Encore 69 — Verglas: The Black Iced Fiend (V)

Isla's group took the elevator straight down to the ground floor and spoke with the receptionist but...

"What?! We show you our IDs and state our business but you still won't believe us?!"

Aria shouted at the receptionist, who obstinately stood his ground.

"You are still kids. If this is some sort of funny prank then..."

He chuckled half-heartedly.

"I'm sorry, but why would we pull a prank on you? We would serve no benefit from it. We would be the ones suffering from the repercussions if we were lying to you."

Shou explained to him.

"Still I can't believe you."

"Then, good sir, will you be responsible if any lives are lost?"

Isla asked him.

The receptionist stared at her, nervously before swallowing his saliva.

"Of course. What you're doing is nothing but a prank."

"Fine, let's go then."

Isla and Shou went.

"Oi, wait for me!"

Aria ran to catch up to them.

"What? Are we not going to continue?"

"That would waste time."

Shou told her.

"He said that he would take responsibility. That was another reason why Yuma-senpai asked us to evacuate everyone via the receptionist so that Avalon won't take charge of any deaths or damages."

The brown-haired girl looked over at Isla as they approached the elevator.

"You seem healed up. You're not hindered by your injury anymore, are you?"

"Oh, you're right."

"Wait, you didn't even notice yourself?"

As Isla twisted her waist, she could not feel any extreme pain, only a tinge, which would not hinder her greatly in battle.

"The wound you received was not exactly deep but for it to heal in a day is amazing."

They entered the elevator. Shou pressed the 'B' button, signifying the basement level.

"We're not going up?"

Isla asked.

"Since we're on the ground floor, we might as well check the floor below before going up, dumbass. It's a parking area, though, I believe."

"Makes sense."

They descended toward the floor below the ground one. It took around five seconds for it to reach the basement. Elevators did have to be extremely fast in a large building like the Trust Tower.

There was a ring then the doors opened.

"What the fuck...?"

The doors had opened to a tragedy. The entire basement had dried crimson pools scattered all over it. A large magic circle had been engraved into the floor.

A person stood before them. They had a bloody body in their hand. Their arm was completely submerged in the body.

"Guests, huh?"

A voice filter.

They pulled their arm out of the body, causing it to drop. The arm was soaked in a vermilion pigment.

"You came then, heroine. I see you brought some friends."

Aria was the first one to react. She glared at the person, activating her Singularity. She dashed toward them.

"VERGLAS!"

Her fist had been set ablaze as she launched it toward the masked person. Verglas put their hand out. It became encased in black ice. The fire dissolved as it came into contact with it.

"So noisy."

"ARIA! DODGE!"

A spear of black ice sped toward Aria. Heeding Isla's warning, Aria's wings flapped upwards, barely dodging the spears. She regrouped with Shou and Isla.

"Verglas is swift, decisive and powerful. They don't waste a single movement..."

Shou analysed the Fiend.

"I'll call Yuma-senpai."

Isla got out her phone. As soon as she did, it was destroyed by an ebony icicle.

"Shit. That was our only way of getting back to them as well..."

"Since you heroes have come to play, I'll happily be your partner. Let us dance until the new dawn, shall we?"

(New dawn?)

Shou found Verglas' choice of words disturbing. He took a deep breath in and rolled up his sleeves.

"Shinomiya. You and I will be the vanguard. Chibana, attack him from a distance."

They all had the same idea. No arguing was needed. Leaving an opening in front of an A-ranked Fiend would be dangerous.

(Preparations should be complete by now... What's that idiot doing?)

Verglas thought.

·———·

Yuma and Rika had finished searching the Trust Tower and ascended to the rooftop of the building.

"Hey, should we ascend to the top? Perhaps we're wasting our time."

Rika suggested.

"It's the last place we can check before going down to see where Aria and the others are at."

"And that's what disturbs me."

"Hm?"

Yuma had his hand on the door before stopping.

"What do you mean?"

"Since we've reached the rooftop, they should've reached the ground floor. I haven't heard any evacuation notice and they haven't called us. They may have encountered Verglas or someone. We should go back down."

What Rika said made sense. Those in the group would have called to ascertain that Verglas was not on the ground floor. Something must have happened.

"I guess you're right. Let's—"

"!"

They both sensed a spike in mana being directed towards them. Yuma jumped and pulled Rika by her collar. A ray of light shot through the door, destroying the entryway.

He threw her down on the rooftop.

"Yowch!"

"You're not Verglas. A Fiend assisting Verglas, perhaps?"

Yuma asked the boy who shot the ray of light at them. He winced—deeply disgusted—at the two.

"Do not compare me to lowly trash like them."

"Then what are you?"

Rika asked, loading a magazine into her pistol.

He clicked his tongue.

"I am of direct descent to the Khine Family. I am Daren Khine. Lower your heads, you scum."

"The Khine Family...?"

(This just got complicated.)

Rika thought, biting her lip.

The Six Great Noble Families. The six noble families that gained prosperity in the Age of Mana. Going against said families would put one in a tricky predicament, usually meaning death. No family would ever cross another without a serious reason.

"You two can sit there while I complete my task at hand."

"You..."

Rika had raised her gun at Daren, but almost instantly put it back down.

She could not attack Daren without sparking a conflict.

"What are you doing?"

He smiled.

"You'll see soon enough."

A large red magic circle rose from the rooftop floor and glistened profoundly. It was at the rate of completion.

Both of them felt chills travel down their spines. This magic circle was different from the common ones. That catalyst for the reaction was fairly strange, even among magic circles. In the middle of it was a tooth. One that seemed to have aged with time.

"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark. Answer my call All-Seeking Flame and awaken from your deep slumber."

"That's True Magic. He's summoning something that's not meant to be in this world."

Yuma gritted his teeth as he watched Daren continue his chant.

"Sing, sing, sing. Rumble, rumble, rumble. This world is your garden—dance as you like! Trample on your playground and wreak havoc in God's name! Awaken, Fafnir!"

A shrill roar echoed throughout the ward. Grey clouds circled the Sendai Trust Tower.

"Fuck. We should've stopped him. I hesitated since he's from one of the Six Great Noble Families..."

Rika muttered.

A white vestige materialised from the magic circle, roaring for the ward to hear. It was a dragon around 28 metres in height and 39 metres in wingspan. It was clad in golden scales, peering down at its prey with ruby eyes.

"A dragon. Just like Cinderella and Nuri. Something that shouldn't be in this world."

"Oi, why would you summon something like this into the world?!"

"Why? Because the World Origin wills it. Simple."

The boy left them with insufficient information.

Rika and Yuma slowly backed away from the dragon as it turned toward them. It growled, hostile to the humans who were not the summoner.