The two left Bareahard the next morning, headed to Legram. As much as Jusis would have loved to join them his responsibilities held him back. He did promise that he would make up an excuse for him and Millium to assist them once they discovered the hiding spot of the enemy.

The train ride to Laura's home town was uneventful and the two passed the time with Vantage Masters. They did place bets on what the weather in Legram would be like, with Fie expecting fog and Rean calling for a clear and sunny day. Much to her annoyance Rean was proven correct.

The village of Legram always had a relaxing atmosphere that never failed to put Rean at ease and today was no exception. The morning sun reflecting off the surface of Lake Ebel only enhanced the effect. Despite the situation it was a very relaxed Rean that followed his partner to the Legram Bracer Guild.

Fie couldn't help but snort as she reviewed the mission board. "I think Laura left this one for you." She pointed to one specific request.

'Looking for a swordsman of some merit to introduce the students of the Arseid School to another form of sword fighting. Please report to the School if interested.' While no name was given, it looked and sounded exactly like something the daughter of Viscount Arseid would write.

With no other requests of note the pair of Bracers made their way through the town, taking in the sights as they went. They stopped briefly at the statue of Lianne Sandlot and Rean mentally paid his respects to their honorable foe. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Fie with an unreadable expression as she gazed intently at the statue. Curious, but Rean didn't feel the need to push the issue.

Departing the statue, the two made their way towards the hill that would lead them to the Arseid School and the Viscount's mansion. They had just passed the inn when they experienced a most unusual encounter.

"I can't believe you would dare return to this town after what you did!" A female voice hissed. Turning, the duo saw a pair of younger girls glaring at the Ashen Chevalier. Although he couldn't remember their names, Rean knew them as two members of the Laura Arseid Fan Club.

"Huh?" He intelligently replied.

"We heard all about it. Lady Laura bared her heart to you and you rejected her."

"Absolutely despicable!" Her companion added.

"Wait, but..." Rean tried to form a response, but it was all so confusing. Didn't these girls go out of their way to make his previous visits to Legram miserable because they thought he was getting close to Laura? Now they were mad at him because he didn't get close to Laura? He glanced to Fie for support, but unsurprisingly the girl was doing her best to keep her distance and her mirth in check. The small part of his brain that was still working suspected that if Fie did talk it would only be to egg them on further.

"I have no idea what a woman of the caliber of Lady Laura saw in you, but none of it excuses your great betrayal. You are proof that all men are scum!"

"You aren't welcome in Legram and should just leave!" With that the two residents left in a huff. Normally, such hurtful words would bother Rean, but those girls had always been rather extreme and he knew the rest of Legram were kind and wonderful people, so he didn't let it bother him that much. Still...

"What just happened?" He finally asked once his brain rebooted.

"I dunno, but it was hilarious." Now that they were alone again Fie let her humor show itself.

"Next time I will make sure they know that you were the evil seductress who stole me away from Laura."

"Hmm.." Fie pondered the accusation for a second. "While true, I don't think it will matter much to them. They seem perfectly happy to blame you for everything." Rean could do nothing but concede the point.

While technically they were supposed to go to the Arseid manor, both knew without a shadow of a doubt that their target would be found in the combat school instead. With that in mind they made their way there, with only the occasional chuckle from Fie as she remembered the previous encounter, to Rean's increasing annoyance, as noise.

The familiar sound of steel clashing on steel greeted the two as they neared. It was still early in the day so they weren't surprised that it was active. Fie didn't bother to announce their presence and casually entered like she owned the place, with Rean following just behind.

Despite not having been there in a couple years the Arseid School was exactly the same as Rean remembered it. A couple changing and storage rooms to the sides, the main room directly ahead, and Laura Arseid easily fending off the efforts of three different students at the same time. Some things never changed.

So engrossed in the duel were the students that none of them noticed the new arrivals. The two decided to quietly watch the battle, but that didn't last long as Laura briefly spotted them as she deflected an attack from one of her opponents. With the tiniest hint of a smile the swordmaiden decided to end the fight with a single powerful attack that shattered the guards of all three students at once. She spoke a few words to her defeated adversaries before turning to her old friends, catching the attention of the students in the process.

"Impressive as always." Rean remarked with all honesty. He had always admired other sword styles and despite his classmate clearly holding back in the spar she was no less radiant with the Arseid style.

"Sup Laura?" Fie was just happy to see her best friend again.

"Rean! Fie! How wonderful to see the two of you again." She looked poised to run up to her two friends and greet them with a hug, but remembered where she was. With a cough to regain her composure she turned to the students, "I would like to introduce you all to two of my dearest friends. They are Rean Schwarzer and Fie Claussell, both members of the Bracer Guild."

Hushed whispers filled the room as the students clearly recognized those names, especially the former. The members of Class VII did their best to ignore it and instead took the moment afforded to talk among themselves.

"When I heard that a pair of Bracers had been dispatched to look into these attacks I could only hope that it was the two of you. Am I correct in assuming you stopped at Bareahard first?" Seeing them nod in affirmative she continued, "In that case I will end class for the day and we can exchange information."

"What about that request you left for us?" A curious Rean asked.

"Oh! I made that request when I heard you joined the Guild and completely forgot about it. Sadly I don't think we have the time to do that right now..." They could clearly see the disappointment on her face as her responsibility as the guardian of Legram warred with her desire to enhance the training of her students.

"How about we let Rean handle that request while the two of us swap stories?" Practical as always, Fie had the answer. Laura shot her a thankful smile for providing the solution.

"Perfect. Are you alright with providing a demonstration right now Rean?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have mentioned it if I wasn't." Rean wondered how he would do this. He glanced at the beginners. He didn't recognize any of them, so the older students had probably moved on in the past years. It was when he noticed that there were seven students that an idea formed in his head.

Laura clapped once to gain the attention of her students, "I must leave to attend to a matter, so I want all of you to focus on self training for the rest of the day. Before that, however, Rean has offered to demonstrate his sword style to you. As you might already know, he is a practitioner of the Eight Leaves One Blade style with the rank of Divine Blade. My father once told me that if you follow the path of the sword that you will eventually come across a practitioner of the Eight Leaves school, and my encounter with Rean has proven him correct, so I want all of you to observe him and learn what you can, because a day may come when you find yourself encountering one for yourself."

Rean stepped forward to address the eager Arseid practitioners, "She did a good job of introducing me, so I guess I will just go ahead and get started. Unlike the Arseid style which has forms for many different weapons, the Eight Leaves One Blade specializes in Eastern-style swords like my tachi." He unsheathed his blade and held it out for emphasis. "It is a style created by the sword hermit Yun Ka-fai and incorporates techniques from multiple eastern fighting styles."

"The main advantage of the style over other sword styles is the variety of forms it utilizes. As the name implies, the Eight Leaves draws its strength from eight different forms, with one of them being an unarmed style. Most who study the style will focus on one form, but often will branch out and utilize other forms to supplement their primary focus."

Seeing as he still had their undivided attention Rean decided to move forward to the main part of the demonstration. "Since there are seven of you and seven sword forms, I would like to spar with each of you one at a time while utilizing each form. I want you to study my stances and my movements so if you ever find yourself facing against another practitioner in battle you can identify the form and plan a strategy against it. So who would like to go first?"

Seeing one brave swordsman step forward, Rean adopted the first stance. "The first form, or Helix, is one that makes use of rotary motions to increase the power of my strikes while adding a bit of unpredictability to my attacks. While I have learned over the years that engaging an Arseid master in a battle of blows is a terrible idea, if I ever found myself in that situation I would do so using this stance. You may begin when ready."

Off to the side Fie and Laura were discussing current events. Laura listened intently as Fie described their previous day's investigation and in turn answered any questions the younger girl had about the attack near Legram.

"So you believe that this is part of a larger operation taking place in the region? How concerning."

The sounds of an explosion caused both girls to look to the center of the room, where Rean had just dispatched another opponent with a flame impact. Both recognized it as the Third Stance.

"Yup. We don't know what their plan is, but we know they have a lot of machines at their disposal. It kinda feels like their attack against us yesterday was just bait, as whoever it was that was spying on us had to have known that such a force wouldn't win."

"I see. And you intend to confront them today?"

"Probably. We'll check out where the Legram attack happened, but if it really was bait we should have a firm idea where they are located if we check the attack locations with the directions the archaisms came from."

"In that case I would like to offer my assistance in seeing this matter resolved. This is a threat to the people of Legram and I will not allow it to continue."

"Sure. Been a while since we fought together. Should be fun." Laura was the person Fie most enjoyed fighting alongside after Rean, so she had absolutely no problems in accepting her aid. "Jusis and Millium offered to help also as soon as we have found our target." As she said this she observed Rean defeating another opponent, this time with the fifth form.

"A Class VII mini reunion? How exciting." It was unfortunate how everyone was so busy that meetings between them were rare. They still had one big meetup each year, but it was hard for her to find time to travel far to meet people outside of Legram. She couldn't help but envy Fie a bit as she lived with their leader, worked alongside their Instructor, and her job gave her some freedom to travel around and visit others.

The two best friends spent the next few minutes catching up on their lives as they watched Rean finish off the final two students. He gave them a few closing remarks before making his way towards his two classmates.

"That was splendidly done." Laura praised his teachings. "I can tell they learned quite a bit from that demonstration."

"Thanks. I had fun too. Makes me wonder if I should start a school dedicated to the Eight Leaves some day." He admitted.

"You guys are a bunch of sword geeks." Fie of course thought they were a pair of weirdos obsessed with swords.

"Is the Viscount around?" Rean asked as the trio left the school. He wouldn't mind paying a visit to the Radiant Blademaster if possible.

"Unfortunately not. He is currently on tour training soldiers of the Imperial Army." Both of her friends could tell that Laura was bothered by something from the tone of her voice.

"Laura?" Fie asked with concern.

"It's nothing major." She sought to reassure them when she realized how her words sounded. "It's just... last week I beat father in a duel." Despite the accomplishment she seemed very unhappy about it.

Fie was confused, but Rean had an idea of what the problem was. "You are bothered because you know that had he still been at full strength you wouldn't have won." His guess was right on the mira judging from her reaction.

"Wha- How did you know?" She stammered in response.

"Although I haven't seen him in years, master Ka-fai still occasionally sends me letters. Recently he has mentioned how age is starting to catch up to him. I know that some day I will face my master again, but the Yun Ka-fai I face will not be the legendary swordmaster that I remember, and that thought bothered me quite a bit."

"You speak in the past tense. I take it you have come to terms with your feelings on the matter?"

"Yeah. Sure we miss out on the satisfaction of overcoming our first great barrier, but in the end that doesn't matter for anything but pride. Let me ask you this, were you planning on stopping your own training once you surpassed your father?"

"What? No, of course not." Her reply was indignant as if such a concept was unfathomable to her.

"Exactly. We might not get that great victory we always yearned for, but nothing would have changed even if we had. We will continue down the same road we always have. And plus, didn't we already overcome enough crazy barriers during the Twilight? We defeated so many powerful enemies that we were powerless against just a few years ago.

"Your words are wise, thank you Rean. I still feel some disappointment, but you are correct that it is irrelevant in the greater picture." Laura let out a giggle. "Feels like just yesterday it was I giving you advice back in Celdic, how the tables have turned."

Rean merely shrugged. "Honestly it is only because I have had a lot longer to think about this."

"And plus," Fie interjected herself into the conversation, "if you really want to duel a crazy overpowered Arseid Blademaster Aurelia would gladly agree to it. You can be the one to end up covered in bruises and cuts this time."

"Oh? Did you recently fight the Golden Rakshasa?" She asked with great interest. Fie shot an annoyed look towards Rean who simply sighed and explained the duel that took place before graduation. "I see. That actually sounds like a lot of fun, perhaps I shall seek her out for a duel at some point. And I would be remiss if I didn't admit my desire to spar with the two of you at some point, but now clearly isn't the time for that."

The three made their way out of Legram, heading towards where the attack occurred. Laura informed them that it was just off the Ebel Highway, fairly close to where Group A encountered their first archaism all those years ago. With no fog they made good time and reached their destination fairly rapidly.

It was a lot like the first attack they checked out. The signs of battle were obvious, but no definitive clues could be found. The most important detail was the direction of the attack as the archaisms made no effort in hiding their tracks. Rean pulled out their map and marked the location, before drawing lines to trace all three attack locations back to a single point.

"Forgive me for asking, but couldn't these machines simply take a longer route to fake their true location?" Laura asked. It was a reasonable question, but Fie suspected otherwise.

"Normally yes, but these attacks don't feel normal. It is like whoever is out there wants to be found and has left clues for us. Especially since I can still sense that asshole watching us now." She let out an annoyed snort. "There is a good chance that we are walking into a trap, but if we didn't play along they might start attacking people seriously." Her friend could only nod her head at that reasonable explanation.

"I got it." Rean stated as he finished. The two girls moved over to see what he had drawn. The first attack south of Bareahard came from the southwest, while their ambush was to the west of that and came almost due south. This attack just north of Legram came from the northwest. Put together the locations intersected on a hill a couple hours to the north of Lohengrin Castle.

"Think we should call Jusis now or scout it out to be sure?" Rean asked once they had pinpointed their likely destination.

"Let's call now. Better to be safe than sorry and worst case scenario there is nothing there and we have to endure Jusis's annoyed face for a few hours."

"If only Machias was here to take the fall for us." Rean said as he took out his ARCUS and made the call. It didn't take long and the noble informed them that he and Millium were on their way and would meet them at a spot just short of their destination.

The trip was not a short one, as they had to travel pretty far to the south to reach the closest bridge across the river, but the three were easily capable of making the journey at a brisk pace and reached the meeting spot in a few short hours. They didn't have to wait long before the telltale sounds of a horse reached their ears and their other two companions had arrived.

After securing the horse the group cautiously advanced up the hill where they expected to find their targets, with the ever agile and stealthy Sylphid scouting ahead. It wasn't long before she reappeared.

"This is the place all right. I counted at least twenty machines, with all the types from the attacks accounted for. They didn't seem to be doing anything though, which was odd."

Twenty modern archaisms would be enough to give a company of soldiers great difficulty. For the five heroes present it felt like a minor challenge. Still, something about the situation didn't sit right with them, so they tempered their confidence with extra caution. That caution didn't stop them from charging at the machines as soon as they were visible, however.

Robotically, the machines turned to engage the humans as soon as they appeared, but they were scattered all about the hilltop and not really in a good position for battle. This proved disastrous for the archaisms as a pair of Phalanxs and a group of Tri-Attackers were dispatched without even attempting to defend themselves. The robots did a good job of forming ranks after, but with their numbers so greatly diminished they found themselves being pushed back.

A pair of Tri-Attackers were disabled when Jusis froze them with a swing of his sword. He decided against finishing them off and instead charged his ARCUS as he prepared to cast an art at a machine that was lining up for a potshot. It was Millium who dealt with the frozen foes, turning her combat shell into a hammer and smashing them into the ground. The excitable girl couldn't help but frown slightly as her new combat shell lacked the familiarity of Lammy and took marginally longer to respond to her commands.

Laura found herself well suited for dealing with the pair of Zephyranthes that she encountered as their thick armor was like paper before her mighty blade. Each swing removed a part of the machine and the first enemy fell within seconds. The second archaism tried to put some distance between it and the Arseid master as it fired its main laser, but that attack was blocked by her sword. While archaisms weren't programmed to display emotions, it could be said that that last Zephyranthes almost looked afraid as it's doom approached.

Fie was content to leave the bigger enemies to her best friend, instead darting around the battlefield and assassinating the smaller foes in large numbers. A quick slash to disarm a Tri-Attacker, a barrage to suppress a Phalanx before she could close in and destroy it, a crippling thrust into the back of an unsuspecting Clown. In a big chaotic battle like this Fie was truly in her element.

Rean meanwhile held back, keeping himself mostly in reserve in case something unexpected happened. This didn't prevent him from occasionally launching a Crimson Slash or an art towards a foe, but for the most part he was more than happy to leave the fighting to his friends while he kept his senses open. This proved to be the right call as he saw a pair of archaisms slip away from the battle and retreat down the hill. Knowing what kind of havoc a single rogue machine could cause he abandoned his position and set out to chase them down.

The first archaism was easy to catch as the Phalanx series wasn't really known for their speed or stealth. He managed to catch up and destroy that one in a matter of seconds. The second one, a Balancing Clown, proved to be a lot more elusive. He almost lost it when it managed to slip into the tree line, but managed to keep on it's trail long enough to regain contact. It took a few minutes as the machine kept using the terrain as cover preventing him from taking it out at range, but eventually he closed the gap and decommissioned it with great prejudice.

It was only at that point that he realized how far away from the main battle he had gotten. He wasn't overly concerned with his friend's safety as he knew they had the fight well in hand, but he was concerned about a possible ambush. His fears proved well-founded, but not in the way he expected, as the telltale sound of an archaism appearing out of air alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone. Apparently the one being ambushed was him.

It was a machine that he had encountered once before during the Civil War at the Reinford headquarters. Regenenkopf was the name, if he recalled correctly. It was a large humanoid machine holding an eastern-style blade. The machine took a stance that Rean was all too familiar with, as it was the same stance that he used.

"Lone enemy analyzed. Combat protocols activated. Engaging." It stated with a mechanical voice.

"I remember you." Rean responded, not that the machine could understand. "You have all the moves of the Eight Leaves One Blade programmed into you as if that makes you a worthy adversary. Let me show you the true soul of the Eight Leaves." Rean wasn't usually one to let an opponent get under his skin, especially an unthinking machine, but this one had always annoyed him. He took his own stance before the two clashed.


The rest of the fight went smoothly and it wasn't long before the final archaism malfunctioned and exploded from the damage it took.

"Was that all of them?" Laura asked as they sheathed their weapons.

"Outside of the two that Rean set out in pursuit of, I believe so." Jusis couldn't see anything more than scrap metal around.

"That was it? Boooooring." Millium whined as she barely had a chance to shine.

Fie didn't say anything and instead stared off in the direction Rean had vanished from. She knew how capable he was, but couldn't help feel the slightest twinge of concern.

"Think we should follow him?" Laura questioned as she saw the direction Fie was staring off in. Her question was answered a second later when her fellow swordsman entered their view. "Ah, never mind."

"Sorry I'm late guys. Ran into some unexpected trouble, but nothing I couldn't handle." He greeted as he returned to the group. "How was everything here?"

"It went fine, as you can clearly see." Jusis deadpanned.

"Yeah! We rule!"

Fie... just continued to stare. Something felt off about this.

Rean seemed to notice as he turned to her. "Is something wrong Fie?"

Her eyes narrowed as her suspicions were confirmed. "Who are you?" She hissed as she pointed her gunblades towards 'Rean'.

"What?"

"Fie?"

"Are... are you certain?"

Millium, Jusis, and Laura were skeptical of her claim, which made sense. The person before them looked like Rean, sounded like Rean, and acted like Rean, but Fie was certain beyond any doubt that this person was not actually Rean.

"Fie, what are you doing? This isn't funny?" 'Rean' asked her with alarm. Whoever this was they clearly knew Rean well, but there was nobody in Zemuria who knew him better than she did. It was the eyes. This was the Rean of past years who kept a calm facade and attempted to put on a brave face for their sake. This 'Rean' wasn't the Rean that blossomed after the Twilight, who was more open with himself and always looked at her with eyes filled with indescribable warmth.

"Shut. Up. Where is Rean? Tell me now." She was not in the mood for games and looked about ready to shoot the impostor and search for her lover on her own.

Her friends still seemed skeptical, but 'Rean' seemed to realize the jig was up."Haha...hahahaha!" 'Rean' didn't seem to be that upset about being exposed so quickly. "Hahahahahaha!" Really there was only one person that they knew of who could disguise themselves so well, and that was also the only person they knew with such an obnoxious laughter.

With a snap of the fingers 'Rean' transformed to the familiar visage of Baron Bleublanc. With the deception revealed the other three members of Class VII wasted no time in preparing their weapons in case another battle broke out. They watched warily as the Enforcer of Ouroboros finally reigned in his laughter.

"My friends, there is no need for such hostility on such an auspicious day. To be reunited after so long, ah it brings such joy to my heart." He seemed entirely too relaxed despite being surrounded by threats. "To answer your question Miss Claussell, although I guess soon enough it will be Lady Schwarzer? Regardless, I left a little toy to keep your beloved busy. I am certain that he has already prevailed against it and is already on his way back."

"What are you doing here?" Jusis asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"The Professor wanted someone to gather combat data on his new archaisms. Naturally I was planning on refusing such a dull request, leaving it instead to one of my more bloodthirsty companions, but that was before I heard that young Rean had joined the Guild. That was when I realized I could use this as an opportunity to meet up with my dearest friends, whom I haven't seen since the wedding of my Eternal Rival."

They were surprised at the news that he had been at the Prince's wedding, but in hindsight it should have been expected. They were also annoyed that he considered them his friends, but knew that arguing the fact would be pointless.

Ignoring their inner thoughts, Phantom Thief B continued. "And what a marvelous decision this turned out to be! To think that you could see through my disguise instantly, despite your friends being completely bamboozled. The bonds of your love were able to prevail despite my most earnest attempts to deceive you. Truly my Eternal Rival was correct when he told me that love is the truest beauty!"

"Fie! Everyone!" They turned to see Rean approaching. Unlike before Fie was certain that this was her Rean. As he approached he noticed their unexpected guest. "Bleublanc?" Unlike the others he didn't seem all that concerned about the impostor in their midst.

"Ah, and the star finally makes his debut to the stage. It has been a while my friend."

"So you were the one behind these attacks?" It was a rhetorically question, but the fake Baron gave a theatrical nod in support. "I see. If nothing else I should be grateful that you aren't the type to cause unnecessary harm."

"Why of course. While there is beauty in a person's final moments, I wanted this moment to be civil. A nice chat before the curtain rises on the final act, if you will." Now that statement was cause for concern, especially once they started hearing an ominous noise approaching rapidly. "And now it approaches, wonderful! I do hope that your struggle proves to be most brilliant in it's radiance. Until next time my friends, adieu!"

"Annoying as shit that the bad guys can always just teleport away." Fie groused after the Enforcer vanished in a bright display. The five prepared themselves for battle, while they weren't sure what was approaching, it was clear that it was something quite dangerous. It was only a few long seconds before their enemy was revealed to them.

"An Aion?" A shocked Laura muttered as it appeared.

"A Type-γ model." Rean noted as he recognized the super-heavy model from his previous encounters.

"And this time we don't have a Divine Knight to rely upon. Just wonderful."

"It's big, but we have beaten bigger things before. Just another thing for us to smash."

"A shame that we didn't get a chance to perfect 'it' before coming here." Fie complained to her beloved partner.

Rean could only shrug. "It would have been nice, but oh well. We will have another chance to use 'it' later." The others couldn't help but be curious as to what 'it' was, but all understood that this was neither the time nor place for it. "Alright, Class VII, our objective is to neutralize that Aion. It's armor is thick so concentrate our attacks on the legs and let's bring it down!"

"Right!" "Let's go!" "Ja!" Later they would note with amusement how quickly they fell back into old habits, but for now the focus was entirely on the machine that had just launched missiles at them.

They scattered in different directions, with Rean ending up linking with Millium and Fie with Laura. Jusis found himself alone, but that was fine with the noble as he had already determined that he was most suited to hang back and provide support with his ARCUS. With their teams assembled the Thor's Alumni launched their attack.

Normally one would assume that a bunch of blades would do no damage to a machine with armor thicker than even the heaviest of tanks, but luckily for them they were using weapons infused with Black Zemurian Ore. This was proven as Rean managed to gouge a deep cut in the armor of the leg with a quick strike. Of course the size of the machine meant that such blows failed to hinder it at all and it would take repeated attacks in the same area before any real damage could be done. Understanding that, Millium followed up by having Lammy II punch the same spot, widening the tear ever so slightly.

The other leg went much the same way, with Laura ripping a hole into the armor and Fie working to expand the opening. Their assault was cut short, however, as the machine attempted to impale them with one of it's arm drills. Both evaded, with Laura having a more difficult time of it as her style was more focused on blocking and deflecting, neither of which were viable options against an Aion that can crush a tank with ease.

Any follow up attacks were thwarted as the machine staggered back as it was struck with a Cross Crusade from Jusis. Despite it being a high level art cast by an expert user, the Aion seemed mostly undamaged from the attack. Still, the other members were glad of the opening as they recommenced their attempts to cut through the legs of the archaism.

The machine struggled against the gnats hacking away at it, as most of its armament was designed to be used against larger targets. That didn't mean they weren't dangerous, of course, as a single hit from one of the many guns it possessed or even the clumsy attempts at a melee attack would be assuredly fatal. Of course none of that mattered if the Aion couldn't hit them.

For their part, the damage they were inflicting wasn't much, but it was all concentrated on the legs as they sought to carve their way to the joint. It was oddly reminiscent of that battle against the Soldat at Trista all those years ago. While this was a far more dangerous machine than the simple Drakkhen they had fought, they in turn had grown immensely since that fateful day. Thus far it actually felt like an easier fight and they knew they were getting close to reaching the vital joints.

The AI controlling the Type-γ seemed to understand it's peril, as it used its limited flight capabilities to put some distance between itself and it's foes. With that achieved it hunkered down and the twin cannons mounted on it's shoulders extended outwards towards them, before they started to charge. They all recognized the telltale signs of the double buster cannon.

Rean took a split second to assess the situation. He knew that Fie, Jusis, and himself would be able to escape the blast, but Laura and Millium were out in the open and he wasn't sure if they could make it away in time. "Jusis! Millium!" It was risky, but he decided to place his faith in the defensive capabilities of his teammates.

"Lammy! Barrier!" Rean was worried when the combat shell appeared to hesitate for a second, but luckily it seemed to figure out the command just in time. With a flash of light it was covered by an invisible barrier as it glided to the front of the party. As this was happening Jusis was using his own defensive ability, coating the party with a shield that could nullify some damage taken.

It was just in time, as the world was filled with light as the cannons fired. Airgetlam's barrier held for a good three seconds before shorting out, but Jusis's shield protected it while it collapsed after expending all it's energy. The attack hadn't been completely nullified, but what remaining energy it had wasn't enough to pierce the rest of their barriers and inflict real damage. A few of them were were singed and Laura would need a new outfit, but they had weathered the storm.

Well, most of them had. "Lammy is gonna need a minute to reboot." Millium informed them as she analyzed her combat shell.

"Right. Let's give it that minute." Fie wasted no time in reengaging the machine, with the other three combat effective members following suit Rean switched his link to Jusis. Although machines felt no emotions, it almost looked like the Type-γ was panicked and confused after seeing it's most powerful attack fail. The Aion's attacks felt more haphazard and rushed as it tried to blanket the field in explosions. Luckily it was so focused on the immediate threats which gave Millium a chance to reboot Airgetlam.

With Millium in the fight and the joint armor looking awfully thin, Rean decided that it was time to end the fight. "Laura!" He called, catching the swordmaiden's attention. She appeared to understand and they broke their previous links to form one between them. Focusing his energies into himself he activated Spirit Unification.

Closing his eyes he focused his power into his tachi, causing it to light aflame. With that accomplished he shot forward and slashed repeatedly at the gaping hole in the machine's leg, with each slash causing more and more damage while the released energy lingered. With a calmness that contrasted greatly to his frantic slash attacks he sheathed his sword while the remaining energy exploded, causing even more damage. This was his Seventh Form: Termination Slash – Dawn.

"Behold the soul of Arseid!" Laura proclaimed as she darted forward, making sure to time her attack to match Rean. Utilizing a burst of speed that would be more expected from Fie or Rean, she dashed forward and launched an unrelenting attack at the leg she opposed. Once she was certain that the joint was exposed she charged one final attack, swinging her sword with all the power in her. "Radiant Phoenix Blade!"

While neither attack severed their respective leg, both cut deeply into the vulnerable sinews of the machine, unbalancing the machine greatly. It might have recovered, were it not for the fact that that was only the beginning of the attacks it faced.

"Now! Zeruel Cannon!" It might not have been the most powerful art Jusis had prepared, but the Zeruel Cannon's smaller radius meant it concentrated it's force more than any other art he could have cast. The Aion struggled to stay upright as it appeared to understand that it's legs would no longer assist it.

It was a valiant effort, but rendered futile as Millium made her presence known. Even though the combat shell hadn't recovered much energy, Millium decided to utilize it all on her strongest attack. Splitting into two, one half of Lammy transformed into a massive hammer, while the other turned into the densest ball possible. Swinging with as much power as she could muster in her deceptively powerful frame, the young girl smashed the ball into the enemy. That proved one blow too many, and the archaism began a slow ponderous fall backwards, with both legs snapping under the strain.

Fie was upon it as soon as it hit the ground. Compared to her friends her attack was extremely basic, but no less effective. Reaching the head of the fallen Aion, she quickly slapped all of her available supply of plastic explosives onto the most lightly armored systems. With that accomplished she leapt off with a display of acrobatics, triggering the explosives while in the air.

Despite being an autonomous machine, the head still contained all the sensors and artificial intelligence. So the loss of those key components caused their adversary to finally shut down, defeated.

"And that's that." Fie stated in a bored tone once she landed. She even yawned for effect.

"Woohoo! We rock!"

"Indeed. What an impressive victory."

"Is something wrong Rean?" Jusis asked when he noticed that the Divine Blade still seemed to be focused on their fallen foe.

Indeed, he was focused on the Aion, or more specifically the one light that was still burning bright on the machine. Was it just him or was that light growing more and more bright as the seconds passed? That was when he remembered fighting the Aions when Ouroboros was originally testing the newer models, or more specifically the part where they made sure to completely destroy the machine afterwords so nobody could get their hands on it. Bleublanc had apparently already left, so the only way they could destroy this machine would be if...

"Shit! It's about to self-destruct. We need to run!" Heeding his words without hesitation, the five made their escape from the battlefield. They were safely away when Rean's prediction came true and with a loud boom the giant archaism exploded, showering debris everywhere.

"Would it kill them to let us have a bit of their technology?" Jusis complained once their safety was assured. Even though the gap had gotten smaller since the society's debut during the Liberl Incident, their extreme tech advantage was still one of the biggest mysteries concerning the organization. Most intelligence agencies and even the Bracer Guild had standing orders to acquire any intact machines that they could.

Once things settled down Rean took the time to inform the others of the archaism he fought, while they in turn informed him of the conversation with Bleublanc. Rean was bothered by the fact that this incident occurred because of him joining the guild, and it must have shown on his face because Fie noticed straight away.

"Don't worry about it. Sure that weirdo did this cause of you, but if not him one of the other Enforcers would have done it instead. Imagine someone like Shirley or the Direwolf doing this." While none of them had ever met Enforcer VIII, the stories they heard from Estelle and Joshua painted an ugly picture of the cruel Taito practitioner. Rean shot his lover a grateful look, always appreciative at how easily she could improve his spirits.

"Regardless of the circumstances, we have accomplished our mission successfully. And while I am concerned at what those snakes are up to, I can at least admit that I enjoyed fighting alongside you all once again." The fond smile on the Duke's face faded as reality set in. "Unfortunately, the excuse I made to come out here won't buy me much time, so we sadly have to return to Bareahard now. I will have the army scour this area for any potential clues, but I expect to find nothing."

"Boooo." Millium complained, but dutifully followed Jusis to their shared horse. "Call me later Fie, I want to hear about all the dirty things you do with Rean!"

"Sure, sounds fun." The grin on Fie's face lasted only until Millium hopped on her horse and the duo rode away. "Not a chance in hell." She amended once they were out of earshot. Sure she enjoyed teasing her friends with the occasional dirty talk, but there were some lines that even she was unwilling to cross.

"Will the two of you be accompanying me back to Legram?" Laura asked the Bracers.

"Right, but we probably can't stick around long. We should probably hurry back so they can reopen the Kreuzen Branches." Plus Rean suspected that the higher-ups would be very interested in a report on the actions of Ouroboros and such a report would be best in person.

With that the three departed. The return trip was very relaxed and they made small-talk as they went. It was still fairly early in the evening when they reached Legram. Rean left to check on the train schedule while Fie and Laura hung out for a bit.

While walking through the small town together Fie noticed the statue that she had been so interested in earlier. "Hey Laura? The S in your name, you said that was to honor Lianne Sandlot, right?"

"Correct. Even though recent history has painted a somewhat different picture of the Lancemaiden, we will continue to honor the Sandlot name. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Fie could tell that Laura was curious at the question, but she wanted to keep her thoughts to herself for now. Luckily, the return of Rean caused a shift in topics, but unfortunately his announcement that the next train was departing in a few minutes meant that their time together had come to an end. With hugs and the promise of future meetups the friends parted ways and the two Bracers began their return trip to the capital.


Many selge away in the city of Altair in the Calvard Republic, two men stepped off a train and decided to take a break in the border city. It was at a bar, nursing strong drinks, that the two overheard a bit of an interesting conversation.

"Yeah I heard that he just joined the Bracer Guild." Some random civilian said to his friend.

"No shit? I always knew that Chevalier guy was a good guy. Hard to believe that he is Erebonian."

"Sorry to interrupt." The taller of the two men stated, "But are you guys talking about Rean Schwarzer, the Ashen Chevalier? My friend and I have been in the east for the last few months and haven't heard anything in a while. We are huge fans of his."

The two civilians were a bit wary of the tall man, despite his easy smile. It didn't help that his companion was an absolute behemoth with a stern look on his visage. Still, there was no reason to not answer the question. "Yeah, we are. Oh, but if you have been gone for the last months you might have missed the news that he recently got engaged."

The two men traded wary glances and the smile on the taller man became noticeably more strained. "Did he now? That is great news! Tell me, was it the Arseid girl or the Reinford heiress or even the Erebonian princess?"

"None of them, actually. It was the Bracer girl. What was her name? Oh, Claussell I believe?"

An ominous feeling of death settled over the bar, causing some of the patrons to shake in terror. Neither of the two men seemed at all effected. Instead they just shared another glance and as one stepped out of the bar, with nobody feeling brave enough to point out that they hadn't paid for their drinks.

"It would seem a trip to Erebonia is in order." The second man finally spoke once they vacated the bar.

"Right. If Schwarzer thinks he can put a move on our little princess while we're away he has another thing coming to him."

Back in Erebonia Rean Schwarzer felt an ominous chill that had nothing to do with the weather.