Chapter 6
Black and White
Raiden and Magna stared at each other's eyes, waiting for the other to make a move so the battle can begin. The raven-haired teen was less enthusiastic than his senior, however, yawning again.
'What the hell am I doing? Johan told me to not cause trouble and not grab attention to myself and yet here I am, challenging someone who's been in this squad longer than I have. Then again, I am way too sleepy and too irritated to care. So fuck it.'
"Is this really a good idea..." Abel scratched his cheek, laughing nervously."Man, what a mess."
"You are worrying too much, Abel. It's just a friendly fight." Asta assured him, not really understanding what Abel meant.
"So, are you going to stand there the whole day or are you going to attack?" Magna asked, grinning.
Raiden made no reply, raising his blades."Inferno Magic: Dark Hollow."
"Wow! Look at that!" Luck pointed at the black flames surrounding Raiden's swords.
"Black fire, huh." Yami observed, intrigued by his odd magic."Never seen anything like that before. Then again, life always surprises you with a new bizarre discovery. Like the kid."
Magna's grin grew wider, thrilled by the black flames."Man, that looks cool! But let's see how you do with this! Fire Magic: Exploding Fireball!"
Grabbing the ball of fire in his hand, Magna threw it at Raiden in a swift motion.
'That's...basically how Johan throws when we play baseball!' Raiden narrowed his eyes, swinging his blade down and splitting the spell in half, dispersing the explosion behind him.'If that's the case, this shouldn't be an issue to me.'
"He cut through my spell!" Magna cried out in disbelief, lowering his glasses to get a better view.
"How did he do that? The attack should have exploded on contact, right?" Vanessa turned to her friends, not sure what had happened either.
"That's how it worked when Asta and I went on that mission with him." Noelle nodded slowly, amazed that Magna's spell could be cut like that."He literally just...cut through the spell."
"Does he have Anti Magic like me?!" Asta grabbed his Grimoire, comparing it to Raiden's after theorizing their abilities were similar.
Yami hummed to himself in thought.'I see what's going on. He clad his swords with that black fire of his, increasing his attack potency. From what I saw, it's safe to say that those flames are stronger than regular flames. So when he cut through Magna's spell, it seemed like he canceled it out, but in fact, he cut through it with power alone and dispersed it. Interesting.'
"What's wrong?" Raiden huffed, his right eye closed."Let's hurry this up so I can sleep."
Gritting his teeth, Magna glared at Raiden, ticked off at his remark."You take me lightly, do you?! Let's see you try this one for size! Fire Magic: Exploding Buckshot!"
Magna created multiple fireballs, shooting them at a wide range as he aimed at his opponent.
Raiden snorted, his Grimoire flipping through pages as he got ready to cast a spell."Inferno Magic: Blaze Cut!" Jumping back to get some distance, Raiden began swinging his blades, sending black slashes of fire at the attacks and cutting through them.' There are too many of them. And I'm in no condition to move fast enough to cut them all. No choice then!'
Raiden gasped upon seeing a few fireballs exploding around him, forcing him to jump high in the air to avoid being caught in the blast.
"Got you!"
Magna had jumped with him, holding a fireball in his hand as he prepared to attack him."You're mine!"
Raiden clicked his tongue, twisting his body midair and delivering a powerful back-kick to Magna's hand, causing him to misfire his attack."Why you-" His sentence was cut short, however, due to Raiden punching him across the face, throwing him down below. Magna crashed onto the ground, groaning in pain.
The newbie landed a few feet away from him, staring down at him."We done here? Magna-senpai?"
Magna sat up, shaking his head as he huffed and puffed."You're...damn good...but don't think that'll be enough to beat me..."
"Magna, maybe you should reconsider?" Abel suggested, hoping he could persuade his senior."I think he demonstrated that he's capable enough to be in our squad."
"I doubt it'll be that simple." Yami sighed, scratching his head."Magna is stubborn as hell. He won't back down until he wins or gets knocked out cold."
"No way! He can still win!" Luck cried out, his usual smile replaced with a solemn expression."I make fun of him and all, but I know he can do better than that! Manga is strong!"
"Yeah!" Charmy cheered, followed by Gordon muttering something, pulling out a doll that looked exactly like Magna from his robe.
"Go on, Magna! Show him what you're made of!" The whole squad yelled in unison, giving Magna motivation to get him again.
"Alright then, tough guy..." Magna removed his glasses, tossing them on the floor."Since you like close-quarter combats, let's see how good you really are!"
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Raiden sighed, glaring down at the ground."You're better off attacking me at a distance."
"Keep that cocky attitude when I pummel you to the ground! Fire Creation Magic: Grand Slam!" Swirling flames came out of Magna's Grimoire, creating a baseball bat."Bring it!"
Raiden shrugged, dashing at Magna and surprising him with his speed. Magna rose his bat, clashing with Raiden's sword. To their surprise, his bat was being dispersed by the black flames, albeit not as fast as his prior attacks.
'So he can only cut attacks that are weaker than his.' Yami puffed a smoke.'That means Magna's attack can at least hold out but...'
Manga hissed, putting all his might into his arms and trying to make Raiden budge.
The amber-eyed young man decided enough was enough and with one step forward cut through Magna's bat, destroying it. Planting his right blade down, he uppercut Magna, sending him up in the air before he crashed down violently.
Before he could get up, Raiden put a knee on Magna's chest, making it difficult to breathe."Give up. Continuing is pointless. I've already proven myself, didn't I?"
"Like hell..." Magna managed a weak grin, trying to get oxygen in his lungs."You'll have to...knock me out before I...give up..."
"Okay." Wordlessly, Raiden smashed his fist against Magna's face, winding his arm back again to deliver another punch. By now Magna was knocked out, his eyes rolling to the back of his head, but something inside Raiden prevented him from stopping. Winding his fist back once more, he readied himself to continued on the beating.
"That's enough!"
Unconsciously grabbing his other sword, Raiden blocked the incoming attack by crossing his blades in an 'X' pattern. Asta had pulled out his own blade and took advantage of his surprise attack to overpower Raiden, sending him skidding on the ground.
"What the...?" Raiden's eyes widened slightly upon seeing the flames on his blades disappeared.
"You've proved your point!" Asta sneered, standing in front of Magna, who was being helped up by the other members of the Black Bulls."There was no need for you to continue beating him like that!"
"He had to learn." Raiden furrowed his brow."I don't want him trying to think he can bully me around just because I'm new. The same goes for everyone!" He pointed his swords at each of his squadmates."You might be my seniors, but I'll be glad to prove to you the difference in our strengths." He finally set his sights on Asta."You can't beat me. You're nowhere near my level."
"I won't know unless I try!" With that, Asta rushed at Raiden, who had engulfed his blades in black flames again. He met Asta's strike with his own, coming at a standstill as they fought for dominance.
The Inferno flames disappeared once they made contact with Asta, putting Raiden on edge.'I remember...he must be that Anti Magic kid Abel told me about. But to think it literally negates my spells that fast is astonishing. And I'm not picking up any mana from him...'
'He's strong! Even if I negated his spell, we're still even!' Asta gritted his teeth, feeling Raiden slowly pushing his sword closer to him.
"So, all of my magic will be negated by your sword, huh?" Raiden cracked a grin, his Grimoire flipping through its pages."Then what about something you can't see coming?Inferno Magic: Scorching Impaler!"
Asta immediately jumped back, barely missing the black spikes coming out of Raiden's body."Then I'll fight you with just brute force. Despite your size, you're pretty physically fit. It's too bad that I just so happened to be on another level from you, even without magic."
"We'll see about that!" Asta and Raiden began clashing blades, relying on nothing but their strengths to power their swings. Despite having two blades, Raiden often would just dodge Asta's attacks. He had theorized that using both his hands to block an attack from that huge sword would leave him open for a strike. But he knew he had nothing to worry about. Asta's swordsmanship was good, but he wasn't as fast as he was.
With each met blade, Asta tried to dodge the subsequent attacks Raiden threw at him. But he moved in such a way that made it hard. Even when he did dodge, Raiden wasted no time to attack once more. Thrusting his sword forward, Asta let out a battle cry, determined to land a hit.
Raiden jumped on top of the blade, using it to kick Asta in the chin, knocking him in the air.
'Phew...' Raiden was struggling to stay awake. He even contemplated letting Asta land a hit on him so he could use the excuse to take a nap. But that wasn't who he was. He was taught to always win and reducing himself to doing that would go against everything he stood for.
"Let this be our last attack." Raiden sheathed his blades, raising his fists.
Asta panted, following his example and putting his sword back in his Grimoire."You got it!"
As soon as he finished his sentence, both of them ran up to the other, winding their fists for one last attack."ASTA!"
"RAIDEN!"
"That's enough." Yami grabbed their fists and threw them in opposite directions."We've wasted enough time as is. Magna lost so the whole initiation thing went out the window. What the hell were you thinking by starting another fight, you idiots? Do you want to piss me off?"
"S-sorry, Captain!" Asta bowed to his Captain, intimidated by his gaze.
Raiden, on the other hand, pushed himself up, staring at Yami in disbelief.'I didn't even see him get in between us...Not only that...I couldn't even follow his movements. He just...appeared. So, this is the power of a Captain? I dare say he's even faster than...'
His thoughts slowly disappeared from his head as he drifted off to sleep. His eyelids had grown too heavy to be left open and opted to pass out there on the grass. He could hear the muffled voices coming to his side, but he was already snoring at that point.
"You better pick up some speed, Sekke! I can run faster than this!" Luna complained, aiming her wand at the incoming mercenaries flying around them."Constellar Magic: Meteor Shower!"
Luna a purple blast from her wand, blasting a bandit off the sky and aiming at another one."Not that I can't take care of these lackeys on my own, but I would appreciate us fulfilling our mission without the WITNESS DYING OF OVERDOSE!"
"Bah-ha! You are saying it like it's my fault!" Sekke yelped, avoiding hitting the mercenaries ahead of them as they picked up some speed."Bronze Creation Magic: Sekke's Magnum Cannonball!"
Sekke surrounded them in a sphere of bronze, transparent enough for them to see outside.
"How do you like my spell?" He boasted, closing his eyes condescendingly."With it, we are not only protected from attacks, but we can also attack shooting magical bullets."
"Not a bad spell." Luna reluctantly confessed."But we have bigger problems ahead of us."
Pointing ahead of them, a group of mercenaries had grouped and used earth magic to form a giant wall in front of them.
"I'll handle this. It's my specialty!" Luna eagerly jumped outside of Sekke's spell and ran past his bike."Constellar Cration Magic: Starfire Comet!"
Her body was covered in a purple glow, her eyes turning white as her speed increased to an absurd level. She broke through the ground, her speed almost becoming too fast to keep up with. Sekke could barely believe how easily she had broken through the wall, crashing as if she were an actual comet.
The hired men were sent flying, scattered across the area upon being unable to withstand the explosion.
"Phew..." Luna's returned to normal, feeling spent after using too many spells consecutively."I have to work on my stamina..."
"That wasn't half bad." Her eyes flickered open, her gaze following the sound of the voice. Cain landed next to her, dropping the tied-up man on the floor."Guess you're more capable than I gave you credit for."
"Going by feats alone, I'm stronger than you." She teased him, leaning forward with a sly smile."So? What happened?"
"I got to ask you something about the witness." Cain frowned, much to the girl's surprise."Where did you find him and what was he doing?"
"Huh? I found him outside of the apartment complex he lived at." Luna explained, not sure why he was asking about this now."He was waiting for me outside."
"Not by his apartment?"
"No?"
"Did you notice anything weird? Did he tell you anything?" Cain pressed on, taking a step forward.
Luna took a step back, startled by his tone."Why are you-"
"Just tell me." Cain grabbed her shoulders, slighting bending his back to be at her height."It's important."
"Well..." Luna fought back a blush, focusing on remembering what had happened earlier that day."He seemed a bit nervous from what I could tell. He also looked to be in a rush to get away from his place."
"Did you know if they found the body of the man's wife next door to him?" Cain's eyes widened at the realization.'Come to think of it...did they even search the house at all?'
"They found the body a while ago, but the place had been ransacked." Luna threw him off from his train of thought."No documents, no pictures, no nothing that could link to the culprit. The woman's face was destroyed, making it impossible to recognize her."
"Did they ever inspect the witness' apartment?"
"From what I heard, no. There was no need since the whole thing happened in the other room." Luna elaborated."I do find it quite strange that no one else in the building reported hearing anything or seeing anything other than the witness. The tenant doesn't leave the building and the fact that the office he has was destroyed made it difficult to pinpoint anything regarding the culprit's identity. All the documents and personal information on the people living there were burnt."
"That settles it," Cain said no more, walking past Luna and heading for Sekke at an alarming pace.
"Where's Toby?" Sekke asked, flinching when Cain knocked on his barrier, demanding him to release it. Not daring to question it, Cain grabbed the witness and tossed him down on the floor, earning a groan of pain.
"Wake up, you insolent liar!" Cain delivered a kick to his ribs, waking the man up."The jig is up."
"ARE YOU MAD?!" Luna screeched, running up to Cain and shaking him by the shoulders."What are you doing?! We overdosed the witness and now you're beating him up! The nerve!"
Just in time, Toby landed next to Sekke, causing a rather girlish scream from his fellow squad member."Toby! You nearly gave me a heart attack, bah-ha!"
Tobias ignored his rant and stared at the witness laying on the floor with indifference."I see they weren't lying..."
"Tobias, you're okay!" Cain exclaimed, glad to see his teammate had gotten out of the dangerous situation with barely any scratches."You said they weren't lying. I take it you found out about the truth from your end?"
"I escaped the bandits by creating a fake diversion that presumably led them elsewhere." He droned, his eyes not meeting Cain's as he continued to stare at the man below him."However, I had pretended to be defeated and I suppose they took mercy on me and explained a few things before I turned the tables. One of them stated to be the tenant of the building Mr. Richards lived in. In fact, why don't we ask him? Darling..."
On cue, the two-headed cobra came out of the darkness, holding a man bound in vines with its two mouths, dropping him on the floor.
"Where did you find him?" Luna inquired, a hand on her hip.
Toby merely shrugged, his eyes vacant as always and his voice monotone."I managed to interrogate a few of them before I got overrun. Just so it happened that that person was the orchestrator of this whole thing."
Cain was a bit perplexed at the whole situation but decided to brush this off. Solving this case was more important.
"O'Brien..." Ivan Richards muttered weakly, meeting gaze with the other man who sneered at him.
"You colossal idiot! Why did you call the Magic Knights?! We came to the agreement that you would be assassinated by one of the assassins while on your way to the Capital on a supposed trip!"
"Start talking," Cain commanded, putting his foot on Ivan's back.
"I didn't mean to...kill her..." His voice broke, followed by a quiet sob."It happened too fast...I come from a Noble family, however, my parents were old-fashioned and forced to out of the house at an early age to make something of myself and not depend on their fortune. I scraped by with what I could. Each day is harder than the last. That's when I met Melissa...we fell in love...eventually married...Been married for about five years now. But I guess that didn't matter to her...did it, O'Brien?!"
"You're talking as if I was the one who seduced her." The tanned skin man rolled his eyes."She was the one who came to me to have some fun since you were so busy working those dead-end jobs. But I have to admit, I was the one who told her to kill you to get the inheritance money you got after your parents died."
All the Magic Knights were left in shock. Luna, recovering from the sudden feeling, was the one to speak for them."Then...you had his wife tried to kill him? But his wife is..."
"I found out she had been disloyal to me...but I was a coward to confront her earlier..." Ivan closed his eyes."I just looked the other way...knowing my wife was sleeping with another man. But when I got the news that my parents had given me their inheritance..." The broken man let a few tears fall from his eyes, covering his face with his hand.
"I told her to have you kill so the money could come to us." O'Brien finished with a smile."I knew if I stuck long enough with that broad I would eventually end up winning something big. It was so easy to trick her too. Just a few empty promises and that's all it took for her to hire assassins to kill you. Thanks to my connections, she found a sizable amount of killers for hire. It's too bad you found out and killed her instead."
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" Ivan snapped, fury finally taking over his temper."I realized that she had used some of the money to hire mercenaries to kill me. And I was so mad...so betrayed...so lost...I didn't measure my strength and I...snapped her neck when I slapped her across the face..."
"That's..." Cain was at a loss for words.
"How horrible..." Luna covered her mouth, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
Even Sekke was feeling uncomfortable about the whole thing, glancing at Toby to see if he could find some sort of relief. However, the silver-haired young man remained impassive as ever.
"He found out because she was going to kill him herself." O'Brien resumed the explanation."That's why I gave her the key to the other apartment next to them. It was empty. Good for the perfect time. However, she didn't get the chance, since Ivan here killed her in THEIR room. That's where I came in and I told him everything. Of course, no evidence or anything was linking to me. Even if the mercenaries didn't get to him in time, he would be on the run for the rest of his life and ruin his family's name. That's why I suggested taking the body to the empty room, disfigure it by any means necessary, and make it seem like their house had been broken into and stolen of everything. Of course, since they were there for a short while, they weren't acquainted with the neighbors. So when people came asking questions, no one could answer. The plan was for him to leave and set off for the Capital, where he would most definitely be killed and make both his and his wife's deaths an act of assassins. It was the perfect plan. But no. You just had to go and call in the Golden Dawn."
"I...I wanted to die...that's why I went along with your plan..." Ivan lamented, his voice lower than it had been."But...I knew that you would get away with it. And with the money...that's why I called in the Golden Dawn. For them to catch you and the other mercenaries but I would also die in the battle. However, I didn't take into consideration that they would try to drug me to remain asleep..."
"Right." Cain scratched his cheek, exchanging a quick nervous glance with Luna."In the end, it paid off. It scares me to see how far people are willing to go for some money."
"When you've lived your whole life in the slums, kid, trust me, you get every chance you get..." O'Brien remarked, feeling the weight of Luna's feet threatening to crush his skull.
"That's enough out of you." Luna muttered, her eyes cold with disdain."You will be punished accordingly and the trial will take place."
Cain sighed, helping Ivan back on his feet and helping him over to Sekke's bike."Sorry for kicking you. I got a little too heated there and I thought you had done it. Your plan was risky, but I guess it paid off."
"Compared to what I made my wife go through by killing her...this is nothing..."
Sekke remained silent, not sure what to say in this situation, and simply let Cain put Ivan behind him on his vehicle.
Out of nowhere, a fireball nearly blasted Sekke away, missing him by mere inches. The Magic Knights jumped into action, immediately going on the defensive.
"There are more mercenaries?!" Cain cried out, pulling out his bow and arrow.
"They won't stop until their job is done." O'Brien cackled on the floor."All of you are going to die and I'll be taking that money!"
Once more, a massive fireball was shot in their direction, but Tobias was the one to step up to the plate."Predaplant Creation Magic: Roridula Snapper."
Once more, the turtle that had once helped Toby back at the apartment appeared, shooting a stream of water at the fireball and canceling it out, creating an intense fog that covered their surroundings, making it difficult for them to see where they were going.
"I can't see anything! Bah-ha!" Sekke coughed up smoke, fanning his face with his hand.
"Predaplant Creation Magic: Canelopi Pinetree."
A three-headed plant resembling a pine tree was created in the middle of the group, twirling its leaves in a circular motion, dispersing the mist.
"Everyone okay?" Cain called out, signing in relief once he was able to see.
"Yes...thank you for asking..." Luna rubbed her irritated eyes."Though the smoke got in my eyes and it's really bothersome."
"Wait, guys...?" Sekke caught their attention, pointing at the ground."Where did O'Brien go?"
Luna's eyes shot open, revealing how bloodshot they were."What?! He escaped?!"
Cain almost tripped as he ran over to Sekke."No way...Ivan Richards also disappeared..."
"It must have been the bandits." Tobias concluded, folding his arms."Perhaps their attacks were meant to distract us so they could take them."
"Bah-ha! I knew you were capable of saying more than three words!" Sekke punched the air in triumph."Glad to see you opened up to me more and more!"
"Now's not the time for that, idiot!" Luna hissed, hands on her hips."We have to go find them again!"
"No, let's call it quits," Cain announced, prompting Luna to grab the collar of his shirt.
"But the mission is incomplete!" Luna reminded him, narrowing her eyes as she forced him down to her level."We can't go back to our squads empty-handed!"
"This just escalated and turned into a whole mess. Besides, we still got a lead." Cain pointed at the unconscious man he had captured before."I'll take him to the Capital, see what information they can gather from him. Apparently, he can provide the names of his fellow mercenaries and with what we've learned here, it should be enough to make a search party and find both O'Brien and Richards. We can continue searching if you want, but we're tired and outnumbered. Not to mention we don't know where they could have gone."
Luna gritted her teeth, contemplating whether he was right on not. After giving it some thought, she conceited, releasing him."Fine. But you'll have to do all that on your own. I'm quite sleepy and it's unbecoming for a maiden to miss her sleep."
"Fair enough." Cain nodded, opening his Grimoire and pulling out his Heaven Piercer."Right. I have to give you your telescope back."
"No need for that!" Luna rose her hand, stopping him in his tracks. She gave him a wink, wagging a finger."Let that be my gift to you. Hopefully, that helps you be less scared of the dark, scary cat."
"You're lucky I'm tired enough to not grab that witch hat of yours and put it on the top of a tree or something." Cain rolled his eyes, a small smirk forming on his lips."But thank you. If you want, contact me any time you want and I can help you get over that fear of yours."
"Is that you making fun of my height?" Luna quirked a brow, challenging him."If so, I'll have you know that I'm not small. You're just too tall."
"I'm 5'11." Cain chuckled, playfully patting her head and causing her to blush."You're a good kid. Haven't been this happy in a while. Same to you guys...I guess..." He muttered the last part upon waving at the Green Mantis members. Having said his goodbyes, Cain jumped on his broom, grabbing the unconscious man and flying away. Luna, not wanting to stay behind with the other two Magic Knights, cast a spell and flew on her Gravita Star.
"Guess we better head back, bah-ha." Sekke patted Toby on his shoulders, not getting a reaction."The Captain is going to give us a hard time if we take too long."
Tobias said nothing, simply following Sekke as his Grimoire opened."Predaplant Creation Magic: Heliamphorhynchus."
"Heliam what now-"
A plant monster resembling a pterodactyl screeched, landing in front of the boys. Sekke, grabbed on his heart, startled by the sudden creature appearing before him.
"B-bah-ha! Why do you keep summoning these things?!"
Toby got on the plant creature's back, ignoring Sekke, who continued rambling about nonsense as they flew away."We should have a look around the area for a bit just in case. They're probably still around here somewhere."
"Good idea, Toby!" Sekke guffawed, riding off on his vehicle"Bah-ha! I see you're learning a lot from me." Toby said nothing, his right eye twitching but decided to not say anything.
"Okay, we're getting closer and closer to them," Arthur stated as his chariot was a few yards away from the carriage. They had exited the capital and were now on their way through the plains."And since there aren't any more people around like back in the Capital, we can start making our move."
"So can they." Johan reminded him, watching the bandits attentively."They haven't attacked yet, perhaps they're recharging their mana. Whatever the case is, we have to act now. Better to act now before they let us to some trap."
"Good point." Arthur nodded in agreement."What do you have in mind?"
"I think for my plan to work there has to be an equal understanding and trust."
Arthur turned to the gentle giant."Do you trust me?"
"I trust you as far as I can throw you." Johan glanced down at him with a serious expression.
The ginger deflated, feeling disappointed at what he said but all of that was lost when Johan grabbed him and holstered him above him."What are you-"
"GO GET THEM, TIGER!" Johan cried out, throwing Arthur at the carriage ahead of them. Arthur was in shock for a few seconds before composing himself.
"I didn't know he was being quite literally, but I guess this works!"
"Luca, he's coming!" Patrick tapped furiously at his partner's shoulder.
"Then go and stop it, you idiot!"
"Fine! I have recovered enough of my mana! Fire Creation Magic: Flaming Pyramid!"
"Not on my watch! Obsidian Creation Magic: Tracking Shield!"
A shield made out of obsidian rock appeared in front of Arthur, blocking the attack and avoiding him from getting injured by the flames.
"Impossible!" Patrick yelled as Arthur cast a spell of his own, ready to strike.
"Gold Creation Magic: Mystical Flail!" From his Grimoire, a golden stick popped out with a chain that was holding a massive wrecking ball with spikes. Swinging his weapon once he was close enough to the bandits, Arthur made sure to strike the middle of their carriage, breaking it apart and causing the horses to run on the loose. The three of them rolled down the dirt road, crying out in pain as they took the full blow of the fall.
"I've had enough of this!" Luca rose his Grimoire, activating the same spell he used against Johan before, creating electrical currents that moved on the ground. However, Arthur was more than prepared, manifesting a golden door that blocked the attack with ease.
Before Luca could use another spell, obsidian rock began surrounding him and Patrick, leaving them covered up to the neck.
"That was a nice improvised plan, right?" Johan jogged over to Arthur, giving him a toothy grin.
The ginger couldn't help but chuckle, still a bit in shock after being thrown like that."You have a hell of a throwing arm. You must train a lot."
"When your specialty is defense, it's part of the job." Johan shrugged, making his way over to the trapped bandits."Now, it's time for you to come with us to the Capital. You're under arrest."
"You can arrest us if you want, but at least take the money that we had to our village." Patrick pleaded between shallow breaths.
"Village?" Johan frowned, squatting down in front of them."I don't think you're in any position to ask us something like that."
"Wait, Johan." Arthur grabbed his partner's shoulder."Let him talk. What village would that be?"
"Voye..." Luca rose his head, his hat long gone so his slicked-back hair was now covering his eyes."The harvests have been pretty bad, to say the least. Work had to be cut off, leaving many people
jobless. Subsequently, that left a lot of families without food on their tables. We took it upon ourselves to dirty our name and ruin our lives to become robbers to ensure the prosperity
and recovery of our village. So go ahead and put us behind bars...but all I ask you is to leave our village alone."
"I see. I heard about Voye village before." Arthur rubbed his chin in thought."They have been requesting help for quite a while, but of course, they aren't the only village that needs that kind of help, especially one located in the Forsaken Realm. Listen, I'll honor your request."
"Arthur?" Johan gaped, baffled by his decision."But they're criminals. Should we really be honoring their wishes?"
"Just because they're criminals doesn't mean they're less human." Arthur explained, beckoning his chariot to get closer so he could help the bandits up."The job is a Magic Knight is to differentiate good from evil.
I know that they didn't do this out of ill intent. I'm sure that anyone would be capable of anything for the sake of their loved ones." Arthur smile, noticing his words sparked a reaction from Johan."We have to help in any way
we can. Don't worry about the people that they robbed. I'll cover up the expenses and help their village out until they're back on their feet."
"You would really...do that, schoolboy?" Luca felt relieved that he was being shown this much kindness."I guess you were right all along...There are good Magic Knights out there after all..."
"Of course." Johan grinned, pointing at himself with his thumb."When you guys get released, come to me. I'll help you find honest jobs."
Meanwhile, Johan was pondering on his words, staring at the sun setting on the horizon."Yeah...I have a long way to go before I'm able to help my dad. I guess we still have...a long road ahead of us, huh?"
It was hot. Extremely hot. And the constant screaming ringing in his ears was forcing him to slowly awake from his slumber. The screams grew louder and louder, he could swear it was coming from right next to him. But what made him really come back to reality was the sickening crunching sound of bones snapping and flesh bear torn apart.
Ivan opened his eyes, realizing his mouth had been gagged with something and was inside of a hole, presumably five feet deep. His hands and feet were bound by something, and that something was digging into his skin, causing him to scream in pain. His scream was short-lived due to noticing something out of the corner of his eyes. Twisting his head, he looked in pure terror as a snake-like creature was biting its way into O'Brein's stomach, snacking on his intestines.
His former tenant, the cause of him murdering his wife by accident, continued screaming, unable to move due to his hands being constrained by what looked to be vines with thorns. Now he knew what caused the pain on his wrists. Eventually, the screaming began to die down, the life disappearing from O'Brein's eyes as he grew motionless. Ivan was panicking, desperately looking around to see what was going on, he noticed the countless corpses surrounding them. In fact, he could swear he was on top of someone himself due to something wet coating his back, which he assumed was blood.
"231." Came the monotone voice up above. Ivan stopped his breathing, concentrating on the steps coming closer and closer to the hole. Cold sweat dripped down his face, afraid of what was going to happen to him. Afraid of sharing the same fate as everyone in the hole with him. The snake-like creature hissed at Ivan before slithering its way up just in time to gently wrapped itself around its master.
Ivan felt the vines around his face be removed, causing him to grumble in pain as he felt the thorns pricking his lips and making deep cuts."You're...that kid with the other Magic Knights!" Ivan beamed, glad that this nightmare was over. He was saved. But his feeling of euphoria was short-lived, however, upon seeing the silver-haired teen not making a single move to save him. To add on, the snake that had torn O'Brien apart was wrapped around his body, happily caressing his cheek.
"Rejoice. I decided to spare you the unfathomable pain of being consumed by my Darling Cobra." Toby drawled, cold eyes peering into Ivan's soul."I shouldn't do this, but I suppose your sins aren't as big as the others. So I will make this sacrifice fast."
"S-s-sacrifice...? I don't understand what you mean..." Ivan whimpered, fresh tears pouring down his face and mixing with the blood he could have sworn wasn't his.
"Of course. You should be thankful, for you will be a stepping stone in my path to becoming a hero." He explained, a small smile gracing his face."Regardless of whether or not you killed your wife intentionally or not, you are a murderer. A villain. A person that has to be purged from this world. That is my sole mission given to me. To help purify this world from all evil. I lied about the mercenaries escaping. I was the one who attacked our group and kidnapped the two of you."
"But you're a Magic Knight!" He sobbed, his heart beating extremely fast."You can't do this! I know I did wrong but I don't want to die! Please! I don't want to die!"
"Being a Magic Knight requires heroic conduct." Toby was unfazed with him pleading for his life."You see, had I let this filth live, they would have gone unpunished. Why should filth continue to live on with their lives? The job of a hero is to exterminate his enemies and bring about justice. That is why I had my Darling Cobra tortured that man for a prolonged period of time. That and she was hungry. It's been a while since she had the taste of blood." Toby's finger touched the creature's jaw, cleaning some of the blood and examining it."It's very simple. It's a very necessary sacrifice, though you might not understand it." His eyes widened in apparent glee, Toby licked the blood from his finger, tasting it thoroughly.
"You're insane! Killing people makes you a murderer, not a hero! Taking a life is wrong! What kind of justice is that?!"
"Divine justice." Toby responded, cracking his neck by tilting it to the side."By killing all of you, I'm ensuring the prosperity of even more people. Kill a hundred people to save a thousand. Kill a thousand people to save a million. It's just common sense, really. Always strive for the greater good. Chimerarafflesia, leave not even the ashes of their bones."
A huge pot-bellied sack of a plant wobbled over to Toby. It had petals going around its monstrous head. It had no eyes, only big lips, and razor-sharp teeth. The plant took a deep breath, inhaling a large quantity of oxygen.
"With you, I'll be even closer to becoming a hero. And one day I will be recognized as a messiah." Toby splayed his arms, watching in sadistic happiness as ChimeraRafflesia fired flames from its mouth. Ivan's screams were loud but short-lived. He was most likely carbonized along with the corpses.
"That should be enough." He rose his hand, stopping his monster of a plant."Cover the whole. All the evidence has been destroyed along with the corpses, so nothing can tie back to me. Now, all I have to do is rendezvous with that fool of a partner. Tch."
Recalling Darling Cobra back, Toby gazed at the moon, licking his blood-stained finger one more time."God...I will continue killing in your name. To purify this world from all filth...I will become a hero by killing my enemies. 232."
The Golden Dawn missions are concluded, and new mysteries arise. Why is Luna reluctant in revealing her last name? Just who is and what is Toby? I know not much of the new character's capabilities were shown, but I will expand on them as time goes by. Next chapter we'll go back to focusing on the Black Bulls and a little extra.
