The Aegis Awakens
//Chapter Twenty-five: Olethro Ruins//
Regan was quiet as she was forced to walk up the stairs to Olethro Ruins. Her right leg was throbbing, and she was starting to have a difficult time ignoring it. Even with the pain, the Elf somehow managed to go on. She let out a sigh as they finally reached the top, and Regan winced as she almost fell over.
Barely managing to steady herself, the Elf looked around at the ruins for a moment before glancing back towards Pyra. "We're here…. So what now?" The Elvuenian questioned, and the redhead looked over the other woman's expression for a moment before responding.
"Just keep going forward for now," Pyra ordered before she pulled her cloak off and tossed it onto the ground.
Regan complied with the order, continuing to walk. She kept her eyes on the ground before suddenly flinching as someone grabbed her shoulder in a tight grip. "That's far enough." The voice of the Aegis behind her was now difficult, and Regan let out a sigh when she realized what that meant. "On your knees." Doing as she was ordered, the Elf was greeted by the sight of Mythra moving to stand in front of her.
Looking up to meet the golden-blonde's eyes, Regan questioned internally what the light Aegis would do and say next. "Uncover it," Mythra ordered after a moment of silence, causing the Elf's eyebrow to raise.
"Uncover what? I don't-" Regan winced as one of the golden-blonde's hands met the right side of her face harshly.
"What do you think?" Mythra questioned, pointed towards the center of the Elvuenian's chest. Letting out a shaky breath in response, Regan reluctantly unbuttoned her shirt until Winter’s Core Crystal was visible. The light Aegis leaned down to examine it closely, causing Regan to shut her eyes as the other woman pressed a gloved finger against the ice Ether spreading out from the core.
Regan winced as the golden-blonde continued to touch the skin around Winter's Core Crystal. After a moment of this, Mythra finally moved her hand away, causing the Elf to let out a sigh of relief. The light Aegis watched the Elf closely for a moment before smiling. Regan felt dread run through her at that, and she lowered her eyes to stare at the ground.
"I want you to answer some questions for me," Mythra informed the Elf, and Regan raised an eyebrow at that.
"About Malos?" The Elvuenian questioned, and the golden-blonde shook her head.
"Nice guess… but no," Mythra responded before motioning towards Winter's core. "I want to know how you ended up with 'Snow's' Core Crystal in your chest. Maddie said she didn't know the details… but it was clear she was lying. So, what's the story?" Mythra's tone was much less hostile and demanding than Regan had expected.
Regan was quiet for a moment, unsure if answering the question would be wise. She let out a deep breath after a minute of just sitting there, and the Elf watched as Mythra’s eyes narrowed. "You really think keeping your mouth shut is going to help you?" Taking note of the implied threat, Regan let out a sigh of defeat before answering.
"Six years after the Aegis War, my mom gave birth to me…. I was born with 'Abranios Feru', a fatal condition that causes organ failure in newborns," Regan explained before letting out a deep breath and continuing. "Winter gave me her Core Crystal so I would survive."
"Winter, huh?" Mythra questioned quietly to herself before speaking again. "Maddie was most certainly lying when she said she didn't know the whole story…. I knew she would be a traitor from the moment she joined." Barely managing to bite her tongue at that, Regan looked down at the ground.
Mythra huffed at the Elvuenian's expression. "You can be upset about it all you want, but it won't change the fact that I'm right." When Regan did not respond, the golden-blonde moved on to her next question. "Now… I'm curious as to why you were with Rex before he became Malos' Driver…. He was just some nobody kid salvager beforehand so why did you waste your time with him?"
The Elf's eyes narrowed at the 'nobody' comment before she responded, "He's not a nobody." Mythra let out a laugh at that, earning a glare from Regan. "He's such a kind and caring person, and he works hard to support his family." The golden-blonde blonde scoffed in response.
"He may be like that now… but you know good and well that will change when he grows up. Humans have always been horrible," Mythra stated, and the Elvuenian looked down at the ground in response. "You may have a Core Crystal in your chest, but you're still human…." The light Aegis ended off her statement by striking the left side of Regan's face with a gloved hand.
Wincing at the slap, the Elf instinctively reached up to clutch at the left side of her face. Regan was well aware she would have a bruise there later. "Get up," Mythra suddenly ordered before roughly grabbing one of Regan's arms when she did not immediately do as she was told. Forced to stand, the Elf's eyes widened as Mythra grabbed the Sword Tonfa from Sever.
"What're you-" Regan was quickly interrupted by the golden-blonde.
"Fight me. Are you even capable of fighting without your Blade?" Mythra questioned, and Regan let out a deep breath at that. Pulling out her knife, Regan was unsurprised when Mythra let out a laugh. "You're really going to fight me with that pathetic little thing?"
"You basically said you wanted me to fight without Eva's weapon…. This is the only thing I have," Regan admitted, and the golden-blonde let out a huff.
"That's not true, now is it?" Mythra questioned, staring directly at Winter's Core Crystal. "Even if you seem mostly human…. I know Winter isn't gone, so why do you keep her hidden… or rather, why does she keep herself hidden?"
"It's none of your business."
Mythra smiled at the Elf's response before suddenly jumping back and launching a burst of wind Ether in Regan's direction. Managing to move out of the way before it could hit her, Regan could feel her leg starting to strain against her weight. The golden-blonde's eyes looked over the Elf for a moment.
Sending another slash of wind Ether Regan's way, Mythra huffed as the Elf managed to dodge it. Regan stumbled as her leg was starting to give out, and she could see the smile on Mythra’s face. "What's wrong? Your leg hurt?" The lack of any real concern showed off the golden-blonde's insincerity.
Regan winced as she barely managed to dodge another attack from Mythra before her leg finally gave out. Falling onto the ground, the Elf looked up at Mythra with wide eyes. "I…" The Elvuenian felt her voice catch in her throat, and she met Mythra’s gold eyes with her own blue ones.
"I was hoping you'd last a little bit longer than that," Mythra stated before slowly approaching where Regan was lying on the ground. The Elf tried to back up, when she bumped into something. Looking back, a horrified look fell over her face as she realized that Akhos had moved to block her path. She knew she would not have gotten very far regardless, so she figured it was just another way to mock her. Regan shut her eyes as the golden-blonde walked towards her.
"Mythra!"
Looking past Akhos, the light Aegis spotted the tall, dark-armored figure of Malos cautiously stepping towards them. "Took you long enough…. I was wondering if you would ever show up," Mythra stated, turning her attention away from Regan for a moment. "Humans are so pathetic." The golden-blonde kept the Sword Tonfa in her hand.
"Just let her leave. I came here just like you wanted," Malos stated, and the Elf's eyes widened as the first sentence sounded like a plea.
Mythra scoffed before looking down at Regan. "I couldn't do that even if I wanted to... I mean look at her, I doubt she could even walk at the moment." The Elf glanced back at the dark Aegis since Akhos had moved a little. Malos met her eyes for a moment before looking back toward the light Aegis.
The dark Blade was quiet for a moment, not saying anything at first. He looked down at the ground before he asked just one question. "Why is Jin working with you?" Mythra smiled in response before moving away from Regan and Akhos and walking closer to Malos.
"I exist for his benefit," The golden-blonde admitted, and she laughed at Malos' saddened expression. "I have no clue what all Maddie told you about us so… just know that we aren't going to give up until we get what we want." Malos let out a sigh at that.
"What do you want? Me dead, I presume?" Malos questioned, his eyes widening as Mythra shook her head.
"Just killing you would be far too easy… so, no, I have something much worse planned for you," Mythra explained before launching a burst of wind Ether at him with the Sword Tonfa. Raising a hand in front of him, he quickly formed a barrier before the attack could hit him. The golden-blonde's eyes lit up with amusement as Malos was pushed back slightly. "Why don't you summon your Monado?"
Malos was quiet in response to the question, so Mythra let out a sigh. "You don't want to leave your Driver without your weapon…. Really? He's not even here," Mythra stated bluntly, an annoyed look falling over her expression. When the dark Aegis still said nothing, the golden-blonde simply sent another slash of wind Ether in his direction.
Quickly putting up an Ether shield, Malos flinched as he was pushed back even more despite protecting himself from the attack. Mythra continued to send bursts of wind Ether the dark Aegis’ way, her eyes lighting up as she saw him struggling. "You're so weak without your Driver… even though we both know you're capable of so much more…. Why aren't you fighting back? You're fully capable of doing so even without your weapon." Malos gritted his teeth in response.
Running up the stairs to Olethro Ruins alongside everyone else, Rex winced and gripped his left arm. He could see there was nothing around that had hurt him, so he knew it had to be Malos. "Rex?" Azurda questioned concerningly, and the Leftherian stopped in place for a moment.
"It's Malos," Rex informed them, and the others all looked at him concerned. The Leftherian shook his head at them, looking up at the stairs that would lead them to their destination. "I'm fine. We just need to get to them." Despite the reassurance, Eva still watched him closely.
Akhos' hand clamped down on one of Regan's shoulders as she attempted to get up. Looking up, she was surprised as he merely sent her a warning look. Glancing back at Malos and Mythra, the Elf sighed as she saw the tired look on the dark Aegis' face. Regan's eyes then widened as she felt the familiar presence of her Blades and Ethan getting closer.
Trying to ignore the pain in his arm, Malos met eyes with Mythra. "You're pathetic…. Giving up half your life force for a lowly human…. Now you refuse to even use your full power… and you I both know what you're capable of," The golden-blonde taunted, watching as the dark Aegis looked down at the ground.
"I won't," Malos stated before his eyes widened as Mythra abruptly turned back to where Regan was. Walking towards the Elf, Mythra watched as Akhos removed his hand from the woman's shoulder. Reaching down, the golden-blonde swiftly yanked Regan up by one of her arms.
"You think she can handle a hit to this?" Mythra asked as she held the Sword Tonfa against Winter's core. She tilted her head at him when he didn't respond. "I know you did…. Jin told me." She stared at his Core Crystal for a couple seconds before looking back up to his face. "I wonder what'll happen since she's human."
"Just stop it. Why are you doing this?" Malos questioned, and Regan looked up to meet eyes with him.
Mythra tightened her grip on Regan's arm, causing the Elf to inhale sharply. "She told me the truth about her," The golden-blonde informed before abruptly letting go of Regan's arm. Barely managing to prevent herself from collapsing, Regan rubbed at where Mythra had been gripping her arm. "Why doesn't Winter show herself? Is she afraid?"
The Elf sighed at that, causing Mythra to smile. "Hit the nail right on the head didn't I?" Mythra asked before smiling wider when Regan did not respond. The golden-blonde quickly grabbed Regan's knife from her before tossing it in Malos' direction. The dark Aegis looked down at the knife, yet he made no attempt to pick it up. "Why don't you use that? Since you refuse to summon your own weapon."
Mythra let out an annoyed sigh when Malos still did not try to pick up the knife. She turned her attention back to Regan before she abruptly backhanded the left side of the Elf's face. The blow caused Regan to lose her balance, and she barely managed to prevent her face from smashing into the hard ground.
"Regan, Malos!" Rex called out as he entered Olethro Ruins then lunged at Mythra with Malos' Monado. The golden-blonde was quiet as she blocked the attack with the Sword Tonfa.
"That's all you got, Rex? That was pathetic."
"I just want you to leave them alone," Rex responded, his eyes widened as the light Aegis backed away.
"She looks like she needs some assistance," Mythra stated as she looked down at Regan still struggling to get up. The Leftherian just stared at the golden-blonde in disbelief for a moment before reaching down to help tug Regan off of the ground. He managed to stop her from falling back down before opening his mouth to speak.
"Are you-" Rex started before freezing in place as his eyes caught sight of the light-blue, crucifix-shaped Core Crystal in the center of her chest. He looked down at his x-shaped, purple core in the center of his chest, noticing that the middle of her own core was missing a segment of the same shape. The Elf was quiet in response, looking down at the ground with watery eyes.
"Regan, are you okay?" Eva questioned worriedly, noticing her Driver's struggle to stay upright without Rex’s assistance.
"Yeah…. My leg has just given out again," Regan explained, flinching as she heard Sever laughing at her. Helping her turn back to face Mythra, Rex eyes widened as the golden-blonde's gaze focused on the amethyst, x-shaped core in the center of his chest. Mythra then turned her attention to the icy-blue Core Crystal in the middle of Regan's chest. The light Aegis smiled after a moment.
"You know… it makes sense that the center of Malos' core is missing since it's on Rex," Mythra started, looking between the dark Aegis and the Leftherian before turning her attention back to Regan. "Who has the other half of yours then?" The golden-blonde glanced around at the rest of the group. She hummed as she noticed the bandaged wound on Ethan's head before she looked back to Regan.
"Actually, there's no need," Mythra stated, the corners of her lips upturning slightly. "I can guess." Her pointed stare directed at Ethan then Regan made Rex's eyes widen. The golden-blonde raised an eyebrow at Rex before speaking. "You figured it too, right?" Rex hesitated for a moment before he finally nodded.
"Why do you care about that? Does it really matter?" Maddie questioned moving to stand protectively in front of Regan. The light Aegis let out a laugh at that.
"You really think you can protect her for me?" Mythra asked, purposefully ignoring the dirty-blonde's questions. A second later, Maddie was clutching her staff tightly. "Like that will do you any good." The light Aegis watched as Maddie's grip on her staff tightened. "You're nothing but a feeble attempt from our Driver to stop the very destruction he started!" Maddie lowered her head at that, clutching her staff even tighter.
"That's not fair…. I never asked to be an experiment," Maddie admitted softly, meeting Malos’ eyes as he looked over at her. She could practically feel how concerned he was, just by looking at his eyes. Mythra scoffed as she saw the interaction before speaking.
"Doesn't change the fact that you are one, as well as a freak," The golden-blonde responded, letting out an amused huff as Maddie suddenly shot a burst of light with her staff. Mythra dodged out the way, gripping the Sword Tonfa securely in her hand before jumping at Maddie.
"You're horrible," Eva stated as she flew in front of Maddie and created a barrier. The golden-blonde scoffed in response, glancing over at Akhos and Obrona as they joined her.
"I never denied that," Mythra responded before assuming a fighting stance once Sever had joined her. Mimicking the light Aegis, Akhos did the same.
"You can't fight with your leg like that," Ethan murmured quietly to her as he pulled her away from everyone else. "It's probably better if I stay out of it too." Nodding her head in agreement, Regan was unsurprised as Mythra smirked at the two of them. Regan sighed as Maddie and Eva joined her and Ethan, alongside Lucy, but Zenobia stayed alongside everyone else.
Mythra’s eyes darted from person to person. Blade to Blade. Driver to Driver. It was quite a sight. Enough to make her laugh, even. “Look at this!” Her arms extended outward dramatically as she took a step toward her opposition. Or rather, her entertainment. “So many people have come here to lie dead at my feet.”
“It’s not like that!” Rex held up the black Monado defensively. “If you think any of us are just gonna lay down and die, you’ve got another thing coming!”
Sensing his intent, Malos immediately went to protest. “Rex, no!”
Malos sprinted after him, causing the others to follow. But in front of their path, a blazing bolt of lightning crashed down. Oborona giggled at the sight of the glares Rex’s friends cast at her for standing in their way. From behind her, a smug Ahkos walked to her side, and adjusted his glasses.
“Not so fast.” Kneeling down, Ahkos curled his arms around himself to bring his blades up to his shoulders. “I’m afraid you’ll have to get past me!” Shouting this, he kicked off of the ground and threw himself into the group.
Rex let out as much of a war cry as he could manage as he sprinted toward the light Aegis. Mythra flashed an amused grin at him, making him bare his teeth. In spite of the protests of his friends behind him, he buried whatever thoughts of doubt clouded his mind and swung. Mythra easily evaded each swing of the black blade, her smirk only continuing to grow.
“Come on,” She chided as the Monado flew over her head as she ducked, “Is that really the best you can do?”
Growling at her taunt, Rex brought the blade over his head. “Yaaah!” As he tried to bring it down upon her head, a kick to his jaw made him sputter and drop it. Before he could even hit the ground, he was knocked higher by nearly invisible blows at Mythra’s blinding speeds. A midair stomp sent him careening back into the stone ground, eliciting a pained gasp as the air was forced from his body.
As he bounced off the ground, Mythra landed beside him and delivered another kick to his side, sending him tumbling across the stone ground. Malos ceased his attack on Ahkos as he felt the ether bond with Rex tremble. “Hey! Rex!” As he tried to run past Ahkos, he was forced back as one of his swords rose toward where his chin once was.
Rex clutched at his stricken lower rib as he tried to push himself back onto his feet, only for a flare of pain to take the air from his lungs again. He cried out when the heel of Mythra stomped down on him. Her tonfa pointed down at the core in his chest. As it grazed the edge, Rex could only whimper in discomfort.
“Huh. I never expected you to put up a fight, but going down this easy? Malos chose poorly.”
Rex would have cursed if he was able. “Gah! You…!”
His act of defiance only resulted in Mythra pressing her heel further down. She brought up her sword and pointed it down at the core in his chest. As she brought her blade up, a wide grin spread across her face. This would be the first of many cores she’d take today. But as her sword descended, a bolt of ice knocked it off its intended course.
Rex winced at the sound of the sword as it stabbed into the stone beside his chest. Scoffing, Mythra pulled it back out and stood up, glancing to where the shard of ice Ether had come. Regan, heaving for breath, held her bow steady as she glared death Mythra’s way. Mythra merely scoffed, kicked the boy aside and took a step toward the others.
“Finally,” She said, putting her tonfa onto her shoulder. “About time you grew a pair.” Glancing over to Ahkos, she added, “You missed one.”
Ahkos’s swords clashed with the scythes of Vandahm before kicking the old man back. “Sorry!” He was given no quarter, instantly having to bring up his weapons to defend against Nia as she leapt down at him and swiped at him with a flurry of slashes from her twin rings. “I’m a bit-” Dromarch let out a furious bellow at him, forcing him to abandon offense to bring up a barrier. “-Occupied by holding back close to a dozen people!”
Mythra rolled her eyes so hard her head rolled with them. “Yeah, yeah. I suppose I ought to lend you some help. Sever!”
“Right!” Hissed her accompanying Blade.
Mythra sped toward the others, slashing through the air to create arcs of wind that hurtled toward Malos and the others. Everyone brought up their arms or barriers to shield themselves, crying out as the wind struck them. Leaping into the air, Mythra penetrated the smoke with a wild grin. When Regan tried firing a volley of ice bolts up at her, Mythra deflected each one before landing a savage kick to her cheek.
Regan cried out in pain as the kick sent her sprawling across the stone floor. “Regan!” Cried Eva, flying to her Driver’s side.
“Bad Aegis not hurt friends!”
Mythra turned at the sound of that voice. A metal shield spun through the air as it hurtled toward her. This merely earned a scoff. “Seriously?” With a lazy swing of Sever’s tonfa, she flicked the shield back to where it had come. Tora’s eyes widened as his weapon was turned on him, but before it could strike, a metal hand clamped down on its edge. A chill ran up the Nopon’s spine when he realized just how close it had come to his face.
Poppi cast a glare Mythra’s way with her gleaming yellow eyes. “You tried to hurt Masterpon.” She slapped the shield onto her arm. A thick drill jutted up from the shield’s center. As it whirred to life, twisting the air around it, Poppi pointed it at the light Aegis. “You must be eliminated.”
Flames spewed from the underside of Poppi’s boot to propel her into the air. She hurtled toward Mythra with the intent to skewer the rotten villain who had tried to kill her creator. Yet Mythra responded to this threat as she did every other thus far: a mere smirk. It infuriated Poppi. When her drill neared Mythra, the light Aegis merely stepped out of harm’s way. Scowling, Poppi flipped around in the air to stop her momentum, then lurched for Mythra again.
“You hurt friend Regan!” She tried to swipe the drill through the air, only for Mythra to bring back her head and let it pass. The drill retracted into the shield, and several jagged edges emerged from its sides. “You hurt friend Rex!” Again and again, she swung the shield at Mythra. Again and again, her enemy evaded with an annoying amount of ease. “And now, you try to kill Masterpon!”
At last, Mythra retaliated. Poppi narrowly brought up her shield as the tonfa crashed down against it. Poppi winced as her legs buckled under the immense strength of the Aegis. “Yeah.” Poppi looked up to find Mythra’s grinning face leer down at her from beside her shield. “I did do those things. What are you planning on doing about it, tin can?”
Before Poppi could respond, Mythra was knocked away by something hitting her side. Her smile faltered even though the blow did no damage. Landing before the light aegis, a certain wind Blade let her axe fall to the ground with a booming thud. Zenobia threw her head back and laughed.
“Enough playing around, oh ‘mighty’ Aegis!” As she took up her axe, the mere act of swinging it over her shoulder caused a miniature cyclone to swirl around her. “Now, you face a real challenge! I, Zenobia, challenge you to see who is strongest!”
Mythra gave only a small chuckle at her new enemy’s bravado. One one side, she saw Regan, clutching her core in pain. That fairy Blade of hers, the most recent traitor, and the other elf hovered over her with worry. On the other side, she saw Malos fighting alongside the first traitor and that old man against Akhos.
“Well,” Spoke Mythra, bringing her tonfa close, “I suppose I can spare some time against you.”
Behind her, Poppi raised her shield, setting its drill to point at Mythra’s back. Her targeting systems locked on, and the drill in her hand began to spin once more. “Clear shot confirmed.” Her jet thrusters activated as she prepared to jettison herself at the light Aegis, only for a black hand to grab the edge of her shield. She gasped at the sight of Sever’s horrifying visage staring down at her. Sever swung her around and, upon seeing Tora bouncing toward him, tossed her straight at him before giving chase.
Mythra darted toward Zenobia with blistering speed. When Zenobia swung her axe up, fell to the floor and slid upon the ground below the blow, slicing at her enemy’s ankles as she passed. Zenobia cried out as her legs nearly buckled, but to Mythra’s shock, rather than falling, a burst of wind underneath the axe allowed Zenobia to lift it over her head and send it down toward Mythra’s head.
That axe clashed with Mythra’s tonfa as she tried to block, but she had underestimated Zenobia’s strength. Narrowly, she jumped back just as the axe smashed into the ground with enough force to send up a geyser of dust. From that dust, Zenobia leapt out, letting out a war cry as she tried to bring down her axe upon Mythra’s head for a second time. Mythra dodged back, only this time, the axe sent out a whirling spiral of wind around them both that dragged her back in.
With her own sword, Mythra cut through the cyclone and dodged back before flicking her blade through the air at blinding speeds to send slashes of wind at Zenobia like bullets. Zenobia’s eyes went wide. She smashed her axe into the ground on its head, summoning a barrier around herself. It did not take long for them to overwhelm the barrier. Zenobia cried out as her shield broke and growled in annoyance as the wind slashes pelted her skin.
Akhos flicked up his left sword against one of Vandham’s scythes. “Annoying old bastard,” Hissed Akhos. He tried to kick the old mercenary away, but despite his size, Vandham was able to keep his scythe’s hold on his enemy’s sword even as he sidestepped the kick.
Smirking, Vandham used his weight advantage to twist Akhos’s sword before pulling down his scythe, resulting in the sword being yanked out of Akhos’s grip where it clattered on the ground. Vandham stomped on it with his boot.
“Nia! Now!”
“Right!”
Akhos whipped around to deal with whatever Nia had planned, only to grimace as Dromarch leapt on him and bit down on his right arm. “Gah! Get off me, you-!” Before Akhos could finish his sentence, Nia darted around Dromarch, twisted her body around, and swung both of her rings into Akhos’s side. The impact of her weapons against his armor sent him skidding back with a loud, shrill clang.
He cried out and clutched the stricken area, digging his heels into the stone ground to stop himself from falling over. Looking up, he spotted Obrona nimbly evading Malos’s punches. Even though her speed was great, the difference in experience was clear. Each blow grew closer to her than the last. Her mocking giggling quickly came to a stop when the edge of Malos’s gauntlet scraped against her armor.
Hissing, Akhos glared back at Nia and Vandham. “Damn traitor!” He hissed at her. “You knew the cause! What we fought for! Jin saved you from certain death! Pyra fed you just like she fed us every day! We welcomed you in; treated you like one of us.” He raised a trembling hand and pointed at her accusingly, causing her to shift uncomfortably in place. “But that wasn’t good enough for you, was it? We gave you freedom and a home, and you spat in our faces!”
“I couldn’t just let you kill an innocent kid!” Retorted Nia.
Akhos rolled his head back and groaned, putting a hand to his head to ease its growing ache. “You hardly even knew him. We freed you. Protected you. And you threw it all away for…” He pointed over at Rex, who still clutched the Monado as he tried to get up. “Him?! You know there’s no such thing as an innocent human, Nia. You know what they did to you. To all of us! Jin saved you from them, but you crawled right back.”
He uncovered the wound Nia gave him, glowering down at the cut in his armor. “And this is how you repay us.”
Nia took a step forward in protest “I-It’s not like that!”
“Oh?” He pointed his remaining sword straight at Nia. “From my point of view, it’s exactly like that.”
A large hand clapped down on Nia’s shoulder, making her jump. She looked up to find Vandham, who stared back at Akhos with his steely expression. “The girl made her choice. A damn fine good one in my opinion. She didn’t want to run with a band of killers anymore. Sounds like she made the right call.”
“Tch!” Akhos sneered up at Vandham. “You’re one to talk about killing. You’re the most infamous mercenary in Alrest! I bet you…” Gradually, he cut himself off and sighed as he tilted his head away. “Forget it. I’m done talking.” Raising a hand into the air, he cried, “Obrona, to me!”
At the call of her name, the electric Blade halted her assault on Malos and darted back in a flash of lightning. That lightning crashed down behind Ahkos, shadowing Obrona’s master. In that flash, Ahkos darted toward Vandham and swung up at him with his sword. Vandham stepped back to evade, allowing Ahkos to take hold of his other sword once more and hurl them back at Obrona.
“Now! Cut off their Ether flow!”
Catching the Brilliant Twinblades with ease, Obrona giggled as she slowly floated higher into the air. “One Ether flow cut, coming up!” She twirled through the air, gathering wind around herself in a cyclone. As the electric wind spread across the battlefield, the Drivers gasped at their sudden weakness. The bond between Driver and Blade, the thread of Ether between the two, had been severed.
Akhos gripped the Brilliant Twinblades in his hands tightly, watching as Rex suddenly rushed towards him. The fifteen-year-old jumped at Akhos with the Monado in hand, stopping mid-swing as the man was now gripping the blade of the weapon. His hand brushed way too close to the edge of the dark Ether igniting from the sword.
"How are-" Rex started to question before Akhos rudely interrupted.
"You saw it back at Garfont, right? I'm intrigued that you seemed to have completely forgotten about it," Akhos stated then he nodded to where Obrona was currently hovering in the air. "Interrupting the flow of Ether makes things so much more interesting, wouldn't you agree, Mythra?"
The light Aegis nodded in agreement. "Yeah," She responded, a grin forming as the energy in Malos’ Monado drained. The golden-blonde turned to look at the dark Aegis. "This could have been avoided if you had just let him die." Mythra laughed to herself before continuing. "Or if you had joined me back during the Aegis War… but you cared far too much about pathetic humans to do that."
"Just because some humans are horrible, doesn't mean all of them are," Malos responded, memories of Lora, Hugo, Addam, Antea, and Mikhail flashing through his mind. The light Aegis scoffed at that before running at him with blinding speed. The barrier Malos put up broke easily, yet Mythra just watched him for a moment.
"You've really deluded yourself into thinking that's true huh?" Mythra questioned before looking towards Akhos.
Speaking up, he pushed Rex back and let go of Malos's Monado. "Didn't you see it back in Fonsa Myma? All those ships gearing up for war with Mor Ardain? Doesn't it make you want to laugh?" Akhos asked, smiling as Nia lunged at him with the Twin-Rings in her hands. He easily deflected the attack, smiling as Nia glared at him. "Surely you understand why Jin wants to kill all of humanity then?"
Nia's eyes widened, and she winced as Akhos slashed at her chest. She jumped back just in time to avoid the blow, and Nia started to narrow her eyes at the man again. "Jin wants to destroy all of humanity? Why would-" Akhos swiftly interrupted her, smiling at her.
"Surely you know, better than anyone…. You know what humans are really like," Akhos commented, as Nia barely managed to deflect a blow from his weapons.
"Huh?" Nia questioned out loud, and she made no moves to block the next attack Akhos was throwing her way. The attack was quickly deflected as Vandham pushed her back and blocked it with Roc's Twin-Scythes.
"Nia, what are you doing?!" Vandham questioned, as he shoved Akhos back.
"I-" Nia started, but she was cut off by Mythra’s shouts.
"Humans haven't changed a bit in 500 years. No wonder father abandoned them," Mythra yelled as she struck Malos’ barrier hardwith the Sword Tonfa. The dark Aegis narrowed his eyes at her before the shield disappeared and the golden-blonde stood back.
"No," Malos responded, glancing back at Rex who stood behind him. He turned to look back at Mythra before continuing. "You're the one who hasn't changed…. Father didn't want us to destroy innocent life." The light Aegis let out a scoff, gripping her tonfa tighter.
"Why did he make us then?" Mythra questioned, her tiara appearing to glow for a moment. "You're just in denial, Malos. You refuse to accept the real reason our father created us…. So is she." The golden-blonde motioned to where Regan was currently being helped up by Ethan.
Mythra’s body began glowing with a golden light, with far more energy than possible from what she could have gotten from Sever.
"That's got to be her power as an Aegis coming through, right?" Vandham asked, and Regan nodded her head before responding.
"It is," Regan stated, watching as the glowing from Mythra ceased. The mercenary leader looked at the Elf for a second before turning his attention back to the light Aegis. The golden-blonde ran at Rex and Malos again, successfully shattering through the shield the other Aegis had put up. The Driver and Blade flew to the ground in a heap, Rex narrowly avoiding getting crushed by Malos’ much larger body.
Poppi activated her Drill Shield, handed it to Tora, then launched herself at Mythra while using the thrusters in her feet to propel herself and Tora. The attack was quickly intercepted by Sever, who knocked the Artificial Blade off balance before roughly knocking them to the stone floor. "Poppi!" Tora cried out as he saw Poppi was now motionless with sparks coming from her.
Flying into the air, Roc was stopped as a flurry of strikes were launched against them by Obrona. Roc fell onto the ground, and the female Blade giggled. Nearby to his Blade, Akhos was attacking Nia with the Brilliant Twinblades ruthlessly. She managed to deflect some of the attacks, yet the Twin-Rings were little more than pieces of metal at this point in their strength against Akhos. "Next!" The man laughed before raising the blades above his head.
Dromarch launched himself in front of the Gormotti, his body hitting the ground as Akhos slashed him. "Dromarch! Bastards!" Nia exclaimed as she glared at Akhos, who made no move to attack her. Her eyes widened as she was unable to spot Obrona anywhere anymore.
"Over here!" Nia turned to face the Blade, just in time to be struck hard enough to knock her to the ground.
"Think I've forgotten about you?" Mythra questioned as she stared at Regan. The Elf was quiet, looking around at her fallen allies. The golden-blonde ran at Regan, giving her as well as Maddie no time to react. Her body slamming into the stone after Mythra shoved her away, Maddie could only watch as the light Aegis landed a kick in the center of Regan's chest. Ethan moved to help Regan; however, he fell to the ground gripping his chest.
"Sever," Mythra called out to the reptilian-like Blade, and he came over and stood over Regan. "Do it." The golden-blonde nodded to where Malos and Rex were currently witnessing their comrades being defeated. Regan's eyes widened as Sever lifted her before roughly throwing her in the Leftherian and dark Aegis' direction.
"Regan!" Rex exclaimed as she crashed onto the ground in front of him, landing hard on her right side. He heard Ethan crying out in pain from where Sever and Mythra still were. Neither were attacking the other Elf, so Rex knew Ethan was being affected by the injuries they had inflicted on Regan. The sound of Regan whimpering drove the Leftherian to run at Sever and Mythra.
The reptilian-like Blade turned to face Rex before raising a clawed hand and bringing it down across his chest. Crying out, the fifteen-year-old's body impacted the stone floor. He kept his grip tight on Malos’ Monado, and Rex’s legs shook as he attempted to get up.
"Rex!" Malos called out to his Driver before he spotted Mythra turning to walk towards the Leftherian.
Mythra smirked at that, walking towards where Rex had fallen. She stopped in place, her eyes widening as she saw the bright shining of Malos' core. From the sky descended two creatures, cloaked in black steel. Tall creatures that stood hunched over with two angular wings upon their backs. A brilliant crimson light was draped from those wings to give them shape. It bore a horn on the top of its head and claws on its hands. Above the horn, there was a brilliant golden halo.
"What are those things?!" Rex questioned, fear falling over his expression.
"They're my Gargoyles. They're firmly under my command," Malos reassured, and Rex relaxed slightly at the dark Blade's words.
Mythra laughed, jumping out of the way as both Gargoyles slashed at her with their clawed hands. "You really think your pathetic toys will stand a chance?" She questioned before she smirked at him while dodging the Artifices once again. "Seems you forget about how worthless they are." Mythra dodged a few more strikes from the metallic beings before sighing. "They are more annoying than anything…. This is over."
The golden-blonde backflipped back away from them before the crystal in her tiara lit up. Malos' eyes widened at that before a golden beam of light from the sky struck one of his Gargoyles. Another ray of light followed, slicing through the mechanical body of the other one. The two Artifices were swiftly disabled before two more streams of light followed. The gem in her tiara stopped glowing.
Malos' core stopped shining as he felt his connections with the two Gargoyles disappear as they were destroyed. "How? Your core is-" The dark Aegis started, however he was cut off by Mythra’s laugh.
"You thought my core was broken? I guess I really fooled you!" Mythra exclaimed before ripping off the metal piece that covered her core. In the center of her chest, an emerald-green, crucifix-shaped Core Crystal was now revealed. She gave Malos no time to respond before she was tossing the Sword Tonfa at Sever. A second later, she was now holding a sword ignited with golden light. Malos stepped back, realization falling over his expression.
Rushing past Malos in a blitz of wind, Zenobia practically threw herself at Mythra with the look of a demon upon her face, uncaring of the severed ether glow between her and her driver. Her axe descended upon Mythra’s blazing white sword.
A mad grin washed over Zenobia’s face in excitement. “I knew there was more to you!” She leaned closer, attempting to push her axe through the concentrated light of Mythra’s weapon. “You’re the foe I seek! The mighty Aegis, strongest of adversaries!”
Her smile faltered when Mythra’s only response was a halfhearted smirk. She held back the full might of Zenobia with only one hand. Bringing a hand to her mouth, Mythra yawned in Zenobia’s face.
And with a flick of her wrist, her sword scattered the Wind Blade’s weapon and sent her hurtling into the stone bleachers. Zenobia’s eyes went white, only able to let out a choked gasp. With that annoyance out of her way, Mythra once again set her sights upon Rex.
"You're not getting him!" Vandham yelled as he tossed the Twin-scythes up to Roc. The bird-like Blade created a twister of wind around themself before launching darts of wind at both Mythra and Akhos.
"Ah, the lunk is back," Akhos commented before deflecting all the shards of wind Ether coming in their direction. "You really think that pathetic peashooter will help you? Even if you do hit, it will barely register." He continued to block the attacks, knowing Mythra was doing the same when he saw her out of the corner of his eye.
"Bloody idiot!" Vandham exclaimed as Roc tossed the scythes back down to him. "Think I don't know that?" He jumped down from the stairs he had been standing on. The mercenary leader looked over at Rex before speaking. "Paying attention, Rex? I'm going to show you another thing you can do with your Blade." The Urayan proceeded to impale himself on the bottom blade of both of Roc's Twin-Scythes. Rex gasped as he heard Vandham let out a cry of pain.
"Bastard!" Mythra yelled, her eyes narrowing as the mercenary leader seemed to stabilize himself. Her grip tightened on her Aegis Sword.
"He's channeling the energy from the weapons through his body," Akhos stated, watching as Vandham began to move towards them.
"That's right…. Nothing you can do to stop this Ether flow," Vandham informed before he used his fist to launch a burst of wind at Akhos and Obrona. A shield from Obrona was shattered quickly before Mythra was lunging at Vandham. Sever moved to sneak up behind the Urayan, but he was stopped by the bird-like Blade's foot on his back forcing him to the stone floor.
"Vandham!" Rex called out helplessly as the golden-blonde ducked underneath one of Vandham’s swings before slashing at him with her sword.
Wincing as she did so, Regan managed to force herself to her feet. 'Winter, please do something!' The Elf begged internally to the ice Aegis, her eyes widening as Vandham said something to Rex.
"Get out of here, Rex! Take Malos and go, kid! You've got to make it to Elysium!" Vandham exclaimed before Mythra abruptly slashed him across the chest. The mercenary leader cried out in pain, meeting Mythra’s glare with his own.
"I won't allow it…. Give it up!" Mythra commanded before letting out an annoyed scoff as Vandham attempted to summon wind Ether in his hand. The light Aegis simply slashed at his hand, watching as the man stepped back before looking past her at Rex again.
'Winter, please…?' Regan begged, and the ice Aegis only said two words in response.
'I can't.' Winter's response caused Regan to squeeze her eyes shut. The Elf refused to watch what would inevitably happen since Winter would not intervene.
"Just go, Rex! Remember to fight your war!" Vandham shouted to the Leftherian before Mythra lifted her sword to land a fatal blow.
"I won't let you!" Eva yelled, meeting Mythra’s eyes with her own. Hovering protectively in front of Vandham, Eva barely flinched as Mythra brought her sword down on the fairy Blade's chest. Despite the ice Blade's lack of reaction, the golden-blonde smirked as she looked at Eva's core.
"Eva!" Regan called out to her Blade, her eyes widening. Looking up at the sound of her name, Eva knew her Driver was calling out to her. The fairy-like Blade looked towards Regan, smiling softly before her body erupted with blue light. When the light faded, Eva's Core Crystal fell to the ground with a crack across the center of it.
Poppi’s mechanical ocular processors locked onto the Ether dust that was once Eva, floating off into the beyond before fading. The axels behind her knees gave way. Something in her iron heart felt an agony she had never known before as she watched her friend disappear.
"Even with the unexpected turn of events…." Akhos started, staring down at the broken core for a moment until he suddenly smiled. "Oh please, what a cliche it still is." Akhos pushed his red glasses up before watching as Vandham collapsed on the ground. He sighed in disappointment as Roc did not return to their core.
"Eva?" Regan asked softly, continuing to stare at Eva's core. Time seemed to stop as the Driver's eyes intently focused on the dark Core Crystal of her Blade. Focus on her surroundings faded as she could not tear her gaze away from Eva's now lifeless core. All feeling in her body disappeared, the expression on her face blank.
"Looks like we finally broke her, Mythra," Akhos informed the golden-blonde as he saw the blank expression Regan was currently wearing. In front of the Elf, Rex managed to force himself to his feet. The salvager gripped Malos' Monado, his eyes watering before he did his best attempt at a glare in Mythra’s direction.
"You're gonna pay for this!" Rex yelled before he began to sprint at Mythra, ignoring Malos' calls for him to stop. "For Eva!" The light Aegis spun to face him just as he reached her before planting her foot hard into his abdomen. Rex fell to the ground, gripping his stomach for a moment before he managed to struggle to his feet. He suddenly heard Regan say his name softly, but he didn't turn back.
"Please, Winter!" Regan begged as she entered the memory space of Elysium with Winter. The ice Aegis said nothing for a moment, watching as Regan's shoulders shook with sobs. "You're just going to let Rex die?" Winter's eyes softened, and she reached out to pat Regan's back.
The princess moved away, her wet eyes narrowing. Winter let out a sigh before finally responding. "I will save Rex," The ice Blade finally relented, placing a hand on her icy-blue core. "There will be consequences for this, Regan…. Will you accept them?"
Regan stared at the ice Aegis for a moment before nodding her head. "I'm prepared for it. Just protect Rex, please?" The Elven princess reached a hand up to wipe her tears away. "Don't let Eva's sacrifice be in vain." Regan choked down another sob as she spoke.
"I promise," Winter answered, her eyes hardening.
"You're such a pain in the ass, Rex," Mythra spat out, glaring daggers at him. She let out a huff as Rex stumbled back to his feet. He gripped the handle of Malos' Monado tighter before looking up to meet Mythra’s gold-colored eyes with his own golden ones.
"I can't…." Rex started, his resolve strengthening as he heard the familiar voices of Nia and Tora calling out to him. "I can't let you do this!" The light Aegis smirked before lifting her sword above her head.
"It's like you want me to kill you! Well, I'm happy to oblige!" Mythra yelled before swinging her blade down.
"Rex!" Regan called out to him, at least Rex thought it was her. Her voice had cold air to it, almost like it was ice. His eyes widened into saucers as a beam of light-blue light skimmed part of Mythra’s long, blonde hair.
The light Aegis jumped back from him, eyes eventually falling on a metallic being descending quickly from the sky. The metal was the color of silver, alongside slivers of red all over its body. It bore silver at the top of its wings, while the lower half glowed with emerald-green light. In the center of its chest rested a purple, crucifix-shaped core.
Her head snapped in Regan's direction, immediately taking note of the bright-blue glow coming from the Elf's eyes. "You-" Mythra started before another beam of blue light was shot at her. She jumped out of the way, spotting a second identical looking Artifice targeting her as well. "Damn Drones!" The golden-blonde cursed, as she ducked her head before one the attacks could hit her. The other elemental ray of blue just barely missed her left arm.
"What are those things…?" Rex questioned as he watched as Mythra was continuously being attacked by beams of icy-blue light.
"They're my Drones." Winter moved to stand slightly to the Leftherian's left but still behind him. He glanced back at the Elf, his eyes meeting hers. "They won't harm you." Despite the reassurance, Rex was currently too stunned by the glowing of her eyes. She let out a sigh before speaking some more. "My name is Winter. Rex, you need to focus."
Looking back towards Mythra, the salvager watched as the light Aegis narrowly avoided a hit to her stomach. The other Drone fired off a beam that the golden-blonde tried to duck under. She stumbled just enough that the attack hit her in the center of her chest. Crying out in pain, Mythra fell to her knees. Her sword clattered to the ground, and she clutched at her Core Crystal for a moment.
"Mythra?" Akhos questioned when she did not get back up. Watching as she screwed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, the blue-armored man looked at Winter. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her glowing eyes. "You can't rewrite the act now." Akhos began to run at the Elf, gripping the Brilliant Twinblades securely in his hands. "It's too late!" Winter turned to face him, and her core stopped shining for a second before the glow returned even brighter than it had before.
Mythra winced before light erupted from her body for a moment. Her golden-blonde hair became short and red. She opened her eyes, their color now a vibrant red. Pyra looked around in confusion for a couple seconds before her eyes fell onto the familiar form of her ally sprinting towards Winter. She sharply inhaled as she noticed the bright light coming from Winter’s core.
"Akhos, watch out!" Pyra called out to the man, forcing herself to her feet.
"Huh?" Akhos responded, stopping in place as he shot a glance back at Pyra. His eyes widened as he saw the short, rose-red hair and mostly red outfit.
A beam of ice struck the ground in front of Akhos, causing him to stumble back. "Akhos!" Obrona yelled as she flew closer behind her Driver as three more ground-shaking streams of light-blue came from the sky.
"What is-" Rex started before instinctively shielding his face with one of his arms as an overwhelmingly bright streak of icy-blue struck the ground in front of Pyra and Sever. The redhead, alongside her reptilian-like Blade, jumped away from it before they could be struck with the full brunt of the attack.
Akhos stood farther back from Pyra, eyes wide as he frantically looked around for a way out. A light-blue glow started above his head before an ice-cold beam slammed into the stone ground behind him. The man cried out as his body was thrown forward, now closer to where Pyra was now standing across from Rex and his now-awakened ally.
Unable to get back on his feet at first, Akhos heard the ground beginning to crack and break behind him. He glanced back, eyes widening as nearly half of Olethro Ruins collapsed into the Cloud Sea. He looked back to Pyra, watching as she reached down to grab her deactivated sword off of the ground.
The bright glow of the ice Blade's core stopped before she looked toward her fellow Aegis. "Malos." Winter called out to the black-haired man, nodding towards his Monado that Rex was still holding. It took him a moment to understand what she meant before Malos held out a hand and summoned his weapon. The Leftherian scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion as the Monado disappeared from his hand.
“Think you can use these?" Winter asked gently, and he looked back at her just in time to see her holding two daggers out to him, each ignited with cold Ether. Accepting them after a couple of seconds of silence, the Leftherian looked back to where Pyra was currently glaring at them.
Her sword igniting with bright-orange flames, Pyra met eyes with Winter. "Took you long enough, Winter!" She then noticed that Rex was no longer holding Malos’ Monado, instead he was now holding the silver and icy-blue daggers of Winter's in his hands. The redhead rushed at them, jumping towards Rex with her sword in hand only to be met by a barrier.
"Regan, how are you-"
"I told you to call me Winter. Regan is okay…. We have more important things to focus on right now," The ice Aegis interrupted him before her eyes narrowed as Pyra began slashing at the shield. "You think you can handle it?" The fifteen-year-old looked back at her at the question.
"I think so…. Your weapons might take some getting used to," Rex responded, keeping a steady grip on the daggers.
Nodding her head in response, Winter reached out to pat Rex’s shoulder. "It might help to just think of them as one weapon. They aren't two separate weapons, they are only whole together." The ice Aegis then heard the barrier shatter, and Rex managed to force Pyra back a few feet.
Rex felt his body glowing as he felt an affinity link form between Winter and himself. "Keep yourself focused, Rex. One wrong move and we'll lose," The ice Aegis informed him, eyes watching carefully as he jumped out of the way of Sever’s claws before meeting Pyra's sword with the Aegis Daggers and knocking her back.
Landing back on her feet next to Akhos, Pyra held a hand to her core for a moment. "What happened to Mythra?" Akhos questioned her, watching the redhead for a second. "Without her, I don't think we can-" The man cut himself off, staring at the light-blue Ether flowing through the daggers. "Where is that energy coming from?"
"Mythra's okay, but… she can't come out right now," Pyra explained, meeting Akhos' eyes for a second. She removed her hand from her Core Crystal and continued speaking. "Winter’s not drawing from the Ether, she's drawing from something else."
"Not… Ether?" Akhos questioned before Pyra was turning her attention to Winter.
"If only you had come out sooner… you could have saved that pathetic little fairy," Pyra stated, her eyes lighting up golden for a moment, yet her eyes turned back to red soon after. "At least you and your allies will actually put up a good fight now." The rose-red haired Aegis nodded to Akhos before the two of them ran at Winter and Rex.
The Leftherian's pupils dilated as he saw the two sprinting towards them, for they were not coming straight at Winter and himself. Pyra and Akhos were moving around each other, and the fifteen-year-old watched them with a worried-filled expression. "Brace yourself, Rex," Winter warned him, and he did not get a chance to look back at her before a bright-blue light filled his vision.
When the salvager was finally able to focus his sight, he let out a gasp at what he was witnessing. He saw himself, yet he wasn't seeing through his own eyes, clutching Winter's daggers tightly in his hands. Pyra and Akhos rushed towards the other figure of himself before both of them swung their weapons down on him.
Rex instinctively flinched, attempting to protect himself from the blows. "This is what will happen if you do nothing," Winter informed him, pressing a hand gently to one of his shoulders. The Leftherian looked back at her, face filling with confusion as he saw her changed appearance.
Winter’s face and eyes still looked to be the same, yet her hair was now snow-white. She wore light-gray armor that was slotted with light-blue all over. Over her abdomen, the armor was replaced by an ice-like structure. A silver tiara poked out from underneath her hair, an icy-blue gem in the middle of it.
The fifteen-year-old then heard his other self crying out as Pyra and Akhos struck his chest and stomach before the redhead striked again and plunged her flaming blade through the fifteen-year-old's abdomen. Rex's eyes widened as he watched himself collapse then as Malos collapsed as well. "If I die… Malos will die as well," Rex started, looking down at the Amethyst, x-shaped core in his chest. "I can't let this happen… He saved my life. I promised to get him to Elysium."
"Visions of the future are not set in stone. You have to look for a way to prevent it, a way to save yourself… as well as those you care about," Winter told him, and he clutched the handles of Winter's daggers firmly. "Think you can handle it?" The salvager looked down at the stone ground for a moment before responding. Removing her hand from his shoulder, Winter awaited his response.
"I can do it." Rex stated before his sight faded back into reality. Still sprinting at him, Akhos and Pyra barely glanced at each other as they did so. The Leftherian watched them for a moment, then stepped back as Pyra came towards him with her sword raised. She skidded past him, barely managing to jump back to avoid a strike from Malos with his Monado.
Akhos winced as Winter's daggers sliced against his midsection, and he backed away from Rex. His face filled with fear as he looked at both the Leftherian and Winter. "How did he dodge that?!" Akhos exclaimed, eyes catching the familiar form of Pyra joining him with Sever close behind her.
"That doesn't matter right now! Just-" Pyra's words were cut off as an icy-blue beam struck the ground in between them. Putting up barriers to protect their Drivers, Sever and Obrona were unable to prevent Rex from running towards them. Rex jumped over the barrier and Obrona before landing behind Akhos. Turning around to face the Leftherian, Akhos narrowed his eyes.
"You little-" Akhos flinched as he was once again struck by Winter's Aegis Daggers. He stared at Rex and Winter, his expression now filled with pain alongside the fear. "There's no way to break their link…. I don't think we're going to beat them… unless…?" He looked towards Pyra, a hopeful look in his eyes.
The rose haired woman shook her head at Akhos, letting out a soft breath as she saw the look of hope fade from him. She returned her gaze to Winter and Rex, grinning as the Leftherian was standing protectively in front of the ice Aegis. Pyra's eyes turned gold for a moment. "Winter, who would've known it would have taken the death of a Blade to get you to bring yourself out? In any case…." Pyra clenched her fist, her eyes returning to red. "Welcome back!"
Winter said nothing in return, instead just strengthening her Ether Bond with Rex. The Leftherian gripped both of the daggers securely, glaring at both Akhos and Pyra. The ice Aegis’ core began to shine brightly once again, and the Drones moved to where there was one on each side of her. "Flame Nova!" Pyra yelled, swinging her sword around herself in a circle before launching a burst of flames at Rex.
An Ether Barrier appeared in front of him, causing the flames to be deflected. Pyra narrowed her eyes at Winter, gripping the handle of her flaming sword tightly. "You-" The redhead started before being cut off as the shield disappeared, and Rex jumped at her. She backflipped before Winter’s daggers could meet any part of her body.
"Monado Purge!" Malos then jumped at Pyra, the symbol on his Monado changing. Despite the color of the Ether igniting from his weapon being purple, the attack was green when it was launched towards Pyra. Moving in front of his Driver, Sever formed a shield before the green burst of Ether could hit either one of them.
"Thanks, Sever," Pyra told her Blade before turning to glower at Malos. "Finally willing to use your own weapon now, huh? Took you long enough." The fire Aegis moved out from behind the much taller form of the reptilian-like Blade before sending a slash of fiery Ether at the black-haired man.
"Why do you care so much?" Malos dodged the fire Ether coming towards him by moving a little to the right. "I entrusted my weapon to my Driver instead of using it myself…. Why is there something wrong with that?" The redhead let out a scoff at that, looking back and forth between Malos Rex.
"Humans are little more than filth, and you're degrading yourself by letting them lay hands on your weapon," Pyra stated, sending another burst of fiery Ether at Malos. "You still aren't using your full abilities, Malos. You and I both know you can do so much more." Her eyes turned golden for a moment as she spoke before returning to red as she finished talking.
Malos swiftly formed a shield as the blazing Ether was about to strike him. "Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!" The dark Aegis glared at Pyra, slashing at her with his Monado as the barrier disappeared. The redhead jumped back, letting out a laugh as she saw his angered expression.
"Still holding back despite all that's happened…. I can't say I'm surprised," Pyra remarked before catching sight of someone lunging at her in her peripheral. "Interrupting a conversation is very rude, Rex." Pyra's eyes narrowed, but the Leftherian paid little attention to the comment as he rushed at the fire Aegis.
Pyra turned her attention toward the salvager, raising her sword to block the attack she knew was coming. She then noticed that Rex was not holding Winter's daggers. The redhead's eyes went wide as Winter jumped at her from the side. The ice Aegis’ daggers slashed against the uncovered skin of Pyra's arm.
"You-" The woman started before clutching at her arm and flinching. The cut healed up in seconds, yet Pyra was still aware of just how bad this situation was. Without Mythra being able to take back over, the rose-red haired woman knew winning was next to impossible now. "How dare you do this?! I just-" Cutting herself off, the red haired Aegis went silent as Winter glared at her.
Pyra stared at the other Aegis for a moment before smiling as she noticed the look of pure exhaustion on Winter's face. She spotted Akhos sneaking up behind Winter and watched as he raised the Brilliant Twinblades above his head. The ice Aegis’ eyes appeared to be glazed over for a moment before she turned to meet the blades with her own.
"Backstabbing is a coward's move," Winter stated before her eyes glazed over again and she turned back to deflect an attack from Pyra. She knocked Pyra back; however, that's when she felt Regan's leg beginning to tremble once again. The ice Aegis winced, attempting to ignore it.
When she twisted to block another attack from Akhos, she felt the leg finally collapse underneath her weight. She fell to her knees, eyes catching sight of Rex turning his attention to her. "Winter!" The fifteen-year-old called out, attempting to go toward her. Pyra stalked towards Winter, while Akhos blocked Rex’s path to her.
"Rex, catch!" Malos called out to his Driver, tossing his Monado to Rex. The Leftherian swung at Akhos with the Monado in hand. Dodging the attack, Akhos then slashed at the salvager's chest with the Brilliant Twinblades. A small, thin beam of blue light grazed Akhos’ arm before he could hit Rex.
Looking over to where Winter was, the man could see her core glowing. As one of the Drones began to attack him again, Pyra kicked Winter hard in the chest, causing the ice Blade to land roughly on her back. The force of Pyra's attack was enough to break the woman's concentration, and Winter's core stopped shining.
'Was this a mistake…? Will I fail again…?' Winter questioned internally, as she rested a hand on her chest on her Core Crystal. Her eyes watered as doubts bubbles to the surface, and she stared up at Pyra. The fire Aegis was quiet, merely staring at Winter. The redhead let out a scoff as the woman made no attempt to get up.
"Giving up, already?" Pyra let out a huff as Winter made no attempt to respond. "You're pathetic!" She raised her fiery sword above her head.
'Are you certain?' The familiar voice of Alvis speaking to her caused Winter's eyes to widen into saucers. Pyra, Malos, and Rex all paused at this, looking around for the source of the voice. Even Ethan, who had managed to pick himself up, had taken notice of the new presence that had only revealed their voice. 'That decision is yours to make, as is the choice to save them.'
Pyra just laughed at this before swinging her sword down. It was met with a familiar set of Twin-Rings before it could cause any harm to Winter. "I thought you were better than this, Pyra. Striking down someone already laying helpless on the ground is so not your style!" Nia glared at the slightly taller woman, shoving her back.
"Did you forget who I came from? Is it really any surprise that I would do the same as her?" The rose-red haired Aegis asked before she was forced to turn her attention back to Malos and Rex as a slash of dark Ether was being launched at her. "I would never have existed if it wasn't for her!" Pyra narrowed her eyes at the Driver and Blade. She took note that Poppi and Tora had joined in the fight as well, despite the damage that Sever had done to the Artificial Blade. Everyone else, except for Nia and Dromarch ganged up on Pyra, Akhos, and their Blades.
Nia watched all of them for a moment before looking down at Winter. Her voice caught in her throat for a moment before looked around. After being sure everyone was preoccupied fighting, the Gormotti kneeled down by Winter. "I can help you…. Just please keep this between us, alright?" The ice Aegis nodded her head watching as Nia moved a hand to the Elf's right leg.
"Why are all of you still fighting? Are you all really stupid enough to believe you have a chance against us now?" Pyra questioned, dodging a burst of purple Ether coming towards her by doing a flip. She watched as Rex then moved closer to Malos.
"C'mon, kid, let's do this," Malos said as he reached out to grip the handle of his Monado just below where Rex was gripping it. "Shadow Buster!" The Ether igniting from the Monado expanded in length as they went to bring it down together on Pyra. The Amethyst colored blade of Ether was about to hit the fire Aegis, when the reptilian-like form of her Blade moved in front of her.
The shield Sever created was easily shattered from the sheer force of the attack. "Sever!" Pyra cried as her Blade was struck with the full strength of the level four special. The Blade let out a groan before his body erupted into blue light. "No…. This can't be…!" She could only watch as Sever's core fell to ground, a newly formed crack across it.
The fire Aegis looked down at the broken Core Crystal of her companion for a moment before clenching her fist. "How dare you?!" The redhead stared daggers at both Malos and his Driver. She tightened her grip on her sword before rushing at Rex. "Blazing End!" She slashed at them a couple times with her fiery weapon before twisting her wrist and letting go of the handle. The sword began to spin on its own, nearly burning Rex as it did so. Malos pushed the Leftherian back, generating a shield in front of him.
As the flames bounced off the barrier, the woman's face became one of disbelief as it did nothing to them. Pyra had little time to keep track of it, for Winter had gotten back up and called out to everyone else. "Get back, everyone!" The ice Aegis exclaimed before looking directly at Rex. The fifteen-year-old stared at her for a couple seconds, noticing that she now appeared to be standing without a problem.
"Come here," Winter beckoned the Salvager to join her side. The Leftherian hesitated a little, a confused expression prominent on his face. She handed him one of her daggers, after he had given the Monado back to Malos. "Now, I want you to say this with me." The ice Aegis whispered something in his ear, and the salvager nodded.
"Alright, here we go," Winter started, her Core Crystal beginning to glow again. "Glacial Snare!" Seconds later, an icey-blue beam of Ether struck the ground in between Pyra and Akhos. At first, there was nothing but silence. Akhos then erupted in laughter, and the redhead shook her head at him.
"Are you kidding me? Was that really-" Akhos was cut off as icicles burst out of the ground all around Pyra and himself. "What is-" The man flinched as the icicles shattered, sending bursts of ice-cold Ether at Akhos, Pyra, and Obrona. Instinctively raising their arms to shield themselves, mainly their chests, Pyra and Akhos winced. Obrona instead created an Ether Barrier, shielding herself from ice.
The shield the flying Blade had created held up for a moment before shattering. Icy-blue Ether struck the center of Obrona's chest, hitting her circular core. "Wh-what is this… Akhos?!" The Blade turned in the air to face her Driver as her body began to fade into the Ether.
"Obrona!" Akhos yelled as the form of the six-winged Blade disappeared into particles of blue light. Her core stayed in the air for half a second before clattering to the ground. "I… I don't…." The man fell to his knees in front of the now damaged core of his Blade lying on the ground in front of him.
"We have… to get out of here, Akhos!" Pyra called out, even with the tears brimming in her eyes.
"Obrona…." Akhos muttered longingly, starting to reach out a hand to Obrona’s lifeless core.
"Akhos, I'm sorry." Pyra swiftly grabbed Akhos' arm before yanking him up and pulling him towards the edge of Olethro Ruins. The man struggled slightly, but he was unable to argue as the fire Aegis jumped off the Urayan Titan into the Cloud Sea with him in tow. The now dark Core Crystals of Sever and Obrona were left behind.
Rex stood there quietly for a moment, fully anticipating Akhos and Pyra's return. When they did not come back, the Leftherian turned his attention to Vandham as well as the core of his good friend lying on the ground. He deactivated Winter’s daggers, barely taking a glance back at the ice Aegis before he was walking towards the mercenary leader and Eva's Core Crystal.
"I…. Eva, I'm-" Rex cut himself off with a sob before he staggered to his knees. He picked Eva's core up before clutching it to his chest before his shoulders began to shake.
Watching him for a moment, Winter pressed a hand against her core. She spared a glance at Malos and nodded at him before shutting her eyes. When her eyes reopened, they were no longer glowing bright blue and were back to the usual ocean-blue of Regan's eyes.
"Regan…?" Malos asked softly, and she looked at him. Offering him a small upturn of his lips, in stark contrast to the sadness featured on the rest of her expression, Regan then headed toward Rex.
"Rex…." The Elf kept her voice gentle as she called out to the fifteen-year-old. Through his tears, Rex managed to force his eyes open to look at Regan. She stared at the core of her Blade he was currently holding before kneeling down until she was at eye level with him. "It's alright, Rex…. I'm sorry about everything." Regan held back her own tears, almost falling over as the Leftherian was suddenly lunging towards her.
The warm embrace she was now being enveloped in normally would have made Regan happy. The press of Eva's core against the Elf's chest caused tears to begin to stream from her eyes. The core fell on the ground in between the two of them as the two of them held onto one another.
Rex kept his arms wrapped tightly around Regan, feeling her do the same to him. He could hear her sobs clearly as well as own until she went silent outside of her breathing against him. "R-Regan…?" The fifteen-year-old asked, his expression filling with worry as she did not respond. That is when he realized that her arms had went slack, and she was no longer holding herself up.
"Regan!" He yelled, shaking her shoulders.
Rex received nothing but silence in response from his dear friend.