"ROOAAAR!!!" roared the big white wolf, growling and drooling at the lifeless pale vessel of the girl in front of him. Then, he suddenly raised his massive right paw with its sharp black claws, which made a clanging sharp sound as they sharpened, like drawing a sword from its sheath.
"No! Stop!!" Anna screamed from afar when she saw what Kaito was about to do. Even before Number Two could launch his attack on them.
But Anna's cry changed nothing. It was already too late. The wolf's paw... No. A human hand pierced Monika's skin and penetrated her body. The dull, splashing sound made the others, Anna, the twins, and the heroes freeze when they saw their friend's blood-covered body with a friend's arm stuck in it.
Seconds later, the hand was quickly pulled out, revealing a red, blood-stained, yet glowing crystal in the shape of a heart in his grip. Beside it, all that remained was a large hole in the middle of the chest of the body on the ground.
A thick purple-black fog burst out unexpectedly and enveloped Monika and the big wolf with the now human arm and the glowing crystal in his hand, as well as five meters around them. But this fog disappeared immediately, as if a strong gust of wind had blown it away, as soon as a sudden glass-breaking sound rang out.
When the fog cleared, something strange became apparent. The large white wolf with purple streaks, the monster that had partially destroyed its surroundings and murdered people, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a young teenager with a silver earring in his wolf-like ears appeared above the lifeless vessel. He was kneeling, his left hand supporting his body above the girl, his right hand held in a fist in the air, from which several small glittering shards fell to the ground.
Nobody here had any idea what was going on, nor did they know what the half-wolf was up to when he suddenly lowered his head and closed his eyes.
Slightly rough lips approached hesitantly, almost shyly, bridging the last tiny gap until they finally touched the soft, cherry blossom pink lips of the soulless girl. A barely sensible tremor ran through him as skin met skin... still warm, light as a feather, and yet with an unexpected heaviness, with every breath hanging on this moment.
Monika's body began to glow as golden, transparent, shimmering veils formed out of her body. These veils fluttered wildly, but with only one objective, they flew into the large bleeding hole in her chest.
Mystically, the wound closed, and Monika's face regained color. She began to move her chest up and down as her lungs received oxygen again.
Kaito's lips distanced themselves after he felt a slight twitch from his partner and a weak but tender voice came through her mouth.
"Kai-to...?"
Kaito carefully placed his right hand on her soft cheek, slowly wiping her tears from her face with his thumb, and replied calmly and gently.
"Sorry I'm late."
"It's okay... I knew you would come." Monika smiled and tried to get up. But she couldn't. She was too weak from the last few days she had spent in bed with a high fever, and even until just now, when she had been dead for a few minutes, no wonder she couldn't move except for slight twitches.
Kaito sensed this and wanted to look away, but he didn't. Once again, he blamed himself for what was happening. Not only for eating the flower, but also for his stupidity regarding Monika's true identity. Some time ago, he already had a hunch that Monika was the culprit, but when he accidentally saw her bare back, he didn't find the tattoo of that one organization that worried him.
But he also didn't realize that this tattoo was invisible due to magic, which meant he continued to be deceived by Monika.
But now he wondered why he hadn't just asked her about it, not only when she was sick, not during her months-long trip, but right from the start, when they met again at the fountain in the city at the agreed time. Of course, she wouldn't have just told him the truth that she was a murderer, and his murderer too. A fight would probably have been inevitable, although he couldn't have won the fight in his condition at the time anyway.
However, he couldn't turn back time. Now he knew the truth, now he had finally found his killer and could take his revenge, like he wanted to for months.
But he didn't... Monika told him that her heart was controlled by the organization, meaning he didn't know if Monika killed him of her own free will back then or if she was forced to do it by her boss or something. He kept this in mind.
Nevertheless, what he did know was that the organization was also his enemy and he wanted to defeat it in order to save the people who were suffering under its influence.
"Get some rest, I'll take care of everything else." Monika nodded silently and closed her eyes again, but this time, not forever.
Kaito straightened up and finally rose up on his two legs again instead of four as before. A light breeze ruffled his white-silver hair as he turned around and searched for his friends with his red eyes, his gaze focusing on the Salamander Princess.
"Anna."
"Yes?" she asked surprised, her eyes wanting to cry with joy, but she held back this time, for once. Even though it was hard for her.
"Please take care of Monika."
Anna hesitated briefly, but then replied sorrowfully, "… Y-Yes." She already knew that he was only worried about Monika again, but her love for him meant she couldn't refuse his request, despite feeling invisible and worthless.
"And one more thing, Anna. I know I've never said it to you before, but... thank you."
"...?"
"Thank you for being part of our party and staying with us. Our friendship means a lot to me."
Anna couldn't believe what she just heard. Like somebody punched her in the belly, she froze. But only for a moment. Until recently, she was worried that she wouldn't be noticed, but she was wrong. Only after hearing her hero's words, she realized that he not only had eyes for Monika, but for all his friends.
Even if this wasn't a clear reply to her love for him, it was enough to cheer Anna up.
"Reiko, Eiko. I'm sorry I scared you. I'll make it up to you, okay?"
"Papa..." they spoke in their tender voices, tears of joy making their eyes sparkle. They smiled gently, their cheeks reddening slightly.
"Dorilla, Alcia." He quickly turned to the two heroes, who looked at him petrified.
"Yes, Kaito?" Alicia asked in surprise.
"Please go back to the mansion and give Elaine a hand. I can handle this myself."
"Are you out of your mind? This is the vice-commander of a dangerous organization, alone you have no-..." suddenly Alicia interrupted her sentence as she noticed Dorilla's large hand resting on her left shoulder. Dorilla spoke. "Okay, we got it!"
"What are you doing Dorilla?"
"He trusts us, so we should trust him too." Dorilla was serious. After looking into Kaito's eyes, he immediately recognized his ambition to protect his friends. His smiling face of self-confidence made him believe that he might even have a chance against Number Two.
"...All right, then. Let's go back. But don't die, okay?" Alicia pouted.
"I won't." Kaito replied with a grin.
In a flash, Dorilla and Alicia disappeared into a brightly glowing magical circle, surrounded by several veils.
"Are you finished with your little chit-chat?" the vice-commander in his black suit asked impatiently, approaching Kaito and looking at him with his narrow eyes, smirking maliciously.
Kaito turned to him, also grinning. "Oh, sorry. I'm all yours now."
The once magnificent mansion, which until recently had been in flames, now consisted only of charred beams and collapsed walls. Despite putting out the fire with Anna's water magic, the fire was too strong and left a gray-black ruin covered in ash.
Butlers and maids, who were barely injured, helped their colleagues escape the scene of the battle. They gathered by a river near the Legendary Heroes' estate and nursed their wounds. Especially the major injuries of their colleagues.
Even if you wouldn't notice it at the moment, due to the turmoil of the battle site and the first aid they were giving, they regretted the loss of their home very much and mourned inside.
The battle is not over yet! the golden lioness Elaine said to herself several times when her opponent blocked one of her attacks. The aerial battle between the two flowers, the strong female knight and the evil magician progressed.
Whenever Elaine's swordsblade flashed due to an unleashed Weapon skill, delivering swift and precise blows, her opponent, Number Five constantly parried them with barriers and other protective spells.
In fact, it was quite the opposite. It was a constant back and forth between their attacks and yet no one gave in. Despite Number Five's impressive magic and cunning tricks, the heroine fought on relentlessly like there was no tomorrow.
"That's your end!" roared Elaine. Her eyes sparkled gold as she held her sword, which bore the name
Elaine's Weapon skill was very similar to Kaito's skill
"BLOOMING FAITH!!!" With Elaine's accumulated strength and a large but long sword slash, she broke through the barrier and sliced the member of the organization, code name: Number Five, in half.
"That's... impossible..." were Number Five's last words before the after-effect of the Weapon Skill
"I've made it. Don't worry, now I'll come to your rescue too... Kaito." exhausted, Elaine staggered in the air. Whoa? she asked herself. Unexpectedly, the fight was probably more exhausting than she thought, she had already fought other more powerful monsters, and yet she weakened just after this fight?
Strange, that hasn't happened to me for years? What's wrong with me? Showing weakness just like that...?
Elaine swayed back and forth, her body slowly lowered, her flying skill seemed to weaken, and she fell from the sky.
"Elaine!!!" a familiar voice called from the distance. Magical golden-transparent feathers wafted around as a small blonde Valkyrie caught heroine Elaine with her magnificent magic-made golden wings. Despite her small body, she was able to carry Elaine in her arms using a physical enhancement skill.
"Alicia? ... What are you doing here? What about Kaito?" she looked at Alicia in amazement.
"He's fine. He's just beaming full of energy." Alicia grinned.
Elaine sobbed, surprised again. "I'm glad about that." Reassured, she smiled gently, thinking that Kaito had probably regained his memories and was back to his old self. She didn't have to... well, less worry about him. That was probably one of the reasons why her strength was waning after the fight. She had only thought about Kaito all the time, worrying about his condition and his well-being.
Elaine knew that this was probably the feeling of her affection towards him. Her heart couldn't deny it, she was in love with Kaito.
Kaito.
"Let's go!" I shouted and rushed towards him. Meanwhile, I felt a certain warmth in my right hand, its energy literally vibrating in my hand. A light, or rather a violet-black flame, enveloped my entire hand. Dark shadows and purple veils danced around until they finally formed and manifested in the palm of my hand.
Within seconds, I was holding a wavy, black blade with golden decorations in the shape of a longsword. No matter how many times I summon this sword, my body always feels a little lighter, as if my body is levitating, or floating in a lake illuminated by the night sky, speckled with tiny, almost invisible dots of light.
My beloved sword
I was barely three meters away from Number Two when I brought my sword into an attack formation. My first move started with a diagonal slash from top right to bottom left.
But unexpectedly, my blade stopped halfway after a sharp sound as the metal collided with something. On closer inspection, it was also a longsword, but the blade was quite narrow for a sword, maybe it was some kind of rapier...? But this one was made of pure magic, light magic in fact, what he held in his right hand.
"I don't know what was wrong with you, but this time I won't hold back to kill you." said the vice-commander. I could see in his eyes that he was serious. He is strong, so I have to be careful. But I won't hold back either!
"I would hope so."
Our blades bounced off each other, building up a certain distance. However, this distance was closed again after milliseconds when our blades crossed again.
From my side, I attacked first with two horizontal slashes, followed by three quick vertical strikes. Demon Tears' blade shimmered with a poisonous green light as the five-hit combo of the one-handed sword category formed:
Unfortunately, this had no effect either.
One by one, our weapons flashed again and again, united in a dance of steel and magic, sparks flying with each clash of weapons.
"You're not bad at all, for a mutt."
"Could say the same about you."
Shortly after our brief conversation, I spotted a small gap under his right arm. If I'm fast enough, I could hurt him on his right side, I thought. It was risky, but I dared to try. I slid my blade down diagonally from his rapier and turned my body clockwise as fast as I could, followed by my beloved sword, which began to glow azure blue and trailed an arc of light behind it.
But one thing was strange... When I was just halfway along my attack, I felt like the time had stopped. Or at least passed in slow motion. But I hadn't even activated the skill <30 seconds slow motion>. Or does he also have this skill? At least I couldn't rule it out, since anyone could have this skill.
My body moved like a snail, slowly, but my eyes could clearly see Number Two's body moving to the right. At first, I thought he was going to stab me with his rapier and that this would be the end for me. But quite the opposite.
I hadn't noticed it before, but... His left hand had been hidden behind his back since the beginning of our fight. And right now, at this moment, I saw why... In his left hand he was holding... a gun.
"Let's see how you like this!" He shot three times in my direction. But his ammunition didn't consist of normal cartridges. They were lavender-colored balls of light, possibly concentrated and fired with the help of an additional item or directly from a magic core.
Before these shots hit me, I also quickly activated the skill <30 seconds slow motion> in combination with another skill called
"Where the hell did you get that weapon? It shouldn't even exist here in that form!"
"Oh, you know what this magic item is? I've seen similar variants of it from sailors using bullets and gunpowder. But a member has developed a simpler form of using neither. However, this is just a prototype. But even if it's just a prototype, I can still kill you with this!" explained Number Two before firing his weapon again.
Like a normal gun, a small explosion sounded after each trigger pull. I rushed towards him, my agility skill still intact, dodged the shots again and then attacked with a horizontal sword slash from left to right.
He parried them again with the narrow blade of his rapier, no matter how many times our blades crossed, whether four times or ten, none of them got through. By the fifteenth time, my body felt slow again, despite my skill. My eyes shuddered as they saw the Vice-Commander's left hand move in my direction with a devilish grin, aiming his weapon at my head like the victory was his...
But what he can do, so can I!!
My fifteenth strike was again a horizontal slash from left to right, where I could move my body effortlessly to the right, including my left hand, which suddenly began to hiss and glow multicolored like a rainbow on fire.
Number Two was about to pull the trigger of his gun until it collided with another weapon and was thrown into the air.
As all the light in my left hand, like Demon Tears earlier, fully manifested, our eyes caught sight of another magnificent longsword.
It had a smooth silvery blade in which you could see a reflection of yourself, and a large blue gemstone that served as a parrying rod in the center of a golden ship's steering wheel. Its handle also shimmered golden, but its end piece was adorned with a violet-colored but also glittering rose.
However, this rose at the end of the handle was not the only thing that was violet. I hadn't noticed it at first, but later I realized that some of the strands on the left side of my head, as well as the color of my left eye, which used to be red, had turned purple and reflected in the sunlight. A strange pattern was also forming under my current purple eye, which from a distance could perhaps be mistaken for a tattoo, but this pattern looked more like a scar.
Number Two moved backwards. "What the hell? What is that for a sword?"
Maybe it was just me, but I think he was starting to lose his mind.
"That's my new partner.
Little Rose. That's what I named Violet's sword form. 'Little' because Violet is a little girl, 'Rose' because of the little decorations on her dress and because of the end piece of the sword hilt.
Of course. If I had taken my time, I might have come up with a better name for her second form. Well, naming has never been my strong point, Kaito as an example was a name I had picked up from a manga.
I don't think it's a bad name at all, big brother. I like it a lot. said Violet.
I agree. The name is perfect for our cute little Violet. Violet giggled at Loli's compliment.
"You're acting like Violet is our child, when you're already an old granny." I don't know exactly why I said that, or why I thought it. But it just had to be said. Possibly as a little joke to tease Loli a little, but also to ease the tension a little before we dive back into the fight.
Who's an old granny?!
"Little... Rose? ...kh... khh... Haahhahaahh!!! A second sword... Do you really think you can stop me with two swords? You filthy bastard!!!"
"I won't stop you... I will defeat you!"
Suddenly, an incredible aura emanated from the vice commander, releasing a powerful shockwave out of nowhere. One thing was for sure, this guy went crazy, like he had escaped from a psychiatric clinic. His power is not to be underestimated.
"I have no interests in your lives! I will massacre all those who oppose me!"
He really is crazy, said Loli.
"I can see that myself."
What do we do now, big brother? Violet asked cautiously as she feared.
"Don't worry about it. We'll be fine and win this fight! The three of us can do it!"
Big brother...
You may be an idiot... but you're a cool idiot. Go and finish him off! Loli cheered me up.
"All right!"
Once again, I charged into the battle, my two beloved swords, Demon Tears and Little Rose, started to glow azure blue and vibrate. The first time I wielded two swords at the same time was during my training with Elaine, as she offered it to me. At the same time, a blue transparent display popped up, notifying me that I had unlocked another category of Weapon Skills.
The dual-blade category.
The current, new skill I'm unleashing will consist of an eight-hit barrage combo and belongs to the aforementioned dual-blade category of Weapon Skills: Lunar Cascade
"Let's go!!!"
We were ready to measure our strength and cross our blades again. But before I could land my first hit, my right sword was unexpectedly stopped by three broad fingers. My Weapon skill immediately broke, even though I wasn't responsible for it.
"What the?!"
I looked briskly to my left where a tall adult man with dark gray hair and glasses whose right lens was darkened suddenly appeared. With only three fingers, his thumb, index finger and middle finger, he held the blade effortlessly.
I quickly released my blade from him and jumped back a few steps to safety.
"Who are you?"
"Boss...?" mumbled the vice-commander in astonishment.
Boss?! That's his boss??? At first glance, he didn't look like it, but my senses detected an unusual power inside him. A stronger aura than Number Two. No wonder, after all, he had just stopped my skill with only three fingers.
I'm not sure why, but suddenly I get very excited. It's probably because of the thought that one day, or maybe even now, I'll be fighting a super strong person like him.
"What are you doing here, boss?"
"Number Three and Number Five are gone. And Number Seven is no longer under his control. I'm here to pick you up before you die as well." the boss replied.
"Boss..." sobbed Number Two after hearing his boss's words. Just the thought of his superior, the man he worships, coming to pick him up in person to protect him. There was no way he could pull himself together.
"I'm sorry! Boss!" apologized Number Two. The boss put his left hand on the vice-commander's shoulder and calmed him down.
"We're leaving." he said as a golden circle of magic appeared below them.
"Hey! Wait!" I shouted and wanted to go after them. But I decided not to. If I followed them now, I would surely be killed by them, or possibly by the other members. Besides, I can't leave Monika, Anna, Eiko and Reiko again now.
"Don't lose sight of the real enemy."
"Huh?" I wasn't sure if I heard it right just now, but he was just talking to me, right? Before I could say anything, the two of them were gone before I knew it.
How could he teleport so quickly? This magic was very different from what I'd seen from Number Two before.
Is it over? Violet asked.
"For now, yes. I think."
I think that was just the beginning, Loli suspected.
That's right. The organization is still intact. We don't know what else they're planning. We have to be prepared for whatever comes. But... what did he meant earlier by
Caught up in my thoughts, Demon Tears and Little Rose vanished into thin air again, and instead two small figures rushed onto my back. The momentum almost made me fall to my knees.
"Papa!" the twins shouted repeatedly as they wiped their steadily trailing tears on my black coat and clutched their little bodies to me tighter.
"Eiko... Reiko..."
Shortly afterwards, they both let go of me and got off my back, but this time it was me who pounced on them. I hugged them both as tightly as I could. It felt like I hadn't seen them for ages. Yet it had only been a few days since the incident at the hero tournament.
"You're back." "We're so happy." the twins sobbed, their cheeks flushed from the tears running down their faces.
"My hero." Anna, the salamander princess also approached, carrying the momentarily unconscious Monika on her back.
"Anna. Sorry for worrying you. And thank you again for looking after me." I smiled gently at her.
"No, not at all. I didn't do anything special. ...Still... Welcome back. My hero." Anna said. She smiled, but they were crowded by her flowing tears. Her face was a mess of emotions.
"Yeah, I'm back." I smiled again. However, by the time I looked back at the black-haired girl, Monika on her back, my smile disappeared a little.
"She's going to be fine, isn't she?" Anna asked me, slightly depressed.
"Yes. With the help of a secret technique, I was able to give her a new heart and close her wounds. It will just take a while for her condition to stabilize again. She'll wake up again sooner or later. So don't worry." It was true that I used a secret technique to save Monika. Loli was the one who confided it to me. Apparently, her previous master had used it to help someone, but she couldn't remember it exactly. Understandable, over four hundred years had passed after all, before Loli was sealed in the cave.
The technique is called Lifeform Recreation. But the technique itself does not simply create a new lifeform. In fact, it creates new body parts that the injured person is missing. It's like very high-level healing magic, but it comes with a price.
In my case...
"I see. That's a relief." Anna interrupted my current thoughts.
"Let's wait here until Dorilla picks us up from here." she added. I nodded wordlessly. However, there was one more thing I wanted to do...
Two hours had already passed since the fight between Number Two and me, according to my pocket watch. During those two hours, Dorilla did turn up to take us back, but I asked him not to pick us up after six hours because I wanted to talk to the others about something important.
But Monika, who was still unconscious at the moment, was also supposed to listen to this conversation. Dorilla understood this and teleported back alone. We all looked for a quiet place further away, in the wide green meadow, where we could no longer see the gray, lifeless battlefield, but could enjoy nature itself.
In a shady spot under a tree with a magnificent treetop, we waited until Monika regained consciousness.
As the aforementioned two hours passed, the girl with pitch-black hair opened her emerald, green eyes.
Her head was on my lap, so the first thing she saw was my face. Even though her eyesight had to get used to it at first.
"Good morning, sleepyhead."
"Kaito...? What happened? ...Are we in heaven? Are we dead?" Monika asked me one question after another, but I didn't answer. Instead, I carefully took her right hand and held it on my chest.
"Would my heart still beat in heaven?" I asked her. She shook her head gently in reply.
"I can feel your heartbeat on my palm, beating against it. And the pleasant warmth of your hand... So, we are alive. ...But how is it possible that I'm still alive? My heart is..."
"I destroyed your old heart," I interrupted her.
"Destroyed?"
"Yes. Using my powers, I was able to give you a new heart. So, you will no longer be controlled by this terrible organization. You are free now, Monika." I explained to her and looked at her with a grin.
"Free..." her cheeks flushed, her eyes were irritated by the tears she was crying from the depths of her soul. Out of relief that no one was controlling her anymore. She had been manipulated by the organization for a very long time. She had to witness many dangerous events and also had to take the lives of many people.
She certainly didn't know the feeling of being free. This was her very first time. But it was also my very first-time seeing Monika so weak on my lap. During the time I had spent with her, I had never seen her cry or anything like it...
If I had a smartphone in this world, I would take lots of pictures of this moment to look at it again later. But since there is no such thing in this world, I had to imprint this sight in my mind.
"...?"
Suddenly, Monika pressed her face against my stomach and continued to cry. But at the same time, I could feel several eyes staring at me at once.
"...? Is something wrong?" I asked Anna, Reiko and Eiko.
"You still owe us an explanation. What was that earlier? First you go wuush, then zap and then baaamm." Anna explained, whatever she meant by that.
"wuush" "baaamm" repeated the twins.
"Err... All right, all right. I'm talking. However, there's something I haven't told you before. I'd like to tell you the truth, so everyone please listen to me carefully, okay? You too, Monika, please."
Everyone quietened down, including Monika, who until recently had been crying, looked up at me and was curious. Before I realized it, I felt like I was in kindergarten when the kindergarten teacher had read us a story. But now I was slipping into that role.
Hmm... What could you call this story?
In front of me was a vast green landscape whose grasses were doing a little dance in the breeze. The air was very refreshing, like the first day I woke up in this world. The light breeze brushed through my dark brown hair and after I closed my eyes briefly to enjoy the pleasant breeze, it tickled my nose slightly. I opened my brown-colored eyes again and began my story. The story of my former form. As Yuuji Takahashi.
"Well, the truth is... I am... from another world."