The sudden shift in Cooper's attitude and behavior took Illya by complete surprise.
Before she could react, an invisible force seized her, encasing her in a crystalline structure.
Diamond shards rapidly formed around her body, solidifying into a cage that gleamed coldly under the dim light of the cavern. The structure was flawless, unyielding, designed with precision to imprison and suppress any attempt at escape.
"Give up the spirit, and I will let you go," Cooper's voice rang out, calm but laced with an unmistakable edge of menace.
Illya didn't know why his demeanor had changed so abruptly, but now it no longer mattered. Her hesitation had vanished, replaced by a resolve sharpened by necessity.
Movement seemed all but impossible within the crystalline cocoon. Energy beams, no matter how potent, would simply reflect off its surface or dissipate without effect.
Yet, if she sharpened her edges enough, focused her nanobots into a fine, precise blade, she could cut through the prison.
"I see… Looks like you don't wish to negotiate. Fine—" Cooper raised his hand, preparing to crush her entirely, when a low, unsettling purr reverberated through the air… almost like a growl.
He turned toward the sound, his expression hardening in confusion and alarm.
There, emerging from the shadows, the black leopard walked steadily toward him.
Blood dripped from its mouth, staining the cavern floor as it passed by the unconscious pirates scattered around the tree's base.
Their vacant expressions and motionless bodies told of complete incapacity to fight.
All of a sudden, a wall of starlight materialized out of nowhere, intercepting an incoming attack aimed directly at Cooper and barely sparing his skin from devastation.
"Focus!" one of the orcs shouted, his arm fractured and a clear paw mark branded into his shoulder, most certainly inflicted by the leopard.
The other two orcs weren't faring much better. Their bodies were riddled with deep claw marks, and burn scars marred their flesh, a testament to the leopard's relentless assault. Iris was nowhere to be seen, vanished from their field of vision as if swallowed by the chaos.
"It's too fast for us! Give us some time!" another orc yelled, desperation lacing his voice.
"Alright! Moon, cover me!" Cooper commanded with authority, his tone sharp and resolute.
In response, a brilliant layer of diamond-shaped armor enveloped Cooper's entire form, reshaping into the formidable silhouette of a rhinosaurus. The crystalline armor gleamed coldly, reflecting the dim light of the cavern.
Meanwhile, the orcs found themselves encased within a semi-circular diamond barrier, now the fearsome leopard now had only a single target to focus on.
In an instant, Cooper's diamond armor shuddered violently as several bolts of electricity crackled through it, striking his frame. His arms went limp, paralyzed, claw marks scorched deep into the arm guard sections, blackened and smoking from the brutal assault.
Frustration mounting, Cooper stomped his foot hard against the ground. From the earth, sharp diamond spikes erupted in rapid succession, aiming to impale the leopard. But instead of harming the beast, they served only to elevate it, giving the leopard a superior vantage point to observe and strike.
"Tch… I never thought a B-rank manifestation would be this troublesome," a voice sneered from the very spot where Iris had crashed, the cavern now bathed in a brilliant red glow.
What emerged from the scorched hole could only be described as a woman forged entirely from searing flames. Her form radiated oppressive heat, so intense that even the surrounding diamond structures began to melt, their edges warping and dripping like wax.
"Time for round two," Iris declared, her voice laced with both amusement and menace.
Although their movements were too fast for Cooper to track clearly, he could feel the brutal collision of their attacks reverberate through the air.
Iris's speed wasn't comparable to the leopard's, but her reaction time was sharp enough to dodge several of its vicious blows. Still, most of its strikes found their mark, and she had no effective way to directly harm it. The searing heat that radiated from the leopard seemed to be the only force slowly wearing it down, but at the rate it consumed energy, defeat felt impossibly far away.
Desperation clawed at Cooper's resolve. Seeing no other option, he stomped down onto the cavern floor once more, and like a cruel orchestra, sharp diamond spikes erupted from every corner of the cave.
The cavern walls groaned and shattered as the spikes sliced through rock and stone, even chipping at the radiant white tree's roots. The brilliant tree, which had once been the source of spiritual energy, now trembled from the onslaught, its shimmering waters growing unstable.
With its space suddenly confined and its main advantage stripped away, the leopard's movements began to falter.
Seizing the moment, Iris surged forward, her fiery form burning brighter than ever, and delivered a precise, much-deserved strike to the creature's exposed stomach. The leopard howled in pain as it crumpled, collapsing onto the roots of the tree.
"Seal it! Now!" Cooper shouted, his voice cracking with urgency. But when he turned toward the orcs, all he saw was a gruesome sight—a bloody, lifeless mess. Illya calmly stepped out of the diamond barrier, her form unmarred, while only ashes remained where the orcs had once stood.
"Fate… such a cruel concept… isn't that so?" came a voice from atop the brilliant tree, one that Cooper instantly recognized.
"Young master…" Cooper's words trembled as he nervously glanced upward at the holographic figure of Ray, seated on one of the lower branches of the radiant tree.
"You know," Ray began, his tone almost melancholic, "I once knew a man with immense potential in the arts of Sorcery—a talent many would chase after. Yet, one day, when I asked him to join my security squad, he refused. He told me he now had a family and that he would soon leave this world behind to live an honest life…" Ray gracefully leapt from the branch, kneeling next to the purring leopard, his fingers gently stroking its fur. "However… fate was nothing but cruel to him."
Cooper's eyes widened, the weight of realization dawning upon him.
"He had a son with extraordinary talent in Summoning. But unable to be a proper guide, the father handed over the child's care to the Allen Family, who could nurture him to reach greater heights than the man ever could," Ray continued, his voice calm yet laden with sorrow. "Yet, tragedy struck. His wife mysteriously fell into a coma. Despite consulting the finest doctors across Central City, no cure was found. A year later… she passed away, leaving behind a healthy son and a grieving husband."
Tears began to well up in Cooper's eyes.
"He scoured every corner of necromantic lore, desperately seeking to recover her soul, but not a single trace remained in the material world—as if something had deliberately erased her existence. Then, one day, his own eyes began to lose their color, signaling his fate to follow the same tragic path. It was at that moment that his gaze locked with his son's… those brilliant blue eyes, so full of life. He was the reason for his wife's death… Yet even knowing that, he forgave his son before falling into the coma himself," Ray finished, his eyes fixed on Cooper, now trembling on the verge of tears. "Spiritualization… that is what became of their souls."
"I know… I know that I killed them… I killed my own parents…" Cooper's voice cracked, raw with guilt and desperation. "I-I didn't know how to control it… I couldn't… I couldn't understand my actions back then… But believe me, young master! I have found a way to bring them back!" His hand trembled as he pointed frantically at his eyes, now glowing with a faint green light. "I can control it! I can control the spiritualization! I can give them back their lives! Don't you see?!"
Ray's tone was measured, almost cold. "And what if that is not their wish? What if they never wanted to see their son in such a state? Would you rob them of the peace they rightfully earned?"
"I…" Cooper's voice faltered, caught in his throat, suffocating under the weight of guilt and fear. "Please… give me a chance… I beg of you."
"Who am I to stop you?" Ray replied smoothly, his gaze piercing. "You should instead ask them." His eyes subtly shifted toward Moon, the crystalline rhinosaurus, which watched the exchange through the slowly closing crack in space.
"Moon?" Cooper's voice was filled with disbelief as he looked at the creature, whose eyes now radiated an unexpected warmth, a silent presence of understanding.
Ray continued, his words calm yet profound, "The very first spirit you summoned was the one who has protected you from the very beginning."
At that moment, Cooper's diamond armor began to crack, brittle fractures spreading across its surface with a sharp, echoing snap as the spatial rift sealed shut.
A small rhinosaurus, soft and gentle, materialized in front of him, its crystalline form shimmering faintly. It lowered its massive, translucent head and licked away his tears with deliberate gentleness, as if offering silent forgiveness.
A cold, gentle embrace enveloped from above. Cooper's eyes widened as he looked up, only to see a massive ape-like creature, covered in thick white fur, enveloping both him and the small crystalline rhinosaurus in a soft, protective hug.
"Axel? I didn't…" Cooper muttered, his voice trembling, struggling to comprehend the surreal moment unfolding before him.
"In your desperate search for redemption, you failed to realize the truth," Ray's voice echoed calmly, laced with quiet authority. "Your parents… who never once abandoned you… were right there by your side all along."
The words struck Cooper like a thunderclap. His eyes filled with a dawning realization, tears mingling with the glow in his eyes.
For the first time in years, he felt joy. A pure, profound feeling… one he had thought forever lost to the shadows of regret.