Chapter Ninety-Nine: Aligning Interests
Hey, readers, Day 4 is in, and the second to last chapter is here, I hope you enjoy it. Cya.
Silence.
That's all there was around the Demon Skull, no sound of birds chirping, no sound of the wind blowing, not even the sound of crickets. Perspective shifted inside one of the demon's eyes, and there lay the corpses of the sacrificed four, their lives consumed by hate and regret, even to their last breath. And from this point on, they would leave this plane of existence.
Or would they? For in the silence, a solitary sound finally came, soft, yet unmissable.
The twitch of a hand against the cold, hard ground.
The twitching hand belonged to Rades, and the action continued as his body suddenly glowed a bright purple color, returning his skin to its normal appearance.
"AHHHHH!" he miraculously rose to his feet, screaming at the top of his lungs. He was completely naked and one of his eyes was bloodshot.
"LICHT!" he yelled just as loud as the bodies of the other three glowed in the same color as they began getting up slowly.
"Ugh, what the hell happened?" Annalise asked no one in particular, her voice weak, but it rose once she noticed the obvious. "And why am I naked?!" her face went beet red as she covered herself with her hands. "Rades, don't you dare look!"
The wraith mage's eyes were already averted. "Don't flatter yourself. And why didn't you say that to Valtos?!"
"I trust Valtos,"
"Ooh, what about me? Can I look?" Sally jumped on her, entirely shameless.
"No, and get the hell off me!"
"No can do, my glasses got destroyed, so I can hardly see. You'll be my guide, won't you?"
The spark mage sighed. "Fine," she told her. "And speaking of getting destroyed, shouldn't we be, well…dead? How are we alive?"
"It's thanks to me, you're welcome," Rades replied, walking over to a rock, and lifting it to reveal a hole with spare clothes. "Before Licht did whatever he did, it turns out I was able to use my spell in time,"
"What spell?"
"Wraith Magic: Soul Abductor. It takes the soul of a dead person and places it into a soulless body," he explained, putting on underwear and pants before grabbing some more to give everyone else.
The females turned around while Valtos got changed, the men then doing the same vice-versa for the girls. "Wait, so you have a spell that can revive the dead?! That's amazing!" Sally exclaimed. "You have to let me know more! I can already imagine the experiments!"
Rades turned around, hands on his hips. "Calm down, it can't just revive anyone, there are requirements,"
"Such as?"
"Well, for starters, the people I revive have to be people who are close to me, the soul in question has to be one that's been out of a body for less than 24 hours, and they can only be revived once," he went over the details.
"Amazing," Annalise was in awe.
Rades proudly smirked. "Yeah, it is pretty cool. Wouldn't you say, Valtos?"
His question directed at the spatial mage was met with silence. "Valtos?" he repeated, but was still ignored.
This got the attention of the other two, they knew what was on his mind, it was what was on all their minds. Rades placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"
"...No,"
The spark mage growled. "That's it!" she bent down and grabbed her grimoire. "Let's not waste any more time here, we need to find Licht and make that fucker pay for what he did to us!"
"Now you're talking!" Rades was in full agreement. "We're going to make him fear the very mention of our names!"
"I'm in this too, getting betrayed is no fun!" Sally joined them, but right after that, she noticed something, squinting multiple times in an attempt to improve her perception.
Annalise saw this, raising a brow in confusion. "Um, Sally, is everything alright?"
"Yup, just peachy, I just need to know what that thing next to the Magic Stone Tablet is,"
"What thing?" the two turned in her direction, spotting what it was, leaning at the base of the tablet.
"A grimoire?!" they ran to it.
"Whose do you think it is?" the question came from Rades.
"Beat me," Annalise shrugged. "I know for a fact that it isn't Licht's though. Should we take it with us?"
"Nah," Rades simply gestured. "It's not going to do us any good, and we don't even have our satchels anymore, I don't feel like holding that all night,"
"Alright then, we're sticking to our plan, find Licht and beat his ass,"
"And how do you plan on doing that?" the three spun upon hearing Valtos' voice, varying looks of happiness present, though he had his back to them.
"Great to hear you talking again. But, what do you mean?" Rades said before asking.
"How do you intend on finding Master Licht?" he clarified.
Annalise once again raised her brow. "Master Licht?"
Valtos' demeanor shifted, as if he too was surprised by his choice of words. "Sorry, a force of habit,"
"How do we intend on finding him?" Rades repeated the question, giving it some thought. "I say we start our search at the capital. It's as good a place as any, and if we don't find him there, we'll expand our search outward to the Common Realm,"
"And what do we do if we succeed in finding him?" the spatial mage then queried. "He and the Third Eye are the strongest mages among our group. No matter how hard we desire it, we cannot beat them, and if we try, we'll only suffer a needless second demise,"
"Then what do we do?! Nothing?!" he yelled in frustration.
Finally showing his face to them, Valtos gave him an answer. "We must first find help,"
"But from where?" Annalise posed. "It's not crazy to assume that whatever Licht did to us, he did to the rest of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, and none of them were lucky to have Rades around to save them,"
"I don't know who we can ask, I just know that we have to,"
Rades pondered possible candidates in his mind. "Who can we ask? Who can we ask? Who…oh no, please no,"
Sally mimicked glasses with her fingers on her face. "What? Did you draw a blank?"
The man facepalmed. "Unfortunately, no,"
The spark mage gave him a weird look. "You're acting like that's a bad thing. Now, who is this person and where can we find them?"
"It's not one person, it's a group of people,"
"Even better. So spill it, where are they?"
He inhaled, exhaling slowly as a sigh. "Alright, but you're all going to hate me for this,"
"How much closer are we to making it?" Asta inquired as they passed by an area with a dense forest.
"We're not that far away actually. In fact," Luck began replying as he touched the ground and came to a halt in the middle of said forest. "We should be close enough to make it on foot,"
"Wow, I've never been around this area before, to think it's close to the hideout," Asta commented, looking around.
Luck slung his arms behind his head. "Yeah, I used to come here a lot back when I first joined the squad. The space was ideal for speed training,"
"You don't say? I should probably do some training here myself once all of this is over,"
Magna spoke up next. "Speaking of all this, we've really got our work cut out for us. Rufel by himself gave us a hell of a struggle, and there's bound to be elves even stronger than him in the bodies of stronger Magic Knights,"
"You're right, but all we can really do is give it our best shot," Asta stated, raising his mystery sword. "Thanks to this thing here, we have a real chance at pulling this off, we just have to never give up and push past our limits,"
"Since we're on the topic of Rufel, was anyone else puzzled by his mood shift?" Vanessa asked the group. "One second, he was cursing us out and trying to kill us, and the next, he's saying he's sorry and that he wishes we could be friends. Real strange if you ask me,"
"I know why, it's because all that hatred and murderous intent wasn't what he really wanted," the lightning mage replied.
"Not what he wanted?" Magna raised a brow. "Sounds like a load of crap to me, he seemed pretty happy to want us dead,"
"Believe it or not if you want to, but that's how it was," he unslung his arms, letting them fall to his sides. "I could feel it when he took over my body, that Rufel was a nice kid, but…how do I describe it…," he pondered for a little while. "...It's like something was making him talk and act the way he did, but I don't know what,"
Asta widened his eyes. "It was the same with you too?"
"Wait, you knew about this?" Vanessa inquired.
He nodded. "Before I got to you guys, an elf attacked Hage Village, but Yuno and I beat him before I was able to break the reincarnation spell on him. He said the same thing about something compelling the elf to act,"
"So let me get this straight, are you implying that the elven souls that are possessing people in the kingdom…are possessed themselves?" Magna questioned.
The thread mage held her chin. "I don't know, that doesn't really make much sense,"
"Um, Vanessa, the souls of people who've been dead for 500 years found a way back from the grave, I'm pretty sure something like that is in the realm of possibility," Asta politely retorted.
"Well, possible or not, it doesn't change the fact that they want us dead," Magna said as he punched his palm. "Damn it, if only I had more time to train, I could've done way more than I ended up doing,"
Saying that, he sped up his walking pace, much to the comedic surprise of his trio of squadmates. "What are you doing?" they asked together.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm picking up the pace. If we make it back quickly, we can fit a little bit of practice after we recharge,"
"But Magna, we need to save as much of our energy as possible. As much as it pains me to say this, training isn't smart right now. Just think about what Captain Yami will say if you try that, he may hurt you the way he hurts me,"
"Actually, I doubt the captain will be at HQ," Vanessa told him.
"What makes you say that?"
"He got a letter from the captain of the Golden Dawn inviting him over to discuss information he found out regarding the Eye of the Midnight Sun. He'll most likely still be around the area, what with the elves attacking and all,"
"Good point, but then I wonder how many people are still at the base. Hopefully, they didn't all leave,"
While the oldest and youngest were talking amongst themselves, Luck had his eyes fixated on Magna's back. Wanting to get closer, he quickly, yet stealthily, increased his pace, and was now just a foot behind him. He extended his pointer finger, covering it in electricity as he poked the teen's shoulder, giving him a minor shock.
"What the hell?! When did you get here?! And what the hell did you do that for, ya jerk?!"
Luck burst into his familiar fit of laughter. "Oh man, I missed this, it feels like forever since I last pulled a prank on you,"
"Whatever. Did you come here just to bug me?"
That question earned silence from the usually cheerful boy, his face showing a rare expression: nervousness. "No, it's not. I just wanted to say…thank you,"
The two words got him looking into the eyes of his rival, the flame mage was rightfully surprised, but not expressing major shock, it was more akin to a composed surprise. "What for? Last I checked, Rufel was kicking my ass and was about to impale me if Asta didn't come to my rescue at the last second. He's the one you should be thanking,"
"True, he did free me, but you…even when you were at death's door, you didn't give up on me, you still called out to me to come and face you because you had faith that I could take back control. Thanks for that,"
Magna's semi-composed face cracked a little as he allowed a smirk on his features. "No problem. Also, what was the deal with that spell of yours, Calamity Fiend? Why didn't you tell me about it?"
"Oh, that?" Luck slipped back into his regular demeanor in an instant. "Nothing much, I was just saving it for a special occasion, like a surprise,"
"Well, since Rufel basically ruined the debut, you shouldn't mind telling me what this occasion was," he pushed for an answer.
The blond shrugged, he raised a fair point. "I was saving it to show the person I respect most in this world,"
"...Is that so?"
"Yup,"
Magna reached into his satchel, pulling out his cracked shades, staring intently at them. "I'll admit, it was hella strong, but I'll surpass it. I meant what I told you yesterday, I won't let you leave me in the dust,"
Luck sent a playful grin his way. "We'll see about that,"
Asta ran up to them, looking ecstatic. "Now we're getting to places I'm starting to recognize, the hideout is close. Double time, people!" he broke into a sprint.
"Wait for us!" the others were in hot pursuit.
"Oh man, I know it's just been a day, but with everything that's gone on, I can't wait to see the good 'ol-," Asta was saying as he stepped out into the open, tree-free space, but upon doing so, his jaw dropped, the same being true for the older knights once they caught up.
"What happened?!" they screamed in unison. Before them was no longer the strange building they called home standing proudly like it always had, instead it was in complete shambles, the exterior suffering severe damage.
"Shit! You don't think the elves got here first, do you?" Magna was the first to speak.
"I-I hope not," Vanessa stuttered, praying that the worst didn't come to pass.
"Let's do a check of the perimeter!" Asta called out as they began running to the left in a circle. "Hey! Is anybody here?!"
Luck increased his pace, passing all of them. "I'm sensing mana nearby," he said as they kept moving, eventually spotting familiar faces.
"Gordon! Grey!" they exclaimed, sighing in relief. The poison and transformation mages were startled by their sudden arrival, but it only lasted a second as smiles adorned their faces.
"Are you two okay?" the swordsman asked.
Gordon was about to reply, but that's when Grey came in and held his arm, giving him a cryptic look. The man just nodded back to her as he gave the others a thumbs-up.
"That's good. So, what the hell happened here?" the next question came from Magna.
To answer it, the poison mage pulled out his trusty notebook, writing some stuff down before he tossed it to them. Luck, being as fast as ever, caught it with ease as he read the contents. "It started after the Eye of the Midnight Sun attacked us. Things were going fine until Gauche started glowing out of nowhere and attacked us, for whatever reason, he also called himself an elf and kept talking about killing humans,"
Vanessa sucked her teeth. "Oh no, it got to Gauche too,"
"W-What? Y-You mean i-it's h-happening to o-other p-people?" Grey stuttered.
"It is," the thread mage answered. "It happened to Luck just recently, but we were able to save him,"
"Hold on, what was the Eye of the Midnight Sun doing here?" Magna wanted to know, but he was only met with shrugs. He gave the base another inspection. "Damn, those bastards and Gauche really did a number on the place, but it should fix itself up eventually,"
Asta allowed himself to calm down, his friends were safe. But then, in an instant, his eyes widened as he realized something. "Wait a minute, if the hideout is like this, then where's Hen-,"
Before he could finish talking, footsteps were heard, raising the attention of the four. The sound was coming from behind the space Gordon and Grey were in, it got louder and louder until the one making it walked into view, revealing Henry. The recombination mage held an apple in his grasp, sitting down before he munched into it.
"Who the hell are you?!" Magna, Luck, and Vanessa pointed at the presumed stranger.
"Heeeelllloooooo," he greeted them casually.
"Why are you talking like that?!"
Looonnnggg stooorryyyy,"
"And how do you have a Black Bulls robe?!"
"Shhooorrrtteeerrr stooorryyyy,"
Magna began marching to the man. "Listen here, fellow weirdo, we've been asking questions, but we haven't been getting answers. You better start changing that,"
"Staaayyyy baaaccckkk,"
"Stay back? Hell nah. Your ass is-," he didn't get to finish as once he got close enough, he fell face-first on the ground. "W-What's happening? My mana is fading,"
Gordon carefully advanced forward, pulling his squadmate away by the legs as the afflicted one spoke up again. "I tooollldddd yooouuuu toooo staaayyyy baaaccckkk," his face then turned in the swordsman's direction. "Hiiiii Assstttaaaa!"
"There you are! I was worried!" the magicless mage ran straight to him and leaned against his shoulder.
"Um, Asta, you know him?" the woman asked.
"Of course I do, this is-," he was about to introduce his friend, but stopped when the man shook his head and reached into his hair, pulling out a familiar object.
"Thhhaannnkkk yoouuuu aggaaiiinnn fooorrr thheee exxxtrraaa nootteeboookkk, Goorrddoonnn," the poison mage simply nodded back. The recombination mage then took five seconds to write some stuff down before throwing it, this time being caught by Vanessa who shot out a thread to capture it. The three huddled together to read what it said.
"Greetings, my friends, it's so nice to finally get to meet you face-to-face. I am Henry Legolant, the fourth black bull. From the records I found some years back, this place used to be my family's house, and I lived here all by myself, turning it into the vessel for my magic, Recombination Magic. Then, one day, I met Captain Yami and he offered to bring people here, and from then on, it became our squad's hideout. I owe you all greatly, you saved my life, and you put an end to my loneliness, thank you so much,"
"Damn, he wrote a lot in such a short time," Vanessa commented. "So, the base is a vessel for your magic? I guess that explains how the building fixes itself and why it shifts around,"
Magna stood up, dusting off his clothes. "I see. So how'd you meet him, Rasta?"
"Captain Yami introduced us after I came back from the Witches' Forest,"
"What?! And you didn't tell us?!"
"I did it to keep you safe," he replied.
"To keep us safe?" Magna repeated, rubbing his minorly throbbing head. "Granted, getting close to him did do something to me. Real strange,"
"That's not the only strange thing," Luck rested a finger under his chin. "In his notebook, he said we saved his life too. How does that work?"
"Yeah, Henry over here has some kind of curse that drains people's magic power if they get too close. Since I have no magic, I don't have to worry, so I visit every now and then," Asta explained.
"If that's true, then he's an even bigger weirdo than I thought," Magna said with a straight face before it turned into a grin. "He'll fit in just fine,"
"Awesome!" Asta pumped his fists. "Now that we're here, we should rest and recharge like we planned,"
"Yup," Luck verbalized his agreement, however, as he finished saying that, his head whipped around.
"Is everything alright?"
The lightning mage narrowed his eyes. "Someone's coming,"
At that very moment, a multitude of footsteps were heard coming from the trees, and the culprits quickly revealed themselves: ten medium-sized sheep, with Charmy marching in front of them, a shadow covering her eyes. But what wasn't hidden…was the elven mark on her cheek.
"Never forgive," she muttered.
"No, no, no, this can't be happening," Asta grit his teeth. "I don't have enough strength to fight and free her,"
Without revealing her face, the possessed cotton mage pointed at the group. "You all, tell me something,"
Everyone was tense, but ready to do whatever they could to save their friend from the elf's clutches.
Or rather, they were, until…
"Who's the monster that wrecked our base?! All of my cooking stuff is in there!" she exclaimed, finally showing her eyes, revealing no crazed intent, well, no crazed murderous intent.
The others felt an overwhelming sense of relief wash over them, some even dropping to their knees. "Okay, crisis averted,"
"Well, who the hell did it?!"
"Would you believe me if I said an elf?" Asta answered with a question.
Charmy raised a brow. "An elf? You mean like the ones from the books?"
"Yeah. We thought you were one just now, you even got their mark on your face,"
The girl pointed to it. "Oh, this thing? I found what I was looking for in the forest and got bored, so I just started painting on my face with crushed berries," she licked it off. "Correction, delicious crushed berries,"
Henry waved at her. "Heeellllooooo Chaarrmmmyyy!"
"Holy crap, who is that?!"
Rather than explain, Vanessa just handed over the recombination mage's notebook to her and let her read its contents.
"I see, but then why have we never-," the thread mage bent down and whispered more info in her ear before she could finish. "I see! Heya there, Henry!"
"Great, we're all acquainted, so as I was saying, let's get our strength back so we can get to the capital and help Yuno and the others,"
One word in that whole sentence caught Charmy's attention, and her next statement made it easy to see which. "Yuno's at the capital?!"
"He should be, we split up a while ago. Unless the elves he's fighting are holding him up, but I doubt that,"
"If Yuno and Bell need our help, we don't have a moment to lose!" she took out her grimoire, bringing it to a page. "I got a new spell that will do just the trick. Cotton Creation Magic: Sheep Cook - Master Chef!"
The ten sheep behind her jumped into the air, transforming into puffs of wool that clumped together into one, and from that singular puff emerged one bigger sheep, dressed in a chef's coat. The master went to work, summoning food and transforming it into delicious dishes that went into eight large bowls.
"Eat up everyone, the food created by Master Chef not only replenishes your mana like my normal cooks do, but it also replenishes and increases your stamina for a certain period of time,"
"Ooh, I like the sound of that," Asta hurried over to grab two bowls. "I already transformed four times today, and if things will only get worse before they get better, I'll have to go black another few times, so I'll need all the energy I can get,"
Before scarfing down his food, he brought the other bowl to Henry. "You've never gotten a chance to try Charmy's cooking, it's real good,"
"Thaannnkkksss," he took it and helped himself, a strong white glow around him. "Taaassstttyyyyy!"
The magicless mage took a bite of it himself. "I agree," he said as a weak red glow surrounded him. "Wow, and I can already feel myself getting better,"
"Same here," Vanessa added as Rouge materialized on her shoulder, meowing. "Mommy's happy to see you too,"
"Damn, after a long day of training and fighting, nothing beats a hot meal," Magna sighed in pure bliss.
Luck nodded. "Tell me about it. Me and the other Royal Knights were fighting those Midnight Sun freaks all day, and we only had sandwiches for breakfast, it's good to have something in my stomach,"
"I'mmmmm reeeeaadddyyyy!" Henry called out, his grimoire flipping to a page. "Recombination Magic: The Raging Black Bull - Charging Style!" the base began reforming itself around the knights, contrasting the bipedal form it assumed earlier that day by taking a quadrupedal form now. Everyone was now inside in the center of the base, the recombination mage on an elevated platform far from the rest.
Well, almost everyone.
"Where's Asta and Luck?"
"Here we are!" the two teens emerged, now in their squad robes.
The flame mage snickered. "Good to see you guys back in black,"
"It just felt right," the swordsman said before feeling a familiar weight on his head. He grabbed what it was and brought it to eye level.
"Nero?! It's good to see you. Have you been behaving?" he asked, but the bird gave no physical response. "Are you okay? You seem a bit...on edge. Did something happen?"
The squad pet merely flew back on his head and pecked at him twice before stopping and staying there. "Is everything okay with Nero?" Luck asked.
"Yup, seems like it," he gave him a thumbs-up before turning to Henry. "You know where the capital is, right?"
"I shhooouuullldddd,"
"Works for me!" he pumped a fist into the air. "Are you all ready for this?! This is going to be our toughest battle yet!"
"You better believe we're damn ready!" they exclaimed back.
"That's what I like to hear! Black Bulls, move out!" the base then raced ahead at top speed.
"I'll see you soon, Yuno,"
"Do you think this will be difficult for us?"
Going back some minutes after they split up, Yuno and Digit were currently on their way to where one of the two elven disturbances was felt.
The wind mage turned his head at the fellow knight's question, noting the lack of confidence in his voice, so he answered with a confident smirk. "Not with me here. I'll blow whoever it is away in one second tops,"
"Really?" the poison plant mage was in awe before fiddling with his fingers. "I guess you won't be needing me then,"
Yuno's smirk disappeared immediately, replaced by a comedic deadpan. "Um, no, I was just trying to reassure you,"
"O-Oh, of course, silly me," Digit stammered through his words.
Bell flew into view, comfortably leaning on her partner's shoulder with her arms crossed. "You're an odd one, bub. So, what's your deal?"
"My…deal?"
"What are you like, what do you like to do, stuff like that," she clarified. "We won't arrive for a few minutes, so let's talk,"
"I see,"
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're a noble," Yuno started.
"Yes, I am. The Talis House is just one of the many minor houses in the kingdom,"
The spirit asked the next question. "What about friends? You already mentioned that Cade guy earlier,"
He nodded. "Cade is a good friend when he wants to be, but no one can ever replace the friends from my childhood,"
"Irreplaceable childhood friends?" the brunet raised a brow. "Go on, I am intrigued,"
"Yeah, they were a trio of cousins who lived close by: Matt, Jackie, and Inez. They were commoners though, so I didn't tell my parents I hung out with them, they'd freak out,"
Bell chuckled. "I can just imagine all the excuses you would have to tell,"
Digit shared in the chuckle. "You have no idea. But you'd be surprised at how many times saying I got lost would do the trick,"
Yuno entered the talk once again. "Even though your parents had problems with peasants, you didn't? I can respect that,"
"Thank you, but it wasn't that deep. Stuff like classism doesn't really register to kids, I just saw them playing one day and decided I wanted to play too, no more, no less. As a magic knight, I don't get to visit them as much as used to nowadays, but I still make time. We may not be related, but I feel so close to them,"
The wind mage couldn't help but nod. "Believe me, I know that feeling, they feel like family,"
"What about you then, Yuno? What's your deal?" he was the one to ask this time, but just as he did, he slapped his hand over his mouth. "Oh no, I'm so sorry. From what I saw back in Hage, I assume…you're an orphan?"
The teen stared ahead as he spoke. "Don't worry, you don't need to feel bad," he began in a casual tone. "I am in fact an orphan, plain and simple. I was raised in Hage for most of my life, then I joined the Golden Dawn, and now I'm here,"
"I see. Do you ever wonder who your parents are or where you really come from?" Digit carefully asked.
"Hm," Yuno was giving it some thought. "...Sometimes. There are nights when I dream about what my parents could've been like, what the life I would have could be like. But there are also times when I think about why I was left at the door of the church. Did my parents not love me and just decided to abandon me? Were they doing it to protect me? I don't know, but whatever reason it's for, it doesn't matter, none of it matters,"
"How come?"
"Because I'm content with the life I live now, I'm content with the people this life has let me meet. I got to know Sister Lily, Father Orsi, the rest of my siblings, my squad, the knights in other squads, and above all, I got to know Asta," he replied. "The life I could've lived may as well have given me people I'd be just as content with, but…they wouldn't be these people,"
"Hey! You didn't mention me!" Bell pulled his hair. "Am I not important to you?!"
"You know you're a given. Without you, I'd have never made it as far as I have,"
"Why thank you," she said, content.
"Wow, what an interesting way to view life," Digit praised. "I feel the same, no matter how good the friends I could potentially have may be, they wouldn't be the trio,"
"Agreed. So, what else do you want to talk about? I say we make this topic about our magic, now that sounds fun," the spirit suggested.
"As much as I'd love to talk about how strong I am, it will have to wait, we're here," Yuno said as the wind arc landed on solid ground, dissipating.
Digit scanned his surroundings. "We're right outside of a town, the elf must be somewhere within. That means civilians can get involved, evacuation should be our first priority,"
Yuno was about to nod, but that's when he noticed something. Pressing his hand against his forehead, he narrowed his eyes. "I think we won't need to worry about evacuation anymore,"
"Why is that?"
"They seemed to have done it themselves, let's go," he answered as they broke into a sprint.
"Excuse me, are you all alright?!" Digit called out to them once they reached a good distance.
The people seemed to be relieved by their presence as many of them approached the two, a woman speaking up. "Thank goodness, it's a Purple Orca, and a…," her expression portrayed that she was puzzled by Yuno's attire. "...Pardon me young man, but what squad are you from?"
"At this current moment, I'm not part of any squad, I'm a Royal Knight,"
This earned gasps from the townspeople. "A Royal Knight? Like the one the king spoke of during the Star Festival,"
"The very same,"
"Amazing, then you'll definitely be able to help us," she said. "About twenty minutes, everything was going normal, we were outside partaking in a town activity, then out of nowhere, some man appears and starts attacking us, screaming about wanting to kill us all,"
"How did you evacuate then?" the orca queried. "A situation like that must've been hard to escape from unharmed,"
"That's what we thought too, but then a small group of magic knights suddenly appeared soon after. They bought us time to get out and one of them said he'd meet us here once it was all over," she explained, expressing worry. "But that was twenty minutes ago and no one's come, I'm scared that the worst has happened, but none of us want to go and check,"
Yuno gave her a reassuring smile. "You're in luck then, we came here to handle this specific problem. Everything will be fine, trust me,"
She smiled back. "Okay then, I trust you,"
He eyed his temporary partner. "Are you ready, Digit?"
"As ready as I'll ever be,"
"Wait! Don't go just yet!" a man suddenly exclaimed, getting their attention. "I have faith in your abilities, but I still must advise extreme caution. The man those knights were fighting, I recognized him,"
"Do you know him personally?" Digit inquired.
"No, but I've heard of him, he's a wanted criminal and is considered incredibly dangerous. Be careful," he warned.
"We will," they responded before Yuno summoned wind to envelop them both before they zoomed in through the entrance.
While in movement, the wind spirit voiced a concern she had. "Should we be worried about this criminal that guy told us about? Digit was already tough enough when Frebhert was controlling him, criminals are already psychos,"
"I don't think that part will be a problem. The mannerisms of the human don't factor in when they're possessed," the orca told her.
"If you say so,"
"Keep your guard up, you two," Yuno butted in. "We don't know where the elf is, he could be anywhere, so-,"
"AH!" a sudden loud voice rang out, followed by a crash seconds later.
Digit pointed in the direction it came from. "Now I know this sounds crazy, but I think I know where he is," he quipped sarcastically as the group zoomed west, arriving at the town square.
As the trio touched the group, they picked up on three things. The first, and by far the most shocking, were the unconscious bodies of knights scattered around the area, all from varying squads. There were fifteen in total, and none of them seemed to be mortally wounded, just heavily bruised.
The second thing they noticed was that there was still one knight conscious, him having been the one to make the previous cry as he picked himself up from the ground. However, the knight in question was one the wind mage recognized.
"Kuro?"
The silver eagle turned at the sound of his name, a look of relief clear on his face. Making a portal under him, he fell into it, appearing beside them. "Hey, um, you're Yuno, right?" he pointed at the other one. "And you are?"
"Digit Talis, a pleasure,"
"Likewise," he said back before grunting and holding his shoulder.
With two things down, there was only one thing left to notice: their opponent. The elf stood a fair distance away from them, not making a move, his face portraying smug confidence, said face not changing even at the arrival of two more combatants. As for the human he possessed, it was one neither of the males knew, but while Yuno wasn't aware of his identity, if his rival was present, he'd recognize the man in an instant.
Zaxon.
The possessed assassin pointed at the spatial mage. "What's this? Have you called for more assistance, Kuro? Why? It will do you no good, they will fall like the others here, and you will join them in time,"
"Kuro, give us a rundown, what happened?" the royal knight inquired.
Doing some windmills to quell the pain in his shoulder, he spoke up. "It all started back at the capital. I was on patrol with some other knights on Marx's orders while the wizard king was fighting Licht,"
"Wait, Julius and Licht were fighting?" Yuno cut him.
He nodded. "Yeah, but it ended a good while ago, so it's safe to say the wizard king took him down,"
"I see. Sorry for interrupting, continue,"
"It's no problem. We were on patrol when some criminals broke out of prison somehow. We were about to engage with them, but that's when he intercepted us, wanting to kill us all. You can imagine we weren't just going stand there and let that happen, so a few of the knights who were there with me went to fight him, and it was going kinda well for the first half, whatever happened to him, he became a lot less proficient with his spatial magic, as if he didn't know what it was, but eventually, he got a hang of it. He used his portal to leave the area, so I used my magic to give chase, we kept going from place to place until he reached here. It surprised the people, so we bought them time to evacuate themselves, and I told one of them we'd come and say when it was safe to come back,"
"And as you can see, that won't be for awhile," the elf stated.
"He must've been quite the foe,"
Kuro nodded again at Digit's words. "You bet, it got even harder when I became the last man standing. Since we're both spatial magic users, Helix Cancel and the like are useless, and whenever I portal up close to engage in melee, he just portals away and attacks from a distance,"
"Then it's a good thing we're here to lend some assistance," Yuno had his grimoire turn to a page, ready to use it at a moment's notice.
"All being here will do is assure your defeat," the elf bragged. "But tell me, what are your names? It is good to know the name of the ones you plan to kill,"
"Yuno,"
"Digit,"
"Yuno and Digit? What peculiar names," he banged his chest with his fist. "I am Tangath, a mighty elven warrior, while this…spatial magic is useful, it is foreign to me. If I had the choice, I'd continue to fight with the use of my stone magic, wielding my trusty shield, the mighty Toborn,"
"Tangath and Toborn? Now those are some peculiar names," the poison plant mage remarked.
The possessed assassin furrowed his brows in annoyance. "Enough talk, let us fight,"
"Kuro, are you strong enough to fight and do you want to rest?" the wind mage asked.
"Except for the shoulder, I'll manage,"
"Okay, then, everyone break!" he called out as they established distance from one another. It was on now. "Wind Magic: Tornado Fang!"
Tangath grinned, he was ready too as a portal appeared in front of him, coming out of a second portal, making Digit its new target.
"Now there's something I can use! Spatial Magic: Helix Cancel!" Kuro exclaimed, making a portal in front of the orca, happy to have some ammunition.
The elf infused mana into his legs and jumped high into the air, letting himself free-fall before making a portal beneath him, reappearing in front of Yuno, planning to use gravity and momentum to boost the force of his punch. However, once he got close, his eyes widened and he changed his aim, hitting air, giving the teen a chance to back away.
"That's strange, he missed when he was so close, it's like…he wasn't trying to hit me,"
From where he stood earlier, Tangath couldn't see it, but up close, it was undeniable. He pointed at him. "You…you're one of us," he then growled. "Yuno, you wretched fiend! How dare you rob that poor elf's chance at a new life!"
Kuro eyed the wind mage. He too noticed the elven features on his face, but decided not to speak up about it, after all, it was obvious he was in control.
"Says the ones who are robbing humans of their current lives," he retorted. "What right do you have to do such a thing?"
"What right do we have? We have every right. Your kind were the ones who robbed us first! We were honest people who took you in and treated you as our own, and you repaid us with wickedness! If you absolutely had to destroy our kind, I'd rather it be through fair battle, then at least the loser couldn't complain, but no, it was done by ambush, a shameful display of cowardice! You must die!"
"No Tangath, you have to stop this!" Digit exclaimed, getting his attention. "I was possessed by an elf too, I know the pain you felt, but Frebhert didn't want any of this, he didn't want to make the humans go through what he did, and I know deep down, neither do you!"
The elf ignored virtually everything he said. "What?! You robbed Frebhert of it too! You are both fiends! You attempt to make me lower my guard with such a pitiful ploy like that. This is what I truly want!"
The orca grit his teeth. "I know that's not true, and I'll make you see it too. Poison Plant Magic: Zoffnir's Fingers!" weaved plants burst from the ground, rushing toward his opponent.
"You don't know anything. Spatial Magic: Space Cutter Bombardment!" he fired a slew of slashes, cutting the attack apart.
"Crap,"
"That is the least of your worries," Tangath created two portals, one beneath both him and Digit, both falling and reappearing in the air. The magic knight was taken completely by surprise while the elf moved in, coating his hand in magic, ready to cut his head off.
"Not so fast," a voice said as a portal appeared in between them, Tangath fell into it and appeared in front of Kuro, his fist already reeled back. "Now I got you!"
"Think again, Kuro," he responded with a portal of his own, the eagle punching air as he found himself in the air right next to Digit. He then brought himself above them. "Have a nice fall!" he kicked them both to the ground.
"Ugh, that hurt," they groaned.
"Wind Magic: Crescent Moon Sickle!" Yuno waited for the second the elf landed to attack again, actually managing to score a hit as the spell crashed into his shoulder, launching him back a few feet.
"Impressive, but not impressive enough, you'll-," he stopped himself as he felt something poke his shoulder, turning to see Bell.
"Hello,"
"A spirit? Amazing, I haven't seen one in so long. Greetings, mighty spirit. What exactly are you doing around these parts?"
"Oh, nothing much, just here to do this,"
He tilted his head. "Do what?"
"Observe," she replied, breathing in and blowing a powerful blast right at him, launching him into a building with a thud.
Yuno smiled as she flew back to him. "Nice,"
She shrugged. "What can I say? I'm creative,"
"Ugh," Tangath groaned as he freed himself. "Yuno, your foulness never ceases, now you've gone and deceived a spirit to work with you,"
"Deceive?" Bell raised her brow. "What are you yapping on about? Yuno hasn't tricked me,"
"It is alright, great spirit, once the human is dead, you will be free," he ignored her.
"Ugh, now he's starting to bug me," Yuno whispered to his partner.
"You and me both. Should we use Spirit Dive?"
He shook his head. "It wouldn't be smart. We should conserve our strength when it comes time to fight the bigger threats. He isn't one of them," he reeled his hand back. "Wind Magic - Mana Zone: Crescent Moon Sickle Quartet!" he launched the four blades from different directions.
"Spatial Magic: Quartet Warp!" the elf met the attack with its perfect counter, creating four portals around him. The blades came in and came out, missing everyone.
Yuno sucked his teeth. "Okay, let's see how he likes-," he was cut off as he suddenly found himself in the air. "What the?"
"Take this!" Tangath was about to punch him, but the wind mage was faster, maneuvering his body to avoid it before flying up higher, watching the possessed assassin descend.
"Don't think it's over yet," he created another portal beneath, falling into it and reappearing higher up. "Spatial Magic: Space Cutter Bombardment!"
"Wind Creation Magic: Wind Blade Shower!" he canceled the projectiles with a set of his own, not missing the chance to attack Tangath with a strong blast of wind, only to fail as he portaled away.
"Over here!" the teen whipped around to see him appear and portal away immediately after.
"No, over here!" the same thing happened.
"Behind you!"
"To your right!"
"To your left!"
Yuno was getting frustrated. "He's doing this to make me attack irrationally so I'll make an opening. However, it's not as good of a plan as he thinks. The second he's in between coming through a portal and leaving through another one, I'll blast wind in every direction. He won't know what hit-,"
In an odd sense of irony, that was the last word his mind said before a fist suddenly appeared and hit him in the face, sending him plummeting, and crashing on the hard ground.
"Oh no, are you alright?" Bell was worried as she saw blood leak from his mouth.
He coughed. "You'd think I'd get used to this whole being hit in the face thing by now," he said to her.
Tangath landed soon after, walking slowly toward him. "I know what you were planning,"
The royal knight stood up. "What are you talking about?"
"You were going to blast wind from all sides, weren't you? It's not a bad move, you're a wind mage after all," he replied. "I knew a wind mage back in my day, she liked to use that tactic a lot, so I came up with a counter,"
"And that counter was?"
The elf pointed up. "It's simple really, you were expecting me to show up somewhere one of your senses could detect me, so I just portaled up a kilometer or so above you. From there, I made a portal small enough for my fist to go through, and I think you know the rest,"
Yuno allowed a smirk to crease his lips. "So that's how you did it? I'll give it to you, it was very well thought out,"
"Why thank you, but don't think flattery will save you, you're still going to-," a wind spell slammed into him, cutting him off and rocketing him into the building he had been sent to earlier.
Yuno was puzzled. "Tornado Fang? I didn't cast that,"
"Well, you did, but at the same time, you didn't," Kuro and Digit approached him, the former speaking up. "Thank my Helix Cancel. Say, you mind casting another for me to save?"
"Sure. Wind Creation Magic: Swift White Hawk," as soon as the avian was created, the eagle made his move.
"Spatial Magic: Helix Cancel,"
"Wretched humans! You won't catch me off guard again!" Tangath stood readily.
"I can't lag behind, I must do my part! Poison Plant Magic: Zoffnir's Garden of Lingering Burns!" he summoned his large plant, standing atop it as he commanded it to shoot out its debilitating strikes.
The possessed assassin clicked his tongue. "Child's play," he employed his usual tactic to escape it, but he wasn't expecting one of Kuro's portals to appear directly in front of him and the vines from before shooting out.
"Crap!" he made another portal, bringing him to the rooftop of a nearby building. "I don't know what those vines will do if they hit me. He did call it a garden of lingering burns, so it must be some kind of spell for incapacitation among other things, but I don't plan on finding out what they are,"
As he finished talking to himself, his mana sense flared, an attack was coming from behind. He turned around to see Kuro coming in hot with a dropkick. He backed up a bit to dodge it, only for the spatial mage to land and quickly transition into a sweep kick that was also evaded.
Tangath made a portal behind him, backing up into it while Kuro did the same in hot pursuit as the two mages once more found themselves in mid-air. The elf went on the offensive, firing a slew of space slashes, but the magic knight responded with a portal, canceling them both out.
"We better go help him," Yuno took to the skies while Digit planned to help from below.
Going back to the two spatial mages, Kuro had managed to get close enough to land an uppercut, though at the same time, Tangath responded with an upper kick, getting him right in the jaw.
"Mind if I join in?" Yuno asked in a quipping manner.
The silver-clad knight rubbed his jaw. "Be my guest,"
"Thanks. Wind Creation Magic: Swift White Bow!" he quickly shot a trio of arrows, but that wasn't it. Kuro made a portal in front of each of them, changing it so that it'd come from every direction but the south.
The elf snickered. "Kuro, Yuno, you must've realized by now such a move won't work on me, haven't you? Spatial Magic: Quartet Warp!"
To his surprise, however, Kuro grinned. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," he made three portals right in front of Tangath's, the arrows entering them before converging together above him, landing cleanly.
"Damn it," he grunted, portaling to ground level, far away from them. However, he was only far away from two of the knights. "Now!" Digit sent out his vines as fast as he could. "You won't escape this time!"
"Yes I will," he made a portal beneath him, ready to fall into it, but before he could, it suddenly vanished. "What?"
"Why don't I just stop you right there? Spatial Cancellation for the win!" Kuro exclaimed as he made a portal, letting loose the wind avian.
Yuno saw his chance to attack as well. "Wind Creation Magic: Celestial Trident of Notus!"
Three attacks rushed at him from three sides, if he tried to get away, Kuro would stop him dead in his tracks. Tangath knew what he had to do as his grimoire flipped to a page. "Spatial Magic: Revolution Massacre!"
At his command, his hands glowed a bright yellow color before making an X-slashing motion with them, the mana growing and extending into two large circles that crossed around his person. Those circles began revolving rapidly before they broke up into pieces and shot every which way, completely decimating the attacks coming at him.
"Careful, guys!" Kuro noticed some coming for them too, forming portals in front of the three, however, there was another problem. "Yuno, can you protect the unconscious knights?!"
"I should be able to! I hope this works! Wind Magic - Mana Zone: Wind Blades Falling Shower!" he declared, summoning blades to fall from the sky, canceling out the attacks before it could reach them.
The knights reconvened next to Digit. "That didn't go as well as I had hoped," the spatial mage voiced.
"How right you are, Kuro," Tangath couldn't help but agree. "I will give credit where it's due, these two you've brought to fight with you are strong, but they won't turn the tide of this battle,"
"Ugh, I hate to say it, but he's right," Digit said, clenching his fists. "If only I could land a hit with my thorns, that may do it,"
Both teens raised a curious brow at the poison plant mage's statement. "Um, Digit, just curious, what do these thorns do exactly?" Kuro asked in a whisper.
"They induce a painful numbing effect," he replied just as quietly.
"Numbing effect, you don't say?" gears were turning in the eagle's head. "Hey, Yuno, I have a plan. Can you find some way to keep his attention off of us?"
"Shouldn't be too hard," he flew to the west. "Care to help me out, Bell,"
"Just say the word,"
"Wind Magic: Spirit-amped Towering Tornado!" he exclaimed, the spirit aiding him in bringing the strong spell to life.
Now, Tangath wasn't Licht, destroying the tower of spiraling wind wouldn't be as easy as slashing at it, so he had to take an unorthodox approach. "Spatial Magic: Mass Warpgate!" he extended both arms out.
Kuro narrowed his eyes. "There we go, now Digit,"
"On it. Poison Plant Magic: Zoffnir's Thorns of Restless Agony," the plant inhaled and fired the thorns, right into a portal made by the other knight.
Meanwhile, the Mass Warpgate formed under the tornado, creating an odd sight as it fell beneath, and reappeared two kilometers above them, dissipating into nothing after a second, earning an impressed whistle from the elf. "Not bad if I do say so my-,"
He didn't finish as Kuro's portal appeared right above his still-extended arms, an innumerable amount of thorns raining down and piercing the bare skin of it and his hands. Small pools of blood formed before quickly trickling down. "AH! DAMN IT!" he screamed in pain, arms falling to his sides.
"What was that about not letting us catch you off guard?" Kuro taunted him.
Tangath fought through the pain. "Shut up, it makes no difference, just watch!" he attempted to raise his hands to cast another spell, but to his shock and dismay, his limbs didn't obey him.
"What did you do?!"
"Nothing too complicated, by using Digit's thorns to numb your arms, but more importantly, your hands, we've essentially barred you from using your magic. Victory is all but assured,"
Yuno landed next to him. "Mind if I do the honors?"
The spatial mage gestured for him to go right ahead as he set the stage by portaling the possessed assassin into the air, unable to run.
"Let's do this, Bell! Wind Spirit Magic: Sylph's Breath!" he shot the bullet, crashing it into him as he was sent flying into the same building as before. The third time's the charm, and this time, he was knocked out cold.
Kuro pumped his fist into the air. "Now that's how it's done! Great going, team," he extended a fist, the others coming to join in the fistbump.
"I should go and tell the townspeople it's safe to come back," Digit offered.
The spatial mage put up a hand. "Allow me, it'll be quicker," and indeed it was as he went there and back in a grand total of six seconds.
With the fight over, Yuno turned his attention to the unconscious knights. "Digit, do you know any recovery spells?"
He held his chin and started turning pages. "I actually think I do, let me see," he kept scrolling until he stopped. "Here it is, I haven't used this one in a while. Poison Plant Recovery Magic: Zoffnir's Pollen of Rejuvenation!" exclaimed, the plant inhaling before shooting pollen into the sky, not only healing the knocked-out group, but also the trio themselves.
Kuro stretched. "Oh man, that shoulder is feeling better," he said as other knights started waking up.
"What happened?"
"How long was I out for?"
"Did we win?"
The silver eagle was ready to answer all their questions. "You weren't out for too long, but we did manage to beat him, all thanks to these two," he brought attention to the newest comers.
He then pointed at Tangath. "Now, restrain him and confiscate his grimoire, the bastard gave us a hell of a fight, we can't risk another one,"
Seeing he finished talking, Yuno stepped up. "Everyone, Kuro told me what happened, how you were at the capital before coming here! That means you all know how dire the situation is, we can't afford to waste time, but at the same time, we can't abandon other places that are being terrorized! If we work together, we can help whoever needs it and get to the capital before it's too late! Who's with me?!"
The others all raised their fists, this was their duty after all. "Count us in!"
The wind mage smiled at this. "Good, let's start by helping the people here," he ordered, staring up at the night sky.
"I'll see you soon, Asta,"
"Everybody, run for your lives!"
Two towns were free from danger, but there was a third one in distress. The citizens of Hecairo were running every which way as hell rained down on them, laying waste to their homes and shops. Who was responsible? Standing at Hecairo's highest point, were a trio of possessed knights.
The man who stood in the middle paused his attacks to scoff. "Look at these disgusting excuses for life, they make me sick,"
The woman to his left agreed. "I couldn't have said it better myself, Dardemus. But I'm confused, why did you suggest for us to stay up here when he could've gone down to eliminate them close up? I want to see the fear in their eyes,"
Dardemus eyed her. "We will do that soon, patience is a virtue, Lura. We attack here first to establish a sense of inescapability, let them know that none will get out alive, that's when we'll move in,"
Lura was pleased by his answer. "I like it," she said before her ears picked up on the sudden sound of moving pebbles, her head whipping in its direction. "Who's there?!"
On cue, a woman jumped out of her hiding spot, frightened that she was discovered, the elves' attention now fully on her.
"What do you have here? A human over here?" Dardemus grinned evilly. "Someone had the awful luck of being here right before we arrived,"
"Y-You," the woman stuttered, pointing at the elf in the middle.
"Yes, what about me?"
"I-I've seen you before, just once," she managed to say. "You're Xerx Lugner, the vice-captain of the Purple Orcas. W-Why are you doing all this?! Aren't you magic knights? You're supposed to defend the kingdom!"
"Xerx Lugner?" Dardemus repeated the name she directed at him. "Madam, don't you know it's rude to misname someone? But then again, what would people like you know of manners? You all probably aren't like him,"
"Him? Who's him? And why are you doing this? Answer me!"
The possessed ice mage's grin shifted to a look of boredom. "We have nothing to explain to you, just know that you're going to die in a few seconds,"
"D-Die?" she dropped to her knees, shaking her head. "I don't want to die,"
"No one wants to die, my dear, but that's how things work,"
The man to the right stepped up. "Please, let me be the one to end her life,"
"Go ahead, Lua," Dardemus allowed it.
"Show us how it's done, little brother," Lura cheered him on.
In a last-ditch effort, the woman stood up and bolted, only bringing twisted joy to Lua. "She wants to run? That won't do her much good," he was about to sprint after her, but that's when…
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Hearing a unified voice, they stopped and turned. Shocked gasps came from the elves as something arrived on the scene, that something being the Raging Black Bull.
"What in the world is that?" Lura was perplexed. "I've never seen such a contraption,"
"I don't know, it sort of looks like some kind of transformed house," Lua guessed.
"Hold on, if it's a house, then there are humans inside, they must've been the ones who were shouting earlier," Dardemus deduced.
"Damn, it's a good thing this place is on our way to the capital, we would've totally missed it otherwise," Magna said. "Time to kick some ass!"
"Agggrrreeeddd," Henry prepared for battle. "Recombination Magic: The Raging Black Bull - Fighting Style!" he mentally exclaimed as it changed into its bipedal mode.
"Lura, let's take them down now before they have a chance to attack," Lua suggested.
"I'm with you," his sister nodded.
"Water Magic: Rising Tide!"
"Earth Magic: Stony Tide!"
At their command, waves of the two elements came from the north and the south, ready to crush upon contact, but to their even greater shock, both moves failed to connect, a large amount of space being left in the center.
"Huh?" the elven siblings gasped.
"What's going on with you two?"
"It's not us, something must've stopped us,"
"Really? Let me try then. Ice Magic: Rigid Tundra!" Dardemus exclaimed, but his attack failed to connect too.
Their attacks would fail no matter how hard they tried, because standing atop the automaton's shoulder, beyond their sight, was Rouge. "Nice work, sweetie, mommy's so proud,"
"Maagggnnaaa, Luuccckkkk, Goorrrddoonnn, sttaannddbbyyy!" Henry ordered so they could deal with the lingering spells. "Recombination Magic: Mana Torpedo!" he mentally exclaimed, cannons extending from the giant's chest and arms.
The controller wrote something in his notebook, handing it to Asta to read. "Henry says that this spell of his amplifies the force of whatever's shot out of it,"
"Nice one," Magna praised as they each ran to one.
"Flame Magic: Gargantuan Exploding Fireball!" he exclaimed.
"Lightning Magic: Thunderbolt Destruction!" he declared.
"Poison Magic: Forbidden Fruit," he whispered.
The three spells were fired, coming out larger on the other end, destroying their disadvantageous counterparts.
The trio of elves couldn't believe it. "No way,"
Dardemus clenched his fist. "Don't get discouraged, there's still a way," he said.
They nodded, knowing what he meant. Bringing their hands together, their magic converged into a single mass, growing over time. "It looks like they're plotting something big," Charmy observed.
Vanessa held her chin. "Rouge will keep us safe, but the recoil could damage the town further, we need to stop it,"
"Don't worry, I have a plan," the swordsman replied.
"This will be your end, humans! Compound Magic-,"
"AH!" they were cut off as the giant shot Asta out of its chest cannon, the boy coming in at top speed, the mystery sword in hand. "Anti-Magic: Bull Thrust!" he dispelled it immediately before slamming the sword's side into each of their skulls, knocking them out before freeing them. "Easy victory!"
The Raging Black Bull got closer and everyone but Henry got out. "Crazy ass plan you had there, Rasta, but I never doubted you," the flame mage noogied him.
"What can I say? I can get pretty creative,"
"Um, excuse me?" attention shifted to the woman from earlier as she slowly approached them.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" the magicless mage asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to you. I never expected to ever owe my life to the Black Bulls of all squads, but here we are. Thank you though, you saved my town,"
"No problem, miss, it's what we do," Charmy gave her a thumbs-up. "If you would like, we wouldn't mind helping you rebuild,"
"No thank you, we can handle that part on our own," she politely declined, heading down.
After she left, the cotton mage pumped her fists. "Alright, lunch break, you need to recharge!"
"What are you talking about? We hardly used any power," Magna protested.
The girl pouted. "Fine then, but when you're low on mana, don't come crying to me,"
"C'mon, that's not fair and you know it!"
Luck slung his arms behind his back. "If we're done here, then let's not waste any time and start-," he cut himself off, looking in a direction.
Asta narrowed his eyes. "I know what that means. Who's close by?"
Before the blond could answer, a familiar purple portal came to life before their very eyes, garnering shocked expressions from most of them as an even more familiar quartet emerged from it, standing in front of the knights.
"Damn, we finally caught up to you. You bastards sure do move a lot," the wraith mage laughed.
Asta was doing anything but as he took out the Slayer. "What are you doing here, Rades?!" he pointed the bigger sword at him. "And…what happened to your eye?"
"Not important," he brushed the second question aside. "As for why I'm here…," he trailed off.
Annalise could be seen facepalming and shaking her head. "Why the hell did we have to do this?" she muttered.
The other bulls were ready for battle too. "Well, spill it already!" the swordsman yelled.
Rades took multiple deep breaths, this would be the hardest thing he'd ever have to say in his entire life. "The reason we're here…is because…we need…," he struggled to get the last two words, clutching his neck before sighing and slumping forward.
"...Your help," he finished in a low whisper.
"What?" the bulls couldn't hear him.
"WE NEED YOUR HELP!" he contrasted his prior attempt by screaming at the top of his lungs.
"You need…our help?" the magicless mage repeated, trying to make sense of it. "So let me get this straight, you attacked our base, not to mention all the messed up stuff you've done, and now you're asking us for help?"
"They must think we're a couple of dummies," Magna punched his palm. "This is obviously some kind of trick,"
"And what would we stand to gain by tricking you?" Rades tried to retort.
"I don't know right off the top of my head, but there must be something if this is what you're resorting to," he responded. "If you really needed help, you'd just go and ask your Midnight Sun buddies, or even Licht,"
"Yeah? Well, that's not an option anymore," Annalise spoke up.
"And why is that?"
"Because…" the spark mage paused. "Every member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun is dead…and the whole reason we want your help is because Licht double-crossed us!"
Vanessa rested a hand on her hip, still skeptical. "Really? He double-crossed you? Now of all times? How convenient,"
"No, that part I can believe," Asta said. "You guys are humans, after all,"
"That's what Licht called us too," Rades recalled. "What the hell was that all about?"
"Let's just say he isn't the guy you think he is,"
"No shit, Sherlock, he betrayed us, we already found out what kind of guy he is," Annalise crossed her arms.
"That's just the surface," was all he added.
"See, we explained ourselves, we're after revenge!" Rades clenched his fists. "We did everything for him, we worked our butts off finding the Magic Stones because we thought it'd be worth it in the end, but then he goes and leaves us for dead. As much as I hate to admit, I'm not strong enough to beat the crap out of him, but that's where you guys come in. Working together will give us the edge we need,"
"And once we have that edge, Licht won't have any choice but to fear us," Annalise added with furious eyes. "He was like a father to me, someone who saved me from the world, but now, I can't wait to see him dead, I want it more than anything. I know it's what you want too,"
"That's what you want our help for?" Magna queried.
"Yes, why are you all being stupid? You should be agreeing to this truce immediately," the wraith mage pointed at them. "We know you despise Licht almost as much as we do. We get our revenge and you get him out of the kingdom's hair, it's a win-win. He'll most likely be at the capital, so let's get a move on already, time is wasting,"
"Even if what they're saying is true, can we actually trust them?" Charmy asked no one in particular, but after doing so, Asta put his swords back in his grimoire and walked over to him.
Rades was pleased by this, stretching his arms out. "Ah, Asta, you always were more reasonable than we gave you credit for. Together, we'll take down that no-good son of a bitch in-,"
A single, concise punch to the face. Rades was majorly caught off guard by that reaction, only to be more bewildered as the ash-blond trapped him in an intricate lock.
"You have got to be kidding me! The Eye of the Midnight Sun has made innocent people suffer, completely disregarding their feelings, but now when you, the guilty ones, get your justice, you think you have the right to be angry?!"
He trapped him in another lock. "Congratulations, now you know how the rest of us felt. Give me a damn break!"
"Hey, let him go!" Annalise tried to pull them apart.
Asta, though, saw this as an opportunity to release him and put her in a lock instead. "And as for you, we most certainly do not want him dead too. I plan to make him atone for everything he's done, and the same is true for your four!"
He released her too, standing up, leaving them to rub their overstretched limbs. "First thing's first, you're going to help us all handle this crisis. After that, you're going to find ways to pay for your crimes, and then, once that's all said and done, you can have your revenge. Deal?"
"And why the hell would we agree to that?!" they demanded.
"Remember, it's you who needs us, not the other way around. We can leave you here and nothing will change on our end,"
The two growled silently, he was right. "Fine!" they reluctantly agreed.
"Good," the swordsman smiled, directing his attention to the other pair. "And what about you two?"
"I accept your terms," Valtos answered. "I need to speak with Licht, I need to know the reason he saw such little worth in our lives, and then, maybe I can begin a path to a new life,"
"Hm," Sally poked her chin. "So, after we handle the problem and I atone and everything, can I do some experiments on you? If you agree, I'll be super super cooperative,"
Asta fiddled with his fingers. "Um…okay. But make sure these experiments don't hurt,"
"Will do!"
"Oh, and please don't try to get my gametes again,"
"Will do!"
"Okay then, this truce is official, everybody inside," Asta jumped onto the transformed base's hand.
"Hey, new bunch," Magna addressed the four. "Asta may trust you, but don't think that means we won't be keeping an eye on you,"
He then closed the distance between them, choosing the wraith mage as their representative, peering deeply into him as he spoke with dead seriousness. "Let me make this quick: one mistake, one slip-up, give us just so much as one reason to think you're going to double-cross us, and you're not going to have to worry about your revenge anymore...because we'll put you down then and there like the menaces you are. Capiche?"
The quartet looked past the mage in shades, noticing the others carrying the same serious expression. "Y-Yeah yeah, we know," Rades tried to wave it off as they all entered the base, but the slight fear on his face spoke volumes. With that all said and done, though, they resumed movement.
Hopefully, this wasn't going to be a bad idea.
"Just what the hell is going on?!"
There was no rest for anyone, anywhere. Every place was in chaos, whether it was a village, a town, or in this case, a squad base.
Since its conception and construction, this was the first time the exterior of Aqua Deer HQ looked so…damaged. Explosions of magic were heard outside as walls began cracking and crumbling from the non-stop attacks.
"Just what the hell is going on?!" Oliver repeated what he thought out loud from where he hid, and with good reason, this was ridiculous.
This definitely wasn't how he was expecting to spend his night. After nearly two long days of cooping himself in his room, the wood mage decided to come out, he couldn't stay there forever, he felt that he needed someone to talk to about the recent event. His first choice was to talk to Zuka, but he heard from squadmates that she, Rill, and Fragil passed the Royal Knights entrance exam. A part of his sadness vanished at the sound of that news, his friend worked hard to get in, and she deserved it, so he went looking for Shauna, but that's when he heard from someone else that she'd be doing some all-day training somewhere private.
With neither girl present, the Yggdrow was all alone with his thoughts like before and would just have to wait. However, imagine his surprise as nightfall came and some of his squad began going nuts, attacking one another and spewing nonsense.
The setting changed from a peaceful base to a chaotic battlefield in a matter of minutes, forcing Oliver to engage in battles he thought he'd never have to fight, but alas, it was either that or certain death. So here he was, hammer in hand, hiding behind debris to just catch his breath and even try to understand what happened.
"Okay, think, it can't be a mind control spell, nothing should be able to work on this grand of a scale. I know for a fact they aren't betraying us, it's all just too sudden," he said to himself before spells crashed into the impromptu hiding place.
"Shit, they found me," he came into view, standing across from six elves. "Bring it on!"
"Gladly!" they fired an array of projectiles.
Oliver let go of his weapon to lighten his load as he had no intention of meeting any attack head-on, whatever happened to them pumped their magic to the next level. He opted to dodge and evade, just barely getting off scot-free and once they ended, he grabbed his hammer and raised it. "Wood Magic: Ironwood Fortification!" he slammed it, creating a wall of wood.
"Take down the defense!" one of the elves ordered as they fired everything they had, destroying it in thirty seconds, but as it fell, its caster was nowhere in sight. "He must've used that spell as a diversion to run away, an expected human tactic! He probably ran into the outer woods, he couldn't have gotten far, we'll catch up if we hurry!"
The hextet of possessed knights broke into a mad dash, running past a large pile of broken debris. Two minutes passed and that pile began to shake, revealing Oliver who stood up and dusted his clothes. "Have fun on that wild goose chase. Now, I need to get out of here and find the girls, I hope they're okay,"
"Hm, a pretty clever stunt you pulled there, human, they didn't see it coming, but it couldn't get past me," a voice said behind the boy, making his eyes widen. He recognized that voice, it was unmistakable. He turned around, only confirming what he already knew, but it didn't make it any easier as he uttered the name of the possessed person.
"Shauna?"