Exodia 210: Lucifer and Belial (2)

Meanwhile, Selena was winning against Hysaka, hitting her with slashes and hacks. Hysaka was helplessly beaten by the Arcana.

"How does it feel?!"

She shouted, happily slashing at Hysaka's body.

"You're so helpless against my attacks that it's pitiful! Who knew that such weak people came to attack Father?! What gave you the right?!"

When she primed herself for the final blow, Hysaka grabbed Selena's face and threw her away with a straight face.

"Yeah, shut the fuck up. I was just testing your strength and you're getting cocky. So annoying."

The girl complained, glaring at Selena.

"'Testing?' I was destroying you, so what are you talking about?"

Selena taunted her. She laughed hysterically while joyfully swinging her sword.

Hysaka clicked her tongue.

"I'm about done with you, I'm going to go see Weissmann."

"Huh? You haven't even defeated m—"

"Gravity Zone."

Selena was kissing the ground before she realised. The area around her was crushed with gravity and Selena was out unconscious in a swift second. What was shocking was the fact that Hysaka had not used more than 20% of her Gravity Manipulation.

Hysaka's abilities were comparable to that of an Emperor. It was because of the potential that her Singularity held. For as long as she lives, she can continue to get stronger with her Gravity Manipulation as its potential is limitless.

"It's time I go and help them. Singularity Overdrive: Belial Form."

·———·

BANG!

Multiple gunshots were fired at Regulus as he ran around the room, dodging them.

"Combustion Spark."

He jumped into the air and shot a small spark at the crowd. They dispersed, avoiding the space that was consumed.

"Ultimate Magic: Dragon Drive!"

Ryoka summoned a myriad of magic circles—an illusive dragon head came out of them, snapping at Regulus. It caught him in its mouth and slammed him into the wall. Two more dragon heads came out of the magic circle, crushing Regulus even more.

"Haaaahhhh!"

Releasing a shockwave of mana, the dragon heads disappeared and Regulus floated in the air using wings of blood. Dragon Drive did leave some damage on him but not enough to immobilise him.

"Blood Armour."

Blood from his wounds seeped out and formed armour on his body. He clenched his fist and brandished it.

"Volcanic Eruption."

His arm burst into white flames. The flames slowly heated the room, melting it gradually. He raised his arm; white rocks of molten sprayed like a fountain upon them.

There were too many to dodge and too hot to block. No one could put up a defence in time.

"Cocytus."

A pillar of ice towered over the squads, protecting them from the white molten rock. From the hole in the ceiling, four people jumped down.

A black-haired girl launched a kick at Regulus. He easily dodged and smacked her into the ground.

[You...!]

She howled.

"It's Squad 2!"

"Hey, doesn't Akane look different?"

Yoko asked Anastasia.

"You're right!"

The white-haired girl stopped her descent by standing on a pole of ice, attached to the side. Akane looked different.

Her eyes were no longer purple but ice blue. She still had her snow-white hair, however, on top of her head were white fox ears. Instead of her battle uniform, she now donned a white kimono and ice blades. Her magic circuits glowed blue.

It was Akane's Singularity Overdrive.

Akane looked down at Regulus.

"Ah, so the icicle has achieved Singularity Overdrive, has she?"

"Shut up! I'll fucking kill you, Regulus!"

With moving a finger, the pole that she was standing on branched outwards into ice lances, piercing toward Regulus.

He destroyed them and shot arrows of blood at her. She jumped off of the pole and fell towards him. The blood arrows froze as they got near her. Akane's body temperature was below zero.

Akane sliced Regulus' hand. It froze in an instant and fell off. As the girl touched the ground, it froze.

"Shit!"

Anastasia saw this chance and so did Nyx. At the same time, all of them would unleash their best attacks.

·———·

{3 minutes before...}

"Emika!"

Maria shouted as she saw an orange-haired girl run down the corridor. She stopped and turned.

"Ms Frister! Kana!"

Kana ran with Maria and hugged Emika. They all shed tears, happily reunited once more. Sebastian watched the event occur with a smile as Edward had other interests.

"Are you okay? Did they injure you in any way?"

Kana inspected Emika's body, relieved that she had not a single scratch on her body.

"So,"

Edward uttered.

"Uhm, Emika, are these your—"

Before Nine realised, the tip of a blade was pressing against his neck. Edward glared at him.

"Who is this?"

"I'm sorry! Don't kill me!"

Nine immediately broke down into tears, begging for his life.

"He's the one who helped me escape. He may be a homunculus but he's good."

"If the lady says so, then it must be true."

Sebastian complied instantly, handsomely bowing. He pushed Edward's blade downwards as a sign that he should stop.

The purple-haired boy clicked his tongue and sheathed his blade.

"There was no need for me to come."

"It's reassuring to have you here, Edward,"

Maria said.

He looked away without saying a word. It was difficult to predict what someone with a blank expression, like his, could be thinking.

"Oh yeah, where's Shoya?"

She beamed.

"Shoya didn't come."

Kana told her straight as she hugged her.

"I'm glad that you're okay."

Emika, however, was not listening anymore. Although what she was told was nothing more than three words, they stabbed deeper than any blade could.

"He... didn't... come...?"

"He couldn't come since he was a target."

Emika was a girl. A girl with an innocent and fragile mind. For her, the person, she loved, not coming to save her was the same as being pushed off of a cliff by a close friend. The sense of betrayal festered within her.

It would seem trivial to most but not to her.

Nine was the first one to sense it.

"No way... Not here! Everyone get away!"

He shouted at them, looking at Emika, who was standing, absent-minded.

"Why?"

Edward asked, wincing.

"I-I don't know why, but, for some reason, she's awakening as a T-T-Tarot!"

He stuttered a lot.

Both mana and ether particles from the atmosphere slowly converged at the focal point, which was Emika.

They all backed away slowly.

"Emika!"

Kana shouted.

Sebastian used the Eyes of Order to protect them. He put a large spherical barrier around them to protect them from any sudden mana explosions.

"You better explain what's happening, homunculus!"

Maria screamed, furious.

"I-I don't know but, Emika was held here so that she could awaken the Tarot card within her!"

"I thought only homunculi could bear these Tarots!"

"Tarots aren't the cards and powers you believe them to be—they're roles!"

"Roles?"

Emika suddenly began floating in the air. The spherical barrier was pushed back from the mana and ether reverberations.

"Most of the Tarots are artificial roles that Father bestowed upon other homunculi! There are only two roles which cannot be achieved artificially! The Fool [0] and the Magician [I]!"

Nine shouted, looking up at Emika's glowing figure.

"Which one is the lady?!"

Sebastian asked, doing his best to hold the barrier together.

"I remember the scientists believing that she was the Magician [I], b-but this does not look like the Magician [I]. It looks like something worse. If we can't control this power then it's..."

·———·

"The Fool [0]?!"

Regulus turned his head as he felt Emika's sudden awakening.

Everyone stopped, sensing the powerful mana reverberations from the laboratory.

"Shit! I have to get there before she—"

As Regulus attempted to fly out of the laboratory, he was pounded with an ice pillar from the ceiling, sending him back inside.

"You're not going anywhere."

Akane breathed.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

Regulus snapped.

"YOU ALL DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PREVENTING! IF NOTHING IS DONE, THEN THE KING OF SORCERY WILL DESCEND ON THIS WORLD AND IT WILL BE OVER!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs.

"King of Sorcery? Why would we believe you? Even if it is true, then why should we comply with you?"

Kyoka asked, calm and composed.

Regulus gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. His veins popped and appeared in his apparent rage.

"YOU FOOLS!"

Hiding safely behind everyone, Ryoka grinned. Regulus saw her smirk and charged towards her.

"RYOKA KAMISH! IT WAS ALL A PART OF YOUR SCHEME!"

·———·

"Why is the Fool [0] uncontrollable, then?!"

Kana did her best to supply Sebastian with enough mana to keep the barrier stable and strong.

"Because the Fool's [0] power is unstable and too pure because that Tarot can represent innocence and purity! If she's left unattended to then the ultimate evil will descend on the Earth..."

·———·

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT THAT THE WORLD WILL END!"

Regulus shouted, pouring all of his mana into his arm.

It enlarged itself and became a giant claw of blood. With extra mana within it, upon impact, it would explode.

Akane and Nyx prepared themselves first.

"Niflheim."

Without touching him, Regulus froze. Although the spell's name was Niflheim, it was a weaker version of the one Akane used at the start of the mission. It simply froze her opponent.

Nyx poured most of her mana into her leg as she kicked the frozen Regulus in the abdomen, breaking the ice trapping him. Purple electricity sparked from the point of impact but on an entirely different scale. The man was blasted away.

[Grand Firebolt!]

Anastasia took a deep breath before crouching closer to the ground.

"Sacred Armoury: Lucifer."

A crimson-red armour shrouded Anastasia. Two black horns protruded from the helmet and her tail slapped the ground. Anastasia's purple hair could be seen fluttering from the back of the helmet.

"Apocalypse."

A black-red flame veiled Anastasia. She kicked off of the ground towards Regulus. She pierced him with her claw and burnt him with the flame.

The girl jumped off of him and her armour disappeared. The flame on Regulus dissipated. He had a hole in his chest.

Even so, he was still alive.

"It'll take a lot more to kill me!"

He coughed up blood.

"Of course."

"Huh?"

From above, Hysaka descended in a form that no one had seen her in before. It was clear what it was, nevertheless. Singularity Overdrive.

She squeezed her fist and launched it at him.

It did not touch him.

"Max Gravity!"

A pillar of gravity struck down, crushing the ground below Hysaka. Regulus was crushed by gravity. He and the ground below him were ground to dust.

Hysaka landed next to the others. Yoko gave her a high-five.

"Amazing..."

Tatsuya could not help to voice his astonishment.

"They overpowered Weissmann only after he shouted a moment of weakness..."

He realised how insignificant he was.

[No way...]

"Is something the matter?"

Kyoka asked Nyx, not knowing that a goddess was controlling her body.

Nyx pointed at the area that Hysaka crushed. There was a shadow. Two.

After Nyx pointed it out, everyone felt it. The godly presence flooded the room. None of them spoke a single word.

"I was looking for you, Treinistina."

It was a woman's voice. Ryoka used a Wind Magic spell to clear the smoke that was obstructing their vision. She could not help but smile, briefly.

It was a woman. Her hair was snow-white and her eyes were crimson like blood. Her complexion was lighter than the rest of them. She wore the bare minimum—most of her skin was exposed. The woman was a vampire.

[Solomon!]

"Hm?"

The woman turned to Nyx.

"Oh, it's Nyx, one of Altair's servants."

She spoke rather uninterested.

In her hand was Regulus' head. Although his body was ground to dust, she was able to sever his head and escape before she would also get crushed.

"There are a lot of strong children here. One who is the vessel of Nyx yet is also of the neutral alignment. One who has access to the Sacred Armoury. One who possesses the Absolute Zero Singularity. And, most impressively..."

The woman looked over at Hysaka.

"One who possesses the legendary Singularity of Gravity—Demon Gravity, as Reinhardt dubbed it."

She looked at Ryoka but said nothing. Solomon was able to get a grasp of her subordinate's position.

"Who are you?!"

Qin shouted, aiming his pistols.

Yoko put him within her line of sight and Lin-Hua was ready to release an arrow toward her. Kyoka walked toward her.

"You are a force to be reckoned with."

[No matter what you do, do not attack!]

Nyx shouted, warning all of them.

She knew the capabilities of Solomon. Even though she was not at full power, she could still kill most of the people in the room without being killed.

The most logical move would be to attack her before she's able to recover her full power. If she was not who she was, then that would be the most logical move.

King Solomon was able to manipulate and alter spells that are cast. This included any magic and black magic, but not anything from Singularities.

"Why should we not?"

Kyoka asked.

"You should listen to her. As the King of Sorcery, I'm able to manipulate anything you throw at me."

"Shut up."

Yoko did not listen to the warning. She fired a mana-compact bullet at Solomon's head.

With the flick of a finger, the bullet was deflected back at Yoko—it pierced through her hand and went into her arm.

"GGGRRRYYYAAAHHHHHHH!"

Yoko's arm ceased functioning. Blood did not come out of the wound. The bullet blocked the blood from seeping out. Tatsuya caught Yoko.

"Senpai!"

"You dare!"

Kyoka shouted.

"Those should be my words. I warned you, did I not? Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving. I have business to attend to."

"Come—"

Kyoka stopped talking when Nyx covered her mouth and restricted her movements.

Solomon turned around—wings of light emerged from her back. Before she ascended, she took a last glance at Hysaka.

"Demon Gravity user. Come fight me whenever you please. I would love to battle someone such as you."

She flapped her wings and disappeared with a flash of light.

Nyx let go of Kyoka. The girl grabbed Nyx by her collar and brought her closer.

"Why did you stop me?! Your tomfoolery—"

[You're the one who does not understand the situation! You cannot beat King Solomon by yourself! Maybe you can fight but you will die! Attacking King Solomon without a plan or by yourself is suicide! You would've gotten everyone else here killed if he had lost his temper!]

Kyoka listened, infuriated.

Although she wanted to retort, she felt the absolute power of the woman. She was far more menacing and intimidating than Weissmann. It was lucky that she had no interest in murder. Currently.

"Where do you think she went?"

Kyoka asked.

Nyx grimaced and clicked her tongue.

[Most likely to kill Master's vessel...]

The goddess shook her head and set her straight. She walked toward Ryoka. The principal began to walk backwards.

[I didn't notice your presence until King Solomon mentioned it.]

"..."

Ryoka stared at Nyx.

[Treinistina, the loyal servant of King Solomon who was almost always by his side in the Paladin War.]

"I guess I've been found out..."