Chapter 163: The Surface

"Haaa.... I'm bored~" Merlin yawned as he lazily rested against a large rock, his eyes squinted as he slowly succumbed to the sweet temptation of Morpheus's embrace—

"Wake up." Only to be slapped in the face by a deadpanned Ana.

Merlin groaned, "Aw~ C'mon, Ana-chan~ It's only a short nap."

"No."

Merlin pouted. "How cruel of you, Ana-chan~"

"...." Ana's eyes narrowed, she slips her hand into a hidden pocket in her cloak and brought a certain tiny creature out that immediately had Merlin deathly pale.

"Merlin, die!" Fou jumped towards him, landing a successful dropkick on his face.

"Aaaaahh! I thought we left you on Eridu! Damn you, Cath Palug! Y-Your Majesty, please help me!"

Altria, who stood patiently under a tree, merely glanced at him.

"Fou, don't kill him....yet."

"Fou!"

"Your Majesty!! Gah! Not the eyes, NOT THE EYES!!"

Altria ignored their scuffle and looked towards Kutha, her hands clenched and face tense as she waited for any sign of movement from the city of death.

"Master, Brunhilde, Gudako, Mash, Ereshkigal…," she murmured under her breath, her gaze locked on the portal. "Please, come back safe."

"Hola amiga!"

Altria blinked and she turned, flinched, as Quetzalcoatl stood beside her almost face face-to-face.

'Close.'

"Uh, hi...? Can I help you with something, Quetzalcoatl?" Altria greeted, her voice tinged with a hint of surprise as she looked at Quetzalcoatl.

As a heroic spirit, she had been granted general knowledge of the modern world by the FATE system in Chaldea, including an understanding of various languages. Still, the sudden proximity was....unexpected is all.

Especially considering they were once enemies, it really made it a bit awkward for her to converse with the Goddess from Aztec Mythology.

Quetzalcoatl chuckled, "Oh, amiga, no, no! I just saw you standing here all stiff and worried for hermanito and the others. You looked like you were carrying the weight of the whole world on those shoulders." She reached out, giving Altria shoulder a light, reassuring pat.

She then pointed to the side, where a certain tiger—jaguarman was laying down. "Also, I was bored after playing with the dumb jaguar."

Altria blinked, and she couldn't help but let out snort. "Is she okay?"

"Oh don't worry about her. If there's one thing she's good at, its her resilience." She then tilted her head. "But anyways, still worried about them?"

"I.... yes, I am worried. Of course I am! They're fighting something beyond that even Gods would be afraid of," Her gaze drifted back to the silent city. "I know they're capable, especially master, since....he's special, to say the least. But I'd still rather be there, fighting alongside my master as my duty as his servant, than just helplessly wait up here."

Quetzalcoatl nodded, her usual cheerful demeanor softening as she looked out toward Kutha. "I know that feeling well, amiga. Seriously, I'm in the same situation as you after you."

Altria glanced at her, and asked. "Are you....worried about them as well?"

Quetzalcoatl smirked. "Nope~"

"Eh?"

"We're talking about my hermanito here. He's done the impossible dozens of times now, from what I've heard. Honestly, if there's anyone who can pull through this, it's him."

Altria blinked, a little taken aback by Quetzalcoatl's unwavering confidence. "You....really believe that, don't you?"

Quetzalcoatl nodded, a gleam of fierce pride in her eyes. "Absolutely! As a fellow deity that governs the sun, he will he will shine even in the darkest depths. And like the sun, he'll keep rising, no matter how many times he's brought down."

Altria looked at her thoughtfully, her earlier anxiety giving way to a sense of awe at Quetzalcoatl's faith. "That's....a beautiful way to put it. I suppose if even you, a goddess, have that kind of confidence in him, then I should too."

Quetzalcoatl chuckled warmly, resting a hand on Altria's shoulder. "Exactly, amiga! He'll come back, with that stupid monster or whatever, and we'll be right here, ready to aid him in battle!"

"Hm." Altria nodded. "And please, you can call me Altria as well if you want to."

"Hehe. Bueno, ¡está bien! You can also call me Quetzalcoatl, or whatever pretty nickname you can come up for me."

Altria wryly smiled, "I-I'll call you Quetzalcoatl for now...."

"Ah, that's right. We still haven't gotten to know each other more." Quetzalcoatl blinked and she smacked her fist against her palm, a look of realization on her face. "Eh, no biggie. I'm sure we'll have lots of time to know each other...."

"Huh? What do you mean by—"

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble as a surge of mana rippled through the air, sharp and potent. The tremor was followed by a powerful pulse of magical energy, like a cyclone, converging in the middle of Kutha and in just a brief moment a large golden portal appeared in the middle of the city. It was such a blinding display that it could even be seen from Altria and the other's position.

"What's going on?" Jaguarman asked as she, Merlin and Ana walked up Altria and Quetzalcoatl.

Merlin frowned, "Such a powerful surge of magical energy....I believe it's time."

"It's—!" Altria gasped, feeling her connection with Zenkichi suddenly grew stronger. She looked towards Kutha with narrowed eyes. "It's master. Merlin, teleport us in the city, now!"

Merlin nodded, his face set with a rare seriousness. "Yes, Your Majesty." He tapped the butt of his wooden staff on the ground, and vibrant flowers bloomed around them, their petals shimmering with magical energy. Tendrils of light extended from the blossoms, weaving a glowing circle beneath their feet.

"Everyone, brace yourselves," Merlin intoned, concentrating his mana to stabilize the portal, as Fou jumped on his shoulder.

"Gah! Why are you coming along?! Get! Shoo! Shoo!"

"Hiss*!"

As the spell activated, Altria took a deep breath, her heart pounding with anticipation and concern. She clenched her hand, her holy lance a moment's away from appearing.

'Hang on, Master,' she thought fiercely. 'We're coming!'

Quetzalcoatl grinned, showing off her sharp teeth and demonic expression as she summoned her macana. "Finally! Let's show this monster that's messing with my hermanito, of what happens when they get on our bad side!"

With a brilliant flash of light, Merlin's teleportation magic took hold, whisking them into the depths of Kutha.

With Zenkichi

"Haaaaaa!" Zenkichi let out a primal roar, his body shrouded in deep blue flames as he burst out of the portal, his bat-like wings flapped to give him a bit more boost as he drove his fist deeper into Envy's face—intending to burst her head like watermelon, while also incinerating her completely.

"Die!"

"Another failure...."

Zenkichi's eyes widened as he saw Envy suddenly disappear before him for a moment, before reappearing a few feet away with not a scratch on her body. He stopped midair, his wings flapping as he prepared for any counterattack.

However, Envy simply frowned and looked at him with an expression of confusion and frustration.

"How did you remove the corruption?" Envy muttered, her voice tinged with a frustration that broke her otherwise calm facade. "Normally that power of Corruption would've consume you entirely; body, soul, mind. And with my Authority woven in....even the slightest possibility of escape should have been erased."

Zenkichi narrowed his eyes, feeling the remnants of the dark power that had once clung to him like tar. The blue flames surrounding his body surged brighter, flaring as he clenched his fists

"Your Authority.... You don't suppose you'll start monologuing now, right?"

Envy raised an eyebrow, "No. I won't. All you will be getting are mere hints."

"Booo!"

Envy sighed. "You are such a child."

Zenkichi shrugged, "Well, I am sixteen after all."

"I was born a couple weeks ago, and I act more mature than you."

Zenkichi stared at her and scoffed. "....Seriously? You call yourself mature?"

Envy snorted and raised both her hands, and from her shadow, countless dark, writhing hands began to emerge—reaching thousands, as each one reaching and clawing toward Zenkichi with malicious intent.

"You wouldn't understand," she replied coldly, her voice carrying an eerie calmness as the shadow hands multiplied further, stretching out to surround him on all sides.

"And those are the words from a immature person," Zenkichi retorted as his Devil Style disappeared for a moment before he went into God Mode as the sun shine down upon him.

"Hmph!" Envy scoffed, unimpressed, as Zenkichi's form shifted into God Mode, his presence radiating with a golden glow as beams of sunlight illuminated his figure. Her shadow hands paused in their relentless advance, momentarily repelled by the brilliance emanating from him.

Zenkichi grinned and said, "Avengers!"

In an instant, vibrant flowers bloomed around Zenkichi, filling the air with their shimmering light and a pulse of potent energy. As the petals unfurled, familiar figures emerged within the glow—Altria, Quetzalcoatl, Merlin, Ana, Jaguarman, and even Fou, each one enveloped in radiant magic.

They stood around him, battle-ready.

Zenkichi stared at Envy, his eyes radiating a fiery glare of determination.

"Assemble."