AN: Three long weeks, work, life, etc. You know the gist. Anyway, a 21.9K words chapter… again, it was meant to be shorter. On another note, probably the chapter I am gonna get hated for a single scene.

One last thing; there's an important AN at the end.

Chapter 29

Flashback - One and Half Years Ago

Location: The L̶̥͊́ą̷̻͊͝n̶̨̧̏͝d̸̼̄͑ ̷͎͇̌̕C̴̤̀̎̏a̷͕̰̮̚ñ̴̇n̵͎̱͂̆̄ͅa̷̛̬͒͑ǹ̶̎ - The Final Stage

To any normal individual, the scene in front of them could be considered pacific and somehow cathartic to some degree.

There was nothing but a colorful background all around, no sky, stars, moon, or sun; just a mix of colors flowing around the area in eternal silence; not even the water-like Floor seemed to make a single sound, as a certain someone kept walking in a straight line; causing ripples in the water.

He had lost the notion of time; or rather, he stopped worrying about it knowing it would just get worse if he worried about that.

He knew his brothers would be okay after they were forcefully separated, but his connection with them silently told him everyone was okay.

But all of his worries stopped, his eyes twitching as someone in the far distance approached him, calmly.

"Of fucking course. Out of all the people I could be meeting now of all places alone, it had to be you." Drake sighed as he and Adam Taurus stopped; meters away from each other.

He wore a black suit and pants, mirroring Drake in color but not in what each wore. Although there was also the withered rose design on his back if his memories of his previous fight served him right. There was also the see-through piece of clothing around his eyes, hiding the brand marking his face.

"… Can I ask you something?"

Drake raised an eyebrow, confusion written all over on his face. Because the person in front of him sounded as calm as the breeze on a sunny day; contrary to the usual raging bull, gritting his teeth whenever he saw an enemy before charging at them with bloody murder. "… Shoot."

"… Ratatosk told me once that it was funny how Fate worked, seeing as I was on his side. At the time, I raged, thinking it was ridiculous as how I; a Faunus that has suffered the racism and inequality this world has given me and many others, would be allied with you, a Noble…"

Drake just listened, feeling a little on edge at how calm the person in front of him was; something had definitely changed.

"… Honestly, that would have been the case." Drake sighed, opting to humor the man in front of him. "Just like you, every single one of us got something taken due to the ramifications and consequences that go around the world; be it either racism, politics, or of course, the divine."

Right, what happened to him and the others could be divided into one if not all of those three depending on which of the Guardians you were analyzing.

"We hated the world for that; some more intensively than others," he pointed at himself. "But believing that a race as a whole is fated to just be doomed for the stupidity of a few," he raised his finger, seeing Adam wanted to correct him. "a great few… So, we… No, they, decided to use their status to see how they could change things."

Adam snorted. "Funny you don't count yourself among your brothers."

The blonde shrugged. "I may have been initially born with no emotion or normal empathy; but even without the Darkness or Shadow, I could see from a young age how easily corruptible the mortal soul could be."

"And your brothers aren't the exception, which is why you always took it upon yourself to dirty your hands as much as possible so they wouldn't have to."

Drake snorted with a snark. "Something I failed to do, more than once; not even I can predict what Fate will bring… but they still remained the same."

'After some little drama.' He mentally deadpanned.

"But yes… had we met even before you joined the White Fang, I could tell you would have fit right with us."

Now Adam snorted. "With how angry I was at the time... Doubt it, let me remind you I was branded like a fucking animal, and my parents die in a Dust mine under the Schnee. That family treated the damn incident as if it was nothing. Do you truly believe that you could-"

"Me, nah." Drake replied nonchalantly. "I was more likely to beat you up with that attitude of yours… Lloyd though," he smiled. "That dumbass at that time would have given you a hand, and helped you to go through the hand Fate gave you until your Justice had been served."

Adam just stared for a moment before he started laughing. "… Son of a bitch… he was right." Drake narrowed his eyes, his smile fading knowing Adam meant Ratatosk.

"This conversation went just as he said… he really does know you the best."

"Kind of hard not to when the piece of shit spied on my whole life through my eyes… what did you expect to get out of this, Taurus?"

Adam smiled, just as he went for the blindfold covering his eyes, removing it to reveal the burned seal of the Schnee Dust Company right over the right side of his eye and face. "My anger is gone, Drake." The blonde narrowed his eyes, finally starting to have a bad feeling as his instincts started to kick in.

"And with it, I started to think things clearly; every choice in life made by my harsh decisions."

Drake snorted. "Like your obsession with Blake." He saw Adam's lips twitch upward a little. "Even so, kind of deep in this game now to start having second guesses."

Adam sighed with a smile. "I am aware, as I am aware that what Ratatosk is planning to do is wrong to some level… but I don't care."

'And here I was hoping things would go without a hitch.'

"Despite being a simple mortal, he was the only one that believed in me; to the point he brought me into his real plan, knowing that I would agree thanks to my boiling rage." Adam softly rubbed the brand on his face. "And even came to the point he even called me his friend."

Drake's eyes widened, seeing as little by little, the brand started to disintegrate as Adam's hand glowed white; something he shouldn't be able to do unless he had the Centurion of Light with him, but he didn't.

'No… this is worse.' He thought as his eyes glowed.

"And so, he decided to take a rule from your book of life; I will always help my friends to reach their dreams." His Aura flared, but it wasn't the usual red the Bull Faunus usually had, but a mix of all of the colors of the elements. "And as his friend, I will do the same."

"He blessed you," Drake concluded, seeing as right then small spheres of energy of different colors started to form behind Adam while the symbol of wings faintly appeared behind him. "The Great Spirit that hates mortals blessed one…"

"He asked me to tell you; you were a great influence on him."

Drake stared, only to rest his face on his hand before he started to laugh.

He really couldn't help but curse his luck; seeing as he would be facing the second worst possible match-up right after Ratatosk.

"That explains why you are so damn calm; one of the benefits I suppose."

Adam nodded. "Although it still hardly compares to yours." Drake scowled, making Adam smirk. "I know, I know; if you could, you would toss all your divinity away." His eyes narrowed, going for the hilt of his blade. "But at least now you will be forced to go all out."

Drake wanted to snort, but he knew Adam was right. "… Just to be clear, you came here of your own volition, right?"

"Yes. Even if I don't manage to beat you, I will at least make it so you are not at your best when you reach my lord."

There wasn't any lie, nor any indication of mind control. Drake hated to admit it, but this was an act of dedication and loyalty, alone.

"… I guess the time for talking is over then," Adam replied, flaring his Aura to the maximum as he unsheathed his blade; causing a disturbance to wash over the whole area by the mere action. "Adam Taurus; Knight of Ratatosk!"

Drake couldn't help but snort at the old tradition of calling one's own name and title… but he decided to humor him; despite having too many titles to choose from, most of them way too cringy in his opinion.

"I shall answer your dedication with my own," he said calmly as his Aura flared with the same intensity; a mix of black and green affecting the area again as his hair changed to a mix of both colors while he unsheathed both of his blades handing behind his hip; both glowing with intensity. "Drake Moonlight Aurion Yggdrasil, too many fucking titles to pick from!"

Both grinned, preparing to engage the others.

Ever since they met in a torture room, this battle had been coming for a very long time. But neither of them ever expected things would be resolved like this.

And as much as Drake hated to admit it; sometimes one just can't escape from crossing fate.

Drake parried Adam's blade, quickly turning his body to deliver a [Beast] with his right leg. But Adam smirked, stepping as he aimed the tip of his handle at the blonde. "[Magna Ray!]" A light blue beam was shot toward the blonde, who charged head-first without hesitation; shortening the distance between him and an airborne Adam.

'[Ghost Wolf!]' Drake tightened the grip on his blade before going through Adam; delivering frontal and back strikes that were blocked by the Bull Faunus, using his scabbard and sword in anticipation. "Too predictable!"

"Sure about that!?" Drake shouted back, still maintaining his momentum after getting right behind Adam; enhancing his fist to deliver a [Beast] from the back, only to notice Adam making a motion with his fingers just as a gray glyph appeared below him.

"[Gravity Well!]" Adam shouted, managing to turn and step back before a black dome with lightning traveling through the surface with small stalagmites around it manifested around Drake.

"That's the same spell that paralyzed Bete!" Tiona exclaimed as she and Tione recalled the incident with the earth serpent a while back.

"I don't understand… just what is this magic?" Riveria muttered, gripping her staff as her eyes tried to figure out the logic behind the magic being displayed in front of her; yet just like the fire spell that Drake unleashed with that knife earlier, she could not understand anything. The fact that just the mere name of the spell was all they needed was infuriating.

"Finn-"

"Let's wait," Finn interrupted Gareth, already knowing what he would say before looking at his stalker. "Tione, is this the man that you met the last time; the one that took the last artifact?" The older Amazon nodded. "We will act if he manages to beat Drake; seeing how they appear to be around the same level." He replied, keeping to himself it was a great opportunity to know whom they were just dealing with. "Is that clear, Ais?"

The Sword Princess grudgingly nodded, finally fixing her broken nose before pointing forward. "… but… what about her?"

Finn raised an eyebrow, looking back at the fight to see Astraea's child charging at the identified Adam.

'Well… in her defense, she's not one of ours.'

Ryuu Lyon silently leaped in the air, her gaze staring directly at the back of Adam's head.

She didn't know how the spell worked; opting to believe Adam needed to be focusing on the spell to maintain the dome, therefore is why she was preparing to use her wooden sword to strike him.

Too bad no one noticed their surroundings

"Do you mind?" She heard Adam asking calmly to no one specifically.

"Already on it." her eyes widened; managing to shift her position to defend her side before receiving a drop kick. She rolled on the floor, recovering hazily before looking at the new arrival; a cloaked individual that looked shorter than a regular Pallum.

"Sorry, Elf." He pointed his thumb back to Adam and the magic dome. "But this is between the two of them."

Ryuu scowled, preparing to go into assault; the newcomer still had a lot to say. "Besides, I feel you should be more worried about the rest."

Her eyes widened, as did Loki Familias.

"… How?" Finn asked, seeing at the trees and bushes to see a lot of dark figures with red glowing eyes staring at them.

"How did we not notice those?" Tiona asked in her usual joke-like tone, although she still laughed nervously.

"Secure the Centurion, and let the Grimm-" Adam's mouth shut, and his eyes widened as he instinctively slashed his red blade to parry an incoming katana coming out of the dome. "… shit," he thought out loud, seeing a familiar right hand getting a hold of his neck right after he defended himself.

"Did you really think that would stop me?" Drake asked coldly, gripping Adam's throat with enough strength to break the neck of a normal person.

"No," Adam struggled to talk, but still smirked under his cloak. "But I did manage to slow you down with the [Gravity Well]"

It was the truth, he did feel a little numb, but he would recover in a moment. But that wasn't his biggest priority, seeing the high amount of red eyes hiding around; a familiar feeling ran through his back.

"Grimm," Drake gritted his teeth.

"It took my Lord a while, but he finally got enough strength to create them here." Adam suddenly reached out and grabbed Drake's arm, putting the same amount of strength in his grip as Drake's. "But that should be the last of your worries now!" The Bull Faunus tapped his foot into the ground, making Drake's eyes widen as an orange glyph appeared below them.

Drake gritted his teeth, quickly looking around and analyzing how bad the situation was. He knew how to solve it, or rather who, but he would have to deal with Adam in the meanwhile.

"Lett," Adam started. "Secure the Centurion, and keep them occupied!" the Goblin in disguise nodded as Drake snapped at Ryuu.

"Ryuu!" he suddenly shouted, the Elf's eyes widened her eyes as the glyph below them created a hole below them; making Drake and Adam fall into the next floor. "Hold up until Flynn arrives!" he shouted, his scream fading as they fell.

She tried to go after them, only for Lett to get in her way, using his daggers to force her to defend herself as the hole closed; leaving Ryuu and the Loki Familia to fend off the creature of the Grimm and Lett, with a hanging question Tiona decided to voice out.

"Who the fuck is Flynn?"

"It's funny! You mention Flynn, and yet I made sure none of your brothers were nearby!" Adam shouted as they fell, with each having a hold of the other until Drake let go of Adam's throat before kicking him in the chest to separate himself from the man.

Adam didn't flinch, the kick just held enough strength to make him let go of Drake's hand. He raised his sheath, preparing to pull the trigger, only to quickly move his head to the side as Drake threw one of the ends of his scarf at him; he most likely changed its properties to make it sharp.

"Is that all!?" The Bull Faunus shouted, reaming his sheath at Drake before he felt something sharp hitting his shoulder. It wasn't Drake's scarf, rather, it had been the blade Adam had parried before attached to the scarf.

It most likely fell with them when he made that hole in the floor, and now, Drake was just retrieving it.

But even so, Adam couldn't help but wonder where Drake got such a weapon. Because even if his Aura field protected him, he could feel how it cut through his reinforced cloak and clothes.

"[Impact Shot!]" Adam used a shot behind his back, taking the recoil to go forward to clash blades with Drake.

There was a furious exchange, forcing Drake against the wall between Floors before he adjusted his legs to pivot as they fell, making Adam smirk as he defended. "Come on, there's gotta be something more than that!"

He raised his sheath and pulled the trigger "[Howling Launcher!]" a red shot was fired, only to take the form of the head of a raging bull, making Drake's eyes widen seeing it was a firearms version of the [Beast] Arte.

"[Beast!]" Drake shouted before fixing the handle of his blade to throw a fist and execute the Arte himself, forcing Dragon and Bull to clash; resulting in the victory of the former.

But this was part of Adam's plan, as the Faunus had his sheath up before doing a full vertical swing with it. "[Rotation God Spear]" he created a red Aura shaped like a cutting edge going at the blonde. Drake fixed the handle on his blade again before shooting an [Azure Edge] to the side, using the recoil to avoid the flying edge, but still on course in going straight to Adam.

'Got him!' the blonde thought as he managed to get a hold of Adam's arm as they finally entered the next floor, even though they were still falling.

"Shit." The Bull thought out loud, just as Drake used his whole momentum to turn his body around and send Adam straight to the ground with great strength. He crashed into the ground, with no real time to express any discomfort as he ducked from Aurion's impaling blade on the very spot his head had been.

Drake wasn't touching the ground as he held his blade; using the handle and balance to maintain himself airborne. He scowled, dragging his blade on the ground to make a circular swing, but Adam quickly fixed his body to kick the side of Drake's head.

"[Beast]" Adam shouted, giving Drake barely enough time to move his disabled left arm to defend his right side. But even so, the impact of the Arte was strong enough as Drake was sent away the moment the red Aura Bull came from the impact of Adam's kick.

He rolled a few times, managing to gain some momentum to stab the blade on the ground and stop.

They stared at each other for a long moment, each with narrowed eyes before Adam snorted.

"How long are you gonna keep your left arm in that state?" he removed the hood of his cloak, revealing a familiar light-blue eyed, red-haired individual, with bull-sharp horns stretching from the edges of his forehead… and wearing a pair of shaders.

"… Why the fuck are you wearing those if your face is already healed?" Drake asked, a little annoyed as he took off his scarf. "Also, those are Yuri's if I am not mistaken."

"I spent a long time covering my face, that it just feels weird not having something on," he said with a little humor as Drake stored his scarf in his shadow. "Oh, are we going serious now?" There was a reason for this. Drake had always taken off his scarf whenever there was a serious fight ahead; in fear, his scarf might get damaged. "What about that arm though? You don't seriously expect to fight me with just one arm."

Drake snorted, opting to now answer as he made a knot on his left sleeve to make pressure on the wound. "Who knows? We will have to wait and see."

Adam's eye twitched for a moment before he let out an ironic sigh. "So much for that promise, huh?"

Drake made the same gesture. "Don't remind me of that shit."

There was a moment of silence, their laugh already faded by now as they just stared at each other with neutral expressions…

*CLASH*

The distance between them had shortened in an instant, with both blades already clashing as their respective Aura flared; invading the majority of the floor. "Hope you don't regret your decision!"

Drake didn't reply, his eyes instead focusing on the state of Adam's blade. It wasn't the same one as the last time they fought, that much he could tell, seeing he could see the small currents of electricity running across the edge along with the sudden vibrations.

"You piece of shit, just how much of my stuff have you used?" Drake asked, annoyed, seeing there was no way Adam could forge something like this. "Damn it, even the clothes you are wearing were stored in the shadows."

"Finders keepers!" Adam pushed back, clearly having more strength with both arms as he started to push Drake back. He stopped resisting and side-stepped to the side as Adam swiftly followed without time to breath; slashes, thrusts, and so on, all while Drake avoided Adam's blade.

"Afraid of clashing blades?" Adam asked mockingly, making Drake's eye twitch. "If you are not gonna stop fighting smart, I will force you to!" he made a quick back-step, sheathing his blade and taking a posture that made Drake feel a chill run through his whole body; his mind making him see the image of Yuri in the same posture for an instant.

'Don't you fucking dare,' Drake thought with a growl as he acted out of instinct.

"[Reaper's Dance!]"

The blonde stepped to the side before the very spot he was on was suddenly engulfed in dozens of cuts; as if Adam had mercilessly slashed that very spot from where he stood, a good distance away.

"I didn't spend one and a half years doing nothing!" Adam's blade has remained sheathed the whole time, at least that would have been the case for the normal eye. But to an Artes user with a trained eye, the body would have to move at an outstanding speed; so fast that it would seem as if the blade was never unsheathed, while an invisible wave of Aura reached the desired target before unleashing the barrage of slashes.

That was [Reaper's Dance], one of Yuri's signature Artes.

But this... this was just infuriating.

"One and a half years for this fucking knockoff!" Drake shouted enraged, stepping from side to side before the attack would reach him. He could see it, the tension in Adam's whole body due to the Arte; it was taxing, since it would need a very flexible, and fast yet strong body to execute, something Yuri was able to achieve to create an Arte.

What Adam was doing was sloppy at best, putting incredible tension in his body as he tried to make up for what he was lacking; but it was poor at best, seeing as Yuri's execution was at least three times faster; in comparison, Drake saw Adam's waves of slashes with ease.

"How long do you think you can keep going?" the blonde asked, side-stepping one final time before dashing in a beeline.

"As long as I can!" He made a final execution, far more intense than the previous one seeing how this time there was not just one wave, but four consecutive ones.

Drake ducked left, then back; avoiding two of the waves before jumping forward between the second and the third to then finally do a turn around the fourth one, shortening the distance with Adam in the process.

"Got you!"

His instincts kicked in again, seeing as Adam adjusted his stance a little while his blade remained sealed; this time he couldn't help but see an image of Guy.

'… I am too late.' Drake thought, seeing what was coming and no way to avoid it. Guy's-

"[Final Cross!]" Adam quickly unsheathed his blade to perform a big cross on the ground where Drake was standing before it erupted into a pillar of light that dealt continuous damage to Drake… but that didn't mean he would just stop.

"No," Drake suddenly stepped out of the pillar; his Aura diminishing due to receiving a Light-based attack. "I got you," he said before raising his blade in a spinning motion just as Adam had sheathed his blade. '[Shining Fang!]' Drake thought, rotating his weapon around his wrist, swinging it around in a complete circuit several times; wounding Adam as it tried to break his Aura field.

Adam gritted his teeth, holding out to the pain to not scream as he adjusted the position of his sheathed blade. This confused Drake for a moment, seeing Adam's hand was nowhere near the handle. It was only then that he noticed Adam's sheath was not the one that he usually used, but one designed to shoot the weapon of its sheath.

*CLICK*

His ears caught the sound of the trigger, undoubtedly activated by Adam before the blade was shot forward with immense strength and speed; hitting Drake straight in the chest, pushing his back as his eyes examined Adam's glowing red blade.

There had been a reason he had tried to avoid blade clashes with Adam; his semblance, Moonslice. The ability to absorb attacks into the weapons he held to then release them in different ways. And judging by the glow in his blade, the previous attacks since the previous floor had charged it enough.

"Checkmate!" Adam grabbed his blade just as it made contact with Drake; fixing his handle before making a semi-horizontal slash, releasing a wave of energy that sent him flying across the floor; crashing through many trees in the way.

"No… I refuse to believe it was that easy," Adam stated calmly as he sheathed his blade before searching for Drake. It didn't take too long to find him, seeing him struggling to stand up as a faint blacking energy around him seemed to shatter; his Aura field had broken.

"…" Adam stared coldly at him. He gritted his teeth, grabbing him by the collar to make him stand up. "Come on! Use your shadows, call your armor, use your blessing, fix your fucking arm! I don't remember you being so goddamn pathetic… wait…" his eyes caught something… unusual, after looking slightly down. He looked at his own shadow, lifting nothing. "… Where the fuck is your shadow?"

Drake smirked coolly, grabbing Adam's cloak before slamming his head with his. "[BEAST!]" The Arte connected, making Adam grab his whole head in pain after receiving the impact from the Aura Dragon at close impact.

Adam groaned, trying his best to calm down despite the massive pain and headache he now had. He looked up, his vision incredibly distorted, but he could still faintly see the distorted image of something dark coming at him. "Fuck."

"[Marian]" Drake muttered calmly; his blade coated in a dark Aura as he gave a thrust; extending his range and edge as it pierced through Adam's Aura.

Adam groaned, being sent rolling on the floor as his own Aura field broke.

"You couldn't get me at my worst, and you ask for my best…" Drake panted, resting the back of his blade on his shoulder. "get real."

Adam snorted. "I thought you couldn't lie; looks like that changed seeing you are clearly overlooking my last attack."

"I am not." He replied, the only reason why Adam's attack didn't land any bloody wound after breaking his Aura field was due to his reinforced clothes; which the same could be said about Adam's cloth, seeing it was also originally Drake's.

But he remained quiet, taking a stance as they prepared to continue. Adam now knew why Drake was giving him such a handicap; it wasn't because the blonde wanted to, but because he couldn't due to the absence of his shadow.

But that begs the question, just where was Drake's shadow… and why did the blonde look tire all of the sudden?

A few minutes earlier

Things weren't looking good for Ryuu and Loki Familia. Even though no battle had commenced when Drake had been forced onto the next Floor, everyone seemed tense after being surrounded by what could be defined as a new species… no, that wasn't right, there were several new species.

There were a lot of humanoid-like ones that seemed to have deformed faces that screamed an ominous shout, werewolf-like Monsters that stood on two feet, bear-like ones, some resembling gorillas, and even boar-like ones. But that was only the tip of the iceberg seeing the individual known as Lett was currently looking down on them while sitting on top of a twenty stories tall elephant.

But for being a new species, they all seemed to share the same particular traits. Red glowing eyes, black skin surrounded by an ominous fog of the same color, and skull-like masks.

But that wasn't the worst part of all of this… as it seemed like most of the members of the Loki Familia seemed to be a little off.

"My body… why does it feel so heavy?" Tiona asked, using her weapon to try and remain standing while the rest didn't fare any best.

"It… must be… some kind of status ailment," Riveria concluded as many felt the urge to fall asleep while the humanoid-like continued screaming. "It's… so hard to be-" she stopped talking, feeling it was too much effort to simply open her mouth.

Finn tried to put in the most effort as he tried to reach the Centurion. He knew he shouldn't touch it unless he wanted to freeze, but he knew the unknown party wanted this. He had to at least try to do something. Unfortunately, he had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice being surrounded by the humanoid Monsters.

They were slow, with no muscle, nor weapon; weak. Finn could easily clear them with a sweep of his spear, if it wasn't that he felt so damn tired.

*AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!*

His body felt heavier, to the point he was forced down to one knee.

'… I… see… it's them…' Finn had realized what had caused their current state; the scream just made it worse, but even thinking became too tiresome as the bunch of them started to pile on him.

"… Geez… talk about not judging a book by its cover, the Apathy Grimms really are something" Lett commented from atop the giant elephant as he looked at the humanoid Grimm before standing up. "Aaaaanyway, time to go get the Centurion."

"Not yet." Lett looked to the site to see an orange glowing mole floating next to the Goblin; Solum, the Centurion of Earth. "Even Drake Aurion couldn't prevent his hand from being frozen. Our only hope is to wait for Adam to return"

The Goblin in disguise snorted. "Shouldn't be too hard. That guy is missing an arm and probably tired from dealing with…" Lett looked down at that unconscious Bete. "that guy over there."

Solum didn't answer. "… Things like that have never stopped him."

Lett raised an eyebrow, ready to ask more about the subject.

"Oh," Solum expressed surprise, making Lett look down to see something which shouldn't have been possible.

Ryuu Lyon jumped forward, executing a horizontal slash to make the humanoid Monsters dissipate the moment her blade made contact with them.

"How the hell is she still moving? Also, aren't the Apathy supposed to be super sturdy despite being so weak combat-wise?"

"They are… Lett," Solum narrowed her eyes, looking at Ryuu's blade. "You might actually have something to do while we wait."

"How… How… are you… moving?" Finn managed to ask, barely conscious enough to speak.

"I don't know," Ryuu said hurriedly, not feeling any of the effects Loki Familia was feeling. "But at least with this, I can-"

"[Rising Falcon!]" she moved her blade above, blocking Lett's dive attack with her weapon. However, it was still strong enough to force her feet to be dragged back to the ground.

"… Level Four." Ryuu theorized, making Lett grin under his cloak as he took his momentum to jump back.

"Four, plus a little extra!" Lett was suddenly surrounded by a greenish light that reminded him of Drake for a moment. "Here I go, Elf!" He punched the ground, expanding the energy around his body behind him before various forms started to rise from the ground, all of them looking like him. "I am Legion! For We are many!" he made a gesture with his arm before all of the clones charged.

The first line jumped at her, forcing her to slash what was in front of her while the second and third lines surrounded her. "[Azure Edge!]" they all shouted, waving their daggers before launching blue spheres of energy at the Elf. Ryuu jumped to avoid the attacks, narrowing her eyes as she saw another set of clones already airborne, going for her.

Too bad Ryuu also knew how to move in the air, using some of the clones and stepping on them to then use her blade to attack the closest one and then proceed to the next; being forced to block only a few times, but gaining momentum by shifting her center of gravity to make them pass and then kick them away.

'They are weaker than the original…wait' her eyes widened, recalling she had taken off the original Lett.

"[Destruction-" she looked up, seeing the Original doing a somersault while one of his daggers exuded a red fire-like energy; coming straight for her. "-Fiel-" he never got to finish the Arte's name, because Ryuu had gotten got off one of the clones and threw the copy at the Original. "Oh, you bitch!" The Original fell, just as the clone dissipated; as did the rest.

She finally landed back to the ground, rushing towards Lett as he tried to recover from the fall. But her movement suddenly halted, looking down to see two pairs of hands; each grabbing one of her legs before she noticed various shadows moving on the ground.

Her eyes widened after looking up, seeing multiple clones getting the drop on her before a pile started to form. But even so, they were still weaker than her. She forced her hand, managing to perform a swing with her sword to clear the way, but something felt wrong.

"Got it!" Lett, the Original darted at her… no. More specifically, he jumped at the hand holding her weapon; using his strength and the lag of the chance to move from her part to apply pressure on her arm, making her lose the grip on her sword before taking it.

Ryuu recovered her momentum, her eyes narrowing at the cloaked Goblin before giving chase. But-

*AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH*

Her body suddenly became heavy, and she felt tired, with no energy. She fell on one knee, seeing how Lett walked to her with Alf's Lumina in hand. "And there it is." He said with a smile under his cloak, just as her vision started to fade… and yet, she could see someone walking towards her.

His clothes were mostly white, she could not make out the color of his eyes… but his blonde hair made her believe it was someone she knew.

"…Dra-ke?" she managed to mutter, making Lett raise his eyebrow at the mention of the blonde.

"LETT, BEHIND YOU!"

The Goblin's eyes widened as he turned around, only to see a fist coming straight for his face; it stopped at the last moment, and yet released the sheer strength behind the fist in the form of a massive wave of wind that forced Lett to drop Ryuu's sword before he was sent flying back to where the horde of Grimms was.

Ryuu managed to look up, noticing that whoever was helping her was holding Finn Deinme over his shoulder. She barely registered him getting a hold of her and her sword, nor did she notice the moment the other black Monsters started to roar at him and gave chase.

The blonde backstepped, avoiding the attacks with ease until he arrived where the rest of the Loki Familia was before walls of light surrounded them completely; protecting them from the Grimm that attacked them, making them explode the moment they made contact with it.

"Stop!" Lett commanded, making all of the Grimm do as told before they started surrounding them.

"… Let me guess…" Finn and the rest managed to wake up to see a blonde man with elegant white clothes; imprinting on them the image of a Knight or Noble. "Flynn?"

Name: Flynn Scifo

Semblance: Holy Shields, the ability to create shields or walls made out of Holy Light. Their properties can be changed, and they can be made lethal as well.

Ryuu couldn't deny it.

The person in front of her had an uncanny resemblance to Drake. To the point, only his blue-green eyes, his slightly different hairstyle, and his Tattoo of the number four on the back of his right hand differentiated the two.

"This barrier…" Riveria looked around at the shields of light covering them. "Are they negating the effect of those Monsters?"

Her question went on ignored, as Flynn's eyes kept watching around the area.

"You don't talk much, huh?" Tiona inquired, yawning as if she had just woken up.

"… Would talking serve for anything at this moment?" he asked, even though it seemed more like a statement. "I just came here to give you an edge before I head back to Drake, seeing he might need… help."

"… You were gonna say hand, weren't you?"

"Tiona!" Riveria scolded her. Seeing as Drake was now lacking a hand, or better said a whole arm, due to them to some degree.

"Can you tell us what these creatures are?" Finn asked, seeing there was no time to be amicable at the moment. "Your… friend seemed to know them?"

"They are called Grimm," Flynn started as Finn stood beside him. "Creatures of Darkness that are attractive to negative emotions; Despair, confusion, doubt… fear."

Finn smiled. "Good thing I am not afraid then." He tried to make honor to his alias; showing an confident expression and a firm posture as he spoke.

Flynn looked sideways at the Pallum, narrowing his eyes at a certain place. "Your thumb says otherwise."

The Pallum's smile faltered, making some of the Guardians snort as Flynn continued.

"The ones with the humanoid shape; are called the Apathy. Being near them alone makes them drain you of any Will you may have, something all of you have already experienced. The effects get worse when they have their eyes on you, but that too is nothing compared to being subjected to their scream."

Ryuu's eyes widened, recalling how she lost all of her strength the moment she heard the screams; something Finn was also familiar with.

"But then, how is it that you are able to withstand it?" Riveria approached him. "I may have been half dazed, but I definitely saw you doing just fine before you put on this shield around us." She eyed Ryuu. "As did some others."

Flynn eyed the waitress for a moment, only paying attention to her wooden sword for half a second. "Not sure about her. And as for me," his mind went to his tattoo of the number four. "I have my ways."

"That's a lot of convenient bullshit if you ask me."

Gareth facepalmed, just as Riveria used her staff to smack Tione.

"What the heck!? It is the truth!" she pointed at Flynn. "Divine artifacts coming out of nowhere and affecting our damn dreams."

"We did warn you," Flynn said calmly.

"Be quiet!" she snapped at him. Not really in the mood anymore for everything as she recalled the nightmares caused by the artifact; killing her sister over and over again was not something anyone would like to see. "And now there's a new kind of Monsters that only you people seem to know about. Don't expect us just to be thankful because you came in like some kind of Holy Knight." She scowled, making Flynn sigh with crossed arms.

"Honestly… it's not like I wanted to come." He turned around and gave her a kind of smile that reminded her of Finn, making her blush slightly as her ire seemed to fade a little. "Had it been me, I would have prioritized my brother's life over yours."

Riveria and Finn twitched, both able to recognize an underhanded comment when they heard one.

Translation: I would have preferred to let you all die than to be here.

"Especially since one of you seems to be rather eager to put a literal hole in his head," he looked over his shoulder, watching Ais with a cold stare that almost made her raise her guard. "However, he insisted for me to come here and give you a hand, and not exactly because of you." Everyone seemed to look at Ryuu, who put on her best neutral expression.

"I understand we may not have the best relationship. But we do really appreciate your help in this. However, we are rather limited in what we can do inside of this barrier." Finn said, making the Guardian give a few steps forward before extending his arms in a cross form; his right hand resting over his left wrist.

"Rag" the top of his left arm started to glow bright, making everyone cover their eyes before they opened them again and saw a sheathed sword; the sheath itself was made of white metal with gold outlines, while the sword seemed to be the kind which a Knight would use; with its handles having a weird folded design. But somehow, the most notorious thing was the keychain attached to the handle with a particular design; it was a Red Phoenix "Querion."

He unsheathed his sword, just as the hilt unfolded to reveal angel-like wings as the rest of the blade glowed brightly. The adorn on the hilt unfolded, turning a pair of white angel golden with the face of a phoenix of the same color in the center. The color of blade itself was glowing white; with several blue runes on its faces.

Flynn rested his forehead on his sword, making several White Glyphs appear above and around them, all of them pointing at the horde of Grimm.

The Centurion of Earth scowled, raising a giant wall of earth to protect as many Grimms as they could.

"[Divine Streak]" Flynn muttered calmly, turning his blade as the Glyphs shot beams of light that started to eradicate all of the Grimm.

"… I… I just can't," Riveria muttered, once again not understanding the type of magic she was witnessing; no incantation, multiple casting at the same time, and the sheer firepower behind it. This was something Finn, Gareth, and even Ais had taken into account as they saw many of the Grimm, especially the Apathy ones, drop down like flies.

All they could think about at the moment was not their no longer dire situation, but the aftermath if this group decided to actually go against them; they had every right to do it now, after all.

'Damn it, you will not be able to break through that wall. Solum's really putting the extra effort in it.' Yuri commented, making Flynn scowl.

"You are right… and I also have to think about Drake's Aura," Flynn recalled, the first time Zelos manifested himself using Drake's shadow as a medium, he had started casting various spells without care. What he noticed later was that Zelos was draining Aura directly from the current output of whatever Drake was using at the moment.

And this little stunt was no exception, even if his sword was making things easier for both.

'I think you have done enough.' Yuri commented, making Flynn stop the spells before dropping his sword.

"… you all should be able to handle the rest," Flynn commented, sheathing his sword as he turned around. "The Apathy was your biggest threat at the moment. The rest should be-" his eyes widened; turning around to raise his left arm as the sheath turned into a Knight Shield to block a black blade.

"Flynn Scifo," everyone stared as a black energy appeared out of nowhere, taking the shape of a faceless body.

"Tenebrae," Flynn muttered, with clear disdain in his eyes at the face of the Centurion of Darkness. "Having problems forming a full body? What does it feel like being weak for a change?" Flynn recalled Tenebrae used to be far more powerful.

"Funny you mention that," The Centurion made pressure on his push. "We felt when Drake arrived in Orario, but we never felt when you or the rest arrived," the black Aura around the body surrounded Flynn, making his body flicker for a moment. "And now I know why. I guess in the end Drake really is alo-"

"[Cyclone Beam]" Flynn unsheathed his blade faster than everyone could see, phasing through the target before a white Glyph surrounded Tenebrae to then release a million light particles which phased through it, pivoting inside the light walls until almost nothing remained as Flynn's face reflected a calm anger; as if he had something he didn't want to be reminded of.

"… It looks like I may have over spoken; my apologies." what little remained of Tenebrae's construct said, just as Flynn turned to reveal his eyes which started to glow, and yet they seemed rather cold as he looked at him. "We will be seeing you later, Flynn; all of you."

Flynn just scowled, seeing as Tenebrae faded away. He was about to address Ryuu and Loki Familia-

*bahruuuuuuhhhhaaaaa*

The wall of earth that Solum had created broke, revealing the giant elephants Grimm charging at them.

"… Would you believe me if I say I forgot about that thing!?" Tiona shouted, pretty much saying what everyone else was thinking deep down. "That thing is ten times bigger than a Goliath!"

"It's coming in a straight line! We can avoid it!" Finn shouted, making it so everyone would get out of the way… everyone but Flynn.

"What are you doing, lad!?" Gareth's shouts went to deaf ears, as Flynn maintained his scowl due to his interaction with Tenebrae. He turned around, just as his sword and shield disappeared.

"Has he gone mental!?" Tione commented, seeing how Flynn raised his fist; he was going to punch it. "Yup, he's gone mental!"

Flynn said nothing, simply taking a solid step with his left leg while extending his right hand back slightly, waiting for the right moment… until it, the Goliath Grimm was finally at attack reach.

It all happened in an instant.

It wasn't an Arte.

It didn't even have too much Aura put into it.

It was just a punch; a normal punch.

"Holy shit!" Tiona shouted, seeing the Elephant being sent flying all the way against the wall in the distance, making a dent in it before the Grimm faded in an instant.

Finn's whole arm started to hurt at such a feat. He couldn't help but compare this new blonde with Ottarl, and that was never good.

"You are on your own now, don't die." Flynn suddenly said before walking to Ryuu, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. He then started to leave, but not before looking at Ais.

"… How?" she asked with a broken voice, just as Flynn approached her while ignoring the clear mental struggle she was facing. "How are all of you so-" Flynn gently placed his hand on her shoulder, making her words die.

"What just happened, it's nothing compared to what I or the others will do to you if you try to harm our brother for a third time."

He didn't sound angry, but calm.

His grip on her shoulder wasn't forced, but soft.

And yet, she couldn't help but look down as if she had been hiding from an enemy she could not defeat; because she could feel his anger on her.

He was a nice guy… and there was nothing more fearsome than the ire of a nice guy.

He left, walking past everyone before Ryuu could protest about wanting to go with him to help Drake, but he was already far gone when they turned around.

"Ryuu," she clenched her fist at the sound of her princess. "I know you may want to help your friend, but we have things to be preoccupied with."

The remaining Grimm started to charge at them, making Ryuu just walk past Riveria before she started to defend herself along with Loki Familia.

At least, the hardest part had already been dealt with by someone else.

"Need a breather!?" Adam shouted as Drake was sent smashing against a wall, quickly rolling aside to evade a [Sonic Thrust]; managing to avoid the tip of Adam's blade at the last second.

'[Beast]' Drake thought, fixing the handle on his sword to throw a punch, which Adam easily avoided by ducking his head to the side before getting a hold of Drake's collar.

"You are even slower now," The Bull Faunus commented before throwing Drake over his shoulder to then quickly point his Sheath at the blonde. "[Magna Ray]" a beam was shot, forcing Drake to be pushed back as he blocked it with his blade.

He rolled over the floor, quickly recovering to see Adam in the air doing a somersault as his blade glowed red. "[Destruction Field!]"

Drake backflipped, a moment too late seeing the impact of the explosion had managed to push him back against a tree before swiftly appearing in front of him with the full intent of attack; forcing Drake to use his blade to defend himself despite knowing it would only power up his semblance.

'Adam.' Tenebrae suddenly spoke in his mind.

"Did something happen?" he had been too focused on Drake to pay attention to what was happening on the floor above.

'That's not important at the moment, listen carefully.' Adam snorted, keeping their blades connected.

"So that's how it is!" he put more pressure on his blade. "You felt so lonely that you decided to make imaginary versions of your brothers! Ha!"

Drake simply stared coldly at Adam despite not being in the best situation. "That's the children's version of the fact, but yes."

That explained a lot to Adam; as to why Drake was so weak at the moment, and why he didn't use his shadow to deal with his missing arm.

"Better make use of this advantage while I can!" He parried Drake's blade, forcing him to backstep while Adam pointed at the spot Drake was gonna land with his sheath. "[Serpent!]"

Drake's eyes widened, recognizing the Arte as an orange Glyph appeared right in the middle of where he was going to land. "… Fuck." He muttered, making the spot he landed explode the moment.

Adam narrowed his eyes as they glowed, gazing through the smoke to see Drake's condition. He noticed the blonde weakly moving his good arm back, trying to lift his blade while he limped due to the explosion more likely harming his feet.

He started to approach him, dashing at him to finish things to his advantage. He raised his blade, with all the energy of his Semblance ready to be unleashed while he added some of his Aura into his blade, making sure it was more than enough to go through reinforced clothes.

"Let's settle this properly next time."

His blade met his target, going for a vertical slash over Drake's left shoulder; cutting through Drake's clothes and piercing his skin… but only a little.

"What!?" Adam asked, trying to put more pressure down on his blade, but he couldn't. His eyes glowed, narrowing then at the inflicted wound to notice something faint covered by blood; a second layer of skin, with a faint resemblance of-

"… scales?" Adam asked.

'He developed dragon skin. But it's weird, he has only been a Dragon Faunus for a few years, he shouldn't have developed for- Adam! Back away!" Tenebrae shouted, making Adam try to retrieve his sword, only for a left black hand to grab it. it was then he noticed, not only his flow of Aura had returned to normal, but his shadow was clearly back.

"Shit," Adam concluded, just as Drake quickly dropped his blade to use his glowing right hand to grab Adam's face.

"[Raging Blast]"

Adam shouted in pain as the energy on Drake's hand exploded, forcing him to let go of his blade and backstep while covering his face.

'Ok, back. What the fuck did we miss… you look like shit.' Zelos commented, making Drake groan as he flexed his neck and the rest of his body after taking off Adam's blade from his shoulder; his wounds healing as his usual flow of Aura returned. His shoulder, leg, and every wound healed.

"Son of a bitch ruined my jacket," he muttered, not bothering about asking on the situation on the previous floor seeing they were back.

'Tenebrae knows.'

'I know, Adam was mocking me about it not even three minutes ago,' Drake replied to Flynn. 'As for everything worth mentioning; he's used some of your Artes, and Yuri,' his eyes landed on Adam's shoes. 'He stole your J's.'

Everyone saw through Drake's eyes the familiar design of personalized black combat sports shoes with the logo of a white wolf on the designs.

'… Son of a- it's one thing stealing your things! But mine!? The sheer audacity, I swear.' Drake snorted, clearly identifying the mock of anger in his voice. '… You got this?'

Drake saw how Adam's burned face healed, looking at him with the same look before focusing on his blade next to Drake's feet.

'Now I do…' Drake kicked Adam's blade back to him, who caught it easily as Drake grabbed his blade with his right hand while flexing his replacement for his left one; a hand made out of his own shadow. 'One last thing guys…' he lousily dropped his blade in front of him. 'No backseat driving.' He made a somersault, his Aura flaring around his body as he connected a kick on his falling blade. "[BEAST!]"

His shout was accompanied by the roar of an Aura Dragon, sending the blade spinning at such a speed that Adam barely had time to block it.

Adam grinned, looking up to see Drake above him; retrieving his blade after being parried and slamming it down on him.

He ducked to the side, avoiding the attack while raising his sheath to shoot at the blonde. But Drake quickly performed a sweeping back kick straight towards it, making Adam lose hold of it before being sent flying away. He then adjusted his body, planting his free hand on the ground to perform a helicopter kick.

Adam backflipped, quickly rushing for a [Sonic Thrust] that Drake barely parried, seeing it grazed part of his neck before he could divert the attack completely. Both got a solid hold of their weapon, handling them to target vital areas of the other.

Blades clashed, generating waves of Aura that started to push everything around them.

In one moment, Adam managed to parry upward one of Drake's attacks, giving him enough time to grab his throat with a glowing hand. "[Raging Blast]".

The explosion forced Drake to cough as his throat had been mostly burned, but pushed himself forward to push his left punch backward. '[Cerberus Blast]' he delivered three consecutive fists at Adam, stunning for a second before he pushed the blade forward with his Aura coating the blade, perforating his left shoulder.

He intended to twist his blade, but Adam shouted a [Beast], slamming his foot at full force into Drake's chest before a bull made of red Aura slammed him back-

*CRACK*

And breaking a few of his ribs in that instant while Drake maintained the hold on his blade, retrieving it back from Adam's shoulder. The Bull Faunus growled, running forward as Drake recovered, pulling his elbow back before unleashing a fast set of rapid thrusts as he advanced. "[Sword Rain!]"

But Drake didn't evade it, instead doing that same action of pulling his elbow back before unleashing his own barrage of thrusts, with a little twist. '[Dark Shower]' his thrusts were infused with a black Aura, making it so they had a major reach, and there was a slight curve in his thrusts that were able to go past Adam's attack.

The attacks connected, harming the sides of his body, arms, and even almost perforate part of his chest. But even so, Adam pushed forward, going as far as taking extra damage and putting in extra Aura to increase his speed tenfold, making him stand in front of Drake as the blonde had another sense of déjà vu; this time seeing the stance Adam adopted reminiscing of Luke after the Faunus had made an upward slash. But not to wound him, but to lift him off the ground.

"[Light Spear Cannon]" Adam muttered, executing a diagonal stab at his chest with his blade being surrounded by a glowing light. Drake spat blood, just as he was sent flying upward against the wall.

He crashed and promptly tried to recover. But even before he could fully open his eyes, he felt someone getting a full hold of his face. He didn't need to think hard to know it was Adam, using the shoes he had made for Yuri to stick to the walls.

Adam roared, getting a firm hold of Drake's head; turning it to the side before he started running through the wall, managing to leave a slight trail of blood in his way.

Drake groaned, recovering his strength to impale the fingers of his left hand on the wall to make Adam stop abruptly; taking his momentum to then quickly use it to turn his body around and deliver a powerful spin kick. Adam was sent back down, while Drake re-accommodated himself to place his feet on the wall in the same way Adam had done it.

'… I may have screwed up.' Drake thought, knowing at least one of his brothers were holding back comments for his action. Because he had sent Adam close to where Drake had previously kicked Adam's sheath away… something Adam knew seeing he let his body roll into that direction.

Drake gritted his teeth, putting Aura into his feet before shooting himself forward. Adam had a similar reaction, his ears catching the moment Drake darted forward in his direction.

The Knight of Ratatosk planted his hand on the ground as he rolled to face Drake, aiming his blade in his direction as several orange Glyphs appeared all around, aiming at Drake before boulders were shot at him.

The Guardian narrowed his eyes, putting more Aura on his blade. '[Tempest]' he thought, extending his blade forward before somersaulting multiple times, cutting through the first few rocks before stopping the Arte and pivoting through a pair of them, then finally performing a wide slash to cut through the last one.

Adam scowled, looking back while still airborne to see he was still too far away from his sheath… there was no other choice.

He landed to the ground, his eyes glowing as he snarled, locking them with Drake's; giving a silent message that the Guardian understood as he approached him from the air… in the final moments, just as Drake had landed… both charged at one another with a single [Sonic Thrust].

The blade clashed, the impact making both separate feet from the others as a massive shockwave shocked the floor. Both roared, clashing their blades at one another as the speed, intensity, and certainty in each other's actions increased to the point each started to take significant damage; Drake had his left eye slashed while Adam's lips were cut clean. And even so, they continued in their own moment; neither of them losing their footing nor surrendering.

'I know you have your own personal matter to settle, but remember our main-'

'I KNOW' Adam shouted, stopping Tenebrae as his eyes darted to the side for a fraction of a second to see how close his sheath was. 'Here goes nothing!'

'OVERLIMIT!'

The Aura around Adam's body increased tenfold before creating a shockwave, pushing Drake away for a moment; stopping his momentum. Adam backflipped, getting a hold of his sheath and stopping, seeing Drake already a foot away from him with his leg coming down on him.

Adam smirked ducking to the side with ease thanks to the boost of the OVERLIMIT, as even his wounds started to heal. He slashed Drake, not really causing any damage, but stunning him as a large blue Glyph surrounded Drake before Adam jumped high in the air.

'… Ok, now I am the one having a feeling of Déjà vu,' Yuri commented, something the rest shared as Adam smirked down at them while extending his sheath at Drake. '… fuck.'

They all recognized what Adam was doing, as three consecutive Glyphs appeared above Drake. "He's even imitating Mystic Artes," Drake muttered, as all of them recalled the Artes Master that invented the Arte.

The cannon in Adam's sheath started to glow until he pulled the trigger.

"[Mystic Arte: Crisis Rain]"

Multiple beams shaped like arrows of light were shot, centering on Drake's position before exploding at his position.

Adam remained in the air for a moment due to the execution of the Mystic Arte, narrowing his eyes as he tried to see through the smoke. Even if it was a light-based Arte, he could not lower his guard with Drake-

"OVERLIMIT!"

And he was proved right.

A massive pillar of black Aura cleared the smoke, revealing a bloody Drake Aurion on the very center of the pillar, embracing him as he looked calmly at him before grabbing his blade with both hands to make a circular gesture, making Adam in realization before sheathing his blade, trying to get a good stance despite being airborne.

Drake finished, retrieving his blade backward before pushing forward. "[Void Wave]" he muttered, releasing a massive beam of Darkness that went straight for Adam.

Adam's Semblance had already been charged to the brim thanks to all the clashes he had had with Drake before. But he didn't have a solid footing, and yet, he roared once more; mustering every bit of strength as he unsheathed his blade to unleash Moonslice in the shape of a beam of his own.

Black and Red clashed, but in the end; Adam's Overlimit had already finished. And even if Drake was the more wounded one, his Overlimit was still active.

Drake's eyes narrowed; just as his hair and sclera finally turned black before twisting his blade as the beam expanded further, easily overpowering Adam.

"Damn it!" Adam shouted, extending his hand as several orange Glyphs appeared in front of him before creating various walls of the earth as his beam died down. But they didn't help much, seeing Drake's beam forced them back as Adam tried to maintain them. In the end, Drake's attack pushed the walls against Adam, and eventually to the ceiling before it went through it completely.

Drake panted, flexing his head high as he dropped his blade; letting his Aura and Overlimit heal his wounds, focusing especially on his wounded eye. And so, he took a breather… looking at the hole he made… a hole that led to the floor above… where the sealed Centurion was…

'Come on everyone, say it with me,' Zelos started, making Drake groan.

'Well…' Flynn started, seeing the situation called for it. 'I see no problem with it.'

"This is because I didn't let you help me, isn't it?"

They ignored him.

'It was at that moment that he knew,' they said in a quorum.

"Eat shit, all of you," Drake commented, picking up his blade as he put Aura on his feet before jumping to the previous floor.

'He fucked up'

A few minutes earlier

"These things are restless!" Tiona shouted, struggling a little with a huge and black, bear-like Monster. The bear was currently biting off the handle of her weapon while pinning her down on the ground. She gritted her teeth, feeling how her own arms started to tremble a little.

She recalled that guy's -Flynn's- words regarding how they got stronger with fear and negative emotions. But she wasn't afraid, she was a high-class Adventurer, a Level Five. And yet, she could not shake this Monster off her.

With that, doubt started to plant itself in her mind, giving root to the very emotions she denied having. The fact that she could not be her usual self due to the nightmares she recently got didn't make things easier.

"Do not think!"

A familiar lance suddenly went cleanly through the Ursa's head, making it vanish immediately as Finn quickly turned around to parry more Grimm coming his way.

"The very moment you start thinking you can't do something, it will be your doom against these new Species," Finn said with a neutral face, assuming Tiona would recover on her own and hoping she would just be her usual carefree self; giving it was the best attitude for this situation.

In all honesty, it wasn't the first time they went through do-or-die scenarios. But something about this one just felt wrong; even if the saying 'Everything can happen in the Dungeon applied', this just felt completely out of the norm.

"Riveria!" Finn shouted, trying to get a status report from his Vice-Captain on how the spell was going. But he didn't hear a reply, he looked sideways, seeing his fellow Familia member muttering a chant as she avoided the attacks of various Grimm; most likely the most he has ever seen her do continuously chanting due to how restless the attacks were.

"She's a little busy at the moment!" Of course, Gareth was also there; trying to ease Riveria's struggle and covering her blind points. Finn didn't need to worry about the two, being the most experienced beside him to know not to take a warning lightly.

'Ironic considering we overlooked the last warning we got.' He mentally chuckled, seeing how neglecting the previous warning led to all of this.

"JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY."

And then there was the girl that stalked him.

He inwardly debated whether Tione's rage at the moment was a negative thing or not. On one hand, her Berserk and Backdraft skills were double edge weapons; becoming stronger the more damage she got along with how angry she got, and the later made her stronger the more of a pinch she found herself in.

On the positive side, the situation was perfect seeing she was using the best of both skills at the same time. On the negative though, anger was a negative emotion. And Finn could easily see how the Monsters fighting her were becoming stronger.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Tione shouted, pinning down the wolf-like Grimm onto the ground to viciously punch it to death; except it didn't die despite how much she hit it. Finn knew that the Grimm facing her were becoming stronger and sturdier due to her rage.

And to make things worse, her current state didn't make her think rationally; leaving her open to attacks.

"Tione!" The older Amazon ignored her sister's shouts, as she ignored the fact that one of the Grimm was now biting off her shoulder; its teeth easily piercing through her skin.

Tione released a scream full of anger, finally throwing a final punch to make the Grimm she was pinning down disappear, only to then quickly grab the one biting her shoulder to crush its skull; putting more effort than needed into the action, and not noticing more Grimm getting the drop on her.

"This is why people say I am the smart one!" Tiona's Urga came flying, managing to decapitate some of the Grimm going for her sister, and pushing back the last few before being pushed against a tree. Tiona hazily rushed towards her weapon, grabbing the handle to apply all her strength to forcibly cut through the Monsters' heads in a single swing.

Finn kept watching sideways, doing his best to calmly fight and repel his enemies. Waiting for the best moment for Riveria's spell to be over. His mind stopped for a moment, seeing two blurs rushing past him.

'And then there's them.'

Ais Wallenstein, cutting through the Monsters with ease thanks to her Magic; her face adorning a clear scowl and holding out a snarl as she sliced through them. Her expression worsened at the thought of killing the Monsters known as Grimm whose presence resembled the One-Eyed Black Dragon.

And then there was Ryuu Lyon, dashing through the battlefield with eyes that held no emotion at all. She was definitely the one that took Flynn's warning to heart. Showing no emotion whatsoever despite being worried about Drake; easily cutting the Grimm through and through… too easy for Finn's liking despite the Elf being a Level Four.

He also recalled that she was the only one unaffected by the Apathy Grimm before Flynn's arrival, right until she lost her blade…

'Could it be-'

"Finn!" Gareth's shout broke the Pallum's train of thought, making him sidestep as he noticed Riveria was finally going through her final verse.

"Regroup!" he shouted, quickly looking over at Tiona hastily tackling her sister forward with her forearm; her rage-induced stage clearly made her deaf to his orders.

Burn them through, Sword of Surtr - my name is Alf

Riveria's eyes snapped open. "Rea Laevateinn!"

A massive, concentrated fire manifested in front of them, spreading forward toward the horde of Grimm. Finn sighed internally, watching the fire with wide eyes as it washed through the area.

"Are we going to the next floor after this?"

Riveria scowled, looking at Ais; clearly obsessed with what was going on with Drake on the floor below, clearly not because she was worried for him.

"You, Tione, and Tiona will be retreating," Finn said, with full authority in his voice.

"But Captain-" Tione exclaimed, finally snapping from her rage state due to her beloved Captain's cold dismissal.

"You are in no condition to keep fighting, and the same can be said about Ais," her mental state at least. "Tiona will go to ensure your return. Meanwhile, the rest of us will go check on them. Is that clear?" Finn asked, giving a serious glare at Ais, who gritted her teeth as she looked down.

"Why won't you just let me kill it?"

Ryuu dangerously narrowed her eyes, showing the first hint of emotion since Flynn left. She looked at her Princess, giving her a glare that Riveria never expected to receive from one of her kind. But even so, Riveria could not refute Ryuu's glare; the meaning behind it was clear. A warning, one that didn't need words towards what would happen if Ais Wallenstein wasn't controlled.

"… Damn it," Finn muttered, making everyone look at him as the spell started to die down. "My thumb still hurts."

To Loki Familia, that was a red flag that meant for them to be ready, and he was right. "… How?" Riveria asked, witnessing a massive dome of the earth in front of them. Her question remained unanswered, just as the dome started to crumble to reveal the horde of Grimm waiting for them.

"We might actually have to consider a full retreat." Finn nodded at Gareth's suggestion, preparing himself to give the order as the Grimm charged at them. But someone- something beat him to it.

Their eyes widened, seeing the ground in between the two groups break to reveal a massive beam of darkness that wiped all the remaining Grimm on the spot while someone was on top of it; using a crumbling wall of earth as a shield.

Adam Taurus gritted his teeth, gaining some momentum to use the wall of earth as support to jump out of the range of the beam right before the beam broke through the ceiling of the current floor. He sighed, only to narrow his eyes as he felt.

The Apathy was gone, most likely thanks to Flynn. He gritted his teeth again, looking at the hole to the next floor for obvious reasons.

"Solum!" he shouted to the Centurion of Earth. "Block the hole! Reinforce it as much as you can!"

Loki Familia and Ryuu saw how the newly created entrance sealed itself with earth instantly.

Finn narrowed his eyes, focusing on the area to search for the person responsible; most likely the reason why there was a dome of earth protecting the Grimm from Riveria's spell. But he wasn't able to spot anything around the area, though what he did manage to notice was Ryuu jumping toward the cloaked enemy.

'You do know all you had to do was mentally call me, right? There was no need to shout. Also, sword.'

Adam groaned, already preparing to block the attack of the incoming Elf after adjusting his damaged cloak to cover his face.

'Let him be, he got more than he bargained for.' Tenebrae replied to Solum; pretty much rubbing the salt into the wound. Despite Drake using his shadow to form a temporary left hand, and having recovered his normal levels of Aura after Flynn disappeared, it was only in that final push in his [Void Wave] that he started to tap more into it. Not to mention, he didn't use the shadows against him for anything else that wasn't maintaining his left arm.

'In your defense, you didn't use your blessing, either.'

'I used two earth spells, that counts.' Adam thought, just as he raised his sheath to block Ryuu's attack.

"What happened to him?" Ryuu asked, almost gritting her teeth as Adam just chuckled.

'We have a minute at most before Drake arrives,' Adam stated, letting go of his strength to let Ryuu pass him by, only to then deliver a knee attack to her stomach. 'Please tell me Lett secured Glacies' core.'

'Flynn made him pass out with one of his punches, even if there was no real contact.' Adam grabbed Ryuu by the collar of her hood before gaining some momentum to throw her away.

'Great, never gonna let him live that one down. Just tell me where it is so we can retrieve it and leave.'

Tenebrae whispered in his mind, just as he landed. He heard the indications given, making him turn around and spot it at least fifteen meters away.

"He's going after the artifact!" Finn shouted.

He rushed, only for his instincts to kick in. "Awaken, Tempest." He heard, just as he moved his head back a second later to see Ais Wallenstein piercing the spot his head had been not even a second ago.

'I don't have time for this.' He focused on the Centurion, continuing on his way as the Amazon sisters charged at him from behind.

"Get back here you asshole!" The Bull Faunus rolled his eyes, making an up motion with his two fingers before an orange Glyph appeared below them, forming a wall of earth into which they crashed.

"DICK!" Tione shouted, just as Ais reappeared jumping high above the wall.

'And Aurion says redheads are annoying… keep running, I will advise you at the last minute.'

'Thanks, but there's no need,' he replied to Tenebrae, keeping his eyes on the Centurion as he kept running; trusting in his instincts as Ais' blade got closer to him… only to sidestep at the last moment before raising his sheath to aim at the ground she was about to land on.

"[Serpent]"

Her eyes widened, seeing a Glyph appear on the very spot she was about to land.

"Ais!" Riveria shouted right as the blonde stepped on the Glyph, resulting in a rather violent explosion.

She prepared to call forth her wind to clean up the smoke. "Awaken, Tem-ACK" she stopped, grabbing her throat out of pain after receiving a direct attack from the pommel of Adam's sheath after his sheath propelled forward.

She stumbled back; trying her best not to fall on her knees before she looked up, her eyes widening as she saw Adam charging a glowing fist at her "[Beast]" he shouted as the fist made contact; releasing the head of a red bull made of Aura that sent Ais crashing towards a tree, knocking her out completely.

'There's no one else in sight! Go for it!'

Time seemed to slow down as Tenebrae said those words, just as Adam felt a chill running down his spine; his instincts were screaming.

"[RISING PHOENIX!]"

'You had to jinx it.' Adam cursed the Centurion.

He didn't need to turn around to see Drake Aurion breaking through the reinforced soil, being followed by black flames before descending on Adam with his blade pointing at him after reaching the highest point; followed by the flames before being embraced by them and taking the shape of a crying Phoenix.

Adam turned around, gritting his teeth as he blocked the attack; raising the flow of his Aura to reinforce his skin to bear the heat of the flames seeing his Aura field was still broken.

Ryuu's eyes widened, as did the rest of the conscious members of Loki Familia; witnessing Drake's state.

Most of his reinforced clothes were scratched, to the point some of them were stained by blood. There was also the fact that he seemed to have grown a black left hand to replace his missing one while his hair and sclera had changed color… but above all else; everyone, especially Ryuu, couldn't help but notice how the left part of his face was covered in blood while he kept his eye closed.

Ryuu gritted his teeth, asking herself if maybe Flynn had arrived too late, and also wondering where exactly the other blonde was.

Drake put more pressure behind his blade, only growling before jumping back; avoiding the grave pillar of solid earth that pierced the very spot he was in.

He looked up, noticing a familiar creature with an orange Aura around it.

'Great, he saw me.' Solum cursed. 'Just grab Glacies already.'

Adam mentally nodded, rushing the few feet away between him and the Centurion. He grinned, being close to reaching it… only to see a black chain flying past him; wrapping itself against the Centurion before being pulled back.

"Oh! Now you use the Shadows!" he turned around enraged, looking back to see Drake extending his hand as a black-like hole was visible to his side; giving origin to the chains that soon were frozen due to the state of the Centurion.

Both narrowed their eyes, charging toward the Centurion; only for Adam to step back as Gareth slammed his Ax on the ground; soon followed by Finn going around Adam's back with a solid thrust, only for Adam to duck his head to the side and then bite the handle.

Adam moved his head violently, making a whiplash with it before sending Finn flying against a tree easily.

"YOU BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO-" Tione started screaming, being airborne and descending on Adam, only for him to raise his sheath at her.

'Seriously?' he asked himself before pulling the trigger to shoot a [Magna Ray], perforating the upper part of her shoulder; her screams were heard as she rolled into the ground.

'Adam.' Tenebrae and Solum warned them; he knew that he was wasting too much time.

'A little help would also be nice.' Adam replied with a scowl, just as several Glyphs appeared on the ground to create several stakes of earth; protecting Adam from the Loki Familia. But his calm didn't last long as Ryuu descended on him, clashing her blade with him, making him narrow his eyes under his cloak seeing the wooden blade wasn't cut at the mere contact with his own.

He parried her; sheathing his blade and quickly taking a stance to then unleash the blade with his Iaijutsu. Ryuu recognized the stance, reminiscing about her old Familia member, Kaguya. She knew the next attack would be lethal, but she also knew she didn't have to worry.

*CLANK*

Adam's blade met Drake's; just as the Guardian stepped in between the Faunus and the Elf to parry the attack; giving Ryuu the opening to strike as Adam was left off-balance.

"[Air Thrust]"

Ryuu's eyes twitched, catching the sound of an unfamiliar voice as Drake suddenly grabbed her by the waist before pulling back. She looked ahead, seeing how the space she had been in was suddenly engulfed by various wind blades.

"Ray!" Adam shouted, looking high in the air at a cloaked figure smiling at him before landing right in front of the Centurion. The Siren in disguise opened her mouth, taking a deep breath as Adam started to rush at her; soon followed by the rest.

Ray shouted, or rather, softly let out a voice that made everyone grab their heads in pain; with Adam being the sole exception as he rushed past her and grabbed it.

"Damn it, first the Apathy, and now this?" Riveria shouted, covering her ears as hard as she could; her head remained in pain as she and the rest fell on their knees… at least almost all of them.

"Dra-ke," Ryuu called his name, seeing him struggle as well before stabbing his blade into the ground as Adam finally got hold of Glacies' Core. Drake gritted his teeth, raising both his index fingers before piercing his own ears without hesitation, making everyone's eyes sans Adam look at him with widened eyes.

"Told you he was resourceful," Adam said, making Ray's eye twitch as she continued using her Siren song, while he was already releasing Glacies. Her eyes suddenly widened, seeing how Drake took his blade and threw it at her as if it were a spear; going straight to her head.

"I got it!" Lett suddenly jumped forward blocking Drake's blade with his daggers, having woken up not too long ago, only to see Drake throwing his blade at Ray. "Oh, Ray; what are you doing here!?" and proceeded to notice the Siren.

"… Shit," Adam muttered, realizing something next to Drake's blade. Both Xenos looked at the ground puzzled by Adam's reaction. Their eyes widened, seeing a purple Portable Spell Knife stabbed into the ground; most likely thrown along with the blade to disguise it.

"… Clever mother fucker." Lett commented as he stared at Drake, who maintained his stoic composure as he snapped his fingers, calmly muttering the name of the Arte.

"[Indignation]"

The knife glowed, making Lett panic at the mention of one of the most powerful spells, being used right in front of him no less. "Adam!"

"Almost there!" he shouted, maintaining his calm as Ryuu and Loki Familia saw several sets of Glyphs suddenly place themselves around Adam and the rest; one above the other, and one more complicated in its structure than the last.

Riveria's mind could not process the magic she had seen ever since the Great Fall; now it seemed to almost shut down at the mere look of the first Glyph.

Lett started to shake Adam's pants frenetically, while Ray had just moved closer to both as the Centurion started to open as if it were a flower as the massive Lightning finally descended.

Everyone but Drake covered their faces out of instinct. They remained shell-shocked for a moment, Ryuu being the first one to recover as she went to check on Drake. Her hand carefully extended to him.

"I am fine," he suddenly said, rubbing the side of his face with the sleeves of his jacket to clean the blood on his face before finally opening his now-healed left eyes. "My hearing is gonna take a few minutes though."

Ryuu sighed, only noticing that his body language seemed tense. She looked at his eyes, observing how they adopted an angry glare. "Guess I was a second too late."

The smoke around the area where the spell took place began to shine, just as everyone noticed the visibility of their own breath as the area started to become cold.

"I am having a feeling of déjà vu." Tiona commented, something Gareth, Riveria, and her sister shared before the whole area was hit by a massive cold wind that reminded them of the Mutated Amphisbaena they faced not too long ago. The smoke dissipated to reveal the group, with Adam holding a spherical artifact with a symbol.

"Divinity." Finn muttered, feeling the intense energy of it coming from the sphere before it started to disappear, just as three spheres of black, orange, and icy blue surrounded a smirking Adam while they were inside of a crumbling dome of earth and ice.

"Lett." Adam muttered, making the Goblin snap before taking out a familiar glowing crystal.

"That's the transportation Crystal they used the last time." The eyes of the Executives widened at Tiona's statement.

Lett prepared to smash the Crystal-

*SNAP*

-only to notice it suddenly stopped glowing. "The fuck!?"

"… shit," Lett looked at Adam, who narrowed his eyes at Drake, the blonde having just snapped his fingers.

"You honestly forgot we could disturb the flow of magic?" Drake commented as he coughed some blood due to the use of magic, extending his arm to make a chain of Darkness retrieve his blade and secure the knife he just used into the Shadows. "I may not be as good as Zelos, but I can do just fine with Crystals."

"I take it this is not like the last time, huh?"

Drake shook his head, reading Adam's lips; barely visible under his cloak.

"No… I am calmer now; even if my unyielding rage is wide awake after you released Glacies," his Aura started to increase.

"So what?" Adam's own Aura started to blaze. But unlike last time, it was not red, but a mix of the three colors of the spheres that were surrounding him. "You expect me to worry because you have an Elf and a group of clowns on your side?"

Finn wanted to retort, but the mere feeling of Divinity reeking of Adam at the moment made him want to do second thoughts.

"Them? Loki Familia has no ties with me. Them being here is only due to their own stupidity." He replied, plain and cleanly; not that they could say anything about it. "As for the Elf…" he looked at Ryuu. "… Leave."

Her eyes widened, just as his Aura flared deeper, to the point the ground below him started to crack while the Dungeon started to tremble. "I won't be able to assure your safety, Ryuu."

"Two can play this game, Drake!" Adam retorted, just as his Aura did the same. However, Drake's next action made any confidence in Adam disappear in an instant as he stabbed his blade into the ground.

To say Finn's thumb hurt was an understatement.

It had calmed down a little after Drake had suddenly appeared from the floor below; indicating Loki Familia was not his target for the moment.

But now that it seemed as if those two unknowns were about to bout; it was clear that they would actually be collateral damage.

But the pain on his thumb just intensified the moment Drake said his next lines.

"[All that begins, must come to an end]"

It was a chant, one that the simple mention of the first verse made him drop his spear to hold his thumb with his free hand; it was as if it were gonna explode. And to make things worse, the sudden change of expression on Adam's face confirmed that whatever was coming was not good.

"Wait!" Adam shouted, his Aura suddenly dissipating as he raised his hands in a peace sign. "Wait, wait, wait. Don't be so fucking drastic!"

"[So, all the lives and find value]"

Adam gritted his teeth. "Are you really going to risk your friend's live as collateral!?" he pointed at Ryuu in frantic panic, making everyone realize that Drake's warning towards her was genuine.

Drake didn't stop, but he did throw Ryuu a look, indicating for her to leave.

"Everyone, retreat! Take Ais, Bete, and help Tione! We need to leave now!" Finn commanded while Ryuu gripped his fists; understanding she was in the way.

"[Thy Vaunted Eternity, Thou covets is nothing more than a hollow slumber]"

Adam gripped his weapons, gritting his teeth in frustration as the whole floor started to become dark.

"Fuck!" he shouted, trying to find a way to make Drake desist. And there was only one thing that could do that… the truth.

"[Remember thy are-]"

His words died down, just as Adam shouted something in a language they could not understand, at least not all of them.

"Drake?" Ryuu asked, having already prepared to leave him, only to see him suddenly stop.

"You know I am not lying," Adam said calmly, holding out his breath in anticipation of whatever could happen next.

The brightness started to return to the floor, just as Loki Familia looked at the whole exchange with confusion.

In the end, Drake snapped his fingers, making the glow of the transportation crystal return before his Aura finally calmed down.

Adam sighed, taking a deep breath as Lett instantly smashed the crystal. "We will talk, Drake, I promise you that much."

"Are you really gonna let them go just like that!?" Finn asked, showing a semblance of anger at Drake, who looked with empty eyes at Adam as he and his group disappeared.

"You are more than free to do anything at all, runt." He replied, without a single hint of caring. Finn forced himself not to grit his teeth, tightening the grip on his lance as if he was going to throw it, only to see Adam and their group become transparent before fully disappearing.

The Pallum sighed, trying to calm down as his thumb finally stopped hurting.

Drake meanwhile sighed, just as his left hand disappeared while his hair and eyes returned to normal. "Fuck you, Origin. I know you are watching this, you piece of shit." He said begrudge as if he was looking at the clear sky. "Fuck my life, staying dead is too fucking much to ask… fuck you too, Lloyd; I won't count to ten and breath in and out… don't tell me to calm down." He kept muttering, rubbing the back of his head with his good hand before sighing in defeat.

"I would ask if you are ok," Ryuu suddenly started. "But I am more worried about whether or not you are sane right now."

His eye twitched. "Oh, I am sorry. This!" he pointed at himself. "Is called venting, I am sorry if you oh great high elevated being don't do it; clearly it is too much for such a stuck-up race."

"Huh, you would be surprised," they looked at Gareth; pointing his thumb at Riveria. "She does that; in such a calming manner that it puts me to sleep."

Riveria didn't hesitate in using her staff to hit Gareth on the head.

Meanwhile, Ryuu sighed opting to ask the most stupid question in existence. "Are you ok?"

"… I am tired, annoyed, missing a hand, and pretty much with an inner murderous rage… leaving that aside, I am ok."

Ryuu pinched the bridge between her eyes. "Why is it that you can never give a normal answer?" he breathed in and out. "Let's just go home."

"Hmm… something I can get behind me." He said, placing his blade into the shadows; seeing no reason to hide this seeing everyone on the floor had seen this.

"Wait a moment!"

Drake groaned, not caring to look around at Finn before he continued walking. "I know you are not in the best state. But we need some answers regarding all of this."

Ryuu gripped her blade; knowing Drake was not gonna comply to Braver's demands. But Drake simply tapped her shoulder gently.

"Ignore the salty boy scout that didn't get his contribution badge."

She didn't quite understand what he meant but nodded regardless as they continued walking.

"This whole thing with those Divine artifacts will most definitely affect Orario; just like this one affected the Dungeon not too long ago."

Nothing.

"Don't you care what might happen to the people of this city!?"

Nothing.

Finn narrowed his eyes. "Are you really going to run from your responsibilities like that?" Drake stopped dead in his tracks, making Finn mentally sigh, seeing he might have succeeded in his persuasion. "For all we know, you are as responsible for all of this as them; you have an obligation to fix this. Not to mention you let them-"

"Be. Quiet."

Finn did as told, just as he felt a very heavy weight on his shoulders.

"What do you know about my obligations? About my responsibilities?" Drake asked in a calm but deadly tone; still showing his back to the Pallum while Ryuu looked at Drake with worry.

His obligations and responsibilities were to his Brothers, Family, and by extension Remnant.

The sacrifices and choices he and the others had to make to reach the state of victory; the losses they had to endure on the way due to their war with Ratatosk.

And the ending they all desired, only to taste a bitter-sweet outcome by his dying.

And here comes a well-dressed and mannered Clown, brandishing his fake smile and using these terms as weapons against him…

'I tried, guys. I really did.' He thought tiredly.

'… I know… honestly surprised you lasted this long.' Lloyd contemplated, not giving any opposition; seeing as every single one of them was triggered by those words.

'I would love to say I didn't want what comes next, but that would be a lie; fucking end him.'

Drake mentally nodded to Zelos' words, while he could feel the rest agreeing.

'Prepare the popcorn, then.' Drake sighed, calmly turning around to look at a tense Pallum giving the appearance of being calm.

"How do you do it, Finn?" Drake asked calmly; with no hint of any emotion in his tone.

"Excuse me?" Finn said perplexed, not really understanding where he was going with this.

"I mean, do you wake up every single fucking morning, look yourself in the mirror and practice that fucking smile and the bullshit you preach to the rest of your fucking circle?" he asked, plain, simple, mercilessly, and without a hint of remorse as he calmly started to walk towards the scowling Pallum.

"I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU!" Tione Hyrute shouted, pushing her sister aside after she tried to help her with her wounds. She walked forward, both of her skills doing their job as she walked toward Drake. "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S THE LAST TIME YOU INSULT THE-"

His eyes calmly moved to stare at her; tilting his head a little to the side as he stopped her in her tracks and killed any motivation of anything with three words.

"Be Quiet, Sororicide."

Tione's eyes widened, losing every strength in her body as she fell to her knees; looking miserably at the ground.

"Drake!" Ryuu shouted, accepting his anger; but not agreeing one bit with what he just did.

"Tione! What's wrong with you!?" Tiona hurried to her sister, kneeling beside her to comfort her; clearly not knowing the meaning of that word.

"That wasn't necessary." Drake focused back on Finn. "There was no need for that-"

"I said, Quiet." Every member of the Loki Familia heard the distinctive sound of chains before they all except for Finn were forced into the ground; being restrained by what seemed like invisible chains.

"This… this is just what Bete had described!" Gareth's eyes widened, remembering the night they first met the blonde in the Hostess of Fertility.

"You talk about responsibilities and obligations; when everything you do and preach to the people are nothing but fake bravado; using them as stepping stones for your stupid goal."

Finn growled. "I would and have never-!"

"The Nightmare of the Twenty-Seventh floor." That was all it took to shut the Pallum up.

An Event in which the Terrorist Group known as Evilus managed to set a trap for a large number of Adventurers; leading to their deaths. All of this while Finn 'The Braver' Deinme organized parties to assault Evilus headquarters.

"You knew about the trap, and yet you kept fucking quiet so you could get a big W that day." Drake stood in front of him now, making the Pallum look up; as if he were a scared little mouse looking at a Dragon.

"It was already too late; there was no way to prevent that."

Drake's eyes darted up, narrowed his eyes as he saw the Darkness's verdict.

LIE

"Lies. You could have mobilized Ganesha Familia to help them, even request the people of Rivira through the Guild. But you opted to use those Adventurers' lives to your own benefit."

Finn gritted his teeth, trying to break out of the invisible chains surrounding him.

"The only reason people never stop to question this is that the mind is very simple; opting to find the positive side of things rather than see the ugly side of it, while those affected do have something to say are easily overshadow; but can't because their voices are nothing but whispers agains the majority."

Just like they opted to always put the blame of something into a single thing or being.

Ryuu listened, recalling a conversation her Familia had regarding the incident. Many discussed whatever Braver's decision was the best. But in the end, Lyra had pretty much discarded any negative motion of them. The fact that the Pallum was infatuated with the Braver made it clear it was all bias to her.

"What? Nothing to say to defend yourself? No, what a shock?" he calmly placed his hand on the Pallum's shoulder; his thumb being placed on his throat. "Let me tell you a secret, Finn. Holding back has always been hard for me, but killing-" and then Finn felt it; his thumb reached levels of pain so big that he wanted to scream, to the point it started to become numb. He looked up, feeling as if he was looking at a mountain of a man even more intimidating than Ottarl as all of his surroundings darkened "-that one results frighteningly easy with you people." He made a slight pressure on Finn's throat. "To the point I feel this alone could kill you… So let me give you a piece of advice. Hopefully, you will actually follow this one to heart."

He got closer to his ear. "You don't know me. And you don't want to know me. You don't want my attention, either. Take that into consideration, everything that happens from here on out; just like with this whole event, is on you. From whatever bad dream you may have had, to this very point. And if you go as far as provoke me again, I swear that I will burn the whole fucking Circus to the ground, and I will fill you with so much DESPAIR that the mountains of corpses you had built through the years for your stupid dream will crumble; with no single HOPE for you, Dim."

And then it happened.

Finn took the threat to his heart; all it took was the mere mention of his name; his real name.

A name that he discarded because he wanted to achieve a dream for his race; discarding his weak self for a more ideal one… and now being reminded of it, along with remembering that cursed nightmare with the many people he had used and sacrificed for said dream.

Everything Drake had said was nothing but the truth.

"And you," He looked at Riveria, who kept struggling with the chains binding her. "You either put her on a leash," he gestured at the unconscious Ais. "Or get her a psychologist, because you don't want me to start thinking on a possible third option."

The Queen said nothing, scowling at not being able to do anything to refute his threats; knowing her place in the current situation as Drake finally let Finn go.

The Pallum fell on his knee; with an empty expression on his face as Drake turned around to look at Ryuu; the Elf staring at him with a hint of disapproval and worry in her eyes; the latter increasing when she finally realized just how tired he looked.

She wanted to ask once again that very stupid question. But there was no need for it, knowing deep down the answer would be No this time.

"… Wait… there's one last thing I need to do," he said, walking towards Bete, who had been semi-conscious for a while; being able to hear most of what was spoken while he lay on his face. He heard the Loki Familia shout at him; threatening or pleading with him not to harm Bete, but he really didn't care for them at the moment.

"… Life gave you a really bad fucking hand. To the point, a deep part of you broke. Forcing you to deny at all costs seeing another person you care for die. That's why you discourage every person at the thought they alone could meet their end, making you remember all of those that came before." Bete gritted his teeth, not being able to refute his words due to the state of his body. "However, that's only a way to cope; escaping from the reality you were handed… that's weakness, Bete. I am not telling you to simply accept the hands that Fate will hand you over, but to be better and help those very people you worry about to be better as well."

Bete continued growling, even though tears started to stream down his eyes. "H-ow… How do you know it will serve for anything?"

"You don't," Drake replied in a heartbeat. "And not even I know what might happen or might be happening to the others…" his mind went back to Remnant and the real brotherhood. "And sadly… that's a hand even I am dealing with at the moment." He sighed. "… one last thing… and this is more of a warning for your own good."

Drake's eyes glowed, seeing Bete surrounded by an icy blue Aura around him. "You might want to check your emotions from now on… otherwise you might harm those around you by accident."

Bete said nothing, but still nodded; feeling that something inside of him had changed.

"… Aren't you forgetting something?" Ryuu asked, just as Drake returned to her side, making the blonde snap his fingers to let all of the Loki Familia members be free from the shadow chains.

"… I am starving." Drake thought out loud, making Ryuu sigh.

"That's what you get for going back into the Dungeon for more than a full day." She said, ignoring the massive growl that was in his stomach. "… Why did you let them leave?"

She trusted him.

And even respect his privacy if he so wanted to.

"He told me the biggest bullshit that has ever come out of that bastard's mouth… and despite it, it seems to be true."

Luckily, it seemed that wasn't going to be the case.

"And that truth being…" she raised an eyebrow.

He replied.

Tsubaki Collbrande scowled with crossed arms, watching her furnace filled with the divine fire Drake had made to melt the divine ice that surrounded his missing left hand.

She had heard of the commotion that had happened at the Hostess from Lili. The Blacksmith didn't waste a second in dropping what she was doing in order to search for her friend.

Ironically, just like Ryuu, Tsubaki wasn't worried about Drake; but rather worried about what he could do to Loki Familia. Even if she knew that by going there was a risk of them finding out about the relation between the both of them, and Hephaestus by extension.

However, her eyes couldn't help but widen as she saw his state when they crossed paths in a partially destroyed Rivira; thanks to Bete Loga.

At that very moment, Drake could only stare at her with his usual stoic demeanor, as if his current state was nothing.

His reinforced clothes were a mess, there was some blood running down his face; even if she could tell all of his wounds were already healed… except for his left arm.

She knew Bete Loga wasn't capable of inflicting those kinds of wounds, so she named the next possible culprit.

He nodded at the mention of 'Adam', making her scowl before she walked to him to drag him back to her place. Ryuu Lyon of course tried to stop her, but the blonde had stopped her saying he was gonna drop by anyway since he needed to reattach his arm; leaving both of them perplexed for a second before Tsubaki just dragged him with her, anyway.

He had told her all that happened in the meanwhile, from his 'match' with Bete and him severing his own arm, to the whole ordeal with Adam Taurus… including the part in which he had let him go after obtaining the Centurion.

Now, here they were.

She had grimaced at him hurting himself just so he could drop into her furnace; allowing its fire to acquire a divine property as it turned green before tossing his frozen arm in it.

Hephaestus was not exaggerating when she said the heat from the flames was something else. Being around it made even her, a Level Five Blacksmith, sweat as if it was her first time in a Forge.

"You do know this is not a resistance challenge, right?" the blonde asked with a snort. The both of them stood close to the furnace, watching as the flames melted the ice on his severed limb.

"Fuck off. If anything, this will help my resistance when I get my Falna updated… hopefully… you still haven't told me… why did you let them go?"

Drake sighed, looking at the ceiling as he recalled Adam's reply with the use of the Divine tongue.

"… He said; he and Ratatosk were trying to protect this world, including Orario."

Tsubaki blinked a few times, before looking at Drake with a confused expression. "… huh?"

"Yup." He nodded stoically.

"The God that wanted to murder you, and pretty much destroy the humanity in your world; wants to protect ours? Does that make any fucking sense to you?"

"Nope." He sighed. "But Adam wasn't lying; it would make sense Ratatosk fancied this World more seeing the state of nature here is almost a complete one-eighty in comparison to Remnant."

Tsubaki snorted.

"A lot of things make sense if we consider their intentions hold."

Tsubaki narrowed her eye, thinking about what he meant… a familiar blue-haired Adventurer came to mind. "Shakti."

He nodded. "We know for a fact Ratatosk and Ganesha are in cahoots with one another. And since that God puts on a parade about the word 'Justice' and serves as a police force, I can't see them working together unless they share the goal of helping Orario."

"… Unless Ratatosk is taking advantage of Ganesha being a dumbass."

She managed to get a laugh out of him before his eyes moved to her with a raised eyebrow. "What? He's not my deity, I can say whatever the fuck I want."

"I am gonna hold you to that if we meet him in person," Tsubaki's smile twitched. "Sadly, even if Ganesha is a dumbass, the other probable group entangled with them isn't."

She knew this one.

"The Guild, and by extension, Ouranos." Tsubaki recalled Rose Fannett saying that the higher-ups in the Guild had been acting strangely, especially with the event of the Great Fall that happened just recently. They just gave the order not to get near those floors and that was it.

"Now that I think about it," Tsubaki said. "Neither Ganesha Familia nor the Guild was mobilized in regards to Bete after what happened in the Hostess or Rivira… fuck, they are in cahoots with one another."

"And from what I have heard about Ouranos; he's not a fool."

Both sighed in defeat.

"Hephaestus is really gonna shuck down a single bottle in one go with this little revelation…" Drake chuckled before silence took over.

Their little talk had served as a distraction to Tsubaki; ignoring the amount of heat from the divine flames. She looked away from the fire, as if trying to find a distraction from the heat.

She eyed him.

He had taken off his jacket, seeing even though he could suffer from this heat, he was already used to it. Her eye caught the detail that even his shirt had some slight blade holes, figuring out Adam's blade and technique were simply good enough to leave Drake in that state.

She kept moving up, only to stop at the first wound she saw since she met him; the wound on his neck, one that Adam himself did.

"Say… I seem to recall the first night we spent together-"

"Phrasing, woman." Drake ran his hand through his face, making her snort before continuing.

"I recall you saying with a little bit of regret when we addressed the topic of that wound… I never asked because I thought it would never be relevant, or that you would have to face him ever again… but now…"

Drake laughed, much to her surprise.

"Ah… Adam Taurus… a man who was dealt a bad fucking hand like many others. Do you remember how I told you Faunus back home were often treated like actual animals and third-class citizens and how Dust was the biggest thing that moved the economy Remnant?"

She nodded; something one often didn't see here… except if you were a Pallum, but only sometimes. "Let me guess, it was cheap to just pay them... what? A third one is normal labor work."

Drake scowled. "Less than that… the Schnee Dust Company was the biggest distributor of Dust in the whole Remnant. I will not go too much into detail with them, but I will say they used to have an honorable background before an asshole took control of the company; making working with them a living hell for everyone involved."

"And I take it that's where Adam gets in the story."

He nodded. "From what I know, he and his parents worked in one of the Dust mines in the Kingdom of Atlas. One day, there was an explosion in the mines due to an accident with the equipment. As you might have guessed, his parents died in the incident, leaving him alone in the world… not soon after, he found out the person in charge of the mine neglected and didn't mind the Risk and Control report regarding the state of the equipment; meaning the whole incident could have been avoided."

"I take it he went ballistic."

"As much as a Bull seeing only red; pun not intended." She still snorted regardless before letting him continue. "He assaulted the person responsible, but there was nothing a ten-year-old could do against a grown-up man and his security detail. In the end, the bastard held a public 'demonstration' of what would happen if anyone disobeyed the SDC orders."

Drake calmly ran his fingers from his left eye to the upper part of his nose. "The initials 'S.D.C' were branded on him, right here."

Tsubaki winced.

"A deep hate was seethed that day; towards humans, the system, the inequality of Faunus, and above all else… The Schnee Family."

"I would too if I were him," she replied, unconsciously rubbing her eyepatch.

"So would anyone in his shoes… although there was one black sheep in all that white that was far more worth than the rest; even though I and the rest were just using him at the beginning." Drake snorted. "Whitley Schnee even inherited Origin's blessing, even though it was an accident."

"Right… I am gonna take it all that happened while trying to unlock his Aura."

Drake nodded, recognizing the annoyance in her voice. The only reason he hasn't unlocked her Aura was in the fear of passing on Origin's blessing on to her.

"Zelos' father, Yuan, unlocked Whitley's Aura to train him. Months later, his blessing manifested in a dire situation, against Adam of all people." He continued, recalling everyone with the blessing took note of the risk of awakening someone's Aura. "Anyway… I am getting carried away."

"Right… I take it he then joined the White Fang?" She said, already figuring out how the story would go before Adam ended on Ratatosk's side. "… but that still doesn't answer my question; why did you seem to regret killing him? For all I know, all of you crossed blades with him in the past in bloody murder."

Drake sighed. "Because just like Origin had blessed my father and others; Ratatosk broke his taboo and overlooked his hate towards mortals to bless him… getting rid of his anger in the process."

Tsubaki's eye widened slightly. "… you two talked."

"Right before our final battle," he unconsciously rubbed the wound on his neck. "He accepted his faults now that he could think clearly."

"And yet he fought on Ratatosk's side?"

Drake snorted. "Because Ratatosk considered Adam a friend…"

"And Adam decided to fight on his side despite knowing every mortal life would end."

Drake shrugged. "That's loyalty for you… although even if his anger had been put to rest; deep down Adam still believed that everything he hated needed to change. But even so," he chuckled. "It is incredible how the image you have of someone can change when both people can accept their faults and vices; reaching a level of understanding and respect for the other… even if some animosity between the two remains."

Tsubaki now understood why he seemed remorseful; because Adam Taurus was someone he truly regretted killing in the end due to the person he had turned out to be. She was about to say something, but then she saw his fingers going for his wound again; this time of his own volition. "And then it happened-"

Flashback

Two armored figures stood close to each other.

The first one was black with green outlines all around his armor, while a green set of angel wings spread out of his back.

The second was a red one of a similar design. The only difference is the outlines of a mix of eight colors, along with the design of his helmet having two horns; resembling a bull.

The former currently had a rainbow-colored blade trying to cut through his neck from his left side while he tried to prevent it as his two blades blocked the way.

It had all happened in an instant as the long battle continued. Adam had performed an iaijutsu technique from a rather ridiculous distance; managing to reach Yuri's near-maximum speed.

Had it not been for Drake's instincts, he would have died on the spot.

None of them said anything; leaving only their growls at one another sound as Adam's blade managed to cut a little deeper.

"… Consider the battle won in your favor…" Drake managed to utter, just as his blades started to glow before becoming one. He parried the blade off his neck, making Adam step back out of balance as Drake's blade became two once more, only to then run one of them through Adam's chest. "But I can't allow myself the luxury to lose the war."

Their armors faded, revealing a snorting Adam, and a frowning Drake; whose wound on the neck didn't bleed but instead leaked a divine green and black light.

He retrieved his blades, just like all weapons fell into the ground as Drake caught Adam's body before kneeling on one knee.

"You are still so fucking prideful…" Adam muttered, seeing as his wound was leaking similar energy instead of blood. "It wouldn't be a fucking battle to the death if none of the users gave everything."

"… I really fucking wish I had the chance to face you with your former attitude…"

"I don't… I like having my mind clear of all that rage…" Adam snorted, just as he felt his body starting to fade. "Godspeed Aurion… because if you had to use your trump card against me, you are gonna have a bad time with my Lord."

"No shit," Adam snorted, closing his eyes as he felt the end was near.

"Say… why don't we become friends in the next life… hopefully with a clean slate?"

"… that would be nice… Goodbye, Adam Taurus."

He faded, nothing of the person he just fought remained; only a sense of lingering guilt. Because as far as Drake Aurion was concerned, he just killed a person he just met.

"… please tell me you are kidding me," Tsubaki said, feeling as if she had just heard the corniest shit right after Ryuu Lyon's definition of love.

"In my defense!" he raised a finger. As if to defend his argument. "And ironically his! None of us fucking expected to see one another ever again; because let me remind you, my soul was meant to become the fucking World Tree in my world."

She sighed, running her hand through her face before looking at him with an accusatory glare. "Be honest with me. Leaving aside the use of your Divinity, did you fight seriously?"

"Of course. Even though I did restrain my Aura a little; remember the original idea of me looking for him was asking him what the fuck was going on with the Centurions…" she groaned. "Although… even if this blessing was at two-eights at that moment… he didn't use it properly… as far as I was concerned… he was also holding back."

"Knowing that doesn't make me feel any better." She sighed, focusing back on the fire to see the ice had completely melted.

Drake turned out the furnace before retrieving his hand. "Do you have some free metal rings? You know, the ones used to make-" Tsubaki suddenly slammed a box of metal rings on the counter with a neutral expression. "-chainmail?"

"Kind of figured out what you were going for. Now sit." She demanded, pretty much annoyed by the whole situation.

"You sure you know how to do this?" he asked, just as Tsubaki placed several rings and metal strings next to her.

"Ok, fuck you. Only because I am a blacksmith doesn't mean I don't do basic crafting… never thought mom's lessons would pay up for something, though."

"Oh," Drake snorted. "Seeing you are from the Far East, I take it she was one of those traditional mothers?"

She growled, viciously inserting the ring in between the arm and the several hands; her Dragon Slayer making it far easier than it should. "Don't you fucking start with me; every time I remember her all I can think of is; 'You are never gonna get married with that attitude.'" He snorted at her cranky lady imitation while ignoring the pain he was going through.

'Falna is such bullshit.'

Silence took over. Before they knew it, Tsubaki had inserted all of the needed rings before she started to use metal strings to attach the arm.

"… You are angry." He said, seeing a scowl on her face the whole time she had been doing this.

"… I had you on a fucking pedestal, you know?" he felt her hand tremble for a moment. "Someone out of this World, so stupidly powerful that maybe only Ottarl might be able to hurt you." She looked up, staring straight into his eyes. "And then I see you with scratches and blood all over you, along with a missing fucking arm." Drake opened his mouth, but Tsubaki beat him to it. "I know it's not your first time doing the self-dismembering shit, and that your uncle pretty much did this to you once, but that kind of behavior is not normal, damn it."

"Don't blame me-"

"I know, I know. You would have retrieved it safely if it hadn't been for the fucking Sword Princess." Again, she interrupted him. "But you still didn't hesitate when you choose to bet your fucking arm, Drake."

What was happening now was something that happened too often in the past with his brothers and a few others. He could already tell where this conversation would go.

He would say 'Does it really matter? The situation was solved with fewer problems, and I will heal; stop making a drama about it.'

Then the other person would say something among the lines of 'At the risk of your fucking well-being!?'

And finally, proceed to fisticuffs.

'And up to this day; you still haven't learned the fucking lesson.' Lloyd commented, making everyone recall his sacrifice for the World Tree.

"-Be the Monster…"

He blinked; only being able to hear the last part of the statement.

"Promise me you won't ever take things lightly again; be it Loki, Freya, Adam, anyone. Be ruthless if you have to, be the Monster you claim to be against them; all for it so you wouldn't be in such a state again."

He just stared at her, seeing a single serious eye with no hesitation in her words.

'… You are considering it… how come we didn't think of this shit before? And don't tell me it's because she's a woman.' Luke said, recalling every time Drake did something reckless in the past.

'Because most of the people here like to play the role of the moral conscience most of the time. Crudely enough, many of the things that forced this bastard to get damage; self-done or not, could have been avoided if the bloody approach was executed first.' Yuri commented, being the one other only person willing to do what was done. But then again; he was the Guardian of Resolve for a reason.

"… Promise it, Drake." She repeated, her grip on his hand softening as she did.

Meanwhile, Drake could understand her. Not wanting to see someone you care for being hurt was a worry he would never be able to get rid of… and now Tsubaki was going through the same.

"…" his right hand moved unconsciously. Making her eye widen as he calmly moved her head toward his chest before he softly started to pat her head; something Lloyd used to do with their sister when she was depressed.

He didn't need to reply to her request… she got the answer quietly and clearly as she dropped what her hands were holding before wrapping her hands around him; grasping the back of his shirt as if to prevent him to let him go.

None of them said anything for a long while.

Neither smiled while they remained together. Drake, for worrying his friend because of his well-being despite how much he self-depreciated himself.

Tsubaki, because out of her own selfishness; there was going to be a day Drake might have to do something drastic just to prevent the former Noble from harming himself.

But deep down, even if she didn't smile and the look in her eye still remained serious on the outside; the inner part of her felt absolute relief.

AN: I honestly wondered if I should have cut it short and split it into two Chapters, but nah. Even though I know for some it would be a pain. Anyway, to the important stuff.

There's nothing original nowadays. And yet, one can't help but feel a certain sense of deja vu when someone reads something similar. There's a certain story in fanfiction; I won't say name of author or story, only that it's in the Danmachi Fandom. The plot is Original (at least something I don't remember reading in other stories), and so are the events so far. And yet, I can't help but feel that deja vu towards very specific things when I read that story, and it is because I myself have written them here.

There are not many similarities, but I can't help but be paranoid after the third time; which was an AN that was awfully similar to one I wrote for a recent chapter by the way. So, if the author of that story is reading this; you know who you are, please stop. Also, just for the record, my chapters were released way before the ones of the other story.

Now, onto the chapters note:

The place in the flashback where Drake and Adam fought; if you are able to make up the name of the place, and you played Tales of Xillia 2, you might figure out a spoiler.

For the scream of the Apathy Grimm, imagine the scream of ReDead sound effect from 'The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.'

Overlimit: It's pretty much a mechanic used in the Tales Of games to make the characters more powerful and perform Mystic Artes. Here's pretty much the same; consisting in elevating the power of one's Soul beyond their current output.

The ending scene with Tsubaki. Until this point, I am still debating it. I wanted to transmit her inner thoughts regarding the chance that Drake might actually die after seeing him wounded. Until now, she had this image he was someone that could beat even Ottarl. But now she knew that the actual threat was someone from his World. She couldn't accept the thought, she is not like Lefiya who would pretty much deny the fact that someone could beat Ais; even if the proof lay right in front of her eyes. No, Tsubaki accepted the fact and asked Drake to stop taking unnecessary risks, no matter the cost. As I wrote this I also wondered if I was doing a good job regarding her inner feeling because in other works the female character would usually cry when asking this kind of things, but I decided to make the honor of the fact that she's not that kind of character… still wonder if it caused some effect in you all.

Finn's name: In the Wiki, it was stated that Finn changed his name after his parents died and decided to become the light of the Pallum race. Dim was the original name of his ancestor revealed in the Fifth Anniversary of Danmemo; so I decided to use it here. And just so you know, Drake had known his real name since the first day they met in the Hostess of Fertility during Chapter 4; he even made a comment about it. Drake using this information served to remind Finn that deep down he's still the same scared Pallum.

Drake was also able to connect the dots of the event of the nightmare of the 27th floor in Chapter 8 after his first meeting with Rose; so you know I had been planning this specific scene for a while.

Drake calling Tione 'Sororicide'. This is the scene that worries me the most with readers seeing we are touching a very personal and delicate subject. But Drake was pissed, actually pissed, and he had no more patience for any stupidity or mercy towards people that clearly wanted to get something off him. Fun fact, this scene was inspired by one episode of the first season of Code Geass; when Mao calls Susaku patricide. f you know, you know.

Funny thing… Ais… I honestly forgot I had dragged her into the Dungeon at some point, it wasn't until her little chase with Adam that I remembered 'right, I dragged the piece of radon (densest gas in the periodic table, according to google at least) into the Dungeon'. I also forgot about Bete until the point in my notes I had Drake talking to him.

Speaking of Bete, it wasn't meant to be a heart to heart per say. Mostly something for Bete to consider seeing he was gonna need to have his temper in check from now on.

Ryuu's Alf's Lumina, protected her from the effects of the Apathy and helped wipe the Grimm easily; this is a plot point. (Editor note: no shit, Sherlock)

The Grimm, if you have seen RWBY, there's not much to say. The only change I made to their lore is that Ratatosk had created them as the Great Spirit with the domain of Monsters; this was already explained when Drake gave his background to Hephaestus. Here, they were far stronger than in Canon due to Tenebrae; for being the Centurion of Darkness, buffing them up greatly.

Loki Familia bashing. Even though I don't like them, I don't feel it's bashing. I just felt I exploited their arrogance about being one of the top Familia in Orario, believing they are untouchable for it. Something mostly Finn has used in the story to show his authority and to boost his image with their feats. And then comes someone who doesn't tremble at their presence, and manages to get on his bad side thanks to Finn's bad choices and Ais' hate (this one I explained in the last chapter). But yes, even I admit there has to be a turning point, or in this case an stopping point (which has already been planned ever since their first meeting) at the direct antagonism between the two parties; said point will be in the next Chapter. They won't make peace exactly, but it will be a nice change of pace.

Now on spoiler territory for the Light Novel:

NO, SERIOUSLY, SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 18, DON'T BLAME ME IF YOU GET SPOILED:

I am not going to deny it, kind of liked Volume 18th of Danmachi; didn't like that Tsubaki was beaten, but I can't do anything about it when she's a tertiary character in canon; man, fuck canon.

Back to the topic at hand. Freya… she's still a bitch, and pretty much my image of her due to her actions remains the same. But I felt sorry for her, just a tiny bit due to her background. Not that that's going to affect what I already had planned for her. The real issue is her Familia, seeing as their thoughts and motivations caught me by surprise; especially Allen of all people, still an asshole though, and even a stupid reason to treat his sister in such a way. Don't know, just feel Omori pulled this one to 'justify' all his distaste towards Anya in a single try.

My point is… I might actually consider changing their roles in the future.

On another note, and this is me just ranting. I call bullshit on Omori for pulling Ryuu's double level up. I can get behind Bell beating Ottarl with the help of more people, but that level-up feels as if it was just for pure convenience. It was enough already when he gave Bell a way to break the power scaling since V1; but this is too much man.

[Editor note: beta-reader (meaning myself) lost his soul beta-reading through the 56 pages that made up this Chapter. The delay in this Chapter's release was because of the unexpected burial we needed to hold for said beta-reader (myself) dying in the process -_- ]