Chapter 9 - Test of Survival

Out of over 10,000 that entered the war with Solarin, 9,852 lay dead on the ground all over Earthland. The various creatures that survived either returned to heaven, or made Earthland their home… no longer desiring to be a part of the gods' plan any longer.

Hundreds of beings that did not return to heaven found refuge with the mortals, many of them thanking them for fighting against the dragons, while others faded into history.

…

From the forces of the damned, numbering just over 30,000, 29,201 lay dead on the ground all over Earthland. The majority of the forces all returned to the Nether, not seeing the novelty of living in the mortal realm. Those who did not return, found refuge in their own elements, often in solitude with little contact as the mortals still remembered and fear them.

…

Out of the 13 gods that descended from heaven, only 6 remain. Vitius - The god of life, Ventia - The goddess of the skies, Aquos - The goddess of the oceans, Kemokemo - The god of nature, Stellia - The goddess of the stars, and Solarin himself - the god of light, ruler of heaven.

From the 8 gods that came from the bowels of the Nether, only a single one had perished. The god of death - Ankersham was mortally wounded by Vitius - The god of life. Yet, in his dying breath, he attached his soul to a certain black-haired boy that bore his curse from tampering with powers not within his own understanding…

…

Heaven or Nether, the gods decided that their presence should never once again be in the mortal realm. Despite this decision, this unspoken law would relax over the years, where in time, Solarin himself would step foot in Earthland once again.

…

Of the various creatures from the Nether and Heaven that remained in Earthland, their existence would soon become known as legends. From beautiful mystical entities to beasts only known through mythology. Yet in time, their existence will soon be known to the rest of the world.

…

Of the dragons, many have suffered from the gods, as well as from each other. Those that remained; some returned home to the Nether, and some were granted entrance to heaven for their noble actions in the conflict. The dozens that chose to remain in Earthland, found respective homes in their elements, and some would traverse through time and space, so they could defend the world once again from the apocalypse.

Temple of Solarin

"Wait, what happened after that?" Benjin exclaimed anxiously. This whole war made no sense! How did any of what he just saw explain why someone so important became his father! What did he have anything to do with this war of fuckening?!

I am more confused that I was before coming here…

"There are so many questions unanswered, and the ones that were answered just made more questions, what the actual fu-" his sentence was interrupted by a flick to the forehead, followed by a sigh from the older man.

"I wish I had the time and strength to tell you the entire story…" the voice of his father trailed off, seemingly tired and quieter compared to how he was speaking before.

"I had to at least tell you of the war, and what caused it…" his expression became grim, the powerful eyes became filled with sadness.

"For I am afraid-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on! Where even are we! What is all this?" Benjin had just noticed that they were no longer in the weird limbo room but instead they were in a dimly lit chamber resembling the old temple, surrounded by an entire field of what seemed to be junk.

"Is this some sort of garbage room?"

Furrowing his brow at his son, Solarin began, "No, this is not a garbage room. These were the offerings given by the followers of the sun for the past 400 years." Despite his calm voice, Benjin could see that his dad took some offence from his comment.

Uhh oops? …Wait 400 years?

"Now as I was saying, I had to tell you what caused all of this… because I am afraid the black beast known as Acnologia, will soon escape. When exactly? I do not know." Hearing his father's words, Benjin widened his eyes in terror.

That thing… will return?!

"Not only that, the dark god you saw - Nemesis, will invade again."

"What? But at the end you all agreed to not set foot in the world!" Why was his dad even telling him this? Did he expect him to single handily prevent the prevent the greatest fuckery of all time?!

Solarin's eyes trailed to the floor, his face bearing a forlorn expression, before beginning.

"That… was 400 years ago."

What?

"Those words were all but forgotten. The aggression in Nemesis that was once shackled by shock and confusion gradually loosened in time. The only reason he did not invade… was because of me." Him?

As seconds passed, Benjin finally got hold of his confusion and was able to ask with a hurried expression. "So, you're saying that without you, he's going to invade? But When? How? Where!?" Solarin waved his son's anxiety off.

"I have a feeling he will invade in the next twenty years; it will take him roughly that amount of time to completely mobilize an entire realm… there were no signs of him doing so in the time I ruled Heaven. All I can say is that we still suffer from the casualties of war. If another war were to occur again… Nemesis will win."

"…" Benjin chuckled sheepishly, his eyes glued to the stone floor.

"So this is it? You're telling me that some demon god will come and enslave all of us and there's nothing I or anyone else can do? WHY! WHY WOULD YOU SA-" Benjin's rant was once again interrupted by a flick to the head.

"Ow!" The boy rubbed the flicked area with his arm to lessen the pain.

"Silence boy! If it were truly impossible then I wouldn't have bothered talking to you an-"

"Then HOW!"

"IF you would let me finish, then perhaps you would know!"

The father and son duo stared at each other intently before breaking into an awkward laughter. After another moment, they simply smiled at each other, a melancholic joy forming together in his heart.

I missed this…

"I know."

Benjin widened his eyes. "Wait what, ho-"

"Expression."

"Right." Benjin realized, despite the short time they were having together, it felt as if his dad never left in the first place. Then again perhaps… he felt his pendant with a hand, he never did.

"Benjin." His father began, "I know something as big as this is a burden no father should hand their child." The gaze of the former god dropped to the ground.

"But I always had the feeling, even before I left the mortal realm, that if there was anyone that could do it… it was you."

Me? I'm just one boy…

"But how can I do this alone?" The golden-haired boy pleaded. Benjin saw the level of strength shown in that war…his own power didn't even register when compared to beings like that. So how? How could his father place so much confidence in him?

"No. Not alone."

Benjin widened his eyes at his father's words. But even if the entire world could gather just to defeat Nemesis, how could he possibly do that? Where would I even BEGIN?!

"It will not be easy, that I can guarantee. But you must rally the realms together and figh-" His voice trailed off, despite the former god's moving lips, there was no sound. The only thing Benjin could make out was his dad's flickering form. One second being solid, another second being transparent.

Wait not yet! You can't leave!

For just a single moment, Benjin could see the strain in his father's face. Soon, the flickering slowed down gradually, then finally stopped.

"It seems that I lost track of time." Solarin paused. "I won't be able to stay much longer," the bearded man concluded, only having seconds left before he can no longer hold his existence together.

Wait no, not yet! There are so many things I still want to say!

"No wait! You can't go!" Benjin screamed frantically as he reached for his father, only for his arms to pass through his form.

"Remember Benjin…"

"No, no! I wanted to tell you of all the things I done, and about the places I've been and whe-"

"No matter where you are…" Benjin's words were cut off by his father's musing.

"Please you can't! Not yet!" the tears that stopped once again flowed, far more intense than before.

"The light, shall always be on your side…"

"Please, I haven't told you about the first friend I made…" Benjin gave a sorrowful stare at his father's dissipating body. On the elder man's face, he could notice a small wavering smile where a single tear flowed down his face, gently falling towards the floor with a sparkle.

I love you my son… F-Fare-Farewell.

With tearful eyes, Benjin looked up to the dying light that was once the spirit of his father.

"Bye…"

The silence in the room made it seem like an eternity. Despite that it had only been a few minutes since his dad left. His still glistening eyes blurred his vision, making the dimly lit room seem like simple shapes and colours.

Damn it… I hate being a crybaby.

It was already over a year since that day; he truly thought he was past his father's death but seeing him again just to lose him made all those feelings resurface. Hopelessness, weakness, sorrow, despair, all of it came up at once and there was nothing he could do about it… other than cry.

Benjin abruptly stood up, kicking a few of the 'tributes' away in frustration. Great, just great. His dad was gone, he gave him an absolutely impossible mission and he hadn't had the slightest idea and how to even start.

Not only that, surrounding him was a bunch of junk and garbage and… wait what's that smell? True to his suspicions, there was some sort of disgusting rotten smell from all around him. How did I not notice this earlier? Damn! That's RANCID.

Wiping his tears, he gave the area a clearer look. Appalling. Simply disgusting. All around him was food and other offerings that were various shades of black or green.

Food. They had been here… for 400 YEARS.

Was he supposed to take this? What in the world could he even use rotten food for? Should he take it anyway and hope there's some useful things?

Screw it, I'll take them all and just dump out the bad stuff in a lake or something…

Focusing his magic, he reached out to the room and began pulling any and all items he could find. To his surprise, there was quite a decent amount of… everything here. On top of the massive mountain-loads of junk, he could feel weapons, shields, armour, random blocks of wood, and some swirly liquid in pots all entering his storage dimension.

After everything in the room was taken, there was only one thing left to do.

Leave this disgusting cave.

Once again summoning his light torch, he looked around the room, trying to find a way out. Far on the other side, there was a door that blended very well into the rest of the wall. The only reason he was able to find it so easily, was because he noticed the slight aura coming off of it.

It seemed that the offering room was quite close to where he was picked up to limbo. There was the familiar circle of pillars as well the pedestal where he left his pendant- Wait, his pendant!

Frantically reaching down his robe to where he normally kept his greatest treasure, he was extremely relieved to find it exactly where it should be, around his neck. It was probably some weird magic god mumbo-jumbo that teleported it to him; he didn't even remember putting it back on!

Hmmm… why not take another look at it before leaving. Whether it was out of curiousity or a feeling he could not tell. The feeling that drew him here, seemed to completely die down with only a slight, beacon-like feeling. Sort of like a blob of light always in his field of vision but not exactly bothering him.

What is that? The boy saw a familiar golden staff decorated with the sun circle on top as well as a large tome sitting directly on top of the pedestal. A whisper carried by the slightest of breezes brushed past his ear.

My last gift to you… my son.

"What was that?" Was that his father? Is he telling me to take them?

Slowly, Benjin reached for the staff. As he gripped the pole, he felt as if holding it was the rightest thing in the world. It was as if the staff was designed just for his hands alone. The size, weight, and height were just perfect for him. On top of that, he could feel a powerful aura of light coming from the orb bearing the sun circle.

Nice… he trailed off, twirling his new-found toy and giving a few practice swings before putting his attention on the dusty book on the pedestal. Despite not knowing what's inside, the aura of the book was able to hint at its contents.

Magic tome?

Indeed, he could feel a similar aura to the staff coming from the book. Without putting down the staff, he reached for the cover, anxious for whatever is inside.

As soon as he made contact, a large magic seal activated, causing a myriad of blinding lights to explode from the artifacts. His vision was completely enveloped by what he could only describe as some sort of psychedelic experience. Stars resembling the visions when he would rub his eyes hard began covering everything in his line of sight. Invigoration, energy, and strangely… some sort of weird feeling around his lower midsection? These were all the feelings that he felt rushing into him as gigantic flash of light illuminated the entire room.

Deep inside, he could feel a foreign yet familiar magic flow into him, destroying a wall that blocked him from some of his deeper potential. Images of the tome flipping in front of him as well as all the contents came to be. It was if he skimmed through half the book but there was only one spell he could just barely remember; and not only that, he felt as if he used this staff before.

The staff of Solarin.

This… was this his father's staff? There was no way! Something like should have been in the deepest vaults of Empyrean or something! Just as he thought that, a miniscule amount of ancient magic came into him, as if breaking a dam. What is this?

Immediately after, he gave his attention to the tome that simply levitated in front of him.

Light God slayer Magic.

As the light died down, Benjin smiled to himself. A feeling of serenity washing over him. He still had absolutely no idea on what to do, but this… was a damned start!

With a feeling of excitement and energy, Benjin broke into a run, putting the staff and tome into his storage before making his way up the stairs. There was nothing that could stop him, he rushed up the stairs like he never had before, and exited the temple, ignoring the burst of light that pulsed right before he made his exit.

Little did he know however, was at the darkest corners of the cave, was a large golden egg, covered in scales, broken in half and lying on the floor. With it, the sound of tiny feet could be heard following him up towards the entrance.

Deep inside a mountain

From the lowest chamber of the tallest peak, two deep amber eyes opened for the first time in hundreds of years. Shadows and smoke flowed around the great creature. Its grotesque form and horns illuminated by the flames that followed its awakening. In one hand, held a glowing red sword, in the other, a whip made from the fires of hell itself.

The creature looked around, taking notice of every detail inside its resting place, before letting a bloodthirsty grin plaster itself on its face.

"I sense a godling…"

To say the trip to the temple was invigorating was an understatement. I hadn't felt this good in… ever! It was as if he could run faster, jump higher, read books in the dark longer, and even eat more! The smile that was already on his face stretched even further as he looked towards the sky.

Night…

To think, he could feel this energetic in the dead of night. It was always opposite for him, good in the day, and drowsy at night; now, he felt as if not even that could stop him.

"I am Invincible!" The newly awakened mage exclaimed as his run became skips and his skips became full-blown jumps. As he made another leap however, he suddenly began remembering the cliff he climbed, and if his memory was correct, he should have passed it just now.

"OH SH*-AAAAAAAAARGGGGGGG"

God fucking damnit!

"Light Chains!" Benjin shouted, multiple constructs of light materialized from the magic circle that appeared, all of them striking different parts of the cliff face.

The first chain dragged him towards the rocky face, the second stopped his swing, and the third balanced him. As the fourth launched, Benjin slowly pulled himself towards the wall, using his spell as grapples to make his way down without accidentally dying.

That was close!

On the cliff face, he let out a breath of relief as he looked back up towards where he fell from. It was slightly harder to make out the top as there were almost no natural light coming from the sky. Hmm, I don't remember seeing those clouds at all when I went in… Wait, was it raining? Did it just start? Seriously?!

Is he unlucky or is Susanoo just a fucking asshole?

Seriously, why did it have to rain! He hated getting his robe wet!

Benjin sighed, all while his hair began getting pelted by a thousand tiny droplets. Okay, okay… pretty sure I had an umbrella somewhere in here. Ah ha! A rippling golden portal emerged as an undersized umbrella descended. Immediately opening the white parasol, the drenched blonde lifted it above his head and was able to stop the aggressive rain.

Smiling to himself, he walked towards the entrance of the library, where the stone path over the moat begun. What was he doing again? Oh right, he was going to take a bunch of books from the lost magic section and get out of there.

Wait…

Now that he thought of it, the library wasn't exactly well hidden. With how much knowledge and books in there, he would think that many people would be visiting this place. What about that Bora guy? From the stuff he took from him, there were only maybe two or three things that could be books.

Benjin put a finger to his chin. Hmmmmmm.

Rumble… rumble.

The boy snapped towards the mountain. What's that sound?

Looking closely, he noticed small rocks falling down from the top. Benjin narrowed his eyes, scrunching in suspicion. Something was definitely up. Was that the temple closing? Or was it something else?

RUMBLE… RUMBLE… rumble.

If he had any doubts that something was wrong, there certainly wasn't any now. Whatever it was, it was not natural, and it was getting closer… and he was not waiting around to find out what it was!

Got to get out of here!

Picking up his pace, Benjin broke into a sprint while still trying to keep his umbrella straight but failing spectacularly.

Ahh screw this!

Throwing his all-but-useless accessory to the side, the anxious godling jumped towards the library, attempting to take a shortcut by clearing the body of water. At least, he tried to. Almost instantly, a transparent barrier seemed to ripple in the shape of a dome before repelling him back to the shore.

RUMBLE… *CRASH* RUMBLE… RUMBLE!

Benjin could feel his heart beating violently as he once again heard the distressing sound. Whatever it was, he had to get to the library, now! Pushing himself up as fast as he could, he continued his sprint towards the path. The torrential rain was now making it more and more difficult to see and the only marker he could make out was the lanterns that outlined the path.

Yes! There it is!

"Almost there, almost there, ALMOST-"

BOOM… *CRASH* OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK!

"RAAAAAAARRR," a monstrous bellow resounded all across the valley. Benjin nearly froze at the sound; whatever came out from the mountain was not something he should be anywhere near!

Despite every inch of his body telling him to keep running, the panicking 12-year-old looked back for the quickest of moments. What he saw, was something completely out of this world. To spectate such a beast from another's view was one thing, but to see the unholy creature with his own eyes was another.

A FREAKING DEMON… I have to keep running!

Snapping himself out of the fear-driven state, Benjin continued towards the path, only to hear a set of thunderous footsteps that grew in intensity.

Almost there!

As soon as he reached it, his entire body told him to evade… far to the side. Not bothering to question his own instincts, he did exactly that. Immediately, the space he occupied was obliterated into a crater with a glowing red sword.

With widened eyes, Benjin turned towards his attacker, only to see a scaled face wearing a sadistic grin.

Shit!

Once again, he tried to move away from the beast, only for the winged monstrosity to dash at him, forcing him to dodge. Moving around the aggressor, he noticed three defining features of the hulking adversary.

First, the curved horns that extended from the top of his head.

Second, the large tattered wings circled by a whip held in its hand.

And third… the massive fumes of flame, smoke, and darkness that seemed to radiate all around it, turning every single drop of rain into steam nearly instantaneously.

An ominous red glow snapped him out of his shocked daze as the demon opened its maw. Benjin saw rows and rows of serrated teeth before noticing a luminous red orb materializing in between its jaws.

A beam?!

Should he dodge it? Should he tank it? Many thoughts began scrambling around Benjin's head as the curse neared completion.

No time!

"Holy Barrier!" A golden translucent shield larger than any he created before materialized from thin air. As soon as the red-black beam struck his barrier, he could feel the massive strain on his body. Cracks began forming all over his spell before the demon's attack began to die down.

*Crackkk* - split!

The sounds of his breaking shield assaulted his ears and the remainder of the spell continued towards him. Quickly summoning his staff, he swung at it with all his strength, redirecting it to the mountain face to the side.

That's… not a regular explosion!

On the cliff face, Benjin saw the burnt and shredded rock showing through the violent burst of flame and shadow. I can't be hit by that! I'll have to move, and fast! With whatever courage he could muster, he looked back to the fiery eyes of the demon with a defiant stare.

Right away, Benjin began dashing backwards in a zigzag pattern, trying to throw his opponent's perception off. While a perfectly fine idea in theory, it was a completely different story in reality. The winged beast instantly saw through his movements and charged at him midjump, sword at the ready for a vicious swing.

Shit!

By reflex, Benjin lifted up his father's staff to intercept the sword, resulting in a grinding clang, sending sparks dancing all around the area of impact.

Grunting in effort, Benjin drove his feet into the ground while trying as much as he could to push his aggressor back. Despite his efforts, the overwhelming force exerted on him was far too much to overcome. The towering demon barely slowed down as the struggling mage was pushed towards the mountainside, only seconds until impact.

Thinking fast, Benjin lifted one of his hands from his staff, closing it into a fist with the index and middle finger extended.

"Light-Make: Fist!" he exclaimed, swinging his arm from the side; right away, the demon suddenly changed his position to a more defensive stance. In the right, a magic circle materialized and created the giant translucent fist that slammed into the demon. However, the demon seemed to have expected it, for it had the arm with the whip up to protect its head.

Wham!

The smoking monster's momentum was forced sideways, allowing Benjin to use a light chain to pull himself away before he took the brunt of the damage.

That was too close…

Suddenly, the muscles in his legs reflexively twitched as he dodged to the side. In the corner of his eye, he saw the fiery whip lash at the landscape, charring the stone that made up the valley. Throughout the short battle, Benjin could feel his heart pounding faster and faster. For the briefest of moments, his eyes focused enough that it was as if he was perceiving each individual rain drop.

Instinctively, he ducked just in time to see the glowing sword blur just above his hair. Damn! Things aren't looking good! He didn't have time to think of a plan and he would eventually get hit by that… cheat-y weapon!

If he didn't buy time, he would lose this battle! Benjin's face contorted in nervousness, his index and middle finger pointed towards the demon.

Here goes nothing… PLEASE work.

Twenty-Four Light Rods! A silent cast this time - it won't know it's coming! - twenty-four beams of his magic all manifesting around the air before rocketing towards the demon's midsection.

"Rarrrgg!" A frustrated growl came from the beast as its movements were hindered by the spell.

Okay, what do I know so far?

The demon was stronger, faster, and most likely a far better fighter than him. So how? How could he defeat it? Benjin began observing the marks of battle around, glancing at the struggling demon all the while. Wait… Paying closer attention, the light mage on its arm holding the whip, was a slight distortion in its aura, causing him to widen his eyes.

Wait, that's where I punched him!

Of course! How could he had forgotten! Holy Light Magic was the bane of all demons and darkness. The enemy staring back at him was both! Which meant that proportionally, he could do far more damage to it than it could do to him!

Crack…

The sound of his spell cracking reached his ears, halting the growth of his newfound confidence. The light rods were losing power, fast. If he didn't think of something soon, he would be forced back again, and there was no way he could get away with using the rods again. Even then, if his attacks could truly harm the demon that much, then he could win!

We'll just have to test that theory!

Solar Wave!

A large yellow beam that rushed from a magic circle began rocketing towards the demon. Before the impact however, his binding spell broke completely, allowing his opponent to evade.

"RAA! You insolent whelp!" The demon howled in pain; despite moving its body out of the way, Benjin's spell tore through the tattered wings on its back.

I can win this!

He smiled to himself, his confidence quickly replacing his fear. The vision of perceived victory however, would be struck back to reality almost instantly. The angered demon violently slashed its sword, generating a red crescent wave that tore through the landscape.

What?!

Benjin could barely react to the sudden force, just barely getting his staff up to intercept it. Thankfully, he was able to force the attack towards the air, where it exploded in a ring of crimson and black… but not before taking a piece of him with it.

"ARRGHH," A burning, shredding pain exuded from his right shoulder. Grimacing, he touched his wound. What Surprisingly, there was no blood. It cauterized?! He had no time to recover however, as the demon followed up his attack by making a violent blitz towards him, sword at the ready and whip ready to fly.

Gritting his teeth, his mind once again working in over drive to try to think of a counter, without any success. Despite the massive amounts of adrenaline that flowed through his veins, he was coming up dry with any sort of plan to evade. He could barely move his legs from his shaking muscles and there was no way he could dodge that whip in his current state.

Then I'll block it, with my strongest barrier!

"Holy Barrier: Pentagonal Prism!" Magic from the boy were pulsed into the spell; a series of golden translucent walls began erecting all around him, forming a crystal-like hut that completely closed off the space between him and his opponent.

As soon as the demon reached him, it began a relentless barrage of strikes that battered his shield every second. Benjin could see the cracks that spread through every time it was hit. Which each slash, Benjin's body trembled in strain. Things aren't looking too good! There was no way he could drop his spell! If he tried to attack back, no doubt the demon would catch him. If he just stood here and held the spell, he would lose in this exchange!

I have to think of something!

More and more cracks formed in the shield, before the demon reared its sword back, enhancing its red glow for one final. No! This can't be how it ends!

I refuse to let it!

At that moment, he reached deep inside his spirit, trying to find power that he could still access in a desperate bid of survival. Perhaps he could have done it, perhaps he could have found that power he would have awakened back at the temple, but… there was simply not enough time.

"Benjin!" A voice called out.

As the demon prepared to strike downwards, Benjin frantically tried to pull out that power that his father had unlocked just minutes before. Despite his efforts, it was just… too late.

"Heavenly Body Magic: Nova!" This time, the voice was accompanied by a bright flash of light, a beam that dwarfed his own travelling towards advancing beast. The golden spell hit true as it stopped mid-swing to guard himself; despite its effort, the hulking beast was knocked back halfway towards the end of valley, burn marks visible on its arms and legs.

What just happened?

That magic, that aura… he recognized it! But where? His mind flashed back to a year before, back when his mother still lived, and back before he left on his own. Two boys sat on a large mossy rock, looking towards the horizon.

With a massive smile, Benjin dropped his already broken shield, before turning back to meet his saviour.

"Jellal!" True to his words, he saw the same blue hair that he remembered, the same red tattoo on his right eye, and the same blue eyes staring right back at him.

Their reunion, however, was going to have to wait.

"I will devour… BOTH of you!" the furious declaration reached them, followed by a strong gust of wind battering their forms. It rocketed towards the sky, forming a massive orb in between its horns.

Looking up towards the demon, Benjin saw it arching its head back, ready to throw its spell at them. Wait. The boy snapped his head backwards. The Library! It was right behind them; if they dodged it, it could very well be destroyed! From the side of his vision, he noticed a bright golden glow emerge from his long-lost friend, before dashing like a shooting star straight towards the demon.

With a smirk, Benjin realized what the blue-haired boy was planning.

Following suit, Benjin immediately pumped magic into his hands, before slamming it down on the ground.

"Smite!" Benjin shouted. Shit! I hope the demon didn't hear me… As the beam of light raised from the ground towards the demon, Jellal made a curved turn around the pillar, getting close enough for his clothes to get singed before ending up right behind the winged beast, charging his own spell.

The airborne foe that was previously in a rage-induced trance, snapped out of his daze as soon as he sensed the activation of the spell under him. Within his senses, he noticed the newcomer that dared to struck him buzzing him around like an insignificant bug. With a sharp turn of his head, he split the orb he was charging into two, before firing one at the incoming attack and the other at the fly.

BOOM…

As the attacks met, a large explosion engulfed the immediate area, filling it with smoke. Benjin, whose eyes became more focused than before, could make out the different auras of both friend and foe within the cloud.

The whip of flames and shadow shot out of the smoke, wrapping itself on Benjin's leg before flinging him towards the side. AHHH! Grunting in pain, Benjin felt himself be thrown through the air, before hitting another body and smashing into the mountainside.

As the two boys recovered, they got off of each other, giving themselves an intense stare.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jellal exclaimed, obviously not happy with how things turn out.

Benjin aggressively pointed at the other boy. "I was doing what you were doing!" Jellal narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth.

"I had it! I was going to blow up its attack on itself then your dumbass decided to pop up that 'Retard' pillar!"

"First of all, that spell is called 'Smite!', second of all, that would not have worked, period! You would have gotten blasted straight to next year the moment you attempted that idiotic mass of garbage you called 'strategy!'"

"Oh yeah flashlight? How about you come with a better plan because you are so obviously the genius here!"

"Flashlight? Nice words coming from a blueberry head, Jelly."

"Grr…"

"Grr…"

"GRRRR…" A deep rumbling growl snapped them both out of their little 'argument'. The two boys looked back to cloud of smoke with dismay as the demon slowly walked out.

"We'll take of this later, we still have that to worry about," Jellal readied his spell again, still frustrated from their lack of synergy.

"Fine."

With an angered roar, the demon of shadows swung both of his weapons downwards; the sword emitting the same crimson slash flash while the whip extended to multiple times its original length.

"SPLIT!"

Immediately, the two boys jumped away from each other, avoiding the potentially fatal strike before readying up their own spells.

"Heavenly Body Magic: Nova!"

"Solar Wave!"

Two nearly identical beams launched towards the towering beast from opposite sides, forcing it to raise his weapons in defence.

As the beams hit, Jellal's spell was being held back by the demon's sword. Unfortunately for the demon, it tried to block Benjin's spell with its bare hands.

"Raarrgg!" It screeched in pain, the might of Holy Light Magic burning its flesh.

Yes! Benjin smiled in satisfaction after seeing his attack hurt the demon. That smile however, faded as soon as he saw it jumping into the air, twirling his hand and sword before spinning in place.

What? WHAT! The beams meant to strike the demon were redirected towards the two boys, forcing them airborne to evade.

Grunting in frustration, Benjin began using chains like flexible stilts and grapples to maneuver himself in three-dimensional space. As he moved around the demon, he remember about his most powerful spell… the one he could never find the strength to properly cast.

At least… not until now.

While flying around the area, he shot a glance at his friend's aura, seeing him dart around the air, avoiding the demon's continuous attacks. If he could cast his spell uninterrupted, it could turn the tides of this fight!

"Jellal!" Benjin shouted, hoping his friend heard. "Whatever you are doing, keep doing it!"

Now… here goes.

With his focus no longer on the demon, Benjin began to reach deep into every corner of his magical reserves. The magic supposedly unlocked in his awakening would finally surface. Outwardly, there was no change. Despite that, the godling marveled at the sensation of the power that his father unlocked at the temple. This was a power he wanted to reach before, but simply could not due to certain… obstacles.

This feeling…

Benjin felt the changes in his body; there were more than there was before… but only slightly. The magic that flowed in and out of his container, it felt denser, heavier, and purer. Letting a grunt of exertion leave his lips, a slow-flowing golden aura formed around him, gradually increasing in size.

The demon, sensing the increase in magical pressure, threw Jellal hard against the side, charging towards the more dangerous opponent.

Blood hell! Jellal stammered, tensing his muscles in irritation; whatever Benjin was up to, he needed to make sure he succeeded. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was preparing some sort of finisher, and a powerful one at that if the pressure was anything to go by.

Despite his own magic running low, he pushed out more power than he had before. Overtaking the demon with meteor, he launched another spell within his arsenal.

"Heavenly Body Magic: Orion!"

Multiple orbs all shot from his hand, darting to different areas of the air before materializing into magic circles. With it, burst out numerous small beams at the demon.

Of course, such a small amount of power wouldn't have damaged such a powerful foe, but he only had to stop its charge - and what better way to do so than to aim a massive barrage of tiny beams straight for its eyes?

As soon as the demon slowed down to block Orion, Jellal knew that he was successful in his stalling endeavors. Smiling to himself, he looked at Benjin, who had been still for the prior moments. The air suddenly became denser; the brief emittance of light followed by a relentless pressure passed through the valley. By some unseen cue, a towering aura erupted from the light mage's still form.

"Ethereal Guardian!" 'bout time!

With a sigh of relief, Jellal looked back at the six seals he created.

Just one more…

As soon as his spell activated, an enlarging construct of plate armour emerged from thin air. Two massive magic circles lifted its caster into the air, followed by the formation of translucent gauntlets, leggings, and an armoured helm.

A ray of light reflected across the knight construct, signaling its completion. On top of the creation, was Benjin, who resided in a diamond shaped jewel.

Benjin looked around from his new perspective. The sudden gain in height did not unnoticed. What used to be a monumental difference in size between him and the demon was suddenly reduced to zero. Slightly closing his hand to a fist, Benjin noticed that the construct moved as he did. The spell that he had attempted over and over again, unable to do so. Seeing truly how powerful it was when his father first showed it to him made him disbelieve in the fact he would ever do the same. To think, he would finally be able to cast it himself. A wide grin spanning cheek to cheek plastered itself to his face.

HOLY SHIT THIS IS FREAKIN' AWESOME!

Looking up, Benjin noticed the torrential rain that had been falling simply slide down his spell like a slope. Despite the constant bombardment of droplets, it was as if his vision was not affected in the slightest. The boy focused forward, seeing the hulking mass of red and black charge at him.

Woah!

Benjin crossed his arms, causing the construct to follow suit as soon as he saw the attacking demon. Despite the strength of his spell, he was still pushed back from the shoulder tackle.

As he looked down do the point of contact, he widened his eyes. From where the demon had struck his ethereal armour, was a massive spume of fire and shadow all pushing around his spell, spewing backwards straight into the library.

No! He couldn't let the library burn! Acting fast, Benjin lowered his center of gravity before driving a devastating knee into his opponent's face.

Yes! The attack struck true as the winged beast was thrown backwards, straight into the waiting hands of Jellal.

"…Nova!" he heard him shout, the massive body of shadow and flame changing trajectory to the side from the two-hit combo.

Before, Benjin didn't really notice from the heat of the moment. But when he really paid attention, he could feel the massive magical drain that it was just to hold the construct together. A looming bubble just waiting to burst. Maybe he only had thirty… or even just twenty seconds before he runs out of magic. Which meant he and Jellal had to finish this fast.

Just as he tried to move again, he once again remember his time back at the temple, the vision of a fast flipping book and all its contents flashed back. The only spell that he felt he could use clear in his mind. The concept of the spell wasn't based on discipline, but the very core of the magic. It's origin.

Sovereignty.

Perhaps… it could be enough.

"RAAAA!" Benjin shouted, breaking into a charge towards the recovering demon. With such little time, he would make the best out of it! Both of them were running out of magic, so they had to beat it with one last assault!

"Jellal! Give it everything you got!"

This is our final gamble!

One last maneuver huh? The blue-haired boy was flooded with both fear and excitement. Of course, he had the same thought after he finally set up the final seal for the strongest spell in his arsenal.

But what if it didn't work? If their opponent recovers after this, they would die. Plain and simple.

'…'

No! He couldn't think like that, he had to give everything he could muster into this final strategy! If he didn't… they would fall. And there was no way he would! Not before he found… them.

Steeling his will, Jellal pushed out the rest of his magic into his most powerful spell.

With his left hand, he lifted it with an open palm to catch his right, which was balled into a fist with the exception of the index and middle finger.

Seven seals.

Seven spells.

Seven simultaneous strikes.

"Be judged by the seven stars! …Grand Chariot!"

As Benjin neared the demon, he jumped with his construct, a slight expression of shock on his face as he realized the how little he weighed.

"Graa!"

It's working!

With all of his magic pumped into his strongest spell, he was able to force back the demon. Every time it tried to attack him back, it would be wounded simply by his element; every time he was attacked, he would take nearly four times the amount of damage. If it wasn't for this advantage, he would have been dead!

From the ground, the demon pushed itself up, swinging its whip towards where Benjin rested on the construct.

Oh no you don't!

Raising his arm, the whip coiled around the gauntlet by the wrist. The demon chuckled deeply, pulling the whip hard, hoping to topple Benjin's balance.

Smiling in response, Benjin pushed forward with the momentum, using the demon's pull to throw a fist straight into its face, knocking it down again.

To the side, the demon had blindly swung the sword with its other arm. Benjin tried to protect himself with his other arm, but he saw it too late.

"Graaaghh!" Pain erupted from his torso as the demon delivered a cut deep enough to leave a long gash from Benjin's hip to shoulder.

Before he could react however, he could make out seven spots of concentrated magic that began emitting an otherworldly glow, before each shooting a single beam into the sky.

"Be judged by the seven stars! …Grand Chariot!"

Immediately, seven magic circles illuminated the valley, each being placed to form a distinct shape.

I… recognize that!

From them, orbs of light rained down on the ground, striking the demon multiple times, damaging it further.

Now's my chance!

Releasing his construct, Benjin fell to the ground, dodging around the falling spells before moving in front of the demon.

The ethereal guardian was technically, his strongest offense and defense spell. It had no damaging effect on top of his natural element other than greatly enhancing all of his melee strikes. But this spell… The one he learned from the tome, will surpass it. This was it. Despite never casting it before, he knew in his spirit that it would be shown to the world for the very first time.

Amidst the chaos, a feeling of serenity washed over him. Benjin began taking breathing slowly and rhythmically, his eyes closed, drowning out all over sensations.

"LIGHT GODS…" he began, taking in the deepest breath he had taken in his life. A magic circle, one that was different, brighter, appeared in front of him before a luminous orb emerged.

"BELLOW!" All the sources of light; the lanterns, the reflections from the lake, even the miniscule amount of moonlight that peaked through the cloudy sky. All of them coalesced together in tiny rays, strengthening the spell, before a small beam, glowing with intensity bridged the distance between Benjin and the demon's exposed chest in an instant.

BOOMMMM.

The sound of the explosion echoed through the area. A cloud of smoke blanketing a good portion of the valley.

At this point, both boys were panting with exhaustion, where Jellal had dropped to one knee, trying desperately to catch his breath.

Neither of them had any strength to continue fighting, both were struggling to simply not fall to the ground. But despite their states, both boys had only one question on their mind.

"Did we… do it?"

.

.

.

.

Chapter 9 finished! Next Chapter - The end of a journey, beginning of another

Make sure you guys check out my other stories!

Join the discord server at (/d)iscord.g(g/)EPp7EU!

Read my profile and join my Trope discussion forums!

[Rise of the Light Bringer]

[Chef Ramsay]

[A God's Redemption]

[A Hero's Becoming]

[The Noble World]

[The Nothing Dragon Slayer's Misadventures in Fairy Tail]

[Minipa's Trope Discussion and How to not Suck Shit at Writing]

[Minipa's Trope Discussion and How to not Suck Shit at Writing - BNHA]

Check out my Youtube Channel: Minipa!

Minipa, out!