"Falan... the magician..." Dragul muttered, his voice heavy with disbelief.
"With that, Sinbad is rendered powerless. I should have done it this way from the beginning," Falan declared, her words dripping with taunting satisfaction as she brandished the sword.
"I thought that magician was gone." said Sinbad.
Dragul explained, recounting the events. "Before you got here, that Djinn killed her... or destroyed her double, to be exact. To think she had the nerve to send her double again..."
"That's right." Falan said. "The real me is in Parthevia. Since I'm under direct command of Lord Barbarossa, General of the Left. He's your brother, right? Captain Dragul... No. Pardon me. You were specially promoted two ranks to lieutenant."
The revelation left Dragul in a state of bewildered shock. "I got specially promoted two ranks? What are you talking about?"
Falan's voice shifted, adopting a tone that was chillingly familiar to Dragul. "You were treated as killed in action already. Junior."
The recognition washed over him, and Dragul's expression contorted with disbelief. "This voice... it's my brother, Lord Barbarossa!"
The truth was unraveling before Dragul, and it was a bitter pill to swallow. "You are aware of it, right?" his brother continued, his words like icy daggers. "Your failure in the first dungeon. And failure in capturing the conqueror, Sinbad. As one of the famed Dragul family, such disgrace is unforgivable. And above all... about my wife, Serendine... Did you think I wouldn't notice how much you adore Serendine? Since your childhood, out of kindness, I've been turning a blind eye to you. However, this has to end. You crossed the line. That's my 'woman'. Know your place. Die like a man."
Dragul's world seemed to crumble as he was confronted with the harsh reality of his failures and his brother's merciless judgment. His silence spoke volumes, his gaze lost in the abyss of his thoughts.
"That's how it is," Falan resumed her own voice, an eerie calmness in her demeanor. "Be it them, or you, you are all just sacrificial pawns. There is nowhere in the world for you to return to."
Hinahoho couldn't hold back his frustration any longer. "She pisses me off," he grumbled, his grip on his spear tightening.
Sinbad shared the sentiment. "Same here. But we can't defeat her without knowing how to save those other three who became the magical beast."
Meanwhile, a few steps away, Valefor had taken an interest in the unfolding drama. The Djinn, who had shrunk to a more inconspicuous size, sat beside Reana, who still held Minifor in her arms. His gaze shifted between her, Sinbad, and the ongoing conversation, as though he were attempting to piece together some crucial puzzle.
Suddenly, Valefor began to approach Sinbad and Hinahoho with a determined stride. "No," he declared, his voice carrying an air of conviction. "Somehow, there's a way."
Valefor's unexpected intervention took Sinbad, Hinahoho, and Reana by surprise. The Djinn's smaller and cuter appearance contrasted sharply with the gravity of the situation, but his words held newfound hope.
"Valefor!?" they shouted in unison, their astonishment evident.
"Usually, I don't care what you humans make of yourselves," Valefor began, his tone serious despite his appearance. "But things will get tougher if that magician keeps getting her way. So, I'll make an exception and teach you how. That magical beast consumes and connects humans to its core 'as is'. Looks like it moves by absorbing their magoi. Based on the flow of magoi I see, the core is most likely at its chest. If you have the power and precision to destroy just the core with one blow, I expect... those three can be separated from the magical beast, and turned back into humans!" Valefor concluded, his paw before a beaming grin. "How's that? You can defeat the beast and save your comrades at the same time. Good news..."
Before they could fully grasp this newfound hope, the black creature struck, smashing its massive fist down where Valefor stood. Reana, Sinbad, and Hinahoho barely managed to evade the deadly blow.
"What are you whispering about?" Falan inquired, her voice dripping with suspicion. "Would you kindly share with me?"
From under the fist, particles swirled and gathered, and Valefor reappeared, shaking himself off like a wet dog. "Geez. They're so barbaric. Listen up. This is the real last trial. Show me all you got, dungeon conquerors!"
Determined and resolute, the friends echoed their readiness to face this final challenge.
"You two," Hinahoho said to Sinbad and Reana as they rushed towards the fearsome beast. "Leave it to me. It's okay; I'm not planning to kill it. It's just that you don't have your sword now, Sinbad, and you don't have enough magoi left if I'm not mistaken, Reana. To fend off that monster and pierce its chest, you need an Imuchakk to do the job. Besides, I'm sick of getting my ass kicked!" he grumbled between gritted teeth. "Don't worry. I've decided to nail it with the strongest spear!"
"Okay! I gotcha..." Sinbad began, but his words were interrupted by the beast's sudden attack, smashing its massive fist once again into the ground in the midst of their group.
"Tsk. It won't hold still..." Hinahoho cursed, frustration evident in his voice.
"Then..." Sinbad's eyes sparkled with determination as he rushed forward, gesturing to Reana. "We'll distract it! It's all yours, Hinahoho!"
"Got it!" Reana confirmed as she prepared herself for the upcoming battle. Sinbad swiftly climbed onto the beast's arm, using all his agility to remain unharmed.
Hinahoho stopped moving, his massive frame standing tall, muscles tense as he gathered his strength and readied himself for the decisive strike.
"Humph. You're just darting about like annoying insects," Falan sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. "Then, it's time to get serious."
The beast shook Sinbad off its arm with a violent motion, sending him hurtling across the room. Instead of landing helplessly on the ground, Sinbad demonstrated his remarkable agility, managing to spin in the air and land on his feet.
"What?" Falan exclaimed, visibly taken aback by Sinbad's ability to evade the most deadly blows and mitigate the impact of the others. "Damn you..."
In a sudden shift of tactics, the beast abandoned its futile attempts to strike Sinbad and opted to seize him in its massive grasp. It squeezed him mercilessly, causing him to cough up blood.
"Sinbad!" Reana cried out in anguish, her desperation evident as she unleashed a torrent of flames towards the magician in a desperate attempt to distract her. However, the creature shielded its master with its other arm, rendering Reana's attack futile.
"If it's like this, you can't evade, right?" Falan sneered, her cruel satisfaction growing as she tightened her grip on Sinbad.
Sinbad, trapped within the creature's vice-like hold, stole a quick glance at Hinahoho, who was still preparing for his impending strike. It was clear that Hinahoho wasn't ready yet.
"I'll crush you then," Falan hissed, her tone dripping with sadistic pleasure as the pressure on Sinbad intensified.
But in that critical moment, Dragul made his move. He leaped into action, driving a sharp blade into the beast's black arm, causing it to release its hold on Sinbad.
"Drakon?" Sinbad exclaimed, astonished.
"Finally... I finally get it, Barbarossa," Dragul spat, his voice filled with righteous anger. "I've been tolerating your barbarism until now, for the sake of our country and our family. But I was wrong! I won't hand Princess Serendine to someone as wretched as you! For her highness' sake, I will kill you! Just you wait! I will send you to the next world. This is my... revenge!!!"
The beast shook its arm violently, sending Dragul crashing away. Determined and undeterred, he rose to his feet and charged back towards the creature. Sinbad, now freed, quickly plunged a short sword into the hand that had captured him, forcing the beast to release him. Falan could only watch with growing frustration as Dragul and Sinbad climbed towards the creature's head and stabbed it repeatedly.
"It's about time, Hinahoho!!" Sinbad shouted, a sense of urgency in his voice as he somehow sensed that his friend was ready.
"Kept you waiting, huh?" Hinahoho replied with a confident smile as he hurled his harpoon towards the beast, impaling its chest.
Reana, observing from a distance, witnessed torrents of black Rukhs gush out of the gaping wound as the monstrous entity crumbled. The three assassins, now expelled from the creature, fell to the ground, unconscious but freed from the magical beast's grip.
"Damn you!" Falan snarled, her frustration boiling over as she waved her wand menacingly. "I won't let you repel my magical beast!"
In a swift and decisive move, Sinbad leaped behind her, his sword poised to strike. "I'll just repel you!" he roared, slashing through her neck in a single fluid motion.
Falan once again disappeared, leaving behind only a broken doll as evidence of her presence.
"Thanks for returning my sword," Sinbad quipped as he retrieved his weapon.
With the immediate threat vanquished, they rushed to the side of their retrieved comrades, their faces etched with concern and worry.
"Guys, are you okay?" Sinbad asked urgently, his voice filled with hope and anxiety as he sought reassurance from his unconscious friends.
Reana knelt beside the white-haired kid and began inspecting him closely. "Still breathing, looks like he's okay," she reported, her voice laced with relief. "You're awake," she added when she noticed him stir. "Do you feel anything wrong?"
Meanwhile, Sinbad turned his attention to Vittel, who was slowly regaining consciousness. "Are you alright?" he inquired with genuine worry.
Vittel blinked in confusion as he tried to orient himself. "Um... Where am I?" he mumbled, disoriented.
"Gu..." Mahad, the third assassin, uttered weakly.
"Get up slowly," advised Hinahoho, who was crouched by Mahad's side. "Don't push yourself."
"Sinbad?" Vittel's voice was filled with a mixture of disbelief and gratitude as the purple-haired boy approached him. "You saved us... Even when you got hurt so bad..."
"Nah, I'm fine," Sinbad brushed off the praise modestly, earning a skeptical look from Reana.
"You were absorbed into that beast," she told Vittel. "How are you feeling?"
Vittel examined himself, moving his limbs cautiously. "Well... Aside from this prostration, I'm not hurt. Instead, I feel refreshed, like an evil spirit was expelled from me," he replied, holding his hands before him and staring at them, as if expecting some sort of transformation.
"Evil spirit, you say?" Sinbad couldn't help but be curious.
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a sharp gasp from Reana. Her eyes widened with horror as she clutched the white-haired kid closer to her chest. A swirling vortex of dense black Rukhs began emanating from his body.
"W-What's this?" Reana stuttered, her voice trembling as she held the kid protectively.
Startled, the group turned to witness the unnerving sight that had alarmed her. The black Rukhs were gathering and coalescing once more. The flow was so dense that everyone could see it.
"Those black things are gathering again!" Dragul shouted, his voice laced with a sense of urgency and dread.
"Chief!!!" Vittel called out, his eyes locked on the ominous phenomenon unfolding.
Their cries seemed to fall on deaf ears. The dark energy continued to coalesce and transform, and slowly, an eerie shape began to emerge.
How come..." Reana whispered, her voice barely audible over the rising sense of dread.
"No way!" Sinbad exclaimed, his eyes widening with realization as they could now discern the familiar, grotesque form of the magical beast taking shape before them. "The magical beast has revived!"
"Kukukuku..." echoed a sinister laughter from the monstrous creature. "As expected of a dungeon conqueror. I didn't think that I would have to go this far. Although you destroyed the core, I can make a new core with humans as a power source. Not to mention this child... has almost 'fallen'! This is perfect for a core."
"F-fallen?!" Valefor repeated, his voice trembling with unease.
"With this element, I can regenerate the magical beast as many times as I want!" The woman's voice dripped with malevolence. "What a pity. You were just a step short."
Sinbad, his face contorted with determination and anger, approached the slowly disintegrating body of the white-haired kid. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He watched as his darkened body, gradually scattering into swirling black Rukhs.
"Sinbad?" called Reana, her voice laced with worry and confusion. "What are you planning to do?"
Valefor, who had been observing the scene with growing concern, finally found his voice. "Can it be...?"
Sinbad ignored them. With a resolute expression, he pulled back his arm and plunged it directly into the body of the disintegrating child. The dark energy enveloped his arm, causing it to darken and contort as he delved deeper into the chaotic mass of Rukhs.
"Stop!" Valefor exclaimed, his eyes wide with alarm. "A human's body can't withstand that!"
"Sin!" Reana called out, reaching out and placing a trembling hand on his arm, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and concern.
But Sinbad seemed oblivious to their pleas. As the others watched in shock and horror, Sinbad and Reana seemed to share a moment of realization, their eyes locked on something hidden within the darkness, something that the others couldn't perceive.
----
"What's this?" Sinbad questioned, his voice filled with curiosity and wonder. His eyes were locked on a cascade of vivid memories that flowed into his consciousness like a river. "Something is flowing into my mind..."
He paused for a moment, sensing a comforting touch on his arm. Slowly, he turned his head to find Reana standing beside him. "Reana? You're here too?"
Her voice quivered slightly as she replied, "Yes... I can't see the dungeon room anymore... Are those... memories?"
"Indeed," echoed a deep and resonant voice that seemed to come from the very core of their being. "This is that child's memory. We're landing in his subconscious now."
Sinbad couldn't help but recognize the source of the voice. "This voice... Baal, is that you?" he inquired.
"My lord," Baal responded, "frankly speaking, you must save that child. If you leave him like this, that child will fall... and never return from the darkness."
Reana's voice was filled with wonder and awe as she remarked, "This is your Djinn's voice, Sin?"
"Yeah," Sinbad confirmed, his eyes focused on the unfolding memories.
As they continued to traverse the landscape of memories, the scenes shifted, revealing a younger version of the white-haired child. The memories had faded, everything was white. He walked slowly, his feet stained with blood, clutching his chest, and sobbing uncontrollably.
"It hurts. I've had enough. Help me... I don't wanna... Mother... Father... Where are you?" the young boy cried out in anguish.
Suddenly, a darker figure materialized before him, a sinister reflection of the child himself. This doppelganger stood there, radiating an aura of bitterness and resentment.
"Hey, you," the darker version of the child sneered, grabbing his counterpart by the collar. "Quit wheezing. You're getting on my nerves. Shut up! You wimp!"
"But I don't like it here. I wanna go home..." the first child sobbed.
The second child's grip tightened as his voice quivered with pain. "Home? Like you even have a home? Quit being a damn crybaby! Just face the music! Our mother and father were killed by us! Remember?" He paused, his voice breaking. "There was no other choice... For us to live... That was the only choice..."
Reana whispered softly, her eyes filled with sorrow as she watched the heartbreaking scene unfold. "So this is his true self..."
Without a word, Sinbad took a step forward, his eyes filled with empathy and understanding. "With this conflict in your heart, you've lied to yourself and lived in this bitterness..."
The second child, still trembling with anger and grief, whirled around to face Sinbad. "Shut up!! What the hell do you understand?"
"If you're here to look down on us, to pity us by saying such things as 'I understand how you feel,' then get out of here!" added the first child, his tears flowing unchecked.
Reana, her heart aching, stepped closer and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. With a tenderness that surprised them, she pulled them both into a warm embrace. "You're right," she acknowledged gently, her voice filled with compassion. "He doesn't understand, and I don't understand either. How could we understand?" She tightened her embrace, allowing her compassion to flow freely. "However, don't lock yourself up in a small place like this!" she encouraged, her voice filled with gentle warmth.
Tears streamed down both children's faces as they were enveloped in Reana's hug. Sinbad crouched down beside them, his smile warm and reassuring. "If you don't have a place where you belong, I'll give you one. I'll become your way of life. So don't lie to yourself anymore. Therefore, become my subordinate!" he declared with unwavering determination.
Reana couldn't help but sigh softly with a fond smile. She should have known that, even in the midst of profound emotional moments, Sinbad wouldn't lose sight of his objectives, as he had always done before.
----
Sinbad's arm, still plunged into the swirling mass of the child's darkness, began to undergo a startling transformation. It assumed a form similar to the one he had wielded when he confronted the rampaging unicorn.
Hinahoho, his voice tinged with both amazement and concern, was the first to speak up. "His right arm changed?" he exclaimed.
"I won't let my comrade die," Sinbad declared with unwavering determination, his voice carrying a note of righteous resolve. "Thus, I won't forgive you if you die." His gaze shifted to Reana, who stood beside him, and he gave her a nod. She understood his unspoken message and withdrew her hand from his arm. "You want to become my subordinate, right?" he continued, addressing the child within the darkness. "Then you should be able to take a little shock."
Reana had taken a few steps back, positioning herself a safe distance away, as lightning enveloped Sinbad and the child in a blinding flash. The sudden burst of energy illuminated the room in an intense white radiance.
"What?" Valefor exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. "He shocked himself with the lightning! Is he crazy?"
Reana couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Something like that," she replied, her eyes never leaving the dazzling display before her.
Amid the blinding light, Dragul's voice broke through. "But look!" he shouted. "The black mass surrounding them... scattered!"
Within the dazzling and tumultuous display of light and electricity, Sinbad's voice wavered as he exclaimed. "Don't die... not yet... brat... no... Ja'far!!!"
As the final lightning subsided, Sinbad's voice, though strained, reached their ears. "Hey, you still breathing?"
The kid's response was faint but reassuring. "...Yeah," he muttered, tears trickling down his chin.
Relief washed over the group, and smiles of genuine joy graced their faces. Reana rushed forward and gently held Ja'far in her arms as he wobbled unsteadily on his legs. Meanwhile, Hinahoho, unable to contain his emotions, wrapped his muscular arm around Sinbad's neck, pulling him into a powerful and heartfelt hug.
Valefor, having resumed his massive wolfish form, towering over them, stared in disbelief at what had just transpired. His eyes shifted back and forth between Sinbad and Reana, as if struggling to comprehend the extraordinary turn of events.
"You folks seem to have forgotten that this is the treasury," Valefor interjected, his voice resolute. "The place for the Djinn, Valefor, to contract with the king vessel. With this nuisance out of the way, come, it's time to decide the king!"
A moment of silence hung in the air, charged with unspoken sentiments and shared experiences. Then, Hinahoho, wearing a warm and proud smile, gently pushed Sinbad forward.
"Sinbad, go ahead," he urged, his voice filled with genuine trust.
Sinbad, his eyes reflecting a mix of surprise and gratitude, looked at his friend. "Hinahoho...?" he questioned, his heart touched by the unwavering support of his companion.
"Hey, no need to be modest," Hinahoho replied, his smile widening. "We played in earnest... it's just that... everyone here acknowledges you as his king."
Their comrades gazed at Sinbad with unwavering confidence and pride, each holding a hand to their chest, signifying their trust and loyalty.
"I decided," Valefor declared, his voice filled with authority as he extended his right hand above Sinbad. "I acknowledge you as my king."
A/N: Hello! I finally finished a new chapter! Don't hesitate to leave a comment, tell me what you think :)
Enjoy!