Round Table Chapter 7: Challenge The Legend!, a fairy tail fanfic

Round Table Chapter 7: Challenge the Legend!

By Bluestar076

Hello, everybody! Bluestar here with a new chapter! We're back with the second part of this long and bizarre quest! As this is part 2, this should hopefully take less since it will be more practical, and there will be a big surprise at the climax! You could already make your theories judging by the title of the chapter, but I don't intend to keep you on the toes for too long! So, even though new OCs are not being introduced (don't worry, we'll remedy that with the next chapter), we can start immediately! As always, I hope you enjoy it!

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights and characters belong to Hiro Mashima, A1-Pictures, CloverWorks, and J.C. Staff.

Chapter 7: Challenge the Legend!

Era – Magic Council Headquarters

The Magic Council. The central core of the world of magic. Whoever wanted to become a mage or get through the road to magic would have been always judged by them. As an organization that controls and oversees all magic movements and serves under all the governments in Ishgar, all of the guilds that work in the continent are under their eyes.

Within the last years, they had to face and witness several problems on a large scale, between the eruption of dark guilds caused by the Balam Alliance, the ultimate attack of the Alvarez Empire, and Acnologia's rampage. But thanks to the help of the various guilds, they were able to restore balance and get out of all of them, ensuring a stable peace once again.

But…the past was always ready to knock at someone's door again, and the Ten Wizard Saints were no less.

That day, they were all gathered in their reunion room to observe and talk about a problem they didn't think could pass their minds again.

"I can't believe it…" One of them, a short old man with a mustache and wearing a white jacket, said while sweating. Judging by the expression, it seemed that the situation touched him personally.

Makarov Dreyar – Eight Guild master of Fairy Tail – Member of the Ten Wizard Saints

"W-We're sure that this isn't some joke of bad taste, right?" Another short one with a long beard, wearing a dark-colored suit, a light-colored vest with large buttons and stripes towards the bottom of it, dark slacks decorated with diamond shapes, a large blue hat with a pair of brown rims, glasses, and an earring, asked.

Wolfheim – Member of the Ten Wizard Saints

"Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case, gentlemen." Their chairman answered, getting everyone's attention. He was sitting on the northern part of the table with his hands clasped. "Even if this is a printed version, this page seems as real as you could get. It appears that we didn't consider the idea…of possible remnants of Zeref's work."

Draculos Hyberion – Member of the Ten Wizard Saints – Chairman of the Magic Council

Makarov sighed as he looked at the page again. "To think that we would have had to deal with this again." He commented. "I had hoped that after this battle, we could have closed that page. Our first Master seemed so in peace."

"It's not your fault, Makarov." Another voice told him. It was an old man that looked more like a tree than an actual human. "Knowing Mavis, I'm sure that what you had done two years ago remained unchanged. This is only a leftover if nothing else."

Warrod Sequen – Member of the Ten Wizard Saints – Former Mage of Fairy Tail

"Still, the idea that a demon of Zeref still lays asleep somewhere is troubling. With his death, all of his books should have been erased." The mage continued. "Can you remember where did we get this printed copy of the page?"

"It was given to us by the guild Round Table, guided by Lunafreya Lacrima." Draculos simply replied.

"WHAT!?" Upon hearing that, Wolfheim immediately stood up. "The new queen of Seven!? She had founded a guild!?"

"Yes, and it has been already some week ever since that. Didn't you read the news?" Makarov asked him.

"Oi, don't mock me, of course, I do! But that news escaped me!" Wolfheim replied before sitting down. "What's in her head? As the new ruler, she's supposed to be busy with tons of stuff. Does she want to exhaust herself?" He then looked at another side of the table. "Gaul, you're responsible for the Seven branch of the Magic Council, don't you have anything to say?"

On the right side of the table, among the various seats, stood a man with long, spiky orange hair collected in a ponytail, clad in blue and golden armor with large circular pauldrons pointing downwards. He had a white cape and an elegant sword attached to his back. This man was listening with his eyes closed until he heard his name, making him open them, revealing their blue eyes.

Gaul Sophis – Member of the Ten Wizard Saints

The man made a soft smile. "What there is to say, Wolfheim? You know well that we are subject to all the governments, including the kingdom of Seven. What the royals do shouldn't concern that much." He commented.

"Y-Yes, I know it well…" Wolfheim spoke.

"Besides!" Gaul put himself comfy in his chair. "Even if they have recently started their activity, I've heard good things about them so far. They manage to clear their job, and it's thanks to them that we have news about this demon. I only heard that they're a bit chaotic. They remind me of someone!" He added with a smile, looking at Makarov, who looked skeptical.

"Is this a trait of every guild or what?" The old man asked. "But please, let us not distract ourselves. We need to focus on our topic, especially considering that we have apparently a name to associate with the responsible ones."

"What do we know about this 'Thalassophobia' dark guild?" Warrod asked.

Draculos checked some papers he had near them, collecting the data they had. "Nothing much, it seems. Unlike other dark guilds, they seemed to have been hidden throughout the years. During the time of the Balam Alliance, they were under the control of Tartaros, and they seemed to have focused on draining the energy of their victims. But apart from this, we still don't know much, surprisingly."

Another Wizard Saint, a huge man with a bald head and a long beard, crossed his arms and mumbled. "So…even if the topic touches us closely, we're completely in the unknown. And considering that this demon apparently can destroy this world with ease, I don't know you, but we should start at least some investigations about it."

Jura Neekis – Member of the Ten Wizard Saints – Former Member of Lamia Scale

"He's right! We cannot afford to have another demon that could make disastrous effects like those from Lullaby, Deliora, or any of the Tartaros mages!" Wolfheim agreed.

Then…a few footsteps could be heard as another figure reached the room. "It's not as easy as you'd expect." A deep voice echoed in the hall, making everyone turn around, and when they saw the figure, they were surprised.

"Ah! Your Holiness!"

It was a tall man with tanned skin, long, spiky silver hair that reached to about mid-back…and orange eyes. He was wearing a tuxedo-like uniform with gold marks all over and intricated golden armor under a white cape with shoulder protectors. He also wore a pair of golden gauntlets with clawed gloves and a pair of white and golden shoes.

"Forgive me for my delay, gentlemen. But I needed to clear some procedures back at the Great Cathedral." The man said with a smile.

Xander Elohim – Member of the Ten Wizard Saints – Holy Father of the White Church

"There's no need to, Holy Father. Please, have a seat." Draculos greeted him. "What is it that you were trying to say?"

Xander gently sat on his chair and looked at everyone. "That, unfortunately, delivering a direct attack without a plan is not wise for a demon like this." He looked at the page. "The sole idea that this demon is still alive even after the departure of his creator gives us an idea of how powerful it must be, let alone the disastrous power it could have. Even as Wizard Saints, starting with haste and out of panic is not wise, and let's not even add the fact that we don't know where its location is."

Everyone looked down, frowning.

"But please, don't take it as a demotivating suggestion. I simply warn you to take the right time before acting. Who knows…maybe even a normal guild could keep up with it." Xander assured them.

"Yes…I get your point, Holy Father. Still, I think that we should move while we still have the chance. Who knows when it'll start to rain heavily." Makarov told him.

"Indeed. Just make sure not to make hasty decisions. If the lengths of the demon are true, we may need to carefully study it and think of a counter weapon." Xander added.

"Or maybe…if a guild finds it before us, it could be even better." Another voice said from the left side of the table, rolling all eyes on her.

It was a young woman with long magenta hair and yellow eyes. She was wearing a full white buttoned shirt, a black skirt, and black ankle boots. She also had a jacket attached to her back like it was a cape, and attached to her wrist, she had a long katana.

"We still need to not forget that we can count on them and that this warning came directly from them. If one guild finds it, we could have a point of agreement and send them reinforcements to aid their strike to take this demon down. Let's not forget what they were able to do this far."

Kokoro Ayasaka – Member of the Ten Wizard Saints

"True, true! As expected from Kokoro to have such optimism!" Warrod told her.

"I'm simply stating the truth. As the responsible for the Caelum branch of the council, I can say that things are getting brighter in my regard." The girl replied.

"Caelum, you say? How is Shogunate Pride going?" Makarov then asked.

Everyone looked at him surprised, even the same Kokoro.

"Uhm…it's going fine. Why the interest?" She asked.

Makarov couldn't tell easily the reason since it would have brought more chaos, so he tried to come up with something believable. "Ah! Nothing! Just…I saw them on the news and was curious."

Kokoro looked at him quite suspiciously but answered nonetheless. "They're doing good. If a bit lousy."

"So it is a guild's quirk," Wolfheim commented with a skeptical expression.

"I know something of it!" Jura added.

Makarov, on the other hand, took a breath of relief, gathering Gaul's attention.

"Ah, ah! Don't worry, my wife has a cold stare, but she's actually very kind!" He told him.

"WAIT, YOU TWO ARE MARRIED!?" Wolfheim shouted.

"Got a problem with that?" Kokoro quickly glared at him with a deadly stare, ready to take out her katana.

"A-Ah, n-no…" The other Wizard Saint immediately sat down.

Gaul laughed more. "Yes, we are! We even have a four-year-old boy at home!"

"I even was the officiant of their wedding!" Xander added.

"Please, let us make some order, let's not forget that we are the Wizard Saints." Draculos then gathered everyone's attention. "I think we can all follow the Holy Father and Kokoro's suggestions on this plan, hoping that it won't be too late. And we can hope that this will be the last of Zeref's legacy."

Everyone nodded at that.

"Very well, then. Now that we have archived this part of the meeting, are there any other issues that need to be mentioned?" Draculos asked.

"I have one." Warrod raised his hand, looking quite serious. "It's quite problematic, actually. I have…terminal diarrhea."

"WHAT!?" Everyone exclaimed.

"Just joking!" And as always, the old tree mage relieved everyone with a laugh.

"WHEN WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT!? You think it's something to say, especially when we have the Holy Father here with us!?" Wolfheim scolded.

"Oh, please. I'm not offended." Xander assured them.

"I'm actually concerned about something," Jura asked. "Did anyone get any news on those strange behaviors coming from people we've heard about last month? I've heard that it should be associated with the red smoke that the Holy Father here had witnessed."

"Oh, right. I've started to investigate it, and it seems that it is indeed some sort of magic…but not the kind that regular dark guilds use. It could be some sort of arcane magic or…something that isn't even human." Xander explained.

"I've received reports that this phenomenon is starting to get more frequent throughout Ishgar. It seems that it can be stopped by our magic and that of the church's exorcists, but…the origin is still unknown." Gaul stated.

"Hmmm…If we look at how it is, it's just a normal spell, but…if it keeps growing…then I have a bad feeling about it." Makarov commented.

"We're trying our best to figure out what it is. We'll keep you updated on it." Xander told him.

Then…Kokoro looked down, concerned.

"Hm? Something wrong, honey?" Gaul asked her.

"…Speaking of these episodes…I think that there's another phenomenon that you should hear about." The woman said.

Everyone looked at her.

"Another phenomenon? Is it something similar?" Draculos asked.

"Well…yes and no," Kokoro replied and started to explain. "Recently, in some parts of the Ishgar, mostly the caves and some isolated inhabitation, a strange curse had started to appear. Those who have reported me are insecure to say if it's either magic or…an infection."

"An infection?" Warrod asked.

"Yes. They…brought me someone who ended up getting affected by it. He…had what seemed to be a huge orange wart on his back. His eyes and mouth were secreted this strange orange liquid, and he was basically out of control, trying to struggle and attack everything and everyone." The girl continued.

The tension in the hall started to rise. This already seemed like a worrying issue.

"Did…did he say something?" Jura asked.

"Apart from shouts and incomprehensible words…he kept on talking about a light. That he had seen a light that he needed to follow." Kokoro replied.

"You mean…like a bug that sees a lamp?" Wolfheim asked.

Kokoro nodded. "I couldn't say if he was manipulated or…if he had been left in a berserk state. But…he seemed to be irretrievable in any way possible. He was more a zombie than a human." She looked at her sword. "I had to put an end to his suffering to make him stop. When I did, the wart on his back broke out, and the infection seemed to leave his body."

"So, it was the wart that put him in that condition? Why didn't you cut it down?" Wolfheim asked.

"I think it's not that easy," Makarov told him. "I think that the wart was more of a result of the infection. The source is to be found elsewhere."

"Were you able to find something, Kokoro?" Draculos asked.

"Through my expeditions throughout Ishgar, I had found more episodes regarding it, and I could see that if I was quick enough, I could exorcise this sort of infection, but otherwise…there is nothing that can save the victim. It's an authentical infection." Kokoro answered. "And each of the people that got hit kept on mentioning the light."

"A light…it surely doesn't seem like the blessing from the Goddess Claire…" Xander thought about it. "No…this seems more oppressive."

Makarov scoffed. "It's incredible. We're getting more problems every day that it passes. But…it's not like I could expect a different outcome."

"Indeed, Makarov. Despite being the greatest enemies we had ever faced, Zeref and Acnologia were never meant to be the last threats on Ishgar or the rest of Earthland. As time grows, more chaotic and evil phenomena will start to appear. That's why we need to be active every day." Draculos told him before looking at everyone. "Please, just like the people's madness, keep in mind this infection and report if there is news about it."

Everyone nodded.

Draculos then looked at the time. "And it also seems that we have finished our time here." He stood up. "This meeting is over. You are all dismissed."

"Then I'll make my way back to the Cathedral. It has been a pleasure to talk with you all again. I hope we'll get the chance soon, maybe when even the last two Wizard Saints will be here. With permission." Xander was the first to take the leave, walking away with…a pleased smile, somehow.

"Oh, right. I wonder where they are. Oh well…It's better if I leave, too." Wolfheim stood up.

"I hope we all see each other again! That is, if time doesn't take us away first, ah ah!" Warrod added.

"I'll see you soon, Makarov." Jura left with a smile.

Soon enough, the hall became empty. The only two that remained were Makarov and Kokoro.

The old Guild Master of Fairy Tail looked at the picture. It was still incredible that despite being able to end that long chapter of his guild's life…there were still some traces that were left unresolved. He still felt responsible for it.

"I assume that you're secretly planning something?" Kokoro asked him.

Makarov turned at her, making a small laugh. "Am I that predictable?"

Kokoro smiled with her eyes closed. "I have a certain insight. And I'm not amazed anymore by the one who tried to bargain with the Alvarez Empire at the cost of disbanding the guild."

Makarov looked down, remembering that occasion. To him, even if two years had already passed, it was still incredible that his guildmates, the big family he had built over the years, were willing to come back together and get him back.

That thought made him smile. "I can't help but feel responsible for this. What happened two years ago was still the end of a long chapter of our guild's story. I'm ninety-two years old now, and I honestly don't know how much I have left before I leave my guild. But…as long as I breathe, I want to be able to do something, even if it means only sending some of my mages."

Kokoro understood what he meant and nodded. "Don't worry, I get your point. I'm sure the others would understand. And besides…" She came closer. I think that apart of Fairy Tail…we have plenty of new allies we can rely on." She looked at the paper they had received. "If I have to be honest…I'm also surprised that this queen decided to come into our world barely after taking on the throne."

Makarov looked at the paper as well. "Yes, we can say that she took everyone by surprise." He said as he turned his smile into an intrigued smirk. "Indeed, there are new guilds that are starting to shine in this period. A guild of knights, eh? I wonder how this will turn out. Judging by how Erza took it, I want to believe that they're interesting as well."

Seven – Depths of Nythvail's Groove

Back in the Kingdom of Seven, Round Table's attempt to solve the legendary quest of unveiling the mysteries of the Nythvail's Groove continued. Up until that point, they had been greeted with particular and bizarre riddles that needed to be solved to reach the heart of the forest, and even if they were able to solve some of them, the end of the mission was still far. There were still some obstacles that they needed to overcome first.

One of these was in the room where Augusta, Saoirse, Scuti, and Myuu ended up. It was a rather small room with a small shrubbery and a small tree that seemed the same height as Myuu. Unlike the other rooms, this didn't seem to have a spot where the sunlight filtered.

Scuti looked around carefully. "Hmm. Judging by the dimensions of these rooms, I don't think we'll have to do anything complex this time."

"So, this will be one of those rooms where we'll have to listen to one of those…uhm…what they were called? Shish-shish?" Myuu asked.

"Shushi-Shushi." Augusta corrected her. She turned around, not wanting to show that she was sweating out of embarrassment. "I hope it will be something easy and dignified. I certainly don't see myself in doing some child's play."

"Ah, siuthad! Ye surely had been a bairn, too, ye? What gem ya played?" Saoirse asked, thinking she was exaggerating.

"I started my training when I was five years old. I didn't have much time to play, and I certainly didn't like soccer like the rest of the people of Bosco." Augusta replied.

"Hm?" Scuti leaned his head to the right after hearing it. "So Bosco people also enjoy soccer like here in Seven?"

Myuu looked away with a nervous smile. "It's a thing on Caelum, too. My father loves it even a bit too much. They even made a manga about it, what was called? 'Captain Tsukasa'?"

"Yes, Scuti. And whenever soccer is mentioned, Bosco people start to act like monkeys. It's not like I trained every day. Well, yes, but I had some free time…I didn't spend too much on entertainment. The funniest thing I did as a child was that one time when I broke a watermelon in half with my thighs." Augusta continued.

Myuu was astonished. "W-What!?"

"SHITE! What are ya, a THICC killer!?" Saoirse added.

"…Well I've been called with that afterward, so yes." The bigger knight replied before hearing some gibberish behind her. When she turned around and lowered herself, she could see one of the Shushi-Shushi right below her.

The small spirit waved its hand.

"Oh, this must be one of them! Are you here to put us on a test or a game?" Myuu asked.

The Shushi-Shushi nodded happily.

"All right. What is it?" Augusta asked.

To answer, the spirit walked a few centimeters away from them and showed the shrubbery with four circular mushroom hats that looked more like pedestals.

Scuti looked at them in silence for a few seconds before understanding what they wanted. "You want us to stand on those pedestals?" He asked.

The spirit nodded.

"Oi, are we sure ya won't try to assault us while we're in?" Saoirse asked, a bit suspicious.

The spirit shook its head.

"No need to raise the guard with these spirits, Lady Lamorak. Remember what the Dream Eater said? They're spirits that only live in these woods, so they should be harmless." Myuu assured her.

"And I don't think they'd be here for this long if they were to attack us," Augusta added before looking at the pedestals. "Still…what type of challenge do we need to face? The premise is weird…" She then thought. "Let's just get over with it and go back to the others."

The four knight mages stood on the pedestals, and as soon as they did it, the ground beneath them changed into what seemed to be a multicolor floor.

"What the!?" Saoirse exclaimed.

"The floor changed. Judging by the look, we should have enough movements for our bodies kinda like…" Scuti observed…and when he realized what the challenge was about…he sweated a bit for the first time.

Augusta made an uncanny expression as she looked at the spirit. "You…want us to dance!?"

The spirit nodded, amused.

"Are ye serious!?" Saoirse exclaimed.

"What's the problem? It shouldn't be that bad." Myuu asked. "Judging by the form of this floor, this seems like a rhythm floor of those games where you need to repeat the steps or push your feet toward a specific direction."

"You seem to know a bit about these. You know how to dance?" Scuti asked.

"Oh, just…the bases." Lady Leodegrance replied with a sigh. "Johann insisted me several times to dance with him."

"It's easy for you, Lady Myuu, but when it comes to me, I certainly don't know how to dance! I'm a knight, not a ballerina!" Augusta explained.

"And what about me? Ya think that me head will be at its place when I stretch me arms even a little!?" Saoirse added.

"Gentlewomen, I can understand your reasoning, but if we want to proceed further and clear the mission, we have to endure this embarrassing act," Scuti told them. For some reason, his hair was still flowing despite not being a trace of wind.

"You like to dance, Sir Tristan?" Myuu asked.

Scuti shrugged. "Totally indifferent. But I know how to do so."

Augusta frowned tightly, to the point that she seemed like she only had one eyebrow. "Ok, let's do this…if it's for the queen's pleasure."

"Could have been a bagpipe challenge, I would have ROCKED at that!" Saoirse complained before looking at the Shushi-Shushi. "We're ready!"

The spirit nodded and generated three traffic lights that glowed in sequence from red to green. And once the green light shone, the game started.

Just like when they first entered the forest, music started to play in the air, echoing throughout the room. A magic projection appeared in front of the knights, showing them the steps they needed to perform to complete the game.

But while Myuu and Scuti were handling it decently, Augusta and Saoirse started to meet the troubles they had expected.

"Nghhh…aaaaah…" Augusta tried to stretch as much as she could to perform the movements correctly, but she couldn't make a full performance due to her size and…

SMACK!

She tripped, making a large thud. "AGH!"

"Siuthad…siuthat…siuthad…" Saoirse tried to do the same while keeping balance with her head. She went fine for the first five minutes, but inevitably, her head tripped, and she had to get it back. "SHITE!" She jumped out of the pedestal, making the overall team lose points, which were represented by a projection bar that got slowly filled whenever the mages of Round Table were making correct steps.

SMACK!

"OUCH! Dammit…" Augusta tripped again.

Myuu looked concerned at her two colleagues. "You think they'll make it?" She asked Scuti.

"If they have the right patience." The tall knight replied.

"Ok, I'm starting to get the hang of it-" Saoirse was about to keep up the pace, but as soon as she had to bend, the head fell off again. "AH, PJEPS!"

Augusta tried to make an articulate position that remembered the javelin's throw, but she stretched too much to the point that she fell again. "ARGH! TUA MADRE PUTTANA!"

Myuu widened her eyes in concern.

"You need to take control over your body if you want to perform correctly. You won't do that if you're constantly upset." Scuti suggested.

"IT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!" Both women shouted back (not that he cared that much).

The performance kept on going like this for the next couple of minutes. Luckily, the Shushi-Shushi was courteous enough to not make the music or the game stop, so the knights could try whenever they wanted. But it's not like they were going further. They had to hope the ghost didn't get tired.

Especially during one occasion where Saoirse's head fell off for the umpteenth time…

"AH, STOP IT! Why did the ritual consist of chopping me head off-"

Augusta tripped again…this time falling on her. "AAAAH!"

"OH NO NO NO NO NO NO AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

CRASH!

"AH!" Myuu got scared and turned to the ghost. "T-Time out, please!"

The spirit nodded and made the music stop.

"Urgh…e che cazzo…" Augusta complained.

"Could ya please GET OFF!?" Saoirse complained. "I'm feeling like a slab chewing gum getting run over by a steamroller!"

"Oh, sorry." Augusta quickly got out. Despite having her head separated, Lady Lamorak felt the pain throughout her whole body. It was almost a miracle that she didn't break a bone.

"Seems like you're having a bad time on it. Not that I can blame you, everyone has something they're not compatible with." Scuti commented while crossing his arms.

"Are you sure you don't want to switch places with someone else?" Myuu asked.

"No. No…" Augusta declined, taking her breath back. "I can't get defeated by something like this. It would be humiliating for a Golden Knight like me to lose to a dance game. Plus, I need to do it for the queen's pleasure! I've promised to carry on this undefeated challenge for her and so I will!"

"YA CAN SAY IT AGAIN! Ya think I'm liking getting me arse clapped by sum dance!?" Saoirse added.

Myuu was genuinely surprised by their reaction. "Wow…"

"Should have expected it. If there's anything that someone with a warrior nature will always try to defend…is their pride." Scuti commented.

"I'm part of the Royal Army of Seven's most important branch and one of the first members of this guild of knights. I have quite the reputation to defend. I'm ready to take all day to get through this!" Augusta exclaimed.

"All right. But if you two want to help us and pass through this, you need to change your approach to it." Scuti told them.

"How?" Saoirse asked.

"By starting to calm down and understand the movements. Sure, you two can dance, but this song doesn't seem to be complicated to dance on. I think that with the right attitude, we can all win this." Myuu told them. "Dance is usually something that makes you entertained, not annoyed." She made a sad smile. "One of the few things that Johann taught me."

Augusta and Saoirse looked at each other in silence with deep respect. Both of them were terribly annoyed by the situation they were in, but they were both determined to solve it nonetheless. Henceforth, they were ready for everything and nodded.

"All right, fancy boy, guide us," Saoirse told the tall knight who nodded.

A few seconds later, they were all back on the pedestals, resuming the game. The music started once again and the tall knight and the Dullahan one started to have problems again.

But this time, Scuti was looking carefully at them. "Make sure to not put too much pressure on the legs. Stay calm."

"I-I'm trying!" Saoirse said while sweating.

"Think of when you have fun slaying down ghosts. Does it make you hyped?" Myuu asked.

"Hell yeah!" Saoirse replied.

"Imagine that moment thanks to the music. The movements will get more natural." The other girl told her.

"All rightie…" Trying to follow the suggestion, Saoirse looked at the Shushi-Shushi spirit with some sort of delighted smile. And while the spirit held their neck fearfully, Lady Lamorak could feel something change. Her movements became calmer and more fluid. Her mind was empty and focused on the movements that were portrayed on the projection. "Aye, it works! HA!" Suddenly, she started to make complex movements and followed the flow of the music. "Look at dis'! I could go to an opera!"

Even Augusta was surprised by it. "M-Man…if she keeps up like that, I should be able to do so, right?" She wondered before almost tripping. "NGH!"

"Augusta, dancing isn't that different from physical training. It's all about making your muscles exercise. But unlike in training, the muscles feel relaxed and more natural. If you keep that reasoning, you should be able to follow what the projection asks you." Scuti told her.

Suddenly…Augusta felt more at ease. Now that a familiar language had been spoken to her…she felt like she knew what to do. "Perform your muscles…but relax them…" And with that reasoning, her mind got empty as well. And like magic…she was making some impressive movements for someone of her size.

"It works!" She exclaimed.

"Ha! Ya know, Augusta? It's not that bad when you know how to do it!" Saoirse asked.

Somehow…Augusta smirked. "Yeah…I think so. All right…let's make it properly this time."

Both Myuu and Scuti nodded, and finally, the four knights were able to make choreographed and synchronized movements together, and the bar was filled faster. The music echoed stronger within the room, now that the Shushi-Shushi spirit was excited to see all of them putting up a good show.

The giant knight and the Dullahan were able to unveil the secret of making a good dance: having fun.

(Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma nu ma iei, Nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma nu ma iei! Chipul tau si dragostea din tei, Mi-amintesc de ochii tai! Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma nu ma iei, Nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma nu ma iei! Chipul tau si dragostea din tei, Mi-amintesc de ochii tai!)

Finally, the bar was complete, and giant writing that said 'CONGRATULATIONS!' appeared, with the Shushi-Shushi sprit clapping its tiny hands.

"YAS! IN YER FACE!" Saoirse exclaimed, raising a fist.

Augusta took a few deep breaths, but she was overall satisfied. "Maybe…I could add some dance to my P.E. activity."

Myuu on the other hand took a breath of relief. "We did it. It wasn't that bad! It has been a while since I felt happy doing so."

"Who knows? It may be not the only time." Scuti told her. "Queen Lunafreya seems like the one to pull out parties every once in a while."

That sentence made Myuu blush a bit. "O-Oh, Scuti don't say it like this. I'm sure that Her Majesty would find a better person to spend a party with her."

"Well, she seems quite happy with you, so we can only guess," Scuti suggested.

At that moment, the Shushi-Shushi came closer and showed them a treasure chest.

The four mages looked at it curiously. "Is this what we need?" Scuti asked.

The spirit nodded.

Without hesitation, the four of them opened it, revealing the piece of a key.

"Wait, is that it!? After all that!?" Saoirse exclaimed, feeling a bit offended.

"The big door for the end of this forest has a locket, right? This must be a piece of the key." Augusta commented.

"Indeed. Which means that the big loot is still waiting for us." Scuti added. "I wonder what we'll have to face to get the big prize."

"It will surely be easier than what we had done now," Augusta replied (last famous words).

Myuu turned around to make a small bow to the Shushi-Shushi and then looked back at the door. "OK, I think we're about done here. We can go back to the others."

"So, what music do you suggest me to dance on?" Augusta asked.

"Ya're already hooked, eh?" Saoirse asked with a smirk.

Meanwhile

It had been some days ever since Sansa and Thomasina started their road toward the capital. The journey seemed longer than expected, but they were enjoying the mutual company.

Then, at a certain moment, Sansa raised her head. "Uh…"

"What is it?" Thomasina asked.

"I feel like I've lost something funny now…oh well! I'll get back on it one day!" The girl with the blindfold explained.

"I'm…getting more and more confused by you every time." The green-haired girl told her.

"Oh, don't worry! It's the reaction I give to everyone!" Sansa replied.

In the meantime, another group made of Ruina, Escanor, Pavlova, and Hector (and Persephone) went to another room. This one was bigger than the others, despite being one empty hall with some bushes around. The floor was rockier and the first thing they could see was the room was filled with Shushi-Shushi spirits running around the room, making a lot of gibberish noises.

"Oh, great. As if sticking with these spirits' conditions wasn't enough." Ruina commented, already annoyed.

"Now, no need to be hasty, Ruina! Maybe the challenge won't be that bad." Escanor told her.

"I…still have the idea that it will be pretty chaotic nonetheless…" Hector commented, being a bit caught off place.

"Oh, then it will be perfect for me! I'm used to chaotic stuff!" Pavlova said, already determined.

In all of this, the spirits kept on running around as if the knights never entered.

"Uuuuh…should we get their attention first? I don't think they've listened to us." Persephone asked. "Uhm…hey? Hello?" She tried to call them out by talking out loud, but the spirits kept on playing around.

"HEY! HEY! WE'RE HERE!" Even Pavlova chimed in, almost sounding like she was barking. But even with her loud voice, nothing seemed to get them. "Uuuh…it's not working-" And then…

FSHH!

Ruina made a noise by slamming the whip on the ground so loud that the Shushi-Shushi spirits all stopped and looked at them.

Ruina kept on having her eyebrows frowned. "Finally."

Even the other knights were a bit taken aback by that. "G-Gee, Ruina, you could have gone lighter with that…" Hector told her.

Ruina glared at him. "The cat and the dog couldn't do a thing together. Do you think that I have the patience for it?" She asked.

"F-Fair enough…" Not wanting to enrage her, Hector backed a bit.

Now that they were seeing them, all the Shushi-Shushi spirits all came closer to look at them better while being curious.

"Oh, they got scared but they already like us!" Escanor commented.

"They're so chubby I want to squeeze them! Too bad they're ghosts!" Pavlova added.

"Do you think they'll understand us? Judging by the gibberish noises they're making; I don't think they speak our language." Persephone asked.

"Just one way to find out!" Escanor replied. "Greetings, tiny ones! We're knights that are trying to overcome the undefeated quest of this forest and we had been told that we need to pass the game of this room! Can you tell us what it is?"

The Shushi-Shushi spirits looked at each other and started to nod while laughing.

"They…actually understood?" Persephone asked, puzzled.

"Just because they're ghosts, it doesn't mean that they can't understand other languages. I know something of it." Ruina explained. "But let's straight to the point. What do we need to do?" She asked.

One of the Shushi-Shushi spirits waved its tiny hands and like magic, a large fence appeared on the other side of the huge room. The spirit then pointed at themselves and the others of their kind first and then at the fence. Finally, it made a gesture of spinning around.

"Uuuuh…what's the translation?" Ruina asked.

"Oh, I understand! The game consists of catching all of them and putting them on the fence while they run around the whole room!" Pavlova explained.

"Woah, you were able to get that?" Hector asked.

"I had a feeling when the fence appeared! I've been given the same treatment in the past!" Lady Bedivere replied…making everyone assume a concerned expression. "Ah! Uhm…pretend I didn't say anything, eh eh!" She closed it with a nervous laugh.

"Ok…so all we need is basically play tag with them, nothing hard, am I right?" Escanor said to everyone, trying to remain positive.

Ruina already felt ridiculous. "I can tell this will end badly."

"Oh, no need to be blue, Ruina! It's just an innocent game of ta-" Pavlova wanted to assure her guildmate, but before she could even finish her phrase, the Shushi-Shushi spirits started to fly around the room again like crazy rockets. Once again, she made a nervous laugh. "W-Well…a game is no fun when it's easy, right?"

Ruina was not convinced at all. "Let's make it quick." Without hesitating, she started to dash toward the spirits, starting to chase them around. "Blood Burst." To make things quicker, she even used one of her spells to make the blood in her body circulate faster so that she could move quicker. Her whip was already moving high and like a cowboy that caught some sheep, her whip already grappled some of the Shushi-Shushi and threw them to the fence.

"Yeah, I can tell she's not in the mood, it's better if we start helping her-" Escanor commented.

"All right!" Pavlova already put herself on all fours and prepared herself. "Time to do what a dog can do better: hunting! Well…not that I'm a hunting dog but still!"

"So, you are a dog!" Everyone exclaimed, making Pavlova sweat.

"Uhm…k-kinda? Let's not talk about that now!" The knight girl cut it short and started to run on all four legs to chase down the spirits. As she did so, her senses affined, and her speed increased. Her eyes became slit and she focused on the spirits she had in front of herself. "WRAH!" With a jump, she was able to catch a few of them. "Oh God, so you can be touched! Aaaah, I want to squeeze you!" She exclaimed. The spirits tried to struggle to get free, but Pavlova's grip was surprisingly strong for someone like her. Of course, she didn't hesitate and put them on the fence before starting to chase more of them.

"Anf, anf, anf, anf!" Hector and Persephone started the chase as well, but to their surprise, the speed that the spirits put on wasn't just for show, they were floating around at incredible levels for being so tiny.

"Dammit, we won't make it, especially with this armor!" Hector commented.

"How about we use some wings to aid us?" Persephone proposed.

"How could I refuse?" Naturally, his brother was happy to hear it.

Persephone then quickly turned back into her original exceed form, grabbed Hector, spread her wings, and started to fly around the room, chasing down the Shushi-Shushi in the air. Thanks to that, the distance between them and the spirits was greatly shortened.

"GOTCHA!" All that it took for Hector was to stretch his arms, grab the spirits, put them in the fence, and repeat the process. Even though it would have taken a while because the spirits were a lot more than expected. "Come on! I'll get you all!" Hector proclaimed. The spirits giggled at that, entertained.

"Anf, anf, anf, anf…" Among all four knights, Escanor was the one who had to struggle the most. Apart from his armor, he didn't have any particular spells or tools that could make him help reach the spirits. All he could rely on was his own legs. "Dammit! If only there was a bit of sunlight here I'd feel more motivated!" He exclaimed before stopping and regaining some air.

When he raised his head, he could see one of the spirits look at him curiously. "Oh hey, little one."

The spirit leaned its head, wondering how the knight was doing.

"Don't worry! I just need to regain my breath and I'll start again…" Escanor assured him. "You know…when it comes to games like this…sometimes I feel like my life had been unfair with me."

The spirit wondered what he meant by that.

"Look at the others! Everyone has some boost that helps them catch on you! But me? I'm stuck with just my legs. Sure, it's not a problem for me! I've passed a lot worse especially when I was training to get my sword! But…Is it selfish to wish that things could be easier for me? Like…I don't know…getting faster to get you?" Escanor explained.

The Shushi-Shushi made a sad gibberish noise, feeling bad for him. But in reality…Escanor made a small smile. He was just waiting for the right moment for the ghost to lower its guard.

"AH-HA!" He immediately jumped on him and grabbed him. Feeling betrayed, the Shushi-Shushi spirit tried to struggle, but Sir Gawain made sure to tighten the grip enough to not let him escape. "Mom always said that I could have become a great actor, now I can see why!"

He put the spirit into the fence shortly after. "All right! One is down! We're getting a good number of them already!" He spoke.

When the remaining spirits heard it, they got on an alert state and increased their speeds. Now they were acting like crazy pinballs on a flipper.

"AH! Increase the speed, Persephone!" Hector exclaimed.

"I'll try!" The exceed replied.

"Oh, so now you want to act like the zebras for this jaguar, eh?" Pavlova asked with a smirk, liking the idea. She then used her magic to generate the satyr legs. "TOO BAD THIS JAGUAR HAS ZEBRA LEGS TOO!" She exclaimed before resuming her race, putting strength into her transformed legs to make tall jumps and reach more spirits in time.

Once again, Escanor tried his best to catch some of the ghosts, but then he could hear some groans behind him, making him realize that someone was having some troubles as well.

"GET BACK HERE, DAMMIT!" Ruina exclaimed, more annoyed than ever. The greatest flaw in her Blood Burst spell was that it couldn't last for longer, or she would have experienced some risks within her blood circulation. The worst part of it was that she was forced to stop the effect just as the spirits started to move faster. Therefore, she was forced to just use her legs to chase down the spirits. "Anf…anf…fuck. This is getting ridiculous." The fact that the spirits seemed now scared of her didn't help either.

Escanor felt bad for her and came closer. "Lady Ruina, you have such a solemn look. Considering that this is just a game, would it be not prudent to relax?"

"How can I relax when I'm stuck at this!? This is just a waste of time." Ruina tried to dismiss it, but Sir Gawain disagreed.

"Even these spirits are the people of this land we've sworn to protect. Their happiness and longevity are as bright as the sun. Seeing the results of our hard work is never a waste of time." He explained. "Besides, considering that lots of glory can come out if we can overcome this challenge, I don't see this necessarily as a waste of time! Maybe it could turn useful on you!"

Listening to him made Ruina take a deep breath and look at him. "How can you stay so calm? Don't you feel insulted by playing a game like this despite being a knight?" She asked.

Escanor made a small laugh. "True I have more troubles than you guys, But I don't see it necessarily as something insulting! Sometimes it's better to make something relaxing than actually fighting." Escanor explained. "You never got a chance to chill out?" He asked.

Ruina looked elsewhere and sighed. "No. Not everyone gets their luck. Especially when you have something that hunts your dreams for most of your life." She replied.

Naturally, Escanor couldn't understand what she meant and surely didn't want to go further within her business as an act of kindness and respect. But he could understand that it wasn't something pleasant. "All right, I won't indulge further. But! I think that you could relax yourself every once in a while! This could be the perfect moment!"

Ruina was…once again confused. It was just like what happened with Lunafreya. She was one focused on hunting down monsters, especially vampires, and she joined Round Table mostly to make her job easier. But yet…the others of the guild were willing to be so friendly to her. She couldn't just understand it…why? Was she attractive to the point that even she couldn't see it?

…Still…a part of her thought that…this bright knight that kept on praising the sun wasn't that much of a bother.

In the end…she made a deep sigh. Maybe…he wasn't that wrong, after all. It wasn't like a vampire would have bumped out there to torment her. "All right. I guess I can let it go for once." She spoke. "But. You'll help me get these little popcorns, got it?" She then asked with her usual cold stare.

Escanor slammed his chest proudly. "Nothing would make a knight like me happier than help a gentlewoman and a fellow knight!"

"Don't flatter yourself now." Lady Palamedes quickly cut him down before looking back at the other ghosts. "Now…how can I still catch them without using my magic?"

Escanor gave a careful look at her, especially with the weapon. "Well, I think you have the right tool! You just need to catch the right moment. Have you ever been at a fair?"

"No." Ruina quickly answered.

"Oh…well, there are these games where you need to wait for the right moment to catch a fish with a small net. With that whip of yours, this isn't different from that." Escanor told her before coming closer. "Focus on their movements, see if they have a specific pattern when they move around the room, memorize it, and use it to your own advantage."

"Ok…I got this…" Ruina replied. She sharpened her stare, focusing on the Shushi-Shushi spirits. She started staring at them for a few moments, and someone could have said that she was just wasting more time while the others were doing most of the job. But in reality, she already analyzed the possible movements the spirits could make within that vast space.

The will to get out of there, the hassle, and the trust she wanted to put into Escanor was the fuel that made her focus and eventually…

They were what made her notice how most of the spirits passed on the roof. "Got you." She quickly stretched her whip and used it.

FSHHHH!

Once again, a good handful of the Shushi-Shushi spirits were caught in Ruina's grip. The girl didn't hesitate and threw them to the fence. "Hmm…I could get used to it." Needless to say, she started to repeat the same movement like she was catching a few fish with a net.

And by a funny coincidence, since she had used the whip on the same spot several times to catch the Shushi-Shushi spirits, she ended up making a small hole into the dome…making a bit of sunlight pass through it.

"GAAAASP!" Escanor looked in awe and immediately aimed for the light. "Oh, thank you so much, Ruina!" He exclaimed. "At last I can give my fair contribution to this game! PRAISE THE SUUUUN!" By assuming his standard pose of the sun praise, Escanor absorbed a bit of the sunlight, releasing a golden aura from his body, and like a mad train, he started to run around the room, even walking on the walls like a human that had got bitten by a genetically mutated spider, to catch the various Shushi-Shushi spirits.

Even the others were stunned by it.

"What…the…heck?" Ruina simply asked.

"WOAH, You're killing it, Escanor!" Pavlova exclaimed.

"I-Is that why he's obsessed that much with the sun!?" Persephone added.

"Hmm…maybe I should start doing it as well…" Hector wondered, with his sister looking stunned at him.

In just a few minutes, Escanor had gathered the remaining Shushi-Shushi spirits into a ball and threw them to the fence.

A jingle echoed through the hair, implying that the game was clear.

"Yes!" Everyone exclaimed.

Escanor felt like he was still full of energy. "Ah, nothing better than getting some charge from the sun." He commented.

Ruina came closer. "I have to say that you surprised me back there. Didn't know the sun made you this effect."

"Oh, it's actually a long story if you ever want to listen to it!" Escanor told her with a smile.

"I'll keep that in mind. Oh and…thank you for before." Ruina then told him.

"Uh? Really?" Sir Gawain was surprised to hear that.

"What? I'm not an edgelord like you may think. I can be grateful when I need to be." Lady Palamedes said.

"Oh, I never put that in doubt! I'm just surprised, that's all!" Escanor told her. "Glad to know that you also have a tender heart to listen to others!"

"Don't exaggerate now." Ruina cut it shortly. The other two knights and the exceed came closer.

"I knew we could do it! I'm just the best when it comes to games like this! Pavlova commented.

"I'm glad we got out of it! Though if I surely need to thank my sister on my side!" Hector said.

"Though that was close! I never thought they could be that fast!" Persephone added.

Shortly after, the Shushi-Shushi spirits came closer to the knights and showed them a small treasure box. Even if they got a bit scared by their bizarre behavior, they still had fun in the game and thus, they showed the reward.

The mages of Round Table opened it to reveal another piece of the big key.

"Hmmm…there was a lock that blocked the big door for us, right?" Ruina asked the others.

"This means that if the others get back with the rest of the pieces, we should be able to form the key." Hector realized.

"Oh! Oh! Leave it to me! I'll take good care of it!" Pavlova proposed, but everyone looked at her suspiciously.

"By 'take good care of it' do you mean putting it in a hole that you dug?" Ruina asked.

That…made Lady Bedivere sweat and look elsewhere with a nervous smile.

"Well…"

All that was left was one last room. One last game or riddle to clear them all, and then the key for the last room would have been completed.

The ones who went inside such room were Alexis, Orlok, and Honoka, the only ones left to still take their challenge.

The room they entered was supposed to be large, but they couldn't tell as they were immediately greeted by what seemed to be a huge wall.

"Oh boy! We just entered and we're already told to go somewhere else!?" Orlok exclaimed.

"No, come on! It can't be that basic! There must be an explanation behind this wall. Remember what Morphine said? Some games and riddles would have awaited us when we would have entered this room. The spirit of the forest is probably putting us to a test now." Alexis told him.

"Oh, right…" Sir Safir gave a careful look at it. "Hmmm…this must be very cryptic then, considering the restricted space we have. Any ideas on what are we supposed to do?"

Then, surprisingly for her, it was Honoka who raised her hand to gather their attention. "Uhm…guys? Didn't you notice…the most visible detail of this wall?" She asked.

When Alexis and Orlok looked at it again, they could see it clearly, finding it…odd.

It was indeed a wall…but it was made of probably thousands of apples put perfectly and symmetrically one above the other.

"O-Ok?" Alexis said while a drop of sweat came down from her head. "Whoever made this surely had a lot of patience. I've seen simpler castles of cards…"

"Indeed, it's quite stunning. I'm sure that back at Sin, they would have hired these guys." Honoka added.

Orlok crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, confused. "So…this wall is made of apple, correct? This should technically make things easier for us since a good hit would probably open us a road." He expressed his opinion, and then…

Brrrrrrrrr…

Alexis and Honoka widened their eyes as they looked at him.

Orlok made a small laugh. "Don't worry girls, it was just my stomach! Now that I think of it, the discussion with Ruina about our power levels and then the hype for this mission made me skip breakfast."

"O-Oh!" Alexis exclaimed. "T-Thank God…"

"We thought it was…something else," Honoka added.

"Hey! I may be a mercenary, but I can be quite the hygienic type!" Orlok retorted, feeling offended. What he got as an answer was the two girls who whistled while looking around, trying to act innocent. As the good-hearted man that he was, Orlok let it slide and looked back at the wall while massaging his own stomach.

And…considering that the bites of hunger were starting to kick in…the reasoning he made was obvious.

"…You know…I don't think someone would get offended if I take one of these apples." He already stretched his hand to get one of them.

At first, Alexis and Honoka didn't see anything bad in it. But then…their brains made them do the logical reasoning which left them terrorized.

The wall was made of apples put perfectly one above the other. And for every construction, whether it was a wall, a palace, or especially a tower…there was one rule that was valid for all of them…

The most important part…was the base.

"N.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O O!" As if time slowed down for all of them, the two knight girls tried to stop their colleague… but it was too late.

Orlok already took one apple and took a bite of it. "Hmmm! This is sweet! You should try one!" He commented.

…And immediately after that, the room started to shake like there was an earthquake. "H-Hey, what's with this noise!?"

"YOU FOOL! YOU'VE MESSED WITH THE NATURAL ORDER!" Honoka broke out of character for a moment to scold him, but it wouldn't have changed too much…for what they had witnessed once they'd raised their eyes.

All the apples were starting to crumble down on them. It was an apocalyptic yet silly scenario at the same time.

(FREUDE, SCHÖNER GÖTTERFUNKEN, TOCHTER AUS ELYSIUM, WIR BETRETEN FEUERTRUNKEN, HIMMLISCHE, DEIN HEILIGTUM! DEINE ZAUBER BINDEN WIEDER, WAS DIE MODE STRENG GETEILT, ALLE MENSCHEN WERDEN BRÜDER, WO DEIN SANFTER FLÜGEL WEILT!)

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-" Not even their magics and physical skills could save them from the approaching disaster that ran over them.

A loud bang echoed in the room once the apple wall fell completely, leaving nothing but…well, apples.

…

It took a few minutes for the three mages of Round Table to regain consciousness, but even by doing so, they didn't feel any better. They were still fine, only a bit hurt by the apple avalanche, but when they opened their eyes, all they could see were apples surrounding them as if they were in a horror movie featuring them.

"We're completely swallowed!" Alexis exclaimed.

"I-I just wanted to eat something…I'm sorry-" Orlok apologized feeling bad. His eyes already looked like two fountains of tears.

Alexis couldn't see him (if anything, none of them could see each other), but she could still hear him enough to make a skeptical face. "Leaving this incredibly unpleasant episode that I hope no one will mention again ESPECIALLY TO MY PARENTS!" She took a small break to regain her breath. "How are we going to get out of this!? I have the impression that we're at least two meters underground!"

"Don't panic, Lady Lancelot." Honoka suddenly said, getting the other two's attention. "I think I may have understood what was the original intention of this room. Even if accidental, maybe the three of us getting in this situation was still the intention of whoever made that wall. I think…they wanted to see if we could get past something that looks silly at first…but that can become trouble if it comes in a huge number…like apples."

"So, the riddle is actually…to get past through these apples?" Alexis asked.

"It's the same as a storm of ants taking down a mantis. The mantis is surely the biggest and the strongest insect, but every insect could fall to an entire colony of ants. This is the same situation. They want to see if we can react back."

"Eh eh…the idea that such deep reasoning comes from something so silly makes me chuckle a bit. But I still received the message. I'll just have to make myself a road also to apologize for creating this mess in the first place!" Orlok replied.

"Well…I'm glad that you both have the right charge but…do you think you can move?" Alexis asked.

"I may have been taken off guard, but it will take more than this to make me kneel," Honoka stated. Her eyes already showed the flames of determination. "I'll do anything to please goshujin-sama as the good maid I am! You can consider it a matter of self-pride. I think knights usually have it."

Those words…instantly motivated Alexis. "YOU BET THEY ARE! I'm Lady Lancelot, the lady destined to be the queen's left-hand woman and a representative of the Lichtschwert family! I can't be stopped by a bunch of apples! NGHHHH!" With all the strength she had, she pulled out the arm with her rapier and literally started to dig her own way in the apples that were making her sink. From the outside, a small mass could be seen moving toward the other side, almost like a mole that was digging underground. "Chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop! It's almost like eating an apple with the caramel!"

The other two mages could hear her movement and smiled.

"Talk about motivational, eh? You should talk more like this if you can give this energy!" Orlok said to Honoka.

"I just do what must be done. I'm nothing more than a maid pleasing her master, after all." Honoka simply replied before somehow managing to take out her greatsword. "Now…on to follow her." She was actually tempted to generate an explosion with her magic, but she knew she couldn't add more chaos to the mess, so she limited herself to cutting the apples as she made herself a road out of the apples. The form of her blade could be seen on the outside, and it almost looked like a shark's fin.

"Well, suit yourself! I'm fine with both versions honestly!" Orlok replied with a confident smirk. He slowly pulled out the axe to put it in front of him and started to chop the apples like a motivated jointer.

Even if they were all caught by surprise, they were all able to get back on track and move toward the goal, showing how someone's dedication (or just goodwill) wasn't that easy to break, especially when there was some royal reputation to keep high.

The three masses all moved toward the same point, and then, at a certain point, they were all finally out of it, managing to take huge breaths.

"VICTORY!" Alexis screamed out of her lungs before turning to the apples. "TAKE THAT, YOU WHOLESOME AND NUTRITIOUS FRUIT!"

"It wasn't that hard, actually! We just needed to surpass the shock of getting swallowed by apples!" Orlok added.

Honoka nodded with a smile. "When I win, we all win. In Sin, we like to think out of the box." She spoke before looking forward. "Now…what do we have here?" She wondered.

Just in front of them stood a treasure chest like the others. But even if they just came out of what they thought was the trial of the room…there was something in that chest that made them feel suspicious.

"…Uhm…is it just me, or does this sound just too easy?" Orlok asked.

"Y-Yeah, considering what we just passed through, I wouldn't be surprised if this chest hid something bad," Alexis replied.

Honoka looked at the chain and she could see that it was put in a normal way. "Hmm…the chain isn't circled so this shouldn't be a mimic…"

"But what if there is…I don't know, a crossbow that activates when we open it?" Alexis asked, still worried.

"Well, are you good at rolling backward? I certainly do!" Orlok asked her.

"Of course I am! My mother even planned for me to join a dance club because of how flexible my body can be!" Alexis told him before performing a split despite wearing her armor.

"Uuuh!" Orlok clapped at her.

"Uhm…I think we're slowly missing the point here." Honoka called them back. "And by the way…" She performed a split too, impressing Lady Lancelot.

Seeing the two of them perform it like that, Orlok started to contemplate the idea of trying. "Hmmm…I have a well-trained body but…could I do that? Maybe I could ask Augusta to teach me that…"

While he was lost in thought, Honoka calmly put her hands on the treasure chest and started to slowly open it. Alexis sweated a bit as she looked at the scene.

And then…when Lady Lucan opened the chest…even though they were ready to jump or roll away, it revealed…

A piece of a key.

Honoka took it to give it a careful look. "That's it?"

"A piece of a key? I remember seeing a locket at the big door…maybe this is what we need?" Orlok wondered.

"Still…" Alexis turned around. "It seems that the true challenge was actually the apples…don't know if to feel pleased or a bit stupid…"

"Well, see it on the brighter side! We could have faced worse!" Orlok told her while grabbing some apples for real this time. "I could even bring some with me to make a pie! Could be a shame to leave them here."

"Y-Yeah, I guess so…" Alexis concluded. "This means that we can go back to the others, then!" As they walked toward the exit, making themselves a road through the apples, this time normally, Lady Lancelot even remembered something she heard in the past. "Oh, Honoka! You come from the eastern parts of Ishgar, right? Is it true that Shinigami loves apples?"

"It's just a legend. I couldn't imagine a god of death or even Ankhseram fawning over apples…" Honoka replied.

"Would be funny if that happened, though! Ah ah!" Orlok added.

…And just as they came out of the room, an actual Shinigami could be seen snakingly appearing in the room to witness the apples with starry eyes.

"AM I IN HEAVEN!?"

It didn't take too long before all the members of Round Table came back to the central room, each one of the game or the riddle solved.

"Fellow undead! Welcome back!" Vivienne greeted everyone like this, getting confused stares.

"What?" Honoka asked.

"Ah, never mind, I'm watching too many streamers these last days…" The royal sorceress cut it shortly.

"It seems that we've all done our work at the same time! How did it go in your parts?" Lunafreya asked.

"I sincerely hope to not do anything like that again," Ruina replied with a skeptical expression.

"Ah, ah! You should have seen us, that's for sure!" Escanor added.

"It could have been worse when it comes to us. I may have learned a thing or two." Augusta replied.

"It was…surreal, to say the least when it comes to us. Just so you know…apples can be troublesome." Alexis added. Everyone looked at her confused and worried. "…A long story."

"It was a piece of cake from our parts! We also got to make new acquaintances!" Faris spoke before looking at Ayuri.

"We were…almost on the verge of losing our mental sanity for a moment," Galtier added. It was at that moment that he noticed Ayuri and Valdric. "Speaking of which…is it me or I'm seeing new faces here?"

"We could say the same! Who's that?" Grendel asked, looking at Vesta.

"Oh, my! Didn't know there were more of you." The witch replied before coming closer to Lady Faris and Lady Mordred. "You two in particular look like sweet angels."

The two girls immediately blushed at that, but they didn't even oppose it either.

"W-WHA!?" Grendel exclaimed.

"I- Uhm…Thank you?" Faris asked, confused.

"Oh, no need to be this agitated. I'm just telling the truth." Vesta told them with a smile.

"Hey! You better not hypnotize them!" Vivienne exclaimed.

"You…don't seem to be that happy with her, Vivienne," Pavlova observed.

"I'M NOT- OUCH!" Vivienne wanted to confirm it, but Lunafreya stopped her by stomping on her foot.

"What did we say!?" The queen exclaimed before turning around. "Still! It seems that we indeed met some new people along the ride!"

Naturally, Valdric was the most excited to hear it as he quickly came closer and kneeled down to Lunafreya. "Indeed, Your Majesty! I certainly didn't expect the privilege to get surrounded by so many proud knights, and most especially, I didn't expect to meet your greatness this soon! It's a deep pleasure to have your acquaintance!"

Once again, Lunafreya's face became red, but this time, she tried to control better herself. "W-Well…glad to meet you too, uhm…mister?"

"Oh, right! Just call me Valdric!" The boy quickly presented himself. "Me and Ayuri here were planning to meet you at the guild to join it!"

Ayuri on the other hand was reaching new heights when it came to nervousness as he kneeled. "I'm sorry if you need to see such an unpleasant sight as me, Your Majesty."

"Awww!" Lunafreya came closer to meet him, increasing his embarrassment. "No need to feel like this! I'm not that different from you! Plus, I couldn't refute the occasion of seeing another potential member! Especially when it's such a cute girl like you!"

"Oh, he's a guy actually." Faris specified. "A very cute one…"

Lunafreya had her stare still and dull for a moment…she looked at Ayuri to confirm, and the boy nodded.

Not only her…but the rest of those who didn't meet him yet had the same reaction.

(Mozart- Lacri-

"Ok, leaving this aside…" Ruina asked before glaring at Vesta. "What about you, witch? You'd better be careful about how you answer.

"FINALLY! Someone who agrees with me- OUCH!" Vivienne exclaimed before getting stomped on again.

Vesta remained calm despite the glare from Lady Palamedes. "If you're concerned about your queen friend then don't worry. The other two knights can confirm that I didn't do anything aside from accompany her."

"Yes, she's been quite the nice person, actually," Galtier confirmed.

"Yeah, she doesn't…sound too bad," Grendel confessed, still confused for the compliment.

Like what happened with Orlok, Ruina wasn't still entirely convinced about it, but she naturally didn't do anything. "Fine. But just so you know, I'm watching you." She then looked at Lunafreya. "Should I really get ready to have a chimera, a potential vampire, a self-proclaimed demon prince, and a witch in this guild?"

"I'm not a vampire!" Orlok protested.

"Well, I don't think she has shown interest in joining Round Table! At least…" Lunafreya looked at Vesta. "I think?"

Vesta tried to act casually to not show her intentions immediately. "Well…for now you can say that I have your back! Eh eh…"

Ruina kept on glaring at her.

"Come on, let's not be too wary! Newcomers are always accepted! Even if I just hung around with an Angel Slayer…" Xavier commented before shrinking a bit.

"An Angel Slayer?" Everyone asked.

Valdric was happy to get already a lot of attention. "Eh, eh! It's a long story! I could tell you once we're done here!"

"Y-Yeah! Back when we solved the riddle of our room, we found this piece of a key!" Lilybeth added, showing their reward. "I think it could be a piece of the key we need to unlock the final door!"

"Oh? Because…" Honoka showed the one they found. Mostly everyone did.

"I see! What Morphine said was right indeed! Passing through the games and the trials that the Shushi-Shushi put on would have revealed us the way!" Lunafreya commented.

"So, this means…that the forest sees us as worthy?" Galtier wondered.

"Well, only one way to find out!" Saoirse commented. "I'm pretty sure that behind that dour lays a big bualadh teth!"

Everyone looked at her, clearly not understanding what she said.

"I think she wants to say that we probably have to face a final test before actually completing this quest." Scuti translated.

"Oh, right! I guess that…all that it takes is to put together the pieces and open the door, right?" Myuu asked.

"That should do it, yes," Alexis confirmed.

Lunafreya looked at the door closed by that locket that clearly said 'big trouble up ahead', noticing in particular how the locket stood high due to the dimensions of the door. "Hmmm…Scuti, would you do the honor? Mostly because…you're the tallest of us."

Scuti shrugged while his hair kept on flowing. "If you ask." He grabbed all the pieces, which luckily combined to form the key, and used it to unlock the door. The locket fell off and the door could finally be opened.

All the twenty knights and the witch came closer to look deeply into it. Considering all the riddles they had to solve up until that moment, they knew that something big was beyond that. Maybe the ultimate test that made the quest truly impossible was in there.

"We're coming to a close with this quest," Lunafreya warned before turning around. "Are you guys ready?"

Faris left out one of her cocky smirks. "Trust me, there have been only a few things that stopped me in the past, and this won't clearly be one of them!"

"You said it, sis! I sincerely hope I'll get to beat someone this time." Grendel added, already making her knuckles crack.

"Whatever you do, I'll be here, Your Majesty! Honoka can agree on that!" Alexis said with Honoka nodding.

"I think this will serve as a nice demonstration of my capacities as a knight!" Valdric exclaimed, eager to go. Ayuri simply nodded.

"I hope to not be a bother…"

Lilybeth held her hand on Seethe tightly, fearing that she would have to use it. "Oh boy…I hope we'll come out of this alive."

Xavier looked at her (kinda) with a smile. "Don't worry! There are twenty-one of us! All strong mages, so I'd say we still have high chances of success!"

Galtier looked at the queen. "It seems that everyone is waiting."

Lunafreya looked at him back. "What are your opinions on this, Galtier? Do you feel satisfied?"

Galtier looked at the door. He would have lied if he had said that he wasn't scared, but he still didn't want to show it off. "I'll be satisfied only when we'll get through this. I was the one who proposed this mission in the first place, so I'll be the one who will make you come out of it. I'll make sure to show you what a member of the Ceulfan family can do."

Vivienne smiled at that. "Well, that settles it! We're all ready to go! Don't worry, I'll be here with you."

Lunafreya smiled back and didn't want to make them wait any longer. Since it was a circular door, she pushed up to open it. "The road is open! My knights, let's go!"

"Yes!"

Without hesitation, they passed through, ready for the potential final challenge. Was the mystery finally going to get unveiled?

Once they were on the other side, the mages of Round Table and their new allies could see that they stood on an open space full of grass. By looking up, they could see that if they climbed, they would have reached the highest part of the forest, where the dome seemed to open.

They naturally did so and looked around. The looks didn't seem that bad, it almost seemed like they were on the top of a hill, and the sun was shining brightly above them.

Of course, Escanor was the most excited about it. "Aaaaah…finally I can stay under your blessing for real this time."

Galtier looked around. "We've ended up high enough. I didn't expect this forest to have a peak."

"I remembered climbing up a bit when I first entered it, but I surely didn't expect a thing such as this!" Valdric commented.

"Still…it's quite pleasant! The sounds of nature all come together from this height…" Xavier added.

Even Faris looked around, a bit suspicious. "So…that's it? This is the end of the forest? No final challenge or anything?"

"W-Well…that's even better, right?" Lilybeth asked, making a nervous smile.

"True but…is this…really the end? I thought there was some sort of treasure or something judging by the voices that this forest spread but…it seems that they were really voices." Lunafreya commented.

Alexis came closer to her. "Do you want to try and proceed for a bit? Maybe we find something else." She proposed.

"Yes, I think that's the- WOAAAAAH!" Lunafreya was about to give the ok for it, but she got interrupted when suddenly, the earth started to shake violently.

"AAAAAAH, W-WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Persephone shouted.

"An earthquake!?" Hector exclaimed.

"I-I think this isn't because of some apples!" Orlok added.

Vesta and Augusta looked up concerned. "W-What's going on?" The former wondered.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

"AAAAAAH!" All the knights could feel as if the ground above them started to rise and get even higher…to the point that the sky didn't seem that distant from them.

"T-The ground has risen further!?" Escanor exclaimed.

Lunafreya looked around and noticed how they could have a wide sight of their surroundings from up there. Even the capital could be seen in the distance. "I-It's like we've ended up on top of a mountain, but this can't be right! This must be some sort of trick!"

"Could this be the start of the final challenge?" Scuti wondered.

Vivienne already started to use her magic. "I'll check it out immediately!" She was able to have a complete view of the surroundings…and what she saw unsettled her a lot. Her pupils started to tremble and she started to stutter.

"Vivienne? What did you see?" Lunafreya asked.

"I-I never thought it would have occurred to this…" Lady Merlin replied. She made a small sphere of energy where everyone could see what she saw…and the reason made them go pale.

"N-No way…" Augusta whispered.

"H-Hey, are you kidding me!?" Faris added.

"This…doesn't seem to be the case," Galtier told her.

"What? What is it? Why are you getting worried?" Xavier asked.

Pavlova swallowed before giving him the answer. "W-Well…"

There was a reason why they all felt like the ground beneath them rose from the earth, giving them the impression that they were in mid-air. But it wasn't what they expected.

The forest didn't turn into a floating platform…a huge dragon that seemed entirely made out of wood emerged from the underground with yellow glowing eyes.

Naturally, Hector was the most shocked by it.

"Hector, is that…?" Persephone asked.

"Yes! It's a dragon! I'm starting to recognize the smell!" Her adoptive brother exclaimed. "But…"

Lunafreya was shocked. As a royal…she heard of the avoided catastrophe that took place in the continent of Guiltina the previous year…and the ones who made it so. It was ironic…as they were in the middle of a legendary quest, someone from another legendary quest came back.

"T-That's…not just a dragon." She spoke.

"Correct." A voice echoed in the air, making everyone look around.

"Who goes there!?" Myuu exclaimed. She and the others had their weapons at the ready.

Suddenly, the dome that surrounded the depths of the forest started to wriggle up and concentrate on a precise spot, not that distant from the mages.

"W-What is going on?" Alexis whispered.

"What you are witnessing now is my host body. The pinnacle of life that rises once again. Humans can chop trees as much as they want, but as long as just one tiny seed remains and is buried underground…this world will soon be surrounded by the trees and the woods once again." The voice said. This time, they could tell that it came from the roots that were all wrinkling between themselves.

"The roots…are they forming a body!?" Ayuri exclaimed.

"Of course…just like it happened with them…then there's no doubt!" Vivienne added.

"To be fair, I'm a bit disappointed. I was finally able to recover a bit and I hoped to see that impure Dragon Slayer that reduced me to ashes last time. But I can still compensate you mages. Rejoice! You are witnessing the return of the greatest creature that ever stepped on this world!" The voice continued. The roots were finally able to form a complete body… which unfortunately confirmed the knights' doubt.

It was a humanoid tree with a purple orb on its chest connected with lines to six black holes on a torso, long horns protruding from its head, and a kingly appearance, equipped with a green leaf cape adorned with dark grey moss and a golden crown styled with branches and a red gem.

"I-It's him!" Galtier exclaimed.

"Foolish ones who stepped in the back of my body so carelessly. You'll pay the price for your naivety by getting consumed by me, the most perfect of the Five Dragon Gods, Aldoron!" The figure exclaimed.

Aldoron – Wood Dragon God

All twenty-one knights gasped in shock. "ALDORON!?"

"T-Then it's really him!" Honoka commented while sweating.

"The biggest one of the Five Dragon Gods that formed the legendary 100-Years Quest…said to have rivaled the power of Acnologia…" Vivienne explained while sweating as well.

Valdric then realized something, as he read something about the reports of that quest. "Then...those strange wooden creatures that attacked us before..."

"Of course...they were his seeds!" Ayuri added, understanding it too.

"But how!? I thought Fairy Tail made you blow up for good!" Faris protested.

"It's true, those pesky mages caught me off guard with my power, to the point that they could outsmart me twice. But don't forget that I'm a Dragon God. It will take more than punching me hard to take me down definitively." Aldoron started to explain. "A piece of me was able to survive, wandering far and wide while Ignia was taken care of. Then, I ended up in this forest last year, and I thought that I could absorb its nutrients to restore my energy properly up until now."

"He laid underground here for a year!? How come that no one from a guild or the Magic Council had noticed anything?" Augusta thought.

"Unfortunately, I haven't still recovered enough power to be at my full strength or summon the other God Seeds. But I still gathered enough energy to rise again. And it seems that a lot of new fuels have walked straight toward me." The Dragon God continued. He glared at Lunafreya. "You in particular seem to hold quite the ethernano I could use."

"What!?" Lunafreya immediately raised her guard.

Honoka quickly drew her greatsword toward him with a cold stare. "Don't think I'll let you absorb us or goshujin-sama that easily."

"Hmph. Already showing a cocky attitude, I see." Aldoron commented. "If you even the so-called 'strongest guild' had trouble in taking me down, what makes you think that you can do the same?" He then turned around. "I'll make it a matter of minutes. After I've absorbed all of you, this whole nation will be next. If I feed on this whole kingdom, I should be able to accelerate the process to regain my full power. And this time…there won't be anyone messing in my way. I'll make all Earth Land into a part of me! The world and I are the same! Perfection is Aldoron!" He proclaimed.

Lunafreya widened her eyes as soon as she said that. She could only imagine the catastrophe that would have happened if a monster like Aldoron had reached the capital and the rest of Seven. All the inhabitants screamed in despair as they were brutally murdered.

She thought of everyone there. Bogardius…Surian…Atticus…and her own mother Aurelia.

For a moment…she left aside her doubts about how to be a proper queen, and like it happened a few times already…she glared at her enemy with newfound resolution.

She made a few steps forward. "You can forget about it."

"Hm?" Aldoron looked back at her.

Lunafreya held out her hand, gathering energy that manifested her sword. "I am Lunafreya Lacrima, queen of Seven. And the place you're trying to walk your body into is MY kingdom." She raised the blade, showing her intention to fight. "It's true, maybe I'm not as strong as those of Fairy Tail, but if you think that I'll let you turn the people of my land into your breakfast, then you are DEAD WRONG!"

Somehow…Aldoron seemed amused by it. "Oooh? A queen, you say? That's surely an outcome I didn't expect. I appreciate your attempt at bravery but don't think that will change anything. What hopes do you have to take down someone like me all on your own?"

"Who said she was alone?" Galtier countered before coming closer, getting the dragon's attention. "I came here to show what I could do as a part of the Ceulfan family…and it seems that I involuntarily made the jackpot. The idea of taking down a Dragon God is quite intriguing, and besides…" He raised his spear and made a cold stare. "Don't think that I'll let you consume the land of Seven either."

Lunafreya looked at him with a grateful expression. And he wasn't going to be the only one. Even Xavier made a step forward.

"I think that you are being the cocky one here, Aldoron! Did you forget that there are twenty-one of us here? I'm a demon prince, so I don't know much about dragons, but I surely wouldn't let someone aiming to devour so many innocents do as he pleases!" Sir Percival exclaimed.

Escanor raised his sword and he was already absorbing the sunlight, taking advantage of the clear sky. "That's right! As a knight, it's my solemn duty to protect the kingdom from everyone who tries to destroy it, dragon or not!"

Valdric already prepared his longsword. "Well, Ayuri! It seems that we have granted the occasion to show our skills to the queen and see if we're worthy!"

The short boy started to assume his cold-blooded expression again. "I'm definitely not up for this but…there's something in this guy that I don't like."

"Heh. You guys are amazing." Hector commented before taking his sword with a smirk. "How could I not refuse to cooperate with you? Besides, considering that he's a dragon, you may need some help from someone who takes care of them!"

"You said it, brother!" Persephone added.

Naturally, Faris made a satisfied smirk, as several red electric shockwaves surrounded her body. "It seems that our request had been listened to. Not only do we get to fight, but also we fight against a big piece! Just what I need to get the recognition as the greatest of the knights!"

Grendel made her knuckles crack as the orange aura surrounded her. "You said it, sis! Let's see how we wreck this talking oak!"

Even Alexis soon got out of it and swung her rapier. "Stay assured, Your Majesty. As you can see, you'll get all the help you want!"

Myuu assumed a deadly expression as she prepared the keys, while Scuti released a blue aura as his hair started to flow. "I did hear of you Five Dragon Gods several times in the past. Now you make me wonder how you go in the practical."

Lilybeth took out Seethe. "I think I may need your help for this one."

"No need to mention it." The sword said with its usual apathetic tone before taking over her body.

Lunafreya was…speechless by the will of her guildmates to follow her in the fight. "Guys…I really couldn't ask for a better guild!"

"Eh eh! You thought we would have said otherwise?" Pavlova told her before getting her sword. "I'm not one to kill people, but this one is a guy I don't like in the slightest! I'll do my best to support you!"

"The same can be said about me," Vesta added before glaring at Aldoron. "Seeing you all motivated made me do the same."

"I think we all are. My artificial eye sensed an impressive power coming from him, but that never stopped me." Ruina said.

Saoirse made her scythe swing. "Then let's do it" Let's chop this wood!"

"It'd be my pleasure to do so!" Vivienne exclaimed. "I've got all your backs for this one!"

"Luckily, I have the right weapons for it!" Orlok added, spinning his two axes.

All knights were motivated and were already raising their weapons. But that sight didn't disturb the Dragon God…who instead laughed a little. "Right…I always forgot that what made humanity move forward…was its foolishness. Despite the voices you heard and the warnings I gave, you still intend to face me? In that case, I'll make sure that you learn the lesson the hard way. You'll see how it's impossible that a group of knights…CAN DEFEAT A GOD!" He spread his arms, and by doing so, he generated several wooden swords from the surrounding trees that he already made rain down on the mages.

Alexis promptly put herself in front of the others. "Don't think you can underestimate us that easily! Light Pict Magic: Himmlische Säbel!" She promptly generated dozens of broad swords made out of light with her rapier that clashed against the rain of wooden swords, bringing forth fireworks of explosions in the sky.

Aldoron couldn't focus properly on the attack that he already saw Augusta in a new form of her TakeOver, which made her covered in a full-plated dark orange armor dashing forward with her sword, and Honoka dashing as well with her greatsword releasing flames.

"Sun Slash!"

"Fire Jet!"

"HM!" Aldoron quickly raised his fists to block the two attacks, ending in a recoil of a few centimeters. The Dragon God could feel a large strength coming from the two knights that were still pushing forward, especially from Augusta. "Impressive. It seems that in this century, more capable mages have grown out more than I expected. But you're still far from being able to lay a finger on me."

"You'll have to think again in a few minutes!" Honoka countered.

"And don't think we're the only ones. Right guys?" Augusta added.

"Hm!?" When Aldoron raised his head, he could already see Escanor and Xavier above them, ready to attack.

"Let's aim together! Our combined strength should be able to pummel him down!" Escanor warned before throwing his blow. "Celestial Flame – Caelum Fiamma!" He quickly spun his Flagrans sword to engulf himself in a meteor of fire to assault directly the Dragon God.

"Right after you, Escanor! Let's show him how it's done!" Xavier followed shortly after by dashing at the speed of light while being engulfed in a powerful thunder. "Soul of Lightning: Burst!"

The two massive comets fell violently on Aldoron, managing to stab themselves in the God Seed's shoulders. "Ngh!" But despite this, he stood with his feet solid on the ground.

"He's standing still despite all these attacks!" Escanor exclaimed.

"Don't stop trying!" Xavier added.

"You gave me proof of what you can do. NOW IT'S MY TURN!" Aldoron shouted back as he released several sharp wooden spikes that stabbed the four knights right through their armor and their bodies.

"GAAAAAH!" Honoka, Augusta, Escanor, and Xavier were all thrown away and crashed against the ground.

But even if he got just free, he found himself surrounded in what seemed to be a smoke made out of darkness.

Vesta came out of it and promptly generated several shades above the Dragon God. "Shades: Grasping Death!"

The spirits assaulted Aldoron with a creepy screech, but the dragon wasn't intimidated by it and answered immediately. He engulfed his two arms with his natural energy and started to erase the shades by releasing a barrage of powered-up punches.

But Vesta smiled. "You fell for it!"

"What?" Aldoron could see the answer for himself as soon as Faris and Grendel appeared around him, ready to attack.

"Thank you for making him exposed, Witch! LET'S GO, SIS!"

"I DIDN'T ASK ANYTHING BETTER!"

"HELLEBORES KNUCKLE!"

"CRIMSON DEVIL'S ARS ARCANUM!"

The two aggressive ladies of Round Table immediately assaulted the Dragon God with a barrage of their best attacks, forcing the enemy to grow wooden claws out of his hands.

"Stubborn fools!" Aldoron was skilled enough to take care of both of them at the same time. Both his arms and his legs blocked the blows at the right moment, whether it was a sword or a punch. "For as long as they can try, a simple axe won't be able to cut down a grand oak!"

"Oh, who said we were simple axes!?" Faris retorted with a smirk as she used her right sword to shoot a beam at a close distance.

"Ah!" Aldoron widened his eyes and moved the head away in time to dodge the beam, but this left him open to Grendel for an attack.

"GROUNDBREAKER!" As her leg sparkled with orange energy, Lady Gaheris delivered a heavy axe kick that slammed Aldoron right in the face, making it crack a little.

"UOAH!"

"HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT!?" Grendel exclaimed with a smirk.

But Aldoron resumed his typical expression shortly after. "Annoyed, if you ask!" He exclaimed as he quickly grabbed both girls by the head.

"WHAT!?"

Aldoron didn't waste any time and made their heads crash against each other before violently throwing them against other trees.

"GAAAAH!" Both girls roared out of pain, but they quickly stood up despite their heads bleeding already. They immediately dashed with their magic to try and push the dragon away.

"You two seem quite the people who want to have their bones broken already." The Dragon God exclaimed as he blocked both of them.

"Oh please! Do you want to know how many bones I broke in my life!?" Grendel retorted.

"Plus! It seems that you didn't notice that we already got you!" Faris added.

"What?" Aldoron asked just as he felt something from below him. When he looked down, he could see a circle of darkness right under his feet.

Vesta had already prepared her next attack. "Shades: Erupting Darkness!" By raising her index and middle fingers she generated a geyser of shades that fully hit Aldoron and made him fly up.

"Got him!" The three mages already thought to have delivered a heavy blow, but even if he showed some burns, Aldoron didn't seem to be either affected or enraged by such an act. "Uh!?"

Instead, while still in mid-air, Aldoron generated a small ball of green energy that erupted in a whirlwind of leaves and magic. "Leaf Tempest!"

The two mages of Round Table and Vesta tried to stay on the ground, but they were inevitably wiped away. "GAAAAAH!"

"Hmph. So even ogres can come up with plans. Not that it would have worked either way." Aldoron commented while still in mid-air, before getting trapped in a dome-shaped barrier full of shards. "Uh!? What!?"

When he looked down, he could see Scuti pointing two fingers at him. "Storm Veil. You'll stand still for a while." He spoke. He then made the shards attack Aldoron repeatedly and ultimately made the barrier crash on the ground with him inside.

When the pile of dust faded away, Scuti could see Aldoron not that distant from him standing up, clearly enraged. "YOU USELESS, UNGRATEFUL MAGGOT!" After engrossing his own muscles, he dashed at supernatural speed to throw a violent punch at Scuti.

Sir Tristan widened his eyes and proceeded to defend himself. "Crystalline Aegis!" He snapped his wingers to generate a linear barrier with sharp crystals to block the God Seed's blow, releasing a loud shockwave. The spikes stabbed Aldoron right in the hand, but he didn't seem to care as he kept on pushing through with the punch, making the shield get its first crack.

"Those who rely only on defense are usually the first ones to fall! In particular, you don't seem the one to resist a punch of mine." Aldoron threatened him.

Scuti remained impassible despite the barrier that was going to get shattered in one moment or another. "Don't worry. I always have plenty of ways to take down an enemy who's stronger than me." He warned. "He's all yours, Orlok."

"What!?" Once again, Aldoron looked up to see an added assault.

"WREAAAAAAH!" Right above Scuti, Orlok threw himself at high speed to throw Aldoron away with an axe attack, making him form a trail of digging.

Orlok landed on his feet and the marks of the Devil Slayer were already forming in his body. "Make sure to cover me, Scuti."

"Got it." The other mage of Round Table simply replied.

"Blood Devil's Torrent!" Orlok was surrounded by a bloody aura before dashing against Aldoron and started to repeatedly attack him with the axes.

Aldoron already stood up and once again engrossed the muscles of his arms to attack properly. The two clashed their attacks one after another with ferocity, showing cuts and scars on both sides and releasing several shockwaves. But neither of them was about to cease. It was like watching two titans clash against each other.

And then, at a certain point, both of them charged a beam from their mouths.

"BLOOD DEVIL'S RAGE!"

"WOOD DRAGON'S ROAR!"

The torrent of boiling blood and the beam made out of natural energy clashed against each other, releasing a loud explosion that made both of them jump back.

Orlok dashed through the smoke to immediately reach the God Dragon, who answered by making two giant roots come out from the ground to grab the enemy and violently throw him down.

"GAH!" Orlok spat some blood from his mouth but quickly stood up to try again. The roots went violent against him, but he already prepared his two axes. "Enchant: Speed Boost!" He enhanced the speed of the axes to make sure that he could have chopped down the roots as soon as they came closer. Now he wasn't much different from a regular knight. This procedure made him cut the distance between him and Aldoron, and he prepared to make a double axe attack to chop his head. "HAAAAAAAA!"

Aldoron defended himself with his arms put on a defensive stance and then proceeded to push the mage from Round Table away with a beam coming from his purple orb.

"AGH!" Orlok got fully blasted, but he was able to keep his feet on the ground, and he ended up coming closer to Scuti. "Kh…dammit…"

Scuti gave a more serious look at his opponent. "Despite our charge and that of the others, he still goes strong. No wonder he was able to keep up with the likes of Acnologia." He commented. "Still, I'm pretty sure that you don't want to quit."

"Of course not! Let's see how he reacts to our next surprise!" Orlok answered with a smirk before already preparing his next attack.

Aldoron widened his eyes and prepared himself. In a matter of seconds, he could see several tendrils of blood and giant cubes of translucent magic rain down on him.

"Blood Devil's Leech!"

"Cascade Veil!"

Aldoron started to make himself a road under that rain of blows, and while some of them blew him backward and slowed him down, he still made his road through. "GRRRRR!"

The pile of smoke caused by the blows generated large piles of smoke that made it hard for the two knights to see.

"Do you think we got him?" Orlok asked.

" I hope we at least delivered him a good damage. He could become very dangerous if he was to keep on fighting in full force." Scuti replied. But the next sight he and Orlok had witnessed broke down all of his thoughts.

Aldoron came out of the smoke with his two arms already turned into an intricated net of roots. "That was indeed a nice try. But it's not enough!" He immediately threw the two knights away, crashing them down with the roots.

"GAAAAAH!"

"I hope all these blows are slowly opening your eyes. It should be a lot easier if you just let yourselves be absorbed." Aldoron commented. And as an answer, he could hear several loud steps from behind him. "Ah!" When he turned around, he could see a giant Ayuri trying to crush him down with the sword.

The Wood Dragon God made a large jump to avoid the attack, but just as he landed on his feet, he could see several beams of pure magic running straight toward him, making him recoil. "Gh!"

When he looked better, he could see that standing on Ayuri's shoulder was Vivienne, who was aiming at the enemy with her scepter. "You're incredible, Ayuri! If we keep on attacking him like this, we should be able to give him less time to dodge and defend himself! Make sure to get him right!"

"Don't worry. This was going to be my intention!" Ayuri replied before trying with another swipe. "DIE!"

CRASH!

Once again, Aldoron found himself jumping away from it. "Are you willing to go this far, knights!? GH!" He couldn't even react that a few explosions were triggered around him, making him get wiped away.

"Disappear!" Vivienne kept using magical energy to constantly attack the enemy and make him exposed enough. The result was what she wanted as Ayuri was able to grab Aldoron and start to crush him.

"GHHHH…" Aldoron tried to resist as best as he could. When he raised his head, he could see that Vivienne was already running through the arm to reach him and finish him with a short distant magic.

"Go back to nothingness, seed of evil!"

"I am inevitable, remember that!" Aldoron retorted, releasing two large roots from his body to at loosened Ayuri's tight and made a few cuts in his arms.

"AGH!" Unfortunately, the knight couldn't keep it for too long due to the pain, and Aldoron was free to climb through his arm.

"Like I wouldn't let you!" Vivienne promptly intercepted him and started to attack him with her reserved sword. Despite being mostly a sorceress, she once again showed excellent skill with the blade. But that alone wouldn't have been alone to stand up with Aldoron.

In fact, the Wood Dragon God generated wooden claws for his arms and counterattacked, bringing forth a small clash. "I hope you're not serious with these attacks!"

Vivienne looked at him with a convinced smirk. "Oh, of course, I'm not!" She retorted before planting a palm in his chest. "Stellarum Crepitus!" She generated some blue dust from her palm and converged it into an explosion that threw the enemy out of the arm.

"GRRRR!" Starting to get annoyed, Aldoron used his arms as vines to hold himself to Ayuri's body and started to swing around him.

"Stay down!" Vivienne tried to fly toward him in a dive attack while Ayuri tried to crush him with his sword, but Aldoron swung away at the right time.

"YOU STAY DOWN!" The Dragon God took one arm off Ayuri's body to shoot a beam of energy at Vivienne to make her crush to the ground.

"AGH!"

Once she was out of the way, all that he needed was to dodge The boy's attacks and reach for his head.

"Come here!" Ayuri tried to reduce him to a pulp with both of his hands, but Aldoron gave himself a push at the right time to dodge them and aim at the head. "Leaf Tempest!"

"GAAAAH!" By getting the full attack on his face, Ayuri lost balance and fell to the ground, shrinking back to his normal size.

Aldoron landed down. "We're already coming to a close with your numbers. How long will you insist on your mistake?"

"As much as we want, which means UNTIL WE SEE YOU DOWN!" Saoirse protested. She and Lilybeth (possessed by Seethe) Were already running toward him. "Alright, claymore, make sure to wipe his arse like ya did with the laddie with the pipe!"

"No need to tell me twice." The double voice of Lilybeth and Seethe replied before the girl dashed at supernatural speed, already standing in front of Aldoron and tempesting him with a barrage of frontal cuts with the sword.

"HM!" Aldoron put his arms in a defensive stance to protect himself. In the meantime, he already tapped his foot to generate several giant roots that would have crushed her. But to his surprise, the roots were cut down in seconds. Saoirse was already above him, freeing the road.

"A Head A Gain!" She threw her head forward, and in the meantime, her body was already in front of the enemy, throwing a heavy attack with the scythe that broke Aldoron's defenses, stunning him for a moment.

"KH-!" This was the perfect chance for Lilybeth to proceed with her attack, filling the enemy's body with holes. "NGHHH!" Aldoron ended up recoiling a few meters away and also felt something different in his body. "What!? Why do I feel…weaker?" He looked up to Lilybeth, who had an apathetic expression. "That sword…did it absorb my magical energy?"

"Are you surprised?" Lilybeth (or rather, Seethe) simply asked.

This enraged Aldoron, bringing him to charge a large quantity of energy in a green sphere made out of magic. "I've worked hard to restore my power, I WON'T LET ANYONE USE IT!" With those words, he threw the sphere at the knight.

"OI, WATCH OUT!"

Despite being a weapon, Seethe widened Lilybeth's eyes and tried to nullify the sphere. To its surprise, it took a lot of effort than expected, to the point that the girl was starting to get pushed back. "What?" Still, even with some trouble, Seethe and Lilybeth erased the sphere, only to find Aldoron already in front of her, throwing a violent punch at them.

"GAH!" As it was synchronized with the girl, Seethe felt pail as well, and the girl spat blood, losing the link for a moment. "Gh! You won't get me like that!" The girl on her own tried to answer back with her normal sword, but to no avail.

Aldoron promptly blocked the sword and grabbed her by the face before slamming her violently to the ground.

"GAAAAAH!"

Saoirse got furious and tried to attack the enemy from behind covering his back from behind. "OI, DON'T THINK YA CAN DO THAT, YA OLD TRONKE!" She infused her scythe with spiritual energy to make sure that he noticed her. And he did…although not with the reaction she hoped, as a root came from underground and slammed her down, blocking her whole body. "AGH! DAMMIT!"

"I won't let anyone interfere with my power nor with my intention. Especially if they use petty tricks such as yours. You two will be the first nutrients for me, get ready!" Aldoron was already preparing to turn them into roots that he would have absorbed but got stopped when a burst of green flames pushed him away. "Ngh!"

"You won't absorb a damm thing!" When he turned around, he could already see Lunafreya, Pavlova, and Galtier running toward him.

"Make sure to not give him a moment to breathe!" Lunafreya ordered.

"YES!" The other two knights agreed. As soon as they were in front of him, they started to assault him with several combos of their weapons, forcing Aldoron to pass on the defensive and jump back.

Once he landed back on his feet, The Dragon God planted a hand on the ground to release several swords made out of wood to reduce them to stews. "How come that humanity persists in the same mistakes? There's no way that you'll be able to defeat me!"

"That's what you think!" Seeing the attack, Pavlova jumped high and used her magic. "TakeOver: Pegasus!" She transformed into a winged horse and started to dash fast to burn down all the swords and then dive directly against him. "HAAAAAAH!"

Aldoron spread his arms, ready to receive her and block her. He ended up getting dragged on by the impact, but he still had his feet solid on the ground. "Any last words?"

Pavlova looked at her with a convinced smirk. "Yes! YOUR TURN NOW!" She shouted while raising her head.

Aldoron did the same and could observe with shock that Lunafreya and Galtier were already above her.

"Get ready, Galtier because we'll have to attack him hard!" Lunafreya warned.

"I couldn't ask for better!" Galtier replied. His lance was engulfed in the green flames, and they both went down.

"Holy Sword God's Punishment!"

"Fire-Make: Infernal Resin!"

Both knights went with direct and precise blows from their weapons that crashed Aldoron to the ground, catching him completely by surprise.

"GAAAAAH! DAMM YOU!" The Dragon God immediately released several wooden spikes to push the three knights away, filling their bodies with wounds.

"KAAAAAAAAAH!"

"D-Dammit…We're starting to attack him, but he's still standing nonetheless!" Galtier complained.

"Don't quit right now, we're on the right track!" Lunafreya spurred him.

"These attacks…how I got down the first time against that Fire Dragon Slayer were all but flukes, irregularities that occurred and that stopped me on the path that fate had in store for me. I won't commit the same mistake!" Aldoron countered before getting attacked by a burst of golden flames. "Hm!?"

When he turned around, he could see Valdric and Ruina run toward him.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but among the things I need to do to achieve chivalry, there's also stopping crazy people like you!" The former exclaimed.

"You don't mind if I borrow that holy fire of yours, right?" The latter asked.

"Ha! Don't even mention it! It's all yours!" Valdric immediately accepted and infused Ruina's whip with golden flames.

Once she was ready, Lady Palamedes trapped Aldoron in a cage of attacks caused by her long whip sword, leaving the Dragon God full of scratches.

Seeing how the attack was starting to become a bother, Aldoron quickly planted his hand on the ground to generate several roots around him to defend himself.

To that, Valdric spread two wings made out of energy and dashed forward. "These defenses don't work! Burning Angel's Message!" He quickly started to cut the barrier in half with the sword engulfed in his holy flames, only to get grabbed immediately by Aldoron, who started to choke him. "GAH!"

"You think I would have relied entirely on them?" Aldoron told him before wiping him away with a beam coming from his hand. But he surely didn't consider Ruina coming closer.

"Boiling Blood." The monster hunter used her magic to infuse her own blood into her whip and enhance it further to throw a violent whirlwind of blows at the God Seed.

Aldoron counterattacked with a barrage of claw attacks, bringing forth a clash, and showing that he could resist without too many problems.

Seeing how they were not going anywhere, Ruina made a slide toward him, retreating the whip only to use it again to grab the enemy by the legs and violently slam him down on the ground, infusing the whip with blood energy to make an adding explosion to further harm the enemy.

"NGH!"

Ruina wasn't satisfied yet and immediately jumped to make a dive attack against her, but to her horror, Aldoron's back grew several thorns that impaled her in various parts of the body (luckily, none of them was vital). "GAH!" She started to have holes in her armor as well, and the worst part was that Aldoron wasn't done there.

"Wood Dragon's Thunder!" He filtered nature magic through the spikes to fully fry Ruina in a green electric shockwave before violently throwing her away.

"RUINA!" Both Lunafreya and Valdric shouted.

Aldoron was about to come closer to finish her, but he got suddenly stuck in a wild tornado. "Uh!? What now!?"

He could see Myuu appear inside the tornado with a different outfit, which seemed similar to her Chariot Celestial Spirit, which meant only one thing. "Star Dress: Chariot! Let's see if you can resist a whole tornado, unlike the other trees. Now Hector!" She warned.

Aldoron raised his head and could see Hector getting carried by Persephone, who let him go to throw a dive attack.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Sir Daniel immediately slammed his sword against Aldoron, causing a violent shockwave from the impact.

As soon as he clashed with him, Aldoron felt something that made him widen his eyes. "This aura…you must be a Dragon Slayer like that fire one!"

Hector kept on pushing through with a smirk. "You bet I am! And don't think I'm anything less than the one who defeated you! Let me show you what means to mess up with the Rainbow Dragon Slayer!" He exclaimed before pushing Aldoron away. The Wood Dragon could feel his pressure rise due to the tornado. Hector's blade already changed color as he prepared his strike. "Crystal Style – Ice Dragon's Diamond Dust!" He released a powerful burst of ice against Aldoron, freezing a few parts of his body, and making him unable to move. "Now, Myuu!"

"I'm after you!" Lady Leodegrance told him, with her axe at the ready.

The two knights went full speed ahead and by taking advantage of the effects of their magics, they charged against the Dragon God with several attacks with their weapons, damaging him enough to the point that they could lay down a finishing blow.

"Ruby Sword Style – Fire Dragon's Fang!"

"Propel!"

While Hector made a direct thrust with his sword engulfed in flames, Myuu used her Star Dress to shoot herself in the air and slam the enemy's body with her axe.

"GHHHH! GRRRRRRR!" Aldoron could feel tremendous pain and would have probably flown away as soon as the ice melted, but he did his best to stay still and push back.

"Even after all of that!?" Myuu exclaimed.

"Keep on pushing!" Hector encouraged.

"YOUR RUN ENDS HERE!" Aldoron shouted as he was able to grab both mages' heads and shoot a beam directly at them, making them crash to the ground.

"GAAAAAH!"

"HECTOR!" Persephone cried out.

The tornado faded away, and despite everything, Aldoron was still standing.

All the mages of Round Table and their new allies looked up to him while sweating.

"W-We kept on throwing blow after blow and yet there he is…" Honoka commented.

"Is he really immortal…?" Vesta wondered.

"D-Don't say bullshits! I certainly won't stop until I'll reduce him to pieces!" Faris protested while trying to stand up.

Lunafreya still felt some pain after the blows, but she tried to keep her sword high. "That's right…we can't let him go just like that. Not when he's planning to devour all of Seven…"

Aldoron glared at everyone with an almost bored expression. "Still, you persist? Look at yourselves, you're no better than a bunch of beaten dogs. What good will it come to you to keep on standing up? You'll just make your end come early. I can acknowledge your strength. From all of you." He spread his arms and started to generate a large sphere made out of nature magic. "But unfortunately…it's not enough to defeat a Dragon God like me. You can vanish with every shame possible!"

The other knights tried their best to get ready for it, and Aldoron was about to throw it. But then…

"Unison Raid: Providence of Loss!"

Suddenly…Aldoron stopped his attack because all of his senses started to become numb. "AH! W-What is…" His sight was getting blurry, but he could recognize a white smoke that filled the area, coming along with a smoke that surrounded him.

Everyone looked behind him to see that Xavier already stood up and released the spell by using the two lacrimas he had instead of his eyeballs.

"Of course! Since he has two lacrimas…he can use Unison Raids on his own!" Vivienne commented as she finally got the chance the stand up.

"It seems that I've regained my strength just in time! If he seems unstoppable then we should make sure that he can be pulled down for good!" Xavier exclaimed with a smirk.

"H-How!? Even after all those blows, you still have all this energy!?" Aldoron exclaimed, bewildered.

"Eh eh…don't tell me that you thought you could tame us this easily…." Galtier said with a smirk.

The rest of the guild could stand up, and all twenty-one knights were able to say the same thing in unison.

"DID YOU THINK THAT WAS ENOUGH TO TAKE US DOWN!?"

"NOW!" Lunafreya ordered. Everyone agreed, and Aldoron could see it. Twenty-one knights all charging their blows at the same time.

"Holy Sword God's Bellow!"

"Stardust Shower!"

"Crimson Devil's Rage!"

"Binding Flash – Caecus Lux!"

"Light Pict: Lichtkanone!"

"Solar Flare!"

"Soul of Thunder: Bolts!"

"Skybreaker!"

"Ruby Style: Fire Dragon's Burst!"

"Cascade Veil!"

"Fire Bomb!"

"Propel!"

"Blood Devil's Rage!"

"Blood Bullet Barrage!"

"Seethe! Now!" Lilybeth made Seethe release a beam from the absorbed energy from earlier.

"Spirit Render!"

"Fire-Make: Emerald Eruption!"

"Command T: Titan's Grasp!"

"Burning Angel's Message!"

"Shades: Grasping Death!"

The combined forces of their magic surged forward, a devastating torrent of elemental power on Aldoron's position at the center of their formations. Several elements surged like a cataclysmic storm, shaking the ground and air with incredible force…until…

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"WOOOOO! TAKE THAT, BITCH!" Faris shouted out loud, satisfied with the result.

"We surely got him after this one!" Alexis added.

"Yeah! Too bad I don't have any beam attack, would have loved to join!" Pavlova said with her ears low.

"Don't worry, you still gave your contribution," Ruina told her. "Also, for some reason, I have the feeling I've already seen this scene somewhere…"

"Really? I thought of it too! But let's not think about it." Lunafreya added before looking at the large pile of smoke that was caused by the converged attack. "I sincerely hope that we got him for good…"

"Even if he's a Dragon God, we should have still delivered solid damage to him. He couldn't possibly resist that and come out as nothing." Augusta commented as she kept her TakeOver form active.

"You're saying that the battle isn't won yet?" Orlok asked.

"We'll find out now. Let's keep our guard high." Scuti suggested.

Galtier frowned, having a bad sensation. "Come out if you dare…"

It took a few minutes that looked like hours for the mages of Round Table…but eventually, the smoke faded away, revealing an Aldoron that was still standing. But a few parts of his body were destroyed, and there were clear traces of cracks and burns around him. And he finally started to breathe heavily.

Alexis slightly widened her eyes. "He's still standing despite everything!" She whispered.

"Yeah, but he's starting to feel the weight of our blows. All we need is just a further push to blow him up for good." Grendel said with a smirk, satisfied with the result.

Aldoron breathed heavily, almost sounding like a robot that released steam. Yet…he still had the strength to look up to them. "Blow me up?" He asked before laughing. "You really think this is over?"

"Of course! Look at you! There's no way you can pull up all those movements with those conditions!" Pavlova retorted.

"One blow and you're done! You should quit while you're still in time or we could not answer for our actions!" Valdric added.

Aldoron laughed again as he completely stood up. "Quit!? You'll make me lose my breath out of laughter! Do you really think that you can tell someone like me, a Dragon God, to quit!? No…you're far from the result you're hoping to get." He answered back. "I'll admit it. I may have underestimated you a bit. I can see now what you can do when you're motivated enough. But by doing so, you've signed your death sentence, because it's my turn now to answer back!"

"Oh yeah!? How are you going to do that, eh!? You said yourself that you're not even at full power!" Hector exclaimed.

Aldoron made a sinister grin. "That may be. But that doesn't mean that I'm completely out of resources. I still have plenty of aces up my sleeves, plans I've prepared in wait for my rebirth that could assure me that I wouldn't have failed again."

"What!?" Escanor exclaimed.

To answer, Aldoron spread his arms. "You'll see! Watch as I become the embodiment of mother nature itself!" He shouted.

Just as he did so, the mages of Round Table could see as the environment around them started to shake.

"What is going on!?" Myuu wondered.

"Is he…?" Lunafreya added.

The trees in particular got pulled out from the ground and started to go in the direction of the Dragon God. But instead of crashing on them…they got stuck in their bodies…and got absorbed.

"Hey, what is he doing!?" Galtier exclaimed.

"O-Oh God, I can't watch!" Ayuri added while holding his mouth to not puke.

One after another, the trees and even all the rubbles that had accumulated in the battle started to float and get toward Aldoron, as if he was some sort of magnet, before getting absorbed.

Once he had finished doing so, his body started to wriggle and release a green aura.

Ruina's artificial eye started a new calculation, higher than the one before. "He's…growing in power!"

And it wasn't just in power…even the look started to change. Aldoron's body and muscles grew bigger, his face assumed a different look, more humanoid yet demonic at the same time, on his head, a pair of two tall horns that looked like those of an antelope. And the purple orb inside his chest grew bigger and became an authentic slit eyeball.

All the mages of Round looked shocked and bewildered at this sudden metamorphosis.

"He…he transformed!" Vesta whispered.

"He could do that…?" Vivienne added.

After completing his transformation, Aldoron took a deep breath and looked down at all of them. "Speechless, correct? This is the result that I've got to make sure that no one would have dared to defy me again. Not a Dragon Slayer, not another dragon, not anyone! What you witness now is the pinnacle that I was able to reach. And as soon as I regain the rest of my power, this will guarantee me the authenticity of my title. I'll become an authentic GOD!"

The knights started to tremble a bit. Even after combining their strongest blow, not only Aldoron stood up again, but he could also transform, implying that he also became stronger than before. Was there really…a way to take him down?

If so…it would have been a bit cruel. The secret of the Nythvail's Groove would have remained impossible for something that was even external to the forest. And what was worst…was that Lunafreya and the others wouldn't have been the only ones to suffer from him. The kingdom was at stake.

"No…we cannot let him win, but…" Lunafreya thought. Her resolution to stop such a giant threat was still active but…did she and the others still have enough energy to stand against him despite this form?

Then…Galtier made a few steps closer.

"Galtier…?" The queen asked.

The young Ceulfan knight walked a bit forward and gazed at the Dragon God right in the eyes.

"Hm? What is it? Are you trying to kneel and beg for forgiveness on behalf of your companions?" Aldoron asked.

Galtier looked up at him. "…Forgiveness? Don't make me laugh." And he spat on the ground. Aldoron frowned immediately, feeling utterly insulted.

"Woah, quite the guts!" Orlok commented.

"I think this makes clear my answer. You may have developed a new form and grew stronger, so what? You still didn't attack us and we're still here" Galtier said before pointing the spear at his enemy. "And I certainly don't plan to be intimidated just because you grew size. I was the one who proposed the mission to make sure that I could show myself as a worthy member of both this guild and his family. And if anything terrible happens to one of these guys, the fault will only be mine, and I can't afford to let it happen. The queen was courteous enough to satisfy me in my request, and as such…it's only fair that I bring them to victory." He then assumed a battle stance. "Get ready, because you haven't seen everything of me."

"You'd dare to say something like that!?" Aldoron exclaimed.

"Galtier?" Lunafreya asked.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. If you're tired, you can stay behind. I'll make sure to keep him busy while you recover or run away. The same goes for everyone else." Galtier told her.

Faris looked at him…and scoffed. "Tch. First, you insult him and then you pretend to have all the fun by yourself!? What a pompous asshole you are!" She exclaimed before stepping further as well. "Don't think I'll let you steal the spotlight for the glory! Even after that blast, we all threw together, I'm still not satisfied! If anything…" Her body was surrounded again by red electric shockwave. "The sight of this new form makes me want to punch him further in the face!"

"YOU SAID IT!" Grendel already tightened her fist. "By the record, that whirlwind you threw at us wasn't enough to take us down! By transforming you just motivated us further! And I'm pretty sure that we three are not the only one!"

And just like that…slowly…one after the other, all the mages of Round Table made one step forward to show that they were ready to resume the battle.

"Heh. As a member of the Golden Knights from the Royal Army, I'd be eternally ashamed if I were to fall this easily." Augusta commented.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we all share that trait ever since we joined this guild. Everyone here has some sort of reputation to defend, especially those who already have a title like me!" Xavier added.

"You said it! Just because he's transformed, there's no way I'd let my chance to get more glory slip that easily!" Valdric exclaimed.

Lunafreya looked around, once again, positively surprised to see everyone's answer.

Vesta came closer to her. "Well, Your Majesty, I could see how you still held your sword tightly. This should give you confirmation that you're not the only one who didn't want to quit."

Vivienne promptly came closer as well. "HEY! I'm the one who comforts her! But she's right, Luna! I'd say that we started this together and we'll finish it together!"

"Indeed! Plus, I'm the only one who didn't get hit yet, so I think there's still some advantage we can use!" Alexis added.

That…was enough to make the queen of Seven smile and take a few steps further, standing beside Galtier. "Thank you, Galtier. I'll make sure to repay this act." She whispered.

Galtier kept on looking at the enemy. "You shouldn't thank me. I just wanted to stand up to all of you ever since the beginning of the mission. The choice you made came all by yourselves."

Lunafreya nodded. "Right…" And then…

Klank!

She tapped the heel of her iron pant leg, and a golden aura released her as if she had the sun on her back right at that moment. "I think this serves as our answer, Aldoron. Even if you become stronger, even if you are one of the biggest threats that this world has ever seen, the only way you'll convince us to quit will be to take us down for good. And I think that our attacks up until now showed you that this won't happen easily. Let me say it again…I won't let you make another step to my kingdom! We'll all take you down right now and make sure that not even a tiny seed of you will remain!" She proclaimed, showing a solemn voice worthy of a ruler.

Alexis, Pavlova, and Escanor all looked in awe.

"Exactly the answer I wanted to hear," Ruina commented.

Vivienne was on the verge of emotion. "M-My little pupil had grown so big…"

After seeing twenty-one mages stand up to him again despite his new form…the only thing that Aldoron could do was nervously twitch his eye. "…At this point, I've tried even too many times to let you change ideas and accept your fate. But despite everything…you still don't want to see the truth!"

"Maybe you don't know that even if a mantis is strong, a whole group of ants will be able to overcome it! We'll teach you that the hard way!" Orlok countered before winking at Honoka.

The short maid was happy that he remembered that. "You heard him. And I'm certainly not done with you."

"None of us is actually! In fact, how about I open the road first?" Hector added already swinging his sword.

"Open the road…there won't be any road open, not on your conditions while I am at the peak of my strength! It won't happen again…I won't let anyone mock me again! I won't even use you as nutrients! I'LL MAKE SURE TO TURN YOU ALL INTO DUST!" Aldoron shouted.

"WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT! MY KNIGHTS, FEEL FREE TO UNLEASH YOURSELVES!" Lunafreya countered.

"YES!" Nothing needed to be added. They all threw themselves against the enemy. They were wounded…but that wasn't going to stop them.

[Digimon Xros Wars – Tagiru Chikara]

As soon as he saw them run, Aldoron released a roar of rage and quickly slammed his hands to the ground to generate gigantic roots that threw up all twenty-one mages upward.

"Oh, please! I'm getting the hang of this! Persephone!" Hector shouted.

"Right here, Hector!" The small exceed quickly grabbed her adoptive brother by the shoulders and started to dive down with him while he changed his sword's color.

"Amethyst Sword Style – Lightning Dragon's Tempest!" Hector swung his sword to release a rain of bolts of lightning against the enemy, who promptly blocked them with his hands, despite feeling the effects of the discharge.

"HMMM! Don't bother! If your combined powers weren't able to finish me at once, it'll take triple the power to destroy me now!" Aldoron exclaimed.

"Is that so!? Then we'll do it right away!" A voice said from above.

"Uh!?" The God Dragon looked up.

(Sending sparks flying, it's a dead heat…can't let my guard down in the danger zone…)

He could see one of the giant roots getting cut down in half and Faris came out of it while her sword was already glowing strong. "Crimson Devil's Impact!" She quickly thrust it into the enemy's shoulder, releasing red electric shockwaves all over his body, which added to Hector's.

"NGHHH!" Now Aldoron was about to feel some pain despite the resistance getting increased.

And right at the same time, Pavlova was able to land on her feet, already transformed. "TakeOver: Werewolf!" In her feral wolf form, she quickly threw a barrage of sword blows aimed at the eye in Aldoron's chest, damaging him further.

(Fighting (Fighting), Souls (Souls), Flare (Flare), echoing each other freely!)

"NGHHH! GET OUT NOW!" Seeing himself in unexpected danger, Aldoron released a blast wave made of leaves and nature magic to wipe away the three mages.

"GH!" Despite this, they didn't go down for a while like before, and from the distance, they kept on attacking.

"Make sure to hit him right!" Faris exclaimed.

"Don't worry it's my job!" Hector answered back.

The two Slayers started to shoot several blasts of energy from their blades, while Pavlova resumed her run toward him.

Aldoron put his arms in front of himself as defense and resisted well the rain of blasts, but he didn't expect more of them coming from above. "KAAAH!" Several blasts that looked like stars and several cubes assaulted him from above, releasing a large pile of dust. He quickly wiped it away with one swing of his arm, and when it disappeared, he saw with shock that Vivienne and Scuti were already in front of him. "What!?"

"It may not be our camp, but let's make sure to hit him hard nonetheless!" Vivienne added while preparing her scepter.

"Just because my magic focuses on barriers, it doesn't mean that I can't bring forth my own damage count," Scuti replied, preparing four of his fingers.

"Star of Desire!"

"Solar Eclipse!"

Viviene released a beam that looked like a shooting star from her scepter while Scuti generated an orb-like construct that released several light beams. Both blows converged against Aldoron, pushing him back a lot. "HMMM!"

(I'm feeling like the best superstar…attacking to the last hinch is my hunting time…)

"ENOUGH!" Aldoron was able to nullify both attacks by spreading his arms like an X and countering by concentrating nature energy on his eye before releasing it as a counter beam.

Both Scuti and Vivienne used their own magic to generate a double barrier that could defend them, and they would get a bit more help.

"WE'RE STILL HERE, YOU KNOW!"

When Aldoron looked up, he could see Pavlova dive against him with a heavy kick still in her werewolf form, forcing him to stop his attack.

The Wood Dragon God let out a groan of pain as he was forced to defend himself from the next storm of attacks caused by Lady Bedivere. He was then able to find a break in them, grab the lady knight by the head, and slam her several times to the ground before throwing her away.

"UGH! YOUR TURN NOW!"

"Don't think you can- GAH!" Aldoron was about to reach the other knights who attacked him, but he got blocked when a wall of ash pervaded his whole body. "W-What is blocking me!?"

(Let's go (Let's go), my (my) challenge is starting!)

"I thought you had learned what I was capable of at this point, but it seems that the tricks of a demon prince can be a bit too much even for a Dragon God! Soul of Ash: Cinder!" It was Xavier who, after turning his whole body into ash, ignited it to directly burn the dragon's body, making him scream in pain. "He's all yours!"

As if that wasn't enough already, he could see Saoirse throw herself against him like a loose cannon. "LET'S SEE HOW YA LIKE ME WHEN I'M CERIOUS!" Her scythe got infused with spiritual energy, making the blade look bigger with a slit eye. "WITCH HUNT!

SPLAT!

"GHHH!" Aldoron felt another tremendous blow stabbing him right in the belly, forcing him to clap his hand and generate another blast. "Leaf Tempest!" He was able to wipe out both knights and free himself. "This is ridiculous! All of your bodies are bleeding and yet you still try to rebel against the pure laws of nature!? UH!?" As he complained, he could see a small army of knights made out of light that all charged against him pushing him back.

(We're going to decide our target!)

Alexis wasn't that distant from him, and she was controlling the soldiers thanks to her magic. "Yours is not a law of nature! Your desire is pure egoism!"

"GRRR!" Aldoron released a blast wave before dashing at high speed against the young girl, who tried to resist her rapier but got inevitably crushed down, and the Dragon God took the chance to punch her several times, making her bleed.

"Boiling Blood!"

An enhanced whip suddenly surrounded him, interrupting his attack as he got damaged on his own. Ruina was already around him, swinging her weapon to reduce his movements.

"I've never been into hunting dragons, but after hearing your ridiculous pretensions, I think that you are not that different from the monsters I usually hunt. Am I right, Your Majesty?" She asked.

(Unleashing now…a heated passion…that can almost melt…my power overflows!)

Aldoron could see Lunafreya inside the whirlwind of blows, right in front of him, releasing an attack that further pummeled him. "Holy Sword God's Assault!" She ran over him as a helix of light pushing him further away.

(SEETHING POWER, It can't be stopped! Limitless energy swirls within!)

"GAAAH!" Aldoron was once again pushed away, and when he raised his stare, he saw the three knight girls aided by Saoirse and Xavier, all running toward him. He didn't falter and slammed his hands to the ground, generating a large geranium that opened itself and shot a beam of green light at them. "Don't make me repeat myself!"

"No one asked you to do so!" A voice from above exclaimed. Escanor was in mid-air, right below the sun, and an aura of fire already surrounded him. "Corona Burst – Corona Explosi!" He immediately released a burst of light and heat aimed at the flow to make it converge into a solar explosion. Once that danger was gone, Escanor was ready to crash directly into his enemy. "Solar Flare – Caelum Ignis!" He quickly made a vertical slash in front of Aldoron, releasing a burst of flames that stunned the enemy for a second.

"GRRR!" This gave the perfect chance for the other knights to reach him.

"NOW! SWARM HIM!" Lunafreya ordered.

"YES!"

Lunafreya, Escanor, Xavier, Saoirse, Alexis, and Ruina were now moving around the Dragon God, swinging their weapons with the best precision and speed they had, forcing the enemy to defend himself between his arms and even generating roots in front of the enemies. "Why? Why don't you ever understand that you have places that you need to respect!? Didn't the hundred years I gave you teach anything to you humans!?" He exclaimed. He was able to push them away by generating six thorns around him and then tried to assault them directly.

"Alexis, now!" Lunafreya called upon the young mage, who was just behind her.

"Right after you, Your Highness!" She answered.

Both Lunafreya and Alexis jumped above the thorn, surpassed it, and planted their blades in his body, stunning him for a moment. But he quickly regained consciousness and grabbed them both to throw them away.

(Right now, the world is waiting for me! HEATING UP with a surge, charge in!)

Escanor was able to surpass the thorn as well and already infused his blade with the flames. "Let's see how you react to the idea of three whole flames burning over your body!"

"What!?" Aldoron exclaimed. He could notice how Honoka and Augusta were already behind her.

"Solar Flare!" The bigger knight immediately released a burst of flames that pushed Aldoron back, leaving him exposed to the triple attack that would have succeeded.

"I hope you won't mind if we let you revive a trauma that you clearly didn't let slip! Fire Blast!"

"Heat Lash!"

"Corona Burst – Corona Explosi!"

(I challenge battles, putting everything on the line…)

Several waves made out of heat, an X-shaped blast of fire, and a burst of flames all converged into one giant fire attack that fully hit Aldoron, burning his body and leaving more signs of ash. "GAAAAAAAH! DAMM YOU!" Once the attack stopped, he generated a giant sphere of nature magic that he threw violently at the three knights.

"Radiant Shield – Solis Scutum!" Escanor promptly generated a barrier of sunlight that, while it suffered some pressure, was able to bounce away the sphere. "He's all yours!"

Augusta didn't let him repeat twice and immediately dashed with her huge body, attacking repeatedly Aldoron, who was able to answer on his own. Both of them delivered heavy blows to each other, but Augusta was able to push him away in the end, giving Honoka a spot for another attack.

"Fire Jet!" Lady Lucan spins around to become a spiral of flames that Aldoron was forced to stop with his bare hands despite getting burned and dragged backward.

"W-Why…how come these humans are growing so much in power!? I'm one of the Five God Dragons! They're supposed to fear me!" Aldoron wondered just before getting pushed back by Honoka who made her fire blow up. "GAH!"

(Become one HEART & HEART!)

Aldoron made a gesture with his hand to generate several roots that joined together in a gigantic spiral that went down directly on them.

"Watch out!" Xavier warned.

The three knights were about to defend themselves, but the attack was intercepted by another spiral made by a union of holy energy and darkness. The two attacks started to push one another to prevail.

"MORE OF YOU!?" Aldoron shouted.

Valdric and Vesta were able to unify their magics to throw the counterattack. "Who knew that light and darkness could go so well together! I hope you won't leave me behind, witch!"

"I certainly don't intend to!" Vesta answered back before pulling more energy into her own part.

The two attacks nullified each other in the end, but they left Aldoron exposed on the positive side. Valdric quickly generated two wings to give him a speed boost and flew directly against Aldoron. "Burning Angel's Message!" He started to storm him with several sword attacks that he was able to defend until he could feel himself getting shrunk.

"Uh!? What's happening!?" Aldoron looked around to see that Ayuri wasn't that distant from them. The young boy left his insecurities beside him for a moment to pull up the ferocity he showed up in battle.

"Command T: Reduction! GO!"

Aldoron could feel the pressure rising as he was now about the same height as Valdric, who didn't put a brake in his blows. And he wasn't the only problem.

Vesta released a large amount of smoke from her pipe to create a giant amalgamate that rushed against Aldoron to fully blow him up. "Monster Mash: Fusion Burst!"

"GAAAH!" Due to the large attack, Aldoron ended up crashing several times to the ground before standing up, only to see that Grendel and Orlok were already running at high speed toward him.

"GRENDEL! IT'S FINALLY TIME I SHOW YOU HOW FEROCIOUS CAN BE WHEN I PERFORM MELEE ATTACKS!" Orlok shouted to his comrade.

"ABOUT TIME! SMACK HIS WOODEN SKULL!" Grendel shouted back. Both of them were ready to unleash themselves.

"Enchant: Elemental!"

"HELLEBORES KNUCKLE!"

"AS IF I WOULD LET YOU!" Aldoron felt challenged and dashed as well, bringing up a barrage of punches that clashed with their attacks, releasing several shockwaves that cracked up the surrounding environment.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Both Orlok and Grendel could feel their bodies getting punched several times while they bleed out, but that wasn't going to stop them either.

"WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY!? WHY WON'T YOU SURRENDER!? WHY WON'T YOU SUBMIT TO ME!?" Aldoron shouted as he kept on attacking. His blows started to get the upper hand against the two knights…that is until a chain suddenly wrapped around his whole body. "ARGH! WHERE DOES THIS COME FROM, NOW!?"

Right above Grendel and Orlok, Myuu stood up with a different outfit and a chain wrapped around her arm. "Star Dress: Lovers. I think we've heard enough of your complaints, so how about you go down already?" She said with a cold tone.

"DAMM YOU!" Aldoron tried to struggle as he could, but the chain turned out to be stronger than usual, giving Grendel and Orlok the chance to attack…and not only them.

Right between them, Lilybeth appeared again, linked with Seethe again, and the three could make a direct charge to fill Aldoron with holes and wounds. His wooden body started to fall apart, but he tried to stand up.

"K-Kh…it can't be…my perfect form." He whispered.

"YOU HAD NOT ENOUGH YET!?" One last voice echoed out. Galtier appeared from above, this time surrounded in shades while he kept attacking with his spear, almost spinning with it. "Shadow-Make: Shadowbreaker!"

Aldoron indeed became stronger with his transformation, but even he started to feel the fatigue of being constantly attacked every second, and as such, his arms started to tremble and he got pushed away. His body trembled as well as he tried to stand up. "Y-You…won't…WIN!"

"Are you sure!? It's clear that you are reaching your limit!" Faris exclaimed.

"Come on guys, one last push!" Lunafreya ordered.

The knights kept attacking no matter what. They were facing a Dragon God, one of the strongest creatures of all Earth Land, but that was secondary. They were all moved by different factors, whether it was glory or devotion to protect someone, one thought united them all.

They weren't going to lose against the likes of someone like Aldoron.

(Let the message of the future reach directly…)

Aldoron recoiled again and again until he engrossed further his muscles and started to gather energy. "ENOUGH! I didn't want to come to this, but you leave me with no other choice!" The energy started to take the form of a giant sphere surrounded by electric shockwaves. "My rebirth isn't complete yet, and I won't let anyone interfere with it! THIS WON'T BE THE END OF ME! PREPARE TO DIE!"

The earth around them started to tremble as the sphere grew bigger.

"Ok, if that thing touches the ground, I'd say we're all screwed!" Orlok exclaimed.

"Oh, don't think I'll let it happen!" Vesta countered, preparing already a spiral of shades to counter it.

"You're going to try and block that thing, are you insane!?" Vivienne exclaimed.

"I should at least give you enough time to throw one last blow! Don't worry, I intend to prove my sincerity to the very last moment. I know that as a witch, I'm not someone you would look with trust, but I'm honest when I say that I intend to use my tricks to make things right!" Vesta insisted.

Somehow…that moved something inside Vivienne. She was still diffident toward her…but she could respect that sense of sacrifice she had now.

(We're looking for a place…where light shines through…)

She ran near Vesta and prepared her magic as well.

"Uh?" The witch was surprised.

"You're completely insane. But…" Lady Merlin found the strength to smirk at her. "I am insane as well so I can understand your situation. So, I could lend a little help!"

Vesta smiled back and both of them were able to synchronize their magic bringing forth a…

"UNISON RAID!"

The spiral of pure magic and shade magic flew high to contrast the sphere, piercing it like a giant arrow of magic that pushed forward.

(Chase after dreams!)

"WHAT!? Is their magic that strong!?" Aldoron exclaimed before realizing something… "Oh no…"

And when he looked down…he could see almost all the other knights run toward him, as he was completely exposed.

"Thank you, Vesta! And you are simply the best, Vivienne! Let's not waste this opportunity!" Lunafreya exclaimed.

"LET'S FINISH HIM NOW!" Faris added.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

(Until we can fly freely…SEETHING…)

Aldoron could see all knights once again overpower him with every attack possible. They were bleeding, sweating, and would have probably collapsed from one moment to another, but as long as Aldoron was still standing, they wouldn't have stopped.

They would have defeated him and seen the end of the impossible quest.

(SEETHING POWER! It can't be stopped! Limitless energy swirls within!)

"You…YOU ARE FOOLS! YOU WOULD DARE TO PUSH THIS FAR!? YOU WOULD DARE TO BRING HARM TO THE GODS!?" Aldoron shouted, bewildered.

"Gods or not, I wouldn't kneel to anyone!" Faris retorted.

"Everyone here as a reason to keep on fighting and living, and this is enough to keep us standing tall against every type of enemy!" Xavier added.

"There are still things that are left incomplete that need to come to a closure!" Myuu retorted.

"And because of that, we cannot falter to die here. Plus…I think you have realized that I am a God Slayer, so taking down gods is kinda my job!" Lunafreya concluded as she resumed her attack, releasing several beams of holy magic from her blade.

(Right now, the world is waiting for me! Heating up with a surge, charge in!)

Right at that moment, the Unison Raid generated by Vivienne and Vesta ultimately destroyed the sphere, leaving Aldoron shocked and devoid of energy.

"M-My strongest attack in this form…"

"You had any doubt? There's a reason why I've been recognized as the Royal Sorceress of this kingdom!" Vivienne answered back with a smirk. And while Vesta threw herself to join the others, Vivienne jumped up. "Deus Eques, all your stats are increased!"

(In the very center of this universe, HOLD UP! (UP!) And Raise it high!)

Feeling a new energy within their bodies, the mages of Round Table all charged deeper, managing to reach Aldoron's chest with their weapons and make a hole in it as they all attacked together. "HAAAAH!"

SPLAT!

"GAH!"

(Right now, the world is waiting for me! HEAT UP! (HEAT UP!) And Charge in!)

"ONE BLOW AND WE'RE DONE HERE!" Saoirse shouted.

"GALTIER, YOU STARTED THE CHALLENGE, SO TO YOU THE HONOR!" Lunafreya ordered.

Galtier couldn't help but feel a bit honored, and of course, accepted the proposal. Aldoron could only look up one last time.

"I-Impossible…defeated again…by humans…how could I not see their potential earlier!?"

The Ceulfan mage quickly gathered energy thanks to Vivienne's aid and quickly formed a large sphere. "You know what they say, the third time is the good one! LET'S BE SURE THAT THIS ATTACK WON'T MAKE YOU COME BACK EVER AGAIN! FIRE MAKE: FINISH BUSTER!

(I challenge battles, by putting everything on the line! Becoming one! HEART & HEART!)

As he was pummelled by the other knights, Aldoron couldn't dodge the blow, which fully hit him and made him sink underground as he started to get pulverized.

"YOU IMPUDENT- GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" One last roar of pain could be heard as the God Seed disintegrated once and for all.

Even the dragon's body roared out of pain as filaments of fire came out of it, just like it happened a year earlier, before inevitably crumbling down to pieces.

"ALL RIGHT!" Everyone shouted at the same time, full of joy…before falling to the ground exhausted and wounded.

"Anf…anf…anf…man…who would have known that would have been…awesome?" Hector asked.

"I'm not one to comment about battles but…yeah, I can see how." Ruina added as she looked up.

Grendel made a boastful laugh. "Did you see that, sis!? THAT was how I intend fights to be!"

"ABSOLUTELY, SIS! And this will only be the beginning!" Faris answered.

"More importantly…we actually did it…we defeated Aldoron…right?" Alexis asked.

Even Lunafreya couldn't believe what they just pulled out, but…there they were. "Yes…we…defeated one of the Five Dragon Gods…" She said before making a childish laugh with starry eyes. "I can't believe it! I wonder what they could say about us now! And…I even managed to defend my kingdom again…"

"Eh eh! You had any doubts, Your Majesty! We were all into it, this time!" Pavlova told her.

"We told him, right? We still have plenty of things to do before dying, that's what charged us!" Valdric added.

"Yeah! And now we can even add this to our curriculum! I'm pretty sure our name will spread a bit after this, just wait!" Xavier agreed.

Galtier looked at all of them. They just got out of a deadly battle and yet they all smiled. Normally he would have thought that they were crazy but…maybe the battle influenced him a bit and smiled too. "I've got my expectations completely turned upside down but…I can say that they're not bad after all."

Even Vivienne smiled as she looked at everyone. Vesta came closer to her. "Hey…thank you for your help from before. You surely helped me live another day." She said with a smile.

Vivienne looked up her cheeks swollen. "Don't get used to it!"

The battle was over…the worst outcome was avoided and everyone, although injured, was all fine…but then, right at that moment…

"Wow! That was genuinely fantastic! It has been a very long time since I saw a performance like that!" A mysterious voice echoed throughout the air, stunning everyone.

"UH!?"

Despite being extremely tired and wounded, the knights stood up and started to look around.

"W-What!? Who goes there!?" Alexis exclaimed.

"Don't tell me we have to fight someone else now!" Orlok added.

"What!? Don't tell me you're scared!" Grendel told him.

"Oh no, no, don't worry! I'm not a foe of yours. I'm satisfied with what I have seen up until now!"

"Satisfied…with what you have seen?" Lunafreya asked.

"Perhaps it's better if I'm clearer, my bad. I didn't even appear!" The voice continued. Right at that moment, several glitters of light started to gather and form an animal figure. It was a tall deer with six horns, all filled with leaves.

"Woah!" Everyone exclaimed.

"A pleasure to meet you all, legal mages! My name is Claybogs! I am the spirit that guards this forest!" The creature introduced himself.

"You're the guardian…?" Lunafreya asked.

"Wait…does this mean that you have been observing us this whole time?" Vivienne added.

"Indeed! This has been my job for many years now. Even the Shushi-Shushi are under my safeguard and service. Many people have tried to reach this point of the forest due to the voices that spread through time, and of course, I could never know what their intentions are, so I and the other spirits of the forest always made sure to entertain the new guests with challenges of every time, to the point that no one was able to reach the heart of these woods." Claybogs continued.

"So…these were all trials purposefully made to put us in doubt. You knew who we were?" Galtier asked.

"As soon as you entered inside the forest, yes! Remember that wall made out of mist that you saw when you entered?" The deer continued.

"Oh, right! It gave us the idea that this was going to be a hostile place…" Escanor answered.

"That mist is a spell of mine. Whoever passes through it, all of their information comes directly to me. Their personalities, their insecurities, their fears, and so forth!" The spirit replied.

"Oh, come on, this can't be right. Are you really that powerful!?" Galtier asked, a bit skeptical.

"Wanna bet?" The deer replied. Right at that moment, a smaller group of glitters started to form something. And it was…

…An anteater, who waved its arm to him.

Galtier didn't say anything at first. But then… "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He released a maximum power wail of despair before running toward the closest tree and climb over it.

The other mages of Round Table looked incredibly surprised at that reaction, while Faris and Grendel started to burst out laughing.

"He's scared of anteaters?" Lady Mordred asked.

"We know how to shut him up now!" Lady Gaheris added.

Claybogs made the anteater disappear then. "This is how I've defended the forest from anyone who stepped in for the past years. Due to the improbability of the challenges, not a single person was able to come this far, because these challenges are based on themselves and their struggles, and unless someone is willing to change and try new experiences for a greater purpose, they cannot hope to pass through them."

"Wow…that's…surprisingly deep," Honoka commented.

"Oh, I like to be philosophical! But if I have to be honest, the true surprise is you guys! Me and the Shushi-Shushi did our best to come out with games that could test your brain and your heart and you…you were able to pass all of them!" Claybogs continued. "You're the first ones to complete them in centuries!"

"Of course! It would take more than those games to take on people like us!" Alexis said, happy with the compliment.

"W-Well…not that it was easy…" Lilybeth added.

"And it seems that I still underestimated you! Sure, once you've reached this top, I wanted to put you on one last test to see if you could have been truly the ones able to complete this journey but…you still pushed through! Congratulations!" The deer said.

Everyone was happy to hear those words…which rang a bell to them. Everything stopped as they all assumed a dull face.

"…Wait…" Lunafreya looked up to Claybogs. "One last test, you say?"

"So…the Aldoron we just faced was…" Hector added.

"…Hm? Oh yes! It was an illusion I created to test you! Came out quite good don't you think?" Claybogs answered like nothing.

"AGH!" Everyone slammed themselves to the ground in dismay.

"ARE YA KIDDING ME!? Ya're telling me we've almost got killed by a FREAKIN' MEALLADH!?" Saoirse complained.

"Of course! The true Aldoron died last year, after all! And even if I put a bit more of my touch in it, I couldn't replicate someone as powerful as a full-fledged God Dragon!" Claybogs replied.

"This explains why no one has ever noticed anything in this past year..." Augusta realized. "Aldoron was never here to begin with."

"T-Then…the credits we could have gotten…" Valdric stuttered in discomfort.

"And my glory…" Faris added before crawling down like a noodle. "All disappeared in the wind…"

"Now, now, don't make those faces! You still went great! Even if it was an illusion, it's still remarkable that you took it down!" The spirit tried to encourage them, but it didn't seem to work.

"It's not the same thing, dammit! Plus, you almost gave me a heart attack with all those discussions about wanting to eat my kingdom!" Lunafreya scolded him.

Claybogs sweated in embarrassment. "W-Well, what can I say…? I can be a great actor when I want!"

It didn't have any effect as some of the mages were still disappointed about missing a great achievement.

"B-But don't worry! I still have something that can give you great satisfaction!" He spoke.

"And…what is it?" Ayuri asked.

"I'm sure that you've heard about hidden treasures in the heart of this forest, and well, considering that you are the first ones to complete the full journey, I think you all deserve a great reward!" The spirit continued.

"W-Wait, really!?" Lilybeth exclaimed.

"YAY, A TREASURE!" Pavlova jumped.

The deer turned around. "This way!" And started to walk toward the north.

"Should we follow him?" Vesta asked.

"Well, he didn't seem to be a bad guy and I highly doubt he'll throw us anything else after just what happened," Xavier replied.

"To think that he could generate an illusion of a Dragon God…sometimes I forget how powerful spirits can be…" Vivienne added.

"Either way…if he talked about a reward, I don't see why we shouldn't follow him. Whatever thing will be, it will be the proof that we have completed the quest, so I'm sure that we'll get something extra from the Magic Council." Lunafreya concluded before turning around. "But before that…is Galtier still in the tree?"

Augusta went to check him out. "Hey, you can go down now."

"Is…Is that abomination gone?" Galtier asked, moving his head around like a spastic baboon. Augusta nodded and so Galtier came down, fixing his hair. "T-Those are authentic demons..."

"So…scared of anteaters, eh?" Faris asked him with a smug smile.

"SHUT UP!"

Just as the mages of Round Table had reached the top of the forest, the sun went down and the night took its place. The perfect timing for what they would have witnessed next.

"We have arrived." Claybogs announced.

And when the twenty-one mages looked down…they could see it. "Woaaaah…"

In front of them stood a large lake, illuminated by various lights coming from things that stood in its depths. And that wasn't the only thing that left them speechless. Several Shushi-Shushi were flying around, laughing and being overall happy, and some fireflies illuminated the area with lights of every type.

"This is…beautiful…" Myuu whispered.

"It's as if the stars descended down from the sky to illuminate this lake…" Scuti added.

When Xavier asked what they saw, Lilybeth told him and was in awe as well. "Wow…so that's why I've started to hear so many sounds…"

"This is amazing…maybe ending up here wasn't an accident…" Ayuri added.

"This is gorgeous but…what is this lake?" Lunafreya asked the spirit.

"Oh, it doesn't have a particular name. This is simply the home of all the creatures who call this for this forest home…and the very thing I've tried to protect for all these years." Claybogs replied.

"Protect?" Vesta asked.

The deer nodded. "The land of Seven had always been a place stepped by greed, war, and blood. And as such…there had been many people in the past who had tried to make this place their own." He looked down at a few of the Shushi-Shushi spirits. "Introducing their armies, their people here…would have meant the destruction of this place, the death of the creatures that live here in peace…and the spirits that would have been forced to say goodbye to their home. Ever since I came into being, I felt the same sense of home they perceived. And luckily…either the Goddess Sothis or the universe granted me great power. Seeing all this joy in these little creatures made me swear to use everything I could…to protect this place and its children."

The mages were simply…surprised to hear him. Just as he had a happy tone a few minutes earlier, now he was sounding a lot more serious and a bit…sad.

"So…apart from testing the others…the reason why you put all those enigmas and games in the forest…was to protect it," Myuu said.

Lunafreya realized it. It was a bit ironic. She complained about him pranking on destroying her kingdom but…it turned out that maybe…he wasn't in that much of a different situation. She came closer to him.

"I understand that type of feeling. I've been queen for only three months but…as I kept watching the people of this land from the window of a tower ever since I was a child…I could see many things, including…the feelings of joy and cherish that those people could benefit from thanks to the actions of my father…and those who have preceded him. I'm well aware of the atrocious actions of those who came before the first king in an attempt to seek absolute power, and I don't know if I can apologize for them, but…ever since a tender age…I wanted to make sure that I could be another ruler that the people could thank for their happiness. I just…love them all, I can't help it. So…I can understand what you're trying to do." She confessed.

"Don't worry. I could see it while you were solving all of my riddles and games one by one. Other people would have tried to harm the Shushi-Shushi or force their way through the heart of the forest." The deer said. "But you…despite being reluctant about it, embraced everything I could throw at you with open arms, trying to find a solution no matter what. It doesn't surprise me that you are mages coming from a legal guild. Only those with a resolute, yet good heart could come this far."

Some of the members like Ayuri or Ruina were happy to hear it, but they looked down, feeling a bit sad, as if there was…something that made them think that they didn't deserve those words.

"You know, guys…" Pavlova suddenly said, getting everyone's attention. "Even if this turned out to be the reward…I wouldn't feel too bad. I mean…just look at this! It's beautiful…"

"Yeah…I'd agree. And besides, it was still a funny adventure we can brag from now on in the future!" Orlok added.

"Oh no, no! While this is certainly a privilege, it wasn't the treasure I was talking about! For being the first ones to complete this quest, you surely deserve a physical treasure that satisfies you! I'm not one for the 'the real treasure was the friends we made along the way' trope!" Claybogs corrected them before looking down in the lake. "All right, let's see…ah! This will be perfect." He then dived down.

"…Can deers swim?" Augusta asked.

"I think they can. Plus, don't forget that he's not a true deer." Scuti told her.

A few seconds later, Claybogs came out with something in his mouth that he lent to Lunafreya.

When the queen looked down at it…she and the others could see that it was a big pearl glowing with an aquamarine light.

"This…is an actual treasure!" Vivienne commented.

"And quite a big one…" Ruina asked as her artificial eye sensed something. "It holds…magical energy."

"What is it?" Lunafreya asked.

"This…is the Pearl of the Sea Dragon. It's a magical artifact. As the title suggests, they say that these pearls can be found in the nests of sea dragons, making them extremely rare." Claybogs explained. "Make sure to store it! It could be useful for your future adventures."

"This is…awesome! Look, Hector! It's even of the same color as one of your elements!" Persephone exclaimed, happy.

"Well! I've got a good fight and a treasure! I can say that I'm absolutely satisfied!" Faris added.

"Indeed. A shame I can't really use it for some forging though…" Galtier commented.

"But you still got what you wanted! And I think that this will help the guild a lot!" Lunafreya told him happy as well.

"About that…if it's not too much for you, can I ask you a favor?" Claybogs asked, getting everyone's attention. "It's ok if you tell the Magic Council that you completed the quest but…I'd be very grateful if you didn't say anything about what you have seen in this forest. I have the certainty that you are not bad people, but I still don't know who could come after you…and my purpose to protect this forest remains the same."

Everyone looked around and nodded.

"Don't worry, Claybogs. As queen of this kingdom, I'll make sure that not a word about the depths of these woods will be revealed, even if I have to turn it into a law." Lunafreya swore.

The deer nodded. "Thank you. It means a lot to me…and for these little guys!" He said as some Shushi-Shushi came closer to him, giggling.

Lunafreya turned around, with the pearl still in her hands. "Well…this settles it, right?" She asked.

"I'd say so! I can't wait to see what reaction will come up from both the Magic Council and the other guilds once they know it!" Vivienne replied.

"Then let's head back with satisfaction," Galtier added with a smile.

"You said it! Great job, everyone! Mission Accomplished!" The queen exclaimed as she raised the pearl.

"YES!" A choir followed.

"I think there's nothing else to add, especially considering that other than this, there are some new people we need to properly introduce!" Lunafreya concluded as she looked at Valdric and Ayuri. Vesta wanted to say something, but she held herself…at least for now. "Come on guys, let's head back home, to our guild!"

And with that…the mages of Round Table, after saluting Claybogs and the spirits, could finally leave that hard quest behind and come back home satisfied.

Even the deer looked satisfied. "The queen that holds a guild made of knights, eh? Who would have said…" He commented. "True, mine was an illusion, but I have a feeling that if they ended up facing the real Aldoron…they would have still won."

Somnus – Guild of Round Table

Once they got out of the forest, the mages of Round Table came back to their horses (with Loretta performing a ballet while standing on two legs), and made their way back to the capital and their guild hall.

The day was finally over…and everyone could sit down and rest.

"Man, I'm tired…even if that Dragon God was an illusion, he surely clapped us well…but we still smacked him back!" Grendel commented.

"And what's better…is that we were able to come back with something worth it. Where do you want me to put the pearl, goshujin-sama?" Honoka asked as she handled the reward to complete the quest.

"Oh, put it in my office here. It shall be the very first 'trophy' this guild will ever have, ah ah!" Lunafreya replied. Lady Lucan nodded and walked away.

Right at that moment, Vivienne came out of another room not too distant. "Ok, I've contacted the Magic Council! If everything goes correctly, we should have a big reward in a few days!"

Lunafreya smiled at that and looked at the roof. "Man…who would have thought? Our guild's first recognition outside of being handled by me…the queen. I wonder what those of Fairy Tail would think about it…"

"Aiming high, Your Majesty?" Galtier asked.

Lunafreya scratched the back of her head as she admitted it. "Well, yeah…I've been a big fan of one of them in particular ever since I was a child…"

"A queen who is a fan?" Galtier thought, but he didn't want to add anything else on the topic. "Well…everyone starts with small steps, and I'd say that this is certainly one." He told her. "I hope that mother will receive it positively…"

"Still…we need to thank you for that! It was you who had the idea!" Lunafreya said back.

"Please, don't give me too many credits. I just came out with an idea that could help this place to grow." Galtier tried to justify himself.

"Yet it worked," Scuti told him as he sipped a glass of ACE juice. "I'm pretty sure that thanks to this, we'll start to get some more recognition."

"You're drinking again!?" Myuu asked, bewildered.

"I have few sugars." The tall knight justified himself before looking back at the knight. "Not only that but thanks to your idea, this place has become slightly more populated."

Just as he turned around, he could see Valdric getting amazed by Escanor's tales.

"That giant squid was making me crash everywhere, but thanks to the blessing of the sun, I was able to answer back and throw him a mile away!" Escanor told.

"Woah! You're indeed a knight of valor, Sir Gawain!" Valdric replied, amazed.

"You can become one too! You just need the proper determination and a bit of blessing from the SUN!" Escanor told him, assuming his typical praise to the sun pose.

"Don't give him confused ideas," Augusta said with a skeptical expression.

"Eh, eh, he surely likes the idea of staying here. But speaking of which…" Lunafreya looked around, noticing something out of place. "Where's Ayuri?"

"He's there," Lilybeth replied, pointing in one direction. The short androgynous knight was standing at a shady angle of the hall, all by himself.

Naturally, the queen came closer to him. "Is there something wrong, Ayuri? Why are you here?"

"Oh, Your Majesty. I'm just…making sure that I don't ruin the mood. I'm sure that I could make everyone get depressed." Ayuri told him.

After she saw him as well, Faris stood up and came closer. "Ah, don't say things like this! There's no way you'll kill the mood!" She insisted.

"She's right! Everyone is welcome in here, especially if it's a newcomer!" Lunafreya assured him.

"You…you think?" Ayuri asked, still doubtful.

"Hmmm…you don't seem that convinced. Maybe you need a few more confirms…and I know who to ask!" The queen snapped her fingers, and like magic, Pavlova was already beside Ayuri, starting to cuddle him and hug him while wiggling her tail.

"There, there, sweet sexual enigma! It's ok to not feel accepted, but you don't have to worry about us! If you want, we could hang out together one of these days and I could show you tons of cool stuff!" Lady Bedivere was already kicking her instinct of therapy dog in.

Ayuri's face became full scarlet. He couldn't tell if he felt uncomfortable or completely comfortable. Then he accidentally touched Pavlova's tail and got…charmed. "Wow…your tail is so soft and warm…"

But somehow…Faris didn't like what she was seeing. "OI, DOG, WHAT YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?" She shouted. As soon as she did it, everyone (including Xavier) looked at her confused. She quickly realized what she had done and tried to act casual again. "Uh, I mean…don't stick to him too much, he may be uncomfortable."

But Saoirse was already looking at her with a smug smile.

"THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?"

"Oh, right!" Vivienne then remembered something. "Speaking of newcomers…WHY IS SHE STILL HERE!?" She shouted as well, pointing at Vesta.

"Oh, come on, Vivienne! She was clearly tired; I thought that she could get some rest here!" Lunafreya told her.

Vesta, on the other hand, thought that this could have been the perfect chance to say it. "Actually…that isn't the only reason why I followed you here. Before reaching the Nythvail's Groove, I was actually trying to reach the capital."

"Oh?" Everyone (except Vivienne) asked.

"Reach…the capita-" Vivienne was wondering why, but the realization made her assume an uncanny expression. "…Please don't."

The witch came closer and made a small kneel. "I'm currently searching for a place where I can become strong…and after reading about how you defended your crown three months ago from that defecting knight…I thought that I could go to someone like you. I…have personal reasons for me to have that same resolution. So, I ask of you, even if I'm the less chivalrous person here…I wanted to ask if there was a place for me here in this guild…as a member.

"WHAT!?" Lady Merlin shouted before looking at Lunafreya. "Luna, you wouldn't-"

"Really!?" But the queen had already starry eyes as she heard the request. "Well, I surely didn't expect a witch of all people to ask me this, but who am I to refuse? As I announced when I opened it, everyone is welcome at Round Table and become a knight!"

Vesta was surprisingly moved to hear it. "Oh…Your Majesty…thank you so much! I'll make sure to not disappoint you. Perhaps I could even help you a bit with potions?" She asked.

And while everyone was happy to hear that another member joined…Vivienne looked in silence for a few seconds…before going near a wall and starting to smash her head violently against it. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-"

Augusta came closer and stopped her. "Ok, you're overreacting now, Vivienne. What's the problem with her?"

"How many times do I have to say it!? She's a witch! What tells us that she won't try to backstab us when it'll be convenient for her!?" Vivienne replied.

"Well…the fact that she still hasn't done it tells us clearly?" Escanor told her. "She doesn't even look that mischievous!"

To add that, both Faris and Grendel surprisingly came closer to her.

"That's right! I didn't mind her compliments back there!" Lady Mordred said.

"Yeah…and it's a lot coming for me, too!" Grendel added.

"Oh, aren't you two sweet angels? Come here, have some more." Vesta replied as she started to cuddle them.

"AWAWAWAWA-" Once again, the two rebellious girls didn't expect it, as steam came out from their heads for the embarrassment.

And Vivienne…could only watch dumbfounded and with her mouth wide open.

Lunafreya surely didn't like how she was reacting…but she surely didn't like to see her former teacher being that upset. She still needed some comfort as well. So, the queen came closer to snuggle a bit. "I know how you feel about this, but don't worry…I know what I'm doing. And I sincerely think that she's not like the other witches. If she ends up making trouble, I'll deal with it."

Vivienne leaned a hand on her and started to stroke her. "You're just too kind, Luna…"

"Oh, everyone deserves a chance to do it! Plus, I'm pretty sure that you also think she's a good girl, I mean…you just made a Unison Raid with her!" Lunafreya continued.

Crack.

The sudden realization left Vivienne speechless again for a couple of seconds. She could only say one thing. "I…I think I need a beer, Saoirse…"

"COMIN' UP!" The Dullahan knight was more than pleased to serve her some.

"Speaking of which, considering that we have four more members, it's time to make it official! Come here!" Lunafreya called upon the new members.

First off, the marks on their bodies. Galtier wanted it in a deep emerald-green color and on the back of his left hand. Valdric got it in a muted steel-grey on his left pectoral. Ayuri got it in a lilac color on his tongue (this particular choice confused most people), and finally, Vesta wanted it in a golden color and on the left side of her chest.

Then, there was the choice of the knight name.

"A knight name, you say? Hmm…as the representative of an important family for this kingdom, I surely need a title that gives me some sort of authority. Therefore, mine shall be…Agravain." Galtier said.

"Oh, I like it! It gives an air of imposition!" Xavier commented.

Then it was Valdric's turn. "Ah, a knight name! I can't believe I'll get some recognition! Ok, I need something that will stand up to what type of person I want to become, so…oh, I have it! Geraint! Yes, this will be my title!"

To that, Myuu raised an eyebrow. After she joined Round Table, she studied a bit more regarding the various names and their meaning, and she could remember how Geraint was one of the names that meant 'love'. Was there a particular reason why Valdric picked that name?

The third one was Ayuri. "A knight name…I don't know, being here was already enough…"

"Come on, don't be shy, we all have it!" Alexis encouraged him.

"Ok…but…I don't think it's something I should be worthy of. But if I have to think of one…hmm…Yvain. Yes…Yvain…the Bastard." Ayuri came up with a title that shocked everyone.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" All the other mages shouted, feeling bad for him.

"Come on, remove the last part!" Persephone told him.

"Ah, sorry!" The short boy tried to apologize.

"W-We'll just pretend to not have heard that last part! Only one left! Vesta?" Lunafreya wanted to quickly change the person to not focus on that too much.

"I had an idea, actually. It's not a knight name per se, but…do you like the name Morgan? Morgan Le Fay." Vesta answered.

"That sounds more like the name of a witch," Ruina observed.

"Oh no, not at all! It's a fairy's name! 'Fay' is a term that comes from the ancient form of the Seven languages, and it means fairy.

Ruina looked at him surprised. "How do you know that?"

"Oh, I know a lot of languages and terms! My father made me sure that I learned them all." The self-proclaimed demon prince told her.

"I do like it! Plus, even Vivienne doesn't have a knight name! You can go with that!" Lunafreya commented.

"Thank you." Vesta made a small bow.

"All right, on your knees now!" The queen then asked as she drew her sword. The four new members all kneeled as they were told, and the Guild Master could touch their shoulders with the sword.

"Sir Agravain, Sir Geraint, Sir Yvain, and Lady Morgan…by the authority I have as both queen of Seven and the Guild Master, I officially declare you mages of Round Table! Knights of the Round Table!"

"ALL RIGHT!" Valdric raised a fist out of excitement. "Oh! Pardon my enthusiasm!"

"I like your enthusiasm," Honoka said with a little smile.

Lunafreya took a small breath as she could see the new members already interacting with the others. "Twenty-one members…"

Vivienne was able to recover and came closer to her with a smile. "Our personal army is getting stronger, don't you think?" she asked with a smile.

Lady Arthur leaned her head toward her. "Yes…and we're still at the beginning."

Even Orlok took a deep breath. "All good that ends good!"

Brrrrrrrr…

"…And I'm hungry again…"

Hector looked up at the clock. "Not that you are wrong, it's 8 P.M. now."

"We could go for a meal at this moment…" Persephone added.

It was then that they got Galtier's attention. "…You said that you wanted a meal?"

All eyes were on him.

"What about it, Galtier?" Augusta asked.

"Well, not to brag, but I do have some high culinary skills. In fact…I think that I could be able to serve everyone here a worthy dinner. But…I may need some help."

Honoka already stood up. "Count me in. I'm used to it."

"Oh, thank you…but I think that I'll need more than one person." The newly named Sir Agravain continued.

"So…what do you have in mind?" Lunafreya asked.

…

Five minutes later, all the members were wearing kitchen uniforms, and Galtier stood in front of them, wearing a professional chef one.

"Uuuuh…how did we end up in this again?" Grendel asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like the air of it…" Lilybeth replied.

"It's time to prepare a dinner worthy of a group of knights, and by doing so…" Galtier announced as he put a pencil over his ear. "You'll need some professional teaching…"

Somehow…everyone figured out what was going to happen as soon as he did so. "O-Oh no…"

Five minutes later, it was already chaos inside the kitchen, with everyone trying their best to cook just as Galtier kept on 'encouraging them'

"COME ON, YOU FUCKING SLUGS, BOIL THOSE POTS ALREADY! DO YOU WANT TO EAT AT MIDNIGHT ON YOUR BEDS!?"

"N-NO, CHEF!" Hector answered back scared.

Galtier took a look at a fish Augusta cooked. "ARE YOU SEEING THIS!? IT'S FUCKING RAW! DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A DUMBASS!?"

Normally, Augusta would have answered by slamming him to the floor, but in that circumstance, she felt terrified. "N-No, chef?"

"THEN GO BACK AND DO IT RIGHT, PORCO CAZZO!" After that, he could see that Pavlova was putting capellini over capellini in a pot. "HOW MANY CAPELLINI ARE IN THIS POT!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"S-SORRY CHEF!" Pavlova got more agitated.

Lilybeth was on the verge of crying. "OH NO, I HAVE TO RESTART MY MASHED POTATOES!"

Saoirse was chopping carrots as fast as she could, and in the process, her head fell directly into the boiling water. "AAAAAH!"

"BE CAREFUL WITH THAT THING YOU CALL HEAD, YA DONKEY!" Galtier shouted at her, but the worst part…was when Vivienne accidentally made some ragù fall on the ground.

"OH MY GOD! O-Oh, chef, I'm so sorry!"

She wasn't going to be forgiven as Galtier came closer. "YOU THINK WE'RE IN SOME SHITTY KINDERGARTEN, VIVIENNE!?" He then put two toast breads on the sides of her face. "WHAT ARE YOU!?"

"A-An idiot sandwich…" The royal sorceress replied in tears.

Faris and Grendel did the best they could to not enrage him further. "WHAT THE FUCK IS HIS DEAL!? HOW COME THAT HE BECOMES AN AUTHENTIC DEMON IN KITCHEN!?"

"I-I DON'T KNOW BUT I DON'T WANT TO GET SLAPPED!" Grendel added.

And the rest of the members were in the same mood. Lunafreya, Myuu, Xavier, Orlok…even Honoka, were all terrified as they tried to put up with the chef's tips.

It had been a long day for Round Table, and they were able to complete a legendary quest…but maybe that night…the hardest challenge would have been…arrive to at dinner alive and without their ears whistling.

Era – Headquarters of the Magic Council

Meanwhile, back at the Magic Council, Wolfheim was minding his business until a Rune Knight entered his room to give him a recent message.

"What is it?" The Wizard Saint's eyes became wider as he kept on reading the shocking fact that would have brought certainly to some gossip.

One guild was able to complete the impossible quest of the Nythvail's Groove.

"WHAT!? Ah…aaaah…"

SBAM!

He couldn't do much but faint.

And we're finally done! This time the chapter even turned out to be shorter, luckily! To think that I would have been able to focus entirely on this chapter for this week! Maybe it's the fact that I started meditation that helped me focus more? But I don't really know, maybe it's just the fact that I'm more and more motivated to continue this story and that I wanted to pull out a special surprise for this chapter in particular. The idea of making our knights fight against Aldoron came with the intention of surprising you readers, the fact that people like to see their OCs fight against canon characters, and the will to write a more serious and impactful battle than the others up until now. At first, it was only some sort of big wolf made out of roots, but then I decided to come out with something that could stun you and so Aldoron came into my mind! Considering how 100 Years Quest had been going with battles ever since it started, I thought that some of the characters that were introduced in there could get some more justice, and the Wood Dragon Arc was my favorite one up until now, so I thought 'how about we give him another try?', true, there's the twist that he was an illusion, but I still wanted to make a big battle by expanding further a powerful enemy, getting some inspiration from the good old Dragon Ball Z (the Android 13 movie in particular). I also hope to have brought more content to the new characters that had been introduced in the previous chapter! And once again, I thank ToBlazePurple, Xavier's creator, for coming up with the games of the forest and the reward for the competition of the quest! He surely helped a lot in putting up the whole scenario and I hope we get more occasions like this!

But of course, I leave the last word to you! Did you like the chapter? What are your thoughts on the challenge that just came to an end? Were you surprised to see Aldoron back? Will Vivienne be able to withstand having to see Vesta every day from now on? As always, please support this story with a review! Your opinion is important!

And with this mission done, I'm pleased to announce that we're halfway through the first arc of this story! We were able to introduce half of the cast already, and from the next chapter on, we'll finally be able to present more of them, so I hope you stay tuned I surely hope to conclude this first arc within this year so that the story will truly start! So, once again, I thank you for reading this chapter and I'll see you either in the next one or the next chapter of another story of mine! From Bluestar here, Arrivederci!