{|} Chapter 4: A Swarm Over Axel {|}

{|} A-Part {|}

"Oh, nothing major. Just a possible end of the world scenario!"

"... (deadpan) Seriously, Chris. I'd expect that kind of joke from a certain mage but you?"

Chris begins to panic, flaying her arms around wildly as she hurriedly says-

"Wait-wait-wait, please hear me out, Kazuma. OK, maybe it's not a literal end of the world scenario. But from the perspective of the people of this world, it would be seen as the end of the world."

"(sarcastically) Oh, I see. (serious) Please do explain it to me then."

"(sigh) A few months ago, I became aware of a strange phenomena happening within this world. For reasons I... Eris has yet to figure out, the world's supply of mana has been drastically decrease at an ever accelerating rate."

"For real? But I was at Empyria here resently (with Yunyun) but I didn't take notice of any lack of mana in the air though to be fair, it was well into the night when I visited and wasn't paying much attention to such details."

"That's the weird part about this whole thing. Empyria's mana levels haven't gone down in the slightest. It's still producing the expected amount of mana but for reasons that continue to elude me... Eris, the mana that's being sent out from Empyria is going MIA on us before it can properly mix with the rest of the world."

'The mana's going missing once leaving Empyria. I wonder if...'

"Currently, around sixty percent of the world has become devoid of mana. In fact, the only place in the world that still has mana is this very continent. At present, the outer regions of the continent, like the kingdom of Elroad, have started to see the mana levels in the land and air begin to diminish. And it's only going to get worse too if the problem, and a solution, can't be found here soon."

"How soon exactly?"

"At the rate things are going, the mana loss will reach the borders of the Belzerg kingdom by the end of summer and by years end, all the world, save for Empyria, will be completely devoid of mana. In other words, this world is in danger of becoming like your home world; Earth!"

Kazuma nods, then takes up a thinking posture.

'So this world is in danger of becoming like Earth... which makes me wonder about the magical history of my home world. Also, is Chris really sure about this continent being the only place left in the world, outside Empyria, that still has mana? I mean, what about that enchanted forest the Faea live in? It seems like it had plenty of mana to go around... unless...'

"Kazuma?"

Kazuma snaps out of his thoughts, realizing Chris was sending him a concerned look. He decides to hold off bringing up his knowledge of the Faea for a few minutes. In truth, maybe she hadn't said anything about them because their existence was suppose to be a secret.

Instead, Kazuma decides to go back to his previous thought and asks-

"Do you have any idea where all the mana could be going too? What could be causing the issue?"

"(shakes her head) Not a clue... and I know for a fact lady Eris doesn't know anything either, which is very odd. There shouldn't be any reason why Eris can't find the answer to this mystery herself for for some damn reason, all her efforts have come up empty."

"Well, seeing as Belzerg will be the last place being affected by the loss of mana, is there any chance that the source of the issue will be found here in the kingdom? Or do you think the source of this problem is located on the exact opposite side of the world to Belzerg? Or perhaps it's in the ocean directly outside Empyria?"

"All those have been considered, both on the surface and below, under the sea and in the sky. Despite the extensive search though, nothing has been found that could even be a potential source for this problem."

"What about the Divine Archive? Surely that would have the..."

"Unfortunately, Eris isn't allowed to consult the archives when issues like this come up, at least not until the problem reaches a certain point."

"Why?"

"(sigh) The top brass feels any god and goddess in charge of a world needs to be able to figure out problems like these under their own power before consulting a powerful cheat like the Divine Archive. As far as this matter goes, the loss of mana has to reach ninety percent before Eris can look to the archive to get the answer."

"(deadpan) You know, I'm seriously beginning to question the competence of the heavenly host. I mean, who comes up with these stupid rules and regulations anyways?"

"The same minds who once saw mortals as their personal playthings for... various things before certain mistakes were made that forced a complete and total change on how things are done."

Kazuma slumps, nearly collapsing onto the ground. He catches himself though and settles for sitting on a large rock before burying his face in his hands, shaking it back and forth. After a few moments, he finally decides to bring up the other thought he had and let slip that he knows a certain something about Chris she doesn't know about.

"Out of curiosity, Chris. Has the Scarred Lands been considered as the source of the mana drain that's spreading across the world. After all, there's the fact the seal located in that place was sucking up an especially large amount of mana to keep the outsider prisoner."

"The Scarred Lands? Maybe that could be... wait, how do you know about all those particulars no one should know about?"

"Because I was forced to make a little trip out to the Scarred Lands just the other day!"

"What?"

"It's true. While I was helping Yunyun with her Crimson Trials, Megumin saw fit to go running off to the Scarred Lands because she thought she would have a long awaited reunion with her old mentor, Wolbach. Then, while I was off with Lynn and Ruffian, taking care of business, Yunyun and the others become aware of Megumin's having ran off to the Scarred Lands and gave chase. And when I became aware of the situation, I had to go chase after them in order to save their crazy butts."

It was Chris's turn to slump down into sitting on a rock with her face buried in her hands.

"Why... why is it every single time I take my eyes off you people, you all just have to go getting yourselves into trouble after troublesome situations."

"Maybe you're just special there... Eris!"

Chris sends Kazuma a glancing glare before asking-

"So, anything else I should know about you all's trip to the Scarred Lands, Kazuma?"

'Guess she didn't catch me calling her Eris there. I'll give it a few minutes; let it all sink in before I flat out tell her I know her secret.'

"Well, we all came face to face with the Praegem, He took control of Megumin, managed to steal some special power from the body of Wolbach, tried to take control of my body only for Entropy to take offense with that and... well, he got turned into this little imp like creature with a very nasty chain around his neck keeping him trapped. Megumin now has that power stolen from Wolbach inside her and as for Wolbach... well..."

Kazuma then takes hold of Chomusuke and holds her in his arms and says-

"Well, in a nutshell. She and this little one have merged together and ever since then, she's been sticking to me like glue."

'Well, that's not surprising seeing as Wolbach was always a daddy's girl.'

Chris smiles at the memory that came to her before thinking about the rest.

"So, the Praegem is still sealed. I should still make a trip over there sometime here soon to make sure the seal on him is still going strong. By the way, Kazuma. How did you know to call him Praegem anyways? I'm assuming he told you his name when he tried to take control of you?"

"Nope, it was before that, Eris. To be more exact, I became aware of him when I and Yunyun did her Crimson Trial."

"Again, what did I... wait, you just called me Eris... TWICE!"

"Ah, so you finally noticed. Surprise, boss. (jovial tone) I know someone's secret!"

"H-H-How did you... I mean, what are you talking about. Why are you calling me... oh right, I did tell you my name was originally Eris when we all went to Arcanretia. Why am I getting so flustered for?"

"Maybe because you were thinking I knew about your big secret; goddess of fortune Eris!"

The shocked expression on Chris's face was priceless, to say the least. She begins to stammer nervously as she tries to deny what her true self actually is.

"Kazuma, what... how... when...?"

"Maybe it's time for us to transition over to me telling you everything that's happened since our little misadventure down in Hell."

"Yes... yes, I believe we should. Start talking, assistant-kun and please... be thorough."

"Before that, quick little side tangent to bring up something of equal importance."

"You can't be... fine, just make it quick."

"Before, when you were telling everyone about that Cecily person and what to expect from the Charisma Choker, I do believe you may have left a few details out."

"Did I?"

"Yeah, I believe you did. You left out how so long as you know who the person who has the choker looks like and you know they have the choker on them, then you shouldn't be in danger of being controlled by said person."

"Wait, seriously? I didn't know about that."

"Are you joking with me, boss.'

"Of course not. I would have told the others about it before if I did."

"H-how do you NOT know about it?"

"Ah... it never came up when I was doing my research on the thing. What about you, Kazuma. How do you know something like that."

"Back in Arcanretia, met this girl named Moonchild who had once been under its control. She told me about the range limit the choker has that can be used to free someone who's been brainwashed by it. She also said that once you know what you're dealing with and with who, you should then be safe from any future brainwashing from it. That means that right now, only me, Cielo, and Darkness, are at risk as while we have a description of Cecily to work with, that's not an absolute. At best, it's fifty-fifty for us while you, Megumin, and Yunyun should be safe seeing as you three have seen her before."

"Actually, it may be more seventy-five to twenty-five for you, given that the Entropy inside you may shield you from its power but why do you figure Megumin and Yunyun are safe?"

"Because I noticed their reactions when you said the name Cecily. What, didn't you notice it as well?"

"I... I did. I just forgot."

'Sure you did, boss.'

"Never mind that, for now. Why didn't you say all this back when I was talking about this with you all?"

"Slipped my mind, honestly. Didn't remember till just a moment ago."

"Uh-huh, sure. Oh well, never mind that for now. Let's just get back to the previous topic already. And remember, I want to know ALL the details. Every single bit!"

"Understood. It all begins when..."

And thus, Kazuma recounted everything happened following the Aldarp/Dracula situation. He first told Chris about his meeting with a princess Iris from another timeline and how she unintentionally kidnapped him, Anna, and Chomusuke; taking them back to her timeline to save them from their Aqua who had been turned into a kind of poor man's Entropy.

"... And while there, I met up with your counterpart who was the one to accidentally spill the beans about you and the goddess Eris being one and the same."

"If I could, I would go kick her... though does that mean I would be kicking myself?"

"Honestly, I've had my suspicions about you for a while now. She just confirmed those thoughts."

"Can't be helped, I guess. Sorry for lying to you, Kazuma. I hope you're not mad."

"Nah, not really. I'm sure you had your reasons for keeping that a secret, like it being a rule or something you gods have to follow."

"(giggles) Not really, it's more of a personal choice for us. That said, I'm glad you do know now. I was actually planning on telling you about my secret during our talks here, but you beat me to the punch. So, how did you enjoy your impromptu trip to another timeline?"

"It had its ups and downs; can't complain though. At least we learned something important from that adventure."

"You mean this Rubrikt person, the one who's likely the one behind the creation of Entropy. And that Palastori guy. Is he someone you think we can trust?"

"Not sure but he is the reason we ended up in Iris' timeline as well as the reason we were able to come back home. Right now, he's likely the best chance we have at figuring all this craziness out."

"If only we could contact him. I would very much like to talk to him about these things. Oh well, we'll cross that bridge when it comes up. So, what happened after that?"

Kazuma then moved on to how he helped Yunyun with her Crimson Trial. While he didn't go into to much detail about the whole thing, the one thing he did make sure to be as detailed about as possible was what he remembered, and what Yunyun had shared with him, about their time within the Fantasia.

Once he had finished that part, he allowed Chris a few moments to ponder it all before saying-

"Well Chris... Eris, was everything me and Yunyun experienced within the Fantasia true?"

"... I can't say with exact certainty, seeing as I wasn't present for a lot of that stuff that you described but... yeah, all the parts my past self was present in are indeed the truth. (she then looks at Kazuma, her eyes starting to fill with tears) I can't believe you actually remember... everything, Ritu."

"(holds a hand up) Not everything, mind you. Only what I experienced and what stuff Yunyun filled me in on from her perspective of events."

Chris nods before going quiet; her eyes now lowered to avoid Kazuma's gaze. He waits a few minutes before finally saying-

"You doing OK there, Eris?"

"Yeah, I... I'm good. Great even. I mean, I've long since accepted the fact that you, and Krys, and Realm would never remember our times together. Don't get me wrong, Kazuma. Just having the three of you back in my life, the three of you together again... it made me really happy. Almost like things could continue, if you can forgive a few specific caveats. But to know that you all have some memories of our times together again..."

"Well, me and Yunyun do. Megumin's memories are limited to what she might have learned during her times in the Scarred Lands and I doubt she learned anything there or if she did, then she either doesn't remember or has yet to talk to me and Yunyun about it."

"Still, to have you three back... even if not one hundred percent is... it's a really nice feeling. I'm actually surprised I didn't catch on before, about Wolbach I mean. I can recall now that you called her that when Megumin was trying to pull her away from you."

"I was wondering if you had caught that too."

Chris nods before looking at Chomusuke and motioning for her to come over.

"Hey Wolbach, I know it's been a while but... you think you can come hang out with me for old times' sake?"

In response, Chomusuke just looks at her with a glare, sticks her tongue out, then goes back to napping on Kazuma's lap, letting him continue to rub her back lovingly.

"That takes me back; her sticking her tongue out at me. Don't you think you've gotten too old to go do that to your aunty Eris... or are you using the fact you're currently in your cat form as an excuse?"

Chomusuke doesn't respond, making both Kazuma and Chris giggle.

"Well, this has been a fun talk, Eris. But I think we should stop loathing around and get to work here. Odds are, the others are well on their way to getting their cicada kills handled and here we are, just sitting around, doing nothing but gab about the past."

Kazuma stands, returning Chomusuke to her perch on his head while Chris stands as well.

"Yeah, we really need to get cracking. Luckily, I'm detecting a fair number of those oversized bugs close by so we should get started before the others finish and come find us running behind them."

"Lead the way, boss."

Chris nods, taking the lead as she guides Kazuma further into the forest. As they walk, Chris asks-

"So, did anything else happen while I've been away or was that the extent of your adventures?"

"Not really... except the fact Lynn and Ruffian took me to meet the Devil King!"

Chris comes to a sudden stop, causing Kazuma to crash into her. She quickly spends around, her eyes wide in surprise as she nearly shouts out-

"You... you've actually met the Devil King? (Kazuma nods) THE Devil King? (Kazuma nods again) You should have made that the first thing you told me about. Details, Kazuma. I want details on that meeting NOW!"

"Hm, where to begin..."

"After getting back from helping Yunyun to her Crimson Trial, Lynn and Ruffian arrived to take me to meet the Devil King. I know, it's still weird to know they are connected to his forces."

"Yeah, I never would have guessed from my interactions."

Kazuma looked at Chris, seeing a rather conflicted look on her face. He couldn't help but wonder what her thoughts on learning that truly were. But for now...

"Anyways, Lynn used Teleport to see us to the massive fortress that the world knows as the Devil King's castle. Have to say, what I learned while there was definitely not something I had ever expected to learn about the so-called great enemy of the world!"

"Is the place as scary as the rumors say it is?"

"Um... as the goddess who oversees this world, shouldn't you already know the answer to that question."

'In fact, why am I thinking anything I'm about to tell you is going to be a surprise. You should already know all this, right Eris?'

"Yeah, about that... While it's true I am the defacto goddess of this world, there are several caveats that prevent me from knowing everything about the going-ons of this world of mine."

"Really?"

"(nods) First is the fact that there are powerful barriers in place to make spying, as it were, on certain locations in this world difficult. I know what you're thinking. "Shouldn't that not be an issue for you though, seeing as you're a goddess?" And you would be right, that shouldn't be an issue for me to get around... except for one other annoying little detail."

Kazuma cocks his head in confusion as Chris looks away, clearly embarrassed. It only takes a moment before he realizes what the other issue actually was.

"Let me guess, Aqua and her bratty cult?"

"(nods) This world is only meant to have a single divine watching over it, that's how Empyria's nature was set up when I took over for my teacher. But because Aqua just had to come forcing her way in, the presence of her divine energy in this world has weakened my own powers just enough to rob me of my full potential."

"So, hypothetically, if she weren't around, then perhaps even solving the mana issue that you're currently trying to solve."

"Yeah, most likely. If nothing else, I would have asked her to assist me with solving this issue, even though she would have been all smug about it when I asked. But, because of her current state..."

"I'm actually glad I'm not a god after hearing all this. From what you've told me, the work is far to troublesome."

"(teary eyed) I know... I know..."

"Well, getting back to my story, I quickly learned that the fortress is full of golems walking around, guarding the place. Also, the interior of the fortress is pitch black and only a special kind of glow manatite can be used to illuminate the place. It wasn't long after that before I was standing before the Devil King."

"Is he as big and scary as I have heard he is? As much as I hate to admit it, I have never actually seen him in any shape or form."

"Oh yeah, he's definitely scary... until I learned that HE wasn't actually anything but one large, demonic suit of armor."

"Wait, what?"

"It's true. Turns out, the whole fortress is nothing more than a giant feint; something to draw the ire and attention of the world in order to keep the Devil King and his people safe and secure. Even the armor was just a ruse, in case anyone ever made it that far."

"That... that can't... then why did Lynn and Ruffian even take you there?"

"Well, the whole place may have been a pointless trick, it was still an important visit as within that fortress was a secret room that would take me to the place where the real Devil King was. Once I stepped through the secret portal, I found myself arriving in a beautiful and enchanted forest. Very magical, with an air of mystique about it. They guided me through the forest and soon, I was standing inside the forgotten city of the Faea people."

"I see... I see... wait, did you say the Faea?"

Kazuma fails to notice that last bit from Chris, instead lost in the retelling as the memory of his time there was a rather pleasant one for him.

"The Faea city, Artashire, is... well, to say it's beautiful doesn't do it justice. It makes one feel like they've stepped into a fairy tale. The people are an interesting bunch to be sure. And as for the Devil King himself? Believe it or not, he's not actually anything like what you would think, given that title."

"Wait, hold on Kazuma. Did you really just say Faea just now?"

"He's an interesting guy to be sure. His actual title is [Riiji] which I'm told means king or ruler. Even more unexpected is that Lynn is his granddaughter and heir to the title of [Riiji]. Oh, and wait till you hear this one. According to him, this whole stupid war that's been going on is actually..."

"KAZUMA!"

Kazuma jumps at Chris's stern sounding voice.

"Listen, did you really say that these people you encountered were the Faea?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"That can't be, Kazuma. You can't have met any Faea."

"Huh? I can't have... what do you mean, Eris?"

"Kazuma, the Faea... they're all gone. The Faea people were wiped out over a thousand years ago."

"... What?"

Before either could continue this conversation further, a sudden explosive blast rockets the area, making them both jump, then turn to see a very familiar sight rising into the air. Kazuma then let's out an annoyed sigh as he shakes his head, followed by him saying-

"God damn it, Megumin. I asked you to do ONE thing and yet..."

{|} Intermission 1 {|}

(with Cielo and Darkness)

"15... 16... 17... This is going by quicker than I thought."

Upon slaying her seventeenth cicada, Cielo allows herself a moment to stop and catch her breath. She then looks down at the gloves she was wearing, looking at them with such warmth and affection in her eyes.

'Once again, I am grateful for these Blast Gloves you gave me, Kazuma. Though I would never admit this aloud, I'm actually of the same mindset as Anna when it comes to insects. Because of your gift to me, I have no qualms about touching these things... well, almost no qualms.'

Cielo wasn't exactly fond of the idea of staining her favorite battle item in bug goop, it wasn't anything that couldn't be washed off later. Also, she wasn't exactly using them to their fullest as she wasn't sending any of her mana into the gloves in order to trigger the blast aspect of them but even without using that, in fear of starting a swarm, they were still quite useful for this purpose.

"I'm currently at seventeen, Darkness. What's your kill count at?"

asked Cielo as she turns to look back at her partner for this quest. Once they had found a fairly large colony of slumbering cicada, the two of them had decided to have themselves a little contest to see which one of them could score the most kills on top of the big competition Chris had suggested for all of them to do.

But once she saw what Darkness was doing, Cielo's expression immediately shifts to one of disbelief.

"Take that... and that... and that..."

declared Darkness as she swung her large broad sword back and forth at a single cicada, missing every strike with alarming ease. In fact, it looked more like she was fanning the cicada than trying to kill it.

"Darkness, what are you..."

"Give me a moment, Cielo. I'm sure I'll be getting my first kill here at any..."

Cielo sighs before lunging forward, sending her fist into the sleeping cicada. Once it was done, she looks back at Darkness and says-

"That makes eighteen to zero."

"Ah, no fair. You stole my kill. I was just about to..."

"Continue to miss it, obviously. What's going on, Darkness. Your accuracy shouldn't be this crappy now; not since you learned that Omni-Slash skill Kazuma made for you. What, are you missing it intentionally because you're hoping to... please tell me this thought I just had is wrong."

Cielo didn't feel the need to say what that thought was aloud as the answer should be obvious.

"Nope, not missing intentionally. You can thank my shitty accuracy on this nifty little item."

Darkness then shows off a strange jade and gold colored wrist guard she was wearing on her right wrist. Cielo looks at it, then back at Darkness and asks-

"Please tell me that didn't come from a certain shop run by a certain pair of former Devil King generals."

"One and the same. This was one of the last of the old stock Wiz had left lying around. Vanir was kind enough to hold onto to it for me. With this, my attack power is increased tenfold at the expense of my accuracy being dropped down to zero."

"Great, another crappy item from the mind of Megumin's old man. Please tell me you don't wear that for every mission."

"Nope, not every mission. Only the ones that I consider to be more casual affairs. Also, this item triples the amount of XP one can earn on top of the insane attack bonus."

"Of course. (slumps shoulders in annoyance, then looks around) At least there's no more cicadas around this spot."

"Should we look around for some more then?"

"Yeah, might as well as Chris asked us to try to find at least forty before we are to meet up with each other. By the way, Darkness..."

"Hm, something wrong?"

"No, I don't think so. I was just wondering if you noticed the way Megumin and Yunyun were acting earlier."

"You mean when the name Cecily was mentioned? (Cielo nods) So I wasn't the only one then. Glad to know someone else noticed it too. So, any ideas what that was about?"

"Maybe... I can recall those two talking about having passed through Arcanretia on their trip to reach Axel. Maybe they encountered that Cecily person during their original first visit."

"Perhaps, but I can't help but feel that there's more to it than that."

"More to it, huh? Now that I think about it, I recall overhearing some of their classmates from their days at the Red Prison academy saying how they were surprised to see them being so friendly with a boy. With Megumin's obsession with Explosion magic and Yunyun's shy nature, they were so sure that neither of them would have it in them to make friends with a guy."

"I remember hearing something to that affect as well. Hell, I'm sure I heard say that the consensus over the two of them would end up falling for each other. Or at least, that's what those two girls were betting on."

"Megumin and Yunyun as a romantic pairing... I could see that happening if Kazuma hadn't come into their lives. (pause) Do you think something happened between them back during that Arcanretia visit?"

"That wouldn't explain their reaction to hearing the name Cecily though. I don't know; maybe one of them, or perhaps even the both of them, had some kind of interaction with Cecily that they look back on with some form of shame."

"Like maybe they may have..."

Before Darkness could finish, a sudden explosion draws their attention. They just stand there for a moment before many loud clicking sounds begin to fill the air. The two of them look at each other and say together-

"Megumin's in SO much trouble!"

(with Megumin and Yunyun)

"Die-die-die-DIE!"

shouted Megumin as she repeatedly stabbed the cicada before her without mercy. Off to the side, Yunyun just watched on with an embarrassed smile on her face.

"I think it's dead, Megumin."

"Just making sure. With disgusting things like these, one can never be too careful."

Once Megumin was done, she slumps down onto the ground, breathing heavily. Yunyun hands her a rag to wipe her brow with. Megumin makes use of it to do just that, then wipes off the blade of her short sword, one-time Kazuma's short sword before getting Chunchunmaru, before tossing the rag back at Yunyun who complains about Megumin using it for cleaning the blade.

"Let's see. I believe that puts me back into the lead, Yunyun."

"That's only because you stole that kill from me. Don't think I'll let you win this one, Megumin. I know your pride is on the line but so too is mine."

"Even though we both know who's going to win this contest in the end. (Yunyun fumes while Megumin looks up towards the sky) Say Yunyun..."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering... do you think we should tell Kazuma and the others about our history with Cecily and the Axis cult?"

"Hm. (remains silent for a moment) The proper thing to do would be to tell them."

"I know, but would they understand and forgive us for the choices we both ended up making back then?"

"I... I want to think they would. I mean, at the time, we were just wanting to make as much eris as possible in order to get out of Arcanretia as quickly as possible. Anyone with common sense would've done the same."

"But when you think about what it was we actually ended up doing and what that has since created. Just look at what's going on back in Axel. As much as I want to deny it, even I have to accept the truth in that we're partially responsible for it all."

"(nods in agreement) So, are we going to tell them everything then?"

"I don't know. Let me think on it a little longer and maybe... Yunyun, you may not want to look behind yourself."

Hearing the sudden rise of both fear and panic coming from Megumin makes Yunyun go rigid. Despite her better judgment, she can't help but look back to see that one of the cicada appeared to have awakened. What's more, its already creepy looking legs were being stretched out, like it was yawning, which made its legs look like very creepy, disturbing tentacles.

CLICK-CLICK

The sounds coming from it as it began to move from its sleeping spot against the tree; its wings emerging and preparing to begin usage.

"Megumin, what's going on. It shouldn't have awakened yet."

"It must be because of our combined magical power. These things are said to be drawn to strong magic when searching for food. I knew us being paired together was a bad idea."

The cicada, finally fully awake, takes to the air. It then looks at the two girls with its disturbingly beady eyes and shaking its long and disgusting tentacle like limbs. Megumin and Yunyun then get looks of dread and revulsion on their faces as it gets closer and closer.

"Megumin, this is bad. I don't know if its planning on eating with us... or maybe mate with..."

"Like hell will I let something as disgusting as that stick anything of its inside me. No choice but to..."

Without wasting a beat, Megumin begins powering up and Explosion. Yunyun tries to stop her, to remind her that using Explosion will cause the rest to awaken, to say nothing of the trouble she would be in with Kazuma once they see him again.

But Megumin fails to hear any of that as she loudly shouts out-

"EXPLOSION!"

{|} B-Part {|}

The forest was alive with the sound of loud clicking and the beating of wings. So much so that it was creating a fair amount of chaos that was sending the other local creatures running for their lives. Kazuma and Chris ignored them though as the exit of the forest finally came into view.

"Boss, why are we trying to escape the forest again? While facing off with a small army of insects isn't my idea of a good time, I would think killing them before they could take off would be..."

"That's the issue, Kazuma. They've already technically left the forest itself. Currently, they're hovering above the forest, getting their feet... wings wet before they make their move to hunt down something to eat. And we both know where they'll be heading."

They finally emerge from the forest, moving far enough away that they could more easily see the skies above the forest. Sure enough, there were more than enough cicada's hovering around to darken the world below them.

"Holy... that's a lot of them. And even from here, they're all freaking huge. Just how big are they?"

"Big enough to be a problem. Let me focus for a moment so I can see if I can count the exact number."

Kazuma notices that Chris' eyes had begun to glow ever so lightly; likely some kind of special power unique to someone of her status. The sound of incoming footsteps draws Kazuma away from Chris back to the forest, just in time to see Darkness and Cielo come into view.

(D) "Kazuma... Chris, don't tell me we're too..."

Kazuma shakes his head then says-

"Not yet. Right now, they're still just hovering over the forest."

(C) "Then why aren't you taking the chance to kill as many as you can?"

"I don't have my bow with me. It's back at the mansion on my work bench, awaiting some repair work after Megumin damaged it during her little adventure we all had to go save her from."

(D) "What about your magic attacks?"

"Oh yeah, I do have those as an option."

Kazuma then begins to launch Fireball after Fireball at the cicada's, actually managing to hit a few of the closest ones. However, the others were to out of range to be hit with. The sudden loss of several of their brethren didn't go unnoticed though as they clicking sound grows louder before the swarm finally go on the move.

(C) "OK, maybe that was a bad idea. I think we just pissed off the majority."

(D) "And now they're heading towards Axel in order to have themselves a proper meal."

"Then we need to get moving ourselves before it's too..."

"Kazuma... everyone..."

Kazuma, Cielo, and Darkness turn to see Yunyun come running into view, with Megumin on her back. Once they had reached them, Kazuma did the understandable thing by getting behind them and pressing his bawled-up fist against Megumin head, giving her a powerful and painful double noogy.

"AHHHH, please stop, Kazuma. That really hurts..."

"You deserve a lot worse than that. What happened to the NO EXPLOSION's rule I put upon you."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't help it though. You see..."

(Y) "One of the cicada awoke and was sending us this creepy vibe. Like it was saying it wanted to..."

Yunyun trails off, the intense blush of her cheeks alongside the fact she averted her gaze saying the rest for her though Cielo decides to say it anyways.

"You two feared the cicada wanted to mate with you two?"

Both girls nod which is immediately followed up by Chris, who was still watching the cicada fly off towards Axel say-

"Your fears weren't well founded. Cicada don't mate with humans, nor would they want to. The worst they would have done is either eat you or cover you in their secretions for their own amusement."

"Ah really? That's a shame as I wouldn't mind..."

Darkness quickly goes quiet, realizing she was thinking aloud though that realization came too late as everyone was already sending her very disturbed looks.

By now, the swarm was off in the distance as Chris looks back at the others, saying-

"If my count is correct, there are about sixty of them left... I think."

"Then why are we standing around here for? Let's hurry back before it's too late."

Everyone nods at Cielo's words, already breaking into a run. As they go, Kazuma moves over close to Yunyun and Megumin and says-

"Yunyun, pass Megumin over to me."

"Sure, but why do that now?"

"We'll need to act fast once we reach Axel. You're a better magic user than I am so having your hands free will be to everyone's benefit."

Yunyun nods while Megumin reaches out to latch onto Kazuma. While the act of moving her from Yunyun to Kazuma was rather awkward, giving the fact they were on the move, they still managed to pull it off. Once she was on his back, Megumin quietly says while trying to hide her face against the back of his neck-

"Sorry Kazuma, I really messed up this time, huh?"

"You think? Seriously Megumin, do you enjoy ignoring the things I tell you. Are my request really so difficult to follow?"

"... I'm really sorry."

"(sigh) We'll talk about this later. For now, we have bigger bugs to fry!"

Upon reaching Axel, the sheer level of the chaos was apparent. Everyone in sight was in a panic, running all over the place as the cicada buzzed around in the air above them. Occasionally, a cicada would do a dive bombing like action, but they didn't succeed in catching anyone.

In fact, it was almost like...

"Are... are these cicadae actually toying with their potential prey?"

(D) "Maybe they like playing with their food before eating?"

(C) "Either way, this gives us a chance to fix this mess."

"Light of Saber!"

shouted Yunyun, sending her primary spell blasting into the air, easily taking out a couple of the creatures before fizzling out.

"Nice going, Yunyun. Keep it up and you'll save yourself a scolding for not stopping Megumin earlier."

Yunyun pumps her fist victoriously while Megumin grumbles quietly to herself. Yunyun prepares to launch at second blast when something strange begins to happen with the remaining cicada.

(K) "Wait, are they... getting bigger?"

Indeed, that was true as in all the chaos the cicada were creating, it was somehow causing them to start a form of molting from their current bodies, growing into something bigger and even meaner looking.

(C) "Oh, that can't be good!"

They had massive mandibles with an obvious under-bite to their jaw, their wings began to release some spore like lights, their legs become more hook like, and there appeared to be a stinger on their butts. These new cicadae, now looking like true monsters in a fantasy world began their attack with renewed vigor.

(D) "What's going on. How are they just changing like that?"

(Chr) "They must be Hornet Cicada... but that can't be possible. They're supposed to be extinct."

(Y) "What should we do? The way their moving now is making it hard for me to hit them with any of my spells."

"Well, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll do us a favor and carry off that Cecily girl and save us a lot of trouble here."

Everyone looks at Kazuma with expressions that says, "Now's not the time to be making a joke", even if they kind of agreed with that thought. Megumin then lets out a sigh before pushing herself off Kazuma's back, making everyone just look at her as she says-

"I have an idea everyone. If I'm remembering what I heard about these types of monsters, then they are attracted to mana. The more mana, the better."

"(nods) Megumin's right. That's what we were told back at the academy. Are you suggesting we use a massive amount of mana to draw them away from Axel?"

"And to then kill them, yes."

Yunyun nods in agreement, then says-

"Alright, then seeing as I'm the one with the most available mana at the moment, I'll..."

"Wait just a second, Yunyun. What's this about YOU having the most amount of mana?"

"Of course I have the most right now, especially after you fired off an Explosion."

As the two Crimson Demons begin to bicker, Chris sighs before reaching into her pouch, pulling out a small vial which gets everyone to look at her.

(K) "And that is?"

(Chr) "Inside this vial is a very special potion that can give anyone who drinks it a massive boost in their mana levels. You could say it will give them infinite mana for a short period of time. This is very rare, and I was planning on selling it but... desperate times and all that."

"(Megumin and Yunyun go wide eyed as they say together) Infinite mana? Then I'll be the one who... hey, it's going to be me..."

Once again, the two of them started to bicker over who will use the potion, forcing Darkness and Cielo to step in to separate them. Chris then says as they struggle to free themselves-

"Look, there's no time to debate this. Here Megumin... (hands the vial to Megumin, making Yunyun deflate) It isn't just about giving infinite mana to someone for a short time. We also need that person to use magic to draw the cicada in too. Because of that, Megumin is the better choice for that."

"Obviously. I mean, what other choice could there be."

Megumin quickly drinks down the contents of the vial while Yunyun slumps. Chris then gets in close and whispers into her ear-

"Wait a little bit, Yunyun. You'll be thanking me for giving it to Megumin over you."

(K) "Hey guys, I think we need to hurry. Megumin, make as large a Dragon Slave to draw their attention."

"Dragon Slave? Why can't it be an Ex... (stern stare from Kazuma) I mean sure, I'm on it."

(Chr) "Yunyun, prepare whatever spell you think will be best here. As soon as I tell you too..."

"Right!"

Cielo and Darkness take up defensive positions, making sure to protect the teams' mages just in case one of the cicada came to close. Kazuma also prepared to use his magic to back Yunyun up. Above them, the flaming ball of fire that was the Dragon Slave took shape, growing bigger and bigger until...

The cicada clearly took notice, hovering in the air for a moment before heading towards the Dragon Slave. Once they were close enough, Yunyun and Kazuma began blasting them all with their spells. Yunyun switched between Light of Saber and Sakura Storm while Kazuma jumped between Fireball, Lightning, and Wind Blast. Some did manage to avoid being blasted by magic only to meet their end to Cielo's fist. Darkness tried to slay a few herself but because of that item she was wearing that boosted her attack power in exchange for dropping her accuracy to zero, she failed to land any hits.

It took a few minutes, but they soon finished off all the cicada. There was still one little issue though...

(Y) "Ah... I hate to bring this up now, but what's Megumin going to do with that super-sized Dragon Slave? And why is it still getting bigger?"

(D) "Megumin, we've finished off the cicada. You can stop putting mana into the spell now."

"I... I don't think I can. It keeps sucking up more and more mana. What do I do?"

(K) "(smacks hand into fist) Oh yeah, that reminds me. Dragon Slave is the kind of spell that will grow bigger and more powerful the longer its being 'held' by the user."

(C) "In other words, until Megumin fires it off, it's just going to keep growing and growing, in both size and destructive power. (Kazuma nods)"

"Then what should I do? You think there's a powerful monster around here I could..."

(Chr) "Megumin, just fire that thing into the sky already."

Megumin tried to refuse to do that as she was curious just how much damage it could do once unleashed but when the others tell her to do it as well, she sighs before firing the Dragon Slave rocketing high into the sky. It races higher and higher, till it could no longer be seen. They waited for a few moments more, until...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

An almost earth-shattering boom shakes the very air around them. In the sky, there was a momentary brightness that made the sun seem dim. The force was so strong that it almost knocked everyone onto the ground despite the clear distance.

"Holy Eris, that had to have been big!"

(C) "Agreed, Darkness. If that had gone off near the ground..."

(Chr) "Then we would have left a deep hole carved into the earth. Hell, we would have likely been caught up in the blast as well. Perhaps even Axel too if we had been close enough."

(Y) "Guess that means the Dragon Slave is on par with Explosion, power wise."

"Well, it was... impressive, I guess. Still nothing that can't be done better by Explosion."

Everyone looks at Megumin, sending her looks that said, "Who are you trying to fool here." Megumin ignores them and says while looking at Kazuma-

"Now, seeing as I have unlimited mana at the moment, can we go do my daily Explosion... please?"

"(defeated sigh) FINE!"

"(everyone else) Wait, what?"

"Let's face it everyone. Telling Megumin that she's grounded from using Explosion for X number of days is like stopping Darkness from thinking and acting like a pervert for more than a few hours. It's just not physically possible."

"Hey, I take offense to that. I most definitely can repress my perverted side for a whole day if needed."

No one believed her as the looks they sent her way was any indication.

"Hey, enough wasting time. Let's go do this before..."

"Satou Kazuma..."

The new, and familiar voice, is shouted suddenly, making everyone turn to see the captain standing just outside the outer gate. He looked tired as he says-

"You all know the drill by now. Will you please come with me."

A little bit later, the team emerges from the Knight Guard station following a rather stern lecture, and with their massive bank account just a little bit smaller. Turns out the Captain had learned from Luna who had been sent to take care of the job he himself had posted to the guild so when the cicada showed up, the reasoning was obvious.

The shock wave from Megumin's Dragon Slave going off in the upper atmosphere didn't help any either.

(K) "OK, seriously people. Don't be going around doing anything, and I do mean ANYTHING, that could get us all in trouble, to say nothing of force us, and by us I mean ME here, to have to pay off a huge fine."

"Relax Kazuma, it's not like we're back to hurting for eris now."

(D) "Maybe not, Cielo. But at the rate we seem to rack up these fines with the city of Axel, Kazuma will be back in the debt house with... two to three years."

Kazuma slumps at hearing that, making Yunyun pat him on the back in order to comfort him. Megumin, deciding she wanted to focus on something more important, says-

"Who cares about that pointless crap right now. We've wasted enough time already. Let's hurry up so I can fire off a shit ton of Explosions before this unlimited mana I currently has starts too..."

Before she could finish, her body suddenly shudders just a tad before her legs give out and she starts to fall to the ground. Kazuma and Yunyun are quick enough to catch her before she could hit the ground and after a pause, Yunyun says-

"Ah, about that Megumin. Looks like the time limit is up for you."

"DAMN IT!"

(C) "Well, at least you fired off a super impressive Dragon Slave. Surely that's an acceptable alternative."

"I guess... but I can go do my daily Explosions sometime tomorrow... right Kazuma?"

"... FINE! But in exchange, you are on full cleaning duty for a month. Agreed."

"I accept your terms, my good sir!"

"Actually... I may have failed to mention something important about the stuff you drank, Megumin."

Everyone looks at Chris, seeing the sheepish look on her face as she averts her gaze. Yunyun asks-

"And that is, Chris?"

"Well, you see... the potion has a side effect to it. When that stuff wears off, the user's mana will drop to zero and will remain at zero for a set period of time."

"And just how long is that exactly?"

Chris hesitates for a moment before saying-

"Ah... well, I think about... 3 months or so!"

Megumin's scream of rage was said to have been heard as far out as the hidden village of the Faea that day.

{|} Intermission 2 {|}

Just within a tiny side alley alongside a rather expensive restaurant, an empty booze barrel shook ever so slightly before the top lid lifted up, revealing a figure who had taken shelter within.

"Is it over? Are those nasty creatures finally gone?"

The figure carefully and cautiously lifted the lid up even more, allowing herself a better view of Axel. Just quickly looks here and there, scanning for any sign of those things before finally crawling out of the barrel and stepping out of the alley.

After another moment of looking all over, mainly at the sky, the girl quickly falls to her knees in prayer.

"Oh great and merciful Aqua, thank you for protecting your most humble and beautiful servant from being defiled by those nasty beasts. Know that this grace will make me work even harder in seeing this vile and corruption filed world saved with your loving benevolence!"

With that done, the Axis cult priestess known as Cecily began to happily walk down the street, not paying any mind to the others out and about who clearly trying to recover from being shaken by the chaos that had just happened.

'I feel sorry for these people. It must have been really scary to have something like that happen out of the blue. I wish I could gift them with my nerves of steel!'

Clearly, Cecily had already forgotten how she had been hiding inside a barrel just moments ago herself.

"Now, what was I doing before all that drama went down? Oh right, I was making my way to the cathedral in order to finally liberate those poor misguided..."

Cecily comes to a dead stop as she saw it; the one person she had been hoping to see since arriving in Axel. Just a few blocks down from where she was standing, a series of figures passed by and one of them was Megumin.

Immediately, Cecily found her heart speeding up and her excitement rising as she found herself beginning to run forward. She was just about to call out to her destined one when she finally took notice of something very important.

Megumin was being piggy backed by a a guy. A GUY! And if that wasn't bad enough, Cecily could clearly see that Megumin appeared to be enjoying herself, despite the distance between them. Cecily brings a hand up to her well-developed chest, feeling a deep pang within her heart.

"Megumin, please don't tell me..."

'Has she forgotten about me already? Has she betrayed the love we clearly had with one another? No, the Megumin I know would never do that. It has to be that man. He's done something to you, didn't he. Using some kind of sneaky, underhanded method to make you be so... so...'

It was then Cecily's eyes, having also been scanning the others and having spotted poor Yunyun, took notice of something important. Her eyes had fallen onto Chris and... it had happened, the weird fuzzy feeling in her mind. It made her feel like a momentary ringing in her ears and her vision had become hazy. It lasted only a second, but it was enough to make something click in Cecily's mind.

"You... you must be the human avatar of that damn dark goddess, Eris. Now it all makes sense. Megumin... and poor Yunyun too; you must have put them under some kind of mind control. Yes, that has to be it. That evil man who's forcing Megumin to cling to his back so intimately must be your personal enforcer I was warned about."

Cecily grits her teeth and clenches her fist tightly. She also takes notice of the other two girls present, wondering if they were also acolytes of the dark goddess or perhaps they were themselves victims like Megumin and Yunyun clearly were.

Once again, the distorted feeling in her mind went off and Cecily found herself having an idea. While she wanted nothing more than to run up and save Megumin and Yunyun, maybe even those other two girls as well, from the dark goddess and her knight, she knew that she would likely have no chance right now, even if she called on everyone else nearby to help her.

So instead, she opted to follow after them, doing her best to remain unseen. She would find out where they were all going and in doing this, would be able to plan accordingly and act accordingly.

Being all quiet and stealthy, she followed them, successfully remaining out of sight though she feared that she came close to being caught a few times. Finally, she found them reaching a mansion situated a little ways outside Axel. Once they had entered the mansion, Cecily finally came out of hiding.

"Man, that places looks creepy. Truly, only a warped mind like that of the dark goddess Eris and her knight could have possibly conceived of such a place to hide out in."

(Wonder how she would react if, and when, she ever learns that Megumin designed the mansion's current look.)

Cecily then considers her options. Sure, she could force her way in now. She was confident she could use the power of this choker to free Megumin, Yunyun, and those other two girls from whatever mind control they were under. But with the goddess currently here, that would be an issue.

'Even though she's currently in a human form, she'll probably still be a total danger. Wait, why is she even down here... right, that attention whore. Of course she'd want to be present for a celebration on her honor. Nothing like the thoughtful Aqua who would never do such a thing.'

(Boy, if she only knew and could understand just what Aqua is really all about!)

"Hm, seeing as Eris is actually down here, then she clearly must have taken notice of my handy work. That means..."

A smile forms in Cecily's face. Now that Eris was aware of what's happening in Axel, aware that her one-time victims are being saved by the Axis, she will clearly be returning to the cathedral herself in order to return to her throne or power so she could find the one responsible.

'Perfect, I just need to get things ready at the cathedral and I'll be able to capture her and keep her locked up till preparations are complete. And if she doesn't show up there tonight, then I'll simply bring help along with me to deal with her here in the morning.'

Cecily then takes one last look at the mansion, stares for a moment, then says-

"Forgive me, Megumin. I need to deal with this before I can come save you and Yunyun. Please endure whatever evils that man must be forcing you both to suffer for just a little longer. Now, time for Cecily to get to work."

Cecily then turns away, heading back towards Axel. As she walks, she recalls that other large building just off the road nearby. After a second to think about it, she decides she'll check in there in order to make sure she didn't miss any poor fool whose been led astray so that she could 'free' them too.

{|} C-Part {|}

It was a little past midnight when Kazuma had awoken. While he was still feeling very tired after the day's events, Kazuma knew now was not the time to be sleeping. He had something very important he needed to do. He just had one little hassle he needed to deal with before he could go deal with that.

Actually getting out of this way to big bed while not waking the slumbering girls who were currently clinging to him and the cat that was napping on his chest.

It took a LOT of work, including him saying he needed to use the bathroom quietly when the two girls started to stir. Luckily for Kazuma, his luck stat served him well here as he finally managed to get out of the bed. He then looks at the three for a moment, letting out a sigh, then moves over to his wardrobe.

'Sorry you three, but this is something I need to do on my own.'

Once Kazuma had grabbed what he needed, he swiftly exited the bedroom, preparing to walk down the stairs but stops as his eyes move to looking at Chris' bedroom. For a moment, Kazuma considered waking Chris up, letting her know what he was planning. He had even started to reach out to grab the doorknob...

But he stops, shaking his head.

'You already have enough to deal with as it is, Eris. Please let me handle this one for you instead.'

Kazuma then slowly and quietly makes his way down the stairs. Once he was in the living room, he quickly strips off his night attire so he could get into his phantom thief attire, complete with his new and improved masked. He then makes sure his gear is secure before making his way to the front door.

"Going somewhere, Kazuma?"

The sudden voice makes Kazuma jump before he looks back, seeing Darkness sending him a serious stare from her standing spot at the entrance to the kitchen. Darkness then comes closer as Kazuma says-

"Yeesh, give a guy a heart attack, why don't ya! Why are you up right now, Darkness?"

"Needed something to drink? What about you, Kazuma. Judging from your current state of dress, I'm assuming you're planning something dangerous... and possibly stupid too."

"Maybe... I'm going out to start the hunt for that Cecily girl."

"You can't be serious about doing this alone? How are you even going to find her, anyways?"

"I am serious, Darkness. I don't want you all to have to risk yourselves if it can be avoided. As for finding her, one can assume she's using that choker to give herself a free stay at a hotel in Axel: likely one of the more expensive ones. I'll be going to check each and every room starting from the richest to the cheapest till I find her."

"That does makes sense, but you really can't be serious about doing this alone. At the very least, you should have Chris..."

"(shakes his head) I'd rather not bother Chris with this if I can. She hasn't said it to you all... yet, but this matter with Cecily and the Charisma Choker isn't the only issue Chris is dealing with."

"What are you talking about, Kazuma. What else is..."

"That's for Chris to tell you about, Darkness, not me. All I can do is what I'm going to do now."

Darkness wanted to argue this more, but she clearly knew it would be pointless as she lets out a sigh. She then reaches up and pulls the Eris pendant she had hanging around her neck and hands it to Kazuma.

"Fine, I won't try to stop you... not that I could, I guess. At least take this with you, Kazuma. With this, it should make doing what you're going to do a bit easier as you can tell the receptionist at the hotels that you're an agent for the Dustiness family. So long as you can be convincing about it, they should be able to help make determining if Cecily is at their hotel easier for you. Perhaps even save you the time you'd be using to break into each room individually."

"(takes the pendant and puts it on) Thanks, Darkness. Let's just hope she isn't using an alias or hasn't used the choker to make the receptionist of the hotel she'd be staying at not reveal she's there to anyone."

"I don't think that will be an issue. She is a member of the Axis cult, after all. Those people aren't known for being that forward thinking."

"Good point. Anyways, I'll be heading out now."

"Right... also, Kazuma. I expect you to be back in time for breakfast. If you haven't gotten back by nine at the latest, then the rest of us will assume something happened to you and will then start a rescue mission to save you."

Kazuma nods before heading out the front door, leaping over the surrounding walls of the mansion grounds before activating Sprint to accelerate his arrival in Axel.

However, Kazuma really should have gone ahead and look in on Chris because if he had, then he would have learned that she had also stepped out before he had awakened and was currently moving closer and closer to her own little piece of trouble.

(with Chris)

'Ah... ow, what the hell. That's not supposed to happen. Wait, dammit...'

After waking up, Chris had also taken her leave of the mansion, making her way to Axel as well so she could use the special gate within the Erisia Cathedral to return to her throne. Having confirmed that Cecily was indeed here in Axel, finding her with such a precise location to check shouldn't be that hard.

However, it seems her being down her had become known somehow as the painting of her that doubled as a gate to the Sacred Vessel had been booby trapped, resulting not only in her being blasted back into Clerica's work desk, but she now found her whole body severely numb and unresponsive to her mental commands.

Just then, the door to the room is kicked in and several heavily armored guards running in followed Clerica herself. Unable to move, all Chris could do is just lay there as she is surrounded.

'Crap, this is bad. That trap was more than stopping me from heading back above. It was meant to weaken me for... something.'

Chris yelps as one of the guards roughly grabs onto her hair, lifting her into the air while two more guards come up behind her. One of the guards' grabs hold of her arms, forcefully pulling them back behind her back while the other guard places a large metal binding on her wrist to keep her arms trapped. They then grab hold as Clerica finally approaches the captured girl.

"Clerica, what's going on. Why are you... of course..."

With Clerica now standing closer to her, Chris could finally see it in her eyes, feel it burrowed within her mind; she was clearly under the control of the choker's power. The same was clearly true of the guards as well. Chris curses herself for not considering that as an issue. She now wishes she had warned Clerica of the danger when she had first arrived.

Chris struggles with all her might to fight back, to free herself, but it was all to no avail. Whatever it was that had been used against her, it was strong enough to even affect her. Just then, a new figure enters the room, one Chris recognized immediately. The person she had been hunting for months now.

Cecily walks up to Chris, doing a polite bow before showing a clearly forced smile before saying-

"So, you finally decided to grace us with your presence... dark goddess Eris!"

'Crap, I should have brought Kazuma with me after all. I need to... what?'

"I can't believe I'm saying this to you, a dark goddess, but I'm actually grateful. Grateful that you came to us instead of needing me and my friends here to come after you. It had made things far easier for me. So, I guess... thank you, truly."

Chris didn't care to respond to that, instead she found her focus clearly on the choker and the weird energy she was feeling from it. Cecily frowns, then says-

"Aren't you going to say something, Eris. Surely even a dark goddess such of yourself knows something of proper etiquette. Especially when someone shows gratitude towards you."

"What... what did you do to the Charisma Choker?"

"Pardon?"

"I said what did you do to the Charisma Choker. Since you know who I am, even if the whole dark bit is completely wrong, I can see it now... the strange and dark energy that's been added to the Divine Relic."

That explains why she had been able to influence the whole of Axel like she had. Under normal conditions, there would be no way she could have used the choker's power to brainwash ALL the people of Axel as their was a range limit those being affect can get from the one who has the choker before the power over them starts to weaken and unless she was making sure she interacted with those controlled every few hours, they would be released from the power and would clearly work to do something... or take the chance to make a run for it.

"A dark energy within the choker? Ah, such a claim I would expect for a dark goddess to make. I confess that I did receive a little help in reawakening the full power of the choker so I could us it to end your evil reign, Eris. In fact, I believe he said his little power boost would make the choker even more powerful than it was when worn by my ancestor."

"And who, may I ask, did that for you?"

"Hm... what was his name again. Rudjard... Rhukin... oh right, I remember... Rubrikt!"

'Should have seen that coming. That guy Kazuma's trying to hunt down. The one who may be connected to Entropy.'

Chris pushes those thoughts out of mind, then says-

"You need to take that off, Cecily. That power, the one that's boosting the choker's power, I can see it doing something to you too. I think it could be..."

Before Chris could finish, Cecily slaps her hard, leaving a red mark on Chris' cheek.

"Silence, false god. I won't hear any more of your lies. Clerica..."

"Yes, lady Cecily."

"I want this... creature locked away, all nice and tight, in the most secure spot you have here in the cathedral."

"Understood... ah, but..."

"But what?"

"Forgive me, lady Cecily. But wouldn't it be a good idea to end this one here and now while we have her unable to act out in defense."

"Sadly, we don't have the power to do such a thing ourselves. Because of that, we'll need to keep her someplace out of sight and mind till the time arrives when we can finish her off. For now, just make sure she's watched as there's a chance her champion could come to rescue her... assuming my attempt at freeing his mind should fail."

"Understood, guards... follow me!"

Clerica then turns, leaving the room with the guards, and Chris, following after.

"Listen Cecily, you have to... this isn't going to end well for you, the Axis cult, and especially Aqua if you end up doing what you're implying your going to do with me. I promise you that..."

Cecily ignores her, instead watching them till she was alone in the room. But Chris' words had registered in her mind.

'This won't end well for lady Aqua. Could that actually be... (zzzzzt) That's right, she must be trying to trick me, make me doubt myself and my holy mission. Nice try, false one. Just you wait though. Once lady Aqua is summoned and she sees what I have done for her, there's no doubt she'll thank me, reward me, for doing her will on this world.'

{|} to be continued... {|}

Next time: The third day of the Eris Festival has arrived. Kazuma and the girls plan on continuing the hunt for Cecily, as well as find out where Chris ran off too. Little do they know that the source of the trouble happening in Axel is coming for them and things are about to become more difficult.