I do not own Re:Zero or any of the characters.
Sin
Ian leapt to his feet and spun as an explosion ripped the lead carriage apart, anyone inside of it suddenly being split in half, as if by an invisible blade. An oh-so-familiar crawling sensation raced along his spine as Crusch called everyone to arms.
"That's impossible!" Ian growled. "He can't be..."
His eyes widened. Petelgeuse couldn't be. Which meant this was a different Sin Archbishop. He looked ahead as their carriage took the lead. Ahead of them, there was a single man dressed in a white shirt, pants, shoes, and full-length coat with short, messy white hair and an almost serene smile.
"Run him over!" Crusch ordered, only for Ian and Rem to grab her and leap out of the carriage, the crawling sensation spiking so sharply that it felt like he'd been stung by thousands of wasps at once.
Less than a second after they got clear, an explosion of some kind obliterated the carriage they'd just left, as well as the two behind it, destroying dozens of meters of the road. The rest of the carriages all skidded to a stop and Ian drew his sword, swallowing hard.
"We're fucked," Ian breathed.
"I wish you wouldn't have done that," the man said. "Why run me over when I'm not doing anything? That's not something any decent human being would try if you ask me."
"You're a Sin Archbishop," Ian accused. "Running you over was probably the worst idea in the world."
"Oh?" the man asked. "Very good. I thought I sensed something different about you. Which did you meet?"
"Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti," Ian said.
"Ah, yes, the most insane of our number," the man nodded. "How did you manage to survive, I wonder?"
"I suppose the easiest answer would be that I was saved by an ability of one of my friends," Ian said.
"Ah, I see," the man said. "Then allow me to-"
Crusch's magic slammed into him, only to do absolutely nothing. Crusch stared at him in shock.
"That was an exceedingly horrible idea," Ian said, stepping in front of her.
"Now listen here!" the man snapped. "Who taught you that it was acceptable to swing a sword at someone while their speaking!?"
"How is he..." Crusch took a step back, Ian and Rem both readying themselves.
"I do believe that's a violation of my right to freely express myself!" the man snapped, waving a hand absentmindedly.
Crusch shouted in pain suddenly as her left arm was suddenly amputated, everything between mid bicep and just below the elbow missing. Ian shouted in surprise, then skipped backward.
"-my right to freely express myself!"
Ian dove to his right, tackling bot of the others, and felt something tug on the back of his half-cape. As he stood, he looked back, seeing it had been cut barely an inch from his back. He sighed in relief, tearing it off and tossing it aside. The Sin Archbishop before them glared at him suspiciously.
"How did you know I was going to attack?" he asked. "And why is your Miasma stronger now?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're not Pride, are you? No. Pride would never work against the cult. You're rather interesting."
"If you're not Pride, I'd wager you're Wrath," Ian said.
"Greed, actually," the man said. "Regulus Corneas, Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult representing Greed."
"We need to figure out how his ability works," Ian said. "We might be able to at least distract him enough to escape, since he's alo-"
"Aaahhh!" a crazed, high, young, male voice sighed from behind them, all three spinning toward the sound. "I keep eating and eating but it's never enough! I eat! I devour! I chew! I bite! I gorge! I gnaw! I munch! I crunch! I savor! Pure Gluttony! Oh, Thank you for this feast, I truly appreciate it!"
The voice's owner was a teenage boy, maybe fifteen at most, with long, dark brown hair reaching his knees, bangs covering his right eye but leaving the left's crazed, hungry stare unobscured, a tattered, blood-soaked cult robe hanging from his back like a cape with two of the ripped edges tied around his neck, a dark purple bodysuit with horizontal violet stripes covering him, the front ripped open to below his navel, and his hands wrapped in matching purple rags, each holding a cult dagger to the back of his hands. His entire body was soaked in the blood of every last person they'd had with them and dripped from his hands and daggers as he ambled toward them. He was about Rem's height but was hunched forward slightly, his mouth set into a wide, crazed grin, exposing his pointed teeth.
"Fuck!" Ian breathed as fire ants scrambled up and down his spine, then along his skin. "Two?"
"I am also a Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult representing Gluttony!" the teen grinned. "Lye Batenkaitos!"
"What do we do?" Rem asked, horn already extended and drawing in mana.
"We..." Ian swallowed hard. "We have to survive until someone finds us."
Rem and Crusch didn't respond. All three knew how slim the chances of that were.
"We came out here because we heard our pet had been slain, AND JUST LOOK AT THIS BOUNTY!" Lye shrieked ecstatically. "We expected them to be a good, ripe bunch, considering they managed to kill a beast that had been rampaging unchecked for over four hundred years, but this exceeds even my wildest expectations!" He spread his arms wide, leaning back and screaming into the sky. "LOOK AT THIS MAGNIFICENT FEAST!" he began to salivate, drool running down his chin. "Passion! Love! Hate! Chivalry! Oh JOY! And SORROW! That is, that is! THAT IS WORTH EATING! It's been a while since our hunger was thoroughly sated!"
Ian readied his sword as Rem and Crusch both readied themselves.
"Easy now," Regulus said. "I'm nothing like him. I absolutely despise fighting and such. All that hunger and thirst nonsense. Such petty self-indulgences are beneath me. I have no need of any more than I have. My hands are small and weak, so to protect my few possessions and my life, I have to use all my strength. That's my fragile existence."
"This coming from the man reputed to be as invincible as Reinhard van Astrea, capable of obliterating entire cities alone," Ian said. "The Greed of the Witch's Cult is infamous."
A small, self-satisfied smirk grew on Regulus's face. Rem ground her teeth, dozens of ice spikes appearing in the air around them.
"One enemy who's invincible, and who can sever limbs from that distance with a wave of his hand," Ian said, turning to Lye. "And an enemy capable of slaughtering dozens of highly-trained soldiers in mere seconds, before we even realize there's a battle happening."
"How long can we realistically survive?" Crusch asked.
"Minutes," Ian said. "Probably less."
"I'll hold off Gluttony if you two think you can stall Greed," Rem said.
"That's a big ask," Ian said darkly. "For both sides."
"It's our only chance," Crusch said.
"Wait," Ian said. "Regulus, if we don't attack you, will you allow Gluttony to fight us on his own, without you interfering?"
"Of course," Regulus said, as though it should be obvious. "I told you, I hate fighting. And my word, like my rights, is one of the few possessions I keep."
Ian nodded, turning to Lye.
"You trust a member of the Witch's Cult?" Crusch murmured.
"Not at all," Ian said. "But if he's being honest, this will be our best chance to make it out of this alive. Lye isn't invincible. He can be killed."
Rem nodded, her ice spikes all swinging around toward Lye. Crusch hesitated before also turning her back on Regulus.
"Oh, what a magnificent feast!" Lye gushed, licking his lips hungrily as he stared at them like a predator staring at his next meal. "I know Crusch Karsten, but who might you two be?"
"I and the head maid of the mansion of Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers," Rem said, then paused. "Companion and partner to my one and only love. I'm Rem!"
"I'm Ian," Ian said. "Rem's self-appointed bodyguard, willing slave, and the person who will never let you lay a hand on her!"
"Oh, both at once," Lye grinned. "And to be a bodyguard you have to be strong! You're both going to taste so good!"
"Let's go!" Ian snarled, charging.
Rem fired at Lye, but he took off in a blur, easily evading the projectiles, then flipped over Crusch's magic strike. Ian reached him and slashed, but he batted the blade aside with his right hand, his left flashing toward Ian, only for Ian to skip backward, once again slashing. The sudden change in his miasma, though subtle, made Lye's eyes go wide and he leapt backward. As soon as he was in the air, however, Rem's flail flashed toward him. He grinned wickedly, batting it aside with his daggers. Rem flicked the handle, sending the chain slamming into his daggers over and over before Ian suddenly launched himself over the chain, flinging a blast of wind magic down at him as Rem yanked her flail back.
"Just die!" Ian roared as the blast slammed into Lye's back and exploded, sending him exploding to the ground before he bounced and flipped away. Crusch slashed, an arc of wind magic chasing him, only for him to flip over it, blurring toward them. Ian and Crusch both charged as Lye sidestepped Rem's flail. Then, when he reached them, he deflected Ian's blade and slashed at him, only for Crusch to knock the blade away from him, her own blade clashing with his rapidly.
"Oh yes!" Lye cheered. "Such delicious spirit! Thank you for the meal!"
He spun around her sword as though it were easy, then slammed his left palm into her abdomen, launching her backward into Ian, ten feet behind her, both together sailing another five. As they flew, Ian saw Lye lick his left palm before charging at Rem. Then, they were bouncing across the ground. As they stopped, Ian pushed himself up, seeing Lye once again trapped in the air as he fended off Rem's flail. He turned to Crusch, feeling her ribs under her cracked chestplate. They were probably bruised, but he didn't think they were broken. Just then, Crusch groaned, eyes opening slightly and staring up at him half-consciously.
"Don't try to move," Ian said. "You'll be okay. Just leave the fighting to me from here."
"Who...are you?" Crusch asked weakly before passing out again.
Ian stared at her in shock for a moment before his head snapped around at Rem screamed in pain. He spun, seeing Lye falling toward her. Regulus had attacked. Then, Lye crashed down on top of Rem, smashing her into the ground before leaping away, bringing his left hand to his mouth.
Ian skipped backward, pushing himself up just as Crusch rolled to a stop. He shoved himself to his feet and spun toward Regulus, seeing his mouth curl into a grin.
"Rem duck!" Ian shouted, fury and desperation flooding him as he pulled his sword back, the blade shining with concentrated wind mana as he worked out of desperation. "Stay the Hell away from her!"
He slashed, a massive explosion of wind magic erupting from the blade, sending both Rem and Lye flying but not affecting Regulus, though Ian watched as the attack parted around a mass of something that started at Regulus's mouth, then expanded as it flashed through the area Rem had just been.
His breath!? Ian thought, even as his magic roared to life around him and sent him exploding after Lye. He can make his breath an indestructible projectile? His mind was filled with the memory of a wave of Regulus's hand removing Crusch's arm. His breath, his body, or even the wind created by waving his arm. He's unbeatable.
Lye leapt at Rem, only to cross his daggers in front of himself, being sent exploding backward by the force of Ian's magic-reinforced sword with his own blades.
"I told you!" Ian snarled, bloodlust shining from his eyes as Rem stood. "I won't let you fucking tough her! I'll kill both of you!"
"Once again, you knew I would attack before I did," Regulus said. "I might think that was coincidence, if not for you avoiding my earlier attack and taking measures to get her out of that spot as well, rather than simply keeping Lye away from her. You have an ability that allows you to perceive your enemies' strikes before they happen. No, it's more like you can see the future. And each time you do, the Witch's Miasma clinging to you gets stronger. Very well. As much as I despise violence, we're going to fight him together, Lye."
"What?" Lye asked. "Why!?"
"Because if you face him alone, he'll kill you," Regulus said. "No, let's deal with this quickly!"
He swung his arms rapidly, massive gouges being torn in the ground as the weaponized wind raced toward Ian. He shot out of the path, Rem retreating instantly and allowing Ian to fight alone. Lye shot toward Ian, their blades clashing a half-dozen times before Ian launched himself backward, a gust of wind ripping the ground apart between them. Lye shot forward, slashing at Ian in a blur, and he deflected the strikes quickly, skipping back each time Lye managed to touch him with his left hand or scored a strike. A gust of wind removed his leg and he skipped backward, Lye just reaching him. Again, he fended him off, then launched himself forward, slashing and forcing Lye to flip over him. He began to pant quickly as he turned and leapt backward from Lye, only for Lye to instantly press the attack again.
He managed to catch Lye off guard with the same attack he'd used on the giant Wolgarm when they were rescuing Rem, managing to escape with only a few severe gashes this time, then leapt backward, only to hear Regulus let out a short breath, Ian's torso exploding open. He skipped backward, firing the same blast before launching himself to the side, looking back at Regulus. Instead of a breath, this time it was a sideways swipe of his arm. Ian flipped over it, flinging a blast of wind magic at Regulus and kicking up a cloud of dust. Lye drove both daggers into his back and he skipped backward, blasting Regulus before continuing his spin and slashing both daggers, knocking Lye's arms out to the side, only for Lye to slam a kick into his gut.
As he fell, an arc of weaponized wind split his body from his right shoulder to his groin. His curse spiked, taking him back to firing the blast at Regulus and he continued his spin, knocking Lye's daggers aside before slamming a kick of his own into Lye's, a pulse of his wind launching both out of the way of Regulus's strike. As he landed, he launched himself after Lye, narrowly avoiding another of Regulus's strikes. Then, just as he slammed his sword into Lye's crossed daggers and hurled him, he heard a whoosh of air and spun. Regulus was holding a piece of carriage canvas and had swung it toward him. Ian's body went cold. He was in the air, he couldn't launch himself without something for his wind to push off of, and he couldn't skip back far enough to avoid it. He felt an odd calm wash over him, and a moment later, his body was ripped apart. His legs and right arm spun away, a gash opened through the left side of his head as deep as the center of his eye, the right half of his throat opened as if along a seam, an entire chunk was removed from the right side of his torso, and a six inch gash opened all the way through the left side of his chest.
He could hear Rem screaming, but it was muted and far away. Regulus walked over to him and nudged him with his foot. Suddenly, his bleeding stopped, his heart stopped, and the cold rapidly invading him paused.
"H...ow?" he forced out.
"I suppose I can tell you," Regulus said. "My Authority of Greed grants me an ability called Stillness of an Object's time. It allows me to stop the time of myself or anything I come into contact with, including the wind of me waving my hand. In doing so, whatever I stop the time of becomes unable to be effected by any outside force, in other words, completely indestructible and unstoppable. I can turn air currents, droplets of blood or water, even my own breath, into the deadliest weapon in the world. Even the legendary Reinhard can't stop me if he can't hurt me." Regulus smirked. "Alright Gluttony. Go ahead and eat him before I resume his time."
"Yes!" Lye cheered, lunging forward with fresh blood dripping from his daggers. "Thanks for the feast!"
Ian looked to the side, seeing Rem's now mangled and lifeless body lying off to the side. He looked back up at Lye as Lye's left hand gripped his forehead. Then, Ian shoved his left arm upward as hard as he could, using a short blast of magic from his back to launch himself upward. His head slipped out of Lye's grip before his fist drove itself completely through Lye's head. Lie dropped instantly, landing on top of Ian, who grunted and shoved him back off. Deadliest weapon in the world, indeed.
Regulus huffed. "And here I thought that you were finished. I suppose I should have expected that."
Ian felt his time resume, his heartbeat feeling like the greatest relief in the world before the cold of death began to close in again. "Fuck...you. You'll...die too...some...day."
As he felt himself slipping away, disappointment filled him. Killing Lye like that wasn't enough. He wanted him to suffer. Lie had killed Rem. He focused as best he could. Through the groin and up into the heart or spine shouldn't be impossible with his time stopped. He found his curse power and focused, then tumbled backward out of his Dragon Carriage.
Rem shrieked in surprise, catching him by the front of his shirt and pulled him back in and Ian looked around, wide-eyed before an explanation reached him.
"Stop the carriages!" Ian all but shrieked, panic plain in his voice.
"What?" Crusch frowned.
"Stop them now!" Ian snapped.
"Halt!" Crusch bellowed, all of the carriages skidding to a stop. "What is it? What's wrong? You're pale and shaking!"
"We need to turn around, now!" Ian said.
"Ian, what's wrong?" Rem asked worriedly. "Talk to me."
"They'll kill us!" Ian shouted.
Just then, someone began to shout behind and in front of them, but the call from the rear was lost in a sea of screams as the one in front was lost in an explosion. Ian grabbed Rem and Crusch, leaping out of the carriage, his dragon catching him this time, and the dragon instantly took off away from the already-destroyed carriages. Ian looked back, around Crusch, and saw the two Sin Archbishops gaining rapidly. He grit his teeth hard, turning back to the front and steeling himself.
"Listen to me very carefully, both of you," Ian said, Rem twisting around to look at him seriously, already knowing his plan. "You two need to keep riding and go and get Subaru and the others, then bring them back here. I'm going to need Julius to save me."
"You cannot fight them alone!" Crusch said.
"Yes, he can," Rem said. "But only if he doesn't have to worry about us."
"No," Ian said. "Crusch is right. I'm going to die fighting them. That's why Julius needs to get here as soon as possible. The one with white hair behind us is Regulus Corneas, Sin Archbishop of Greed. He can stop his own time or that of anything he touches. In doing so-"
An arc of weaponized wind split them all in half diagonally and Ian skipped backward, yanking the dragon's left whisker and making him swerve to the side, avoiding it as he finished identifying Regulus.
"He can stop his own time or that of anything he touches," Ian said again. "In doing so, he can make it completely impervious to interference from any outside force. A gust of wind from him waving his hand or exhaling would become an unstoppable blade. His own body is an indestructible weapon when he stops his time. The other one is Lye Batenkaitos, Sin Archbishop of Gluttony." Ian heard the sound of the ground splitting and steered around it. "He's a master of martial arts of all kinds do to his ability. If he touches someone with his left hand, then licks it, he can steal their memories. I don't know if that's the sum total of his abilities, but it makes him dangerous."
Rem nodded in agreement. "Be careful. We'll be fast."
Ian nodded. "Crusch, your magic attack, how do you do it?"
"Focus your magic into your blade, condense it, then release it evenly along the arc of your slash," Crusch said.
Ian nodded, then flipped sideways to the ground, drawing his sword before he landed on his feet, Rem taking the dragon's whiskers. The moment Ian's feet hit the ground, his magic roared to life around him and he exploded back toward the two Sin Archbishops. Regulus swung a hand and Ian spun around the gust of wind before slashing, his blade clashing with Lye's hard, throwing Lye backward. As Lye landed beside Regulus, Regulus narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to speak, only for Ian to launch an explosion of wind into them, hurling Lye and kicking up a cloud of dust around Regulus. Ian took off in a circle around them, away from the other two, and avoided a pair of strikes from Regulus before Lye reached him, their blades clashing rapidly. Lye's dagger managed to slip past Ian's, but the wind around Ian caught it and swung his arm harmlessly out to the side. Ian saw Regulus swing an arm from off to the side and spun around Lye, the ground being ripped open where he'd been. Ian spun slashing hard, and when his blade met Lye's, the wind magic exploded, launching Lye away. Ian focused, his blade shining a light teal, then slashed, focusing and sending an arc of compressed wind after Lye, only for it to erupt into an explosion of Wind Magic a few yards away, launching him. He spun, launching himself into the air over Regulus's next strike and spun, hurling a blast of Wind Magic at Regulus. However, Regulus huffed just before the strike hit, and the breath blasted through Ian's gut. Ian skipped backward, firing the blast as he kicked his boot off, then kicked it, his wind magic pulsing and launching him to the ground. He flipped, landing on a cushion of air and sped off toward Lye, Rem's mangled body flashing through his mind. Lye cackled excitedly, launching himself at Ian, and Ian began to clash with him rapidly. A blade slashed his throat and he skipped backward. A blade slashed his inner thigh and he skipped backward. A gust of wind ripped him in half. A blade slashed him across the abdomen. A blade removed his right hand. A breath removed his legs. A blade grazed his femoral artery. Finally, Ian managed to score his first hit, though it was only a graze on the cheek. Lye's crazed grin grew and he lunged, stabbing Ian in the heart just before Regulus split Ian at the waist. Ian deflected the stab and leapt over the gust of wind, then drilled a fist into Lye, the wind around his hand blasting him into the ground hard enough to crater it. Ian landed on his feet and punted Lye, launching him, then launched himself backward, the sole of his remaining boot being sliced off by Regulus's hand, held with the fingers straight and conjoined. Ian dodged strike after strike from Regulus as Lye stood and began to close in.
"You can see the future, can't you?" Regulus asked as Ian's Which Miasma continued to grow thicker and thicker as every swipe, stab, or kick was a weapon itself, and the gusts of wind from the strikes, or Regulus's breaths, added to the impossibility of the fight.
Finally, Ian slashed the ground, sending out an explosion of Wind Magic, launching himself away from Regulus just before Lye reached them. Except, he wasn't harmed. In fact, his magic had yet to harm him once the entire fight. Ian ignored that for the time being, instead launching himself forward to meet Lye. His blade clashed rapidly with Lye's, Lye flipping, spinning, slashing, stabbing, and hacking with everything he had. Except, Ian had gotten the hang of the facing him, so despite the exchange lasting nearly five straight minutes and being exhausting, he only had to skip back eight times because of Lye, though a further fifteen because of Regulus.
Finally, Ian launched himself backward to avoid a blast from Regulus, then exploded forward, focusing his magic to his sword. Lye's daggers were cracked. It had taken a lot longer than he'd hoped, but he could get through now. He roared in effort, slashing with all his might, holding the sword with two hands, and Lye shrieked in wicked glee, slashing his daggers to meet the blade like a pair of scissors. Then, there was an almighty crash and the wind exploded, both of them sailing away from each other, Lye trailing blood from several gashes and Ian trailing blood from a gash in his shoulder from one of the blades that had broken off. Except, it wasn't Lye's that had cut him. He flipped, catching himself with his wind and looked down at his sword, broken off at an angle about halfway down the blade. Beside Regulus, Lye began to cackle.
"It's over!" Lye cried out happily, throwing his cloak open and revealing dozens more daggers. "You can't fight without a weapon!"
"You're mistaken," Ian said. "Half a sword is still a sword."
Lye grinned wickedly as he tightened his wrist wrappings around his new daggers, securing them in place.
So this is it, Ian thought as he reactivated his magic again. This is as far as I go. At least Rem escaped. I can accept this.
All three exploded forward, Ian resetting when Regulus caught him with a breath, then spun around Regulus's charge, slashing at Lye, his broken sword clashing with Lye's left dagger. Lye's right stabbed at him and he spun around it, slamming a kick into his back, a blast of wind magic launching him. Ian launched himself backward, then to the side, spinning to get around Regulus's gust of wind, and his half-cape fluttered away. Ian tore what remained off and focused his magic into his sword's blade, slashing and sending an arc at the two of them. Again, it exploded before them, launching Lye. However, as Ian shot after them, Regulus suddenly emerged from the dust, stabbing his hand at Ian. Ian slashed as he shot to the side. His blade crashed into Regulus's arm and all but exploded, hurling Ian away and getting him out of the way, but as he stood, the remains of his blade were barely long enough to be called a dagger. He flipped it around to reverse grip and Regulus regarded him skeptically.
"You truly plan to continue fighting with your blade in that condition?" Regulus asked.
"I will fight you both until my dying breath if it means protecting Rem," Ian snarled. "Even if that means fighting you barehanded."
Lye raced past Regulus and Ian shot forward to meet him, his blade crashing into Lye's hard, but not as controlled as before. His Witch Miasma strengthened rapidly as he skipped back again and again as they fought. Slashed throat, punctured heart, gouged out eye, left hand connected, interference from Regulus, missing leg, interference from Regulus. The list of failures went on and on as Ian fought, each failure undone every time. The fight had to be perfect. It had to be. Anything less and he'd be killed.
He launched himself backward from a strike from Regulus, and Lye leapt after him. However, at the last second, he crossed his daggers, blocking the head of Rem's flail, being sent sailing backward with his daggers shattered, but not being harmed. As he strapped on another set of daggers, Crusch stepped up beside Ian and slashed, sending her strike into Regulus harmlessly.
"He really is invincible," Crusch said.
"What are you doing here?" Ian snarled, watching the two Sin Archbishops, seeing Regulus's smirk and Lye's predatory grin.
"We're here to help," Rem said. "I wrote a note to Julius, explaining things, then sent our dragon to get them. Until then, you need help to hold them off, especially given the state of your sword."
Ian grit his teeth but nodded. "Be careful."
The women nodded and Ian exploded forward just as Lye began to blur around and around, striking at them rapidly, though they were able to fend him off.
"Such a wonderful harvest!" Lye shrieked excitedly.
Ian deflected one of his daggers and ducked, Rem's flail flashing over him. Lye deflected it this time, then leapt into the air over Crusch's attack. Ian launched himself forward, slashing, but Lye deflected it, then blocked Crusch's sword, flipping to the ground. As Crusch struggled to fend Lye off, Ian spun around her, focusing his magic to his blade again before slashing, the magic exploding against Lye's blade and hurling him. Then, Rem screamed. Ian spun, seeing her retreating from Regulus and exploded forward, slashing and hurling a blast of magic into the ground in front of Lye, blocking his sight for a moment just as Rem sent her flail past Ian. Stopped, grabbing it, then spun, both yanking and sending Rem flying at Lye just as he licked his palm, Crusch lying on the ground in front of him, bleeding and unconscious, but alive. Rem exploded into him, launching him, and Ian skidded to a stop beside Crusch, checking her wounds. She'd been slashed across the gut, but she'd live without treatment for a little while.
Just as he stood, a gust of wind split him across the diaphragm. He skipped backward, leaping over the strike and using his remaining boot to return to the ground just as Rem began to fend Lye off in the air with her chain, as she had the last repetition, though she was using ice spikes as well this time, her horn all but shining as it pulled in a constant flood of mana. Ian snarled in rage as Lye descended rapidly. He focused magic to his sword's remaining blade and slashed.
"Get the fuck away from her!" Ian roared.
A perfect replica of Crusch's magic strike flashed from him to Lye, smashing through Rem's flail's chain, but also removing the blades of Lye's daggers, though Lye himself leapt off of a section of chain to avoid it. Ian didn't care about that. He exploded forward, and as Lye avoided a barrage of ice spears from Rem, Ian reached him, driving the remains of his sword into Lye's back and up into his rib cage on the right side, puncturing his lung but missing his heart. He ripped the blade back out and spun, hurling Lye at Regulus, a gust of wind removing both of Lye's arms before Ian and Rem avoided it. Regulus walked over to Lye, who was screaming in pain, and stared down at him.
"Well, it would seem he underestimated you," Regulus said as ice spikes began to form in the air around Rem. "I believe you'll find it considerably harder to defeat me, though."
"Obviously," Ian said. "But we'll definitely give it our best shot."
Regulus narrowed his eyes. "Trying to take away my right to live is unacceptable. My rights are one of the few possessions I keep."
"Not my problem," Ian said, readying himself. "We'll give you one chance to leave peacefully."
Regulus chuckled. "Or what, you'll die wasting your time? Despite appearances, I truly despise fighting and violence and such."
"Could have fooled me," Ian growled.
"Ian!" Ram's voice shouted as she and Julius rode over on Ian's dragon, Ram holding a wand in her right hand, which Ian had never seen her with before.
"So, this is the Sin Archbishop of Greed?" Julius asked. "And the wounded one is Gluttony?"
"Yeah," Ian nodded. "Lye Batenkaitos. He'll die soon, though.
"Good," Julius said. "You did well, especially with your sword in that condition."
"Are you alright?" Ram asked. "Your sword-"
"It's ability ended when it broke," Ian said. "But it would seem I no longer need it."
Ram nodded. "Can we win this?"
"No," Ian said. "Our best hope is to find a way to escape."
Regulus sighed, shaking his head. "There's no need to try and strategize. I'm ending things here. We came to see who it was that managed to finally kill our pet. That question's been answered, so we'll be going now."
"I don't think so!" Julius snapped.
"Stop," Ian said, holding his broken sword in front of Julius before he could attack. "As I said, we can't win this. If he's letting us leave alive, we should take his offer."
Julius hesitated before nodding. "Fine."
"You three take my dragon," Ian said. "I'll use my magic."
"But it hurts you," Ram said.
"Not anymore," Ian said. "Let's go."
The others nodded and climbed onto the dragon, all taking off. Ian waited, watching Regulus in silence for a long minute.
"The next time we meet, you'll die," Ian warned. "I'm not sure how, but we'll find a way."
"We'll see," Regulus said, picking up Lye. "Until we meet again."
He turned, walking away and Ian activated his magic, picking up Crusch before turning and racing after the others, preparing himself to skip backward if Regulus attacked, but he didn't.
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