No one's POV
Zora: Enhance Armament!!
The black sword, pointed straight ahead, pulsed. From every surface, every angle, darkness poured forth. A surge of pure, light-sucking black writhed, soared, and tangled. It, too, coalesced into a massive spear, thick enough to require both hands to encircle, and shot forward. The tip of the spear seemed to have physical form: a hard, sharp tip like obsidian. Eugeo recognized that texture—it was the wood of the giant tree he had spent every day of his youth chopping at, until just over two years ago. The prior form of the black sword: the Gigas Cedar.
In that moment of recognition, Eugeo understood the nature of the Perfect Weapon Control that Zora had activated. By awakening the dormant memories in the black sword, he had brought the proud giant tree, which resisted any effort to cut it down for centuries, back to life in this place. It wasn't the same size and shape, but it was certainly the same material.
Hardness, sharpness, and overwhelming weight. All three in such measure that its existence itself made it the largest weapon possible. Eugeo felt his heart lurch. And then the tip of that void-dark spear made contact with the end of Solus's light. The resulting shock wave ripped through the Great Hall of Ghostly Light...and possibly rattled all of Central Cathedral itself.
The tremendous outpouring of heat and dense light did push back even the demon tree, bringing its relentless onslaught to a halt. Yet the endless darkness continued pouring out of the sword in Zora's hands, propelling the weapon onward.
The Heaven-Piercing Blade showed no signs of stopping, either. The wild stream of light strengthened by the moment, until the heat had totally melted all of the ice roses keeping the knight captive. Not only that, but the gauntlet protecting her right arm was bright red and smoking.
Yet the stalemate between light and darkness in the center of the Great Hall continued. But this sort of ultrapowerful clash could not possibly equal out and vanish into nothing. One sword would vanquish the other and utterly destroy its wielder.
And the one disadvantaged here was Zora.
No matter how tough the Gigas Cedar was, it was a tree with physical form. Just as the real thing was eventually felled after years of chopping, it would take damage and gradually weaken until it was no more.
But the light of the Heaven-Piercing Blade was pure heat. How would one destroy a force without mass?
If there was a way to counteract that, it would have to be either a mirror, like Zora had already tried, or some kind of absolute cold from the Blue Rose Sword—some special quality that was anathema to the light itself. But if the Gigas Cedar had any qualities, it was being incredibly hard and heavy...
And one other thing.
It greedily absorbed all of Solus's light and turned it into its own power. Suddenly, Fanatio's spear of light splintered into a thousand tiny streams. It was Zora's tree of darkness that broke the stalemate and resumed its charge.
The tip of his spear was, unsurprisingly, glowing red-hot, but it stood strong as it gouged through the sheer pressure of the light and bore down on its source. Meanwhile, the light itself sprayed wildly and landed all over the Great Hall, melting the ice vines and causing little explosions everywhere. The four other knights were blasted free from the ground and flew through the air.
Fanatio the Integrity Knight did not budge a step when she saw the enormous black lance approaching. Her beautiful features no longer contained any anger or hatred. Her eyelids fluttered down, and her lips budged. Surely there was some emotion contained in that action, but Eugeo could not detect what it was. The sharp tip of the tree made its way up the stream to the source of the light at last, colliding with the end of the Heaven-Piercing Blade.
First, the silver rapier bent, then it twanged and rotated as it flew through the air. Then the knight herself launched backward with astonishing force. Her body flew directly toward the ceiling, spraying shards of purple metal and obliterating the painting of creation on the plaster.
Her fall was much slower. She came down with a shower of little pieces of structural marble and landed limply in front of the doors at the far end of the hall. The second Integrity Knight did not get up after that.
The spear of darkness gradually lost form and retreated like a shadow, retracting back into Zora's sword. The blade itself seemed slightly bigger than usual, just like during the fight against Raios, but by the time all the darkness was absorbed, it was normal again.
Eugeo merely stood and stared at the aftermath of the tremendous battle.
The perfect, spotless marble floor and walls were now melted, burned, and pockmarked all over. In the middle, where the spears of light and darkness clashed, there were fissures in the floor so deep, it was a wonder you couldn't see through to the cathedral level beneath.
No one who wasn't present would have believed that this stunning destruction of the Great Hall of Ghostly Light on the fiftieth floor of Central Cathedral was between just two people, one of whom had been a mere academy student just two days before.
Eugeo(mind): But we did it. We fought five Integrity Knights of the Axiom Church, the absolute power that has ruled the world since its creation...and won.
That meant that, including Eldrie, they had defeated nine Integrity Knights so far. According to Cardinal, there were twelve or thirteen knights stationed inside the cathedral. So if they overcame a few more...
Just as Eugeo was savoring the feeling of their progress, Zora fell heavily to his knees. The black sword tumbled from his hand. Eugeo hastily let go of the Blue Rose Sword, still stuck in the floor, and helped support his partner's body before it fell over.
Eugeo: Zora! Zora! Are you alright? Zora!
Eugeo was stunned at how light his friend felt, a sure sign of how much blood and life he'd lost. His skin was paler than the marble, and his eyelids weren't popping back open. Eugeo quickly looked him over and then put a hand to the deepest-looking wound, a gash in Zora's side.
Eugeo: System Call! Generate Luminous Element!
He moved the three light elements this produced into the wound and continued the sacred art to unlock their healing power. When the cauterized wound began to seal up, he let go and repeated the process on Zora's left shoulder. Normally, light elements required a significant amount of spatial resources, and thus a catalyst like holy flower essence, but not in this case. The life the Blue Rose Sword had absorbed from the five knights was now present in the air around them as sacred power.
He had patched up the primary wounds, which would stop the continual loss of life, but Eugeo was not able to use light-based healing arts that could actually recover the amount Zora had already lost—which was most of it. He clutched Zora's right hand with his left and began to chant a new art.
Eugeo: System Call! Transfer Human Unit Durability, Self to Left!!
This time, motes of blue light appeared all over Eugeo's body and gradually converged on his left hand, through which they traveled to the other youth. Compared to the simplicity of casting the spell that moved life from one person to another, the actual effect was enormous.
Between the fight with Deusolbert and now this one, it was Zora who had taken all the damage, with hardly anything befalling Eugeo. He could never make up that debt unless he gave back to the point of passing out.
But after half his life had transferred over, or so it felt, Zora opened his eyes, grabbed Eugeo's hand, and pushed it away.
Zora: Thank you, Eugeo. I'm fine now.
Eugeo: Hey, don't overdo it. After all that, you probably have internal wounds we can't see.
Zora: It's not as bad as when the goblins got us. I'm more worried about her now...
His black eyes searched until they saw Fanatio's body lying at the far end of the hall. Eugeo bit his lip.
Eugeo: Zora...she was trying to kill you...
Just then, he recalled what Zora had said before he activated his Perfect Control.
Eugeo: You just said you can't defeat someone with hatred. True. I don't think that Integrity Knights was driven by any personal grudges or hate. But...But I...just can't bring myself to forgive the Church or Integrity Knights! Not just their devastating power, but also what they aspire to. If they really have the desire to protect the Human Empire, why wouldn't they use that power for more...
He stumbled, unable to continue. Zora got to his feet unsteadily and picked up his black sword from the floor, then indicated that he followed Eugeo's logic.
Zora: They're probably grappling with their own decisions, too. I bet we'll learn more about this if we meet this knights' commander... Your Perfect Weapon Control was incredible, Eugeo. You were the one who beat the knights. You have no reason to hate Fanatio as a person or the Four Whirling Blades anymore...
Eugeo: Human...Yeah, I guess so. That's the one thing I sensed during our battle. She was human. That's why she was so powerful.
Eugeo mumbled. Zora chuckled and agreed.
Zora: They would insist that they stand for absolute good, and you'd think they were absolute evil, but both sides in this equation are flesh-and-blood humans. Absolute good and evil can't be determined by regular people.
Eugeo got the feeling that Zora was saying this as much to convince himself as anything else.
Eugeo(mind): Zora, think about how furious you were about that Administrator...Can you still hold the same opinion when it comes to the absolute ruler of the Axiom Church and the entire world?
But before he could actually ask the question, Zora took off walking for Fanatio, who was still collapsed before the far doors. After five or six steps, he turned back and rustled in his pockets for a little bottle.
Zora: Whoops, nearly forgot. Use this to cure the kids' poison. Just make sure you break their knives and remove any other suspicious tools they might have before you give it to them.
Eugeo caught the bottle, realizing that he'd forgotten about them, too. He pulled his sword from the floor and turned back to Fizel and Linel, who were both still sprawled out and paralyzed. The frost was totally gone from the area now, and the girls didn't seem to have taken any damage from the ice vines or beams.
When Eugeo made eye contact with them, they averted their eyes the only part of their bodies they could move in a sulking fashion.
Lamenting that he wasn't likely to get along with them, although for very different reasons than with Fanatio, Eugeo knelt down and pulled the two poison swords out of the ground where Zora had stuck them. Then he tossed them up, so that they spun end over end in the air, and smashed them both with one swing of the Blue Rose Sword.
They shattered easily and melted into little particles of light before they even hit the floor. He sheathed his sword, knelt again, and began patting the girls down for more weapons, apologizing as he did so.
Lastly, he pulled the stopper out of the vial and split the remaining three- quarters of the bottle between Fizel and Linel. Like Eugeo, they would recover from the poison within ten minutes. He could have simply left them there, but he tried to imagine what Zora would tell them, and decided he would give it a shot.
Eugeo: Knowing you two, you might be tempted to think that Fanatio and Zora are as strong as they are because they have Divine Objects and Perfect Weapon Control at their disposal...but you'd be wrong. They're strong to begin with. Their hearts are strong, not their techniques or weapons, and that's how they can fight through such terrible pain and perform such incredible feats. You girls might be skilled at killing people. But killing and winning are completely separate things. I didn't understand that, either, until today...
The girls were still refusing to meet his gaze. Eugeo didn't know if he was getting through to them at all. He wasn't good at dealing with children, anyway. But even then, the two girls must have felt something, watching that fight. It was hard to think of Fizel and Linel as representing absolute evil, given the innocent, childlike way they reacted to things. Eugeo gave them a brief good- bye, then turned and trotted after Zora.
As he made his way through the devastated hall, Eugeo glanced left and right, checking on the condition of Fanatio's four knights. All four were still collapsed, significantly injured by the indiscriminate light-beam attack. But in keeping with their lofty title, none of the Integrity Knights had lost their full life. They had bled little, and they would probably be moving again before too long.
But unlike her companions, who merely suffered from the beams' minor explosions, Fanatio had taken the full brunt of that charging spear of darkness. Her critical condition was clear from a distance, judging by the large puddles of blood surrounding her prone form.
Eugeo came to a stop near Zora, who was kneeling at her side. He held his breath and looked over his partner's shoulder at the knight.
Up close, Fanatio's wounds were so hideous that he could barely stand to look at them. There were four puncture wounds on her torso and legs from the beams, her right arm was shredded from the thorns, and she was burned by the aftereffect of her own final attack. Every bit of her was in tatters.
But the most devastated part of her was, of course, her upper stomach where the Gigas Cedar's blow landed. There was a deep gouge the size of a fist pumping blood out constantly. Her face, eyes closed, was so pale that it had almost taken on the color of her armor. She didn't even look alive.
Zora: System Call! Generate Luminous Element!
Zora had his hands over Fanatio's stomach in an attempt to repair her wound with sacred arts. That her Stacia Window wasn't open was probably a sign that he didn't think it was worth looking at the actual amount of life left. He sensed Eugeo's approach without looking up.
Eugeo: Zora!
Zora: Help me, she won't stop bleeding.
Eugeo: Alright.
Eugeo knelt on her other side and put his hands to the wound, too. Like he had done to Zora earlier, he chanted light-based healing sacred arts. It seemed like the flow of blood was weaker after it, but still far from stopping.
It was clear that if they kept doing this, they would eventually use up all the resources in the area and be unable to generate more light elements. They could temporarily refill some of Fanatio's life by giving her theirs, but it would be meaningless if they didn't stop the bleeding. They needed either a more powerful arts-user or some legendary healing herb to save her now.
Eugeo watched Zora purse his lips in worry, then eventually decided it was time to say it.
Eugeo: It's useless, Zora. She's lost too much blood.
Zora hung his head for a little while, then rasped.
Zora: I know...but if we keep trying to think of an idea...we're sure to find a way. C'mon, Eugeo, help me.
Eugeo was struck by his powerlessness, and it particularly reminded him of how he had felt two days ago when he'd been unable to prevent the evil acts that befell Ronie and Tiese.
But no matter how hard he thought about it, there simply wasn't any way to call back the life that was vanishing before their eyes. For a moment, he even considered healing the four other knights instead for extra help, but they clearly didn't have the time for that. If either Zora or Eugeo stopped healing her, Fanatio's life would run out within a matter of seconds. And even if they continued, the only difference was that the moment would arrive in a few minutes instead. Eugeo summoned his determination and told his partner.
Eugeo: Zora, when we escaped from the underground cells, you said that we needed to be prepared to kill any enemy who came across our path if we wanted to keep going. That's the mindset you had going into this battle, right? You knew that one side would live and the other would die when you used that attack? At the very least, I don't think Fanatio had any hesitation. It looked like she was risking her entire life. And I think you know, too, Zora...that this isn't the point where we can go easy on the enemy out of concern for them and actually win.
Ultimately, that was what it meant to use a real sword on someone else, not a wooden one. It was a lesson Eugeo had learned through personal experience; cutting off Humbert's arm had left his hands trembling, his eye in agony, and the pit of his stomach frozen with fear.
He'd always assumed that his black-haired partner had understood these things for ages, ever since they met in the forest of Rulid. Zora clenched his teeth and shook his head.
Zora: I know...I know. She and I fought our hardest...It was a true duel, one where either of us could have won. But...she'll be gone if she dies! She lived for over a century... worrying, loving, agonizing...and I can't just erase that soul of hers. I mean...if I die, I just...
Eugeo: Huh...?
Zora: If I die, I just...what?
Everyone was beckoned up to Stacia's side and disappeared when their life ran out. Zora might be mysterious in many ways, but he was still human and subject to that universal rule. But Eugeo's moment of confusion was cut short when Zora abruptly looked up and shouted.
Zora: Can you hear me, Commander?! Your vice officer is going to die! Or prime senator, whatever that is! If any of you can hear me, come down and help her!!
His voice echoed faintly off the distant ceiling and died out meekly. But he kept shouting.
Zora: Anyone...I know more of you Integrity Knights are up there! Come and save your companion! Priests, monks...somebody come!!
Up above, the disfigured representation of the three gods simply stared down at them in silence. No one was coming—not even the slightest breeze stirred the air.
Back on the floor, the color continued draining from Fanatio's hair and skin. Her life was down to a hundred, or maybe fifty. Eugeo considered suggesting that they observe a moment of silence for Vice Commander Fanatio Synthesis Two as her soul departed for the heavens, but Zora wouldn't stop screaming.
Zora: Please...someone! If you're watching, help us! Oh...Cardinal! Come quick, Cardi...
Zora abruptly fell silent, as though the words caught in his throat. Eugeo looked over at him, and he was surprised to see in his face a transformation from astonishment to hesitation, and then to determination.
Eugeo: H-hey...what is it?
But Zora didn't answer. He stuck his hand through the collar of his black shirt—and pulled out a small bronze dagger hanging from a thin chain.
Eugeo: Zora!
Eugeo shouted on impulse.
Eugeo: You know that's—!
Eugeo had one around his neck, too. Of course he wouldn't forget the daggers Cardinal had given them before they left the Great Library. The daggers had no attack capability, but the target of the blade would be temporarily connected to Cardinal. They were their ultimate weapons. Eugeo would use his on Alice—and Zora, on Administrator.
Eugeo: You can't, Zora! You're supposed to use it on the Administrator!
Zora: I know that.... But I can save her with this. I can't have the one thing that will help her right here and simply choose not to use it...I can't just assign a priority order to people's lives like that.
He stared down at the dagger in his hand, equal parts pained and determined. Then he quickly but carefully stuck it into Fanatio's left hand, which was relatively unscathed.
Instantly, the blade and the chain shone bright. Before there was time to draw a breath, the dagger dissolved into numerous little strings of purple light. On closer look, the strings were actually lines of the sacred runes that appeared on Stacia Windows. The fine little lines of text broke free and swooped through the air, then vanished into spots all over Fanatio.
The dagger vanished completely, and purple light enveloped the Integrity Knight's body. Eyes bulging at this astonishing phenomenon, Eugeo belatedly noticed that the blood oozing from the wound in her upper torso was totally dry now.
Eugeo: Zora...
Eugeo was going to point this out, but a voice from nowhere cut him off.
Cardinal: Jeez, you really are something else.
Zora's face shot upward.
Zora: Cardinal...is that you?!
Cardinal: Time is short. Don't ask the obvious.
That combination of sweet voice and irritated tone could only belong to the previous pontifex they'd met in the Great Library.
Zora: Cardinal...I'm sorry...I—.
Cardinal: Don't apologize to me now. Given what I've seen of how you fight, I had an inkling that this might happen. I understand the situation—I will heal Fanatio Synthesis Two. But I will have to bring her here, as full recovery will take some time.
The purple light covering Fanatio's body flashed brighter. Eugeo had to shut his eyes, and by the time it was safe to look again, the Integrity Knight was completely gone—and to his surprise, so was the pool of blood on the floor. There were a few of the little strings of sacred text still floating in the air. They blinked in synchronization with the sound of Cardinal's voice, which was getting quieter.
Cardinal: As far as I can tell, it's highly likely that the Administrator is still in her unawakened state. If you can make it to the top floor before she awakens, you can still eliminate her without using the dagger. Hurry. There are only a few more Integrity Knights left.
Eugeo could sense that the invisible corridor to the Great Library was rapidly closing. Cardinal's voice grew distant, and just before it faded out for good, the light in the air flickered, then fell to the ground. Instead, what landed on the marble floor was two little glass vials. Zora gazed emptily at the azure liquid for a while before reaching out to pick them up. He looked at Eugeo and dropped one in his partner's open palm.
Zora: Sorry for getting out of hand, Eugeo.
Eugeo: No...you don't need to apologize. Though I was kind of startled.
Eugeo chuckled, eliciting a grin from Zora at last. He got steadily to his feet and flicked the stopper out of the vial.
Zora: We'd better accept these generous gifts while we can.
Eugeo followed his partner's lead, opened the vial, and downed its contents. It was not at all tasty, kind of like a bitterly sour siral water without any sugar in it, but it was like a douse of cold refreshment to a mind exhausted by so much battle. The substance was healing their damaged life rapidly, the wounds on Zora's limbs shrinking moment to moment.
Eugeo: This is amazing...She could have given us more than just the two, though.
Eugeo commented, which earned him a shrug from Zora.
Zora: It would take too long to send such a high-priority object as dat...er, through sacred arts. I'm actually impressed she pulled that off in such a short amount of time. Plus, Cardinal said something strange...about Administrator being in a non-waking state or something...
Eugeo: Did she mean she's asleep...?
Eugeo wondered. Zora rubbed at his chin and answered doubtfully.
Zora: Cardinal said that Administrator and the Integrity Knights were making certain sacrifices to be able to live for centuries. Administrator in particular sleeps almost the entire time...but it makes me wonder how she's controlling the knights... But I guess we'll find out the answer when we go up there.
They proceeded onward, bickering and joking like they'd done ever since Rulid, but deep down, Eugeo practiced the question he really wanted to ask.
Eugeo(mind): If you're always so calm and collected all the time, what made you so distraught about Fanatio's death? What was supposed to come after, "If I die, I just..."? Zora...who are you...?
The swordsman in black stopped at the massive doors several times his height, reached out with both hands, and heaved them open. A gust of cold air rushed to meet them, and Eugeo had to turn his face away.
(Timeskip)
Beyond the double doors was a chamber about the same size as the entrance hall they came up through on the southern end of the Great Hall. It, too, was rectangular, with long, narrow windows on the far wall that offered a view of deep-blue sky.
But the black-and-white-patterned stone floor was missing one crucial element: the staircase that would take them to the fifty-first floor and above. They looked all over, but there wasn't even a hanging rope, much less a ladder. There was only a strange circular recess in the stone floor, and Eugeo couldn't see a single thing that suggested a way up.
Eugeo: No...no stairs.
Eugeo mumbled, following Zora farther into the dim room. The flow of cold air across the back of his neck made him hunch his shoulders. His partner noticed it, too, and they both looked straight up.
Zora: Wha...? What is that...?
Then they fell silent. There was no ceiling. There was just empty space in the same shape as the room itself—no, a vertical shaft—that stretched up as far as the eye could see. The top was lost to thick darkness, making it impossible to tell how high it went.
As their eyes traveled slowly back down to ground level, they realized that the shaft was not just a smooth, hollow space. Along the side of the shaft, at heights corresponding to the levels above, were doors leading to each successive floor, albeit smaller than the double doors they'd just come through. Extending from each door was a narrow little terrace that stretched about halfway across the shaft.
So all they had to do to infiltrate the floors above was get to those terraces. In a daze, Eugeo reached out and jumped into the air.
Eugeo: Of course I can't reach it...
Even the lowest of the terraces was higher than the ceiling of the Great Hall of Ghostly Light, well over twenty mels overhead. Next to him, neck outstretched, Zora asked weakly.
Zora: Listen...Just checking here, but there aren't any sacred arts for flying, right?
Eugeo: Nope. Only the Integrity Knights have the right to fly. And they use flying dragons, not sacred arts...
Zora: Okay...Then how do the people here get up to the fifty-first floor and higher?
Eugeo: I don't know...
They puzzled over that one together. Just when it seemed like they would have no choice but to turn back to the Great Hall and ask Fanatio's subordinates for help, Zora whispered.
Zora: Something's coming.
Eugeo: Huh?
Eugeo looked back up the shaft. Something was indeed approaching. A dark shape was coming slowly down the shaft, nearly grazing the uniform edges of the vertical line of terraces. They jumped backward out of the way, and Eugeo watched the shadow descend closer, hand on his sword hilt.
It was a perfect circle about two mels across. Given the way the edges glinted in the blue light from the narrow windows, it appeared to be forged from steel. But why was this object just floating slowly down the shaft without any visible means of support?
As the disc passed the terrace two floors above, speed steady the entire way, Eugeo began to hear an odd hissing sound. Again, he was aware of cold air flowing over the back of his neck.
He could neither run away nor draw his sword, but stood in place dumbfounded as the disc brushed the terrace overhead and descended toward them. When it was just a few mels away, he noticed a small hole in the middle of the disc's underside that was emitting little bursts of air, which explained the strange sounds and breezes.
But how could the power of wind alone keep such a large metal platter floating in the air? The object's hissing grew louder and louder as its descent gradually slowed, until at last it came to fit perfectly in the circular depression in the middle of the floor with a soft thunk.
The top of the disc was polished as smooth as a mirror. There was a finely decorated silver handrail placed around the rim. In the center of the disc was a straight glass tube about one mel tall and fifty cens wide. Next to the tube was a girl, with both hands resting on the bulged spherical end.
Eugeo:...?!
Eugeo took another step backward and squeezed the hilt of his sword. He tensed, ready for the revelation of a new knight. But very soon, he realized that the girl was not equipped with so much as a knife anywhere on her body, much less a sword. And she was wearing a long black skirt that seemed unsuited to combat. The white apron from chest to knees with an understated crochet pattern around the edges was about the most decorative element in her outfit, and she had no articles or accessories otherwise.
Her grayish brown hair was cut straight across at eyebrow and shoulder level, and the features of her pale face were unremarkable. They looked fine but lacked character or expression. She appeared a bit younger than Eugeo, but there was no way to be sure.
Eugeo gazed at her eyes, wondering who she was, but they were downcast, the lashes covering them so that he couldn't even make out their color. She folded her hands in front of the apron, still not looking at either of them, and bowed deeply before saying at last.
???: Thank you for your patience. Which floor would you like to visit?
It was a voice devoid of emotion and with only a bare minimum of inflection. At the very least, there was no hostility, either, so Eugeo took his hand off his sword. He repeated her question.
Eugeo: Did you say which floor? Does that mean you're going to take us to the higher floors?
???: That is correct. Please tell me the floor you wish to visit.
Eugeo: Um...well...
Eugeo wasn't sure what to say; he'd grown to assume that anyone they met in the cathedral would be an enemy. Next to speak was Zora, who was often just as inscrutable in his own way.
Zora: Well, um, we're wanted men who snuck into the cathedral...so are we allowed to ride on this elev—I mean, this flying disc?
The girl's head tilted the tiniest bit in confusion, then returned to position.
???: My job is only to operate this floating platform. I've received no other orders.
Zora: I see. In that case, we'd be happy for a ride.
Zora said, walking right up to the circle.
Eugeo: Hey! Are you sure it's okay?
Zora: Well, it doesn't look like there's any other way to get up.
Eugeo: Uh...I guess you're right, but...
After what the two child knights did to them, Eugeo was stunned that his partner could be so trusting again, but on the other hand, they had no clue how to operate the disc. He simply had to tell himself that if it was a trap, they could somehow jump to the nearest terrace. They stepped onto the disc through a gap in the delicate handrail. Zora peered at the glass curiously and told the girl.
Zora: Well, uh, take us to the highest floor this can go.
???: Yes, sir. Ascending to the Cloudtop Garden on the eightieth floor. Please keep your hands and feet behind the guardrail at all times.
The girl replied, bowing, and put her hands on the top of the tube.
???: System Call. Generate Aerial Element.
Eugeo's first instinct was that she was about to attack them with sacred arts, but he immediately realized he was wrong. The shining green wind elements appeared inside the clear tube. But it was the number that amazed him—a full ten, which marked her as a considerable master of the arts. The girl lifted her right thumb, index, and middle fingers off the glass tube and murmured.
???: Burst Element.
Three of the elements flashed green, and a rumble started under their feet. With all three of them on top, the metal disc began to rise as though lifted by an invisible hand.
Zora: Aha! So that's how it works.
Zora exclaimed, and thus the pieces clicked into place for Eugeo as well. The tube running through the middle of the disc released wind elements, pushing the explosion of wind downward and propelling the disc and the weight of its three passengers upward.
It was very simple once they knew how it worked, but the movement of the disc was so smooth that they barely felt it. Aside from a brief feeling of pressure at the start, it essentially floated up without the slightest bit of movement.
The marble floor dropped farther and farther away, and it hit Eugeo that this floating disc was going to take them to the eightieth floor of the cathedral —in other words, an elevation up in the clouds. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and clenched the handrail.
Zora, meanwhile, was taking it all in stride as though he'd ridden on such a thing before. He made sounds of admiration as he examined the disc, and when that was done, he turned his attention to the person operating it.
Zora: How long have you been doing this job?
With just the faintest note of surprise in her voice, the downcast girl replied.
???: This year marks the 170th year since I received this Calling.
Eugeo: 1-170 years?! And you've been operating this floating platform that entire time?
???: Not the entire time. I am granted a lunch break at noon, and sleep at night of course.
Eugeo: No, that's not what I meant.
But perhaps it did explain what he wanted to know. Like the Integrity Knights, her life had been frozen so that she lived atop this little plate of metal for what was essentially eternity.
The disc rose, slowly but surely. Whatever emotions the girl might have had, she kept them hidden. As one wind element ran out, she released another, then another, each time with the command, "Burst." Eugeo wondered how many times she had said that word before and realized that he couldn't imagine it.
Zora: Hey...what's your name?
Zora asked suddenly. She put on her most pronounced display of confusion yet.
Operator: My name...I've forgotten it...Everyone calls me the Operator.
Eugeo: Um...So, we're on our way to defeat an important person in the Axiom Church. The one who assigned you this Calling.
Operator: Is that so?
Eugeo: If the Church ceases to exist and you're released from this calling, what would you do?
Operator: Released?
The girl repeated awkwardly. The girl named Operator was silent for a whole five terraces. Eugeo glanced up and saw, to his surprise, that the gray ceiling was now in sight and approaching. That would be the base of the eightieth floor. At last, they were reaching the central core of the Axiom Church.
Operator: I have no knowledge of the world other then this shaft. Therefore, I cannot say what new Calling I would choose.
For the first time, she lifted her face and stared through the narrow windows on the right wall, out to the pure-blue sky.
Operator: But if you mean what I wish to try, then... I would like to fly freely through the sky on this floating platform.
Eugeo saw, now that they were visible at last, that her eyes were the absolute crystal blue of midsummer sky. Just before the final wind element flickered and died, the disc reached the thirtieth terrace and slowly floated to a halt. The Operator removed her hands from the glass tube, folded them in front of her apron, and bowed.
Operator: Thank you for waiting. This is the eightieth floor, the Cloudtop Garden.
Zora and Eugeo: Thank you.
Eugeo and Zora bowed back and stepped onto the terrace. She dipped her head briefly one more time, looking down again, and as the wind element weakened, the platform began to descend. That rustling sound of the wind expelling faded, and eventually the tiny, confined world of metal trapped in time was gone.
Eugeo: I used to think that nothing could be more endless then my previous Calling. But it was a gift to be able to retire when I got old. Compared to that girl's Calling...
Zora: Cardinal said that even if you freeze the natural degradation of life, you can't prevent the soul from aging. Eventually your memories start to crumble, and then it all falls apart in the end.
Zora said, downcast. He turned around, forcefully cutting off that line of thought, and faced away from the long vertical shaft.
Zora: What the Axiom Church is doing is wrong. It's why we've come all this way to put a stop to Administrator. But that's not the end of it, Eugeo. The real problem is what comes after...
Eugeo: Huh...? Weren't we going to leave things up to Cardinal after we beat Administrator?
Eugeo asked. Zora's lips moved as he sought the right thing to say, but there was a rare moment of hesitation in his eyes. He turned away.
Eugeo: Zora...?
Zora: Actually, I'll tell you the rest after we get Alice back. This isn't the time to be thinking about extra stuff.
Eugeo: Well...okay, I guess.
Eugeo replied. Zora hurried down the terrace to escape his gaze. Eugeo followed after him, feeling no small amount of apprehension about what had just been mentioned, but the sudden surge of tension that gripped him when he saw the large doors ahead swept away his concern.
Given how many Integrity Knights had been waiting for them on the fiftieth floor, it seemed clear that whoever was giving the orders—Fanatio had mentioned a prime senator—intended to put a stop to them right then and there. It was practically a miracle that they had withstood the furious assault of the knights and won.
Now that they had broken through that barricade to threaten the top floor, this prime senator would use whatever power necessary to stop them. They might open this door and come across the commander of the Integrity Knights with all the remaining members, flanked by powerful priests and monks to cast sacred arts from a distance.
But there were no side routes in. Whatever awaited, they had to meet it head-on.
Eugeo(mind): Zora and I can do this.
They shared a look of determination, reached out to the doors, and gave a push together. The large slabs rolled inward.
Zora and Eugeo:...!
The resulting combination of color, trickling water, and sweet scent was so overwhelming that Eugeo couldn't believe his senses at first. They were still inside the tower. The same white marble wall as the rest of the obelisk was visible in the distance ahead. But the floor here was no longer stone tile; instead, it had thick, soft grass. Here and there bloomed holy flowers, which were the source of the scent.
To Eugeo's surprise, there was even a pristine little brook a short distance away, its surface sparkling. From the doorway ran a narrow brick-lined path that crossed over the brook with a wooden footbridge before continuing on. Beyond the river was a small hill. The path snaked its way up and over the slope, which was covered in flowers. Eugeo followed the trail with his eyes all the way to a single tree standing at the top of the hill.
It wasn't a very big tree. The thin branches supported dark-green leaves and little orange cross-shaped flowers. The light of Solus coming through the windows just below the high ceiling fell right on that tree, illuminating the flowers like gold.
The slender trunk also shone in the sunlight—and at its base was a flash of even brighter gold...
Eugeo: Ah...!
Eugeo didn't even register the gasp that came from his mouth. From the moment he saw the girl resting against the trunk with her eyes closed, he failed to think of anything else. Like some trick of the gentle, dappled sunlight, the girl's entire form shone with gold. The beautiful armor that covered her top half and arms was already dazzling gold to begin with, and her long white skirt had embroidered highlights of similarly colored thread. Even her polished white leather boots seemed to radiate in the sunlight.
But more beautiful and glowing than anything else was her long, flowing hair. It was perfectly straight, running from her perfectly curved head down her back, like a waterfall of holy light and molten gold.
Years ago, he had seen that hair every single day. He had tugged on it and jammed twigs into it, innocent and ignorant of its glory and fragility. That golden shine that was a symbol for friendship, longing, and just a tinge of love, turned in the course of a single day into a reminder of Eugeo's weakness, ugliness, and cowardice. Now the light that should have remained forever out of his grasp was in reach once more.
Eugeo: A...Ali...ce...
Eugeo mumbled, scarcely hearing the words. He lurched toward her, wobbling down the brick path. Eugeo couldn't even sense the pleasant fragrance of the holy flowers or the babbling of the brook. The only sensations that connected him to the rest of the world were the warmth of his sweaty hand clutching the collar of his shirt and the pulsing sensation of the little dagger beneath the fabric.
He crossed the bridge over the water and started up the hillside. Less than twenty mels to reach the top.
As he looked up, he saw the downward-facing features of the girl, clear as day. There was no expression of any kind on that pure white skin. She just sat there, eyes closed, floating in the warmth of the sun and the scent of the flowers.
Zora(mind): Is she sleeping?
If Eugeo snuck up on her and held out the dagger to prick one of the fingers resting on top of her knees...would that be the end of it, right there? Just then, Alice raised her hand, and Eugeo stopped, his heart leaping into his throat. Her shining lips opened to let him hear that familiar voice.
Alice: Please Wait a little longer. Since the weather's so nice. I want to give it ample to bask in the sunlight.
Her eyes, bordered by golden lashes, slowly opened. Irises a shade of blue that existed nowhere else in the world met Eugeo's gaze. He anticipated a softening in her look, the hint of a smile to play over those lips. Even Zora couldn't help but but stare into those blue eyes longingly.
Zora(mind): She really do looks like my Big Sister.
But the blue of those crystal eyes was not gentle like it once was. It was the color of permanent ice, unmelting under centuries of sun. Eugeo was trapped in place, an intruder caught in the sights of a sentinel.
So battle would be unavoidable.
Lost memory or not, she was Alice Zuberg from the village of Rulid, and now he would have to point his sword at her—to return her to normal. No matter how hard and unforgiving the fight would be.
Eugeo understood the strength of Alice Synthesis Thirty, Integrity Knight. He'd learned it by experience, when she smacked him in the face with her scabbard. He hadn't merely been taken by surprise; he hadn't even seen the blow before it landed. How difficult would it be to neutralize a warrior of such skill without hurting her, either? She could not be fought with anything less than his greatest effort.
Eugeo(mind): But can I even manage to cut a single lock of her golden hair?
Eugeo couldn't take a single step forward, much less draw his sword for battle. While Eugeo struggled like never before, Zora approached from the rear and murmured hoarsely.
Zora: You shouldn't fight, Eugeo. Just think of how to stick Alice with Cardinal's dagger, that's all. I'll block her attacks with my body if I have to.
Eugeo: B-but...
Zora: It's the only way. The longer the battle goes, the worse our odds get. I'll take Alice's first hit on purpose, hold her down, and then you use the dagger. Got that?
Eugeo:...
He bit his lip. In the fight against Deusolbert, and again versus Fanatio, it had been Zora who suffered all the bloodletting. And this mad rebellion against the Axiom Church had all stemmed from Eugeo's own personal desire in the first place.
Eugeo: Sorry.
Zora: You don't have to apologize. I'll give it back to you double...But, that aside...
Eugeo:...? What is it?
Zora: Well...based on what I can see from here, she doesn't seem to be armed. Plus...who was she talking about...?
Eugeo focused on Alice again, sitting atop the hill. She had closed her eyes and put her head down again, but sure enough, that golden whip from their encounter at Swordcraft Academy was nowhere to be seen.
Eugeo: Maybe she's on break and left her sword somewhere else...Boy, wouldn't that be helpful.
Eugeo hoped, without any audible conviction. Zora brushed the hilt of his black sword.
Zora: I feel bad, but we can't wait for her to stop napping in the sun. If we attack now, whether she has her sword or not, she won't have time to cast her Perfect Weapon Control. If there's one thing we need above all else, it's to prevent that from happening.
Eugeo: Good point...My Perfect Control doesn't use up too much of the sword's life, so I think I can use it two more times today...
Zora: That'd be great. I can at least used one. Two if I'm lucky. And we should have this knight's commander after Alice, too. Anyway...here goes.
Zora signaled to him, then took a step forward. Eugeo summoned his courage and followed. They stepped off the brick path, which wound around the hill, and headed straight for the top. Their boots rustled the grass. When they were halfway up the slope, Alice stood. Through half-open lids, her emotionless, icy gaze met them.
Instantly, as though her vision itself could cast sacred arts, Eugeo felt his legs turn to lead. Despite the lack of any weapon, Eugeo's legs seemed to be refusing to get any closer to Alice. Was that one bash to the cheek enough for his body to have learned its own subconscious lesson? Yet it seemed like Zora's pace was losing steam up ahead, too.
Alice: I see you've climbed all the way to these heights. Even if you did manage to escape the underground prison, I expected Eldrie to be able to deal with you on his own. Yet you two overcame him, Sir Deusolbert and even cut down Sir Fanatio, before settling foot in the Cloudtop Garden.
Her arched brows darkened. There was a faint note of mourning from her cherry lips.
Alice: What is imbuing you with such power? Why are you disrupting the order of the Human Empire?
Eugeo(mind): It's for you. That's all this is.
Eugeo thought. But he knew that this statement would mean nothing to the Alice facing him now. He clenched his teeth and put all his concentration into moving forward.
Alice: As I thought, I can only ask you with my sword.
Eugeo(mind) But she has no blade.
Eugeo protested, right as Zora mumbled.
Zora: No way... Don't tell me...
There was a flash of light, and the little tree sitting atop the hill vanished.
Zora and Eugeo: ?!
A moment later, there was a rush of thick, sweet fragrance, and then it was totally gone. In Alice's right hand was now a familiar longsword. A weapon made entirely of shining gold, from blade to hilt to sheath. A cross-shaped pattern of flowers decorated the hilt. Right in that moment, Eugeo didn't understand what had happened.
The tree vanished, and the sword appeared. Did the tree change into the sword? But Alice did not give any commands. Whether it was a simple illusion or some kind of ultra-high-level matter-conversion art, it should have been impossible without a verbal command. But...not unless the tree changed its form based on only Alice's thoughts, making it... Zora reached the conclusion a split second before Eugeo did.
Zora: Dammit, that's not good...Her sword might already be in Perfect Control mode!
Alice stared down at the stunned boys, holding her sword flat with both hands. She drew it crisply, the blade a deeper golden yellow than the sheath, gleaming as it reflected the light of Solus.
In an instant, Zora was rushing forward. Whatever power it was that Alice's sword held, he was determined to force close combat before she could utilize her Perfect Control over it. He tore up the hill, blades of grass flying, and crossed nearly the entire distance within ten steps.
Eugeo tried his hardest to follow after his partner, still clutching the chain around his neck. Zora wasn't going to draw his weapon. Like he said, he was going to block Alice's first attack with his body, which would give them just a tiny amount of time to hold her back. It was absolutely imperative that Eugeo take advantage of that window to hit her with the dagger.
Nothing in Alice's expression changed with the night sky swordsman charging up at her. She calmly, almost carelessly, pulled her sword back. Zora wasn't yet within sword range. Was it a ranged attack, like Deusolbert's and Fanatio's? If so, she might stop Zora at a distance, but it would still leave Eugeo with enough time to get in close with the dagger.
Eugeo peeled off from Zora and kept running at a different angle. Alice's right hand swung forward—and the golden blade disappeared.
Zora and Eugeo: ?!
It did not actually disappear. It was more like a disintegration. The sword split into hundreds, thousands of pieces that hurtled at Zora like a golden storm.
Zora: Aaagh!!
Zora was knocked clean off his feet by the shining swarm. Eugeo gritted his teeth and raced onward, determined to make use of the momentary diversion his partner created.
Eugeo: Gah!
But the golden wind did not stop there. With a sound like rustling leaves, it abruptly darted left in midair to engulf Eugeo next. The force was irresistible. It felt like a giant swatting him with the palm of its hand, knocking him over on his right side.
Each individual fragment, less than a cen in length, was tremendously heavy. Eugeo instinctually covered his face with his left arm as he landed on the grass and felt a searing pain there. It was all he could do not to scream and roll around in agony.
The swarm of gold pieces, having easily stopped them, flew back to Alice's side, where they hovered around the knight rather than returning to sword form.
In fact, on closer examination, all of the shards were cross-shaped combinations of even smaller diamond-shaped pieces. It was the same as the design on the hilt of the sword—the shape of the flowers from the tree.
Alice: Could it be you both are mocking me? To run towards me without drawing your swords...I held back that attack as a warning. But with my next attack, I shall erase all your life. Show me the full extent of your power, for the sake of the knights you've defeated, as well.
Eugeo(mind): She...held back? And that tremendous power was the result...?
As Eugeo watched in horror, the golden flowers audibly bristled with metallic sounds in unison. The tips of the petals, which had previously been rounded and smooth, were now sharper than the end of a rapier. It wouldn't just be a body blow anymore; those points would split the skin and sever bone.
Deep fear plunged Eugeo's limbs into numbing, icy water. Even a single one of those golden flowers could take his life down to dangerous levels if it struck the right spot—and there were at least two or three hundred circling around in the swarm. It was impossible to deflect them all with a sword, and probably just as difficult to evade the practically sentient multitude. Alice's Perfect Weapon Control was almost too perfect, and all-powerful...
Yes. It was too perfect.
Perfect Weapon Control of a Divine Object was very powerful, but even that had its limits. The core of the power was extracting the "memory" of the weapon's material and turning it into an exaggerated physical property: heat, cold, toughness, speed. For it to specialize in one area, by necessity it had to sacrifice power in others.
Fanatio's Perfect Control was so developed in terms of compressing light to that powerful beam that it was overturned by Zora's simple mirror response. Whatever the nature of the little tree that was the core of Alice's weapon, if the sum of its potential was split among so many tiny objects—focusing on accuracy—then the attack power of each individual petal must be small. It just didn't add up that those little objects less than a cen across could have the weight of a giant's fist.
In order for that to be possible, the slender little tree with orange flowers had to be an ultra-high-priority object, even more powerful than the Gigas Cedar that was the basis for Zora's sword...
Nearby, Zora lifted his head, his face a pale mixture of astonishment and horror as he arrived at the same conclusion as Eugeo. But not knowing the meaning of the word resignation, he turned determined eyes toward Eugeo and mouthed.
Zora: Chant.
Getting through the storm of petals by orthodox methods was impossible. The only way was to immobilize the actual wielder through the Blue Rose Sword's own Perfect Control. Earlier, Alice was swinging around the naked hilt to match the movement of the flowers. That suggested that the mass of petals wasn't moving solely of her own control.
From his prone position, Eugeo subtly laid a hand on the hilt of the Blue Rose Sword and began to recite the Perfect Control chant at a barely audible level. If Alice noticed him and attacked, he'd be totally defenseless, but Zora would handle that. As he expected, Zora bolted to his feet just at that moment and called out in a loud, deliberate challenge.
Zora: I apologize for treating a proud Integrity Knight in a manner lacking in proper respect! My name is Zora, student of the sword, seeks a proper duel of blade against blade with the Integrity Knight Alice!
Zora thumped his right fist against his chest and dipped his head, then grabbed the hilt of his sword from his left side. After drawing his pitch-black weapon with a vicious shing, he held it up in a stance, as if to split the golden aura that surrounded the knight. Alice gazed at him, her blue eyes all-knowing, then blinked.
Alice: Very well. I shall test the limits of your evil designs through your swordsmanship.
She motioned with the hilt. With a sound like waves, the cloud of golden flowers gathered within reach like a little dust devil and assembled themselves into the shape of a perfect, unbroken blade. They made a ch- ching! sound and fused, returning to the form of that golden sword. As she approached, regally holding her sword at chest level, Zora moved his blade low.
Zora: It is inevitable that one of us will fall once we cross blades. Before that happens, answer me this: I see that your divine weapon takes its form from the tree that was on the hilltop previously. How does such a small tree hold such incredible power?
It was obviously a stall for time, but Zora really did want to know the truth behind the golden sword's Perfect Control. Eugeo was curious, himself. He listened in as he continued reciting. Alice took three steps forward before coming to a halt. She paused, then opened her mouth to speak.
Alice: It would be pointless to tell you just before you die...but I suppose I shall do you this favor on your path to Heaven. The name of my weapon is the Osmanthus Blade. As the name suggests, it was once nothing but a simple osmanthus tree.
Osmanthus was a type of small tree that bloomed tiny orange flowers in the fall. It hardly grew at all around Rulid, but Eugeo had seen a few in Centoria. It certainly wasn't a one-of-a-kind specimen like the Gigas Cedar.
Alice: As you said, it is merely a small tree—except for its age. The place where Central Cathedral stands now was once, in the distant past, the Place of Beginning, which the creation goddess Stacia gifted to humanity. In the center of the little village was a beautiful spring, with a single osmanthus tree growing on its bank...according to the first chapter of Genesis. That tree is the origin from which this sword was forged. Do you understand? This Osmanthus Blade is the oldest thing in existence.
Zora: Wh-what...?
Alice: This sword is a reincarnation of the tree that God herself placed. Its quality is 'everlasting eternity.' Even a single fallen petal will split stone and tear the earth where it lands...just as you experienced for yourselves. Do you now understand what it is you face?
Zora: Yeah, I get it. So it's the first indestructible object that God placed, huh...They just keep upping the ante with these things they pull out. But I can't waste my time being amazed by it.
Zora brandished his black sword high, now seemingly rather insignificant in comparison to a tree-based weapon of a much higher notoriety.
Zora: Integrity Knight Alice...let us fight!
The night sky swordsman leaped off the ground, audibly ripping his way through the air. He charged with such speed that it was hard to believe he was the one going uphill. Zora likely believed that if he could start his combination attack within close range, no matter what Alice's weapon was, he could seize the advantage. Fanatio's ability to respond in kind was a product of her unique personal mastery of the combination arts and surely was exceptional among the knights.
As Zora and Eugeo expected, Alice pulled her sword back overhead in honest response to Zora's high slice. She couldn't block him if he segued that high attack to a mid-level one next. The downward burst of black lightning met with the Osmanthus Blade, sending up pale sparks. But the second attack did not instantly emerge.
Alice's sword barely budged, but Zora bounced backward, as though he had tried to smash a boulder with a stick, and lost his balance.
Zora: Whoa...
The slope played havoc with his feet, forcing him to take several wobbly steps, while Alice pursued with the grace of rushing water. Her left hand extended fully, all the way to her fingertips. The golden sword drew back straight behind her, leaving her front wide open. It was an old-fashioned style, not nearly as practical as the Aincrad style, but between the flowing blond hair and waving skirt, there was a kind of painterly beauty to the sight.
Alice: Eiii!
Alice cried, swinging the sword forward in a semicircle. The speed was tremendous—but the movement was too grand. Zora had recovered his balance and had plenty of time to hold up his sword. The two swords clashed. Once again, it was Zora who spun away from the impact like a top. He put a hand to the grass to avoid falling off his feet as he slid down, nearly to the foot of the hill.
At last, Eugeo understood the nature of what he was seeing. The weight of each blow was off the charts. With his high-priority divine weapon and special Aincrad combination attacks, Zora had bested a number of Integrity Knights to this point, but the Osmanthus Blade was likely several times heavier than Zora's black one. At that speed, it was hard enough just to survive the attack, much less deflect the impact.
And that wasn't all. As the first impact had proven, even when Zora was the one attacking, he wound up getting knocked off balance. The outcome was obvious.
Realizing this for himself, Zora scrambled to his feet and took several hasty steps in retreat. Alice glided after him. It was as one-sided a fight for Zora as had ever happened in the last two years.
With her flowing, methodical beauty, Alice attacked again and again. The young man did his best to block and was knocked around miserably each time. He might have fought back had he been able to dodge, but for the great size of her swings, Alice's aim was extremely fast and accurate, such that Zora could never evade her cleanly.
Eugeo finished his command, following the two with bated breath. He would have to unleash his Perfect Weapon Control while his friend was still able to block the attacks.
After just five blows, Zora was already pressed up against the western garden wall. There was nothing but hard marble behind him and nowhere else to run. Alice pointed the tip of her sword at her trapped foe, expression as cool as ever.
Alice: You're the second person to withstood my attacks for this long. You must've climbed this tower with such resolve and conviction. But it's not nearly enough to sway the Church. I cannot allow you two to disturb the peace of Human Empire.
There was no weakness to exploit in the golden knight's regal stance. Even from behind, Eugeo felt that she could react and stop his sacred arts.
Eugeo(mind): Say something, Zora. I just need a moment, a chance.
Eugeo thought as he ran, but his partner just glared at her fiercely with his back to the wall and held his silence.
Alice: Now then...prepare yourself.
Alice then lifted the Osmanthus Blade up to point straight at the heavens. There was a moment's silence. Then, with a terrible air-ripping noise, golden light appeared. Forcing his eyes as far open as possible, Zora moved his hand at blurring speed. A metallic clash. Sparks.
Zora didn't absorb the blow, but he diverted it. Sword met sword at the slightest possible angle, just enough to shift the trajectory of Alice's unfathomably heavy swing. The Osmanthus Blade ran through a spot just a single cen to the left of Zora's head: smooth marble wall. A few strands of black hair flew into the air and vanished.
Then he leaped at her. He held down her right hand with his left and locked his other arm around hers. At long last, that succeeded in getting a facial reaction from the previously unshakable Alice.
Zora(mind): Now.
Eugeo: Enhance Armament!!
Eugeo screamed, thrusting the Blue Rose Sword into the grass at his feet. In an instant, the ground was white with ice. The wave of frost raced forward and swallowed Zora and Alice where they stood, about ten mels away. A rush of icy vines grew up their legs. They formed blue crystal chains that wound around the two bodies. Zora's dark blue clothes and Alice's gold armor were soon covered in thick ice.
Eugeo(mind): Zora, Alice, I'm sorry!
Eugeo continued pumping out more and more ice vines. After seeing what Alice could do, no amount felt like enough to hold her down. The crackling vines gripped tighter and tighter until they eventually changed into a single thick pillar of ice. The giant crystal, multifaceted like a raw gemstone, glistened quietly with the two combatants trapped inside. The only thing extending from the block was Alice's hand and the Osmanthus Blade in it, stuck into the wall. Frozen in time within the blue ice was a look of slight surprise on Alice's face and sheer determination on Zora's.
One prick of the dagger on her extended arm, and it was all over. Eugeo let go of the Blue Rose Sword and stood up. The Perfect Weapon Control would be undone now, but that huge block of ice wouldn't melt naturally for many minutes. He squeezed his little dagger and took a step forward, then another... When his third step landed, golden light exploded.
Eugeo: Ah...!
To his shock, Alice's trapped sword was disintegrating into countless petals again. With a stately, harmonic thrum, the storm of golden flowers circled the pillar. The tiny cross-shaped blades swarmed and chiseled the ice as Eugeo watched helplessly. If he jumped into that fray now, he would lose his life before getting a single step closer.
The flowers shredded the ice until there was just a thin layer left, then fluttered up higher into the air. With a delicate crack, what was left of the ice pillar crumbled to the ground. Alice thrust Zora toward Eugeo with the hand that was grappling with him, brushed loose a bit of ice still stuck in her hair, and, as if nothing had just happened.
Alice: Did you not seek to reach a conclusion through a sword competition? That was rather entertaining, but you have no hope of stopping my flowers with mere ice. I'll fight you next, so stay there and wait your turn.
Alice extended her right hand, and the cloud of petals instantly coalesced back into their original—
Zora: Enhance Armament!!
However it was that Zora had found the time to recite the chant, Zora's black sword sprayed out darkness. It plunged not for Alice herself—but for the Osmanthus Blade, just before it was whole again.
Alice(mind): He aimed for the sword?!
For the first time, Alice was startled. The surge of darkness scattered her golden petals and ruptured her control over them. With an ear-shattering roar, dueling storms of black and gold rumbled and soared. They tangled, swirled, and slammed against the marble wall behind her.
Zora: Eugeoooo!!
That was right: This was the final chance. Eugeo pulled the dagger from its hiding spot and charged. Just eight mels to reach Alice.
—Seven.
—Six.
And then something happened that no one could have predicted. The abnormal surge of the melded powers of divine Perfect Weapon Control slammed into the Central Cathedral wall so hard, cracks and splits began to form.
With an earthshaking rumble, the massive marble edifice, seemingly indestructible just like the Everlasting Walls, began to crumble. Squares of stone fell outward one after another, and the hole in the wall grew and grew. Eugeo stared, dumbfounded, at the blue sky and white clouds beyond.
A sudden gust of wind smacked his back and knocked him to the grass. The air inside the tower was being sucked out through the hole in the wall— and the two closest to the aperture were helpless to resist it.
To his utter shock, the tangled night sky swordsman and golden knight were sucked out of the tower. The image burned itself into his retinas.
Eugeo: Aaaaaah!!
Eugeo screamed, crawling up to the hole.
Eugeo(mind): What should I do? Make a rope from sacred arts—no, use the Blue Rose Sword's ice to—
He didn't have time to put any of these ideas into action. The stones of the cathedral wall that had fallen through the outside were gathering together, as though time itself were rewinding. With each one fitting into place, the hole got steadily smaller.
Eugeo: Aaaaaah!!
Eugeo wailed again, rushing up to the wall just as it became seamless once more. He slammed a fist against it. And again. And again. The skin of his hand split and blood flew from the wound, but the restored wall did not budge.
Eugeo: Zoraaaa!! Aliiiiice!!
His voice only echoed off the cold, smooth marble.