But I Didn't Want Adventure! (NasuFate SI Chapter 6)

"I am Charl Cristfallen, of Lady Barthomeloi's Chelon Canticle Brigade, and I humbly thank you for your aid in slaying this ferocious foe." Charl smiled as he introduced himself.

"Heya, Ava Schopenhauer. Church Executor." Ava went next, looking cheerful. "Looks like we took out everything." She said with a nod as she looked around the now empty room, sans us.

"I am Marjutteta Edelfelt, it was an honor to witness one of the Queen's Brigadiers fight, although I apologize for my poor showing." Marge said with a light bow. Now that she recovered, she quickly took back her noble lady role, even with a ruined patched up dress.

"The opponents were Greater Dead Apostles, surviving is an accomplishment in itself." Charl said back charitably.

"And I'm Michael Chaser, Lady Edelfelt's helper." I said last.

Since all the vampires were taken out, the four of us regrouped to see what we'll do next.

"Really? 'Helper'?" Ava looked at Marge and I with a raised eyebrow.

"Hohoho, of course my servant would be this competent at minimum." Marge gave a haughty laugh while covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"It's complicated but yes." I sighed.

"Never the less, your skill is praiseworthy." Charl looked at me with a wide smile. Almost like there were stars in his eyes. Seriously, his admiration feel too heavy. "It's why I wanted to ask you, all of you." He switched to address Marge and Ava too, and not just me. "If you would aid me in return to my Lady Barthomeloi, and assist her in taking down the Ancestor for good."

"Hmm, my job was to clean up the whole place of every single undead," Ava said. "Although if taking out the Ancestor, would speed that up by removing their linchpin, then hell, I'm all for it." She grinned.

Before Marge could offer up to help, I spoke up. She had that eager look in her eyes.

"We have our own mission to complete." I said. Marge looked at me before looking down with a flush on her cheeks. Why is she turning docile now? Why's she playing with her red diamond necklace? "We were tasked with destroying the ritual site, and were on our way there. ...I think."

"Ah, I see." Charl nodded before giving a sad frown. "I'm afraid your task is a pointless one. It would be better to assist me and Lady Barthomeloi in slaying the Fifteenth."

"What do you mean, sir?" Marge asked, turning serious once more.

"It would be better if I showed you." Charl replied.

"Wow," I wanted to facepalm so badly. "It was literally right next door."

The large ballroom-like area we were in, had apparently functioned like an antechamber, to the ritual site. We left the area where we fought the Dead Apostles, to enter a large garden that seemed manufactured to give a "room overtaken by nature" feel.

I say "manufactured" because for example, the grass was all trimmed, and the wines all over the walls were thin and uniform in their formation.

The garden had a large circle of grass in the middle, where a rock cylinder, waist high stood, and placed in it to the hilt was a blade with a green pommel, white wrapped handle, and green circular hilt.

There was also dead bodies everywhere around cylindrical stand, with corpses of people even climbing over each other to grab the sword, or still holding on to it. Those far away from the stand look like they were thrown or moved there, likely those that died from grabbing the sword, and moved by those that tried next.

All met the same fate, they looked husked out, as if all energy, vitality and life was sucked out of them.

"What the..." Marge muttered.

"A room with an abundance of greenery and life, yet filled with dead. I swear, blood-suckers all think they're so 'deep' with their ironic sense of humor." Ava rolled her eyes.

"It's worse than just a visual pun, I'm afraid." Said Charl. "It's the function of the ritual and the direct method to stopping it." He said. "To keep it simple for the sake of practicality..."

Charl then explained the ritual's function. But my mind was one something else.

The grand ritual's goal was the Human Order Regression.

To lower the Human Order within a Bounded Field till it's erased, and reverse the mana within said field to an earlier era, to that of the Age of Gods.

And then with establishment of that effect within the Bounded Field, it can proliferate to the rest of the world, like how heat spread in a cold object.

The sword was the linchpin to this ritual, removing it would end the ritual. But the safeguard to this system was made in such a way that the mountain and the sword were one. One can not destroy the ritual site if one can not destroy the mountain. One can not remove the sword if one can not creak the mountain. A simple effect but it did what it was intended.

To buy time for the ritual to be complete.

"There is not enough time to retreat and come back with the weapons needed, we need to kill the Ancestor to cut the activation and protect on the ritual site." Charl finished explain. "Not only that but any magecraft, or magical energy used as all is absorbed by this place. The only way to affect the sword is to touch it, but if you touch it, well...you saw what happened to everyone else."

"Damn, the Rose Bitch probably had been conserving her strength all along, and playing defense, because she doesn't need to kill us. Everything, the castle, the defenses, even all her children and familiar, they've been nothing but distractions." Ava said as she went about reloading her guns, and charging up her sword, for the next battle.

"This is much worse that I thought." Marge said with a nod. "Very well, let us be on our way, Sir Char...Michael?"

I wasn't really focused on anything they said, as I walked toward the sealed sword.

Honestly. The blade for the ritual was Caladbolg of all things. The Spiral Sword.

I chuckled and held back a laugh.

"Alaya really is not subtle." I said to myself. Honestly, even the path in front of me was empty enough of bodies, that I didn't need to move them.

"'Alaya'? What are you talking about Mr. Chaser?" Charl said before panicking. "Wait! Don't try it. My comrades, all verse is great and exotic mysteries tried to dispel the ritual. It didn't work. All you'll accomplish is throw your life away." I found it odd that he didn't move to stop me. Did he think I would chicken out, or does he not care? Then again we don't know each other. Maybe it's some magi pride he's respecting?

"Oi, where do you think you're doing?" Ava however moved and grabbed my arm. Her wording was weird, I noted.

"The reason why I'm here." I said, and pulled my arm away. She didn't stop me a second time. I reached the sword stand, and began removing the hands holding the hilt.

"Michael," Marge's voice stopped me. I looked back to see her warring between encouraging me, and telling me to come back. "Are you...what you're planning to do, are you sure of...whatever it is?" She ended up asking.

I chuckled. Marjutteta was cute when she was uncertain.

"You know, this whole situation. The ritual, the sword, how everything lined up," I grinned and shook my head. "I think this is what people mean when they say they have to 'face their destiny'." I looked back and smiled. "The thing about fate, I think, when you come face to face to it, the best move isn't to defy it, or reluctantly do it." I looked back to the sword hilt, and narrowed my eyes. I tightened my muscles, fixed my stance to gain stability, and let the Spiral Energy spin faster and flow freely. I heard gasps of shock behind me, as wisps of green energy shot around me. "It's to make that choice set before you, your own."

I grabbed the sword.

And instantly felt like my life was being ripped away from me.

"Michael!" Marge shouted behind me.

"Don't touch him, the draining effect will get you too." Charl said, stopping Marge thankfully.

I saw the green aura around me being sucked into the blade and into the rock stand. My arms were becoming thinner and paler. And of course my hands wouldn't let go no matter, even if I wanted to.

If I fail my own power and life would fuel humanity's end.

The spiral was starting to lose momentum.

If I fail, everyone in this world will die or worse-No. That's not actually important to me.

My body felt weak. I fell to my knees made of bones and barely held flesh.

If I fail, Margutteta would die. Angelica would be sad and die. Julius, for all his bluster and head up his ass and acting like a magi, would die. Elly...I really wish I had a better relation with my other sister. Maybe if I bothered to show interest, rather than let us drift apart. That relationship that could have been would be gone, and she would die.

So many others would suffer from this, should that vampire bitch succeed.

The spiral almost seemed to slow to a stop.

But before any of that, I would die.

The emerald light burst up with an explosion.

And quite frankly, I'm not done with this life to leave it behind just yet.

"Fuck. That." I growled and stood up.

"W-what!?"

"Holy mary."

"That's my Michael!"

The spiral spun again, faster, harsher, more willful. The embodiment of life, to grow, to progress. It was shouting within me! Telling to fight! To live! To evolve!

"All that he's accomplishing is fuel the ritual to completion faster!" Charl shouted.

"W-wait! Do you feel that!?" Ava said.

The room began to shake-No, the mountain was cracking.

"You guys do have planes for evacuation, correct?" Came the worried voice of Marge.

"I'll call helicopter squad now." Said a now hurried Charl.

"Fuck that, I'm calling my team, they should have a plane flying around." Ava cried out.

"You need the strength to move a mountain to end this ritual, right? Then the answer is simple." I grinned. Spiral Energy exploding off of me in a towering light, with twin spiral tails. "Break the fucking mountain."

The blade began to groan and rise up, as the stand now had cracks spreading through out it. I wouldn't be surprised if this mirrored the cracks across the mountain itself.

"Hey Alaya," I called out as cracks and fissures appeared in the castle and the garden we're in. "Next time, stop with the synchronicity bullshit, and fucking ask!"

With a final shouted, I ripped the sword out, breaking the stand in the process.

Barthomeloi Lorelei had been finding herself feeling more and more enraged as the battle with the Fifteenth Dead Apostle Ancestor went on.

The undead monster was playing around. It wasn't fighting to kill them, and that was an insult Lorelei couldn't abide by.

At one point, Lorelei decided to just use her Mystic Eyes of Procedure, and just deconstructed Rita's spells into environmental mana, and then saw how her Mystic Eyes of Roses worked.

Lorelei then made the very air around them, act like a wave field of energy to destroy the vampire, should it project its soul again, for its mental attacks.

"Those eyes of yours are truly horrendous." Rita had said.

"Ignorant are those that criticize what displeases them, when it's already in themselves." Lorelei had said back.

The battle continued, with the Ancestor pulling in more of her trump card, teleporting her children and familiars from the rest of the castle. Surprisingly there was only one Successor and one Greater Dead Apostle, both dead by now.

The more the battle prolonged, the more The Artist's Lady seemed to smile in joy. Even with all her loses.

"That is such an ugly face." Lorelei didn't bother to hide her feelings, as she dodged another giant murderous vine, and a swipe of Rita's claws.

One of her Brigade member fired their Conceptual Weapon, shaped like a harpoon, but Rita quickly avoided that.

Lorelei was on the Ancestor, never giving her pause, but Rita was proving more and more to be resourceful.

Yet suddenly, the ancient vampire's eyes widened. As she looked away in shock.

"Impossible."

Then the castle started shaking.

No the mountain itself was breaking apart.

Lorelei grinned.

"What was that about my team having fail?" The Queen reveled in Rita's look of disbelief.

"No. This can't be. Only a human can remove the sword, and there's no human that could!" Rita shouted.

"Suck it, Simon! My Core Drill is bigger than yours!"

A voice rang out from far away, in another part of the castle, yet it was still heard in the throne room, where everyone was battling the Dead Apostle Ancestor.

"What was that?" Lorelei questioned.

"GIGA!"

"Madam, Charl of Team B, reported the success of the mission. The Grand Ritual is dispelled." Shouted one of Lorelei's Brigade member holding his communicator.

"DRILL!"

"But it didn't appear." Rita seemed to be talking to herself. Only for a pillar of green energy to erupt from where the ritual site was. "Th-The Emerald Spiral, but, but how! How did it slip past me!?" Rita had searched for the cause of her prophesized death through the battle that the Eclipse Princess warned her about, but it never arrived.

"SMASHER!"

A green light shot toward Rita. It was Caladbolg, only much tall, thicker, with a longer handle, and swirling in green aura.

The last thing she saw was the tip point of Caladbolg. It looked like an emerald spiral.

The emerald light covered blade pierced swiftly through the Dead Apostle Ancestor, like a hot drill through cheese, and slammed into the cracked mountain side surrounding the land and castle, finishing crumbling them.

The energy that engulfed Rita from when the sword pierced her, suffused every cell in her body, with Life that violently rejected her.

And thus a moment after Rita Rozay-en was left with a hole in her whole torso, that her arms and legs were connected by strings of flesh, she exploded.

Lorelei looked at all this, blinked a few times, and the sudden end to the battle, and only had one thing to say.

"Bring me whoever did that, so I may reward them!"

AN: Finally done with these snippets for now.