Chapter 33
Puppet Show
"Now, this is a pleasant surprise." Bloody Mary whistled, a wolfish grin on her face."Those robes look familiar. Matter of fact, I recognize you, hun."
"Wait, me?" Gauche pointed at himself."Hold on...that ax...You're that woman from Nean!"
"So she's the one who fought against Abel and Raiden." Charmy realized, gritting her teeth."How dare you hurt my friends?!"
"Glad I left an impression." She gave a mock bow."So, who is gonna be the one who tells me where Raiden is?"
"And why should we tell you that?" Gauche narrowed his eyes, signaling Charmy and Grey to be silent.'This is odd. Grey said he was fighting the Second Child.'
"Just kidding. I know exactly where he is. As he does know where I am as well. But it seems like he's still having trouble getting past Joseph, he might not make it in time."
"T-t-time for what?" Grey asked, though a sick feeling in her stomach already gave her a bad feeling.
Mary's smile widened, her hand on her hip."Time to save you all from dying, of course."
With that sentence, the Black Bulls felt utter horror invade their minds. Her bloodlust was clear as her intentions. Gauche knew they had to act fast to save themselves or stall for time.
"Charmy, you and I will fight. I'm low on mana, but I can still give that psycho a hard time. Grey, you stay there. You're not of any use to us with a twisted ankle and how much mana you have."
"Think we can take her?" Charmy asked, her face contorted into an unusually serious expression.
"Honestly? Hell no." Gauche bluntly replied."But what choice do we have? If things get rough, you'll have to run with Grey."
"Huh? Are you stupid? You'll die!"
"Better one of us dying than all three of us..." Gauche bit his lower lip, remembering his sister. Of course, he didn't want to die. He would have much rather run from this seemingly impossible fight. But he couldn't leave them behind. No matter how much he tried to force himself to think of his sister only, the bonds he was beginning to make with his squadmates were strong.
"What, already giving a goodbye speech?" Mary chuckled."Well, at least you have the balls to stand your ground. Normally people beg for their lives when they see me or try to run. I love it when they run. There's no way they can escape from me, but watching a human run, trying too hard to preserve their life is the best feeling. I'm hoping I can see that before I rip you to shreds."
"Here she comes, Charmy!"
Grey watched in hopelessness as her squadmates stood in front of her protectively.'Why am I so useless? I should be able to help them! Why did I have to run out of mana and twist my ankle! I'm so clumsy. Please...Raiden, we need you...'
"Let's begin." Mary started the fight with the move she first used against them in Nean, throwing the ax with reinforcement magic at great speed.
"Cotton Creation Magic: Sheep Fluffy Cushion!"
Charmy was fast enough to react in time and summon a cotton sheep that absorbed the impact of the ax, keeping them safe.
"Oh? Cotton magic? Guess I'll have to snuff the stuffing out of this out!" Mary pulled out a mirror shard from her Grimoire, dashing at them.
"Mirror Magic: Reflect Ray!"
A beam of light shot from the mirror, but Mary simply ran to the side, easily evading it. She rose her hand, shooting Gauche a sardonic grin.
Instinctively, Gauche moved his head to the side, barely missing being skewered by the clone inside his mirror.
"Not bad. You reacted in time because you saw me doing this last time." The Mary clone praised, jumping out of Gauche's mirror."However, you barely just reacted and I'm not even at full speed yet. Do you think want to keep going?"
The giant sheep towered over them, casting a shadow that alerted the Marys. Both of them jumped out from the massive fist creating a crater on the ground.
"It sure packs a punch, but it's useless unless it can hit me." The real Mary pointed out."Come on, you can do better than that. At least try to survive!"
Moving her hand in a blur, Mary threw her shard, stabbing Charmy's left arm.
"Charmy!" Grey and Gauche cried out in concern.
"Eyes over here, kiddo." Mary appeared in front of Gauche, kneeing him in the gut before backhanding him away. She placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head."Really? This is it? I know you're all tired and whatnot but I expected a little more of a struggle." Her gaze landed on a terrified Grey."So, are you going to jump into the fray too?"
"You stay away from her!" Charmy growled, clutching her bleeding arm."You're fighting me, remember?!"
"Stop being an idiot, Charmy!" Gauche shakily stood up, clenching his stomach."I know what you're trying to do and it's stupid. Don't get yourself killed like that. We have to play smart here."
"I know that Gauche, but..." Charmy glanced back at Grey.
"If you're feeling that concerned, try using those cooking sheep things you always summon. Make them protect Grey so that way we can fight without holding back."
"Right, but I don't think they'll be strong enough to do much against her." Charmy swallowed down the lump in her throat."But I guess it's better than nothing. Cotton Creation Magic: Sheep Cook!"
A total of five cotton sheep appeared around Charmy, waiting for orders.
"Guard Grey and make sure no harm comes to her!"
With that said, the sheep rushed to Grey's side, surrounding her in a circle.
Gauche nodded in approval, focusing back on the two Marys."And what's with you? How come you're not making any moves?"
"Well, I could have killed you ten times over by now, but I want to give you a fair chance." The real Mary shrugged."Despite appearances, I'm a very noble fighter. I wouldn't stab you in the back like that. Unless you're attacking me, that is. I sure hope you don't think some sheep can prevent me from killing that girl."
"Charmy!" Gauche stared at Charmy using his magic eye."Use that spell again! Mirror Magic: Mirrors Brigade!"
An army of Charmy's copies were created, each of them holding a Grimoire as all of them yelled."Cotton Creation Magic: Sleeping Sheep Strike!"
The Marys glared in surprise at the amount of sheep surrounding them, staring them down with disdain. They began to run around, dodging the punches of the sheep as fast as they could.
"She may be fast, but we've got numbers." Gauche fell on one knee holding his eye."Crap. I've used up a lot of mana. This has to work. Mirror Magic: Real Double! Charmy, launch me!"
Charmy nodded, casting her Sheep Fluffy Cushion to launch Gauche and his double in the air where the sheep were, relentlessly attacking Mary.
"This is so much fun!" Mary cackled, quick on her feet as she dodged the attacks along with her copy. She grabbed the ax on the floor, using it to slash a sheep's arm off as it attacked her."I never thought this game of cat and mouse could be this entertaining."
"Let's see how entertaining it is with this! Mirror Magic: Double Refrain Ray!"
The two Gauches created a vast number of mirrors around Mary and the sheep firing a beam of light through them. The attacks kept missing the Marys but bounced off of each other. Adding the sheep still attacking, the Marys found themselves overpowered and eventually took clean hits. First were the light beams, creating an explosion once they connected with their targets, and then the sheep began punching them for good measure.
"Cotton Creation Magic: Giant Sheep Assault!"
All the sheep began merging into one, creating a gigantic sheep that nearly touched the ceiling."Let's finish her off!"
"You don't have to tell me twice! Mirror Magic: Large Reflect Ray!"
A large ray of light shot from the mirror, impacting where the Marys had been and then the giant sheep sent one final punch, causing the cave to shake wildly. Their spells vanished, prompting both of them to fall on their knees, panting.
"They did it!" Grey beamed, glad that her friends were safe.
"Man, I'm exhausted!" Charmy tried to catch her breath."And now I'm really hungry. All this fighting worked up an appetite."
"For once...I guess you are justified for being so hungry." Gauche relented."You're not so bad, Domehead."
"Glad to hear it, you Sister Complex Freak." Charmy shot back, but there was no hostility in their words.
"Mirror Magic: Final Bound Prison!"
Both Black Bulls' eyes shot wide open upon hearing the voice, finding themselves trapped by human-size mirrors that had reflections of Mary in all of them. Mary's clothes were tattered but sustained no great injuries and had activated her Brand, covering her body in black patterns similar to shatter glass and adding a number six in her hand.
"I have to say, for mere Black Bulls, you're doing better than I had anticipated." The Marys spoke in unison."I thought that only Raiden was capable of giving me such excitement. I guess you make up for it by working together, right? I even had to regenerate and use my Brand. Not a small feat at all. Do you think you can do something better, though? I bet you can still fight."
Gauche and Charmy remained silent, gritting their teeth in frustration.
"I take it you can't. Oh, well."
The reflections began throwing mirror shards at them simultaneously, stabbing through their bodies without mercy.
"Cotton Creation Magic: Happy Cloud!"
A cloud of cotton surrounded Charmy and Gauche, protecting them from more attacks hurting them.
"You could have used that sooner." Gauche hissed in pain, glaring down at his body and how many shards were stabbed into him."Good thing they're not that deep. But I look like a porcupine."
Charmy didn't say anything, causing Gauche to look at her in concern."Hey, Domehead, are you-"
The Mirror magic-user quickly caught Charmy before she fell on the floor, her eyes barely opened."Hey, Charmy!"
"S-sorry...Lost my footing there." Charmy mumbled, wincing in pain. She had as many shards in her, and due to her small size, they covered more of her.
"Can you stand? Shit, at this rate, we'll have to go with plan B. I'll create an opening, and then-"
Before Gauche could finish speaking, a piece of their shield was cut. Then another, then another. Mary was moving through the mirrors, increasing her speed exponentially and cutting away at the cotton cloud, exposing more and more of her enemies. Once the whole cloud was gone, she stood in front of Gauche and Charmy with a cocky grin.
"Nice try. But it's not a big deal for me. I can travel through my mirrors and increase my strength and speed. I don't suppose you can make another one of those, yeah? If not, then this is the end for you." Mary pulled out another shard from her Grimoire, pointing at them with it."I'll kill you first, kid. You have the same magic as me, so you're quite problematic to keep around alive. I know Licht said not to touch you, but I'm too into this for me not to kill you."
Mary rose her hand, ready to land the finishing blow on Gauche but someone threw a rock to the back of her head, momentarily stunning her. She grabbed the spot where she was hurt, realizing that the throw had been strong enough to draw blood. As she began to heal, she turned back to a petrified Grey who had her arm out.
"D-d-d-don't t-t-t-touch my fri-fri-friends..." She shakily whispered.
"Huh? What was that? Can't hear you." She placed a hand around her hear mockingly."Speak up, girly. I want to finish them off now but you're-"
"I said don't touch my friends!" Grey shouted with more determination.
"Feisty. The quiet ones always are the loudest." Mary turned to her direction entirely."But you know, you attacked me just now. Therefore, I can safely kill you now without hurting my pride."
The First Child began approaching the blue-haired young woman, causing her to try to stand up but her ankle made it impossible. The only thing she could do is try to transform, but her low mana didn't allow her to at least take comfort in becoming someone else. Before she knew it, Mary was mere inches away from here, playing around with the shard in her hand.
Charmy lunged at her, grabbing her by the neck in an attempt to stop her."You're not hurting her!"
"Aw, how sweet. You all want to DIE TOGETHER!" Mary headbutted Charmy, knocking the poor girl out and throwing her away.
"I'm sick and tired of you!" Gauche snarled, preparing his strongest spell."Mirror Magic: Large Reflect Ray!"
Mary merely glanced at the large ray of light, grinning. She leaped towards it, spinning around in the air before she kicked it away with a grunt. Gauche watched in utter hopelessness as his attack nearly hit him, exploding after reaching the far wall. Due to much how mana he had used, his reflexes were slower, and couldn't react in time to Mary appearing in front of him.
She elbowed Gauche's head, causing him to drop on the floor, but before he could land, she grabbed him by the neck and rose him up."Are you already out of steam? I guess despite everything you are just Black Bulls. Not really built for tough fights. Well, I at least have an offering for Raiden. I wonder what face he'll make when he sees your corpses piled up."
"Try your worst...bitch." Gauche grimaced, spitting her in the eye.
Wordlessly, Mary used her free gloved hand to wipe away the spit, her eyes narrowing dangerously."But not before I break you. Since you're so desperate in protecting that woman, then you'll just have to take her pain!"
With a swift move, Mary delivered a punch to Gauche's kidney, prompting him to scream in pain as she repeated the motion.
"Aren't you getting tired of running away?" Joseph asked, his puppets relentlessly attacking Raiden."You can't beat me that way!"
"Inferno Magic: Blazing Cut!"
"Oh? Are you really down to destroying them? Not like you can, but they were just regular people before I turned them into puppets!"
Raiden clicked his tongue, stopping his attack, but this only served for a puppet to launch a spell against him.
"Combo Spell: Meteor Shower!"
Two puppets rose their hands, their Grimoires creating the combined attack of fire and earth. Six rocks floated in the air before being ignited by fire and thrown at Raiden.
Finding a new target, Raiden sent slashes of inferno at the meteors, cutting them into pieces. Much to his shock, this only served to create smaller meteors that continued raining down on him, forcing him to retreat.
"You can't run! Wind Magic: Hollowing Tempest!"
A tornado engulfed the flaming rocks, scattering them around the cave and leaving Raiden without places to hide.
"Shit! No choice! Inferno Magic: God Hand!"
A huge fist of fire emerged from his Grimoire, colliding against the small meteors before they could hurt him and melt them away.
"Very nice!" Joseph beamed once more, clearly entertained."When you're cornered, you become stronger! Either that or you don't know when to just drop dead, Mister. But I know you still got a few tricks up your sleeve."
"Right back at you. I know you're holding back too." Raiden panted, a grin plastered on his face."If you wanted, you could have killed me a while ago."
"I promised my big sister that she'll get the honors, as long as I can turn you into a puppet when that happens. By the way, remember your friends are fighting her right now. She likes to play with her food as I do, but she's more brutal than I could ever hope to be. They'll die an agonizing death if you don't go now."
Raiden grinded his teeth, his knuckles turning white due to how much force he was clenching his blades with."I know he's trying to rile me up! You don't have to tell me that!"
That outburst caught Joseph off guard."Huh? He's talking to himself? Did he finally snap?"
With a grunt, Raiden shook his head, biting his lower lip."Why am I hesitating? After all this time, why? Is it because...those people are...But if I don't destroy them I will never get to him and I'll never be able to save Gauche and the others."
"If you're not going to make another move, then I'll just force you again! Combo Spell: Turbulent Typhoon!"
Wind and water magic formed a typhoon large enough to engulf a person, heading straight for Raiden.
Raiden grabbed his Grimoire, raising it in the air."I didn't want to do this here, but-"
"Raiden! Jump back!"
On pure instinct, Raiden jumped back, finding himself teleported somewhere else, landing on his rear."What the hell?"
Joseph could frown if his doll face allowed him to. He inhumanly rotated his head, glancing at the newcomer."Seems we have an unwanted visitor."
"Trust me, I don't want to be here either, man." Finral glared back, a cold sweat dripping down his nape."But I couldn't just let my friend be hurt."
"Finral...what are you doing here? It's dangerous. Get out of here."
"I don't think you're in any position to refuse help, Raiden." Finral tried to humor him a little."Come on, let me help you. I know I'm not a powerhouse like some of you guys, but I'm still a Black Bull. Abel wouldn't run from this and neither will I."
Raiden leveled his gaze with his immediate superior, taking a deep breath."Okay. But this guy is no joke. We'll have to coordinate an attack if we want a chance to beat him. Long story short, he can use puppets, and those puppets can use magic because they were originally people."
"W-what...? Wait, what even is he? Is that another puppet too?"
"That's the bastard transformed into his Alternate form. He can be cut to pieces and still live. We can't get close to him with those puppets around."
"You're not thinking of-"
"I don't know." Raiden admitted, sighing."I can't bring myself to do it, you know? I know he could be pulling my leg, but them having Grimoires makes it hard to disproof. I'd rather not break them."
"Well, if that's the case, I got an idea." Finral helped him up, leaning forward and whispering in his ear.
"That's rather risky." Raiden commented, surprised at Finral's bold idea."Are you sure that's going to work?"
"We could always be the ones doing it." Finral suggested."But I take it you don't want to run away."
"At a time like this, I have no choice." Raiden frowned, shifting his gaze back to their foe."We don't have much time. Let's do this!"
"Right. I'll back you up!" Finral prepared his Grimoire."Funny. I always thought we wouldn't get along to work as a team. And here we are."
Instead of replying, Raiden smirked to himself, dashing at great speeds at the puppets.
"I'm telling you it's no good!" Joseph claimed, forcing one of his puppets to fire a fire spell.
Before Raiden was burnt to a crisp, a portal opened up in front of him and went through it.
"Spatial Magic?!" Joseph gasped, turning his head like an owl and watching his rear. Raiden came from above, ready to strike him down."But that's no good against me! Water Magic!"
A blast of water sent Raiden flying towards the far wall, but before he hit the wall, a portal opened to save him from the crash.
'Tch. So annoying.' Joseph turned his head towards Finral, moving his fingers to control two more puppets."I guess I'll have to cut the wings off this butterfly."
"Earth Magic: Dirty Volley!"
Instead of backing down, Finral created portals in front of him and above Joseph. The rocks collided against his body, breaking parts of his wooden body apart.
Meanwhile, Raiden was now sending inferno slashes through the portals, making them appear elsewhere and creating a set of attacks that surrounded Joseph and his puppets.
'As I thought, against one opponent, he's able to overpower them with sheer numbers. But when it comes to more than one person, he can't keep up with everything!'
"What's going on? What are they even trying to do? I can't get a read on them!" Joseph cried out, moving his hand as much as he could to make his puppets deflect the constant attacks."He's not aiming for the puppets. He's too soft to dare to destroy them while he thinks they're real people. As long as I hide behind them, I'm safe."
A slash of inferno graced his wooden cheek, making a deep cut and startling him. He quickly moved his puppets, twirling around to look out for more attacks. The more he twirled, the more he played into their plan. Before he knew it, he had tangled himself with his strings, causing himself to lose control of his puppets."It can't be!"
"Now, Raiden!" Finral screamed, creating a final portal in which Raiden came out.
"Inferno Magic: God Hand!"
"Defend!" Joseph yelled, twisting his hand to free it from his bindings and moving the puppets in front of him."Combo Spell: Elemental Union!"
The five puppets used their spells, creating a shield composed of every elemental magic at his disposal."It's no use. You can launch any spells you want, it won't do anything to this shield. It's composed of the five main types of magic, making it able to nullify and hold any spell!"
He ate his words when he felt the full impact of the attack pushing the puppets back along with himself."What?!"
"It's too bad that my fire isn't regular fire!" Raiden grunted with great effort, pushing as hard as he could on his spell.
"Raiden, I got you!" Finral placed his hands on the teen's back supplying him with his mana to increase his strength."He's only got one hand! We got this!"
'Crap! I can't move with my strings attached!' Canceling his spell, Joseph returned his puppets to his Grimoire and freed himself from his mana strings. Using his enhanced speed, he jumped back, laughing triumphantly."Ha! I won't fall twice for the same trick!"
"You already fell for it!" Finral shot back, allowing himself a smile.
Joseph gasped, glancing behind him only to find a portal floating there. He wasn't able to stop himself from going through it, closing after him into an unknown location.
"Phew." Finral sighed in relief, wiping some sweat off his forehead."Never made that many portals before. You're a slave driver, Raiden. But hey, we make a pretty good team."
"I knew he could get overwhelmed by numbers. You're a lifesaver, Finral." Raiden said, still glancing at where Joseph had been."Seriously, if you hadn't gotten here, I-"
"Don't worry about it." Finral tapped him on the back, causing Raiden to nearly lose his footing had Finral not caught him in time."What's wrong?! Are you hurt?"
"Sorry...lost a bit of blood and I've been getting knocked around like a ragdoll." Raiden grabbed his head, trying to get his bearings."I'm fine. A few broken ribs and bones are not going to be enough to take me down. Where did you send him, by the way?"
"A while ago Yami sent me to some sketchy areas around the outskirts of the kingdom. I ended up so deep underground that I found a whole underground passage that lead to a series of channels connecting. Someone with Spatial Magic will have a hard time finding the way out. Especially broken down as he was."
"Yeah...Good thing you helped me pushed him. I was thinking I'd have to go with him."
"Seriously?" Finral looked at him incredulously."You...have no sense of preservation, do you?"
"It's what comes with the job." The hazel-eyed teen responded, starting walking ahead."You don't happen to know where Grey and Gauche are?"
"No, sadly I don't." Finral admitted, shoulders slumping."But hey, we can go look for them together."
Raiden hummed in thought folding his arms.'I guess Finral's Spatial Magic could counter Mary's mirrors. No...it's way too dangerous and he'll stand no chance against her. Then again, Mary is after me, so maybe if I bring Finral along he can get the others away and leave us two alone.'
Suddenly, he felt someone's mana getting weaker by the second, from the direction where he had first sensed Mary."That's not Mary's mana...no way...don't tell me..."
"Hey, do you feel that...?" Finral turned in the opposite direction, a cold sweat dripping down his forehead."That's that guy's mana. The same one from Nean. He must be fighting one of us!"
"Tch! Finral, go help the others out. I'll go check on Gauche and Grey!"
"Wait, Raiden!" Finral made a portal in front of him."Go through here. It'll take you at least a little closer to there than you are from here."
"Gotcha. Thanks a bunch, Finral." Raiden nodded, diving inside the portal without question.
"Just...stay alive, okay?" He whispered to part, almost as if he was talking to himself.
Deeper in the temple, Raiden was running as fast as he could as well as leaping around."Don't worry guys! I'm coming!"
Yami clenched his fists, feeling pure impotence as he watched his subordinates getting beat to a pulp. Magna and Luck were out cold, leaving Asta and that water mage to deal with Vetto. All the others were going straight for him, but that left Gauche, Charmy, and Grey completely by themselves. And they weren't doing good. Bloody Mary continued punching Gauche in the stomach, each thunderous blow making him weaker and weaker. Charmy was passed out and Grey couldn't move due to how scared she was.
"I can't watch this." Yami grabbed his Katana, heading for the hole he had made earlier."I'm going in."
"Wait, are you serious? We can't move from here, though." The High Priest reminded him.
"As long as those two are in my way that is." Yami glared at Baby and the Spatial Mage behind her."I'm taking her down and helping my kids."
"So, finally ready to fight, eh? Here I was thinking you would just watch the spectacle. Guess my children are proving to be too much for your subordinates, eh?"
"Shut up." Yami silence her, his Grimoire flipping through its pages."I'm done sitting around, that's all."
"Good." Baby nodded in response, glancing over her shoulder."I'll keep him at bay. Focus on maintaining that spell."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Now then...Iron Creation Magic: Single-Hand Express!"
From Baby's Grimoire, metal fragments began attaching to her arm, creating a bigger one with sharp edges around it. She aimed her arm cannon at him, firing pieces of metal like projectiles.
Yami blocked these attacks with ease, using his Ki and sword to help him fend off her attack. He jumped behind a rock, taking cover from the onslaught."Shit. Why is everyone gathered up here?"
In effect, all the citizens of the Underwater Temple had gathered to watch the fights go on from the magic screens projecting what was going on. They were all unaware of the fight going on above their heads.
"What, is the big man scared of me?" Baby mocked him, seizing her attacks."Don't tell me you have the title Captain for nothing?"
"Don't get too confident. We've just started." Yami emerged from his hiding spot, ready to attack."Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Lightless Slash!"
A slash of dark magic shot towards Baby.
"No good. That spell can absorb other magic, such as Licht's Light magic." Baby immediately went on the offensive."Iron Creation Magic: Scrap Wall!"
A metal wall composed of metal appeared before Baby, but Yami's attack was able to cut through with ease, forcing her to leap into the air.
"True, your magic is strong, but against Baby the Misfortunate, you stand no chance!" Baby declared before realizing she had lost sight of Yami."Where did he-?"
"Got you," Yami grumbled, his sword high in the air, ready to strike her from behind.
"No, you don't, human." Baby touched his abdomen, focusing her magic on him."Repel!"
After saying those words, Yami's body was launched back to where the High Priest was, crashing against the wall.
"W-w-what happened?!" The High Priest rushed to look at Yami.
"Damn...that was one hell of a spell..." Yami groaned, falling face-first on the floor."She may not be that fast, but her reflexes are incredible. She has a Four-leaf Grimoire for a reason, after all."
"You are fast. No wonder you were able to stand up to Licht." Baby praised, landing back to her original spot using her giant arm."But suffice to say, don't think for a second I'm not strong. I am the leader of the Order of the First and the Mother of the Children of Sceva after all. So, ready to keep dancing, my dear Captain?"
Mary had to switch her hold on Gauche, allowing her to punch his back with equal force. Charmy remained unresponsive, being attended by Grey who had her eyes closed, refusing to look at the scene.
Gauche continued spitting blood after each blow, unable to escape her grasp due to having almost no mana and being wounded.
The First Child's wicked smile had long disappeared, replaced by a boring look with a mix of annoyance. Gauche had stopped squirming a while back and was now only able to take her attacks with the occasional gasp. With a tired sigh, she delivered a final punch to Gauche's spine for good measure before tossing him where the others were.
"Gauche!" Grey set Charmy gently on the floor, crawling over to Gauche to nurse him."Gauche! Gauche!"
Gauche's breathing was shallow, his eyes closed but still conscious.
"This was fun but I guess all good things come to an end, right? I don't want my last memory of this fight to be this boring, so I'll do you a favor and end this as quickly as possible." Mary placed a hand on her hip, trailing the other one in the air and creating a white line as her Brand disappeared from her body.
Grey grabbed Charmy and Gauche in a tight hug, closing her eyes.
Gauche opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling without saying a word.'I'm sorry, Marie. But your useless older brother...won't be coming back home...'
"Now DIE! Mirror Magic: Shower Rain of He-"
Just then, a loud thud made her stop, earning everyone's attention. Gauche slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on whom he called a friend.
Kneeling on the floor with a murderous glare was Raiden, his eyes staring down at Mary.
"Good. I've been waiting for you." Mary canceled her spell, folding her arms under her chest."You sure took your time. I guess Joseph didn't make things easy for you. But hey, they say the hero always comes in at the last second, right?"
Raiden didn't respond, standing up and walking over to where his friends were, ignoring Mary.
"What, are you mad?" Mary sarcastically coed."Come on, I didn't hurt them that badly. I was as gentle as I could be."
"Shut the fuck up," Raiden replied, not bothering to look in her direction. He squatted down in front of Grey and Gauche, taking a look at Charmy.
"R-Raiden..." Although it was small, a sense of hope began bubbling inside Grey upon seeing her friend."You're here..."
"Took you...long...enough..." Gauche quipped, wincing in pain as in injuries were acting up."You look like...hell though."
"You're telling me?" Raiden shot back playfully."You look like you're ready to die. But yeah, her kid brother is something else. Finral teleported him away though but I didn't walk away unscathed. I'm pretty sure I got one foot in the grave too."
"And here you are...why?"
"Come on, really?" Raiden shook his head in exasperation."You guys are my friends. And honestly, I've only ever had a handful of people I call friends in my life. I don't want to lose the few that I have."
"Raiden! You're okay!" Grey tackled Raiden, burying her face against his chest.
"Uh, yeah, I've been here for a good minute now. Were you in shock or something?" Raiden gently patted her on the head."Just kidding. I'm glad you guys are alive too, Grey. You must have fought hard to survive this long against her. But don't worry. I'm taking over now."
"Huh?!" Grey gasped in shock.
"Are you...serious...?" Gauche frowned, trying to move his arms to sit up but couldn't."We didn't stand a chance...together and...I know you're tough but-"
"You can't!" Grey finished for him."She'll kill you! We can't beat her!"
"I know I don't stand a chance." Raiden looked at his hands, particularly the two scars where the stabbed wounds had been."My fight against the Second Child of Sceva is enough for me to know I can't beat them. But I have to try. No matter what, I refuse to die against her. Recover as much as you guys can. I'll buy you enough time to run away. Then I'll catch up with you."
"But-"
"No buts!" Raiden refuted, grabbing Grey's shoulders."I'll be fine. Trust me a little, yeah? I need you to be strong too. For Gauche and Charmy. Just please...do as I say and get out of here when you can. I'll keep her at bay as much as I can."
"Raiden..." Grey muttered, fresh tears streaming down her face, afraid of losing someone she had come to see as a younger sibling.
"You got it." Gauche answered from the side."Give me a few minutes so I can...catch my breath. It hurts like hell to move but I'll manage. You better stay alive...or I'll bring you back to life and kill you myself, you jerk."
"Fine by me." Raiden stood up, but as he was about to go into battle, someone grabbed his hand."Charmy?"
"Wait, Raiden. Use this..." Charmy opened her Grimoire, using the last bit of magic she had."Cotton Creation Magic: SHeep Cook: Master Chef"
A sheep with a mustache and a hat appeared, offering Raiden a cupcake with chocolate frosting."This is..."
"It'll restore your mana...To give you a better fighting chance against that monster..."
"But I think you should give it to either Grey or Gauche or maybe even yourself." Raiden tried to argue."I'm still-"
"You'll be doing the heavy lifting..." Gauche pointed out."We'll recover our mana on our own. You're going to need...the boost..."
"I guess you make a good case." Raiden grabbed the cupcake from Charmy's hands before eating it whole."Man, if only we weren't in a life or death situation I would have savored that cupcake. It tasted so good. But...my mana...it's coming back to me."
Feeling his power restored, Raiden felt fresh and renewed, albeit he still had his previous injuries."Alright. I'm ready and good to go. You know the-"
"RAIDEN, BEHIND YOU!"
Mary was already behind him, a shard in her hand as she was ready to slash the back of his neck. In a swift motion, Raiden crouched down, avoiding the attack before delivering a pick to Mary's left cheek, sending her flying away.
The others Black Bulls were amazed at what they had just seen. In one move, Raiden was able to kick Mary away when she was going to attack him point-blank from behind.
Mary skidded on the ground, coming to a halt while rubbing her cheek."That was a good hit. You've gotten stronger than you were a week ago. Not bad."
Raiden unsheathed his blades, cladding them with inferno."I'm not going to give you the entertainment that you want. For all the innocent people you've killed and sacrificed...for making Chris an orphan and separating her from her parents...and for hurting my friends! I'm going to defeat you! This is where we claim victory!"
