Chapter 54: The Battle in the House Without Stairs, Part 2
Within the enigmatic dimension known as the House Without Stairs, the fierce battle raged on. The room trembled with each surge of energy from the clash between Romeo and Cris, two indomitable forces locked in a relentless struggle.
Romeo's balisongs sliced through the air, swift and precise, while Cris's chains, tipped with blades that writhed like living serpents, countered every strike. The floor was riddled with cracks, the furniture reduced to splinters, and the ceiling teetered on the brink of collapse under the ferocity of their confrontation.
Despite his battle-hardened skill, Romeo began to notice the mounting wounds on his body. Each lash of Cris's chains pierced his diwata barrier—a defense he had once thought nearly impenetrable. Pain tightened in his chest, yet his eyes burned with unwavering resolve. He refused to yield, even as his opponent's attacks breached his defenses. With every assault, Cris grew more aggressive, like a predator certain of its prey.
"Impressive, General," Cris said, his voice laced with admiration but tinged with mockery. "But no matter how fast you are, you can't evade my chains. I know your every move."
Romeo remained silent, his balisongs surging forward, forming a swirling storm of blades. Cris's chains met them head-on, the clash of metal against metal echoing like a symphony of war. In a fleeting moment, a chain grazed Romeo's shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood. He winced but retaliated swiftly, waiting for the perfect moment to close the distance.
Across the room, Peter was embroiled in his own struggle against the creatures conjured by Clara. A gorilla lunged at him, while an elephant charged his towering sand form. A tiger and a rhinoceros attacked relentlessly, and though Peter could topple them, new beasts emerged from Clara's magic circles with every wave of her fan.
"This is infuriating!" Peter muttered to himself, his energy waning. "She just keeps summoning creatures, showing no weakness. How can I defeat her if I can't even hit her?"
Peter knew controlling sand demanded immense energy, especially when encasing his body to form a giant. Each animal attack eroded his form, and though he could regenerate the damaged parts, exhaustion was creeping in.
"2nd Sand Art: Sand Spike!" he shouted, as the sand around him shaped into five-meter spikes that surged toward Clara. To his shock, the spikes passed through her, her body dissolving into petals and butterflies that scattered in the air before reforming elsewhere in the room.
"She can dodge my attacks too!" Peter whispered, his fists clenched in frustration. He realized the only way to end the fight was to strike Clara directly, but her elusive ability made her untouchable.
A gorilla suddenly grabbed him from behind, twisting his neck, while the tiger bit his right arm. He tried to shake them off, but an elephant charged, knocking him to the floor.
His sand form scattered but quickly reformed into a massive ten-meter serpent. "3rd Sand Art: Anaconda!" Peter roared, as the snake lunged at Clara, snapping its jaws. As expected, her body dissolved into petals and butterflies, reappearing in a new position.
"Damn it! I can't beat her if I can't hit her!" Peter said, his voice thick with frustration.
As he strategized, the gorilla attacked the serpent's head, shattering its sand. The other creatures joined, overwhelming the snake until it nearly crumbled. Peter knew reforming it drained too much energy, so he leaped away, encasing himself in sand armor.
"I need a plan," he whispered, sweat dripping from his brow.
"4th Sand Art: Sand Scorpion!" he shouted, as the sand formed a five-meter scorpion that charged Clara's creatures. It crushed them one by one, but Peter's fatigue was evident. Each movement felt like it sapped his strength, the battle's weight bearing down on him.
"This takes too much energy," he muttered, worry clouding his eyes. He knew Clara was expending energy too, yet she showed no signs of fatigue, as if summoning creatures was effortless.
The scorpion attacked again, but Clara's body dissolved into petals and butterflies, shifting positions. Clara sighed, closing her fan and fixing her gaze on Peter.
"I don't wish to fight or harm you, Major Peter, also known as Wanso, the emissary of Marinduque," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I'm sorry, but your efforts aren't enough to defeat me. It would be better if you stopped attacking and stayed out of Cris and Romeo's fight."
"Tch, are you underestimating me?" Peter retorted, his eyes blazing with anger. "You think I'm too weak to keep going?"
Clara bowed, apologetic. "Forgive me if I wounded your pride. I mean no disrespect and admire your skill. But my ability allows me to create things from nothing, including my body. As long as I have energy, I can reform myself."
Peter was stunned, but his resolve held firm. "I won't let my general fight alone! I'll battle to the death by his side!"
The scorpion charged again, its legs striking at Clara. She sighed, as if disappointed. "I thought you were a gentleman who'd honor a lady's request."
She opened her fan and waved it, summoning a massive magic circle. From it emerged gigantic mammoths that barreled into the scorpion. Though it crushed some, their numbers overwhelmed it, shattering the sand creature under their weight.
"Impossible!" Peter shouted, incredulous. "She defeated my scorpion so easily!"
He glared at Clara as she closed her fan. "Now, brave soldier, can we end this?" she asked, her voice calm yet commanding.
Peter collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath, his body heavy from the fight. He knew he couldn't reform the scorpion, as it would only be destroyed again. In frustration, he punched the floor, his face etched with disappointment.
"You don't need to feel defeated," Clara said, her voice filled with compassion. "You fought well, Major Peter. Your general must be proud."
"Tch, I'm not done!" Peter yelled, his eyes burning. "You think that's all I've got?"
Clara closed her eyes, weary of the exchange. "I don't understand why you insist on fighting when it's pointless. This battle is between Cris and your general. Even though you broke this house's rules, we can't kill emissaries like you."
She waved her fan toward Romeo. "Your success depends on your general."
"No! I'll look weak if I let my general fight alone!" Peter protested.
Forced to adapt, he shouted, "5th Sand Art: Sand Golem!" Sand formed a six-meter golem with hammer-like arms. It charged Clara, who waved her fan, summoning a giant vulture that circled the golem. The vulture attacked its arms, while a lion emerged from another magic circle, leaping onto the golem's back and shattering its head.
Peter staggered, feeling the weight of each blow. He reformed the golem, but the vulture and lion kept destroying it. He lunged at Clara, grabbing for her, but her body dissolved into butterflies. "I can't hit her!" he whispered, his fists clenched in rage.
In desperation, he tried another tactic. "6th Sand Art: Sand Storm!" he roared, as sand formed a massive storm, filling the room with thick dust. It surged toward Clara, but a giant eagle emerged from her fan, soaring through the storm unaffected. It dove at Peter, who hid within his sand armor. Clara's body vanished into petals, reappearing elsewhere.
"This is maddening! How do I defeat her if she keeps disappearing?" Peter shouted, his voice raw with frustration.
Refusing to give up, he tried a bolder move. "7th Sand Art: Sand Blades!" he yelled, as sand formed dozens of flying blades that sped toward Clara. A massive cobra emerged from her magic circle, intercepting the blades and shattering them with its tail. Clara's body dissolved into butterflies, shifting positions with each attack.
"This is endless!" Peter cried, collapsing to his knees, too exhausted to move.
His eyes burned with frustration, his fists clenched tightly. "Damn it! Why can't I do anything?" he whispered, his voice bitter. He knew he was no match for Clara, who seemed like an unreachable illusion.
Amidst Cris and Romeo's battle, Romeo unleashed a new attack. "3rd Blade of Freedom: Blade Tempest!" he shouted, as his balisongs formed a whirling storm of blades around Cris. The blades struck from all directions like a tornado. But Cris's chains countered, snaking around each balisong.
"Impressive, General, but it's not enough!" Cris shouted, his chains forming a massive shield that blocked the blade storm. In an instant, a chain struck Romeo's back, drawing another wound.
Romeo grimaced but pressed on, unleashing a rain of balisongs like falling stars. Cris, too swift, countered each attack with his living chains.
"How long will you keep up these repetitive attacks?" Cris asked.
"Until you tire of blocking and give up," Romeo replied.
He summoned a massive peacock of balisongs above him, its blades raining down like a storm. Cris's chains met them, their blades dancing in a metallic symphony.
"General, your offensive and defensive skills are remarkable, but they're useless against us," Cris said, his eyes gleaming with confidence.
With a sudden motion, Cris slammed his hand to the floor, summoning a massive magic circle beneath Romeo. Hundreds of chains erupted, binding the peacock above and wrapping around Romeo's body. Stunned, Romeo hadn't anticipated the chains bypassing his defenses from below.
"Figured it out yet, General?" Cris taunted. "We know everything about you—your abilities, your ten Blades of Freedom, and, of course, your weaknesses."
Romeo remained calm, despite being bound. "Impressive," he said, his voice filled with respect. "You're right—I've noticed you predict my every move."
Unfazed, Cris asked, "So, do you accept defeat?" Cris smirked, but instead of surrendering, Romeo smiled, his eyes gleaming with pride.
"I don't accept defeat," he said, as Cris sensed a strange energy behind him. Turning, he was shocked to see a small hole beside balisongs embedded in the door.
"Impossible!" Cris exclaimed. "I didn't expect you to do that!"
The balisongs around them faded, along with the peacock. Romeo's bound body dissolved into balisong fragments, falling to the floor. Cris smiled, impressed by his opponent's cunning.
"I didn't even sense him slipping a balisong into the door," Cris whispered, admiring Romeo's intellect. He realized Romeo had deliberately let himself be caught to mask his plan—transferring his body into the balisongs that struck the door.
Knowing Romeo had entered the next room, Cris sighed and signaled his allies to stop. "The game's over."
---
In the next room, behind the door where Laguna waited, Romeo approached a table. The room was smaller than the others, a simple dining area in a mansion with elegant furnishings but a lower ceiling. At the table's end sat a beautiful woman with long green hair—Laguna—eating quietly. Beside her stood a young girl and boy, Elias and Juli, dressed in simple Filipino attire, her loyal weapons and allies.
Romeo pulled out a chair and sat across from Laguna. "At last, we meet again," he said, his voice filled with respect but tinged with fatigue.
Laguna smiled, her eyes soft yet sharp. "I'm pleased to see you too, little General," she replied, her voice melodic, brimming with confidence yet touched with concern. She continued eating, seemingly unfazed by the chaos outside.
"I've waited a long time for this moment," Romeo said, his eyes burning with determination. "I'm not here for the Spanish but for the Filipinos. I know you're the only one who can help me with this."
Laguna gazed at him, her smile unwavering. "You're as bold as ever, Romeo. But you know I don't help without a price. Are you ready to bear the weight of the responsibility you'll carry?"
Her words hung in the air like a mysterious breeze, laden with promise and challenge. Romeo closed his eyes, reflecting, then nodded, ready to face any trial for his singular goal: to end the chaos plaguing the nation caused by the rebels.