On the Eldrath in Area 42 near the flying fortress, the Avalon.
The dimensional portal that linked the two worlds continued to widen, pouring out an ominous glow. All around, the Scourges were gathering, like vultures attracted by the promise of a feast.
In the sky, their misshapen silhouettes cast long shadows on the thick clouds. Joy slipped in like a ghost, leaping from shadow to shadow, disappearing and reappearing with lightning speed. He burst out from behind the back of a winged Scourge, his sword already embedded deep in its flesh. A scarlet flame ran across the blade, instantly igniting the monster, which screamed in a guttural cry before collapsing.
Without waiting, Joy dove back into the shadow of the falling corpse, then reemerged on the back of another creature. His blade sliced through the air, slicing into his spine. Running along his spine, he traced a burning line that transformed into a devouring blaze. The Scourge, consumed, writhed in one last spasm before dissolving into the furnace.
Joy proceeded in this way, eliminating one by one the Scourges who tried to move towards the purple glow of the portal.
These creatures were only foot soldiers, far from the toughest, but their sufficient numbers made them a real threat. Joy struggled relentlessly, leaping from shadow to shadow, slashing, setting fire, as if he single-handedly wanted to prevent these abominations from crossing the border and invading Earth.
Yet, despite all his efforts, despite the rage he put into each of his blows, he could not stop them all. The attacks were too numerous, too pressing. And soon, several Scourges managed to slip through its defenses, crossing the portal with a bestial roar.
***
On Earth somewhere in Southwest Germany, in the secret Avalon base.
Three Scourges had just crossed the portal. Their appearance was reminiscent of the gigantic marine reptiles of the Mesozoic, but their bodies bore engraved patterns that were the symbol of chaos.
They were hovering in the air, already on their way to populated areas. But before they strayed too far from the gate...
“Forward, Mother Earth! Fury of the Earth!”
A dull rumble echoed out. From the bowels of the earth burst forth enormous rocky spikes that pierced the heavens. One of the Scourges was impaled in mid-air, its core pierced clean through, and it collapsed immediately with a muffled scream.
"The Iron Maiden! These two are for you!"
Sia stood there, her eyes fixed on the portal that shone high in the sky. Calm but determined, she gave orders to the spirits around her. The first Scourge had been slain by the Earth Spirit. Only two remained.
At his command, the Spirit of Iron launched two steel harpoons attached to heavy chains. The bolts whistled through the air and struck their target with deadly precision. The Scourges were pierced and brutally stopped in their tracks, hampered by the chains which stiffened, holding them prisoner.
"Ondine! Efrit! Your turn!"
At this command, two new figures appeared.
The Fire Spirit concentrated into a glowing ball and shot out like a meteorite, striking one of the Scourges. The explosion ignited his body, reducing him to ashes.
For its part, the Water Spirit projected a multitude of beams of pressurized water, as sharp as blades, which lacerated the last Scourge. The monster was riddled with holes like a sieve, until a jet reached its core. Its carcass collapsed, dispelling the threat for a time.
Meanwhile, Kate had run to the center of the crater, where the machine responsible for opening the portal stood.
Arriving at the edge of the precipice, she didn't hesitate for a second and plunged into the void. His foot struck the falling structure violently, and the machine exploded with a deafening crash. The six amulets of the first series, fixed around the frame, were torn off and fell heavily to the ground.
Kate, exhausted, collapsed on her buttocks, panting, her body unable to stand after so much effort. Her chest heaved in fits and starts, each breath ripped from her lungs.
"I... did it," she breathed between ragged breaths.
The portal became unstable. Its light began to flicker, then it collapsed in a shower of sparks, exploding like a final firework.
"We won…!" Sia whispered, relieved, her eyes fixed on the sky as she contemplated the spectacle.
***
In the cloudy sky of Eldrath, the portal disappeared in turn, bursting into a fleeting firework. The glow illuminated Joy for a moment, left alone in the middle levels of the fortress.
Il looked up at the sky. Calm seemed to be returning, but he knew there was one last detail to be taken care of. Now all that was left was to wait... wait for the final battle to conclude.
High above, in the stormy sky, Ryouma continued to rise, like an ascending dragon. Behind him, Kai pursued closely, refusing to give him any respite, any chance to prepare another attack.
Ryouma wasn't flying straight. His ascent was strange, almost calculated as he quickly climbed in altitude while describing wide circles, leaving behind a trail of black feathers that frayed in the wind. Kai immediately understood that Ryouma was planning something else. A plan that only he knew the secret to.
But it didn't matter what it was. Kai gritted his teeth, determined to end it once and for all.
Suddenly, Ryouma stopped his ascent. Kai, surprised, cautiously moved closer, keeping a safe distance.
"So... you've finally decided to stop running away and resign yourself to dying?" Kai declared, his spear already crackling with lightning.
Ryouma smirked.
“Hehehe! Dying? I’m not there yet. I still have my whole life ahead of me… and so much to discover.”
He twirled his bident above his head, the rapid movement creating the illusion of a propeller.
“And besides… who told you I was trying to escape? I was simply preparing the ground… for my final plan,” he added, his gaze shining with a determined gleam.
Kai remained skeptical.
To his eyes, he hadn't seen anything that resembled preparation. Ryouma had just flown in a strange, spiraling manner, but other than that? Nothing.
Ryouma's smile widened as he saw the doubt on his opponent's face.
"Can't you feel it? The wind is starting to pick up," he said confidently.
Kai frowned. But he finally felt it.
The air was becoming heavy, laden with humidity. The warm air masses, driven by Ryouma's rapid ascent, were creating a sudden instability in the atmosphere. The pressure was dropping. The sky was becoming charged with electricity. And suddenly, violent gusts of wind began to rise around them.
It took him a moment to understand… but when he made the connection, his eyes widened. All this meteorological chaos, all this brewing storm... was the work of one man.
“This time… I’m going to go all out. I’m going to unleash upon you the most devastating phenomenon the Earth has ever known.” Ryouma declared, his gaze shining with an unrelenting glow.
He whirled his bident even faster, the weapon whistling through the air. The winds rose, first in gusts, then in a colossal gale. Very quickly, the gust swelled, turned into a storm, and ended up curling up into a monstrous tornado.
Now Kai and Ryouma were locked inside this cataclysm, prisoners in a cage of howling, violent, blade-sharp winds.
Kai gritted his teeth, unable to understand how Ryouma could have created such an apocalypse. But his eyes eventually noticed the details that had previously escaped him.
The countless black feathers dancing in the maelstrom, carried by the winds, mingling with the storm. These feathers... they were not mere residues but they were the attributes of Celestine. Living relics, capable of manipulating the direction and strength of the wind.
Ryouma hadn't just used his feathers to shape the currents. He also flapped his wings with infernal precision, controlling both air pressure and temperature. All this, orchestrated in a calculated ascent, was only preparation.
Kai felt a shiver of fear run through him.
Ryouma had just gathered all the elements to unleash his final attack.
An attack of power… and destruction.
Kai tried to retort. A bolt of lightning shot from his spear, slicing through the air to strike Ryouma. But the lightning was immediately deflected, torn apart by the violence of the winds. Kai was stunned.
He finally realized the truth that what surrounded him was not a simple tornado. It was the eye of a cyclone... an artificially created hurricane.
“Thanks to scientific knowledge, I have a perfect understanding of the conditions necessary for the formation of a hurricane. And through magic… I can replicate those conditions. Amplify this phenomenon… until it creates a storm the likes of which the world has never seen.” Ryouma's voice vibrated, almost distorted by the howling wind.
The entire sky was distorting. The wind now dictated the laws of the arena. And whoever controlled the wind...controlled the heavens.
The black feathers danced, merging with the storm, amplifying each gust. With his powerful wind and 'Vice Awakening' attributes as well as his knowledge, Ryouma was able to reproduce any weather phenomenon with a powerful and on a scale never before seen.
Kai suddenly felt dozens of cuts slicing through his flesh. The wind, accelerated to a dizzying speed, sliced like blades. Wind gusts exceeded 320 km/h, well beyond a Category 5 hurricane.
A gigantic tornado was born, its howling winds tearing the sky to shreds. In a few seconds, it swelled, becoming a black hurricane that sucked up everything in its path, as if the whole world was about to be swallowed.
Trapped in the heart of the cyclone, Kai flapped his wings furiously. Lightning bolts shot from his spear in all directions, but each bolt was swallowed up, absorbed by the infernal spiral.
Ryouma raised his bident, his eyes blazing, then dived. His body spun at dizzying speed, compressing the air around him. The spiral formed tightened, murderous, implacable.
“Kamikaze—Tenryū Kōrin !!!"
The cyclone then took shape. A colossal dragon, born of the wind, tore through the sky and swallowed everything in its path. Kai, cornered, hastily erected a force field to protect himself, but the wind creature slammed into him with titanic power.
Ryouma pierced through the barrier as if it had never existed. The shock was of incredible violence and the two bodies crashed together, hurled straight down from the fortress, carried away by the fury of the dragon.
They tore through the upper floors of the fortress, pulverizing rooms and walls, destroying the middle levels in a chaos of stone and metal. Finally, their fall ended in the depths, at the lower level.
They crashed violently to the ground, thrown far from each other.
About ten seconds passed in a heavy silence, broken only by the creaking of the destroyed fortress. Then, it was Kai who moved first.
Despite his countless injuries, he managed to get up. His armor, reduced to pieces, no longer protected anything. Its four wings were nothing more than a mass of shredded flesh, and blood flowed from multiple wounds. His spear, broken in two, was now nothing more than a shard of steel. His right eye had been lost in the fall, but he held on, clutching half of his weapon, the tip still intact.
Ryouma, on the other hand, was less bruised by the impact, but he wasn't in any better condition. His forehead was bleeding profusely, blood trickling down to his eye. His horn had been torn off in the crash, and worse. His energy was completely drained. The last attack had drained him of his strength.
He stood up anyway, wobbly, clutching his black bident. But the weapon, cracked all over, finally shattered in his hands, turning to dust. Even she could not bear the infernal pressure to which he had subjected her.
Facing him, Kai pointed what remained of his spear, his breath panting, his voice raspy but firm.
"One last blow, Ryouma Kirishima..."
Ryouma no longer had a weapon. His strength had failed him. Yet, he didn't waver.
“KAAAAHHHHH!!!”
With a roar, he charged straight at Kai, driven only by an iron will, a final burst of energy. His course was nothing more than the march of a condemned man towards certain death.
Kai waited, holding half of his spear tightly. With one eye missing, he struggled to judge the distance, but he knew he would only get one chance. He stared at his opponent, patient, ready to strike at the decisive moment.
When Ryouma was close enough, Kai slashed, the point piercing the air like lightning. But Ryouma had anticipated this. He threw himself onto his side, offering his flank. The spear pierced his flesh, exiting the other side in a spray of blood. Yet he continued to move forward, without slowing down, without weakening.
And with a crash of flesh and breath, he reached Kai.
From a distance, it looked as if the two warriors had locked arms in a deadly embrace. But Kai, gasping for breath, suddenly felt a searing pain in his chest. His gaze lowered... and he saw the impossible. His heart had just been pierced.
Ryouma's broken horn, hidden until then in his sleeve, had popped out at the last moment, embedding itself deep in his ribcage. His vital organ had been pierced in a single gesture.
The spear slipped from Kai's shaking hands. His mouth opened and closed, as if he were trying to utter his last words. But no sound managed to escape his lips.
His eyes slowly closed, and his body tilted backward. He collapsed to the ground, inert, Ryouma's horn still planted in his chest.
Ryouma stared at Kai's body, lying limp on the ground. He was no longer breathing and there was no movement from his body. There was no doubt, Kai Von Richter was dead.
His heart was pounding, but instead of the pride of victory, he felt only a deep sense of unease. The triumph had a bitter, almost unbearable taste.
Then, suddenly, he felt dizzy. His vision blurred, the world around him flickered. His legs gave way, and he collapsed heavily in turn, unconscious, lying facing his defeated enemy.
***
The steady beep of an electronic device echoed softly in the background. Ryouma's eyes opened slowly, blinking several times before revealing a blank white ceiling that looked unrecognizable.
“…This isn’t my room,” he muttered, sitting up a little.
"You're finally awake, Kirishima!" a female voice called out.
He turned his head and saw Sia sitting at his bedside, giving him a cheerful smile.
"Sia... what happened to me?" he asked, sitting up a little straighter, even though his muscles were protesting.
“You fainted from exhaustion. You used your attributes too much without measuring the consequences… You almost died, idiot.” she explained, her tone half serious, half relieved.
Ryouma sighed.
"I see... as if I've burned all my MP and only have 1 HP left."
Sia crossed her arms, amused.
“Exactly. Good thing Joy was there to take you back.”
"Did someone call me?" came Joy's voice, who entered the room at the same time as Kate.
"Are you okay, Kirishima?" Kate asked, always worried when it came to injuries.
"Yes, I feel great. Sorry to have worried you," he replied, bowing his head slightly.
"Sorry, sorry... you can be! You still missed the chance to admire my badass Dark Lord form!" Joy said with a big smile.
"Stop it. You can show him your 'super cool' armor another time. For now, we have to go," Kate interrupted.
Sia stood up and extended her hand toward Ryouma.
"You can walk, right?"
"Sure. No problem," he said, grabbing Sia's hand to help himself up.
"Perfect! Let's go. I'll explain everything to you on the way," she replied enthusiastically.
Sia told him everything that happened while he was unconscious.
Joy had found him collapsed in the lower levels of the flying fortress, almost inert. Meanwhile, on Earth, the closing of the portal had marked the beginning of cleanup operations. Sia immediately contacted the Guild, and a team from the European branch, affiliated with the Legacy Energy subsidiary, rushed to the scene as reinforcements.
They had raided the Avalon base, seizing everything of importance—documents, artifacts, machines, and resources—leaving nothing behind. A group of heirs took charge of the elimination of the plague corpses after taking the necessary samples, all were reduced to ashes in a magic fire, so that no trace remained.
As for the fallen Avalon members, their bodies were collected in body bags. Although they were enemies, the Guild considered them to be human beings and, as such, granted them the right to a burial.
Ryouma had been unconscious for several hours, so when he opened his eyes, the day after the battle was already here. He was now at the headquarters of the Legacy Tech subsidiary. The room where he had regained his senses resembled a hospital ward, but it was actually the tenth floor of the building, converted into an infirmary and equipped with all the medical equipment necessary for emergencies.
Now that he had recovered, he and the others were summoned to Director Shin Takeda's office to report. His assistant, Akio Fujimoto, was also there, notebook in hand.
It was Kate who spoke first. She recounted the events without omitting the slightest detail, methodical and diligent. The report dragged on, to the point that Joy, unable to sit still, began to yawn loudly. His distraction immediately earned him an angry kick that dug into his foot, eliciting a muffled grunt that made Shin Takeda smile despite his serious demeanor.
"Well, that concludes my report," Kate said formally, closing her notebook.
"Good. You did an excellent job," Director Takeda replied calmly.
Smiles immediately spread across the team's faces. Everyone let out a sigh of relief... everyone except Ryouma. He had a more complex expression, still troubled by certain passages in Kate's report, particularly when she mentioned the deceased members of Avalon.
"You have successfully thwarted the organization's millennia-old plans. Thanks to your efforts, we were able to put a definitive end to Avalon's actions." Takeda added gravely.
"Yeah, we're fucking heroes who saved the world from an evil organization... That deserves a raise, right?" Joy declared impatiently.
The director cleared his throat.
“Ahem… I’ll think about it.”
Joy, for her part, wasn't convinced by the director's response. For him, "I'll think about it" clearly meant: "You can always dream about your bonus."
"There's something else..." Takeda suddenly continued, opening a drawer in his desk. He took out an amulet from the first series and placed it on the table.
“This belongs to you, doesn’t it?”
Ryouma stood there for a moment. The headmaster handed him the amulet, and he took it, almost trembling. Just by holding it in his hand, he knew immediately that it could only be his. He would have recognized it among a thousand.
It was the object he had cherished most during his childhood... until he eventually misplaces it, then forgets it, before it suddenly resurfaces from his past and brings with it a whole chain of events. A simple piece of metal, seemingly insignificant, that had completely changed his life. For better or for worse.
“With the six amulets found in the enemy base and the four we already possessed, we have assembled the entire first series. But it seemed only right to give yours back to you. I know it means a lot to you... it's your parents' legacy after all." Takeda said, handing him the object.
Ryouma stared at the amulet. The green stone embedded in it reflected his face like a mirror, as if he were looking into his own eyes.
“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Director… but I prefer to return it,” he said finally, placing the amulet on the desk.
"Huh?!" the others exclaimed, amazed.
"Are you sure, Kirishima? She comes from your family, she must mean a lot to you." Sia asked, genuinely flustered.
"You should think before making such a decision," Kate advised seriously.
"They're right, and this amulet is much more practical than the others," Joy added, crossing her arms.
Ryouma turned to his friends and shook his head gently.
“I know all that, but it doesn’t change anything. I’ve already abandoned this amulet once, just as I was abandoned once before… in order to devote myself fully to my one true family." Ryouma declared, his voice firm.
“And I’ve thought about it carefully. It’s true that this amulet is a powerful and practical artifact… but it is precisely for this reason that it must be entrusted to people more competent than me."
He slid the amulet onto the desk in front of Takeda.
“That’s why I’m entrusting her to you, Mr. Director.”
The silence lasted for a few seconds. Takeda looked up at him.
"Are you sure?" he asked, as if to give her one last chance.
"Certainly." Ryouma replied without hesitation.
“…Good. You may go,” Takeda concluded, ending the meeting.
Ryouma and the others left the office and headed to the break room. After so much ordeal, a little respite wouldn't hurt.
Ryouma collapsed onto the couch. He was still a little dazed. Physically, everything was fine... but mentally, it was a different story.
Sia came and sat down at the other end. Without warning, she cupped Ryouma's cheeks in her hands and pulled him towards her, resting his head on her thighs.
"Huh!? What are you—"
"Shh," she said softly.
Ryouma tried to sit up, but Sia stopped him by holding him firmly against her knees.
"Come on, relax. Relax and rest," she said, gently stroking his hair.
Ryouma stood there speechless, unable to react.
“I know how much everything you've just been through... not just today, but everything that started since you discovered your origins... must have been extremely difficult. Exhausting, both physically and psychologically." His voice was soft and soothing.
Little by little, Ryouma let himself be lulled by her gestures. Yet, he felt a sense of unease since they weren't alone. The stares on him made it difficult for him to completely relax.
Joy wore a satisfied expression, like a proud father seeing his son finally grow up. Conversely, Kate seemed shocked, unable to imagine that there would be such a relationship between Ryouma and Sia. Obviously… there was a huge misunderstanding.
“You've been through some incredible things… you've made some tough decisions, and done some things you wish you'd never had to do. You did it because it was necessary, I know that. But it doesn't change anything because the weight is still there, clinging to your conscience." she continued in a soft voice.
She gently grabbed his face and tilted his head until their eyes met. Ryouma felt his heart beat faster, unable to look away.
“All you can do now… is move forward. And in that, you’ll never be alone. You can always count on your friends.”
Ryouma lost himself in Sia's eyes, reading all the sincerity and strength of her words. Then his gaze slid to Joy and Kate… and he understood. Joy, his childhood best friend, always there for him in the worst of times. Kate, with her kindness, loyalty and protectiveness that made her like a big sister, always ready to lend a helping hand. And Sia... Sia who, since their meeting, had opened his eyes to a world he would never have imagined, who had transmitted to him her burning passion like a fiery flame.
Each of them was precious. Each of them represented a different force, but all of them were there for him. No matter what the future held, he now knew he could count on them when the going got tough.
A smile played on his lips. His eyes closed gently, as he let himself be carried away by this rare feeling of comfort and peace.
"Hey Kate! You're doing the same thing to me," Joy said, a little jealous as she saw Ryouma enjoying the thigh cushion.
"W-What!? You're crazy! You're not!" Kate cried, blushing red.
"Come on, they do it well!" Joy insisted with a mischievous smile.
"Maybe, but we don't have that kind of relationship!" she replied, her cheeks burning.
“Be a little considerate to me, I need some tenderness~!” he whined exaggeratedly.
"No means no! Don't insist!" she said, arms crossed, even though her ears betrayed her embarrassment.
Their bickering eventually became just background noise. Ryouma, meanwhile, slowly drifted off to sleep, lulled by Sia's gentle caress. For the first time in a long time, he was leaving his torments behind him.
This marked the end of one generation and the beginning of another.
Please sign in to leave a comment.