The Legend of Heroes - Trails of Azure Thunder

by DreamsOfAzureSkies

A Noble from the Lamare Province, Cyrus has arrived at Thors and is a member of the newly formed Class VII. Secrets abound in Cyrus' past, but will these secrets pull Class VII together, or tear them apart completely? A rewrite of the Cold Steel Series with adjusted lore from Sky and Crossbell to give a new story of the Erebonia Arc. Rated M for coarse language and violence.

26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six – Der Zerstörer

It was now Monday morning, and Class VII were all ready to go for the beginning of the Summer Festival in Heimdallr. They had been tasked with morning patrols around the city, to ensure that the Imperial Liberation Front had no unforeseen tricks up their sleeves.

Group B had told both Captain Rieveldt and Governor Regnitz about their trip to the Golden Hind on Saturday night, where they found the terrorist group had gotten their hands on a cutting edge sniper rifle, known only as 'Emerald Sentinel'. Unsurprisingly, both the Captain and the Governor knew nothing about this weapon, but assumed the Imperial Liberation Front would be using the weapon to cause chaos around the city. With its ability to fire elemental rounds, the anarchy Emerald Sentinel could create was theoretically unparalleled.

As such, both Claire and Carl had instructed the Railway Military Police and the Heimdallr Military Police to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious carrying a case or container that looked like it could carry a sniper rifle.

As he was listening to the Captain and the Governor plan out strategies to help discover Emerald Sentinel, Cyrus remained mute on the topic. He knew that there was no way the weapon was going to be discovered, because the weapon was designed by him. He specifically designed the rifle to be so compact, that it could fit into a backpack or a grocery bag, in an attempt to make the weapon impossible to discover when trying to smuggle it into an event with high security.

Emerald Sentinel was designed for long-range assassination missions in enemy territory, meaning the weapon was designed to be used by Spec-Ops soldiers in other countries. As a result of this, the weapon had to be designed in such a way that it'd pass border inspections, meaning the officers of both law enforcement divisions would be unable to find the weapon, as they'd be looking in the wrong places.

Now, Cyrus was no fool. Given that he built Emerald Sentinel, he knew everything about the weapon; size, weight, rate of fire, ammunition types, and most importantly, the weapon's range. This alone would help him pinpoint the person who had been tasked with using it. The opening ceremony was going to be held at Mater Park's Crystal Garden, and the range of Emerald Sentinel was two kilometres.

While Groups A and B were off patrolling, Cyrus had gone to Mater Park to examine the Crystal Garden and the surrounding area. As it happened, Sophie had been at Mater Park with Tahlia, who was currently chasing butterflies as Cyrus shared his thoughts with Sophie.

"A range of two kilometres, you say…? That would give a serviceable area of about twelve and a half square kilometres, wouldn't it?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, and thanks to my scouting of Heimdallr over the last couple of days, I've narrowed it down to three possible locations…" Cyrus muttered, watching the youngest Le Guin child play.

"Where?" Sophie asked.

"Why does it matter? You won't be helping me search these places, Soph," Cyrus stated.

"Why not? Extra hands make for lighter work, don't they?" Sophie frowned.

"I won't allow you to put yourself in unnecessary danger," Cyrus replied.

"I can handle myself just fine, you know," Sophie scowled.

"That's not the point!" Cyrus shouted, scaring a couple of nearby doves.

"Then what is?!" Sophie yelled.

Cyrus offered no words in response to Sophie's outburst, and instead chose to raise his hand and point at Tahlia, who was giggling as a butterfly landed on her nose. Immediately, Sophie understood exactly what Cyrus was talking about, and backed down.

"Hi, big brother!" Tahlia cried, as she noticed Cyrus was pointing at her.

"That little girl is one of the reasons I left Ordis around six years ago. I refuse to let her grow up in fear of me. That's why I tasked you with giving her that ring she wears. Now, I cannot expect Mother to run around after a near six year old girl with the workload she has, and I cannot expect Grandmother to do the same. She loves you, Soph, so it's your job to keep her safe, and make sure that me and my actions don't bring her harm," Cyrus stated.

"You're right… I'm sorry," Sophie mumbled, looking at her knees.

"You don't need to apologise to me; just keep her safe," Cyrus grunted as he stood up and stretched. "Hey, Tahlia! I have to go now, so be a good girl for Sophie, ok?"

"Okay! Bye-bye, big brother!" Tahlia waved as Cyrus walked off.

---

"Alright… Done," Cyrus nodded as he placed a Raijin mark on the wall.

"You're certain these are the three spots the ILF will place a sniper at?" the individual asked.

"Look around; do you see any other buildings with a clear view of the Crystal Garden like this?" Cyrus responded, pointing across the rooftop towards Mater Park, and the large glass structure in the centre.

"Hm, fair enough, Dragon… Why exactly did you call me out here anyway? If you've tagged each location with a Raijin Mark, I hardly see the need for me to help out," the individual grumbled.

"Do you remember what I told you about Group A's Field Study to Nord last month?" Cyrus began.

"You mean about the flute that man, G, used?" the individual responded.

"Correct… I have reason to believe they're going to use it here as well," Cyrus muttered.

"Wait, you don't mean…?" the individual breathed.

"I do… Your job is to find that flute and swap it for a fake," Cyrus commanded.

"Hmph, and where exactly am I going to find a fake?" the individual snorted.

"Come now, you honestly expect me to believe that you can't find a fake, with your talents?" Cyrus laughed mirthlessly.

"Hmm, fine. I'll do as you request, but don't expect everything to go your way," the individual sighed.

"I have faith in you, old friend… That's all I need," Cyrus nodded.

---

After completing his recon and marking work, Cyrus jumped to Sara's location. It had been a while since he had spoken to Sara, and decided that his time would be better spent gathering intel from her, rather than aimlessly wandering the city on the lookout for members of the Imperial Liberation Front.

Upon arriving at Sara's back, Cyrus found himself standing in Claire's office, with the Captain stood behind her desk, with a look of shock on her face. She still had yet to get used to Cyrus' Flying Raijin, and his ability to essentially appear from out of nowhere still unsettled her, especially since she knew he had an axe to grind with her and Chancellor Osborne.

"You're a fucking coward, Claire! Hiding behind your master like a small child, whilst sending someone else off to do your dirty work!" Sara shouted.

"Calm down, Sara…" Cyrus stated, grabbing Sara's shoulder firmly.

"Ah! Cyrus?! What are you doing here?!" Sara cried, not expecting Cyrus to be standing behind her.

"You leave the Icy Bitch and her master to me. I'll deal with them in due time," Cyrus commanded, shooting Claire a look that would make even Aurelia's glare look soft.

"Cyrus, I–" Claire began, before Cyrus held up a hand.

"Save it. You knew what Osborne was planning, and you still said nothing. I will deal with a Sinner like you at the appropriate interval. Sara, you're coming with me," Cyrus declared.

"Uh, o-okay…" Sara blinked as she felt herself start to spin as she jumped with Cyrus.

"I wanted to have a little chat with you before I leave for the garden party at Mater Park," Cyrus began.

"Ok, what's up?" Sara asked.

Taking in her surroundings, Sara found herself looking at the foyer of the West Heimdallr Bracer HQ on Vesta Street.

"What have you learned during your investigations?" Cyrus asked pointedly.

"Huh?" Sara blinked.

"Come on, Sara, I'm not an idiot. I know you've been doing some of your own digging into the ILF and their plans. What have you learned?" Cyrus repeated. "Or should I ask 'what have you been told'?"

Sara stood silently for a few moments, trying to formulate a response. She wasn't surprised that Cyrus knew about her doing her own investigations, but the fact he seemed to know that she had her own informant in the city was what caught her by surprise.

"I… Uhh, well…" Sara stammered.

"Sara, you don't have to try and hide it from me. I can see it all over your face," Cyrus smirked, silently enjoying watching Sara squirm. "Perhaps this will motivate you to open up?"

As he spoke, Cyrus put a hand into his back pocket and pulled out a small card. It looked innocuous at first, but when Sara got a proper look at it in the half-light streaming in from the outside, she realised what it was she was looking at, and froze on the spot. It was the same card Cyrus had used to stop Bleublanc in his tracks the day before.

"Wh-Where did you get that?" Sara whispered, paling slightly.

"Hmph, so you do know of it. I don't know if I should be impressed or disappointed. I was hoping this card would mean nothing to you…" Cyrus sighed, shaking his head. "At least I now know who your informant is."

"Who… Who are you?" Sara asked.

"Who indeed? They say the truth will set you free, but curiosity kills the cat. Yes, yes, they also say that satisfaction will bring it back, but who's to say that you'll be satisfied by the truth? What do you have to gain by learning the truth about me, Sara?" Cyrus responded.

"I want to know more about you because…" Sara began.

"Because you were ordered to learn more about me, is that it?" Cyrus answered.

"N-No! I mean, I didn't…" Sara mumbled.

"Relax, Sara, you don't suit being uptight and scared. Sometimes, you're too easy to tease," Cyrus laughed, which made Sara's face go red from embarrassment.

'How is he able to invoke fear in me so easily, then make me feel like an embarrassed schoolgirl without any effort? Not even the leaders of Nidhoggr or Jester were able to do that… Not even the Colonel could do it…' Sara grimaced.

"Sara? I'm talking to you," Cyrus spoke, snapping his fingers loudly in front of Sara's face, shocking her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Wha–?" Sara mumbled, refocusing on the person in front of her.

"What have you learned, Sara?" Cyrus repeated, staring at Sara blankly.

"The ILF are afraid of you, Cyrus. Your recent exploits have rattled them considerably. To the point where they approached The Society and secured one of their Enforcers to stop you," Sara began.

"Yes, that's what I wanted them to think. The Crimson Yaksha, correct? The double they hired has already been taken care of," Cyrus shrugged.

"D-Double?" Sara blinked.

"Yes, double. That Yaksha was nothing more than a stand-in. A fake I secured by winning one of Direwolf's competitions in Club Himinbjörg," Cyrus began.

"Wait, hold on… You mean the one the ILF hired isn't the Crimson Yaksha?" Sara asked.

"Correct… The stand-in I was provided with was indeed an Enforcer for The Society… Joshua Bright to be exact," Cyrus responded.

"What do you mean 'was'?" Sara asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"Shot three times in the chest with Mercy, and now he's dead. He got what he deserved though, so a second thought will not be spared for him," Cyrus stated, a malicious smile appearing on his lips.

"You mean what happened in Liberl last year?" Sara muttered.

"Correct. From what I have heard, he chose to betray Master Cassius, and Estelle, and return to The Society and help them with their plans. I wonder if it was mercy, or sheer luck, that Black Fang's blade missed all of Estelle's vitals? Ah, no matter. The point is, the ILF believe the Crimson Yaksha has been killed, and that is something I will take advantage of," Cyrus responded.

"How will you do that? Are you going to seek him out yourself, and strike some kind of deal with him?" Sara queried, eliciting a laugh from Cyrus.

"Of course not, Sara. I have no need to strike a deal with the Crimson Yaksha…" Cyrus whispered.

As Cyrus began to turn to look at Sara, she felt a crushing weight on her chest, as if a boulder had been dropped on her, making it almost impossible to breathe. As she watched Cyrus turn around completely, a shiver ran down her spine as she found herself standing faced to face with a monstrous, horned mask, complete with fangs and cold, detached eyes.

"Because I am the Crimson Yaksha…" Cyrus growled, his voice sounding broken and distorted as he spoke.

Sara fell to her knees as Cyrus ripped the mask off, the dark, ominous presence vanishing as he did so. She could tell that putting the mask on took a massive toll on Cyrus, who looked somewhat drained from the act, but he had a look of what appeared to be relief on his face. Why relief? However, what was more concerning was that if Cyrus was the Crimson Yaksha, then that meant…

"You… You really killed Fie, didn't you?" Sara whispered.

"Ah… Of course, you would ask me that, wouldn't you?" Cyrus sighed. "Would you like to know something far more interesting about Fie?"

"What…?" Sara began, already regretting her question.

"Rutger Claussell was the one who authorised the assassination contract on her, along with Ellroy Harwood," Cyrus declared.

This revelation shocked Sara far more than the true identity of the Crimson Yaksha did. Rutger Claussell, Fie's adoptive father, was supposed to be dead. Sara knew Cyrus wouldn't tell a lie, but how could such a thing be possible?

"Why…?" Sara whispered, failing to find any other way to respond to that declaration.

"Why indeed… That is something I intend on finding out. There must be a reason for both Rutger still being alive, and him signing Fie's death warrant," Cyrus responded. "You saw it, didn't you? At the funeral Thors held for Fie…"

"Of course you knew about that…" Sara whispered.

"I'll take that as a yes… Come on, we have work to do," Cyrus sighed, picking Sara up and escorting her out of the building.

---

The rest of the morning consisted of Class VII patrolling Heimdallr and making sure every possible loose end had been tied up. When they were satisfied that everything was ready, they all gathered at Dreichels Plaza. The original plan had been for Group B to look after Crown Prince Cedric when he made his visit to the Heimdallr Cathedral, but he had unfortunately fallen ill the night before, and since Prince Olivert had Müller at his side, the decision had been made that Class VII would all gather at Mater Park, to observe the opening ceremony for the festival. After meeting with Cyrus, Sara had gone off on her own, whilst Cyrus made his way over to Valflame Palace, in order to fulfil his duties as Princess Alfin's Guardian.

When he arrived beyond the main gates where the Imperial Family's cars were waiting, Cyrus was greeted by a familiar face – two faces, to be exact – who acknowledged him with a smile.

"It's good to see you again, Thunder Emperor," Lady Aurier Vander greeted.

"You as well, Stormwatcher. Your Majesty," Cyrus bowed as he addressed Empress Priscilla.

"Hello again, Cyrus. I'm delighted to see you again after so long. How have you settled into your class at Thors?" the Empress asked.

"Well enough, Your Majesty. I'd be lying if I said everything is going smoothly, but I believe we'll see results as time goes on," Cyrus responded.

"Ah, good… His Majesty will be pleased to hear you're progressing well. Alas, I'm afraid he and General Vander have already left the palace. Lady Aurier and I were about to leave as well. Alfin and her friends are all ready and waiting for you in the car," the Empress remarked, as she pointed over to the car Cyrus would be travelling in.

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty; 'Alfin and her friends'?" Cyrus repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"She didn't tell you, did she? Oh, that girl…" Empress Priscilla chuckled. "You'll see when you enter the car. Lady Aurier, I believe it is time for us to go."

"Of course, Your Majesty. Take care, Cyrus," Aurier bowed as she followed the Empress.

With a nod, Cyrus watched as the Empress and Aurier approach their own car and get inside. As soon as the door closed, the car took off, leaving Cyrus to approach Alfin's car. As he opened the door and looked inside, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"So, this is what Her Majesty meant by 'friends'," Cyrus sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, hello to you too," Mildine pouted.

"Ah, he-hello… Master Cyrus," Elise gasped, sitting up in an awkwardly stiff manner.

"Calm down, Elise. There's no need to be so uptight around him," Alfin giggled.

"That's easy for you to say… You practically grew up with him. Both of you, I might add," Elise protested, looking at her friends.

"Aww, is Elise jealous?" Mildine teased.

"N-No! I'm perfectly happy with the brother I grew up with, thank you!" Elise huffed.

"Uhh, Elise…? You do know I'm not related to either of them, right? What are you talking about brothers for?" Cyrus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Gotcha," Mildine giggled as Elise's face went bright red.

"Alright, come on… Let's get you lot to Mater Park," Cyrus said as he climbed into the car and sat next to Alfin.

As the car took off and left Dreichels' Plaza, a little azure bird fluttered through the sky, landing on the arm of a woman, who was watching the cars head towards their respective locations.

"Löwe, you're up. He just left. I know I don't need to remind you, but make sure no harm comes to the Princess, or anyone that isn't Cyrus," Vita stated, using a magic spell to communicate with the Enforcer.

"Yeah, yeah… I got it. I have no interest in anyone but that kid anyway," Löwe responded with a growl as Vita stopped casting the spell.

"Alright, dear. Looks like you're up. With three Enforcers keeping him busy, you should have plenty of time to make your grand entrance. Are you ready?" Vita asked, looking at Crow.

"Ready as I'll ever be," C row shrugged as he put his helmet on and vanished in a flash of blue light.

---

As Princess Alfin's car travelled through the busy streets of Heimdallr, with plenty of citizens standing on the sidewalks hoping to get a fleeting glimpse of the young royal, Cyrus sat in silence as he looked out the window, watching on, tuning out the gossip that Alfin, Elise, and Mildine were currently engaged in. Unsurprisingly, the topic the three teenage girls had selected was boys. More specifically, Elise's older brother, Rean.

The car carried on through the city, following the predetermined path set out by General Matteus Vander, and was supposed to make no stops before arriving at Mater Park. So, when Cyrus felt the car come to a sudden stop, he knew something was wrong.

Looking outside, Cyrus could see people running around, looks of panic on their faces. Next to him, he felt Alfin shift in her seat. It appeared that she too had noticed something was wrong.

"Stay here, Your Highness. I'm going to see what's happening out there…" Cyrus muttered, holding an arm out, to make Alfin stay put.

Ducking out from inside the car, Cyrus could see a throng of people running around, crying out. Several officers of the Heimdallr Military Police were rushing towards the cacophony that was spilling out onto the streets of Heimdallr, along with large pools of water, and amphibious reptilians, causing havoc and chaos in equal measure.

"Cyrus, what's going on out there?" Alfin cried, sounding panicked.

"It's nothing the HMP can't handle. We carry on to Mater Park," Cyrus commanded.

"But… Those people… We have to help them," Elise gasped.

"Uh, we don't have to do anything. I have a duty, and that is to keep Princess Alfin safe. That is my first and only duty at this juncture. Do you understand me?" Cyrus stated firmly.

"Cyrus, please… The HMP have their hands full trying to keep the citizens safe; I can see that from here. You need to go and help them," Alfin pleaded. "I give you my word that we will head straight to Mater Park and inform Governor Regnitz of this event."

"Fine… You three will go to Mater Park, now. Tell the Governor that the city is under attack, and that he needs to keep everyone at the park safe. Mildine, how good is that memory of yours?" Cyrus asked, looking at the green haired girl.

"Just like you, I have an eidetic tonal memory; what do you need me to do?" Mildine asked, suddenly becoming serious.

"Call Sophie, tell her to meet you at Mater Park, and…" Cyrus began, before trailing off. He knew the next orders he was going to speak were a massive dice roll.

"What is it?" Alfin asked, looking worried.

"Tell Sophie to meet you at Mater Park, and to bring Tahlia along with her. Before she brings Tahlia, however, I need you to get Sophie to repeat these words to her," Cyrus stated, stressing the importance of what he was about to say.

"Go on, I'll make sure she gets the message," Mildine assured.

"'Laag nu, Kiir do faal Dovah. Zu'u yah suleyk do faal Kiihus Grohiik'. Can you remember that?" Cyrus asked.

"Yes, I can do that. Now, please, go. We'll see you at Mater Park once you're finished here," Mildine said, forcing a smile.

"What… What was that just now?" Elise breathed once Cyrus had closed the door and left the three girls in the car.

"I have no idea… I don't even know what it was he said to me, but…" Mildine mumbled.

"What is it, Mildine?" Alfin asked, noticing her usually jovial and carefree friend was sat in her seat rigidly; a look of concern on her face.

"Whatever that message was, it must be very important if he's asking Sissy to bring Tahlia into a possible danger zone," Mildine frowned.

---

"You want to run that by me again, Mildine? Cyrus said what now?" Sophie asked, as Mildine relayed the message she had been given.

"I don't understand it either, Sissy, but that's what he asked me to say," Mildine responded.

"Alright, leave it with me. If Cyrus asked you to do this, then it's important. We'll meet you at Mater Park soon," Sophie said as she ended the call and went to get Tahlia.

"Where are we going, Big Sis?" Tahlia asked, looking around the room, confused.

"I'm sorry about this, sweetie…" Sophie whispered, hugging Tahlia before looking her dead in the eye. "Laag nu, Kiir do faal Dovah. Zu'u yah suleyk do faal Kiihus Grohiik."

As Sophie spoke those mysterious words, Tahlia passed out and Sophie was blinded by a flash of grey light. When the light subsided, she found herself looking at an all too familiar sight.

"You have need of me, my Lady?" the being spoke.

"Yes… Your abilities are needed for this next phase. Can we count on you to deliver?" Sophie asked.

"Of course. All my abilities are entirely at your disposal," the being nodded, before another flash of light filled the room.

"Then let us away; to Mater Park," Sophie declared, picking Tahlia up and carrying her out of the room.

---

"Ah! You! You're one of those students from Thors, aren't you?!" an Officer from the Heimdallr Military Police cried as Cyrus arrived on the scene.

"Yes, but forget that for now. What's the situation?" Cyrus asked, staring down the two reptilian creatures stood before him.

"We… We don't know. All of the sudden, manhole covers and water systems exploded and started flooding the streets, and these monsters crawled up from out from the sewers and began to rampage. We're trying to get the civilians to safety, but with these crocodile monsters here, it's difficult," a second Officer explained.

"Leave the beasts to me. Get the people to safety," Cyrus commanded, drawing his sword and pointing it at the crocodile monsters.

"R-Right!" the Officers shouted as they moved to carry out their evacuation procedures.

"Over here, you big, ugly bitch! I'm the one you want!" Cyrus shouted, kicking a loose cobblestone at one of the crocodiles.

The crocodile monster roared in anger as it slithered towards Cyrus, using the flooded surface to increase its speed. A maw of razor-sharp fangs snapped at Cyrus, who dodged the attack easily by jumping over the beast, slashing the tip of Black Emperor against its scaly hide.

The trillium enhanced blade ground against the armour-like scales on the crocodile's back, but did nothing more than chip a few scales, which only served to aggravate the monster further.

'That went about as well as expected. All this water would make a perfect conductor for Lightning Style Arts, but I can't risk the collateral damage… What if…' Cyrus thought as he looked around at all the civilians still trying to evacuate.

"Vitalis Style; Storm Barrier!" Cyrus shouted, lifting his arms up at the sides.

A pale green light blinked in front of Cyrus as a powerful wind began to swirl, increasing its radius every second. As the wind intensified, a barrier began to appear, surrounding Cyrus and the two monsters, kicking up the water and earth underfoot.

The Art that Cyrus had cast created an impenetrable wind barrier, making it impossible for anyone or anything to get inside the barricade, or escape from it. Now, Cyrus was free to strike without risking any innocents getting pulled into the crossfire.

"Fulgura Style; Eva's Hammer!" Cyrus roared, lifting his sword up over his head.

In the air above him, shards of water-soaked earth began to rise and coalesce. Stray bolts of lightning started to strike the soaked stone, turning it into blackened fulgurite. The crystalline shards continued to merge together, eventually forming a massive, crystal-black hammer.

With one swift swipe of his sword, the fulgurite hammer smashed into the crocodile monsters and obliterated them in a massive explosion, roaring like a thunderstorm. Inside the barrier, shards of fulgurite bombarded the shield, along with a shower of blood and scales.

After the maelstrom inside the barrier subsided, the shield itself dissipated, leaving a blood-soaked Cyrus standing over a giant crater. The crocodile monsters were reduced to a bloody paste at the bottom of the fulgurite filled chasm.

"Hmph, look's like you have gotten stronger…" Löwe muttered, revealing his presence to Cyrus.

"Löwe… I was wondering when you were going to show your face again. You're here to, what, stop me from interfering with the ILF's plans, or to avenge Joshua's death?" Cyrus asked, turning to look at the Bladelord.

"Arianrhod said you were a sharp one… Though, it seems as if she neglected to mention how strong you were… Those Sharkodiles were genetically enhanced by Professor Novartis himself. The fact you managed to quite literally smash them to pieces the way you did is impressive," Renne muttered, a small smirk on her face as she approached Cyrus, brandishing her scythe.

"I know you… You were the child I saved from Paradise a few years ago…" Cyrus blinked, looking at the young girl.

The word 'Paradise' definitely had an effect on Renne. The moment she heard that word, she froze up, a small twinkle of fear flashed across her eyes. It was clear to Cyrus that, despite her outward appearance, Renne was still suffering from her experiences at that disgusting place.

"So… You're the kid that Walter has been obsessing over, huh?" McBurn sighed, making his presence known from the nearby alleyway.

"Whatever your goal is here, you're making a mistake," Cyrus muttered, flicking the Sharkodile blood off his sword.

"No, you made the mistake of killing Joshua!" Löwe growled, lunging at Cyrus.

The Bladelord's attack was easily parried by Cyrus, who realised that Löwe wasn't taking him seriously just yet. Understandable, given it was three against one, and he wanted his prey to try and at least put up some sort of fight, as futile as it might have been.

Despite her initial hesitation, Renne also launched an attack on Cyrus, double-teaming with Löwe. McBurn decided that Cyrus simply wasn't strong enough for him, and elected to watch from the sidelines as the other Enforcers did battle with Cyrus.

Cyrus knew he was being played with; neither Löwe or Renne were putting any actual effort into their attacks, which allowed Cyrus to conclude he was in fact being delayed from helping to stop the Imperial Liberation Front's attack on the capital.

After several minutes of the three combatant's trading blows, Cyrus started to grow irritated by the Enforcers playing with him, and decided to take matters into his own hands. He knew Renne was the weaker of the two agents, and chose to target her first.

As she swung her scythe at Cyrus in an attempt to decapitate him, Renne felt her off-hand being yanked behind her as Cyrus dodged the initial strike, and manoeuvred behind her. Feeling her off-hand being dragged behind her upset her stance and knocked her off balance, allowing Cyrus to swing her around like a ragdoll.

Given the fact Renne was only thirteen years old and not even five feet tall, this made it far easier for Cyrus to swing her around like a human hammer. As he dragged her back over his shoulder, Cyrus did a half-spin to create more momentum before he flung Renne at Löwe. Despite the fact Löwe knew Cyrus had shot and killed Joshua in cold blood, the Enforcer didn't think Cyrus had it in him to throw a child around the way he did.

Renne flew headfirst into Löwe's chest, knocking both of them to the floor, weapons skidding across the wet street with a clang. From the sidelines, McBurn scoffed in amusement as he watched the two Enforcers clatter together and fell into a lump in the street.

"Maybe you should stop playing with him, Löwe. He might actually kill you before you begin to take things seriously," McBurn laughed.

"Shut up, you bastard. You know what our job is, so either get involved, or stay out of my way," Löwe growled, shoving Renne off him and into a puddle.

"I don't have time to play fight with you pricks, so either make a proper attempt to kill me, or run back to your master," Cyrus snapped, glaring at the three Enforcers.

Give in… Put the mask on… Crush the insects standing before you…

A faint voice in the back of Cyrus' mind whispered to him, followed by an itch. The desire to wear the Yaksha's mask was starting to eat at him. The Corruption that flowed through the object was starting to consume him. This is exactly what his mysterious ally tried to warn him about… Except, his mental state wasn't starting to falter. So, why was the Corruption taking over? There was only one possible explanation for it, and when he realised what was happening, anger started to flow through him.

He had been deceived.

At this revelation, the air around Cyrus began to change. A thick, heavy presence started to weigh down on the Enforcers. Out of the three, McBurn immediately took a special interest in the boy Vita had told him to deal with.

"What is this feeling? I don't remember such a feeling the last time I encountered him…" Löwe muttered, standing up.

"Heh, this just got more interesting… Löwe. Get out of my way; he's mine," McBurn smirked, walking into the street.

"Should you choose to underestimate me…" Cyrus whispered, looking up at McBurn with the Yaksha mask on. "You are going to die."

McBurn didn't even get to react to Cyrus' change. Before he could relish the massive increase in power, he felt a hand slam into his face moments before his body was smashed into a building some thirty feet away from where he had been standing.

Löwe could only blink in astonishment. He had never seen anyone hit McBurn with such speed and power. As he watched the masked Cyrus attack, a feeling of anger rose up inside the pit of his stomach. Cyrus had been hiding this power from him during their fight a few months ago. Now, he had deemed McBurn was a suitable opponent to go all out on? Such an insult was unacceptable to the Bladelord.

As Löwe stood up, he felt a searing pain in his stomach. Looking down, he was stunned to find Cyrus' sword was sticking out of his gut. As Cyrus launched himself at McBurn, he passed over Löwe and Renne, spearing the Bladelord as he went. Coughing up a wad of blood, Löwe turned to face Cyrus.

Upon hearing the Bladelord cough, Cyrus looked back at Löwe, staring him down with bright azure eyes filled with malice and destruction. McBurn had been temporarily stunned by the speed of Cyrus' attack and was still trying to process how slow he had been to react. As Cyrus lifted up a hand, Löwe cried out as the sword was ripped out of his stomach, forcing him to his knees.

Renne had watched everything unfold with her own eyes, and could only stare in shock and awe. A masked being with massive reserves of power, able to fell even the most powerful of warriors? She had heard that tale before.

"Der Zerstörer… It's real…" Renne whispered, watching as Löwe fell to his knees.

"Der what…? What the hell are you prattling on about, child?" Löwe grunted, trying to stem the bleeding.

"A monster sent by the Lord Ravager to punish the wicked for their sins…" Renne responded. "I… I didn't think it was real…"

"You talk too much, pest," the Crimson Yaksha growled, picking Renne up by her arm that had been dislocated when Cyrus first threw her, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Let her go!" Löwe grunted, trying to stand, but was unable to do so from the amount of blood he had lost.

Before the Crimson Yaksha could hurt Renne even further, he was engulfed in a sea of black flames. McBurn had quickly gotten over being dazed and set the Crimson Yaksha on fire with his inextinguishable blackfire. As the flames burned, Renne felt herself fall to the ground.

"Stop it, McBurn! Let him go!" Renne cried frantically.

"What? Have you lost your fucking mind, kid?" McBurn grunted, raising an eyebrow at the young Enforcer.

"He is an agent of the Lord Ravager! I won't let you harm him!" Renne exclaimed as she reached for her scythe.

As Renne grabbed her scythe, she found she was unable to lift it up. Looking at the giant weapon, she found a single bare foot standing on it, trapping it on the street.

"Raze them… Fulgora!" the Crimson Yaksha roared, snuffing the fire out with a power blast of energy.

The Storm God began to manifest, absorbing the remnants of McBurn's blackfire, allowing the corrupted flames to manipulate its appearance. The flames weren't the only thing that had an effect on the Storm God's appearance; the Yaksha mask had also had an influence on the apparition.

Fulgora, who was normally a giant azure spectre, had become a colossal black skeletal being; its face covered by the demonic mask of the Crimson Yaksha, with blazing crimson eyes. In this form, Fulgora was three times larger than normal, allowing the skeleton to tower over the buildings in the street.

In the distance, civilians and military officers alike looked on in horror as Fulgora stood up, swinging a giant hand into a nearby house, destroying it with one blow. Amongst the people who had seen Fulgora rise up were Claire and Sara.

Claire stared in astonishment as she watched the skeletal phantom take form, whilst Sara gasped as she realised where she had seen the massive apparition before.

"That's… Fulgora!" Sara cried as she ran off towards the chaos.

"S-Sara?! Where in Aidios' name are you going?!" Claire shouted over the chaos that had began to ensue over the Storm God's appearance.

"Look at that thing, Captain! Look at it and understand that you and your comrades are responsible for that monster!" Sara yelled.

For a moment, Claire didn't understand what Sara had meant, until she realised that if Sara was running towards the skeletal demon, the one controlling it must be someone she knows. It was then Claire realised who was controlling Fulgora.

---

"Fourth Seal, Release!" the Crimson Yaksha roared.

"Ahh, now this is what I've been waiting for!" McBurn laughed as he ignited more blackfire in his hands.

McBurn threw the balls of blackfire at Fulgora and watched in astonishment as Fulgora not only absorbed them, but grew in size after being hit by them. Slowly, the Storm God got bigger and bigger, until it was three times larger than before. Fulgora towered over the entire Western half of Heimdallr, to the point where everyone in the city could see it. Even those in Mater Park.

"Wh-What in Aidios' name is that?!" Patrick screamed, looking at the murky spectre that was Fulgora.

"Just what in the hell is going on?" Carl muttered, looking from the corrupted Fulgora to the man standing before him; Michael Gideon, also known as G.

"Marvellous, isn't it? I didn't expect this flute to be able to create apparitions as well as control monsters. Even I am astounded by this turn of events," G chuckled, looking at Fulgora in the distance.

"What is it you want, G?" Carl growled, clutching his shoulder where he had been hurt.

"It is not what I want, so much as it is what my comrades want. Unfortunately for you, you have aligned yourself with the man with whom my allies wish to take down. That makes you guilty by association, I'm afraid. Rest assured though; no harm will come to my hostages. You have my word," G laughed.

The hostages in which G was referring to were Princess Alfin, Elise, and Mildine. Along with them was Sophie and Tahlia, the latter of which was still unconscious, and being held by Sophie.

"No harm? Looks to me like that little girl has been harmed by you," Carl snapped.

"On the contrary, we scooped these two up shortly after we gathered the Princess and her friends. The child was already unconscious by that point," G responded.

"That's far enough!" Rean shouted as Class VII rushed onto the scene.

"Ah, we meet again, Thors Military Academy's Class VII. So sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid I don't have time to play with you children… Ah, but these monsters will be an appropriate substitute, I assure you," G chortled, as he began to play his flute again.

For a while, nothing happened. G played a tune, but no monsters came. Something should have happened by now, so why hadn't it? Class VII looked on in confusion as they waited for the monsters that were supposed to show up.

"Where… Where are they?" Rean asked, unsure of what was happening.

"Im… Impossible! The flute worked just fine in Nord, and it summoned that spectre just before. Why is it not working?!" G shouted, clutching at the flute.

"Spectre?" Alisa repeated, looking at G with confusion.

An explosion in the distance provided Class VII with an answer. Turning, they all found themselves looking at the blackened, skeletal form of Fulgora, yet they didn't realise it was Fulgora, given how different the Storm God looked at that moment.

"Where did that thing come from?!" Elliot cried.

"You mean you only just noticed it?!" Patrick shouted.

"Excuse us for being more preoccupied with the chaos that's happening here, rather than on the other side of the city!" Machias snapped.

"Hmph, it matters not. Men! Deal with these brats!" G commanded, as he and two other terrorists jumped into the giant hole in the floor and into the caverns under the Crystal Garden.

"Yes, Comrade G!" the three terrorists shouted, as they raised their weapons at Class VII.

"Here they come, guys! Get ready!" Rean cried as Class VII prepared for battle.

As Class VII began to engage the Imperial Liberation Front in battle, the entirety of Heimdallr was rocked by a massive explosion. Looking over to where the explosion came from, everyone found they could no longer see Fulgora; in its place was a giant pillar of white light.

---

As Sara reached the battleground where the corrupted Fulgora was, she froze and took in the scene of devastation that greeted her. Buildings in a large area had been levelled, and there was a stream of water, blood, stone, and ash tricking down the street. In the middle of the street, Sara saw Löwe and Renne, frozen in awe as they watched McBurn, in his fully released demon form, trading blows with the skeletal Fulgora, with a masked Cyrus standing in the middle of the spectre.

"Yes, yes, YES! This is what I'm talking about! Come on! Give me more!" McBurn cackled, firing blast after blast of blackfire at Fulgora, which only served to make the Storm God stronger.

"Magnet Style; Black Diamond Prison!" the Crimson Yaksha roared.

The fulgurite from the Eva's Hammer Art that Cyrus had used on the Sharkodiles began to rise into the air, and formed dozens of long, black crystal lances, which were all aimed at McBurn. Some of the lances hit their mark, restricting McBurn's movements, whereas others were destroyed by the demon's sword, Angbar.

"Valestein…" Löwe growled, looking up at Sara, finally acknowledging her presence on the scene.

"The Bladelord? I'd heard you survived what happened in Liberl last year… I didn't believe it though…," Sara remarked, looking at the half-dead Enforcer on the ground.

"You came to stop the kid? I'm afraid you're too late…" Löwe smirked before grimacing in pain.

"Stop him? You cannot stop Der Zerstörer… It's futile," Renne whispered, watching the fight closely.

"Der Zerstörer? What the hell are you taking about?" Sara snapped.

"Must I repeat myself over and over? Der Zerstörer. He is the Will of the Lord Ravager on this plane of existence. The Almighty sends his greatest warrior to punish those who commit the most evil acts…" Renne explained, huffing slightly over the fact she's had to explain not once, but twice who this 'Der Zerstörer' is.

"Lord Ravager…? Is he some kind of God to you, little girl?" Sara asked.

"Silence! I do not have to explain myself to the likes of you! I answer only to the call of the Almighty, and his Will!" Renne shouted.

"Is that all you've got?! COME ON! FIGHT ME!" McBurn roared, breaking free of the fulgurite spears that had kept him pinned in place.

The Blazing Demon and the Crimson Yaksha continued to trade blow after blow, each strike more powerful than the last. As Fulgora smashed McBurn with a skeletal fist, The Society's most powerful Enforcer was flung backwards, skidding through the ground, smashing through buildings for three city blocks.

Dragging himself out of the rubble, McBurn flung himself at Fulgora and the Crimson Yaksha again, faltering for a split second as Fulgora disappeared. That tiniest hesitation was all the Crimson Yaksha needed to capitalise on the fight.

As McBurn flew at him, the Crimson Yaksha gabbed the blackfire fist of the Blazing Demon and stopped the attack cold. In one fluid move, McBurn was whipped up into the air before being smashed into the street below, with the Crimson Yaksha smashing a foot into the back of his head to anchor him in place for good measure.

With the Blazing Demon trapped under the bare foot of the Crimson Yaksha, the two tips of the horns on the mask began to glow, and in the centre of the horns, and small white orb appeared, growing larger by the second. As the orb grew, lightning crackled from it, and a murky, white-hot liquid started to drip from the fast growing orb.

"Plasma Style; Atmospheric Disintegration!" the Crimson Yaksha growled as he unloaded the attack, hitting McBurn at point blank range with a devastating blast of plasma.

As the Art hit its mark, it obliterated the ground around McBurn, as it spat up a giant pillar of white light and causing a massive earthquake that travelled all across Heimdallr, destroying buildings and causing some of the underground caverns to collapse.

Amongst the devastation was a massive crater, and in the centre of the supermassive hole was a badly injured McBurn. Much to the surprise of Renne and Löwe, the Blazing Demon was still alive, and laughing hysterically.

"YES, YES, YES! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" McBurn cackled, despite struggling to get up.

McBurn's body had been completely burned, and he was missing an arm, along with part of his skull, but such minor wounds did not bother the Blazing Demon. He knew that with enough time, his otherworldly body would regenerate, and he'd be stronger than ever.

"That mad son of a bitch…" Löwe grunted, forcing himself to his feet. He knew it was time to go. They had done their job of stalling Cyrus.

Speaking of Cyrus, he didn't come out of the blast unscathed. His entire right arm had been incinerated in the blast, a blacked, cracked mess of an appendage was all that remained, but behind the mask of the Crimson Yaksha, it seemed he either didn't notice, or didn't care.

"Incredible…" Sara breathed, struggling to find the words to speak.

"Löwe! Tell the rest of the Enforcers that this kid is off-limits! I want him for myself when I get healed up!" McBurn shouted.

"Tell them yourself…" Löwe growled as he snapped a finger and was bathed in a blue light.

"Don't you go pussying out on me, you hear me, kid! If you don't get any stronger, I'll kill you the next time we meet!" McBurn warned as he followed suit and vanished along with the Bladelord.

As McBurn and Löwe vanished, the Crimson Yaksha turned to look at Renne, who was staring up at him in awe. She was convinced that the Crimson Yaksha was this 'Der Zerstörer' that enforced the Will of her God, and that meant one thing in her mind.

"Der Zerstörer! The Lord Ravager said you would come!" Renne exclaimed, bowing at the feet of the Crimson Yaksha.

"Der Zerstörer…? I am not the being you seek, little girl… Run along with the other two, before I am forced to kill you," the Crimson Yaksha rasped, kneeling down to grab McBurn's crimson jacket that the Blazing Demon had stripped off before he transformed.

"No, I am certain you are the warrior that was prophesised by the Lord Ravager. A being, wearing the corrupted Mask of the Destroyer, slaughtering those who commit the most evil acts. You are Der Zerstörer. The Destroyer. As commanded by the Almighty, I am to serve you until I take my last breath," Renne responded.

"Serve me…?" the Crimson Yaksha muttered, before holding out his blackened, burned arm. "Heal this, and show your loyalty to your Almighty."

"Such a grievous wound, I cannot heal. I can only bandage it, and hope you heal by yourself, Der Zerstörer," Renne replied as she approached the Crimson Yaksha and bound the wound with bandages.

Sara stood in silence and watched as Renne tended to the Crimson Yaksha's wound. As she watched, she felt that same crushing sensation she had felt when she was with Cyrus that morning. She knew, without a doubt, that Cyrus was behind that horned mask. Yet, what intrigued her more was Renne. The young Enforcer treated the Crimson Yaksha like a deity. To Sara, such a thing was just bizarre to see.

"Hmm… It is… Sufficient. Go now, child. Leave this place," the Crimson Yaksha growled, flexing his freshly bandaged arm.

"As you command. But, please, know that I will answer your call whenever you need me to," Renne bowed, before leaving in a flash of blue light.

As Renne vanished, the Crimson Yaksha put on McBurn's jacket, to replace the one he had lost when he was first hit with the Blazing Demon's blackfire.

"Cyrus…?" Sara whispered, which made the masked being snap its head towards her, sending a chill down her spine.

"Why are you here?" the Crimson Yaksha hissed, his azure eyes crushing Sara in their gaze.

"I… I saw Fulgora, but… It didn't look right. Cyrus, you need to stop. That mask is controlling you," Sara stated.

"Yes… It would seem the Direwolf lied to me… No matter. I have more important things to deal with at this point in time," the Crimson Yaksha growled, walking away.

"Wh-Where are you going?" Sara asked, following the Yaksha.

"To bury the Sinners plaguing this city," the Crimson Yaksha stated.

---

After returning from Heimdallr, it didn't take long for the members of Ouroboros to learn what happened to McBurn. Their most powerful Enforcer, the wielder of Angbar, a demon from the Beyond, almost decimated by a mere human. Once the Anguēs heard about the mask Cyrus had on, it didn't take long for Arianrhod to demand answers from the Enforcer who gave him the mask.

"Direwolf, I would have words," Arianrhod growled as she approached Walter.

"Hmph, what can I do for you, Seventh Anguis? I imagine this has something to do with what happened to our Almighty Conflagration?" Walter snorted.

"You gave a mere human the Destroyer's Mask! Have you completely lost your mind?!" Arianrhod shouted, slamming her hand into the wall, her usually cool and calm demeanour vanishing for but a moment.

"Bah, what the kid doesn't know won't hurt him. Everything went according to plan, so I don't see what you're getting so worked up over," Walter grunted.

"Plan? What plan?" Arianrhod asked.

"Take it up with the Grandmaster. It was she who gave me the mask and told me to give it to the kid. Why? I have no idea, but when she told me he was the only one capable of wearing the mask, I was curious," Walter shrugged.

"The Grandmaster told you to give Cyrus the mask?" Arianrhod asked.

"Look, I don't know the ins and outs of the plan, but this was something the Grandmaster and the First Anguis came up with together. You wanna know more? Ask them," Walter stated gruffly as he walked away.

"What would the Grandmaster and the First Anguis have to gain by giving Cyrus the Destroyer's Mask? Does it have something to do with Renne? Something doesn't add up here…" Arianrhod muttered.

---

After the three Enforcers left Heimdallr, the Crimson Yaksha made good on his word to Sara. As he marched through the city, he cut a bloody swathe through anyone who tried to stop his progress towards Mater Park. To the masked beast, it made no difference whether the person he killed was a member of the Imperial Liberation Front, or one of Heimdallr's many military forces. Those that tried to stop the vicious monster were killed without hesitation. Almost.

Ever since she found Cyrus, wearing the mask and battling with McBurn, Sara had followed him on his warpath, and while it astounded her how easily Cyrus had killed those who had gotten in his way, there were a few people, on both sides of the conflict, that managed to escape death, ending up only being knocked unconscious as the beast walked.

Why was Cyrus, or rather, the Crimson Yaksha, sparing some people, but mercilessly slaughtering others? Sara couldn't understand it, and the more she watched, the more confused she became. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for killing one person, and sparing the next. Sara knew that Cyrus revealed his identity as the Crimson Yaksha to her for a reason, and that in and of itself was important to Sara. Cyrus always had a reason for all of his actions, so what was the reasoning behind the massacre he was currently on?

Despite keeping her distance, Sara froze when she watched Cyrus come to a stop, and half-turned his head to face her. As he breathed, Sara noticed small, black wisps of miasma drifting out from behind the fanged maw of the mask.

"Sara… If you are intent on following me, I would have you do something for me…" the Crimson Yaksha hissed.

"Wh-What would you have me do?" Sara asked hesitantly.

"Up there… I want you to see if there is someone using that rooftop as a sniper's nest. If there is, kill the Sinner, and bring me the weapon," the Crimson Yaksha commanded, as more black smoke wafted out of his mouth.

"Why?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew that, as he currently was, Cyrus had no need to use a gun to kill someone.

"Do not question me, just do as I say!" the Crimson Yaksha growled, turning and carrying on towards Mater Park; more wisps of miasma starting to float up out of the ground where his feet had touched.

Shaking her head vigorously in an attempt to shake a couple lingering thoughts, Sara decided it was best to do what was asked of her, and entered the building and started to climb the stairs up to the roof.

When she arrived on the rooftop, she was astounded to see that Cyrus' hunch had been correct; there was indeed a member of the Imperial Liberation Front using the rooftop as a sniper's nest. The terrorist was lying down on the edge of the rooftop, looking towards Mater Park, with a sniper rifle in their hands, getting ready to shoot.

"Target confirmed. I await your order to fire, Comrade V," the terrorist, who was a woman, whispered.

Clearly too focused on her target, and absent a spotter, the terrorist had no idea Sara was standing over her, until she felt Sara's Orbal Gun pressed into the back of her head.

"Unless you wish to share the fate of whoever you're targeting, I'd suggest you put the gun down," Sara whispered, kneeling down on the woman's back, so as to prevent her from escaping.

"Take the shot at your leisure, Comrade. I am currently underground with Comrades C, G, and S, and will no longer be able to maintain comms with you. Comrade V, out," V's voice crackled through a nearby Orbal Radio the woman had.

Knowing there was no way out for her, the terrorist removed her hands from the sniper rifle, and surrendered. Whatever cause the Imperial Liberation Front were championing, she wasn't a die-hard believer in it. She was just angry at her own personal situation, and wanted to take out her frustrations on the leaders of the city. As far as things went, her cause wasn't one she believed in enough to die for.

Picking the woman up, Sara dragged her to a nearby water pipe, and tied her up to it. After doing so, she got out her ARCUS Unit and called Claire, letting her know about the terrorist's presence on the rooftop. Once Claire had confirmed she'd send one of her officers over to collect the terrorist, Sara put her ARCUS Unit away.

Now that mess was cleaned up, Sara made to leave the building, but stopped when she realised the sniper rifle was still left on the rooftop. As she looked at it, her past experiences as a Jäger told her that the weapon was highly advanced, and not a model she had ever laid eyes on before. Yet, that begged the question; how did Cyrus know about it, and more importantly, why did he want it?

Sighing, Sara decided that taking it was better than leaving it up here for Claire's officers to find. Silently hoping she was making the right decision, Sara picked up the rifle and took it with her as she re-entered the building, and made her way down the steps and back out onto the street.

---

Despite the detour, it didn't take Sara long to catch up with Cyrus, who was standing at the entrance to Mater Park, with three more bodies at his feet. Two had been killed, whilst the other had simply been knocked unconscious.

"Cyrus, I… I don't understand," Sara began, looking at the bodies. "Why are you killing people, but sparing others?"

"I already told you, Platinum Star, I am burying the Sinners who plague this city," the Crimson Yaksha growled. "Mirage Art; Inversion."

Suddenly, Sara started to feel dizzy. Staggering slightly, she caught herself before looking at Cyrus, who had started to walk towards the Crystal Garden. Immediately, she felt like something was wrong; an itching feeling in the back of her mind started to surface, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Ignoring the warnings her brain was giving her, Sara decided to press on, in hopes that she could try and understand what was going on, and why Cyrus was killing people at random.

As the Crimson Yaksha approached the Crystal Garden, four officers from the Heimdallr Military Police froze in fear as they saw the masked being walk towards them; blood-soaked blade in hand. Not knowing whether or not they would be killed or spared, Sara decided to try and warn them off.

"Officers! If you value your lives, you will not stop this warrior!" Sara shouted, still holding the Emerald Sentinel over her shoulder, which helped influence the soldiers' decision to stand down.

"Do not intervene, Platinum Star. I will not hesitate to kill you too, should you get in my way," the Crimson Yaksha hissed, half-turning to look at Sara, a single eye crushing her from behind the mask.

A golden eye.

Sara stared in shock at the golden eye that was glaring right at her. Cyrus' eyes were azure, but she was very clearly seeing a golden eye behind the horned mask he was wearing. Was this the feeling of 'something was wrong' she had felt a few moments ago?

Cries of fear and horror broke Sara out of her daze, as she realised that Cyrus had entered the Crystal Garden, although he had chosen to spare the four officers at the entrance. Rushing in, Sara saw those who had been invited to the ceremony cowering in fear as they all bore witness to the devil that stood before them.

"Where are the Sinners who took the Princess?" the Crimson Yaksha asked, towering over Governor Regnitz, who was still clutching the wound he had sustained.

"I… I assume you're talking about the Imperial Liberation Front?" Carl asked, wincing in pain. "They escaped through that hole in the ground."

"What about the children from Class VII?" the Crimson Yaksha growled, surprising Carl.

"How do you…?" Carl gasped, before shaking his head. "They followed after G, not too long ago. All nine of them. If you hurry, I would imagine you'd be able to catch up with them."

The Crimson Yaksha said nothing as he marched towards the hole, and stepped down into the blackness of the Heimdallr Catacombs. After he left, Sara approached Governor Regnitz.

"Governor, is everything alright?" Sara asked, looking at the wound Carl had.

"I'll be fine, Instructor Valestein, but you need to go look after your students; I'm afraid that they might be in over their heads with this group," Carl responded with a pained smile.

"Alright, but I need to ask you something, Governor. When you were asked about the whereabouts of Class VII, you said 'all nine of them' went underground. Are you absolutely sure you saw all of Class VII?" Sara asked.

"With the Sibling Gods as my witness, yes. Everyone in Class VII was there. Even Cyrus. Although, he showed up just before Class VII entered the cavern below," Carl nodded.

That itching feeling in the back of Sara's head started to intensify. She knew Cyrus was the Crimson Yaksha, so how could Carl have seen Cyrus here with the rest of Class VII, when she had been with him since his fight with Ouroboros?

"Alright, I'll head down and see what's happening. Patrick, I'm assigning you the task of looking after the Governor, and the rest of the people here, until Captain Rieveldt and the RMP arrive," Sara ordered, looking at the Hyarms boy.

"M-Me?!" Patrick cried, before taking a moment to compose himself. "Ahem… As you wish, Instructor. I will do my duty as both a member of the Noble House Hyarms, and as a Student of Thors."

Without another word, Sara took off for the catacombs, leaping down into the darkness below.

---

After Class VII jumped down into the catacombs under Mater Park, it didn't take long for them to catch up to G and his five hostages. Making quick work of the four armed terrorists, two who had been accompanying G, and another two who had been waiting in the chamber, Class VII now stood alone, ready to face him in battle. G, however, was unfazed by this turn of events.

"Silly children. You might have bested my men, but you're no match for the horror that awaits you!" G laughed, as he pulled out his flute once more and pointed to the large pile of bones that were present in the room.

The bones were from that of an ancient dragon. It didn't take a genius to work out that the dragon bones were the remains of Zoro-Agruga; the Dark Dragon of Ruination. As G began to play the flute, Class VII braced themselves for battle.

A battle that never came.

As G continued to play the flute, everyone in the room noticed nothing was happening. Just like in the Crystal Garden, whatever powers the flute had in Nord seemed to have vanished now. Growling in frustration, G threw the flute against a nearby wall, smashing it to pieces. As the shards of the flute scattered to the ground, G realised what had happened.

"It… It's a fake," G gasped. "Impossible! That flute was guaranteed to control anything that possessed a soul! That conniving witch lied to me!"

'Witch? So Vita really is involved in all of this…' Emma thought, a pang of sorrow flowing through her heart as she realised it was definitely Vita she had seen at the Golden Hind on the first night in Heimdallr.

"Calm yourself, Comrade G. We do not need cheap parlour tricks to win against mere children," a voice spoke from behind G.

"Comrade C?!" G cried, surprised to see his leader walking down the staircase towards him.

"This is the C we've been looking for?" Rean whispered.

"His appearance does match the surveillance pictures the Governor and Captain Claire showed to us," Laura responded, noting C's full black outfit and full-faced helmet.

"Greetings, Thors Military Academy's Class VII. I am C. I have been awaiting this chance to meet you all… Especially you, Cyrus Le Guin," C remarked.

"Fuck you, arsehole! Give me back that little girl!" Cyrus snapped, pointing at Tahlia, who was still unconscious.

"Hmph, still as arrogant as ever, aren't you? How disappointing," S scoffed.

"Don't make me cut your fucking head off, you bitch!" Cyrus roared, drawing his sword.

"Who, easy there, Cyrus! She's taunting you!" Rean cried, holding back his classmate.

"What an interesting turn of events… Who's idea do you think this was, brother?" Morokei muttered, looking at Vahlok.

"Rahgot… Come on out, you fucking snake!" Vahlok roared, gripping Laura's shoulder with immense pressure.

"What the hell's going on?" Machias whispered, looking at Gaius.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Gaius responded.

After several moments of silence, a flash of golden light engulfed the room, blinding Class VII. Once the light vanished, and Class VII got their vision back, they blinked and rubbed their eyes in astonishment. Standing behind Sophie was a golden spectre; wearing the same robes and mask as the three other phantoms they all knew.

"Well, well… Vahlok, my brother! I'm amazed you were able to sense my presence! Looks like you've gotten sharper in your old age!" the golden spectre laughed. "Greetings to you all! Well, those who are worthy of seeing me, I mean; I am Rahgot."

"Another one? This must be number four…" Jusis muttered, looking at the golden phantom standing by Sophie. "But… How can such a thing be possible? She wasn't in the Old Schoolhouse with us when the others appeared."

"Figure it out later, Jusis. We have a fight to win," Rean stated, turning his attention back to C, who pulled out a double-ended spear.

"A Swallow?!" Laura gasped.

"A what now?" Elliot responded.

"That weapon. It's called a 'Swallow'. It's a double ended spear that dates back to the Dark Age. Only true combat masters are said to be able to wield such a weapon," Laura explained.

"Great, so we've got our work cut out for us. Screw that, we can take him!" Machias declared, pumping his Shotgun.

"Let's go, Class VII!" Rean shouted, as they charged at the Imperial Liberation Front's leader.

---

Meanwhile, as Sara was following Cyrus through the catacombs, she came to a halt when she noticed Cyrus had stopped moving too. Shuffling his bare feet on the ground blow him, Sara could tell he was sensing something.

"The Golden Wind has finally revealed itself…" the Crimson Yaksha remarked, before carrying on his way.

"Golden–? Hey, hold on!" Sara cried out as she ran to catch up. "You wanna tell me what the hell you're talking about? You keep referring to me as 'Platinum Star', and now this 'Golden Wind'…? What are you talking about?"

"If it is answers you seek, Platinum Star, shut up and keep following," the Crimson Yaksha snapped as he move on.

One thing Sara did notice about Cyrus in his current state was that he was moving incredibly slowly; almost to the point where he was dragging his feet. It became apparent to her that Cyrus was badly wounded after his fight with McBurn, and was struggling to keep up the façade that he was alright.

Each step the Crimson Yaksha took, the slower he became. More and more black miasma was starting to billow out from under his feet and from behind his mask, and Sara was growing more and more concerned with each step.

As they carried on down the corridor, the sounds of fighting made its way to their ears. Holding out an arm, the Crimson Yaksha stopped Sara from advancing, again shuffling his feet on the ground beneath him.

"Why are we stopping? There's a fight going on ahead! Rean and the others need our help!" Sara cried indignantly.

"I detect the presence of seventeen humans in the crypt ahead of us. Nine of them are fighting… Class VII, and the one known as C…" the Crimson Yaksha muttered.

"How did you…?" Sara whispered as she watched Cyrus take McBurn's coat off and drop it to the floor.

Upon seeing the dragon tattoo on Cyrus' back, that itching sensation in Sara's head returned. Something about his back tattoo looked wrong, but what was it? It looked the same as it always did, but Sara could tell something about it wasn't right. As Cyrus walked off towards the entrance to the crypt, with his sword in his undamaged right hand, Sara finally understand what was bothering her.

'He's not right handed, so why is he… Wait. Why is his left arm bandaged up when it was his right arm that was badly damaged in the fight with McBurn?' Sara thought, as the realisation finally hit her.

Everything she was seeing was reversed.

---

"I'm impressed, Class VII. You held your own for much longer than I anticipated. However, I'm more disappointed with you, Cyrus Le Guin. Why do you refuse to fight?" C asked, almost mockingly.

"Bite me, you masked bitch! My only interests are protecting this child!" Cyrus snapped, standing over Tahlia.

As Class VII engaged with C, Cyrus walked past the fight and stood watch over the unconscious Tahlia, making sure no harm came to her. This action alone was enough to raise eyebrows amongst the members of Class VII. They knew how much Cyrus cared about his little sister, but ignoring a fight, just to protect her? Something wasn't right here…

"You have quite the mouth on you, I must say. I didn't expect someone of Noble birth to be so vulgar," C chuckled.

"You dare throw insults at me, you scummy little cunt?! What kind of pathetic cocksucker kidnaps girls for leverage?!" Cyrus spat.

"What's going on here? Cyrus isn't usually this foul-mouthed, is he?" Alisa asked, looking at Emma.

"Calm down, you fool. Otherwise you're going to give it away," Sophie hissed, looking at 'Cyrus'.

"Ah, fuck this! Let's just take this bastard down; put an end to his barking!" V shouted, lifting up his minigun and aiming it at Cyrus and the hostages.

As the minigun spun up, a bolt of crimson light roared into the crypt, aimed right at V's weapon. It was only thanks to C facing the direction the bolt came from that he was able to swipe at it with his Swallow, and split it in two, sending one half of the projectile into the ground at V's feet, and the other into the roof, causing a large pile of brick and rubble to come crashing down to the ground.

"What the fuck?!" V roared, turning his minigun towards the direction where the crimson bolt had come from, and started to fire.

As the Orbal rounds pierced the floor at the entrance, a large dust cloud started to rise up. After several seconds of sustained fire, V stopped shooting, and waited. For the longest time, there was nothing. But, as the dust started to settle, a small plume of it was pushed into the cavern, as another bolt of crimson light was fired into the room, once again deflected by C.

"It would seem we have another visitor," C muttered.

With the dust starting to settle, everyone in the room could see a silhouette taking form. Trepidation started to set in as the figure started to take shape; revealing a large set of horns, and bright, golden eyes.

As the Crimson Yaksha stepped into the crypt, everyone present froze up. The monster that stood before them was more terrifying than anything they had witnessed. Those who were present at the Golden Hind two nights ago immediately felt a sense of fear that was unmatched by the creature that was masquerading as the Crimson Yaksha. They knew this one was the real Crimson Yaksha.

"Sinners…" the Crimson Yaksha rasped, a cloud of miasma escaping from behind the fangs on the mask.

"Wh-What the hell is that thing?!" Elliot cried, hiding behind Gaius.

"The Crimson Yaksha…" Gaius whispered.

"Wait, that is the thing that killed Fie?!" Rean gasped, a cold chill running down his spine.

The Crimson Yaksha slowly walked towards Class VII, ignoring them completely, his golden eyes firmly fixed on the four leaders of the Imperial Liberation Front.

When the monster walked through Class VII, everyone stared in horror at the crimson dragon on his back. They all knew Cyrus had that exact tattoo, but were left dumbfounded, because Cyrus was already standing over by the hostages. Out of the group, only two people noticed something was wrong with the tattoo; Emma and Laura.

Emma immediately recognised that the tattoo was a mirrored image of Cyrus' tattoo, because of course she would know that. She had been convinced that Cyrus was the Crimson Yaksha, and closely examined everything about Cyrus because of that suspicion, but the fact she saw him standing in the room, and that the tattoo on the monster's back was inverted gave her all the proof she needed that she was wrong.

The sound of metal clanging against the ground rang out in the crypt, and as Class VII turned to look at the source of the sound, saw that it had come from Laura, who dropped her weapon and was shuddering in pure terror.

"It's him… He's the monster I saw… It was… Mother…" Laura whispered, as she collapsed to the ground.

Laura's reaction to the Crimson Yaksha helped fill in some pieces for Class VII. After the breakdown she suffered at the hands of Cyrus a couple of months ago, along with her fear of the dragon on Cyrus' back, it was obvious seeing that dragon triggered a memory of her mother's death. Now, it seemed to all but confirm that the Crimson Yaksha had killed Laura's mother all those years ago.

"We have no quarrel with you, Crimson Yaksha," C stated, staring at the beast.

In response to C's declaration, the Crimson Yaksha raised a finger, before pointing at G, S, and V.

"Pride… Envy… Greed…" the Crimson Yaksha hissed, before pointing his finger at C. "Wrath."

"What nonsense is this?" G scoffed.

The Crimson Yaksha lifted his blade and swiped it at G, slicing at him from head to toe. The tip of the blade was just close enough that it left a small cut on G's face, cutting his glasses in half. G blinked in astonishment. He hadn't even seen the Crimson Yaksha move. With his brain trying to catch up with what had happened, and his senses becoming overwhelmed, G collapsed to the floor in shock.

"Comrades, make your escape. I will hold this creature off, since it seems so intent on battling us," C stated, as he spun his Swallow in his hand.

"Yes, Comrade C…" S and V whispered, as V scooped up G and escaped via the staircase that was behind them.

"Do not think yourself to be on the same level as me…" the Crimson Yaksha warned, lifting up his sword.

The first strike was massive. A powerful shockwave reverberated around the room, knocking everyone off-balance. The two combatants were easily able to read one another with that single strike, and C came to a harrowing conclusion.

While he had put most of his strength into that first strike, C could tell the Crimson Yaksha barely put any effort into his. He knew he was at a supreme disadvantage, and now all he could do was stall long enough to allow his comrades time to flee.

"ARCUS activate," C grunted, after the two had separated. "Wind Style; Air Cutter!"

Spinning his Swallow, C managed to create a powerful disc of air, which started to launch scythes of wind at the Crimson Yaksha. The Crimson Yaksha was completely unfazed by the incoming attack, and simply countered one Art with another.

"Earth Style; Shield Wall," the Crimson Yaksha growled, flicking two fingers up and creating a wall of stone from the ground beneath him.

The blades of air impacted with the stone wall, and bounced off, leaving several small slashes where the attack had landed.

"Wait a second… How does C have an ARCUS?!" Machias cried.

"That's a good question… I thought Class VII was meant to be the testing group for the new devices…" Jusis muttered.

"The ILF have support from the Noble Alliance, and that means access to the best tools on the market," Sara stated, finally entering the crypt herself.

"Instructor! You're ok!" Elliot cried, breathing a sigh of relief.

"That rifle…" Alisa mumbled, looking at the Emerald Sentinel that Sara was carrying.

"Hmm, this? Don't worry about it. Is everyone alright?" Sara asked, kneeling down to check on Laura.

"Y-Yes… We're fine. But…" Emma responded, looking at the battle between C and the Crimson Yaksha.

The clash of steel rang out around the chamber as the two warriors continued to do battle. While C was agile enough to dodge the explosive blows of the Crimson Yaksha, he wasn't able to close the gap and land a hit on the beast.

"Hmph, I'm actually impressed that criminal is going toe-to-toe with such a powerful opponent," Jusis remarked.

"Cyrus, what's going on? Who is that person behind the mask?" Alfin asked quietly.

"Please, Princess, calm yourself. Rest assured that no harm will come to you, or anyone else, so long as I stand here," Cyrus stated.

'I know for a fact that the person behind that mask is Cyrus. Fulgora was proof enough of that fact… And yet, that's definitely him standing over there with the Princess. What in Thanatos' name is going on here?' Sara thought as she held Laura and tried to get her to calm down.

The sound of Alfin's voice somehow managed to distract the Crimson Yaksha for a second. Long enough for C to gain the upper hand. Jumping back out of the way of the Crimson Yaksha's attack, C grabbed a canister at his waist, pulled the pin, and threw it in the face of the demon.

As the canister made contact, it exploded and a white powder was thrown into the atmosphere. Based on the size and the contents, Class VII were immediately able to deduce what C had thrown.

"Ether…" Gaius whispered.

"Hmm, time to see how accurate that intel the RMP received actually is," Jusis muttered.

The initial explosion of powder managed to stun the Crimson Yaksha, and sent him into a coughing fit as he breathed in the poisonous compound. It didn't take long for the poison to disperse, and once it did, C and Class VII stared in astonishment as the Crimson Yaksha appeared to be unharmed by the supposed poison.

"So, it really was a dud…" Machias whispered.

"Looks like all that talk of the Concierge having a chemical weapon was exactly that; talk," Rean added.

"Impossible… How are you not dead?" C asked, completely astounded.

"Water Style; Supermassive Hydra!" the Crimson Yaksha shouted, his disembodied voice echoing around the chamber.

At the floor around the Crimson Yaksha's feet, a small circle of water started to form. Quickly, it turned into a raging whirlpool, that grew in size until the waterspout touched the roof of the room. The sound of roaring water was soon drowned out by a giant roar, as the whirlpool took on the form of a three-headed serpent.

The hydra shot a massive blast of water at C, sweeping him away in the rampaging current. As the room was circular, the only place the water could go was around in a cycle, smashing against the brickwork, and ripping chunks out of the wall. As the torrent subsided, the body of C came sliding to a halt at the far end of the room, near the steps that would lead to his escape.

Except, C wasn't given the option to escape. Before he could fully regain his senses, C felt a powerful force smash into his stomach, as the Crimson Yaksha took a step before vanishing from sight, and immediately reappearing and kicking C with as much force as he could muster. The sickening crunching sound of broken bones could be heard, and Class VII knew that C had suffered several broken ribs.

With the wind knocked out of him, C was defenceless as the Crimson Yaksha started to mercilessly beat the terrorist. Blow after blow landed, smashing the armour he was wearing, and breaking more and more bones.

Class VII looked on in horror. They knew C was a criminal, who kidnapped not only the Princess, but other innocent people, but even they agreed that such a violent punishment was undeserved.

"That's enough!" Rean shouted, stopping the Crimson Yaksha from delivering a decisive blow to C's head, which would have destroyed the helmet he was wearing.

"You dare address me, insect?" the Crimson Yaksha growled, glaring at Rean with his golden eyes.

"You've won the fight! You don't need to toy with him and kill him!" Rean yelled.

Growling, a wisp of miasma escaping from the mask once more, the Crimson Yaksha dropped C's body and stood up, walking towards Rean. Each step the monster took was almost deafening to the young man.

"Rean! Stay out of it!" Elise cried, knowing her brother was in danger.

"You… You are a smart one," the Crimson Yaksha muttered, looking at Elise, who seized up in terror.

"Hey… I'm not finished with you," C growled from behind the Crimson Yaksha.

As he turned, the Crimson Yaksha found himself being slashed by C's Swallow. Everyone looked on in amazement as they had assumed the terrorist leader was down and out for the count. That amazement, however, turned to horror as they noticed that the attack from C did absolutely nothing.

The bladed edge of the Swallow made total contact with the Crimson Yaksha's chest, and should have ripped through muscle and sliced clean through the heart. Instead, the blade simply glanced off the Crimson Yaksha's bare chest, as if his skin was made out of steel.

With an enraged roar, the Crimson Yaksha grabbed C's left hand, shattering the bones, before slicing the arm clean off with his sword. The demon followed through by running C through with his sword, and kicked him back into the wall; the force of which ended up pinning C's body to the wall by the black sword.

Knowing his opponent wasn't going anywhere, and bleeding out from a mortal wound, the Crimson Yaksha turned his attention back to Rean, his golden eyes ablaze with rage.

"I think it's time to intervene," Morokei whispered to Alisa.

"Are you joking? We don't stand a chance against that thing!" Alisa hissed.

"No, he is quite right. I long to fight such a powerful opponent! On your feet, vessel! We have a battle to fight!" Vahlok roared.

As the Crimson Yaksha walked towards Rean, he stopped as he found himself looking at Alisa, Laura, and Sara, all standing next to Rean, their spectres flanking them. Much to the terror of Class VII, the Crimson Yaksha let out a dark laugh.

"Azure Dragon… Crimson King… Platinum Star… You dare oppose me?"the Crimson Yaksha asked.

"They aren't the only ones!" a voice called out as two more bodies rushed to the fore.

"Rahgot? What is the meaning of this? You are not a fighter," Nahkriin snorted.

"Perhaps not, but there is solidarity in numbers, my dear brother. Not to mention, we have the help of this fine specimen too," Rahgot responded, pointing to Cyrus.

"Golden Wind? You continue to surprise me… You as well, Ashen Wolf," the Crimson Yaksha laughed.

'Platinum Star… Why does he continue to call me that?' Sara thought as she looked at Alisa and Laura and their respective phantoms. 'Wait… Azure Dragon… Crimson King… Platinum Star…'

"It seems you have figured it out… Well done," Nahkriin whispered.

"You dare insult me in this way?" the Crimson Yaksha hissed, looking at the wall of spectres and humans before him.

"Alright, fine! If these pansies won't make the first move, then I will!" Cyrus shouted, as he ran at the Crimson Yaksha, ready to battle.

Once again, the Crimson Yaksha was in battle with another opponent. One might see the battle of the Crimson Yaksha and Cyrus as something akin to a philosophical metaphor about 'battling oneself', but this was anything but. This battle was a dirty, unrelenting brawl.

Both Cyrus and the Crimson Yaksha went blow-for-blow, trading hits with an equivalent degree of force. For a while, it looked as if fatigue had started to set in for the Crimson Yaksha. His attacks were starting to get slower, and the blows were getting weaker.

Class VII were starting to feel a sense of hope, as it looked like Cyrus was starting to gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, the Sibling Gods decided to turn their backs on Class VII at that very moment, and crush any semblance of hope they had.

As Cyrus went to deliver a punch to the Crimson Yaksha's head, the beast dodged the attack, manoeuvred around behind Cyrus and grabbed his outstretched right arm. Without even hesitating, the Crimson Yaksha yanked the arm back, ripping the shoulder out of its socket and snapping the arm in three different places. Before he could even cry out in pain, the Crimson Yaksha grabbed the back of Cyrus' head, and slammed it into the ground, knocking him out and leaving him in a pool of his own blood.

"Cyrus!" Emma cried out.

"We… We can't win this… There's no way out," Elliot whimpered, cowering on the floor, covering his head with his arms.

"You… You monster! I won't… I won't let you get away with this!" Rean roared, as his hair turned white and his eyes went red.

Crying out like a wounded animal, Rean sprinted towards the Crimson Yaksha, weapon in hand, intent on killing the demon. As soon as Rean had closed the gap by half the distance, he suddenly stopped, and dropped his sword.

"Rean!" Alisa cried, confused by what was happening.

Immediately, a flash of pale white light shone throughout the crypt, and when it subsided, another masked phantom was standing before Rean, holding a hand out as if to stop his movements.

"No… I will not allow this to happen to you, child…" the spectre spoke, his voice carrying undeniable authority.

Before anyone could react, the spectre placed two fingers on Rean's forehead, and forced the boy to his knees. The phantom then moved his head closer to Rean's and slipped the mask off, before inhaling. As the phantom inhaled, a dark red energy started to flow from Rean, into the spirit's mouth.

Class VII looked on as Rean started to revert back to his original form. All the malice and rage that Rean was consumed by had vanished; the pale phantom had stolen it. Once Rean returned to normal, he passed out, and the spectre put his mask back on before vanishing completely in a flash of pale light.

"What just happened?" Machias asked.

"I… I don't know," Alisa responded.

"Rean?! Rean!" Elise cried, desperate to get to her brother and make sure he was alright.

"Stand down, all of you… Otherwise, I'll be forced to make you kneel," the Crimson Yaksha growled.

"Not a chance! That's two of our friends you've harmed now! We're going to stop you, right here, right now!" Alisa declared.

In response to Alisa's bold declaration, the Crimson Yaksha let out a long, growling sigh, along with a thin cloud of miasma. Looking at Alisa, Laura, Sara, and the four spectres that stood before him, the Crimson Yaksha raised two clawed fingers at his opponents.

"Krumah…" the Crimson Yaksha hissed, pointing his fingers down at the ground.

Immediately, the four spectres were brought down to their knees, along with Alisa, Laura, and Sara. What was more surprising, was that Sophie was also forced to her knees along with the others. At that point, Sara was convinced that the fourth spectre was bound to her, and she had a pretty good idea how.

"Nu… Zu'u bo wah al hi fah hin vofir…" the Crimson Yaksha rasped, taking a step forward.

The closer the Crimson Yaksha got, the further the spectres and their respective vessels were forced towards the ground. As he reached Alisa, the Crimson Yaksha towered over her, seemingly ready to kill her.

"Sara?! Sara, are you down here?!" Claire's voice carried from the corridor.

"Captain Claire?!" Machias cried, turning to look towards the sound of the Captain's voice.

Growling, the Crimson Yaksha turned back towards where he had left C, only to find a small puddle of blood and his sword on the floor. With an outstretched arm, the black sword of the Crimson Yaksha flew into his hand.

"Don't ever attempt to prevent me from punishing Sinners again. Next time, I will kill you all," the Crimson Yaksha growled.

As Claire and half a dozen of her officers burst into the crypt, the Imperial Liberation Front and the Crimson Yaksha were gone. Claire's immediate priority at that point was to ensure the safety of the Princess, and the other hostages, and to make sure both Rean and Cyrus weren't seriously injured.

---

In the end, while the city had suffered extensive damage, and a number of casualties, the Imperial Liberation Front had ultimately been successful in announcing their presence and intentions to the country. In the coming days, news was going to spread across the nation, about how this terrorist group had appeared at the Heimdallr Summer Festival, and marked Chancellor Osborne and his allies for death.

It didn't take long for people to start assuming that the Noble Alliance were the ones backing the Imperial Liberation Front, but since there was no proof, nothing could be done. In the meantime, it was the job of Captains Rieveldt and Arundel to make sure they had knowledge of the group's activities, and the means to stop them as quickly as possible.

As for Class VII, they managed to leave the catacombs relatively unscathed. Rean managed to come to shortly after Claire and her officers had arrived, and whilst Cyrus was taken away for treatment, he had been reported as missing in the hospital when one of the nurses had been conducting her rounds. Upon hearing this news, Sara immediately volunteered to go search for him, leaving the rest of Class VII to their own devices until she returned.

Much to Sara's surprise, it wasn't long before she found Cyrus. Or, rather, he found her. When she left the hospital, she found Cyrus sitting on the rooftop of the building across the street, and went up to speak with him.

"So, it's really you?" Sara asked, approaching Cyrus.

"Yeah… It's me, don't worry," Cyrus said, staring out across the city skyline.

"You have some explaining to do, mister," Sara began, sitting down on the edge of the rooftop.

"What do you want me to say, Sara? I did what I did because it was necessary," Cyrus sighed.

"No… No, I think you did it, because you wanted to," Sara declared. "I saw the look on your face when you took that mask off this morning. You looked relieved… Like a drug addict who managed to get a score."

"Don't you dare speak of drugs and addiction to me, Sara," Cyrus growled, a slight golden tinge flashing in his eyes.

"Look, I'm not here to chastise you. As far as things go, you didn't harm anyone in the class, so I'm not angry at you. I just want to know how you were able to create a clone of yourself, and why you attacked it so brutally, and what your connection is to Nahkriin and the others," Sara stated.

"You already know why; to misdirect. My right arm was badly damaged in the fight with McBurn. If I hadn't cast that Inversion Art to mirror my appearance as the Crimson Yaksha, then I'd have no way of stopping the truth from coming out. At least this way, it looks like I sustained my injuries at the hands of that beast, and allows me to keep my secret safe," Cyrus explained, lifting up his bandaged right arm.

"It's terrifying how far ahead you're able to plan, you know," Sara sighed.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't mean much when the ILF managed to escape," Cyrus muttered.

"Not before you killed C, though. With him dead, the Imperial Liberation Front have no leader, and no leader means no direction. At least, that's what I'd like to say, but…" Sara trailed off.

"What happened to his body? Yeah, I'd like to know that myself…" Cyrus sighed.

---

"Where are you, Witch?!" G shouted, as he and the other leaders of the Imperial Liberation Front entered their hideout.

"What in the hell is going on here?! I just– Crow?!" Vita cried, looking at the body V was carrying.

In the midst of the pale phantom appearing and subduing Rean in the catacombs, V had managed to sneak back into the crypt, and rescue C. Much to their surprise, C was still alive, but just barely. When V returned top-side, S knew they didn't have long to save him.

"Can you save him?" S asked, sounding panicked.

"I should be able to, yes," Vita nodded. "Put him down on the table."

As V marched his way into the room and dropped C on the table, G handed Vita C's severed arm. The three comrades watched in silence as Vita examined the wounds C had sustained. When Vita let out a short gasp, they knew something was wrong.

"What it is, Witch?" S asked.

"His arm cannot be saved," Vita stated gravely.

"What?! Why not?" V shouted.

"The wound… It… It's been infected with so much Corruption. So much so, that only two beings in existence can undo this kind of damage, and I am not one of them," Vita responded.

"So, what are you saying, that Comrade C is going to die?" G asked angrily.

"No, I can fix the wound in his body, but I can do nothing for his arm," Vita said.

"Well, that's just fuckin' great! A Witch who can't even fix a severed arm!" V snarled.

"Hey, I said I can't save his arm, but I do have a solution… It's not ideal, but at least this will help keep his identity a secret," Vita responded, as she cast a communication spell.

"Yes, Second Anguis? What is it?" Professor Novartis snapped.

"Professor, I need your help with something… I believe it might also be a benefit to your research," Vita said, and was met with a long pause.

"Very well… Continue…" Novartis responded.

---

After the chaos had been quelled, and the various military powers in the city had calmed things down, Class VII had found out that they had all been invited to Valflame Palace, to meet with Chancellor Osborne, who wanted to personally thank them for the role they played in rescuing the Princess, and stopping the attack that the Imperial Liberation Front had launched on the capital.

Captain Rieveldt had been the one in charge of escorting Class VII to Valflame Palace, where Princess Alfin and Prince Olivert were also waiting to see them.

"Ah, greetings to you all, my dear Class VII. Let me be the first to thank you for all you have done for this city today, and over the past three days here," Olivert said, smiling at the students.

"Hmm? Where is Cyrus? I wanted to make sure he was alright after that monster attacked him," Alfin said, looking around but finding no trace of her guardian.

"Oh, Cyrus is fine, Your Highness. He is just outside, catching up with Müller. It's been a couple of years since they last spoke," Sara responded with a smile.

"Ah, I see… Well, at least Father will be happy to know he's here too," Alfin responded, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Uh, 'Father'?" Rean asked.

"That is correct, young man. His Majesty would also like to thank you for the role your class played today," a deep voice spoke.

Turning, Class VII's eyes fell upon the sight of a tall, imposing man. They all knew who he was; Giliath Osbourne, Chancellor of Erebonia.

"Am I the only one who's feeling nervous?" Elliot whispered.

"No, you're not. Even when we're meeting him in a somewhat informal capacity, he's still quite the imposing figure," Laura remarked.

"Ah, so you are the students from Thors I've heard so much about," another voice spoke.

As Class VII turned toward the direction of the new voice, their eyes widened in shock. Standing before them, was none other than Emperor Eugent Reise Arnor III. Immediately, everyone in the room, including Alfin, Olivert, and Chancellor Osborne, all fell to one knee, and greeted their Emperor.

"Your Majesty! It's – It's an honour to be in your presence!" Rean exclaimed, looking at the floor.

"Please, please… You may rise," the Emperor stated calmly, watching as everyone in the room got back up to their feet. "It would appear Class VII is one student short… I had expected to see Cyrus here with the rest of you."

"Ah, yes… Apologies, Father. Cyrus is actually just outside with Müller," Olivert responded. "Knowing his ability for impeccable timing, I wouldn't be surprised if he and Müller were to make their entrance… Now."

True to Olivert's word, as soon as he finished speaking, the doors to Valflame Palace slowly swung open, revealing both Cyrus and Müller. Upon closer inspection, everyone noticed something was amiss. It appeared as though Müller was trying to hold Cyrus back, whereas Cyrus's face with contorted with a look of rage.

"OSBORNE!" Cyrus roared, his voice echoing throughout the palace's entrance hall.

"Wh-What's going on?" Elliot whispered.

"Cyrus, stop! This is neither the time, nor place for this!" Müller hissed, grabbing Cyrus' arm.

"Do not fucking touch me!" Cyrus snapped, pulling his arm free from Müller's grasp. "Osborne! How dare you stand there next to His Majesty after what you did, you cunt!"

"I beg your pardon?" Osborne scoffed, looking at Cyrus in disgust.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Emperor blinked in shock. He had never seen Cyrus act so vulgar before.

"Go on, 'Chancellor'; tell His Majesty what you did last month. Or, rather, what you forced me to do!" Cyrus shouted, pushing his way through Class VII.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Machias shouted, as he and Gaius restrained Cyrus from going any further.

"What is the boy talking about, Giliath?" the Emperor asked, turning to look at his Chancellor.

"It's nothing, Your Majesty. Clearly, his ties to the Noble Alliance have warped his mind in such a way that he sees me as a villain," Osborne responded. "Major Vander, remove this boy from His Majesty's sight at once."

As Müller started to aid Machias and Gaius in restraining Cyrus and escorting him out of the palace, everyone else in Class VII moved away to the sides. They were worried that, in his current state, Cyrus might lash out, and one of them would get caught in the crossfire.

"Cyrus, please! Don't make this any worse than it already is!" Sara pleaded, knowing why Cyrus was so enraged.

"Yes, you would do well to listen to your instructor, young man. You're lucky I don't have you arrested for your actions here," Osborne stated, looking at Cyrus with contempt.

"Arrest me?! Ha! If anyone should be arrested, it's you!" Cyrus yelled, as he was being dragged out of the entrance hall. "You… made me SLAUGHTER INNOCENTS!"

At that accusation, everything stopped. Only Sara and the Chancellor knew what Cyrus was talking about, but for everyone else, the words that left Cyrus' mouth were words that carried horrific implications.

There was only one person who hadn't taken in the gravity of Cyrus' words, and that was Emma. She thought she was seeing things. She thought it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. For the tiniest of moments, when Cyrus was launching his vicious tirade at Osborne, Emma saw the smallest flicker of what looked exactly like the mask of the Crimson Yaksha appear over Cyrus' face. No-one else saw it, of that she was certain. Once already in Heimdallr, she thought her eyes were deceiving her when it came to seeing Vita. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

"What… What did he just say?" Alisa gasped.

"Slaughtered… Innocents?" Laura breathed, feeling sick to her stomach.

"I will not let this happen again!" Cyrus carried on, still resisting the three people who were dragging him away. "Make no mistake, Osborne; I will have your fucking head for this! Do you hear me?! SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN, BECAUSE I AM COMING FOR YOU!"

After his threat, Cyrus was forcibly removed from Valflame Palace; everyone inside still reeling from what had just transpired. Alfin was in tears. She had never seen Cyrus so consumed by rage, and the very idea that he had murdered innocent people was just too much for the young girl to take in.

"Giliath… I demand an explanation for this outburst, immediately!" the Emperor shouted.

Emperor Eugent was, rightfully, embarrassed by what he had just witnessed. A member of an esteemed Noble Family, accusing the Chancellor of Erebonia of making him massacre innocent people. Not only that, but said Noble was someone the Emperor himself had recommended to take part in Class VII at Thors. The normally calm and collected ruler of Erebonia was furious, and demanded an explanation.

"Your Majesty, I assure you, the boy is making up stories in an attempt to discredit me. I have no doubt that the Noble Alliance put him up to it. However, I know for certain he's telling the truth about murdering innocent people," Osborne began.

"Chancellor. I recommend you start making sense. His Majesty has little patience for cryptic nonsense," Olivert warned.

"Apologies, Your Highness, allow me to get straight to the point; a few years ago, whilst travelling through Calvard and Crossbell, Cyrus Le Guin became an Assassin for the Heiyue Company; a criminal organisation that operates in East Zemuria. He was known as the shadow, Yang. Upon returning to the Empire around five months ago, I had the Intelligence Division look into his past, and discovered this worrying detail. After returning to Erebonia, it didn't take long for him to make contact with a man known as Cao Lee, who we believe was his handler during his time operating as an Assassin for the Heiyue Company. We know for a fact that he was given a contract to assassinate Fie Claussell, who was also a member of Class VII. Now, I can confirm that he was not the one who assassinated the young girl, as I asked Principal Vandyck to pull Cyrus from the Field Study last month, where he would have been placed in the same group as the late Miss Claussell, as a precautionary measure. However, during that time, the Heimdallr Military Police discovered one hundred and sixty innocent refugees from North Ambria had been massacred, with lethal precision, and was a direct match to several other assassinations carried out by Yang. The conclusion the Intelligence Division drew was that, as a response to missing an opportunity to complete the contract he had on Fie Claussell, Cyrus Le Guin retaliated against me, and by extension the Empire, by murdering those refugees, and tried to make it out like I was the one who authorised the job," Osborne explained.

Whilst Osborne was providing the Emperor with an 'explanation', Gaius, Machias, and Müller had returned to the palace, and listened to what Osborne had said. In the end, everyone in the room was left speechless. Not a single person, not even the Emperor, could find the words to formulate a response. At least, until Prince Olivert managed to find his voice.

"Tell me something, Chancellor… It seems like you have had knowledge of these matters for some time. If you knew that Cyrus was indeed the one who killed those refugees, why have you done nothing about it? After all, it has been a month since the massacre took place, correct?" Olivert said calmly.

"Well, Your Highness, investigations of this nature take time to carry out. I only recently received the Intelligence Division's final report a few days ago," Osborne responded.

"Hmm… Father, what are your thoughts on all of this?" Olivert asked, turning to the Emperor.

"Major Vander… You are to go and find Cyrus Le Guin immediately. He is to be placed under arrest for mass murder," the Emperor declared.