Ch 12.9

While the battle between Wallus and Nosmos intensified, Chloe, Aisha, and Meriath dragged Kazyak, Tevu, Gina, and Fina behind the cover of broken walls and scorched earth.

Meriath watched the escalating destruction with a frustrated glare.

“At this rate, those two will completely destroy the pavilion. If only Mesphine were here,” she muttered. “This entire mess would be resolved in an instant.”

Her gaze shifted toward the burning structure.
“Honestly, I can’t believe that vixen, Riasmel, is still sleeping through all of this!”

Aisha calmly responded, never taking her eyes off the combatants.
“We don’t have to worry about Madam Riasmel. Her blessing will protect her.”

“I’m not worried about her one bit. I say we should just toss Riasmel into the fray,” Meriath retorted with a click of her tongue. “Her blessing would either let her eliminate them both or get herself killed. Either way, it’s a net positive for us.”

Aisha sighed. “And we’d be killed before we even got close to her. You remember what happened last time.”

Meriath grunted.
“I’m just trying to come up with a way to stop—”

“Urgh!”

Meriath suddenly doubled over. Her bandages had come loose, and blood seeped through her wounds. Aisha immediately extended a hand.

The loose bandages stirred as though alive, coiling around Meriath’s body and tightening around her wounds.

“Meriath, focus on resting and recovering,” Aisha said firmly. “Leave this to us.”

“I’m not so weak that a little blood loss is going to kill me. Stop worrying.”

Aisha gave her a tired look. “Fine. But stay still.”

Beside them, Chloe watched the flames engulfing parts of the pavilion.
“The servant quarters... Shouldn’t we go help them?”

Aisha shook her head.
“They should have been evacuated already. The elder servants know to retreat to the basement whenever the pavilion comes under attack. You don’t need to worry about them.”

Meriath snorted and turned toward Chloe.
“You should be worrying about yourself. You’ve lost a significant amount of blood. Get some rest.”

Aisha shot Meriath a pointed glare. “You’re one to talk.”

Chloe let out a faint breath of relief, but her expression quickly hardened with determination. “I’m fine. I must stay awake.” Her gaze remained fixed on the battlefield. “If that jerk goes back on his word, then I, as the abbess, will certainly give him a piece of my mind.”

“Don’t fret,” Meriath said wearily. “If anything happens, we’ll wake you.”

“No.” Chloe shook her head. “I’m watching this until the end.”

Meriath sighed. “You’re truly stubborn.”

The three fell silent, their attention returning to the battlefield.

Aisha watched Wallus and Nosmos from afar. The two combatants were still locked in their brutal struggle, surrounded by flames, shattered stone, and the remnants of the pavilion.

Yet something else continued to bother her. Her gaze briefly shifted toward the burning structure.

--------------x--------------

Nosmos stepped through the debris, his pace slower now. The heat around him still burned, but his breathing had grown heavier, each exhale sharper than before. The area around them was literally filled with melting rocks and charred bones.

Both men, Nosmos and Wallus, were clearly exhausted, having fought to their absolute limit.

The battle had been going on far too long.

Wallus inhaled deeply before speaking.
“I suppose,” he muttered, standing a little straighter, “I’ll have to force you to see sense.”

Wallus immediately reached into his pocket and retrieved a capsule. The pill was half green and half white. He then snapped the capsule in two, swallowing the green half.

Nosmos, who had been watching from a distance, immediately noticed the pill. "A battle pill?" he sneered, narrowing his eyes in distaste. "Such a cowardly move. Humans really do have to resort to things like that."

Wallus slowly rolled his neck and exhaled. "I didn't want to waste something this valuable." His gaze sharpened as he looked directly at Nosmos. "But I don't have much of a choice now."

"Then let's see what good it does you," Nosmos muttered fiercely.

Wallus suddenly spread his arms. "I summon forth... Blackbone Regalia."

Small black spots began appearing around Wallus's body.

At first, there were only a few, but they quickly multiplied, clinging to his skin and clothes like stains. The darkness spread across him in oily, shifting patches that resembled miniature portals, almost as though something was attempting to swallow him from the outside. The surrounding air grew dim as the shadows deepened, and an ominous force began stirring beneath the surface.

Nosmos remained where he stood and watched carefully. His earlier aggression had disappeared, replaced by caution. He wanted to attack, but the enormous amount of mana he had already expended had left his breathing heavy. For the moment, he needed to recover his strength and determine what Wallus was preparing.

The darkness eventually covered Wallus from head to toe. Then a sharp crack echoed through the area.

A fragment of bone suddenly protruded from his shoulder.
Another emerged from his forearm. More followed.

Jagged pieces began forming across Wallus's limbs, chest, and back, snapping into place one after another. The fragments crawled over his body and layered themselves together, gradually forming a complete skeletal shell. Within moments, Wallus was entirely encased in a suit of bone.

The black patches vanished, revealing the newly formed armor beneath them. Wallus smiled through a narrow opening in the bone covering his face. The armor appeared almost alive, shifting slightly around his body and producing a faint rattle whenever he breathed.

Nosmos's icy expression did not change. If anything, his eyes became colder.
"That's your big ace?" he asked flatly. "I'm disappointed."

Wallus merely smiled and began walking toward him. He stepped into the impact crater left by their previous exchange, with his bone armor clicking softly against itself with every step.

"Just calm down for a second and—"

Nosmos interrupted him.

A blazing orange sphere suddenly shot from Nosmos's hand and tore through the air toward Wallus. Wallus twisted aside just in time, and the orb passed beside him before slamming into the ground behind him. A burst of scorching heat erupted from the impact, sending dust and debris into the air.

Before the dust could settle, Nosmos vanished. A blur appeared behind Wallus.

Nosmos's hand clamped onto Wallus's shoulder while his other fist drew backward. Condensed heat gathered around his knuckles, causing the surrounding air to shimmer violently.

"Now try dodging this," Nosmos challenged.

"Got you," Wallus replied with a smile.

The moment Nosmos's fingers tightened around Wallus's shoulder, the bone armor beneath his hand suddenly loosened.

Nosmos's eyes widened.
The armor shifted. Then it clung to his hand.

"Bone Cage." Wallus's command was sharp.

The skeletal armor immediately responded. A loud rattle echoed through the crater as the bones detached themselves from Wallus's body and shot toward Nosmos.

"What—?"

Nosmos barely had time to react.

The bones wrapped around his chest, arms, and legs, rapidly reconstructing themselves around his body. One piece locked against another until the entire skeletal armor had transferred from Wallus to Nosmos.

Nosmos struggled against the enclosure, but the bones tightened around him and held his limbs firmly in place. His expression twisted with anger as he glared at Wallus.

"Such a cowardly spell!"

Wallus casually raised one finger.

Nosmos's body suddenly moved.

His arms were forced behind his back as though invisible strings had been attached to his limbs. His body twitched against his will while Wallus slowly moved his hand from side to side. Each movement caused Nosmos to respond mechanically, following the direction of Wallus's gestures.

"A puppet spell, huh?" Nosmos growled. His muscles strained against the armor, but his body continued moving against his will. "You think I can be restrained by such a spell?"

Wallus stared at him with an exhausted expression.
"Could you just shut up and stay still for a second?"

He raised his hand. "Lock."

The bones immediately tightened. Nosmos's entire body froze in place. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Nosmos's expression changed.

"You can't possibly think this is enough to stop me."
Mana suddenly surged through his arms.

The bones surrounding his fists began glowing red as the intense heat radiating from his body started melting them. The skeletal plates warped and cracked under the pressure, while the temperature around Nosmos continued climbing.

Wallus's eyes widened. "You're kidding me..."
He immediately moved.

Wallus crossed the distance between them in a single stride and reached into his pocket. His fingers closed around the remaining half of the battle pill he had previously taken.

Before Nosmos could react, Wallus grabbed his jaw.
"Now, just swallow this."

He forced the remaining half of the pill into Nosmos's mouth.

Nosmos's eyes widened. He tried to spit it out, but Wallus kept his grip firmly around his jaw.
Nosmos coughed violently, and the pill slipped down his throat with the force of the motion.

The moment it disappeared, everything stopped. Nosmos became completely motionless.

The intense heat surrounding his fists remained unstable, but even that seemed to hang in place. The partially melted bones around his hands stopped spreading, frozen in their warped state.

Wallus slowly released his grip and stepped backward.
His breathing was heavy but controlled. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he watched Nosmos carefully.

That should change your mind, you rat bastard.
He had gambled everything on the pill. Now all he could do was wait.

Nosmos remained completely still. Only his eyes moved. His pupils shifted slightly as he stared into the distance, seemingly lost in thought. Whatever the pill had done, it had seized his attention completely.

Wallus could have attacked.
He could have used the opportunity to knock Nosmos unconscious or finish the fight before the rat could recover. But he did not move. He needed to know whether the pill had worked.

Across the ruined courtyard, Chloe and the Pavilion girls watched in silence.

Chloe swallowed nervously. "Is it over?"

Meriath kept her eyes fixed on the two men. "Then why are they just standing there?"

Aisha in the back watched nervously as the two combatants were in a standstill.

The guildmaster remained trapped in Wallus's bone enclosure. Wallus stood several meters away, waiting for the battle pill to take effect.
Neither man moved. For the moment, the entire battlefield seemed to be holding its breath.

Nosmos finally regained his composure and looked directly at Wallus.
"So that was it?" Nosmos asked.

Wallus smiled in response. "Exactly."

Nosmos slowly relaxed his shoulders. "You should have said so. I understand now."

Wallus let out a small breath of relief. "Then we can finally put this behind us, right?"

Nosmos suddenly glanced over his shoulder. His expression changed.
"It's too late now. We've attracted too much attention." His eyes shifted toward the surrounding buildings. "Not to mention, those old bats are already here."

Wallus raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Nosmos looked back at him.
"I would prefer not to blow my cover. Will you play along?"

Wallus stared at him for a moment before sighing and waving his hand.

The skeletal armor surrounding Nosmos immediately loosened. The bones detached from his limbs and collapsed onto the ground, freeing him from the enclosure.

For a brief moment, the two men simply stood there.
It almost looked as though they had finally reached an understanding.

Then Nosmos raised his palm. An orange glow ignited within it.

Wallus's eyes widened. "Wait—"

The heat orb exploded from Nosmos's hand.
Wallus barely managed to react. A giant skeletal arm erupted from a dark portal beside him and moved in front of his body. The heat orb smashed into the bone shield and detonated, sending a wave of scorching air through the garden.

The skeletal arm shattered. Wallus was launched backward.
His body tumbled through the garden, bouncing across the ground before finally crashing through a pile of broken stone. Dust billowed around him as he rolled several more meters before coming to a stop.

Wallus pushed himself upright.
"What the hell was that about?" he yelled.

Nosmos calmly lowered his hand.
"We need to keep the show going a little longer."

Wallus stared at him in disbelief. Then his jaw tightened.
"I am done with your bullshit."

He slowly rose to his feet, brushing dust from his bone armor.
"Fine. I'll play along."

Dark portals began appearing around the garden.
One. Then another. Then another.

Within seconds, a dozen black portals hovered around the battlefield, forming a loose ring around the two men. Their surfaces rippled like liquid shadows as Wallus's mana spread through the area.

Across from him, Nosmos straightened his posture.
Heat began gathering around his fists once more. Orange light illuminated his white suit as the temperature around him steadily climbed.

For a moment, the two men faced each other.
Anyone watching from a distance would have believed the battle was about to begin again.

Then—

THUD!

A long metal pole slammed into the ground directly in front of Wallus.
The impact sent dirt and debris exploding outward. Wallus staggered backward as the metal rod drove halfway into the earth, standing upright like a massive spear.

Another pole crashed down behind him.

THUD!

Then another.

THUD!

And another.

Each one struck the battlefield with enough force to shake the ground beneath their feet. Rubble scattered across the garden while clouds of dust rose into the air.

Nosmos's eyes shifted upward.
Two more metal poles suddenly shot toward him.

He twisted his body aside.

The first pole passed within inches of his shoulder before embedding itself into the ground. The second followed immediately afterward, crashing down where he had been standing only moments earlier.

Then came the fifth.
It descended between Wallus and Nosmos.

THUD!

The pole struck the ground with such force that the earth trembled.
For a heartbeat, everything became still.

Then a figure descended from above.
He landed lightly on the narrow tip of the central pole, balancing effortlessly despite the height.

The newcomer was an old beastman with a short, wiry frame covered in grey fur. His face carried distinct simian features, while a long, thin mustache extended from his upper lip. He casually stroked it with one hand as his eyes traveled across the ruined garden.

His gaze passed over the shattered walls. Then the broken trees.
Then the scorch marks covered the earth.

Finally, he looked toward Nosmos and Wallus.

The old beastman sighed. "What a mess..."

His voice carried an almost bored quality, as though he had walked into an untidy room rather than the aftermath of a violent battle.

He tilted his head slightly.
"What exactly have I walked into?"

Wallus narrowed his eyes.
Nosmos's expression tightened.

The old beastman looked between them for several seconds before his eyes settled on Nosmos.

Nosmos slowly clenched his fist. "...Old Monk Rugbert."

--------------------x--------------------

Trivia:

Riasmel, one of the three royal mistresses, is blessed with the Somnus Aegis blessing.

Those blessed with Somnus Aegis possess an additional skill that allows their bodies to automatically defend themselves while they sleep. If someone attempts to harm them—or even forcibly rouse them from their slumber—the blessing takes control of their body and attacks the perceived threat without requiring the user's conscious awareness.

Because of this, those blessed with Somnus Aegis can sleep safely even in the wilderness, without needing anyone to stand guard. As long as the threat is something the blessing's automatic defenses are capable of handling, the user will remain protected throughout their sleep.

However, the blessing comes with a rather troublesome drawback: it cannot distinguish between friend and foe.

Anyone who attempts to wake the blessed individual can be attacked, even if their intentions are completely harmless. Something as simple as shaking them awake or calling their name too forcefully can trigger the blessing's defensive response.

Because of this, Somnus Aegis is sometimes regarded as much a curse as it is a blessing. For its bearer, even those who care about them must think twice before disturbing their sleep.