No one's POV
As Aishia continue to wrap Sora in healing light after getting hit with an aurora beam from nowhere, Sora continue to stay unconscious. Hajime and Yue immediately went to their side in a panic.
Aishia: Sora, answer me!
Yue: Big Brother! Big Brother!
Hajime: Damn it, what the fuck was that?!
Shea and Tio had never seen Aishia, Yue and Hajime so panicked. Hajime fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a vial of Ambrosia that he quickly fed to Sora. He was in pretty bad shape. So much of right arms had been burned off that bone was showing. The right side of his face was bleeding profusely. Worst of all, though, his stomach had been burnt black. The fact that his organs were intact was a testament to how much he'd grown since fighting the Hydra.
In the moment he'd had before the aurora struck, Sora had twisted his body away from it while simultaneously activating a barrier Spirit Art and Diamond Skin's derivative skills, Focused Hardening and Diamond Protection. Thanks to that he'd been able to protect his head with his hardened left arm, while at the same time he saved his lungs and heart with his right. His stomach had been protected with monster leather that he'd enchanted with Diamond Protection. Most importantly, his ridiculously high Magic Defense stat kept the aurora from melting right through him. His wounds were certainly terrible, but not fatal.
Shea: Sora, get it together!
Tio: Will the potion that healed Shea and everyone work?
Hajime: Damn it, the effects are too slow!
Yue: No... Big brother...
Aishia: Say something... Please!
Aishia's impatience showed on her face. The Ambrosia was barely healing Sora.
Back when they'd been fighting the Hydra, Sora had been demolished by this same light when he was protecting Hajime and Yue. Yue'd sworn to herself on that day that she'd never let something that terrible happen to Sora ever again. And yet, it had happened again. This was the exact same situation. Her mouth twisted in grief, her frustration at being unable to save her Big Brother spilling over into her expression. Unfortunately, their enemy wasn't going to give her time to grieve.
Hajime and Tio: From above!
Yue: Ah.
Aishia: Oh no—
Just as Hajime and Tio shouted out their warning, countless beams of light rained down on Aishia and Yue. They were all miniaturized versions of the first blast that had hit Sora. Most of them had hardly a tenth of the strength the first one had, but even that was enough to kill most people. Aishia and Yue had been too caught up in feeding Sora Ambrosia to notice the attack. It was only when Hajime and Tio screamed out their warning that Aishia and Yue looked up. There wasn't any time to cast a spell, as the light would have hit her far too quickly.
Tio: I won't let you! Cloudburst!
Fortunately, Tio managed to buy the time Aishia and Yue needed. Cloudburst was an intermediate-rank wind spell. It created a compressed wall of air, which Tio used to hold back the deadly light. The wall of wind bent inward as the light hit it. Normally, it would rebound whatever attack struck it, but when faced against an attack this powerful it was all Tio could do to keep the wall from shattering. Even then, she could only hold the wall for a few seconds. Still, few seconds was more than enough.
Aishia and Yue: Hallowed Ground!
Hajime: Cross Bits!
Aishia and Yue cast the strongest barrier spell they knew. Hajime summoned Cross Bits.
A bright barrier of light appeared in front of their outstretched hands. Along with Hajime's Cross Bits. It spread out into a dome, protecting Yue, Aishia and Sora. A split second later, Tio's Cloudburst shattered, unable to hold back the barrage of mini auroras. Their fury unabated, the beams of light slammed into the barrier.
The ground around them was pelted by rainbow-colored light. The auroras destroyed all of the boulder they were on except for the spot where Sora and Aishia stayed.
The light attacks seemed to be focused on Sora. A few beams fell toward Hajime, Shea and Tio as well, but only enough to keep them busy while the bulk attacked Sora, Aishia and Yue. That being said, it took a lot to keep Hajime, Shea and Tio busy.
Shea: Sora! Please pull yourself together, Sora!
Hajime: Calm yourself, Shea! Attacking like this, you'll only end up dead! We don't even know where the attack is coming from in the first place!
Shea: Ugh, but still!
Hajime tried to hold Shea back while simultaneously maintaining his Cross Bits so that they wouldn't be drowned in deadly rainbow light.
Hajime was just as worried about Sora as Shea was. He understood his feelings of wanting to run over and help his best friend, but he also knew that jumping out in the middle of a barrage of light powerful enough to nearly kill even Sora wouldn't do anyone any good. Hajime grabbed Shea by the collar and pulled her back to the safety of his Cross Bits barrier.
Time slowed to a crawl. Tio couldn't tell if ten seconds had passed, or a minute.
After what seemed like an eternity, the barrage finally abated. Most of the boulders had been pulverized, and white smoke rose from the few that hadn't. Aishia, Yue and Tio were both panting heavily, their mana nearly spent. They used the respite they'd been given to drain their magic accessories' reserves. As they were recovering, a man's voice spoke to them from above. He sounded almost impressed.
???: Your strength is certainly formidable. Ambushing you here was the right choice. You 6 are too dangerous to let live. Especially those men over there...
Hajime and the girls looked up at the ceiling. Their eyes opened wide in surprise. A massive number of dragons filled the sky. Two of them were far larger than the others, and one was a black and the other was pure white from snout to tail. Riding atop the white was a red-haired, dark-skinned, pointy-eared demon.
And riding the top of the black was a red haired human.
???: To think he could survive even a direct hit from my Uranos' breath... Plus, those strange weapons of yours that were mentioned in the report are even stronger than I imagined... You girls as well. It's amazing you were able to withstand a concentrated barrage from fifty Ash Dragons. Who on earth are you people? How many ancient spells have you already acquired?
The two man met the Hajime's gaze and glared pointedly at them. They seemed to be under the misconception that Yue and the others' strength came from the number of labyrinths they'd cleared.
Sora: How about you tell us your name first before asking questions? Or do all demons have no manners? And you, the human with the Red hair as well.
The person who replied was Sora. The red human furrowed his eyebrows. Before he could answer, though, Aishia shouted.
Aishia: Sora!
Yue: Big Brother!
Hajime: Thank goodness.
Shea: Sora!
Tio: You're alive, My King!
Sora had managed to prop himself up, but it looked like he was ready to collapse at any second. Aishia and Yue rushed to help him. Hajime and Tio and Shea leaped over to what remained of the crumbling platform to get a closer look at his condition too. Sora smiled to reassure everyone and rose to his feet. He was in no condition to fight, though. The effort it took to stand had left him sweating. But even so, he looked the human in the eye and smiled fearlessly.
Sora(mind): That face... This voice really is...
Sora clenched the fist holding his sword. Hearing it up close and seeing the person's face made it sound all the more familiar. Aishia seemed to realized it as well.
Aishia: Sora... That human...
Sora: Yeah...
???: I see no reason to give it to those at Death's doorstep.
Hajime: Same. All we wanted to do was ask. We don't give a damn either. By the way, how's your buddy's arm?
Hajime was only talking in order to buy time until Sora healed, which was why he purposely tried to goad the demon. From the demon's mention of a report and the fact that he'd been waiting to ambush them here, Sora and Hajime had already guessed that the demon who'd barely escaped with his life back in Ur had told this one about Sora and the others. He was the one who'd been sent to deal with them, presumably. The demon's eyebrows twitched, and he growled in a low tone.
Fried: I've changed my mind. I am Freid Bagwa. A loyal disciple of God dispatched to bring Divine Punishment onto heretics. Remember my name to your grave.
Hajime: An apostle of god, huh? Someone sure thinks highly of themselves. What, you think knowing some magic from the age of the gods makes you good enough to be their apostle? That magic doesn't let you control monsters, does it? There aren't enough monsters in the world that can shoot out those auroras. It must let you create them somehow. If you could create an unbeatable army with that, then maybe you'd be qualified to call yourself their apostle.
Fried: You're a sharp one. That's right, it was when I obtained the ancient magic that god spoke to me. They told me I was their apostle. It was then that I decided to devote my all to them and work to see their wish granted. And this person beside me is...
???: Hey! Hey! There's no reason to tell them my name. It'll be pointless anyway...
Sora: Then why don't I spell your name for you.
???:...Huh?
The person cocked his head in suspicion.
Sora: You're Lucius, aren't you?
Lucius:...Oh?
When Sora called out his name, Lucius' tone changed to one of deep curiosity. Hajime eyes widened when he heard the name.
Hajime: Lucius? You mean...
Sora: Yeah. That's him alright. But why is he in Tortus? He should be in prison back on earth.
Lucius: Huh? What would you do if I was the Lucius you think I am, anyway?
Lucius sneered, questioning Sora.
Sora: Fate does work in a mysterious way. To think I would be granted such opportunity...
Sora stated with no hesitation whatsoever.
Lucius: Ha... Hahaha! That's a funny thing to say. Hilarious! I denounce you, who dares to stand in my lord's way.
Lucius laughed in honest delight.
Lucius(mind): He's young. This must be the human contracted to that humanoid spirit, right? I don't recognize him, but if he has a grudge against me, then we must have met somewhere before.
Sora's smile didn't waver. The Ambrosia was still working slowly, but Sora augmented it with one of Mana Conversion's derivative skills, Healing Conversion. Thanks to that, he'd at least stopped the bleeding. He could use it if he really had to.
Sora(mind): I can still fight!
Sora: Stole the words right from my mouth. Anyone who stands in our way is an enemy. And... I kill all of my enemies!
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Sora swung Murasame wrap in wind up and fired at Lucius and Freid. Hajime did the same with Donner and Cross Bits.
Sora's arm screamed in pain at the recoil, but he ignored it, focusing his energy only on killing the enemy before him. Hajime activated Riftwalk as well, and sent out his Cross Bits. Aishia Yue, Tio, and Shea all attacked at the same time as him. Yue sent out her Draconic Thunder, Aishia sent her Serpent Vortex, while Tio fired her breath and Shea shot another one of her shotgun slugs.
A number of the things Freid had called Ash Dragons flew in front of him and created multiple layers of triangular, dark-red barriers to defend against the attack.
Aishia: They have several of them on all sides...
Sora: So those turtles things on their backs have some sort of unique magic?!
The barriers shattered one after another in the face of Sora and the others powerful barrage, but more Ash Dragons flew in and supplemented the defense with their own barriers. With so many shields to break through, even their best attacks began to peter out. Sora noticed that there were turtle- shaped monsters riding atop the Ash Dragons. Their shells were glowing dark red, which led Sora to assume they were the ones casting the barriers.
Lucius: Did you think our beasts were limited to Dragons? You won't be able to break our defenses that easily.
Fried: Our skills aren't as flimsy as that. Let us show you all the other power we've obtained.
Freid began chanting a spell, falling into an almost trance-like state.
Sora(mind): If it's something he just recently got, that means it's probably whatever magic you get for clearing the Grand Gruen Volcano.
Sora and the others knew firsthand just how dangerous magic from the age of the gods was. They focused their attacks, determined to stop Freid before he could finish chanting.
But every time they destroyed a barrier a new turtle appeared to craft one in its place. Normally, Sora would have charged forward to attack Lucius and Freid directly, but he still wasn't fully recovered, so he limited himself to ranged attacks. He ground his teeth, frustrated that he couldn't do more.
He holstered Murasame and pulled out Kanshou and Bakuya instead. Then, he unleashed all bullets, but all they managed to do was kill a few of the dragons. None of the explosions reached either Lucius nor Freid.
Before he could set up any other attacks, Freid finished chanting his spell. Their time was up.
Freid: Cosmic Rift.
Hajime: They disappeared?!
Shea: Behind you, Sora, Hajime!
Freid, Lucius, the black and the white dragon they were riding on disappeared. Specifically, they vanished inside a veil of blinding light that had appeared. Sora whirled around, reacting to Shea's warning.
Directly in front of him was the black and white dragon, its gaping jaws inches from his face. Freid was glaring coldly down at him from atop it. There was a massive amount of heat and mana radiating from the dragon's mouth. Hajime instantly held Cross Bits in front of him, shielding himself from the point-blank aurora blast.
Hajime: Damn it, I can't afford to hold back!!!Limit Break!
Sora: Guh!
The force of the light sent Sora flying backward. Injured as he was, his body wouldn't be able to take much more of this. He screamed in pain as the aurora's shockwaves buffeted him.
Yue: Big Brother!
Lucius: Oi Fried. You take care of the white hair boy! I got the gray one. And I'm a bit curious myself!
Fried: Hmph! Fine!
Aishia and the others tried to attack the black dragon, hoping to distract it from Sora. But before they could, the Ash Dragons up above fired a barrage of light at them, forcing them to defend. Though he hadn't taken a direct hit, the force of the blast had reopened Sora's wounds. Blood soaked the ground beneath his feet.
Sora(mind): Fuck, that hurts. But since he's coming at me, by himself, this is the perfect timing.
Lucius: You must be one boring bastard. But still... I'll make sure to have my fun!
Lucius sighed in exasperation before grabbing his sword and attacking Sora. Sora responded immediately, evading Lucius' attack. He attempted to land a counterattack on Lucius with his blade, but Lucius used an Ash Dragon as a shield.
Sora: Guh...
Sora immediately graze his sword in the center of the dragon. Murasame's curse immediately take an effect and the dragon fell into the floor of magma.
Lucius: Hoh! A demon curse blade eh! Shall we go further?
Lucius said, this time swinging his sword at Sora. An exchange of blows began between the two of them; but with his injuries. This is difficult. It was a tougher fight than he imagined it would be.
However, the same applied for Lucius. He wasn't able to land any attacks on Sora because he had no ground to stand, causing them to end up in a complete stalemate.
Lucius: You're one naive bastard!
Lucius sneered as he crossed swords. Contrary to the cold way he was observing Sora, his emotions were beginning to fire up with excitement.
Lucius(mind): There'll be no end to this at this rate. I've pretty much figured out our difference in ability, but he's a weird one. I wouldn't have forgotten someone this strong.
Lucius looked back on his memory, trying to identify the person before him. But no matter how much he looked at Sora's face, he couldn't remember.
Lucius(mind): No good, not happening. I can't remember at all. Or rather, I don't have any memory of meeting a guy like this... Which means I must have met him while I was back on earth and he was still a bratty kid.
Lucius clicked his tongue and thought about what would be the most interesting approach if that were the case. After a moment, Lucius backed away from Sora temporarily, lowering his sword.
Lucius: Stop — I'm done with this. Fighting like this is no fun at all.
Sora:...
Lucius: It's about time you told me your secret. Unfortunately, I've incurred a lot of enmity over my life, so I don't bother remembering each and every face I deal with. But I've got an interest in you. Having you know me, while I have no idea who you are, isn't fun at all.
Sora: If you don't remember, then it just means I wasn't that important to you.
Sora replied, not bothering to answer properly.
Lucius: Cut the bullshit. Though your swordsmanship reminded of a certain person I know.
Lucius provoked.
Sora: Ah, is that so?
But Sora still didn't answer. He had no intention of earnestly giving away the information being sought.
Lucius: Yes. Now I remember. Your swordsmanship reminded me of Zen Karasuki.
Sora eyes twitch a little when the name Zen Karasuki was mentioned. To which Lucius took noticed.
Lucius: You're an acquaintance of him? Now speak already!
Sora:...It was over 5 years ago. Back on earth. I lived in the capital of Karasuki Kingdom. The one near the Yokohama mountains.
Sora said slowly. Even if it was an illogical act, he wanted to settle his feelings of his past before killing this man. In order to do that, he had to make sure Lucius was aware of who he was before he killed him.
Lucius: Oh?
Lucius hummed with deep interest. That one sentence revealed a lot of information.
Sora: At that time, you had your eyes set on a certain parent and and two children.
Sora continued solemnly. His words finally made something dawn on Lucius.
Lucius: Ha. Haha! Ha! I see, no wonder your face looks familiar! Your hair color was so different, I couldn't recall at all! Isn't that right?!
Lucius laughed loudly, his expression exhilarated.
Sora:...
The flames of Sora's anger burned within him as he watched Lucius silently.
Lucius: Ha, no need to look at me so angrily. But I see, I see. So you have been summoned to this world as well. It truly is fate. That snotty, powerless brat.
Lucius quirked his lips in a sadistic grin.
Sora: It seems you remember now.
Lucius: Yeah, clear as day I do. I wanted to see you again too. After all, you did quite a number on me and my friends. Especially this left eye of mine. And I desired a moment like this.
Lucius said with sadistic look as he opened his left eye who had an eyepatch
Sora:(mind): He really was an awful man.
Sora thought, but he didn't let that thought show on his face. The feelings Sora had for Lucius were no longer in the realms of hatred or disgust. It was Lucius's friend that Sora killed when Lucius tried to kill Nanao and his Mother. And Lucius was the reason why his Mother was in a coma. Sora managed to injured Lucius's left eye and it was just in time when the cops came in an arrested Lucius.
Though he already put the past behind him. Lucius has once again appeared before him even on another world. The moment Sora sought he would kill his enemy, Sora's will no longer hesitate like he did when he was on earth.
Sora had decided to move forward — to accept reality while reaching for the ideal. To try and remain pure while sometimes exposing the ugly side of himself. Even if such contradictory ideas made him a hypocrite, Sora would proceed down that path.
Lucius: I'm glad to see you grew up exactly as I wanted. If that's the case, then I'm finally getting excited too. This ain't bad.
Lucius chuckled in delight.
Sora: I'm also glad to see you were still the person I remember you as. But to think you're in this world as well.
Lucius: Hah, should I have reflected a little? Or maybe shown some regret? Do you think that you are the only one that got summoned to this world? Many people did, and was already played by Ehit's hand.
Lucius questioned him in a provocative tone.
Sora: I'm not seeking any repentance or remorse from you at all.
Sora replied, not rising to Lucius' bait.
Lucius(mind): Tch, that's no fun at all. He could show a little less composure.
For Lucius, there was no greater pleasure than turning the tables on a would-be avenger. It was precisely because the other party acted on their emotions and instincts that he found joy in shutting them down with his own. The more intense his opponent's feelings, the spicier his life was. Which was why Lucius brought up the topic of Sora's parents.
Lucius: Is that so? Come to think of it, I'd heard from Zen before. That Ayame was originally the president of the Karasuki kingdom. And your precious little sister Nanao as well?
Sora: And what about it?
Lucius: Ayame was indeed a good woman. A good meal indeed. She kept trying to protect you right up until she almost died. Please don't kill Sora and Nanao, I beg you, she cried.
Lucius said, sneering with terrible cynicism.
Sora:...
Sora faintly furrowed his brow at that, tightening his grip on his sword.
Lucius: Hah! You've got a better look on your face now. Though I would've succeeded if you hadn't interfere.
Lucius chuckled in satisfaction before turning with a furious look.
Sora: Is that all you have to say, then?
Sora asked quietly. Speaking anymore than this would just ruin his mood more. He'd already confirmed the necessary information, which meant there was only one thing left to do.
Lucius: Yeah, it's been roughly 5 years, after all. I'll play with you again. Come at me.
Lucius' mood was at its peak. He held his black sword ready in his right hand, pointing it at Sora provocatively. The signal for the start of the battle. Sora then release all of his power now.
Lucius: Huh?
Sora disappeared from Lucius' view, making him freeze momentarily. At the same time, he was aware of his own body feeling off balance. His left half was lighter, to be precise. Something was flying through the air. Sora was standing behind Lucius before he knew it, flicking his murasame through the end of his swing. One beat later, something fell on the rock with a thump.
Lucius: Eh!
Lucius became aware of the fact that that something was his own left arm.
Sora: Play by yourself.
Sora's chilling voice echoed.
(Timeskip)
Lucius: W-What?
Lucius watched his own left arm roll across the floor and widened his eyes in shock. At the same time, his many years of combat experience made him reflexively turn to swing his sword at Sora behind him. However, his slashing attack couldn't reach Sora's body; it sliced through the air in vain. Sora stepped back to increase the distance between them, watching Lucius with cold eyes.
Lucius: Impossible. I couldn't react? Me, of all people...? Wha?! Wha t is this marking.
Lucius forced down his shaken state and glared at Sora dangerously. He had definitely not lowered his guard and had made himself ready to respond to battle at any moment. And yet, he had been taken by surprise. If he hadn't been holding his sword in front of him, it wouldn't have been a wonder if his head had been flying instead. At the taste of death, which was something he hadn't experienced in so long, Lucius felt an indescribable irritation run through him.
Lucius: Kuh!
Sora(mind): Why isn't the curse working...?
Sora find it odd. Murasame that has taken dozens of life with the demon curse, but now the curse still haven't spread Lucius body. He look at the arm the he cut and saw some kind of light.
Sora(mind): Don't tell me... Restoration magic.
Sora's guess has been right on the spot. It was restoration magic. The magic that could heal almost anything. Seeing this made Sora bit his teeth in annyance. Aishia, Hajime and the others is still battling Fried and his Dragons, while Sora was stuck by Lucius.
Tio had already turned into her dragon form and was battling with Fried's white dragon in a dragon breath to breath attack.
Sora: Tch?!
Sora closed in on him once more from head-on. This time, he was slower than before. He was still fast, but he was slow enough to respond to. Still, Lucius was forced to react with a missing left arm. He blocked the sword Sora held in both hands with his sword only in his right hand.
Lucius: Guh... Drake!
Lucius sensed the overwhelming difference in physical strength and promptly took a step back to fend off the force. Forcing his Dragon to took actions. However, Sora reacted immediately and launched a counterattack.
Lucius(mind): So fast! Just how much essence does he have?! And what is that ridiculous strength enhancement?!
Lucius was shaken quite a bit by the fountain of magic essence he felt flowing from Sora's body strengthening enhancement.
Lucius: Gah?!
Sora's leg stretched up like a sharp spear and struck Lucius precisely in the pit of his stomach. Lucius tried to jump back on the spur of the moment to weaken the force, but the abnormal amount of force sent him flying away.
Sora: Hah...!
Even then, Lucius flew though the air in a skilled defensive form and his dragon caught him again.
Lucius(mind): Did he move with that ridiculous body enhancement the first time I lost sight of him? But he didn't release as much essence just now. What's the trick to it?!
He tried to keep a level head. Sora was using wind spirit arts to accelerate his movements, but charging forward from head-on or moving around in such hot place required him to control his concentration to avoid passing out. In that time, Sora launched a counterattack.
Lucius: Fuck you!
Lucius cursed. With unparalleled precision and speed, Sora attacked Lucius. His movements were filled with a calm and cold murderous intent. Lucius barely managed to sidestep Sora's slash — Or so he thought, when suddenly the lava around Lucius rose like a spear, stabbing through his body and his dragons. Drake the black dragon immediately fell towards the lava killing him. Lucius responded immediately and leaped towards the rocks at his back.
Moments later, countless balls of light appeared around Sora. Sora lightly held his hand out at Lucius and the balls of lights all drew complex trajectories as they flew towards him.
Lucius: Tch!
Lucius clicked his tongue, shaking off the black bladed sword he had in his hand. A darkness rose from the blade and spread across the area, swallowing the balls of light closing in on him, Sora narrowed his eyes faintly at the sight before redirecting his hand at Lucius, who was still hovering midair. A cannonball-like shockwave shot out from his hand. The invisible blow struck Lucius' body with accuracy.
Lucius: I can see that, you know!
Lucius yelled, swinging his sword vertically downwards. Darkness rose from his sword once again, intercepting the shockwave. One beat later, Lucius landed on another dragon's back.
Lucius: It's one thing after another...
The lava at his point of landing rose like a spear, protruding to stab through Lucius' dragon once more. As Sora had scattered more balls of light in the skies above, that light was now falling down towards Lucius like rain.
Lucius first swung his sword at the ground to deal with the attack coming at his feet; the slash of darkness cleanly sliced through the rising dirt spears. Next, Lucius tried to swing his sword at the light bullets in the sky, but the rain of light fell on Lucius at the same time he'd managed to swing his sword.
Lucius: Guh?!
The darkness of his blade swallowed part of the light, but it couldn't eliminate all of the spheres. In fact, Sora fired even more of them, causing new light to rain continuously down on Lucius.
Lucius: H-Heh...
Lucius blended in with the dust and withdrew from the scene before anyone realized. However, he had taken several of the light shots and was completely worn down all over his body. The balls of light Sora fired were each low in power, but they had enough force to damage the body through any strengthening enhancements. The damage to Lucius' internal organs was plentiful.
On top of that, a large volume of blood was still pouring out of Lucius' severed left arm; the blood loss was wearing him down, too. And yet, Sora fired even more balls of light at Lucius.
Lucius: Tch!
Lucius clicked his tongue and forced his exhausted body to run in an attempt to evade the light.
Lucius: Guh...
Lucius' escape did not last for long. The moment his body screamed in protest and slowed, countless balls of light struck him and sent him flaying down the magma. Seeing this Fried immediately grab Lucius using Uranos
Lucius: Kkh... hnghh...
Fried: Oi, Lucius!
Lucius writhed, somehow managing to take a stance on one knee.
Lucius: Damn it, my internal organs and ribs are done for. And I've lost too much blood... If I don't reattach my arm...
Lucius glanced over at his own left arm. While it wouldn't be of any use for a while, there was a way to reattach it instantly.
Sora: Kuh!
Sora spotted the direction of Lucius' gaze and ran for it first, picking up the left arm that had been lying on the boulders. He tossed it into the air and created an intensely raging fire that turned the left arm into ash.
Lucius: Hah, you're one nasty bastard.
Lucius glared at Sora with hatred.
Sora: Not as much as you. Let's finish this soon.
Sora said, closing in on him. Sora tried to chase after him, but—
Sora: Ngh!? Gah!
The blue ode swirling around him vanished, and he coughed up blood. His Limit Break was up. His injuries had made it last shorter than usual, and there was also more recoil as well. Unable to keep his Spirit Art going, Sora plummeted toward the magma sea below.
Tio: My King, get ahold of yourself!
Sora: Guh T-Tio... How are things on your side?
Tio: Master managed to push that demon away.
Tio soared down and caught Sora on her back. Sora was barely conscious, but he managed to struggle to his knees. His eyes still burning with determination, he glared up at Lucius. The Ash Dragons that had been attacking Aishia, Yue and Shea clumped around him.
Hajime: Sora!
Yue: Big Brother!
Shea: Sora!
Aishia: Are you okay?
Free from the barrage, they rushed over toward Sora. Tio landed on a nearby platform and let Sora down. Considering the state he was in, she couldn't fight with him on her back. He'd likely fall. Hajime, Aishia, Shea and Yue arrived at the platform Tio had landed on and helped him stand.
Fried: Both your combat prowess truly is impressive. And the women you have with you are quite strong themselves. The dragonmen should have died out, and yet one travels with you. Furthermore, you have a mage who can cast spells without incantations, a woman that can use both magic and close combat, and a rabbitman that has some strange precognitive powers. I didn't think anything could press us this hard now that we have ancient magic at our disposal. Had my surprise attack not succeeded, I likely wouldn't have stood a chance.
Freid spoke quietly, but there was a fire in his eyes. His breathing was ragged, and he covered his wounded chest with his good hand.
Lucius: Hah, hah... hah...
Lucius endured the pain to give a wicked grin. He had lost his left arm, endured his left eye being crushed, and had large holes all throughout his body. Though he had enhanced his physical body, his wounds were so serious it was a wonder that he was still alive.
Sora: You say that like you two have already won. We're nowhere near done yet.
Sora frowned and glared at Freid. Though he could barely stand, his bloodlust remained undiminished. Fried then had changed locations at some point.
Lucius: You're late, damn it...
He raised his head and muttered resentfully upon spotting the figure through the blurry vision of his right eye.
???: What a mess this is. If only you didn't have that bizarre desire to play.
Standing there was a person. Clad in his cloak with the hood covering his face, he held the severely wounded Lucius in his arms.
Sora: Are you our enemy?
???: Unfortunately, I have business with them and no I am not.
Hajime: How's your arm doing?
???: I have no idea what your talking about?
The person stated nonchalantly.
Hajime: Then what will you do? Run away?
Sora: Lucius, what about you? You going to run with your tail between your legs? We can still go on.
Hajime and Sora taunted.
Lucius: Hey, Reiss... Fried... Let go! I have... to kill him!
Enraged, Lucius spat out blood.
Sora: Reiss?
Sora heard the name clearly.
Reiss: That's something I cannot do. The moment you undo your physical body enchantment, you'll die. Because of that curse that even restoration magic is barely keeping you alive. You as well, Fried. You took quite the damage there as well. There is no other choice but to withdraw here.
Reiss sighed as he spoke to Fried and Lucius, when a large number of light spheres floated in the air around them.
Fried: Your desire to kill hasn't wavered on the slightest. The desire to kill... No the desire to survive is truly more frightening to an enemy than a skill...
Freid looked down for a moment, steeled himself, then turned back to Sora and Hajime.
Freid: I really didn't want to resort to this. But to defeat enemies of your calibers, I think it's worth the sacrifice.
Sora: What are you going on about?
Freid didn't respond. Instead, he whispered something to the bird-shaped monster sitting on his shoulder. A series of loud noises followed. The entire volcano shook, and the magma sea began to seethe.
Sora: Huh?!
Hajime: Whoa!?
Yue: Hm!?
Aishia: Ugh?!
Shea: Kyaaa!?
Tio: Nuoooh!?
The impact knocked all six of them off-balance, and they struggled to regain their footing. The rumbling increased, rising to an earthquake of at least 7 in magnitude. Pillars of magma rose up from the sea.
Shea: Sora, Hajime, the magma's rising!
Sora looked down. The magma was indeed rising, and the amount of rock left for them to stand on was rapidly shrinking.
Hajime: What did you do?
Hajime yelled at Freid. It was obvious he was behind this. Freid flew over to the center of the room, directly above the main island.
Reiss: We just destroyed the keystone.
Sora: The... keystone?
Reiss: Didn't you ever find it strange, looking at all this magma? The Grand Gruen Volcano is clearly an active one. And yet, it's never erupted. That can only mean something in the volcano is controlling the magma's flow.
Sora: And that was the keystone... Wait, don't tell me—!?
Fried: It is as you suspect. Now that I've destroyed the keystone, the labyrinth will be submerged in magma. It's a shame I cannot share this ancient magic with my comrades... but this is the only way to destroy you. Sink into the depths along with this labyrinth!
Freid held up the pendant hanging from his neck and glared coldly down at Sora and Hajime. Cracks started appearing all along the ceiling of the room. It opened up near the center, revealing a circular passage heading straight to the summit. That pendant was probably what he got for clearing the labyrinth. And that's the shortcut back out... Reiss looked at Sora one last time before turning his dragon around and flying through the opening.
The sea of magma had turned into a raging whirlpool, and magma pillars erupted from the center one after another. Magma started pouring down on the boulder they were standing on. It was as if they were watching the world end. Sora closed his eyes and considered his options. After a few seconds he came to a decision and struggled to his feet. Though Reiss, Lucius, Freid had gone up, they'd left behind their Ash Dragons. They once again started bombarding Sora and the others with aurora balls. He wasn't taking any chances.
Aishia and Yue cast Spatial Severance to keep the aurora balls at bay, while Tio prepared to fire another breath attack at them. Hajime grabbed his Treasure Trove and tapped Tio's cheek to get her attention.
Hajime: Tio. Listen. Take this Treasure Trove and escape on your own.
Her expression went from confused to hurt as she realized what Hajime was saying. She growled at Hajime in a voice full of rage. She would not abandon her comrades and escape alone.
Tio: What?! Master, are you saying I'm not qualified to stay with you all until the end?! Or are you trying to shake me loose? I...?
Hajime: That's not it. We don't have much time, so we're only gonna explain this once. We haven't given up. We're still gonna get the ancient magic from this labyrinth. We're definitely going to kill that guy's ass. But we still have a promise to retrieve the Stillstone. And we need your help with that.
Sora: But we can't do it all alone. We need your help. Only you can get back to Ankaji in time. Please, Tio. We need you to do this.
Sora and Hajime stared into Tio's eyes. This was the first time she'd seen them look at her so seriously. Sora and Hajime, who'd always been so confident in themselves, were asking someone else for help. In order to fulfill all of their promises, in order to come out ahead, they needed her help. Without Tio, they'd fail.
Sora nor Hajime had no intention of giving up here, and this wasn't part of some noble self-sacrifice.
When Tio realized that, her face lit up with joy. The man she'd fallen for had entrusted her with an important mission at this critical point in time. If she couldn't live up to his expectations, then she didn't deserve to travel with him. Filled with determination, Tio nodded.
Tio: Leave it to me!
Hajime stuck the Treasure Trove into a gap between Tio's scales. He positioned it so that when she transformed back into a human it'd already be in her hand.
After making sure it was secure, Tio nuzzled Hajime's head. In this form, it was all she could do to show her affection. Hajime patted her gently one last time, and she took to the skies. Before she left, she glanced down at Aishia, Yue and Shea. They nodded back at her resolutely. They hadn't given up either.
Sora: Tio, tell Kaori and Myu that we'll see them soon. I'm counting on you.
Tio: Fufu. I shall.
She smiled at how casual Sora's message was. A second later, she wrapped herself in a gust of wind and shot up toward the ceiling. The Ash Dragons focused their fire on her, but she avoided the aurora balls with a barrel roll and slipped past them. Realizing how dangerous it would be to let her escape, the Ash Dragons turned to chase her.
Tio deflected the next barrage with her breath, but the continuous bombardment made it difficult to keep all the balls at bay. Before their attacks could overwhelm her though, a good chunk of them were wiped out by a beam of their own light.
Aishia and Yue had sent a powered-up version of their attacks back at them by using the light she'd absorbed into Spatial Severance. Shea followed up by a wave of shotgun slugs. Their shockwaves blew apart quite a few of them as well. The passage Freid and the white dragon had left through began to close.
Hajime: There's just something cool about going out in a blaze of glory.
Sora: Hajime? We don't have time.
They were still being assailed by the Ash Dragons' aurora balls. Sora just shook his head and, with Hajime and Aishia's help, managed to leap onto the central island. In the few minutes since Tio had left, the magma had gotten even more violent. Only the central island was still above the writhing sea of death. In another five minutes, even the central island would be submerged. Aishia and Yue's Spatial Severance was doing a perfect job of dealing with the aurora balls, and the Ash Dragons were starting to get desperate. They began diving down, trying to attack the party directly, but Shea swatted down any that got close. Another ten dragons fell.
The magma dome that had been covering the center of the island had vanished, revealing a jet-black building. Next to the building was a disk that was floating a few centimeters off the ground. It seemed that was what was normally used to transport people through the shortcut back to the surface. There were so many magma pillars shooting out now that the remaining Ash Dragons had to cut their attacks short to keep out of their way. Hajime watched them out of the corner of his eye as he walked up to the building.
There didn't seem to be any door, but one of the walls had the familiar Liberators' crest on it. The party stopped in front of it, and the wall fell away to reveal an opening.
They stepped inside just as the magma started flowing over the central island. The door closed behind them seconds before the magma reached them.
The party watched the door warily for a few seconds, but it didn't seem like the magma was melting through it. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Sora had guessed that if they'd built their house in a place like this, they'd have made it impervious to magma in case something happened to the volcano. It had still been just a guess though, so Sora was relieved to discover the building really was magma-resistant.
Sora: Looks like we can rest for a bit now.
Hajime: I can't believe this room even dampens the shaking...
Yue: Mmm... Hajime, Big Brother, there.
Aishia: It's a magic circle.
Sora marveled at how well the building nullified the volcano's shaking. His musings were interrupted by Yue pointing out the magic circle. It was more complex than most he'd seen. Stepping into it would likely grant them this labyrinth's ancient magic. The five of them nodded to each other and walked into it.
Just like the circle in Oscar's room, this one read their memories, tracing their path through the labyrinth. Once the circle had confirmed they'd defeated all the magma serpents, it imprinted the knowledge needed to use this magic onto them.
Sora: This is... a magic that controls space?
Yue: The secret of that instant movement trick.
As Yue had said, the Grand Gruen Volcano's magic was spatial magic. Looks like this magic's pretty crazy stuff too. Sora wasn't even surprised anymore at how ridiculously powerful it was.
Aishia: We can teleport with this.
Shea: Yeah, that's what he used to get behind us, isn't it?
Aishia and Yue thought back to their earlier fight. Shea nodded, remembering his sudden appearance.
Hajime: He'd probably used that magic to launch the first surprise attack, too.
Sora would need to test it some more before he could be certain whether it actually allowed teleportation or just the warping of space. Either way, it was still unbelievably powerful. Had it not been for Shea's Future Sight, that first attack would have likely killed Sora.
Sora(mind): He really got me good.
As the magic circle's glow faded, there was a dull clunk and a section of the wall fell away, revealing a small alcove. Glowing letters appeared inside it.
"I pray the day comes where people can be free. —Naiz Gruen"
Hajime: Short and sweet, I see.
Hajime gave his honest impressions.
Sora: Wait there is more.
"This message will only appear to you, Ryu the Dragon King. May you be able to change your fate. —Naiz Gruen."
Sora: Does this message meant for me, then? Ryu? Is that the name of the Dragon King? And what do you mean change my fate? What am I fated to do?
Aishia: It's the same with Oscar and Miledi. Those two said the same thing?
Oscar: May change your fate. My best friend Dragon King.
Miledi: Keep struggling for the sake of your dream... and Dragon King, I hope you'll be able to change your fate...
Those were the last message Oscar had left, and what Miledi had said before Sora was completely flushed out from the giant toilet. Looking around, they noticed Gruen's hidden hideout was rather Spartan. Unlike Orcus' place, there wasn't even any furniture or household appliances. There was just the magic circle.
Yue: I guess he put his affairs in order before coming here.
Shea: Yeah, it looks like the only thing Naiz-san left for us here was the magic circle.
Aishia: Come to think of it, Oscar's diary mentioned Naiz. It said he was a pretty quiet guy.
Yue walked over to the alcove. She groped inside it and pulled out a pendant. It was slightly different than the things they'd received so far as proof of clearing a labyrinth. The pendant was circular, inlaid with an ornate pattern. Yue walked back and put it around Sora's neck.
Sora: Alright, we've got the magic and we've got our crest. Now we just have to figure out how to get out of here.
Aishia: Any ideas?
Yue: Spatial Magic is hard to use, we can't use it just yet.
Shea: You have a plan, right? The whole place must be filled with magma by now.
With Sora down the count. They all look at Hajime and they were confident Hajime could get them out of this mess. Happy that they trusted him so much, he began to outline his plan.
Hajime: We're gonna be swimming through the magma.
Sora, Aishia, Yue and Shea just looked at Hajime dumbfounded.
Sora: -_- Huh...?