Part VIII Getting Flambreaker

The tengu-masked statue raised its sword, ready to slash Tristan. Reacting instantly, Lazuro leaped forward with all his might. He was slightly surprised to find the force of his leap cracking the ground beneath his feet. Lazuro slammed into the statue, sending them both crashing into a stone wall. Spitting out blood, Lazuro rise and approached Tristan.

"Tristan, are you okay?" Lazuro shouted.

Lazuro glanced back to see the tengu-faced statue attacking. He screamed, blocking its vertical sword swing with the back of his own blade, feeling the statue's pressure against him.

"This is really heavy."

Lazuro used all his strength to swing the sword, sending the tengu-faced statue flying backward. Remembering Tristan's advice, he shifted his left hand to the sword's hilt, conserving his strength. When the statue attacked again, Lazuro didn't meet it head-on but struck the sides of the blade, throwing the statue off balance and preserving his stamina.

"Tristan Draco, how long will you keep falling like that? Don't you want to reach the world tree and stop being a loser? Please, help me!" Lazuro struggled to block the faceless statue's attacks.

Lazuro's screams stopped Tristan's groans. He staggered up, saw Lazuro struggling, and bit his thumb until it bled, staring the flamebreaker in his hand.

"You are my only hope for escaping this cursed place. I want to be free, I want to see the world, and stop being a lose anymore. Therefore, be my partner. No, I, Tristan Draco, command you to submit!" Tristan wiped the blood from his thumb on the flamebreaker.

The Flamebreaker's handle extended twice. A dragon-scale tendril emerged from the barrier between the staff and the machete and pierced Tristan's neck. The tendril emerged from a dragon-shaped ornament with blue eyes made of mana crystals. Tristan screamed loudly, and all the flames enveloping him began to shrink and extinguish. Along with the flames, a shockwave blew Lazuro and the tengu-masked statue away.

"You did it!" Lazuro shouted, trying to stand.

"Of course, you can call me a genius." Tristan rubbed his nose.

The tengu statue made an angry gesture and shouted, even though it couldn't speak. It leaped toward Tristan, aiming its sword upwards and preparing to slash. Tristan wasn't the least bit alarmed; instead, a smile spread across its face.

"Oh, ugly statue! Be my guinea pig!"

Tristan drew his spear back and swung it vertically, aiming for the masked statue's stomach. The masked statue was knocked away before it could stab Tristan with its sword.

"Good, Tristan, now let's fight him together." Lazuro readied his mythbreaker.

"Don't worry, leave him to me. I'll defeat that ugly creature with one strike."

Tristan spun his spear around, pointing it backward with a dramatic shout. However, nothing happened, causing Lazuro to rub the back of his head. Meanwhile, the masked statue had risen and lunged at Tristan once more. Tristan, still in his horse stance, didn't see the statue coming. Luckily, Lazuro quickly moved in front of Tristan and blocked the masked statue's sword, preventing Tristan from being cut.

"Tristan, stop joking around like that." Lazuro lost patience.

Lazuro gritted his teeth, desperately trying to resist the masked statue's thrust. The masked statue leaped backward, drawing its sword, making Lazuro lose his balance. Lazuro fell, and the masked statue seized the opportunity to attack.

Tristan blocked the masked statue's initial attack, and Lazuro quickly rejoined him. For ten minutes, the three battled, with Lazuro and Tristan landing occasional scratches while the masked statue inflicted cuts on them in return.

"If this keeps up, we'll both be exhausted," Lazuro said, continuing his assault on the stone statue.

"We have to finish it in one strike. This statue's sword is powerful, but look at its body. Our attacks seem to be working," Tristan said breathlessly.

"You say that, but how can you kill it in one strike?" Lazuro asked.

"The attack you used when you killed the Burning T-rex. Come on, use that. I'll buy you some time."

"But I... I don't know how to execute an attack like that." Lazuro scared.

"Just shut up and do it motherfucker!" Tristan Shouted.

Lazuro jumped away from the masked statue and drew his sword back. He then raised it, posing like someone practicing kendo. His expression was serious, and he slammed it down with all his might. However, nothing but empty air struck.

"Damn, we're going to die like this," Tristan grumbled.

Suddenly, blue flames enveloped Tristan's body just as he was consumed by emotion. This caught Tristan off guard. At that moment, the masked statue's sword nearly struck Tristan's neck.

"Tristan."

Lazuro swung his leaf sword, creating a slashing energy that sliced ​​off the masked statue's head. Lazuro's attack gave Tristan time to dodge.

"Now you can do it!" Tristan quipped.

"Arghh... damn, I don't know how to do it myself."

Despite losing its head, the statue could still move. The masked statue once again targeted Tristan, who was still arguing with Lazuro.

"The monster's still awake; hurry up and use that attack!" Tristan ordered.

"Why are you so noisy?" Lazuro is angry.

Lazuro unleashed a powerful energy slash in a kendo stance, but the masked statue anticipated the strike to its side and blocked it. Though the attack was deflected, the statue's sword shattered.

"Now it's my turn, Flambraker technique, Spiral Blue Flame Vortex."

Tristan swung his spear at the masked statue. The blue flames surrounding Tristan swirled toward the tip of the spear he held. The spear struck the masked statue, causing it to shatter. After the destruction, blue flames spread to the cave ceiling. Simultaneously, the pillars in the cave exhibited a strange reaction. The flames surrounding the pillars all rose to the roof of the cave. Lazuro and Tristan looked up at the cave ceiling and discovered something surprising.

"What the..."

Dozens of creatures with pointy ears and halos around their necks appeared to be trapped on the cave ceiling. Although they resembled the elves Lazuro often saw in games, the creatures were incredibly large. Furthermore, they also had wings similar to dragons.

"I only realized how large this room was once the flames lit up the entire room." Lazuro looked amazed.

As the flames lit up the room, terrifying sounds erupted, causing Lazuro and Tristan to drop their mythbreakers.

"Mother... Mother... You are the one who has the power of Mother's fire." Free us, brothers. Let us walk in this world. Speak your will, our brother. Do you want to light up the world, or do you want to devour it until nothing remains? Free… free us…”

The next thing we heard was the sound of crying, which made Lazuro and Tristan kneel on the ground, clutching their ears. Tristan and Lazuro screamed, clutching their ears as they rolled on the ground. The loud buzzing and terrifying cries finally made Lazuro and Tristan lose consciousness.

***

Lazuro opened his eyes and realized he was back in Tristan's house. Lazuro got up from bed and realized his cursed wand was gone.

“They must have taken it again,” Lazuro sighed.

Lazuro faintly heard voices arguing. Lazuro finally decided to leave the room and found the voices were James and Tristan. Tristan was standing with James, while Paul just sat there, staring at the two mythbreakers on the table.

“I told you the flamebreakers are mine!” Lazuro shouted.

“Do you realize the consequences of your actions?” James asked.

“Of course, now I have the Mythbreaker, so I can hunt with you guys.”

“Do you want to make an enemy of the Ignis family? Paul, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and tell this kid what madness he’s done!”

Paul, who had been sitting, finally stood up. He stared at Tristan for a moment and gave him a hard slap across the cheek.

“What happened will never change. This time you have to answer for your actions. Tomorrow we’re going to the castle. You come with me, Lazuro.”

Lazuro, who had been watching from upstairs, finally came down the stairs with an awkward expression.

“That… Tristan is innocent. In this case, I—”

“Stop protecting this kid. Damn, I think I’m really going crazy.” Paul flopped down on the sofa. “A Mythbreaker, a plant I’ve never seen, and now the hero’s weapon that his descendants should have. Why don’t you two just kill me?”