Arc 2: Noble City VIS: Ground Zero

Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihon-koku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Arc 2: A City, A Diplomacy A Dragon

Noble City VIS: Ground Zero

She knelt there under the rays of the light and prayed.

A heavy burden filled her heart.

The ethereal essence surrounded her and she gave her pleas.

She knew had no power to fully interfere, and yet she believed that "Fate" would help them in this major struggle.

It was unknown if the warriors from the past would ever return.

Their era was over, and it was time for them to face it independently.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was almost as if the end had come for him.

As terror descended upon the city, the boy was able to summon strength as he stood up from the box of crates.

His first act was to head immediately toward the old circus owner as fast as he could, which he successfully did as he grabbed him and brought him towards a nearby open hole on the wooden stage.

He pushed the old man downwards, and as his attention turned to the main plaza, a bright light immediately manifested followed by a powerful force that burst from the center.

The boy took a step back, not knowing that he tripped on a small piece of debris and fell towards the very same hole, and then everything went black after that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So it had finally begun, death and chaos had engulfed much of the city, and no one could believe that not long ago people were celebrating and spreading the good news of a victory that happened a very long time ago.

As of this moment, the same people were now in the midst of hurrying toward any place where their own lives could be spared.

Men, women, and children ran along the now-crowded streets as the chances of a deadly stampede rose. Desperate voices were heard across the city and not even the higher beings heed their calls.

Rumors of an invasion or even a dark entity appearing solely to wreak havoc fueled everyone's fear, and it didn't stop there.

The dread prompted others to take advantage of the situation, as many people broke down the doors and windows of many of the shophouses in order to gather food and water for survival. Prior to the explosion, looting had become prevalent due to the small commotions.

Despite this, there were some who attempted to keep things from completely falling apart.

In the middle of the chaos, several wagons pulled by horses and chocobos arrived, and out a number of officials hailing from the city hall, who had received the ongoing grave news.

Simply known as "Maihark's Constables," these people were not dressed in armor but in elegant attire and equipped with the fanciest design of spears and shields carrying the symbol of the Noble City, as they were all assigned to these designated spots to restore peace and order, but due to the sudden circumstances, the only thing they could do was guide the panicked citizens to the major evacuation spots across the city. Important historical landmarks that have had a significant impact on the Principality.

The arrival of these men did relieve some of the tension, but not in the way that the basic protocol would have predicted.

They were still terrified and begged the officials to solve the impending threat, to which they had no answer.

The community was no exception; they were in the midst of humanitarian assistance when the news reached them.

Sergeant Kuwahara, amongst all people, had to face the burden. Well, he had faced a similar situation but not at this level before.

He was the captain of this ship, so he had to do what he had to do. Yet, other than trying to keep things in a calm manner, another bigger faction had arrived.

"It's Maihark's Constables!"

"Are they really here to help us?"

Whispers were heard from both locals and refugees upon seeing a division of guards, in armor and equipped with spears and swords arriving in a wagon.

They were led by a city administrator, who carried a piece of brown parchment containing an official announcement regarding the current situation at hand.

"Excuse me sir but are there any updates on the palace and ongoing situation?"]

"We were informed that there had been some kind of attack in the main district?"

The Japanese Sergeant accompanied by Furuta and Tomita, had approached the man, but the latter ignored his words as he raised a hand.

"Attention to all, as per the mayor's orders, all residents, immigrants, and refugees would proceed to the nearest temples, municipal halls, schools, and landmarks which are marked as evacuation sites." He informed the rest, before adding.

"Please proceed with care and caution."

"And if anybody asks regarding the current ongoings across the city, we are not sure yet." He said, looking at the old man's eyes." Contact with the heads of the government is still pending, but rest assured that the city officials are doing their best to handle the ordeal as we speak."

"Just make sure that you will leave or not enter the now hallowed districts for they are cursed with death."

He ended his speech as if it was just a normal day on the job and beckoned the guards the board the wagons yet again.

The Japanese sergeant was left speechless, He had so many more questions to ask, and the city representative's statement was the one that had him thinking if everything is what it really seemed.

And to think that they are leaving just like that without any directions to these so-called "Safe Sites".

Just then a hand touched his shoulder and the man turned to face, the noble, Ernest, who gave him a nod.

"Don't bother them." He informed.

"Maihark's city officials are often like that, displaying unnecessary carelessness!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, they bother to spread the news and give instructions, and at times they only choose to assist, if everything is going out of control." He expressed his disgust." They don't see the worst of the situations."

Kuwahara gave him a look, before glancing at the rest of the local residents and refugees, who were still clouded in uncertainty.

"Still, if we go those safe sites, it would be a crowded mess up there." He remarked, receiving a nod from the noble.

Who knows if there are accomplices there waiting to detonate whatever bomb they had...Or maybe just one of those types of explosion magics that he had no complete knowledge of yet.

"As I expected."

The old man wearily sighed, as he rubbed his forehead.

He still had to know what was really going on, so he turned to the two men.

"Any updates if Shino's team has responded?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"Not a complete sentence from them sir," Tomita shook his head and replied.

"What about base camp?" He asked once more, only to receive silence from the men.

A part of him wanted to guess if there was another interruption in the communication signals yet again. He wasn't wrong though as he did grab his own walkie and tried to contact base camp itself.

"Base Camp, do you copy?"

He waited for a voice to emerge from the continuous static sound before he spoke again.

"This is Sgt. Kuwahara from Team 2."

There was a little change in the system, he could definitely hear noises subtly from the background.

"The city is possibly under attack by an unknown enemy, Please inform Alnus HQ regarding the situation and request for support."

Then there was nothing that followed...

"Can't believe this is happening again."

The man shook his head, the stress was indeed rising. Since they didn't have that time to wait for an answer or a sign of their arrival, he had to make the decisions or else they would be stuck here.

Going back to the Palace wasn't really advisable since they might encounter whatever danger was in the city right now.

They needed a place to go where they could actually be safe.

A part of him was skeptical about the evacuation sites. Something felt strange as if those sites weren't as credible and were more vulnerable to major attacks or disasters, such as the mysterious explosion that had occurred from the heart of the main district.

He gazed at the rest of the Recon Team, all of them were working hard to keep everything in control in their area, and in the midst of that, he turned his attention to the nobleman and asked," Ernest-san, you mentioned that you used to have a mansion that was used as an orphanage before?"

The nobleman paused for a moment before giving a firm look and nodded." Yes, A mansion and a guest house to be exact...and also has a park and a barnhouse, to keep our beloved pets of course." He explained, as he also boasted a little history regarding it." That very plot land was handed to me by my father, who received it from his father and so on..."

"It is a symbol of our generosity towards our local community and-' He was cut right there.

"Okay, we get that place has something to do with history but as of now, is it possible if we can use that as a safe zone for these people?" The old Japanese man straightforwardly said.

'I uh...Of course! It's an honor for me to assist you all." He replied, with a slight British-like accent on his words." And I would be happy to guide you to its place."

Sgt. Kuwahara sighed in relief, before asking another question.

"Good, where is this mansion located by the way?"

"Inside the old grand walls of Muros itself."

"Say what again?" Tomita asked, raising an eyebrow.

The nobleman gave a surprised look." Yes, never heard of a farm inside a walled upper-class community before?" He then said, to the dumbfounded and baffled looks of the men.

"Anyways, let's carry on chaps! It won't be long until whatever creature or something finds us and burns us to ashes."

His statement sounded so cryptic and prophetic at the same time.

The men stared at him for a moment before finally making their move as the instructions were finally given. Sergeant Kuwahara eyed, a certain Wataru, who proceeded to stand over a wooden crate and using a megaphone, began his announcement.

"Attention, please gather all your most important belongings from your homes and be here before half an hour!"

The crowd of residents and refugees was at least anticipating that kind of order to be issued to them, yet the next announcement was different.

"We will be proceeding to Muros, and as in line with Sir Ernest, He will be providing a safe haven for us."

Reactions were mixed, as some were afraid of disobeying the city hall's orders, while others were fine with it, because the Maihark local government had not been consistent in providing a proper home for the immigrants for years, and recent refugees were simply placed in a makeshift environment with near poor sanitation, and that was not even convenient or accessible to temples, healing quarters, schools, and government buildings. However, they all had the same thoughts and feelings about them. The beautiful words were simply lies to keep people in place while incompetence took control.

So they decided to go with the Men in Green and the optimistic noble.

With that problem at least being solved right away, the Japanese sergeant shifted his attention toward two men.

"Hitoshi! Tomita!" He called out which immediately got their attention.

He knew they would be surprised by this instruction but he had no choice as he was well aware that they were the ones capable of this very task, even though how simple it was going to be.

The two men stood firm and straight as they awaited his words.

Sgt. Kuwahara slightly nodded as he looked at them in the eyes.

"I know this isn't the right time to do this but, I want you guys to take one of the LAVs and drive around the city." He instructed.

Both men took glances at each other as they realized their new responsibilities right away. Though, how much a part of them wanted to protest regarding the idea, they had no choice.

"It may be risky but we just can't leave Shino and the guys behind."

Hitoshi stepped forward and said." Understood there, Sarge."

Tomita gave a confident smile.

"We'll find them."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Every street they went through looked like a ghost town.

Devoid of life with the exception of the visible lifeless bodies scattered throughout the cobblestone grounds.

The city, or at least the heart of its districts was left now in ruins. More debris from the collapsed shophouses took over the sidewalks. Roofs were stripped, from buildings and a slight fog had made its presence known.

The drizzles of rain still persisted amongst the dark clouds which were slowly being penetrated by the sun's rays, and overall it provided quite cold weather.

The LAV was in one piece, surviving the powerful shockwave that engulfed most of the central areas around the noble city.

The coast appeared to be clear as they could return to the community through the metal fort that could accommodate all of them, but their smiles vanished by the time Higashi used the keys to bring it back to life.

"Come on, you can do it!"

"Stay with me!"

Higashi muttered aloud, becoming increasingly frustrated with each passing second. He had made his tenth attempt and failed. That's when they realized they had a serious problem.

"Okay, what the heck is going on?" Shino approached the man as she too noticed his struggle.

The latter gave a sigh and shook his head.

"LAV is not responding." He simply said.

The young woman widened her eyes in disbelief.

"What!?"

"It's dead."He clarified." I even checked the engine, the battery is somehow gone."

The realization slowly kicked in for her, and while her little outburst garnered attention from the kids,

Kurata scratched his head in response, saying, "Higashi, please don't tell me we're going to that scenario because I really feel safe when we're inside the thing." He attempted a small laugh to lighten the mood but to no avail.

The question was what would they do next?

"Kweh!" The familiar sound did enter the scene and everybody's focus shifted towards the giant cute flightless bird, which seemed to be sending a small message to them.

Shino was in disbelief.

How in the world did that enormous bird survive and remain alive and well while their own return ticket had experienced the worst-case scenario? Unless something was telling them they wouldn't last long if they kept riding the most convenient object that got them from one place to another in less than an hour.

"Well, we could just replace the cart with a bigger one ya know?" Higashi suggested, who seemed to be accepting the fact that there were other options to take.

The young woman gave a semi-amused look." Don't tell me you're also going for it." She commented, a bit hesitant at this moment.

The man just shrugged as he pointed toward their surroundings.

It was discovered that the chaos had reduced the streets to emptiness and also caused several carts and wagons to be abandoned by their owners.

They were bigger and far better for multiple people to get on.

Then there's one tiny problem.

"Guys, I'm serious here, we just can't leave the LAV like this." Shino reasoned out." What if its engine comes back again?" She took a brief pause." The old man would be screaming out for our names!"

She then turned to look at the blue-haired mage and inquired." Uhmm, Lelei, do you still happen to have that blue magic crystal floating thingies that acted like a GPS or something or maybe one of those magic crystals that could power up any engines?"

She was hoping that the fantasy aspect would still have left to help them as an alternative which made the Otaku soldier raise both eyebrows in surprise.

In response, the girl simply shook her head.

"I apologize Ms. Shino, but I only possessed one crystal and moreover, it requires a lot of energy and mana to use it again." She explained, in a weary manner, much to the latter's hopefulness.

Mostly, she was greeted by silence, until Kurata raised a hand.

"Shino, we don't know if it'll come back this time," the young man said. "I mean, the community isn't that far from here, and by the time we rejoin the others, we'll have no problem going back here."

The latter crossed her arms and made a Hmph.

"If all of these don't convince you then, I guess you don't agree with us since you're embarrassed to ride a Chocobo." Kurata made another statement, which definitely hit something and caused his fellow recon member to react.

The memories returned, and the short-haired woman remembered how she made an effort to learn to ride and control a Chocobo back at HQ. The chocobos were brought by a displaced farmer. Somehow, the giant bird she chose to ride on seemed to be in a bad mood and instead chose to play pranks on her by not obeying her orders and even running in multiple directions, which definitely made her dizzy and throw up, and only Kurata was able to witness the small incident.

Higashi raised both eyebrows." Wait, so that story is true?" He was baffled and glanced at the recon member.

The Otaku soldier gave a shrug and smiled while the busty young woman made a small blush of embarrassment.

"Hey, if that's the issue, then I would be happy to take the driver's seat." Kurata grinned, confident that he could ride a Chocobo since he was able to ride one, but only for a day and it mainly involved the Chocobo just walking slowly.

"Kweh!" "Kweh!"

Soon the giant bird beside them caught all of their attention. It had a certain expression as he was pointing at the elf boy, who was beside Tuka.

Kurata raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, you don't trust me?" He said a bit offended by the bird's message, before even realizing the gist of it." What the heck! It can understand what we're talking about?"

Shino rolled her eyes in response.

"Obviously Kurata, the bird's been glaring at you this whole time and you didn't even see it?"

The young man's face turned pale and gulped.

How could he not notice that certain aspect?

"Wow...Just Wow ..."

Tuka, for the first time, giggled as she glanced at her friend.

"Looks like it prefers someone who is more experienced." She shared her own remarks, glancing at her childhood friend, who tried to look away and pretend that he didn't hear her statement.

Almost all options had been crossed out by this point, leading to the last one. As agreed, the group eventually proceeded with the plan of utilizing the Chocobo's expertise this time around with a larger and stronger wagon for them to temporarily stay in.

Shino might not approve of the idea, but it was the sole choice if they wanted to return to the others.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first thing that brought him back to consciousness was the drops of water that fell onto his eyes.

He could feel the cold wind but heard nothing but silence.

Then a small ray of light greeted him.

Albrecht cringed as he tried to stand up, he felt aches in his body as well as a small migraine that took over once he began to observe his surroundings.

"W-Where am I?"

At first, he thought that he was in the caverns of the Nids. It wasn't the wide spacious plaza that greeted him but rather the empty, dank, and dusty storage area, which turned out to be just below the stage itself.

"Urgh..."

Then he heard a subtle groan and his focus shifted to his right and saw the unconscious circus owner lying on the wooden ground.

Albrecht finally remembered everything that had happened before this. Something had given him the strength to recover before making a dash to save the old man in the midst of the ferocious terror that had descended upon the massive crowd of spectators, and he couldn't believe he had successfully found a way to survive whatever explosion had occurred.

As of now, everything had gone into silence.

The cheers and laughs from the joyous people had vanished.

Only the sound of the weakening rain persisted.

When the boy looked up, he reached for the small cover and pushed the wooden object to fully widen the hole, allowing light to enter.

For the first time, he saw the sky, and it was filled with grayish clouds with a hint of the sun's rays.

He was nervous since he didn't know what was going to happen next, but he also had to bring the old man back up, and he pondered if he could even do it as the man was much heavier than him. He couldn't recall the last time he had to carry or drag someone out of harm's way.

"You've got to be joking..." He muttered under his breath.

"Am I really going to do this?"

He had no choice to begin with and he was a little annoyed regarding it.

He shifted his gaze between the light and the old man. One hand was holding the wooden structure, while the other was holding the man's back collar. The youngster shook his head briefly before summoning more of his natural strength.

He made the first pull and the old man was damn heavier than he had expected. He pulled again and this time tried to climb up, but the weight of the man was just holding him back.

"What in the world was this man-eating every day?"

He made another attempt but this time, something decided to assist him.

For a few seconds, the boy didn't notice the massive shadow looming over him, but as soon as he did, he froze and his heart stopped for a few moments. He was in an awful predicament at the time. He didn't have any sort of weapon to fight whatever was behind him, so all he could do was figure out what kind of living being had arrived.

He then felt a heavy breath and a small growl.

He widened his surprise and shock as he immediately turned around to face a creature that stood tall and possibly intimidating as many imagined it to be. However, what caught his attention the most was the adorable innocent bright emerald eyes that it possessed.

The little beast grunted as if it wanted to do something good.

Albrecht couldn't believe what he was seeing, and before he could say anything, the little creature used its mouth to gently bite his back collar and pull him and the old man out of the hole.

The teenage boy landed safely on the upper grounds, and as he looked up he finally had the chance to see the aftermath of the destruction.

He felt like throwing up for a moment and he was horrified to witness a scene filled with death and despair.

Not a single soul was alive in the pile of mass dead bodies lying on the majority of the plaza. His trembling knees fell to the wooden ground as a result.

By this time, he was speechless as a wave of emotions began to flood him. He questioned himself and guilt was taking over.

Was the mission a failure?

Was he too late save to everyone?

What happened to the flame dragon?"

His thoughts broke down when the little offspring touched his shoulder with its snout.

It growled again as if to ask if he was really alright.

For the first time, he could see the full appearance without being distracted by the darkness of the circus tents or the lavish giant curtains. In fact, his first impression of the beast was that it was enchanting and lovable.

It had dark raven scales and a roundish snout, as well as adorable ears and wings.

He never knew that baby dragons were this cute nowadays, especially the one in front of him.

"I thought you took off with your mum?"

The little beast slightly lowered his head and made a sorrowful expression.

The boy raised both eyebrows, this left him bewildered altogether.

Where was its mother?

By this time, it approached and neared the boy, as it encouraged him to touch the top of the creature's snout.

Albrecht agreed and placed his hand on the offspring.

As soon as he did it, his mind became alive as a wave of information greeted him. Moving images began to flash before his eyes and through it, he saw what really happened.

The terror from above had descended on the principality, wreaking havoc and causing chaos. The vengeance had been exacted, and the anguish and rage had reached a boiling point. It didn't want to interfere with human affairs given that it only wanted to find its offspring, but as she arrived, she finally saw the little beast face to face, In the final seconds before the reunion, something struck the beast on the chest, and a dark essence manifested and took over.

The offspring tried to reunite with its mother, yet she only shoved him aside and flew away yet again, leaving traces of its corrupted essence across the city.

The memories ended right there and the boy went back to his senses once again.

This time, he saw the little beast's eyes, with a tear falling from its eyes

Albrecht simply nodded. He finally understood what it had been going through, and in fact, he gave the cute creature a short hug.

It wasn't just freeing him that supposedly made everything go well. There were larger factions at work here, and he needed to find out what happened to that flame dragon and who was currently controlling it.

He hoped that Giselle had found that someone and is now apprehending it for its crimes.

And that immediately reminded him that the ordeal was not over yet, and somehow, he might need to find her as soon as possible.

The question is how?

A certain sound had broken the silence by that point, and a horse-drawn carriage appeared from a distant street, stopping in the middle of the stage and in front of the boy and the small dragon.

Albrecht saw himself dumbfounded as he had not remembered seeing this kind of carriage before, which looked so elegant and slick. A certain symbol that he did not recognize was displayed on its stagecoach.

Soon after, when the horse made a sound, the doors opened, and a white-haired chubby man with a charming but oversized attire, greeted them and smiled.

"If I am correct, are you sir Albrecht?" The man smiled and revealed his deep charismatic voice.

The boy slowly nodded, trying to figure out what was happening right now.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Albrecht had thought, observing the mysterious man.

"Have we met before?" He asked once again

Because of that, the old merchant gave a laugh." I am afraid not, but a friend told me about you."

"You may address me as Duke and I am just a humble merchant kindly doing a small favor."

"If your confusion is taking over, then I would love to assist you in your situation right now." He explained."

"She needs your help."

The boy's eyes widened in surprise." What?" He was still in disbelief.

The humble merchant just gave a little laugh in return.

"Shall we?"

He offered his own carriage to support them and their noble intentions. The boy, who was initially cautious, eventually agreed since he felt he could trust him.

So he boarded the carriage and also got what he needed for a good perspective on the streets as they journeyed. The little dragon chose to travel alongside the carriage on his own.

The merchant nodded once more as he ordered his horses to move and directed them to a specific area of the city.

Meanwhile, the boy and the little dragon exchanged glances as they began to make their way through the city's streets. Furthermore, the only obstacle they encountered right now was the morbid and sensitive scene of dead bodies that they had to pass by or run over.

As they moved forward, however, a light blue stream-like ethereal essence began to emerge from the ground and towards them, engulfing the lifeless bodies and causing them to fade away like particles, becoming one with the essence.

The boy noticed this and wondered if this was the phenomenon that most people believed to be real.

He was aware of the world's life force but he had not seen this kind of scenario before to an extent.

The merchant smiled upon seeing this." What do you know, it seems that the promised land has opened its doors once again." He remarked.

"It's calling them home."

Continuing on with their little journey, Albrecht could feel uncertainty from within. There was a part of him trying to tell that darkness still lurked in some parts of the city, and he wasn't sure how he was going to deal with this time.

Then the older man spoke.

"Feel free to use the magical items and weapons here for your upcoming battles ahead."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They still couldn't believe that they were the ones chosen to handle this simple yet risky task.

The community along with the rest of the recon 13 continued on towards the mansion within the walls. Both men found themselves heading towards a different path and presumably entering ground zero.

Most of the streets were deserted. It was alive and well this morning, until the mysterious explosion erupted from the main district. Of course, both men assumed they were just part of a larger fireworks display, but it wasn't until the later part of the shockwave arrived in their area that they realized what was really going on.

The LAV continued on, and by this time, Tomita had bothered to slightly open one of the windows to let the air in, and he wasn't wrong about the cold windy weather, which was a nice welcome.

Despite numerous opportunities to relax and let this go, they remained nervous and became increasingly unsure of what lay ahead.

So the only thing they knew as an option was to start a little conversation.

"Hmm, I guess I'd called this one a Dejavu," Hitoshi remarked as he observed the moving scenery beside his window.

"You got that weird feeling check!

"A deserted foggy city check!"

"And something to look forward to whenever it finally wants to show up check!"

Despite the seriousness, he felt he had to let some humor in.

The big man nodded in return.

"And don't forget, we'll have to find the guys before everything falls on us." He shared his own thoughts." Why I'm not surprised by this anymore."

Hitoshi gave a glance and wondered.

"Was he trying to just hide whatever fear he had right now?"

Tomita took a deep breath and gave a small chuckle." Listen, I am not trying to avoid any of this, just to let you know Hitoshi that I still have a lot of things to do back home." He explained." So whatever happens, I am not going to easily allow some powerful dark fantasy crap to kill us."

The young man stared at him and slightly snickered." You know, I had that same feeling too." He continued on." Believe it or not, but an old lady from one of the shops told me that I will have a great future in this world."

"An old lady?"

"Yeah, one of those people with the magic crystal balls that could predict the future, but she didn't have one but only took my hand and read my palms." He explained, showing some interest in the subject.

Tomita raised both eyebrows.

"Really? What else did she say about your future?" He asked again, his own curiosity growing.

"You have a bright future young man. You'll be filled with the utmost love that no ordinary fellow could deserve."

Hitoshi leaned back." Well, something about meeting some girl and all that fate stuff but so far, I have not really met someone as interesting, in my opinion."

It was all a mystery to him.

The bigger man continued to stare at him with an amused expression.

"Really...which means you never really had a real girl before."

A brief moment of quietness took over.

Hitoshi simply shrugged, turning back to the window and intervening with his thoughts. At this age, he should be getting to know someone, and at this age, people expect him to finally take responsibility and settle down, but that was not the case for him.

"I don't know, maybe because I chose to pursue my dreams as a chef," he explained. Since he chose that path, fate has been trying to tempt him; he worked in many restaurants throughout the city, and he was living the dream but did not fully achieve what he had envisioned previously.

"That's what my Tou-san wanted before he died, and that's what I promised Okaa-san before I left town." He added, sensing the tiredness of the situation.

The only thing that kept him going was his dream and certain role models that continued to inspire him every day.

"Oh yeah, those famous celebrity cooks around the world right?"

The young man simply nodded." Not just cooks, they're guys that probably had gone through a lot and came on top."

"Like who?"

He tried to think of a name. There were so many famous names and the one that stuck around in his mind was a certain fiery chef from Europe, who mysteriously disappeared a very long time ago.

He was about to say the name when suddenly something unexpected made its presence known outside of the windows of the LAV.

"What the heck is that?"

Soon, the empty streets were filled with life again. Albeit, desperate lives as they found themselves witnessing what appeared to be people in the middle of a hoarding session.

There were shops that were left abandoned and since law and order were non-existent at the moment, many took the opportunity to break in and steal every item which was deemed valuable. The people who were committing the act mostly belonged to the youth.

They loaded large baskets of vegetables, wheat, bread, and even live meat to breed and slaughter onto the carts they now transport. Furniture, expensive vases, statues, and even basic magical items were loaded onto the carts.

"What do you think we should?" Tomita asked this time as the LAV slowly drove past them.

"Well, they don't seem to care that we're here," Hitoshi commented as he observed the ongoing situation.

It seemed strange that these people didn't seem to care what was going on around them. They were more concerned with surviving than with marveling at a strange green moving object. The one thing Hitoshi noticed was that they were rushing through the hoarding.

As if this city's police force were on its way to arrest them.

As they continued on, both men reached an intersection, and in that very area was a certain restaurant that had somehow survived the chaos.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The first batch of the carts has now reached the west exit.

It was a pretty long list, to begin with.

A long line of carts that seemed to be carrying the establishment's numerous important properties were in their first delivery phase.

"Ingredients check!"

"Utensils and Kitchen equipment are here too, check!"

"Vases with exotic designs, check!"

The blonde man stood near the carts as he had been observing and monitoring the ongoing items. His arms crossed around his shoulders and so was his long-time friend, who held a small clipboard, and carried out the necessary monitoring of the inventory.

"Anna Darling, How long till we move all of this to the gates?"

'Hmmm, maybe another hour or two."

"Fucking hell!"

It seemed that whenever they went to a different place and established their flagship branch, a certain event or disaster would occur in that place, forcing them to relocate yet again, and of course, moving out was the most difficult part.

This wasn't the first time that this happened.

The previous place they moved out prior experienced an economic crisis and then suddenly got swallowed by the ocean itself due to some prophecy predicted by many of the shamans, who resided there.

And there was this situation.

Gordon Ramsay had anticipated from the start that the Qua-Toyne Principality was nothing like a certain country back in his world, which cut all bridges and became neutral to the point that war didn't destroy them to the core.

So why did he choose this place from the beginning?

Simply the place, having many economic opportunities that he had not seen before in this region, as well as the rise of high-class food establishments, the food revolution that influenced his decision to settle down here. Let no one forget that the principality stands on a land filled with rich resources of food, blessed by the so-called goddess. Now that everything is going down the drain, the man had to pack up and re-establish the restaurant flag to some of the existing branches.

"Chef Ramsay, where do you think will be going this time nya?" Selina emerged from the door carrying a box of a wine glass.

The man remained silent for a moment, he took a glance at the brunette as he recalled their previous discussion regarding that certain place.

Selina was anticipating his reply, but at the same time, became bewildered by the sudden seriousness of the man.

Finally, the man sighed." Glass Peninsula." He simply replied, before adding another idea." Or maybe the place where it all started."

The rest of the staff, including Demi-humans, fairies, and humans, came to a halt and stared in surprise at the man.

Was He really serious about returning to that place, which was full of negative energy?

Gordon raised an eyebrow, a little bit annoyed that all eyes were on him.

"Guys, looking at me is not going to fucking help us leave here and then decide where to go."

"So...GET ON WITH IT!"

"Yes, Chef!" All of them exclaimed in unison as they went on with their business.

The geezer rubbed his forehead in weariness. Though he felt grateful, and If weren't for them the whole restaurant would have been ransacked and burned to the ground. He just didn't how to express his gratitude because of all these things happening to them.

"Chef Ramsay, are the rumors true of monsters roaming the streets of the city right now?"

A Demi-human staff, particularly a teenage wolf girl server had asked another question.

The blonde chef's body froze upon hearing the subject being brought up to his ears once more.

When the mysterious explosion occurred, they had all arrived at the restaurant in time to confront the rascals who were attempting to loot the establishment, and thankfully, due to the shockwave that had reached the premises, most of the looters had scrambled away, allowing the rest of the staff to recover alongside fellow neighboring shop owners.

Then the rumors came in and brought a little bit of fear amongst the local residents in this area and that encouraged them to definitely pack up and leave.

"I don't know Clara." He shook his head." Might as well wait for it."

"And I don't give a shit even if a fucking monster comes here and-"

"CHEF RAMSAY! We got some company here!"

The man cringed in annoyance." Oh for fuck's sake!" He exclaimed." What is it this time?"

The man sighed as he left his position and headed to wear a fellow staff member was calling him. He sounded so worried, which baffled the geezer.

Gordon walked up to a few distances away from his own restaurant and by the time, he got there, a commotion greeted him.

"Please! This is not the time for conflict, we are already moving out!"

'That's not enough! We want to see him!"

"We want to send him a message!"

There was a staff who was trying to prevent a group of familiar hooligans from entering the premises. Upon closer inspection, his eyes widened in surprise.

He recognized those uniforms be they were torn apart, dirty, or clean. There was no doubt that those people belonged to that certain establishment that tried to destroy his own restaurant's image.

And they were carrying wooden bats and planks as a sign of intimidation.

The blonde man had a sense of dread every second as he approached the scene but it wasn't because of them to begin with.

"Hey! Hey! Quit the childish harassment." He told them." What the fuck do you guys want this time?"

The group of six individuals which comprised mostly humans and demi-humans turned their attention to the man himself.

"Well...Well...If it ain't the self-proclaimed legendary Chef of the Orient, who did nothing but make businesses run out of coins and silver." The leader of the group remarked.

Gordon smirked." Too bad, maybe you're own restaurant should focus more on serving fresh food rather than faking it to shit, altogether." He fired back." And tell your manager of yours to stop slacking his arse off."

"No wonder why your establishments are losing money every day!"

His words did cause great offense to their egos.

"No! The "Lonely Goat" has great people, food, and service, unlike your puny restaurant, Ramsay!"

"And we've also come here to give our own gratitude since you're all leaving this city behind."

The blonde man widened his eyes in shock, upon learning the real situation." Are you kidding me? You should all be leaving this place rather than be open for business!" He warned them, ignoring their egoistic comments.

"You're getting yourselves killed! Fucking idiots!"

It seemed his words didn't really radiate to them, no matter how he scolded them, and in return, they just didn't understand his way of speaking or his message of saving their arses off.

He was serious about this, and even though these people from rival restaurants were that big of a jerk, the man did care for their safety in times of trouble.

The leader of the group continued to laugh, not noticing a huge shadow looming around him." You think we believe your lies?" He said, raising his voice." This is our time to shine and we will-"

Yet, He didn't have the time to finish his words as suddenly and unexpectedly, a head of a neck creature emerged from above and bit the poor bastard on the head, thus he was lifted upwards like a ragdoll, and moments later blood was spilled.

Everyone's energy was instantly drained as they looked up to see the full appearance of the culprit.

It wasn't just one head but three menacing dragon-like heads with slithery long necks, blood-red eyes, and a black body surrounded by a dark essence. The creature was revealed to be on the walls of a tall shophouse as it quietly crawled to its potential prey.

The other rascals were frozen in fear as they didn't know what to do at the moment. The lifeless body of the group leader dropped dead on the floor, already without his head, and blood spreading on the cobblestones.

Not long after, the heads of the monsters began attacking the rascals one by one like they were toys. Heads were bitten off and removed. Some tried to escape but the long neck of the creature immediately caught them in a blink of an eye.

"Look out!"

Gordon Ramsay having anticipated this, quickly grabbed his fellow staff member away from the lounging dragon head. He raised his hand and immediately summoned "Luna" and a meat cleaver manifested on his hand as he struck the neck of the creature which damaged it but only to the point it gave them time to escape. However, the creature recovered as its wound healed quickly and began to pursue the geezer and his young staff member.

XXXXXXXXXX

It had to be the most unusual but unique moment for them.

All eyes were on a certain green metallic horseless carriage that had halted its tracks in front of them. From a distance, they could see that two men were inside it.

The staff of the "Lonely Lamb" were caught up in this wave of curiosity and fascination because they had never seen anything like it in their lives. Moments later, one of the two men inside emerged, dressed in an odd green outfit and displaying a normal smile.

The man in green greeted." Good morning! Uhmm, I was hoping I could ask some questions?" He explained, bearing that slight nervousness.

Some of the staff were surprised to see a human controlling it, and they continued to observe him as if he came from the upper-class community of the city.

Hitoshi was indeed caught in the middle of stares, though he hoped one of them would snap from their own curiosity and answer his inquiry.

He wasn't really the best at starting a conversation with strangers.

He took a quick glance at Tomita, who gave him a nod and thumbs-up sign.

Moments later, to his relief, a young cat woman emerged from the crowd and greeted him with a smile.

"Oh hello! I'm Selina, and how may I help?" She asked.

Hitoshi widened his eyes in surprise." Wow, is that really a Neko girl in a maid uniform?" He remarked to himself.

"Uhmm right." The young man scratched the back of his head." I was wondering if you guys know where the main plaza or the bazaar area is?" He asked." Also, we've been looking for our friends for hours and we're not sure where they went."

"Have you seen them by the way?"

The cat girl shook her head but smiled." Oh the Plaza and Bazaar are in one place and you just have to take a lot of rights and lefts, then one straight line towards the place." Selina grinned in return.

"And I am sorry, we did not see really someone riding that same iron carriage as yours."

"Oh..." Hitoshi blinked a couple of times before being interrupted again by the energetic cat girl.

"Can I ask nya? What do those iron horseless carriages do exactly?"

The young man blinked a couple of times before realizing it." Oh you mean that? Uhmm, that's just a simple mode of transportation we have." He added." It's kind of complicated to explain but-" He was then cut in the middle of his statement.

The cat girl's eyes lit with optimism." By the Goddess! I think we finally found something to transport Master Ramsay's properties out of here Nya!." She was indeed excited.

The member of the JSDF looked at her with a confused expression.

"Ramsay...Master?"

Hitoshi was now even more bewildered but curious. The word" Ramsay" immediately caught his attention. Of course, he wouldn't be that persuaded easily. There are a lot of people here in this world that have British-sounding names, and "Ramsay" was just a part of it. Thought that was until...

"Oh yes, Master Chef Gordon Ramsay, the fiery cook of the Orient!"

The cat girl proudly announced his boss's name and things quickly changed.

Hitoshi couldn't comprehend what was going to happen.

Until they heard a very loud voice yelling for something.

They caught a glimpse of two figures running towards them from a distance. Close inspection revealed that it was the blonde geezer himself, but he was fleeing for his life and screaming at the top of his lungs with a number of cursed words and vulgarities.

The staff began to wonder regarding the commotion from before, if it was already solved, yet the outcome was vastly different.

Gordon Ramsay quickly emerged from the street carrying the young staff and words that stung yet helped in general.

"FUCKING IDIOTS, lock your doors or just get the hell out of here if you don't want to die early!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tuka crossed her arms, shivering from the cold atmosphere that had grown.

Even with a bed blanket, it was still not effective in combating the cold altogether.

The elf girl moved her eyes and observed her surroundings, seeing Sara and the other elf children who were able to rest and take a good nap. The majority of them were wrapped in a thick blanket that they had scavenged among the looted shops.

Lelei, on the other hand, was already fast asleep the moment she laid down on a small pillow and read the first few words of her small book.

The girl found herself inside a wagon covered with a makeshift bonnet, and the group was fortunate to come across one in good condition, which was now being pulled by the Chocobo from before. She sighed, relieved that they could finally take a normal rest.

Yet, she still couldn't even get herself to slumber. Almost as if her own mind and body refused to do so for a reason.

When she tried to close her eyes again, a particular memory would frequently return to haunt her. The images of her former village engulfed in flames, the screams of helpless villagers, and their charred bodies reaching for her in the hope of being saved.

Every time she found herself in one of these situations, the dreams wouldn't stop, so she had no choice but to stay awake.

For the rest of the time being, the elf girl stared at the blank space as she entertained her thoughts for the first time.

"When will this be over?" She asked herself.

She turned down the idea of staying behind at her new home in the Alnus region to pursue her goal of discovering what remained of her former village. She eventually accomplished her goal, but she didn't expect to face any sort of repercussions, which she did.

She glanced back at her blue-haired friend and wondered if she had that same feeling. She couldn't assume right away but she guessed the obvious reason that the latter was keeping the struggle to herself.

By the time she looked to her right, she saw Leia, the little girl, whom her mage friend had saved. In fact, she wasn't asleep, and while in the comforts of her own blanket, she was in her own thoughts as well.

A part of her began to be encouraged, so she decided to approach the little girl and smiled.

"Are you alright?" She quietly asked.

The little girl's attention shifted to her as she looked up, her eyes a little weary and filled with sorrow.

Leia slowly nodded, before turning away. She wasn't in the mood to strike up a conversation with the latter, yet she was eager to ask the very question that lingered within her mind.

"Are we going back to the Plaza?" She said, before adding." I'm very worried for Papa."

The elf girl could only look sympathetically. She was at a loss for words. She wasn't the one making the decisions. She did, however, understand what the young girl was going through.

And she needed to make sure that she had an answer.

"As much as I want to help, we need to go back to the community first," she explained, placing her hand on the latter's shoulder. "We need a place where we can rest and be safe."

The little girl remained silent as her tears began to fall, What can she do at this moment?

"You know, I was in a similar story as much as you ", Tuka continued." My father and I got separated and I had to find him all throughout the forest." She said." There were times when I wanted to give up and there were times that I found myself that really worried."

The elf girl stared at the blank space, recalling that certain memory.

Leia looked up again and stared at her.

"And the only thing I could do that time was to pray to the Goddess and believe that I could really find him." She smiled." And what do you know, I did in fact find my father and he was the one crying like a lost little boy huddled in some shed."

The little girl let out a small laugh, much to the elf girl's relief. She wasn't really good at telling small stories but she gave her best.

A small tear fell from her eye as she saw the courage in the little girl's eyes. It often reminded her of her own struggles before.

Leia wiped her tears away before giving a small hug of thanks. It meant that there was still hope in these difficult times.

She was going to overcome this no matter what.

And by this time, Tuka's eyes widened as she immediately sensed a dreadful presence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Their journey continued through the city streets, but instead of the faster and more convenient LAVs, the entire group had been using an old-fashioned wagon pulled by the surviving Chocobo. The trio of coalition members, as well as the elf boy, Aldon, sat in the rider's seat.

"Are you sure we are heading in the right direction?" Shino was the one to ask for the third time.

They didn't know which district they were currently in.

Every street they went to, it all had the same aesthetics and layout which definitely made more things complex.

There were street signs with specific names of places to go, but the majority of them had no idea where these signs led. The elf boy could understand and translate the signs for them, but he didn't fully understand these places other than the district the local city government had assigned him and his family to.

Then there was Sara, but the young girl admitted that she didn't really often go to the main districts all the time, thus she wasn't familiar with the directions ahead of them.

"I'm really sorry, I am not really familiar with the streets here." He explained." I'm just a forest boy, to tell you the truth."

"I don't know too much about the city."

The young woman sighed.

"It's okay, looks like we'll try other ways or just sit back and wait for a miracle."

Kurata gave a look." Don't worry Shino, we'll get there in time." He assured his fellow recon member." All you have to do is just-"

The young busty woman quickly raised her index finger and gestured." Not this time!" She said while the latter sighed in defeat.

"How are the walkies though, Higashi?"

"Still dead to me." The man said." Haven't heard a genuine voice coming out."

Their options were getting thinner and thinner minute by minute.

It's difficult to maintain patience in this situation. However, no matter what they do, they are unable to break free from the cycle. It shows as if they're stuck in a maze.

They never wanted to admit that they were really lost.

This time, no spirits, magical objects, or oracles to guide them through this obstacle.

The group was all on their own.

However, no one would really expect that their own boredom would leave immediately to make way for a new feeling.

As the wagon turned into another empty street, they found themselves heading towards an intersection. As soon as they got closer to the spot, their eyes slowly widened in shock.

Right in the middle of that very intersection, was a pile of dead lifeless bodies stacked on top of each other as it had grown into greater heights.

Then a huge shadow loomed and a dark creature emerged from the streets.

The Chocobo halted sensing the danger in front of him.

"What the fuck is that?" Shino quietly asked, a bit terrified of witnessing the dark creature feasting on the dead bodies.

The rest of the recon members slowly grabbed their rifles in hopes of being able to defend themselves by the time the monster noticed them.

Aldon, for his part, froze in terror as the creature eerily resembled the legendary flame dragon, but a much smaller size and form.

Soon enough, the dark beast sensed their presence as it turned around to face them with its glowing crimson eyes and menacing look overall. It aggressively growled as it found another prey to kill.

By then, Tuka emerged from the back and saw her doubts finally cleared.

"Aldon." She whispered, giving the boy a subtle tap.

The elf boy was brought to reality and wasted no time commanding the Chocobo to flee once again.

"Kweh!"

The giant bird heeded the command and made a quick dash which certainly awoken the rest of the children at the back.

"Shit! This is not happening again!" Kurata remarked for the first time, scrambling to get his rifle.

"This is not happening again!"

Finally, they were thrust into a situation to which solutions were limited once again.

Do they keep on running or will they find a way to fight back?"

As they passed street by street, more of these dark dragon-like creatures emerged from the various spots and joined the chase.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Get back here!"

Frustration further filled her mind as their little battle continued.

The rooftops became the very battlefield between the two individuals. At times, it could be called a sword fight, a battle of fiery words, and even a cat-and-mouse game. Giselle didn't believe that she was tired or on the side of the losers. Every strike she made, every strength she put into this, led her to see that she was gaining the upper hand.

However, illusions could pose a threat to any mind.

"You're too slow for milady!"

Every taunt the girl had made, only added fuel to the fire.

Giselle very much disliked these types of opponents, who were there to only play a game. In fact, she did agree to play this game, but she promised herself that she would end it in less than a couple of minutes.

Whoever this girl was, didn't even look like or possess the abilities and strength of an apostle. Neither, does she have the blessing of a god. Yet, at the back of her mind, the girl wasn't really human, to begin with, and she wondered why she was still surviving up until this very moment.

Giselle smirked in return." Don't worry, I'll catch up to you in no time!" She wasn't going to let the girl's arrogance get to her. She had her own pride, to begin with, and she wanted to display and let her feel the wrath of the God who chose her as the great representative.

The young woman made another move again, as she leveled up her speed, once the girl had relaxed for a bit, she charged full swing, catching her opponent off guard, and as she was about to swing her scythe to chop her head, she caught a glimpse of a playful grin.

"Oops.."

Elrena smoothly evaded the attack by ducking down, in retaliation, she used her curved blade and slashed the apostle's leg, which damaged it, leaving a good nasty wound and the latter felt pain shortly afterward.

"Damn!" Giselle's annoyance slowly became the rage, and that actually pushed her to another level and she brought her weapon again in a nick of time for another strike which caused her opponent to block for the first time.

"Yes! you finally able to force me to block your attack.' She made another remark, before asking a small favor." Well, since we're just clashing our weapons here, can we strike a conversation too?"

"It really makes me crazy when no one is talking fufu..." The blonde girl gave a slightly innocent and sad look, and it turned out that she was indeed telling the truth.

Much to Giselle ignoring her statement, the girl spoke again.

"Well, let me start, How's everything going so far with your mission?"

She raised an eyebrow.

Was she really serious about this?

Then at the back of her mind, an idea came out at the same time.

"Hey! I don't really care about your concerns, but if you're willing to tell me who exactly you are, then I would be willing to listen."

She saw a possible weak point and she needed that information.

Elrena thought about this for a second before letting out a smile." Oh, that's so nice of you!" She remarked." You know, I really wanted to know more about my past since I don't really remember any of it at all."

Giselle gave a puzzled look." You have a name and you don't know your real identity?"

There was something fishy going on here.

The girl shrugged in return." Not a clue." She smirked back and evaded the giant scythe once again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, as the two battled it out, a certain helper had been watching from the sidelines, albeit still in his magical prison cage.

Terra was restless.

He knew he could break this seal in some way, but the thing that surprised him was how much dark energy was cast upon this trap.

He had been observing the girl's actions and he figured that for some reason, she was often avoiding a close combat situation with the draconian apostle and she was hesitant to go all out with her

He needed to find a way in order to pass certain advice.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why are you doing this?"

"What made you decide to join whatever enemy is hell-bent on destroying the principality?"

Elrena gave a little chuckle." Who said I want this place to be destroyed?" She fired back as leaped backwards to avoid another strike from the other.

"Importantly, I really don't care what happens to this place." She said, flipping her hair in a sassy manner.

"I am just along for the ride." She then gave a wink.

That's when Giselle was able to realize something.

"So that means you're just a distraction since the beginning."

Silence remained for a few moments as the blonde girl widened her eyes in surprise.

"Lucky guess." She grinned.

" And you're not the only one here." The draconian apostle narrowed her eyes as she was close to figuring out the truth.

The little fight halted for the first time and Elrena crossed her arms as she rubbed her chin.", Hmmm, I'm quite impressed, how clever of you to figure that out." She remarked." Since we're already here, I guess I should tell you the reason, so you won't look dumbfounded anymore."

This was it, much to her surprise that the girl even volunteered to spill out some important information and it's up to her if she was going to believe it or not.

"I supposed you're all aware of the legend of Ultima Crystallis?"

Giselle, in disbelief, made a small laugh." The crystals? That's a myth and nobody has ever found any evidence of its existence." She recalled the time she saw a certain quest back at the guild.

It was just a mere legend created after the Demon Lord's demise many years ago.

"I wonder how you'd react if I told you that this was the primary reason why the principality has fallen apart in this manner," she explained. "Do you even realize how many people are risking their lives just to find them?"

"Do you even know the reason why the principality has remained untouched with every invasion attempt thrown at them?"

"Why would you think Sadera would do all of this just for a relic?"

The young woman found this hard to believe. Not even her superior had shared this revelation with her. Were the other apostles aware of this?

Was Rory aware of this?

By this time, the mood began to change and the tension had grown once again.

From the skies, some of the gray clouds began to clear and the more they disappeared, the more they revealed multiple flying beings approaching the city.

Giselle was astounded and caught off guard at the sight of an enormous battalion of ominous wyverns gliding high above in the sky. To her surprise, she even managed to spot a rider confidently waving a flag that seemed all too familiar.

"Sadera.." She muttered under her breath.

In the midst of that, she had not noticed that her guard was already down and so a certain someone finally took advantage of the situation.

As Elrena charged once again, she gave the draconian apostle a strong shove and passed by her.

Giselle's senses returned as she readied her weapon once again.

"Trying to take advantage of me? Nice try..." She fired back with a grin.

Although, that was not the case.

Elrena grinned deviously as she raised a hand and showed the latter, two round crystal-like objects, which contained an essence within.

Giselle's smile disappeared and was replaced with desperation.

"Let's see how would fair against your beloved pets." The girl remarked, as she began to summon dark magic once more and the two round crystals were engulfed by it.

The draconian apostle wasted no time as she made the charge to claim the relics back but at the same time, a flash of light appeared in front of her thus the two creatures were summoned into this world yet again.

"Mowto... Towato..." Giselle muttered their names.

As the light faded away, the two dragons finally revealed themselves, this time with dark red eyes that they didn't even have before.

Elrena grinned in return as she made the first command, by pointing a finger at her opponent, and not long enough, both dragons charged at their master.

Giselle was taken aback by the scene of her two beloved pets hellbent on attacking her. Before she could even react and block their attacks, it was all too late.

Both dragons proceeded to bite their master, Towato, on the left shoulder to which it tore out a piece of her meat, and Mowto bit her right arm to which the dragon decided to rip it apart.

Blood spilled amongst the rooftop grounds as the severed right arm of the draconian apostle lay on the ground as well as her weapon.

She yelled out in pain and glared at the girl, with the utmost hateful look that she could give.

"Fucking bastard!"

The unfortunate thing was that her pets were still under control from whatever curse she had cast upon them, and she was approaching her yet again.

Her whole body trembled for the first time.

She gritted her teeth in frustration.

"I am not giving up!"

Elrena, on the other hand, continued to laugh and taunt her. "Don't be such a crybaby, you'll get your arm back in no time," she said while basking in victory.

By this time, Giselle forced her mind to think of a solution, yet not a single idea was coming in. Her mind was becoming overwhelmed at the moment, and for the first time, she felt panic and worry.

"Giselle, please calm down!"

Then a certain voice spoke, that she could only hear to herself.

"Terra?"

"Yes, it's me...I don't have much time to explain but please l need you to listen to me on this!" His voice pleaded.

"Alright, what is it?" Giselle, still in her incapacitated state, asked.

"I know a way to get you out of that situation, but you're gonna have to follow what I say this time." He explained, before adding.

"I believed that I figured out her weakness."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was definitely a great surprise from the skies.

Once the other dark clouds faded away, it began to give way for another faction's entrance.

A dark wyvern first emerged followed by multiple numbers, forming a huge army never before seen in history.

The remaining knights from the watchtowers had seen this and began to sound the bell as they attempted to defend the skies of the principality.

"Positions! Get to your positions!"

Captains in charge began barking orders as chaos, panic, and desperation overwhelmed each unit.

The walls were outfitted with a number of giant arrow Ballistas, designed to combat only the larger and slower flying creatures, which was a problem given that the wyverns were small and delicate enough to evade them.

Said Ballistas were also used many years ago during the great battles of the Orient.

However, the difference was, that the knights had to improvise when using the outdated ones. A little dose of magic was their only solution.

For every unit or division, a mage was assigned to cast the magic, mainly a type of explosion magic that could possibly take out multiple targets once the phrase was uttered.

"Ready your ballistas!"

The group of knights began to aim at the skies.

As the first batch of the aerial invasion began to swoop in.

"Fire at will!"

A knight pulled the trigger and magical-coated arrows flew away to their targets, directly hitting a group of riders that tried to evade the attacks.

The magic activated instantly, and an explosion occurred, bringing down several wyverns and their riders.

"Load another one!" Another order was given as the same procedure resulted in another arrow being fired.

The defenders from the watch tower were holding on for themselves. They had to endure this until the beacons were lit to alert the other kingdoms of the impending disaster.

However, not long after, the enemies responded with their own move. More dark wyverns came in with huge numbers and simultaneously, the riders ordered the dragons to unleash hellfire on the knights.

They opened their large mouths as dark fires came out like flowing lava and engulfed most of the defensive positions.

The mages came in to counter them as they attempted to summon a forcefield that would deflect them, although the attacks were just too strong for them to maintain.

"Watch for the flames!"

"Brace yourselves!

The knights also used their shields to defend themselves from the flames.

A dark wyvern rider decided to make the big swoop by tearing through the magical barrier, which was swiftly broken, and he ordered the wyvern to bite the mage's head and throw it out of the walls, falling to his death.

Apparently, more dark wyverns launched their attacks, gaining the upper hand. Flames were unleashed, and many knights were burned to death. Not long after, the watchtower's defenders were overwhelmed and their forces were severely reduced to smaller numbers, but those who remained continued the resistance.

Although the damage had been done and because of that, it gave the enemy an advantage to get passed the last line and wreak havoc on the city.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dammit, not again!"

It was another time of the month.

Most of them had the same thoughts as they tried their best to avoid the dark dragon-like creatures that were now chasing them.

"I don't understand! Where the hell are these things coming from!?" Shino was the first one to bring up that interesting topic.

Surely, they don't belong to the same group of corrupted palace guards that they had beaten prior.

The lone dark dragon they saw, which was feasting on the pile of lifeless bodies had apparently called out some friends of it, and now all eyes were on the potential live meat of both human and elf. Some were on the roads, and some were also using the walls of the buildings around to surround them.

"Kurata, are the kids alright?" Higashi asked this time around.

"They're all fine, just making sure they stay inside here safe." The young man replied back, who was now in charge of guarding the rest of them.

At this rate, they had to keep on fleeing. Surely, they could fight them off with their rifles head on but it wasn't advisable at this very moment.

Lelei, on the other hand, started examining these dragon-like creatures. She took notice of the same body structure and came to a certain conclusion.

"They're not real dragons..." She remarked, catching their attention.

"What do you mean Lelei-san?"

They come from a source," she stated simply. "I'm not sure where the exact location of that source is, but for now, we can fend them off by exploiting their weakness." She explained by pointing out certain spots on their skin where a solitary dark crystal was embedded.

Shino and Kurata took glances at each of them. They were about to try and aim at their pursuers when suddenly a lifeless body of a wyvern landed on the streets.

"Now what the heck is happening this time?"

All of them gazed above to see a number of several dead wyverns presumably being killed by the watchtower guards began dropping from the sky. Some crashed on market stalls, buildings, and even the paths they were taking.

Apparently, being chased by these damn creatures wasn't the only challenge that they had to face and Shino was the first one to react to the ever-changing situation again.

"Shit happens"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There was a series of explosions that had transpired across the city.

Mainly coming from the skies a good chunk of the dark wyvern army began their aerial assault as they targeted multiple landmarks such as government buildings, libraries, and the local constable stations.

Evacuation sites were also included in the list, the wyverns unleashed a powerful fire magic that immediately started the flames, which quickly spread from structure to structure.

The local residents had no choice but to flee their own shelters in order to avoid being burned to death, yet eventually, they had to face aerial demons outside, who could snatch them away at any time.

The constables attempted to defend the people but most of them didn't have the tools and weapons to combat the enemy from above and as a result, they too became the victims.

This was only the first batch of the empire's aerial army and what more if the entire force had arrived?

It was a site that Rory had deemed unforgivable.

Death and destruction had almost overtaken the entire city and potentially could spread across the other lands of the principality.

Surely, it wasn't just Maihark who had become the victim.

From the edge of a hill overseeing the entire city, Rory stood before the young man, who had a small devious smile.

"Thus the prophecy indeed came true." He said as he observed the ongoing chaos.

"I never thought, I'd live to see the last bastion of hope, crumble into pieces," Luscious gave a small confident smile, sharing his own thoughts regarding the event.

He took a glance at the Oracle." And I'm quite sure, you're aware of this, Rory." He said." You don't have to try that hard just to protect one crystal." He slightly chuckled, taunting her.

"The Gods must be going mad right now."

The Apostle of Emroy remained silent." To whom are you serving this time, Luscious?"

The young man simply smiled." I served no one, Rory." He said as he prepared his weapon once again.

"I was simply dragged into this mayhem, and now I'm doing what I believe is right."

He tried his best to break her mentally and he wanted her to realize an important detail.

"Do you think they're worth saving for? They're the same people who didn't have faith in Apostles. They don't trust the likes of you anymore, and consider yourself irrelevant for the reason the people of this world can take care of themselves."

The tension grew once more, and the oracle remained silent despite the verbal barrage.

"It's useless, Just tell me where the crystal is and I'll help you find a way out of the cycle that you're trapped in."

"You wished to live the life you desired for so long?"

Rather than let any kind of emotion take her over, the apostle knew what to do.

So she smiled back.

"I'm afraid to tell you that I'm happy where I am nowadays." She told him simply as that, as she could sense a powerful presence emerging from the of them prepared as another bout had started.

"No matter what happens, I am still who I am."

Thus both powerful beings clashed their blades, as their battle continued on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The door slowly opened as the light finally overtook the darkness that reigned upon the room for a long time.

Yuji turned on his own flashlight as soon as he stepped inside. He could definitely smell the "Antique" scent, and dust particles landed on his glasses quickly. Nonetheless, He was able to complete this task alongside Ine and Frankel.

"So if I'm not mistaken, this room is where this crystal thingy's magic could be activated?"

Frankel simply nodded." Yes sire, I only visited this room a few times during our usual inspection, and I never knew, no one would be entering this place since then." The man explained as he began to look around for that certain symbol.

The Japanese-American man nodded in understanding." And this crystal you were talking about, I am curious to know the purpose of it and why do you think Sadera if after it?"

'It's not just one crystal." Ine spoke this time, causing the man to widen his eyes in curiosity.

"I see..."

The young captain took a deep breath as she began to tell a certain old tale." When I was a little girl, my grandparents would often tell us a story regarding the myth of these crystals...Ultima Crystallis as they usually call it." She then continued." Legend has it that when the great evil was defeated thousands of years ago, the heroes who defeated him, eventually sealed the demon and in turn, several crystals were created that acted as keys and as well as containing some of his essence." She paused before her companion continued her speech.

"And because of that, these crystals allegedly possessed different capabilities that could potentially turn the tide of any war or battle, whenever their magic is activated," Frankel explained this time.

"Interesting...so I'm guessing those crystals were scattered all over this world and one ended up in Qua-Toyne?" Yuji shared his thoughts.

"Correct."

There were only a few selected reasons why the higher officials of the principality would keep it a secret. There was no doubt that one of them was to use its power for a future restructuring of the whole governing body and a whole new image for the kingdom itself.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised that of all people, a Bunny warrior would be the one to discover its exact resting place," Frankel chuckled.

"They do deserve to reclaim their homelands."

Not too long, the man finally halted his search as he caught a glimpse of the symbol, which was embedded on a stone tablet in the middle of an even bigger one.

A smile crept upon his lips as he held the white crystal, which was a thing of beauty.

As he gazed at the hollow socket, a few words escaped his lips.

"A small risky favor indeed...Parna."

He placed the crystal on the socket and thus the tablet glowed brighter, and the room was filled with light from the symbols that came to life.

As Yuji observed the entire scene unfold, his gaze was drawn to the center, where the old symbol of the alliance of Man, Demi-Human, Dwarf, and Elf had become apparent.

Shortly thereafter, the earth began to tremble and the crystal's energy was unleashed, culminating in the summoning of the great beyond.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It had been several hours since the siege and chaos began.

A certain boy, opened his eyes only to discover what the catastrophe has done to his community.

Leaving the dead bodies of his family and friends, the boy walked along the streets in a daze as his memory was juggled up and he couldn't comprehend what had happened a few minutes ago.

They were celebrating until a mysterious blast came and everything went black for him.

He walked until he reached a small circular plaza and by the time he got there, his attention shifted above as he gazed at the dark skies.

As he watched a massive army of dark wyverns finally arrived and descended to bring their own reign of terror.

At the same time, a brilliant beam was shone from above, and in its wake, a blue ethereal force seeped out of the ground adjacent to the city fortifications.

Over time, the locals in the vicinity began to take notice of the sight above them, their eyes drawn to the surroundings as they observed everything in detail.

The city became enveloped in a powerful energy that repelled the threatening wyverns when they tried to penetrate it. Its force was so overwhelming that they were instantly pushed back.

The wyvern commander raised his hands and commanded his troops to stop their full assault. Most of them stayed suspended in mid-air as they observed a barrier emanating from the world's life force, as it protected the noble city.

"Clever.." He muttered under his breath as he knew his men couldn't just enter that easily.

Captain Julius, on the other hand, was stunned to see the event in front of him."Impossible.." He muttered in disbelief.

The Great Barrier was just a myth.

By now, the majority of the wyvern army's so-called easy entrance had been delayed for the time being, and It was up to the first batch of the army to create the damage necessarily from within, but in doing that, they had to deal with additional newcomers.

Without their knowledge, a massive shadow was able to slip through before the barrier manifested.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

It's been apparent that the chase will never end.

Mera flew as fast as she could, gliding through the air while carrying the red-haired princess and the bunny warrior.

"Hang on tight!" Pina had assured the dark-haired Demi-human that everything was going to be alright.

They thought they could make the dark dragon lose track of them, but it was so persistent that it was able to keep up with them no matter how far they were apart.

The sudden appearance of the Great Barrier caused even more confusion, particularly for the redhead.

Pina was struck with an intense curiosity upon observing an enigmatic and extraordinary spectacle that had evaded her gaze until this moment. "What could this be?" she pondered with great intrigue.

Parna appeared pleased, her lips slightly upturned in a small smile. It was clear that the young writer had accomplished the task of delivering the artifact to one of her acquaintances. Moreover, the duo had successfully summoned one of the renowned defenses of the principality, which was an impressive feat indeed.

"It's the lifestream." Parna remarked." The artifact has been activated and it finally summoned them."

She blinked back in response. A vague memory stirred within her, suggesting that she had encountered a similar situation before, but she couldn't recall if it was just a dream. Despite this, she swiftly deduced the purpose of the scenario.

To defend what is left of its former glory.

At the same time, both of the young ladies found themselves in flight, soaring next to the soldiers of the foreboding wyvern army. These soldiers were under attack and being hunted by the wicked dragon, adding to the intensity of the situation.

As Pina gazed upon the approaching wyvern armies, she couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions: disappointment, anger, and surprise. Though she recognized the familiar uniforms of her kingdom's troops, she couldn't fathom why they were showing up now, after all this time. Nevertheless, she kept a watchful eye on their movements, determined to stay one step ahead of whatever their intentions might be.

"Adem that forsaken liar..."

Parna saw this also and sensed dread from the riders themselves.

"Milady, they are going to kill us regardless.." She informed the princess of the inevitable.

Pina nodded in agreement. "I know. Their actions are unforgivable and they should be held accountable for their actions" she said calmly, as deep down, she yearned for justice to be served for the numerous lives lost due to the man's actions.

By this point in time, they knew what was yet to be done and while still being pursued by the monster, they began to make the moves.

When the first wyvern rider approached, Pina quickly directed Mera to alter their course. The rider pursued them, but Parna wasted no time in unsheathing her blade and delivering a powerful blow to the rider's chest. The rider's release of black essence prompted Parna to strike the wyvern's head, causing it to slow down. The dark flame dragon then consumed the wyvern that fell, which caused him to slow down.

As the dark wyverns become increasingly drawn to them, the only viable option for their survival is to implement a specific solution.

As the dark dragon let out a deafening roar, a plan was put into action.

"Ready?" Pina asked again.

Parna smirked in return as she prepared for another onslaught.

The rumble in the skies had finally commenced.

CHAPTER END

AN: So this chapter was a bit longer than I expected, I did have a little trouble picking ideas for the scenes here and some didn't make it to the final cut, and by then, I kind of tried to watch movies like LOTR Trilogy, and apparently that certain scene where ringwraiths and their wyverns flying around, gave me an idea to set up an Aerial Wyvern Battle scene with Pina and Parna riding Mera, the Griffith. For the aesthetic of the city of Maihark, I kind made it like a semi-silent hill version with a little apocalyptic flavor with the citizens trying to survive at the same time. Of course, the corrupted flame dragon left behind some remnants of its negative aspects which in turn took a life of its own. For some characters such as Gordon Ramsay, I plan on showing his Isekai Protagonist aspect, not just that he was a chef for life here. He fought monsters and powerful enemies, using the skills and knowledge that he learned and developed in this world.

There's also the crystal that Qua-Toyne possessed. The ability to call upon the essence of this world, thus forming a massive dome-shaped force field that protected the noble city whenever a threat appeared throughout its history. It is somewhat loosely inspired by FF15 and combined with a bit of the FF7 aspect.

With that said, thank you so much for taking the time to read the chapter I really appreciate it. Also, please forgive me for small grammar mistakes, since English is not my first language.