Requiem of Time: Chapter Forty-Three - Allen
What should have happened...
Allen and the other Marshals moved quickly.
The Earl's new Ark was similar enough to Allen's own for him to navigate. Things were darker, colors changed, decorations added, but still the structure was the same. This 'back door' into the Ark, the one directly under it, Allen's had as well. He knew the exact path from that door to the Chamber, which is where he was headed, or to anywhere else they might need to go.
No Akuma wandered the halls, so progress went well. They entered the first room, which Allen knew would cut across into another hallway. The room was a representation of a jungle, divided by a single stream. The warm humidity and high sun felt good for a moment. Also inside, besides the many animal sounds, were a few dozen Akuma. The Marshals eliminated those before they could even budge.
Allen opened the next door, and down they swept through the halls. No sign of the Noah yet, and Allen felt fairly certain the alarm had yet to be raised.
The next door, Allen knew the room would give access to the main hallway. They entered.
Stars and meteorites filled the sky, an endless stream capable of taking one's breath away. Under their feet was a rounded patch of brown earth littered with creators big and small. They were standing on a meteor. Several more rounded chunks floated to and fro about the room, each capable of being stood on – each with their own gravity field. Allen had been told this room represented a certain stream somewhere out in space, not that he could ever verify it.
Then there were the Akuma within the room. With this one's particular large size, it held as many Akuma. His left eye activated, filling with the sea of purple Dark Matter and chained souls. More than a few hundred Akuma, from Level One to a scattering of Level Fours.
"Edge End!" Allen shouted immediately, and that was joined by, "Lau Shimin, go!" "Arrow of Original Sin!" "Maker of Eden, Art!" "COME!"
The immediate raw destructive power of just that moment obliterated nearly everything in the room. The next moment was Lau Shimin and Winters reaching the remaining Akuma, and then wiping those out. Those remaining few regained their robotic bearings, and the counterattack began.
It was then Allen noticed the first of the Noah. Wisely seemed to have been in the process of just passing through, and the three-eyed man was frozen in shock. Allen retched his sword out of his arm and struck.
Tiedoll's white monstrosity protected Allen from the attacking Akuma as he approached, while Wisely back-peddled fearfully. Allen remembered Lulubell calling the man a disgrace among the Noah, and she had used Wisely as an example of what she was trying to change Allen from in that harsh training.
Then, Allen deflected Wisely's mind attack and swung. The Sword of Salvation cleaved the man cleanly, causing him to cry out in pain before realizing no damage had been done to his body. Allen reversed and swung again, then impaled and performed a decapitation maneuver. Wisely screamed again, was again unharmed. His Noah was dying, not just his body but the thick and potent Dark Matter that made 'Wisely' and allowed the reincarnations of Wisdom.
The Noah, not Wisely himself, raged and struck back, like Tyki's Pleasure had those many years ago, but Allen was better now. Again and again he struck, burned away the magic, until finally all that was left was a simple British man in a turban. Wisely had been exorcised. No more did the 'Wisdom' of Noah exist.
Allen looked to see the room secured, and with a nod they moved out again. The Earl would know that he had lost a bodyguard permanently, and their trap had to be sprung before the Earl laid them to waste with his.
Opening the door to the main hallway, they found both parts of Bondomu right there, likely going to check in on their kinsman. Though it pained him, Allen exorcised both of them as well.
Doors to that hall opened, and Akuma flooded in. They hacked their way through, slowly advancing towards the Earl's chamber.
Though tiring, Allen knew he had plenty of energy to spare, even against this endless tide. He finally brought Sarah into play, using her transmutation ability to form walls in front of the open doors, as well as walls to cover their tracks so that they didn't have to worry about two directions.
Skin Bolic, enraged and transformed, barreled down the hallway with the Akuma, and Winters put him down before tossing him towards Allen. Allen easily cleansed the Noah within the unconscious man, and onwards they pressed. That was three down.
Finally, Allen glimpsed the final door at the end of the hall, and together they all charged up to it. Maria hid them with 'Magdala Curtain' right as Sarah sealed off the door behind them with a wall of carpet then turned into metal.
This door at the end of the hall was a sprawling glass staircase suspended in nothing. Fortunately they were hidden as through the empty air were countless more Akuma, and if another battle were to break out the staircase might not survive.
Huddled together, they ascended the steps. Up and up they went, tugging at the back of Allen's mind, until a new door came in sight. They paused before it, glanced at each other for readiness, then Allen turned the handle and opened it.
The Chamber was bright as it was last time. Inside, besides a grinning Earl and three Noah, were around fifty Level Fours and hundreds more Akuma. Tyki, Sheryl, and Lulubell all stood before the Earl like the bodyguards they were. Likely, the others were on their way. The Marshals had the advantage.
"Allen," Cross muttered quickly, "Go for the fatass. We'll cover you, and I'll distract him when I have the opportunity."
Allen smiled at his master and nodded, then turned a serious look towards their many, many opponents. "Let's end this."
"Maker of Eden, Embracing Garden!" Froi shouted, and the beautiful garden of silver life stretched over them, blocking them from the aerial Akuma. "Cloud, come with me to stop those Akuma. Sokaro, go crazy."
"Is this really okay?" Winters asked as the sounds of the Akuma attacking began. "I feel as if in a dream." Torment in hand, he lurched forward, outside Maria's hiding ability. "COME, AKUMA!"
Allen and Cross shared a final look as Tiedoll and Cloud Nine jumped up onto the Embracing Garden. Then, together, master and apprentice ran with their following corpses, towards the Earl.
The Earl of the Millennium saw the door open, saw the garden form, and he saw one then two more Marshals appear suddenly as if from teleportation. He knew all about Cross and his little cloaking. What he didn't expect, however, was Allen Walker jumping out of the air only inches away from his person.
Much of the Earl's outer layer crumbled from that first unexpected blow, while Allen dodged between Tyki's and Lulubell's counters before reaching Adam again. The Earl had his own sword as they met in combat, now, and that sent a shower of sparks as the equal and opposite blades slide down their lengths.
The black Crown Clowns of course tried to form, but Sarah was ready and waiting, and the Cloaks were in pieces before she sent the Noah on their toes with her continuing attacks.
The real Clown Clown remained on Allen, the shield for his sword, yet the separate entity also was independent enough to attack the other Noah while protecting Allen. Crown Belts attacked and retracted like sporadic clockwork, and between that and Sarah, all three Noah were helpless to protect their Duke Millennium.
Crown Clown swirled and deflected a blast of raw Dark Matter from Adam before he and Allen were locked in another parry. However, what neither expected was the continuing sound of gunshots being directed at something besides the Akuma...
The Earl stumbled to the side, and it took the heavenly seals appearing on his body for Allen to realize Cross had held true to helping when he could. The Earl growled as the seals tried to burn away his Noah, but he survived. Though, Allen didn't just sit their staring.
With a hand on his side to protect against the pain, the Earl used the one holding the sword to weakly deflect Allen's following strike. The fat man's glee was silent as he worked to recover his footing, and Allen pressed his advantage hard. A stray thought from Allen had the Earl quickly bounce to the left to dodge a spire from the ground, but Allen was there suddenly to crack away more of the outer layer.
Three more shots from Cross crumbled the rest it. Adam the Noah, while handsome in a gentlemanly way, had none of his usual charisma with that hateful glare. Faster and stronger the man met Allen's strikes, but Allen's own focus had him meeting the blows with his own lifelong forged skill.
So exhilarated was Allen his own fatigue seemed in the back of his mind, and for once victory seemed eminent.
That thought was dashed when Cross turned to fire again, and the Earl dodged the bullets without looking, then intercepted them with Dark Matter as they tried to seek to him. He smiled grimly and shook his head. "That won't work on me again, young fools."
"How about this, then?" a soft, feminine voice asked, and before the Earl could even see what she meant, Lau Shimin slammed a massive fist into his face, sending the no-longer-fat man tumbling backwards. Winters was there, and Torment left a thick slash before the Earl managed to fly away with Lero.
Adam took a shaky breath as he studied the blood on his hand, though Allen knew him to be regenerating with the usual Noah speed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Almost unnoticeable among the continuing battle, those three shots from Cross surprised the Earl. Regenerating took some morsel of focus, and that was enough for him not to expect the attacks. As he screamed in pain, Allen was there again, and the Sword of Salvation slipped cleanly in the Earl's gut for once.
With the same pattern, Allen cleans Adam of his Noah. A white light broke free, and the Akuma within the room were vanquished. The Noah, those who had rejoined them, stood there suddenly as normal people.
Allen saw the cream skinned Rhode and blond Lulubell, both staring at him with wide eyes. He had won. They had won! The Earl was dead, and the plan a success!
They had... won...
XXXX
What really happened...
The Gate appearing beneath them had been unexpected, and the large group flew out the door in the Ark at the speed of a free fall into the wall. A writhing mass of groaning slowly untangled, and they were weak on their feet once they were all standing. More than a few glared at Cross, who was hiding his face by looking down one end of the dark hallway.
Allen rubbed his aching head with a scowl, trying to ignore the dizziness. "Please tell me what in the Hell you were thinking by opening a Gate beneath us?"
Cross ignored the question, though he – like the rest – had a bump on his head where he had hit the wall. Of course Allen would be the one Cloud had landed on, face planted between her bosom, while he had Winters' burly chest against his face. Damned apprentice might have the ladies skill of a toddler, but his luck in that regard was unbelievable.
"Which way, you ungrateful brat?" Cross snapped instead.
Allen sighed and leaned against the wall, hoping the sturdiness of it would help clear his head a bit. He glanced to either side. Both ways were so unfamiliar, he had no idea. "I do not know."
"Well, just choose one," Cross forced, turning to glare at Allen in return.
Allen returned the look briefly before checking the two ways again. This was absolutely nothing like his Ark. The dark, Gothic theme and new twisting paths matching nothing in his memory of his own Ark. With another sigh, he pointed down one randomly. "Let's go this way, if you will."
Their pace was a shamble, still disoriented from the slam against the wall. Winters was near murderous, while Cloud prowled like an angry panther. Eventually, they reached the door at the end of the hall, and after taking a deep breath, Allen opened it.
Even just peaking his head in, his eye activated as hundreds of Akuma turned his way and all trained their guns on him. He could tell there were no doors in there to lead anywhere else, and he quickly shut the door and began running the other way. "My mistake!"
"Wha-" Tiedoll's question was cut short as hundreds of Akuma bullets cut through the door behind Allen, and they began chasing after him.
Many minutes later, the same group could be found wandering different halls. "Brat, where the hell are we going?" Cross growled finally, after their cautious search had gave them nothing.
Allen stopped. He turned to Cross with a wide smile, then closed his eyes and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I'm completely lost right now," he said sheepishly. A loud groan met that.
"Ah!" was heard suddenly, and they all looked towards where they had been walking.
A man dressed in a butler's uniform stood there, gaping. "In-Intruders!" the man gaped, then began running back the other way.
"Stop him!" Tiedoll shouted, and Cross drew Judgment and fired. The man and bullet disappeared around a corner, but the explosion told them enough.
"Well," Allen sighed, "now Adam knows we're here."
"Marian, I have to ask," Cloud drawled as they began walking, "why again are you not using Maria to hide us?"
Everyone stopped suddenly, sending looks at Cross. Cloud's eyes were slits. The man stood there stoically, somehow with a cigarette in his hand without anyone noticing prior. He took a slow drag, breathed it out. Then, took a deep breath to explain... "We should stop delaying!" He began running then, ahead and away from them.
"M-Master!" Allen shouted, then cursed. Coward!
They all chased after the man, and once catching up Magdala Curtain activated around them. They progressed well after that, if not on a direct course. Until the floor opened up from under them unexpectedly.
Allen's eyes widened at that, and before anyone could make a sound they all began falling towards a spike pit.
Speakers throughout the Ark crackled suddenly, before a very pleased voice spoke, "Ahem, my beautiful and many Akuma, we have on our Ark currently five intruders. It would be well if you could find and eliminate them. They could be found on the fifth hallway in the play wing. Thank you." Irritable, Earl chuckling followed that.
"Well, this is just wonderful," Allen sighed again.
"Stop complaining, brat," Cross snapped. Allen at least managed a comfortable and welcome position!
Crown Clown had reacted fast and efficiently, darting below the fallers and catching them with a net of Crown Belts that extended to all four walls. Allen had landed on his rear, then caught Cloud Nine just as she fell onto his lap, thus now resting comfortable with her there. Cross instead had landed on his stomach, while the fatass of a man Winters landed square on his back.
Cloud Nine blushed slightly at the position, her fellow Marshal's arms around her just under her breasts. She was reluctant to move just yet.
Allen had Crown Clown lift them up and out, so that they were back on the ledge in the hall. Once they were all back on their feet, they heard it. "Intruders spotted."
Cross hadn't yet reconcealed them with Maria. Akuma bullets began raining down on them, and they sprinted away again as Magdala Curtain surrounded them again.
"Damn it, Cross, you have to pay attention!" Tiedoll reprimanded, actually resorting to cursing with his frustration. They finally had cleared the hallway and were trying to lay low around the many Akuma patrolling the halls now.
Cross huffed and didn't respond.
Allen stopped at a door. He turned to the rest as they faced him, "We should keep trying rooms, just in case. It's not just hallways leading to rooms here, but rooms that lead to hallways and vice versa. You can't get to some places without going through rooms."
As he spoke, Allen missed the small puddle leaking from under the door into their hall. Once he finally noticed, however, it was too late. "Lulu-"
Cloud Nine was surrounded by water suddenly, and Akuma approached suddenly from either side of the hallway, firing bullets. Lau Shimin roared as he tried to both protect his mistress from the bullets and retrieve his mistress, but Lulubell just flowed away from his attempts.
"Crown Clown, now!" Allen commanded. "Cross Grave!"
The cloak detached from him and propelled towards the Noah, while with his left arm he swung and called forth the swirling shield etched with the white cross. The shield deflected the bullets from that end of the hall while Tiedoll held off the other end. Crown Clown managed to rescue Cloud, and the drenched woman was deposited back on her feet surrounded by all of them, spitting out water.
Lulubell glared at them. "I warn you once, Allen Walker, retreat from this futile quest. You will not succeed." Before he could respond, she turned herself into air and disappeared.
The Akuma were then wiped out quickly, and the group began moving again. Somehow Lulubell had managed to find them despite Magdala Curtain. They would have to be more careful from here on.
"Man, these walls make me feel so cramped," Winters complained as they continued.
"Look, Sokoro, we need to be more quiet, or else they will find us despite the curtain-" Tiedoll tried to say, but was cut off by a high pitched laugh.
"Allen, Allen. Dear husband, I can't believe I almost feared that Millennie would die today. With how loud your being, I don't expect you to get close to even the kitchens." Rhode strolled into sight with her big shoes and stockings, grin wide on her face.
I missed you last night, Allen wanted to say, but instead he smiled back. "Want to bet on it?"
"Walker, this is your wife. Need we be worried?" Tiedoll asked seriously. Wife or not, she was a Noah, and Noah were bodyguards to the Millennium Earl.
Rhode grabbed Allen's hand and kissed him. "You know I can't refuse a bet."
"If we do, you have to sleep on my Ark for the next week." Allen lifted her and continued walking with the Marshals, and she joined them under the Magdala Curtain.
Rhode smiled, wrapping her legs around him in addition to her arms. Both were inside his open coat, around him directly. He always noted that. "Fine, but if you don't, then next Friday afterschool we get to take a break and go to a place of my choosing. That means no Order work, either. You have to invite Lulubell too; it's been too long since we had a gathering."
Allen hesitated in responding. There was no way they could fail here, not when they were so close despite how many hijinks got in the way. For some reason, considering her side seemed like considering defeat, that they would not kill the Millennium Earl here and now. He didn't like thinking it was possible.
"Done," he said softly, then kissed her. Candied apple, not cherries. Damn.
Rhode's smile after the lingering kiss was mischievous. "Well then, what better way to judge this than with my own eyes?" An instant later, a doll replaced her, and it climbed up onto Allen's shoulder. He chuckled and shook his head before lowering his hands.
The white haired Marshal turned towards the others, who were all watching him suspiciously again. "Well, I have a bet to win. Let's hurry this up." They sped back up to a run.
Of course, that was much easier said than done:
They continued getting lost...
"Allen..." Cross growled.
"My mistake!" Allen shouted as they again ran from a trapped room, Rhode giggling cutely from her place.
They bickered...
"If your fat ass lands on me one more time!" Cross shouted, eye twitching violently. Cloud Nine of course.... again.... had landed on Allen in a rather preferable position.
"Don't blame my ass for always finding the softest, weakest thing to land on," Winters growled back, heavily accented.
Cross went very still. "...Was that an insult directed at me?"
They were bogged by Akuma...
"Intruders..."
Allen's claw put an end to another large stream of Akuma, and he sighed as he flicked his hair out of his eyes. "There isn't any end to them."
"Just keep moving," Tiedoll insisted, but stopped as more Level Three Akuma crawled their way in from connecting halls.
"Intruders...."
They fell prey to traps.
"I think it might be over h- EEEEEERRRRRREEEEEeeee...!" Allen had been speaking normally, until the square he stepped on in a tile-floored room suddenly rocketed up and launched him into the air. A spring loaded tile...
They were intercepted by Noah...
"I don't know, Rhode. I think I did pretty well, myself," Joyd considered thoughtfully, nodding to himself as he grinned at them. All five Exorcists had their hands or feet phased through the wall or floor and thus were trapped there, struggling to break out. Rhode had reduced to full blown laughter.
Allen growled. They weren't taking them seriously... And now that he thought about it, that was for good reason too.
More bickering...
"Winters, stop going after every damn Akuma you see!" Tiedoll cursed again.
The Mexican man scoffed. "It's not my fault they make such easy targets."
"By destroying them, you make us-!"
"Intruders..."
Lost again...
"Hey, I think we found the kitchens," Allen said happily. If so, he knew how to get from there to the Chamber. Though he might not know it front and back, he had been on the Earl's Ark before, when Rhode wanted them in her room, and knew some of its navigation.
"Ah, no, Allen," Rhode said, "that's actually the..."
"TIGER DEN?"
"Yeah..."
Finally, though, Allen got his bearings.
"Rhode, this is the hall to the Dancing Chamber, isn't it?" Allen asked, stopping to inspect where he was. The doll on his shoulder turned to him, and the yarn mouth curved into a secretive smile. "Finally..."
Rounding up his frustrated companions, Allen intentionally opened up the door to his left and marched inside. Of course hundreds of Akuma waited for them, but there on the other side was a door. "Death Ball!"
Explosions followed his shout, and then the Marshals tore through Akuma for the n'th time. Allen was excited now, and he quickly opened the door to another hall, then began running down the left side.
"Blue Bullet!" the twins tried, sniping them from the distance, but Allen deflected it and the followings before entering another door, not even bothering to try smoking them out. He was getting tired. Tired of both the games and physically.
Sarah vanquished the fifteen or so Akuma waiting for them within, and those in the hall after the room too. Joyd was a hassle, especially with the Level Four he had brought (this one with the ability to spit sticky liquid that took a lot of effort to break from of), and then they were in a large auditorium.
The auditorium was left in destructed shambles after the Marshals whirlwinded through the Akuma, and the large backdoors of this room led right to the latter end of the main hallway. Allen let out a sigh of relief.
That became a gulp suddenly.
The sound of hundreds of guns cocking could be heard, echoing up and down the hall. Ten Level Fours stood at the front lines, aiming hands or guns towards them, and in between them were Sheryl, Lulubell, Skin Bolic, Joyd, the Bondomu twins, Wisely, Tryde, and Fiddler. Floating above them and also surrounded by more Level Fours was the Millennium Earl, grinning and with a confetti popper in one hand. Mightra and Mercym were there, standing together directly below the Earl.
It wasn't just this unexpected ambush either. The moment Allen had opened the door, a net had suddenly twisted and spun itself around his – and likely the others' – feet, locking them together to where he was fighting for balance.
"Welcome, you nuisance of mine," Adam chirped happily, then popped the confetti so that it rained down on some Akuma before him. "Many restless nights you have caused me, Allen Walker... Or should I say... Fourteenth?"
Allen scowled. Beyond the fact that the Earl had all the Noah gathered already – this was months and months too soon! – the Earl apparently also knew the greatest secret he had been trying to keep.
Again, without the grasp for control, without the sudden headache... The music humming in the back of Allen's mind suddenly sprang forward. "Hello, brother. It's been a long time."
"Fourteenth..." the Earl breathed. Knowing that Allen harbored the man was one thing, but for the Noah to reveal itself was something else entirely.
"Close, but not quite," Allen quirked. "For now, you may call me the Millennium Earl, Adam."
"Still trying to kill me? Is that your wish?" Adam asked softly. The whole hallway was quiet, holding its breath as the conversation continued.
The Music was a loud, jumbled orchestra, in which it was hard to hear anything over, including thoughts. But then, Allen could also hear everything, even the quietest breath down at the end of the hallway. As such, he could hear the Marshals beside him struggling against the net bindings, and were soon to break free. He needed to delay just a bit longer.
"My wish, dear brother, is for you to give up this vendetta against the world, to return to being my brother again. My wish is for you to again be Adam, not the harbinger of the end of humanity. I wish to save your soul, and with this sword you know I shall. But there must always be a Millennium Earl, and so I will take your place when giving you salvation. You deserve it more than me," Allen responded easily, and the snap of a net joined the cacophonous Music.
"Now," Allen grinned widely, "you are all about to enjoy a great show. Watch, as I simply wave my hands, and when I'm done, all my companions here today will be gone." A heartbeat of confused silence, then, "Death Ball!"
Allen... You fool, Cross thought to himself bitterly as he dragged Cloud Nine back with a hand over her mouth, Tiedoll doing the same with Winters. Just as Allen had planned, the attack provided a thick smokescreen for them. The plan was obvious from his apprentice's words. Allen would distract the Earl while they escaped. And Allen had no intention of leaving with them.
"Cross Grave!" Allen shielded himself with, leaning to the left against Crown Clown as it protected him from returning fire. Sword maneuvers came easily to him, cleaving Akuma left and right even if they lacked the power to destroy Level Fours in a single blow. "Energy Arc!"
A mind of many minds, Crown Clown sent an impulse of warning. Allen dropped to his back on the floor, muttering, "Crown Belt..." Crown Clown exploded outwards in a disc of the white belts, eliminated more Akuma while protecting him from more bullets. Allen rolled off his back – Rhode still clinging tightly to his shoulder – and began the fight anew.
He was losing, he knew.
Sarah, she had slain the black Crown Clowns that had appeared, then was sent back underground as he still fought. Allen took another few bullets in the back and dropped to a knee, cursing. Pentacles appeared along his form as the poison tried killing him, but Allen cleansed it, gasping with exhaustion.
Skin roared and knocked Allen off his feet. He hit the wall, and his Innocence deactivated for a moment as his conscious faltered. Allen hit the ground in just his uniform, with his left arm the black limb. Then, he reactivated his Innocence, bringing back the claw and allowing Crown Clown to detach. "Crown Edge!"
Hundreds and hundreds of gold rings shot out of his claws, from each finger, and impaled the nearby Akuma. "Cross Grave!" Allen protected himself again with the spiraling shield, nearly gasping his attacks now.
"Give it up, boy," Joyd tried as he and the other Noah approached slowly. "Don't make it harder than it already is."
"N-Never," Allen gasped. "Edge End! Cross Grave!" He lurched from his kneel into a sprint, slipping past the approaching Noah and back into the fray against the Akuma. He ripped his sword out of his arm, cleaved more Akuma in half. "Energy Arc! Death Ball!"
Rhode clutched onto Allen's shoulder. She was glad she was in her doll form, so that she couldn't cry. Oh, Allen... you try so hard. She knew he wouldn't give up, not until he was cold against the ground. It was one of the things she loved about him, but right now she hated that trait more than anything. She didn't want to see him die, not like this, and she knew she couldn't do a thing to stop it.
Allen swung again and again, throwing his sword when he could and summoning it back to him. A particularly nasty Level Four approached, and Allen snarled as he tried destroying it. Instead, an arm stopped his swing, somehow holding solid against his sword. Joyd was there, smiling at Allen weakly. "Boy, please..."
Allen shouldered past him, sundered the Level Four, basking in the joy of so many souls becoming free. Joyd reached out for him again, and Allen swung back. Joyd danced to the side, wary of the sword, but still he tried.
The exhaustion was getting to him now. Allen could barely stand. Sword fighting was one thing, but using the abilities of his Innocence took much more strength than that. Allen swung wide again, not really even close to hitting anything. He fell to a knee, felt Rhode bury her plushy face against his neck.
He rose again, turned it into a swing, and by luck hit a Level Two. He spun on his heel to swing at what he knew was behind him, but the target stepped to the side quickly. Allen's strength gave out, and he stumbled. The person behind him caught him as he fell, lithe arms holding him upright.
Allen, panting, weakly turned his head to see Lulubell holding him. Would she knock him out now? Kill him? Allen closed his eyes and leaned against her. Her grip on him tightened, and his head rested down on her shoulder. He had lost, but his friends had escaped. It was over. The Earl still lived, and likely he had died.
As his sword rested against the ground, and as he leaned against the Noah of Lust while Rhode held him, Allen was reminded of the bet. He had gotten past the kitchens, and as such he had won. He smiled slightly.
Consciousness was leaving him. Lulubell was still holding him upright, still holding him in her arms.
"Thank you," he breathed out weakly, and then there was blackness.
AN: Hope all of you caught that the first part of this chapter was fake. Yes, Allen failed in killing the Earl, and now he is captured, in the hands of the Noah. Till next time.
