Chapter 22 - The power of three

Genkei and Jack both rush in to fight the now-empowered apprentice, as they get out of the way, leaving room for Akio to strike, something which he achieves by using a sword to strike the apprentice, in a way that it does not count as direct contact.

Still, all three of them did some wrong calculations and that led to part of their energies being taken, but they don't mind. Right now, their main focus is the death of their opponent. The apprentice starts blindly attacking the three, but they simply dodge as much as possible, continuing to have some of their energy absorbed.

"Damn it, this won't do."

Akio starts expressing his thoughts, saying that if they must beat him, it has to be an all-out attack, even if they put themselves at risk! All three of them charge up their strongest attack, combining into one, as they all fire it at the apprentice, who is trying desperately to escape, leaving heavy injuries on the three men while doing so.

In the end, the apprentice is defeated, but at what cost? They all come out from the crater created, having heavy injuries. Sarah, who had been fighting nearby, rushed to their aid, asking them if they had succeeded.

They confirm, saying that now, only the big one is left. There shouldn't be anyone else as strong as this apprentice, but that one.. he MUST die, no matter what. Akio takes the lead, saying that due to his regeneration, he'll stand the best chance. He'll weaken the soldier so Genkei and Jack can kill him.

All three nod in agreement, as they head towards their most important battle yet. The soldier, who is in fact a Shadow Commander, awaits the arrival of the three, noting that they "won't live to see the fall of what they strive to protect."

With this in mind, they come closer to what has been named their death. Akio, Genkei and Jack. Even when they know that the odds are against them, they do not falter against their enemy, as they reach him.

Yes. This is it. If they fall now, everything falls. They. Must. Win. This. Battle! Akio screams, his magic energy flaring up to the maximum, as he activates Cursed sense and his magic combo, rushing towards the Commander, who laughs, noting that he hasn't felt this excited in a while.

Akio instantly creates a sword, piercing through the Commander's chest, but the Commander simply breaks Akio's arm. Even while he doesn't have the same power that his apprentice had, he continues to have the absolute advantage over him in raw power.

This does not make Akio falter, however. He immediately heals his hand, pummeling the Commander, who starts to feel some amount of pain. Increasingly, Akio's punches become stronger and stronger, much to the surprise of the Commander, who decides to end this by knocking Akio out. It wouldn't be fun if he died now, would it?

He turns towards Jack and Genkei, having a devilish smirk on his face. Would they like to join their friend? Genkei and Jack do not falter, they must not falter. They charge towards the Commander, who is ready to fight them, but surprisingly enough, he starts to feel more and more pain.

Somehow, all three of them keep getting stronger, with Akio getting back up.

"Do not underestimate our power, you idiot."

Genkei uses the full power of Vortex magic, while Jack shows off his own evolution, Plasma magic. The Commander actually starts worrying a bit, as all three attack him at once. Jack appears to be the one dealing the most damage currently, seeing as his magic is really strong, even though it's unrefined.

Akio and Genkei, on the other hand, focus more on wearing him down, seeing that he doesn't appear to look tired even after all this fighting. A few minutes later, it seems as though the Commander starts to slow down, which is a good thing; Jack is also starting to get tired.

He and Akio change places so that he can recover, as Akio once again takes the lead, though the Commander appears to be fed up. In one swift move, he powers up, generating a gravity so intense that the three young adults struggle to even move their bodies.

The Commander says that it's over, walking up to Akio and punching through him, leaving a gaping hole in place of his stomach. Akio spits out blood, though his wound isn't much, since he can somewhat keep it closed with his Phoenix magic. The Commander moves onto Jack, seeing as he caused the most damage, though he wants to have some fun with torturing him.

Both Genkei and Akio look on in rage as The Commander kicks and punches Jack, without any sign of remorse painted in his face. He throws Jack around, though the young one cannot do anything, his body had been paralyzed.

This causes Akio to scream out in a blind fit of rage, knowing that he can't do anything, and even willing to give his soul to Roland once again, at least if it means saving Jack. Before that can happen, however, a man appears in front of him.

"Akio, do not worry. Call that."

Akio is stunned. "Father.. thank you." He sits back down, smirking. Genkei doesn't realize what had just happened, but Akio calls out:

"Apotheosis!"

Raising his hand, he grips a staff that allows him to bypass the gravity caused by The Commander, as he releases Genkei, telling him that he'll take over from now on. Akio runs towards The Commander, who is still mercilessly beating Jack, stabbing him with the tip of Apotheosis.

Jack is amazed. "Theos.. no. Akio. Is that you?" This prompts Akio to nod, saying that Jack needs not fear anymore, for he now has the power to defeat the Commander. Without turning, he taps Apotheosis on the ground, starting to heal Jack, as he runs towards the now-dazed Commander.

"Damn you, Phoenix! How dare you ruin my fun!?" The Commander shouts out in a flurry of rage, being unable to make out even left from right, as he rushes in to attack Akio, who remains unfazed. The Commander tries to punch Akio, who simply gets out of the way, kicking him in the stomach, sending him up in the sky.

Following him, Akio flies, grabbing his hand and sending him back down with a barrage of cursed fireballs. When Akio finally reaches the ground, he lands by pinning Apotheosis on the Commander, leaving quite a heavy wound on him.

The Commander struggles to get up, saying that even if Akio could beat him like this, he is still ways to go from Lord Gawain, and that he will reign sup--! Akio cuts him off, blasting his head off, thinking that it would be boring to listen to this guy babble on about The Dark Wizard aimlessly.

And so, the battle is technically over, with the three men splitting out, each taking out the soldiers individually. A few hours later, each and every one of them is killed, with little damage done to the city, though it's a time of grief, currently.

Though a few, some civilians lost their lives in this meaningless charge before the war. The very next day, those very civilians had a honorable funeral, seeing that due to them, their city is now safe from harm.

The Generals that were present shed tears for the deceased, with them focusing their magic energy to create a memorial statue so their memory can be honored for the generations to come, as they prepare themselves, for the end is nigh.

Genkei, Akio and Jack train the soldiers in order to get them as strong as they can before they are to head out for the final fight, which was due to begin in less than four weeks. As scheduled, all of the others return from their training soon later, and are shocked to hear about the events that had transpired earlier.

Ruby is ecstatic to see her mother and grandmother again, both of whom share the same feelings, but now is not the time to catch up; The Dark Wizard is beginning his advance. All of the Generals take their soldiers and head to the battlefield, leaving with cheers from the civilians, as they journey for a few days, to the place where the final battle will commence.

Akio shouts to everyone that falling now means giving up their world to The Dark Wizard, so they must give it their all. Raising Apotheosis to the sky, The Dark Wizard responds with raising his own blade, both signifying the start of the battle.

When the two weapons start to lower, a blast is shot towards the middle, making a crater. Yes, that's it. The signal to begin. The soldiers from both sides swarm the battlefield, creating a pool of blood within minutes, as the Generals also head out.

This war.. will truly be magnificent.