The silence of the ravine was shattered by the appearance of the slime.The slime, taking on Jotaro's appearance, stood before the guardian. Its eyes shone with an inhuman coldness. Fwoosh! — it vanished in the blink of an eye and reappeared right in front of him. Its expression was so intimidating that the guardian felt his legs refuse to move.
Even so, he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and shouted:—Stay back!
He lunged forward, but Jotaro's figure intercepted the blow with ease. Clang! — his fingers wrapped around the blade without flinching. The guardian pulled with all his strength; he couldn't move it an inch.
With a sudden motion, he lifted the sword and, with it, the guardian himself. The man let out a strangled cry as he rose into the sky.
The false Jotaro extended his other hand. Whoosh! A sphere of fire came to life above his palm and shot toward its prey. The ball struck midair and BOOM! — exploded with a roar, leaving behind a trail of sparks and droplets of blood that slowly fell until they disappeared into the ground.
The other guardians stood frozen, jaws dropped. He lowered his arm and turned his head, eyes fixed on the rest. A moment later, they all rushed at him at once.
A few meters from the cliff, Jotaro, Aiko, and Kira were running without stopping.Jotaro was the first to peek over the edge. His eyes widened at the sight: a pool of blood covered the ground, guardians fallen everywhere, and standing before the only one still on his feet, his own face stared back with a severe expression.
—Jotaro! —Kira's voice reached him.
—Don't run! You're still not fully healed —Aiko said.
He turned toward Aiko.—Aiko! Is there any way to get down to the bottom quickly?
—Eh? No… I don't think so.
—Damn it.
Aiko put a finger to her chin.—Wait, maybe there is…
Below, the last guardian dropped to his knees. Jotaro's figure had driven a fist through his abdomen, leaving him collapsed on the ground. It stayed still, staring at the body, until a creak behind it made it tense.
The carriage door opened. From it stepped a young woman of elegant bearing.—Hey… what's all this noise? —Princess Kumiko asked as she adjusted her dress.
Her eyes rose and met Jotaro's figure… but something in that gaze wasn't human. She didn't get a word out; he was already lunging at her with a direct blow to the head.
But Kumiko spoke before the hand could reach her:—Crushing Gravity.
Thud! Jotaro's body slammed face-first into the ground. He tried to get up; the invisible force pressed him back down even harder.
The princess floated gently as her dress lit up in a purple hue. In a blink, her outfit changed to a brown tunic with black pants and an adventurer's cape. In her hands appeared a glowing feline mask. She put it on with a swift motion.
—If I were you, I wouldn't try to resist —she said firmly—. The gravity will increase until it crushes you.
The slime struggled again. Kumiko snapped her fingers. Crack! — the ground split as the invisible weight drove him deeper.
—I multiplied the gravity by ten —she explained, ceasing to float and leaning until they were face to face—. Not even a dragon could move under this, so don't feel bad if you can't get up. From the first time I saw you, I knew there was something off about you.
She straightened with resolve.—It's time to end this. Goodbye… adventurer Jotaro.
A purple light began to glow in her outstretched hand. But a noise in the forest interrupted her focus. Kumiko lifted a tree by nullifying its gravity and hurled it toward the sound. Swoosh! A scream echoed among the shadows.
From the ground a figure revealed itself: Aiko, wrapped in a magical veil.—Concealment magic? —Kumiko murmured.
Another snap! The princess tensed.—Whoever is there, show yourself now and you'll leave unharmed!
Jotaro and Kira emerged from the trees with their hands raised.—Okay, okay, we won't hide anymore —Jotaro said.
Seeing him, the princess's eyes widened.—Adventurer Jotaro? But you're…
She didn't finish the sentence. The slime in Jotaro's guise struck her in the face violently, BAM! — sending her flying. The real Jotaro reacted instantly:—Barrier!
The spell cushioned the impact, but the energy shattered and Kumiko ended up crashing into him, knocking him against a tree.
Kira ran to his side.—Are you okay?!
—Yes… don't worry. It wasn't much. But… will she be okay?
Kumiko slowly opened her eyes.—Ah! —Kira exclaimed—. She's awake! Are you all right?
—Y-yes… —The princess jumped back as she realized how close she was to Jotaro. Her gaze hardened—. You bastard, I'll kill you!
—Wait, wait! I wasn't the one who attacked you! —Jotaro pointed behind her—. Look out!
The princess leapt aside, dodging the false Jotaro's blow that shattered the ground. In midair, Kumiko shouted:—Gravity Well!
The impostor fell like a stone and exploded, leaving only a stain of blood on the earth. Fwoom!
As she landed, the princess turned to Jotaro and Kira.—Adventurer Jotaro… I need to speak with you.
Jotaro swallowed hard. A bead of sweat slid down his forehead.