. I just need to focus on him right now, not on some arbitrary number system.
"You three went through all the trouble to free me from my mind." I continue, trying to forget what I just read. "You did all the heavy lifting there. There's no reason why I can't try to repay the favor here and now."
However hesitant she may look, perhaps Diana does see my point, herself responding with
"Alright, Theodore, but please be careful."
With her permission, I step forward, drawing my wand, stretching and readying myself.
Hey, I've just been trapped in my own mind for hours. My muscles could use a good warm up.
Amused at this display, Vrykolakas folds his arms together while smirking.
"You're so confident you can take me on. You might be a magic user, but all by yourself you might as well be a fly."
Although I can already tell there's quite the difference in power between the two of us, somehow I think this fight might go in my favor. He is much weaker than before, I can see that. Besides, I almost died after that attack from Mendacius, and yet recovered. Surely, I must've gained some new strength from that ordeal.
"You'll see soon enough that I'm not a fly!"
Not dwelling on my past studies any further, I begin to channel my magical energy.
I can feel the power rushing through my veins, my energy and stamina sapped as I transfer it towards my wand. Gritting my teeth, sweat starts to form on my forehead as I feel a throbbing pain. Damn, I guess my body isn't used to being pushed to such an extreme. As the magical energy spirals around me, I feel my power growing, swelling up inside of me like a raging storm.
"Oh, surprising." He states, casting a glance towards the reader. "Your burn temperature just shot up to 1,700. That's three times the school average if I'm not mistaken."
Well, if he's surprised by that, then he'll surely be surprised for what's next!
Pointing the business end of my wand at him, I cry out with pride
"Lankabahu Jawana!"
A spear of lightning fires forth, and another, and then another. Soon a flurry of lightning, of all different shapes and sizes, rockets towards him, furiously screeching through the air.
"Let's get down to business, then." He cracks his knuckles, not even batting an eye as they quickly approach.
Balling his meaty hands into fists, he punches each and every one of my attacks in rapid succession. The lightning simply explodes on impact, the electricity running through his arms not fazing him in the slightest.
Once my barrage has been successfully repealed, he cracks his knuckles once again, his hands slightly smoldering from the abuse.
"That stung a little, I won't lie. Now, let's see if you can block my attacks!"
With one twitch of his leg, he launches himself right at me fist first.
Twisting to the side, I'm barely able to dodge out of the way, Vrykolakas landing right beside me, raising his fist for another strike.
"Lankabahu Jawana!" I blindly shout, the tip of my wand mere inches from his stomach.
The lightning spear does not travel far, slamming into his stomach, himself letting out a strained groan as he's pushed backwards. I can't help but smile at this.
"Don't get too excited, landing a blow on me." He warns. "It'll take much more than a few shocks to bring me down."
Invigorated by this new win, I raise my wand towards the sky.
"Oh yeah? Well, take this! Aruniw Jawana!"
A thundercloud quickly manifests itself, bubbling and burning with magical energy. With one swift stroke of my wand, the cloud explodes, raining down a mass of blue and purple lightning, each and every strike crashing to the floor with booming thunder. Vrykolakas disappears in the blinding flash and deafening booms, the storm cloud delivering devastating payload similar to that of a strategic bomber, leaving behind only destroyed flooring and a thick smoke.
Stopping only when I run out of energy, I halt, grabbing my knees as I breath a ragged breath, yet still managing to smile.
Clenching a fist, I take pride in what can only be successful damage.
"How do you feel about that?" I call out into the smoke.
As the smoke slowly clears, I'm greeted by Vrykolakas, unfazed by my display, perhaps his clothing is just a little more tattered than before.
"Hit me harder!" He cries out, rushing towards me with a wicked grin.
Before I even have time to blink, he's already closed the distance, slapping me as easily as one would a fly. Overwhelmed by a sharp sting searing across my face, my thoughts become hazy and unfocused. With a powerful punch to my gut, I'm forced off my feet, before he slams me to the floor with another swift blow.
Stomping his foot squarely on my ribs, I let out a pained cry as I'm rendered immobile, pinned underneath his great weight.
Damn, this isn't good. I need to find a way to get him off of me and fast. One twitch of his leg, and I bet he'd be able to shatter my ribs.
"Ha!" He cries, pleased by this turn of events. "Attacking an opponent roughly three times your strength in a one on one battle, a cunning strategy!"
Despite my terrible situation, I can't help but raise a brow at his choice of words, himself also seemingly confused by his slip up. Maybe his head injury is a little graver than he's letting on.
"Wait, no…not cunning…" He mutters, pondering to himself. "What's the opposite of that?""
"Stupid?!" Akko offers, yelling her answer from afar.
"Yes, that's it. Thank you."
Turning his full attention back to me, he smirks.
I groan as I feel him slowly applying more pressure to my chest.
"Now, in regards of what to do with you-"
His words are cut off as a massive blast of magic slams into his head, the force knocking him off of me.
Twisting my head towards the direction of the attack, I see Diana, her wand still smoking from the blast.
"Get your disgusting feet off of him!" She shouts, gritting her teeth in a wicked growl.
"D-Diana…" I eek out, attempting to catch my breath.
However, her gaze is not on be, but rather who she just struck. With a grunt, Vrykolakas rises from the floor, his attention fully on Diana now.
"Looks like someone just can't wait their turn…"
Without another word, the two of them clash into battle, a flurry of elemental destruction from Diana, meanwhile Vrykolakas blocks and dodges her assault. Although his punches and kicks are swift, the blonde manages to dodge each and every one of them, the two in limbo, grazing each other but unable to deliver any meaningful blows. The very same strikes which brought me down are skillfully deflected and dodged, albeit with some difficulty. Wow, Diana really is amazing…
While my girlfriend fights him alone, Akko and Lotte run up to me, both wands at the ready.
"Arser Ortana!" They both cry out.
Upon their chant, white magic surrounds my body, covering me in a sort of glow. The aura washes over my wounds and bruises, tickling me like a swarm of butterflies. Just as soon as the glow comes, it slowly fades away, leaving behind nothing, my injuries completely healed.
Wow, the power of magic really is something spectacular.
"Thanks…" I grit my teeth, still a little sore as I grab my wand and rise to my shaky feet.
Almost stumbling over myself, I gaze my attention back towards the battle.
Grinding my teeth, I feel my anger rise each time that fiend attempts to hit her. Although she so far has managed to avoid any direct damage, I'm not just going to sit on my hands while she risks her life.
"You two can stay back. I'll help Diana." I tell them, beginning to shift forward. "I wouldn't want either of you to get hurt."
"No more going off on your own, not even if you think you can win alone!" Lotte places a hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks, surprised by the Finn's forwardness.
"Yeah, Lotte's right!" Akko agrees with a beaming smile. "If we fight together, we'll win this!"
With their words echoing in my mind, I turn back to Diana.
She's currently engaged in battle with Vrykolakas. Although Diana so far has avoided injury, she can't seem to land a blow on him either, the both of them parrying, blocking, and dodging their respective attacks.
Even if I just lost moments ago, I can't just stand her and let Diana fight this alone! If she was injured and I didn't do anything to prevent it, I would never forgive myself!
I mentally facepalm myself as I reach an epiphany. Wow, this must've been what Diana was feeling like just moments ago…
"You're both right." I say, turning towards the fight currently taking place. "Now, let's go help Diana."
Nodding in agreement, the three of us enter the fray, the two combatants breaking their exchange as they notice us.
"Theodore?" Diana raises her eyes, surprised to see me back in fighting shape. "Akko? Lotte?"
"That's right." Akko grins, giving Diana a thumbs up as she's ready for battle. "Your arch rival is now your ally!"
"No reason why you need to shoulder it all alone, Diana." Lotte speaks in a slightly shaking voice, not exactly being a fighter. "We'll help you."
"I'm here for you, just like how you're always there for me." I conclude. "All three of us are."
Although I'm putting myself in the line of fire once again, I can't help but smile, knowing that I'm doing this for Diana and the others.
Staring at the three of us, Vrykolakas grunts to himself, folding his arms.
"There is one spell which might be able to defeat him." Diana ponders, her face grimacing somewhat. "It's a secret spell, known only to The House of Cavendish. I have yet to use it, it's reserved only for dire situations."
This statement causes Akko to snort, furrowing her brow.
"Yeah? Well, I'd say this is a dire situation."
"I never thought I'd say this, but you're right, Akko." Diana admits. "The only issue is that I can't just cast it like any ordinary spell. It requires me to charge the proper amount of energy."
Hearing this, Akko lets out an annoyed groan, her mouth wide open.
"So, you're telling us that the three of us have to distract him while you charge up your attack?"
While Akko stares dumbfoundead at Diana, Lotte and I exchange a nod in solidarity, understanding what needs to be done.
"We won't disappoint you, Diana."
Despite Akko's previous whines, she joins us, the three of us squaring off against Vrykolakas, wands pointed and at the ready.
I can't think of Akko, or even Lotte, as defenseless people who need saving. They've each shown me just how strong they can be. The four of us are going to fight as one, and we shall succeed.
It's just like Akko said. If we fight together, we'll win this!
Diana powers up behind us, Akko, Lotte, and I acting as a sort of wall, an obstacle to our opponent.
"Do you really think you three children can hope to defeat me?" Vrykolakas questions, not having heard of our plan. "From the reading on those burn temperature machines, the two girls have a reading of not even above one thousand; and if I recall correctly, I just defeated you, Theodore."
"Yeah, whatever!" Akko yells on my behalf. "Keep talking big while you can!"
"You defeated me alone, but now there's three of us." I correct him.
Lotte just stands there, eyes fixed to him. Although she's doing her best to hide her fears, the trembling in her eyes is a dead giveaway.
"Fine, if you insist." He shrugs.
Unfolding his arms, he tenses his muscles, takes a stance, and launches himself at the two girls.
"No matter how much trash there is, it's still trash!" He roars as both of them dodge out of the way.
"Time to unleash your full power, Lotte!" Akko calls out to her. "Don't hold back!"
"R-Right!" Lotte replies, doing her absolute best to appear not frightened.
While Lotte is having trouble reaching a reading higher than 500, Akko has broken well beyond that milestone.
"Her burn temperature is rising." He notes, slightly surprised. "I'm getting a reading of 1400."
Damn, I always thought that Akko had some sort of potential to her, but I didn't realize it was this great! Her burn temperature is almost as large as mine!
Perhaps sensing the combined power of all three of us, Vrykolakas growls fiercely. Gritting his teeth, his hardened expression softens as his attention eventually turns towards Diana.
"What?! This school is just full of surprises!" He cries, wide eyes glancing to the machine "A burn temperature of 4,500?! Impossible for a kid! And…it's…it's still going up?!"
His trembling body quickly stiffens, his fearful expression growing hard once again. Releasing a monstrous roar, he sprints towards Diana with all his speed, fists balled and fangs bearing.
Summoning another spear of lightning, I cast it at him, crying out
"Focus on us!"
Swiftly turning around, he raises his hands, completely blocking and nullifying the attack with minimal effort.
With this brief distraction, I close the distance, the two of us locked in another exchange of blows.
This time, it's slightly more even, myself actually managing to dodge, parry, or outright block most of his attacks.
"You might have gotten a little stronger since we fought, but do you honestly think you have the power to defeat the mighty Vrykolakas?!"
"I don't need to be the one to beat you!" I respond with a grin, continuing my assault. "I'm just here to distract you!"
Jumping away from him, I increase the distance between us, and with an empowering shout, I cast another spell.
"Aru Jawana!"
As if coming from a fire hose, lightning floods out of the tip of my wand, streaming this way and that wildly.
Shielding himself with his arms, the waves of blue crash into him, each and every blow pushing him back as it tears up the floor. The sleeves of his clothing continue to rip and tear, his exposed flesh burning upon direct contact.
Gritting his teeth, Vrykolakas regains his defense, his attention focused on me as he continues to painfully block my attacks, slowly stepping closer and closer to me.
Suddenly, his gaze twists towards Diana, his expression fightful.
"5,500?!" He cries out, reading the number from the machine. "No! If that hits, I'm finished!"
Not wasting another moment, Diana's wand is pointed at Vrykolakas, tipped with green magical energy.
Raising it towards the roof, the green energy disappears, spreading itself in the air like a sort of mist.
"Come, my indestructible guardians! In the name of Cavendish! Brandish your swords and strike down those of evil heart!"
Upon her command, a swarm of golden swords are conjured in the sky, shining bright with electrifying sparks, making them look almost like stars in the night sky.
"Fineltina la Serana!"
With one swift stroke of her wand, the swords descend down, smashing directly into their target. The entire room erupts into a volley of explosions as each sword makes contact, shattering the very ground they strike, blanketing the blast zone with dust, smoke, and flying debris. Against the roar of the blast, nothing else can be heard.
As the final sword strikes true, and the smoke clears, all that is revealed is Vrykolakas, lying face down on the floor, body covered with massive wounds, burns, cuts, and all other forms of abuse.
"Ugh, lame!" Akko groans loudly. "Lotte and I charged up and we didn't even do anything!"
I turn to Diana, Lotte, and Akko, ensuring that the three of them are alright. Besides minor cuts and bruises, and a few layers of sweat and stress, it looks as though we all came out of this relatively unscathed. The same can't be said of Vrykolakas.
"H-How could this happen?" He grunts in sheer bewilderment, voice weak and low. "There's no way I could lose to children, it's impossible…"
With him no longer a threat to anyone, I walk up beside him, responding with
"Well, you just did."
"Theodore, I wouldn't poke the wounded bear." Diana warns me, coming to my side with the other two soon following. "He may still be dangerous."
Looking down at him, I see that he barely has the strength to speak, let alone fight. We have nothing to fear from him now.
"Don't get too proud of yourself. You may have won this little battle, but the war is already in our favor." His strained face suddenly twists with a slight smile. "Everything that has happened between us has been nothing more than a distraction."
"What?" Diana questions, momentarily surprised before her face hardens once more. "Explain yourself, fiend."
"Yeah!" Akko cries out in agreement. "Just what are you talking about?!"
"Hehehe…" He chuckles, his tone ragged and waning. "Jiang-Shi, myself, all those ghouls, we were meant to keep all you busy while my master enacts his plan. As we speak, he has been working his way through the school, all the way t-to the top of the tower. Once he shatters The Sorcerer's Stone, you puny mortals won't be able to cast magic anymore."
Gulping at this news, I woefully imagine our situation without The Sorcerer's Stone.
It's just as he said. The vast majority of us, students and staff alike, would be unable to cast spells. I'm quite sure that Akko and Lotte are not proficient enough in Magicus Synthesis to be able to generate their own energy, and I know for sure that I'm not. That's only something very powerful people like Faralda or Diana could do.
"Well, thankfully I do not require The Sorcerer's Stone for such a thing." Diana scowls at him, arms folded. "I am perfectly capable of producing my own magic internally, as are several others on campus."
Not at all fazed by this information, he lets out a pained chuckle.
"You won't be acting so cocky when you're the only one left to face him. Tell me, girl. How does it feel knowing that he's possessing the body of one you hold so dear?"
Diana's hard expression falters, the thought of casting lethal spells on Barbara too much for her to bear.
I don't blame her. After all, if Mendacius had taken over the body of Diana, I wouldn't have the heart to fight. I can only imagine what she must be going through.
"He'll wipe you out…" He states, his eyes shifted to each of my friends as he speaks. "You, and every miserable creature you hold dear. You won't stand a chance, you're as good as dead already…"
Gritting my teeth, I clench my fists, not taking well to this threat thrown their way. How dare he threaten them?!
"And once his absolute power is restored, he'll revive me." His slight smile has now expanded into a full smug. "How satisfying is this little victory now?"
My eyes stare daggers as I dig my nails into the palms of my hands in an effort to keep myself composed.
As if sensing my inner rage, he turns his attention to me, a wide smile exposing his bloodied mouth.
"We've noticed you're quite fond of that blonde girl, the powerful witch. He'll make her suffer as you watch..."
That's it!
My trembling anger explodes into raw emotion, and with one sharp exhale, a thunderous bolt flies from my wand.
Without the ability to defend, nor any energy or strength left, the blow reigns down unimpeded, crashing into him with ferocity, electricity running through his entire body, blue and purple sparks causing his body to seize up before eventually becoming still, unmoving.
Clenching a fist, I say
"Sorry, but nobody threatens my friends and gets away with it."
While Akko glares angrily at our fallen foe, Lotte gawks at me with wide eyes, shocked, and maybe even a bit frightened, by my course of action.
Despite what I said earlier about us working together, it's times like this that I wish Lotte wasn't here. I don't want to damage her innocence.
"So, all of this was merely a distraction then?" Diana scoffs, almost offended by what she must perceive as herself being fooled. "Everything that we went through, bringing back Theodore, defeating Vrykolakas in combat; it was all a part of his plan. To occupy our time while he advances towards The Sorcerer's Stone."
She's absolutely right.
He used the love that Diana and I share for each other. It's likely that he knew I would protect Diana from that spell. He made it painful, but not lethal. By trapping me in my own mind, he distracted one of Luna Nova's finest, meanwhile his two underlings and their army of ghouls kept everyone else busy while he pursued his ultimate goal.
But still, Mendacius hasn't destroyed The Sorcerer's Stone yet or else we wouldn't have been able to fight Vrykolakas. That much is obvious.
As if sensing the sudden change in mood, Akko throws her arms out.
"Hey, what are we all moping about for?! Nothing has changed! Look, we just defeated a really, really strong guy, and now there's another really, really strong guy trying to mess with The Sorcerer's Stone! Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm not just going to stand here while some weirdo tries to destroy Luna Nova! This is my home, and they're not welcome here! The four of us are a team, and we can conquer any challenge we're in!"
Although I've long considered myself a friend of Akko, it's unusual to hear her speak in such a way towards Diana. Funny, it's hard to think that Akko once declared Diana her hated rival, trading blows with her whenever possible. Now here she is, speaking of Diana as if she were a part of her very dorm room team. Isn't it strange, what life or death situations can do to people?
"Well then…" Diana smiles, the first to reply, pleased by Akko's speech. "We best get moving. To the Tower, then?"
Author's Note: Did you know that the Diakko extremists demonize every chapter I make, because they're haters? It's crazy, I know. But do you know how you can support the story? By following and favoriting and leaving a comment. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next and final chapter.