That should be enough for now.

Tamamo took her palm off the ground. In the past few hours, she had been working on lessening the effects of the earthquakes which were regularly striking Remina. Although she couldn't completely nullify them, she could slow them down to a great degree. The city would stand for a while longer. She was surrounded by her kitsune, each one doing the same as her. Her entire clan was there, in fact.

"Yano, with me," Tamamo ordered. Yano stopped her magic and joined her ancestor. "It's time we resume your lessons."

"Yes, my lord," Yano replied. The two walked into one of the many houses in Remina. It had been reserved for them temporarily. Once inside, Tamamo No Mae sat down on one of the chairs. Yano began to cook for her, as per usual.

"Now then, let's go over what I taught you," Tamamo said. "What should you do when a subordinate disobeys you? In this scenario, it's the third time your subordinate has done this. You're worried it may become a pattern."

"Kill them. Make them an example to the others." Yano replied. "If she does not know how to serve properly, what use is she to you?"

Tamamo smiled. "Good, that's right." She said. "You may be leader material after all." She complimented. Yano was surprised by the praise.

"Thank you, my lord."

"Next, if your superior ordere-" The door suddenly opened.

"Tamamo." A Monster said as she entered, interrupting the kitsune.

"...Saja," Tamamo replied. Yano did not turn to the new guest. She was too scared. She was now in the presence of not one, but two ancestors at once. It was almost too much for her heart to bear.

"How have you been holding up?" She asked. "Doing Well, I trust?"

"Well enough," Tamamo said. "What do you want?"

"Can I not visit my sister in a time of crisis?" Saja asked. She sat down on the opposite side of Tamamo. Yano noted that the chairs they sat on were too small for them, as they were designed for humans.

"Of course you can, dear sister," Tamamo said. "But, I don't recall you ever visiting Yamatai for such a reason. So why are you here now? What do you want?" She repeated her question.

"Haah... You're quite rude, you know that? I haven't even been offered any-" Saja was interrupted when Yano walked over to her, handing her a cup of tea. "...tea... Thank you, Kitsune."

"Of course, my lord..." Yano said. She was unsure of whether Saja was actually her lord or not. She was definitely her superior, anyway.

"To answer your question, I'm here on behalf of the Goddess," Saja explained. "She wanted to know if she should send some men your way, to help restore energy."

"Oh, yes, that would be quite helpful," Tamamo said. "Since Remina's citizens are off the table, I haven't had anything to eat in a while," Tamamo explained.

"I'll tell her that. One more thing." Saja said after taking a sip from her cup. "I thought you'd like to know that Yamatai has been fully evacuated, along with most of Noah. We're nearly done with Vrimor too. The other areas are also progressing smoothly. On top of that, we've had absolutely no angel interference of any kind." She explained.

"Hmm, I see... I've been thinking about it ever since I learnt of the Spirit's death. Why would Ilias do such a thing? I still haven't found an answer." Tamamo said.

"Me neither. Anyway, that's all I came here for. Be ready for the next earthquake." Saja said. Tamamo did not reply.

It hasn't even been a full day, and I already feel exhausted. How long can I really keep this up? At least I have the others helping, but at his rate, they're going to have to share energy with me. I don't see them being too eager to do that...

Though, they do seem to be slowing down recently. They were so violent at the start... But now they're not too hard to stop. I wonder why..?

And Ilias... What game is she playing? I'll figure it out soon. But something tells me all of it has to do with that hero, Luka.

Luka continued walking along the grass fields east of Safina. He was sent here to scout out an area to keep the people of Sabasa in. What was worrying the hero most as he walked was the fact that the earthquakes had not yet shown any sign of stopping. Even after replacing the Spirit of Earth with a suitable replacement, they had yet to end. Tamamo theorised that any earthquakes that had already begun were not going to just stop halfway through.

It had been Nine hours now since Gnome's death. Luka got a few hours of rest, along with Tamamo and Promestein. The angel was away with the Sabasa group, while Tamamo was also searching for an area to keep them, just like Luka. The grasslands were fertile and flat. Perfect land for farming, which was capitalised on in his world. In this world of war though, it was empty. Even here, he could still see the scars of war evident in the landscape.

This area looks good enough. Though, it is quite close to the Navel of the World.

Luka looked north. From here he could see the navel, far in the distance. Using his seraphim senses, he could feel a huge amount of holy power coming from it.

Probably to stop any invaders.

Anyway, I should contact Tamamo.

Luka used his holy magic to use a new skill he acquired. Telepathy. It was hard for him to learn at first, but he got better over the years. Micaela was a good teacher.

Tamamo? I think I found a nice spot.

Oh? I'll check it out. I'll be just a second.

As Luka waited, he felt the spirits speaking.

"So close..." One said. Luka recognized her voice as Undine.

So close to what?

"To Ilias, of course." She said.

...We can't go there.

Undine sighed. Before coming here, Luka and the spirits had been talking about what to do now. The spirits all agreed on one thing. Revenge must be taken. Sylph especially. Gnome's death had hit them harder than Luka thought it would. It also hurt him more than he expected. He had known Gnome for seven years now. The sudden loss of such a close friend, even if she was one from another world, gave the hero an immense sense of loss, along with guilt.

But mostly, it gave him anger.

"Luka?" Tamamo called out to the hero. Luka turned to the now three-tailed kitsune. Thankfully, after giving up her power, she was still left with some of her innate strength. Getting her power back would take a very long time. What's worse is that giving up her power was permanent. Even if she ended her projection, she wouldn't just get her power back all of a sudden. It was gone for good. Still, Tamamo would do it all again if it was to save the world. Besides, she had friends to protect her.

"Ah, Tamamo," Luka said. He walked over to the kitsune. She observed the area.

"This is a pretty nice place, but I think a bit further south would be better." She suggested.

"That would be closer to the coast, and that means we could be hit by a tsunami." Luka pointed out. Tamamo looked to be deep in thought for a moment before responding.

"Hey... Speaking of, what about San Ilia?" She said. "And Port Natalia too. They were both close to the sea."

Luka thought about the implications of her statement. If a tsunami had hit that area...

"I think we should check it out. Now." He said. Tamamo nodded. Luka stood beside her as she started to teleport.

"Urgh, they have a seal around it..." She said. "It blocks teleportation spells... Probably to stop an army from teleporting in the middle of the city." She explained.

"I see... Then, I guess we'll just walk." He suggested. Tamamo agreed.

Back to San Ilia... For the fifth time now.

Doppel Luka silently snuck through the high grass fields of Natalia. She passed through the fibre reeds and other plant life as she made her way through. Stealth was imperative. She was vigilant and careful as she did, making sure to not make too much noise.

The Fake Luka stuck her head high above the grass so that she could see her target. Once she confirmed he was still there, she continued her tracking.

Hehe... He doesn't suspect a thing...

Doppel Luka had a confident smirk on her face. Her stealth skills had come in handy once more.

Say, where did the fox go..?

She looked over at the boy once more. She had been tracking him for a while now, ever since she noticed him walking alone a little south of the Navel of the World. Her smile quickly disappeared once she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Thought you could sneak past me again, did you?" A young-sounding voice said. Doppel Luka turned around to see the legendary... Three-Tailed Kitsune herself, Tamamo No Mae?

Wait, Tamamo doesn't have three tails...

"Who are you?" She asked. "And why are you dressed up like Tamamo?"

"Urgh! You idiot. I am Tamamo!" She shouted, more than a bit annoyed at being called a fake. "And what do you think you're doing anyway!? Come out onto the path." Tamamo grabbed the Doppel by the collar and dragged her out to the path. She opted not to resist. She was too disheartened at being discovered.

Damn it... I thought I was hiding so well too...

Luka, the real Luka, walked over to his Doppel.

"Nice work, Tamamo." He said. Tamamo was happy to receive the praise. The fake Luka stood up and looked at the two surrounding her.

"How did you find me anyway?" She asked Tamamo. The kitsune had a confident smirk as she answered.

"Why, I am the great Tamamo No Mae! Destroyer of Kingdoms! The Legendary Nine Tails of Destruction! The Ancestor of all Beasts!" She proclaimed happily. "Finding a little pipsqueak like you was little trouble for one such as myself. Especially after I learnt your scent."

...Nine tails..?

"More Like Tamamo Three-Tails." Doppel Luka said with a smile. Tamamo got slightly annoyed at the nickname but quickly moved past it.

"Well, what do you want?" She asked. "Why were you following us?"

Doppel Luka took a second to answer. A breeze of wind passed through her medium-length hair.

"It's just a coincidence." She said. "I just happened to be passing through, and I saw you two on the way. I wanted to see what you were up to."

"Uh-huh... Sure." Luka said sarcastically. "Well, we're going to San Ilia." He explained.

"San Ilia, why?"

"Have you not felt the earthquakes?" Luka asked.

"Of course I have. In fact... I wasn't far from San Ilia when they began. I could feel them..." She said. This only worried Luka more.

"Then, we have to hurry!" He said. He and Tamamo began to run down the path. With confirmation that an earthquake had actually struck San Ilia, they would have to get there as fast as possible to save the people there. Doppel Luka watched from afar. Before she knew it, she found herself running along with them.

Huh? Why am I... following them?

"What are you doing?" Tamamo asked. The wind made it hard the hear her, but Doppel Luka understood what she was saying.

"I... I don't know." She said. "But... I want to help too! There was a girl there." She said. Luka turned back as soon as she mentioned a girl.

"...A Girl? Luna!" Luka started running faster, now assisted by the wind. His two companions were left in the dust as he sped past them. San Ilia was still a fair distance away, but he would be there soon. Tamamo and Doppel Luka followed from a distance.

San Ilia... had seen better days. The once proud, thick, tall castle walls had been reduced to rubble. Towers lay in ruins. Houses and shops were completely caved in, along with the street itself. Luka had to step over the cracks in the road. The sight of the kingdom reminded him too much of Gelon. Except for one thing. No matter where he looked, or how hard he searched, he could not find a single person. The city was a ghost town. No bodies, no humans, nothing. Nothing except broken stones and dead rats.

Luna... Where is she? What happened here?

The destruction was not like what Luka expected. He was both relieved and worried by the lack of corpses. As he got further and further into the city, he noticed a massive chasm at the centre. A huge ravine was now there, likely caused by the earthquake itself. It stretched from either side of the city. Jumping over the gap was Luka's only way to get to the temple where he left Luna.

This is just one city... Both Sabasa and San Ilia have been destroyed by Gnome's death... If it's this bad here, what's it like in other parts of the world?

Using the power of Sylph, he cleared it. Once he was on the other side, he started running to the Ilias temple once again. From here, he could see the palace. It too, was caved in. Not one part of it remained standing. Luka's eyes rested on the temple he was searching for. It wasn't faring better than the palace, but still far from stable. The windows were smashed, and the pillars collapsed. As Luka approached, he noticed a figure in front of the temple, lying on the ground.

Luna!

Luka ran to the girl with haste. Once he got closer, he began to call out to her. She made no response.

He kneeled beside the girl. Her left leg was smashed, broken from the tremors of the earthquake. He stopped looking once he noticed a piece of bone sticking out.

Luka immediately checked the girl's pulse. He was immensely relieved once he felt her heart beat. Her clothing was bloodied, and her body was scared and bruised, but she was alive.

He attempted to pick the girl up, but she groaned in pain when he tried. Her eyes opened and drifted towards the hero.

"Luka...?" She said, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Luna!? What happened?" He asked. Luna wiped her tears as she answered.

"An earthquake struck..." She explained. Her voice was tiny. Her words came slowly, and Luka could hear the pain in her voice. "I was... in the library... " She coughed. The pain was clearly making it hard for the girl to speak. Luka put his hand to the girls head and started one of his holy spells. He didn't want to attempt to heal the girls leg, as he could mess it up and endanger her life. It was better to just let Promestein or Tamamo do that.

For now, he could at least relieve the girl of her pain. Luna started talking again after a short while. "And... some books fell on top of me... It took me a while to get out from under them, and then I looked around for the others." She explained. "But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find them. I walked out here and then... Then I tripped. The ground shook and..."

"I see..." Luka said. "You're leg bone is broken... But that can be healed. For now, we have to get you out of here." The hero made a splint out of some nearby wreckage and applied it to the girl's leg. Once he was done, Luka picked Luna up slowly. He was careful to keep her leg still, so as not to cause her any more pain.

He started walking back from where he came.

"It doesn't make any sense..." Luka muttered. "How come there are no bodies?" He asked.

"I-I don't know..." Luna sniffled. "I could hear people running around while I was stuck... And then a few minutes later, they stopped." She explained. "Nobody came to help me either."

What could've happened here?

Luka reached the chasm that he passed over earlier. Now that he was holding Luna, it would prove significantly harder to cross it. He thought about what he could do for a moment but was interrupted by a voice coming from the other side.

"Luka!" Tamamo said. The hero looked up to see the kitsune, along with his doppel. They were not too far from each other now. The chasm was wide enough for either Luka or Tamamo to clear it easily. However, the same could not be said for the injured Luna.

"Tamamo, I found Luna." Luka said. Tamamo looked at the girl the hero was holding. She didn't need her monster senses to know the girl was in a critical condition.

Doppel Luka, who was standing beside Tamamo, looked at the ravine in between the two groups. It was easily fifty metres deep, if not more. She looked around her. If she hit down one of those walls...

"Just throw her!" Tamamo suggested.

"...Are you serious?" Luka asked.

"I'll catch her with my tails." She explained. Luka rolled his eyes.

"No, we'll figure something else out." The hero looked over to his Doppel. He hadn't seen her in years. Her hair was longer now, reaching down past her shoulders. She wore the same clothes as always, though she had a shield on her back, along with a sword at her hip. The girl walked over to one of the wooden walls. It was fairly thick.

What's she doing?

Doppel Luka kicked down the wall with her sheer strength, impressing even Luka. She did have to tap into her angel side for this, but it was still impressive nonetheless. The wall fell on top of the ravine, making a bridge suitable for crossing. The hero was impressed by her ingenuity.

"There we go." Doppel Luka said. She walked over the wall to test its strength, having no fear of it giving way. After seeing it was safe, Luka crossed the makeshift bridge. He met up with Tamamo.

"So, what now?" The Doppel asked.

"I guess we go back to the Sabasa group," Luka said. Tamamo nodded. Luka looked at Luna, who he was still holding. She was asleep, likely from the shock.

Look at what you did, Ilias...

"I'll take care of her then. I only have enough power left to teleport me and her back." She explained. "You two will have to walk." Luka nodded. Tamamo took Luna from his hands.

"I'll heal her later." She said. "Setting the bone shouldn't be too hard." Tamamo took Luka aside, away from his Doppel. Said Doppel just watched as they walked away from her.

"And what will we do about her?" She asked.

"...I guess she can come with us for now." He suggested. "She seems different from the last time I saw her. Very different, actually."

Tamamo nodded. "Indeed. I guess I'll be going then. Good luck." Tamamo teleported away along with Luna, leaving Luka with his Doppel.

Haah... This is going to be awkward, isn't it?

"Hey, we should get going," Luka said. Doppel Luka turned to him.

"Yeah." She said. The two started walking out of the Ruins of San Ilia.

Ilias... It still doesn't make sense! Why do any of this..? What possible reason could she have?

And, why are there no bodies here? Why is there no blood, even?

"Are you okay?" The Doppel asked.

"Hmm, yeah. I'm fine, thanks..." He replied.

Doppel Luka was sceptical but shrugged off Luka's strange behaviour. The two left the city and moved on towards the Sabasa group.

"Gnomey..." Sylph muttered. Salamander turned to her. The spirit was sitting where Gnome normally sat. She was wearing a hat Gnome had given her a few days before she died. She had been given the same gift before many times, but Sylph would constantly lose it.

"I know it's hard..." Salamander said, inching closer to the small Spirit of Wind. "But, remember what Luka said? We'll get answers soon... And after that... Revenge." She explained. Sylph nodded slowly.

Undine watched the two from a small distance. She too was reeling from the loss of Gnome. She and Gnome were close friends, family even. The same could be said for the other spirits too, even if they didn't show it much. But neither Undine nor Salamander wanted revenge as much as the Spirit of Wind did. It was a well-known fact that she was close with Gnome. Ever since they were formed, they had always been playing together.

And now, she's gone. And it's all that damn Goddess of Lights' fault...

In the corner of Luka's mind, far away from the others, Gnomaren watched. Ever since she contracted with the hero, she had always felt out of place. Like she didn't belong here. As if her body was not hers.

"..." But just like the one who came before her, she said nothing.

Sylph looked up at Salamander. "And how long will that take?"

"What do you mean?" Salamander asked.

"How long until we get revenge? How long until Ilias pays for what she's done?"

Salamander was surprised by the anger present in the Spirit's voice. Sylph was normally a carefree airheaded fairy, but now... Gnome's death had clearly changed her.

"And now is the perfect opportunity!" She said. "Tamamo isn't with Luka, and were close to the Gate of Heaven." She explained. "Why don't we just make him go take her down now?"

...Thats...

"But, we have no idea if Luka could even win that fight." She pointed out.

"He'll have us with him," Sylph said. "And it's not like he has to fight everyone in her army. He can sneak through." She explained. Salamander was still unsure.

"Hmm... What about instead of Ilias, he goes for Lucifina instead?" She suggested.

"...I guess that could work."

"And, he has that Doppel with him. She can go as well." Undine said. Sylph and the others continued to discuss the topic. All of them were more than eager to take revenge. Even if it risked Luka's life.

"And you... just killed her?" Luka asked.

"Well, she did attack me!" Doppel Luka pointed out. "She was going to eat me alive! And I was sealed at that time. You're telling me a monster who attacks children and eats them doesn't deserve death?" She asked.

"Well... It's horrible, yeah..." Luka said. "Roper girls are typically like that... But still, you should've imprisoned her for her crimes, not just straight-up killed her."

"Hmph. You and I both know she would never change." She said. "Anyway. How far until we reach them?"

"A few hours, maybe more." He replied.

Luka looked at his current companion, Doppel Luka. Apparently, she was made by Promestein herself. She was meant to be like a Next Doll for Luka. The hero ended up having to fight both a Next Doll and his Doppel at the Navel. What was really strange about it though, was Doppel Luka herself. She supposedly had his memories, but was nothing like him. Even worse, she wanted to rape him. Quite badly, actually.

Why does this kind of thing always happen to me..?

"So, Doppel, what else did you do?" Luka asked. "Surely something else must've happened over those years."

"Don't call me that." She replied.

"Hmm? Don't call you what?"

"Doppel... That isn't my name. I'm not just some clone... My name is Rinoa." She explained.

Oh... I see.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Rinoa," Luka said. The hero offered his hand to the girl.

Doppel Luka, or rather, Rinoa looked down at the hand for a few seconds before accepting it. "Nice to meet you too." She said as she shook it. Afterwards, the pair continued walking towards the Sabasa group.

That was, until, Salamander, Sylph and Undine appeared in front of the Hero.

"Oh, hey, you guys..." He said. "What's going on?"

Each spirit looked unsure about what to say. After a moment, Salamander spoke.

"Luka..." She said. "Me and the others have come to a decision."

The hero stopped walking. The spirits were being unusually serious, even Sylph.

"What is it?" He asked. Rinoa turned to Luka, confused as to why he was talking to thin air. Eventually, she realised what he was doing. She too had memories of talking to the spirits like this. She had always wondered how crazy she must've looked from an outsider's perspective, and now she knew.

"We want to know when you plan to take revenge for Gnome." She explained.

"Revenge..? You mean... against Ilias?" Luka asked. Salamander nodded.

"We've talked about it and... Well, this is the perfect opportunity." She said. "Tamamo isn't here, you're close to the gate..."

They want me to avenge Gnome... I can't blame them, but... I can't go right now. I have too much to do. And besides, Ilias is too tough for me right now.

"You know I can't do that. Ilias is a god, you know?" Luka said. "Maybe one day, when we gather enough allies, but for now..."

"That's why we don't want you go straight for her. Instead, go for Lucifina." Undine stepped in. "With our power combined, we can take revenge on her."

"Yeah." Sylpha added. "We'll be sure to help you out."

"You want me to kill my own mother...?" Luka asked. The spirits eyes widened as they realised what they were asking. They were blinded by Gnome's death, and had forgotten that fact. Could they really expect Luka to kill his mother, the Daystar?

"...That's precisely what we're asking. I'm sorry, Luka, but there is no other way. We cannot afford to wait. This could be our only opportunity to avenge her." Undine said. She spoke before any of the others could.

"...I refuse." Luka responded. "If I we get a chance later, I'll seal her."

"You can't just seal away all your problems." Undine said. "And besides... We're not asking." Undine said.

"What? What do you mean?" Luka asked. Salamander spoke up.

"If you don't do as we ask... We will leave you." She explained. "It's now or never, Luka. Who knows when we'll get another chance like this?"

...That... They wouldn't really leave, would they..?

But, these aren't the spirits I used to know. In fact, they barely even know me...

Then, they really are serious, aren't they?

"In the first place, This is a different version from your mother. I'm sure in your time, she was a good person, or at least, she had grown to be one. But in our time... She's a real monster, Luka. What she did to Gnome... That was just another day for her. I'm sure you've seen some of it for yourself."

"I know it's hard." She continued. "But we can help you. And... If you can't do it in the end... We'll do it for you."

"None of us want to force you into this Luka... But you leave us no choice." Salamander explained.

"Sorry, Luka," Sylph said. "But, she has to pay."

Even Sylph is saying something like that... I know these spirits are different from the ones I know, but to do something like this... And I can't even blame them...

"It's not like we're asking you to take on heaven by yourself." Salamander added. "It's fine if you sneak through, or bait her out somehow."

"Bait her out? I don't see how I could do that."

Rinoa watched as Luka continued to talk to thin air. From what she's heard, the spirits are asking Luka to kill his mother... Or, more accurately, their mother.

No... She's not my mother. She didn't give birth to me. She didn't care for me when I was young. Those are his memories, not mine. I have to accept that.

Promestein... When I get my hands on you... You'll pay for everything you've done to me.

"I'll help," Rinoa added. Luka turned to her.

"You will?" He asked. Rinoa nodded.

"The spirits want you to kill Lucifina, right? I can help with that."

"Not you too..." Luka said.

"Hey! You should know, I'm a master at stealth! We can easily sneak through."

The spirits looked at the copy of Luka. They had learned about her long ago from Luka himself. Salamander and the others materialised into a form which she could see.

"Are you now..?" Undine asked. "How come Tamamo found you earlier?"

"She cheated!" She said. "I wasn't trying my hardest because I didn't know it was her! Plus, she learned my scent... That's cheating!"

Undine rolled her eyes at Rinoa's excuses. "Fine then, the more the merrier, I suppose."

Luka, Rinoa and the spirits continued to discuss their plans for their invasion of heaven. Initially, they wanted to sneak past the Gate of Heaven but soon realised that was impossible. Instead, Rinoa proposed a different method. Teleportation. All of heaven was closed off to teleportation magic, or more accurately, dark teleportation magic. Holy magic could still be used to teleport inside. After a while, the spirits returned to Luka's mind, leaving him and Rinoa alone.

"How do you know that magic and I don't?" Luka asked.

"Uh, 'cause I'm not an idiot?" Rinoa responded. "I didn't waste those seven years like you did!" She explained.

"Hey, I didn't waste them! I was just busy." The hero responded.

"Well, I guess that's fair... Raising kids, keeping coexistence in check..." Rinoa responded. "Anyway, it is a pretty high-tier spell... Still, I'm surprised Micaela didn't teach it to you."

"We tried... And it didn't turn out well. I never really got the hang of it. And Alice was worried I'd somehow teleport myself into the ground or high up in the air or something." He explained.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Rinoa said. "Anyway, I know a few other holy spells as well. They should come in useful. Unfortunately... I can't seem to mediate like you can. I still have no idea why... Maybe it's because I'm actually a monster?"

"Hmm, we should have Promestein check that out later," Luka said. Rinoa scowled at the mention of her creator.

"Promestein!? You know where she is..?" She asked.

"Yeah, I saved her from the cave Ilias trapped her in," Luka explained. Rinoa calmed down a little. She would have to hide her feelings from Luka, otherwise he might not let the two meet.

"I see..."

This is perfect... Once we're done with Lucifina, I'll follow them back and then...

"Anyway, if things do go bad, you can just teleport us out, right?"

"Yeah, probably," Rinoa said. "But, doing this will make us enemies of Ilias, you know?"

"She already sent Micaela after me, so I think that ship's sailed," Luka explained. "We better get going then."

Rinoa nodded. She and Luka started walking towards the Navel of the World.

...Mother... Can I really do this..?