I'm still working on the Bath Scenes, but the Investigations are fully completed and you can read all 107 of them (minus Daunte of course) on the Investigations page. I'll try to finish the Bath Scenes within the next week or so.
In any case, welcome to Chapter Twelve. The FINAL chapter of my Suikoden VI fanfic. We're in the homestretch, and I expect to have this story completed before Suikoden I & II Remaster is released (which is projected to be in March). I'll probably be saying this a lot in the upcoming chapters, but thank you all for sticking with me for the last seven and a half years.
Chapter Twelve: Part One
Daunte had never eaten so much food in his life. Well, he'd never been to a wedding either so he supposed eating a lot of food was part of a wedding reception. He kept getting interrupted by people asking him to dance with them, but he was happy to engage for one dance.
Kibbeh was proving to be a problem, though. Everything time Daunte looked up he was the little dog beside his chair, looking up at him with a doe-eyed expression. "Kibbeh, no," he scolded the dog. "This food would be bad for you."Kibbeh responded with a pathetic whimper. Daunte looked for the other dog owners to see how they were handling their dogs, and to his horror they were indulging their dogs. Eamon had Jasira in his lap and was feeding his dog from his plate, Esther and Ciana were placing a plate piled high with food in front of Tiara, and Chinmaya was teasing Hagan with a kebab.
It's impossible to be a pet owner. I bend the knee too easily to this dog. Daunte sighed heavily and grabbed one of his own kebabs, pulling the vegetables off it and leaving the meat. Then he held it out to Kibbeh. "Here. Happy now?"
Kibbeh snatched the kebab and took off running with his tail wagging high. Daunte shook his head. Well, if I'm only weak to a dog I guess that's okay.
"Hey."
Daunte looked up and saw Pesmerga standing to his left. The Black Knight was wearing an amused smile. "You should come with me, my Lord," he said.
"Is something wrong, Pesmerga?" Daunte asked him. "Why don't you grab a plate—"
"I'm not hungry," Pesmerga said. "But Yuber has stolen the girl with the Blinking Rune. You should probably do something about it."
"Yuber took Viki?!" Daunte exclaimed, jumping out of his chair. "Why?!"
Pesmerga shrugged. "I'll be right back," Daunte told Arin.
"Okay!" Arin responded with a mouth full of food.
Daunte hurried back to the central building, with Pesmerga placidly following him. He raced up the stairs to the landing where Viki usually stood, and it was empty except for a white garland resting on the carpet. Daunte picked up the garland in his fist and stood. "YUBER!" he hollered.
Yuber appeared before him in an instant, looking highly irritated. "What do YOU want?" He said sharply.
"Where is Viki?!" Daunte snapped, shaking the garland at her. "What have you done with her?!"
Yuber snapped his teeth. "I don't know what you're talking—"
"I saw you grab her and teleport her away," Pesmerga said as he ascended the stairs.
"Well, what of it?!" Yuber snapped.
"Bring Viki back here NOW!" Daunte hollered.
"She could always teleport herself here," Pesmerga said thoughtfully. "I wonder why she hasn't?"
"I need information from her!" Yuber snapped. "She did something to me, and she acts like she doesn't remember!"
"Bring her back here," Daunte said. "That's an order!"
Yuber twitched, and he trembled violently. He appeared be physically fighting back against the order. "You—know nothing," he spat. "You don't know what she's done!"
"What HAS she done?!" Daunte snapped. "If Viki did something to you, then you should have come to ME about it!"
"You would have defended her because you love her!" Yuber shouted into Daunte's face. "That's why I must do this myself!"
Daunte gaped at him in shock. "Wait—WHAT?!"
"He took her to the World of Emptiness," Pesmerga interjected. He sounded uncharacteristically cheerful.
"Why?!" Daunte snapped. "Why would you take her to that place?!"
"You're wasting my time," Yuber rasped. He grabbed Daunte roughly by the arm. "Come on."
"Wha—"
Daunte felt a 'whoosh' of air, and in an instant he realized Yuber was teleporting him. The first floor of the central building disappeared. The warmth and light was gone. Suddenly, he was surrounded by a cold, foreboding darkness. Daunte gasped, and tremors overtook his body as Yuber let him go. Daunte hugged his arms and stared at his surroundings. The world around him wasn't just dark; the darkness seemed alive, crawling on his skin like invisible bugs. "Wha—What is this?" He whispered.
"Welcome to the World of Emptiness," Yuber said unkindly. "My home."
"Lord Daunte?" a whimper called out from the darkness.
"Viki!" Daunte shouted, turning. Viki was sitting on the ground before him, her face pale and her eyes red. Daune knelt down before her. "Viki, are you all right?!"
Viki shook her head. "I don't like this place. I-I tried to leave, but my Blinking Rune isn't working. I want to go home, can I go home?"
"Of course you can," Daunte reassured her. He glared at Yuber. "This is unforgivable, Yuber."
"Do you see this?!" Yuber brushed his yellow bangs out of his face and showed Daunte his heterochromatic eyes. "This happened to me because of HER! She interrupted the ceremony that would have given me untold power, and it was never completed!"
"I-I told you it wasn't me!" Viki wailed. She clung to Daunte. "T-The first time I met you was the G-Gate Rune War!"
"LIAR!" Yuber shrieked. The shout startled Daunte. "I remember you! It was not a complete memory, but YOU were there girl! You gave your name, said you came from the year IS 1995, and you sought to fight the Black King! It was you and no one else!"
IS 1995?! Daunte gaped at Viki but she was staring at Yuber with wide eyes. But the current years is IS 478! Or is it IS 479?! Regardless, that's over 1,500 years from now!
"Wait, that was you?" Daunte yelped and turned to see Pesmerga standing. "P-Pesmerga?! You teleported along with us?!"
Pesmerga was looking towards Viki. Daunte couldn't see his eyes, but he sounded genuinely shocked. "You were the one who caused it?"
"Look, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Viki wailed, climbing to her feet. She waved her hand and staff in frustration. "I've never been to the World of Emptiness before!"
"Who else sneezes while teleporting?!" Yuber snapped, gesturing at her angrily. "It was you! No one else but you! I remember you quite clearly!"
"So it was her, then?" Pesmerga asked Yuber. "She was the cause of it?"
"YES!" Yuber snapped.
"No!" Viki cried out
"Okay, enough!" Daunte snapped. "I'm putting an end to this right now!" He grabbed Yuber by his arm. "Rune of Restoration, restore the memory that he's talking about!" Daunte had never voluntarily tried to trigger the Rune of Restoration's abilities to generate memories, but since he now had access to the full power of the Rune it was worth a shot.
"You will NOT use your filthy True Rune on me!" Yuber snapped, but the Rune of Restoration glowed in response to Daunte's command. His vision filled with bright light and he closed his eyes. I'm ready, Rune of Restoration. I'll set this to rest now!
"IT IS TIME."
The guttural voice startled Daunte and his eyes snapped open. He huffed out a breath of fear as he looked at his surroundings. He was still in the World of Emptiness, but the darkness around him was alive. It moved and pulsed, and soft chanting in an unknown language filled his ears. He let out a whimper—
"ARE YOU READY?"
Daunte quickly looked to his left. A shadow—a dark blob was jiggling and moving before him. He knew that this shadowy blob was the keeper of that horrible voice. W-What is that thing?!
"I want it. Give it to me."
Daunte looked towards the voice and he saw Yuber. Yuber was wearing a shapeless black robe, his yellow hair was loose and wild, and his arms were spread as he was chained up, but his face had an eagerness that gave Daunte chills. Yuber stared at the shadow before him without fear, and Daunte quickly realized that there was something…different about Yuber.
Both of his eyes were silver.
The shadow laughed, and Daunte jumped away from it. "YOU ARE A BOY NO MORE. YOU WILL BE THE BEAST YOU WERE MEANT TO BE."
A dark shadow formed around Yuber body and pulsed. Daunte watched the darkness shrinking around Yuber, and a dark aura started to form around Yuber. Daunte realized that the shadow around Yuber was being absorbed by Yuber's body, and a sinister aura was emulating from him from the darkness that was invading his body. Daunte let out a strangled noise and he swiped his hands at the darkness surrounding Yuber, but unsurprisingly nothing happened.
Yuber said he was a beast wearing a man's skin. But if this is true…then what did that shadow mean? What is this energy entering his body?!
The dark shape hovered a blobby appendage in front of Yuber as the chanting increased in volume, hovering over the right side of his face. Yuber grinned in response, but—Daunte saw it. For a brief moment as the appendage started to glow…Daunte saw fear in Yuber's eyes.
"AH-CHOO!"
Daunte screamed and raised his hand as a burst of white light suddenly appeared. Daunte gasped loudly when he saw Viki standing in the center of the dissipating light, though she seemed to glow with a bright white aura. Yuber then screamed, and Daunte turned to see the shadow move away from Yuber. Daunte gagged when he saw blood gushing from Yuber's right eye like a fountain, staining the whole lower right side of his face. Yuber blinked rapidly, hissing loudly in pain and shock.
"ABOMINATION!" Viki shrieked, drawing Daunte's attention again. The area suddenly became chilly silent, and Daunte quickly moved towards Viki. Her physical appearance was largely the same as moments earlier, but her white dress seemed a lot more elaborate than the one she was currently wearing. She didn't look spacey, confused, or innocent. Her expression was hard and unafraid, and she glared at her surroundings challengingly and and defiantly. Unlike the Viki who was with them in the moment, this Viki didn't have an ounce of fear in her. He could feel her confidence and determination.
She's different, but it's her. This is Viki.
"INTERLOPER," the shadow hissed
"Eligos," Viki hissed at shadow. "In the name of Waffu, you will NOT SUCCEED!"
kill her
Daunte screamed at the foreboding voice that pierced the darkness. WHAT WAS THAT?!
Eligos moved to attack Viki, but she was ready. "GO!"
The Blinking Rune rune symbol rose into the air, the spell overtook Eligos. Daunte knew that the spell could be successful or fail, but in this case it was successful and it teleported Eligos away.
But to where?!
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
The whispering voice screamed, and the world around them trembled.
WHO ARE YOU
The dark ground shook violently, as though an earthquake was happening. Daunte's vision rattled with the power of that voice.
"My name is Viki!" Viki responded defiantly. "And I came here from the year IS 1995 to stop you! AND THAT'S WHAT I WILL DO!"
The memory abruptly broke and Daunte suddenly found himself sprawled on his back on the ground. "Lord Daunte!" Viki cried out, collapsing beside him. "Are you all right?!"
"You do that again and I'll kill you!" Yuber said harshly.
Daunte ignored Yuber for the moment and quickly sat up, facing Viki and grabbing her hands. "It was you," Daunte said, staring at her with wide eyes. "Yuber was right, you were there!"
"W-What?!" Viki exclaimed.
"I told you so!" Yuber snapped.
"You teleported some—demon-thing away," Daunte told her. "And you said you were from the year IS 1995—"
"STOP!" Viki shouted, slapping her hands over his mouth. "You can't say that!"
"Yuber already did, though," Pesmerga said. He chuckled softly. "Who would have thought—the interloper who caused that chaos was Viki all along?"
"What are you talking about?!" Daunte demanded.
"There was…chaos at Yuber's initiation into the Black Knights," Pesmerga said. "I wasn't there for it, but from what I have heard an interloper invaded the ceremony and spirited away hundreds of high-ranking demons of the World of Emptiness. Including the Black King Himself. It was thought that the demons had been destroyed, but I see that the truth is that Viki sent to different locations—and different time periods." his chuckle turned into an out-of-character loud laugh. "Oh—you have no idea what you have done, Viki!"
"I haven't done anything!" Viki shrieked.
"Who cares about all that?!" Yuber snapped. "You ruined everything for me, girl!"
Daunte was confused about what had happened in the memory, but he guessed that the horrifying voice he had heard in the memory was probably the Black King. "Viki," he said. "Do you really not remember it? In the memory, you said that your mission was to find the Black King and stop him."
"Best of luck with that," Pesmerga said, folding his arms over his chest. "The Black King has not been seen for eons."
"And you came from—"
"Just stop! Please stop talking, Lord Daunte!" Viki clutched her hands to her head and she leaned forward. "Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! You can't know this—What have I done?!"
"Don't think I will be swayed with tears," Yuber snarled.
"Yuber, STOP!" Daunte hollered. He stood and put himself between Yuber and Viki. "You WILL follow the rules of our contract! Viki is my ally and you will NOT hurt her! Neither will you!" He jabbed a finger at Pesmerga.
"I actually don't care," Pesmerga said. "The Black Knights scattered because of her actions, but we were told we had nothing without the Black King. Well, the Black King is gone and yet we still have power. So if that was lie, we were probably told other lies."
"Is—Is the failed ceremony the reason you've been Yuber?" Daunte asked.
"Oh no," Pesmerga responded. "I have my own reasons."
"I—"
"Which are none of your business," Pesmerga added.
"Your love for this girl won't save her," Yuber said sternly. "The moment our contract is over—"
"Look, I don't know where you got this idea that I love Viki, but I don't love her!" Daunte snapped. "No offense, Viki," he quickly added to the girl in question.
"I'm not offended, my Lord," Viki responded sincerely.
"You are a liar," Yuber snarled. "I feel your emotions through the connection in our blood! You feelings have infected and corrupted me! Whenever I see HER—" he jabbed his finger at Viki. "I can feel your emotions for her through our connection! It is frustrating and pathetic and I am SICK of feeling what you feel! Especially after what she has done!"
"Look Yuber, I don't have romantic feelings for anyone!" Daunte snapped. "The only love I currently feel is familial and platonic love! I love my family and I love my friends, but that's it! I don't know why you think I feel like that for Viki, but whatever feelings you're sensing are not mine!"
"There is no one else!" Yuber hollered. "I am bound to YOU and you alone! I feel your anger, and I get angry with you! I feel your grief, and I grieve with you! You have twisted and corrupted my being with your human weakness, and there is no greater weakness than love! And I feel that weakness that you have!"
"You're wrong!" Daunte shot back. "If you are feeling romantic love, it's not coming from me!"
"Then who?!"
"From yourself," Pesmerga said bluntly.
Yuber swiftly produced his twin swords and advanced upon Pesmerga. "Now you die," he hissed.
Pesmerga unsheathed his own sword and they began fighting quickly and fiercely. Daunte gaped at them in shock, his mouth hanging open. He felt a tug on his sleeve and he looked down at Viki. Her eyes and mouth were wide. "W—What did he say?!" She whimpered.
Daunte swallowed hard. "H—He said—"
"Daunte?"
Daunte's vision vibrated, and the air was sucked from his lungs. He collapsed hard to his knees, his body stiff and cold. Oh no. Oh no. Oh Nagar, NO—
"Lord Daunte?" Viki leaned close to him. "A-Are you all—oh. Who is that?"
"Daunte, what are you doing here?"
Daunte was about to respond, but the familiar voice interrupted him. He wheezed, tears spilling down his cheeks and bile rising in his throat. Oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh…
Viki stood up behind him. "Excuse me, sir. Do you know Lord Daunte?"
"Oh, yes," came the reply. "He's my best friend."
Daunte let out a strangled, painful noise as he frantically scrambled to his feet. He was hyperventilating as he turned to face the person—the familiar voice.
Kass.
Kass was standing two meters away, gangly with shaggy black and blue eyes, dressed in the Dark Chasm uniform and wearing his usually friendly smile. "Hey, Daunte," Kass said, waving. "I thought I heard your voice. It's been a while. How have you been?"
Daunte let out a loud sob and began to cry. He couldn't help himself. He had never gotten the chance to say goodbye to Kass before he died a brutal and violent death from being crushed by a mining cart. The last time he ever laid eyes upon Kass was his dead body wrapped up in the infirmary of the Dark Chasm.
"He looked so bad, Daunte. His h-h-h-head looked like a cracked eggshell, and his right arm was bent the wrong way. I thought I was dreaming—I screamed, or I thought I screamed, but everything was so fuzzy! I thought it was a dream—why couldn't it have been a dream? Why, Daunte?!"
Arin had seen Kass when he had been carried into the infirmary, but the Kass before him now looked fine, albeit malnourished as the children of the Dark Chasm had looked. "K—Kass?!" Daunte whimpered. His vision was blurred from his tears. "Kass…it's really you?"
"Of course it is," Kass said. "All souls that die come to the World of Emptiness. It's been awfully lonely here though, Daunte. Would you mind keeping me company?"
"I—" Daunte pressed a hand to his face and choked on another sob. "W—Why didn't Roen and Felicity see you?"
"What?" Kass asked.
"T-They said they didn't see you, but you were here all along? You're still here even after you d-d-d-d-died so long ago, Kass?"
"Of course I'm here," Kass said. "And why would I see Roen and Felicity?"
Daunte stiffened. What?
"You're all too cruel though," Kass said, his tone lowering and the smile fading from his face. "Being alive while I'm here alone dead. You're still alive, Daunte. Will you leave me like this? Leave me alone for eternity? True friends wouldn't abandon each other like that, would they Daunte?"
Daunte lowered his hands away from his face. A cold knot started forming inside of him as he stared at Kass.
"I have an idea," Kass said. He nodded towards Viki. "Have her help me. Have her teleport me out of here back to the world of the living."
"I-I'm not able to do that," Viki stammered, raising her hands defensively.
"Don't lie," Kass hissed, in a tone that did not sound like Kass. A shadow of darkness fell over his face before a smile snapped back onto his face. "She can do it," he said cheerfully. "I believe in her, Daunte. Don't you?"
"Kass," Daunte said. "Why didn't Roen and Felicity see you?"
"Why would they?"
"Because they died and came here before I revived them," Daunte said sharply.
Kass's smile twitched very slightly. "I—must have missed them," he said after a moment. "The World of Emptiness is very big, after all. Why didn't you try reviving me, Daunte?"
"I-I didn't have a body—"
"So you didn't try? Not a very good friend, are you Daunte?"
"Okay, you need to stop," Daunte said harshly, waving his hand. "Who are you or what are you?!"
Kass—or whoever it was—looked confused. "What do you mean? It's me, Daunte. Kass, your best—"
"How did you know about Viki?" Daunte snapped, pointing to her. "How did you know she could teleport people?! Why did you say she could teleport a dead person?!"
"Because she's done it before," Kass responded. Then he gave a huge wince. "…Ah. You got me."
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Daunte snapped. He raised his fists, suddenly realizing that he didn't have his tekko. "Where is Kass?!"
"How should I know?" "Kass" responded. "He probably moved on to Heaven. Children of his age rarely go below."
"How DARE you take Kass's form!" Daunte started to advance upon but Viki stopped him. "Wait, Lord Daunte!"
"I was hoping to get your guard down," "Kass" responded irritably. "But don't flatter yourself. You're not my target."
"What?!
"Kass" swung his right arm back and then forward. From his arm a black, shapeless mass burst forth and flew towards them. Before Daunte could react the arm slammed into Viki. The tip burst like a spread of ink against her abdomen, and Viki screamed as thousands of tendrils erupted from the mass, quickly wrapping around her body and pinning her arms to her sides.
"You bastard!" Daunte shouted, but a second "mass" burst from "Kass's" left arm, swinging quickly and striking Daunte, causing him to fly backwards and slamming into the ground.
"HELLO, INTERLOPER."
Daunte struggled to sit up. "Kass" began to vibrate violently, then suddenly the physical form seemed to implode, and from the human visage a familiar shadowy blobby mass rose into view. It was still holding onto Viki, and Daunte floundered on the name before it came to mind. Eligos.
"INTERLOPER," Eligos hissed at Viki, slowly moving towards her. "I HAVE HUNGERED FOR THIS MOMENT FOR EONS."
"L-Let me go!" Viki screamed.
"YOU WILL TELL ME WHERE YOU SENT THE BLACK KING."
"Get away from her!" Daunte hollered, scrambling across the dark ground. He raised his right hand. "Ber—"
The other appendage slammed down onto Daunte's back, pinning him to the ground. "Yuber! Pesmerga!" he shouted.
"BLACK KNIGHTS WILL NOT STAND AGAINST ME," Eligos growled at him. He was still moving towards Viki. "THE INTERLOPER MUST PAY. THE INTERLOPER WILL TELL ME WHERE SHE SENT THE BLACK KING."
"I don't know, I don't know what you're talking about!" Viki shrieked. She was struggling violently and Daunte tried to stand, but the appendage kept him pressed against the ground. "YUBER! PESMERGA!"
"THE INTERLOPER WILL UNDERSTAND THAT I AM NOT NICE. THE INTERLOPER WILL LEARN MY WRATH. UNTIL THE INTERLOPER TELLS ME WHERE SHE SENT THE BLACK KING, I WILL CUT THE INTERLOPER."
Viki cried out, her eyes and mouth wide. "I WILL MAKE THE INTERLOPER PAY. I WILL CUT HER FLESH PIECE BY PIECE. I WILL PILE THE INTERLOPER'S FLESH BESIDE HER UNTIL THE FLESH STANDS AS TALL AS THE INTERLOPER. THE INTERLOPER WILL TALK, OR THE INTERLOPER WILL PAY FOR HER SILENCE."
"I don't know, oh god I DON'T KNOW!" Viki screamed, shaking her head violently. "Lord Daunte, PLEASE HELP ME!"
"B—" Daunte tried to call the spell again, but a tendril shot out from the appendage and pressed over his mouth, preventing him from finishing his words.
Eligos laughed sinisterly as he finally reached Viki. "THEN SAVE YOUR BREATH, INTERLOPER. YOU WILL NEED IT FOR SCREAMING. I WISHED IT WOULD END THIS WAY, ANYWAY."
The tendrils around Viki began quickly moving, but then there was a 'whoosh' and the sound of sharpened blades. Eligos suddenly flew backwards away from Viki, his right "limb" suddenly looking shorter. Daunte then realized that his left "limb" looked shorter and he was able to push the tendril away from his mouth and the appendage off him.
"GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!" Viki screamed repeatedly, collapsing her knees. Daunte rushed to her side and yanked the softening limb off her. "Are you all right?!" He shouted. "Did he hurt you, Viki?!"
Viki shook her head, but she was shaking violently and her expression was haunted. Daunte helped her to her feet. "We—"
"WHAT IS THIS."
Daunte looked towards Eligos and he saw Yuber and Pesmerga standing there, not quite side by side but their backs were to them and they were facing the demon-blob thing before them.
"YUBER. PESMERGA," Eligos rasped, scrambling to his feet. "YOU STRIKE ME. YOU SERVE THE BLACK KING. YOU CANNOT STRIKE ME."
"The Black King isn't here, Eligos," Pesmerga responded. Yuber said nothing.
"YUBER," Eligos said, turning to Yuber. "YOU ARE POWERFUL. BUT YOU COULD BE MORE. THE INTERLOPER WHO ROBBED YOUR OPPORTUNITY IS HERE. CUT HER."
Yuber didn't move. "CUT HER BODY UNTIL SHE TELLS US WHERE THE BLACK KING IS," Eligos said harshly.
"She doesn't know, Eligos," Yuber responded. "She's a stupid girl who doesn't remember."
"Hey!" Viki protested.
"TORTURE HER UNTIL SHE REMEMBERS," Eligos commanded him. "CUT OUT HER EYES. PEEL HER FACE LIKE AN APPLE. MAKE HER BLEED—"
"There's something you don't understand Eligos," Yuber interrupted him. "I'm bound by blood to the boy behind me. I am bound to his will. Only he can tell me if I can carve that girl up like a pheasant."
"And you don't have permission to do that," Daunte added sharply.
"You wouldn't do it anyway," Pesmerga said.
"THAT HUMAN BOY BOUND YOU TO HIS BLOOD," Eligos said in genuine shock. "THAT—CHILD. WAS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO BIND YOU WITHOUT A SACRIFICE?"
"Yes, he was," Yuber said. "And I've been paying for it ever since."
"Yuber," Daunte said, inching forward with Viki. "That demon needs to die."
"I CANNOT DIE. YUBER AND PESMERGA WILL NOT KILL ME."
"You didn't listen to me," Yuber said. "Eligos, he tells me to kill you. I will kill you because he commands it."
"YOU WILL KILL ME. I, WHO GRANTED YOU DARKNESS AND POWER. I, WHO BROUGHT YOU TO THE BLACK KING. WHO BROUGHT YOU BOTH TO THE BLACK KING. YOU WILL BOTH KILL ME INSTEAD OF THAT GIRL WHO RUINED EVERYTHING."
"I was granted great power, but I am my own person with my own power," Pesmerga said emotionlessly. "And you murdered my whole family. What loyalty have I ever owed to you, Eligos?"
"I am loyal to no one," Yuber said harshly. "But if to choose between them and you…I choose them."
"Of course you do," Pesmerga muttered.
"Say one more word and I'm cutting out your tongue," Yuber snapped, pointing his sword at Pesmerga.
Daunte couldn't see any emotions from the demon-mass thing, but it was clear that this wasn't the answer Eligos was looking for. "IF YOU WILL NOT HELP ME TAKE DOWN THE INTERLOPER, THEN YOU MUST BOTH DIE."
Daunte ran up to stand between Yuber and Pesmerga. "Viki, stand behind us!" He shouted over his shoulder.
"D-Do you need to teleport him away?" Viki asked.
"No, that won't help any! We need to kill him!"
"YOU ARE UNARMED, HUMAN BOY," Eligos said. "YOU MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO BIND YUBER DIRECTLY TO YOUR BLOOD, BUT YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL SOMETHING THAT CANNOT DIE."
Something that cannot die? That's it!
Daunte raised his right hand. "Exorcism Ray!" he shrieked.
The Rune of Restoration's symbol rose into the air. Six yellow-green beams of light fired from Daunte's hand and shot high into the the air. The beams struck the ground around Eligos, forming a hexagon of crystals around the demon. Eligos started shrieking as the crystals began to glow, enveloping his dark body. Rays of light shot from the crystal and struck Eligos from all six sides. The attack left Eligos staggering.
"…THE ACCURSED RUNE OF RESTORATION," Eligos wheezed. "DAMN YOU—"
"Black Knight Attack," Daunte called out. He didn't know if the unite attack for Yuber and Pesmerga would work, but to his immense shock the two Black Knights moved forward and struck the demon together.
Eligos was weakened by the unite attack, but he seemed more angry than anything else. "YOU WILL NEVER KNOW TRUE STRENGTH, YUBER!"
Eligos was immensely powerful. He attacked three times in a row for his turns, sometimes with swinging his limbs, and sometimes with dark magic.
"Set!" Viki shouted. Two dozen exercise weights fell from the sky onto Eligos. The absurdity of seeing that in the middle of a tough battle made Daunte burst into laughter, but he composed himself. "Great job, Viki!" He shouted.
"At least they didn't hit us," Pesmerga said.
Eligos still did not go down easily. As he was the one who was conducted the "ceremony" Daunte witnessed in the memory, he knew that this battle would be difficult. But he didn't imagine how difficult it was. Whenever Yuber and Pesmerga hacked at the body, it seemed to regenerate. The demon was tiring, but it still did not fall.
They battle for almost two hours. Daunte used all of his Exorcism Ray and Howl, leaving only Berate and Wail. Viki likewise had used all of her Set spells, and since they didn't want her using teleportation magic she was left using healing items and scrolls on the demon. Yuber and Pesmerga were largely unmoved and didn't look tired, but after the first try their unite attack didn't work again.
If I survive this, I'll think twice about fighting a demon again, Daunte thought.
"YOU…ARE A FOOL, YUBER," Eligos said. He seemed tired now at least. "AFTER EVERYTHING…WHEN I COULD GET YOU MORE POWER…COMPLETE IT…YOU WOULD KILL ME INSTEAD? HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN—WHAT I HAVE DONE?"
Yuber pressed his swords together. "I have not," he said coldly. Then a Rune symbol rose into the air. Daunte recognized the Eightfold Rune. Yuber moved forward, his body a blur. Eligos screamed as Yuber moved quickly around him; Daunte couldn't see him because of how fast he was moving. But he saw black matter flying into the air and he realized that Yuber was cutting Eligos piece by piece.
He's doing to Eligos what Eligos tried to do to Viki.
Yuber didn't create a neat pile of demon blob parts, though. Those parts continued to fly through the air in random directions. By the time he slowed to a stop, the screaming had stopped and the dark ground was covered in what was left of Eligos.
"I hope…that was the hardest battle I ever face," Daunte said, feeling his knees buckle and he fell to the ground.
"We should leave," Pesmerga said. "We slew a demon. More will come."
"They are on their way," Yuber said, and teleported away. Leaving them behind.
"Yuber, come back!" Daunte snapped. Yuber reappeared before him. "You left us behind!"
"Her Rune should work now," Yuber said coldly, then disappeared again.
"Y-Yes, I think I can do it!" Viki exclaimed, hurrying to Daunte.
"We need to hurry," Pesmerga said. "Those that approach are not as strong, but they will kill us in our states."
Viki grabbed Daunte and Pesmerga by the arms. Daunte felt a 'whoosh' of air, and suddenly they were back at HQ, on the landing in front of Viki's giant mirror.
"Lord Daunte!" Caesar raced up the stairs towards him. He looked worried. "You were gone for two hours! We were about to send out a search party! Is everything okay?!"
Daunte was about to answer, and promptly fainted.
Everything related to the Black Knights and Viki's origins in this chapter is fanon.