A young girl looked outside her window. Twelve years ago, her family moved here. Her parents apparently only met a few weeks before that, and they had gotten married a year before she was born. There was no official wedding, instead, it was a small ceremony. Her parents always told her about the time an angel descended to bless their union. Of course, they were followers of Ilias. The family was poor, but they were happy.

"Honey? Have you been praying properly?" An older woman asked. The girl turned around to look at her.

"Yes, Mother." She said.

"Good. Ilias won't bless us if you don't pray to her." She said. The girl nodded. She turned back around. She looked at the street. Outside of the humble abode she resided in, there were people. Thousands of people, in fact. They were all walking down the streets, hurrying off to do something or the other. Few looked twice at the young girl. The girl liked to watch the people walk around.

"Oh, it looks like your father's home." The girl's mother said. She turned around to look at the door. A middle-aged man walked through the door. His short black beard was the first thing she saw, and she immediately recognized it as her fathers. Without a second thought, she ran to him.

"Daddy!" She said in joy. Her father rustled her hair as he greeted her.

"Hello, dear." He said.

"Darling, how was work?" The mother asked. The youngest of the family was also eager to hear about his day.

But before he could say anything, screams filled the air. "What the hell!?" He said. He instinctively grabbed the girl, so that he could protect her.

The mother looked outside. "By...By Ilias... This is..."

"Mother?" The girl said. The mother walked over to her father and whispered in his ear.

After a few seconds, the man had a face of horror. "That... Why, why would they do this..." The father wondered. He ran around to the other side of the room and picked up a short spear. "Those monsters want to kill us all, do they? I'll show them." He said. "Honey, you come with me. Well go look for help, and then we'll all get out of here together." He suggested. The mother nodded.

The man walked over to the young girl, who was looking at him with a face full of worry. "Luna, we'll be back soon, okay? Don't worry about us." He said. "Just wait here. I promise. We'll come back to you."

Mother, father. Don't go. Don't leave me here!

But she could do nothing to stop them. They locked the door so she could not follow. An hour passed. She waited. Another hour. Then another. Before long, it was dark outside, and her parents had still not returned.


Ugh... What happened?

Luka felt his body grow colder as he opened his eyes. The room he was in was dim. The cracks in the walls allowed moonlight to enter, so he could at least see. He was startled when the sound of a crash of lightning reached his ears. He looked around him and saw a young girl in the corner. She was holding a stick, clearly about to poke him, but stopped once she noticed he was moving. She was a sight you might see in a slum, that of a young beggar. She was thin and frail. Unusually, she had silver hair, much like the man's wife, and brown eyes. Her clothes were rags at best, and she wore little else other than a pair of socks.

"Are... Are you okay?" The girl asked timidly. She dropped the stick and backed away from the man. Luka did not answer yet. He stood up and looked around the room. It was a shack of some sort. The windows were boarded up, and the walls were riddled with holes and were clearly poorly made. The door to the house was blocked by furniture.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks... Who are you?" Luka asked. He turned to face the girl. She was sitting against one of the walls, and he found it difficult to see her in the darkness of the room. Thankfully, her silver hair stood out.

"My name is Luna..." She responded. "Who are you? And, where did you come from? You kind of just... appeared out of nowhere." Luna explained.

"Did I?" Luka asked. "My name is Luka. I'm a hero." He explained. Luka was surprised to see no reaction come from the girl. Normally, if someone were to hear that the young man was actually, in fact, the Hero Luka himself, they would normally be a bit more surprised. Luka was not one to be egotistical, but the reaction, or the lack thereof, only served to worry him further.

Maybe this place is just really closed off to the world, like Yamatai.

"Luna, do you know where we are? It seems I've gotten lost." Luka asked. Luna shifted for a moment before answering.

"We're in Gelon, the last free kingdom.." Luna said. "It's on the border between the Natalia region and the Noah region." She explained.

Luka listened to the girl as he peeked through one of the cracks in the wall. He looked outside to see what remained of a kingdom. Tall, proud castle walls were now broken stones embedded into the ground. Corpses littered the streets, blood stained the roads, houses and shops were crumbling, and singe marks could be seen everywhere. Craters could be seen on the ground, each one being impossibly deep.

No human could've done this.

Luka looked further down the street. He could just about make out a literal pile of corpses. Something, or someone, was atop the peak, looking to be straddling someone. The fog of destruction combined with the darkness made it impossible for Luka to see who it was.

I have so many questions... Where am I? What happened to Black Alice? Why have I never heard of Gelon before? But first, I need to get the girl out of here. It's far too dangerous for someone her age, but what she told me doesn't make any sense. There is no kingdom called Gelon. And what did she mean when she said it was the last free kingdom in Sentora? And, who could've caused all this destruction?

I need to find out more about this place. Perhaps this is all a dream. If that's the case, Black Alice is pulling the strings. For now though, even if the chance that this is real is small, I must protect this child, just in case.

"Luna, can you tell me more about what happened here?" Luka asked. Luna looked up at the young-looking man. She nodded.

"Earlier today, the king was found dead in his chambers, and the whole city went all crazy! Mommy and Daddy left a while ago to go get help. They told me to block the windows and the door and not let anyone in until they came back. That was a while ago though... where do you think they went?" Luna asked.

Luka peered outside once before answering. "I.. don't know. I'm sorry but... I don't think they're coming back." He said. He walked closer to the girl.

"...I know. It's cause of those monsters..." Luna said. Suddenly, her voice become filled with spite. "All they do is hurt and kill us! Why hasn't Ilias killed them all..." The little girl said. Luka noticed she was nearing tears.

To think a girl so close to Neris's age would say something like that...

Before Luna could react, Luka picked her up. "I know. It's easy to hate them, but they're not all like that." Luka said. "Still, this level of destruction is absurd. Who could've done this?" He asked. Luna looked confused.

"Huh? Who else but the ancestors? Mommy told me about them a few times." She explained.

"They're well known for their evil deeds. They do 'that' to humans for food or for fun. They're the enemy of all of humanity! Me and Mommy and Daddy were always faithful to Ilias, so how could she let his happen!?" Luna said.

"Ilias? You're a follower of Ilias?" Luka asked.

"Yeah. I know it's pretty unusual for people this far north, but Father taught me all about her. He said she's meant to protect us from monsters, and where is she now!?" Luna asked. Luka noticed she was crying on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here now, and I won't let anyone hurt you, okay?"

This girl is reminding me of Neris more and more. I have to help her. There's a chance her parents are alive, but I can't risk looking for them right now. Whatever destroyed this kingdom is still here, I'm sure of it. I need to get her somewhere safe.

Luka looked outside the hole again. The figure had moved.

Luna mentioned the ancestors, but almost all of them are sealed. How could they do this? Once I get Luna to safety, I'll have to investigate on my own.

"Alright, I think we have to go. It's not safe here." Luka said. Now that the figure had disappeared, he believed this was his chance to escape with the girl.

"Okay..." She muttered. She held onto Luka as he prepared to leave. He moved the furniture out of the way of the floor and slowly opened it. Once he stepped outside, he got a clearer view of the destruction.

Who could've done all this...

Luka walked out onto the street. He started slowly walking towards the exit. "Ho? Is somebody still walking around? And a cute boy no less~" Somebody said. Luka however, recognised the voice.

That voice! Tamamo!? But, she sounds more mature than usual...

Luka turned around. What greeted him was a large, glowing, golden kitsune. She had nine tails, wore traditional Yamatai clothing, and was holding a large fan. She had a wide smile as she eyed the hero.

Tamamo. It really is her. But, she's in her ancestral form...

"Tamamo! What the hell are you doing!? Why!?" Luka shouted. Tamamo tilted her head in confusion.

"Strange, you speak as if you know me personally, but I'm afraid I don't recognize you. But, if you want, we could to know each other better~. I'm fairly full already, but you look so delicious~, I might as well have dessert!" She said gleefully. Her smile was sinister, and she looked at the girl Luka was holding, and the sword sheathed at his hip.

Tamamo would never do this, I know that! And she looks different, like she does when she was unsealed. I really hope this is just another dream. But... this feels far too real to be a dream...

"Say, boy, at first I thought you were a hero of Ilias, but you're not baptised. Are you a soldier or something?" She wondered. "Well, it matters little. So, here's what's going to happen. Me and you will have a little fight. If I win, I get to do whatever~ I want to you." She laughed a bit more. "And, if you do somehow win, I'll let you go, sound good? I'm sure this will be fun." Tamamo No Mae said.

As the kitsune spoke, Luka took the opportunity to let Luna down. He told her to run as far as she could, and that he would find her when he was done. Luka turned back to the ancestor. He drew Angel Halo. "Tamamo... I don't really get what's going on but... I'll stop you here and now!" Luka said.

I will avenge all the humans you killed here, Tamamo. I'll put an end to this carnage!

"Now, let us begin. Don't break too fast! It's no fun if you do." Tamamo said. She closed the distance between the two in an instant. She launched a fierce attack at Luka in the form of a punch. It seems she was in no mood to hold back. Luka took the hit directly and was sent flying backwards. It was too fast for him to counter. He was sent halfway down the street.

Ugh... Damn it. She's so fast...

Luka steadily rose, using Angel Halo to prop himself up. He even began to cough some blood. Meditation fixed the issue. Tamamo watched as he stood back up.

"Ohoho, impressive, boy. To be standing when a normal human would've had a hole in them, you're far stronger than I thought. How lucky for me! The stronger you are, the better you taste..." Tamamo said while licking her lips. Luka readied his blade once more. For the first time since the encounter, Tamamo looked closely at the sword.

"What is that? It has angel souls, does it not? And more than a few... How did you get that?" She asked.

"Your right, Tamamo. I'm no hero of Ilias." Luka ignored her question. He entered a state of serenity, allowing him to feel everything that was happening around him."But, I am still a hero! And I'll make sure you never hurt anyone again!" He shouted.

"Ahh, I see now. You're not a soldier, instead, you're an independent hero. I'm happy to see you are not a slave to that pathetic goddess, but I'm surprised. You don't look very heroic to me... Are heroes not meant to be tall, dashing men?" Tamamo asked. Luka showed no reaction at her teasing.

"Regardless, your actions are one of a hero, so that is what I shall treat you as. But don't worry, you will surely enjoy being drained by me." She said. Tamamo then continued the fight, leaping towards Luka. He dodged to the side, slashing at the now-open Kitsune. The attack only did minor damage. Luka felt like he was trying to cut a mountain.

Dammit! Without Gnome, It's impossible to hurt her! What... What should I do? What can I do!?

"Ahh, quite agile, aren't we?" She said. "You're stronger than most of the humans I've fought too. Strange, I can't sense any monster blood in you. And on top of that, how did you attain a serene mind just now?" She asked, confused.

"All these questions I have, I'm sure you'll answer them, right?" Tamamo asked. "Well, I can always just force the truth out of you~" Her grin returned in full. "I suppose that's enough playing around. I wonder, can you survive this?" She said. Tamama took a deep breath and took a low stance. "Try not to burn alive, would you? Nine Tails Funeral Pyre!" She shouted.

All of a sudden, huge swaths of blue flames erupted from the kitsune. Luka guarded himself with his sword. Thankfully, he had seen the attack before, back in heaven. Using his knowledge of the spell, he countered the first wave of flames. The fire still managed to singe him, but he quickly healed.

Huh, that wasn't as much power as she used before. Is she holding back on me?

"Serene Demon Sword!" Luka decided to abandon his defensive strategy, instead using one of his longer-range attacks against the fox. It was the only thing he could think of to repel the incoming attacks. His sword sliced through the first flames of the attack. The fire dispersed, and Luka let out a sigh of relief.

Tamamo looked on in awe at the display. Thunder continued to crackle in the distance.

"Incredible... I never thought a human could ever do such a thing." Tamamo said. She opened her mouth to continue, but was interrupted.

"Indeed." Somebody said.

Huh!? Who was that?

Luka turned to his side to see another monster approach. She was an abnormally large alraune, much bigger than normal. She had both generous hips and a large chest. The strange-looking alraune looked at the hero with a smile as she licked her lips.

"You look delicious, boy. How about you come along with me? I can assure you, being eaten by me is the greatest pleasure there is, far better than what that hag over there can offer." The alraune said.

"What was that!?" Tamamo responded. Luka retreated from the monster. He pointed his sword at her, causing a frown to appear on her face.

"A shame. If you had just come along willingly, I would've let you live for a while." The monster said, disappointed.

Wait, is she... Kanon? Tamamo talked about her before. She was one of the ancestors. From appearance alone, she is clearly the alraune one.

This is... really bad. Two ancestors, at the same time!? I can't take them both on! Unless... I could use my angel power. But, even with that... Could I even defeat both of them? If Tamamo alone was that strong...

Before Luka could continue thinking, Tamamo spoke up. "And what exactly do you think you're doing, Kanon?" She asked.

"Huh? Im going to eat this human. Got a problem with that?" Kanon replied.

"I saw him first! Go find your own meals! Besides, you've had plenty already."

"No way! I get to eat who I want! You got your share already! Most of mine were stolen by that damn Scylla! There's no way I'll let you take this one from me too!" Kanon said.

"I'd be very careful, dear sister. We wouldn't want to make a mistake now, would we?"

"Hah! You think you scare me? I'll have you and that boy to make up for what was taken." Kanon retorted.

Tamamo sighed. "You really are a fool, aren't you? You honestly think you stand a chance against me? It seems someone has forgotten her greatest weakness..." Tamamo said with a playful grin.

"Grr! Shut up! Don't think that it'll work this time! I know just how to take you down! And once I'm done, the rest of your foxes are next! None of our sisters would blame me for it either!" She said.

As the conflict escalated, Luka took the opportunity to escape. He slowly snuck away, and returned to where he had told Luna to go. After picking her up, he ran out of there as fast as he could. Even when he was outside of the city, the sounds of shouts and spells still reached his ears.


Luka looked at the ruins of Gelon. He had ran a mile or so away by now, and was resting atop a hill. Luna was sitting on top of a fallen tree. The ruins were well, ruins. There were collapsed towers, broken walls and great gashes in the ground. The castle itself was now completely caved in. It reminded him of Remina, although these ruins were not nearly as old.

What the hell just happened? I'm so confused...

Luka thought about the situation he found himself in. Eventually, he remembered the Makina. The watch was... Well, it had seen better days. The glass was cracked, and the metal was scratched, but it was still functioning.

It must've taken a hit when I fell.

Luka tapped on the screen. The watch turned on, allowing him to see a new message.

'Where did you go? Black Alice is gone. Respond ASAP'

Luka sighed. He was ever thankful for the message. It disproved his greatest fear, that being that Black Alice had destroyed the world during his absence. Luka thought about the place he found himself in. It all felt so... real.

It can't be a dream. Besides, I think she'd find something more... physical to do with me if that's what she wanted. No, this is something else entirely.

But what? She said she'd put me through a trial, whatever that means. Is this a challenge or something?

Either way, I have to face the facts. The ancestors are somehow alive here. A kingdom which shouldn't exist does, and I'm alone.

Well, I have Angel Halo at least, so I'm not defenceless. Still, I really need to find out more about this place. I should ask Luna.

"Hey, Luna. What year is it?" Luka asked.

"Huh? How'd you not know that? It's common knowledge." She said.

"Ah, Well, I did hit my head," Luka replied with a smile.

"...It's the year 367 of the Johannes Calendar." She answered.

"367!? What!?" Luka exclaimed. Luna looked on in confusion.

"Yeah, it's 367... Are you okay?" She asked.

That's impossible! It should be the year 1375. How could I be in the wrong time? Nobody can just control time like that! And to send me more than a thousand years in the past... It can't be true!

"Listen, are you sure Luna?" Luka asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I was born in 358, and I've had eight birthdays since then, so It must be 367." Luna explained.

"I see... Excuse my outburst, I'm just stressed from that fight earlier." Luka said.

"You fought her!? Really? That's incredible Luka!" Luna said. "I see now! Ilias didn't abandon us! She sent you to save me! Your a blessing sent to save us from the monsters!" She said. She had a big smile on her face, one Luka recognized. It was fake.

She just lost her parents, her home, everything. She's clinging to anything now. I did that too when I was young. Back when Mother died, I clung to Ilias, just like she is doing. She's an orphan now, just like me.

Luna knelt down on the grass and began to pray. Luka noticed she was crying. The pain of losing everything was only hitting her now. Luka walked over to the child. "Luna." He said. She looked up. Once she did, Luka brought her into a hug. She did nothing to stop it, only continued crying, now on his shoulder. "It's okay. Everything will be okay." Luka said as he held her tight. She continued to cry for a while longer.

After a few minutes of Luka comforting the girl, she separated. She was still sniffling. She also looked tired. "We can set out for somewhere safe in the morning, alright? For now, you should rest." Luka said. She nodded in response. Luka took off his cape and placed it on the wet grass. The girl rested on it and closed her eyes. Luka looked at the small girl. Even the cape was a fair bit bigger than her. From here, Luka could see how thin she was.

She looks really hungry, but I should let her rest first. I'll make her something in the morning. Though, she hasn't even asked for food. She must be used to it. Heh, if this was Alice, she'd be getting aggressive.

Huh, Alice... I really want to see her right now. I'd text her if I could, but the watch turned off for some reason, and it won't turn back on. I wonder what's wrong with it.

Luka returned to the spot he was at earlier. He again began to overlook the Ruins of Gelon.

I can't sleep tonight. Now with them so close. I'll watch over Luna for now. After that, I'm not sure.

Luka continued to watch the Ruins. Soon he noticed a large swath of flames rise high above the collapsed buildings. This was followed by a massive vine.

What? Are they fighting?

Hmm, Tamamo did say they didn't really get along. Speaking of, I wonder what she's doing right now. Anyway, I should try to remember everything I can about the ancestors.

Tamamo had told him about the ancestors, her sisters. But never in great detail, only passing comments or a brief explanation when he pressed for details. She never liked to talk about her past, and Luka understood why. If the Tamamo he had just fought with was any indication, she truly was a monster. Alice knew more, since she was educated on monster history, through her he knew a fair amount.

There was Kanon, the plant ancestor, her ability to control nature and flora was unprecedented, but the energy required was just as high. Her vitality was also incredible, the second best among the ancestors. She was also not very smart or sociable, according to Tamamo.

Next was Kanade, the slime ancestor, same super high vitality, but paired with amazing regenerative power, she had the most survivability among the ancestors. Combined with her ability to dissolve prey in seconds, she was a total powerhouse. She was the quietest of the ancestors, similar to Erubuite apparently.

I wonder if Erubuite is a closer relative to Kanade than the other slimes. Perhaps she is a direct descendant? I'll have to ask her.

Hiruko was the final member of the flesh-consuming ancestors, in that she ate humans and angels for food, while the others just drained their energy. She was smart but playful and a prankster. This demeanour was unbecoming of an ancestor according to Tamamo. She was the Scylla ancestor and was skilled in biology, other than that her combat abilities were as high as the others. One other thing to note was that compared to her sisters, her body was far less gifted. Tamamo also said that she was bullied for this by the others sometimes.

Minagi was the succubus ancestor, she was very seductive according to Tamamo, she was able to convince multiple high-ranking angels to surrender to her and be drained while in the raptures of pleasure. She also had three daughters, Lilith, Astaroth and Morrigan. Although Tamamo said they were not very important apparently, only being useful for the mediocre strength, as she put it.

Saja was the final ancestor Tamamo talked about. She was supposedly the strongest ancestor, even more skilled than Tamamo. She was also not a fan of unnecessary cruelty, Tamamo said she respected her but still did not like her much. She also apparently always acted as the leader of the ancestors, which annoyed Tamamo. According to her, they had no leader. Other than the Dark Goddess, of course.

Tamamo only briefly talked about herself, saying that she was a 'Vicious Bitch'. Her words. Luka could not imagine Tamamo ever being as cruel as the one he fought earlier. Luka had difficulties wrapping his head around the existence of two Tamamo's. One who was as gentle as a feather, who had always helped him and also believed in coexistence, and was his wife's surrogate mother. And the other, who was an oppressive tyrant that loved destruction and never held back her desires. The Tamamo of the past was known for invading kingdoms from the inside, hatching great schemes, and being a master of soul magic. She was considered to be the smartest ancestor, according to the kitsune herself. Luka wondered if she did not have some bias.

There's only one explanation I can think of. I must have been sent into the time of the great monster wars. And now every ancestor knows of me. That means I will have to fight Tamamo, Saja, Hiruko, Kanade, Kanon and Minagi... Can I really do that, alone?

And that's just the ancestors, not even mentioning Miceala or Lucifina, Or Ilias and Alipheese themselves, and now they know about me...

This is a very bad situation.


After sending one last wave of flames to her wall of plants, Kanon put her hand up, apparently done. And without a single word, she walked away.

...How disappointing, and here I thought I could finally kill that damn plant.

And yet Tamamo knew, even if she had gotten the upper hand, she wouldn't have killed her sister. She also knew that Kanon was just about smart enough to not kill her either if she had won. Not out of any caring or respect for her sister but out of necessity, to win this war they need all of them. Killing each other would be incredibly foolish, especially with how dangerous things were getting.

Tamamo No Mae watched as her sister walked away. She was interrupted when she heard the sound of grunting.

A human male, still moving around? There's a woman too. Good, I was feeling a bit hungry.

Tamamo went over to her new prey and immediately began to relish in their cries of pleasure and begging for their lives. Apparently, they were looking for their daughter and couldn't find her. Evidence of this was found in the man's foot, which had a shard of metal sticking through it. He must have gotten stuck when trying to return and only now managed to dislodge it, the woman probably stayed with him to help. Tamamo noted that the man's last words were 'Luna'.

Hmm, there's a chance they're talking about that girl from earlier. The one that boy was holding. Well, who cares anyway. They're dead now, and she's probably going to be too soon. Such is the life of a human. Such pitiful creatures...

Tamamo was reminded of the hero from earlier. The boy had been a strange one. He held a sword with the souls of hundreds of angels, he was unusually strong and knew skills exclusive to monsters. He was an anomaly to be sure. She would have to track him down later and find out all he knows. For now, though, she should continue to search for any other survivors, before one of her sisters snatches them up.