Ugh... What happened?
Luka felt his body grow colder as he opened his eyes. The room he was in was dim. The cracks in the walls allowed moonlight to enter, so he could at least see.
The hero was startled when the sound of a crash of lightning reached his ears. He looked around and saw a young girl in the corner. She was holding a stick, clearly about to poke him, but stopped once she noticed he was moving.
She was a sight you might see in a slum—that of a young beggar. She was thin and frail. Unusually, she had silver hair, much like the hero's wife, and brown eyes. Her clothes were rags at best, and she wore little else other than a pair of socks.
"Are... Are you okay?" The girl asked timidly. She dropped the stick and backed away from the man. Luka had not answered her yet; instead, he stood up and looked around the room. It was a shack of some sort. The windows were boarded up, and the walls were riddled with holes and were clearly poorly made. The door to the house was blocked by furniture.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks... Who are you?" Luka asked. He turned to face the girl. She was sitting against one of the walls, and he found it difficult to see her in the darkness of the room. Thankfully, her silver hair stood out.
"My name is Luna." She responded. "Who are you? And where did you come from? You kind of just appeared out of nowhere." Luna explained.
"Did I?" Luka asked. "My name is Luka. I'm a hero."
He was surprised to see no reaction from the girl. Normally, if someone were to hear that the young man was actually, in fact, the Hero Luka himself, they would be a bit more surprised. He was not one to be egotistical, but the reaction, or lack thereof, only served to worry him further.
Maybe this place is just really closed off to the world, like Yamatai.
"Luna, do you know where we are? It seems I've gotten lost." Luka asked. Luna shifted for a moment before answering.
"We're in Gelon, the last free kingdom," Luna said. "It's on the border between the Natalia region and the Noah region." She explained.
Luka listened to the girl as he peeked through one of the cracks in the wall. He looked outside to see what remained of a kingdom.
Mighty castle walls were now broken stones embedded in the ground. Corpses littered the streets; blood stained the roads; houses and shops were crumbling; and singe marks could be seen everywhere. Craters could be seen on the ground, each one impossibly deep.
No human could've done this.
Luka looked further down the street. He could just about make out a literal pile of corpses. Something or someone was atop the peak, looking to be straddling someone. The fog of destruction combined with the darkness made it impossible for Luka to see who it was.
I have so many questions. Where am I? What happened to Black Alice? Why have I never heard of Gelon before?
But first, I need to get the girl out of here. It's far too dangerous for someone her age, but what she told me doesn't make any sense.
There is no kingdom called Gelon. And what did she mean when she said it was the last free kingdom in Sentora? And who could have caused all this destruction?
I need to find out more about this place. Perhaps this is all a dream. If that's the case, Black Alice is pulling the strings.
For now, though, even if the chance that this is real is small, I must protect this child, just in case.
"Luna, can you tell me more about what happened here?" Luka asked. The girl looked up at the young-looking man. She nodded.
"Earlier today, the king was found dead in his chambers, and the whole city went all crazy! Mommy and Daddy left a while ago to go get help. They told me to block the windows and the door and not let anyone in until they came back. That was a while ago, though. Where do you think they went?" Luna asked.
Luka peered outside once before answering. "I don't know. I'm sorry, but... I don't think they're coming back." He said. He walked closer to the girl.
"...I know. It's the cause of those monsters." Luna said. Suddenly, her voice became filled with spite. "All they do is hurt and kill us! Why hasn't Ilias killed them all?" The little girl said. Luka noticed she was nearing tears.
To think a girl so close to Neris's age would say something like that...
Before Luna could react, Luka picked her up. "I know. It's easy to hate them, but they're not all like that." He said. "Still, this level of destruction is absurd. Who could've done this?" He asked. The girl looked confused.
"Huh? Who else but the ancestors? Mommy told me about them a few times." She explained.
"They're well known for their evil deeds. They do 'that' to humans for food or for fun. They're the enemy of all of humanity! Me, Mommy, and Daddy were always faithful to Ilias, so how could she let his happen!?" Luna said.
"Ilias? You're a follower of Ilias?" Luka asked.
"Yeah. I know it's pretty unusual for people this far north, but Father taught me all about her. He told me that she's meant to protect us from monsters, and where is she now!?" Luna asked. Luka noticed she was crying on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm here now, and I won't let anyone hurt you, okay?"
This girl is reminding me of Neris more and more. I have to help her.
There's a chance her parents are alive, but I can't risk looking for them right now.
Whatever destroyed this kingdom is still here; I'm sure of it. I need to get her somewhere safe.
Luka looked outside the hole again. The figure had moved.
Luna mentioned the ancestors, but almost all of them are sealed. How could they do this?
Once I get her to safety, I'll have to investigate on my own.
"Alright, I think we should go now. It's not safe here." Luka said.
"Okay," Luna muttered. She held on to the hero as he prepared to leave. He moved the furniture out of the way and slowly opened the door. Once he stepped outside, he got a clearer view of the destruction.
Who could have done all this?
Luka walked out onto the street. He started slowly walking towards the exit, doing his best to stay hidden.
"Oh? Is somebody still walking around? And a cute boy no less." Somebody said. Luka, however, recognised the voice.
That voice! Tamamo!? But she sounds more mature than usual…
Luka turned around. What greeted him was a large, glowing, golden kitsune. She had nine tails, wore traditional Yamatai clothing, and was holding a large fan. She had a wide smile as she eyed the hero up and down.
Tamamo. It really is her. But she's in her ancestral form...
"Tamamo! What the hell are you doing? And, why!?" Luka shouted. Tamamo tilted her head in confusion.
"Strange, you speak as if you know me personally, but I'm afraid I don't recognise you. But, if you want, we could get to know each other better." She suggested.
"I'm fairly full already, but you look so delicious, I might as well have dessert!" She said it gleefully. Her smile was sinister, driving fear into Luka's heart. The ancestor looked at the girl he was holding and the sword sheathed at his hip.
Tamamo would never do this, I know that! And she looks different, like she did when she was unsealed.
I really hope this is just a dream.
But this feels far too real to be something like that… So just what is going on here?
"Say, boy, at first I thought you were a hero of Ilias, but you're not baptised. Are you a soldier or something?" She wondered.
"Well, it matters little. So, here's what's going to happen: Me and you will have a little fight. If I win, I get to do whatever I want to you."
She laughed a bit more. "And if you somehow win, I'll let you go. Sound good? I'm sure this will be fun." Tamamo No Mae said.
As the kitsune spoke, Luka took the opportunity to let Luna down. He told her to run as far as she could and that he would find her when he was done.
The hero turned back to the ancestor. He drew his famed sword, Angel Halo. "Tamamo... I don't really get what's going on, but... I'll stop you here and now!" Luka said.
I will avenge all the humans you killed here, Tamamo. I'll put an end to this carnage!
"Now, let us begin. Don't break too fast! It's no fun if you do." Tamamo said.
She closed the distance between the two in an instant, launching a fierce attack at Luka in the form of a punch. It seemed she was in no mood to hold back. The hero took the hit directly and was sent flying backwards from the impact.
Ugh… Damn it. She's so fast...
Luka steadily rose, using Angel Halo to prop himself up. He even began to cough up some blood. Meditation fixed the issue, but it still hurt quite a bit. Tamamo watched as he stood back up.
"Ohoho, impressive, boy. To be standing when a normal human would've had a hole in them, you're far stronger than I thought. How lucky for me! The stronger you are, the better you taste." Tamamo said while licking her lips.
Luka readied his blade once more. For the first time since the encounter, Tamamo looked closely at the sword.
"What is that? It has angel souls, does it not? And more than a few... How did you get that?" She asked.
"You're right, Tamamo. I'm no hero of Ilias." Luka ignored her question. He entered a state of serenity, allowing him to feel everything that was happening around him. "But I am still a hero! And I'll make sure you never hurt anyone again!" He shouted.
"Ah, I see now. You're not a soldier; instead, you're an independent hero. I'm happy to see you are not a slave to that pathetic goddess, but I'm surprised. You don't look very heroic to me. Are heroes not meant to be tall, dashing men?" Tamamo asked. Luka showed no reaction to her teasing.
"Regardless, your actions are those of a hero, so that is what I shall treat you as. But don't worry, you will surely enjoy being drained by me." She said.
Tamamo then continued the fight, leaping towards Luka. He dodged to the side, slashing at the now-open Kitsune. The attack only did minor damage. Luka felt like he was trying to cut down a mountain.
Dammit! Without Gnome, It's impossible to hurt her! What should I do? What can I do?
"Ah, quite agile, aren't we?" She said. "You're stronger than most of the humans I've fought. Strangely, I can't sense any monster blood in you. And on top of that, how did you attain a serene mind just now?" She asked, confused.
"All these questions I have, I'm sure you'll answer them, right?" Tamamo asked.
"Well, I can always just force the truth out of you." Her grin returned in full. "I suppose that's enough playing around. I wonder, can you survive this?" She said.
Tamamo took a deep breath and took a low stance. "Try not to burn alive, would you? Nine Tails Funeral Pyre!" She shouted.
All of a sudden, huge swaths of blue flames erupted from the kitsune. Luka guarded himself with his sword. Thankfully, he had seen the attack before, back in heaven. Using his knowledge of the spell, he countered the first wave of flames. The fire still managed to seize him, but he quickly healed.
Huh, that wasn't as much power as she used before. Is she holding back on me?
"Serene Demon Sword!" Luka decided to abandon his defensive strategy, instead using one of his longer ranged attacks against the fox. It was the only thing he could think of to repel the incoming attacks. His sword sliced through the first flames of the attack. The fire dispersed, and Luka let out a sigh of relief.
Tamamo looked on in awe at the display. Thunder continued to crackle in the distance.
"Incredible... I never thought a human could ever do such a thing." Tamamo said. She opened her mouth to continue, but was interrupted.
"Indeed." Somebody said.
Huh!? Who was that?
Luka turned to his side to see another monster approach. She was an abnormally large alraune, much bigger than normal. She had both generous hips and a large chest. The strange-looking, yet still highly seductive monster looked at the hero with a smile as she licked her lips.
"You look delicious, boy. How about you come along with me? I can assure you, being eaten by me is the greatest pleasure there is, far better than what that hag over there can offer." The alraune said.
"What was that!?" Tamamo responded. Luka retreated from the monster. He pointed his sword at her, causing a frown to appear on her face.
"A shame. If you had just come along willingly, I would've let you live for a while." The monster said, disappointed.
Wait, is she Kanon? Tamamo talked about her before. She was one of the ancestors. From appearance alone, she is clearly the alraune one.
This is really bad. Two ancestors at the same time! I can't take them both on!
Unless... I could use my angel power.
But, even with that, Could I even defeat both of them? If Tamamo alone was that strong...
Before Luka could continue thinking, Tamamo spoke up. "And what exactly do you think you're doing, Kanon?" She asked.
"Huh? I'm going to eat this human. Got a problem with that?" Kanon replied.
"I saw him first! Go find your own meals! Besides, you've had plenty already."
"No way! I get to eat what I want! You've got your share already! Most of mine were stolen by that damn Scylla! There's no way I'll let you take this one from me too!" Kanon said.
"I'd be very careful, dear sister. We wouldn't want to make a mistake now, would we?"
"Hah! You think you scare me? I'll have you and that boy to make up for what was taken." Kanon retorted.
Tamamo sighed. "You really are a fool, aren't you? You honestly think you stand a chance against me? It seems someone has forgotten her greatest weakness." Tamamo said with a playful grin.
"Grr! Shut up! Don't think that it'll work this time! I know just how to take you down! And once I'm done, the rest of your foxes are next! None of our sisters would blame me for it either!" She said.
As the conflict escalated, Luka took the opportunity to escape. He slowly snuck away and returned to where he had told Luna to go.
After picking her up, he ran out of there as fast as he could. Even when he was outside of the city, the sounds of shouts and spells still reached his ears.
Luka looked at the ruins of Gelon. He had run a mile or so away by now and was resting atop a hill. Luna was sitting on top of a fallen tree.
The ruins were, well, ruins. There were collapsed towers, broken walls, and great gashes in the ground. The castle itself was now completely caved in. It reminded him of Remina, although these ruins were not nearly as old.
What the hell just happened? I'm so confused...
Luka thought about the situation he found himself in. Eventually, he remembered the Makina. The watch was... Well, it had seen better days. The glass was cracked and the metal was scratched, but it was still functioning.
It must've taken a hit when I fell.
Luka tapped on the screen. The watch turned on, allowing him to see a new message.
'Where did you go? Black Alice is gone. Respond ASAP.'
Luka sighed. He was thankful for the message, as it disproved his greatest fear, which was that Black Alice had destroyed the world during his absence. Luka thought about the place he found himself in. It all felt so real.
It can't be a dream. Besides, I think she'd find something more physical to do with me if that's what she wanted. No, this is something else entirely.
But what? She said she'd put me through a trial, whatever that means. Is this a challenge or something?
Either way, I have to face the facts. The ancestors are somehow alive here. A kingdom that shouldn't exist does, and I'm alone.
Well, I have an Angel Halo at least, so I'm not defenceless. Still, I really need to find out more about this place. I should ask Luna.
"Hey, Luna. What year is it?" Luka asked.
"Huh? How'd you not know that? It's common knowledge." She said.
"Ah, Well, I did hit my head," Luka replied with a smile.
"It's the year 553 of the Johannes Calendar." She answered.
"553!? What!?" Luka exclaimed. Luna looked on in confusion.
"Yeah, it's 553... Are you okay?" She asked.
That's impossible! It should be the year 1461. How could I be at the wrong time?
Nobody can just control time like that! And to send me more than a thousand years in the past—it can't be true!
"Listen, are you sure, Luna?" Luka asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I was born in 545, and I've had eight birthdays since then, so It must be 553." Luna explained.
"I see... Excuse my outburst; I'm just stressed from that fight earlier." Luka said.
"You fought her!? Really? That's incredible, Luka!" Luna said.
"I see now! Ilias didn't abandon us! She sent you to save me! You're a blessing sent to save us from the monsters!" She said. She had a big smile on her face, one that Luka recognised. It was fake.
She just lost her parents, her home, everything. She's clinging to anything now.
I did that too, when I was young. Back when Mother died, I clung to Ilias, just like she is doing. She's an orphan now, just like me.
Luna knelt down on the grass and began to pray. Luka noticed she was crying. The pain of losing everything was only hitting her now. He walked over to the child.
"Luna," he said. She looked up. Once she did, the Hero brought her into a hug. She did nothing to stop it; she only continued crying, now on his shoulder.
"It's okay. Everything will be okay." Luka said as he held her tight. She continued to cry for a while longer.
After a few minutes of Luka comforting the girl, they separated. She was still sniffling. She also looked tired.
"We can set out for somewhere safe in the morning, alright? For now, you should rest." Luka said. She nodded in response.
The hero took off his cape and placed it on the wet grass. The girl rested on it and closed her eyes. Luka looked at the small girl. Even the cape was a fair bit bigger than her. From here, he could see how thin she was.
She looks really hungry, but I should let her rest first. I'll make her something in the morning.
And she hasn't even asked for food. She must be used to it. Heh, if this were Alice, she'd be getting aggressive.
Huh, Alice... I really want to see her right now.
I'd text her if I could, but the watch turned off for some reason, and it won't turn back on. I wonder what's wrong with it.
Luka returned to the spot he was at earlier. He again began to overlook the Ruins of Gelon.
I can't sleep tonight. Now with them so close. I'll watch over Luna for now. After that, I'm not sure.
Luka continued to watch the ruins. Soon, he noticed a large swath of flames rising high above the collapsed buildings. This was followed by a massive vine.
What the? Are they fighting?
Hmm, Tamamo did say they didn't really get along. Speaking of, I wonder what she's doing right now…
Anyway, I should try to remember everything I can about the ancestors.
Tamamo had told him about her sister's before, but never in great detail, only passing comments or a brief explanation when he pressed for details.
She never liked to talk about her past, and Luka understood why. If the Tamamo he had just fought with was any indication, she truly was a monster. Alice knew more, since she was educated on monster history. Through her, he knew a fair amount.
There was Kanon, the plant ancestor; her ability to control nature and flora was unprecedented, but the energy required was just as high. Her vitality was also incredible—the second-best among the ancestors. She was also not very smart or sociable, according to Tamamo.
Next was Kanade, the slime ancestor; she had the same super-high vitality, but paired with amazing regenerative power, she had the most survivability among the ancestors. Combined with her ability to dissolve prey in seconds, she was a total powerhouse. She was the quietest of the ancestors, similar to Erubetie, apparently.
I wonder if Erubuite is a closer relative to Kanade than the other slimes. Perhaps she is a direct descendant? I'll have to ask her.
Hiruko was the final member of the flesh-consuming ancestors in that she ate humans and angels for food while the others just drained their energy. She was smart but playful and a bit of a prankster, apparently.
This demeanour was unbecoming of an ancestor, according to Tamamo. Hiruko was the Scylla ancestor and was skilled in biology; other than that, her combat abilities were as high as the others. One other thing to note was that, compared to her sisters, her body was far less gifted. Tamamo also said that she was bullied for this by the others sometimes.
Minagi was the succubus ancestor; she was very seductive, according to Tamamo, and she was able to convince multiple high-ranking angels to surrender to her and be drained while in the raptures of pleasure. She also had three daughters: Lilith, Astaroth, and Morrigan. Tamamo said they were not very important, apparently only being useful for their mediocre strength, as she put it.
Saja was the final ancestor Tamamo talked about. She was supposedly the strongest ancestor, even more skilled than Tamamo. She was also not a fan of unnecessary cruelty; Tamamo said she respected her but still did not like her much. She also apparently always acted as the leader of the ancestors, which annoyed Tamamo. According to her, they had no leader. Other than the Dark Goddess, of course.
Tamamo only briefly talked about herself, saying that she was a vicious bitch, her words. Luka could not imagine Tamamo ever being as cruel as the one he fought earlier.
He had difficulties wrapping his head around the existence of two Tamamos. One who was as gentle as a feather, who had always helped him and also believed in coexistence, and who was his wife's surrogate mother.
And the other, who was an oppressive tyrant who loved destruction and never held back her desires. The Tamamo No Mae of the past was known for invading kingdoms from the inside, hatching great schemes, and being a master of soul magic. She was considered to be the smartest ancestor, according to the kitsune herself. Luka wondered if she did not have some bias.
There's only one explanation I can think of.
I must have been sent into the time of the Great Monster Wars. And now every ancestor probably already knows about me. That means I will have to fight Tamamo, Saja, Hiruko, Kanade, Kanon, and Minagi. Can I really do that alone?
And that's just the ancestors, not even mentioning Micaela or Lucifina Or Ilias and Alipheese themselves, and now they know about me...
This is a very bad situation.
After sending one last wave of flames to her wall of plants, Kanon put her hand up, apparently done. And without a single word, she walked away.
...How disappointing, and here I thought I could finally kill that damn plant.
And yet, Tamamo knew that even if she had gotten the upper hand, she wouldn't have killed her sister. She also knew that Kanon was just about smart enough to not kill her either if she had won.
Not out of any care or respect for her sister, mind you, but out of necessity; to win this war, they would need all of them. Killing each other would be incredibly foolish, especially with how dangerous things were getting.
Tamamo No Mae watched as her sister walked away. She was interrupted when she heard the sound of grunting.
A human male, still moving around? There's a woman too.
Good. I was feeling a bit hungry.
Tamamo went over to her new prey and immediately began to relish in their cries of pleasure and begging for their lives. Apparently, they were looking for their daughter and couldn't find her.
Evidence of this was found in the man's foot, which had a shard of metal sticking through it. He must have gotten stuck when trying to return and only now managed to dislodge it; the woman probably stayed with him to help. Tamamo also noted that the man's last words were 'Luna'.
Hmm, there's a chance they're talking about that girl from earlier. The one that the boy was holding.
Well, who cares anyway? They're dead now, and she's probably going to be too soon. Such is the life of a human. Such pitiful creatures...
Tamamo was reminded of the hero from earlier. The boy had been a strange one. He held a sword with the souls of hundreds of angels; he was unusually strong and knew skills exclusive to monsters.
He was an anomaly, to be sure. She would have to track him down later and find out all he knows.
For now, though, she should continue to search for any other survivors before one of her sisters snatches them up.