AN: Hope you all enjoy reading~

Chapter 30:

Towering waterfalls and trees of green leaves and blue flowers spiralling toward the dark purple sky greeted them as they stepped from the dimensional gate and onto a new Netherworld.

They were not venturing into this Netherworld in search of a magical spear, however.

"This is the Netherworld with the last sighting of this mysterious ninja," Christo mused aloud.

With several of their rebels nearly becoming victims of Seedlings, Samuel knew that Warden Naraka was attempting to lure him out. Each rebel had mentioned the sighting of a ninja with a very distinct scar. And each potential victim had occurred mere moments after the defeat and death of Fearcher.

It was not a coincidence.

Killia turned to him. "Samuel, are you sure this ninja is this Naraka?"

Samuel nodded his head resolutely. "There's no doubt in my mind. It's him."

Killia returned the nod. "We better be careful. He's been forcing Parasitical Seedlings upon rebels. He'll probably try them same with us."

Samuel drew in a slow breath. No, that did not sit right with him. Naraka had something else in store for them. For him specifically. Though, he had not a clue what it could be.

Yet, he had not been acting like Samuel expected he would. Running around to other Netherworlds. Forcing Parasitical Seedlings upon demons. That did not seem like something Naraka would do. It was a lot of work. He had always preferred someone doing all the work instead.

What was his end goal? What was he really up to?

A movement from the corner of his eye prompted Samuel to turn to his left. He was stopped dead in his tracks when a dark figure appeared directly in front of him, and something latched onto the back of his neck.

His breath was suddenly stolen from him when a sharp pressure pierced into the left side of his torso.

Samuel's eyes widen and his voice became lost in his throat when a body dressed purely in black pressed against his, a face nauseatingly close to his. A scent, an all too familiar scent of fresh dew and decay drew a tiny gasp from his lips, causing him from dropping the axe in his right hand with a noisy clang.

A finger idly toyed with a strand of Samuel's hair. "Two down. One to go, hm, Samuel?" an all too recognisable voice crooned into his ear.

"N…Naraka…?"

He uttered a strangled cry when the pressure in his side grew into a strange, warm pain. And he tasted the metallic tang of blood in the back of his mouth.

Naraka had…stabbed him?

"Samuel!"

Naraka removed his hand from Samuel's neck and lurched away from him, drawing the sword from his torso quickly, yet somehow agonizingly slowly. Samuel felt more blood pool in the back of his throat as his knees buckled beneath him. He sunk down to the ground and managed to throw his hands out in front of him, planting his palms onto the ground to hold himself upright.

And he spat out a clot of blood.

N-not good.

He lifted his right hand and pressed it against his left side, wincing when he was greeted with that slick, sticky feeling of blood. He vaguely heard his name being yelled by several voices.

Shortly after, he felt hands on him, and he was guided to lie on his back. His head, however, was cradled on someone's lap while he felt the intense healing magic against his side. He was not sure when he closed his eyes, but he peeled them open and soon realised that it was Usalia who had his upper body cradled on her lap and, unsurprisingly, it was Christo who kenlt by his side, concentrating fully on healing the open wound in his side.

Peering over Christo's shoulder, Samuel's gaze fell on Killia. He stood in a tense battle stance in front of them, with Red Magnus and Zeroken a few feet on either side of him, with Seraphina behind Red Magnus and with her guns at the ready.

And in front of them, perched on a boulder jutting out from a tall waterfall was Naraka.

Samuel could not help but wince as he stared at Naraka. In his left hand was a long, thin blade. Where blood could be seen. His blood. Smeared along the entirety of the blade.

He had ran him through with his sword.

Samuel could only imagine what Killia had seen when he turned around, seeing Samuel in Naraka's hold with his sword straight through him, his blood seeping along the blade.

Naraka's right arm, however…was mangled, hanging limp by his side. Clearly broken, in several places.

His visible eye was wide, focused intently at Killia. Staring at him in shock. He almost looked deranged in his surprise. Indignant somehow.

Had Killia broken his arm?

Killia looked over his shoulder, his gaze immediately colliding with his. "Samuel?"

Samuel licked his lips in an attempt to suppress a wince. "I'll be…ok."

"This guy-?"

Samuel swallowed thickly and nodded. "That's…Naraka."

Needless to say, really.

Killia's expression darken before he turned his attention back to said ninja. "So, the final Warden of Nugatory has finally revealed himself. And now he has a broken arm. Isn't that interesting?"

Naraka slowly sheathed his weapon and clutched his shoulder. "…I must admit, I underestimated you."

That brought a half smile to Samuel's lips. Hah. So, Killia had broken his arm.

Naraka probably thought he could have escaped unscathed. With his high speed, he usually did. But Killia was faster, especially when he was moving for someone else's sake.

"What a mess we've found ourselves in," Naraka began. "Seedlings out in the Netherverse. If only there was someone strong stopping them back at Nugatory. Oh, there was, wasn't there, Samuel? That must mean these Seedlings spreading throughout the Netherverse is your fault."

Red Magnus gave a noise that was a mix of a scoff and a snort. "Jeez, you guys are super relentless, aren't you?"

Samuel unwittingly uttered a laugh, but soon winced when pain erupted from his side. "They were all like this, all the time."

"How many times do we have to say this; you're the ones spreading the Seedlings!" Zeroken threw his arms into the air, both annoyed and indignant. "You're the ones at fault! Stop blaming Samuel!"

"Save your breath, Zeroken," Killia interrupted quickly. "We'll just have to beat the truth into him."

Red Magnus punched his fist into his hand, an all too eager grin on his lips. "Heh. Now you're talking my language."

Samuel sighed, making the conscious effort to relax his body. "Thanks, guys," he murmured as he closed his eyes.

It was reassuring to know that none of Naraka's manipulative tactics worked on him, or on anyone, anymore. He truly had heard it all before. Hellekin tried it. Fearcher tried it. And if he should run into Arch-Overlord, he would likely try it on him, too.

They were all the same.

"Hmph," Naraka scoffed. "I see that words won't work on you. No matter."

"H-hey!" Red Magnus suddenly shouted, surprised and indignation evident in his voice. "Get your scrawny ass back here!"

Samuel snapped open his eyes and immediately looked in the direction he last saw Naraka in. But he was not there. No sign of him. Had he fled? That was not a surprise, honestly. His right arm had been mangled and his words were not working, fleeing was his only course of action.

Fleeing and having someone else do the work for him.

Damn it.

"H-he's going to throw someone else at us," Samuel stated as he tried to sit up, only to have both Christo and Usalia forced him to lie back down.

Killia turned on his heel and darted over to Samuel's side, kneeling down next to him. "How is he?" he asked Christo.

Christo did not even pause in his healing to regard him. "The blade went right through, as you saw. Missed his spine, thankfully, but struck some vital organs. I'm doing the best that I can, and he will live, but it would be best that we get Samuel back to the Nether Hospital as soon as possible."

Damn it. Naraka did not attack him to kill him, rather to impair him. To force him to become a burden, to be an object of protection for his companions.

He needed to get off the battlefield before he became a true liability.

The sound of several dimensional portals opening simultaneously made Samuel's heart sink. Any attempt to flee had to be postponed, especially when he felt that familiar sensation of Seedling enhancements. They could not afford to open a portal with enhanced enemies so close. The very last thing they needed was someone following them into the Pocket Netherworld.

Sure, their enemy's time was limited, but they could still cause untold damage and take some lives within those short minutes.

Samuel gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit up, the others distracted by their new guests. A Lady Samurai, a Pirate, and a King Dragon. And they had them surrounded.

Not good.

"So, you're the Rebel Army we've been hearing so much about?" the Pirate mused before he threw his head back on an obnoxious laugh. "You don't look that much."

Samuel laid an arm across his stomach and clutched at his roughly bandaged side. "Th-they've been enhanced."

Christo trailed a fingertip along the thin arm of his glasses. "And they're all Overlords."

Killia slowly stood up. "And they're all about to become statistics." He purposely placed himself into a protective stance in front of Samuel to regard their new enemies. "You three have no idea that in about six minutes, you're all going to die, do you?"

"That's cute," the Lady Samurai scoffed, withdrawing her blade and pointing it in Killia's direction. "We've been warned that you'll try to mess with our heads."

The Pirate flicked his hair over his shoulder arrogantly. "Especially that white-haired warrior over there. He'll try to tell us, beg and plead that we're about to die. Make us think that the powers we've been given will actually lead to our doom."

His gaze flickered toward Samuel, and immediately caught his gaze. His smirk suddenly widened, becoming undeniably predatory. "That's right, we know all about you, pretty boy."

Behind them, the Dragon King simply roared, agreeing with their two companions.

Samuel clenched his jaw. Just as he had suspected; Naraka had been spreading lies about him specifically.

The Pirate kept his predatory gaze locked on Samuel's. "And we can gain yet more strength by possessing that Halfling over there."

"…What?"

Halfling? Did he just call him 'Halfling'?

With a scowl marring her face, the Lady Samurai turned toward the Pirate and slashed her blade in his direction. "Now, you know the deal?"

"Yeah yeah, I haven't forgotten," he answered dismissively as he rolled his shoulders idly, lumbering up for battle, assumedly. "Doesn't mean I can't have some fun with him before we hand him over."

"Hand him over?" Killia immediately repeated. "To who?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Pirate smirked.

Lady Samurai rolled her eyes in pure distain. "Come now, who do you think?"

Killia bristled. Violently. "Void? Void is after him?"

"That's right." The Pirate reached into his long coat and pulled out a twin set of guns. "Now, do the right thing and hand him over to us, and we might let you live."

The King Dragon and Lady Samurai also pulled themselves into battle stances. Their prideful conversation had taken a few minutes, but they still had some time left. And their power levels were still off the charts.

Samuel pushed away from Christo and Usalia, shakily balancing himself on one knee. "Th-they've only got a few minutes left."

He pressed his hand against his injured side as he pooled his energy. He drew in a deep breath and summoned his Overload form. His six wings grew from his back, growing in size and length. They fluttered from his back, giving him the strength needed to lift himself up off the ground.

The pain in his side was nothing he had not dealt with before. He could endure it.

"Samuel!" Killia shouted his name in alarm.

Samuel shook his head. "I…I can handle this. Just keep them busy."

For a few minutes. He could handle it for a few minutes, surely.

"Hng!" Killia released a noise of pure frustration as he, too, unleashed his Overload form. "Everyone, do whatever it takes to keep them away from Samuel!"

"Right!"

Samuel took to the air, to keep himself from the battlefield, but also close enough to keep an eye on Killia and his companions.

A couple of minutes. The battle was only to last for a couple of minutes.

He could handle that.

Their enemies tried to level some long-ranged attacks at him, but Killia had set himself in front of him each and every time, taking the attack for him. Because of Samuel's Overload Skill, the attack resulted in healing Killia instead, but it still made Samuel's heart skip a beat.

Even though he knew that Killia was safe, that he would be protected and healed, he absolutely hated seeing him take an attack meant for him.

And their enemies were relentless in their attacks.

The toxins made their enemies feel invincible. Any injuries they received simply were not felt. That did not mean they were not impairing them in some way. That they were not weakening them.

Samuel gritted his teeth and pressed his hand firmly against his side.

Ignore the pain. Concentrate on everyone else. Protect them. Heal them.

Their three antagonists were doomed. He could not help them.

Simultaneously, the three grew rigid and tense, their eyes growing as wide as dinner plates and their mouths dropping open. Almost to the point that it appeared that their jaws became unhinged.

And then, they screamed. Loud, horrific screams of pure, unadulterated agony.

Time was up.

He could relax.

Samuel released a shuddering breath as his Overload form pulled back suddenly, without his consent. While he was still mid-air. All he could think, as he fell in a shower of black and white feathers, was that he only managed to pull enough energy to protect everyone through that battle, and it was not going to do his injury a bit of good when he hit the ground.

But he did not hit the ground.

A pair of strong, dependable arms caught him; one arm under his knees, as another wrapped securely around his shoulders. Pulling him against a chest that was taut, but warm and comforting.

Killia…

Hah. He really should have known he was going to catch him.

"Samuel?" Killia questioned, almost pleadingly.

Samuel coughed weakly, feeling that unfortunately tang of blood in his mouth once more. Before he could form an answer, he felt Christo's healing magic once more.

"He's put a lot of strain on his already weakened body," Christo stated, disapproval abundant in his voice. "We need to get him back to the hospital."

Mustering up the strength, Samuel peeled open his eyes and lolled his head to the side to look up at Killia. "I'll be ok, Killia," he said, even managing a small smile.

Killia stared down at him with his deep, honey golden eyes, desperately searching his face. Samuel could not even speculate how terrible he must look, probably beyond pale, with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He must be an absolute wreck. How successful he was at his reassurance; he was not sure.

He just hoped that the fact that he was speaking, and able to smile despite the pain, was enough. A response was better than no response, right?

"U-um, is it me or are these screams worst this time 'round?" Zeroken asked, promptly drawing Samuel's attention back to the matter at hand.

Resting his head on Killia's shoulder, he turned his attention back to their three previous aggressors and realised that they were still in the process of screaming in agony. Still withering on the ground. Still in the throes of dying.

"Those with bad or malicious intentions who accept Seedlings or even steal them suffer the most during their deaths," Samuel explained. "And it's impossible for me to help them, even in their first six minutes."

Killia curled his arm tighter around Samuel's shoulders, pulling him closer. "I had noticed you weren't trying to talk them down."

"Y-yeah. I also needed to save my breath."

The safety of Killia and the others would always come first.

"They were doomed from the very start," Christo mused as he shook his head. "How brutal."

Samuel took a moment to gaze at the three victims sadly and he released a tired sigh. "…I need to make my way to Nugatory," he murmured as he looked away, turning his head to rest his forehead against Killia's chin. "I need to stop this. To stop more Seedlings from reaching the Netherverse."

But…with Snap Draingons already infesting the Netherverse, and with said Snap Draingons capable of bearing their own Seedlings, Nugatory was no longer the only Netherworld that held Seedlings. The Netherverse was already infested.

It was too late.

"Killia, you take care of S-Man," Red Magnus stated. "We'll deal with these Snap Draingons."

"Right. Be careful."

Still, Samuel needed to return to Nugatory.

"If I don't find a way to destroy this Tree of Death for good, then…then Halflings will continue to be punished for the crime of being born, forced to spend their lives fighting against Seedlings and guarding the tree. It will be our eternal burden. I can't let that continue."

"We won't let it continue," Killia reminded him.

Samuel smiled softly. "Right."

"You won't be doing anything for a while," Christo quickly chided.

Yeah, he had figured as much. And it was something Naraka had planned, no doubt.