Chapter 66: Familiar Acquaintance

Gugalanna is a strength-type Demi-spirit. I have seen her strength during Loki Familia's first dive. She was supposed to be Ishtar's trump card to deal with Ottar. It took Gareth-san, Tiona-san, and Tione-san to defeat it.

It has enchant magic akin to Aiz-san's magic. It is something called 'Caelum Veil' (Sky Veil) that could dispel lightning in all directions.

To fight her, we need people that would take her attention.

"..rius?"

My deep thoughts were halted by Lady Riveria's voice.

"Fu…"

I took a deep breath before speaking to her.

"We are in trouble. Currently…" I pointed at the panel that showed the staircase to the tenth floor. "...the Demi-spirit could be coming after us."

Rumble-!

The ground shook once more. Gugalanna is threading the wide stairs which caused the ground to quake.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Very."

Surprisingly, Aiz-san supported my words.

"Sirius is right. She… She's calling for my mother's name."

"Spirits…"

Lady Riveria glanced at her, her thoughts unknown.

Aria…

I sought books to unveil this name and found something. It turned out that the 'Mercenary King' who wounded the Black Dragon had a spirit by his side. That wind spirit is called 'Aria'.

I assumed it was Aiz-san's contracted spirit who went by 'Aria' but I might be mistaken.

Nevertheless, it showed how the Demi-spirits are attracted to her.

"Nobu-kun? Trouble?" Rethusa-san's voice came from the orb.

For the second time, I was recalled to reality.

"Yes. Help would be appreciated right now…"

Soon, Finn-san responded as well.

"I'm sending Gareth, Tiona, and Tione to your side. We're almost done at our side."

"Thank you."

Another half a minute had passed since that conversation. There is less than four minutes before Gugalanna arrives.

I made up my mind.

"For now…"

I decided to ask Lady Riveria first.

"Lady Riveria, should we run away or fight here?"

"If it is as you have said, escaping is meaningless." She shook her head. "We could—"

"They only want me." Aiz-san interrupted her. "I will draw its attention away."

""No.""

Both Lady Riveria and I said at the same time.

"Then, fight?" I asked.

"It seems likely. I could prepare my magic before it arrives." She replied.

Hearing her decision, the elves wore dignified looks. They respect Lady Riveria a lot. Her prestige is sky-high for most elves.

"Alright. I will do some preparations outside this room."

I chose the necessary things out of my arsenal.

*****

"Aria… She's here..!"

The woman atop the bull's head smiled enthusiastically. She was extremely elated that it nearly turned into a creepy smile.

She pulled no stops to rush into the tenth floor's control room. She bashed through walls made of pure adamantine on the sixtieth floor and below. She managed to accomplish something a level six could barely do.

In terms of strength, she reached level seven. Even amongst their ranks, Gugalanna ranks highly. However, she has an apparent disadvantage—lack of intelligence.

"Hee?"

It was charging through the hallway when it sensed the presence on top of the ceiling. She thought it was some 'interesting' toy confident enough to hide from her.

The woman looked above and met gazes with an armored boy—

"You—?!"

—only to be met with ten daggers thrown at her. Just as it made contact with her, the boy chanted:

"Erupt."

BOOM-!

The combined power of ten expendable magic swords showed itself. A huge shockwave was set in the corridor.

Clang-!

The boy flew away moments before it erupted, but he was swept by the aftermath. He was forced into the floor as a result.

"That hurt…"

His eardrums are punctured by the blast. His armor couldn't protect him from that.

"Gekai's magic swords has their merits…" He muttered while drinking a potion. "It didn't reach it."

The smoke from the explosion cleared up.

"...Your envoy beseeches thee, Tonitrus! Incarnate…"

Sensing the magic, Nobu took out a traditional M9 handgun. It is different from his usual silver gun. It has lower durability and weaker magic. It only possessed a single magic.

As he prepared it, he cast a defense magicka.

"Militaris Fortilitia."

Dozens of golden magic circles enveloped him into a sphere. The circles spun before they turned static after the setting of parameters was completed.

"Thunder Ray!"

A pillar of blue lightning devoured him.

Its origin came from the 'injured' Demi-spirit. Chunks of her skin was burnt to crisp. They wriggled before green roots enveloped her injuries. It didn't take long for her to heal completely.

"Annoying guy. Bye bye."

The sea of lightning died down. Much to her surprise, Nobu is still standing. The barrier collapsed as his white tail moved slightly. His gun is pointed to her.

"Acer iactus." (Piercing Shot.)

The numerology engraved onto the gun shone with bright light. A bullet was fired from its chamber.

Bang-!

Bam-!

It surpassed the speed of sound by several times. It drew a white line as it went straight to the Demi-spirit.

She was able to react quickly and tried to dodge it but to no avail. It pierced a portion of her shoulder and torso.

(A/N: Just like Toji's death injury but lighter.)

"Tsk."

Nobu looked at his scrapped gun. It exploded the moment it fired the bullet. It became comparable to an anti-materiel rifle in that one shot. He was pushed back a couple of steps, showing how powerful its recoil was.

That was easily avoided by the Demi-spirit.

"That hurts!"

Nobu sensed the growing power within her. He noticed it occurred right after being angered by his attack.

"The magic stones… It's not in the body."

Gugalanna charged straight at him. The hallway left him with no other directions hence he chose the most suitable one—above. He jumped before landing upside-down on the ceiling. He swiftly took out his staff.

Seeing him, the Demi-spirit became more cautious. The bull's head as well as the woman's looked at him before spitting out the same magic from before.

"Thunder Ray!"

"Et Lost in Ventum. Harmonia Eversus. Detorqueo Veritas!" (Be lost in the wind. Destruction of Harmony. Distortion of Truths!)

Under her shocked look, her magic fell apart. It was dispelled by Nobu's [Phenomenon Mixer]. Ten daggers fell from the black sphere he had summoned.

"Erupt."

Once again, she experienced the bombing from before.

BOOM-!

Nobu deliberately allowed himself to be slammed to the ceiling.

Bam-!

Pain was transmitted all over his body. The internal shock send blood to his mouth.

'A minute left..!'

He thought of Riveria's 'strongest' attack magic. It required a long chant duration—six minutes. They wouldn't simply give you that chance in the battlefield, lest you have comrades who would buy time.

Nobu took out [Sora] and landed at her.

Shiing-!

Swoosh-!

Pssshk-!

He was aiming to cut her neck but she dodged. Her still-burning arms slammed at his direction.

Bam-!

Nobu was sent flying. Momentarily, his sight blurred. He had underestimated the impact of Gugalanna's attack. He had only heard her existence and never saw her in an actual fight.

Gugalanna is the strongest Demi-spirit in terms of sheer strength. Coupled with her 'differences', she was far stronger than his estimations.

His ears rang. Despite the increased endurance due to [Sirius], he was sent into a light shock. His body was on the verge of becoming 'inhumane' yet he experienced it.

It was similar to Jogo's casual strike. Nobu realized that Jogo might be stronger than Gugalanna.

'Shit…'

He was still able to move—a far cry from his past self. He didn't take as much damage as before. This is factoring his armor being inferior to the combat suit.

'I should've saved it now..!'

Nobu regretted his decision to use [Memoir Manifest] early on. He decided to use it to capture the control room smoothly, but he hadn't expected Gugalanna breaking free from its adamantine chains. The appearance of a combat suit was unexpected too.

'It's not the time for that.' He thought. 'It's time.'

He closed the distance of a dozen meters to the room's entrance. When he arrived, he shouted:

"It's coming!"

After his reminder, a huge silhouette crashed.

Bam-!

The small entrance was replaced with a bigger one. The Demi-spirit sent an infuriated look to him.

"THAT HURTS!"

It became stronger. Some of its green skin started turning black.

'A berserk magic?!'

While Nobu observed its changes, the magic bombing began. The elves bombarded Gugalanna instantaneously. Under its cover, Aiz decided to attack.

"Awaken, Tempest."

Sharp viridescent winds surrounded her. Aiz's overall status had increased.

She recalled Nobu's strange words before this fight.

'Think of it as a monster.'

Aiz Wallenstein is someone without proper experience of swordsmanship. She couldn't fight other 'people' properly. However, she has a very strong aspect—fighting monsters.

In that aspect, she's unmatched.

Swoosh-!

Pssshk-!

Aiz passed through its legs. Wounds appeared as she did so. It elicited louder screams of pain from Gugalanna.

The two-pronged attacks made it suffer.

"IT HURTTSSSSS!"

The Demi-spirit's weakness was thoroughly leveraged. It does not have the intelligence of other Demi-spirits. She is only a meathead with overwhelming strength.

"CAELUM VEIL!"

Arcs of electricity emerged from her body.

"DISTEL!"

"Primum ex Quimtum Excipio!"

Bzzzt-!

Rumble-!

The five-layered magic shield was put up when electric arcs overwhelmed Gugalanna's radius. The ground shook as cracks appeared all over the room.

Nobu positioned the shield to be in front of Riveria's direction, protecting both Aiz and the elves at the same time.

Since he positioned just behind Aiz, he was also protected by his spell.

Crack-!

The anti-magic shield started breaking. The first and second layers of magic circles shattered upon contact while the third and fourth slowed it down. When it came to the fifth, it reflected a portion of the electric attack.

Shatter-!

Nobu's shield broke down. The protected pristine floor was immediately filled with cracks. The remnants of the magic sent both Aiz and Nobu flying—resulting in the latter catching the former in his arms.

"Dispersus." (Disperse.)

Crackle-!

The wind on their surroundings cracked, akin to the sound of a whip. The impact disappeared on the two of them. They were able to stand properly as a result.

Nobu distanced himself from Aiz. His armor made it less awkward between them since there was no direct contact.

"Ariaaa..!"

Currently, Gugalanna has arcs of electricity coming from her body. She is similar to Aiz as of the moment.

"Mn…"

Aiz's expression changed. She remembered some bittersweet memories with the mention of her mother's name.

"...I ask thee. Enth, Astrum."

The support magic circle beneath their feet shone, enhancing Nobu's mind. He grasped his [Edatsu] (Steel Branch) as he completed his spell.

Bam-!

Bam-!

Boom-!

A cluster of stars fell from above. It bombarded Gugalanna. The stars' descent sent another wave of tears to the ground.

[Sirius], [Mage], his armor, and [Edatsu] increased Nobu's capabilities vastly. It was a far cry from his former self when he had just arrived on Gekai.

Aiz looked at him. She couldn't see his face due to the helmet, but she could imagine his solemn face whenever he turned serious.

"Aiz-san should stay. Lady Riveria is about to finish her spell…"

"Okay."

His words coincided with its prelude.

A huge magic circle enveloped the surface of the room. It consisted of smaller magic circles that served as a point. In its center lay Gugalanna.

Riviera's strongest attack spell—the magic which allowed her to nearly kill a level seven monster as a level five.

BOOM-!

An extremely bright pillar of light emerged from the center. It passed through Gugalanna's huge body. Consequently, it blinded everyone's eyes except Aiz, Riveria, and Nobu.

Nobu saw the unfolding of her magic. He understood Riveria's attack magic being 'adjustable' in certain perimeters—mainly temperature. That was how she could cast both ice and fire attributes.

(A/N: Her Wynn Fimbulvetr freezes enemies while Rea Laevateinn summons pillars of flames in AoE.)

The pillar of light worked similarly to his [Beam Sword] and [Repulsors]. It generated extreme friction which became a 'beam'. Although, the magic in his sight took it further. The intensity between the two wasn't comparable at all—Riveria's magic outclassed it.

Soon, it died down. Gugalanna sustained severe injuries due to her inability to react. She barely dodged her vitals—her Jewel Fetus—but half of her body was gone. Green vines appeared to serve as her temporary legs.

The shiny crystal inside her bull's body caught their sight.

Wordlessly, all three of them cooperated. Nobu and Riveria chanted their magic while Aiz charged to it.

Sou-!

"Wh—!"

Gugalanna was able to dodge Aiz's attacks but it sent her off balance. The makeshift legs weren't able to stabilize her body.

Aiz took this chance to strike the visible crystal.

Crack-!

Her [Desperate] gave it a huge crack.

"Abrad ad habra!" (I will create as I speak!)

A phantom of an archangel instantly condensed. It screamed in a praying position before a bolt of thunder descended at it. The thunder sent the Demi-spirit in pain while dealing more damage to the Jewel Fetus.

Crack-!

Sou-!

Aiz remained unharmed from the magic—it only harmed the 'evil'. She struck the crystal one last time, breaking it to pieces. Gugalanna's huge body turned into ashes.

"Fu…"

*****

I heaved a sigh of relief.

Although things went out of hand, we handled it perfectly. Lady Riveria's magic dealt severe injuries to it and revealed the Jewel Fetus deep within its body. It proved that proper preparations could let us avoid close battles.

After sending a look of gratitude to Lady Riveria, I came closer to Gugalanna's remains—her ashes.

"Good work, Aiz-san."

"You too."

It felt surreal. I had experienced a shitty iteration and lived in this place for half a year. The strong Demi-spirit was taken down easier than in that iteration. Part of it was the absence of other Demi-spirits. They didn't have the time to turn Knossos into a 'pseudo-spirit realm'.

Loki Familia struggled in Enyo's schemes twice and lost every time it occurred. Now that we have the information advantage, it was inevitable to be like this. Evilus and Enyo were struck unprepared, too.

I picked up the fragment of Gugalanna's Jewel Fetus.

'About her mutation…'

I mulled over the cause behind her chains breaking. She wasn't able to break it by herself in the eighth iteration, but she was able to this time. Either she was under Evilus' control too much or she has something different from the Gugalanna in that iteration.

'What could it be…'

I recalled the black spots on her body.

'She didn't have that berserk skill.'

Gugalanna's magic was Thunder Ray and Caelum Veil. She focused on lightning-type magic. I am positive she didn't have a berserk skill before.

Could it be that Valletta killed Gugalanna and chose a new one due to that? The berserk skill would make her harder to control which doesn't suit Ishtar's needs.

'...Wait a minute.'

I saw a wisp of black spots on the crystal fragment. It was the 'corruption' from the mixing of Spirits and monsters… or so I thought.

'This can't be..!'

Chills were sent to my spine.

'No, there's no way—!'

I dropped the crystal fragment in shock.

'...Cursed… energy..?'

A sudden surge of 'darkness' started gathering to the ashes.

No.

I am too fucking familiar with this process.

'No… way…'

My instincts acted on the behest of my shocked self. A spell started building in my mind. The perimeters and relevant details were swiftly recalled due to casting it once earlier.

"Abrad ad habra!" (I will create as I speak.)

The silhouette of the blindfolded archangel appeared. She sent a purifying bolt of lightning to the crystal fragments.

Bzzzt-!

Bam-!

Black smoke came out from it. I thought it could suffice.

Alas, it could not.

Zoom-!

The puddle of darkness solidified to the real world. Aiz-san saw it and instinctively drew her rapier.

A slender arm came out of it.

Undoubtedly…

"A fucking cursed spirit..?"