"But I don't want to go down there! I'll get wet!" The little goddess complained, her voice carrying nicely in the swift sea breeze. The group was currently at the same beach that Luka had been to a few weeks ago, and they were there for the exact same reason: contracting with the Spirit of Water.
I really hope Undine will be willing to come back. Ending the war without her would be almost impossible. A serene mind is really useful, and besides her power, I also like having her around. It's just not the same without her.
"Oh stop complaining. You're the one who insisted on coming! It was originally supposed to be just me and Luka, but you just had to come, didn't you?" Tamamo pointed out, unamused by the angel's antics. Ilias was about to refute her point but then calmed down, realising she was in the wrong. She sighed, defeated. If this was the same Ilias of only a decade ago, Tamamo would've been a charred pile of ashes as recompense for her heresy.
Haah... An act such as this one is far below what someone of my standing should be doing... But I have little choice. Maybe I should've just stayed in Gelon...
But that's so booooring... Besides, my expertise could prove useful. It is in my best interests that Luka succeeds here.
The Hero watched as the Goddess of Creation herself bickered with Tamamo No Mae, one of the great ancestors. The argument seemed to already have died down, but now Tamamo had restarted it by talking about how the sea water was terrible for her tails, and Ilias was now the one trying to convince her to go in.
When I was younger, I pictured my adventures as being a little more... normal. But here I am, journeying with my old goddess and one of the great ancestors. Sometimes, I find it all so absurd...
Suddenly, the hero felt a tug at his cape. He turned to the culprit, only to discover it was the mischievous Syclla he had met not long ago. Nuruko stood there, seemingly wanting his attention for something. Before he could ask what it was she wanted him for, she motioned for him to follow. He shrugged and did as she asked.
As he followed the Spirit of Chaos, he noticed a severe lack of monsters anywhere nearby. This was unusual for him, as his scent would normally attract a fair few of them. This was the case for most humans, but they always seemed to gravitate towards him even more. But now, there were none to be seen. He chalked this up to most of them being in the war, fighting alongside the ancestors.
Four ancestors, one seraph... Something tells me Mother can't keep up with that, even if she is incredibly strong. Tamamo said each seraph roughly equalled two and a half ancestors on the battlefield...
So, even with Micaela, Lucifina, and Eden, they were still on the losing side. They've only lasted this long thanks to better unity and coordination. If the monsters had banded together a little better, this war might have already ended.
"Kyu, Kyu!"
The Hero looked down at his feet. A tentacle was wrapped around his leg, stopping him from moving it. He realised this was so he would not accidentally knock over a small figure in the sand.
Is that... me?
Luka tilted his head in confusion at the statue. It was made of sand for the outer layer and stone for the base. When he touched it, he could feel how solid it was. Only two of his companions were capable of making it so sturdy, and one of them was currently bickering with an angel.
"..."
"Kyu!"
Nuruko smiled as she pointed towards another, slightly taller figure. It was Gnomaren. She stood awkwardly, blushing slightly as she presented her creation. Judging by the odd circular holes seen in certain spots on the surface, it was clear that they could've only come from Nuruko's tentacles. Luka figured they must have worked on it together.
Though something tells me Gnomaren did most of the work.
Gnomaren looked down to the ground, embarrassed. This confused Luka for a while before he realised he had yet to actually react to the statue.
"Oh, uh... thank you." He said honestly, kneeling down so he could get a better look at it. It was almost a perfect recreation of him. The clothing was made of a layer of cloth, which covered most of his body. "It looks great."
Though, isn't it a little short? I'm not that small... am I?
"The cape is really nice too," Luka commented, feeling the fine fabric.
Hey, isn't this fabric too fine? Where did they even get it anyway? I really hope they didn't steal it... It does look really similar to the fabric used for the King's cape...
The Hero checked his own cape suspiciously, already having deduced what they had done. He saw a small tear at the bottom, the same size as the one on the statue. He turned to the pair of spirits, neither of which looked particularly sorry.
Well, at least I know how they got it now... Well, whatever. My cape was already worse for wear. I'll just have to get it fixed when I get back home.
Deciding to just forget about it, he stood up. More important matters awaited him. Gnomaren returned to the Hero's mind upon seeing him walk away, and Nuruko quickly shook the sand off of her and followed along.
Sylph didn't help her make the statue, and I haven't heard the two of them talk to each other yet. I really hope she doesn't hold a grudge against Gnomaren.
Luka walked back to the seafront, Nuruko following him all the while. Tamamo and Ilias seemed to have finished their little spout by the time he returned.
"So... who's going to cast the spell?" He asked, looking towards the Kitsune.
"I should have more than enough power for such a simple spell." She said confidently, her tails blowing sand in the air as they swept along the ground.
"Hey, wait." Ilias suddenly spoke up. "You can't just cast it yourself?" She asked, looking at the Hero.
"Micaela never taught me." He shrugged.
"Haah... And you didn't just ask one of the other hundreds of angels to teach you?"
"Well, I never really had any reason to learn it," Luka explained.
After a moment of hesitation, Ilias rolled her eyes as she spoke. "I suppose I can teach it to you."
For one of my heroes to not even know such a basic spell... It would be a disgrace to my name if I let this continue.
"Huh? You would do that?" He said, surprised. He didn't think the little goddess would try to teach him something. Ever since she tried to teach him telepathy, he thought she'd never want to do it again.
Though she is thousands upon thousands of times older than me. I'm sure there are still plenty of things for me to learn from her, and I have no reason to say no.
"Yeah, I guess..." She said. "Come here then."
The Hero quickly walked over to Ilias, who took an odd stance. Luka quickly replicated the pose but noticed it made him look ridiculous. Still, he continued doing as she did, replicating her every movement.
"Now, you want to channel the power into your breath. Imagine a bubble of air, one wide enough that we could all fit in it. Make it touchable; make it dense with air. And then, use your magic to bring it into existence!" She explained, doing the spell herself as she did. A small bubble of air appeared in the water, only big enough to fit the goddess.
Almost immediately, Luka copied her, doing the same thing she did but with a much better result. A larger bubble of air appeared, along with a glowing, holy aura about it. He accidentally put a bit too much power into the spell, but it mattered little.
Hmph. He was always a quick learner—absurdly quick, in fact—but to one-up me like this... If I had all my power, he would be in store for divine punishment.
But alas, here I am, weak and powerless.
Well, it could be much worse. I could be in the hands of Alipheese, or even worse, one of those damn succubi...
"Quite good for your first attempt," Tamamo praised. "But you should let the master handle it. We wouldn't want it to suddenly pop halfway down, would we?"
Luka nodded as he broke his own bubble, giving way for the ancestor to make one.
"You know, Luka, I could try making one," Sylph said in the Hero's mind.
Hmm, there's no need right now, but that information is good to know. As long as I have you or Undine with me, breathing underwater should be easy.
...Hey, Sylph, one more thing. When we get to Undine, will you help me convince her to join me again?
...Fine... If I have to.
The kitsune waved her hands, casting the somewhat simple spell in an instant. The bubble of air was much better than Luka's attempt, but he was not put off by it. He would improve with time, as he always had.
Quickly, the group jumped into the cold water. Winter had finished setting in by now, and it would only take a few more weeks for the water to start freezing over. Ilias herself was especially uncomfortable. The little clothing she wore proved useless against the icy cold water. Thankfully, she knew a multitude of spells to fix the issue.
At least I still have enough power left for that. Speaking of, I have been getting a little bit stronger as time goes on, so I should be able to at least beat a common monster in a fight.
But we're not fighting common monsters. In a fight against the ancestors, I doubt I could do much.
But more importantly, my memories have almost all returned now. I remember my battle with Luka vividly and the many evaluations I gave him. I mean, seriously, what was he thinking, losing to an Imp seven times in a row?
Anyway, what do we do after we get this spirit? Go straight for Salamander? Then what?
As Ilias pondered the situation, she turned towards the Hero she was currently following. She had already done this before, in a way. Watching him from afar, as she always did.
I watched his adventure around the entire world with that monster lord. I did the same for Heinrich too. Hmm, what is it with heroes and constantly falling for Fateburns?
Luka was swimming as fast as he could but was still far slower than the Scylla in front of him. Nuruko led the charge, outpacing every other member by a wide margin. Tamamo, who was never one to back down so easily, began using her tails to boost herself forward. It did make her look a little ridiculous, but she didn't mind.
Thankfully, getting to the seabed did not take long. Luka recognised the sights, which were full of aquatic plants like seaweed and kelp. Hundreds of fish could be seen swimming along, each one a variety of colours, shapes, and sizes. It was a mesmerising sight, but not one the Hero had long to appreciate.
It's a good thing we can still talk normally down here. Using my telepathy would take a lot of effort, and I'm not very good at it yet. In fact, Ilias said I was 'the worst student she's ever had'.
Huh. Micaela said something similar once. I think that was when I messed up that teleportation spell. Like mother, like daughter, I guess.
"I can sense her," Tamamo said, a hint of anger in her voice. It seems she had lost her race. "She's over there." Luka followed as the kitsune walked along the sandy floor. His own feet sank deep into the sand, which made it harder to walk. This, paired with the general difficulty of walking through water, made the trek to the cave take quite a while.
During this time, the Hero was able to talk with Ilias some more. Recently, he had started to let go of his anger towards her. Not all of it, but he was doing his best to not be hostile towards her. Ilias was certainly to blame for everything she did in his world, but in the end, her actions ended up helping coexistence.
Still, she tried to destroy everything... That's something I can't forgive so easily, especially if she's not actually sorry about it. When I get the chance, I should ask her to apologise for it. I know that won't make up for everything she did, but it will be a start.
For some reason, I know she can do good. If Micaela and Lucifina could turn into good people after spending enough time being weak, then so should Ilias. And I'll be here to help her.
Anyway, this spell is pretty interesting. Even though I should be getting crushed by all this water pressure, it seems like it's stopping that from happening. It also lets me breathe, but I still need to swim around, which is pretty annoying...
"Wait a second, where did Nuruko go?" Ilias asked, checking behind her. The Scylla was only following her a few moments ago.
"Huh? You're right, she's gone." Luka said, looking around for the spirit. He used his senses to detect her but came up with nothing.
Where did she go?
The Hero stayed calm as he looked for her, doing his best not to let panic overtake him. Tamamo and Ilias both assisted in this but found no sight of her. It was as if she had just disappeared.
After some more searching, a desperate Kyu could be heard. This alerted the Hero who frantically ran towards the source of the sound. Unfortunately, the water still slowed him. He left a trail of kicked-up sand behind him before opting to just swim instead.
What the hell? Two slimes..?
Luka's eyes widened as he saw the Scylla fighting off a pair of slimes. It was hard to make them out in the clear water, but their bright red cores stood out.
They look so similar to Erubetie... No way, could it be... Kanade?
She looks just like her statue. Tamamo said she had incredible vitality, and her ability to dissolve prey in an instant was unparalleled. I have to help Nuruko before she hurts her!
Rushing in as fast as he could, Luka swam in front of Nuruko, swinging his sword to fend off the wave of slime. The action was greatly slowed thanks to the sheer pressure of the water. Moving around this deep made fighting much harder.
According to Tamamo, her main body is always in the Noah region. She has her own spring there, though it's not the same one as Undine's. That means these two must be clones.
Erubetie's clone forms were always a fair bit weaker than her real one, but they were still nothing to scoff at. Thankfully, I'm not alone.
The Hero turned to look at the Kitsune standing next to him. Her prowess with the earth had allowed her to keep a more stable footing.
Even underwater, she keeps herself as rigid as stone. Now, with Tamamo and Ilias by my side, Kanade doesn't stand a chance!
Facing the intimidating duo of slimes, Luka readied himself. Kanade, however, looked unamused.
Luka, she seems to be weaker than usual. I think she's been down here for a while now, consuming the local monsters so she could build up energy. If we stop her now, we can save dozens of lives from being devoured.
Tamamo sent the message to the Hero through telepathy. The information would be helpful when facing the foe. Luka always fought at his best when he believed in what he was fighting for.
"The Hero Luka, I assume? You fit the description to a T," Kanade said, her voice clear even through the water. "I am lucky to find you here, though I do wonder why. Are you here to contract with the Spirit of Water, perhaps?"
As the slime ancestor spoke, Nuruko took the chance to swim away. She was mostly unharmed, but if Luka had taken any longer, she might have been dissolved. She swam behind the Hero Luka, seeking protection.
I can't really use Sylph down here, but I should have no problem using Gnomaren. Using my angelic power should let me swing fast enough to do some real damage.
Ever since I fought that slime outside of Iliasville, I've learned how to properly fight against slimes. You have to hit them constantly to take them down; otherwise, they'll just regenerate.
"I will consume you, young human. Your energy and power will feed me, allowing me to help my sisters in the war. Do not worry. You will feel immense pleasure in the act." Kanade explained, her face showing no emotion. She was starting to remind Luka of Erubetie more and more as time went on.
"Kanade..." Tamamo said, her voice muffled by the water. "I won't let you lay a hand on him."
"And who are you, little kitsune? Three tails... Unfortunate. The weaker you are, the less energy you have. It seems like you will just be the appetiser."
As if! I'll have to teach you a lesson, dear sister, and this is one you won't ever forget.
Tamamo entered a combat stance, her body ready to attack at a moment's notice. Fighting in the water would prove difficult, but not impossible.
This is the perfect environment for Kanade and a terrible one for us. Still, we have the number advantage.
Without hesitation, Kanade struck first. A wave of fast-moving, dense slime was launched at the Hero and kitsune. Luka reflexively summoned Gnomaren, using his arms to guard against the attack at the same time. Tamamo did much the same, though she also had her tails raised, blocking the attack.
The slime splashed over the pair but did little damage. Kanade was surprised. The number of organisms, either monsters or angels, that could survive her slime was very small. To have a human, and a child at that, stop her attack so easily... It irked her.
But she was never one to show her emotions. Her neutral expression remained unwavering as she changed up her strategy. Clearly, dissolving them without weakening them first was not going to work.
So then, I have to get more aggressive. In the name of Alipheese, I will defeat these beings that threaten her reign and use their energy to defeat all those who still dare to oppose us.
Kanade split up further, her slime now taking four forms. With the increase in numbers, she could better surround the pair. Quickly, she sent two of them behind them. With the duo now having to defend from both sides at once, their defence would eventually crumble.
Luka, however, was undeterred. He recognised her strategy. Trying to identify what his enemy was up to was a vital part of fighting, and Micaela had been sure to drill it into him. Up until now, though, his opponents didn't really use many unique strategies. Out of every monster he had to face so far, he was surprised Kanade would be the only one.
Actually, I do remember Micaela fighting me with unique strategies before, but my world's Micaela had taught me how to fight against enemies who use pleasure attacks, not swords. I guess that was an oversight from her.
Now then, in an effort to surround us, she's weakened herself individually. If I take out just one here, it should make the whole battle much easier.
Happy with his plan, Luka started one of his attacks. It was up to Tamamo to deal with the other clones, but he was confident she could do it. Summoning his angelic power, he swung his sword at an incredible speed. Flash Kill was one of his most refined techniques, and he was sure Kanade would fall to it.
But to his shock, as soon as the sword cut, the slime reformed, as though it had never been struck at all.
No way! Not even Erubutie can regenerate that fast...
"Luka!" A young-sounding voice called out. "Behind you!"
The Hero turned backwards, swinging his sword through the slime behind him. Unfortunately, the slime regenerated so fast that it trapped the sword in the middle of her body. Quickly, it started to dissolve the outer parts of the blade.
Luckily for him, he could still pull the sword out. He used all his might to do it, managing to also back up from the pair of slimes. From this perspective, he could see what was happening around him.
Tamamo was fending off the other duo with the help of Nuruko. She seemed to know Kanade inside and out, using her bad habits to her advantage. Even with only three tails, she was still an excellent fighter, and Nuruko herself was decent enough.
Those two should be able to handle them. Ilias was the one who called out to me. It looks like she was just watching the whole time, and only intervened to warn me of that attack.
I don't know how much power she has left, either. She's grown a little bit stronger, but these are ancestors we're facing. She won't be much use unless she can at least take down a queen-level monster.
The Hero looked at the angel swimming beside him. Ilias looked afraid.
It must've taken a lot of courage to shout out like that and reveal her position. As she is now, most creatures alive could beat her. I'll have to keep an eye on her and make sure she's safe at all times from now on.
Luka, don't use your angelic power against her! Think about what element would be best against someone like her. You can't use fire for obvious reasons, and earth wouldn't help much either. Wind is also unusable, so that only leaves you with one choice.
Ilias's message proved effective, as Luka quickly caught on. Of course, the only effective element underwater would be the water itself.
Without Undine, it will be tricky, but I should be able to take her down regardless. All I have to do is enter a Serene Mind...
As the Hero calmed his breathing, his body became lighter and his movements easier. All the inconveniences and problems plaguing him were washed away in the current, leaving him calm and peaceful. He had gotten excellent at using the technique, even without the Spirit of Water to support him.
"An Angel? This feast continues to grow..." Kanade said, an extraordinary slight smirk reaching her face. She looked Ilias up and down hungrily, something the vulnerable goddess was terrified by. Still, she did not swim away. She had faith in the Hero to protect her, as all her heroes were supposed to do.
Deciding to waste no more time, Luka pushed himself towards the pair of slimes with surprising speed. This time, using the power of water, he cut into the slime's body. It was tougher now than before, or at least it felt that way. Using his angelic power would let him get more strength in his attacks, but he wouldn't have the advantage water gave him...
Damn, I need more power! If I don't cut through her in a single slash, her body will just regenerate! I need to slash her core and move on!
The Hero used all his power as he cut through her slime. Kanade, however, was not going to just stand there and take it. Her slime stuck to Luka's body, latching itself to his skin. Immediately, it started to dissolve his cells.
The pain hit the boy, alerting him to the attack and forcing him to stop his own swing part-way. Using his hands, he tried to pull the slime off, but it was as if it was welded straight onto his skin. Thankfully, Gnomaren was preventing the slime from doing any major damage, but it still hurt like hell.
This is bad! If I use water, I'm fast enough to cut through her, but I don't have enough power to actually finish the job!
Wait... In theory, if I can use both wind and angelic power together, then the same should be true for water...
Well, I might as well try it! Here goes!
Summoning both his angelic power and the power of water, he returned to his attack, swinging his sword into the dense slime. It took a great deal of effort, but it eventually went all the way through. Kande's form slowly dissipated, the slime lying dead on the floor, mixing with the nearby water.
One down, three to go!
Using the same technique, he rushed to the next clone. Kanade tried to stop the attack that she knew was coming but proved too slow. Her core was smashed, leaving only two forms of her remaining.
Damn it! I'm going to lose all my clones here...
Haah... And these were the ones who were meant to restore all my energy... It seems the humans in Remina and Vrimor will have to make up for it.
The final two clones were easily beaten by the joint efforts of Tamamo, Luka, and Nuruko. With the slime now dispersed into the water, the number of her clones dropped to three, not counting her main body.
Phew, thank Ilias that's over. I was getting worried there, but she wasn't too much of a challenge in the end. Anyway, we should get back to contracting with Undine.
Luka and the others took a collective sigh of relief after the surprise encounter. Nuruko was especially scared, as she had almost lost a tentacle to the carnivorous slime. Still, the four of them pressed on. They turned back to where they were heading earlier.
I really hope Undine will come back to me. Sylph already said yes, and something tells me she was the one who was most against it...
Though I doubt Salamander will join easily, she seemed really angry when I refused... I hope she can forgive me.
The purple-haired Hero and Tamamo led the two weaker members to the cave in which Undine stayed. When they were outside, the Hero asked the kitsune a question.
"So, Tamamo, have you ever gone here before?"
"Hmm? Oh, once or twice. To be honest, I've never really liked the underwater, and especially not this deep. There's nothing down here, and there are no humans either. What's the point?" She said.
"I see... But you have talked to Undine before?" He asked as he swam towards the cave.
"Not much. We made introductions to each other, and that was about it. The same can be said for all the spirits. They weren't exactly against us in the war, but they certainly weren't with us. Neutral would be a good descriptor. Though Salamander did train a few monsters who eventually joined us, so I guess you could say she contributed."
"Interesting," Luka said. The conversation abruptly ended as he surfaced; the pocket of air was a godsend for him. Although the spell was pretty incredible, it was still somewhat hard to breathe in it. Undine's cave had a surprising amount of oxygen in it, likely due to something the spirit did.
There she is...
"So, you have returned," Undine said. She met the Hero as he surfaced, her expression neutral. She did not look very happy to see him, but she was not upset either.
Well, she never really showed much emotion in the first place. I wonder, is that because she's more like a slime than the others are? It seems to be a running trait in that race. However, there are exceptions, like that slime I fought outside of Iliasville.
"It's nice to see you again, Undine," Luka said with a smile. "I guess you already know why I'm here."
"I detect Sylph within you, and that... new Spirit of Earth." She said. "So yes, I know why you are here. But first, I must ask, Who is that angel? And that new Scylla?"
Undine pointed towards Ilias and Nuruko. "Ah, the group has grown a bit," Luka explained. "That's Ilias, or at least a fragment of her, and that's Nuruko, the Spirit of Chaos."
"...What? Are you serious?" She asked.
A new spirit..? And what's this about a fragment of Ilias?
"He is," Sylph answered in his place, suddenly materialising before them. "I'll explain it all to you later, even if it still confuses me sometimes."
Undine thought about it for a moment, but eventually nodded, deciding to leave her questions for a more appropriate time. For now, it was time to tell the Hero exactly what he did not want to hear.
But before she could refuse him, Sylph spoke. "Undine... We were wrong." She said. "Luka was right. Our plan was flawed, and it was wrong for us to push it onto him. I won't force you to come back with us, but it's the right thing to do. With him, we can end this war, and bring peace back to our world!"
The Spirit of Wind did her best to reason with Undine, something she was surprisingly good at. The other spirit was about to retaliate, but she thought about what Sylph said.
If Sylph is saying this, then maybe it does hold some truth... The wind never lies, after all...
... She's right, isn't she? Our plan was foolish...
I'm sorry, Gnome. You wouldn't have wanted this to happen. If we just stayed by his side, we might've been at the Monster Lords Castle already.
"...Very well." Undine sighed. "I will contract with you once more. But, you should know, there is another way to cotrac–"
"No," Luka said flatly. "Besides, didn't I already tell you I'm married?"
And I also remember telling them that I had done that with them once in the past already... Actually, wait, wasn't that only with Sylph and Gnome? So why did she still try to do it with me anyway?
... Haah... I don't think I'll ever understand women.
"Hmph... Fine." Undine said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. She offered the Hero her hand, and he quickly took it. She began to glow as she entered his body; their souls now connected.
Alright, now I have three spirits back. Now, it's just Salamander left.
But first, Tamamo said we should stop by Yamatai. Apparently, the slaves we freed have been recaptured, or at least some of them have.
Then there's a chance Tamamo No Mae will be there again. Well, so be it. I'm far stronger than I was the last time I faced her, and this time I can use my angelic power against her!
"Alright, let's get going," Luka said as he and the others prepared to get back into the water.