(XIX) Brought Together

Camille's eyes were brightly illuminated in the same golden light as her aura. She leaned forward, pressing her hand against the intense surface of the miniature sun Nathan was holding. 

Her golden aura surrounded the twins, relieving both of their wounds as they both collapsed to the ground, panting heavily and staring up at the blonde woman. 

She stepped forward, her eyes piercing the fireball as her gaze locked on the grotesque monster hanging to the wall of the nearby building as she pressed against the sphere. 

The enormous fireball shot through the air at a blinding speed, colliding with the monstrous thug boss before it could react, unleashing a demonic howl as it was overtaken by the flames. 

The fireball exploded, destroying the entire building as Serenity screamed, falling toward the blazing star below her, being caught midair as Samael flew at a blinding speed, leaping from the falling debris and landing beside Camille and the twins. 

Ichiko groaned as she used her uchigatana as a crutch, covered in wounds and bleeding; she stepped out from the rubble nearby and stared up as the fireball erupted, creating a pillar of fire that rose to the clouds.

She walked over to the rest of the group, sighing in relief as she collapsed to the ground next to the twins. Serenity slipped out of Samael's arms as he fixed his gaze on the blazing tower of flames. 

"What a wild night!" Kaitlyn exclaimed, sighing in relief as she looked around at the wounds on everyone's bodies and then was filled with regret as she had none on her. 

"Don't jinx us!!" Nathan scolded his sister, shaking his head before looking down at his charred hands, "I don't think I can handle any more excitement..." 

"No, you two bad children must start listening to your elders!" Camille scolded as she knelt beside the twins, taking Nathan's hands in her own as his burnt fingertips started to vanish. 

She stood after and approached Ichiko, kneeling beside her as she placed her hands on her back and closed her eyes, bathing the two in a golden aura as the scars started to slowly vanish. 

"Tch!" Samael clicked his tongue as his gaze narrowed, gritting his teeth as the pillar of flames vanished, and the monstrous thug boss remained clutching the wall. 

The spikes on its baseball bat had melted, leaving searing nubs, and the boss' body bleeding profusely from dozens of scars as its purple and gooey skin had vanished, leaving a charred and smoldering body with less than half of its previous mass. 

He raised his hand as both twin blades soared through the air and returned to him. He swung the Blade of the Rising Sun upward, scraping the ground as it burst into flames. 

A scar cut through the ground, bright flames rapidly following the path as it carved through the asphalt and concrete, climbing up the building as it encased the thug boss in fire once more. 

The thug boss roared once more, leaping from the building as the flames danced in the air behind him, raising both of his arms above his head, intent on killing the entire group in a single attack. 

Samael spun, twisting the Sword of the Setting Moon through the air as a massive spike made of subzero ice shot out of it, soaring through the air and colliding with the monstrous being. 

The ice started to encase the hulking behemoth, creeping along its body, freezing it entirely in mere seconds. Samael scooped up Ichiko and Serenity and leaped out of the way as Cami grabbed the twins and followed suit. 

The frozen thug boss crashed against their position, shattering into a thousand shards. The ice became pitch black as the monster vanished, leaving no Beast Core behind. 

The group sighed in unison as the girls collapsed, relief washing over them. The twins hopped to their feet, ran over to the collection of ice shards, and started looking around but couldn't find a Core. 

"Hey, big bro!!" Kaitlyn called out, stopping as she looked over at Sam, "Do they always drop a crystal thingie?"

"Yes." Samael loudly replied, nodding his head. 

"I don't think this one has one..." Nathan called out as he continued to look around, "It's not here..."

"No core..?" Sam muttered to himself, stroking his chin before turning to Ichiko and Serenity, "That was a monster, right?"

The girls nodded, causing the young man even more bewilderment as he stroked his chin, thinking, "Did it come out of a Dungeon?"

"What's a Dungeon?" Serenity asked. 

"You know... the portals?" He explained, prompting the shrine maiden to shake her head. 

"No... He was a despicable cretin coming after me and..." Ichiko stopped midsentence as she turned around and quickly ran back to where she had come from. 

Samael turned to Serenity, who shrugged and shook her head. The young man sighed and waved for everyone to follow as the group chased after Ichiko. 

She ran back through the streets and alleyways and quickly navigated back to the scene where the battle between the trolls occurred. She entered an alley, leaping between the narrow walls, deftly making her way to the rooftops.

As the group appeared at the scene of the battle, the twins' eyes shimmered with greed as they rushed over to the Beast Cores, littering the ground, and started collecting them. 

"Up there!" Camille said, pointing toward the top of the buildings as Ichiko rushed toward her sister. 

"Wait here..." Sam said as he performed a feat of superhuman abilities and leaped from the ground to a nearby rooftop, stopping as he witnessed Ichiko collapsing to the rooftop, clutching Jijo in her arms as they both started crying. 

He smiled momentarily before he shook his head and jumped back down to the streets in disbelief at his own actions. He swiped away the window that had been in the corner of his eyes.

╔══You have successfully defeated a Minor Sin of Gluttony.══╝

╔══Reward: Soul Tie +1══╝

"It might not have been a monster that rewarded a Beast Core..." He muttered to himself, "But at least it wasn't completely a waste." 

"What's that, Sam?" Cami asked, approaching from behind as she touched his shoulder. Serenity walked up, standing a few feet behind her. 

"Oh, nothing..." Samael replied with a smile, staring up at the rooftops, waiting for Ichiko and her sister to come down.

"Um..." The redhead muttered, causing the young man to turn around, watching her stare at the ground, shuffling her foot as her face grew red, "T-thank you for saving me... twice!" 

Samael was taken aback by the kind words; for over ten years, he had been a slave to these three women, beaten and abused almost daily for the smallest of mistakes, culminating in his murder. 

"Yes." Ichiko interrupted, landing behind Sam with Jijo in her arms, carefully setting her down and extending her hand, "Thank you." 

Sam nodded at Serenity before turning around and taking Ichiko's hand, shaking it as he reluctantly replied, "You're welcome..." 

╔══Soul Thief target available! Would the User like to copy the Ability [Swordmaster of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven]? [Yes/No]══╝

╔══Soul Tie Target is available! Would the User like to create a bond with Ichiko? [Yes/No]══╝

'Yes.' He thought, activating both of his skills, smiling at her. 

╔══[Swordmaster of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven] acquired!══╝

╔══Initiating Soul Tie bond with Target: Ichiko. Please wait...══╝