Chapter 53: A Hero's End

'Not until your golden spear pierced Enda's heart'

 Grim's words repeated in my mind, again and again as we prepared for battle. The smell of blood bought a disgusting gust of warm wind blowing from the battlefield three hundred meters away.

 There was something I was missing, something I shouldn't have forgotten.

 'In five minutes you'll be apologizing'

 Shit!

 I may be immune to Alameda's charming Blessing, but not Ota. All I could hope is that her lust for revenge would give us a bit more time.

 Grim is keeping her distance too, I need to finish this fast

 As if omnipotent, Rider blasted music through the glowing blue rods. A low whistle with other sounds and eventually the gallop of Pegasus if it ran on the ground.

 'Survive as long as you can'

 Now or never.

 "Fine, don't forget your actions led to this Touji"

 Alameda raised her right arm then quickly brought it she was squishing some bug on a table. Before I even noticed what this meant, Ota created a Pavise shield; as thick as tombstone with stabilizing legs, often used by those with ranged weapons as cover.

 Now it served a different purpose.

 When the self-proclaimed Goddess aggressively lowered her arm, a wall of transparent gold slammed down on my Oni friend, who barely managed to prepare in time. Her quick defensive thinking saved her own life by creating an uncrushable wedge.

 The air pressure alone blew any nearby water, not that there was much left as it had been boiling near Ota's feet.

 "Hey bitch-tits! My family is standing behind me, where's yours?!"

 "I'm at peace with losing my family, unlike you and your virginity"

 "Shut up"

 "How much did you sell it for? Twenty, thir- how..."

 "I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU STUPID BITCH!"

 That was a secret only hers to tell, as we both knew what it meant. Ritsu was gone, his soul evaporated, his new body destroyed, but even ash can leave a stain.

 Overwhelming emotions granted Ota strength to not just survive, but push back, reaching heights of an S-Rank power in one trait at the cost of her control.

 Step by step, she began to push back the golden back while I ran behind her to strike. Without a doubt my actions did not go unnoticed.

 Alameda's calm and collected yet disappointed attitude was unnerving, however, Ota's defiance gave rise to true surprise.

 Holy spells had the reputation of healing and buffing allies, with little offensive diversity apart from the attacking entities considered 'heretical' in nature, such as the undead. Or at least that was my understanding. 

 Self-proclaimed or not, the powers she wielded were real.

 Moving as an extension of her hand, Alameda swiped to the right in a chopping motion while jumping back and summoning a tiny single cloud beneath her feet. 

 Her ability to cast instantly without chanting working in her favor, not that I could identify what spell she used anyway. Sliding while running, I barely avoided her attack at the cost of landing on my back and losing momentum.

 In the time it took me to get back up she had hovered away on her small cloud. Trying to keep both of us in line of sight and using decrepit buildings as cover as a border, she struck at Ota again. 

 To counter her attacks, she lost almost all of her remaining armor in favor of a getup designed to fight against Alameda's magic, switching up on the fly.

 Creating more shields stacked on top of each other while wearing thick, heavy clawed sabatons, another side sweep was stopped..

 The moment the Priest's holy barricade came to a standstill against Ota, it came flying back to me, always an extension of her arms movements.

 I jumped, using the Halberd as leverage to gain as much height as I could to avoid another sideways strike, only to realize I made a grave mistake and threw my weapon back to Ota, as the golden bulwark came in an instant stop.

 My core screamed in pain as I was sent flying into the air, tossing and turning. Any attempts to breathe would be futile until I stopped and my eyes refused to open at such speed, so I prepared an Airburst in my right hand while trying to hold steady myself.

 When she said she'd take me 'by force' this was the last thing I expected. As a leading member of The Holy Kingdom, she had troops with Pegasi. Once upon a time I heard a rumor they had a single weakness, they feared storms, thunder and lightning.

 As wind blew past my face and drowned my ears in sound, I figured the best chance I had was to imitate the weather I had grown all too accustomed to.

 One problem, Enda had yet to teach me advanced offensive magic, and they could dodge Thundercrack, with not enough time to recover between spells.

 Airburst and what else?

 My momentum was slowly coming to a halt and I took in my first breath and a beautiful sight of the land below filled my vision as I still flew up.

 Small towns and settlements spread far and wide, each emanating specs of light. Tyrant's Rest was nothing more than the size of my pinkie, with the river opening up before twisting and turning.

 Concordia was too far away to see anything by a distant glow on the horizon. Same for each Kingdom's large cities, with the Eternal Empire having the most towns without a doubt.

 Boree's land was shaped like an enclosed valley that quickly expanded, perfectly nestled within the natural defense of Nala's snowy mountains. Its capital city was barely a spec basking in pure white and yellow lights, yet it was still the second closest major settlement.

 Dragons Mort was the nearest city, a day's boat ride from my hometown, yet it was faster to take a carriage after one would reach Broken-Blade Fort, as the river bended and many water elevators slowed down the journey significantly.

 Several Paladins, Priests and long range offensive supports known as 'Prophets' rode on winged horses and floating chariots pulled by Pegasi littered the sky, there had to be at least six Trinities on standby alongside fifty or so Mages and Bowmen on mounts.

 Their warriors wielding shields and spears used a 'Hymn' called 'Gracefall', a spell that grew large temporary wings, twice the size of their bodies, this made up another fifty units dedicated to melee.

 Oddly enough, when I looked towards my new home I saw what looked like a falling star quickly drawing closer, five black dots behind. It was too dark to determine what they were and my focus had shifted towards two highly decorated Paladins closing in.

 Every second wasted up here was another Ota would be alone, fighting the woman that claimed responsibility for her entire family's death. I refused to let her fight alone.

 Greyward!

 Darkness enveloped my body as it reached a standstill for a single purpose. It was a perfect plan on their part, to catch me before I fell down, but this wasn't my first freefall and made sure the next time it happened I knew what I was doing, and all possible methods of landing, assisted or not.

 Zap, a beginner tier spell with very little use apart from tasing others or stunning animals and monsters alike, could create a small current of lightning between fingers. Being rather useless as a spell, I had often forgotten about its entire existence.

 Over the course of a few weeks I learned Greyward, and in only a few desperate casts, I had mastered how to cast it without speaking. Either I was a genius, or the connection to my mentor fostered an unnatural affinity to spells related to thunder.

 The latter was the obvious answer, and so I attempted to manipulate what I could from within a shroud of darkness.

 Riding a black Pegasus, sporting matching free flowing dark hair and confidante amber eyes, the seasoned, yet attractive female Paladin would back up her fellow holy warrior on assisting my capture. A man in his twenties with blonde hair and black square metal glasses.

 Personally fitted golden armor with accolades welded and painted on, combined with their extremely confident demeanor that screamed perfectly focused, rather than bored like Enda, led me to believe that I stood no chance of pulling off my first plan.

 Stealing a mount would not be possible, and every attempt to cast Zap to put on a show did nothing to dissuade the Pegasi.

 Sparks!

 Combined with Airburst, I needed to cause a visible commotion and pray the falling star would be the one woman that could set up my entrance.

 As I reached the apex of my climb, I let Greyward fade and fire filled my hands. Combined casting wasn't advised due to the lack of accuracy and recoil, but that's what I needed, a fiery dash downward... unless...

 Hands raised above, Paladins in perfect position. They didn't even bother drawing their weapons; they appeared that overzealous.

 Time to move

 With a bang I sped straight between them, faster than either of them could react and quickly starting chanting my next two spells.

 "Like sword and shield at my side, let fire and lightning be my guide, as gods and mortals turn to hide, let this signal turn the tide, Firecrack!"

 With both hands I snapped my fingers while falling head first towards my home town. I'd figure out if their flying fuckers would piss off one way or another.

 Two separate whinnies gave me the answer I sought as the nearby explosion and crack caught the Paladins off guard.

 A bellowing horn rang out through the sky to attack the approaching enemy from a young man riding a Pegasus with a guided purple barding and small silver crown resting on his forehead.

 Only one family held a position greater than Alameda, one that could signal an advance.

 Perhaps that was the point, for them to charge into certain death so she could make a play for the throne herself. Normally I wouldn't partake in such speculation, but my intuition felt sharper than normal.

 Zooming in at breakneck speed was six individuals and five monsters, no longer dots in the distance but backup arriving for a preemptive strike.

 Enda, burning enough mana to fill a warehouse of Crystals, flew on magic alone, followed by the Flying Knights on their tamed and trained Dragons, General Soarhart amongst them.

 Unburdened by carrying a 'Perch', the bastards achieved momentum I'd thought impossible, despite being overwhelmingly larger than a Pegasi.

 Then again, Dragons hunt and eat the winged horses for breakfast.

 One yellow dot in the sky quickly became two, then three, six, a dozen, thirty, seventy, all from the woman who earned the title of a 'One Woman Army'. Her blue hood was down, but I didn't know anybody else in this world had the mana to both fly with fire and shoot Kings Comet's.

 "ENDA!"

 The sky lit up with a wall of exploding light following the spells yellow streaks, just short of the flying army taking formation.

 She flew down to me as all five dragons and their riders used their wings to block, and absorb the flame. It was a spectacle, yes, one that would instantly break the morale of the enemy, as all five targeted and crashed through each of their flying chariots in a single sweep.

 That fire did not go out, no, the tamed monster's wings burned bright like elemental swords. In a perfect maneuver, they turned back round. Soarhart curved straight up, but she did not ride alone, Adelard was with her. Two riders on either side curved around in a synchronized formation.

 All of their mouths dripped with lava, ready to burst.

 If I had more time, I would have loved to watch or questioned how my friend managed to catch a ride, but Enda had caught up to my freefall and wasting this opportunity was not an option.

 "Touji?!"

 "Short range portal behind Alameda! Now!"

 "That's suicide!"

 "She has my Relic! Just do it!"

 Behind her fluttering hood I saw a face full of regret, she was recalling a single memory she both hated, and cherished. The Witch matching my freefall reached out to touch my transformed hand, which gave her an arching static shock in return.

 Her own life was forfeit, but never at the cost of others, that was a principle Enda held to her very core.

 Stomach tight, arms in a cross, now to the side. Hard like stone, unbreakable like Nori, sharp like obsidian. Make an entrance

 "Show her the face of defiance"

 *Thump-Thump-Thump*

 At Terminal velocity I flew through Enda's portal, smashing the holy prison of my Relic, and rolled a single time, all while the world moved at a falling feathers speed. With three beats, my body was completely unaffected.

 After the first rotation I plunged my arms into the cobblestone highway, ripping and tearing through rock and concrete. For at least thirty meters I battled against gravity and physics until I came to a halt, a few meters away from an impressed Kitsune.

 I stood up, raised my hand to the sky, and the world regained its normal speed.

 Music blasting through the streets, as I caught what I once foolishly lost.

 Almost every building had sustained damage of some sort from, multiple had collapsed.

 Ota wearily wobbled out of another building she had been pushed into. Blood and sweat covered her body and her Halberd's shaft had been broken in two, now doubt she tried to use it to stop an attack.

 Despite everything, she still held onto the 'A-P' bolt.

 Without uttering a word or letting Alameda speak, I transformed it into the one sword I knew could cut through, in a configuration I'd only seen in passing once. With a cutting edge now longer than any Claymore, it was now our turn to be on the offensive.

 "One save, that's all I can do right now"

 "We won't need it"

 Alameda quickly tried to crush me between two walls like catching a bug, but I jumped and spun, shredding them to pieces. The palms of her hands started to bleed in response for only a second before being healed.

 She started to panic, throwing out attacks left and right as I sprinted towards her.

 "I kept my word, twenty-three times, one of each Oni that fell due to my actions. If you don't surrender, I won't hold back"

 Her voice remained steady, assured she would win and survive.

 "Haven't you learned anything bitch? I don't die so fucking easy"

 Ota threw the Halberd like a tomahawk. Although it missed, her actions distracted the self-proclaimed goddess for the few perfect moments to slide under another attack, lunge and cut her chest.

 Like a regular sword hitting plate armor, it bounced off, yet still cut her robes.

 Without a second thought I cast a powerful Airburst from my left hand to propel myself away from an holy overhead slam and ran to Ota. Obviously Alameda didn't strangle anyone in person, but I was still surprised by the Relics' strict rules.

 "Watch out!"

 "It's over"

 Two massive glowing walls erected either side of Ota and caved in on us, barely being stopped by a conjured round shield. It wouldn't last. With every second it contorted and bent.

 My Relic shifted and changed to the bow I failed to draw once more, a bow that would not miss.

 "Ota, lend me your strength"

 "We'll die!"

 "Not if we're together"

 She hesitated after giving me the silver bolt. Much shorter than an arrow but useful all the same with this bow.

 Our music came to an end, a bad Omen if ever there was such a thing.

 Nevertheless I stood opposite her, bow upright, almost as if we were about to perform a waltz. Traditional dancing was not something I knew, drawing a bow on the other hand, was.

 "This'll hurt"

 "I'm used to pain"

 "Now!"

 Her shield disappeared and she grabbed onto my Relic, pulling as hard as she could on the bow while I did the same. Sparks ripped through Ota's hands as the Relic refused to be used by her, but little by little we drew it back, until finally;

 "Loose!"

 Alameda was no fool. Dispersing her wall right after Ota's shield, she hid herself in a bubble of devotion. Without an opening, the bolt dug itself into her protective sphere, passing through several inches before stopping entirely, and exploding into a gooey mess of hot liquid.

 Slowly, her golden ward sizzeled away, dissolved by the bolt, but she still remained, perfectly free from harm.

 Dammit it all

 Like rain; debris and bodies from the battle up above hit our surroundings.

 The Self-Proclaimed Goddess did not care, not in the slightest, instead, her patience had finally worn thin. With a whistle she called over her trusty servants, only no response came.

 Pondering for a moment and looking over towards Arisu whose smirk could not be hidden by her hood, Alameda conjured a golden musical triangle and hit it twice with the corresponding stick.

 Paladin Four-eyes and Black-haired beauty landed by her side. They had jumped off their steeds and sent them to hide nearby until their signal.

 "Kill the Oni, bring the boy. Feel free to be rough"

 Longswords drawn, the warriors came closer as every fiber in my being screamed to run.

 I quickly swapped back to my own longsword and blocked the man's overhead strike while Ota blocked the same attack from the girl. Both of us fell to our knees at their sheer strength, the ground cracking beneath out feet. Having just used up what we could to draw Riders mimicked bow, we could not last long..

 As I followed up with a thrust, the man caught my blade with his gauntlets, pulled me close, and punched my face multiple times until I could bear the pain no longer.

 Warmth ran over my lips, dripping on the ground and clouded my vision. Ota had become two mirror images desperately trying to thwart both their attacks.

 Her arm was cut open, then her leg, then they grabbed her by the face and smashed her into the ground. She managed to narrowly protect her face with conjured armor. Yet they kept smashing, again and again and again and again. Her arms grew limp.

 "Bastards"

 Nothing but gargled, exasperated mess left my numb lips as I tried to stand once again, recalling my weapon and changing its form to Arisu's blade.

 The Grey Cobblestone under Ota's hidden face was painted red and I feared for the worst. Tears swelled in the corner of my eyes from the sting of a broken nose. Each drop of blood that fell underneath my feet was one more scale that returned to regular human skin.

 My draconic transformation slowly faded away with battle fatigue.

 Spits and spats played through the magical music devices spread through Tyrants Rest, one last time.

 Alameda had broken the one unspoken rule all warriors respected, including something the Horsemen respected, to handle private matters personally. 

 Although she had planned for me to be taken away earlier and failed, this time she did it brazenly in front of an eager crowd, who'd recently wrapped up their own business.

 Melodic music of drumstick on symbol, clearly over halfway through a song preparing for the finale as soothing eclectic guitars played, building their climax. The fighting above got ever closer as Boree was about to try to take shelter in Tyrants Rest.

 Words once spoken to me by Rider about Arisu's heart echoed through the rundown town, as a man recalled why he brought a group of individuals together, and years reflecting their journey.

 Then, with each hit of drum and guitar, they came. Faster than any form could take a normal person, using true elements intrinsic to their position.

 With white lightning she crashed, crimson fire he rode, gold and black smoke she revealed, Conquest, War and Judgment each appeared behind different people.

 Reds hand rested on the black hair woman's pauldron, and Riders on the Paladin with glasses.

 A few seconds later the drums hit once again and Arisu pressed her blade against Alameda's throat, with the woman once known as Merrah shoving a short two barreled gun without a stock against her back.

 It was a weapon that the religious leader from another world should know well.

 Not to be outdone, Adelard landed next to Ota from somewhere above while Aoife transformed from a bird back to a Beast-kin, sliding next to the Oni and creating a protective wall of roots and stone, all in the same three beats as my foster sister.

 How on earth they even knew about what was going on was a mystery for now.

 "Y'all fucked up"

 For ten seconds nobody moved a muscle as the music blasted, until six more beats rang out in quick succession, then all hell broke loose.

 Both Rider and Red would fight with their weapons on their back. Fists seemed enough against Paladins without a Priest to provide healing or Prophet to rain down offensive ranged support, also known as a 'Trinity'.

 A Trinity might have had a chance, albeit a small chance, against a single Horsemen without backup. But two heralds of the end was a different story, let alone three.

 It all happened at once;

 *Bang!*

 "Engh!"

 Alameda's spine was blown out within nanoseconds of trying to escape, yet she healed it faster than any Priest could begin to mutter a Chant.

 *Bang!*

 Another blast ripped through once more as punishment, pain that would be ignored in order to escape. Her healing was quick, just not quicker than Arisu, who waited until her body was fully intact once again before knocking her out with the back of her blade.

 ***

 The fight against both Paladins wouldn't be so smooth, as each was flung into the buildings behind my party on either side, destroying both homes in an instant.

 Rider and Red did not wait to see if they got up again, as they both knew the resilience of Paladins well, and charged through the wreckage to their targets.

 Four-eyes was up first, swinging his longsword at wild speed, only to be matched hit for hit with the steel knuckles of a Riders repurposed gauntlet, a flurry of strikes that quickly overwhelmed him as he was knocked back into another building.

 Small cracks began to form across his several inch thick infused plate, like ice in a frozen puddle.

 Despite the damage, he fought on.

 He was lacking in speed, yet nobody in my party could begin to match their swiftness except me, and even then, relying on that power was dangerous, as it burned my heart sharply after the three hard beats.

 I'd never seen the First Horsemen's true power, or how effective she was against a target that wasn't instantly subdued. Even now, neither used their weapons.

 Jumping out of the rubble with a slash, Glasses quickly found his attack dodged by a ducking seven foot tall half-drake, who proceeded to follow-through with a leg sweep, then whacked him down using her tail.

 With sheer force alone, he bounced, and was met with an incredible right strike that broke his chest plate and flung him into two more homes.

 Bleeding and bruised with barely a scrap of black padded cloth around his well defined abdomen, he still rose to his feet, weapon in hand.

 ***

 As beautiful she may be, Reds attacks still struck true, more so in mockery than anything else. Slowly, at least at their level, yet methodically, he dodged her rapid thrusts before punching her blade to the side, following up with a reverse turnaround kick into her metal chest.

 It was designed in such a way to exaggerate feminine beauty. However, this design lacked structural integrity and ranged attacks could easily penetrate rather than deflect thanks to its angles. Red knew this well.

 On the battlefield, appearances could kill as effectively as hesitation. I'd already seen a woman use her looks as a weapon tonight so it didn't surprise me, and neither of them would get my sympathy.

 Both force and momentum sent her crashing through a small fishing shop built next to the bridge. Each time she got back up to fight, she'd be knocked away, each time from a hit in the same spot.

 Exactly like her fellow Paladin, cracks formed, but Red wouldn't punch to break it.

 The black haired beauty lunged forward five feet. Adjusting himself to perfectly avoid her attack by mere millimeters, he crouched down slightly and twisted his arm around hers, somehow performing an unnecessary suplex into an arm twist to gain her weapon.

 Hitting the ground, an enchantment on her gauntlets activated, pushing her back upright with small golden daggers of light attached to the underside of each arm.

 Even with hidden backup weapons, she was too slow to block the next attack.

 The Second Horsemen had performed a morhau strike, wielding her longsword by the blade as a makeshift war-hammer, using the hilt to shatter her torso protection.

 Paladin armor was stronger than the majority of plate, but theirs seemed to be brittle for some reason, unlike the rookies gear that came after us two seasons ago.

 ***

 Bodies of soldiers and steeds continued to hit the ground around us as bright magic lit up the sky. Explosions and streaks of lava burned away Boree's forces one by one, until only five Trinities remained, retreating at the sound of a long deep horn.

 ***

 Thrust, swipe, lunge, overhead, no matter what the man did nor how hard he pushed, the High-Drake matched his combo and threw in an extra attack he had to counter.

 This left him confused and frustrated as all he could do was look for a way out.

 Unfortunately for him, Rider noticed his eyes dart in different directions, so she would simply not give him a chance to think, which meant using her tail.

 Wild, yet as natural as a gust of wind, unpredictable as the weather, yet controllable just the same with magic. Jab, jab, uppercut to the chin and finally a lashing from the sharp scales of her tail.

 Little did I know, what Rider was performing right now wasn't strikes practiced a thousand times, but moves she had to teach herself.

 ***

 Frustration built within the lady Paladin as her opponent snapped her blade, that had been stolen, over his knee. It was already an insult to face an opponent unwilling to arm yourself, and yet in taking her weapon and breaking it, was simply rubbing salt in the wound.

 A swing from the right was greeted by a spin and kick, followed by a swift boot to her stomach.

 Both Horsemen intended to end the fight with the music. Why that was important wasn't something I knew or disliked.

 ***

 Their finale would come in the form of a perfectly uninterrupted collection of attacks that would keep them alive, yet in an insurmountable amount of pain until the very end.

 Any time I felt it was unnecessary or cruel, I looked down at the deeply wounded Oni and two people beside me using all the magic we knew to heal her.

 Through brick and refurbished boats, the Paladins were kicked, punched and smacked until their will finally broke.

 The instant they chose to surrender was the moment their armor still attached to their limbs lost all its golden splendor and became mere shackles of steel.

 Like strapping an anvil to a pole as a weapon, it was unwieldy and absolutely useless.

 Lack of faith and a profound sense of pity would save the woman, as Red would leave her in the muddy street, alone, clinging to a sliver of life.

 Rider, on the other hand, would not be so merciful.

 Dozens of heavy punches then another uppercut, this time to his stomach, that sent flying upwards. Content on a kill, she lept thirty meters in the air, following him and knocked him back down the wet dirt road, wrapping her clawed foot on his neck.

 With a crack they landed, sliding fifty meters before coming to a stop near us, to the end of the music.

 ***

 The moment Ota was lifted off the ground blood spilled out of the front of her head like a bucket pouring out water. I rushed in to quickly grab around the outside of her face. Muscle and bone were exposed on her chin, right cheek, forehead and under her left eye.

 Ota wasn't regenerating.

 "Use this Kiddo"

 Red threw a familiar white pepper over a few destroyed buildings mid fight, to which Adelard caught and passed over to Fae, who peeled the skin off, revealing a clump of seeds inside.

 "We need a mortar and pestle"

 "Hold her and pass it over"

 "What are you doing?"

 "Improvising"

 Remembering my first encounter with Arisu and this very 'fruit', I bit off two thirds of the seed and chewed it into mush. I didn't care if anyone saw it as disgusting, to me, her life was worth infinitely more than my pride. If I could save her, it was a price I was willing to pay.

 It was salty, bitter and acidic. My lounge cried in protest before I forced the mixture of saliva and pepper into her mouth, holding it closed and pinched her nose. She swallowed, her unconscious body forced into a natural action.

 Falling from the sky, obliterating what little still stood of the building behind us, Soarhart's Dragon lay dead, sword piercing its eye and into its skull, with the wielder wearing purple and gold in its mouth, joining the monster in death.

 Adelard rushed over to the dead Dragon to climb up and help General Soarhart off the back of her tamed companion. She had stayed with it until the end, like a Caption going down with their ship.

 Bloody and with a broken leg, Lars let her rest against her dead fellow fighter so he could heal and treat her wounds. Although a submissive monster, they shared a bond of master and pet. 

 Cruel and heartless are those that force separation after such an event.

 "*Cough*-*Cough*-*Cough*!"

 "Ota, regenerate, quickly!"

 "Arrgh..."

 Waking up feeling the damage she had taken, it appeared impossible for her to focus and save her own life.

 "I-can't"

 "Fae, use 'equivalent exchange' with this"

 Arisu carried over and presented 'Crescent Cleaver' to Aoife, who grabbed it to start using immediately. Some healing had already been done with the gems and water she had on her, but it wasn't enough, leading me to worry greatly.

 We swapped positions once again to hold the loose skin around Ota's face, who barely had the strength to move her arms.

 "...Sis"

 "She'll be- *Cough* *Cough* Erghhh, guess you got me good"

 Arisu wiped the blood from her mouth with her new, or in this case, prototype armor.

 Her outfit barely resembled what she once wore. Not only was it far darker, it didn't hide her feminine charm.

 Instead, it did what custom fitted suits did, highlighting mature aspects of the body elegantly, if such a thing was possible with her chest, while accounting for projectiles, wind and safety.

 Effectively, it was a suit built to the specifications of what her white robes once did when activated.

 Part of me already suspected she'd gone out of her way to flatten herself as much as possible because she hated it, being seen as a woman, but that wasn't a chain of thought that was important right now.

 Druidic healing often accelerated the process of natural self-healing, but couldn't do when the body would decay rather than replace, and we didn't exactly have the equipment to do a skin graft to solve that problem.

 "I don't understand how expensive this weapon is..."

 Why does that matter?

 "Uh, it'd be one of the most expensive pieces in a shop. Rider made it, so around fifty-thousand Marks, probably more"

 "Are you sure?"

 "Positive"

 Frustrated, I looked her in the eyes so she'd stop doubting my words. Then again, who wouldn't be suspicious of someone that left without saying a word, and whose limbs resembled a Dragons only a few minutes ago?

 In an attempt to keep my troubles to myself, I'd been a rather shitty 'friend' to both of them.

 Nevertheless, the weapon in Fae's right hand slowly decayed as a swath of green miasma flowed through her arms and to Ota, healing her missing skin.

 "Th-thanks. Ow..."

 It was clear, even with the fruit, she was still as exhausted as me. I grabbed her by the arm and we wobbled together towards the body of an unconscious Alameda. Ota took what little remained of her weapon, rusted and chipped.

 "Wait, are you going to tell us what happened?"

 "Not till' I kill her"

 "Woah-woah-woah, she's out cold. Are you really going to kill her? Alameda is the only other person that can cast silent holy spells, we need her"

 "You don't know what it's like, do you? To lose everyone you care about? My mother, father, brother, grandfather, entire family, all twenty-four of them... They're gone for good because of her, and you want me to let her live? For what?"

 "Ehh- Hate to interrupt, but ya'll need to look around. Think she jus' marched them some bitches to fuck around in the sky and wait? Gave em' an order to stay back. Prince silver spoon overwrote that shit, sent em up, what do you think was meant to happen next?"

 "They'd be destroyed on his orders, half of their nation's troops. Alameda could try to overthrow Boree and start a civil war"

 "No wonder you picked the kiddo. I've left the sleeping beauty alive just in case they need replacement royal blood with this one out of the picture, but we'll leave what happens up to her"

 "Why?! We need her! What if that Devil attacks with his friends? We'll be hopeless!"

 "He's right. There's only two of them, if they die, who knows what will happen..."

 A simple conversation of what was going to happen next began to boil into a conflict of ideals. The Horsemen would take no side, seeing merit in both and removing themselves from the choice entirely while Adelard and Aoife protested the importance of the skillset she wielded.

 "Has she ever taught anyone how to do it? Has she even tried?"

 "She's always kept to herself"

 "Thirty somthin' years ago she called us a 'bunch of arrogant idiots' or some crap. Tried to kill us too, never bothered to tell us why. Course she sucked, so we left. Took the whole 'god hand' thing to heart eh Red?"

 "One way to put it. From what Sinclair found, they worship her. Livestock sacrifices and everything"

 "She's created a puppet for her soul to inherit after she dies here"

 "Fuckin' what?!"

 Marge had returned, her prisoners nowhere in sight, probably on the boat sitting safe and sound in the roofed warehouse built for loading and unloading goods via boat.

 "She's done it before. Did you not recognize the fact she grew a few inches since last you spoke? Or that her eyes had changed?"

 "Never got to see 'er eyes. Always hid it with that stupid hat and hair"

 "I don't- shhs- care. Just don't get in my way"

 "Ota. If you so wish I can ensure she stays dead..."

 The Motte hid her eyes when she spoke. There was a deep connection between Grim and Alameda, although she seemed to be trying to remain impartial. 

 We barely knew either of them. Bits here and there, whispers on the wind, nothing truly concrete to her motives.

 Only a single exemption remained, her plans for me. If I was meant to be a backup for a supposed 'twin brother', then something must have gone wrong.

 "You fuckers want her alive right? Let her be reborn, then I'll find her again, and when that happens I'll beat her myself. This isn't revenge, its sending a fucking warning. Make sure she hears it"

 It was subtle, so scarce that I felt I may have been the only one that noticed as we slowly wobbled past Grim, her shoulders eased ever so slightly and she took a deeper breath than normal.

 If she had to dispose of her soul, Ota's chance at finding Otamaru's true killer with her help might cease completely.

 Yet of all the reasons to let her soul take over another, an Oni's pride wouldn't be my first guess. But that's how it is with them, to follow their heart... It worried me. We barely survived, not able to land a single blow.

 "Grim... could you make sure she isn't blessed? I don't know what will happen-"

 "I will, although I cannot promise the same for her new body"

 "Enda mentioned a while back she was looking for anyone with them, do you think...?"

 "It's possible. Everybody here should reacquaint themselves to the Nyx while we do this"

 Reacquaint?

 "Bout' to ask that, who the hell are you?"

 Everybody, save those with Elder blood and lost souls, had forgotten Merrah, as their entire existence had been 'removed' from the world, with very few exemptions. It just so happened that those few somehow managed to link up.

 The name 'Merrah' no longer existed, alongside all deeds tied to said name. Only vague shadows would pierce the light of reflection to recall the actions of those without a name.

 Alongside the Nyx, another name had been evaporated into power; 'Ritsu', whose filth could not be so easily vaporized, as the man that performed unspeakable acts to both Ota and her friends had sold his soul to a darker power.

 Arisu was only spared thanks to choosing to be known by something other than who she was before.

 I guessed that was why the Horsemen always used aliases, as their original names had vanished.

 ***

 Ota and I stood over Alameda, who looked surprisingly at ease while resting on Girl's lap. She was gently stroking her perfect blonde hair like the Sisters of the gray cloth once did to comfort upset children, only in this case, it seemed Grim was the one that needed it.

 "Who is she to you?"

 It wasn't me that spoke up, but rather my Oni companion, who had also sensed a connection.

 "A lonely child that lost her way, unable to connect with anyone thanks to her blessing. She saw Cyra as her one genuine friend, as everybody else can't help but adore her every step. Do not pity her, as the crimes she has committed are numerous, even if they are just"

 "So what, you really want me to believe that my family had to die for some noble cause?"

 "..."

 "Well?"

 "Make it quick"

 Ota knelt down, Halberd in hand and lined up the rusty point over her heart.

 A cool wind blew through Tyrants Rest, nipping at the Oni's exposed skin, as if it was a desperate attempt from spirits to halt Alameda's execution.

 As expected, it failed, and Ota thrust the blade deep into her body using both her hands, performing the action once more to ensure the end result, grunting with each stab.

 We knew for sure that she had died once Themis cast her one eyed gaze away, bringing darkness back into my tiny crossroads town.

 'Fools Moon' is what they called it, to be watched by a Goddess that had been tricked into banishment, and whose sight was rarely seen once in a lifetime.

 I took off my duster coat and wrapped it around Ota, who began gripping it tightly.

 She would leave Crescent Cutter impaled in the woman that I had heard referred to herself as a Goddess, yet it wasn't something that was proclaimed before me. Grim's body became completely limp, severed from her soul, and yet I still noticed something in the darkness out of the corner of my eye.

 Several tears, rolling down her face, flowing onto Alameda's lifeless body.

 Ota wrapped her arm around me, not just for warmth, but support, and shared my jacket.

 "I wanna go home"

 "Yeah, me too. It's been a hell of a night"

 ***

 There was once a group of individuals that came together to fight a foe once seen as an unbeatable colossal monster, aided by the cabal; 'Apocalypse Now'. Although this party bore no official name, several members came fourth to claim victory.

 Once verified, the names of those individuals would be engraved on a simple metal statue sitting within Dragon Mort's scaled walls.

 The Forgotten Hero.

 Enda; The Phoenix Witch.

 Myrddin; The Timeless Seeker.

 Alameda; The Divine Sage.

 From that day onward, they each pursued their own methods to prevent great catastrophe, less it fall once more.

 ***

 End of Arc 1: Long Days & Sleepless Nights