Warning: there are some gore descriptions near the end of the chapter. You can just don't read about what Wolf saw in the caverns if you don't like it.
He managed to catch his balance and hugged Wolfram tighter, relieved he was okay. He breathed deeply, wanting to get the most out of the moment, burying his face in his soft blond hair. Even on the road, he was still able to keep it in perfect condition.
They jumped away from each other when Gwendal coughed quietly. Yuuri only now noticed him, as well as the rest of the soldiers in the courtyard, who were busily trying to look away, and his cheeks started burning.
Wanting to quickly change the subject, he remembered Wolfram's sword, which was now lying on the ground beside him. It must have fallen out of his hand when he fell into his boyfriend's arms. He picked it up and handed it to its owner, who smiled gratefully at him.
"Are you all right?" asked Wolfram, looking at him closely.
"All I bumped into were these strange dolls," he replied, deciding to not mention the encounter with that man. He didn't know who it was, but it looked like his other self had the situation under control. "What are you doing with Gwendal? Did you manage to get out?"
"Conrad and I escaped through a secret passage into the forest. There we met up with my brother's men."
"A-Ah. I see." He put his hand on the back of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"It seems that your intervention was unnecessary," Gwendal said.
As usual, he couldn't tell from the expression on his face what he was thinking now. Was he angry at him? Or maybe just disappointed?
"I'm sorry. I was just... scared that something happened to Wolfram."
Gwendal opened his mouth but paused and ultimately said nothing. He sighed and shook his head, then turned to one of the soldiers, saying they had to search the residence. Yuuri no longer saw the dolls from earlier anywhere and wondered where they had disappeared.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Wolfram approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. It was a gentle gesture, but somehow it made him feel better.
Yuuri nodded his head.
"How about you?"
"I'm fine. Only Conrad..." He paused for a moment, and his eyes darkened. "Well, the healer said it doesn't look that serious anymore, so he'll be fine."
"I see." He looked at Wolfram's face for a moment. There was worry on it, but also something more. He felt like asking if anything else had happened.
"Can someone explain to me the reason for this sudden intrusion into my property?" A voice suddenly resounded from the other end of the courtyard.
There stood a man who reminded him slightly of Adelhard, with the same icy eyes as when they first met. He looked older, though not like a grandfather. Yuuri would have given him about forty years. On the other hand, he couldn't recall ever seeing a mazoku who looked really old. He wondered if Wolfram's great-grandfather was still alive and what he looked like.
Behind Burenward walked another familiar-looking man. The one he had met earlier in the hallway. The expression of superiority on his face was able to irritate even him.
Wolfram's hand tightened on his shoulder, and he took a step forward, shielding Yuuri.
"Lord von Bielefeld Burenward!" Exclaimed Gwendal, pulling his sword from its scabbard. "You are under arrest on charges of mass murder of Shin Makoku citizens. Surrender voluntarily, and we will not use force."
"Shin Makoku citizens?" The older man replied mockingly. "Do you hear yourself, Lord Voltaire? They were mere garbage littering our country. You should be grateful to me for getting rid of them."
"That's enough." Yuuri interrupted him, straightening up and stepping out from behind Wolfram. He tried to imitate Gwendal's tone of voice. "I will not allow you to speak that way about my citizens."
"And who is this kid? Didn't anyone teach you, boy, to stay out of adults' conversation?" He looked at him with a sneer, and the man behind him chuckled.
"You are addressing His Majesty. Watch your words." Gwendal admonished him coldly.
"His Highness?" Burenward looked at him more carefully and laughed again. "You really let someone like that sit on the throne? No wonder this country is swarming with worms. Even this land, the noble homeland of my lineage, has been stained with this foul blood! But this will soon be over. I will personally see to that!"
"That's enough!" Gwendal moved toward him, but Burenward reached forward, and the ground beneath their feet trembled.
The trembling quickly calmed down, but Yuuri seemed to still sense something strange beneath the earth. Something was moving there as if a giant snake was crawling underground.
"Do you think you can stop us with these cheap tricks?" Gwendal and the rest of the soldiers surrounded the eldest Bielefeld, aiming the tips of their swords at his throat. "Surrender!"
The hand on his shoulder tightened again. He looked at Wolfram, who was watching the other man across from them, grinding his teeth. The stranger stood still with a look of satisfaction on his face.
The feeling that something was shifting beneath his feet grew stronger.
"It's heading south," Wolfram whispered in horror, slowly lowering his gaze down and then to the right as if following something.
"What?" Yuuri didn't understand what that meant.
"The city."
He turned pale when it suddenly came to him. That strange thing was heading in that direction, and something in his gut was telling him that it wasn't of any good. Do they want to take the residents hostage? Or maybe just destroy it? One of these men controlled whatever was underground, so he should expect the worst.
"Gwendal!" Yuuri called out. "Take the soldiers and head to the city immediately!"
Gwendal looked at him. He didn't respond, only furrowed his brow.
"Wolfram and I will take care of these two! You go protect the citizens!"
Laughter resounded, and Yuuri looked at the man standing ahead of him.
"Do you really think two kids will be able to beat me?"
"I already turned you into a pile of ash once." Wolfram raised his hand, summoning a fireball. "I can easily do it again."
The stranger stared at his beloved with rage. However, it seemed to be a cover for something else. After spending so much time with Wolfram, Yuuri thought of himself as quite talented at recognizing the feelings hidden underneath the anger. What he saw was passion. A sick and disgusting passion that made his stomach clench.
"Leave it to us, Gwendal. You guys go."
Gwendal appraised them both with a hard stare, then backed away, sheathing his sword.
"If His Majesty commands it."
Burenward snorted at his words.
The rest of the soldiers also retreated and left the courtyard hastily. Now only the four of them remained there.
"I had higher expectations of you." Burenward turned to Wolfram. "However, it seems that you are as rotten as your father."
A fireball flew toward the older man, but it hit an earthen wall that suddenly grew in front of him.
"The only rotten person here is you," Wolfram barked through clenched teeth. He sent another fireball, this time smaller and of a dark red color, which flew at a much higher speed toward the wall. Which shattered under the impact.
Burenward clicked his tongue and raised another wall in front of him.
"Coward." Wolfram snorted.
Yuuri watched it all with awe. He rarely had the opportunity to watch Wolfram using his maryoku, but it was an amazing sight every time.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something heading in his direction and quickly jumped aside. But he failed to dodge it completely, and something slashed his arm.
"Yuuri!" Wolfram looked at him in terror.
" I am fine. It's nothing." He pressed his hand to his arm where was a cut.
He looked toward the man in front of him, who was smiling mockingly. Yuuri had no intention of being a burden. He may not have been as good as Wolfram, but he could also fight.
You have to destroy his core, something spoke up in his mind. It surprised him - the other one rarely spoke to him. This thing is just an extension. Like a hand. You can cut it off, but it won't kill him. You have to aim for the heart.
But I doubt his hand would let me do that.
They had to get that thing out of the way. Judging by Wolfram's statement, it wasn't human. It's possible that it was just a better version of those dolls from earlier. So he didn't have to worry about killing someone.
He breathed deeply, trying to concentrate. He'll leave his grandfather to Wolfram and focus on that thing himself.
Conrad told him what happened at that man's residence. The boy had received several wounds but had already gotten better. It seemed that Wolfram had taken care of the most serious wounds, and the healer only had to dress them. Adelhard was impressed by how this child's power had increased in recent times.
However, he didn't like the words of the man who kidnapped Wolfram. He was surprised that he was so eager to say anything, but on the other hand, it didn't tell them much anyway. What did it mean that he was an igniter? What did they want to use him for?
The woman who gave him that bracelet mentioned that Wolfram would be in danger in the nearest future and that he should keep an eye on him. But she also used sparse words and left him not really knowing anything. The only thing that made him do as she said was his deep faith in the elemental church, with which she seemed to have a lot of connections.
He noticed Conrad mount his horse, apparently intending to join his brothers. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let him ride in such a state, but he knew the boy was too stubborn to let himself be stopped. All three of them had inherited this from their mother, unfortunately.
The horse didn't have time to move when from between the trees, they spotted Gwendal's army heading back.
Adelhard mounted his steed and moved toward the commander, scanning the soldiers around him. He furrowed his brows when he was unable to see his son.
"Where's Wolfram?" he asked when he caught up with Gwendal. The procession headed further south.
"He stayed at the mansion to finish things with Burenward. It looks like something is threatening the city, so His Majesty sent us there."
They exchanged glances with Conrad, who was riding on the other side of his brother. They had felt a slight tremor a moment earlier, but Gwendal and Burenward are mazoku of earth, so they just figured it was their's doing. Now, however, he wondered if it might have something to do with what was threatening the city, whatever it was.
Gwendal hurried the army when everyone had already joined him and set off through the forest. They circled their camp and soon reached the city.
It seemed that the tremors here were much stronger. Quite a few buildings had collapsed, and people were running around in panic.
"Conrad! Take your soldiers and evacuate the residents." Gwendal ordered, stopping at the main square to assess the state of the situation.
"Only a maryoku is capable of harming these creatures," Adelhard recalled what he had already said during the meeting.
Conrad didn't look entirely pleased, but he didn't speak up and moved along with the other soldiers who had human blood in them.
It's better to keep humans out of this, for their own good.
For now, they saw no other threats. Most soldiers got busy clearing the rubble and searching for survivors. Hospital tents were quickly set up, and the wounded were escorted to them. Patrols were sent to look out for signs of anything suspicious. Everyone was nervous, not knowing what to expect.
Alarming screams reached them from a square not far away, and Gwendal immediately moved there, Adelhard right behind him.
It was a square with a shrine of elements in the middle. The soldiers decided to use it as a place to lie the bodies of the dead. It was a place where funerals were held, so Adelhard found it fitting. What surprised him, however, was how many bodies were lying on the ground. Far too many, in his own opinion. The collapsed buildings were mostly residential homes. Shouldn't most of the residents be outside during a warm summer day?
Between the corpses were wriggling thin red tentacles that were a cause for concern for the soldiers. They clung to the bodies like leeches, sucking blood from them. Cutting them off with a sword did little, as new ones immediately sprouted from beneath the ground.
Adelhard dismounted from his horse and sent a water blade toward a cluster of several of them. Once cut, the tentacles withered like dead plants, and no new ones appeared in their place.
Upon seeing his attempt, Gwendal gave the order to use only maryoku. The tentacles soon disappeared, but Adelhard was still concerned. These things seemed to deprive bodies of blood. But for what purpose? Most of these people were mazoku, so their blood should be useless to this thing.
One of the bodies not far from him began to tremble, and after a moment, its limbs began to move. The corpse rose slowly and clumsily from the ground. As it stood up, a pair of dark blue eyes looked straight at him. The dead man's face contorted unnaturally, revealing teeth like a wild animal.
"It wasn't sucking the blood out of them," muttered Adelhard to himself as the remaining bodies began to tremble and rise. Something seemed to be crawling under their skin. "It wanted to get rid of maryoku that stood in its way."
"Get a grip! These creatures are no different from the Wincott poison's victims! Close ranks and get rid of them before they get out of here!" Gwendal tried to control the panicked soldiers.
"I'm afraid this poison hasn't been used for a very long time, and people have become unaccustomed to it." Adelhard went over to him, sending water blades at the creatures approaching them. Their legs were cut off, and they fell to the ground motionless.
"It's also been a long time since any city was directly attacked, but we have to manage somehow."
More screams came from within the city, and Adelhard looked in their direction. The sword swung right past him, and the corpse charging at him was pushed back. The ground crushed it as it fell.
"They are faster than you might think." Gwendal swung his blade, getting rid of remaining blood. "They are our citizens, so it pains me to do this. But there is no other choice. If we don't get rid of them quickly, we'll have even more corpses perfect for turning into these monsters."
"I hope Conrad manages to get at least some of the residents out to safety."
A mass of soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms emerged from between the still whole buildings. But the stiffness of their movements and grotesque facial features were very familiar to them. The army of puppets marched toward their soldiers, also with a speed no one would have suspected.
Gwendal cursed under his breath, and Adlehard smiled. It did not reflect well on the situation if he was indulging in such behavior.
One can only hope that His Majesty and Wolfram will find some way to deal with this in that man's residence.
The ground trembled slightly, and this time, a crack appeared, cutting the courtyard in half. The earth wobbling beneath his feet and the ground rising on his left forced him to jump to the right. The gap widened for a few steps, completely separating him from Yuuri.
Wolfram looked at him concerned, but it looked like the king didn't pay much attention to it, the same as the cut on his shoulder. When the man facing him fired another projectile, Yuuri easily dodged this time. He pulled Morgif from its scabbard but kept it low, staying in place and not even trying to get close to his opponent. He raised his other hand, and a fist-sized water sphere appeared above it and flew toward the man.
The target jumped away and stretched his hand forward, preparing his projectile. However, he had to quickly move to avoid another water sphere.
Wolfram felt a slight tingling beneath the ground and instinctively stepped back, avoiding being impaled on a rocky thorn, almost the same height as he, that had grown where he had just stood.
He retreated all the way back to the cloister, hiding behind one of the wide columns. Burneward had far too great an advantage in the courtyard, and here he would at least have to break through the marble floor first, losing his maryoku.
He prepared two fireballs and sent them toward Burneward one after another. He didn't even look at him, watching Yuuri instead. The king was faster at creating projectiles, which gave him the advantage for now. But his opponent tried to reduce the distance between them.
A cry of pain told him that he had managed to break through the wall that Burneward had covered himself with and hit him before he could raise another one.
He ducked quickly behind the second column when the ground trembled, smiling with satisfaction as he saw his grandfather holding his burned hand. The man was furious. Good.
Wolfram ran further along the sheltered passage, sneaking behind the columns, wanting to get as close to his opponent as possible.
When he reached the corner of the courtyard, a diagonal wall growing from the ground right next to the passage flew between the columns, blocking his path.
He took a step back. But he had no intention of returning to the ground his opponent could easily control.
A suitably powerful fireball could destroy such a wall with the force of the impact alone, but the one here was too close for something like that. But he had another method for which he could use a recently learned technique.
Wolfram put his hand on the stone wall and sent the maryoku into it, scattering it over the entire volume. Next, he heated it up until it was burning his hand, and then, acting in reverse, he began to rapidly lower its temperature.
This was enough for the wall to crumble. He rushed forward, wanting to cover as much distance as possible before Burenward had time to react.
His grandfather stood in the same spot the whole time, apparently not learning any lesson from what happened earlier. Wolfram sent several weak fireballs in his direction to distract him. At the same time, he began to release maryoku without setting it on fire or forming it yet.
He glanced in Yuuri's direction. Unfortunately, he was already forced to use Morgif to shield himself from the man's attacks. He didn't handle his speed as well as Conrad, but he still reinforced himself with water projectiles and, by some miracle, didn't take any damage.
The marble slab in front of him lifted slightly, and he stumbled over its edge. He fell to the ground, rolled quickly, and pulled himself up, escaping more spikes growing from between the cracks.
He was already getting closer, so he sent several more fireballs, scattering them to force Burenward to create more walls to protect himself from them. Then, just when his grandfather did just as he wanted, Wolfram finally reached his destination.
He stopped in the gap between the columns, his opponent standing only a few steps away. The older man crumbled the previously built walls and glared at him, a mixture of anger and mockery on his face.
Wolfram had already released almost all the maryoku he possessed. He extended his hand forward, forming it. Burenward will probably be expecting another fireball.
He ignited the maryoku second before he sent it forward. A fire lion, with the height of three men, rushed straight at Burenward, roaring and leaving a path of fire behind him.
The old man opened his eyes wide in shock. He tried to lift the stone shield, but due to the short distance between them, he didn't have enough time to strengthen it. The lion broke through the wall like a piece of paper, then collided with the man, knocking him to the ground.
It had not yet disappeared after executing its attack. Wolfram was about to use it to knock down the other man. However, it looked like there was no need – he was already lying on the ground motionless.
Yuuri stood at the edge of the crack, still with Morgif in his hand, and looked at the fire lion in awe.
Wolfram approached his creation. When he was close enough to control it again, he made the lion sit down. Unfortunately, he couldn't absorb the maryoku he had used on him, so making him do a few tricks was all that was left.
Yuuri laughed when the lion lay down and rolled like a dog, then disappeared.
"Did you manage to beat it?" Wolfram asked, surprised but proud at the same time.
"Yeah. It seems to be quite sensitive to maryoku."
"You can use it yourself."
"I finally learned." Yuuri laughed nervously. "I'm still a long way away from your level. What about him?" He pointed with his head to Burenward.
Wolfram approached the man lying on the ground. He still breathed but was unconscious.
"It seems that the impact of the hit knocked him unconscious."
"I see." Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief.
Wolfram didn't have the slightest intention of killing him. He probably broke a lot of his bones, but the most important thing was for him to survive. They would arrest him, and Gwendal would make sure to humiliate him as much as possible. He will probably lock him up in some filthy prison, with most inmates being humans. With his crimes, even noble blood will not lessen his punishment.
"I'd suggest looking for some rope and tying him up before he wakes up, but we have to deal with this monster first before he destroys the city."
"Any ideas?" Wolfram glanced to his right. He could get around the gap separating them through the cloister.
He took a step in that direction, and Yuuri made a sound of realization. Wolfram felt something wrap around his waist, lifting him up and carrying him over the gap. He landed right next to Yuuri - the water rope wrapped around his waist was coming from his hand. Yuuri smiled, and the rope disappeared.
"Don't do that again," Wolfram said with horror.
"I just wanted to help you cross that hole," Yuuri replied innocently.
"I could easily go around it," he grunted and moved toward the residence's entrance.
"You're still traumatized by that one - "
"Shut up."
Yuuri laughed and grabbed his hand, previously putting Morgif in his scabbard.
"We have to find and destroy the core of this thing. I hope it's here somewhere."
"The only place suitable for hiding something I can think of is that underground where Conrad and I were kept. I don't recall there being anything like this here before."
"Great. So if you know where it is, then lead the way."
Upon entering the building, Wolfram furrowed his brow as he looked around, trying to remember the building layout. After turning left, they should come to the hallway where they met that man. From there, they would be able to quickly reach the stairs leading down.
"Do you think the city is okay?" Yuuri asked as they walked down the corridor. He continued to hold his hand, squeezing it a tad too tightly.
"Brother and his army are there. They will take care of everything, so you have nothing to worry about."
"I hope so." He fell silent for a moment. "Do you have any idea what it could be? That thing moving underground?"
"I don't know. But it doesn't matter. We just have to destroy it, right?" He smiled slightly, trying to lift his spirits a little.
Yuuri said no more. He continued to be nervous, although he tried not to show it. His hand was sweating and still squizzing him. Thankfully, he was mazoku, so it didn't hurt.
Finally, they stopped in front of the stairs, and Wolfram nudged him with his forehead before they descended.
"Are you okay?" He asked, smiling when Yuuri flinched slightly and his cheeks reddened.
"I'm just worried." He replied quietly, looking away.
"Just trust Gwendal and his men."
Yuuri took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'll do my best."
Wolfram summoned a small fireball to light up the stone-carved staircase. But even that little bit made him feel weaker, and he wobbled slightly. He exaggerated during that fight in the courtyard. He wanted to ensure he finished it quickly with a single blow, but because of that, he couldn't use maryoku anymore. This could end up being deadly for him.
"Are you okay?" Now it was Yuuri who asked with worry, placing a hand on his shoulder to stabilize him.
"I'm just getting tired." He smiled weakly and straightened. "Let's go."
They walked down the stairs to the corridor that looked more like a tunnel made in stone. Did Burenward use his maryoku to make it? The walls were smooth and shining in the light from his fireball.
They passed the still-open door to the cell, and after going into a gentle curve, a faint light appeared in the distance, and a metallic smell began to linger in the air.
Wolfram wrinkled his nose and looked at Yuuri, but he didn't look like he had guessed what the smell was. He had a bad feeling about what they would find going forward and wondered if taking the young king further was a good idea.
"Wait here, and I'll go see what's there."
Yuuri squeezed his hand tighter and didn't want to let him go when Wolfram tried to leave.
"I'll only look inside, and I'll be right back. I promise," he said softly, wanting to reassure him somehow.
"Don't disappear from my sight."
He nodded, and Yuuri let him go. He left the fireball with him and moved forward.
The smell of blood only intensified as he walked closer and closer to what looked like the entrance to a larger cavern, finally being too much to handle, forcing him to cover his nose. Arriving at the end of the tunnel, he stopped and looked inside. The cave had a similar size to the ballroom in the castle, with smooth walls like the rest of the tunnel, which reflected the light of lamps arranged around the ritual site in the center of the room.
Five huge stone bowls. The source of the disturbing smell. In each of them were human body parts in such large numbers that they could not be counted, and all were grouped into their respective bowls. Separately heads, limbs, and torso. In the fourth bowl were probably some internal organs. The fifth, middle bowl, was filled with blood. Wolfram didn't even want to think about what was supposed to be the equivalent of what.
Even he was getting sick at the sight. So there was no way he was going to let Yuuri see it.
However, he could further see the passage to the next chamber. There were quiet, fleshy sounds coming from it, resembling munching, and Wolfram had the impression that something was moving there. If he went to check it out on his own, Yuuri would immediately run after him.
So he turned around and summoned him with his hand. As the young king walked toward him, he tried to position himself to block his view, and when he stopped in front of him, he covered his eyes with his hand.
"Wolf?"
"Just follow me. I think there's something in the room right behind this one. And don't look, understood?"
"What's there?"
"You don't want to know." With his other hand, he grabbed him by the forearm and started pulling him along. Yuuri walked slowly. Luckily the floor was also smooth, so he didn't trip.
"It's blood, isn't it?"
Wolfram felt under his hand as he pulled his eyebrows together and blinked.
"Ignore it. There's nothing you can do about it anyway."
Yuuri's jaw trembled, and he tightened it. He had become much stronger since they first met. The old Yuuri would immediately start to panic or maybe even cry. And now he had managed to defeat a strange creature with supernatural speed.
They circled the cave. Wolfram tried to walk as far away from the bowls as possible. When they reached the next passage, he refrained from taking his hand for a moment, fearing Yuuri would turn around as soon as he let him go.
"Are we there?"
"Yes," Wolfram replied quietly, still not moving. He himself was standing with his back to the other room, so he didn't know what was in it. However, the sounds intensified, and he had a hunch that it was another disgusting thing.
Yuuri grabbed his hand and pulled it off his face himself. He did not turn away - his gaze was fixed on something over Wolfram's shoulder.
He slowly turned his head. This room was similar in size to the previous one. Or at least Wolfram assumed so by its width. Most of the space was filled with a tangle of thin, red tentacles wriggling like a cluster of snakes. They pierced the walls, floor, and ceiling like macabre roots. In some places, blood dripped from them in thick drops, forming a reddish puddle that looked like spilled wine. Sunk in the tentacles was a human-sized eye with a dark blue iris.
The tentacles moved restlessly when Yuuri raised his hand.
"I hope it's as sensitive to maryoku." He summoned the water sphere and enlarged it until it was the size of his head.
But before he fired it, several tentacles rushed toward his hand, wrapping around it and trying to pull him toward the red mass.
Wolfram cut through them with his sword, freeing him. However, the tentacles did not retreat, continuing to wriggle in the air in front of him. He was already running out of maryoku, so it was the only thing he could do.
"Yuuri?" Wolfram asked uncertainly as Yuuri stood motionless, staring at the red mark on his hand. He grabbed it to see if it was serious, but it appeared to be blood marks coming from that thing.
"I'm fine." He took his hand from him and shifted his gaze to the watery sphere still floating in the same place. It's still not shot, and Wolfram wondered what he was waiting for.
Yuuri raised his other hand, but nothing happened. He fidgeted and looked at him with concern.
"I guess I can't use maryoku."
"What?" Wolfram's eyes opened wide. "How?"
"I felt as if something strange got into my hand. I can't even move this ball."
He grabbed his hand again, running his fingers over the skin, but felt nothing underneath them. He let go and tightened his grip on the sword's hilt.
"Alright. I'll take care of it."
"You can't!" Yuuri grabbed his arm, but Wolfram broke free and took a step away.
" We have no other choice anyway. We have to get rid of it before it destroys the city."
"But your maryoku!"
"I still have some left." He smiled weakly and drew his sword in front of him. If he covers it with fire, he might be able to end it all in one swing.
"Wolf, wait! You can't! I know that – "
Yuuri's voice broke off abruptly, and Wolfram looked in his direction. The tentacles wrapped around him again. This time in greater numbers, they successfully drew him toward the monster. The tangles spread out, making room for him.
"Yuuri!" He quickly cut a few tentacles, but it didn't help much. In a moment, even more shot toward him.
Nothing he could do with his sword alone. He had to use –
Someone's hands grabbed his shoulders, pulling him firmly back. He hit somebody, and a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, squeezing tightly and preventing him from pulling out.
He watched in horror as Yuuri was pulled into the tangle of tentacles. They entwined his entire body and half of his face, leaving only his eyes. He had to do something. At least a fireball. A sufficiently strong one should free him.
"Really. Do you honestly want to just kill yourself like that, not knowing if it will even work?" asked a familiar voice with feigned paternal concern.
He shrugged, but the strong hands did not budge. How many copies of this body did he have? How many more did they have to destroy?
"I have a much better plan to propose. How about an exchange?"
"What do you want?" he howled, hanging onto the man's shoulders and digging his nails into them. He kicked him in the tibia with his heel, but the man didn't react.
"How fierce." His hands tightened on him, almost embracing him.
Wolfram froze. The man's mouth appeared right next to his ear, his lips nearly touching it.
"I will free your king if you give yourself to me," he whispered.
Wolfram did not respond. He didn't know what to answer. The option of using up all the maryoku seemed much more inviting to him. He preferred to die rather than be around this thing even a moment longer. But it was right about the fact that he wasn't sure it would help. And then there would be no one left to protect Yuuri.
"Will you let him go?" he asked quietly.
"I swear by my god."
He had no idea what kind of gods such monsters had.
Wolfram tightened his grip on the man's arms and raised his head, looking apologetically at Yuuri.
"Alright," he whispered.
The man squeezed him tighter, laughing and rubbing his head against him. Wolfram clenched his teeth, trying to fight off disgust. He had no intention of staying with him for long. Once Yuuri was safe, he would use up the rest of the maryoku to burn this monster.
The man turned him around, making Wolfram face him, and the creature placed his hands on the sides of his head, leaning forward. A shudder went through him as he realized what it wanted to do.
Hands on his head did not allow him to step back or turn around. All he could do was shut his eyes.
Something flew in front of his face. He opened his eyes slowly and saw that the man was no longer standing before him. Looking to his right and saw him smashed against the wall.
Then he turned to the right, toward Yuuri. He felt that he was in Maou mode, and again something in the back of his head was screaming at him to run away. But he didn't listen and stayed put.
Yuuri was furious. He didn't look at him, but at the giant eye, his own tangle of water snakes floated behind him.
"You were always the stupidest of you all," he muttered through clenched teeth, looking at the monstrosity with disgust. "Did you think that enraging me would accomplish something for you? Or did you hope that this bit of your hideous power would stop me?"
He didn't wait for an answer, and Wolfram wasn't sure if that eye could give one. A dozen water dragons flew toward the monster, almost biting into its tentacles. Then, just as one of the maws was about to attack the giant eye, it suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only severed tentacles from which blood flowed in a strong stream.
Yuuri gasped in surprise, and Wolfram turned around, sensing someone's presence behind him.
This person he was unable to recognize. The main obstacle to this was the silver mask covering his face. Or perhaps more like a metal plate. It had no facial features painted on it or eyeholes. The rest of the stranger's body was clothed in a silver robe.
Water dragons flew toward the new figure, but this one also disappeared before they reached it.
Wolfram took a deep breath. He didn't know what was going on anymore. His mind was blank. What happened to that monster? Was it killed? Or had it disappeared somewhere? Where? In what way?
Did it even matter now?
He picked his sword from the ground and put it in its scabbard. He was reluctant to look in Yuuri's direction, but then the uneasy feeling disappeared.
Quick footsteps resounded, and someone's arms embraced him. It was a much kinder touch, and he surrendered to it without protest. He rested his head on Yuuri's shoulder and hugged his back.
"Idiot," Yuuri whispered.
"Don't call me that when I'm trying to save your life."
Arms tightened around him.
"We need to check on the city."
Wolfram nodded.
"Close your eyes then."
Yuuri squirmed, hiding his head in Wolfram's shoulder.
"If you start vomiting, you'll only delay us."
The king reluctantly obeyed the command, covering his eyes with his hand. Wolfram grabbed his other hand and led him out of the cave.