(Issue 3: WITCH is in Meridian)

"I-It c-can't b-be." Ray horrifyingly stutters in doubt.

Eric, also in in shock of the revelation, turns slightly to observe Ray. Though Ray's hood covers his upper face, fear and horror is written all over his gesture. Ray's jaw jerks as his eyes twitches as his shoulders shudders. His body posture trembles in a seizure; loose than a sturdy position. Breathing becomes unbearable and becomes harder as each moment passes.

A tear flows from Ray's eyes, he then crosses his eyebrows, grits his teeth and clenches his hand to a fist hardly as veins appears on the back of his hand. His blood flows rapidly. His anger and taste for revenge overcomes his fear as a transparent light of aura shines from his eyes.

"Ray?" Eric whispers. "I know you're in a shock but we have to get out of here. Barrage him with your—" He then stops as he observes Ray not listening to him as his eyes are fixed on the galhot who killed his uncle. "Ray? Ray? Aren't you listening to me?" He holds on to his friend's shoulder and shakes it.

"Step aside." Ray slaps Eric's hand out of his an instant, he proceeds to run to Zagan as he prepares his bow at him.

"Wait! Ray!" Eric shouts and tries to stops him.

"You will pay for his dear life!" Ray shouts and sprints at Zagan. "Farsight Third Technique: Arrow Barrage!" He shoots rapidly of three arrows at a time as it duplicates itself through the air. "Sixth Technique: Grenade Barrage!" comes another set of arrows from his fingers.

"So you have come!" Zagan excitedly yells as he charges as well, riding on his armored rhinoceros.

Because of Ray's hastily and unsteady shots, the dozen of arrows deflects and misses him. The grenade arrow as well has no effect on his tough armor. "Your arrows have no effect on me human!" Zagan yells; still Ray continues to run forward and draw arrows.

"This is how you do it!" Zagan pulls out the string from Oswyn's bow. "Farsight Third Technique: Arrow Barrage!" he says as his arrows shoot up to him.

'What!' Eric exclaims. 'That monster can chant Farsight spells too?! How could he have mastered Farsight techniques in such a short time! In Ray's years of training, he only mastered four!'

Ray manages to dodge and shoot the incoming arrows on front of him, but some are able to scratch on Ray's face and body, yet others stick out to his shoulder armor and shoulders. But his anger disregards the pain and manages to get his charging posture back. He continues run to him again and shoots his own arrows.

"You're just as reckless as Oswyn!" he blocks the arrows with his shield and clashes with his sword. "Sixth Technique: Grenade Barrage!" He smilingly says as he shoots arrows from his fingers.

Ray in return manages to dodge and shoots another barrage to block the duplicated grenade arrows. His arrows clashes to one another and explode before it could reach to him. Yet, one of the arrows caught to his leather armor and explodes in front of him. "Aaahh!" He screams in in the blast and falls to the ground.

"Ray!" Eric yells as he chases him from behind. "Yield down!"

Though Ray's ears become deaf from the explosion, he still hears his captain from behind. "Never!" with his leather armor now broken and battered, he unconsciously yells back as he staggers to stand up. "Not after what he did to my uncle!" His motivation and hunger for revenge gets him back to his feet and hastily charges back again. He draws another set of arrows. "Arrow Barrage!" he shoots once again rapidly.

"So you're his nephew! You're just as annoying—" He yells as one of the arrows now reaches up to him. "Urgh! and persistent as well!"

As the combatants draws near, Ray draws his final blow. "Arrow Grenade!"

At the same time, Zagan prepares also final blow on his hand. "Farsight Ninth Technique, Sword Aim!" He pulls the strings out of the bow and instead of an arrow; a sword appears with the grip between his fingers.

'Impossible!' Ray in disbelief exclaims as he sees the sword right on front of him. 'He was able to manage the ninth technique. Now only inches ahead, Ray, in shock, is now unable to dodge quicker or go against the tough sword arrow. He also can't change his direction because of his forward momentum.

"Die!" he shoots the sword out from his bow, though heavier, it is as quicker and swifter as the lightness of an arrow. The sword leaves and electrifying tail and zings to Ray only a meter apart from him.

Quickly, Eric moves quicker to the front, swings his sword and clashes out the flying sword to the ground. "Eric!" Ray exclaims.

Eric then swings in another momentum and clashes the rhinoceros armor face plate and breaks it, leaving a huge cut on its face. The rhino grunts in pain stands on its hind legs facing upward to the sky. Together with the rhino, with Zagan riding on it, falls to the ground. The heavy galhot leaves a trembling tremor to the ground.

"We have to get out of here!" Eric pulls Ray to the arms. Then unnoticeably an arrow from Zagan suddenly zings and sticks to Eric's shoulder and yelps in pain. "Ugh!"

"Oh! You're not leaving!" Zagan, who shots the arrow from a lying down position, exclaims in amazement as he stands to his own feet. "Because have just enter the party!"

Zagan, magically hides the bow behind his back and pulls out his six-foot sword, thick and rectangular in shape, like a butcher's knife with the handle at the center. Eric charges in with his conventional grip to test out his strength and a brawl and a clash of swords ensue. The skillful fighters put up their best blows but no fatal landings have been made.

'So this large beast can fight too!' Eric says to himself as he clashes his sword against the six-foot and larger sword. After long minutes of fighting, Eric, though skillful in swordplay, can't land a fatal attack on the large sword with his natural grip method.

As the clash continues, Zagan pushes his sword forcedly to keep him off imbalance and strikes but Eric manages to block the attack and maintains his fighting stance. "You're good, boy though with that hood on!" Zagan sarcastically compliments. "Yet you keep on retreating back!"

'Because he has more power and strength, than I do. I can't go into the offensive if he keeps on continuously striking!' Eric says to himself. 'It's like every clash could actually throw me off my stance and would even break my sword in two!' He then blocks a fast maneuver delivery by Zagan.

As the swords collide, Zagan, using his hand that gripped the sword he knocks out Eric's body to the ground. "Uuff!" he jerks in pain as he spurts blood from his mouth. 'That hurt!'

"I've got you!" Zagan grips his hands on the sword, raises his sword behind his back and swings vertically at him. Eric, lying on the ground, clashes and blocks the sword before it cuts him up in two. But, Zagan's heavy sword still presses down on Eric's. His large blade is now only inches away from Eric's face when suddenly, without notice, an arrow flies and sticks to Zagan's arm and explodes is thick skin. "Yaarghh!"

Quickly using the diversion, Eric with the amount of strength pushes his sword back to make space and rolls to other side of the ground. He performs a kip up to stand back up again and postures to a fighting stance."Thanks!" he says to Ray, who now staggers to hold his bow.

"Reverse your grip!" Ray, battered yet genuflecting, sternly commands as he points his arrow at Zagan. "I'll provide you cover!" Eric's head jerks in agreement. He spins his sword from the natural to his common reverse grip and charges at the battered Zagan.

Eric swoops directly into Zagan and clashes rapidly forward against his sword to his. In a quick motion, he revolves his sword like a helicopter as he reverses the momentum to attack the other side but once again is blocked. The clanging of metal becomes louder and harder as Eric strikes and swerves with his body in full circle in the direction of his sword.

"So you think that you're confident with your offences!" Zagan says as he can't handle the pressure of rapid blows. "But your reverse grip can't handle your defense now-Urgh!" Zagan prepares to strike yet is distracted when Ray shoots arrows at him.

'Now's my chance!' Eric spins in the air with his sword on front of him as he turns a fast clockwise and stretches his sword horizontally at the confused Zagan. He finally lands a good blow as he scratches the right side part of his torso and leaves a large cut on him.

"Argghh!" Zagan yelps in pain. Eric pulls another quick attack as he turns again in a 360 degree motion before Zagan could retain his stance. Eric reaches his sword and lands a large cut wound on Zagan's upper right leg. "Arrggh! You pathetic fools-!"

The onslaught continues as Eric gets the upper ground. The weak Zagan manages to only kneel from the pressure. Eric manages to slice through Zagan's thick skin and armor, but is opposed when Zagan blocks where he might hit his vital parts. Then an arrow then hits his bare side and where Eric slices, he then screams in too much pain "Arrghh! That's it!"

Zagan, who is still confused, regains his strength when he swings his fist violently up front and knocks Eric backward. Ray then shoots arrows at the bleeding Zagan yet he confidently blocks the incoming arrows as if he is not in pain anymore. Zagan smirks at them and grits his teeth at them.

"I've never had so much fun since Oswyn!" He grunts and laughs. "Emulate Sixth Technique: Reverse Grip!" he then spins his sword in reverse formation, just as Eric's

"S-so you're a l-legionate yourself." Eric calls as he presses his stomach in pain as he lumps back into the fight.

"I was. My fighting technique itself is to copy fighting techniques of others." Zagan says. "Even copying Oswyn himself is how he met his fate."

"And you'll pay for it!" Ray yells as he pulls out his arrows and shoots at Zagan. Yet, just as Eric's fighting style, Zagan's fast reverse grip spins and body swivels with the swords momentum and knocks out the arrows easily. Zagan storms at them as Eric storms in as well and they clash swords once more at each other.

Eric rotates with his sword in his reverse grip and so does Zagan. The clashing of swords becomes more furious and louder. Body rotations also become more aggressive as they spin faster and faster. Yet only one will stand in the end

Eric, who is now tired and out of endurance, becomes slower as his sword could not keep up with Zagan's pace. Zagan's notices this and by chance reverses the momentum of his sword from clockwise to a counter-clockwise direction. Eric also does the same, but the distraction of the change of course leads Zagan to kick his smaller opponent.

"Ugh!" Eric trips from the kick and loses his stance and now Zagan swings his sword to make the final blow. But Ray manages to shoot another arrow to distract him.

'Darn it! I'm worn out now!' Eric says to himself. 'This monster has all the energy left stored in his large physique!'

Zagan who now knows his opponent is now weak to fight kicks Eric once again hardly and is thrown off backwards to collide with Ray and they both fall off to the ground. Exhausted and tired they lie flat to the ground.

"H-He's too strong." Eric pants as he says to Ray. "And an experienced one at that!" They both stagger to get up.

"You boys show a great fight!" Zagan says as he approaches him. "But no one can't defeat me!" as he draws his sword again to take one final and deadly finish on them.

Suddenly, a small explosion is heard from afar yet vibrates the ground. "What is that?" Eric asks Ray

"Couldn't it be-" Ray whispers as another explosion from a far abrupts from the sky.

"I hope it's him." Eric stands on his feet and on his fighting stance.

"You boys never learn to give up!" Zagan returns. "Just like Oswyn…" as he prepares to launch a decisive final strike on him.

Suddenly, like lightning from the heavens, a familiar figure strikes his staff on Zagan's hunched back "Second Technique: Dynamite Shooter!" and a large explosion occurs them and blasts his leather armor once again and the figure falls down with his staff.

"Arrghh! What is that?!" Zagan yells as he aches in pain.

"Nigel!" Eric and Ray exclaim as they see their ally on the ground, lying unconsciously. Now battered and beaten, the three of them cannot move a single part in their body.

Zagan looks to the fainted Nigel on the ground. He draws his sword to him. "Why you little—Arrgghh!" Suddenly, a quiver of arrows projectile at Zagan, Eric looks to Ray, but looks weakened to draw any arrow. He then turns behind him to see a band of galhots and escanors with arrows, clubs and swords. Its right flank shoots rapid and continuous shots at the large Zagan.

"It's the Rebellion Army." Eric says. Zagan infuriates the incoming rebels and charges at them. He then shoves and pushes Eric and Ray out of the way as they both fall to the ground, leaves the three boys behind and charges at the army with his large sword and fights the rebels.

Eric staggers to stand up and staggers to the exhausted and battered Nigel. He then shakes his shoulder. "Hey Nigel! Don't know how and why you're here but you must wake up!" yet Nigel does not response.

"There's not much time young man." says a voice behind him as a certain figure shadow crawls over him. Eric turns to see a large brown galhot behind him. "Go bring him and I will lead you to another portal back to Earth."

"Who are you? I've recognize your voice before." Eric asks as he tries to hear her clearly.

"Don't you remember? I'm Galgheita." She says. "But now further questions, come with me! Hurry!" she says.

Eric places Nigel's arm around on his neck and back. He starts to follow Galgheita but stops to look back Ray as he stands and gaze the fight, where the standing and lone giant Zagan battles the peasants. "Ray! Ray!" he calls but Ray still gazes the fight. He approaches him and pulls his shoulder. Eric still sees tiredness yet angriness written on Ray's face. "We have to go now!" He says as he carries Nigel and pulls and drags Ray away from the battle.