Hello again.

This chapter ends with a cliffhanger so... maybe you want to wait until the next if you think you can't stand it.

Also, the 'spoilerific' section of the gallery has been updated.

See you again in the afterword.


[X][X][X]


"G-...dian. Ca- ..ou h-..r me?"

"Guard-..n"

"Guardian!"

Huh!?

The loud calling from Xiera woke me up from my slumber. I felt strangely dizzy upon waking up, and my surroundings felt strange to me. I didn't remember sleeping on a hard-as-rock surface that, as my body could feel, was shaped like a reclined seat. In addition, the first thing I saw with my eyes was an obviously artificial ceiling. In any case, first thing first, I had to respond to the call so I raised my hand...

Rattle!

...which didn't happen because something held my hand in place. From the metallic sound, I immediately assumed one thing with certainty, and looked at them anyway to confirm. Indeed, I was bound to this chair-like object with shackles on my wrists and ankles. For some reason, someone had kidnapped me in my sleep.

"Guardian, please respond!"

Thankfully, there was actually no need to raise my hand to respond to Xiera. Raising my hand was just an old habit which I never intended to get rid of.

"Yeah, I'm here"

"Oh, finally you answered! What happened over there? The readings indicate that you are a couple hundreds of clicks southeast away from the last time we talked!"

I was naturally quite surprised hearing what Xiera had just said. Unless I somehow had slept for days or even weeks, there should be no way Pandora's level of technology could have transported me that far without having me waking up even once on the way.

"Xiera, when was the last time we talked?"

"Twenty four hours ago, Guardian. Is something the matter?"

Xiera's answer raised a number of questions in my head. Nobody could normally sleep for 24 hours straight, so there must have been an outside interference at work. In addition, the technology level of Pandora was not advanced enough to cover a long distance within just one day. However, both points could be answered fairly easily because I knew that magic was common to the inhabitants of Pandora, thus I could safely assume that I had been kept asleep with sleep-inducing magic and had been transported all the way here with teleportation magic.

"Xiera, listen up and keep calm... It seems I got kidnapped in my sleep"

"W-What? But how? Are you alright?"

"I'm tied up but I'm alright. Magic seems to be common here, and I think they magically kept me asleep. Until just now"

"Wha-What should I do? Should I get Commander Ulc to issue Code Abyss like back then to get you back?"

Xiera's suggestion was actually valid. Code Abyss could be used to forcefully teleport me away from here all the way back to the ARKS ship hiding behind the moon. However...

"You better not. Code Abyss is not something to be used on a trivial matter like a single operative being in a pinch"

"But you're not a mere operative! You're Guardian, the hero of ARKS!"

"And that is exactly why I have to deal with this on my own. Morale will drop if everyone knows that their hero has to be rescued from simple kidnappers"

"Guardian..."

"Anyway, if you called me, then you must have something important to say, right?"

"Y-yes! It's only one way, but I have managed to send a message to the other ARKS fleet! Hopefully with the data I sent they will safely find their way here soon to retrieve their operative!"

"Good to hear. What about the ship? Still repairing?"

"Yes, we still need time for that. A-Also, I finally got readings of other ARKS operatives about four hundred clicks north from where you are now. But I still can't talk to any of them, because the mutated photons on this planet makes linking communication network difficult. Even linking to you alone is overheating the system already"

"I see. Focus on repairing the ship then"

"A-Alright, Guardian!"

"Also, good work, Xiera. Now I know where to look once I get out of this"

"...Will you be alright, Guardian?"

"Don't worry about me. You know that I've been through a lot of worse things. Some kidnappers is just a trivial matter"

"A-Alright, Guardian. Please be safe"

"Hmm"

As I said that, I made a slight nod even though I fully knew Xiera couldn't see it, and soon the communication ended. I let out a small sigh thinking about my current situation, which I certainly had sugarcoated during my talk with Xiera.

Nevertheless, I looked down a bit to assess the restraints I had been put into. The pedestal I was on, more or less, was shaped in a way which put me into a posture similar to when I was sitting on the reclined seat of a dentist's patient. That could have been comfortable if this pedestal was not rock-solid.

Each of my arms was shackled on the wrist and tethered to the armrest equivalent with a short chain, which still allowed very limited movement. The same also applied to each of my ankles, which were shackled over my boots and linked to the bottom part of the pedestal. In addition, for some reason they also tied my knees together right above the kneecaps with some kind of leather belt restraint, which felt out of place compared to the rest of the restraints on me. My own legs were obscuring it, but it seemed the belt restraint was tightly tethered to the pedestal because I couldn't move my knees around.

There was nothing chaining my upper body part to the pedestal, so I actually could rise and sit upright if I wanted. But with how limited my movement was, I'd rather stay fully leaning on the pedestal and wait until something eventually happened. Though what annoyed me right now was that my shorts were riding up, and I couldn't fix them because my hands couldn't reach. It was a little... embarrassing.

After assessing the restraints, I looked around to see the room which they kept me in. It was a pretty small room with seemingly granite tile walls, having only about two or three meters distance from the pedestal to the walls all around. The ceiling was made from the same material as the walls, and was about four meters above me. It was strange that this room's illumination was sufficiently bright, yet I didn't see any form of light sources. Maybe this was another magic?

The room only had one door, which was fortified with types of metal I couldn't recognize, located to my front. I noticed a peeking slot on it, but it was currently closed. I wondered if there was a guard behind that door, and the possibility that someone might have heard my conversation with Xiera. In that case, they'd probably assume that I had gone crazy, since the communication link worked in a way that nobody other than the receiver would hear what the other party was saying.

Speaking of my kidnappers, even though I had told Xiera that they were simple kidnappers, I knew full well that whoever had kidnapped me were not just simple kidnappers. Such culprit would have tied me up with simple ropes and put me into a more ordinary room like an abandoned shack or a random cave in the wilderness. The indications were clear that this room and the restraints were specially made for keeping a prisoner inside, and no simple kidnappers would likely have such kind of room. In other words, whoever had kidnapped me was probably a large, well-funded organization.

Shhhrk!

Before I could think further, I heard a sound coming from where the door was. The peeking hole was now open, and I could notice a pair of eyes looking here. Before long, the hole was closed again.

Click!

With a clicking sound, the door opened and two people came in. One was a long-haired man wearing fancy armor and wielding a spear, and the other was a girl wielding a halberd whose looks would be too long to describe because of how asymmetrical she was. Both of them sported serious facial expressions, though the girl looked somewhat bored compared to the man.

"Who are you and where am I? Why am I tied up here?"

I asked the questions without expecting any good answers. My goal for now was to gauge their reaction and find out whether my kidnappers were truly malicious or simply misunderstood. Both of the two persons didn't show any reaction, and soon the man began speaking in serious tone.

"Before we can answer your questions, you are obliged to answer ours first. What were you doing within Abelion Hills?"

"Abelion Hills? I don't know what you mean"

The man leaned his spear against the wall and folded his arms.

"Do you know about the massive explosion which happened right before we found you sleeping?"

"Ah, yes..."

At this point, I could predict where this was going. I couldn't decide whether I should lie or not, because there was a risk that one of these two, or even both, was experienced in detecting lies.

"Do you have any idea who caused it?"

In the end, I decided to just be honest. I was not that good at lying to begin with.

"...I did"

Both of them showed different reactions as I spoke my answer. The man slightly opened his mouth and his head moved backwards a little, showing that he was mildly surprised. On the other hand, the girl smirked and narrowed her eyes, showing that she had gotten interested in me, and that kinda weirded me out.

"So you admit it that the massive explosion was caused by you?"

"Yes, it was my mistake"

The man let out a small sigh before speaking again.

"Do you realize the consequences of your actions, mistake or not?"

"..."

I kept myself silent for now, since I thought that talking back would likely be a bad idea in my current situation.

"The Abelion Hills is a region inhabited by savage demihuman tribes. The explosion agitated them into fleeing further from the region, and into human territories. Only one day has passed, and I have already received reports of demihumans ransacking villages, killing those who stood in their way, and worse. On the other side of the region, there is another country which has been on the constant defensive against these demihumans since long ago. The chance is high that the explosion would have triggered the demihumans to initiate a full-scale invasion into motion. Now who's to blame for all the potential war breaking out, and the deaths and suffering of innocent people, other than yourself? By your own admission no less?"

I couldn't discern whether he was merely stating the truth of the situation, or dramatized his speech for the purpose of making me feel remorseful. Either way, I did feel a bit guilty for having played along with Gettermhart's behavior and causing such a ripple effect on this planet's environment. Still, the damage had already been done, and therefore I believed I just had to do what I could to make up for my mistake.

"...So what do you want me to do to make up for it?"

I genuinely wanted to pay for my mistake somehow, so I made that offer with a straight face. However, upon hearing it the man didn't look pleased even so slightly. In fact, his facial expression seemed to worsen instead. After letting out a noticeable sigh, the man spoke again.

"You didn't even show remorse after I told you that. But no matter, because your punishment isn't going to be decided by me. Just wait over there until then"

The man took his spear from the wall and turned around, starting to walk away from me. The girl on the other hand, smirked at me and seemed to chuckle before she followed suit with the man.

"Hey, you can't just tie me up here! I have a mission to accomplish!"

I shouted at the two while struggling against the bonds, but it was futile since neither of them said anything in the midst of the sounds of rattling chains. Soon, the door closed and locked with a clicking sound, leaving me alone and tied up in the room once again.

Letting out a deep sigh, I leaned back against the pedestal again and closed my eyes. Soon, my consciousness drifted into the subspace within my own mind, where all the Dark Falz I had absorbed resided.

"Kukuku... in a pinch, are you?"

I rolled my eyes knowing that the first voice I heard was Luther's. He was standing right there in front of me with the smug face I loathed.

Without paying further heed to him, I turned my head and glared at the other Dark Falz in the room. Gettemhart looked as displeased as me, folding his arms as if he was challenging me.

"What? You wanna say that it was all my fault?"

I put my hands on my hip, accepting his challenge.

"Your fault for pushing me into using your power, and my fault for caving in to your childish request"

Gettemhart scratched his head while gritting his teeth after hearing my reply.

"Goodness, you really are constantly asking me to punch you in the face. Just like the first time I met you"

"You always itch to punch everyone in the face anyway"

Gettemhart and I glared at each other as Luther just smirked in the background looking at the two of us. But suddenly a different voice spoke to me from behind.

"Are you fighting? Is this a game?"

The voice was none other than Flo, one of the two halves of Dark Falz Double. He still sported the innocent look of a child as always.

"No, it is not a game"

A different, yet very similar voice spoke from behind Gettemhart. This time, it was Frau, the other half of Dark Falz Double. She still looked like the mirror image of Flo like she had always been.

"Oh, I know! You two are fighting, because you are buddies!"

"Right, best buddies always fights!"

As Flo and Frau spoke those lines, they started playfully hopping in circles around me and Gettemhart.

"Me, friends with this chump/gorilla!? Fat chance!"

Both I and Gettemhart shouted at the twins simultaneously, with mostly identical words to boot. I noticed it, and Gettemhart seemed to notice too, and that had served to agitate both of us even further.

"My, my... you two are at it again, huh?"

A woman's voice came from behind Luther. I didn't look at all because I knew that it was Margaretta, formerly known as Dark Falz Apprentice. Her figure as a fair-skinned woman wearing blue-accented Dark Falz getup was, in my opinion, fairly gorgeous. With her appearance, now all Dark Falz within me were present in this subspace. Well, minus one, but that missing one was a special case to begin with.

Gettemhart folded his arms again and spoke while averting his eyes from me.

"Hmph! So what are you here for? Crying for help?"

"Like hell I would. I just want to hear whether I better try to escape or just wait"

"Like hell I know!"

"Hey, you're partially at fault for getting me tied up in this godforsaken prison. At least say something to make up for it"

"Break out and kick their asses. There! I said something!"

I just smacked my own forehead with my hand hearing that. Of course I shouldn't have expected anything else from a punch-happy gorilla like Gettemhart.

"Fufufu... as much as I like seeing you two, I feel the need to say that you should decide that for yourself. To begin with, my purpose here is not to counsel you about your personal problems. But, if you want me to lend you my power in the case you decide to escape, suit yourself"

Luther spoke while slightly smirking, and I was not too happy with that answer.

"Prison is lonely, don't want to stay"

"Alone in prison is bad, don't want to wait"

Flo and Frau gave their answer in a simple way, which I didn't mind.

"I suppose you don't need my answer, do you? The majority has spoken"

Margaretta spoke with her finger touching her own lip and the other hand on her hip.

"But I must warn you that the man and the girl you saw... both of them are powerful, especially the girl, contrary to her looks"

"Pfft... kukuku... hahahahaha!"

Luther laughed hearing what Margaretta had just said. She looked quite displeased seeing his behaviour.

"Contrary to her looks you say? Just look at how silly and ridiculous some female ARKS can appear with their flashy and gaudy appearances and say that again! Hah! Some even dare to only wear bikinis during combat and that never made them any weaker!"

I cringed a little hearing Luther's remarks. Indeed the flexibility and ease of use of photon armor and photon clothing gave all ARKS operatives total freedom on how they wanted to look. As the result, ARKS operatives had... colorful appearances to say the least. As for me, I still preferred more practical-looking clothes and I was glad my kidnappers didn't take anything off me. To be exact, they probably couldn't, because any part of photon clothing, hat and shoes included, couldn't be taken off without the wearer's consent.

"That girl is not an ARKS"

Margaretta raised her eyebrows and glared at Luther, who still sported his everlasting smirk. Not wanting to see another fight after I just had one myself, I spoke out to intervene.

"Alright, enough. I have decided that I will escape. After all, there is a bigger concern than this planet's local conflicts despite being my mistake. Also, thank you for the warning, Margaretta"

Margaretta's face flushed hearing my thanks. She folded her arms and averted her eyes.

"Hmph! It was just a matter of preserving myself since if you die I will cease to exist, not that I was worried about you or such!"

I just smiled seeing her denial, and then I returned my own consciousness back to my physical body. My situation was still the same, being tied up on a pedestal in a prison. The peeking hole was closed, so right now there should be nobody looking at me.

Let's see... maybe I can try summoning my katana and cut the chain links for a start.

With that decision in mind, I accessed my photon inventory to pull out my katana. However...

Crack! Crack! CRASH!

For some reason, all the shackles on my wrists and ankles cracked and shattered with a loud noise before my katana even materialized on my hand. But I was still not free yet because the leather restraint binding my knees to the pedestal was still intact for some reason.

Shhrk!

As I expected, whoever was on guard duty right behind the door had noticed the sound and opened the peeking hole. The eyes peeking through the hole immediately went wide, which was also expected.

"T-The chains broke! She broke the chains!"

I could hear the guard's scream fading, probably because he was running off to warn the others. Not going to waste any more time, I slashed the belt restraints with my katana, fully freeing myself. The next thing on the checklist was to fix my shorts from their riding up, and then break through the door.

Shift-Wolkenkratzer!

I jumped slightly and made a vertical spinning slash even though I was still too far from the door for my katana to reach. The slash produced a dark energy bolt which was shot straight towards the door.

BANG!

The bolt violently pushed the door away from where it stood, launching it several meters away from this prison cell's entrance. I was glad that the guard had ran off. He would have been crushed by the door otherwise. Without thinking further, I put away my katana and began running away from that room.

While running, I could look around and conclude that I was in the underground dungeon of some large structure. From how the man had spoken to me before, this structure could possibly be the king's castle or such. Seeing that, I began to worry that I have made things complicated for diplomacy down the line. While I would not deny that the terrible things the man had told me had been my fault, I would have preferred not to add an unnecessary burden to the ones in the diplomacy department of ARKS.

"Halt!"

Before I could think further, a bunch of guards blocked my way ahead. They were armed with spears pointed straight at me. I didn't want to harm them because they were just misled by unfortunate chain of events, and so I pulled my assault rifle from my photon inventory.

"S-She summoned a weapon out of nowhere!"

I could hear one guard pointing out what I've just done, but I paid no heed and used the Photon Art for zooming past them.

Shift-Nachtangriff!

ZOOM!

I went past the guards with incredible speed that some of them got thrown aside. My photon armor prevented all damage from directly crashing through their spears, so I got away without any harm for now. Not wanting to crash into walls, I immediately cancelled the Photon Art and resumed running.

Soon, I came across an upward staircase which had a type of heavy metal door at the other end about one and a half story higher than where I stood. I assumed that the door was the way out of this dungeon, so I quickly climbed the stairs and tried to open it. The door wouldn't budge, which I already figured. I pulled my katana from my photon inventory and used a Photon Art to break through it.

Rose Schwert!

CRASH!

The Photon Art made me step back a bit, followed up with a straight forward thrust with the katana right at the door, which violently broke off from its hinges. I went through the now open doorway, and saw that it was located at the side of a fairly illuminated hallway. To my left, there was an obvious dead end, while to my right, at a distance I could see a kind of courtyard of this building.

I felt relieved seeing that an open space was not far ahead. I thought that once I got there I would use Dark Blast Loser and fly away from this place. With that in mind, I began running towards the opening which led to the courtyard.

However, soon I saw someone standing in the middle of the way. It was the man whom I had seen before, though the girl wasn't with him this time. He was in a battle-ready stance with his spear pointed at me. Learning from his behaviour before, I didn't expect him to let me through easily, so I stopped running and stood straight while keeping my distance.

"Going somewhere?"

I shrugged in response to his question.

"Look, I don't want unnecessary violence. Can you just let me through?"

"Breaking out of prison is a crime, and thus I can't do that"

Right after he said that, a number of people came out from the sides of the hallway one by one. From their varied looks alone, I could tell that they were all capable of combat, each their own unique fields of specialization. Soon enough there were a group of more than six in front of me blocking the way, all in a battle-ready stance.

"We won't allow that"

The man spoke, following up with his previous statement. They clearly outnumbered me greatly and my physical appearance was of a girl, yet all of them showed tense facial expressions without any sign of underestimation. This was not a good sign, because it was likely that they had determined me as a dangerous enemy and wouldn't trust anything I would say.

Before I could think any further, I heard the sound of multiple people running closer to me from behind. I took a quick glance and saw that those were the guards I had run past. They all quickly formed a line with spears pointed at me while keeping their distance, and with that I was effectively surrounded. I let out a sigh and began speaking to the man, who seemed to be the leader of the group. I was aware that my chances to be listened was slim, but I felt that I still had to try.

"Look, I don't have time for this. I have a mission to accomplish, and I have bigger concerns than some local conflict. If you let me through, I will come back later to make things right. But if you insist on getting in my way..."

As I said my words, I pulled my katana from my photon inventory and brandished it at the man.

"...I will force my way through"

I put myself in battle stance with my katana at the ready. A number of them showed reactions to my words, and I could also hear worried whispers from behind.

"A katana user... And a magical katana at that... You are far more dangerous than I previously assumed."

"I take it that you won't let me through, then?"

"My... our duty is to subjugate any threats to humanity. What you have done has threatened the peace our people have been working hard to maintain, and there's nothing to say that you won't repeat your 'mistake'. Therefore, I perceive you as a threat that we must subjugate."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. They actually had noble intentions, but they were pointing those intentions at the wrong target.

"In a conundrum again?"

I suddenly heard Luther's words from inside my mind. He was right, but what was the point of pointing that out?

"Just an idea, how about using my power right now and see how well it will intimidate them? Kukuku..."

As much as I dislike him, I had to admit that Luther's suggestion was not a bad one. The guards behind me were nothing to speak about, but the group in front could be an elite one and a legitimate threat if Margaretta's words were to be taken seriously, and unless she was obviously joking around I always took her words seriously. My bluff had not worked, and I absolutely didn't want to be confined in prison again, or worse.

Clank!

I dropped my katana to the floor and it immediately disappeared back into my photon inventory after hitting the ground. Then I once again unleashed the power I borrowed from Luther.

Dark Blast Loser!

Right in the middle of the hallway, in front of both the guards and the elite group, I became the five meters tall winged monstrosity, an altered form of Falz Angel, which I hoped would intimidate them enough to move aside. They all still stood there with their mouths agape, so I decided to speak out. While in this form, my voice would sound exactly like Luther's with added echo effect, resulting into me speaking with voice of a legion.

"This is your last warning. Do not make me-"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

My speech was cut short because all the people, both behind and in front of me, suddenly kneeled with their head hanged down. I didn't understand what was going on at all, but now that I was five meters tall and floating, I noticed that there was another person behind the elite group. It was a man dressed in a very fancy robe, which made him look like the head of a religious organization. Unlike the others, he was still standing, looking at me with wide eyes and hanging jaw.

"Oooohh...! Messenger of the Gods! I deeply apologize for the atrocity we have committed upon your person!"

That man prostrated as he said those words, and I was very confused with that was happening. Being curious, I spoke up.

"I have no idea about what you have said. Explain to me..."

"You fool. You could have just escaped right away instead of entertaining this... folly!"

I ignored Luther's mocking and waited for someone to answer me. The robed man stood up, approached me, and kneeled with one knee.

"On behalf of my people, I, Pontifex Maximus, apologize for the ignorance to the fact that you are a Messenger of The Gods. Please let me take all the blame and punish me as you see fit for the atrocity my subordinates have committed"

The answer was not satisfying at all for me.

"Let me get this straight. All I want right now, is to leave. I have a mission to accomplish"

"O-Of course. We are fully under your command, and therefore our door is wide open for you"

The Pontifex Maximus moved aside, and the elite group behind him followed suit, fully opening the way to the courtyard. I floated past them all and was ready to fly away through the open space of the courtyard, but before I could do that I heard a voice from my left.

"Are you leaving?"

The voice was of a girl. I looked at the direction the voice had come from, and I saw the black-and-white girl whom I had seen when I had been still in prison. She was standing straight with her arms folded, and her weapon was leaning against the wall near her. I felt that she was somewhat displeased, so I approached her.

"Yes, I'm leaving. Is there something you want to say?"

Before she could answer my question, the Pontifex Maximus ran to her side and bowed to me.

"Please forgive the offense! I will make sure she will learn her lesson!"

The girl looked even more displeased as she saw what was happening. I could fully understand that because I myself would feel unhappy if someone barged in and spoke on my behalf without my consent. I had no knowledge about her circumstances, but for some reason I felt myself sympathizing with her.

"I am not offended. Let her speak her mind. Also..."

I reverted back to my human form and approached the girl. Her eyes went wider just slightly, seemingly not expecting what I had just done.

"This form should be easier to talk to. So, tell me what you wanted to say"

The girl was speechless for a few seconds before she hesitantly began speaking.

"I was thinking... of having a battle with you"

"Zesshi!"

I quickly raised my hand against the Pontifex in response. Seemingly getting it, he didn't speak any further. Thanks to him, now I knew that the girl's name was Zesshi.

"You wanted to fight me? Why is that?"

"I'm just... bored of winning all the time. My dream is to fight with all I got, and still taste defeat. I thought that maybe you could be the one who would finally fulfill that dream"

I felt that her reason was weird, but there were all kinds of people in the universe. Nevertheless, I glanced once again at the weapon leaning against the wall near her. I had assumed that it was a halberd at first, but now that I could take a closer look, it could be actually a scythe.

"That's your weapon isn't it? Is that a scythe?"

"Yes..."

Hearing her answer, I pulled my other weapon from my photon inventory. It was actually a Rod-type weapon to cast Photon Techs, but this one I had was shaped like a scythe with an energy blade if I unfold the head part. Zesshi's eyes once again slightly went wide after seeing my weapon, and the same applied to the Pontifex Maximus.

"I shall entertain your request with this then"


[X][X][X]


Pontifex Maximus, the head of state of Slane Theocracy, felt very overwhelmed today. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, but this particular day still showed no sign of stopping with its surprises.

The Pontiff reminisced about what he assumed to be the beginning of this chain of events. Back then, there had been reports of disturbances happening over the region of Abelion Hills, causing the demihumans to grow more aggressive towards both fellow demihumans and humans alike. It had been reported that a considerable number of villages located near the border between Slane Theocracy and Abelion Hills had been invaded and looted by various demihuman races. Many villagers had fled towards the center of Slane Theocracy, but many others had been not so fortunate and therefore had met their demise in the hands of the invaders.

To contain the damage from spreading and also to investigate the potential cause of the disturbances, Holocaust Scripture had been dispatched to eliminate the invading demihumans, and to this day they were still patrolling the borders, eliminating demihuman invaders on sight until further orders. The task of investigation had been assigned to Black Scripture, taking into account the possible danger of the source of disturbances. They had lost a few members recently, but they were still the best trump card in the hands of Slane Theocracy.

What the Black Scripture had brought home later had been a potential suspect whom they promptly put into the magic-sealing confinement chamber. The Pontiff had gone over their report about the matter, and he had agreed with their way of thinking. However, to follow up with it he had conducted a meeting with the Cardinals to decide the next course of action. They all had been about to agree to question the suspect first with possible follow up actions in mind depending on her response when they suddenly heard that the suspect had broken out from the confinement chamber. That was how he had gotten here now.

It was hard for the Pontiff to process everything, despite having years of experience in his line of work. The alleged suspect had turned out to be the human form of a very majestic golden angel, who had thankfully found mercy in her heart to forgive the utter atrocity committed against her. But soon after, the final trump card of the Theocracy, Zesshi Zetsumei, had committed another atrocity by challenging the angel into a fight. To add more surprises into the day, the angel had decided to entertain the challenge.

Right now, both Zesshi and the angel, who had turned back into her human form, were in the middle of the courtyard standing straight facing each other. Defensive spells had been casted over the edges of the courtyard to prevent collateral damage, and Black Scripture members had been spread around those edges just in case. A one-on-one duel between a Godkin and an angel was about to happen, and the Pontiff's mind still couldn't believe that such a mythical event was about to happen.

Is this all a dream? Did I eat something strange yesterday?

Regardless of the event being real or just a dream, the Pontiff sat down on a protected seat specially prepared for him, along with all the Cardinals. All of them sat straight with their eyes fully focused on the imminent battle of the century, which in truth they opposed but couldn't voice out. Nobody in Slane Theocracy would dare to oppose the consent of an angel, and right now they could only hope neither of the duelists would get killed by the other.


[X][X][X]


"Ready when you are, Zesshi"

"Right at you, Guardian Angel"

Heh, that nickname again. Better get used to it.

I smiled a little hearing how Zesshi had just addressed me the same way as Fydan the Sea Dragon had. She smiled as well, and I could tell that she was quite pleased with the current situation. That made me feel that I have made the right decision to entertain her request.

Without further warning, Zesshi jumped and slashed downwards with her scythe. I quickly sidestepped to evade, and she ended up smashing the ground. As a counter attack, I used a Photon Art.

Schwarze Katze!

I made an uppercut slash with my rod, which she gracefully evaded. Like me before, she immediately countered with a slash, but as part of the Photon Art I teleported away from her right after slashing, therefore her slash only hit thin air as I was already several meters further away from her by that time. She didn't look surprised in the slightest, and instead she quickly did another attack without moving from her spot.

[Void Cutter]

Zesshi's scythe let out a glow briefly as she made a horizontal slash which sent out an energy wave straight at me. There was a gap between the wave and the ground, so I slid down underneath it and immediately shot a small projectile to her, which was followed up by a Photon Art.

Shift - Ruf Konzert!

I did an uppercut slash which sent out a large wheel-shaped energy wave which zoomed straight at incredible speed. Its size was significantly larger than normal, probably because of Pandora's mutated photons. Like before, Zesshi evaded the attack, and this time she countered with something different.

[Shukuchi]

Without moving her body at all, Zesshi was suddenly right in front of me as if she had teleported. I had no idea whether she really had teleported or just moved really fast.

[Whirlwind Slash]

Zesshi immediately did a spinning slash at a speed which could create a miniature tornado. Being taken by surprise, I braced myself with my rod and took the hit which launched me away. The damage I took was not much but not something to be ignored either. I still landed on my feet and used another Photon Art from a distance.

Eisen Fluegel!

Gifoie!

The Photon Art launched a pseudo-talis projectile straight at Zesshi who had just stopped spinning. I quickly followed up with a Photon Tech which normally would conjure a tornado of fire around the user, but in this case the pseudo-talis acted as the caster in my stead, conjuring the fire tornado around itself.

Zesshi jumped away from the fire tornado, but I had expected that. As she was still in the air, I shot another small projectile at her and used the Photon Art I'd recently used.

Shift - Schwarze Katze!

The alternate version of the Photon Art instead teleported me close to Zesshi, and as part of it I did a vertical downward slash, hammering it down.

[Impenetrable Fortress]

CLANK!

My attack hit her directly, but was deflected hard and didn't seem to inflict any damage. Not wanting to risk taking a counter attack during my brief vulnerable state, I activated a skill from my job class by charging a Photon Tech.

Stealth Tech Charge!

My body disappeared and became a dark blue wisp, which immediately zoomed away from Zesshi.

Resta!

My physical form returned as I released the Photon Tech which healed me from the minor damage I had taken before. Zesshi seemed to grin a little seeing what I'd just done, and then she raised her scythe, producing a visible blue aura.

[Limit Breaker]

[Flow Acceleration]

[Ability Boost]

ZOOM!

Zesshi suddenly launched herself at me with incredible speed and did a horizontal slash. I managed to evade by throwing myself forward before the slash happened, thus screwing the timing. However, she quickly bounced off the ground and launched herself back at me, repeating the slash.

Mirage Step.

I stepped right through her attack during the very brief moment I became immaterial as part of my rod's evasive maneuver, which was technically similar to the Mirage Escape move possessed by ARKS operatives of Force or Techer class. Successfully evading an attack with Mirage Step absorbed the attack's energy and stored it into my weapon.

Grants!

I casted a Photon Tech which conjured spears of light to strike Zesshi. In addition, the stored energy was unleashed from my weapon in the form of three dark blue projectiles homing in towards her at high speed.

Boom!

Every attack seemed to connect, resulting in an explosion which covered Zesshi in smokes and obscuring her from my vision. Immediately, without prior warning, she emerged from above with her weapon readied to perform a vertical slam attack.

SMASH!

And that was exactly what happened. The attack was very strong compared to before that it leveled the ground around the impact point. I managed to evade by Mirage-Stepping away, and then immediately countered with a Photon Art.

Ruf Konzert!

The Photon Art made me do three alternating sideway slashes consecutively, with the third slash launching an X-shaped energy wave forward, with additional triple projectile as the result of the prior successful evasion.

Boom!

Once again, Zesshi was covered in smokes from the impact of the attacks. Not wanting to give her another chance for counter attack, I switched to my katana and unleashed the ultimate skill of my job class, which I could only use every once in a while depending on my combat performance.

Phantom Finish!

I did a somewhat slow one-handed downward slash with my katana on my right hand, and a giant energy blade slashed down on Zesshi's position with the same motion as the slash I had done.

CRASH! BOOM!

An even bigger explosion than before occured at that spot as I sheathed my katana. This time, there was no sudden attack coming out from the smokes. Instead, I could hear a cheerful laugh from there.

"Hahahaha! This is exciting!"

Zesshi walked nonchalantly from the smokes while holding her scythe over her shoulders. Her previously shown sour facial expression had seemingly come off and replaced with the cheerful face of a happy girl. Her clothing was torn on several spots, and some bloodstains were visible, but she seemed to be not bothered at all.

"This is the first time I feel this sensation of facing a truly strong opponent, I'm so delighted!"

Right after saying that, Zesshi put herself in a battle stance, telling that she still wanted to continue the duel. I was about to enter a battle stance myself, but suddenly...

"I apologize for the interruption, but unfortunately I have to stop this match"

The one intervening was the leader of the elite group, whom others addressed as Captain. He put himself between me and Zesshi, preventing us from continuing the fight.

"Aww, I was just getting warmed up...!"

Zesshi pouted, and I smiled bitterly in my mind after hearing that. While I had silently held back my powers to avoid accidentally killing her, Zesshi's strength and fortitude was formidable. If the fight had continued, I would likely be forced to fight her at full strength eventually, and possibly still lost.

"I know, and I believe the same applies to Guardian Angel. However, look around you"

Hearing what the Captain had just said, I looked around myself and realized that my fight with Zesshi had utterly destroyed the courtyard. What used to be a grass field with neatly trimmed flora and artistic stone walkways had become nothing more than piles of rubble and dirt. I also noticed that the buildings around had been visibly damaged despite having been protected with defensive magic. Could it have been because both of us were too strong for the magic to defend against?

"The spells have been already broken through and the casters are out of mana. Moreover, one of the Cardinals just fainted watching the battle. I can't allow the fight here to continue any longer. Also, remember that Guardian Angel has a mission to do. We can't risk her failing her objective because of exhaustion"

"Aww..."

Zesshi pouted again, and she looked somewhat cute at this moment. She then let out a small sigh and lowered her weapon.

"Can't be helped, then. Hey, Guardian Angel"

"Hmm?"

"Will you come again someday?"

Zesshi asked the question with her previous sour facial expression. I immediately nodded after hearing that.

"I will, since I have promised to make things right"

"Can we fight again later?"

"Uhh, you may want to look for a better place first, but sure, I guess"

Zesshi smiled slightly hearing my answer, though her eyes were still giving out somewhat sour emotion.

"Heh, I will be looking forward to tha-"

CRACK!

Suddenly, a loud sound of glass cracking was heard. It had come seemingly from right above, so I looked upwards and immediately saw something. There was a fissure forming on thin air, and it oozed out blood red mist.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The fissure grew larger, and a pair of scrawny, large, clawed purple hands emerged. They grasped the edges of the fissure and visibly forced it open. The Captain and Zesshi stared at what was happening, while I only had one sentence coming into my mind seeing what was happening.

Oh, crap!

"G-Get away from here!"

I shouted to everyone who could hear me, telling them all to get away from the vicinity. Before long, a sharp, sinister dragon head emerged from the enlarged fissure and looked around briefly before staring straight at me.

SKREEEEEEEE!

The dragon roared loudly before ripping the space open and wholly coming out of the fissure.

Bam! Drrrrt!

The ground vibrated as the dragon landed on the ground. It was about seven to eight meters tall, but it was now in a crouching posture because its body structure was made that way, so it would have been much taller standing straight. Its physique was so scrawny it might as well be skeletal, but that didn't make it look any less sinister. Its sharp eyes kept staring straight at me.

I just stood still and freezing, not in fear, but out of worry about the damage which the imminent battle would soon cause, because I knew very well what this dragon was.

This dragon was the berserk, Darker-eating dragon species feared by Darkers and ARKS alike.

Apostolo Dragon.


[X][X][X]


Afterword:

A fearsome enemy emerges in the heart of Slane Theocracy. Will the combined effort of Guardian and Black Scripture be enough to subjugate the threat?


Q And A:


Q: Is Alice on a lower level of intelligence to Demi?

A: Alice is pretty well above average by New World standards, but still nowhere near Renner/Demiurge level.


Q: Will Ainz or any other floor guardian going to fight elder or anything or will their overlord always remain hided in fear they get infected?

A: If I have to make a guess, they will remain holed up until they either manage to mass-produce photon armor or secure alliance with ARKS fleet to request a supply of photon armor.


See you again later.