Final Confrontation

BOOM!!!

An explosion sounded on the battlefield. Multiple bodies of monsters erupted into the air… but even more took their place.

“Khrom, we’re getting nowhere!” Estelle announced. “If anything, we’re getting pushed back!”

Khrom, Estelle, Jett, and Menn neared the capital of Nakamura, but the summoner Tatsuki stood as the last line of defense.

The horde, which felt more like an army, closed in on the group, and they barely held them back.

Everything before them was just a sea of monsters. If the group was lucky, they could get a glimpse of Tatsuki, who continued to summon monsters with his glowing yellow eyes.

BOOM!!!

Another one of Jett’s traps went off, scattering what felt like a mere percentile of the monster army. Menn continued to fire off attacks with his magic guns, and Estelle did the same with her magic.

Khrom was soloing the front lines, but he looked very stressed. He constantly swapped between his shields: his Split Shield for offense, his Reflector Shield to block projectiles, and his Bed Shield to slowly recoup as he continued to set a defensive line. He had to do too much, and it was showing.

“Khrom, back up a bit!” Estelle suggested. “I can heal you!”

“I can’t,” Khrom rebutted. “If I retreat, the monsters will get closer.”

Tatsuki stood far down the battlefield, witnessing the events through the eyes of one of his flying summons.

“I feel sorry for them, but this is something I have to do,” Tatsuki monologued. “All the others went ahead, so I’m the only last line of defense for Kouki. Though I guess with my army, the ‘last line of defense’ may as well be an offense, ho ho!”

Tatsuki glared toward the Relic Raiders group from afar, but there was a bit of remorse.

“I need to catch up with the others,” Tatsuki thought. “I suppose I’ll finish the job.”

Tatsuki summoned a red dragon. It was just about Fiona’s size in her dragon form, so it was likely a younger one. The dragon charged up an enormous fireball, but suddenly, the dragon’s head was blasted off.

Tatsuki looked towards the dead dragon, then up into the sky.

Fiona zoomed over and passed Tatsuki toward the capital, but something was left in her path. Tatsuki squinted, trying to focus on what had fallen from the dragon.

Shen skydived to the battlefield, alongside Celeste, Evona, Lessia in child form, Gurkin, and Xavian.

Shen fell with a serious look. He was the one who had shot the red dragon dead under the effects of Level Boost.

Everyone else dropped with various emotions: Celeste and Gurkin fell with an emotionless grace, Evona flailed in panic, Lessia looked ready to pass out, and Xavian simply laughed.

“EVONA IS NOT A BIRD!!!” Evona screamed.

“I can’t do this,” Lessia muttered. “I’m gonna die…”

“HAHAHA!!!” Xavian laughed.

Unique landings also accompanied their variety of emotions.

Shen used a portal to reverse his fall as he landed on the battlefield. Xavian used Hover to break his fall on his own. Gurkin used Body Enhancement to allow himself to land directly on the ground. Celeste used a Slow Falling skill, while Lessia and Evona fell into Estelle’s Air Cushion spell as she had noticed their descent from Evona’s screaming.

“Backup has arrived,” Shen announced.

“Took you long enough…” said Khrom as he finally backed up from the monster horde and collapsed.

Celeste immediately approached Khrom to tend to his injuries.

“HAHAHA, let’s knock some skulls!” Xavian announced.

“Xavian… I implore you to fill a supporting role in this battle,” Celeste demanded. “I may have healed you, but you are not in top condition.”

Xavian grinned, “You don’t seem to know who you’re talking to, HAHAHA!”

Celeste sighed.

“What’s the situation?” Shen asked.

“Exactly what you see in front of you,” Khrom answered. “A mob of monsters…”

“Can we use Lessia’s Level Boost?” Estelle suggested. “That would help us thin the horde easily!”

Estelle turned to face Lessia, but she lay on the ground, about ready to pass out.

“Unfortunately, Lessia is out of energy,” Shen explained. “I had her apply Level Boost to Kaito, who was still on Fiona, and she ended up like… that.”

“Is Kaito not going to help here?” Khrom asked.

“No,” Shen answered. “I sent him to face Kouki.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Kouki sat on the king’s throne; his face rested on his hand.

The throne room was empty, emotionless. If a marble were dropped on the floor, it would echo through the room.

“Kaede and Henry are dead…” Kouki stated. “Those fools.”

Kouki tilted his head back and sighed.

“At least if Yumi and Tatsuki are working together, they’ll win,” Kouki analyzed. “Those two together could defeat a whole country.”

Kouki faced forward again and scoured the throne room.

A room of polished white concrete supported by pillars of the same material. The throne was elevated on a stair platform facing the large wooden door on the opposite side of the room. Red flags and carpets to give an accent to the room, it was truly the room for the king.

Finally, Kouki looked straight. Right at the large stained-glass window above the door. It depicted the previous King Daiki Nakamura—black hair, brown eyes, with a bit of stubble in a goatee. Albeit distorted, one could tell his depicted face had a lot of solace…

CRASH!!!

Kaito flew right through the stained-glass window on top of Fiona. Glass scattered on the floor as Fiona landed in the throne room. Kaito dismounted Fiona and signalled her to leave and support the others, which she did.

Kaito stood face-to-face with Kouki…

The final confrontation.