Chapter 87: Crippled And Weakened

When I awoke, I was in a hospital bed. Isabella was in a bed next to mine.

I looked out the window and saw from the view that we were somewhere within the Enforcer HQ of Torantis.

Isabella was still sleeping, but I reached over to her.

At the same time, forgetting that I was missing my arm...

Dammit...this is going to take some getting used to...

I sighed to myself and stared at the ceiling.

After laying motionless for a while, I realized I was shirtless. There were bandages around my midsection.

I was sure that there was a huge claw mark on my right side, too.

As if I didn't already have enough scars!

When I looked at Isabella, she was also bandaged up pretty heavily.

She had been treated for burns, but She didn't seem to have any lasting scars.

Although some of her hair had been burned off. I knew she would be pissed about it, but the hair would eventually grow back.

It seemed that Kazuma had only used fire to attack her instead of his claws for the most part. Her naturally high defense, as well as her armor, may very well have been the only things preventing permanent damage.

"Isabella."

"Ngh....Mizik...?"

Isabella slowly opened her eyed and turned to me.

"Thank Iris you're okay..." I said.

"Mizik, I'm fine! What about you!? You're missing an arm!"

"I'll be alright... This will take some getting used to, but it won't be perma-"

"Please stop, Mizik. You really could have died out there... Don't worry about me so much..."

She had a point.

Although she still would have easily died, her ridiculously high defense prevented severe injuries... Whereas mine...

Couldn't stop me from losing an arm...

That Kazuma guy was seriously powerful. I was genuinely amazed at the steep difference between Elemental, Advanced, and Ultra Aspects.

Both Elemental and Advancd had their uses. They were very powerful.

But Ultra Aspects?

It was like watching two gods fight it out.

Our fight with Tyranus a long time ago was still something I remembered clearly as being very abnormal.

But Dante and Kazuma were truly monstrous in battle...

It was like night and day...

Tyranus was a child by comparison.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Isabella."

She slowly sat up in her bed and sighed.

"It's okay...but you should really stop doing that!" She said with a frown. "You're all I have left of our home! I don't want to lose you, Mizik. Please just be careful..."

"Okay, but promise me something. The next time something injures you that much, don't you dare tell me to run away. I will never abandon you, Isabella. I can't do that, no matter what. You're too precious to me and I could never forgive myself if I let you die like that!" I said somewhat angrily.

Seriously...what were you thinking? I don't want self-sacrifice out of you!

"S-sorry...I wanted you to live on more than anything... I wasn't thinking about myself. I'll make sure to try and stay alive for both of us from now on. I promise."

Isabella smiled and got up. She walked over and sat down next to me. I also sat up and moved closer.

I wrapped my arms...

My arm...around Isabella and she seemed upset.

"I already miss being held within both of your arms, Mizik... It doesn't feel as warm and comforting... I hate it..."

"I do too, but it's going to be how things are for the next two years..."

Since she didn't have Bravery, Isabella allowed herself to cry on my chest.

She cried for a long time until a nurse walked in and saw us awake.

"Ah, you two are up. I'll contact Lady Iris," the Nurse said.

She was an Attendant, it seemed. And by the looks of it, a fairly young one. The nurse looked to be in her late twenties, but her hair still had some color in it.

She was probably still several times my age, though. She left the room moments after she had arrived.

A few minutes later, Iris appeared in our room in a flash of light.

She immediately walked over and locked the door, then cleared her throat.

"I have a few things to talk to you about. I'll start by telling you everything I learned in the divine realm," Iris said.

* * *

Iris spent the next hour or so explaining everything that happened in the divine realm. Including a conversation with the dragon god named Johann.

"Chosen...Hero...? I think I remember the Oracle mentioning that..." Isabella said.

"Yeah, that's what they called him. Mizik seems to have been selected specially to deal with the Ooze," Iris said.

I had heard it before, but now that I thought about it...

I couldn't help but think it was the stupidest title I had ever heard in my life.

'Chosen hero'!? What kind of lame-ass generic title is that!?

Isabella closed her eyes.

She was shaking with rage.

"How can that...bitch of an Oracle... HOW CAN SHE JUST CASUALLY HURT MIZIK LIKE THIS!? WHO GAVE HER THE RIGHT!?" Isabella screamed.

Iris quietly shook her head.

"From what I can tell, Mizik has the potential to be exceedingly lethal on the battlefield. Even I can understand that without emotional attachments, someone like that would be able to kill without feeling anything at all."

"Can you please not talk about me like I'm not here?" I asked.

"Sorry, Mizik. I just don't think I expected one of my newest Enforcers to be some kind of cross-world hero..." Iris said.

"Don't call me a damn hero," I said.

Iris looked at me strangely and so did Isabella.

"A hero is someone that people look up to. Someone respectable and dignified. A person that works hard to save others...and save as many as possible. I'm a murderer and I have yet to save anyone but Isabella. I'm not a hero. I will never be a hero."

"You're a hero to me, Mizik. Regardless of what you think," Isabella said with a smile.

"Please, Isabella...I'm not worthy of a title like that. Calling me a hero is an insult to everyone who deserves to be called such," I said.

"Mizik..."

"Well...that issue aside, I will be going back to the divine realm soon. I have a trial to attend..." Iris said.

"What!? Why!? You saved us! You shouldn't have to-"

Iris raised a hand to quiet Isabella.

"It is generally against the rules to interfere too much using my supreme divine power. Not to mention, the incident with the Oracle as well as assaulting two elite guards..."

"What will happen to you?" I asked.

Iris shrugged.

"The crimes are fairly severe. The case will likely be given to the Creator. And although he never gives his judgement in person, the Oracle will be notified of his decision. After that, any number of things can happen...ranging from a slap on the wrist, to eternal punishment in the lower realms of hell after having my godhood stripped away..."

"And what of us? What about the Enforcers!?" I asked.

"I don't know. I really can't answer and I don't want to..." Iris said sadly.

Great...if we lose Iris, then Ignitus could be doomed to become a world ruled by the Overlords...

"Mizik, Isabella, I'm going to leave now. I requested that Dante come in to speak with you as well and personally guard you two while I'm away. Mizik, we'll deal with your arm situation later."

"Understood, Iris. Thank you for all your help," I said.

Honestly, I was starting to understand why Dante saw her as a mother. She certainly acted like it.

Iris unlocked the door and left the room at that point. Dante entered shortly after.

He sat down in a chair near the wall and sighed when he looked at my missing arm.

When I thought about it, I hadn't spoken to him much over the past year. I knew very little about Dante besides that he was usually very composed. All of this, despite the fact that he was technically my superior...

He was a very casual sort of person. Usually preferring to wear shorts, a tank top, and a light jacket with house slippers in public. He certainly didn't seem to care what others thought of him.

Now seemed like a good time to talk.

"Mizik, I am very sorry about your arm. I thought about having it reattached, but...it was completely destroyed in our battle. The investigators still haven't found any trace of it," Dante said.

This is a conversation I never thought I'd be having...

"I would say it's fine, but...that was kind of an important part of my body. I'm not blaming you though," I said.

"Regardless, we are already working on getting you a prosthetic arm. It should function just like the original, but you will have to wait until you're a real Enforcer to get it fixed properly."

"At least I'll still have two arms..." I said.

"It will be a mechanical arm covered in a synthetic skin. It'll look and feel almost like your other arm. I wouldn't suggest fighting with it, though."

"Thank you very much, umm...Mr. Dante," Isabella said.

"Please, just Dante. We don't have to be formal with one another."

Isabella nodded and smiled a him.

"Oh! By the way, what do you think of Iris?" Isabella said.

Dante suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Eh...she's like a mother to us. I respect and cherish her greatly."

"Do you have romantic feelings for her?" Isabella asked.

"Did...did she put you up to this?" Dante asked.

"Guilty..." Isabella said.

Dante sighed.

"She has tried for a very long time to win my affections. Actually, she thinks I'm too dense to understand how she feels. I'm acutely aware of her feelings and my reason for not returning them has nothing to do with her chest," Dante said.

"Then why?" Isabella asked curiously.

"Iris picked me up off of the street when I had nothing. I was homeless, sick, dying, and weak. She saw something in me and nursed me back to full health. She made me an Enforcer and I sought to return her kindness by helping her protect this world. I cherish what we have, but I'm worried my condition could do her harm. Aside from that...it doesn't feel right."

"What kind of condition do you have?" I asked.

"You got a pretty good look at the monster within me yesterday. That isn't a power I like to use very often at all because of what it does to me. It's like...the reaper himself is living inside me. Once I change, I can't return to my normal form until Iris restores my flesh. Additionally, the touch of the reaper can do serious harm to someone. Even kill them. I choose not to return her feelings because I care about Iris. But also because I'm not really interested in having a relationship. I'm already married to my job."

"That's not what we expected to hear. That power of yours is amazing, but I can understand your hesitation to get closer to Iris. Although, I doubt your power could actually do her any real harm. If you aren't interested, you should tell her flat out." I said.

Dante shook his head.

"I still worry. But, you do have a point... I've known her for a very long time. She deserves to know why I haven't returned her feelings," Dante said.

You think?

"I'll have a chat with her about it later. If I can work up the courage after she gets back from her trial, that is. Aside from that, Iris told me about your Aspects."

"That we'll be getting two Ultra Aspects?" I said.

Dante nodded.

"This information stays between the four of us. Carlos mentioned you told Kazuma that the two of you were Honorary Enforcers. That was a grievous mistake, Mizik. Your lives will be in terrible danger from now on as a result."

"I'm...well aware..." I said.

I knew I should probably keep a tighter lip on such things... Some part of me was still naive enough to think it wouldn't cause a problem, however.

Now I was paying the price.

Isabella lost Bravery, I lost Vengeance and I also lost an arm.

Kazuma could easily attack us at any moment with the aid of the Abyss Engine...

If he did, we would be beyond screwed...

However, Kazuma made it seem like he wanted to wait.

He wanted to crush us with an overwhelming victory.

"From now on, keep those things to yourself. Don't tell the other Enforcers, either," Dante said.

"We might have mentioned the waiting period to Gavin... He was pretty shocked..." Isabella said.

"Hm...Gavin is trustworthy, but definitely keep your lips sealed from anyone else. Especially Michael. Michael is a smart man even if he can be a handful. But he tends to...taunt his enemies with information like that."

"I've been meaning to ask...how did such a cocky bastard like him get to become an Enforcer?" I asked.

Dante burst out laughing.

"Believe it or not, Michael is exceedingly good at what he does. He is a masterful fighter with his abilities and has a will like tempered steel to protect the world. You might not know this, but he was once called 'The legendary soldier'. Michael might have a few personality quirks, but he has never failed us on the battlefield. I'm proud to call him a brother-in-arms!" Dante said happily.

Legendary soldier...?

"Leiso would seem to disagree..." Isabella said.

"Michael is...quite a hit with the ladies. He likes to tease Leiso because she's so serious as well. This, while infuriating to deal with at times, has never caused any issues on the field of battle. Also, it's easy to see that Leiso was the only one who didn't vote for him at the time."

"That's not surprising. And why is it that he can't remember my name?" I asked.

I needed to know the answer to this one.

"Like I said, Michael is quite popular with the ladies. He can remember the name of a pretty girl easily, but doesn't usually bother with remembering guys' names. This should pass at some point once he gets to trust you more as an ally. Either that, or he's doing it on purpose..."

THAT BASTARD IS PROBABLY DOING IT ON PURPOSE!

I sighed heavily. I didn't think I would win here...

"Now then, you two should probably continue resting for a while. I am currently making the arrangements for Mizik to receive his prosthetic arm."

"Dante...one more question. What about our swords? We can't feel them anymore and we still need to get them back," I said.

"I'm afraid I can't help you there. As much as I'd like to organize a strike team to retrieve them, it would be suicide. The Abyss Engine is still a threat to us currently, and with the possibility of something happening to Iris, we can't be too careful right now. Rest assured, it's a high priority on the list of things we need to do."

"We understand. Thank you, Dante," Isabella said.

Dante nodded and then got up to leave.

After he was gone, Isabella looked at me.

"Mizik, you're still an Arcane Executioner, right?" She asked.

I checked my status and sure enough, I was, except...

{Class: Arcane Executioner(×)}

I selected my class to find out about the symbol next to it.

{Warning! Class: 'Arcane Executioner' will not give status bonuses while 'Vengeance' is sealed. Obtaining 'Vengeance' and unsealing it will reactive all abilities and status bonuses related to 'Vengeance'.}

I scrolled down further and found one last message.

{I eagerly await the day we can fight side by side again. Do not fail me.}

I was somewhat relieved to learn that Vengeance hadn't been destroyed and tried to communicate with him.

Vengeance. Are you there? Can you hear me?

No response.

Isabella continued to look at me as if she were expecting a response.

"My class is intact...but I'm not receiving any bonuses from it," I said.

"It's the same for me. I can't reach Bravery, but she left me a message. She told me to be strong and to retrieve her once I was able to."

"Then that's exactly what we should do."

Aside from dealing with the Ooze, I now had a much more clear goal in mind.

I was going to train and awaken my Enforcer Aspects. Once I had done this, I planned to go get Vengeance and use it to kill Kazuma with my own hands.