To the Victors, Go the Spoils.

Pain ran through Hiiro’s head as he realized he was unconscious. Slowly getting up to look around, expecting to see the interior of the train cart, he instead found a destroyed and burning landscape, wreckage strewn about all over. Fire, the warm and bright symbol of destruction, was strewn about, making him freeze up.

Unable to react to the blast of fire flying towards him, Hiiro lay hopelessly in the dirt as a ringing filled his ears. Suddenly, a dirty white robe stepped in the way of the blast, a thin veil of liquid stretching out and blocking the blast. Despite it, the girl with pink hair’s arm was burned.

“Eris- ?” he asked, staring at the unexpected hero.

“Just get moving!” Eris exclaimed, grabbing Hiiro by the arm and dragging him behind some rubble.

“W-what's going on?”

“Our train got derailed,” she said, an uncertainty filling her voice.

“W-what about the others?”

“Mr. Baldr is over there,” Eris responds, pointing towards a massive piece of the train's wall. “I’m not sure about the rest.”

“Then what about everyone el-”

“Look there.” Looking in the same direction as Eris, Hiiro finally spotted three people-

“Wha-?!”

From the area the blast earlier had originated, three figures stood up. The red scaled dracoling That had caused him so much trouble stood to the left of the two other figures. This didn’t surprise Hiiro, after the fire ball that had nearly hit him, he had already guess who the culprit was. Why won’t this guy just stop! He’s like a more annoying and dangerous Buggy!

What shocked Hiiro the most were the other figures. A woman, giving off the aura of “Black”, stood to the right. Hiiro instantly recognized her as Uda Wróbel. Next to her, the man Hiiro had just met stood there with eyes that seemed to comprehend everything. He had introduced himself as Absalon Ramorski.

The two on the right seemed in full condition. The dracoling looked as if they were tossed around, being covered in scars and bleeding from their abdomen, his fall seeming to have broken an arm and some ribs.

“Why?”

“We were tricked… It doesn’t seem like the rest of the train derailed with us.” Eris explained.

“But…”

“...”

Just then a sound began- no, it had been happening, they just didn't want to hear it.

Stomping, dozens of steps, like cavalry heading to war, marching together.

An army had finally reached them.

“We have it, Absalon.” A man says, sitting on a massive white boar, doubling the size of the train carts. An army of creatures, some boars half the size of the white one, some ants the size of people. On the back of the large boar was a crystal slightly taller than the man. It glows, giving off a transcendent aura.

Hiiro recognized the man immediately; he had left quite the impression on him recently. The man wore heavy silver armor that covered every inch of his body except for his head. He wore a stern and forceful expression. It’s him! The man from this morning!

“...A Henwen…” Eris whispered.

“What's that?” Hiiro turned his attention to Eris.

“A ‘Famine’ class monster. It's said to destroy towns on its own. With an army that big even Aneal would have trouble.” Eris bit her lip, drawing blood.

“Wonderful job, Sir. Walter!” Absalon's eyes shot up in surprise. “How did you release it from its confinement?”

“Kehahaha, it seems it had fallen out!” The man explained.

“Fallen out..?” Absalon thought for a moment before continuing, “Still, our plan is only half complete. Now we just need our subjects.

“Now listen up!” Absalon called out across the rubble. The blasts from the crazed dracoling stopped. “We shall not harm you. Your luck at having survived the crash is amazing, astonishing even. I wouldn’t want to take that from you. Hand over the Church's Hero and the daughter of Orlaith. If you do not comply, we will not hesitate to ruin that good luck of yours.”

There was no movement from the rocks, or rather, the wreckage the two of them hid behind. Similarly, Locke Baldr, behind the rubble, made no movements.

“Why do you want us?” Hiiro asked, brandishing his katana’s sheath, which he had found strewn across the dirt. Eris looking at him with a look of contempt from behind the wreckage. “What about the others?”

“If they do not interfere, they can live.” Absalon answered him.

"And Nerissa?"

"She shall be sacrificed along with you."

Hiiro hesitated for a moment, but soon steadied himself.

“F*ck you!” Hiiro cursed as he charges forward.

Throwing his sheath toward Absalon, Hiiro shot forward. However, his sheath was intercepted by something, not another weapon but a leg. A thin black clad leg intervened Hatano's swing, sending vibrations through his body.

Hiiro didn’t stop, sending his arm forward as he reached Absalon. He bring his arm upward and slashes it down in a chopping movement.

“Kiru!”

“Impressive, you don’t need a sword to use it.” Absalong said calmly, intercepting Hiiro’s arm at the elbow and swinging him to the side.

“GAH!” Hiiro screamed.

Suddenly, Locke appears from behind the wall of the cart attempting to reach Absalon. Distracted, Absalon fails to react to this attack,courting death. Locke’s attack, a punch, is blocked by a wall of silver.

A man in silver armor stands between Absalon and Locke. His armor large enough to act as a shield on it’s own, the man look unpreturbed by the attack. In the man's hand, a sword appears from nowhere.

“Hey, What’s a Demon hunter doing fighting alongside one?”

“Do I know you?” Locke asks lazily.

“Does Walter’s Hoseha, The Silver spear, ring any bells?”

Locke ponders for a minute. After a few seconds, he finally says-

“You don't have a spear?”

“Fuck you!” Gerhard screamed as he attempted to bash.

From the back, one more person had emerged, Eris. Moving away from the group, she fires off rocks congregating from the ground, Screaming ““Vrachos””. These rocks fly towards the dracoling, who fires back with fire blasts. The collisions caused rocks to fly everywhere.

“I suppose I better help.” Absalon says, amidst the chaos, seemingly to no one in particular.

Eris, dodging fireballs, finally reaches her destination. Her face mired with grief and anger, she looks down at the petite girl hidden behind a tree stump.

“I-I can’t” Manako says under her breath. She wasn't sure what to do. The fire was surrounding her. Memories cascaded, like the cold waters of winter flooding her mind

“Listen, you need to run,” Eris says, grabbing Manako’s shoulders.

“Wha-?”

“You're clearly not able to fight, you need to get out of here.”

“But, your arm…” Manako knew how bad those burns were quite well. They were lifelong, they would never disappear.

“I do apologize about that.” A voice came from behind them.

A hand. A man's hand came down towards them. To Manako, it was as if she was forced to watch as the past repeated itself. She froze, simply froze. The hand did not reach toward her though, it reached for Eris. At that moment, for the first time since she realized the situation, Manako moves. She moves toward the hand. Then, the man left, with a girl in hand.

Locke stepped back, attempting to launch another attack.

“I forgot to mention..!” Walter says, reaching behind his back. From behind, the unconscious body of Helia appears, her caramel skin glistening in the fires light.

“BASTARD!” Locke yelled, but did not move, knowing what would happen next if he did.

“How is the boy?” Absalon asked as he appeared once more in the group.

“... Unconscious, sir” Uda responded, holding Hiiro. “However, sir?”

“Yes?”

“Don't you have the incorrect girl?”

“Ah?” Cervantes finally looked in his hand, there, unconscious, was not the pink haired Eris, but the silver haired Nina Il Manako. “Nals.”

“Would you like me to find her?” Uda asked, scanning the area

“... No, the chance of her being a descendant was slim. This girl can do, an Elf may produce wonderful results.” Absalon stated. Uda accepted this without complaint.

“Did you find Orlaith's daughter?” Absalon asks, turning behind the group to the massive group of monsters.

From the horde, a gray fur-covered anthropomorphic wolf appears. In light leather armour and worn clothes, the man gives off the impression of a grizzled adventurer.

“No… I can’t smell her at all…” The man replies…

Absalon thinks for a moment before looking at the dracoling next to him.

“Did you see the black haired girl come aboard?”

“Huh? Uh… while…”

“Did you?”

“Uh, there was a dead body, and so I grabbed it. After that, I killed the blond one, so…”

Slap!

Absalon’s palm glided across the dracoling’s face, sending him to the ground.

“Worthless slave…” Absalon returned to thought. After a few moments he lifted his eyes once more.

“Sir. Walter, come, we take our leave.”

“Huh? But I just started.”

“Come.”

Walter immediately backed away, only stopping once he was in line with Absalon.

“Rejoice, we are giving you another chance.”

“You think I'll let you?” Locke says, reaching into his pockets

“Your daughter…”Absalon replies, looking at the girl in walter’s right hand. Locke freezes.

“She is our hostage. Bring Nerissa Orlaith to us by tomorrow. If you don't, we'll just have to feed your daughter to the boars.”

“Bastard”

“Just walk straight through the trees and you'll find it ”

“Abaslon, why not go after her now? If she’s still of the train, our Henwen could catch up?” Walter ask’s

“It would draw unnecessary attention, you don’t want ‘her’ finding us, do you? In addition, I have a bad premonition about the woods.” Absalon whispers in response, looking into the abyss between the trees.

“I see.”

“Don't try and escape now! Our monsters have encircled you! Seek out Orlaiths daughter as fast as you can!”

Absalon turns around and begins to walk down a path in the woods.

“Come and face me, Devil hunter! I'll kick your ass!” Walter Hoshea says as he jumps onto the White boar.

“Hah, come and I'll burn you, I've already killed one of you hahahahahhah” the dracoling say’s, limping into the woods.

Uda simply bows and walks into the woods, carrying the unconscious demon and elf.

Then, everything was quiet. Only the cackling of the fire was left under the moonlight.

“Damn it.” only those solemn words echoed into the night.