Chapter 10: Battle.
"Are you sure there is no way to avoid this?" Subaru tried one more time at a peaceful ending.
"Unfortunately, no. Although, if there was, I wouldn't allow it. I want to see how lovely your guts are. yes very much so~" The black-haired woman said and pulled out a of black and purple dagger. She licked her lips in anticipation.
"You know, you're wasting your beauty with that attitude of yours. I'm sure a lot of men would fall for you otherwise." [Almost done, just a bit more time] Trying to buy time for his spirits to prepare the mana with small talk, he decided Elsa was the best target to stall with.
"Oh~but man do fall at my feet. After I gut them that is." She said that with a terrifying smile. One that made Subaru shiver.
"Hey Elsa! Stop flirting with onii-san and let's get this over with. Mama would get mad if we took too long."
"She's right, you know." Spoke the green haired man. "I would very much like to end this quickly, especially as that would prove my strength in the organization. In fact…" The green man, who had only been observing up until now interfered in the conversation. He then raised his hand In Subaru's direction and smiled before saying-
"Al Goa"
What followed was an infernal of flames headed in the boy's direction. A spell so strong that it would burn you in a matter of seconds. Few could survive it.
Subaru, who had used the spell before, knew of its power. That's why he knew that he needed to counter it with an equal force.
"Ruby." Subaru said as he pulled out his own daggers.
"Al Goa" An attack of equal magnitude or greater was thrown from Subaru's side, with the purpose of intercepting the other. Meeting in the middle both attacks fought for a second over dominance before exploding in a torment of hot flames and burning their surroundings.
"Whahahah" Meli commanded the Guiltylowe to hold his ground and avoid flying away. The heat burned against her skin but she withstood it. Guiltylowe doing the same.
Once the winds calmed down, Subaru spoke up, "Rude"
The green haired man just looked at the explosion in pity. "Unfortunate, I was hoping to kill you with that surprise attack."
"That was hardly a surprise attack, at least not when you attack me up front." He countered. His face showed a complicated smile but his mind was working at full speed.
[So he has fire magic, and very powerful at that, it rivaled with Ruby's, a great spirit] He noticed. While it was true that her fire didn't hold a candle to the great spirit of fire, she wasn't weak by any means. Just that alone already proved the strength of his opponent.
[Judging by the numerous malbeast, the little girl is most likely a malbeast user. The dagger woman, who I think was named Elsa, most probably attacks in close. The one thing I'm not really good at.]
This wasn't the best of situations.
[Right then, Ruby, Kazu, and Luna focus on the green haired man and make sure to stay far away at all times. If he gets close, then un-materialize or just get away.] Splitting up was the best choice. If he fought them all at once, he might get overwhelmed. He trusted his spirits to remain safe, they knew how to take care of themselves.
[Aqua and Lucy focus on the malbeast user. Lucy, cast Yang magic before you leave, I will need that. Finally, Gaia, you're with me, we are going to fight Elsa.] Close range was not his specialty. He would have to make do.
[Last thing, try not to kill any of them] He would prefer to avoid any casualties. He hated killing, for any reason.
This was the battle plan. He knew it wasn't the best, but it's the best he could come up with right now.
If he was correct, then the girl named Meli was a Malbeast user. While he had no Idea how many she brought with her, there shouldn't be too many. To control a malbeast you needed to cut their horn out. That meant there shouldn't be more than thirty and that was pushing it. Aqua and Lucy should be able to handle that easily.
The green haired man had shown fire magic so far, but Subaru would assume he had more than that as unlikely as it was. He would send out three of his spirits to deal with him. They were great spirits so hopefully they had more fire power together than he did. They also had great teamwork so they should be fine.
As for Elsa, she was probably the biggest threat. His spirits were weak to physical attacks, very weak. That meant he had to take her on himself.
True he could try and shoot her down with sheer fire power, but that would take on too much attention. There were other threats to handle.
He wasn't going to fool himself and believe he might be better than her at blade fighting. He had only started about eight months ago and she probably had years of experience plus all the jobs she might have carried on in the past.
He wasn't sure how fast she was, but Lucy's buffs should help him out in that department. She was a great spirit after all, her enchantments were strong, he was confident of that
He would have Gaia help him by casting earth walls to gain distance and earth binds to try and immobilize her. If he managed to trap Elsa then he should be able to wound her enough and take her out of combat.
He would also make sure to have Gaia keep her distance from Elsa while helping him, better safe than sorry.
[Right!"] They all answered, giving their approval to the plan. Well, it was more of them trusting Subaru, so they would follow what he says. "Stay safe" he finally whispered as he saw them vanish out of his sight and scatter. Only Gaia stayed next to him.
"Alright Elsa, what do you say we dance, just like you wanted!" Subaru exclaimed and ran inside the forest right after.
Elsa smiled as she followed him inside. She fully knew that she was doing what Subaru wanted, but she didn't care.
"Wait, Elsa!" Screamed the green haired man, but it was too late. Elsa was already out of hearing range.
"hmpf, Elsa is impulsive as always!" Said Meli. "We should follow her." She finished.
"Don't order me around kid!"
"I don't like working with you either- ummm, what was your name?" Meli asked, as she innocently stared at the man.
"Grrr. You know it!" When he saw she continued looking at him the same way he growled and said, "Fine, I'll humor you. It's Chiron, now don't forget-" He was unable to complete his sentence as he was forced to jump away, Meli doing the same.
"El Jilward!" Rays of light traveled in their direction and were sung down in a claw like motion, burning the place they were just standing in.
"Ah- so you separated. Not very smart if you ask me."
"Well why don't we show you smart." Said Kazu as she, along with Luna and Ruby, started to fire at Chiron. He responded by countering some of the weak attacks and Using Yang magic to buff his speed and try to outrun the rest.
Chiron quickly found himself overwhelmed.
[I need to gain some distance.] He thought as he dodged getting crystalized by a Minya crystal and used Ice crystals to counter a 'goa' from Ruby. [These spirits are crazy! If I don't find cover, The'll eventually get me!"] He thought in his mind as he ran and avoided staying in one place.
Meanwhile, Meli watched him run and counter furiously but ultimately be overwhelmed by the strength of three great spirits. "There he goes…" She spoke. In truth she didn't really know him, so his fate didn't matter to her.
"Ah- I guess you're trying to get me too?" The assassin asked when she saw two of the spirits remained.
Lucy responded by burning one of the snake malbeast's next to her.
"Rude." She responded before the Guiltylowe she was sitting on began heading deep into the forest.
"¡Al huma!" A giant ten-meter Ice crystal tore through the malbeasts as if they were paper. Killing over ten in the blink of an eye.
"Let's follow her!" Said Aqua as if she didn't just cause a massacre. She was much better at handling killing malbeast and animals rather than people.
"Alright." Answered Lucy.
They both started to fly in Meli's direction, deep in the malbeast forest.
[X]
Subaru knew Elsa was following closely behind. He also knew he only had a few more seconds before she attacked. That was fine, he was planning to go for the first blow anyways.
He took a deep breath and exhaled out. He calms his nerves as much as possible, his fear at the possibility of death, and then…
[Now!] He exclaimed in his mind. Not a moment after, he turned on his heels and with great force behind his legs he threw himself at Elsa.
"Oh!" Elsa, initially surprised at such a bold act, quickly recomposed herself and met Subaru's knife with her own. She smiled as she saw Subaru struggle not to lose his grip at the force of the impact.
Not wasting any time, she pulled her arm back and swung again this time at the boy's stomach. Reacting quickly, Subaru brought his left hand down and parried the attack while he swung his right dagger towards Elsa's shoulder, who raised her own to defend from his.
"Dona" A wall of earth hit Elsa in her left arm, this destabilized her for a second. A valuable second Subaru used to attack her with a kick and make distance between them.
"Oh~ that hurt." Elsa said with a blush on her face.
"Damn it." On the other hand, Subaru took the small break to reflect on the short exchange. It had been made clear for him that Elsa was infinitely superior to him in terms of skill with the blade. The only thing in his favor was that she only had one weapon while he had two.
[I need to make the best of that advantage.]
"That was a great warm up!" Elsa's tone revealed nothing but excitement at her current predicament, "Now, let's dance for real." She pulled out a second Kukri knife.
"... Well, let's forget that" There went his advantage.
"Minya!" twenty crystalized yin projectiles formed at his chant, ready to fire at his call. He was well aware that he would be no match against her in close range, he needed to keep his distance.
"Go!" At his command the stakes of crystallized mana were fired
Elsa began dodging and destroying each one with ease. The many trees around her only served to make it easier. However, there was another factor at play, "You aren't trying to kill me" she noticed. "Am I being underestimated?"
Subaru gave a forced smile "I would prefer to avoid killing if possible." He wasn't sure how badly would killing affect him and he wasn't itching to find out. Plus, it's not like he wanted it to happen.
"For having so much power you're so soft. It just makes me more excited to see what your insides look like!" In the blink of an eye Subaru saw Elsa close the distance between them, the leaves of trees rustling because of her speed.
Her right Kukri cut through the air at great speed, impacting Subaru's own which just barely managed to block the fatal strike. The force of the attack being so great losing his balance had been inevitable for the inexperienced boy. An opportunity Elsa would have taken advantage of, if it wasn't for an earth wall rising out the ground and blocking her strike just in time, giving the boy a chance to regain his bearings.
"That spirit of yours is very annoying" She commented with a slight frown.
"I love them all the same." Subaru countered, he then reached to his gate and casted "vita"
"Ah!" Elsa lightly gasped as she felt her body gain a couple dozen of pounds. Knowing that this was Subaru's doing she said nothing. Instead, she attacks once again at a monstruous speed.
Attacks flew at unimaginable speed, each and every one of them mortal in its own right. Every collision with Subaru's blades created sparks, a beautiful silver dance
[So fast!] The boy thought as he just barely managed to block all the slashes, she sent him. Even with her reduced speed It took all his concentration to just defend himself and survive dead. He wasn't even given a chance to cast a spell. A fully defensive battle on the boy's side.
If he didn't do something quick, he would eventually slip up and receive an attack. That would be his death.
Thankfully for the boy, he wasn't fighting alone.
Tentacles of earth erupted from the ground and trees all trying to capture Elsa who dodged each and every one of them with relative ease. However, the small distraction provided Subaru enough time to make his move.
[Here goes nothing] Though the boy and knowing that he needed to end this quickly, he prayed his next move would work.
The moment Elsa ducked to dodge one of the earth binds that popped out of a tree Subaru jumped forward and kicked her in the face. Due to the unexpected move, she was unable to avoid it and stumbled back due to the force of the impact.
Instead of pressing the advantage Subaru jumped back and shifted his focus to his gate. He collected mana, visualized and finally chanted-
"Shamac." A cloud of shadows was born which covered everything ten meters from him, Elsa included.
"Gaia now!" Subaru shouted at his spirit.
"Dona!" four ropes of earth grabbed each one of Elsa's extremities, capturing her in a second. She tried to struggle against them even with four of her senses gone, but it was to no avail.
"Akra" A faint light enveloped his body and increased his strength in an instant.
Akra, a Yang magic that was separate from the normal enchantments Lucy gave him, this one allowed a considerable increase in his strength. Although useful, Subaru usually avoided using it as it was almost a bother when trying to parkour through the trees.
Ripping off the tree branches wasn't something he was fond of.
"HAAA!" Just as the 'shammac' clouds dispersed Subaru delivered a punch directly into Elsa's ribs. Impact arriving Elsa spit blood at the feeling of multiple of her ribs being destroyed in a second. She was launched against a tree because of the unpreparedness against the attack, where she laid there, unmoving.
[That should do it] He knew he broke many of her ribs and he wouldn't deny he felt a bit bad at that, but it was a necessary precaution. This way she would be out of the battle, and he wouldn't be forced to use any higher tier spells on her and risk killing her.
"*sigh* That's over." He let out a sigh he didn't even know he was holding.
"Great job Gaia!" Subaru smiled at the trees where Gaia was hiding.
Instead of receiving an expected "No problem!" or a "That was a bit difficult." from the modest Gaia, he received a panicked "SUBARU!" from her direction and felt an earth wall being summoned behind him.
The next instant, the earth wall had been destroyed and from behind came a ferocious Elsa who swung at the boy.
"What?!" Subaru exclaimed before raising his dagger to meet her's
"Vita!" He wasn't sure how she was up but there was one thing he was sure of. She was attacking a lot more furiously now and her usual pattern of going for his guts was partially interrupted by her more aimed attacks.
Her wild smile didn't do much to help with the situation.
Subaru countered attacked as best as he could along with Gaia's assistance but knew that with her new fighting style, he would be the first to tire out.
Even so, Subaru fought to the best of his abilities, determined to win.
Their dance of blades began anew.
[X]
Chiron understood one thing very quickly. In terms of sheer power, he stood no chance.
Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud. His pride wouldn't allow it, never mind the humiliation he already felt at being forced to run because of three spirits.
Their forms being little girls only helped increase the shame he felt.
He was one of Mama's best assassins, one of the best magicians in her entire organization. How could he be overpowered in such a manner?
Worst thing was, [They are keeping their distance] They were attacking from afar. Meaning he had a harder time evading their spells while they had an easier time dodging. That was two disadvantages he now possessed.
"I need cover" The man decided.
He backflipped over a wind blade and ducked under a storm of Ice. He flipped his body a hundred and eighty degrees and sprinted right under the spirits who let out an "Ah!" In surprise to his sudden movements.
"Jia" he chanted, a bright light, combination of fire and light magic, was born. It blinded everyone near the area except himself.
He only needed a few seconds to make enough distance and make a break for the forest. If he could do that then...
"Ul Goa" Unfortunately, it seems his targets weren't as blinded as he thought. He jumped back, having to interrupt his escape, in order to dodge such an attack.
"You're not getting away!" Exclaimed the wind spirit.
"Al Jilward '' was his response. His strongest offensive spell, it took up a lot of his mana but if it hit then it would be worth it.
An attack capable of piercing almost anything was cast. From one of the two rarest magics, the highest level launched with the intent to kill.
Luna recognized this spell quickly. While it was true that Lucy was unable to use it yet, it still held the same principles as the lower-level spells. This is why she knew anything the three of them had would be overpowered. Knowing this, she acted accordingly.
"Shamac '' the lowest class of shamac, born of a simple chant, spread out through the air, blocking Chiron's vision of his opponents.
[If you can't counter dodge] Those were the words Halibel had told Subaru. However, Subaru wasn't the only one who was there, he wasn't the only one who'd been learning from him. His spirits had also picked up a thing or two from those lessons.
The beam of light tore through the skies at a great speed dissipating the 'shammac' shadows in an instant. But to Chiron's surprise, no spirits were in the air.
"El shamac" He heard behind him.
[No!] He used Yang magic in his body to try and evade them, he knew that if the spell hit him, it was the end. A spell that would render him unable to move in a battle where one attack would be fatal.
He could not allow that.
Unfortunately, lady luck was not on his side. When he tried to jump away, he realized his body didn't respond to his wishes. He tried to look around but saw nothing, he tried to listen to his surroundings but heard nothing. Only his sense of touch had remained unaffected. However, in his situation, where he was unable to move his body, it was very useless.
He had lost, he couldn't react to whatever was thrown at him next.
And that's exactly what happened next.
He felt an impact in his stomach, his eyes going black for a moment due to the force of the impact. He then felt his body land somewhere different, most probably thrown by the force of the impact.
"Alright, that should have knocked him out." he heard a voice say.
He could still move, that was something he was sure of. However, the damage he received wasn't child's play. If he hadn't been reinforcing his body with Yang magic then he would have been knocked unconscious without a shadow of a doubt.
But [Why only unconscious?] He wondered. He had been defenseless, so much that he'd been forced to take such an attack without defending himself. Why only one attack? And why not a lethal attack. they were great spirits; they should have had no problems in providing an attack of that level. [Unless…]
[Unless they were ordered not to kill me.] That was the only explanation he could find. If their contractor had told them to hold back, it would explain why they didn't just kill him on the spot.
[Humiliating…] To think he had been losing so badly when they were holding back…
[I need to kill the boy] This was the best course of action. He understood he had no chance against the spirits. His best bet was their contractor.
He had to anyway, otherwise Mama wouldn't be so happy. It was their main mission in the end.
If he could kill the target however…
"Ruby freeze him." One of the voice's said. Most likely the yin spirit.
[No more time to think!] He combined as much fire and yang magic as he could at once. He then released it, his best spell.
"Al Jia" He chanted. This was his trump card, a spell so potent that if you were close enough you would permanently lose your eyesight. A spell he had created himself.
Unfortunately, his targets weren't close enough for that to happen, never mind the fact that it would have a reduced effect especially that fire spirit. However, it would be more than enough to allow him escape, even if just for a few seconds.
He boosted his speed as much as he possibly could with yang magic and then broke into a run towards his target. The person he would kill.
"He's running away!" Chiron heard a voice call behind him once his spell had ended.
He buffed his endurance but made sure to maintain his speed, that was essential above all else.
He had to kill the boy, He would complete the mission and prove his worth.
So he ran, He ran humiliated but with a purpose. He ran towards the forest where Natsuki Subaru fought against the bowel hunter.
[X]
"El huma" A dozen ice crystals skewered two Hyena like malbeast, who thought attacking the little spirit was a good idea.
"Jilward '' Similar to her companion Lucy effortlessly disposed of a snake like Malbeast; the size of an arm, with no real complications.
"Why are there so many!" Lucy said. She was losing her patience the longer the battle went. She alone had killed at least forty different malbeast while chasing their target. Yet somehow, more just kept coming, it was almost as if they were endless.
"Maybe she can control the forest malbeast?" Aqua answered with an unexpected intelligent answer while she used a 'Huma' shield to block a swipe of an Ulgram and disposed of it with an ice crystal.
That got the yang spirit thinking. They'd come to this forest with the intention of capturing a Guiltylowe, meaning it lived here and so other species would as well, or it wouldn't be able to hunt and feed itself.
That would also explain why so many of the attacked no matter where they moved! It was because they were moving around the forest; home of many different malbeast!
"El Jil ward," Lucy exclaimed. The light rays traveled almost faster than the eye could see and moved in a claw-like motion, cutting down a couple of trees which then proceeded to fall and crush a variety of Mal beast.
Never once did she or Aqua stop following Meli, who tried to evade them by using the malbeasts as a diversion.
"But how is she controlling them?" She whispered to herself. Was there an easier way than breaking their horn that they weren't aware of? [Well… I suppose it doesn't matter] She thought. At least now they knew why there were so many of them.
There were more important things she needed to think about. Things such as….
"How did you think of that, but I didn't"?! She exclaimed as her finger was pointed at Aqua.
"! What do you mean by that? Is it such a surprise?!" Aqua countered, sounding indignant by such a claim.
"Well, you always act so childish and-" She was cut off by the blue spirit who pointed her finger to her face.
"Hypocrite!" She screamed. "You're also a child!"
An Ice crystal killed an Ulgram behind them.
"How could you say that?! I'm clearly too mature to be a child!" Lucy pronounced in a smug voice. It was almost as if she truly believed what she was saying.
A ray of light killed a snake malbeast behind her.
"Scary." whispered Meli who continued to ride on her Guiltylowe. Not even for a moment had those spirits stopped following her. Even now, when they were arguing amongst themselves, they kept up as if it was nothing and had a close eye on her.
Well, at least the Yang spirit did.
No matter what she threw at them. No Matter what type of Malbeast weather it was a Hyena, An Ulgram, A snake, A Guiltylow. Each and every one of them were killed effortlessly by the blue haired Spirit. The only time she showed a hit of weakness was when blood landed in her clothes. It was almost as if she was bothered by it. Unfortunately, that was probably her imagination because she was killing all her beast easily now. How sad.
"Yellow haired onee-san is no joke either" She was killing her beasts left and right with her magic. They never even got close enough to cause her any real damage as she was always flying high or killed them on the spot.
"Let me try something different..." The little girl whispered as she sent some orders to a group of banassi. [Maybe this will work] She thought.
Back with the spirits, they decided to stop arguing and instead focus on how to capture their opponent.
"Aqua, think you can make an ice box around her or something." Lucy asked Aqua who responded with a swift "No."
[If we could kill her…] She wouldn't anyways. Or at least Lucy liked to think that. While she was sure that she would kill any adults Subaru told her to kill, she wasn't sure how that would happen with a child. She kind of empathized with them a little.
She was very well aware that she, Ruby, Gaia, Luna, Kazu, and Aqua, to some extent, were different from normal spirits. They were to some extent reluctant to kill, the spirits in the forest weren't like that. Aqua being the most different of them all as she was reluctant to kill any human or demi-humans
Was it because they lived with Subaru and adopted some of his morals? Maybe or maybe not. Regardless, she knew she wouldn't get an answer at the moment.
"Grrrrr" A two headed dog tried to jump them but was quickly impaled by a spear of Ice that rose through the ground. It died in seconds.
[It's never ending...wha?] Lucy's train of thought was interrupted by the sight of a small creature running at them at a quick pace. When it reached them, it jumped in front of them and inflated itself, then-
"Huma" A shield of Ice was raised just before the bannasi exploded, showering everything its blood and guts. As soon as that happened, multiple more bannasi exploded and thus created a chain reaction. The end result was blood spilled all around the area such as the ground and trees
Fortunately for the two spirits, Aqua's shield managed to block all of the guts and blood that could have hit them.
Lucy said nothing for a few seconds as she processed the sight in silence. Then, she screamed- "AHHH! She's not getting away now."
She was done playing nice.
"El Akra" The spell shined on her and gave her superhuman strength.
"Oh, she's mad." Aqua said. Lucy only got like that when she was really mad. Now that she had superhuman strength...well it wasn't a nice thought.
While this scene may look comical to some, Meli didn't see it that way. [I need to get to Elsa!] She frantically thought. It was more than obvious that by herself, she had no chance.
These spirits were infinitely superior to her Malbeast. They weren't holding back against them either, although she did notice they were holding back against her. They were probably told not to kill her by the boy they were targeting.
[Onii-chan is soft"] Meli thought. But that was fine, she would use the softness Subaru displayed to her advantage.
All she needed to do was avoid being cornered or grabbed by the Yang spirit. She knew what Yang magic was capable of, she'd seen what Chiron was capable of doing with it after all. Even if she didn't like the man, she had to admit it. He was good at what he did.
"Maybe I can help Elsa!"
Who knows? Maybe she could get a sneak attack of her own.
[X]
Elsa swung at the earth wall in front of her and tried to reach her target. Unfortunately, said earth wall was as strong as steel so her dagger only made a dent in it.
Knowing it was futile to attempt it she jumped with a flip and angled herself so that she would land right on top of Subaru who countered her incoming slash with his own.
The impact, which sent her back slightly, allowed for the previously annoying wall to be used as an advantage by using it to impulse herself at the boy and swing her dagger with a murderous intent.
However before the attack could reach, she was one again intercepted by an earth wall she was unable to penetrate.
"How can we dance when you fight like this?" The crazy woman asked as she danced around the earth wall and avoided the earth bindings that tried to capture her.
"Sorry." Subaru answered as he pulled his whip out. "But I'm not in the mood for dancing anymore. Maybe come back later." He pulled his ship back and swung a horizontal slash. "You can always leave your reservation."
The whip traveled at great speed thanks to the Yang buff's Subaru sustained and hit Elsa directly, causing a red wound mark.
However, this didn't slow the assassin down. Instead of jumping back and checking her wound, she used the chance to swing at Subaru's unprotected gut due to the attack he'd just used. Due to the position swinging his whip left at, Subaru was unable to avoid the attack.
Crack* "Huh" Elsa let out a confused sound when, instead of being allowed to observe the boy's insides, she was presented with the sound of something breaking
It was an extra earth protection Subaru decided to wear just in case Elsa managed to get close enough. Between her saying she wants to see his guts and her attack pattern of always attacking his stomach section, he had been able to deduce that if she landed an attack, it would most likely be there.
Halibel had trained him to find patterns and explode weakness, that it isn't all just sheer power when you fight, but also tricks and strategies. He trained him to fight like a shinobi.
It was now paying off.
It was because of the fact that Halibel had teached him to use any opportunity he could find in battle, why he instinctively swung for Elsa's neck. This moment where she was bewildered, where she was defenseless, where she was an easy target. This was the perfect time to finish her off like a true shinobi.
There was no way to defend from this attack, no way at all. That was true, it all matched, with his speed and the reaction time she had shown during the battle there should be no way she could survive now.
[Her neck] This attack would no doubt kill her, as good as her regeneration was, there was no way she would survive a wound like this. That's right, Subaru would kill her, he would end with her life when this attack connected.
It were these thoughts that made his attack slow down, his body reacted to the desire of avoiding killing someone. He didn't want to be a murderer. He had been trained like one but didn't have the necessary mentality.
He hesitated in his attack.
Clang* The sound of metal hitting metal resonated across the forest. The sound of his attack being blocked.
"Oh~ It seems you slowed at the last second. How kind." Accompanying those words was Elsa's Kukri traveling at his neck, replicating his earlier attack but with no intention of stopping.
"Oh" Was all Natsuki Subaru was able to think of before his head was separated from his body…
Or at least that's what would have happened if earth spikes didn't erupt from right under Elsa, piercing her organs and saving Subaru's life while ending Elsa's own.
"!" Subaru could do nothing but stare in shock at the scene. One second, he was at death's door and the other he was staring at Elsa's mutilated body.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Gaia materialize next to him with a look of guilt. She then said, "I'm sorry I killed her, I didn't know what to do."
He'd told her to try and avoid killing Elsa. That was the reason they hadn't attacked like that before. That was true and yet…
[It's because of that I almost died] The voice in his mind whispered to him.
If it wasn't for Gaia, who had been fighting with him and paying attention, then he would be dead. If she wasn't present, then his hesitation to avoid killing would have gotten him killed instead.
"It's not your fault" he told her in a shaky voice, still trying to recover from the last few events. How could he blame her when it was her actions that prevented his death.
"You only acted to save me, right?" He said, "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I would have died otherwise."
They killed a woman. That was something He understood very well.
[But that's what saved my life.] If they hadn't done that then he would have died. It was her life or his. He had been naive to think he could battle someone who was fighting to kill him without responding in kind.
"¡No…!" That made him realize something.
[I sent the rest with the same order!] He told them to hold back, he told them to avoid killing the enemy.
What if the same situation happened to them? What if they were forced in a situation where they had no choice but to kill their opponent. Would they do the same thing as Gaia and kill them? Or was it his presence that made her push the edge, risking him being mad with them.
Was it that order he gave them that got them killed?
"Wait no… they're fine." He reassured himself. He could still feel the contract he held with all of them. He could still feel that connection, that meant they were at the very least, alive.
[Even so, I need to go check on them.] What if they were in a complicated situation? He should do all he can to help. He turned on his feet, driven by his worries and he hurried to-
"Don't you think it's a bit rude to leave a lady alone? A voice interrupted him, propping him to turn around, not believing whose voice that was. It was impossible, she should be dead, no one survives wounds like those.
"You're a monster" A shaky smile was plastered on his face due to the insanity of the situation. No one should be able to survive being mutilated like that. Yet Elsa stood there with no visible wounds on her body, almost as if the attack never happened.
"I don't think that's a nice thing to tell a lady. Although I'm surprised! With the way you were fighting, I didn't expect you to attack that way."
[That is true.] Thought the boy. He was too naive and only now he's realizing that. He thought he could get away with immobilizing opponents and holding back. That was clearly not the case.
That's why, It was because of those thoughts that he…
[Gaia, Go full strength] He told Gaia through their mental link giving her an order he hoped he never had too. She looked surprised at his words but quickly shook it off and nodded.
Ignoring Aqua's sudden bouts of intelligence, Gaia had always been the smartest of his spirits or at the very least, the calmest one. Combined with the time they spent together it was only natural that she realized what made him take this decision.
"Thank you." Subaru told the assassin abruptly.. "You made me realize how stupid im being. Guess it took me long enough, being trained by an assassin, and one of the strongest in the world at that, but also trying to avoid killing. So naive, that isn't even counting the type of profession I work at." He threw a self-deprecating smile at the end there. It was just fitting that it would take almost dying for him to realize this. Wasn't it?
"Are you finished?" Elsa asked, seemingly not caring about his little self-reflection.
"Don't say that! You know you were using that time to recover."
To that she shined a small smile. "It seems I've been caught."
Subaru took a deep breath and Exhaled slowly, trying to calm his nerves. This was the first time he would be doing the following, at least willingly. "Well, first let me apologize for holding back on you, how about I show you all my dance moves." He spoke in her terminology. It seems just fitting after all.
Elsa gripped her daggers and prepared to rush at him, no doubt to begin another exchange and most likely finally kill him.
It was unfortunate for her that the rest of "dance moves" Subaru had were not physical.
"Al dona" originating from the chant, a great amount of mana was expelled, more than most people could even imagine using. The mana, given shape by the chant, traveled towards Elsa at blinding speeds in the form of waves of earth and high-speed sediment capable of piercing through rocks and trees.
Sediment impacted Elsa's body like metal bullets opening holes and gave her mortal wounds. The waves of earth destroyed it further and sent her flying out of Subaru's sight, most probably at least a few hundred meters away from his position.
"*huff*" Although he'd done nothing himself, just stomaching that he'd been the one who ordered that action took a lot out of him.
The only relief he had was that Elsa might still be alive. In this fight he'd already killed Elsa once and damaged her heavily multiple times over. It wasn't crazy to think she might survive a second death, right?
"But, even so. I wasn't thinking of that when I told Gaia to attack" A whispered hidden by the wind, only for him to hear.
He would have spent a longer time feeling sorry for himself if something didn't prompt him to raise his head. He could feel the ability to use his spirits magic again, that meant they were in his range.
One of the disadvantages he had was the range he could use his spirits gates from, to cast magic. Three hundred meters was the limit for a stable connection. His affinity was enough to keep a perfect connection between each other at such a great distance. It was enough for him to use high tier spells such as "Al goa." It was basically his normal situation.
The further they got from the three hundred meters limit, the weaker the connection became and consecutively the weaker the magic he could use from there was. When they were separated from each other for over five hundred meters however, he completely became unable to use their magic whatsoever, and would be forced to rely on himself and his own gate.
That's why he only used the basic level of 'Akra' earlier. Because Lucy had barely been within range at that time and their connection at that distance only allowed him to use that level of the spell.
However, the normal Yang buffs that Lucy gave him, the ones that increased his speed, strength, endurance, etc. Those remain regardless of the distance they had. The spell was more time limit based, the stronger Lucy herself was as a spirit, the stronger the buffs would be and the longer they would last.
Having no set range for those enhancements was a blessing he was grateful for.
Usually it wasn't a problem. They were together most of the time whether it was because they were training or just passing the day. In fact, this was the first time a situation such as this had come to pass.
He might have to consider more scenarios like this in the future again, just to be prepared. Or maybe he should have taken them all on at the same time. He didn't know what the right choice was.
There was no use in thinking of that anymore. What was done is done.
Well back to the present, he could feel their connection getting stronger and stronger by the second. That could only mean one thing…
"They're closing in! Gaia, let 's go!" He wasn't sure why they were coming closer but it was probably a good idea to meet them halfway.
Because of the buff's that still remained from Lucy and their approaching speed themselves, he was able to meet them in just a few minutes, Unfortunately, what he met wasn't one of his cute little spirit, instead he came face to face with a green haired man who greeted him with the words, "Al goa"
"Ul Dona!" "Huma" two shields, one of ice and one of earth were formed to protect the boy. The fiery ball of fire exploded on contact with the earth shield and the area damage it caused was enough to crack the ice shield Subaru held. Lucky, Gaia's shield took the brunt of the impact which allowed Subaru to come out unscathed.
"What the hell!" That attack had been so sudden! While Subaru was sure he would have survived even if he didn't use Aqua's gate to make a shield, he wouldn't have come out as unharmed as he was now.
"Now it's my chance! I will prove why I'm one of mama's best assassins!" Chiron took advantage of Subaru's confusion and used his yang enhanced fist to attack Subaru.
"Huma" dodging the punch, Subaru used an ice crystal in his hand to attack at Chiron's temple and used a roundhouse kick to make distance between them.
"You're all the same! The witch-cult, you assassins, I'm tired of you all!" Elsa almost killed him, Chiron trying to kill him on sight, The massacre he witnessed courtesy of the witch-cult weeks back. All of this was making Subaru's emotions go haywire.
This is what he truly thought. These assassins and the Witch-cult were no different. All they cared about was taking life and doing as they pleased. 'wanting to see bowels' 'wanting to prove himself' All selfish motives that centered around killing him. Around killing Innocent people.
They held no care for life.
¡El jia!" Taking advantage of Subaru's frantic emotions, Chiron used his blinding spell to completely blind Subaru. If he had more mana he would have used the higher version, but he needed to save his last bit and attack with it. [This will have to do]
[Kazu where is he!] Subaru questions Kazu using their mental link, knowing she could sense his position using the wind.
[Left!]
"Shamac" clouds of smoke covered the battlefield, getting rid of his enemy's sight.
Subaru rushed using the shadows as cover, following Kazu's and Gaia's directions to his target while he was unable to hear him coming. It was true that he was blinded, however he still had companions that could help him, something Chiron didn't.
He ran and ran. He ran until he tackled Chiron's body into the ground.
A dangerous maneuver, an action that could possibly get him killed. An action that he would have never taken under normal circumstances.
All the thoughts he had on cultist, murderers. All the hate he's harbored, all the frustration of realizing his naivety, all the adrenaline that's coursing through his body and the fact that he was in a situation where he was unable to use his most important sense, it all led to the following action. Something he's been trained to do, but never accepted it.
Chiron knew this was his chance, the boy was right next to him and would be unable to defend himself at this distance. The with the naivety of allowing his spirits to keep him alive would kill him now, that was his mistake.
So he prepared a spell, a mortal attack. With the last bit of mana he held, and chanted-
"Ul Go- GHK!" His chant stopped abruptly. It wasn't because his body was denying the mana drain or because he had changed his mind.
But because a knife had pierced his throat, rendering him incapable of speaking whatsoever.
His arteries cut through in a second, dagger stuck deep into his unprotected neck. His mind clouded in seconds, barely able to think, his end near.
He didn't even have time to see his killer's face one last time, the Shamak continued to render him without his senses, except pain.
[It seems he mustered up the courage after all, he's not as naive as I thought… I wonder what mother would think of this…"] His last thoughts were of the organization that saved him. Would they even care a bit? Would mother even bother?
Chiron died without ever knowing the answer to that question.
[X]
HIs sight was blurry. It wasn't because of tears or anything of the sorts. No, it was simply because his eyes were still adjusting thanks to the enemy's spell.
However, his eyes weren't necessary for Natsuki Subaru to understand what he did. The warm liquid in his hands was all the context he needed.
He had killed someone with his own two hands. Not magic, not by an accident. No. He had been completely conscious when he committed this action.
He had killed someone who was trying to kill him. He repaid in kind to their actions. He protected his own life.
What did he feel right now? Maybe it was-
"!" A gasping sound was heard from behind him.
Someone that wasn't one of his six spirits. Someone that was his enemy
He reacted instinctively to the situation, to his mental state, and to his training.
"Al fula" A torrent of wind ready to end his target, something they would be unable to dodge and would end in a quick merciful end.
"KYAAAAAAAAA!" He recognized that voice as the little assassin's voice. The one that had been accompanying the other two. The child who could be no older than twelve years old.
He realized he just launched an attack to kill.
In those last few seconds, in that second before the attack hit, Natsuki Subaru realized something. He realized that he had nothing that could stop the attack from this range.
[I killed her.] And there was nothing he could do to avoid that.
He heard the attack sheared through skin, it must have been a disturbing sight to witness. A sight that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
As if to mock him, he recuperated his vision at that moment. The effects of the spell wearing off at that very second. His eyes still burned like an inferno, but he was able to see regardless. He was able to see the life he ended early. And there, he saw it-
He saw Elsa's body missing its top half and parts of a Guiltylowe. Meli completely safe to the side.
It was true that Natsuki Subaru was unable to do anything to save the little assassin. Luckily for the girl, Natsuki Subaru was not the only one there to do something about it.
However, instead of being grateful for the avoided massacre, Subaru only felt a deep sense of confusion.
[Why…] Why had she saved him? That made absolutely so sense for him. Why had an assassin such as Elsa risked her life for someone else. Why did someone who only cared about killing, about herself, risked her life for someone else.
They were killers. Just like those witch-cultist bastards! They only cared about their own interest and couldn't care less about someone else. The only reason they worked together was for their own benefit.
Right?
Subaru was so absorbed in his own thoughts he didn't even notice that Elsa had time regenerated herself.
She took a second to regain herself before saying, "I think it's time for us to go to Meli, the mission is complete." She said as she picked Meli up into her arms.
"B-but, We didn't kill him. And green Haired Onii-san is dead '' She said, still shaking because of her near death experience.
"His death was unfortunate but we can't do anything about it. The mission is complete, I was purposely told not to say all the details, but I'll tell you on the way." She turned and prepared to flee but before that she let out a final whisper.
"I doubt this will be the last time we see each other, Natsuki Subaru." And with that, she ran away, her objective complete.
"Hey, come back here!" Lucy exclaimed, she along with the rest of Subaru's companions had just been observing, but were now reacting. They could not let Elsa go, not after all of this.
That 's right. From this distance it would still be easy to capture them. She just had to aim and-
"Lucy, let them go. This is over." With an almost dead voice the boy said. He knew she would understand, so he said nothing else but that.
He walked towards the body of the man he had killed, and observed it. He observed the dead look his face now held.
Did he feel guilty? Yes, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt eating him inside. He had killed someone, how could he not feel like that? That would be inhumane.
Did he regret it? No, he did not regret his actions. They tried to kill him, but he reacted accordingly and killed him instead. They should have been prepared to die when they came to try and take his life. He knew this world was different, he wasn't back on earth anymore. He did the right thing and he knew it.
That didn't make him feel much better.
Feeling the adrenaline leave his body, the already tremendous guilt increased even further, the stress of the situation hit him even more. So he did the only thing he could do at the moment.
He cried. He didn't cry for the dead body in front of him, but for the situation altogether. In front of his spirit's eyes, who knew this was something he had to let out, he cried. He let his frustrations out.
Natsuki Subaru cried like the fifteen year old boy he was.
[X]
A day had passed since the attempt on his life had happened.
Subaru had calmed down and luckily the news about the "lolimacer" crying hadn't spread. The mercenaries kept it to themselves since they understood his situation very well. That would have "dirtied" his reputation as the lolimacer.
Subaru couldn't care any less about that however.
He was still processing the actions that assassin took. Why did she save someone else, why did she care about someone else than herself.
He knew those Witch-cultists wouldn't be capable of that. No. With the sight he encountered that day, that was an impossible reality.
So why were they different? With the way Elsa was so fixatedabout guts, he was sure she would have been no different.
Halibel, Elsa, cultists, the dead Chiron. They were all the same yet so different.
He wasn't sure what to think anymore. But he knew one thing, one thing he needed to find out for sure.
"Who is this so-called, Mama?" The possible leader of the assassins, the person who was possibly the one who sent the order to kill him. He needed to find out who that person was.
"I'll see if I can ask Halibel to look for them." Luckily for him. The best information collector in the world was his best friend.
He would get to the bottom of this.
[X]
On the other side of the world a certain noble smiled at the report he obtained from his two "informants."
He now sat on his chair thinking of how close he was on his goal. "Good, very good."
He now saw why the Gospel considered him so special, he would be the key to helping him achieve his goal. He would help him kill the dragon, surely.
"With your help, I have no doubt I will be able to kill the dragon and finally bring back my teacher." He was so excited at thinking of that possible future he didn't even bother to keep his accent.
"Just wait a bit more, teacher, I'm almost there." Four hundred years of following the book of wisdom, it all led to this moment. He just had to wait a bit longer.
/bring him to Lugnica/
That was the next action the book told him to perform, in a few months he would have to act. It didn't specify how to bring him either, it seems it was up to him.
"Hmm, can I get your attention?" How could he bring him here on his own will? He would prefer to avoid starting a war against Kararagi.
"Ah!" An idea came to his mind. A very interesting thought. He would need to keep a closer watch on him but if it all worked out, he would be even stronger, even more perfect and then…
"Soon enough." Soon his efforts would be compensated.
He was sure of it.
Chiron:
-Barges in for one chapter.
-Gets destroyed in his one fight
-Refuses to elaborate any further
-Dies
So yeah, I've gone for a while. Well writer block hit and after a while of not writing well I ended up not writing a lot and so were here. I did say I could write more last chapter but… well that didn't work out.
Well, I can't promise I will write more often considering I just got myself a job this summer and so things aren't easier. But I can say I'll at least try.
I don't intend to abandon this story, at least not yet. I still have things I want to make happen and I intend to get there.
From here, I'll probably focus more on the daily life of Subaru and more lightly hearted stuff, so there's that, hope you can enjoy that.
Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did then great! Well, see you next time.
