Hello everyone, Slade here. Welcome back and enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online nor the characters; heavens forbid that destiny.
Chapter 9: [Dire Ascent, Desperate Descent]
Around the 64th Floor, the Elevator. Central Cathedral.
31st day of the 5th month ~ 16:09 hrs.
Kirito's POV.
"Is that… a tree branch?"
My bewildered question was left unanswered when a second explosion rocked the elevator shaft. This one came from somewhere below the platform.
I took a step back, turning sharply towards the sobbing Operator.
"Get this platform moving!" the poor girl jumped on her place, staring at me with teary and confused eyes. "Operator, get us out of-!" my sentence was silenced when the wall two meters above our heads was obliterated by yet another explosion.
"Discharge!" once again it was Alice who reacted first. Skipping the chant of the Sacred Art, the prodigy among Integrators created a crystalline shield that blocked the incoming rubble.
More explosions rang below and beyond our position. These things, whatever they truly were, were smashing their way through the Cathedral! They were the cause behind the tremors all along!
"It's no use, we have to abandon the elevator!" I shouted frantically, trying to see if we could squeeze our way through one of the holes caused by the 'branches.'
"We can't!" Alice replied immediately. "This is the only way to the higher floors! If we leave it, we will need to force our own way up, which will take us the whole day!"
Then what are we supposed to do?! I was tempted to scream back at her. Operator was unresponsive, we were stranded between floors, and these dark tendrils were capable of shattering the sturdy walls of the Cathedral!
Yet, I knew she was right. Leaving the elevator might keep us "safe" for a while longer. But what about Alice Zuberg? We can't leave her when the whole Cathedral is being torn apart by these things!
The platform suddenly moved.
For a moment, my heart jumped up my throat. I thought that we were now going to plummet down into the dark pit below our feet. However, when no such a thing happened, I realized that the platform wasn't moving down… but rather up.
Speechless, I turned towards Operator. The girl, despite the terrifying situation she was in, hadn't moved from her usual spot at all. Though her features were carved in fear and warm tears were flowing down her cheeks, her shaky hands were still hovering above the crystal she used to control the platform.
Has… has she kept us from plummeting down the abyss all along?! I widened my eyes.
"All of you, prepare to defend the disk!" I shouted once I gathered my wits. "Eugeo, make sure to protect Operator at all costs! Alice and I will destroy all branches that pop up, but we need you to defend her for any branch or debris we miss!"
My friend nodded grimly before moving closer to Operator. The girl barely noticed his proximity.
"How long can you use your flowers?" I asked the blonde Integrator while I took position beside her.
"Long enough for us to arrive at the Cloudtop Garden," she commented nonchalantly. "How long can you use your 'Incarnation'?"
"Long enough," I stared at the floors above, as the disk slowly resumed the ascent. "I take you never saw these things before?"
"Not even once," her eye narrowed. "These things aren't natural; I can tell that much."
"Figures…"
"What about you?" she spared me a fleeting glance. "Does any of this resemble anything you have seen while 'traveling' between worlds?"
"Nothing like this, I am afraid."
A new echo roared from above, signal that a new branch tore its way towards us.
"Then brace yourself," she unleashed her flowers with a single gesture, aiming her lethal Perfect Weapon Control towards the incoming debris. "There are over fifteen floors to go."
The next couple of minutes happened in a daze as we faced the onslaught of incoming branches breaking into the elevator shaft. Falling rubble and debris together with those dark limbs only posed half of the problem, since I must remind you that the whole building was shaking.Operator was visibly straining herself just by keeping the platform stable and aligned with the elevator shaft, not to mention the extra effort it took her to prevent any unexpected collisions with the walls. This also implied that our ascent was slightly slower than usual.
Trapped inside such a tight space while at the receiving end of an unpredictable pattern of attacks… I scowled after cutting down a set of limbs that tried to slither our way. Though, in a way, we are lucky the platform isn't that big. Had that not been the case, it would be impossible for just the three of us to defend it.
"More branches incoming!" Alice warned. "They are slithering inside using the many holes and cracks on the walls!"
"Unless they are blocking our path, ignore them!" I barked. "We can't waste time nor effort dealing with those who are only hugging the wall!"
"Kirito, look out!"
A shield made of ice was summoned above me just in time to block a large chunk of marble that almost crushed my head. The rock bounced off the barrier, falling harmlessly to the pit below. Turning back, I could see Eugeo's fingers shinning in a blue glow.
"Thanks for the save!"
"Don't mention it," he then turned to swat a wood fragment that got too close to Operator. "Damn, how many floors are left?!"
"We are around the 77th! Three more!"
"GAH!" I staggered when one of the branches clipped my arm. "FUCK YOU!" I delivered an Incarnation-boosted slash to the damn thing before kicking its remains off the platform. "Make sure to toss over the edge anything that might weight us down!"
"I… am… trying…!" Alice swung Osmanthus to obliterate a new wave of branches that almost blocked the whole path. "I can't… focus… properly!"
"Hold on a bit longer!" Eugeo exclaimed before blasting a dark tendril that tried to reach the platform.
Easier said than done! I huffed silently, taking a short break to catch my breath. There is no end to these damn things! It won't be long for the backlash if I keep boosting my speed!
I perked up when more branches wormed their way out from a large crack at the wall. With a resigned growl, I jumped at the limbs to cut them off cleanly before they became any more trouble.
"I can see the 80th floor! Just a bit longer!"
I briefly whipped my head upwards. It was true, the end of the elevator was finally on sight. It was about four meters above!
"Eugeo, get ready to grab Operator!" I barked. "The moment the lift anchors itself to the floor, we will make a run for-"
*BOOM*
A new blast rocked the whole building. But unlike the many others, it didn't come from below or above…
It happened at the same level as the platform itself.
The incoming branch was far away from our reach, landing a clean hit on the platform's underside.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!" my entire world shook violently when the platform began to tilt at a very dangerous angle. The hit had sent us out of course, and we were now heading straight to the shaft.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Operator screamed loudly in her desperate attempts to correct our course and regain stability. The crystal she used to control her Sacred Arts shone like it never did before as more wind element was forced down the disk.
Despite her efforts, we crashed against the solid marble.
I lost my balance, falling down unto my knees. The impact wasn't as catastrophic as I pictured on my mind, probably thanks to Operator, but it was bad enough to make everyone on the platform lose their footing.
Which in this situation was almost a death sentence.
"Alice!" my blood ran cold when I heard Eugeo's terrified wail. Turning around, I saw the blonde Integrator flaying her arms wildly as her left foot twisted painfully in an unholy angle. She began to fall backwards, right unto the chasm below…
"Burst element!" in a surprising display of dexterity, Alice turned around in time to send a gust of wind that pushed her back to the platform. She fell forwards, screaming in pain while clutching her injured foot.
"Dammit, Alice!" Eugeo rushed to her side, his fingers already glowing in preparation for a healing Art.
"No! Eugeo, the ceiling!"
Her warning made all of us stop. The elevator's ceiling was collapsing after the extended abuse it had suffered from the destructive branches. Huge chunks began to fall, some heading our way.
Alice, whose sword was still in her Perfect Weapon Control mode, managed to whip her flowers to punch most blocks out of the way. Eugeo and I joined too, blasting multiple Sacred Arts towards the falling fragments and shards.
But there were a lot of them. No matter how many we destroyed of sent flying, ten more were following behind.
One of them managed to slip through our curtain of fire.
"Operator!" I turned to the vulnerable girl who was still trying to keep us afloat. She perked up, unaware of the imminent danger. Without missing a beat, I pulled her towards me before a particularly large block of rubble could crush her.
The crystal she used to control the elevator wasn't that lucky.
For a second time, the platform shook violently. The remaining aerial elements Operator pumped through its system kept us hovering for another single second.
Then, a sense of lightness overtook us.
With its controls destroyed, the elevator began to fall.
"ENHANCE ARMAMENT!"
Eugeo reacted fast. The moment he realized what was happening, he crouched down and slammed Blue Rose on the platform. Once the sword's memories were unleashed, huge spikes made of ice burst from below the disk and slammed against the elevator's walls.
The ice cracked and fractured under our combined weight, but it did not collapse.
"Not yet… I am not done yet!" he gritted his teeth. "Bloom, Blue Rose!"
The sword answered to his defiant cry. Wave after wave of frost and ice began to ascent through the elevator shaft in an spiral, creating a crude staircase towards floor 80.
It was our way out.
"Quick thinking brother…" I coughed, pushing myself upwards after my back slammed against the platform. Operator was still in my arms, shaking.
"Hurry, it won't hold forever!" my friend stood up, sheathing his sword. "Alice, are you…?"
"I am fine," she curtly replied. "It was a minor injury, I can heal it."
"Dammit…" I pulled myself off the ground, dragging Operator carefully alonside me. The ice beneath our feet cracked and groaned, but held. "Are you alright?" I asked Operator. The girl was too afraid to voice her reply, but she managed to nod at me. "Then hold on tight. We are leaving this fucking hole for good."
Operator yelped in surprise when I pulled her in a princess carry. Had this not been a tense situation, I would have wondered how someone as unexpressive as her could produce such a cute sound.
Alice was already on her feet, aparently none worse for wear. Eugeo was now at the base of the staircase, testing if it held his weight.
*Crack.*
Fuck! I growled when the platform beneath us sunk a full centimeter under our feet. "Go!" I growled to my partners. "Get moving now!"
We all hurried up the staircase, trying to ignore the dreadful sounds the ice made whenever we stepped on it. There was no time left for caution.
*Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!*
The loud noise innevitably brought my attention to the chasm below. A quick glance revealed that the elevator lost its ice support and was crashing all the way down to floor 50.
"…?"
"Don't look," I softly chidded the girl on my arms. "Everything will be over soon."
"More branches ahead! They are growing from the rifts on the walls!"
Oh, for the love of…
I doubled my march, thanking whatever god was above that Eugeo's ice wasn't very slippery.
"Eugeo! Jump!" Alice warning came just in time when some of the steps ahead of him were snapped in half by the growing vines. Eugeo landed safely.
Give me a break already! I tightened my grip on Operator as I watched Alice making the leap with ease. "Operator, hold on tight!"
Not daring to slow down in the slightest, I jumped with all the strength my legs could muster. The few seconds I was airborne felt like an eternity as I silently prayed for a safe landing.
"Whoa!" my feet landed successfully on the ice, but my weight was slightly off. A huge pit grew on my stomach as I began to tilt backwards…
Only for someone to grab me from the collar.
"Got you!" Alice exclaimed, pulling Operator and I to safety.
"Thanks for the safe," I breathed out in relief.
*CRACK!* *CRASH!*
Right, no time for talking…
I rushed through the many steps, skipping one or two with each stride I took. The 80th floor was just some steps ahead. I just needed to…!
A powerful tremor chose that moment to rock the Cathedral. I stumbled on the icy steps, but I did not slow down. No, I ran faster.
Just… a bit… more…!
With one last jump, I had finally arrived at our destination.
I took a moment to catch my breath, feeling a huge wave of relief washing over me. Never before had I been thankful to be on solid ground this much.
"Is everyone ok?" I addressed my friends, who were also taking their time to recover after the tensest minutes of our lives… or at least, the most recent tensest minutes of our lives.
"We are…" Eugeo panted, sliding down the closest wall until he was sitting. "Not even climbing the Cathedral from the outside compares to this…"
"Agreed…" Alice groaned from her spot, wiping large beads of sweat from her brow. "Let's agree to never do something like this again, please…"
If only my luck was that merciful, I grimaced. "You do know we still need to get down there once we are finished, right?"
The two moans of protest were enough answer.
"Operator, are you…" I stopped mid-sentence.
"Is something wrong, Kirito?"
"No," I shook my head. Operator was now resting blissfully on my arms. "She's just unconscious."
I have to admit, you're quite a brave warrior underneath that expressionless exterior of yours, a tiny smile found its way on my lips. I am sorry we had to put you through this. I will make it up for you, I swear…
"Let's take a minute of rest before moving on," I sat down, careful to not disturb the sleeping girl. "We have earned a break."
Sitting as far away from the elevator shaft as possible, we all took our time to recover. The Cathedral had finally settled down as no more tremors shook the building. The branches also chose to give us some truce, as none of them chose to obliterate the tiny hallway that led to the Cloudtop Garden.
After a full minute, we were all on our feet again.
"Let's get out of here," I scrunched my nose. "Hopefully we will find somewhere safe for Operator. If we find none…" I hesitated, sparing another glance at the sleeping girl. "We will cross that bridge if we have to…"
Even if I end up carrying her until she wakes up… I sighed. It's the least I can do.
The small but tall corridor that led to the Cloudtop Garden wasn't too damaged by the branches. There were some purple limbs piercing the sides of the walls, but the path was fortunately unobstructed.
Though I can still hear sounds of destruction all around us, I watched the walls with caution. Hopefully these "branches" will cease to grow eventually. Hopefully.
Eugeo, who was taking point, halted just before the massive double doors. He turned briefly to our direction, giving us a silent nod. Then, with Blue Rose in one hand and the other resting on the wooden door, he pushed.
"Hm?" my friend blinked in confusion. The door moved a tiny bit before refusing to go any further. He gave it a second try, this time sheathing Blue Rose and pushing with both of his arms. Yet all he got for his troubles was the creaking of wood and a door slightly ajar.
"It's no use, I can't open it," he puffed, lowering his arms in resignation. "Something must be blocking them from behind."
"Must be more branches," I sighed. "Can you see anything through that tiny opening?"
"Not really," he peeked through the small gap between the doors. "Though I think I can hear something behi-…"
At that very moment, a sharp sound literally cut through the air from behind the doors. Startled, Eugeo jumped back just before a second slash was heard, this one followed by a third, and then by a fourth…
Alice rushed past me, rallying with Eugeo while both took defensive positions. More slashes were heard in quick succession until, at last, they stopped. A second later, the lowest part of the doors began to fall apart into pieces.
It was an impressive yet intimidating sight. Whole chunks of wood were cut with terrifying accuracy that I doubt I saw a single splinter fly. Had Eugeo not jumped away when he did…
As more parts of the doors fell to the ground, the responsible was shown to be standing just behind the door. She was a woman, clad in gray Integrity Knight armor. She had a tall and slender figure, straight dark-gray hair, and pale skin. In her right hand she wielded a pitch-black sword… if that thing could be called a sword given how thin it was.
Her dark and expressionless eyes peered into the room with apparent curiosity. She perked up when Eugeo and Alice crossed her sight, as she quietly sheathed her "sword." Her presence caused my two friends to relax their muscles, though I could hear them releasing their breath in relief.
In all honestly, their reaction was the sole reason I wasn't fully concerned about this new arrival. Otherwise, I would have immediately lowered Operator in preparation for a fight. However, even if it was clear she was an ally, there was something about her expressionless silence that rubbed me the wrong way.
"Hmm…" the woman gave a low but noncommittal hum. "I knew I heard something, or rather, someone."
"Phew, it was you, Scheta," Eugeo visibly deflated in his place. "You could have warned us that you were about to cut down the door."
"I did," she quickly replied. "The first slash was a warning in case someone was right behind it."
There was a pause in the conversation as those words slowly sank in. From the corner of my eye, I could see Eugeo paling.
Note to self, I nervously stared at the now named Scheta, never fuck with this woman.
"Scheta!" the awkward silence was broken by a fifth voice coming from the Cloudtop Garden. Much unlike Scheta's, this one I was able to recognize. "Who is in there?"
"Hmm…" Scheta hummed, nodding slowly without turning to the other voice. "They are Alice and the other two Wild Cards."
"Wait, master is in there?!"
If I hadn't figured out who was the owner of that voice, now I certainly did. A set of hurried steps followed until a familiar (yet unpleasant) "acquaintance" peaked from the destroyed door.
"Master, its indeed you!" Eldrie, the sucker that attacked us at the Rose Garden in our first night at the Cathedral exclaimed in surprise. "O thank the goddesses you are unharmed!"
He crossed the broken wood, making a straight beeline to Alice while completely ignoring Eugeo.
"Eldrie!" Alice's expression, though relieved, displayed some surprise. "I am glad you are safe, but when did you arrive? I thought you and the others would be gone for at least a week."
"That was our estimate, yes," the purple-haired man nodded. "Yet some of us were ahead of schedule. Scheta arrived last night, while Renly and I happened to stumble with each other an hour ago. As for Fanatio, she has yet to return.
"But nevermind any of that! Master, what are you doing up here?" the guy asked worriedly. "The Cathedral is under attack by those… things!"
"Trust me, we know that already," I snorted, already wanting to skip through this unnecessary conversation.
"I wasn't talking to you, intruder," he sent me an annoyed glare. Then, his eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing carrying that lady like that?!"
So only now does he notice, I could practically hear my eye twitching.
"She is unconscious," I stated the obvious. If I had to be honest, I had to actually strain myself just to keep my tone civil. "She passed out after all the shit we went through down there."
"Ehem!" before our little squabble evolved into an unnecessary argument, Alice caught our attention by clearing her throat. "There are more pressing matters that require our attention, so please refrain from butting heads with one another. Am I clear?"
Needless to say, we both shut our yaps.
"Now, can you tell me how the situation is up here?" she continued addressing Eldrie, who had stiffened after her scolding. "Were you at the Cloudtop Garden when this began?"
"No, we weren't. I was a couple of floors above when the rumbles began. I happened to stumble with Scheta, Giro, and Hobren, the other two with a group of civilians in tow. We were about to wait until the tremors calmed… but then came the explosions.
"We left the civilians in charge of Hobren and Giro before coming down here to investigate. And when we found the garden… well… it was…"
Eldrie hesitated. For some reason, he looked extremely uncomfortable with finishing his sentence. Scheta, however, didn't have the same problem.
"Look for yourselves," she offered, stepping aside. "Though be careful, they are still growing all around the place."
The 31st Integrator visibly deflated in his place, nodding with a sad grimace. He too stepped aside, allowing us to venture into the Cloudtop Garden…
Or, at the very least… what was left of it…
The once beautiful and mesmerizing garden we stumbled across one week ago was… well… gone.
The whole place was devastated. Branches far thicker and larger than those we cut down while at the elevator slithered their way through the walls and the roof. The boughs then split into dozens of twigs that grew like voracious vines across the formerly pristine marble.
The flowers all across the garden had suddenly withered away, leaving colorless carcasses behind. Even the lively grass was now completely dry. The green was inevitably killed, replaced by the dark and purple color of the branches.
Cracks and holes were notorious all across the floor, making me wonder how the Cathedral was still standing after such terrible abuse. Perhaps Administrator's old Sacred Arts had something to do with it? Regardless, the sight just reminded me that we had to hurry and rescue Alice Zuberg ASAP.
Yet the most horrifying thing within the floor was located exactly at its center. The hill where we met Alice a week ago was gone. Instead, there was a gargantuan dark and purple construct of perhaps fifty… no, sixty meters wide.
It had to be the main body of whatever just grew within the Cathedral. The main trunk.
"Impossible…" Eugeo's wavering voice draw my attention away from the vicious sight. "This… this is similar…"
I was confused for a second. Similar? Similar to what exactly?
Before I could ask for a clarification… I felt it. Though I can't describe it properly, there was a sense of deep familiarity within those dark and twisted shapes within the bark. It was barely there, almost imperceptible.
My hand wandered down my waist, right into my belt. With certain apprehension, my fingers brushed Night Sky's hilt…
"You feel it too… right?" my friend's words echoed in my mind as a rush of sensations came back to me.
A giant tree in the outskirts of a small village. Tall and proud, it towered above anyone and anything while greedily consuming the blessings from sun and soil alike. A bark so tough that no one could cut it down, not in a single or even in a handful of lifetimes.
A dark tree… one that gave birth to an equally dark blade.
"But this… what exactly is this?" I scrunched my nose in disgust. "I can feel it. The similarity is there, yes… but it is wrong at the same time. It is…"
"Twisted?"
"Corrupted…" I almost wanted to recoil back.
"What are you two talking about?" Eldrie caught up to us. "Do you know what this thing is?"
"No," Eugeo was quick to reply. "It is similar to the Gigas Cedar, extremely so, but whatever this is… is something we have never encountered before."
Whether he believed us or not, he did not make any comment about it.
Unable to keep staring at the thing any longer, I turned from the horrid sight in favor of inspecting the doors behind our backs. Just as we had guessed, large and thick branches blocked the large entrance at the middle, explaining why Eugeo couldn't pry it open and why there was none of that foul pink liquid dripping down when Scheta cut her way through.
"It was already like this when you arrived?" I asked to no one in particular, hoping that one of the two Integrators would reply to my question. Surprisingly, it was Scheta who replied.
"Yes. The floors above had yet to be swarmed, but the 80th floor was gone even before we stepped in here."
Too fast… I frowned deeply. Extremely fast.
"Whatever this is, it is dangerous," I turned back to Eugeo, who was better than before. "We can't lose any more time."
My friend turned at me with a fire in his eyes, nodding. That determination of his was back.
"You said there were more civilians upstairs, right?" I asked to Eldrie.
"Yes, around half a dozen or so."
"Is it safe up there?"
The purple-haired man hesitated for a second, debating with himself. "Probably safer than this floor. Giro and Hobren are there too."
"Better than nothing, I guess," I sighed. "Lead the way then; there is no need to wait here any longer."
Interestingly enough, there was no snarky reply from Eldrie. He just nodded slowly, turning to exchange some words with Scheta.
I turned to the only member of our group who had yet to say anything. Alice was standing away from us, isolated. Her single eye stared at the hill with a longing glance… a devastated one.
Eugeo reached to her, tapping her shoulder carefully to catch her attention. Alice jolted, giving our friend a weird look.
"We have to go, Alice," he said simply. Though there was still a hint of urgency in his voice, he never sounded pushy.
The girl seemed torn, her eye darting between the hill and Eugeo.
Her expression… I would never forget it. Even before the Integrity Knight persona, Alice was a kid who never displayed vulnerability. Eugeo and I always knew she was the strongest of us, and we thought nothing in the world could shake her deeply.
Seems we were wrong all along…
Before I knew it, I had already walked towards them. My legs somehow moved while I was lost in my thoughts. Now, having joined my childhood friends, I gave Alice a light shove with my shoulder while flashing her a tiny smile.
"We will figure what happened here," although it wasn't a promise per se, I meant those words. "Though that has to wait, for now."
In the end, Alice could only nod in response. After a long intake of air, the same confident girl I "knew" returned.
From the sidelines I could see Eldrie watching intently. Even from afar it was clear that he was gritting his teeth in apprehension, for whatever reason. Ultimately though, he said nothing.
"Let's go," Alice said finally, turning away from the gargantuan trunk. "Eldrie, lead the way, please."
Eldrie's complex expression vanished the moment he was addressed by Alice. No, it's not gone, I noted mentally. He just masked it.
"This way, master…"
94th Floor. Central Cathedral.
16:27 hrs.
Quinella's POV.
"It" charged.
There was no advice or subtle indication. One second ago, "It" was standing motionless before us; now, "It" was sprinting at us with unparalleled speed.
My mind screamed in a thousand of alarms. There was something unnerving in its moves and its presence alone. A sense of wrongness… an air of corruption… a thick and sickening aura. This was unlike Lyceris and the Irregular Unit. This presence was much rawer and personal.
It was like watching a disgusting insect crawl out of a swamp before running full speed towards you.
Such was the presence of "It."
The thing was getting closer. Halfway of the distance between us was gone. "It" snarled in anticipation, readying Silvery Eternity to strike.
But, before I could properly react, and before the creature took another step, Lyceris acted.
An explosion of shining bright accompanied by a deafening cacophony burst a mere mel away from us.
I screamed in surprise and pain. I was fast enough to shield my eyes from the harmful light, but I was unable to protect my helpless ears. My voice, and all sounds in the hallway, were lost within the earsplitting blast.
Somehow, the light grew brighter.
What in the world are you doing?! I screamed, though I was unsure if I verbalized it or not. Using this system command in such a tight space… Do you want to kill us too?!
Not only were two of my senses assaulted mercilessly, but the air around me felt so hot that I had trouble breathing and my skin began to itch.
After ten long and painful seconds, the light finally vanished.
I felt disoriented, fighting to distinguish my blurry surroundings from the shadows that filled my vision. My ears rang painfully, and my head was pulsing in protest from being subjected to such harmful stimuli.
Breathing was hard too. Although the heat was gone entirely, my nose itched with each breath and was immediately followed by nonstop coughing.
I fought desperately to remain on my feet as my senses slowly tried to come back. It took a couple of seconds of coughing and blinking, but I was finally able to witness the aftermath of such reckless and dangerous system command.
The only word that came to mind was… massacre.
Particles of dust lowered the visibility to around three to four mels of distance, yet the damage was undeniable. The once immaculate marble used for the hallway was now shattered and scorched beyond all recognition. The floor, the walls… even roof… nothing was spared from the blazing light. I think I could see some kind of gas coming from the debris, product of the marble being subjected to such heat.
"-at -ere you t- ink -g?" I shouted at Lyceris, though I could barely hear my own voice between the nonstop ringing of my ears.
"…"
No response. For a second, I thought that she was ignoring me, but once my vision was clear enough to notice her glassy eyes and her wobbly feet, I was truck with realization: she stunned herself too.
It is very rare for system commands to hurt the caster (unless it was meant to do so to begin with). However, due to the tight space and the ridiculous power that was unleashed through a single command, our senses were assaulted regardless. A lance or arrow made of light wouldn't have posed any problem, but a whole pillar of light in such a tight space?
"-ceris!" I growled in anger and frustration, shaking the girl. "Hey! Ly- ris!"
The brat jumped in her place, startled.
Her eyes flashed me a strange look. It was aggressive, I had no doubt, but there was something else lurking below those brown eyes of hers, something less contemptuous and more… troubled, disturbed.
I tried to scream at her whilst demanding an explanation for executing such Sacred Art without casting a protective layer of defense to prevent the backlash to our ears and eyes. Yet, if I couldn't properly hear my own words, there was zero to no chance for her to understand me.
Due to how pointless it was to scream at the little twat, I chose to save it for later once we could hear each other perfectly. Besides, screaming was only worsening my pulsing headache.
My mind returned to the mysterious entity we just encountered. What… what in the world was that creature? It appeared to be human, but there was a primal part of myself that refused, no, rejected such notion.
And its eyes… the familiarity on them…
It was the same… I frowned, biting my lower lip intensely. No, it is similar, but not identical. There is more behind the rejection and animosity from two centuries ago… I briefly looked back at Lyceris. And to be able to wield Silvery Eternity, a Priority 60 Divine Object-class rapier… it should be impossible.
Silence settled down. The ringing was finally gone, and I should be capable of hearing properly…
Wait a second…
Silence. It was completely silent.
The tremors, the explosions, the destruction… none of it could be heard.
I cautiously took a step back.
That feeling… it was back. That rejection from before… the wrongness and alarm… it suddenly returned.
For a handful of seconds, the only sound that reached my ears was the fast beating of my heart. I desperately glared towards the cloud of dust that blocked our sight, feeling a lump tighten painfully on my throat.
"How…" my voice pierced through the pregnant silence. "How is it… alive?"
Then, from behind the shadows that permeated the hallway, a single light manifested… then a second… then a third… then another… and another… and another…
"LYCERIS!"
I threw myself to the ground, pulling the stunned brat alongside me with indescribable urgency.
Not even a second later, a hail of Thermal Arrows rained down the hallway. Most of them flew past our heads, but some others landed dangerously close to our position.
And one of them actually managed to find its mark.
"AGK?!" I screamed in both surprise and pain. The single projectile punched through my torso with far more strength than any of the blows I received from the Irregular Unit.
The impact was so strong that I let go of Lyceris, tumbling backwards by the sheer force behind the system command. My mind went entirely blank for a second, trying to fight back the explosive pain that began to spread throughout my body.
My hands instinctively found their way to the wound, applying slight pressure as my crimson blood began to taint my skin and dress.
Dammit, dammit! I grinded my teeth. The wound wasn't closed by the heat!
I writhed on my spot, finding the strength of all my limbs dwindling. This is disastrous… Lyceris is stunned, and I cannot heal myself or fend that thing off!
As if on cue, steps began to echo down the destroyed hallway.
"It" was charging once again.
"Get up!" I screamed at the top of my lungs while clutching my injury. "Stupid and useless brat, get up already!"
The steps earned pace and power, now beating against the ground like a massive drum.
Time was running out. With no options left, I crawled towards Lyceris and began to shake her awake with all the strength my weakened limbs could afford.
"LYCERIS! GET UP NOW!"
But it seemed that my shouts fell on deaf ears. Lyceris was still at the ground, unmoving.
This won't work… I gritted my teeth. Even if the creature triggers the anomaly, the Irregular Unit might not even survive arriving here in time! His body was crumbling apart just by moving short distances at those speeds. What will happen if there are entire floors between us?!
Then, the cloud of dust parted.
If I wasn't feeling hopeless before, I now surely did.
"It" was completely unharmed. Despite the powerful system command unleashed upon it, there was no visible damage on its body or clothes.
No normal entity should have been able to withstand such attack head-on without any visible damage. Only some of the strongest Perfect Weapon Control Arts should be capable of matching that kind of power, and it would take something far more powerful to nullify the attack.
Only people above the level of average Integrity Knights should be capable of such feat.
A ball of darkness erupted from the tip of its staff as the monster leapt at us. It was a finishing strike.
"LYCERIIIIISSSSSSS!"
"… I heard you the first time… Quinella…"
"?!"
"And I told you… to not boss me around…"
Suddenly, the girl I was so desperately trying to "wake up" shifted in her place as her right hand was revealed.
All her fingers were lightened up in a green light.
"Burst Element!"
A torrential wind roared, unleashing its powerful might onto the entity. "It," unable to dodge this second attack, was sent crashing into the ceiling with enough force to break bones and crush organs. The impact also shattered the broken marble even further, resulting in an eruption of shards and debris that undoubtedly pierced and slashed this thing's skin underneath its robes.
But Lyceris wasn't done yet. As "It" fell into the ground, the short girl summoned countless spears made of ice, easily doubling, or perhaps tripling, the entity's previous volley of Thermal Arrows. With a mere gesture from her staff, an icy hell rained upon the vulnerable foe.
However, those spears never found their mark.
Without any warning, a new explosion rang within the corridor. A portion of the wall burst and broke as dark and purple limbs slithered their way between the icicles and "It."
Moving as long tentacles, the twigs from The Calamity intercepted each projectile with uncanny precision and speed. The lances of ice tore and pierced through the dark wood, but there were so many branches pouring inside that not a single one of them managed to penetrate through the whole foliage.
And, if that wasn't enough, the things just kept growing.
"System Call! Generate thermal element! Burst Element!" Lyceris reacted quickly, flooding the hallway with crimson flames in a desperate attempt to consume the twigs racing to our position.
Only now was I capable of hearing that the prior rumbling had returned.
"That creature…" I whispered despite the pain. "It… It can control The Calamity?!"
The Calamity might be a powerful and fearsome tool, but it had a major drawback: its growth was unpredictable. All my attempts to fully command The Calamity always ended in failure. At best I could stop or resume its growth, but that was it.
Commanding its movements like this should be impossible.
As the branches were slowly consumed by the raging inferno, Lyceris finally turned towards me.
"You pretended to be unconscious, little twat," I spat, forgetting for a second the dire situation we were in.
"And you were quite noisy about it," she shrugged, tapping my forehead with unnecessary strength with her staff. I growled, swatting the object away with a disdainful gesture whilst feeling my strength returning. "If I knew better, I would say you were desperate for my help."
"Eat your own tongue, brat," I pushed myself upwards, noticing that my injury was gone entirely. For a moment, I could have sworn that the cheeky bitch was smirking. "I should have let the arrows tear you apart."
"Yet, you did not."
Any possible retort that I had vanished from my mind the moment the rumbling grew in intensity. Right, left, up, down… the slithering of The Calamity made its presence known.
From afar, behind the licking flames, was the silhouette of none other than the entity… watching us wordlessly whilst presumably healing itself.
"Well, this explains how 'It' survived your stupid command," I commented whilst eyeing warily around us. "While our senses were crippled, the bastard shielded itself using The Calamity. Those Thermal Arrows were only meant to buy time until more branches grew around us."
"You never mentioned that The Calamity could be controlled."
"Because it can't be controlled," I twisted my mouth. "Or at least, it couldn't before."
*Crack*
Lyceris did not hesitate. The wall at our left was teared apart by another set of branches, but that barely faced my counterpart. Thrusting her staff like a lance, Lyceris created a crystalline barrier that rammed against the Calamity with enough force to crush the limbs into a rosy paste.
"Well, they definitely can now," she dismissed her command. "We can't afford losing any more time. How long would it take for The Calamity to fully drain the resources in the area?"
"If you keep using those ridiculous commands, less than five minutes," I scoffed. "And if that thing insists on unleashing commands of its own… then it would be far less."
"Then care to suggest a better alternative?"
There was a pause. My eyes inevitably traveled towards the masked entity at the end of the hallway.
"Give me a sword."
"Pardon?"
"Did that pillar of light worsened your hearing, old hag?" I snapped, but not without urgency on my voice. "A sword! Transmutate something while there are still resources available for the command!"
"Do you see me carrying anything that could possibly be turned into a sword?" the brat snarled. "I only got the clothes on my person and my staff, and I am giving you none."
"Then…" I took a deep breath. "Use mine."
An uncomfortable silence ensued. It should go without a say… that I had to eat my pride to ask my nemesis such a thing.
"… you are a lost cause…"
"Have you any better idea?!" it took all my self-control to not strangle the idiot. "My clothes are hemmed with Stacia Window's silver threads. Its Priority should be high enough to make a decent weapon!"
"… just to make it clear, I do not condone your exhibitionism."
"Do it already!"
Turning around, and giving me one last annoyed grumble, the girl yielded. She reached for me with her staff, pressing its tip against my shoulder. My once gorgeous dress erupted into a shining light as a white rapier manifested before me.
Lyceris did not bother to look at me throughout the whole process.
"Done. Now ready yourself," her fingers shone with a characteristic blue and green glow. "It's our turn to charge."
"For once," I grabbed the rapier's hilt, testing how it felt on my hands. Though it was by no means Silvery Eternity, it would do for now, "I can agree with you on something."
"Discharge!" she roared.
Ten rotating blades made of water and wind shot straight into the burning remains of The Calamity. The attack tore through whatever branches had yet to burn down whilst simultaneously extinguishing the fire, leaving a clear path for us to take.
Thus, we ran.
In response, the whole hallway shook as more Calamity poured into the tight space from all possible angles. Behind us erupted twigs from above and below, the limbs desperately looking for us blindly. From the front came an assault from the broken ceiling, but these were also thinned down by the blades unleashed by Lyceris.
Yet, there were some twigs that managed to slip through.
Thrusts won't do, I thought, clenching my fist on the rapier. And a single hit is out of question. If so…
I shifted my stance. Although the position was unfamiliar, my memory remembered clearly all the conditions I once analyzed a long time ago. I just had to rest the blade on my shoulder, a rather unorthodox position for a rapier.
Not that I planned to use a rapier's Sword Skill anyway.
"One-handed Sword Skill, seven slashes… [Deathly Sins]."
Without the need of any training or swordfight knowledge, my body reacted to this simple instruction. My sword traced a diagonal slash, cutting cleanly two branches in a single swipe. The motion continued into a full spin before two more hits found their mark, tearing with ease through the dark wood. An upwards slash preceded a backwards somersault, catching a twig that attempted to get me from the ceiling. The skill continued with another horizontal slash, a spin, and a diagonal slash. The seventh and last strike was a spin in a full circle.
And, just like that, I was able to destroy all incoming limbs. A part of me couldn't hold the laughter in my chest.
My chuckles died a second later when the entity, tired of sitting idly, unleashed a lightning bolt from the tip of Silvery Eternity. Before I could take any action, Lyceris reacted first and countered the attack with a ball of darkness that literally ate the incoming attack.
"Focus, Quinella!" the brat ran past me, turning briefly towards The Calamity pursuing us from behind. "Discharge!"
The ground we were once standing was suddenly filled by darkness turned into a puddle. From it erupted multiple arms made of umbral element, catching the branches and tearing them apart savagely.
Umbra Drain, I noted mentally. Though I doubt she will gather many resources form a couple of twigs.
More Calamity kept punching holes into the corridor or flooding it through the destroyed walls, floor, and ceiling. Lyceris and I retaliated without missing a single beat, cutting, cleaving, hacking, tearing, dodging, blocking, and even parrying both wood and system commands. I used all Sword Skills I could remember regardless of the weapon type (with some exceptions). My sworn nemesis, on the other hand, used commands more sparsely, going as far as to use her staff as a melee weapon too. It was hard to forget, but that piece of wood was one of the highest Priority Objects in the world.
I won't deny… a part of me was beyond exhilarated. Finally, after a whole week full of embarrassing disgrace, sleepless nights, hopeless imprisonment, and emotional turmoil… I remembered how it felt to be on control.
With my powers gone I was at the mercy of my enemies. And although I still technically was, finding the chance to unleash all accumulated rage, hatred, despair, stress, and tension upon measly entities such as these twigs…
"Hehehehe," a clean [Horizontal] snapped three more branches as that pink liquid oozed from the cut like fresh blood. "Hehe… hehehehe…" without breaking my stride, I blocked incoming debris with a [Spinning Shield], and then tearing apart the freshly spawned branches with a simple [Slant]. "Ahahahahahahahahahaha!"
This is who I really am! I screamed on my insides as I laughed maniacally. Strength! Power! Control! Not that scared coward locked inside a tiny room! I can finally let go of that bothersome weakness!
Wave after wave of Calamity was destroyed under our heels. The entity must have realized its mistake by now, slowly retreating further down the hallway whilst unleashing more and more desperate attacks.
"Keep pushing!" Lyceris screamed after snapping a twig the size of her body with a flick of her staff. "Don't let 'It' go away!"
We were now just a handful of mels away from our objective. In desperation, "It" gathered most of the remaining Calamity between us as some sort of improvised wall. The remaining branches rained upon us, forcing Lyceris to stop in her tracks to block them.
No matter! I widened my smile as my rapier shone brightly. I can break through that wall by myself!
"[Flashing Penetrator]!"
An unknown force took hold of my body as I lunged forwards like a comet. The power behind the rapier Sword Skill punched a large hole in The Calamity by bending and snapping everything on its path.
Splinters and pink blood flew all around me. I was now able to see behind that giant mass of dark and purple wood…
"W-what?"
It was empty. Save from the thing'sstaff lying on the ground, there was nothing in there.
For a second, I hesitated. Did "It" managed to retreat? Why did "It" leave its staff?
A sick feeling settled on the pit of my stomach.
No… my previous confidence was dashed away on the spot. That sensation… I can feel it! "It" is still here!
*Click* *Click* *Crack!*
Those sounds came from behind me. But that was impossible! The only thing behind was the remains of the wall…
I managed to turn my head in time to see a sight that chilled me to the bone. "It" was hanging from the ceiling, holding into the branches for support whilst seizing Silvery Eternity into a position I easily recognized: [Vorpal Strike].
Fear pumped through my veins as my mind all but screamed for me to dodge out of the way. Yet my mental instructions were ignored; I was stuck on the same pose as the end of [Flashing Penetrator].
Post-motion… my blood froze. "It" expected me to cross with a Sword Skill and prepared for the post-motion!
My inner voice demanded to all my limbs to move or parry, but they refused to move at all.
Down below I knew that all of this could have been avoided. Had I acted more cautiously I might have been able to override the laws of this world and canceled the post-motion through Incarnation.
But that was not the case.
It was only now that I realized something. This entity… "It" knew about the revulsion its nearby presence inflicted on me. The three times "It" chose to attack directly were always when we were too close or there were means to shorten the gap with ease: revealing itself for the first time… using the dust as means to cover its moves… pretend to flee only to isolate me…
Though its presence wasn't enough to render me motionless, it did cause unease and discomfort… something that "It" capitalized on.
This creature was no mindless savage. "It" planned this encounter carefully.
Lyceris was ignorant of the danger heading my way, the Irregular Unit could be entire floors away from me, and I had no hopes that a third party would come and block that blade. Even if the Irregular Unit was able to buy me a single second… what happens next? There was no guarantee I wouldn't die if he dies, and in the best-case scenario Lyceris would simply eliminate me the moment I no longer had him as a "hostage."
These turbulent thoughts crossed my mind in half a second, and in that time the creature had already leapt.
Without any options left, I just prepared for the worst.
*Boom*!
But something truly unexpected happened.
The already damaged wall of Calamity erupted into a thousand splinters when a massive cleaver made of light smashed through it.
The monster's head snapped unnaturally towards the cleaver the second it was visible. To my surprise, the thing actually managed to react in time by hastily raising a crystalline shield, or perhaps "It" had the spell ready beforehand?
The light shattered the shield with ease, and "It" was struck on the back.
Helpless, the entity was flung away from me until its body crashed with the end of the hallway. Silvery Eternity was knocked off its hands, falling harmlessly a couple of mels away from the creature.
A heartbeat later, the post-motion finally wore off. My legs almost gave way from the sheer terror I just experienced. I had to take a long intake of air, since I forgot to do so whilst frozen.
Close… I took deep breaths, trying to stay on my feet. That was too close…
Very… very close…
I slowly turned towards the source of the light cleaver: Lyceris. The girl could be seen standing alone surrounded by the butchered remains of countless twigs and fragments of marble now that the wall had been obliterated.
How… how did she know? I asked myself. How did she know I was in danger? How was she able to strike only the entity?
*Crack* *Crack* *Crack* *Crunch*
My head whipped back to the fallen creature, finding a most unnerving sight.
The monster was pushing itself from the ground disregarding the unholy sounds produced by its mauled form. The cleaver had cut through its body. There was a horrible gash that ran from its left shoulder blade to the waist. The left arm was bent in a weird angle and its elbow was entirely gone. I was sure I could see some ribs sticking out from its clothes…
There was no cry of pain. There was no whimper of agony or even a grunt of surprise. Nor was there any struggle as the creature got back on its feet, ignoring the oozing crimson blood that now tainted its robes. The movement was casual and unbothered by pain, almost as if nothing had happened; that thing didn't even bother to glance at its injuries.
I was mesmerized by the morbid display just as much as how I was horrified. This only served to feed my instinctual rejection towards the creature. A part of me told me to charge now that "It" was injured, but a larger side of me warned me against it.
A second later, I settled on the former.
Ignoring the discomfort its sole visage caused, I hastily triggered a new Sword Skill: [Crucifixion]. Now that my enemy was disarmed and battered, I thought that maybe I would be able to finish it off with a single strike.
The only reaction from the entity was a raised arm, its uninjured right arm.
*Clang*!
My jaw dropped when my attack was slapped away with the same ease as someone swats a bothersome fly. The creature's staff had returned to its master, and the monster used the weapons larger frame and weight to cancel the Sword Skill.
I tumbled backwards, struggling to keep my footing. Using the bare minimum of movement, the thing punched me in the guts.
"Gaaaah!" I fell to the ground unceremoniously.
As the creature stared down at me, "It" did something that chilled my very fluctlight.
"ANoMalOuS… fALleN…"
It spoke…
I trembled at the ground, unable to resist this primal feeling. The creature's nauseating aura seemingly doubled in power. Nothing I had felt in my long years of existence ever compared to this experience.
Its voice… if it could be called a voice… it was horrendous. It was a sound closer to a shrill and rasp cry, if such a thing was possible. The pitch and tone shifted radically from one syllable to the other, giving the impression that two, or perhaps three, creatures were trying to speak at the same time.
It then turned away from me, looking at Lyceris far behind.
"mISERabLe… FAiLure…"
Lyceris, who was petrified too by the emetic show, snapped out of the trance and prepared for another system command.
One tremor… one tremor and the ceiling above her collapsed.
Make no mistake, this was no coincidence. I saw it all unfold, from the small gesture of the creature to the eerie purple light that shone from its mask's eyeholes.
Our battle took place on floor 94, hundreds of mels above ground. The Calamity had assaulted us mercilessly from all angles, punching and destroying everything on its path whilst we retaliated in kind.
Why hadn't the whole corridor just… collapsed?
The answer was now in front of me. This thing… it ordered The Calamity to hold the floor in place until most of the resources were drained. Now, with me isolated and Lyceris unable to use her full powers… "It" gave a simple instruction to the branches: let go.
To her credit, Lyceris was able to hold off the falling marble with whatever resources were left. But she was unprepared when the floor underneath gave way too. Now, with her losing focus and balance, the shield she casted broke.
The last thing I saw of her, was her shocked face getting lost in the sea of fragments and debris.
**** Author's Notes ****
And that's a wrap! At least for today that is.
Hey everyone, it's been a long while. I am sorry I couldn't update these last months, but my life became quite hectic as of recently and didn't have as much time to write as I would like.
I would love to return to the monthly updates, but that might be impossible at the moment. Yet, as I have said countless times already, this story will continue to update until its finished!
And also… HOLY, [Our Bond] has now over 100 followers?! Thank you all for coming by and reading my humble story! I promise I will keep it up until the end!
So… let's talk a bit about the chapter, shall we?
** The chapter itself **
First was the fight at the elevator. We got to see the dynamic trio work as a team under a really tense situation. Also, we got time to see our favorite inexpressive girl Operator in action! I must admit, for some reason I harbor a soft spot for the (currently) nameless girl. Perhaps we will see more of her later on? Hmm…
The second half was the most interesting. Yes, believe it or not, Cardinal and Quinella fought side by side as a team! And a rather decent one all things considered. And for a good reason, "It" proved to be more than an average threat… it proved to be a smart one. Now Quinella is forced to face that monster all by herself. Will she be capable of fighting the master of The Calamity?
But that's it for this Author Notes. Now, on with the reviews!
** Reviews! **
inphernalmenace: The Cathedral has seen better days, that's for sure. I doubt "It" will go down without giving a proper fight… and yes, this incident will have a myriad of implications later on.
juanitoramirez5022: Ah, you have seen it too! Well, I hope you like this chapter!
Dranzer: He is. Although, I wonder, why he is so hard on himself? Hmm…
Sergey: I try not to narrate the same things with "slight" changes, I love when authors go out of their way to deliver arcs of their own. As for the Cathedral… doubtful, but miracles can happen. The fighting spirit will be crippled by this incident, alright. No way I would just leave Operator out of this story like that. Also, PoH and Miller won't take a major role. For now, "It" has the spotlight, and I doubt "It" would love to share it.
KiritoAlpha: New chapter incoming! Hope you like it!
Anyway… what are your thoughts about this new chapter? Loved it? Hated it? Regardless of your thoughts, thank you once again for taking some of your precious time to read this story.
On a final note… no, I don't condone Quinella's exhibitionism either.
PS: Follow wishineitor on Twitter! The story's cover was made by him!
See you next chapter!