Hello again, everyone who follows. I hope you still stay safe and in good health.
In any case, let's move on with the usual. By the way, this chapter is going to end in a cliffhanger, just saying.
See you in the afterword.
[X][X][X]
Psssh...
The sliding door of the bridge smoothly opened, with the ones behind it walking onto the bridge proper. The first group was of Ainz, Sebas, and Guardian, while behind them was the one of Ryu, Hikaru, Lily, Alice, and Rose. Xiera, who was busy monitoring all of the photon interfaces in front of her, turned her seat around and spoke with her usual cheerful tone and manner of speech.
"Welcome back, everyone! Did you all have a great time?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure that behind the sinister mask he wears, he has been smiling wide"
Guardian replied to Xiera with a rather smug tone and posture while glancing at Ainz. At this point Ainz could faintly hear Sebas breathing a bit heavier than usual for a very brief moment, before coming back into his own calm and dignified self. Ainz understood why, and he was highly impressed. Most, if not all, other Floor Guardians would have lashed out hearing Guardian's words, even though Ainz knew she had no ill intent.
Ainz didn't want Sebas to feel uneasy for too long, so he spoke out.
"Hahaha! That is right! I have never seen such a civilization before, and everything I have experienced cannot be put into mere words! You have my sincerest gratitude for accompanying me, and I shall remember to return the favor someday!"
Ainz patted Guardian's shoulder as he spoke. Everything he just said was quite genuine, although he normally wouldn't express it in such a way. This was what he believed to be the best way to tell Sebas that all was good and there was nothing to feel upset for.
"I'm glad that you enjoyed your time! How about the other group?"
Xiera looked at Ryu's group as she spoke the last part.
"Of course we did. Everything had gotten so much better than the ARKS I came from. Also, now I feel stronger than before even though my level is still the same"
"Yeah, me too"
"Everything was awesome, Xiera-san!"
"Yes, and thanks to your assistance I can become part of ARKS too"
Ainz's head immediately turned towards Alice as he heard her words. He was quite surprised hearing that Alice, a native of New World, could become a member of ARKS this quickly and easily.
"Alice, did my ears fool me, or you are an ARKS member now?"
"Ah..!"
Alice's reaction was a little strange, and the other ARKS members around her seemed to react in similar ways. Their facial expressions turned somewhat grim, especially Alice who looked as if she had just made a big mistake.
Ainz was briefly confused, but then it dawned on him.
Now that Ainz knew about how easy it was to get an ARKS membership, they were worried that he would ask for the same. After all, it was pretty clear that one would gain access to more power simply by becoming an ARKS member.
Frankly, it was true that Ainz wanted more power to better survive and protect his home. Also, he was curious whether whatever procedures Alice had gone through would work on an undead like him. However, there was still no information yet on whether adverse effects existed or not. What if becoming an ARKS member somehow removed one's ability to use Tier Magic, and was irreversible? For a New World native with a limited variety of spells like Alice, it wouldn't be too much of a problem. But for Ainz who had 700+ spells in his repertoire, that would be a huge loss, and the potential start of his downfall.
Even if there weren't adverse effects, Ainz believed it wouldn't be so simple for him. Alice was an Adventurer who's been part of Ryu's group for a while, so that fact had probably played a part in easing up on their procedures. On the other hand, Ainz was merely an ally who's been assisting as necessary. Moreover, he was effectively the leader of his own nation in a sense. Therefore, applying for an ARKS membership wouldn't make sense.
Like, imagine if one day the Emperor of Baharuth Empire walks into E-Rantel Adventurer's Guild and says he wants to register. That doesn't make sense, no?
"I am aware of your concern, but there is nothing to be worried about"
Ainz spoke out, giving a simple reassurance. Alice seemed to be slightly relieved, and then she replied.
"An honorary member, but yes..."
"I see. Good for you then. With that, you should be one step closer to fighting alongside Ryu and the others as their equal. I commend you for noticing the opportunity and taking it"
"Ah...! T-Thank you"
As Alice spoke her gratitude, Ryu, Hikaru, and Rose seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Xiera immediately spoke.
"I'm glad that you all had a good time! Now, let me report to you about what has been happening during the last couple hours!"
Xiera sat back down and activated a plethora of displays which now basically formed a dome all around her. Ainz genuinely wondered how she could handle all that information at once, but then he thought about the possibility that she was actually a very human-like robot or android. After all, there was something about her eyes that reminded him of CZ2I28 Delta of the Pleiades.
"The Fighter ship has gone through a quick examination, and from our preliminary findings, we conclude that we can't understand anything yet! However, the engines are usable as an outstanding reference material for accelerating the calibration process of other ships, which is happening as we speak! In no time, all our ships should be fully functional, even within the planet's mutated photons!"
"..."
Ainz didn't know how he should feel hearing the news. On one hand he was glad that there would be more help in fighting against Darkers, but he still didn't know how the locals would react to the presence of this kind of civilization.
Feeling the need to inquire, Ainz spoke to ask a question.
"May I be informed about the planned course of action of ARKS from here on? Are you going to make yourself known to the general population of the planet below?"
"Well, yes! That's what we have been doing on other planets targeted by Darkers, especially those which can't defend themselves! We want to let everyone know that hope is not lost and we are here to help them, however little!"
Ainz put his hand over his chin in thought. It was not entirely wrong, but he felt it a little too idealistic. Not everyone was going to accept it right away, if ever. There would be fear, mistrust, and suspicion from such an event. Even a former simple salary man like himself could see that. Depending on their method of approach, the world's reception could vary wildly.
As if reading his mind, Xiera spoke to address his concerns.
"However, from what Guardian experienced during her quest, I do believe we have to devise a more subtle plan for approaching the civilizations down there. Therefore, I'd like-"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Suddenly, Xiera's speech was cut off by the sound of siren blaring. Her face immediately turned very serious as she turned around and fiddled with all the interface displays surrounding her.
"No way, the city is under attack by Darkers! Why now when we just finished repairing the ship!?"
All the other ARKS people in the group showed their surprise hearing what Xiera had just said. Without a word, they looked at each other and made a single nod with determined faces. Meanwhile, Xiera spoke loudly into her interface to make an announcement.
"Emergency! The city is under attack by Darker forces! All able-bodied ARKS are to sortie immediately!"
All the ARKS members around Ainz immediately turned around to go back to the teleporter. It was clear what their intention was, and Ainz couldn't help feeling that he wanted to assist as well. However, Guardian raised her hand in front of him, signaling him to stop.
"This is our home. What are we if we have to rely on our guest to defend ourselves? Moreover..."
Guardian stood on her toes, wanting to whisper something to Ainz. Realizing the height difference, Ainz lowered his head to get his ear closer to Guardian.
"Your photon readings are peculiar. You may get mistaken as an enemy down there"
"Ah, I see your point. Very well, I shall stay here for the time being"
Ainz stood upright again as he spoke his response. He then looked at Sebas, who had been standing by without saying a word. Ainz remembered that Sebas had a tendency to help people in trouble thanks to Touch Me's influence, and therefore he spoke.
"Sebas, I am aware that you are eager to help. However, I must have you stay here with me. Remember, you don't have photon armor. I cannot let you risk getting infected like Demiurge back then"
"Understood, Ainz-sama"
Sebas bowed with one hand in front of his chest as he spoke. At this point, everyone else had already disappeared behind the sliding door which led to the teleporter. Not paying heed to that, Ainz turned around and approached Xiera, who was still busy with all the interface displays around her.
Among the displays, Ainz could see some of them operated like surveillance cameras. In a way, they reminded him how Nazarick's defenses were. Through them, Ainz witnessed total chaos, as Darkers rampaged through anything in their way. A number of military personnel were fighting back, but they seemed more like rank-and-file grunts compared to the ARKS operatives he knew, and were more focused on leading civilians to shelter.
While watching, Ainz suddenly realized something.
Wait, why did Guardian stop me but not Lily?
The question occupied Ainz's mind briefly, but he quickly came to a conclusion that Lily had fought alongside Ryu for a while, so nobody stopped her from continuing to do so.
This is not really appropriate to say out loud, but I'm curious about how she is going to use the Starlight Wings in real battle.
After having the little thoughts inside, Ainz looked straight and continued to watch the ongoing battles.
[X][X][X]
The city dome of each ARKS ship had identical general arrangement, no matter which ship. Basically, there were five city districts inside the dome, separated from each other by a water body but connected by bridges. The area where everyone had gone sightseeing was the South District. South here meant the closest district to the ship's engine. The other districts, namely North, East, West, and Central had each their own function in the ship.
Right now, it was the Central District which was under attack by Darkers. This district mainly functioned as the residential area of civilians. It had parks, shopping centres, and even a stadium for events. In other words, Central District was what one would say as the most normal-looking city in an ARKS ship. But in turn, that also made it the most vulnerable when Darkers attacked.
Security personnel stationed in the district were swift to move out. They immediately set up barricades in the perimeter of shelter entry points and guided all the unarmed civilians to safety while fighting off the Darkers.
However, something was wrong this time. The Darkers were abnormally stronger than all the data about them would suggest. Even a single Dagan, one of the most basic species of Darkers, could take one or two people with it before going down. Seeing that, every squad was forced on the defensive, taking shelter behind barricades and heavy vehicles while still exerting their utmost effort to protect the civilians.
Dead in the middle of the Central District, several Fighter ships hovered over a wide road between buildings. Their back hatches opened, and a bunch of people jumped off. After everybody was off, all the Fighter ships left the area. The ones coming out from those Fighter ships were Guardian, Ryu, Lily, Rose, Hikaru, and Alice.
"Kill Darkers on sight, protect the people"
Guardian spoke the simple plan out, and the rest nodded in determination.
"Alright, let's move!"
The group separated into two with the same sub-group arrangement as back when they were still on the planet, and went to opposite directions.
[X][X][X]
Lily ran alongside Ryu and Hikaru, firmly holding her Starlight Wings twin swords. She held them backhand like her old swords at first, but then she remembered what her father had told her just recently.
"Starlight Wings are not the same as your old swords. Use them while keeping that in mind"
Pondering about those words briefly, Lily switched her grip into forehand as she followed the other two. So far, they hadn't encountered any Darkers yet, and the streets were empty because all the civilians had already been evacuated to shelters. But the peace didn't last long because suddenly a bunch of red portals appeared ahead of the group and various Darkers came out of those portals. There were at least ten of them, and Lily remembered some of them being the same as the Darkers attacking the Re-Estize Capital.
"They're all tier SH. We have to go all out!"
Ryu spoke as the group stopped their advance and went into battle stances with their weapons readied. Hikaru responded with a single nod, and so did Lily.
"Ilmegid!"
Ryu initiated the battle by casting a Photon Tech. Five claws of dark energy came out from his weapon at once and went straight towards the Darker bunch.
"Eh? What?"
Ryu suddenly exclaimed, seemingly confused about something.
"Question later!"
Hikaru dashed forward as the dark claws struck through the Darkers. She drew her katana and slashed upwards, creating a blue geyser-like shockwave which swept through the Darkers. The smaller ones were slain, but the bigger ones survived.
Lily quickly dashed forward ahead of Hikaru and did a vertical rotating slash with both swords at one of the big Darkers. As she was slashing, both swords left brilliant light trails and sparkles.
Bam!
As Lily dropped right on top of the large Darker, four golden blades made of glimmering energy were materialized facing towards four different cardinal directions and launched themselves straight, hitting other Darkers and disappearing after. All the Darkers hit by Lily's attack were slain. One flying Darker, the same type as the one she had fought back at Carne Village, hovered while keeping its distance.
Remembering Bloody Sarabande, the Photon Art which allowed her to shoot shockwaves out of her swords, Lily made a slashing motion with one sword followed by the other, and then with both swords crossed at once. All the slashes shot out energy waves straight at the flying Darker, and the last wave was followed up by two golden blades which materialized themselves, pierced the flying Darker, and disappeared.
With the three working together, the bunch of Darkers were all slain within a minute. After making sure there were no more Darkers in the vicinity for the time being, the group gathered for a quick talk.
"I thought my Photon Techs would be back to normal again here. Why were they still amplified like on the planet?"
Ryu asked the question, clearly sounding confused. Hikaru just shrugged.
"No idea. Let's just make good use of it for now"
Ryu made a quick nod hearing Hikaru's words.
"Right. Oh, by the way, Lily"
"Yes, Ryu-san?"
"The swords Ainz lent you are indeed immensely powerful. I'm sure you're now stronger than both me and Hikaru combined"
"Really?"
Lily looked at the two swords she was holding. She remembered her father's words that these swords belonged to one of his comrades, who likely was someone of equal power to him. Thinking that now she was wielding a great power which could compare to her father's, Lily began to feel a mental burden inside, which made her uneasy, yet she was not sure why.
"Once we get back, be sure to thank him, alright?"
Ryu spoke before Lily could ponder further, which seemingly was all she needed to forget about the uneasiness.
"Yes, of course, Ryu-san!"
"Let's move again"
The group then immediately resumed their advance to hunt Darkers while protecting civilians they would happen to encounter. It was just a little over one minute later when they heard something at a distance.
Boom! Drrrt!
"Sounds like a battle. Let's go!"
Both Hikaru and Lily responded with a quick grunt of approval after hearing Ryu's words. The group then quickly went towards a left turn where the sound of battle was coming from. But right as they reached the corner...
Whoosh! Crash! Boom!
Something pretty big came around the corner, went past the group, hit the ground, and exploded. It was a military armored vehicle, and it was now burning so violently, the chance of anyone inside surviving was practically zero. Knowing that, Ryu took a quick peek over the corner to see what had thrown the armored vehicle away like that.
"It's a Wolgahda, and it's tier XH"
Lily also took a look, and she saw a large Darker creature which she remembered to be the same type as the ones Demiurge had fought against in Re-Estize. A number of people, seemingly fellow ARKS members, were now fighting it, but the Wolgahda didn't even seem to be fazed taking their attacks. Instead, the Wolgahda smacked at another armored vehicle, launching it away and making it receive the same fate as the previous, bowling over the opposing combatants on the way. They now had a number of casualties and injured personnel thanks to that attack.
"Let's go!"
At Ryu's command, the three of them immediately joined the fray. Ryu charged his weapon as they approached the battle.
"Ilgrants!"
A barrage of light trails came out from Ryu's weapon and struck the Wolgahda's head. At the same time, Hikaru used the same shockwave attack as before which hit the Wolgahda several times. The other ARKS members seemed to understand the situation, and so they retreated carrying the injured ones.
The Wolgahda tilted its body, raising one leg quite high. It then immediately stomped the ground with a titanic blow which shook the ground and sent debris flying all over, causing everyone to lose balance. Lily quickly jumped forward straight at the Wolgahda and stabbed one sword at it, followed by the other. As she pulled the swords back out, two golden energy blades materialized besides her and slashed at the Wolgahda in a crossing motion like a pair of scissor blades.
The Wolgahda wailed, covering its wounded face with its hand. At this point, Lily suddenly for some reason felt that she knew what to do immediately next, and she also knew that it would be dangerous for Ryu and Hikaru.
"Ryu-san! Hikaru-san! Please get behind me!"
As Lily spoke, she stood firm with her swords crossed. A flaming golden aura emanated around her body as she took a couple seconds to charge energy to the blades. Within a second after, golden energy blades materialized themselves and converged at the Starlight Wings, which resulted in a huge greatsword twice as long as Lily was tall, shining brightly with colors of a rainbow.
The Wolgahda, seemingly enraged, crouched briefly as if it was about to jump. That was what it did immediately after, launching itself straight at Lily, intending to ram her with its massive body.
"Hhaaaaaah!"
SCHWING!
Lily did an uppercut slash with the giant energy blade, which came into direct contact with the Wolgahda. Within an instant, the Wolgahda was vertically sliced in half. Its lifeless body halves missed from hitting Lily and fell down on the ground, disintegrating into red smoke as Lily's giant blade was also disintegrating, reverting the weapon back into her Starlight Wings.
"Woah..."
"That's... incredible..."
Ryu and Hikaru spoke in amazement, seeing what Lily had just done. Even Lily herself couldn't believe it. Moreover, she actually didn't feel exhausted at all after doing such an attack. She felt that she could do that over and over again if needed.
"Yes, I really must thank Papa after this..."
[X][X][X]
Bang!
Crackle!
The trio of Guardian, Alice, and Mel Rose who was currently Meru, bulldozed through a horde of Darkers in the Central District. Guardian shot holes through the Darkers with her rifle while Meru disintegrated every enemy with her Photon Techs. Right behind the two, Alice supported them with supportive effects she could provide, either from Photon Techs or her Tier Magic spells. Their combined power and teamwork put every other ARKS operatives witnessing them in awe. Everybody knew that Guardian was incredibly strong compared to regular ARKS operatives, but not many have seen her fighting alongside others as a team.
Vrrm! Screeech!
An armored military vehicle stopped next to the trio, who also stopped to see what the intention of the hasty approach was. A man wearing a full face military helmet spoke from the driver's seat.
"There's a large Darker sighted ahead! Would you assist?"
Without waiting for even a second, Guardian hopped onto the roof of the vehicle, followed by Meru and Alice.
"Yes! Go! Go!"
Vrmmm!
The armored vehicle accelerated, going through the streets which were now a battlefield. The Darkers were mostly tier SH with a number of tier XH mixed in, something which has never happened before and caught a number of operatives off guard. Guardian and Meru assisted as they go by shooting or using a Photon Tech, respectively. The ride lasted for a couple minutes until...
"Guardian! There's an El Ahda swarm coming from behind!"
Xiera suddenly shouted through Guardian's communication link, which everyone else could hear. Everybody on the roof immediately looked behind the vehicle in response. Indeed, there were tens of the flying Darker chasing them.
Shift-Kugelstrum!
Brrrrrt!
Guardian used the rifle Photon Art which made her shoot a barrage of bullets towards the pursuing El Ahda swarm. Meru and Alice also assisted with their own attacks, and a huge portion of the swarm fell down disintegrating within seconds. However, several surviving ones dove down and rammed the vehicle at an incredible speed.
Crash! Boom!
The vehicle was tipped over, rolling on the streets several times over. Guardian, Meru, and Alice had jumped off just in time, pulling the driver along with them. They all landed on their feet as the vehicle exploded at a distance, killing the ramming El Ahdas along with it.
"Go regroup with others"
Guardian spoke to the driver as she gave a light pat to his shoulder. In response, he gave a firm, formal salute as he spoke.
"Yes, Guardian sir! I leave the rest to you! Also..."
"Hmm?"
"...Thank you for saving me, Guardian sir"
"Don't mention it"
Guardian turned around and walked away as she spoke, immediately followed by dashing. Meru and Alice followed after making a quick goodbye gesture to the driver, who could be seen pulling his own rifle out and dashing back to the battlefield.
The group soon arrived at a sizable parking lot. The place was eerily quiet, having neither people nor Darkers, but traces of battles in the form of debris and smoking embers from several burnt vehicles could be noticed all around.
"It's so quiet here. Do you get any readings, Xiera?"
Guardian spoke through her communication link while looking around and keeping herself alert. Meru and Alice were also keeping their eyes open to the surroundings.
"Yes, and it's coming right at you!"
Right after Xiera spoke, a bipedal turtle-like giant Darker teleported in from above and landed with its titanic weight shaking the ground and sending debris flying. The group jumped away from the spot just in time to avoid getting splattered.
"Tier XH Zeshrayda, huh? Let's go!"
Shift-Verbrechen!
Strafe!
Guardian immediately initiated the battle by using two Photon Arts which conjured small tetrahedron-shaped photon bits. The bits acted like automatic turrets, shooting at various body parts of the Zeshrayda. Guardian herself followed up with a single shot to the Zeshrayda's head and then another Photon Art.
Shift-Nachtangriff!
Zoom!
Guardian dashed forward and went straight under the Zeshrayda through the gap between the legs. Right after she was through, she quickly turned around and shot two big energy blasts right at the back of the Zeshrayda.
"Hissss!"
The Zeshrayda let out a loud and eerie sound, then it turned around to face Guardian. Meru and Alice immediately understood what to do, and so they casted a barrage of the same Photon Tech.
"Grants!"
"Grants!"
Shift-Kugelstrum!
Spears of light pierced the left leg of Zeshrayda without any sign of stopping. Guardian herself also compounded the damage done by barraging the same leg with bullets from her rifle. Within seconds, the leg armor shattered and the Zeshrayda lost balance, swaying its gigantic body to one side.
"Keep going!"
Guardian shouted, not stopping her barrage of bullets. Meru and Alice also didn't stop their barrage of Grants. Within another couple seconds, the Zeshrayda fell down on its back, becoming helpless and exposing its most vulnerable core just below its neckline. Its fall shook the ground again, thanks to its titanic weight. Meru and Alice had moved out of the way by this point.
Equip Lightstream Floraxion!
Guardian switched her weapon to her katana and jumped onto the top of the fallen Zeshrayda. She closed in on the exposed core and charged energy for a second before executing a single slash.
Phantom Mark Detonation!
Boom!
The slash caused the core to implode around itself, but it still survived the blow. Guardian jumped back a bit, making a short distance, and then she raised her katana straight upward.
Phantom Finish!
Guardian lowered her katana, making a slow slashing motion with one hand. A giant energy blade 20 meters long was conjured, following the motion and slashing down at the exposed core.
Schwing!
The core was destroyed, and the entirety of the Zeshrayda disintegrated into red smoke which soon dissipated. Guardian sheathed her katana and put it away into her photon inventory as Meru and Alice approached her.
"Good work, everyone"
Guardian smiled in determination as she spoke. Both Meru and Alice were slightly startled hearing the compliment.
"B-But you did all the work, Master..."
"Yeah, we didn't get to do much"
Guardian put her hands over her hip and rolled her eyes before speaking in response to the two.
"Meru, I'm no longer your master. Alice, your level is supposed to be way below the threat level of that Darker, yet you still did respectable damage somehow. For me that was already impressive enough"
Meru and Alice didn't speak any words in response to Guardian's compliment. Guardian herself only smiled again and gave both of them a pat on their shoulder. Right after that, suddenly...
"Guardian! There's a Funji inbound! Arriving in one minute!"
Xiera spoke with concerned tone through the communication link. Guardian rolled her eyes again hearing that, looking annoyed at the imminent presence of the abduction device courtesy of Darkers.
"Ah, just great"
Alice then spoke, her face showing deep concern.
"Who's going to get kidnapped...?"
"Oh, so you know already. Anyway, I'll take the role. You two better retreat and hide until I break free and regroup with you"
Right after Guardian spoke, the familiar floating dark red vortex appeared within sight at a distance and approached the group at a speed which was slow, yet induced uneasiness to anyone seeing it. Guardian stepped forward, making herself the closest one to the vortex among the group.
"Be careful, Guardian"
Alice spoke, still sounding concerned. Meanwhile, Meru suddenly switched to Rose and spoke with her hands over her hip.
"Hey, Guardian"
"Hmm?"
"The fourth time this week!"
Rose laughed after saying that. Upon hearing Rose's words, Guardian turned around with her hands clenched and shoulders raised, a clear sign of annoyance and being upset.
"Hey! Funji doesn't cou-"
Snap!
Before Guardian finished speaking, the Funji vortex shot out dark energy tentacles which grabbed and bound her tightly at the arms and legs. Within a second, she was lifted and pulled into the vortex which immediately disappeared after swallowing her, leaving Rose and Alice alone.
"Well, let's lay low while we wait for her location to come up"
Rose spoke while fiddling with her photon interface. Alice stared at the spot where the Funji vortex had been, and she spoke.
"I hope Guardian will be alright"
"I'm sure she will"
Rose spoke in a calm and confident tone, while Alice still felt a little uneasy.
[X][X][X]
Ryu's group had been exterminating more Darkers as they advanced. The more Darkers they slew, the more impressed Ryu and Hikaru became at how strong Lily had become. The grace of her flight and the nimbleness she displayed as she sliced and diced all the Darkers within her range would put anyone in awe. All her movements were as if she was dancing on the battlefield.
Schwing!
The X-shaped energy wave shot by Lily's cross slash swept through a number of Darkers, killing them all instantly. The two golden energy blades which were conjured along with the wave also pierced the few survivors, finishing them off.
All the Darkers in the area had been slain, and for now the atmosphere of the surroundings had calmed down.
"Now where should we go next from here...?"
Ryu spoke as he checked the map on his photon interface, but before long Xiera contacted him.
"Urgent directive! Guardian has been abducted by a Funji! You're close to her new location, so please assist her as soon as you can!"
Right after Xiera finished speaking, the map in Ryu's photon interface got a new blip on a specific spot. Ryu looked at his surroundings briefly and spoke after figuring out the location.
"It's inside the stadium. Let's go!"
"Right behind you, Ryu-san!"
"Time for Emergency Code: Rescue"
The group of three immediately activated their flight spell and flew straight towards the City Stadium. Ryu was confident that Guardian wouldn't need assistance, but in the end he decided to go there anyway, just in case.
[X][X][X]
Drrrd! Psshhh...
The Funji cage confining Guardian disintegrated along with the bunch of Darkers inside. Now that she had settled the Funji matter, she looked around to her surroundings and saw that she was now right in the middle of the arena within the City Stadium. The place was devoid of Darkers and people other than herself, making the spacious area induce a feeling of unsettling emptiness.
It didn't last long because suddenly...
Whoosh...
A blood red portal appeared nearby. Guardian put herself into full alert the moment she noticed, and soon something came out. Guardian's eyes narrowed and her teeth gritted as she recognized the one coming out. It was Dark Falz Elder, in his human host form.
"So we meet again, ARKS"
Elder spoke with both hands raised forward to shoulder level.
"I should've known that it's you"
"What can I say? I desire chaos. I crave for conflict and violence. But above all else..."
Elder stopped speaking as he floated and engulfed himself in a red vortex. In a couple seconds, he came back out as his Falz Hunar form. Guardian couldn't hide her surprise seeing that the Falz Hunar form was not the same as the one she had fought on the planet before, but the bigger and stronger Omega Hunar instead.
"...I desire good battles. Come and fight me again in that my look-alike power of yours, ARKS"
Elder spoke while bumping his fists together. Guardian was not sure whether she should answer to the challenge or not.
"Gettemhart..."
Guardian asked into her own consciousness, and she immediately got an answer.
"Let's do it! Knock some sense into the head of that asshole!"
Guardian let out a small sigh, and she folded her arms standing firmly. A bright red flaming aura emanated from her body, and she was engulfed in a blood red vortex.
Dark Blast Elder!
Guardian came out of the vortex as the Hunar-lookalike form. Seeing this, Elder flexed his shoulders and approached Guardian by walking slowly.
"Heh, he's gonna regret it. Let's kick his ass!"
Without paying any heed to Gettemhart's words, Guardian immediately threw a straight punch, and the battle between two Dark Falz began.
[X][X][X]
Ryu's group flew through the empty streets of the city, passing the remnants of fierce battles that had happened. With the help of the flight spells they had, the group arrived in the vicinity of the City Stadium within minutes and they landed right in front of the entrance.
Boom! Drrrd!
Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from the inside of the spherical building of the Stadium, accompanied by the ground shaking.
"What's happening?"
Lily asked, sounding quite concerned.
"I don't know. Let's go and see"
Ryu spoke without looking at the other two behind him, and he immediately dashed into the building entrance. Soon after, the group of three reached the arena within the stadium, and what they saw immediately was two large humanoid figures trading blows fiercely. The magnitude of power within the fight was so great, each hit blew a gust of wind which could easily sweep the group away. As Ryu was bracing himself against the winds, he could recognize that one of them was Elder's Falz Hunar form, although slightly different from what he remembered.
As for the other, Ryu had never seen anything like that. But seeing that it bore striking resemblance to Falz Hunar, he could immediately guess that it was Guardian, currently using her transformation power.
"Is that Elder? But what's the other?"
Lily asked as she also braced herself from the effectively continuous gusts of wind. Ryu just replied with what was in his mind.
"It's probably Guardian"
Bam! Pow! Bwak!
The two monstrous figures traded punches and kicks as if they were equals. Ryu quickly urged the other two to take cover behind the walls before they became collateral damage. As they took cover, Lily spoke to Ryu, asking a question.
"Should we assist her, Ryu-san?"
"I don't know. Their powers are on a whole different level. Will anything we do bring any impact? If you ask me, probably not"
Smash! Drrrrd!
Hearing the loud crashing noise, Ryu peeked through the cover to see the ongoing battle. Both combatants were now kneeling with one knee on the ground, apart from each other. It seemed they had just traded a powerful blow which shoved them away. Before long, Elder turned his head towards Ryu's position and spoke.
"I know you are there, ARKS! Join the fray and help your ally! Come at me with all of your might and give me the thrill of battle!"
"Tch!"
Ryu clicked his tongue. Challenging everyone in sight was just like Gettemhart, the rogue ARKS who had deserted and involved himself in some conspiracy which ultimately had turned him into a Dark Falz. Ryu had no idea how much of Gettemhart's personality had been absorbed and inherited by Elder, or the faint possibility that Elder was actually Gettemhart enjoying himself.
"This is our battle! Do not involve bystanders!"
Guardian shouted as she charged towards Elder and launched a straight punch, which was blocked by Elder using his armored arm.
"Oh, is that what they are to you? Just innocent bystanders you are compelled to protect? How pathetic!"
Bwak!
Elder saw an opening created by his speech, and he launched a powerful uppercut which landed a heavy blow. Guardian's Elder form was thrown across the arena and hit the side wall with its massive body, shaking the ground and cracking the wall.
Whoosh...
Guardian's Elder form was gone, and what was left was herself, barely standing and trying to catch her breath.
"Guardian-san!"
Lily jumped out from cover and approached Guardian quickly. Ryu and Hikaru followed right behind her and covered Guardian from Elder, who now just stood there at the distance with his arms folded.
"D-Don't stay around... He's abnormally strong for some reason... Run away while I hold him off..."
Guardian spoke while running out of breath. Without looking at her, Ryu casted Resta followed by a speech.
"Run where, though? There's nowhere to run to. It's win or go down fighting now"
"Heh... I guess you're right..."
Guardian pulled her rifle as she spoke. She stepped forward to the front of everyone else and readied her battle stance.
"I'm sorry about this, but it seems I have to rely on you to assist me now"
"Hey, we're ARKS. We're in this together"
Hikaru spoke as she pulled out her Briste Insignia, which was probably the right choice in the current situation, although there was no telling whether its power would be enough to make a difference.
"Hey, don't forget about us!"
A voice spoke from above. Ryu looked up and immediately recognized that it was Rose, along with Alice. They just came by flying, and upon landing, Alice immediately casted Shifta and Deband, buffing everyone. Meanwhile, Lily raised one of her swords high up.
"Starlight Overdrive!"
A bright light shone upon everyone in the group, and now each of them had a golden flaming aura emanating from their body. Ryu felt himself being invigorated and empowered by whatever Lily had just done.
"Everyone..."
Guardian spoke, sounding quite touched. She then smiled in determination and pointed her rifle at Elder.
"You're going down, Elder!"
Elder unfolded his arms and flexed his shoulder, then he spoke with his echoing voice.
"Come and try!"
Elder drew out his massive curved sword, and the battle in the City Stadium began once again.
...which effectively ended within five minutes in a massive loss.
Everybody but a few had been knocked out cold. None of them died, which was questionable whether they were fortunate or it was all on purpose by Elder, but the battle was basically lost. The only ones left standing were Guardian and Lily, with Ryu being still conscious but having no choice other than sitting on the ground leaning to the wall while grunting in pain.
Elder himself was quite damaged. Parts of his armor were cracked and his sword was already broken, but he was still very capable of fighting, while Guardian and Lily were very visibly exhausted and injured.
"Hmm, I commend you for giving me the thrill of a good battle. I look forward to meeting you again for another battle"
"Wait! You're leaving just like that!?"
Lily asked the question, sounding upset.
"I have no more use from those who can no longer fight. Live and become stronger, strong enough to entertain me more in the future. Hahahaha!"
Right after speaking, Elder jumped backwards to teleport away.
"Hmm?"
But he didn't teleport. He landed again on the ground, visibly confused.
"Why is the portal not working?"
Elder gestured his arms, seemingly trying to open his portal in order to teleport away, but nothing happened.
Instead, what happened immediately after was a familiar figure none other than Ainz appearing out of nowhere near Lily and Guardian. There was no portal or any other sign of him coming. To put it simply, in everyone's eyes he just appeared out of thin air within an instant. His mask and gauntlets were gone, and his robe was unzipped, fully revealing his true nature as an undead. Elder looked at Ainz and immediately spoke.
"You are...!"
"I apologize for not letting you leave, but I was compelled to do so. After all, I have a score to settle with you, Dark Falz Elder"
As Ainz spoke the last part, the red lights inside the eye cavities of his skeletal head glowed brighter like a burning flame.
[X][X][X]
Afterword:
Coming up next, Ainz beating Elder down to oblivion, but with a consequence to face.
Answering a question posted by one reviewer, yes there is a battle arena. Whether it will be used or not in this story is still not decided yet.
See you again in another two weeks.
