Chapter 18: Legacy and Resolve
Don't come to question
all that you've known
Remember you are not alone
I will be here, standing beside you
?
"Ragna!" Velvet shouted as the man was sent crashing through the wall. With no time to think though, battle was joined and she couldn't bring him back. Saya had struck at the center of the group almost immediately afterwards, scattering them.
It was a skirmish that didn't last too long until Saya was suddenly called back, replaced with a new enemy. The one to face them, as Artorius mentioned, would be Innominat.
'What's going on?' Ragna observed as the battle ensued. Completely one-sided, the group couldn't even lay a scratch on him. Less so for Oscar and Teresa who joined in against the Empyrean.
The boy, Innominat, apparently was the same as Velvet's younger brother and the weight on her mind must have been great indeed give how uncoordinated her actions had become. She swung her blade and claw wildly, trying not to even think about what was going on.
Oscar was soon about to fall victim to a blade conjured by the Empyrean up until Teresa flew in to intercept, clashing with the boy until she was suddenly parried, right into Velvet's daemonic claw. A scream pierced the air as Teresa fell, her daemonic aura gone along with the rest of her life force.
Realizing the gravity of what she had done, Velvet was soon down on her knees as Innominat approached. The Empyrean was still calm as he raised a hand to reach for Velvet…
"!" Ragna awoke, coughing out as if he had just been suffocating for the past little while.
"Good, you're awake." Magilou said, helping him up as he looked around. This area was unlike anything he had seen before. Floating islands in the middle of the sky?
"What just happened?" he asked. "Where's Velvet?"
"We were eaten by an Earthpulse," said Magilou, "Our awakened friend, Innominat is using the land as his vessel and the entire Earthpulse is his body."
Ragna frowned, "I'm going to pretend to understand half of what that meant. Where are the others?"
"Probably in another section of the Earthpulse, all things considered. I was able to flee him because I found a rift in the Earthpulse as it formed. Somehow you followed me through."
He looked back, seeing a rift in space behind them and frowned. He should head back then, try to locate the others before anything else happened to them. Assuming of course, that they were still alive.
"Bravo. You do have a talent, if nothing else." Melchior's voice called to them as he approached with a silver-haired Malakhim.
"Oho, Melchior. If you're here, this place must be more important than I suspected." Magilou said.
The old man looked from her and then towards Ragna. "Move aside," he ordered, "I must close this Earthpulse Rift."
"The fact that you want to close it just gave me the motivation to stop you." Ragna said, drawing the Aramasa once more. "And besides, I've yet to pay you back for that Illusion of yours."
Magilou grinned and held her hands out, forming a barrier separating the rift from Melchior. She could focus on maintaining this now while Ragna dealt with Melchior. Who knows what would have happened if the man hadn't arrived here with her?
"Bienfu, protect the rift! I don't doubt our Grim Reaper's ability to hold him off, but if desperation makes him bypass this, at least we'll have you." She ordered.
"Bieeen, Y-you got it!" the Normin declared.
Ragna rushed forward at Melchior then, the old man floating away as he unleashed a barrage of spells at the approaching Ragna. Each projectile being parried and avoided right up until he nearly reached him, only for Melchior to teleport behind Ragna.
Ragna didn't even turn around to look before he formed a barrier, holding his ground as a powerful beam of ice shot from Melchior's hands, failing to knock him off the edge. The smaller Malakhim disappeared, presumably hiding within Melchior to grant him more of his formidable magical artes.
But that was fine, he just had to keep him on his toes instead of being overwhelmed by his spells. Fighting Shigure was one thing, but a mage like Melchior required a different tactic. But compatibility was a bit low if he was being honest. He really did not like fighting against opponents who kept him away as much as possible if it was their main strategy. Which this one was as the spell bombardment continued.
"Dead Spike!" Ragna lifted the Aramasa up, infused with the malevolence of his arm as a gaping maw reared up from the ground traveling straight towards Melchior. The attack was blasted apart by a barrage of spells, though Ragna soon emerged from the debris and particles, leaping at Melchior who promptly teleported again away from him.
"Such strength and power, yet always so simple. As I said before, if you weren't such a threat to our goals, then I may have taken you as a student." The old man said.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Ragna said, getting into a defensive stance once more. It was a small space, all things considered and he didn't have to beat Melchior. Priority right now was making sure he didn't reach the Earthpulse rift, something that the old man wouldn't be able to reach as long as he was defending it.
And yet…
The earthpulse rift seemed to radiate an intense aura. A wave of energy that chilled him and washed over everything it touched.
"Ah… it seems Innominat has consumed the portion of Hatred. One more left and he'll be fully awakened." Melchior said.
"Ragna, Velvet might be in big trouble. You have to go back." Magilou said.
"And leave you with this creep?" Ragna replied.
"Heh, who do you think I am? You've done well enough to hold him back, but I can do the same, don't worry." She answered, turning around to face her previous mentor. "Go, and return here. Bienfu will keep this rift open."
"It doesn't matter. You've already failed." Melchior said.
"We'll see about that." Ragna glared back and leaped into the rift. But the sight that greeted him some distance ahead shook him though. They were there alright, he could see everyone else.
A powerful sigil was above them and Velvet was foremost among those being dragged up into a waiting maw. Phi and Eizen were struggling to hold on to her and it looked like all feeling had just left her form.
Ragna didn't think. At this point in time, there was only one thing he could do.
"Blazblue… activate!"
He raised his arm, darkness and malevolence gathering around him like a beacon, drawing everyone else towards him instead.
"What?!" Innominat glared at him from a distance as Velvet was pulled towards his direction. "You're seeking to devour my Velvet? How dare you?" Innominat called out.
Innominat's sigil shattered and as the others were pulled towards his direction, the Empyrean flew down and took hold of an unresponsive Velvet.
"She's not your Velvet!" Phi shouted, trying to cast a spell to strike at Innominat, who deflected it with a casual gesture before Ragna stepped forward.
"Sorry for keeping you all. What's the situation?" he asked, his dichromatic eyes not once leaving Innominat.
"Too much to tell in one go." Said Eizen. "We tried all we could to try talking sense into her. Laphicet had the closest chance at snapping her out of it but Velvet's being stubborn. She blames herself for everything."
"Is that right?" Ragna asked.
"Sir Ragna, save her." Oscar said from the side.
"Heh, traitor…" Innominat said, his arms wrapped around a kneeling Velvet from behind. "Sister, they think you deserve redemption after all you did. Do you think it's deserved?"
"N-no…I have to atone…I'm a monster." Velvet said quietly.
"A monster with so much despair left. But someone is trying to stop you from saving the world. You should get rid of him before I devour you."
"I should…" Velvet whispered and then slowly stood up. Innominat smiled and vanished as Velvet's daemon arm exploded into full view. "Everything I've done…was for nothing. I don't care anymore, I don't want to think anymore. All of you… just go away!" she shouted, her dark aura radiating in powerful waves now, clashing against Ragna's own.
"Velvet… you idiot." Ragna said calmly.
"!"
"What the hell were you thinking going down to that level?! Your fault? A monster? Screw all that! You're still Velvet Crowe aren't you?" Ragna exclaimed.
"Enough!" Velvet cried out, lashing out at him with her claw only for Ragna to stop it with his own.
"Sorry I wasn't here when all this happened. But well, I'm here now. If you need to unburden yourself with anything, now's the time. Lay it on me!" Ragna said.
"You can't… I'm a monster. I shouldn't even have existed!" she pulled away, stabbing at him with her gauntlet before he blocked it immediately with the flat of his blade.
They clashed even more, her strikes as wild and unfocused as before. Her blows were much harder than expected though, but Ragna managed to avoid or block them just fine.
"What do you think will happen when you don't, huh? Phi, Eizen, Rokurou, Eleanor, what do you think will happen to them?" he grabbed her right wrist, preventing her from moving further back. "I wasn't with you from the beginning of your journey, I know that. But Velvet, you know damn well you have to see this through to the end! And I'm not letting you give up now!"
Her left claw struck his right, digging deep into the arm that housed the false Azure Grimoire. Even now she began to devour him… but that was fine. Because he could do the same to her!
"The world... hates… me…." Velvet said quietly.
"Then let it hate us together. I am the enemy of the world, the Grim Reaper. That hasn't changed, and you are the Lord of Calamity. The world is broken, but that doesn't mean you have an obligation to fix it on someone else's terms. You've lost a great many things, and I know that feeling well. But you can continue to fight back. Don't you dare let anyone else tell you to give up! Live and fight as a human being, even if your existence is pathetic, ugly, and broken. And if you fall, I'll pick you right back up!"
Velvet's eyes widened, full of tears. "I… loved them. Laphi, and Celica…Arthur… everyone. To have it all stolen from me… why them? Why not me?" she held him close. "It hurts so much!"
Innominat appeared above them, and Ragna glared up. He laid Velvet down on the ground before his attention went back to the Empyrean. "Watch me, Velvet. I'll show you what it's like to fight the world."
She looked up as Ragna leaped for Innominat, his visage a true Grim Reaper as the Aramasa transformed into a scythe. Each clash between him and the Empyrean sent shockwaves throughout the Earthpulse and surprisingly, he began driving the Empyrean back.
"What… are you…?!" Innominat cried out, his sword-like construct barely managing to hold its own against the Aramasa's scythe.
"I thought Artorius would have told you already. The Grim Reaper, Ragna the Bloodedge!" he swung the scythe down, the impact sending the Empyrean crashing before landing. Behind him, a figure appeared before Velvet, a woman with red hair blazing like that of a flame.
"Seres…" Oscar wondered in awe.
"A flame burns in my heart, too. A flame I cannot quench no matter how hard I try. Just like you, Velvet."
"I finally understand how you felt…" Velvet said, "But the only one I can fight for… is myself."
"That's good enough. That's proof that you are truly alive."
Velvet nodded and reached for Ceres, the once-Malak turning into a fire held by Velvet's daemonic arm.
"Her despair… how is it gone…?" Innominat exclaimed as he got up.
Velvet didn't stop though. She ran straight at the Earthpulse rift, her claw unleashing the flames right through it and around them, Innominat shielding his eyes as he was sent flying far away.
The flames carried on well past the rift, blasting Melchior and his malak away just in time.
Magilou laid there, a mix of relief and surprise on her face as the entire group appeared outside the Earthpulse rift.
"Took you a while. You're late." Magilou chuckled lightly and took Ragna's hand as he helped her up.
"You… impossible!" Melchior exclaimed, looking from Velvet and then to Ragna. "You came face to face with Innominat and still here you return? And you…" he looked at Velvet, "…you must know your quest for revenge is utterly meaningless!"
Velvet sighed. "Yeah, I did. I know why sadness fills the world, and I know how deep are the burdens of sin. I tried to abandon my memories of Arthur and Laphi, to cut myself off from it all, and end this tragedy. It's… it's what they would have wanted."
"Exactly! You do well to know your place."
"Why you…" Ragna stepped forward, though stopped as Velvet held her hand out to stop him.
"That's exactly why I can't forgive them. Not Artorius, not Innominat. I know my heart is ugly and full of contradictions. But those days we spent together in familial warmth… they're proof that I… that all of us… were truly alive." She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked back up towards Melchior. "That's why, no matter how hard, no matter how sad it gets… I will take my vengeance to the very end. I will fight as a human, even if I'm full of ugliness and sin."
Melchior stepped back, "Don't be a fool!" he exclaimed. "Just give up and die like you ought! It is your destiny to wallow in despair!"
"That's enough!" Ragna shouted, leaping up to deliver a downward swing with his blade. Something that Melchior blocked with a barrier, though it soon shattered, forcing the sorcerer to teleport away.
"You take my family, turn me into a monster, and you want my soul too? Now who's being the fool?" Velvet replied, her arms transforming once more. "Remember this well. The Lord of Calamity never gives up, not even in the face of death."
"You unholy, shameless monsters! Fools, the lot of you!"
"Consider this, my resignation." Oscar replied and drew his sword.
They attacked all at once. Even as Melchior tried to muster up his defenses and float away, his offensive spells were drastically weakened as soon as Magilou began using her magic to steal them away. His barrier was battered over and over, tossing him from Ragna, then to Eizen, then to Oscar. The Legate fell down onto the dirt after his barrier shattered, breathing heavily in front of the Earthpulse rift.
"Tell Artorius and Innominat…" Velvet said, "They took something precious from me. I'll never forgive them for that.
Melchior stood back up, weak and battered. "The annals of history are stained with evil people like you. You spread havoc and destruction, all to satisfy your ends. A dark font of malevolence. You're a daemon lord, the irredeemable embodiment of sin! It is the exorcists duty to destroy you!"
"Is it?" Oscar stepped forward. "That's what I thought at first. But looking back at everything we did, is it really much worse than the worst of daemons? Lady Eleanor was right to defect, as did I. Using innocent civilians to further your own goals, taking away the will of those who couldn't resist, killing my sister…" he clenched his fists. "My duty is still to those I swore to defend. Not to you, not anymore."
"He sure talks a lot too." Eizen stood besides Oscar, hands in his coat pocket. "Let him keep talking though. Tell us where Aifread is."
"You'll regret this…" Melchior glared.
"!" Phi spoke up. "I can feel Innominat. He's coming!"
"And I'll beat him up again if I have to." Ragna smirked.
"Wait, what? You fought him?" Magilou asked.
Distracted by the comment, Melchior suddenly casted his spell. "Come forth!"
A pair of claws tore its way into the area as a horned, humanoid daemon appeared at Melchior's side. Before anyone could ready themselves for another combat, a green beam of energy passed by their heads, striking both Melchior and the daemon before driving them back through the Earthpulse rift, the entryway sealing and disappearing soon after.
They turned their heads.
Zaveid stood there, his fire arm still cockily aimed at the disappeared rift, grinning as he did so. "Carelesness will get you killed."
"You ruined the moment." Eizen said.
"I ain't complaining." Ragna shrugged.
Zaveid holstered his weapon. "Huh? Don't you mean 'Thanks for saving us, Zaveid. You're my hero and role model?'"
"Where exactly are we now?" Eleanor wondered.
Zaveid shrugged. "We're in an Abbey facility on Hexen Isle. I heard Melchior was in charge here, so I snuck in. I hadn't expected an extradimensional space."
"Is there a way out?" asked Velvet.
"There is now that I've busted my way in."
"Let's head outside, we can talk then." Velvet said, the group nodding in response.
"Ah…" Phi paused for a bit and turned around.
Ragna looked back, before realizing there was still someone else standing there. Melchior's Malak, left behind after he and his daemon was sent through the rift. He hadn't even realized his presence.
"Who's that?" Eizen asked.
"A friend," said Phi, "His name is "Number One.'"
"My sister had a pact with him once. Until Melchior took him away from her. They were starting to get along too. At least, I had hoped." Oscar added.
Zaveid walked forward and approached the boy. "Hey, wanna come with us? If you stay here alone, a dragon might getcha. I bet you wouldn't like that."
"…Yeah… that sounds scary." the small Malak said, little emotion in his tone of voice.
"Great! C'mon, kid!"
"What are you doing?" Eizen observed.
"We can't leave him like this." Replied Zaveid. "I'll get him a vessel somehow."
Eleanor raised her hand, "Oscar could still serve as one. It'll be just like with me and Laphicet."
"Hmmm?" the praetor looked at her. "Oh no, I'm undeserving of that kind of honor."
"Eh… we'll see." Zaveid said. "You don't seem as terrible anymore. Suit yourself though. I imagine there's still a lot to do once we escape from here."
Ragna looked at the group and smiled. Back to normal then, or at least as normal as it could get for now.
"Hey." Velvet walked up to him and reached for his face.
"…Y-yeah?" Ragna stammered nervously.
She smiled, "You know why" and pulled him into a crushing embrace.
"They're just going to do that where everyone can see, huh?" Magilou wondered.
"Let them have their moment." Rokurou said. "They deserve that much."
"Have you never received a hug?" Laphicet asked.
"Don't pry into my affairs now." Replied Magilou. "Besides, in another reality, maybe I'd be the one Ragna would be hugging."
There was silence, everyone turning towards the witch then.
"What? I'm joking!" Magilou exclaimed. "…Heh, well mostly."
