With Cephiro's Sanctuary under attack, the citizens of Cephiro had all gathered in large bunkers inside the crystal castle. These bunkers were large dome-like rooms with the walls and ceiling made out of thick, dark teal crystal. The floors were covered in grass and at the center of the bunker, there was a large, pink, crystal pillar that gave off light. While the bunkers were cramped and had no furniture, they had been designed to withstand even the weight of the castle if it were to collapse.
Despite the safety of the bunkers, being in such cramped quarters, with so many people, was bound to make people nervous. This nervousness was amplified by the silent calm, as they couldn't hear what was going on outside. No one dared to speak, as they might miss out on hearing any early warnings of danger.
Noticing the silence getting to everyone, Ferio decided to break it up. Walking over to Lafarga, he spoke to him in a formal and calm, yet audible manner.
"Is everyone present and accounted for?" Ferio asked, thinking some good news would put people at peace.
"The guards say that all citizens have been gathered," Lafarga answered in a steady voice. "Even the people who were accounted as missing have been found."
"They've been found!?" many of the citizens yelled out.
"Uncle Justy, where are you?!" a child yelled out.
"Pleo! Pleo where are you?" a woman called out for either her husband, brother, or son.
Little by little, people started reuniting with their family members and loved ones, who had gone missing due to Luna. As some of the people couldn't locate their missing relatives, the guards took them to the other bunkers.
Seeing the families uniting after days of uncertainty, made Ferio feel warm and relieved. As the Prince of Cephiro, he had been the one responsible to hear the outcries of the people. Though he had only held the position for two weeks, he had already had to address the masses innumerous times. While it had been a great shift from his life as a traveling bard and swordsman, the experience was now coming handy.
Although he had been tasked with taking care of the people along with the others, Ferio couldn't help but feel it was all up to him. Unlike Lafarga, Caldina, and Ascot, he didn't have much of a shared past with them. Presea and Sierra were sisters, although they did hang out a lot. The only person he was familiar with was Master Mage Clef, but he was outside, fighting with Fuu and the others.
At times like this, I really wish I wasn't the prince. I could be out there fighting with the others. But then again, what would I even do? Throw more grenades and hope for the best? I need to ask Clef if he can teach me magic once he has the time...
"CAPTAIN!" one of the guards yelled, rushing into the bunker.
Startled by this, Lafarga quickly gathered himself before asking, "What is it, soldier? Did monsters enter the castle?"
"Only those already living in it," the guard said, catching his breath, "but there is something strange going on! The tops of the main towers are frozen over, and the frost is slowly traveling down them!"
"Frost?" Caldina asked, overhearing the conversation. "I've never been a fan of the cold…"
"Close all the pathways into the towers to keep the frost from spreading downwards!" Ferio gave the order to the guards. "Send all mages and sorcerers capable of using fire to hold back the freezing by keeping the blockade's warm!"
"Y-Yes, Prince Ferio!" the guard nodded before taking off again.
"…Quick thinking," Lafarga complimented Ferio with a thumbs up.
As Ferio was smiling smugly, he could hear one of the civilians speak under his breath, "It's useless…"
Turning around, Ferio could see a middle-aged looking man wearing a loose fitting fur coat. While his appearance was unassuming, his expression was dark, gloomy, and despondent.
"It is pointless to struggle at this point. Even if we keep ourselves warm, we are no match for that monster…" the man spoke in a dissatisfied tone.
"We are better off saying our prayers and trying to make the most out of the time we have left," another citizen said in a somber tone, "rather than stay sitting here doing nothing…"
"There's nothing left to do! The world is in ruins!" one of the women snapped, holding the sides of her head.
"Hay! Quit bein' such downers everyone!" Caldina spoke out, holding her hands on her hips. "Sure, things seem grim, but we got the best people on the job to fix it!"
Before anyone could either side or argue with Caldina, the entire bunker shook before a loud explosion echoed from up above. This was followed by further tremors, until eventually they could all hear a loud crash from outside. By the time it was all over, many of the children had run to their parents and spouses to their partners.
"Are you sure about that!?" one of the wealthier looking men yelled out at Caldina. "Even if we had the old Paladin Guard still and our armies at full strength, we couldn't do anything about that beast that lurks beneath our feet!"
"Oh, shut up! Are your eyes made out of wood? We all saw it!" Ascot spoke out. "Luna and the others could be defeated, and so can Debonair! We just need to have some faith in them!"
"You joined in late, so you don't know what you are talking about, lover boy!" the man in the fur coat yelled out. "You were not there, when she created those monstrous Mashins! You weren't there, when she created monsters out of thin air! There isn't a force on Cephiro, who can oppose Debonair! Not without a Pillar!"
As the uproar amongst the people of Cephiro was getting worse, Ferio realized this was exactly what Hotaru had warned them of. Their fear was only feeding Debonair and lowering Fuu's and others' chances of winning. He had heard from Ascot how he and the others captured by Luna had been aware of everything going around them while pearls. He couldn't imagine the horrors those who had been pearls the longest had seen, nor could his nephew had predicted it either.
"Do not be afraid!" Lafarga spoke out in a deep and commanding voice. "Our enemy is a monster, so she feeds on our fear and grows stronger with it! Fight against your heart that fears!"
"Easy for you to say!" the wealthy looking man yelled back. "Have you even seen the monster we are up against!?"
"I have," Ferio spoke out, walking next to the bunker's central pillar, before addressing everyone. "Sure, our foe is big, imposing and our worst nightmares made manifest. However, the people who are fighting for us are not going to let it stop them, and we shouldn't let our fear stop us from supporting them!"
Everyone looked at Ferio in silence, as they tried to gather their courage, but a sense of uncertainty still hung over them.
Eventually, one of the citizens asked the question on everyone's minds, "But who can even stand up to Debonair?"
Before Ferio could answer, one of the children stood up.
"Hotaru the Hero can!" he spoke out confidently. "He took down the scary giant robots in one hit! He even killed all the monsters!"
"Hero? How can you say that after seeing the way he fights?" the fur coat wearing man shivered. "He is almost as frightening as Debonair."
Even as the child's mother pulled him into her embrace to silence him, Ferio smiled, "He is right though! Hotaru is but one of the many brave people who are fighting for us! Together, they will make sure that Cephiro will be restored!"
With everyone's moods getting lifted, one of the women asked, "How about Cephiro's Pillar? Has there been any news on the next Pillar?"
As the situation started getting awkward again, Ascot decided to get peoples' minds off the topic, "How about we see how the battle is going for everyone?"
Waving his hand, Ascot created a large circle of floating rocks in the air. The rocks started floating in a circle, before a three meters wide image was projected in the center of it. Before the Magic Knights' Mashins and the battleships had left, Ascot had attached his golden spy beetles onto their hulls. This was to allow him to keep an eye on Umi and the others, in case they needed help.
At first when the image was projected, it was pitch black, signaling some of the beetles had been destroyed. But as he moved between their view points, Ascot came to realize the one's attached to the battleships were still okay. As the image finally came into view, they were greeted by what looked like a tunnel of clouds.
The alliance of four worlds was briskly descending into Cephiro's underside. The heavy weaponry of the battleships and the combined Mashin had blown a hole through the viscous cloud barrier that covered the void below Cephiro. Though the hole was several kilometers wide, it was slowly closing upon the armada, meaning the ships had to hurry. To keep the tunnel from closing up further down, the Magic Knights were taking the lead. By firing Fuu's and Umi's new spells out of the combined Mashin's hands, they pushed back the walls of clouds.
Reaching the light at the end of the tunnel, the alliance was met with a grim scenery. The land was pitch black and rocky, and covered in cracks and craters. The skies were covered with dark, bluish-purple clouds, with crimson lightning flashing across them. Though there were no plants or animals in sight, they could feel the presence of something watching them. In the distance, they could see the remains of a large obsidian tower that bore a striking similarity to the Sanctuary.
The silence was deafening as everyone took in the sights of this twisted world. It was like staring at a barren asteroid that was on the brink of collapsing, completely unfit for harboring life. The very notion that their own worlds could soon look like this, cemented the three foreign fleet's conviction.
"That is the enemy fortress…" Hikaru spoke under her breath.
"What a creepy place," Aska shivered slightly, holding her fan in front of her mouth.
"It looks abandoned…" Tatra pointed out, staring at the royal quarter's monitor.
"All in favor of blasting it from afar?" Eagle asked the other leaders.
"Aye!" Everyone else agreed.
"Not so fast!" Zazu interrupted them from the NSX's command deck.
"What is it, Zazu?" Geo asked via the coms.
Realizing all ears were now on him, Zazu cleared his throat before speaking clearly, "According to our computers the tower isn't giving off any signs of mental energy aside from the background radiation. But I am picking up some fluctuating readings from hotspots outside the tower!"
While this conversation went over the heads of many of their allies, Eagle's eyes widened at the meaning of this, "It is an ambush!"
As Eagle's voice traveled to the other receivers, the alliance found themselves being attacked from several directions. Long and narrow black and red beams of negative energy erupted out of the ground ahead of them, striking them from below. Crimson red lightning flashed forth from behind them in several concentrated bursts. Hundreds of sharp, black spikes fell down from above them like rain, at high velocity.
"SHIELDS!" Aska, Tarta, and Eagle all yelled at once.
Just as the barrage of attacks was about to close in on them, massive see-through barriers flashed around the three battleships. Clef and Lantis, who were outside the shields, had to cover up by using their own barriers. While they weren't as powerful, they were fortunate to be only targeted by the black rain. The Magic Knights in turn used Fuu's Winds of Protection to form an umbrella above them.
At first the shields of the ships seemed like they would give in under the constant assault, with the beams and the lightning piercing right through them. But as each ship fed all available power into their barriers, they managed to withstand the three-fold attack. With the attacks exploding against the shields with the ships still mostly unharmed, their crews sighed in relief.
Holding onto his hat with his chin on the main controls, Zazu sighed, "Had we fired the Ragna Cannon earlier, we wouldn't have had enough energy to stop that attack…"
"Indeed, you wretched little pissant!" a cold, cruel, and incredibly furious voice echoed throughout the realm. "Without your interference, your suffering would have been a short one!"
Although their usual eloquence and sophistication was gone, these words still sent shivers down the spines of all who heard them. The thousands of people inside NSX, Bravada, and Dome, felt their hearts grow cold as the voice echoed through the ships. Even the Magic Knights who stood together in the control sphere of the combined Mashin, were more nervous than before facing Zagato.
Despite the familiar feeling, Hikaru remained strong and spoke out, "If you are done hiding, show yourself, Debonair!"
There was a moment of silence, before the Magic Knight's wish was granted. From behind the warships, a huge dark figure emerged from the shadows. It was a black and red monstrosity that closely resembled a Mashin, surrounded by dark lightning. It had long red striped rubbery arms with black armor running over them. Its legs were more heavily armored and thicker, with large red armored spikes jutting out of the black armor. Its hands and feet were unarmored and had sharp white claws coming from its fingers and toes. Its shoulders were unnaturally wide and covered by black claw-like pauldrons with jagged edges. Its head looked like the upper half of a black helmet with a red neck, no mouth, and yellow eyes. Two long, straight, sharp horns swept back from the sides of its brow, with a pointed tip at the top of its head. A large blue frilled collar surrounded the head, with a pair of slim yet long, bat-like wings sprouting from the nape of it. A large, golden, crescent chest piece spread almost the entire width of its shoulders, with a golden diamond shape and spikes running down its slim waist and hips. At the center of the chest piece, was a metallic, feminine, pale blue face with purple eyebrows and blue eyes. The monstrous mecha had several purple, red, and golden orbs throughout its body and armor.
Next another imposing figure burst out from the ground near the obsidian tower. First part the allied forces could see were two large tendrils with jagged, flat, double hinged pincers at the end. As the monstrous Mashin stood up tall, it became clear these were tails. The Mashin was black and blue, of bulbous build and armor. Its knees, shins, tassets, topsides of its forearms, and shoulders had rows of small blue spikes. Its arms and legs were long and muscular looking, with blue vertical stripes visible under its round, black armor pieces. Long, curved, blue fins flared upwards from its elbows, knees, and neck, like ruffles of an aristocratic outfit. Its hands and feet were large, webbed, and had long sharp nails. Its golden chest piece looked like an upside-down anchor, with a bluish metallic face on the center of its curve. It had a helmet shaped like the head of a fish-like creature, with a fanged maw and large white oval eyes, with large tusks pointing upwards from its bottom jaw. The giant mech had several purple, gold, and blue orbs on its body.
From the skies, a dark figure with massive wings descended. The Mashin was black and green, of slightly lighter build and armor, resembling a bird of prey. Its winged arms were covered in sharp, black feathers, their wingspan being thrice the height of the Mashin. Its legs were unnaturally long, striped, and had huge, almost hand-like, four fingered taloned feet. Its talons were long and silver, resembling the blades of a sickle. Its shins, thighs, chest, crotch, and shoulders had green curving armor pieces with black feathers jutting from underneath them. Its tassets and pauldrons and neck armor thick and broad, making its ability to fly questionable. Its head resembled that of a vulture, with a jagged and fanged black beak, with red eyes. On its chest, it had a golden winged crest with six feathers on both sides, and a blue metallic feminine face in the middle. It had a grey helmet that resembled the head of a horned owl, with piercing yellow eyes. Several purple, golden, and green orbs decorated its body.
All of these black monstrosities were significantly smaller than the giant vehicles of the three nations. However, they were still more than three times the size of the FTO or the Mashins of the Magic Knights. Although Eagle and the other heads of the armies had no idea what these monsters were, the Magic Knights recognized them.
"Debonair infused evil Mashins…" Fuu spoke in a hushed tone.
"Just like Hotaru warned us," Umi whispered, leaning closer to Hikaru.
"Are you sensing this, Clef?" Lantis asked, riding atop his flying black horse.
"Yes," Clef nodded, shivering atop his gryphon. "This presence is leagues beyond what we felt in the Sanctuary…"
Feeling the fear in the hearts of the people near her, Debonair's chuckles could be heard from the directions of all three of the corrupted Mashins. Knowing they didn't have time to waste, Tarta and Tatra started summoning their djinns, while Aska summoned her giant Sang Yung.
"You thought that together you would stand a chance against me, but this time around, it will be my victory!" Debonair declared in a cruel tone, before zeroing in on her target. "DIE! Magic Knights!"
With the corrupted Regalia and the other Mashins charging at the combined Mashin, the Magic Knight prepared to defend themselves. With Debonair's three bodies approaching from all directions, Fuu was starting to panic as to which way to aim her Winds of Protection. But before the dark monsters could reach them, the FTO and GTO flew above and below the larger mech.
"Auto Shield!" Eagle and Geo yelled out.
By activating the automatic shields of their mechs, Geo and Eagle were able to block the advances of two of the monsters. The GTO pushed against the skyward assault of the green corrupted Mashin, its Auto Shield sparking against its talons and peak. The FTO had flown lower and withstood the brunt of the corrupted Saquada ramming against it. As the vulture-like Mashin was clawing its way through Geo's shields and the aquatic gorilla wrapped its tails around Eagle's, they didn't know how long the shields would last.
But while the other two Mashin's were blocked, this left the Magic Knights open for the corrupt Regalia. Bringing its clawed hands together, Debonair charged a massive sparking sphere of dark and red energy, aiming it at the combined Mashin's back.
Seeing this attack coming and sensing the power behind it, Lantis knew he had to act. Holding his magic sword out, ready to parry, he focused on the pendant he had given to Hikaru. The red Magic Knight watched in amazement as the pendant glowed and phased through her Magic Knight armor. Just as Debonair fired her attack, the pendant flashed.
A familiar looking disc of light appeared in front of the combined Mashin, shielding it from the massive blast of negative energy. The sinister attack was first absorbed into the disc, before launched back at the corrupt Regalia.
"AAAARRRHHH!" Debonair yelled out in pain, as a massive explosion rocked her red body.
Lantis's pendant… Hikaru gasped, looking at it in her hand. This is why he gave it to me.
As the smoke cleared, the Magic Knights could see a badly damaged corrupt Mashin floating before them. The left side of its body was missing several chunks from its shoulder, arm, and chest piece. However, before they could get ready to finish it off, the much larger Mashin began to regenerate, recovering its lost mass.
"You will pay!" Debonair snarled.
"We can't hold her back anymore!" Geo yelled out, still keeping the other two Mashins away with Eagle.
Just as the shield generators of the two mechs were about to overload, a massive energy beam blasted across the skies above Geo. The corrupt Wingroad was blasted aside by the beam, its feathers getting ruffled. This was then followed by a streak of purple in Eagle's field of view, as the corrupt Saquada was knocked away. The purple streak turned out to be a giant fist, which Separated into the djinns Rakoon and Rasheen.
With the monstrous Mashins all regenerating quickly from the damage they took, Debonair realized there were too many obstacles in her way. Hence, she saw it best to divide her foes' attention.
Switching up tactics faster than her foes could react, the corrupt Regalia flew towards the giant enemy ships at blindingly high speeds. Flying close by them in a wide arch, Debonair spread the Mashin's arms and unloaded everything. Hundreds of black tendrils of viscous darkness struck NSX's deck, Bravada's cliff, and Dome's armored scales, creating massive dents and craters. Several red, continuous beams fired from the red orbs on its chest, arm and legs, blasting holes through the giant vessels. The crews inside each battleship were hard-pressed to survive unscathed from each attack, as corridors were blasted to smithereens before their eyes.
Meanwhile, the corrupted Wingroad was attacking those who had defended the Magic Knights earlier. Using its large talons and high speed, the bird-like Mashin tried grabbing hold of GTO and FTO, but the two mechs used their shields to evade the strikes. Annoyed by their constant movements, Debonair dived quickly before turning towards them again, and flapping the Mashin's wings forcefully. A massive dark vortex quickly swallowed up the two mechs, restraining their movements with its cross winds. This was then followed by a massive hail of black, dagger-like feathers, that peppered the Auto Shields of the two mechs.
"We can't take this… much longer!" Geo grunted, as the red warning lights flared in his cockpit.
"The engines are unresponsive!" Eagle yelled, trying to fly out of the vortex.
Just as the two mechs and their pilots were about to be torn to pieces, a massive blobby arm moved in the path of the vortex. The giant Sang Yung had extended its doughy arm, its clay-like body getting twisted by the winds. At the same time, the sharp feathers were stabbing into its cartoony surface, causing its outline to wrinkle.
"Owowowowowow!" Aska whimpered, trying to hold her arms up through the pain.
Seeing the giant wasn't budging from the vortex, Debonair roared out, "Out of my way you foolish child!"
"Lightning Call!" Clef and Lantis yelled out simultaneously.
Two bright blue lightning bolts struck down from above, hitting the bird-like Mashin dead-on. However, despite the direct hit, the massive black beast didn't even budge, only turning its vulture-like head towards the two. The green orbs of corrupt Wingroad's golden chest piece's feather tips glowed brightly, along with the blue eyes of the Debonair face in the middle of them. The twelve orbs all fired green energy beams to a single spot in front the face, before the face opened its mouth. The condensed beams fired off as a vast and wide burst of dark green energy, threatening to consume the two riders.
"Barrier Circle!" Clef yelled out desperately.
Erecting the golden barrier around him and Lantis that was used to protect the Sanctuary, Clef could barely hold out against the surge of green. Even the Dome behind them had to put up its shields, so as not to be blown away by the wave of destruction.
"Clef!" Umi yelled out.
"Lantis!" Hikaru screamed.
"Ms. Aska!" Fuu gasped.
While the Magic Knights wanted to help their friends, they had their own problem. The corrupted and bulked-out version of Saquada was right up in their face, clawing at them with its massive webbed hands. Although their combined Mashin was larger than their regular mechs, Debonair's blue mech outweighed them three to one. While they were able to keep its claws away from them with their sword of light, Saquada was able to crush their shield to pieces just by grabbing it.
"You won't get away!" Debonair shrieked, thrusting out her tails.
The two large tails grabbed hold of the combined Mashin's right white feathery wing and left leg with their pincers, pulling the Magic Knights in. Grabbing hold of the Mashin's arms next, Debonair sank Saquada's sharp teeth into its shoulder. The three girls inside all screamed in pain, as blood was being drawn from their right shoulders. With her foe locked in her grip, the corrupt Mashin's blue spikes all glowed purple, before its entire body flared out in purple lightning, electrocuting the girls.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" x3
"Umi! Fuu!" Clef yelled out.
"HIKARU!" Lantis shouted.
Unable to help out the girls, the two of them could only watch in horror as Clef's golden barrier started to crack under the deluge of dark green energy. As Debonair's attack was about to destroy the two oldest people present, long stretchy arms wrapped around the corrupt Wingroad's neck.
Using their djinns, Tarta and Tatra tried their best to pull back the beast, to change the angle of its attack. Debonair managed to keep her attack focused on Clef and Lantis, before feeling an even stronger pull. By grabbing hold of the djinns' tails, the giant Sang Yung managed to yank Debonair back through combined efforts. As Debonair was pulled on her back, the green beam was aimed upwards, blasting through the cloud cover above them.
With the heat off of them finally, Clef, Lantis, and the three princesses tried to figure out a way to help the Magic Knights. The corrupt Saquada was still electrocuting the three girls, making them scream in pain, while having its many limbs wrapped around their Mashin. Anything powerful enough to hurt the possessed Mashin would ultimately also harm the Magic Knights. There was no one strong enough to separate the two magical mechs away from one another, leaving options limited.
But before the despair could set in, Eagle charged in with his FTO, with Geo and GTO following after. Attempting to stop them, Debonair charged in with the corrupt Wingroad, but was being halted by the djinns and giant Sang Yung holding her back. With the GTO staying behind and firing a barrage of rockets from its launcher and shoulders at Wingroad, Eagle was able to make it.
Activating its plasma wrist sword, Eagle stabbed the searing hot blade right into Saquada's undefended back. Although the damage it dealt was minimalistic to Debonair, the pain of it caused her to scream out, forcing Saquada to open its mouth. To get the thousands of degrees hot blade out of her back, Debonair was forced to let go of the combined Mashin, to reach for Eagle. With Debonair's grip loosening on them, Hikaru and Umi pulled away from her grasp, while Fuu healed them all.
"Winds of Healing!"
"YOU WON'T GET AWAY!" Debonair screamed.
Just as they were about to be healed, the red corrupted Mashin was making a beeline for them. Having wreaked havoc on the battleships, the corrupted Regalia was charging in fast, its clawed hands turning into sharp spikes. The Magic Knights tried to lift their sword up to defend themselves, but the spikes slipped past the blade of light. Debonair smiled cruelly as her blades reached for the heart and abdomen of the combined Mashin, when suddenly all went dark.
Up from where the corrupt Wingroad's earlier attack had punched a hole in the cloud cover, a streak of light fell down. Like a meteor falling from the skies, a huge lime-green glowing object struck Regalia at an explosive force. With massive armored heels striking the back of the corrupt Mashin, Debonair was punched down with enough force to knock the Magic Knights' Mashin back.
Without stopping, the two armored giants fell all the way down, before impacting deep into the black stony ground. A large crater was blasted open by the impact, from which flew up a giant warrior in silver and gold armor.
"HOTARU!" the Magic Knights yelled out.
"Commander Hotaru!" the heads of Bravada and NSX cheered.
"Finally! Mr. Shiny is here!" Aska yelled out impatiently.
"I don't think that is his name…" Chang Ang pointed out through the coms.
Seeing Hotaru landing on the ground below them, Lantis sighed in relief, "He finally joined us in the fight…"
"Sorry it took so long," Alcyone startled Clef and Lantis, teleporting behind them. "We were held up longer than anticipated…"
Seeing Alcyone's slightly glum expression, Clef asked, "Alcyone, did you manage to reunite with Stella?"
"…I'm afraid that was not possible," Alcyone admitted, before looking down at Hotaru.
With all eyes on the paladin standing next to the crater, they were surprised to see Hotaru shrink back to his normal size. The suspense was amplified a thousand-fold, as the green and blue corrupt Mashins landed in front of him, with the red one rising out of the crater. Face to face with three Debonair possessed giants, the man of the hour stood unperturbed, his nuclear aura still flaring out brightly.
"So, we meet again, Man of Many Names," the corrupted Regalia spoke out. "Done running away and crying, are we?"
With his anger still roiling inside of him, Hotaru had to hold himself back with all his might. He wanted to curse Debonair out in every way imaginable, in every language he knew, with every fiber in his being. But to give into his anger now would do little for the morale of everyone involved. As such, he controlled his fury, before putting his plan into action.
Staring up at the three monsters, Hotaru spoke in a sonorous voice, "I am done showing you mercy, yes."
"Muhah-hahahahahaha… Aah-hah-hahahahaha!" all three of the corrupt Mashins laughed at once, causing the world around them to echo. "Fool! Your bravado and bluster will get you nowhere! For whether I kill you or you run away, Cephiro will be mine! The fear in the hearts of the people guarantees it so!"
Staring at Debonair with a deadpan expression, Hotaru slowly raised his arms. Making sure everyone could hear him; Hotaru activated the communicator on his wrist and pressed on the magic orb in his hand.
Setting his arms to his sides, Hotaru asked in a resounding voice, "And why should we be afraid of you?"
The three corrupt Mashins towered over him quietly, before asking unanimously, "…You serious? My power is unlimited! The people of Cephiro have deemed it so!"
Unintimidated, Hotaru asked again, "You only gain power because the people are afraid of the uncertainty of their future! But why should we be afraid of YOU? If you gain your power from our fears, why should we be afraid of you in the first place?"
As Hotaru's voice echoed through them, the battleships, mechs, and mounts all flew lower and closer to the ground. With each word, Debonair could feel the people listening slowly calm down and find their courage. As the fear they felt towards her lessened, she quickly struck down at Hotaru, to crush both him and their hopes.
But as Debonair charged up a barrage of attacks, Hotaru simply flew out of the way quickly. Even as the ground beneath him was turned to dust by the myriads of attacks, he remained calm, speaking to his audience.
"You are nothing but a fear monger with an over-bloated ego!" Hotaru continued degrading Debonair while hovering above her. "You use your eloquent words and fancy clothes to pass yourself as someone better than what you truly are! A pathetic and ugly existence, trying to stifle the birth and growth of something more beautiful than yourself!"
Seeing the silver gnat flying above her, Debonair launched another barrage of attacks upwards. Lightning bolts, energy beams, feathers, wind currents, but all of her attacks were avoided by the hypersonic warrior.
"You know you have no future and thus try to prevent anyone else from having one! Just because you are unable to find happiness and meaning in life, you deem everyone as incompetent as yourself!"
"SHUT UP!" Debonair roared, flying in all of her bodies, trying to encircle Hotaru. "You talk big but you will never be able to save this world! You threw away your one chance at prolonging the existence of this sad little world, and now all who loved you will pay for it! Just like that pathetic blood sucker!"
As everyone listened to Debonair's words in confusion, their attention was quickly drawn away by a change in atmosphere. Standing perfectly still, Hotaru floated in the air, as the glow around him petered out. As the glow disappeared completely, the atmosphere around him began to warp from heat and spark. Even the people inside the battleships could feel the air and solid surfaces around them begin to shake and tremble. Eventually, even the communicator on Hotaru's wrist blew up, as the corrupt Mashins around him trembled slightly.
So Romeo, I guess there was one more mask to take off.
Before Debonair could get over the pressure exerted by Hotaru, her many eyes were blinded by bright lights. Not only was Hotaru's Double Armor glowing lime-green, but the paladin's body was emanating an even brighter silver light from his face and the gaps of the armor.
The people inside the battleships sighed a breath of relief as the shaking stopped, but those outside were left stunned by the awe. The Magic Knights smiled happily and excitedly, while Lantis and Clef were astounded for this to be happening yet again. Even the people inside the Sanctuary, watching the battle take place through Ascot's surveillance insects, were cheering their champion on. Before everyone's eyes, Hotaru's armor began to evolve and his body to grow larger.
His Corinthian style helmet transformed and expanded, with a row of golden, claw-shaped spikes running across the top and the back of his helmet. The short golden horns behind his ears extended, first growing back before curving upwards and finally forwards, like two forward facing sickles. The area between his helmet and the chest armor was covered up by a bevor with multiple adjustable layers. A long, flowing, charcoal black cape with a golden trim flared out from his back, attaching to the rondels on his shoulders. The demonic face formed by the twisting golden ornaments on his front shifted, causing the face to open its eyes and mouth.
Small lime-green orbs appeared on his rondels and larger ones in the demon face's eyes and mouth. Bringing the total number of orbs on his armor to twenty-two.
But the transformations didn't end there. With Hotaru's body gaining height, the many armored layers of the armor shifted around to compensate for this. Finally, the back of Hotaru's horned helmet opened up, allowing for long, lush, and free flowing auburn hair to burst out. The somewhat tangled locks descended against his cape, reaching down to the paladin's waist.
With his lime-green eyes peering from behind his helmet's armored brow, Hotaru stared down at Debonair with ruthless intent. Ten years older and ten inches taller, the paladin was still much shorter than his foe. Yet despite this, Debonair couldn't help but shirk back a little. Taking inventory of his armor's latest evolution and his power boosts, Hotaru smirked before pressing against the button of his magic orb
Speaking with an octave deeper voice, Hotaru addressed the Magic Knights, "Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, tell others to keep this monstrous hag busy. I have a spell that can destroy her in one go."
"Okay! All right! Understood!" the Magic Knights responded from within their Mashin.
Putting the magic orb away, Hotaru looked at Debonair one last time, before a silver and gold mask descended from his helmet. Covering the rest of his face, the mask looked like the front of a dragon's beak, with two crimson red angled lenses covering the eyes.
Having heard Hotaru's plan, Debonair quickly attacked from all sides, "You will not get away with this!"
The corrupted Mashins quickly charged up and discharged dark red, purple, and black lightning bolts at the target in the middle of them. But before the electrical attacks could hit, their target disappeared before their very eyes, causing the lightning strikes to strike each other. As the thunderous cacophony subsided, Debonair used her all seeing eye to locate Hotaru, discovering him back on the ground.
The paladin was standing still on the black rocky ground, his lime-green aura flaring up again. The aura flared out almost like melting wax dripping upwards, forming a huge lime-green sphere of energy above him. Soon smaller orbs began to form around it, as Hotaru's aura grew larger and wider.
Knowing she couldn't let his plan succeed, the possessed Mashins charged towards him, but were quickly halted. The FTO, GTO, and other fighter mechs flew past them, spraying all of their rockets at the dark giants. While this was only a minor inconvenience, the series of explosions blinded the Mashins momentarily. Before the smoke could clear, the corrupt Wingroad was struck and blown back by a bright blue beam, as NSX fired its Ragna Cannon.
"Nice shooting, Zazu!" Geo complimented his little friend.
"That made it angry, now try to keep it busy!" Zazu called out to his superiors.
As Autozam was keeping Wingroad busy, Chizeta's forces focused down on Saquada. Moving around the corrupt Mashin quickly and swiftly as the wind, Rakoon and Rasheen used their scimitars to keep Saquada's tails at bay. Despite the best efforts of Tatra and Tarta, Debonair realized the djinns were nothing but an annoyance, and the heaviest of the three bodies rushed forth.
Saquada's charge was paused, as two massive hands grabbed hold of its tails. With Aska's giant Sang Yung holding back the Mashin with all its might, Tarta and Tatra struck a pose with their djinns. Using their arms and swords, the djinns formed the shape of a heart between them. As Aska was trying her best to not be perturbed by this, the princesses opened fire.
"Queen's Fury!" Tatra and Tarta yelled while holding their hands.
Two intense golden lights fired from the eyes of Bravada's figurehead, which flew through the heart-shaped hole created by the djinns. Passing through the opening, the beam intensified tenfold, blasting Saquada square in the chest. Not to be outdone, Aska fired giant Sang Yung's mouth beam at the evil Mashin's back, the two attacks causing its armor to crack.
With two of her thirds being held back, Debonair's efforts with the corrupt Regalia were double as vicious. The Magic Knights were doing their best to counter and deflect Debonair's combined assault of sharp claw attacks, energy beams, and black tendrils. To help them keep Debonair away from Hotaru, Lantis and Clef both blocked stray attacks as well as fired some back at the monster. But with the number of spheres floating above Hotaru continuously increasing, Debonair's attacks became increasingly desperate.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Debonair roared.
Twisting her leg in an unnatural angle to kick the enemy Mashin away from her, Debonair didn't stay to enjoy the screams of the Magic Knights. With them out of the way, a massive bright blue beam of energy struck her face on Regalia's chest. With Clef feeding his magical powers into him, Lantis was pushing Debonair back with his sword. But even with the two master magicians putting their all into it, the corrupt Regalia was still making headway.
"SPIRAL LIGHT!"
With the Magic Knights' combined spell hitting Debonair's right flank, several pieces of Regalia's armor were blown off. Having no luck on this front, Debonair started concentrating on Wingroad, flying right through the swarm of fighter-mechs. Most of the fighters managed to avoid the winged menace, but some received crushing blows from its dark mass. Charging up another massive blast of energy, Debonair prepared to blow away half of the black ground below them.
Taking aim on the black and green monstrosity, Sang Yung yelled, "Dragon Scroll Cannon!"
A ginormous fireball was launched from the mouth of the Dome, accompanied by the sound of a black powder cannon. The blazing projectile flew straight on the path of Wingroad, causing Debonair to crash into it. Blazing heat engulfed the feathered menace, followed by a powerful shockwave as the fireball exploded, shaking even the nearby ships.
"Another shot!" Sang Yung yelled from the gunner's seat.
"I am writing as fast as I can but we only have five scrolls left!" Chang Ang shouted from the back of the cannon.
With Wingroad now also under heavy fire, Debonair's faces on all the Mashins twisted in anger and rage. Seeing now dozens of spheres floating above Hotaru, she screamed in frustration while activating her barriers on all three Mashins. Like shockwaves, the barriers expanded and pushed her assaulters away from her, giving time for Regalia, Saquada, and Wingroad to regenerate. With the three back at full strength, Saquada and Wingroad charged at Regalia while keeping their barriers up. As the two Mashins rammed the third from behind, Debonair sent Regalia out in a blind rush towards Hotaru.
Converting Regalia's arms into spears and charging up a barrage of fluid tendrils and dark red energy beams, Debonair was dead set on killing Hotaru. But as she flew past the Magic Knights, Lantis and Clef, she could see a bright blue light above her. Up in the sky, she could see a halo of lightning the size of a Ferris wheel, flashing and sparking while rotating in a counterclockwise direction. In the middle of the circle, hovered a woman with long black hair and holding a golden, bident-like staff above her head.
"Storm of Vengeance… Avalon!" Alcyone yelled out, pointing her staff at Debonair.
A series of massive, light blue lightning bolts erupted from the halo above Alcyone, raining down onto Debonair. Each lightning bolt struck with the fury of Alcyone's pent-up rage and hatred, a grief felt from the loss of her other half. The lightning bolts seared off parts of Regalia's armor and flesh, knocking the corrupt Mashin back. Looking at the woman up in the sky, Debonair couldn't help but imagine a pair of crimson eyes staring down at her.
"You dare use the SPELL I GAVE to your shadow against me!?" Debonair screamed with anger.
Not humoring Debonair with an answer, Alcyone continued her barrage of lightning strikes, with the Magic Knights joining in to attack Regalia. Just as it seemed like Debonair was being held back by the three armies, the corrupt Saquada broke loose. With the Queen's Fury running out of juice, Saquada tore its own tails off, breaking out of the giant Sang Yung's grasp. Opening its jagged maw, the blue monstrous Mashin flew forward, before firing a laser of dark red energy at Hotaru, threading the needle between the paladin's allies.
"HOTARU!" the Magic Knights and Alcyone screamed simultaneous,
As the laser struck the stationary paladin, there was a large black explosion. As the noxious looking smoke from the blast faded away, everyone was stunned by what they saw. A singular stone pillar standing in the middle of a crater, atop of which Hotaru stood, surrounded by a nearly invisible barrier. Though the paladin was wearing a mask that covered his face, Debonair could see him smirking at her smugly. With over sixty spheres of lime-green energy hovering above Hotaru in a symmetrical pattern, the paladin's aura flared out larger than ever before.
Raising his arms, Hotaru yelled, "Create Mashin!"
Unable to hear him, everyone looked in shock and awe as the space around the floating spheres began to brightly glow. A pillar of blinding silver and gold light, in the shape of a towering humanoid figure with wings and a tail, lit up Cephiro's underside. Though Debonair knew what it was, she was stunned and pushed back by the brightness, preventing her from interfering.
"Zazu! What is happening with Commander Hotaru!?" Eagle yelled; his cockpit painted white by the light.
"It is unreal! Mental energy readings are going crazy!" Zazu reported, comparing readings. "The readings are on par with the Magic Knight's super robot!"
"OOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" the people inside the Sanctuary screamed, as the light even flooded into the bunker.
Once the light finally began to fade, a gargantuan silver and gold figure towered over Hotaru. The Mashin's body was mainly silver, with large quantities of golden armor pieces covering it from several directions. Between some of the pieces of silver and gold, one could see small copper details.
Its feet were silver and pointy, with golden hexagonal ankle guards and singular, sharp, golden toe tips. The shins were covered in several layers of gold and silver armor, with small lime-green orbs on the front of the shins' lower halves. On both sides of both calves, there were vertical rows of three small orbs, with boosters on the backs of the calves and the thighs. On its knees, the Mashin had medium sized orbs, surrounded by large pointy hexagonal golden and silver armor pieces. Its thighs had vertical rows of five smaller orbs on their front, embedded into a golden armor frame. On the outer sides of the thighs there were large orbs surrounded by huge, golden, more rounded off hexagonal armor pieces.
The Mashin's lower body was covered by a golden and curved crotch plate that almost reached its knees, with a medium orb in the center of it. The hips and thighs were covered by large, curving silver tassets with gold trims, with medium sized orbs near the tops, surrounded by sharp angled hexagons. The waists of the mech had copper colored core, surrounded by silver armatures, with golden, downwards pointing armor pieces on all four sides. On the chest there were three lime-green orbs, a huge one larger than the rest in the middle, and medium sized ones on its sides. The smaller ones were surrounded by elongated hexagons, while the middle one was held in place by a golden frame. Three pyramid shaped spikes protruded upwards from both clavicles that surrounded a golden armored collar. On the Mashin's back was a large golden hexagon, with a similarly shaped, large, lime-green gem in the middle.
The Mashin's arms were heavily armored, with its shoulders and upper arms almost blending into one. Its hands were silver with golden fingers, and reinforced knuckles. Its forearms were surrounded by golden armored hexagons from all four sides. Large on top, medium sized on the sides, and a smaller one on the underside. Lime-green orbs were embedded in the middle of the top and side hexagons. Similar sections of hexagons and orbs were present on the fronts, backs, and sides of the pauldrons. Medium sized ones in the front, small in the back, and large ones on the sides.
From the Mashin's upper back extended out large mechanical looking wings. The wings were held up by short arms extending from the back that led up to armored silver panels. The panels were reinforced with medium sized golden hexagons and lime-green orbs. From the top of the panels, golden, two segmented limbs rose up and curved backwards. Underneath these limbs, there were several emitters. On top of the lower segments, there were vertical rows of four, small lime-green orbs. Behind the panels and under the limbs, there were short silver winglets, with six long, bright silver blades extending out from between them, per wing.
From the back of the Mashin's waists, extended out a short yet wide golden tail. The tail was made out of five arrow-shaped segments with a sharp, blade-like tip at the end. Each segment had two curving blades extending out from the sides of it, and had a small green orb on top.
The Mashin's head had no animal motive, rather its helmet resembled a combination of a samurai helmet, a Viking chief helmet, and a pharaoh's headdress. Atop the helmet, between the curves of its long, backwards sweeping golden horns, was a small lime-green orb. The Mashin's face was copper in color, and had two pairs of red eyes on top of each other.
Admiring at his handiwork, Hotaru was startled by Umi's scream through the magic orb, "You created your own MASHIN!?"
"It runs in the family!" Hotaru responded smugly. "…Though I think I went overboard with the orbs."
"You THINK!?" all three knights yelled.
Without further ado, Hotaru flew up to his Mashin's hexagon back gem, before being absorbed into it in a flash of lime-green light. Inside, Hotaru found himself standing atop an upside down hexagonal cone, with six rectangular walls around him, and another cone on top. The edges of his control area were made of golden struts with lime-green orbs in the corners. With its pilot inside, the silver and gold Mashin moved with a heavy groan, as it lifted its arms and spread its legs and wings. With lime-green light shining from the emitters on its wings and matching jets of flames erupting from the back of its legs, it began to rise.
"It is so flashy but coooool!" Aska pressed her face against her crystal ball.
"It looks royal, don't you think, sis?" Tarta asked, looking at the monitor.
"Very much so."
Staring at the computer screens, Zazu couldn't help but cringe, "I should hate this as an engineer… but I like flashy aesthetics too much!"
"A new… Mashin," the people inside the bunker gawked in awe.
"He… created one, just like Zagato and Emeraude," Alcyone gasped from afar, before smiling proudly.
Flying next to the Magic Knights, Hotaru's Mashin stood eye-level next to their combined Mashin. Together, they stared down at the three corrupt Mashins, who had regenerated as everyone during the metallic Mashin's emergence had been distracted. Although its pilot's crossed arms showed great pride in their creation, Debonair seemed less than impressed by it.
"Is that IT?" Debonair's almost insulted voice echoed throughout the Cephiro's underside. "You really think that one more Mashin will make all the difference!? You are even smaller than last time we fought!"
Instead of answering, Hotaru reached for the right shoulder of his Mashin, causing its large orb to glow white. Pulling out a giant version of his two-handed morning star, Hotaru quickly charged at the corrupt Regalia, before swinging. The golden spikes of the mace dug deep into the enemy's flesh as the blow crushed its armor. With an immense weight behind the attack, the red and black possessed Mashin was slammed all the way into the ground below.
"Uuurggh!" Debonair grunted.
"Uranium Cannon!" Hotaru yelled out, aiming at the corrupt Saquada.
A flashing eruption of energy burst from the Mashin's hand, blasting the black and blue beast down into the ground as well. The crash was followed by a fiery blast wave, as a mushroom cloud marked the corrupt Mashin's landing spot.
Without stopping, Hotaru reached for his Mashin's chest orb, pulling out his Titan Slicer. With the swing of his right arm, he sent out a giant, bright white wind cutter, that struck the possessed Wingroad. The attack cut through the black feathers and the green armor, causing dark purple blood to squirt out, but the winged beast seemed mostly unaffected.
To assist their bodyguard, Hikaru fired her Flame Arrow spell, before the Magic Knights raised their sword of light, swinging it in a wide arch. As their wind cutter reached the spell, a ginormous dragon made out of blue flames burst forth, pushing Wingroad into the ground as well.
With a moment to breathe, Umi sighed, "Well… at least that Mashin of yours is strong."
"What do you plan on calling it, Mr. Hotaru?" Fuu asked.
Stroking the pointy chin of his Mashin, Hotaru thought about it, "Hmmmm… I think I will name it… Master King!"
"…Mazdakin?" Hikaru tilted her head to the side.
"No, Master King!" Hotaru repeated with clearer English.
Sighing and shrugging, Umi lowered her head, "As always, your naming sense is a hit or miss."
As their allies and audience cheered, the Magic Knights knew it wasn't over yet. Debonair had already survived much greater attacks before, but if they kept this up, she would surely either tire, or people would stop fearing her. As the regenerating dark Mashins rose up from the ground, they looked up at the army above them.
"Fools, do you really believe you have won?" Debonair asked in a dry tone. "Just as I have decreed, this world will be destroyed! All will be destroyed, until nothing remains but an elegant void! Aaaah-hah-hahahahahahahahaaaa!"
Just as even Clef was ready to tell Debonair to shut it, a pulse of dread swept throughout the battlefield. As if everyone's hearts had skipped a beat at once, they could hear a pulsating sound echo throughout the world. A dark swirling circle appeared on the ground around the corrupt Mashins, before rising up and forming a dark dome around them. Feeling the ground shake beneath them, the Magic Knights stepped further back. Seeing the black dome begin to grow and expand, even Hotaru was starting to get agitated.
Is she turning into a black hole? …No, if she could do that, she would have done it from the start. Meaning the only other option left is…
As the dome of darkness burst open, a wave of terror gripped the hearts of all those present, as a sight straight from their nightmares stood before them.
"Th-They combined…" Clef stuttered, gripping his staff.
Standing hundreds of meters tall, the twisted combination of Debonair's possessed Mashins stood before them like a giant centipede centaur. The back end of its body was made out of Saquada, with the bulky Mashin's arms now functioning as an extra pair of hindlegs. Its tails had grown longer and slimmer, with its pincer-like tips having transformed into trident-like shapes. The center of the combined monster's body was made out of Regalia, with the red and black Mashin standing upright like a human. Its bulky legs acted as the combined form's front pair, with its arms functioning as a lower pair of arms that held katana-like swords. The ten-limbed centaurs' upper body was made out of Wingroad, with the bird-like Mashin's taloned feet acting as the upper pair of arms. Its claws were razor sharp, having turned almost pitch-black. The black feathered wings of Wingroad and Regalia's leather wings sprouted out from the monster's back, having spread out and expanded. While the heads of the corrupt Mashins had disappeared, the three metallic Debonair faces still ran down the front of its body. A metallic head in the image of Debonair, wearing a more elaborate version of her golden headdress, stood at the top of the body. Its face was covered in red kabuki-like markings, and as it opened its eyes, all the onlookers could see was a pitch-black void behind them. Black versions of Debonair's cape's collar and shoulder pads surrounded the head, with shadowy tendrils replacing their frills and fur.
Seeing its long, multi-limbed body move and radiate a black aura, the onlookers could only imagine the dread those outside the megastructures were feeling. Though the monstrosity was still smaller than the battleships, compared to the Mashins and the fighters, it was as if grown men had stood next to a brachiosaur.
Seeing its many purple orbs glowing ominously, Hikaru yelled out, "LOOK OUT!"
"SHIELDS!" Geo commanded everyone.
Just as the battleships activated their barriers, a swarm of dark purple beams were fired from Debonair's body. As the beams impacted the shields, they tore through them like paper, blasting several holes through the ships. The front fuselage and Ragna Cannon of NSX were pierced multiple times, causing one of the cannons to fall off. Several chunks of the rocky landscapes and golden towers of Bravada were cut off, causing the heavy rubble to fall down. Dozens of scaled segments of the Dome were punctured, before the dragon lost its left, orb-carrying front limb.
While the djinns and the most skilled fighter pilots managed to avoid the beams, several mechs were obliterated upon taking hits. The giant Sang Yung tried to deflect the beams by spinning its body, but its balloon-like figure was eventually pierced several times. Even as Lantis and Clef tried reflecting and blocking the beams, Alcyone was forced to catch Clef mid fall, as his gryphon took a hit as was destroyed. The soldiers and servants inside the ships screamed in horror, as purple fires and black smoke spread throughout the impacted areas.
"YAMEROOO!" Hikaru yelled out, flying towards the monstrosity gung-ho.
Opening the mouths of the three faces running down her front, Debonair fired massive bursts of darkness with green, red, and blue outlines. Activating Fuu's Winds of Protection and Hikaru's barrier, they managed to push forward despite immense resistance. But as they finally got close enough to strike Debonair, the centipedal centaur struck them down with its swords from the sides.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" the girls screamed, as the combined Mashin was thrown into the ground.
"UMI!" Ascot yelled, watching through his projection.
"FUU!" Ferio gasped, seeing them skidding across the ground.
"HIKARU!" Lantis yelled out, as the combined Mashin laid immobile on the ground.
"The games have ended!" Debonair roared, charging up a massive ball of dark energy between her taloned, upper pair of hands. "Now PERISH!"
As Debonair was about to throw her projectile at the Magic Knights, Mazdakin appeared before her. Peering into the lime-green sphere in its chest, behind the mask of the paladin controlling it, Debonair saw to her surprise, an amused smirk.
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing," Hotaru chuckled. "TITANIUM POWER!"
"Nani!? NO!" Debonair roared, throwing her attack at Hotaru.
The dark ball of energy impacted the silver and gold Mashin, imploding and then exploding with earth shattering might. But as the pitch-black explosion spread out, it was reflected back at Debonair, as the shockwave took the path of least resistance. Before the explosion had time to dissipate, a monumental form rose out from it, eclipsing both the attack and the attacker.
Standing two oversized heads taller than the giant Sang Yung, the enlarged Mazdakin dominated the landscape. Reaching a size comparable to the battleships, the overly opulent Mashin was like a walking palace. Each of its lime-green orbs was the size of a standard Mashin or larger, and its wings could block out the horizon. With it standing next to Debonair, the brachiosaurus had turned into a house cat.
"Ooooooaah! Look at the size of it!" Aska waved her arms, as her servants were putting out fires.
"We… We w-were trying to conquer t-these people," Tarta's jaw and eyebrow twitched.
"Yes, that's right," Tatra nodded with a smile in excitement. "It seems we were going to get our asses handed to us!"
"WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH!"
"Zazu! Control yourself!" Geo yelled, as their engineer was going full howler monkey over the coms.
Barely able to get all of Mazdakin in the ten-foot-wide projection, Ascot's jaw had almost hit the floor, along with the other Cephiroans watching. Even people from other bunkers had gathered there, as news of the battle had reached them. While Debonair's combined form had frightened them to the point of despair, the sight of this golden colossus almost made them forget about it.
"Wait… this is the guy who I taught how to swing an axe?" Presea asked herself, her head dizzy, almost ready to faint.
"I… suddenly feel very small," Lafarga admitted.
"How do you think I feel?" Primera asked sarcastically. "The Brute has been holding out on us!"
"Look at all that gold…" Caldina's eyes sparkled and drool dripped down the corner of her mouth. "You think Hotaru would mind if I scraped off a little?"
"I-I don't think that's possible," Sierra smiled awkwardly, trying to keep her sister standing up.
As the citizens continued babbling on about the appearance of this giant silver and gold warrior, Ferio couldn't help but smile confidently. For the first time in many weeks, it felt like the world his sister had been protecting was finally safe.
That's my nephew!
Being held by Alcyone, Clef couldn't believe his eyes, "…How is something like this even possible?"
"…With a heart and will that believe in tomorrow," Alcyone smiled proudly, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Looking down at the dark figure next to his feet, Hotaru cracked the gigantic knuckles of his Mashin. Despite the immense difference in size, his foe was charging up several attacks.
As Hotaru talked, his voice boomed throughout the area, "This, is what we in the future call, a balance breaker."
In a blink of an eye, a powerful slipstream similar to the vacuum of space formed behind Mazdakin's right leg, as Hotaru kicked Debonair. As the mountain-sized metallic leg struck the multi-limbed monstrosity at high-hypersonic speeds, the beast disappeared beyond the horizon in an instant. The Magic Knights standing behind the leg, had to hold onto the ground with their combined Mashin, so as not to be pulled in by the air currents.
Seeing the foe that had terrified them to their very cores so easily punted away, the forces of the alliance were left in a state of shock. Even the Magic Knights now saw the hulking behemoth towering over them in a new light, realizing the difference between them.
"That was… Just a regular kick," Lantis gawked, until something caught his eye. "Clef! Your ring!"
"Huh?" Clef gasped, before turning to Lantis, "Your sword!"
With the blue gems on both the magic ring and the magic sword glowing brightly, they knew something was up. Just as Mazdakin looked like it was about to fly after Debonair, a bright golden light appeared in the sky above Hotaru. Looking at the golden sphere hovering above his giant head, Hotaru instantly recognized it.
"The Proof of the Pillar!" Alcyone and Clef gasped,
Reaching out to grab it in Mazdakin's hand, Hotaru stared at the sphere that now looked so tiny to him. As he gazed into its golden glow, he was reminded of the start of his journey and all the things he had been through. All the struggles he had faced, all the things he had learnt, all the people he had met, and lost. Closing his fingers around it, Hotaru could feel a bittersweet warmth in his heart.
Stella, with this, I could probably bring you back, but I know that is not what you'd want. I know what I must do with this, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it. For I was never meant to have it…
With a swift movement of his Mashin's arm, Hotaru threw the Proof of the Pillar behind him, at the combined Mashin on the ground. The sphere flew at the red, gold, and white Mashin, straight into its central chest orb. Seeing the sphere appear right in front of her, Hikaru gasped in confusion and shock, not knowing what Hotaru was doing.
"HOTARU! Why—!" Hikaru yelled, but was quickly interrupted.
"'Accomplish your original intent', Hikaru!" Hotaru quoted Hikaru's family motto, before smiling. "I will take care of Debonair, so you save Cephiro!"
"Wait!" Alcyone yelled out, flying towards him. "Hotaru!"
Without listening to objections, Hotaru used his magical flight to soar after his target. There was a loud explosion as the largest object for hundreds of miles broke the sound barrier a dozen times over. The heavy cloud barrier up above was split open from the air pressure, as the shining giant disappeared into the horizon with its wings spread out. So as not to be pulled in by the slipstream, everyone was holding onto the ground or flying in the opposite direction to the best of their abilities.
Once the wind died down, a silence fell upon the battlefield, with an eerie calm taking over. Left alone, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu stared at the Proof of the Pillar, which seemed to react positively to Hikaru's presence. However, despite Hotaru's words, they had no idea what to do.
"I… I can't be the Pillar!" Hikaru stuttered, looking at the orb.
I know I was the main character, but this is insane! How can I be the pillar when I love so many people and Lantis!
(Hikaru, Umi, Fuu!)
"Clef!" Umi gasped, hearing him speaking to them telepathically.
(Listen, Hotaru told me and Alcyone the truth about your destiny, Hikaru. That is why Debonair was so adamant about killing you.) Clef explained in a calm voice.
"But Clef! How am I supposed to be the Pillar!" Hikaru asked, still overwhelmed by the news. "I am not as strong as Hotaru, and I cannot abandon the people I love!"
With a warm and confident voice, Clef answered, (Just listen to your heart, you already know what it wishes for the most.)
Having been kicked like a football by the man possessing the previous Pillar's child's body, Debonair was still flying backwards faster than the speed of sound. Her combined body, to which she had had great expectations for, ached all over, even though her regeneration had finished already. Having sensed the Proof of the Pillar becoming active, she had tried to fly back, but didn't have the strength to change her course.
"That bastard will atone for this!" Debonair grunted, spreading her wings to slow herself down. "For as long as I breathe, Cephiro will not have… a tomorrow?"
Spotting a lime-green glowing dot in the horizon, Debonair's black as void eyes widened as it quickly grew larger. Before she had time to react, her field of view was entire taken up by a golden hexagon, as Hotaru slammed her with a breakneck colossal clothesline. Debonair's centipede-like body folded over and curved around Mazdakin's arm, as Hotaru continued flying forward without even flinching.
"CUOAGH!" Debonair choked loudly, as all wind was knocked out of her. "…What're you—"
Before Debonair could finish her sentence, her back impacted the side of a ginormous mountain. The impact nearly knocked her unconscious, and as she was driven into the mountain, she hoped her long trip had come to an end. But before her mind could register it, she could see a roughly carved rocky ceiling and floor below her. Seeing her own blood smeared against the surfaces, signaled to Debonair that they hadn't stopped. Mazdakin's massive, long, and super hardened arm was carving its way through the mountain at high speeds, as Hotaru pressed on without mercy.
"GO! BROLY! GO! GO~! GO! BROLY! GO! GO~!" Hotaru sang, while grinning like a maniac.
Having clotheslined Debonair through the entire mountain, Hotaru twisted his body, throwing the queen of monsters with a lariat. Before the centipede could hit the ground, Hotaru planted Mazdakin's feet against Debonair's back, ramming Debonair face first into the terrain. The paladin then proceeded to use his magical flight to grind his foe against the rocky ground, as if using her as a skateboard.
"GUUAAAAHHH!" Debonair groaned in pain, her body grinding a huge groove into the ground.
Having ridden her almost a hundred miles within a minute, Hotaru jumped off Debonair, stomping her into the ground. With her still pressed in the hole, Hotaru flew up before pointing his arm at her.
"Neptunium Barrage!" Hotaru yelled, before laughing. "AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!"
The orbs all around Mazdakin glowed brightly lime-green, as hundreds of large energy spheres flew down at the spot he pointed at. A hail of kiloton explosions rained down on Debonair, deepening and eventually melting the crater she was lying in. By the time the ground around her looked like a volcanic wasteland, Hotaru finally stopped before landing.
Seeing Debonair's body twitching and regenerating, Hotaru grinned, "Subarashi! I love it when my toys don't break so easily!"
Gathering her remains and rebuilding herself, Debonair panted furiously, gripping the half molten ground with all her limbs, "How… How can you be so POWERFUL!? You didn't even… accept the Proof of the Pillar!"
"The heart that believes and a never-give-up attitude!" Hotaru shrugged, earning several attacks from Debonair.
Firing hundreds of dark beams and spheres at Hotaru, Debonair gritted her many teeth furiously, seeing them all impact a barrier around Mazdakin. With her ranged attacks not even reaching him, Debonair quickly flew at the silver Mashin, clawing furiously and stabbing her katanas and tridents into him. But despite her best efforts, she only managed to dull and bend her weapons. Before she could continue her assault, Hotaru swatted her into the ground like a fly.
Raising his monolithic arm up into the air, Hotaru splayed his Mashin's massive fingers out, before bringing its arm down at full force. Clawing at the air, Hotaru sent forth a cluster of five wind cutters at once, directly at Debonair. The queen of monsters erected a barrier in front of her, managing to parry two of the wind cutters, before the third managed to pierce through. With the barrier gone, the three wind cutters cut halfway through the centerline of her body, before slicing off left set of legs and right pair of arms.
"AAAAAARRRRRRGHHH!" Debonair screamed in pain as she fell over.
As Debonair laid down on the ground, her body slowly regenerating and reattaching her limbs, she could feel the heavy footsteps of Mazdakin's approach.
"But in all seriousness, I think it goes something like this," Hotaru continued, his voice turning colder and far more threatening. "First you take the body of the son of the Pillar of Cephiro and its greatest magician. Next you insert into it the soul and mind of a high-functioning megalomaniacal psychopath, with nothing left to lose!"
Standing over Debonair, Hotaru pressed his foot against the still struggling monster queen, before grinding his heel against her upper body. Debonair could feel and hear the armored pieces of her body creak and crack under the pressure.
"…Then you let them loose in a world where heart and will turn into power. You let them grow and give them an actual reason to fight for!" Hotaru continued his lecture, while adding as much weight against the ground as possible. "And finally, you have the bright idea to piss them off!"
Raising his foot, Hotaru quickly jumped before landing sideways with acceleration, elbow slamming Mazdakin directly into Debonair. With the several kilometers tall mech hitting the ground at supersonic speed, the nearby terrain was cracked and shattered for miles on end. With this force applied to her directly, the monstrous woman let out an unnatural screech that sounded like a thousand demons screaming in agony at once.
Getting off of Debonair, Hotaru stood up straight once more, before reaching down with his left arm. Picking Debonair up by the base of her wings, Hotaru held her in front of his face, the four red eyes of the Mashin peering into Debonair's many twisted faces.
"Please… Just end me already…" Debonair grunted, gritting her teeth from the humiliation.
"Oh, I cannot do that," Hotaru shook his head while sounding tragic. "For you see, I made a promise to you."
"…A promise?" Debonair asked, confused.
"Yes, I made a promise regarding what would happen if you harmed Alcyone," Hotaru reminded her in a penitent voice, holding her arm between his fingers. "Seeing what you did to literally half of her, do you remember what it entailed?"
Death will not save you!
As those words echoed in Debonair's head and she looked at Hotaru, her lip trembled, "Y-You wouldn't dare…"
"Oh, but I would," Hotaru said with a cruel smile.
There was a wet and sharp sound, as Hotaru snapped Debonair's arm between his fingers like a twig. The queen of monsters let out a deep bellowing howl in response, similar to when Hotaru had cut her arm off when rescuing Alcyone. The difference was that before she could finish screaming, Hotaru had already moved onto the next arm, snapping it as well. With no air in her lungs, Debonair could only wheeze in pain and froth at the mouth. She tried keeping her arms and legs away from Hotaru, but the golden giant was too quick and agile for her.
"You see, as cliché as it may sound, I have a dark side," Hotaru grinned with a shadowy look on his face. "Sure, I fight to protect my friends and loved ones, but deep down, I ENJOY hurting people."
As he spoke, Hotaru continued breaking Debonair's limbs like popping bubble wrap. By the time he was finished with all ten, the first ones had already regenerated, letting him start all over again.
Listening to Debonair's choir of agony, Hotaru continued his monologue, "But the matter of the fact is that there is a limit to how much I am willing to hurt someone with good conscience. However, there are two ways for that limit to be removed. One is if they enjoy it, the other is if they deserve it."
Giving Debonair the chance to catch her breath, Hotaru leaned closer to the panting monster. With the four eyes of Mazdakin glowing bright red, Hotaru's voice turned more and more furious and cruel.
"I would like to congratulate thou, for I've found thee worthy!"
Letting go of Debonair's wings, Hotaru allowed for her to fall freely for a moment, before clapping his hands together around her. There was a stomach-churning splash as bits of Debonair sprayed out from between his hands all around. As the bits and pieces of Debonair fell to the ground, they all tried to scurry away in their own directions. But before any of them could get far, Hotaru quickly and deftly picked the pieces up, despite Mazdakin's massive hulking body. With all the pieces accounted for, he dropped them onto the ground.
"There is no running away~!" he wagged his finger to a regenerating pile of mush and metal. "This is just between me and you. No help, no bystanders, no witnesses."
As Debonair's body reassembled itself against her own will, her broken mouths coughed out, "Y-… Y-You are a demon!"
"That is an adorable compliment coming from someone like you!" Hotaru laughed while grinning from ear to ear. "Could it be that our omnicidal, manipulative, and abusive parental figure now has a sense of perspective?"
Levitating off the ground, the colossal Mazdakin laid down onto its side, its wings folding in. Placing his cheek on his palm, Hotaru floated close to Debonair, waiting for her to be back in one piece.
"But that is to be expected from someone so young, isn't it?" Hotaru pointed out in a familial and relaxed tone. "After all, considering you were born after Princess Emeraude's death, you're actually younger than your so-called children."
Walking back cautiously, despite knowing it was of no use to run, Debonair spoke in a cold and proud tone, "So what? We monsters know no childhood! We are born complete from the very moment we open our eyes!"
Chuckling at Debonair's bravado, Hotaru continued floating towards her, "Well~ I was just thinking; since I've had stains on my underwear older than you, maybe I shouldn't judge you so hastily? Maybe like any other small child, you are just ignorant of the true repercussions of your actions?"
Spinning around horizontally in the air until his feet pointed Debonair, Hotaru raised himself upright, before touching ground again. Although the silver and gold Mashin had looked menacingly huge to Debonair since the start of her torment, it now looked larger than the world itself. Seeing the Mashin start cracking its knuckles again, a shiver ran down Debonair's overly long spine.
"So, on the behalf of all the people of Cephiro who contributed to your creation," Hotaru declared before cracking his neck sideways, "I will now administer your re-education. I will teach you everything about how it feels to experience true fear, suffering, and despair!"
"…Are you seeing this?" Eagle asked his second-in-command.
"Yeah… It's… quite disturbing," Geo admitted, staring at the monitor of NSX's command bridge.
With Hotaru having kicked Debonair away and having flown after her, most of the combatants of the allied forces had returned to their battleships. There were still fires raging inside the battleships and plenty of facilities needed repairs and people medical attention. Needing to know the full extent of their losses as well as the status of their ship, Eagle and Geo had returned to NSX with rest of the functioning fighters.
But as they had reached the command ship, all of these worries had become secondary, as they had seen Zazu's pale face. Joining their little engineer in staring at the monitor, they could see their long-range observational equipment focused on the battle between Hotaru and Debonair. While Geo was appalled by the cruelty of Commander Hotaru's "fighting style", Eagle was more worried about the one-sidedness of the battle.
Turning to look at their chief engineer, Eagle asked in a dead serious voice, "Zazu, what are that thing's mental energy readings?"
"No idea…" Zazu said, almost sweating with fear. "The readings maxed out a while ago and whenever he uses magic, the integer overflow activates!"
Sitting down on his commander's seat, Eagle took a moment to come to terms with the situation. They had allied with Cephiro and other countries to take down a foe that threatened all of the lives on all of their home worlds. But now, they had inadvertently allowed for the creation of an even more powerful, potential foe.
Could Commander Hotaru have planned for this? Were his cheap demands for their help and generous rewards for assistance all setup for us to let our guard down? Does he expect the other worlds to submit to Cephiro's rule once this world has a new Pillar? But if that was the case, why did he give the Proof of the Pillar to Hikaru? She wouldn't accept that… I need more information for when he returns.
"…I came to Cephiro under the presumption that I would either die or become the next Pillar," Eagle complained to his closest friends with a frustrated voice. "I never thought I would have to worry about the after effects of our return with reports such as these. I can only imagine what the opinions of the high command will be upon our arrival…"
"Ugh!" Geo shivered. "That will be a mess even scarier than Hotaru…"
Down at the ground, the situation had calmed down with Debonair's departure, and people had time to take care of the wounded. However, a sense of urgency and confusion remained, for Cephiro still wasn't safe without a pillar. To figure out what to do with the Proof of the Pillar, the Magic Knights had remained inside their combined Mashin.
Save Cephiro… My destiny… What my heart wishes the most…
Those thoughts repeated in Hikaru's mind time after time, as she tried to figure out what Clef and Hotaru had meant. Holding the golden sphere of the Proof of the Pillar in her hands, she had been tasked with making sense of those words. She wanted to ask Clef what he meant, but Hikaru knew that if he wasn't willing to tell her outright, it was something she had to figure out on her own. Had her past-self become the Pillar? Had she truly saved Cephiro?
"Umi… Fuu, what should I do?" Hikaru asked the other two knights, while staring at the proof of the Pillar.
"…Normally I would tell you trust your instincts, Ms. Hikaru," Fuu said carefully, after having considered it, "but in this case, if we do this hastily, we might ruin the ending Mr. Hotaru is after."
"Isn't it kinda unfair that he didn't just wish for it himself?" Umi pointed out, crossing her arms. "I mean he already knew what the wish was, why have you do it?"
Having listened to her friends, Hikaru turned towards the orb again, "…Because it isn't his wish, it's mine. If the wish isn't a sincere one that comes from the heart, then maybe the Proof of the Pillar won't listen to it."
"Thou art correct in thy assumption," a wise sounding voice spoke out.
"Windam!" Fuu gasped, listening to the voice of the Mashin around them.
"The Proof of the Pillar listens to the prayers and wishes of the Pillar, only when they come from the heart," Selece spoke out next. "For the Proof of the Pillar hast a will of its own too, and right now, it doth feel scorned."
"Why?" Umi asked, confused. "Why is this ball being uppity?"
"It hast accepted the son of the previous Pillar twice, but hast been turned down twice," Rayearth informed them in a stern tone.
"But it isn't right for Hotaru to have to become the pillar!" Hikaru spoke out for her friend. "It is not right for anyone to have to be the Pillar! For one person to have to sacrifice all they love, for the sake of everyone else… I don't like it!"
Placing her hand on Hikaru's shoulder, Fuu smiled, "Me neither. I never spoke about it since it was the way of this land and I felt I had no right to complain about it. But if one of my friends has to be the Pillar, I cannot remain silent."
"Same," Umi nodded, before thinking out loud. "Would it be possible to wish for the Pillar system to be removed?"
Listening to Umi's suggestion, Hikaru couldn't help but be reminded of something Lantis had said in a dream of hers.
This world is beautiful. But I think a truly beautiful world would be one where flowers bloom even without a Pillar.
"…I would like that," Hikaru smiled, before getting more serious. "But if I wish for that, Cephiro will be left the way it is right now. Like Fuu said, we cannot go about this hastily."
Closing her eyes, Hikaru imagined the world that she had seen during her journey through Cephiro. She thought of all the people they had met and the time they had spent together with them, whether natives to Cephiro like Lafarga or those who had moved in it like Caldina. She thought about what kind of a world Hotaru wanted to live in, to go as far as to risk his life over and over again to reach it. Despite its flaws, monsters, and the Pillar system, the people truly loved this country, and wanted to see it thrive. A world that she wanted to save, but never wanted to see reduced to the state it was in currently.
As the answer to her quandaries became clearer, the sphere in her hands began to change. She could feel the round shape turn into a handle, and the familiar feel of a cross guard spread over her index fingers. Opening her eyes, she saw a sword made out of golden flaming light, which she pointed towards the skies. As the people of Cephiro saw the combined Mashin lift the golden sword, they all listened with bathed breaths.
"I rid Cephiro of the Pillar!" Hikaru declared in a loud voice. "And from now on, I want Cephiro to be created by all those who love this country!"
With Hikaru's wish acknowledged, the Proof of the Pillar changed once more. The flaming blade turned into a beam of light that quickly shot up into the air, into the dark clouds above. Slowly but surely, the clouds began to disperse, allowing for the rays of sun to reach through, forming pools of light on the ground. A gentle calm spread throughout Cephiro's underside and the Sanctuary, but not everyone was ready to celebrate just yet.
Hovering in the air alongside Lantis and Clef who were riding on Lantis's horse, Alcyone stared into the horizon that Hotaru had disappeared to. While they were all worried for Hotaru and wanted to help out, they knew they stood little chance against Debonair. While they could still feel Debonair's presence all around them, they could also tell that their champion was winning.
Taking his time to be creative with Debonair, Hotaru had gone through a wide range of moves he had seen in anime in his previous life. To his disappointment, his combination of Mazdakin and Titanium Power had left him too powerful to fully enjoy them. If he tried pounding Debonair against the ground, he would punch through too quickly. If he tried beating her away from the ground, she would go flying for miles. Aiming for certain body parts was also futile, either due to lack of knowledge if Debonair had them or him splattering her completely from the get go.
Eventually however, he had remembered a particularly brutal technique from one of his favorite martial-arts series. By grabbing hold of Debonair's tails and wings, Hotaru had started spinning her around like a nunchaku. Although he had never practiced with one before, his Silver Speed increased his reflexes well into the superhuman levels. By spinning, swinging, and pulling her around his body, the move made Debonair experience hundreds of g-forces from the hypersonic movements.
This continuous motion was supposed to force all the blood in Debonair's body to rush into her head and out her eyes, ears, and nose. However, while Silver Speed increased Hotaru's reaction speed, it also increased the speed of his movements and acceleration. Despite his best efforts to keep up a continuous motion, Hotari ended up hitting his Mashin over and over again, interrupting the flow. Sometimes his nunchaku would get stuck in the many sharp corners of Mazdakin's armor. This however hurt his weapon far more than it hurt him.
"GYAH! AYHA! UUGH! GRAH! KHUU! FUAH!" Debonair grunted in anguish at his speeds.
"Almost… got it…" Hotaru tried over and over again, until the frustration got to him. "AAAH! To Hell with this!"
Throwing the beaten up and mangled remains of Debonair to the ground, Hotaru started to think what to do next. As Debonair's body started slowly putting itself together, she could barely muster even an ounce of resistance. With her faces and body parts lazily pulling themselves together again, she looked up at the titan in front of her. No matter what protections she put up, no matter what attacks she threw at it, the result was always the same.
"Please… have mercy…" she whimpered, "no more…"
With his thoughts interrupted, Hotaru looked down at Debonair again, "My heart is an open book now. You tell me if you find any mercy in there."
Holding onto the hope that the paladin had punished her enough, Debonair peered into the heart of the man known as Hotaru. Looking into the deep recesses of his mind, she was shocked to find the same darkness that had blocked her view for most of her life. But instead of a blurry image, she could see the distinct shape of an abyss, as well as four, red, angry eyes staring down at her. Her body was frozen in fear as the red eyes stared at her, even more so as the abyss opened a toothed maw at her. Her body shivered and her eyes widened like never before, as panic set in.
"Did you find any?" Hotaru asked sarcastically, taking a step forward.
Not even registering Hotaru's words, Debonair's whole body trembled with fear, "No… NO! Get away from me!"
Like a parasite leaving the body it had taken over, Debonair's essence quickly wriggled out of the Mashins she had possessed, like black blood. As the queen of monster evacuated from her creations, her body returned back to the shape of the monstrous woman she had been born as. Leaving behind a pile of bent and twisted pieces of three Mashins, she tried to desperately run away as quickly as she could.
I need to hide! I need to get away from here and hide! But where should I teleport!?
Seeing Debonair trying to scurry away like a rat abandoning a sinking ship, Hotaru smiled while shaking his head. Reaching down to the orbs on the hips of Mazdakin, he pulled out two, kilometers long versions of his rapiers. Crossing his swords and swinging them down at full force, Hotaru aimed at Debonair's back.
"Dark X!"
Two massive, pitch-black wind cutters drew a large X as his gold tipped rapiers rend the air. The dark double wind cutter quickly reached its target, slicing Debonair into quadrants, before proceeding to carve the ground below and the thick clouds above. With his foe falling to pieces yet again, Hotaru started stabbing at the remains with his rapier, keeping them from regenerating.
"I told you there is no running," Hotaru said in a cruel tone. "You will continue to suffer until I am done playing with you. After that, I will start punishing you for what you did to Stella."
With dark purple blood flowing from her mouth, Debonair groaned, "Have I not suffered enough…?"
"Oh, I have just been playing with you until now," Hotaru said in a sardonic tone, before tilting his head back. "Also, then there is what I will do to you for what you did to Alcyone…"
As her body was getting chopped into small pieces over and over again, Debonair felt indescribable pain, which she was starting to get numb to. But as she listened to Hotaru's words, a whole new type of pain began to emerge from inside her. A burning pressure from the back of her solid blue eyes, as she cried out in fear and despair, at the thought of her approaching suffering.
Paying no heed to Debonair's sobbing, Hotaru's trail of thought was cut off, as he noticed something in the sky. Through the holes he had carved in the cloud cover of Cephiro's underside, he could see dimples and flashes of light that weren't lightning bolts. As rays of sun started to shine down on the barren land, Hotaru smiled proudly, seeing that Hikaru had succeeded. But where Hotaru saw a reason to smile, Debonair's tears and frustration only grew.
"The… the next Pillar… she has been chosen!" she gargled through the tears, before using her all seeing eye. "No… that's not it… The Proof of the Pillar… has been eliminated! The Pillar system is gone!"
"Yeah… It is a brave new world out there," Hotaru smiled wistfully. "A Cephiro without a Pillar where the people living on it determine its fate and direction. This is the world that I wanted to live in…"
"Maybe… but as long as I exist… you will never know peace! Ah-hah-haah…" Debonair said while regenerating, trying to laugh through her pained groans.
"…Awfully bold for someone in your state to be saying that," Hotaru raised an eyebrow.
"You… May be stronger than I am," Debonair admitted bitterly, rolling onto her back, "but without the Proof of the Pillar… you have no way to kill me!"
Taken aback by this, Hotaru could see a wicked and wide grin appear on Debonair's face, as if she had finally snapped.
"You can torture me as much as you want, but in the end, I will out last you!" Debonair laughed hysterically. "Let's see how many days you can stay awake, using up all that power! Eventually even you will tire out! And when that happens, I will kill you! I will kill you! And I will kill all you have ever cared about! Ah-hah-hahahahahahaaaaa!"
Sighing deeply, Hotaru quickly chopped Debonair back to pieces, before responding to her delusions, "You really never learn, do you? Didn't I tell you before? I have a spell that can destroy you in one go. I just wanted to make sure that this world would be okay before I use it."
Coughing up blood as she regenerated, Debonair looked at him in disbelief, "N-… Nani?"
Looking up and seeing the color of the clear blue skies behind the clouds, Hotaru smiled, "…Cephiro will be a beautiful world. Even more beautiful than it was before. But a world like that has no room for either of us. Beings as sadistic and powerful as you or I, are not needed here."
Seeing into Hotaru's heart and realizing what he was about to do, Debonair began to panic, urging her regeneration to work faster. But before she could even get an arm reattached, Hotaru chopped her to pieces again like a professional chef with his rapier. Right after that, the giant dissolved his rapiers, letting its particles of light return to his hip orbs.
"My only regret is that I didn't get to make love to Alcyone one last time, but I had a good run in this life," Hotaru smiled, spreading his arms wide. "I would take solace in getting to be together with Stella in the afterlife, but we both know we're heading the opposite way to where she is."
"Please… PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!" Debonair begged.
"PLUTONIUM ARMAGEDDON!" Hotaru yelled at the top of his lungs.
Activating his most powerful spell, Hotaru could feel his insides warming up as the magical energies inside of him accumulated. The flow of energy from his body to his Mashin was like the rush of a waterfall, filling every last cell of his body. One by one, the dozens of lime-green orbs on Mazdakin's body began to glow blindingly white, as the energy was stored into them. Imagining the faces of his friends and loved ones from both lives, Hotaru bid farewell, before embracing the next world he would wake up in.
Eventually, the energy buildup reached its maximum, before dozens of white beams of energy burst out of Mazdakin's orbs in all directions. As they struck the ground around them, they exploded with gigatons of force, their searing heat and ludicrous force devastating the world around them. Debonair screamed in agony, as the heat and light burnt her body, reducing her to ashes.
The nuclear explosions were powerful enough to be seen and heard for hundreds of miles. For the battleships and the Magic Knights, it took a while for the sound to reach them, to draw in their attention. As they turned to the direction of the popping sounds, they could see an orange glow in the horizon. The radiant heat lit up what could only be described as a forest of mushroom clouds.
Getting over the shock, those most adept at magic in Cephiro could feel Debonair's presence dissipate, before completely disappearing. While the constant sense of dread and evil disappearing was soothing, they also felt the disappearance of another presence. As fear and concern overwhelmed her, Alcyone couldn't believe any of her senses.
"Ho-… HOTARUUUUUU!" Alcyone yelled out into the horizon.
"He… Did he sacrifice himself?" Lantis gasped, a sense of emptiness taking over him.
"It… It can't be!" Alcyone yelled out, before taking off. "That can't have happened!"
"Alcyone!" Clef yelled out, but too late.
Before he had time to stop his former apprentice, Alcyone had flown off and then teleported several times, disappearing into the burning horizon.
Unsure for how long his consciousness had been drifting aimlessly, Hotaru's mind slowly started forming thoughts. His mind was a blur of images, sounds, and faces, that slowly formed into memories and sensations. Remembering what had happened, he frowned with a stiff upper lip, knowing he could cry about the life he left behind another time. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes slowly, getting ready to meet his fate; whether it be Hell, a new world, or the oblivion.
As his crusty eyes slowly creaked open, he was met with the sight of something brown. Getting his eyes to focus in on it, he realized he was staring at the roof of a leather tent, with a crease running down the middle. His mouth felt dry and had a sour and bitter, yet earthy taste to it, and something soft was pressing against his head. With feeling slowly returning to his stiff body, he felt soft, loose-fitting clothes on him. Touching himself, he realized he was wearing pajama pants of sorts, as well as a silken bathrobe. Feeling the soft sensation of a distinctly familiar mattress underneath him, his eyes widened at the implications of it all.
Before he had time to speak, a pair of soft hands pressed against his cheeks, and his head was gently turned upwards. Seeing a pale face with indigo eyes and red lips, framed by long raven hair, looking down at him with teary eyes, all drowsiness vanished from his body.
"Welcome back… my love," Alcyone spoke softly while smiling.
Realizing Alcyone was sitting next to his head, Hotaru quickly sprung up, "Alcyone!"
Moving quickly enough to startle the sorceress, Hotaru buried his face into her lap while wrapping his arms around her waist. Not caring for appearances, he cried and screamed in joy, as he couldn't remember another moment when he had been happier. Feeling Alcyone indulge his excessive nuzzling by stroking his long auburn hair, Hotaru pressed his cheek against her navel while continuing to hug her.
"I thought I would never get to see you again…" Hotaru choked up, trying to calm down.
"I feared the same," Alcyone sniffed with a smile, stroking her lover's back. "I thought I had lost you forever…"
"Are you okay?" Hotaru asked concernedly, remembering her having lost Stella.
Alcyone chuckled warmly, while stroking his neck, "Fu, I should be asking you that, but yes."
Realizing it was just the two of them inside a small leather tent, Hotaru asked, "Where are we?"
"…After you fell in battle, I followed you into the flames of your final attack," Alcyone explained with a heavy tone. "When I came to, I found us both in a strange new land, with you still unconscious. With some help from the locals, I carried you to a nearby village. This tent is all we have."
Listening to Alcyone's story, Hotaru's heart froze for a moment, realizing Alcyone had died because of him, for him. Although the idea of starting fresh in a new world was getting old to him, at least he now had Alcyone with him, which was all that mattered in the end.
"I see…" Hotaru sighed contently. "I am sorry we had to leave our previous life behind, but… why did our bed reincarnate with us?"
Before Alcyone could answer, Hotaru heard running steps from outside, after which the entrance flap of the tent was opened quickly.
Before he could turn around, a loud voice yelled, "Hotaru! You're awake!"
"Hikaru!? Did I reincarnate on Earth again?!" Hotaru asked, flabbergasted.
"Reincarnate?" Hikaru looked confused, before Fuu and Umi also ran to the tent entrance.
Seeing the armor the girls were wearing atop their usual clothing, Hotaru looked around the tent again in confusion. The gauntlets of his Double Armor were on a nightstand next to their bed from their apartment, and Alcyone was wearing her usual black and gold leotard. Standing still for a minute, it finally clicked for him. Realizing what was going on, Hotaru turned to Alcyone, who was sitting down with her arms crossed, grinning smugly and impishly at him. Raising an eyebrow at her slowly, Hotaru activated Silver Speed wordlessly. Tackling Alcyone down on the bed playfully, the sorceress let out a high-pitched yelp, as the much taller paladin laid over her.
"You tricked me!" Hotaru guffawed, equal parts upset and amused. "How dare you!"
"How dare you scare me half to death!" Alcyone yelled back; her expression not so amused. "You have any idea how worried I was when I found you lying unconscious in that hellscape! I had to ask Fuu to heal us both once we returned! What possessed you to use up all your magic like that!"
"All my magic…?" Hotaru asked perplexedly, before remembering what had happened.
When he had first used Plutonium Armageddon, it had felt like his body was about to rupture from the built-up energy. But this time, instead of exploding like he had expected, all the energy had flowed out of his body without issue. Remembering he had been using Titanium Power on both times, the only thing that had changed had been his use of Mazdakin.
Maybe using the Mashin allows me to channel the energy out quickly enough to not go boom. I should test this out later after the… HOLD ON A MINUTE!
Getting up on his knees on the bed, Hotaru turned back towards the Magic Knights. The three of them were all blushing slightly, with Umi covering her eyes, seemingly because of him and Alcyone playing in the bed. But remembering that they had eyewitnesses wasn't what had paused Hotaru.
"Why are you three still here?" Hotaru blinked in confusion. "You should've been sent back home when Hikaru made her wish!"
"We were about to go back home," Fuu nodded calmly with a smile.
"But we decided to stay behind to make sure you were okay!" Hikaru said energetically.
"We didn't get to say good bye last time, and with you being unconscious, we decided to stay till you recovered," Umi explained in an impatient tone.
"…How long was I out?" Hotaru asked carefully, noting Umi's attitude.
"Three days," Alcyone blurted humorlessly, getting out from underneath Hotaru. "I have personally taken care of you all that time! You have any idea how much bedside attention three whole days entails?"
Comprehending the full implications of Alcyone's words and why he was now wearing a silk bathrobe and striped pajama pants, Hotaru blushed deep red. Though his spell hadn't killed him outright, being in a coma for three days in a nuclear wasteland would surely have been a death sentence without Alcyone. Getting up from the bed and taking a respectable distance from the ladies, he bowed his head to everyone.
"Sorry for making you worry and thank you for taking care of me… I'll make sure to return the favor," Hotaru promised, feeling like a boy getting scolded by his mother.
Smiling at him, Hikaru giggled, "It is not so bad, we got to spend more time with—"
"Well, you can start by explaining what all this is about!" Umi interrupted in an upset tone, moving her hand up and down. "I understand Ascot getting taller but why did you feel the need to grow as well!"
"You really have grown a lot, Hotaru," Hikaru said, looking up at the man who now stood two feet taller than her. "Even your hair got longer!"
Realizing how much he had grown, Hotaru tried to play it off casually, "I-I wanted to face Debonair in my prime so I added a few years. I guess having Zagato as father really helps vertically!"
Yeah right, I just want to know what it would be like to break the mythical 200cm limit! Maybe I went a bit overboard…
"Then what is up with this cleft chin?" Umi asked suspiciously, almost touching the tip of his jaw.
"…I wanted something to remind me of my old body in my previous life," Hotaru smiled, this time daring to speak the truth.
"I think you look quite handsome," Alcyone smiled, leaning against his arm and stroking his hair.
So as not to bother the Magic Knights with their flirting, they all exited the tent. To not draw too much attention, Alcyone had been against Hotaru wearing his Double Armor. Outside, Hotaru saw that they were camping right next to the Sanctuary, or what was left of it. The crystal castle was in a rough state to say the least, with one of its towers having collapsed and the others having cracks. Many Cephiroans had moved outside the castle into leather tents, due to the damages caused by the battles.
However, despite having to live outdoors, no one seemed to mind. The black clouds that had covered Cephiro's skies for a month now had disappeared, letting a gentle sunlight embrace the land. The lands were still mostly barren and rocky, with only ten perfect of Cephiro's total surface area having been recovered.
The three battleships of Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren were floating above them, with large ramps reached down to the ground. The ships had been mostly repaired and were now space-worthy once again, but still showed signs of battle throughout them. The crews were both bringing in and out cargo, sharing and exchanging supplies with the locals.
While the planet was clearly still recovering, there were already plenty of signs of life. Patches of grass extending for miles covered the Ford vale, with small white flowers blooming here and there. Small rivulets of water were running down the mountainsides, creating tiny streams on the ground. There were small bushes and trees growing from the ground, as nature was slowly returning. Realizing he could bear witness to Cephiro's recovery and new dawn after all, Hotaru reached over and held Alcyone's hand firmly.
"Oh! Boss!" Ferio yelled out, hurrying over.
"Yo!" Hotaru waved at him, seeing Lantis, Ascot, and Eagle following behind.
Looking at the now taller man in the eyes, Lantis smiled, "You are finally awake. How are you feeling?"
"Honestly, I have never felt better in any of my lives," Hotaru smiled widely, straightening out his bathrobe. "Sorry to have kept you all waiting."
"It is fine, we got to spend more time with the girls while you slept," Ascot grinned, causing Umi and Hikaru to blush a little. "Umi taught me how to bake cakes for my friends."
"Commander Hotaru," Eagle spoke out. "I am glad you are awake, for there were some matters I wanted to discuss with you before we left."
"If it is nothing too complex then go right ahead," Hotaru encouraged the white-haired young man.
Seeing his laidback attitude and aloofness, Eagle relaxed a little, "…Did you know you could create a Mashin, when you gave that speech a few days ago?"
Grasping at what Eagle was after, Hotaru got slightly more serious, before answering, "Unfortunately I only learned how to do it after my armor evolved. Otherwise, I would have charged in with it from the get go to save time and lives."
"…Naruhodo," Eagle smiled, almost sighing in relief as he spoke. "What do you plan to do from now on?"
"What I planned on doing originally," Hotaru smirked with a chuckle. "I came to this world to retire and live a peaceful life. Of course, we still have a lot of rebuilding to do. Be sure to visit us sometime once we have the planet back together."
"…I will see if I will be able to get any vacation days," Eagle smiled, before waving the group off. "Cya."
Before Eagle could leave, Fuu asked in a concerned voice, "Did you remember to take everything needed with you to help with your disease?"
Looking over to the ramp leading up to the NSX and a massive shipment being carried up it by fighter mechs, Eagle smiled, "Oh, I am sure we got everything we need."
As Eagle returned to his ship, the three battleships soon started to disembark, flying high up into the skies to return to their planets. At the same time, people were gathering around the Magic Knights, ready to bid them farewell. Standing in front of the crowd, Clef was the one to address his three youngest students.
"Legendary Magic Knights, once more you have saved Cephiro from total destruction," Clef spoke formally, trying to get everyone to give their utmost respect. "You were never expected to fight for our world again and yet you bravely did so, and even though the dangers you faced were many, you persevered till the end."
Smiling happily with her friends, Hikaru held her hands close to her lap, "We only did what our hearts wanted to do, in order to see Cephiro once again become beautiful. I hope you will all be able to rebuild this world into one even more wonderful than when we first saw it."
"We also hope you are able to keep friendly relations with the other worlds," Fuu smiled.
"Thank you for your hospitality and for accepting us," Umi smiled, not coming up with better final words.
As everyone was feeling a bit melancholic about their departure, Hotaru waved casually, "Until next time."
With those words, a sense of ease washed over everyone, as the feeling of finality fell off their shoulders. Giving the people of Cephiro a happy nod, the Magic Knights grabbed hold of each other's hands, before closing their eyes. By focusing their wills, the three knights soon disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind only their Escudo swords, their tips hovering slightly above the ground.
As the ordinary citizens gasped at this, Presea and Sierra walked over to gather the legendary weapons, while Caldina and Lafarga walked over to Hotaru.
"Will there actually be another time?" Caldina asked concernedly, before whispering, "I don't want Ascot waitin' forever without a reason this time…"
Giving a light snort, Hotaru wrapped his arms around Alcyone, pulling her against his chest, "They'll be back in a year or so. Until then, we better make this world presentable."
Looking up at her lover's eyes, Alcyone smiled happily, "Yes, dear."
Author's Afterword: And that is how you retell the second season of MKR in less than 19 chapters while adding much more content to it. Granted I don't know if I managed to keep each chapter an episode length, but at least they didn't feel as repetitive. I am also happy with having gotten the chance to flesh out the season two cast and hope everyone got their time to shine, throughout the story and in the finale. A lot of things happened in this chapter so let's go through some of them.
First off, Hotaru's armor evolving yet again. Some of you may remember Clef saying that Hotaru's armor only had one or two evolutions left about twenty chapters ago. However, some of you sharper readers may have noticed the Master Mage's math was slightly off. While the Escudo swords of the Magic Knights evolved three times, their armors evolved FOUR times. With Hotaru's armor having evolved once before being turned into Double Armor, this meant it had six forms ahead of it. As for the changes to the armor, I felt like leaving the cape for the final evolution was in the style of MKR. Overall I felt like I managed to keep the description of the evolution short.
I say this because a large chunk of this chapter's word count was taken up by descriptions! I knew I would have my hands full when trying to describe Hotaru's Mashin, but this was only the tip of the iceberg. While I had the designs of the corrupt Mashins and Debonair's combined form already planned out, somehow, I was blind sighted with the need to describe them!
Speaking of the Mashins, one of these things is not like the others! Hotaru has been gaining A LOT of power in the past few chapters and his Mashin really broke the powerscaling. He has come a long way from when he started and I hope his journey has felt at least somewhat realistic. But even I am starting to understand the absurd heights his power has reached by this point compared to the rest of the cast. Hence, I feel safe to say that Hotaru's powers have reached their peak. There will be no future power-ups for him.
Now, with Cephiro finally safe (for now) there will be a lot of rebuilding and getting used to this new and wonderful world. Hence the next four or five chapters will be collections of short-stories that will lay the groundwork for the events of season three. But I'll be honest, I am just looking forward to getting some proper slice of life chapters done after a while. All the plans Hotaru and Alcyone had for their peaceful life are finally going to be put into motion.
As always, reviews, questions, and critiques are welcome! Let me know what you thought of the chapter! I would like to thank TheMotivatedOne and our recurring guest for their reviews last time! Remember, even if you leave a review on an older chapter, I will always be grateful and make sure to mention you!
PS: I've been sitting on the possibility of it for a while now, but I am considering putting up a Deviantart account with works related to Saving the Villainess. My elaborate descriptions aren't just pulled out of thin air, as, through some means or another, I have made models of some of the characters. So look forward to that at some point!
