Luka jumped back from his chair with his sword at the ready the second Myusca's phone started ringing while vibrating. Kazuya himself went wide-eyed and had a knee-jerk reaction as he stared at the phone in disbelief.
"No way?! What- Why- HOW?!"
Kazuya grabbed the phone and looked at the screen.
"Private call, of course… I won't deal with anything related to that man-eater."
He placed the mobile back on the table and crossed his arms on his chest while one of his legs kept nervously shaking. Judging that Kazuya knew what he was doing and would have already shot the damn thing if there was a risk, Luka cautiously sat back on his chair.
"Don't worry. It should stop in a few seconds."
The music didn't quite stop, instead getting louder and louder with time. As everybody was now turned toward the source of the ruckus, Kazuya groaned.
"Screw it…" He grabbed the phone and brought it to his hear. "Myusca's not currently available, please call la-"
The voice that answered was feminine, discordant but somehow seductive. Luka instantly guessed that it was belonging to a monster.
"Kazuya-kun! How is it doing my man?! It took you long enough to take my call!"
"CHESHIRE?! WHA- HOW?!" Kazuya stood up violently, knocking his chair back.
"Pfffft! Don't sweat the small details, I wanted to call you so I'm calling you. So how did the little party go? I didn't even get a thank you from the White Rabbit! That was a bit disappointing… But you probably enjoyed it a lot if you know what I mean, didn't you?! Eh? Eeeeehhh?"
Kazuya froze. Cheshire had just pretty much told her that she was the one who teleported him to this world to help the White Rabbit for obscure reasons. Well, if Cheshire had done so to help her friend who required additional support givent that this world was in peril, then he could acknowledge her noble attention, even if he had been the one paying the price. Her actions did help save this world after all, so there probably was no malicious intention behind them…
Then he remembered whose phone he was currently using. And if Cheshire had specifically called him through this one… Kazuya's face nervously twitched.
"YOU DELIBERATELY TELEPORTED ME NEAR MYUSCA?! YOU BITCH! YOU FUCKING BITCH! I NEARLY DIED SO MANY FUCKING TIMES BECAUSE OF THOSE HORNY FUCKERS I FEEL FIFTY YEARS OLDER! AND IF I DIED, THIS WORLD WOULD HAVE BEEN LITERALLY FUCKED BY THAT QUEEN OF DREAMS! WHAT THE FUCK CHESHIRE?!"
"Oh, shush it you big baby!" The monster didn't seem more offended than that by Kazuya's outburst. "She told me that she had a good friend that would take care of you should you run in a fatal accident. I'm sure you're just trying to guilt-trip your ol' pal Cheshire and enjoyed that succubus pussy like there's no tomorrow!"
Kazuya massaged his face with his free hand, surprising himself as he realized how hot his head felt. He took a second to cool down and even used a calming spell to recover his composure. Even with its effect, he needed a small more minute to be able to talk properly.
"No, I didn't. And unless what comes next is you saying that you will bring me back home, we're through."
"Eeeeh, it's not quite the same thing, but I'm still making you a favor though, so it's good."
"…What is it?"
"Weeeeeeell…" Cheshire's octave varied several times on the word, which made Luka shiver in apprehension. This wasn't going to be a good thing… "There's been a little… dimensional incident blowing out near that place called Succubus Village -It sounds like your kind of place, you should visit it afterward-, and something should probably be done in the unlikely chance that this small problem might possibly get worse. You'll notice it from afar."
"It's not a favor! You're sending us do your job!"
"It's not my job! It's the White Rabbit's! And besides, I told you know instead of letting you stumble for the next days as you try understanding what's going on. I'll give you a hint, someone FOXED up! Fox! Eehehehe, get it? …Anyway, the White Rabbit's out of commission, so you and Luka-boy should definitively take care of it as soon as you can. Lateeeer!"
Cheshire hanged up, leaving Kazuya panting in rage. As he pocketed back the phone, he groaned and repositioned his chair properly before slumping down on the table.
"…Sorry. Cheshire is… complicated. She treats me like a toy and tried to get my guard down at every turn I met her. Let's just say I'm glad that she isn't here. I'm… not happy to learn that she's the one who threw me straight in Myusca's gullet."
Luka was looking at him sympathetically. "I thought the White Rabbit was bad… She sounds even worse." The hero finished his drink. "Did you tell her my name?"
Kazuya raised an eyebrow. "No, why? I didn't see her since I got teleported."
"Then she certainly said the truth when she said she know the White Rabbit, otherwise how would she know about me…" Luka knocked on the table with his forehead repeatedly before muttering. "And if she said that she's calling for the sake of the White Rabbit, then it's the same as the White Rabbit calling me…" Luka slowly got up, utterly jaded. "And she's only calling when the world is in imminent danger because of chaosization."
Kazuya sneered. "I'm not sure giving credits to what she said is a good idea. Fox… For all we know, she's waiting with Daji to ambush us in a dark cave to have fun. How would she know about the anomaly otherwise?"
"Didn't Daji eat the White Rabbit?"
Kazuya nodded after a second and scratched his head. "It's true… And I imagine Daji would screw around with her new powers, but those two are avatars of mischiefs. They wouldn't be above lying about the end of the world."
Luka didn't hesitate for a second. "We can't take the risk. Let's go."
A few hours earlier.
"Let's focus… I still have some time before the small one show up."
Daji was sitting in a meditative posture in the magic circle that made for her prison. While she found her situation entertaining at first, she soon grew bored. While the adult-looking version of her captor made for a good exchange partner, her sadism was off-putting even by her own depraved standard, and the child-looking one kept making herself impermeable to her piques. And being at the mercy of those two, who also clearly hated each other, was all simply unpleasant.
For Daji, escaping the prison that was currently holding her wouldn't be much of a challenge. The kitsune always hid a part of her magic reserves specifically for this kind of situation. No, the greater problem was escaping physically: The owner of this foxhole had deployed a large number of magic traps and alarm around the place. Even Daji herself couldn't break through those without spending enough time to get noticed. Luckily, she had access to a powerful tool that was just right given the circumstances.
The kitsune wrapped herself in her tails, and, the next instant, she was replaced with a familiar white rabbit girl.
"Tadaaa! Now let's get out of this small no-so-quaint den! Mmmmhhh…"
The transformed kitsune examined the world around her. She was now seeing the other dimensions like one would see other regions to travel to. A clap of her hands would open a gateway to a different world altogether.
"This is interesting… So much effort to gather pieces of dimensions simply for training..."
However, her attention was held back by a place that wasn't so much a dimension than a mish-mash of regions connected through magical portals. Monsters and other creatures were mechanically patrolling those places, and there even were loot-filled chests lying around. Daji knew from the memories of the White Rabbit that those monsters weren't exactly conscious. She could easily hide her herself, rebuild her strength, maybe even get some additional plunder before returning to her own world or even another one to get in more mischiefs involving Kazuya. Those monsters wouldn't really disturb her. She browsed through the different place like one would do window shopping. Sometimes, the monsters she saw made her shiver. She saw someone that looked like the hero, another one that was identical to her in all points, then one of those succubi, once a lamia made of goo, another looked like the lizard that she had worked with not so long ago…
As she focused on the last one of them for a spare second, she got caught by slime tentacles. Caught completely off-guard by this sudden attack, the White Rabbit only had time to go wide-eyed before being dragged through the hole she just created.
A second later, the only trace of her presence was that gap in reality. And a minute later, several monsters randomly wandered in Tamamo's cave.
"…This cannot be serious…"
Kazuya and Luka were now near Succubus Village, surrounded by the echo of fighting. The two heroes barely had the time to arrive before being attacked by an ancient mermaid that emotionlessly rushed at them. Kazuya shot her with lightning-infused bullets before she managed to reach Luka who intercept her with a swift piercing strike from his sword. Then the monster shimmered for a short instant before disappearing completely, dumbfounding the former. Luka gritted his teeth. "How did she manage to… Nevermind, maybe someone around knows more."
The duo of heroes carefully progressed through the forest, eliminating any monster that wordlessly rushed at them with a short salvo of well-placed shots followed by a powerful sword strike. As they progressed, they saw a large Kyoryuu attacking a pack of succubi whose riposte only seemed to have limited effects. Kazuya placed several well-aimed shots in the head of the monster before Luka leaped and finished her with an attacked aimed at her neck. The panting succubus gratefully bowed.
"…Thank you. You have to help the others! We will find the mayor and get help!"
The demons left without sparing a second, surprising the duo who remained frozen in stupor for a moment before Kazuya started moving again.
"You're right. The situation must be critical."
"Why? Because they didn't hit on us?"
Kazuya nodded in agreement as he readied his weapon: a small group of spider monsters had appeared from the forest in front of them and was already rushing at them. Kazuya took down two of them before they reached the duo. Luka finished the remainder with a wave of fire, making them instantly disappear.
"They came from that way. If we keep pushing in that direction, we'll probably reach their source soon enough… Let's hope they didn't kill anyone yet."
The two heroes carefully resumed their progression, surprised by the small number of monster that were actually around even as the sound of heavy fighting reached their ears. As they reached a clearing, they found out the cause.
An alarmingly large number of monsters were converging toward the center of the clearing where a fight was happening. Luka could recognize Lest and Hakunen trying to hold back an increasingly large number of monster, pushing back the closest one with their sword and fists while trying to dodge the spells cast by the ones remaining afar.
"Ok… There's quite a few too many of them… Let's start by clearing those casters from their backs."
"Sylph!"
Luka didn't wait before charging the closest mermaid as the latter was preparing an enhancement spell to support her allies. The monster didn't scream or express any surprise as she turned around to slap him with her tail. He glided away using the power of the wind before striking his enemy like a thunderbolt.
In the meantime, Kazuya took down target after target from afar in a series of rapid shots. A harpy fell to his attacks, soon followed by an apoptosis and another mermaid. The demon hunter could fully appreciate not having to reload his weapons every few shots.
As the two joining heroes started thinning the large horde of monsters, several of them switched their attention to the duo and returned fire. Luka was forced to dodge a barrage of bullets as Kazuya had to burn through a large web thrown to entrap him. The demon hunter managed to briefly stun Luka's assailant with a well-placed shot in the head of the apoptosis attacking the hero before he focused on the large spider that was attacking him. He felt himself moving sluggishly while his opponent's speed drastically increased. Before he could aim down at her, the large spider tackled him to the ground and started striking him with her sharp claws. Fortunately, her attacks glanced over his armor while an ice wave froze her solid before she got shattered by Luka's charge. Kazuya then felt a reinvigorating wave through his body. As he painfully got up, he quickly surveyed the battlefield: The large number of monsters barely seemed to have decreased, while both Hakunen and Lest had managed to rally to them. The two of them looked tired, covered in a mix of filth, blood and other wound marks, but they were still ready to fight.
Before he could ask them about what they knew, a lightning bolt bounced of Luka to hit back its caster, reminding him that they still had an army to pierce through. Kazuya gritted his teeth as he pointed his weapon toward the horde.
"They're going to surround us…"
Luka grinned. "Good, we'll just have to strike in any direction to hit them."
The four heroes healed up and reinforced themselves with any enchantment at their disposition while the occasional spell was flying in their direction. Kazuya systematically focused his attention on casters and ranged attackers as the horde of monsters was getting closer and closer. The moment they were within reach, Luka and Lest launched powerful counter-attacks that disintegrated a few monsters while Hakunen grabbed the closest one and used her own momentum against her to throw her back in the middle of the horde.
"Lampas!"
Several monsters that were flanking them suddenly found themselves entangled by poisonous vines and shrubberies, slowing them as the substances covering the vegetation poisoned their mind. Still fighting, the heroes slowly moved back while fighting in an attempt to keep all the enemies in a single direction. A small group of flying monsters landed behind them, and Lest reacted in time to counter the first one charging them while Luka struck a vampire that tried to attack the back of the swordsman. The vampire stumbled back and was finished by a punch from Hakunen while Kazuya shot down another harpy trying to go over the group. Even as they were at threat of being overwhelmed, the heroes kept fighting back to back, more determined than worried by the tide of enemies. After several minutes of fighting, Kazuya gulped when he saw the size of the enemy horde: there were still around a hundred monsters ready to attack them. Luckily, his focused shots had eliminated most of the casters and other ranged attackers of the lot, leaving melee fighters to try rushing at the hero before blocking each other. As he started considering calling on his allies again, he felt a tingling sensation. The next instant, a corrosive rain of dark energy rained on the horde before a pillar of light tore through their numbers, and just as the remainders started regrouping a magical elementary attack finished most of them. As the heroes finished up the remainder in their immediate vicinity, Luka could see the black robes of Mephisto flanked by Witch and the magical golem that was the Grangold King.
"Good gried… Can this world cut these old bones a break? Or is it actually impossible to now go for more than a week without a threat of immediate destruction?"
Kazuya bowed as his partners made the last monster disappear.
"We sincerely thank you for your help."
"Don't mention it… I suppose you don't happen to know what's exactly going on? I wish we would be able to go on without having to deal with a lengthy investigation yet again…"
The gunner awkwardly shrugged as the three heroes joined them.
"It's a shame." The Grangold King whistled disapprovingly, which surprised Kazuya as the golem had no mouth. "Maybe finding the source will tell us more. Let us go this… way?"
Everybody looked up to see a mermaid flying through the sky. Upon closer examination, the party realized she wasn't so much flying as spinning uncontrollably. She crashed into a tree, and her body disappeared as bark and wood shards flying around. The party started running toward the direction she came from, preparing to face the undoubtedly large giant that had thrown her ally so violently. Instead, they ended up encountering Alma Elma and Tamamo fighting with another group of monsters close to a portal. While the succubus queen was moving with her usual grace and incapacitating her opponents by alternating violent punches, forbidden caresses and devastating spells, the small kitsune was acting almost feral, tearing through enemies using mostly her tails, her teeth and her claws while unleashing a stream of profanities that caught more than one by surprise.
"-And these two fluffbrained whores completely screwed up everyone again! Seriously, am I the only nine-tailed that has ever been gifted with common sense?! I. Want. These. Idiots. DEAD!" She punctuated each of her word by slamming a harpy's head on the ground. The bird monster disappeared after the fourth. She calmed herself when she noticed the large group arriving to support them. After a small skirmish, only the nine of them remained. Tamamo passed her hands over her face and slumped down on the ground, a sad expression on her face. As the battlefield fell silent save for the buzzing noise that seemed to come from the portal. Mephisto timidly raised a hand.
"Sooo…"
"That was the lair where I was restoring the Pocket Castle." Tamamo pointed at the portal. "I was using Daji's magic reserve to accelerate the process. The other Tamamo No Mae decided to help. I don't know what they did but this is the result…" She groaned and massaged her face again. "…What brought you there?"
"I did notice something happening from Succubus Village. When I noticed the large group of monsters, I called for help."
Kazuya grunted. "I got a phone call from Cheshire."
"A what from who?"
"It's a long story. You don't want to know."
Tamamo inquisitively looked at Luka who grimaced before doing bunny ears to himself. The kitsune closed her eyes as she got the gist of the message the hero was trying to convey her. She shook her head and sighed heavily before pointing at the black vortex where her lair was not so long ago.
"Ok… that portal seems to lead to a dimension that keeps shifting regularly. It's just an unlimited source of hostile monsters, so we can as well close it. There's nothing good on the other side."
"Actually…" Kazuya raised a hand. "Where is Daji? Don't get me wrong, I'm not really enthusiastic at the idea to be with her, but…" He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and failed to not let a blush reach his face. "I have the feeling something bad happened to her, and I'd feel guilty for letting her get killed."
Tamamo closed her eyes. She didn't feel quite the same compassion the demon hunter had for her purple homologue, although compassion was probably the wrong word for that emotion. However, there definitively was something familiar enough in the air to make her uncomfortable. And besides, Daji herself was a threat she wanted someone to always have an eye on.
"…Very well. She's still first and foremost one on your allies, so I won't step with or against her. But once she's out, I want her on a short leash. This world is currently seeing enough disasters roaming around to not have to deal with another one…"
Everyone agreed.
"I'll take the lead then!"
Alma Elma jumped toward the vortex, but instead of going through the succubus queen was simply stopped at its border. She moved back with a bemused expression on her face, then tried again more slowly. She then started jumping up and down on top of it, but failed to make it move or get in in the slightest.
Tamamo and Luka themselves slowly got closer and delicately pushed on the black, pulsing orb of energy with their hands. While Tamamo's remained stuck to the surface no matter how hard she tried, Luka's hand didn't encounter any resistance. Right afterward, Hakunen and Witch tried the same, and only the monk managed to go through while the puzzled succubus was trying to understand the cause.
"Show offs." A pouting Alma Elma was now sitting on the vortex, her arms crossed.
"…I guess only those that travelled through other dimensions can go in. That's… Actually inconvenient."
"Of course…" Luka grunted. "Leave it to the heroes to save the world again…"
Mephisto smirked. "Don't you three have companions that traveled through worlds as well? I even happen to have two in my custody…"
Kazuya checked on his partners. He hesitated to get Lampas and Mukuro involved in this mess. He remembered that Lest was alone, and while Hakunen's master would definitively be of help… No, they couldn't take the risk.
"…Maybe we should scout by ourselves first."
Mephisto and Tamamo looked at each other: if their experience of heroes had taught them anything, it's that it was more a determined decision than a proposition. The yoma sighed.
"Very well… Let it be known that we're not pushing you to go in without support. Remain vigilant, and get back as soon as possible."
"Before you go…" Tamamo handed down Luka a small amulet while looking at Kazuya. "I've been told that damn fox is quite skilled at transforming in other people. This should reveal her to your eyes if she pulls out that trick again."
Luka nodded in thanks, and eventually the heroes made their way in the vortex their weapons raised, leaving behind a small, concerned group. Mephisto sighed again.
"Letting them go in might have been a terrible idea…"
Tamamo tapped the vortex with her fan as she studied the item. "We're unable to go inside ourselves, and there's not really much to study about it. The best we can do is keep an eye on this thing to make sure that nothing that comes out of that vortex harms anyone and gather support for them."
"I'll be on my way then, I know exactly where the remainders of Kazuya's companions are."
"One of the hero's companions is in Succubus Village, I'll be back in an instant."
"Some of them are in Sabasa… I'll go search them."
As the mages teleported one after another, only Tamamo and Alma Elma remained. After only a second, the succubus queen groaned in boredom while she perambulated away.
"Mmmmmhhhh… I'm feeling useless right now… Why don't we leave a ward behind and return to Grand Noah? We could take the opportunity to rest with Est before the next fight and maybe even get her support."
Tamamo's pupils dilated when she heard the name of the Queen of Dreams. A few unpleasant memories instantly resurfaced.
"Nope thank you I'll stay here thank you!"
"…Are you sure? She's even better than me to make people relax… She's even a skilled healer."
"I'm fully relaxed go on without me I insist!" Tamamo frenetically shook her head.
"Well… If you insist… Don't come complaining later!"
When Alma Elma took off, Tamamo allowed herself to slump down on the ground. She castigated herself for her poor reaction, but those Nightmares monsters rattled her more than she wanted to admit. Even dealing with her counterpart from another world was straightforward and something she could properly prepare against. Those Nightmares, however… Getting repeatedly caught off-guard by their skills had left her terrified of them. Even knowing that they were allies of the hero didn't help much.
A frustrated groan escaped her throat. She first had to focus on that damn vortex. She kept at a distance in case the black mass decided to become unstable or lunge at her. And if something dangerous came out… Well, she could still use her real form, even if it attracted more attention. Now, if only…
The kitsune had to blink a few times to confirm the sudden change in her environment. The vortex had suddenly disappeared without any warning or aftereffect. Even her magical senses told her that she was looking at nothing in particular. She only met air when she attempted to prod where the vortex was. There wasn't any trace of the vortex displacing. It had simply ceased to exist.
Tamamo fell in despair when she realized that the world just lost four heroes.
"This place looks familiar… Isn't it San Ilia? Did we get teleported there?"
Kazuya was checking every opening in sight with his gun while Hakunen and Lest were both looking around, surprised by the strange yet familiar surroundings. The only one who wasn't completely left dumbfounded by the city was Luka himself.
"It's… A place put at my disposition to train. But there's normally only one way to access it, and it involves the White Rabbit and her friend…" The hero hesitated to tell more about it. "I guess Daji used the power she absorbed from the former to access the place…"
"That's… something I guess." Kazuya looked around in confusion. The place didn't feel as welcoming as the city he visited not so long ago. The absence of life in the streets created an uncanny feeling. "At least we know that the other side is safe for now. Let's go back and tell them."
The group searched for the vortex that had brought them here, but after a few minutes of fruitlessly scouring through the city, they had to accept the evidence: the vortex had disappeared. The heroes were more jaded than anything else by this turn of events.
"Luckily there are… alternative exits. Though I hope they will be available since they're managed by the White Rabbit. And to reach them, we have to go through the labyrinth."
Kazuya sighed and cocked his gun. "Stranded in another unfamiliar world by a black vortex, to end in a labyrinth created by a whimsical monster… If I hear a voice telling us they're going to play, no matter who it is, I'll shoot its owner dead."
Hakunen darkly chuckled. Surprised by the unusual sadism of the two men, Luka decided that it was time to start moving on. After only a minute, the party arrived in front of a magic circle. Upon seeing Luka step through without hesitation, the other heroes followed suit. The whole team found itself shivering, walking amongst snow-covered mountains. Hakunen tried to warm himself up while his teeth kept clacking repeatedly.
"This place is colder than the winters on Mahoroba! How did it change so suddenly?!"
"We've been teleported to another place altogether…" While Kazuya was only shivering, he was clearly unhappy with the sudden change in the temperature as well. "Is the White Rabbit completely crazy? Nevermind… She's pal with Cheshire, the answer is yes."
While the other heroes were busy expressing their dissatisfaction with the inclement weather, Lest focused on a group of angels that was approaching. The hero wordlessly prepared his sword as two valkyries flew toward the team. The first one attempted to strike the man only to be met with a parry followed by a counter-attack that instantly disintegrated her. The second one got instantly shot down by Kazuya who noticed the fight. As they looked around, they could see several more groups of monsters approaching mechanically like the ones they had kept facing not so long ago.
"…Do we really have to fight all of them?"
"No, we just have to reach the exit and repeat until we find Daji. It should be this way. Let's go!"
I hope Tamamo's amulet will work fine… The last thing I want is to miss her and make all this for nothing.
The whole party agreed and rushed after Luka. They tirelessly ran from one portal to another, not even registering the change in their environment as they successively ran through a richly-decorated castle, a large forest, a desert and the corrupted ruins of a city. Each time, they had to face groups after groups of monsters that had no goal beyond getting in their way. And each time, the heroes pushed them back and recovered shortly before returning on their path without losing their pace. It's only when they arrived on a large monster-free platform drifting in the middle of a void that their exploration came to a stop.
"Huh. I can feel the amulet reacting, but… It's very faint, and there are no monsters around."
Luka was examining the amulet that was slightly glowing. Of all the places they had explored, this one was the smallest and hardest to hide in. And yet, Daji was somehow around… The four heroes carefully checked around them when Lest suddenly pointed in a direction.
"There!"
A large monster that was looking like a flying lamia was flying in their direction. As he examined her, Luka realized that the serpentine part of her body looked unusually smooth, almost as if it was gooey instead of scaly. Her shapes reminded the hero of the Monster Lord, but her hair and her figure however…
Is that...? No way… NO WAY!
The strange monster stopped at the edge of the platform and looked down on the heroes. Kazuya noticed Luka's amulet reacting, confirming his doubts. He pointed his gun at the unusual monster.
"Your tricks end here Daji. This time, I'll personally keep an eye on you!"
"Daji?" The monster chuckled. "Oh, you mean my last meal. She's quite tough I will admit, but it doesn't matter. Soon, she will be a part of me like all those before her."
Kazuya lowered his gun in surprise. "What? Wait… You look familiar…"
"…It's Cassandra. The monster we just beat in the Toxic Swamp." Luka felt his phalanges almost crush through the grip of his sword.
Cassandra kept displaying a haughty smirk that aggravated Luka. "Mmh. So in your world, I'm a whelp that got beaten by a group of wannabe heroes… It matters little. You'll still be my little preys before I move on your world…"
"We'll stop you right there!" Lest stepped forward. "Each of us beat down a Demon Lord, and we beat their alliance! No world will fall to you!"
The large monster brought a hand to her mouth and laughed. "It is too late for that… Way, way, way too late for that, little bugs…"
Heeeeere we go.
"Because you see… I've already eaten everyone in my world." She looked down on Luka, ignoring the other heroes who subtly gestured at each other. "I started with that little morsel of a hero who challenged me. His potential power was without equal, and was of great help in my following conquests… Then I moved on to the current Monster Lord and her Heavenly Knights… As my powers kept growing and growing, I even absorbed Ilias. Ultimately, I consumed every single last soul, and even the world itself was nothing more than a meal to be assimilated by me… I've become a divine existence in my own right! Worship me as the goddess that I am! Hand over yourself so that I can assimilate you!"
As Cassandra exclaimed herself, Luka readied his sword as he made the final preparations for the upcoming battle.
I hate that irony. I really regret making that boast earlier…
Not.
"…I did not ever expect anyone to call on a service of this nature. This is… An unusual request."
"Please do not question it. I wish to remind you that you have a responsibility in the very root of its happening. I simply ask for you to accomplish this part in the absence of my… colleague. While radically different, your skills can lead to a result close enough to what is needed for this task. The only other thing I need from you is your complete silence on the matter."
"Very well, it will be quite easy anyways… now, maybe you could tell more about your link with him? I'm curious as to why you would do so much for him…"
"No."