Ok, I lied. This one should be the last one.
They were so set on living, on changing Terca Lumireis, that he didn't trust them not to knock him over the head when his back was turned, while he finished his formula anyway. A slight shift had it collapsing out of reach, and he turned.
"Come!" Blade in hand, Duke's feet left the floor as Yuri Lowell's sheath flicked away.
Was their conviction stronger than his? Was it because it was not one on one, but rather the whole of Brave Vesperia against one war hero, that Duke found himself unable to levitate any longer, Dein Nomos in hand, standing within a wary circle of men, young women, children and canine. He was sore, bruised, his clothes lightly singed and torn, but mostly unhurt, burning his magic in order to take less damage, using it to dull edges that came in contact with his body and lessen impacts. But near drained did not mean finished.
No, he could continue on.
"My friend, give me your strength!" His sight went golden and Tarqaron was left below.
Whatever Lowell was doing, he could not keep track of his movements. Here then, gone the next, over there a split second later, too fast for him to do more than start to defend himself, to begin the shift to bring a shield in the way before the blow connects to his magic and thumps into him with blunt pain. He was bleeding, from grazing arrows, from narrowly dodged spears, from blades that darted for his legs and past his shields and Dein Nomos, burned and chilled from spells he could not avoid.
He was still "on his feet", even doubled over from Lowell's attacks, and the burst of blue white in the corner of his vision – stopped. That light was from him. Weapons, light...
The light burned, yet it erased ache, and pain. Odd heat on his legs, on his arms, on his chest, on his back. But he could fight again.
"Join me now in battle, for the sake of this world!"
He floated back, reeling, felt his feet reach the seal floor, stumbled, and collapsed. Dein Nomos clattered to the ground and his shields vanished, the strength to his limbs vanishing, the odd heat replaced by fabric. He heard them, standing ready still, panting like he was, but still standing. They all could stand. Why were they that much stronger? Three times, out of three battles, and they could stand yet he couldn't.
The child, the brown haired and multicolored one, gasped as he grasped Dein Nomos and tried to push himself up. Only to collapse on his face again as everything burned. He was able to roll over, ignoring the pain of his wounds, the burns of spells and the cuts of blades and the puncture of arrows. It wouldn't matter, humans would not let an enemy live. The burning spread to his eyes and he blinked, slowly.
"I'm sorry... Elucifur..." Speaking hurt as well, but if he was to be slain – he did not put it past humans, even these humans, this Brave Vesperia, to slay an incapacitated foe – he wished to have this spoken. "I could not keep... my promise..." He heard the young man, the swordsman he had saved, pant for breath, then walk closer. He continued to stare at the Adephagos above, even as dark hair crossed the edge of his vision, and stayed there.
"I don't know what Elucifur was like, so this doesn't mean much coming from me." Lowell started. "But if Elucifur fought for humans during the Great War... then I don't think he'd want his friend to reject humanity."
"Elucifur's wish..." Duke's vision filled not with the sight of the Adephagos above, not with Lowell standing near his shoulder, but with memories kept back of his friend. "To protect the world..." He didn't want to look at him anymore. The human who looked like the Krityan Elucifur could become. "Peace for all living things..." He let his head fall to the other side – how could he have forgotten? Quick, child's footsteps.
"Yuri, hurry!" the child – Capel – insisted from near his head. Did they think the Adephagos would descend while they spoke? Or did they think he could still muster the strength to finish his formula?
What strength? It was all he could do to remain aware of what was going on.
"I'm on it!"
They left him alive. He didn't understand that. He would have killed them all to rid the world of the Adephagos, and they defeated him, rendered him incapable to move, but left him there as they went about their plan. He didn't understand.
And they were using their plan. Duke could read the formula, and it did as they said – turned every fragment of Apatheia in the world into power for defeating the Adephagos, converting them into these Spirits, the four first ones above their heads. He was slowly recovering, pushing himself to a kneel and sitting there until he could stand. Lowell was crying out, directing the forces they had gathered and aiming it and...
It wasn't quite enough. But.. Dein Nomos didn't really require Aer from him to gather power. Just a little more strength... they were changing, letting go of precious things to human to save the world. Changing it, yes, irreparably, but it wouldn't be destroyed, so that too was protecting it.
He got to his feet and activated Dein Nomos. Ignoring the stares of shock and confusion of those outside of the light of their plan as Duke was enveloped by another, swept up by it and moving far faster than he ever would on foot outside of battle.
Aaand that probably, should be it...