A/N: Hello guys! I bring to you all the new update for this story! I have to apologize for the delay. I normally update the story on a weekly basis (Tuesday), but I've been busy recently and I don't think I can update them weekly. I'll try to do what I can but just a little heads up that my stories might be a little delayed.
Now then without further ado, let me respond to you awesome reviewers!

ShouKoizumi: Well that's what I wanted to do, to invoke sadness into readers on the previous chapter. I didn't like how the game made Ludger end Julius's life in Julius's fractured dimension so I made it happen at Marksburg itself. Hope you liked it

flashyhero: It was sad, wasn't it?

RKF22: Don't cry T_T

Riku Uzumaki: I'm glad you saw the reference. But no, I haven't been playing but I am a huge fan of the MGS series and MGS3 being one of my favorite ones. Hehe

MagatsuIza: All aboard the feels train?

That Mysterious Reader: DRAMA ALL THE WAY! DONT CRY!

U-Know Yunho: Ah... that's a nice song... to end with Julius's death :'(

Guest: I'm glad you liked how I wrote the chapter for Julius's death. I hoped you enjoyed the flashbacks and the internal struggles of Ludger. And of course the hymn of proof is nice.
-Hmm... perhaps one day in the future. I've still got 2 stories to write and I want to focus on them first

Project AE Hachi-Roku: Glad you enjoyed it. I was hoping the flasbacks of Julius regarding Ludger will be a nice touch and I see you liked it, hehe
-Hmmm yeah I guess... the ending could basically be a piano version of the hymn of proof. Adds more feels T_T
-Don't cry mate! Julius... did what he had to do. :'(
-I hope you'll like this chapter. There, there... let it all out *pats shoulder*

Rafe Izayoi: Shh... it's okay... it's okay to cry... it was a sad scene. I'm sorry to remind you about what happened :(

CrazyCartoonistOtaku: Oh... oh damn... I didn't expect my writing to make someone cry like that. I hope you're okay? Haha I knew it was a sad scene but your comment... is just... wow. DIdn't expect you to feel so much
-It's okay, that ends the sad scene of Julius. You can relax a little with this chapter.
-Still though, reading during school hours? XD Was it worth it? :P

Well that ends to responding to reviews! I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter as well and please, share me your thoughts on what you think about this chapter! Till next time

CHAPTER 34: THE LAND OF CANAAN

Silence.

Julius's pocket watch was on the ground, covered in the blood of its owner, and had finally stopped moving. Lifeless. The hands would no longer move and its gears to function no more. The pocket watch had stopped working, as if to signify the death of its owner.

Ludger finally opened his eyes, his cheeks flooded with his tears. Before him, he saw Julius with a smile on his face with blood seeping out from the corner of his lips. But he was no longer breathing. His eyes were lifeless. Julius Will Kresnik, former director of Dimensional affairs, the elder of the Kresnik brothers, had given his life to his younger brother.

Ludger stepped back and pulled out his lance and Julius slowly started falling behind. And for a split second, Ludger thought he caught a glimpse of Julius smiling and saying something, his mouth moving. But it was probably just his imagination. Julius landed on the cold, solid ground and everything ended.

"Julius…" Ludger whispered, staring down at the deceased body of his older brother. The wound where he stabbed Julius with his lance was still visible.

Jude and the rest of the party watched in silence with grim faces. Then the party was surprised by what happened next.

Julius's body was suddenly surrounded with a purple aura and his body started evaporating. Ludger did not understand what was happening but before he could even act, Julius's body completely disappeared and transformed into a dark purple portal and it emitted another purplish pathway, which connected to the Land of Canaan. Julius's body had disappeared and transformed into this portal.

"That's…" Jude said slowly.

"…The Soul Bridge." Milla finished for Jude.

Ludger dispelled his Chromatus and felt the side-effects of the Chromatus were gone. At least for now. Victor did say that taking the life of another Chromatus user would cure the side-effects and Julius confirmed it. And now Ludger was reaping the benefits of once again taking the life of another Chromatus bearer to heal the Chromatus defects. He would sometimes suffer feats of coughing blood when he dispelled the Chromatus but he was not suffering it now. Julius truly gave his life to Ludger. Not just only to become a Soul Bridge but to also cure Ludger of the Chromatus side-effects.

Ludger clenched his fist and raised it to eyelevel, bearing his fist before the Soul Bridge, "Julius… you gave your life to extend mine. I swear… I swear I'll use your life to the fullest."

Now that Ludger had dispelled the Chromatus, the party approached him. They did not want to interfere with him when he was still in Chromatus but now that he was in his regular form, it was like a sign to say that it was over.

"Ludger…" Fractured Milla said softly but loud enough for Ludger to hear.

Ludger turned around to face the party and everyone saw his eyes were red and his cheeks wet, the result from his tears after sobbing his eyes out. He rubbed his eyes, trying to dry his face from the tears.

"Ludger…" Leia spoke first from the group, carefully choosing her words, "There's nothing wrong for you to cry. You… you shouldn't have gone through that. No one should."

Ludger shook his head, wiping the final traces of tears, "I'm fine Leia… Thanks."

Now seeing how Ludger was trying to be strong, Leia was reminded of how Jude always acted brave and tried not to cry. But Jude was just a child with minor problems. On the other hand, Ludger had just killed his brother, someone he loved deeply and he was still trying to hold back his tears. Now seeing all of this, Leia was the one that broke down in tears.

"Oh Ludger…" Leia sobbed in tears.

Alvin decided to be optimistic and transform the depressive atmosphere, moving next to Ludger's side and patting him on the back, "You did what you had to kid. Now all you need to do is go out there and save Elle. It's what your brother gave your life for. It's what he would have wanted."

Ludger turned to Alvin and nodded in agreement.

"Alvin's right Ludger." The Great Spirit Muzet said to Ludger, "I'm sure your brother doesn't want you to grief on his death. He gave his life… so that you can step forward in life with courage in your heart. I'm sure that's what Julius feels… because I'm an elder sister to Milla. So I know how Julius felt."

Elize, who had cried since the start of the fight, was angered by Alvin's words. "Alvin! How can you say that?!" Elize then turned to Muzet, "And you too Muzet! How can you agree with Alvin!"

Teepo flew to Alvin's face with a mad scowl on its little face, "You cold hearted clod! Have a heart!"

Before Muzet could respond, Alvin sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "There's no point in looking back and just move on forward. Besides, we're not wrong. Julius… he gave his life so that Ludger can move on forward… so that he can save Elle. Isn't that what Julius wanted Ludger to do? To move on?"

Elize looked down and thought about what Alvin said. "You… have a point." Elize said after having some time to think. She then looked up at Ludger, "Let's go and save Elle! She's waiting for us! For you!"

"This is what friends do!" Teepo declared, "Friends help each other!"

Ludger nodded, "Thank you Elize…"

Elize, Alvin and Muzet have said what they wanted so they stepped aside. Rowen and Gaius were next, both taking a step forward. The two most important men of Rieze Maxia, standing before Ludger.

Gaius spoke first, "Ludger… you did very well. But for all that you've done, you must remember Ludger. Don't carry all of the guilt on your shoulders. In the end, we were all accomplices in this."

Rowen had to not in agreement, "Indeed, I couldn't agree more. Destroying worlds is burden enough and Ludger… I know how that feels." Rowen paused before he told Ludger about his past, "Over the course of my military career, I have stolen the lives of hundreds… even thousands of soldiers. If we consider the potential of an individual soldier… the soldier's dream, wants, needs, relationships… if we consider all of them, then what I did was no different than destroying a world." Rowen stopped and looked at Ludger, "However compared to destroying worlds or taking the lives of thousands of soldiers… what happened today was unimaginable. No one should be given the task of ending the life of someone they love… and yet you did. Ludger… just know that we are here with you. You're never alone."

"That is why you don't have to bear the burdens all on your own." Gaius stated, "As King, I always sought to protect the weak. But when Jude and his friends destroyed the schism one year ago, I now seek to do everything in my power to protect this world. Ludger… this world is still in danger but you and Julius have given it a chance of saving it. That's why… we must all work together to make that chance a reality."

"We will…" Ludger replied, "Julius gave his life so that I can save Elle… and beat Origin's Trial. I'm not going to let my brother's sacrifice be in vain."

Gaius nodded with respect, "Well said Ludger. Well said."

The King and prime minister of Rieze Maxia then took stepped aside. Jude, Milla and fractured Milla were the last to have their say in regards to consoling Ludger.

"Ludger…" Jude started but he was at a loss for words, "I… I'm sorry. I just wish… we could have helped you."

"We forced you to play a painful role." Milla added.

Ludger shook his head, "Julius… he wanted to make me stronger. He said he was going to die… he wanted to at least prepare me for the trial before he goes. To test me one last time as my big brother. He's always looked after me and… I guess before he's gone… he wanted to make sure I was ready." A tear rolled out from Ludger's eyes but he was smiling, "It hurt… it really hurts. But at least I know… I'm ready. I'm ready to save Elle… and to face the trial. And it's thanks to Julius."

"Ludger…" Jude said softly. The young spyrite researcher could not admire his friend more than this. Ludger took the life of his brother and still stayed strong. His mind did not break. Jude had to respect Ludger's will and spirit.

Fractured Milla took a step closer to Ludger and held his forearm, as if to console him, "Julius loved you Ludger. He wants you to continue living... not for him but for Elle. He wants you to save and protect Elle just like how he protected you. And I'll help you Ludger." Fractured Milla then grew a smile, "So let's go to the Land of Canaan together… and save Elle."

Ludger nodded in agreement. The two then looked up at the Land of Canaan and unaware that Ludger was now holding fractured Milla's hand, their hands entwined. Ludger and fractured Milla could feel the warmth emanating from the other but they did not say anything.

Milla also looked up at the Land of Canaan, "To think that even in death, Julius still helps Ludger, not just by becoming the Soul Bridge but by healing Ludger of the Chromatus defects. In the end, human bonds remain strong, even through the gulf of death."

Jude turned to stare at Milla, "Milla…"

"This is why I fight for humanity… this is why I put my faith on them." Milla finished, "Because when humans put all their hearts into what they want, they can achieve anything."

The whole party had their say with Ludger and they all were grouped together, all staring up at the Land of Canaan. The place that was spoke of in legends and fairy tales. None of them expected the place to be real, to actually exist. And yet there it was, floating in the sky. And there were two purple paths connected to Canaan, which were the Soul Bridges. One of them was in front of the party, using the life of Julius Kresnik and the other Soul Bridge was the one Bisley Bakur had used to get into Canaan. A Soul Bridge that used the life of Rideaux.

Then something happened that the party did not expect. The second Soul Bridge that Bisley used slowly disappeared. Now there was only one Soul Bridge left.

"Hey it looks like the Soul Bridge isn't a permanent thing." Alvin said with worry, "Let's hurry and get to Canaan before this bridge vanishes like the other one."

Elize shook her head, "No. This bridge won't vanish so easily."

Alvin raised an eyebrow when he heard that, "What makes you so sure?"

Leia answered for Elize, "Because this time, Julius is holding it up for us. For Ludger."

Alvin was not expecting that as a reason but he had to admit, it felt right. He turned away, trying to hide his emotions from the group. Fortunately for the former mercenary, no one in the group noticed.

Ludger continued to stare at Canaan when he felt someone tapped his shoulder. It was Jude. The young spyrite researcher nodded at Ludger and he instantly knew what Jude was trying to say. A mutual understanding between the two.

Milla walked up and stood on Ludger's right, "You go first Ludger."

Fractured Milla, who was on Ludger's left agreed with Milla, "That's right. After all, this bridge was built for you. You should be the one to use it first."

Ludger nodded. This was the Soul Bridge that his brother sacrificed his life for. All so that Ludger could grow stronger. To be ready for the trial. No one else was fit to use the Soul Bridge first other than Ludger. It was his privilege.

Ludger took a deep breath and stepped into the Soul Bridge, disappearing from Marksburg. Fractured Milla was next and the rest of the party followed after. The journey was done in a split second and the next thing the party saw, they were no longer in Marksburg. The party was standing on a platform, overlooking Canaan.

The Land of Canaan fell short to the stories of legends and fairy tales, where it was said to be beautiful and grandeur. Canaan was the opposite. There were huge gears hanging around the place and several narrow pathways that stretched into the unknown. There was no solid ground other than the narrow pathways so no one knew what would happen if anyone dropped into the abyss. And finally Canaan was filled with black-like smoke, dancing throughout the large gears and pathways.

Gaius looked left and right, observing his surroundings. "So this is the Land of Canaan."

"I have read and heard of the legend of Canaan but I never imagined it to look like this. This is the complete opposite of what I've read about." Rowen declared sadly.

Elize was looking at the black smoke around them and asked, "What's all that smoky stuff?"

"Is it poisonous?!" Teepo questioned with worry.

"Its miasma, so yes it's poisonous." Muzet told the group, "Apparently the miasma doesn't reach us here on this little platform so we're safe. But if you huff a little of it, it'll kill you in a minute. It might even kill Milla and me if we linger too long."

Alvin released a whistle, "Kill us if we inhale even a little? Well now… that's not a good thing now, is it?"

"I thought miasma was only produced if soul purification stops?" Gaius questioned, "What's going on?"

Milla folded her arms on her chest, "Normally, I believe Origin should be keeping it under control. With miasma overflowing here in Canaan, I fear Origin is reaching near his limit."

"So does that mean…?" Jude started saying.

"…The trial is almost over." Ludger finished for Jude, "We must be approaching one million fractured dimensions."

The party knew they had very little time now but they could not advance with miasma flowing all over Canaan.

"So what should we do?" Leia asked, "We can't get to Origin with all this miasma around. Even if we hold our breath we won't make it."

Rowen started stroking his bead, hoping to come to a solution, "It is safe to assume that Bisley has already passed through here easily. Using Elle's power no doubt."

Ludger was also frustrated that they were at a standstill. The miasma was a dangerous substance that could even kill the Great Spirits but they needed to hurry as well. Completely desperate, Ludger came to one conclusion. The Chromatus. It was his power, probably the only power that could cut through the miasma and safely create a path for his friends to travel through. Ludger took out his pocket watch to transform into the ultimate form of the Chromatus. But then he felt a hand grab him.

Fractured Milla grabbed Ludger's arm, stopping him from using his pocket watch to transform, "No Ludger! We can't let you use the Chromatus. It'll just harm you more."

"She's right Ludger." Milla said, "We can't have you using the Chromatus now. You need to save that for Bisley."

"But…!"

Instead of saying anything more, Milla summoned the Great Four spirits, revealing to the group their physical forms. Efreet, Sylph, Gnome and Undine appeared next to Milla and they quickly went to work. The four spirits released some of their mana through Canaan and they were done.

"Ludger, can you try go on one of the pathways?" Milla asked.

Ludger obeyed but did not understand the purpose. He took a random pathway but when he took two steps in, he saw the pathway in front of him suddenly disappear. No it did not disappear. It was never there in the first place. It was a trick, an illusion.

Jude saw it as well, "The pathway… has a trap? We'd have fallen into it if not for Milla."

"A trap by Chronos to stop us." Gaius guessed.

Milla nodded, "Yes he's probably warping the space around us by creating tricks of light. These illusions are no doubt present through Canaan."

"So what can we do?" Fractured Milla asked, "There's the issue with miasma as well as these traps that Chronos set for us. How do we get past them?"

Milla thought for a moment before she had something in mind, "There are two ways we can do this. Muzet and I can charge through the miasma and dispel Chronos's power, disabling the illusions. However, doing so will mean that I and Muzet will be unable to assist you in the coming battle as we will have depleted our strength."

"That won't help us. We need you and Muzet." Leia pointed out.

"So what's the alternative you mentioned?" Rowen inquired.

"The Great Four can shield one of us, protecting four of us from the miasma. That way we can move forward without danger to our lives." Milla explained, "However that means that only four of us can advance forward to face Chronos. The rest will have to wait here until I can send the Great Four to pick the rest up."

"Only four can go…" Jude muttered and turned to Ludger, "Ludger, what do you think?"

"I think it's the best option we have." Ludger answered.

Milla nodded, "Ludger, you'll pick the other three who should accompany you first. You're the only one with the Chromatus so you have to be one of the four that goes first."

Ludger nodded and he looked through the party. He considered each of the party's strength and weaknesses as well as how each would fare against Chronos. It was a touch choice even then because he had to consider that this might be the final battle so he also wanted to be with the ones he could trust the most, someone that he could rely on and read what he planned to do without even speaking. So after some time, he finally came to a decision.

"Milla, Jude…" Ludger then turned to fractured Milla, "And 'Milla' as well."

"The rest of us will just wait here then." Alvin said with a sigh.

"I'll send the Great Four to pick the rest up once we've reached the final chamber." Milla informed the group.

Each of the Great Four spirits then proceeded to shield the ones Ludger chose to bring. This included the cat Rollo that managed to tag along with the group even when they were too busy to care for it. It just showed how the cat was smart enough to stay out of trouble.

Efreet told something to Milla and the Lord of Spirits smiled in amusement. "The Four is saying that the cat can come along. It appears that they have taken a liking to Rollo."

Ludger chuckled and then looked at Jude, Milla and fractured Milla. The three of them nodded to say that they were ready. Ludger gave a nod back and the four of them started walking down one of the pathways with the Great Four continuing to shield them.

"Let's hope they'll be alright without the rest of us." Alvin said when Ludger and the other three disappeared.

Leia hoped so as well…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"No… This… cannot be… possible…!" Chronos grunted weakly.

Bisley was in his level four Chromatus form in the final chambers, the chamber that contained the container where Origin waited for two thousand years. On the front of the container were numbers that showed '999,999', signifying the number of fractured dimensions in existence. And in the center of the chamber was Chronos with Bisley's lance sticking through Chronos's body. Chronos could not move since both his arms were chained by some sort of seal.

"I've warned you spirit!" Bisley spat, twisting the lance further into Chronos's body and dispelling his Chromatus form. The Spirit of time cried out in agony. "I told you that I'm different to when we fought twenty years ago. Look at you now!"

"You… ungrateful human!"

Chronos started to reverse time to heal his wounds inflicted by Bisley but to his horror, Bisley plunged the lance deeper into Chronos and twisting the lance as well, exacting more pain onto Chronos.

Bisley smirked at Chronos futile attempts in reversing time, "Don't bother spirit! I've learned from my mistakes twenty years ago. You won't be reversing time this time! Your mastery of time and space is useless against the power of Origin's void!"

Through Bisley's words, Chronos now realized what was going on. He looked at Elle, the little girl who was trying to break free from Bisley. Throughout their fight, Bisley was holding Elle with his left arm while fighting Chronos with his right.

"Don't tell me… this girl… is also a Key?!" Chronos struggled to say.

Bisley smirked and twisted his lance again, "Correct. The Key of Kresnik. You killed my wife twenty years ago because she was the Key. This time, I made sure to strike you down before you learned the truth. And you learned it far too late!"

Meanwhile as Bisley made sure to tighten the lance on Chronos, Elle was still resisting Bisley. Bisley held her arm so that he could use her power to tighten his hold on Chronos and Elle was becoming a catalyst. The right-side of her face was already darkened and her right eye was blood red in color. If Bisley continued to abuse Elle's power, she would become a catalyst. And one more divergence catalyst would result in creating the millionth fractured dimension.

"Let me go!" Elle cried out, trying to force her hand free from Bisley's grip, "Ow! Stop it!"

Bisley ignored Elle, tightening his lance into Chronos but once the lance was embedded through Chronos's body, he smacked Elle with his free hand. Elle landed on her sides, breaking into tears from the pain. There was a hand imprint on her cheek.

Bisley looked down at Elle, "You've been a real handful since I took you in. I could have ended Chronos much earlier if you weren't such a pest."

Elle backed away but Bisley took a step forward every time she moved backwards, "You just wait till Ludger and Milla gets here! Then they'll teach you a lesson! You… you… meanie!"

"I've had enough of you." Bisley said and grabbed Elle by the neck, lifting her up, "I've got no more use of you now that Chronos is defeated."

Elle realized that Bisley was going to kill her and struggled to spring free but Bisley's grip tightened. He was going to choke her to death.

"Don't you dare hurt her!"

Bisley released Elle and quickly jumped backwards, relying on his instincts. Fractured Milla swung her blade in an arc and would have sliced Bisley in half if he did not back away. She then quickly held Elle in her arms.

Elle, realizing it was fractured Milla returned the hug and started crying, "Milla!"

"Don't worry Elle, you're safe now." Fractured Milla said, soothing the little girl. Elle continued crying but she felt safe now that her 'Milla' was here with her.

Ludger, Jude and Milla also appeared at the final chambers of Canaan. They saw Chronos in the center of the chamber, utterly defeated with an unknown lance poking through his body and his arms bound by some seals. Ludger saw Elle was with fractured Milla and rushed towards them.

"Elle!" Ludger called out.

Elle pry herself free from the hug with fractured Milla and saw Ludger with Jude and Milla behind him. She quickly rushed to him but instead of hugging the little girl, Ludger saw what was wrong.

Ludger went down on one knee, "Elle… your face…"

Elle flinched when Ludger touched the right-side of her face. Fractured Milla only now realized that Elle was becoming a divergence catalyst and her blood boiled at the sight. She glared at Bisley with her sword in her hands.

"How could you…?" Fractured Milla growled, "How could you do this to her?!"

"I did what was needed to defeat Chronos." Bisley said calmly, "The Key of Kresnik was necessary to gather the Waymarkers but that wasn't all. It was the only way to defeat Chronos."

"Why do you need the Key to defeat Chronos?" Jude demanded. He was already disgusted that Bisley, the most powerful man in Elympios, would resort to using an innocent little girl to achieve victory.

Bisley turned to Jude, "Chronos is the Great Spirit of Time. That means he can control time to a certain degree. Let me show you." Bisley walked to Chronos and shook the lance, causing Chronos to grunt in pain. Ludger and the others saw Chronos regenerating his wounds but a slow rate. "Yes, that's right. Chronos can reverse time and heal all his injuries. That's something I learned twenty years ago about Chronos. And only through the Key of Kresnik, where a human has the power of Origin's void, is how we can nullify Chronos's reversal of time."

"She's just a girl!" Jude shouted. It was rare for Jude to lose his temper.

Milla drew out her sword, "Harming an innocent child is nothing but a coward would do."

Bisley showed no signs of regret, "The ends justify the means. Now that Chronos is out of the way, I can make my wish to rob spirits of their will. I will create a world solely for humans with spirits as our slaves."

Milla narrowed her eyes, "I doubt Origin will agree to a wish like that."

"Origin has no say in the matter." Bisley revealed to the group, "Origin's Trial is a spirit arte itself, which was formed between Milla Kresnik and the Great Spirit Origin. Basically so long as the pact's condition is met, which I have, Origin will have no choice but to use his power and grant my wish. Origin's opinion doesn't matter."

Elle, who had been listening the whole time finally burst out from Ludger and fractured Milla's hold, "No! We need to wish the fractured dimensions away!"

"Brave words coming from a girl who's already close to becoming a catalyst." Bisley mockingly praised, "Just forget about the girl Ludger. I've been using her power as the Key this whole time. There's nothing to stop her from becoming a catalyst. She's beyond saving and transform into a catalyst..."

Fractured Milla's eyes widened at the revelation, her hands shaking in anger, "You're lying!"

"I don't care whether you believe me or not. But I intend to get my wish before she becomes the millionth catalyst. I won't let her be the cause to fail Origin's Trial." Bisley said and started walking towards the container that contained Origin.

"I… I'm going… to die?" A frightened Elle whispered. She looked up at Ludger, "Ludger… am I… going to be a catalyst and… disappear? Like… what happened to daddy?"

Ludger looked down at Elle, the girl he had been protecting since he first found her. She was the girl that he promised Julius he would save and protect. And now she was looking at him with frightened eyes, scared that death would claim her.

"No…" Ludger said as he got down on one-knee, clutching Elle by her shoulders to give her courage, "You're not going to die."

Elle was close to tears, "But… but he said…"

"He's wrong. I'm not going to let him do what he wants."

Ludger stood up and walked towards the container. He cut Bisley off and stood in front of him. Bisley stopped walking and stared down at the younger Kresnik.

"What're you doing Ludger?" Bisley questioned.

"You're not going to make your wish." Ludger hissed, "Because I'm going to use the wish to save Elle. I'll ask Origin to stop her from turning into a catalyst!"

Bisley narrowed his eyes in anger, "Do you know what you're saying Ludger? Origin can only grant one wish from one person only. Are you saying you will risk humanity's fate just to save one girl?"

"I'm going to save Elle. I'm not going to let her become a catalyst."

"Ludger…" Jude and Milla muttered on their own. The pair was stunned at how far Ludger was going to save Elle. It just shows how much he cared for her. Even fractured Milla did not know Elle meant this much to him.

Ludger and Bisley stared at each other in silence, as if testing the mettle of each other. For Bisley he wanted to know whether Ludger was just giving bluffs but he could see it in Ludger's eyes. His eyes were cold as steel.

"You can't be serious." Bisley finally said to Ludger, "Do you really believe you can stop me? Do you really believe that that girl's life is worth saving over humanity?"

Ludger did not answer and just stared menacingly at Bisley, infuriating the large man.

"You're all nothing more than spirit's lapdogs!" Bisley snapped, "I've crawled over a mountain of corpses to get this far! I've sacrificed everything that I hold dear to get my wish! I won't let you take it from me!"

Bisley took out his own pocket watch and activated his Chromatus. Instead of the usual white light, Bisley was covered in pitch black flames before a tremendous blast exploded, releasing a mighty shockwave. Ludger, Jude and Milla had to back away while fractured Milla grabbed Elle before jumping away from the blast. When the flames settled, Bisley stood in the center of the black flames, draped in his level four Chromatus form. The complete Chromatus. The ultimate Chromatus.

Now that the battle was about to begin, Milla summoned the Great Four spirits to her sides but instead of preparing for battle, the four spirits moved away from the final chamber.

"I've sent the Great four to get the others. We're going to need their help against Bisley." Milla informed the party.

"But you rely on the Great four!" Fractured Milla pointed out, "How are you going to fight Bisley without them?"

Milla nodded, "I understand the circumstances and I will be severely weakened until the Great four returns. But I fear without our friends help, we won't suffice."

Fractured Milla hated that idea. She turned to Elle, "Elle! You need to stick close to me. You understand?"

Elle nodded. Fractured Milla was determined to protect Elle from this fight.

Bisley moved into an attacking stance, preparing for battle but Ludger decided to even things out. He took out his own pocket watch and started his Chromatus transformation. After his battle with Julius, Ludger had also obtained the level four Chromatus, the ultimate and highest form. Only now, Bisley learned he was not the only one who had the final form of the Chromatus.

Bisley and Ludger, both in their level four Chromatus, continued to stare at one another. Bisley's ultimate Chromatus was red in color with magnificent black wings that looked like burning flames. Ludger on the other hand was black in color with two yellow stripes flowing out of his back.

For the first time in the two thousand years since Origin's Trial begun, this was the only time that two Kresniks possessing the ultimate Chromatus existed at the same time. And they were enemies.

"So you also possess the final Chromatus?" Bisley spoke with amusement, "I see… you've killed Julius, your own older brother… not just for the Soul Bridge but to boost your strength." Bisley smirked under his Chromatus mask, "How fitting for you brothers to fall under the Kresnik curse."

"You're wrong Bisley." Ludger responded.

Bisley did not respond, not understanding what Ludger meant.

Ludger raised his right hand, pointing the Chromatus lance at Bisley, "Julius and I… we freed ourselves from the Kresnik curse. It's you who's still bound by the curse."

"LUDGER!" Bisley screamed in fury as he charged towards Ludger with his fists drawn.

Ludger retaliated, charging headfirst towards Bisley. Jude and Milla appeared by Ludger's side and the three of them engaged in the final battle.

Fractured Milla stayed by the sidelines, to make sure Elle, the girl Ludger wanted to protect with his life, was safe.

CHAPTER END