Encore 44 — Comrades (VIII)

Elizabeth and Myraliana proceeded towards the room for people who purchased items. They entered the room and the workers presented them with the philosopher's stone.

"Now, please pay your fee of ¥900,000,000."

"We'll be paying by card."

"Then please enter your pin here."

Elizabeth entered the pin and it accepted the transaction. They handed them the stone. The two exited the room with the stone in hand.

"Is it the same one?"

"Yeah, I didn't detect any changes."

The blonde-haired girl answered.

"I'll be taking that."

A man flew in and snatched the amber stone from Myraliana's hand. He landed on the other side of the corridor.

"Kaito Hasegawa."

"Seems like you already know who I am. I like soaring around and getting stuff for myself, so I'll be taking this—"

Without speaking, Myraliana dashed towards Kaito, while he was distracted, and summoned her sword. Within an instant, she withdrew it and planted it against the side of his neck.

"Eh?"

"The stone. Give it to me or I'll separate your head from your body."

"Here."

"Thank you."

Myraliana took it back with a smile on her face. Elizabeth was surprised by how easily Kaito gave up the stone. He believed that his life was more important than the stone. In Elizabeth's eyes, he was pathetic.

"Hm? Seems like we have guests."

Elizabeth got out a paper seal in her pocket—guns replaced the seals. She aimed them at the group of men who approached the three of them.

"Subordinates of Kim Yohan. Hand over the stone and no one will get hurt."

There were nine of them in total.

"Eh? Me included?"

Kaito asked, but nobody answered him.

"Who are you affiliated with? If I know, I may consider it."

Elizabeth said.

It was a lie. She simply wanted to know who was attacking them to determine their next move.

"We are affiliated with the Divine Church."

(The Divine Church. Well isn't that a bitch? Who would've thought that they'd be here in the Underground of all places? It does make sense, actually, since the item, in question, that they want is a philosopher's stone. I don't even know if it works.)

"Sorry, then,"

Elizabeth said with a smile.

"I have no interest in giving the stone to you."

She fired shots at them.

They fired back. Elizabeth took cover behind a corner while Myraliana pulled Kaito and used the wall as protection. The people from the Divine Church fired their magic spells, hitting the wall.

"Hey! Let go of me! I'm not involved in this! I don't want to die yet!"

"Well, do you want me to throw you into that?"

She pointed at the corridor, which was being bombarded by a multitude of spells. Kaito shrank back.

"N-no..."

"Give us the stone!"

Three men rushed around the corner and aimed their hands at the trio. As Kaito shrieked, Elizabeth shot all of them in the head without hesitation.

"Eli, I don't think we're supposed to kill them."

"Huh?"

Elizabeth watched their corpses drop onto the floor. She winced at their bodies.

"Oh well, I guess we'll have to kill them all to remove the witnesses. Myra."

Myraliana sighed as she pushed Kaito away from her and clutched her sword tightly. She went near the corner—the blade of her sword glowed red.

"Ascalon; Refine."

She jumped around the corner and cut the spells flying towards her.

"Third-Apostle! Get her!"

One of the men rushed towards her and clashed swords. Myraliana glared at him while the man continued to attack her.

"Guillotine!"

His sword transformed into a blade of light. The girl raised Ascalon above her head and blocked it. The apostle pushed further, attempting to cut through Myraliana.

She did not seem troubled at all she yawned.

"You dare mock me?!"

"Ascalon; Phantom."

The blade turned blue before disappearing. The sword of light crashed into the ground. She stepped to the side.

The blade of Ascalon turned red once more and she sliced the head of the apostle off. The remaining five apostles wavered slightly, seeing one of their own killed. Myraliana took their moment of hesitance into account.

"Sorry, but, you all have to die. Ascalon; Execution."

Ascalon turned white before disappearing completely. Myraliana flicked her arm.

Blades protruded through the ground and sliced through the apostle's bodies, gruesomely splitting them in half.

"Holy shit! Was that necessary?!"

Kaito asked, observing.

Myraliana turned as Ascalon returned as a blade in her hand.

"Should I kill him too, Eli?"

"Huh?!"

"No, he doesn't seem worth it. I mean, he should understand the fact that we can kill him, whenever, right?"

Elizabeth stared into Kaito's soul. He nodded his head frantically.

"Good, anyway, we just need to wait for—"

"Elizabeth, Myraliana!"

Kazuya was cloaked in lightning as he ran towards the two of them. He skidded and stopped in front of them.

"Do you have the stone?"

He asked.

Myraliana showed it to him. He snatched it out of her hand.

"Hey!"

"There's no time! I should've killed him when I had the chance! We should just escape and get back to Mr Yohan!"

He zipped down the corridor. Elizabeth and Myraliana shrugged at each other.

Suddenly, the entire building began shaking. From the corridor that Kazuya ran down, something else was coming. A silver giant crawled on all fours towards them. He seemed wild and out of it.

"Run!"

Myraliana and Elizabeth retreated and Kaito followed closely behind, escaping the silver giant that mindlessly gave chase.

They ran until they reached the lobby and ran out through the main entrance. Deliano crashed into the lobby and roared fiercely.

"THE STONE IS MINE!"

Those loitering in the lobby retreated from Deliano as he began wreaking havoc on it. He searched around, with what little consciousness he had left, but found the boy with blonde hair nowhere.

"WHERE IS IT?!"

Kazuya and the girls had already left the auction house. Deliano was rampaging without knowing this.

"WHERE IS THE STONE?!"

"Heretic, how dare you disturb the people here?"

"DO YOU HAVE THE STONE?!"

Deliano looked down at a woman who walked towards him. She had blonde hair and yellow eyes. The woman wore paladin armour and wielded a sword.

"Stone? I do not have what you refer to, however, you must be stopped."

Bradamante, a former Paladin of Charlemagne. Her achievements over the centuries had landed her in a similar position, in terms of fame, as the aide of Odin, Brynhildr.

"MY STONE!"

He launched his fist towards her.

Bradamante calmly walked past him and unsheathed her sword, before putting it back into her sheath.

The Iron Giant was reduced into blocks of meat. In an instant, Bradamante sliced through his body with little effort. His blood splattered onto the floor and people dispersed away from the Paladin.

"Hah, my employer will be angry with me. I made such a mess."

She scratched her head in dismay.

·———·

"And here we are with the philosopher's stone, Mr Kim."

Around ten minutes later, the three reached Kim Yohan's rendezvous location. Kazuya handed the stone to him.

"Why do you three seem so tired?"

Kim Yohan asked the three of them.

"W-we had to run from a giant."

"Although, he wasn't chasing us for most of the time."

Myraliana glared at Kazuya.

Kazuya had zoomed ahead of them with Sacred Lightning increasing his speed. Elizabeth and Myraliana had signalled him to slow down but he did not.

"Well, you did my job, so it's my turn to reward you."

Kim Yohan called over Yama and he came with a small box in his hand. He opened the box, revealing a shield with a black 'K' over it.

Yama presented it to the three of them.

"These are badges of my coat of arms. It's a sign for anyone that you are associated with me. Whenever you're in a pinch in standings, then use this. My influence has spread throughout not just the Underworld, but in the upper world too."

All of them took the coat of arms. Elizabeth absorbed hers and Myraliana's into a ring that she wore. Kazuya stored it in his suit's inner pocket.

The entire point of getting Kim Yohan as a backer was so that they could do bold things without

"Honestly, I would love to hire you a lot again but it seems like you got what you wanted, so it's fine."

He said although he seemed to be talking to himself.

Abruptly, Kim Yohan looked at the three with deep interest. He turned to the purple-haired girl.

"Elizabeth. You said that you wanted to get revenge on higher beings, didn't you?"

"What about it, Mr Yohan?"

Kim Yohan turned to Kazuya, who blinked, knowing what to expect.

"Why don't you three team up?"

"Team up?!"

Myraliana shouted, surprised that Kim Yohan suggested this. Elizabeth had been wanting to do this. She smiled slightly.

Kazuya was expecting it, or rather, had been wanting to team up himself. He deemed them fairly trustworthy since they carried out their tasks for mutual benefit. It was only Myraliana who seemed to have a problem.

"Team up with him?! Why would we—?!"

"We can do it if he wants to."

Elizabeth said.

Her sister's jaw dropped as she easily agreed to them teaming up.

"I'm fine with it. The more people who assist my goal, the better."

Kazuya replied.

"Sis, do we have to?!"

Myraliana desperately whispered to her sister.

"We can't kill gods by ourselves. As Kazuya said, we need allies."

The blonde-haired girl pouted.

"I've been meaning to ask,"

Mr Yohan started.

"Who's that boy outside? It seems you're acquainted. Am I correct?"

Kaito was peeking into the building, spying.

(Who is he?)

Kazuya thought. He had never seen Kaito Hasegawa before.

Myraliana was going to talk but Elizabeth stopped her. She smiled as she looked over at Kaito.

"Yes, yes, we are."