Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump.
Saga 21: Bad Company Part 5
Dungeon Depths, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, YOU BASTARDS!"
Jericho and his [Stardust Crusader] both charge towards the three demigods.
"KILL! HUMAN!" Fana screeched out. "[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Hellfire Breath]!"
The dragon spews out anther wave of azure flames.
The [Stardust Crusader] flies ahead of Jericho, turns around, lowers himself with its hands down, and once Jericho places both of his feet on the knight's hands, the specter throws him up into the air like a springboard, and before the flames can reach it, the knight flies up towards its master, with its swords drawn.
"[Platinum Invocation Magic: Luck & Pluck]!"
The [Stardust Crusader] hands its master its twin blades, with the knight itself dissipating into the swords, and upon the knight merging with his own blades, the blades themselves extend outwards in a chain-like fashion, wrapping around Fana herself, and with a jerk, pulls down Fana off of her mount and towards the craggy earth below.
"YOU THINK YOU HAVE ME BEAT!?" Fana then whistles the Salamander to attack Jericho.
The youth, however, remains unfazed.
"No, but I got you right where I want you."
Fana then turns toward her left, seeing Fulgora's massive fist hurling towards their direction.
Jericho then releases his whip-swords from Fana, letting him fall down faster while both Fana and Salamander's faces meet the goddess's fist rather intimately, sending the two crashing towards the wall, leaving behind a crater.
[Luck & Pluck] disappear, allowing [Stardust Crusader] to catch Jericho before the ground could.
"Thanks."
The [Stardust Crusader] gives the youth a thumbs up.
Mars then turns towards Jericho, with all of his weapons drawn.
"Addition vital sign confirmed." Mars spoke in his usual monotone and reverberating voice. "Current objective updated: eliminate the [Platinum Magic] user along with [Fire Spirit Magic] and [Lightning Spirit Magic] user with extreme prejudice."
His patchwork grimoire flutters open once more.
"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #10B- Kerberos Pack]."
The dog heads on Mars's breastplate burst out in flames and into physical form, forming a trio of Hellhounds made of crystal and breathing out flames with every pant.
The dogs attack Jericho and his [Stardust Crusader] as he readies another spell.
"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #3B- Karkinos Crooks]."
The crab-claws on his arms split out into anchor-like protrusions, right before they both detach with chains running off from their rear ends.
Mars then grabs those chains and begins to swing both of them around in a circle, building up momentum right before the anchors shoot outwards in a jet of flames towards Jericho.
Jericho deflects the anchor with his [Stardust Knuckle], but at that moment, one of the Kerberos take a bite out of [Stardust Crusader]'s leg, causing Jericho to bleed from his leg.
In retaliation, Jericho flicks a [Glitter Dart] into the hound's maws, shattering from the inside, right before it explodes into flames and crystal shrapnel.
"Target's weakness confirmed." Mars stated as he signals the remaining two Kerberos back to him. "[Stardust Crusader]'s physical form is directly reflected off of the owner's form-"
His analysis was cut off by Jericho driving his [Stardust Knuckle] into his nose, sending him flying back into the pit.
"So what?" Jericho spoke out while his [Stardust Crusader] appeared next to him. "It's going to take a lot more then one dog bite to kill me."
"Request accepted."
Mars then comes flying out of the pit with his flaming crystal bat-wings on his back.
"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #9A- Geryon Wings]." Mars then flies toward Jericho with a literal flying kick. "[Crystal & Fire Creation Magic: Trial #6A- Stymphalian Talons]." The claws on his grieves extend out into heated, hook-bladed knives, gradually transforming both of his feet into a pair of legitimate raptor talons.
"YOU WANNA CLASH!?" Jericho then forms [Stardust Knuckles] onto his arms, ready to clash with the killer automation.
Mars's kicks then come at a flurry.
"THEN COME GET SOME!" Jericho and [Stardust Crusader]'s flurry of fists meet with Mars's flurry of talons.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
Fist and feet meet in a frenzied dance of sparks. Blurs of limbs were interwoven in a disorienting kaleidoscope of muscle and bone with each other's flurries.
Mars tries to sneak in a feint kick, but Jericho catches the bluff, grabs him by the ankle, pulls him in, and drives his fist right between his legs.
"ORA!"
Mars's pelvis then snaps in two as the [Stardust Knuckles] digs even deeper into Mars's crotch.
"SUCK ON IT!"
With one last rush of adrenaline, Jericho then thrusts his other fist into Mars's crotch hard as he could, letting out one, final,-
"OOOORAAA!"
The [Crystal Magic] user goes flying towards the [Fire Magic] and [Lightning Magic] users, colliding with them into a one messy pile of clashing elements, causing the whole room to light up like the surface of a newborn sun once again.
Luckily, Jericho had his tinted-lenses goggles on the whole time, so his eyes were fine the whole time.
"Haah... haah... haah..." The muscular youth heaves out while placing his hands on his knees.
Even for someone well-built and tenacious as him, Jericho was winded.
Although to be fair, he did just take out the Diamond Kingdom's Apex Superweapon, so it's a little justified.
Dazed, the Black Bull then makes his way back to where everyone else were.
"JERICHO! BEHIND YOU!"
"Wait, what-."
As Jericho was turning his head, a pair of bramble-like horns ram Jericho, sending him flying back towards the wall where the others were behind it, hiding.
From his blurred vision behind his goggles, Jericho makes out a silhouette of a horned, equine-looking figure.
And behind this crystal figure was Mars, now his lower half being quadrupedal, and also trotting on its hooves.
"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #5A- Ceryneian Charger]." Mars then begins to pick up speed with his new horse-like bottom, stampeding together with the flame-horned, crystalline buck. "[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #8B- Diomedes Mount]."
Right before the two equines can stomp him to dust, Jericho punches the ground, kicking up massive amounts of dust and rubble in front of him, giving him the room to escape from Mars's path-.
Jericho is then flanked by a massive crystal polearm, which its flame-covered U-shaped tip catches his whole body and pins him to a nearby wall.
"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #5B- Ceryneian Gigging]."
Jericho's torso was being pierced by the smaller teeth inside the burning two-pronged spearhead, while the bigger antlers were pinning him to a wall.
Jericho then tries to pull himself free, but the smaller horns inside the prongs were hooking his flesh and organs, putting his insides at risk of being pulled out.
And to make matters worse, Mars comes charging toward the now-bound Jericho, shoulder-first.
Said shoulder that being a crystalline boar head with literal flaming crystal swords for tusks.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" In desperation, Jericho is really starting to consider pulling out his organs in order to escape.
However, before Mars can gore him with his shoulder-tusks, Jericho, in a brief moment of lucidity, sees a small dome of wind forming beneath Mars's hooves.
"... Yuno?"
Mars steps on the dome, causing it to explode, sending Mars crashing through the ceiling.
The horse-legs on Mars break down along with his [Ceryneian Gigging].
Above him was Yuno, who was alive, albeit, shirtless and a little bit burnt.
"... Yuno?" Jericho mumbled in pure shock.
The others behind the wall were equally, if not, more stunned then Jericho.
"Sup." The youth spoke out.
"... He's not a ghost like Luck's mom, right?" Finral asked.
The Salamander flies back up from the pit and towards Jericho.
"Excuse me for a moment." Yuno states towards everyone else.
Yuno than disappears and instantaneously appears behind Fana, right before placing his hand onto her back.
"[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble- Repulsor]!"
The ball explodes, sending Fana flying off of Salamander and slamming her onto the gates, with [Lifelink] mercilessly wrecking her whole body.
Salamander, upon its contractor being gravely injured, stops flying and dissipates into ember, back to its smaller, puppy-sized form heading towards it injured master.
"... Yuno?" Jericho muttered out.
"Yo." The slightly burnt-looking youth spoke out. "Sorry if I scared you back there-."
The muscular youth gives him a punch to his face.
"Save it." Jericho bit out as he let go of the four-leaf.
"Right..." Yuno groaned out while he spat out a loose molar. "Regardless-"
Above them, Mars breaks out of the ceiling and lands on the earth with a pair of pants made of fire, mending his lower half.
"... Did you really had to destroy his crotch?" Yuno asked Jericho.
"Seemed like a good idea at the time." He replied.
Yuno sighs in exasperation. "Well as I was saying, regardless..."
The two then turn towards the other two demigods, grimoires open and resolves solidified once more.
"We've got ass to kick."
The two then charge towards Fulgora and Mars.
Next to the gates, the pink-haired lady was out cold.
"FANA!" Fanzell runs towards the unconscious girl. The red-haired man then picks up the girl and takes her away from the battlefield. "Fana! Are you alright!? Please answer me!"
"Hmm..." The girl mumbles out of her stupor upon hearing his pleas. "... Teacher?"
"Shh." He shushed the girl. "Hang on, we're going to get help." He then enters through the portal opened up in front of him, where it led to the backlines.
"... I suspect that she won't go crazy and kill us all?" Corrin pointed out.
"Please..." Fanzell begged. "Two of my former students are here right now, and if I lose one here right now, I won't be able to forgive myself."
"Humph!" Klaus huffed. "What's stopping me from euthanizing this psychopath?"
"Commander!" Mimosa chided while she forms a [Dream-Healing Flower Basket] around the barely-awakened Fana.
The bespectacled man turns his back from the group.
"Lotus, watch over her." Fanzell then heads out towards the battlefield. "Oh, and make sure four-eyes over there doesn't snap and kill her."
"Father's honor." Lotus salutes the former "Bladestorm" upon his departure.
In Fana's mind, elf!Fana was barely awake as well.
The shock of the physical agony that she received from [Lifelink] put her in a state of delirium as well, allowing human!Fana to take over.
Why Licht didn't even bother removing the body's original personality, she honestly doesn't know, but it's pissing her off.
"Damn humans... ruining everything..." She cursed as she tries to regain control of the shared body.
Outside, Fanzell joins the two Black Bulls in their fight.
"Mr. Kruger!?" Yuno cried out. "What are you doing here!?"
His estoc then transforms into a sickle-like blade made of wind.
"There's no better force multiplier then numbers themselves, kid." Fanzell replied in a serious tone. "I just got one of my former students back from the grave, and I'm not letting the other slip away."
"Try not to die sir." Jericho readies his [Stardust Crusader] with his [Stardust Knuckles] encasing his arms.
"Try me." Fanzell then opens his grimoire to ready his attack. "Now shall we?"
The other two open their respective grimoires.
"Remember, don't kill them." The man then swings his sickle-sword. "Not only I want to save Mars, but I also know that you guys want to save your little friend over there, right?"
"If possible, I think we all want to avoid death today." Jericho pointed out while Yuno nods at the same time.
"Got it then." Fanzell then begins his attack. "Let's go!"
"RIGHT!" The three then mover out.
"[Wind Magic: Eroding Wind Death- Twister]!"
A ball of spiraling wind spins towards the two.
"[Platinum Reinforcement Magic: Stardust Crusader- Neon Knight]!"
The ethereal knight breaks apart right before it encases Jericho in its armor, combining the two into a more powerful entity.
An "armored knight clad in pure platinum with massive gauntlets wielding a sword three-times larger than the wielder" is the literal description of Jericho's [Neon Knight] form.
"[Wind Creation Magic: Swift White Hawk- Quills]!"
Yuno's [Swift White Hawk] beats its wings, sending out a flurry of razor-sharp feathers towards the two demigods.
"[Lightning Spirit Magic: Zeus]." Fulgora summons a lance made of pure lightning. Or it's an actual lightning bolt serving as a spear. Either way, it was pointy, and Fulgora was more than happy to skewer the three fools that dared to stand up to her magnificence.
"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #4B- Erymanthian Hunt]." The boar on his right shoulder then transforms into a massive, arm-mounted crossbow, with its arrows made of crystal tipped with fire.
Fulgora first swings down [Zeus] towards the charging three while Mars fires a giant crystal bolt from his [Erymanthian Hunt].
Jericho parries the the bolt with his [Neon Knight]-enhanced [Stardust Knuckles], redirecting the bolt's trajectory towards Fulgora.
Fulgora simply swats the bolt away with her lance, right before she then spikes down her polearm towards the three.
Fanzell runs towards his [Twister], jumping onto it, causing him to trampoline off of the ground and directly above Mars.
Yuno then lets out a whistle, commanding the [Swift White Hawk] to beat its wings faster, causing the [Quills] to shoot out more pins at a faster rate.
Fulgora simply swats them away with her bare hands, but upon moving her hand back, Yuno disappeared from her sight.
Nor is Fanzell anywhere to be seen.
But before she could even use Luck's mana sensory, the youth reappears behind Luck's body.
Fanzell then reappears out of thin air, blade drawn.
For those of you that weren't able to keep up, here's the following reason on why they vanished and reappeared suddenly.
What Fanzell meant by that "trick" last time was referring to Yuno's application of his [Air Bubble- Balloon] to refract the light around him with the spinning wind around him, causing him to become somewhat invisible provided if the wind around him was still up.
This kind of application of using [Wind Magic] to refract light around themselves is only mastered by a handful of mages throughout the history, and even then, the shortest recorded time of mastering this technique was roughly around a year.
For Fanzell, it took him around two years to perfect this unspoken technique, ultimately refining it into his own [Wind Creation Magic: Eroding Wind Death- Haze], which he emulates Lotus's [Hermit's Thick Smoke] along with this secret technique to create a sort of a "dead zone" around himself, eluding all senses of surrounding people, allowing him to slip by unnoticed.
In fact, that's how he managed to cross the Clover-Diamond border without detection a year back.
For Yuno, he managed to execute it flawlessly in his first time, without even realizing it.
Regardless, the two were now in position. They're ready to save their loved ones.
"NOW!"
"[Wind Creation Magic: Roaring Wind Strength]!" The sickle then transforms into a zweihander. The Bladestorm then swings his massive blade of wind letting loose a violent vortex of wind. "[Wind Magic: Roaring Wind Strength- Typhoon]!"
Fanzell then catches Mars with the [Typhoon], breaking apart his [Herculean Arsenal] off of his skin, causing Mars to plummet towards the earth.
Fanzell, being his teacher and aspiring father that he is, switches his [Roaring Wind Strength] to [Dancing Wind Empress]. "[Wind Creation Magic: Dancing Wind Empress- Summer Draft]!"
An updraft of wind blades blows upwards, slowing Mars's and Fanzell's fall.
"Alright." Fanzell then spots a portal open next to him and drags Mars back to it.
Through the portal, he sees Klaus gagged by Lotus's smoke tendrils, and Corrin laughing like a hyena, putting her very close to asphyxiation.
"Sorry." The bearded man stroked his goatee. "Had to stop him."
"You did good." Fanzell then puts the unconscious Mars into another [Dream Healing Flower Basket] that Mimosa had just made. "Hang in there." He spoke to both of his students. "That goes for you too, missy." He talked to the redhead.
"I want a raise." She spoke out in a deadpan tone.
Klaus gives her the middle finger.
As for Yuno, he's dealing with Fulgora while trying to save Luck.
"[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble- Separator]!" A ball of wind surrounds Luck's body, separating him from the false goddess's clutches.
Yuno then pulls the ball out of Fulgora's chest, leaving her without a physical vessel, and causing her body made of lightning to begin fading.
Not that it her powers even begin to fade. But rather, they were amplified.
Thousandfold.
"So that's what Sister Lily meant by that a candle burns at its brightest when it's starts to put itself out..." The youth sweatdropped.
The dying goddess then reaches out towards Yuno with her fading hand.
"Better finish the job. Just to be safe." Yuno then opens his grimoire, ready to release his one final attack.
"[Wind Magic: Turbulence Fang Howling]!"
The goddess is then sucked into the razor-teethed vortex of spiraling wind, dismantling her piece by piece, volt by volt, as she then begins to curse Yuno for his supposed "heresy".
If only her words were even remotely audible through the blistering winds, then Yuno might've taken heed.
... Not that it even matters anymore.
Yuno, now holding Luck's destroyed body in his arms, Yuno goes through the portal where the others were being tended to their injuries.
"Here." Yuno then puts Luck into one of the [Dream Healing Flower Basket] and hands Mimosa his entire satchel full of vials of Moguro Leaf Juice.
"Huh?" The redhead turns to the youth with a confused expression.
"I saw you sneak a few vials out of my bag. And considering how much that's on your plate..." Yuno then eyes toward the several flower cradles with each containing a gravely injured person.
"... Thank you, Yuno." Mimosa then takes one of the vials right before downing it. "I won't let anyone down!"
"Don't forget about me!" Noelle then opens her grimoire and begins casting [Naga's Teardrop] onto each party member. "I'm not letting you take all the credit for this, you hear!?"
Mimosa lets out a small chuckle before continuing her healing.
Yuno then looks out into the now-empty and devastated chamber.
The ground was now a gaping black pit, the air around it still smelled of ash, and as for the door itself...
It still stood, albeit, the layers were now carved through like fine cuts of freshly-burnt meatloaf.
"Before that..." He then looks back at the others.
He then hops down from his elevated position and back down where the others were.
"Klaus." He spoke to the confined bespectacled Magic Knight.
"... What is it?" His muffled through the smoke bindings.
"After we all heal up, can we make an attempt to break down the gates?"
"... Your logic is sound." He groaned out.
He then goes to where the others where the others were being healed.
"This whole ordeal sucks..." Corrin groans out.
"Hell if you know!" Noelle chided. "Me and Mimosa are the ones working to the bone trying to mend are the ones trying to mend your bones! Hell! Even Finral is doing more than you!"
"I'll take that as a complement..." Finral sweatdropped.
"Can't do much when I have no ammo." Corrin then flips Noelle off.
Yuno then enters their healing range, mending his cuts and burns.
For the next several minutes, no one utters a word.
"Yuno." Jericho breaks the silence.
The youth turns his head towards the bruised Jericho.
"You did good." He said.
Yuno lets up a thumbs-up.
"Welp, I'm all done." Fanzell then gets out of the [Dream Healing Flower Basket].
"Um, Mr. Kruger!?" Mimosa spoke out. "You know that you're still injured, right!?"
"Please." The red-haired man grinned. "I've been through much worse."
"Well you're not getting any younger!" Noelle cried out.
Those words stabs Fanzell in the chest.
"... Oh c'mon, I'm only 28!" He cried out.
"Then shut up and settle down already!" She cried out. "I can't heal you properly if you don't stand still!"
Then suddenly her face turns red.
"Hmm?" Fanzell takes notice. "Is something wrong, young lady?"
"I-It's not like I'm doing this for you!" She stuttered. "It's just that you're the only way that we'll get to the treasure hall! Yeah! That!"
Fanzell smirks at Noelle's poor attempt of hiding her emotions.
He then decides to tease her for a bit, as a way to get back at her little jab from earlier.
"... What?"
"Sorry little lady. I'm already taken."
Her red face explodes into steam as her whole body and ego then begins to deflate like a balloon.
"Fanzell, that was not nice of you." Lotus chided.
"Aw, shuddup." He then tosses a few yuls into his swear jar.
As the two adults in the room continue to squabble, Fana slowly wakes up to see Mars next to her.
"Mars...!" She then begins to cry.
The tears hit his cheeks.
"Hmm..." Mars's body then begins to twitch awake.
The former automation looks to see a crying pink-haired girl.
His memories then slowly begin to resurface.
The promise that they made that sunset.
The horrible ordeal that he, Fana, and the other kids were subjected to.
His first kill being his childhood love.
The pain that strangled his heart right before it was forcibly buried by that bastard Morris.
Now, after ten years of silence, Mars was now resurrected.
The sensation of pain stings his whole body, the breath of fresh air that filled his lungs for the first time, the colors that blurs his eyes, and the sounds refilling his ears once more.
No longer as Morris's personal killing machine.
But as a human.
"... Fana?"
His first words at last.
"MARS!" She then glomps the now-awake Mars, relieved that he's still alive.
Then Mars begin to feel something on his cheeks.
He places his fingers on them.
Tears.
His own.
The two long-lost childhood friends are now reunited in a mess of tears, sobs, wails, and snots.
... Disgusting as it is, those two kind of earned it, so no one's complaining.
Except for Klaus. He's a little too freaked out that these two former psychopaths are now sobbing like children.
Oh, and also worth mentioning elf!Fana, who's currently gagging at her host body's overflow of emotions.
For human!Fana, it was in more ways then one.
"NO NO NO NO NO! DON'T YOU DARE STICK YOUR TONGUE INSIDE OF HIS MOUTH YOU DIRTY LITTLE BITC-!"
Worst part, she feels what human!Fana feels as well. After all, they do share the same body.
And right now, she's feeling that damn human's hand feeling up her chest.
Worst of all, her (the body's) crotch then begins to feel hot and wet.
Elf!Fana tries her best not to puke at this primal sensation.
"SOMEBODY KILL ME ALREADY!"
Outside of elf!Fana's subconsciousness, the only two (married) adults in the room look at each other awkwardly.
"... Should we stop them?" Lotus asked Fanzell.
"I get the feeling that this is way beyond out hands." Fanzell answered. "And by the way, you haven't thought your three girls the birds and the bees yet?"
"Not until one of my girls gets a boyfriend that I approve." Lotus replied firmly. "Which by the way, considering that we're nomads, methinks that it's very unlikely."
The two men nod silently in agreement.
As for the rest of the Black Bulls, the emotions were mixed.
Finral was watching over Luck's destroyed body being healed by Mimosa and the now-recovered Noelle, and Yuno and Jericho were scouting what was left of the room.
"Well that was close." Yuno sighed out.
"You're doing a poor job at hiding your nerves, my friend." The muscular youth jabbed his arm with his elbow.
"... Is it really that obvious?" Yuno frowned.
"You kinda tend to wear your emotions on your sleeves, not that's a bad thing, mind you." Jericho stated.
"Hilarious." The youth scoffs as the two of them approached the nearly-destroyed door. "So enough of that..."
The two then look at this monster of a door that took a crapload of beatings from several mages, three demigods, and enough gambit pileups to resulting in them unwittingly committing way too many war crimes.
"Your next line is: 'How do we exactly get in?'"
"How do we exactly get in?" Yuno stated. "Crap. You're right..."
"It's a little family trade secret." Jericho grinned.
"Enough of that!" Klaus, now free of his bindings and that sore sight approaches the gates, counting how many layers of the gate that they've broken through.
Behind him, everyone else, with Luck's body being carried by Mimosa's [Dream Healing Flower Basket] being transported by Lotus's [Wispy Whiskers], also carrying the two childhood love interests in their own little world.
"Hmm! Good work!" The bespectacled man praised the two. "You plan, asinine as it was, has managed to get us even closer to the treasure then ever before!" He then begins to laugh while patting Yuno's and Jericho's shoulders. "You've done well! So now rest!"
His [Mighty Catapult] then points towards the gates, with [Gunigelot] locked and loaded.
"Commander!" Corrin then bolts toward Klaus with a panicked look on her face. "Don't-!"
"FIRE!" The [Royal War Chariot- Gunigelot] fires towards the gate.
The steel projectile hits the gates.
"Direct hit!" Klaus pumped his hand triumphantly.
"Klaus you idiot-!"
Suddenly, the whole dungeon goes red. And a cacophony of sirens begins blaring off through the masonry.
"WAIT! WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Klaus cried out.
"... The final middle finger from our ancestors before we join them." Corrin mumbled out.
"Elaborate." Klaus groaned out. "And no, I do not need you or anyone else to tell me that it's all my fault. Because as you can see..."
He then strides towards Corrin and picks up the chestnut-haired girl by her shirt collar.
"I DO NOT NEED TO HEAR IT AGAIN, ESPECIALLY FROM THE LIKES OF YOU, GOT IT!?" He rants while shaking her by the collar.
"... I'll get to the elaborate part once you drop me back down-"
Klaus lets go of her clothes, dropping her flat on her ass.
"Thanks." She then dusts herself off before standing back up.
"So, Miss Index." Jericho cuts in. "Can you explain what's going on?"
"Okay, who's here heard of [Recombination Magic: Full Collapse]?" She stated in a deadpan tone.
For those of you who do not know, the Index family had the ability to discern spells from other people's grimoires and those hidden elsewhere, like traps.
Corrin prefers to keep that ability to minimum usage, mainly because of the fact that the whole reason for her being in the Golden Dawn in the first place?
That same squad has been "reserving" her family members for generations, with her being picked by Alecdra Sandler himself.
And for the record, that guy has sand up his ass daily (stated by Corrin), and for the record, no one in his squad remotely likes him.
The only reason why no one (sans Corrin) has voiced their disdain towards him, is because of his [Sand Magic].
Which, by the way, Corrin had the dubious honor of being one of the few people that managed to piss him off and live the day after. Reason: [Sand Magic] was completely useless if said sand was composed of roughly 15% powder iron (Alecdra put them/integrated into his [Sand Magic] in order for them to give them more weight and structural integrity).
In short, iron-laced [Sand Magic] + [Magnet Magic] = USELESS.
From that little spat on Corrin's very first day, it was stated there was now a new unspoken ground rule within the Golden Dawn's base:
"Should Corrin Index and Alecdra Sandler be found within roughly 20 meters apart from each other, call for Captain Vangence and vacate the surrounding perimeters immediately."
Regardless, Corrin was still unique compared to her peers with her ability to read hidden spells, and right now, she is stating imminent danger.
"... First time hearing it-."
"KEEP IT BELOW TEN WORDS OR LESS-!"
Then a number "10" appears on the door's surface.
[10]
... Right before it counts down to 9.
[9]
"..."
The whole room goes silent.
... For literally everyone now knew what was going to happen next.
"... EVERYONE OUT NOW!" Finral then tries to open a portal back out, but no dice.
[8]
"Umm, Finral?" Noelle asked in a nervous tone. "Why can't you open a portal back out?"
Finral then turns to her with a pained smile on his face.
[7]
"... There's no mana left in the dungeon for me use my magic."
[6]
Upon literally everyone hearing that statement, everyone loses whatever's left of their collective shit.
[5]
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, FOUR-EYES!"
"I WILL DEVOUR YOUR FUCKING SOUL, INDEX!"
The two Golden Dawn Knight then begin their little last-second brawl, grabbing each other by their respective collars.
[4]
"... We're boned, aren't we?"
"I'm failure as a father..."
The two adults then begin to ruminate on their imminent demise.
While the two childhood friends were terrified, they both silently accepted their fates, as long as the two were together, Mars and human!Fana were happy.
As for elf!Fana, she was already dead to begin with, and for the second time around, she just through the body's tear-laden pupils, gazing at the blood-red world glaring at her dead gaze.
The fire in her soul were now but mere embers of its former hellfire.
[3]
"I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"
"HOLD ME, NOELLE!"
Noelle and Mimosa were crying out a river while cowering while huddling together like a pair of newborn pups.
[2]
"YUNO! WHAT NOW!?" Jericho roared out while his [Stardust Knuckles] were encasing his forearms.
[1]
Yuno simply opens his grimoire.
"WE'LL BREAK IT THROUGH BEFORE IT REACHES ZERO-!"
Before the counter reached 0, a rusted black sword pierces the stone gates.
The whole dungeon stops glowing in a red light, and the sirens echoing through the stone walls cease their blaring.
"... We're alive?" Finral then opens his eyes to see that he and the others were still alive.
The others then begin to cease their shameful displays of terror as their brains begin to process on their adverted crisis of the most caliber degree.
For one, the whole dungeon wasn't red, for sure. But even then, their nerves haven't calmed in the slightest.
For now the whole dungeon's depths were now pitch-black.
As if all the mana flowing through these caverns just went up and vanished into thin air.
"Anyone have a light!?"
A lamp is lit in Jericho's hands, illuminating a small spot around him.
"EVERYONE! ROLL CALL!" Klaus's voice echoed in the darkness.
"Yuno!" The youth called out.
"Jericho!" The lamp's light sways sideways a little.
"Noelle!"
"Mimosa!"
The two female voices squeaked out in the dark.
"Finral!" The dandy's voice cried out.
"Lotus!"
"Fanzell!"
The two adult voices coughed out.
"Wait..." Fanzell's voice trailed off. "... WHERE'S MARS AND FANA-!?"
Next to the red-haired man, he can slightly hear the sounds of moaning and lips smacking within the darkness.
"... Never mind, found em'." Fanzell spoke out. "... We might wanna leave em' alone for a bit."
"Don't ask me for details. I kinda know what's going on." An unamused female voice spoke out.
Beneath Klaus was none other then Corrin Index, who's currently acting as an involuntary seat for her bespectacled superior officer.
"Oh." The commander then scrambles off of her. "Sorry about that."
"It's all right, I ain't dead yet." She droned out.
"But more importantly..." Klaus then adjusts his face-frame. "You mind telling us what just happened?"
"Ok, short version." The chestnut haired clears her throat before speaking. "Simply put, you know what [Recombination Magic: Full Collapse] was supposed to do?"
"Elaborate." Klaus spoke out while the others drew closer to the lamp light, Corrin and Klaus included.
"That magic?" She stated. "Once that counter hit zero, this whole dungeon was supposed to come crashing down our heads while the floor beneath out feet crumbles into a bottomless pit."
"So what you're saying is that the twelfth layer of that gate that me and Yuno's plan unearthed was a last breath bullet from the dungeon?" Jericho asked while setting down the lamp in middle of the circle formed by the compacting Magic Knights and ex-Diamond Mages.
The lamplight even reveals Mars and Fana tonguing each other like newlyweds fresh out of the alter.
Everyone looks at the two with varying expressions; mainly, confusion.
"... Leave them be." Lotus stated.
Everyone who's not Mars or Fana nod in unanimous agreement.
"So..." Corrin cradled her temples with her hands. "You said last breath bullet, big guy?"
Jericho nods.
"Then yep, that's the gist of it." The chestnut-haired girl bluntly states.
"They really don't want us in there, do they?" Finral snarked out.
"No kidding..." Yuno grumbled. "That door already got Luck."
The Black Bulls then look at the youth's healed, but still-battered body of Luck.
It would take a miracle to save him now, but compared to the time when he was forcibly taken over by Fulgora, it was a miracle of itself that his body wasn't missing all of its limbs.
Because for Yuno, should worst-case-scenario hits, at least he could give him a proper burial, so that way, he won't be sullied like his passed brother, Asta.
The youth's heart then grows hard and heavy.
"... Is something wrong?" Mimosa notices Yuno gritting his teeth.
"... No." Yuno heaved out, holding back his tears.
While Yuno was trying to bottle his anguish up from the others, Corrin was still thinking about how [Recombination Magic: Full Collapse], was stopped.
The only thing that stood out from this phenomenon for her was not the fact that the spell itself disappeared, but rather...
"It's as of the [Recombination Magic] itself was no longer there..."
To clarify her statement, what she means is that the "Recombination" part of [Recombination Magic: Full Collapse] was erased, rewriting the spell as [Magic: Full Collapse].
A spell needs both an [Attribute] and [Action] in order to activate. Take out either one, and the spell won't activate.
But the mere idea of erasing [Attribute] was completely asinine. In order for that to happen (hypothetically), the user then has to reach to the bare essentials of the magic itself, rewrite the laws established, and apply it to reality. Now, there had been reports of some magic changing [Attributes], such as [Transformation Magic] being able to shift [Fire Magic] to [Water Magic], but erasing it!?
Whoever did just that somehow managed to reach the conceptual levels of the established natural laws of magic, and made it its bitch.
But before her minds dives even deeper into the depths of this newfound revelation, she then hears... footsteps?
"EVERYONE QUIET!" Corrin yelled out while she cupped her right ear, listening for further footsteps.
She hears faint sounds of tapping echoing...
... From the depths of the abyss facing the gates!?
Worse, the tapping is starting to get faster.
Corrin then tries to duck for cover.
"Corrin!?"
"EVERYONE! DUCK-!"
A cloud of dust and gravel was kicked up between the group surrounded by the light, and the gates that nearly killed them all.
Jericho picks the lamp off of the ground, shining the light into the dust cloud.
Out of the dust was a stout, but stalwart figure clad in spiked, rusted black metal that can be described as "armor", obscuring the figure's features from head to toe, a massive broadsword composed similarly of the armor's metal grasped firmly on the left hand, and to top it all off, a tattered, dark scarlet cape, with a black five-leafed clover dotted at the center.
Simply put? In front of them was a literal Black Knight from every fairy tale come to life (pick any one, the character is very popular with children within the Clover Kingdom).
For the so-called "Black Knight"?
Behind the helmet was a smile.
An unfeeling, demented, and sadistic smile that only a Demon would make.
Because behind the helmet's layer of cold, black iron, was none other then Astaroth.
"Found you..."
The Fallen Angel Prince resisted the temptation to laugh out loud, for it was to be saved, afterwards.
... After the humans in his surrounding were all reduced to worm food.
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: Been a while, folks.
I'm really stretching this whole Dungeon Exploration Arc quite a bit, am I?
Well, good news is, the next chapter will be the last of this brutal arc that would give Darkest Dungeon players a run for their money.
... You'll know when I get to that good shit.
Also worth mentioning, this AU's version of the Dungeon Depths is a semi-Genius Loci, as shown by its much-expanded arsenal of ways to off unsuspecting intruders.
New type of magic:
[Invocation]: uses the person's own soul to power up its internal mana and allowing the user to use certain spells. Recommended to stock up on Ki before usage, so that the user's soul would not take as much damage, and of course, longer activation time.
* Example: [Stardust Crusader]- basically a personification of Jericho's [Platinum Magic]. A force multiplayer, allowing him to cast two of the same spells at the same time. But like all Stands, if [Stardust Crusader] takes damage, the user is also damaged.
Major shout-out to Gen3sian for commenting my AU Fic! To those of you reading his The Outsider, thank you for supporting this fic all the way to this day! If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend this fic, for that fic was the whole reason for me to start drafting Apocrypha in the first place.
And as usual, leave a comment or a review for this chapter and/or fic, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking!