I stood in front of Belle as we faced Syemore ahead of us, a few yards away. With Phantomdrakes protruding from his back all the way out into the sky and onto the Kingdom streets, Syemore was taking on a new form than the purple demon conjured spirit he was in now. The dragons above crystallized and looked like a giant crystal tree above us, as it glowed a radiant blue aura. He had become larger from the mana he was pulling from everyone outside. And it had become imperative that we defeat Syemore here and now before this escalates.
At this time, Captain Tubolt of the Purple Panther Knights had been taken out. He currently lay unconscious on the ground behind Syemore, having bled mercilessly into the floor. The blood, however, seemed to have stopped, appearing dry as black carbon fibers formed over the gaping hole in the center of him. The Phantomdrake that had attacked us both was gone. Only its hovering neck without its head was left after I had burst out of it.
When I envisioned the last scene, I couldn't quite grasp how Syemore was able to dodge Tubolt's Wicked Blade attack, regardless of the range it covered. This guy definitely seemed to have more up his sleeve than he was showing… Right now, however, though we did not meet eye to eye, Tubolt was still an ally, and we were going to pick up where he had left off. I would not let his sacrifice go in vain.
Behind me, as I thought to myself, I heard a gentle voice in my ear, in contrast to the screams and harsh aura conditions around us. The sound of it caught me off guard, in a good way, as I now had clarity of thought thanks to it.
"Thank you…" Belle said. Her wispy white eyelashes glinted like glitter at me from the sunlight. Her eyes closed, and she wore a cheery smile meant only for me. She went on, "I lost my composure, and if it weren't for you, I'd have been beaten right here… I owe you my life." Again, a masking of words—the same as when she had 'interrogated' me back in Alice's Pink Room. Regardless, as she said this, I held on to every word. Her words were like honey, and her voice like a sweet melody.
"No need to thank me, princess… I'd do it all over again." I said, glancing back to her, staring her down unapologetically. "Right now, you're the only one that can help me beat Syemore…" Hardly a romantic ending to that response. "So I need you."
She gave a faint, gleeful smile to me but kept to herself as I spoke. They were enough to stimulate a sparkle from her radiant blue eyes.
"Whatever you need from me, I am here."
I looked back to Syemore, who seemed to resemble more of a demon beast now than he already did—snarling at me, having not moved an inch since I appeared before Belle.
An intimidating and massive roar bellowed from him. His features were completely different as he had taken shape into that of a more beastly form. Though still muscular and humanoid, he was taller, and his head was large with thick horns that curved upward. He had grown a tail that was tipped with fur, similar to that of a lioncat. Large claws from his hand and hooves on his legs also displayed, and those large, purple membranous wings shot out like massive bat wings, larger and wider than before. The crystallized necks of the Phantomdrakes glinted a blue hue while still attached to his back, and that creepy face on his left chest still had its eyes and mouth open, exuding that same blue hue from it. He stepped forward at the end of his roar.
"Okay then. I have a plan—but first…" I said to her before dashing again, disappearing and reappearing in front of Syemore in the blink of an eye. My right arm was extended to the side, the Arc Slayer hung just at the end of it. It dropped down effortlessly in front of me, swaying back and forth there for a moment. And right then, a cut formed on his neck and blood spewed out profusely as he tried to cover it with his massive claws. At the same time, the necks of the Phantomdrakes that connected from his back had shattered completely, cutting off his mana supply.
SHATTER!!!
His monstrous face could not take on another expression, but the widening of his large red eyes said it all. My eyes, as well, were so wide that a blank expression possessed me. I felt no remorse as I watched Syemore flail like a lowly beast.
So fast… I didn't even see the slash from the Arc Slayer… Belle thought to herself. How much stronger have you become? A subliminal thought…
"Now, as I was saying, princess…" I said to her, nonchalantly finishing my thought to her as Syemore continued spewing and spraying blood from his neck onto the floor.
I said something inaudible at this time. It was only a few words, but she understood the plan almost immediately. She nodded and said with shy conviction, "Understood!"
I closed my eyes and expressed a faint smile as I faced her slightly, "I knew I could count on you. Thanks, Belle." I said her name instead of 'princess'… She got goosebumps from the sound of my voice when I said her name.
I then took out my comm and started typing a message. A message in the chat with a specific crewmate whom I had planned with days before—whether we had known we would do it this way or not… a spontaneous plan that we built upon as we jumped off the cliff of scenarios. We told ourselves we would get here no matter what… three words… two words for a sentence and a name… I did all of this as Syemore proceeded to struggle there.
Belle nodded and clenched her hands together, forming an intricate hand sign. As the message sent, I threw my comm back into my pocket, and when I had turned back to face Syemore, the slash on his neck had already healed fully, steaming as his flesh melded back together. He dashed and towered over me as he threw both his massive claws one after another in consecutive motion three times. I parried each one and blocked his fourth strike with the Arc Slayer, cracking the stone floor beneath me. And he snarled intensely in my face.
"Oh yeah? Is that how you feel?" I mocked as we stood at a standstill from his attacks.
Throwing his giant claw away with the Arc Slayer, I let go of the hilt with my right hand and twirled in the air shortly.
"Then how about this?!" I went on, landing on my left foot and spin-kicking a direct kick with my right leg to his chest. I sent him flying to a wall, which still stood in this open room, behind him.
CRASH!!
I stood there with the spotlight from above. The crystallized Phantomdrakes still occupied the space up there, shooting the sun's rays in every direction. Like a giant floating tree with its roots severed and pockets of light peeking through.
Everywhere else, the Phantomdrakes were still active, raiding the city outside. Belle watched me the whole time, her eyes glinting all the while.
Two massive claws shot out and onto the walls of the cratered hole Syemore was in. He let out a threatening roar as he pulled himself out from where I had sent him.
Traces of Light magic glowed from the spot he was kicked. It flickered off his body, not being able to restore himself fully from my strike.
I bolted again to him, and he did the same. But before I could reach, my foot got caught in a thick chain from the ethers. I looked down quickly at it and saw my foot caught in a Prometheus chain from my own shadow. Then, from the halt of my advance, Syemore met me and threw a large claw, slashing me backward.
I flew, stopping midair as Syemore grabbed the end of the chain and twirled me wide and violently, crashing and shattering pillars and large leftover pieces of the walls that still occupied the wide open space. I crash landed and formed a crevice into the floor, and the moment I had arrived, Syemore had already been there over me with a mass of condensed light in his mouth. Before I knew it, the charge had unleashed.
BLAST!
The beam blasted at point-blank range onto me and through the ground in a diagonal fashion. Shooting through the side of the hill that the castle was perched upon, petering out.
Then, out of the smoke from the blast, Syemore walked out to the center where crumbled debris and uprooted stone tiles decorated the floors of this once grand meeting room; and where the crystallized Phantomdrakes still suspended above.
At this time, Belle had not moved an inch from where she was standing—still holding her hand sign. Sweat trailed down the side of her face when she noticed Syemore catching wind of this. He began to waltz over to her slowly.
Step after step, his massive hooves echoed in the room and shook the ground at his wake. Belle stared back with defiance as he crept ever so slowly, "And just what are you and that mutt planning, princess?" A creepy voice sounded from his beastly mouth that remained open, not moving at all to annunciate his words.
Then, from it, something within appeared as if he was regurgitating a human head. It was wet and slimy from the saliva, but the white hair on it was distinctive, and when it rotated to gaze at Belle, Syemore's creepy, wet, and slimy face was all that could be seen from within the large beast's mouth.
"Disgusting." Belle scoffed.
Syemore merely chuckled at the response. "This is the cost of power. For every bit of strength one has, there is a price to achieving it. Even if you were born with power, the sacrifice came before you arrived in this world… Isn't that right, 'Sun Killer'?"
Something inside Belle had been triggered at the mere echo of those two words. The words themselves and the meaning behind them were of her past… A past that had long been forgotten, brought up now by this random foe.
"How do you know that name?" She asked with a rasp in her voice and shadows forming over her eyes.
"Through the grapevine, I suppose…"
"Do not ever utter that name to me."
"Or what? Your magic is already useless against me… Whatever will you do? You can't change your past…"
Belle was silent. The shadows over her eyes had completely hidden their beautiful blue hue. The sky in them could no longer be seen as she looked down. Her hands began to shake, and sweat continued to trail from her neck down and onto her breasts. She was trying to contain her emotions once more. She couldn't afford to lose it again…
But she couldn't help it. Tears formed in her eyes as she began to relive her past and the trauma that the name "Sun Killer" brought onto her. She thought she had buried that name, but once again it was her's to wear. That heavy crown… at this time she found herself standing on a hill of bodies… and when she looked down to their faces, they all looked like her.
"N—No! Not again… Not again!" she screamed in her head. The lifeless faces that looked like her haunted her immensely each time she focused on their bloodied lips, their scars, their once sky-blue eyes devoid of their color…
Then, when she looked back to Syemore, who was a few feet away, he took on a different form to her and her alone. A form of a man who shared her same features—fair skin, medium-length platinum white hair, and white eyelashes. Deep, deep blue eyes like the sky… He wore a white kimono, baggy white pants that cuffed on his ankles, and monk shoes… The expression on his face was that of dissatisfaction and disappointment as he mouthed something inaudible to her.
Broth… er… I'm… I'm sorry… Belle uttered hesitantly to herself as she spiraled in her thoughts and delusions. She felt her hands almost lose their grip from her hand sign, about to undo whatever spell she had been trying to cast. But right then…
Two strong, firm hands gently clasped hers…
"Hey… I'm here… It's going to be okay, Belle," he said to her, caressing her hands and keeping them in place at the same time so as to not undo her cast.
As she felt her nerves calm and she looked up, she saw his face in what looked like light in the darkness. To her, he was a beacon that banished all negative thought that crept into her mind. The face she saw was a pleasant one with a cheerful smile, eyes closed. And, in what seemed like slow motion, blood splattered from behind his silhouette a few feet away, where Syemore had stood. The smile he wore was unwavering as his background colored crimson.
A pool of red splattered on the stone floor as Syemore began to spout profusely, waterfalling off the beast's mouth that enveloped his head all the while. He fell to his knees, revealing the Arc Slayer that stabbed through the middle of him from behind. Like it had been thrown previously, keeping him at bay for the time being and allowing this male a moment with Belle.
She formed tears from her eyes. They streamed down faintly when she said, "I-I'm sorry… I keep failing… I promise I'll—"
"You're doing great. Don't apologize. Just remember… you are not alone," he said to her.
With her tears drying, she shook her head and said his name passionately, "Greed…"
When she said my name, I said nothing and just stared at her for a while, continuing to keep her calm. Then after a moment, I let go of her hands and faced Syemore who had been bleeding all over the ground. My expression changed entirely, shifting from compassion to indignation. "Alright… I'll beat the shit out of this guy."
I dashed over toward Syemore, and he raised a clawed hand at me in response, casting a spell,
"Gale Magic: Hydra's Claws!"
A gale of vicious winds raged vehemently back to me, slowing me down a bit.
The blade-like winds continued their chaotic advance, shredding my clothes unforgivingly. Though tearing away at my jacket and a bit of my white shirt underneath, my skin remained unscathed—pushing through nonetheless.
As I struggled through the spell, Syemore threw his arms over and attempted to pull the Arc Slayer out from his back. The contact with the large blade, especially with it being pierced through him, had been eating away his mana greatly, second by second. Even grabbing the hilt of it wiped a chunk of his mana, becoming a chore to even just pull it out.
"Curse this fucking sword!" He breathed harshly, blood gushing still.
As I got within arm's reach, the winds began to dissipate. Every inch of advance felt tedious. Then, from in front of me, Syemore chanted,
"Primal Magic: Hydro Shark Asylum!"
Right then, water formed from under us through the cracks of the stone floor; a wall of water formed between me and Syemore. When I threw my punch, the shockwave from it opened a hole in the water, revealing him inches away from my fist.
But before it hit, my fist had stopped. The water sped back, catching my arm.
Next, it was my feet that became immovable as the water escalated, forming a spherical water prison around me.
Syemore bore a painful smile as he realized my weakness…
"Your body is quite tough and can even negate the effects of magic attacks… But I recalled when you fought against Friera's vessel, you got caught within her Clay magic, and you couldn't break free of that so easily." He managed to stand at this time, the Arc Slayer still through him. If it hadn't been for his endless supply of mana he got from the Phantomdrakes earlier in the battle, he would have been out cold. He breathed out hoarsely, still holding on to his pride with every word. "So, if the magic was conjured by mana, it has no effect on you; however, if the magic was conjured by manipulation, that's a different case… Even you can't break free of natural elements, it seems."
The water prison, now in full spherical form around me, had ceased my movements completely within it. The water he used had been left over from Jecht's Hydro Shark Missiles, formed by the humidity he emitted in his Primal state. When Syemore had been barraged by the missiles earlier in the battle, they had been soaked up within the crevices of the stone floor. That was the water he had used to trap me by manipulation.
Pissed off and unable to move, I glowered at Syemore and managed a sentence from the thick of the water, "Shut up already!"
Then with one quick motion, he flicked a large claw, and from within the water prison, a group of hydro sharks formed within the same water, swimming around me—their prey.
"As you wish… But after you…" he said then chanted, "FEAST!"
The shiver of hydro sharks shrouded me. Beginning to gnaw away at my limbs and body as they made contact. From my tattered shirt and pants, my infamous black coating began to form all around me as they chewed. It spread like a disease and covered a part of my face, forming those white jagged fanged teeth that wrapped halfway around my head from the bottom down, covering my mouth like a mask.
Though their teeth were sharp, they could not pierce me. Through their biting, I began to swim within the thick water—tedious as each stroke was—to the nearest surface in front of me. Syemore observed the struggle all the while as he spouted more blood from his mouth, still having not removed the Arc Slayer continuously eating away at him. A battle of time and effort, restricting our movements—itching, dying… to just move properly.
"This damned sword…" Syemore said out loud to himself as I continued to push through, dragging the hydro sharks with me with each dreadful stroke, until finally…
BURST!
From the side, a wave splashed, arms shot out, and I had emerged from the Shark Asylum.
"How!? How far does your strength go!?" Syemore shouted in a crazed manner, his eyes widening, a tempest of both frustration and amusement.
I pulled myself out of the water, staying suspended on the surface side of the water prison that floated in midair. The black coating, my signature, radiating a black, dim gloss if shadow could glint.
"There it is! That aura—your power! I want it! Give it to me!" he shouted once more, as one who neither feared nor wanted death. Welcoming its embrace, even for but a moment to witness—experience my power. The in between of blessing and curse.
My eyes glowed a haunting red, whose light trailed with each movement. I landed in front of him, crouched, squatted, dripping wet and fist to the ground, overwhelming his aura with my mere own.
"Okay, fine… I'll give you something," I said with a haunting tone meant only for my enemies. My right fist reeled back and my left hand over it, readying the upward throw I was about to unleash right underneath his jaw, "This is for insulting Belle… you motherfucker!"
I yelled a battle cry as my fist roared an uppercut right under his chin, staggering intensely at impact. His face contorted from the blow, biting his tongue, teeth chopping it clean off and then shattering as they impacted—top and bottom jaw.
He flew upward at a ferocious speed, shattering the crystallized dragons above that were blocking the sky. He shot up like a raging meteor, leaving this world instead of entering it. Nothing in his path could stop the intense blow dealt to him. Farther and farther up he flew until he passed the barrier that shrouded the Valley Kingdom. The remnants of the shattered Phantomdrakes were all decorated above, along with him, sparkling crystals and light blue hues glittering the sky. And then… right on time…
"BELLE!" I shouted, knowing she had been done charging her cast seconds before I escaped the water prison. She had been waiting for my signal, and now was the time.
She had a look of sheer determination and focus that no one could match. Her deep blue eyes reflected the glinting crystals in the sky, taking her beauty to a whole new level as she chanted with all her heart,
"Holy Magic: Celestial Dome!"
As Syemore had passed the Kingdom's barrier, a golden aura rippled in the sky, starting from the outer walls of the Valley Kingdom, and then closing in on where he had flown through. The barrier was intricate, glowing a bright that illuminated the whole sky, painting it gold. The designs on it were that of Aegis scattered all throughout it with angels in the middle of each, symbolizing the protection of the Keeper's army over all the Valley.
When Syemore finally stopped flying, he was not only over the Kingdom's barrier—he had just flown over Belle's Celestial Dome as well. The Arc Slayer that pierced him had flown out just a few feet under, also above the golden barrier as it closed below them both. From above him, however, an arrow had flown through, inches away at this very moment, like it had made it through as well just before the barrier had shut completely.
Snap!
The sound of fingers snapping echoed from far away, and it got switched with something big. The whole Kingdom seemed to pulse a glow for a short second right then as well. Then… when it appeared, its shadow covered the whole area above the Arcane King's castle, right over Syemore. It looked to be an enormous building in the sky, inches away from Syemore's face, taking its time to fall and slam onto him aggressively. Unforgivingly. He could do nothing but watch it, wait for it, and take it face first as he and it roared back down, crashing onto the outer surface of the Celestial Dome.
Belle ran over to me as her magic cast had completed. A loud crash muffled from above us as she looked upward to see what it was. And before she could question, I said softly, "Come on." I reached out my hand to her delicate ones. "It's not over yet, princess… You ready?"
She nodded in response and grabbed my hand gently, then with one quick motion…
Snap!
And just like that, we were gone and replaced with pieces of rubble from high above, two layers over the entire Valley Kingdom.