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Okay, it's showtime! The Heroes VS the Church of the Four Stars! Who will prevail? And looks like a new character has entered the chat. What will she bring to the table? And we finally get the introduction of King Duskbane, King of the Shadokor himself. (Note: Nudity warning, just FYI)
In a large area not far from where the five Legendary Heroes and the High Priest were fighting was a massive camp full of soldiers. Inside the largest tent was a noble-looking male getting suited up for battle. He had dark purple hair that was neatly groomed, piercing red eyes with slit pupils, lightning bolt-shaped facial markings that were near identical to Celtic’s, only orange in color, a mouth full of fangs, sharp facial features, and a well-built body. Behind him were three Shadow Sentinels in a kneeling position, watching his men equip the noble man in powerful armor.
“The time has finally come…” he said solemnly. “Ebenezer has completed the fusion of the Legendary Gear replicas, sans the Shroud, and has started his attack on the other Heroes. We must mobilize immediately. I thank you for alerting me of the Shroud Hero’s true identity, my loyal Shadow Sentinels, for now I have even greater motivation to finally put an end to that treasonous Four Stars Church.”
“We were glad to, Your Majesty… King Duskbane,” the Shadow Sentinels said in unison.
After a few more moments, King Duskbane was fully equipped in his regal armor. He walked outside to greet his Shadokor soldiers.
“My fellow Shadokor!” he stated strongly. “The Church of the Four Stars has committed the ultimate sin! Today we will finally rid this world of them and bring them to justice for their crimes! They have gone too far, so we must fight and prevent them from murdering the five Legendary Heroes! We attack now!”
The Shadokor soldiers cheered enthusiastically, eager to go into battle and put an end to the Four Stars Church.
“Please… just hold on a bit longer…” King Duskbane said silently. “So I can finally atone for my past failure. Noir… Gardenia… I promise I will bring him back alive… so please, watch over him until then.”
What he didn’t know was that the same mysterious figure from before was watching before zipping away, heading toward the battle.
Meanwhile, Ebenezer, Robert, and his army of clergy were preparing to attack the five Heroes by charging up the Legendary Gear replica. Celtic and his party glared at Ebenezer, who looked quite smug.
“Skye!” he stated. “Give me the rundown. What do you know about the Legendary Gear replicas?”
Skye replied, “Well, as I told you before, the Legendary Gear replicas were designed as a backup plan in case something happened to one or more of the real Legendary Gear. The replicas all possess the same innate abilities, both regular and advance, that the five normal Legendary Gear possess, which means Ebenezer has access to every default ability and power that the Gear has without the need of trial-and-error that you and the others would have to go through. Also, as I stated before, the reason why the normal Legendary Gear is superior is because the replicas require an insane amount of magical energy to be used, hence making them impractical at best. To swing the sword even once would require nearly a month’s worth of prayers to fuel its mana cost. That said, the replicas are still very powerful, as their strength is equal to the originals, so we can’t take them lightly. The fact that the Four Stars Church has fused four of them into a single weapon means he can shift between all four of them easily, giving him a wide range of options to work with. Plus, since he’s using his clergy to act as living power sources to fuel the replica means he’ll have enough power to fight all of us.”
Leon then added, “I have a suggestion to how to approach this, Cel. We have to drag the fight on as long as possible. In a short fight the replica could easily win, but since it requires such a huge amount of mana, it won’t be as effective in a drawn-out fight. If we can exhaust his mana reserves by dragging the fight out, he won’t have enough left to use the more powerful forms and abilities the replicas have. I’d normally say we should finish him off as fast as possible but taking the slow and steady route instead would be more to our benefit this time around. As a result, your insane defenses and superior strategy will be key to dragging the fight out until he runs out of mana, or at least until his attacks start losing their bite. It’s our best bet.”
Celtic nodded, “Fine, then that’s what we’ll do. Slow and steady wins the race, after all. If dragging the fight out means we can overcome the High Priest, so be it. Team, Battle Formation: Gamma 2!”
Nodding, Celtic’s party took a certain battle formation, stunning the rest of the Heroes.
“Wait? Battle formation?” Eric sputtered. “You spent the time teaching your party actual battle formations?”
“Yes, as, unlike you lot, who are extremely disorganized, I spent the time creating and strategizing various battle tactics in order to overcome our enemies. And these tactics have proven effective, allowing us to overpower and defeat many foes, including General Alastor and the Templar Knights. Maybe you should take a page from my book for a change and actually learn something useful instead of just blindly charging into battle like lunatics. This isn’t a game, after all, this is real, so you need to use real tactics in order to prevail. Now, team, mobilize!”
“We’re on it!” his party stated.
“And what about us?!” Veronica snapped. “You can’t go and steal the show like this!”
“Yeah, why are you doing the solo act?” Jerry protested.
“Because I know what I’m doing,” Celtic countered. “Unlike you lot, I’ve actually spent the time preparing for such enemies. So, you either listen to what I have to say or go sit in the corner.”
“Give us one reason why we should do what you say?” Lucas snapped.
“I’ll give you SIX reasons why! 1) You’ve been treating this whole world like one big game, leaving nothing but death and destruction in your wake. Need I remind you of the dragon zombie, the cursed alchemy seeds, committing regicide on an innocent lord, and helping a Moth Demon crush a rebellion? You did all that, causing greater problems in the process because you think everything will solve itself when the ‘quest’ is over. 2) You’ve been liabilities in Infinator’s waves because you don’t bother to use your heads, while I’ve been protecting the people and defeating the enemies that mop the floor with you. 3) You are unfocused and don’t coordinate with your parties, recklessly leading them into danger with your game-based mentality, not realizing that they’re NOT just NPCs, but real people who depend on you to protect them. 4) I’ve come to notice that you have little patience for gaining Levels, preferring to rush through everything as quickly as possible, not taking the time needed to decode and understand how this world works. I, on the other hand, have spent hours learning things like gaining the ability to read this world’s alphabet, spending time studying the Legendary Gear’s abilities, learning about important things such as what herbs are used for what medicine or what materials are good for crafting and more. 5) I’ve been treating Infinator as a real threat, unlike you, who are treating him as an afterthought. His attacks leave very real damage to this world, with lives at stake. By treating the people of this world as nameless NPCs you’re dismissing their lives, while I treat them like real people, which is what they are. Thus I see their lives as important. You lot, on the other hand, have caused several to die because of your reckless actions. And 6) You’ve been pushing me away since Day 1, calling me the ‘useless one’, a ‘cheater’, or a ‘benchwarmer’, as well as blaming everything on me, yet I’ve been the one who has accomplished more by actually using my head and treating this world, and the threat, as real. Have I painted an accurate enough picture for you or do you need more reasons?”
Before the other Heroes could reply, a smooth, yet gruff female voice floated down to them.
“He’s got a point, you know. I’ve seen everything from start to finish, watching you four so-called ‘Heroes’ create problem after problem with your reckless actions, while Celtic has been cleaning up after you. Even us demons have greater understanding of such things than you lot do. It comes off as ironic when demons are more humane than humans like you.”
Everyone, including Ebenezer, turned to see a new sight. Floating above them was a woman. She had peach colored skin, bright orange eyes with cat-like pupils, a mouth full of fangs, a messy, unkempt mane of dark purple hair that reached her calves, short pointed ears, a strong, well-toned body, and a disappointed look on her face. She appeared to be completely nude with what appeared to be dark energies covering her very ample chest and loins.
“W-Who are you?” Jerry asked.
“I’m Zuzu, a Succuryn, a type of Mid-Tier demon,” the demon woman stated. “I’ve been watching you all for some time now, and I must admit, with the exception of the Shroud Hero, you idiots have been just as destructive as Infinator himself. Even I have to agree that the Four Stars Church, while they’ve always been one monk short of a choir, are right to call you out for your recklessness. I’m a demon; thus I resort to morally grey actions at best to achieve my goals, but even I’m disgusted at your incompetence and pointless endangerment of innocent people.”
Lucas readied his Spear, pointing it at her, “Are you one of Infinator’s Demon Generals? If so, we’ll kill you here and now!”
Zuzu merely gave him a bored look, “Me? One of that lunatic’s Generals? Don’t insult me, you pathetic excuse for a Hero. I wouldn’t dream of joining Infinator’s army. I’m actually one who opposes him, though Infinator himself isn’t my target. Sylph is the one I’m most interested in.”
“Why?” Veronica asked.
Skye rolled her eyes, “Veronica, stop being stupid. Succulites and Succuryns are natural enemies. They hate each other with a burning passion. They’re polar opposites in every way, including battle style and attributes. They’re both Mid-Tier demons and are considered counterpart species, possessing the same number of hearts and general abilities. As such, a Succuryn like her would want nothing to do with an army that has a Succulite as one of its top generals, as the two species mix like water and oil, thus would be more likely to tear each other apart instead of working together. So, it’s only natural for a Succuryn like her to oppose Infinator’s army, as just having Sylph in his forces alone would be enough of an incentive to fight against him.”
Zuzu nodded, “She is correct. I have no interest in joining Infinator’s army if it means working with a Succulite like Sylph. I’m more interested in killing her. But that’s beside the point. I’m here to let you know that King Duskbane and his Shadokor army are on their way to assist you. They should be here within the hour.”
This alarmed Ebenezer, quickly turning to Robert and the clergy, “Quickly! Erect the Cathedral field spell! We cannot let those demon swine interfere with our mission!”
Nodding, Robert turned to the clergy, who were already preparing the needed mana for it. Before the Heroes and Zuzu could react, a massive golden cathedral formed around them, trapping them within its inner cavity along with the High Priest. Zuzu cursed under her breath.
“Dammit!” she hissed. “I was planning on getting out of here after relaying my message, but now I can’t. And thanks to this Holy spell, techniques like Demon magic are useless, so attacks like Wrath Fire are rendered powerless!”
Ebenezer smirked, “That’s right, demon slime. And as long as I’m in this holy ground, I’ll be invincible to your assaults.”
“We’ll see about that!” Ryan stated.
Celtic turned to Leon, “Leon, what exactly is this Cathedral spell?”
“Cathedral is a special field-based Holy spell,” Leon replied. “Not only does it enhance the properties of Holy and Light magic, but, like Zuzu said, Demon magic is negated. Other ‘dark’ elements like Curses are also rendered null and void, though the actual Dark element of magic itself isn’t, though it will be weaker. However, this only affects what’s inside the Cathedral, meaning that, if the Shadokor show up soon enough, they can still use their Demon magic and other such elements outside of it, as it won’t affect it. I’ve also heard, though I don’t know for sure, that Shadow magic, which is exclusive to Shadokor, is capable of being used inside this spell, as Shadow magic is a completely separate branch of magic that, according to what little I know about it, acts as sort of a four-way middle ground between Holy/Light and Dark/Demon. Again, I can’t say for sure, as the knowledge of Shadow magic is very limited, but that’s what I’ve heard about it.”
Zuzu nodded, “You’re quite correct, Templar, I’m impressed. Yes, Shadow magic is a special branch of magic that isn’t negated or weakened by spells like Cathedral. The Shadokor are the only known users of it, as it’s one of their exclusive abilities, and, indeed, acts as a four-way middle ground between Holy/Light and Dark/Demon. That’s why it’s so powerful, as, because of its almost hybrid-like nature, it can slip past all the normal rules that would usually be applied to the other magical attributes, allowing it to be functional at 100% compacity without fear of being negated or weakened. That’s another reason why Shadokor are so powerful, as their exclusive magical ability does not follow the ‘rules’ of every other type of magic, even Demon magic. Unfortunately, we lack that element right now, so we’re going to have to do this the old fashioned way.”
“Wait! You’re actually going to help us?” Tyroe asked, surprised.
“Not like I have a choice,” the demon woman said nonchalantly. “I want to fight and kill Sylph, so, naturally, I need to get out of this predicament first to do that. I wasn’t planning on sticking around after relaying that message, but that’s the way life goes, unfortunately. So, count me in, at least this one time.”
Lucas huffed, “Like we need a demon nudist to help.”
This remark annoyed Zuzu, gaining an icy glare. She summoned up dark energy into her left arm and hand, causing them to become a massive claw of dark energy. She then balled it up into a fist and slammed it down upon Lucas, flattening him into the ground, leaving a Lucas-shaped indent in the ground.
“Hmph, even demons have a better sense of gratitude than you do, Legendary Loser,” she said acidly. “I may not want to be involved in this fight, as I have another agenda to tend to, but I’m going to help you win against this power-mad High Priest. And I suggest you and the other three Legendary Losers listen to Celtic without complaint, as he clearly knows what he’s doing. Unless, of course, you want to head to an early grave. Besides, believe it or not, this Cathedral spell can actually work to our advantage.”
“What do you mean?” Eric asked.
It dawned on Viola, her eyes widening, “Of course! Zuzu’s right! Ebenezer’s clergy are going to have to split their resources in order to both fuel the Legendary Gear replicas AND the Cathedral spell, as both have a continuous cost to maintain! That means the High Priest will have less mana to draw from, which will allow us to end the fight sooner!”
Zuzu nodded, gaining a grin, “Ding-ding. That’s exactly my point. He’ll be forced to divide his resources to maintain both the replicas and the Cathedral spell, which will make him run out of mana faster. After all, his clergy only have a finite amount of mana, despite having a whole army of them, which means that by both dividing up that supply and forcing him to exhaust the replica’s energies will tip the scale into our favor and shorten the fight. In fact, despite us talking just now, because he was forced to divert part of the mana flow to Cathedral, it caused the charge he was building up in the Sword replica to wane, buying us some time to form a plan. Now’s our chance. So, I suggest that, if you value your lives, you WILL listen to Celtic, as he’s clearly the only Hero here with an actual brain. And an actual sense of battle strategy, too. I’m a rogue at best, and am quite unwilling to fight this fight, but I’ll listen to Celtic’s commands willingly, so I suggest you stop griping and do the same.”
Although the other four Heroes hesitated at first, Lucas in particular, they all nodded in agreement. They got into a battle position, seemingly mimicking Celtic’s party position, while Zuzu got into a battle stance in midair. Ebenezer looked surprised at this sudden coordination.
“You’re actually going to try to fight me?” he said, surprised. “You won’t last a minute! Prepare to be cleansed from this world so we can replace you with real Heroes.”
“In your dreams!” Celtic stated strongly. “Begin the attack! Leon! Jerry! Use Thunder Arrow to create a barrage of attacks to force him to divert mana to project a barrier! Zuzu! Get up close and personal when that happens and pop it like the bubble it is! That’ll allow Skye, Ryan, and Rupert to strike him when his defenses have dropped! After that, retreat back here for safety! Tyroe! Use your Earth magic to keep him from getting a good footing after Skye and the others strike him, allowing Lucas and Eric to attack without worry or retaliation! Viola! You launch your Scythe Wind Cutter afterward to give him a close shave! Move out!”
“Right!” everyone said in unison.
Leon and Jerry loaded up an arrow on their bows, took aim, both shouting, “Thunder Arrow!”
This caused both of their arrows to split into multiple shots, becoming a storm of electrified energy arrows. Ebenezer quickly erected a barrier to block them, causing the mana flow to be disrupted briefly. Zuzu zipped in at high speed and got in front of the High Priest, who was still behind his barrier.
“Eat this!” she stated. “Close Combat Combo!”
Her arms and hands became giant dark energy claws and she launched a rapid-fire barrage of punches and kicks at the barrier, though Ebenezer didn’t seem worried.
“Your attacks won’t work on this barrier, demon scum,” he said smugly.
To his surprise, however, Zuzu gained a confident grin. As she continued her assault, to Ebenezer’s shock, the barrier started to gain cracks. First a few, then several, until the entire barrier was coated in large cracks. One final punch shattered it, alarming him, before Zuzu launched a powerful kick that sent him crashing into the Cathedral wall, badly hurt. The demon woman gained a smug expression.
“You clearly don’t know anything about us Succuryns,” she smirked. “Our exclusive ability: Close Combat Combo, is more than just a barrage of punches and kicks. Each successful strike causes the next blow to gain ten tons of pressure, which stacks up upon itself. I don’t even have to hit my opponent directly, as it counts any blow, even against a barrier, as part of the combo. Only if my attack is interrupted or I outright miss is the combo reset back to normal levels. But, as you saw, even your precious barrier couldn’t block my assault once the combo got high enough.”
Ebenezer shouted to Robert and his clergy, “Heal me, quickly!”
Robert grumbled, “Fine. Restore!”
Ebenezer was bathed in healing light, but this diverted his attention away from the fight, which allowed Skye to rush in. When he realized it, Skye was right in his face. She lashed out with her naginata, forcing him to hastily dodge it, which she retaliated with a barrage of kicks, stunning him at her speed and power. While he was distracted with her, Rupert and Ryan suddenly appeared, weapons raised, and swiftly attacked in a pincer-like formation, stunning Ebenezer as the attacks suddenly struck him. Using her enlarged dark energy claws, Zuzu grabbed Skye, Rupert, and Ryan and quickly got them out of range of the next attack.
“It’s all you, snake boy!” she called.
Tyroe slammed his morning stars onto the ground, yelling, “Take this! Earth Tower!”
The ground around Ebenezer started to shake violently before a massive pillar of earth shot up from underneath him. The pillar then started to crumble, causing him to fall while getting hit by chunks of rock in the process. At the time, Veronica was using a spell to enhance Lucas’ power, who had a disgruntled expression on his face.
“Grr… I can’t believe I have to take orders from Celtic…” he grumbled.
Eric started to charge energy into his axe, “Quite whining, Lucas. At least Celtic’s tactics are giving us the edge. I don’t like it, either, but the fact that the High Priest hasn’t been able to launch a successful attack because of Celtic’s strategy is something I won’t complain about.” He then directed his attention to the dazed and battered Ebenezer, “Have a taste of this! Parallax Strike!”
He launched a blue-colored air slash in the shape of a crescent at the disoriented Ebenezer. After he was done powering up, Lucas readied his spear.
“Dammit… I’ll take this out on you, Ebenezer! Lightning Spear!”
He launched a powerful bolt of energy in the shape of a spear at Ebenezer. The High Priest had just managed to regain his composure before he was stuck down by both attacks, causing him to stumble again. He was now livid.
“You dare to continue opposing me?! We’ll see about that!”
Viola smirked, “We will indeed! Have a taste of this! Scythe Wind Cutter!”
She launched her attack, sending a spiraling vortex at Ebenezer. He tried erecting another barrier, but the mana flow was getting too weak, causing the barrier that was forming to fizzle out. This allowed Viola’s attack to engulf him unopposed, viciously slashing away at him before depositing him on the ground. Using the Spear form, he managed to get back up, clearly enraged.
“You will pay dearly for defying us!” he roared.
He then transformed the Spear back into the Sword, charged up mana, and pointed it at Celtic.
“Let’s see you stop this, Shroud Devil! Phoenix Blade!”
He launched a burst of fiery energy that took the form of a phoenix. Celtic, however, smirked at this.
“I’ll show you some real fireworks!” he stated. “Heat Cannon!” He transformed his arm into Heat Cannon and pointed it at the incoming Phoenix Blade, “Elemental Absorption Force!”
The Heat Cannon started to suck in air like a vacuum, creating a powerful force. This caused the Phoenix Blade attack to start breaking apart and sequentially absorbed into the Heat Cannon’s nozzle, much to Ebenezer’s surprise.
“Take this!” Celtic roared.
He fired from his Heat Cannon, which had combined the power of the Phoenix Blade with its normal attack, turning the flaming energy attack into the shape of a dragon. It struck Ebenezer with a vengeance, engulfing him in powerful fire, making him scream in agony.
“Restore!” Robert stated from outside the Cathedral.
Ebenezer was bathed in healing light, restoring him, but he was clearly at his wits end.
“I need more mana!” Ebenezer shouted.
“High Priest Ebenezer, more than two-thirds of the clergy have passed out from running out of mana!” Robert stated. “We don’t have enough mana left to give you.”
“I will NOT accept that! For the good of the world we must cleanse these vile scum from existence! So, make them stand back up and keep the mana flow going! I will NOT lose to the Shroud Devil!”
Leon gained a disgusted look, “That Ebenezer, he’s practically killing his followers just to get rid of us. I always knew he’d go off the deep end, but this is worse than I thought possible. I bet even my half-brother Robert is disgusted at him now.”
Suddenly, a strong voice shouted, “Shadow Negation!”
The Cathedral was struck by a powerful attack from the outside, causing cracks to form in it with what appeared to be shadow energy eating away at them. Suddenly, the Cathedral spell shattered like glass, lifting the effects of it, much to Ebenezer’s shock. Everyone turned to see King Duskbane and his army standing on a ledge above them, looking quite angry.
“Those Shadokor slime are here?!” Ebenezer sputtered.
Suddenly, in Celtic’s mind, what looked like a stat screen appeared. It showed an octagonal object that read “Wrath Fire”, along with another one showing “Iron Maiden of Demon’s Wrath”, followed by a line that seemed to activate from Wrath Fire to another octagonal object, indicating that something new had just been unlocked. His eyes widened as he read the name of the new ability, along with an incantation. He started to channel demonic energy, his pupils become slits and the facial markings returning.
“From the depths of the Demon Realm I call upon thee! Accept my offering to destroy my foe, their flesh, blood and screams as a tribute to the gods as they’re devoured by the iron beast! May their fallen souls be offered up to the Demon Realm as fuel for its power! Chaos Blood Curse!”
Zuzu instantly recognized the spell, her eyes widening in shock.
“C-Chaos Blood Curse?!!” she sputtered. “Don’t do it!”
Too late. Celtic had already released the massive amount of demonic energy he was charging. There was a brief pause before something horrible happened. Blood started to violently erupt from Celtic’s body, spraying from various parts of him like a broken fountain, to the horror of him and his party. Skye in particular looked horrified, eyes wide in pure terror, mouth agape as Celtic’s body was ravaged by the technique. As his blood gushed all over the place, it started to seep into the ground, making Ebenezer smirk.
“How fitting for a devil to go. Destroyed by his own power,” he said with a smirk. He then transformed the replica into the Spear form, taking aim at Celtic, “Fear not, Shroud Devil, for I’ll put you out of your misery here and now.”
Suddenly, the ground around him started to shake, cracks forming, with blood gushing out of them. The ground then erupted, with something massive emerging from it, snapping up Ebenezer, much to his terror. It was revealed to be a giant serpentine demonic dragon, with six pairs of visible wings, large claws, a triangular head with sharp horns, glowing white eyes, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and what looked like mandibles on the sides of its mouth. Ebenezer was trapped in-between the mandibles, using the Spear form to try to keep the mandibles and jaws from consuming him, his feet dangling just above the dragon’s mouth.
“No!” he yelled. “How can this be!? Why is this happening to me?! I am the Gods’ gift to this world! I am the Gods’ apostle! I AM ONE OF THE GODS!!!”
The dragon opened its mouth, revealing multiple rows of dagger-like teeth. It then increased the pressure from its mandibles, causing the Spear replica to start bending. The Spear form couldn’t take the strain, snapping in two, much to Ebenezer’s horror, as he knew what was coming next. He fell into the dragon’s maw, which snapped shut behind him. It then started to viciously chew him; his screams muffled until they stopped. The dragon then swallowed, causing a lump to travel down its throat until it vanished within the pool of blood it had emerged from. It waited a moment before giving a loud belch, coughing up part of the broken replica and Ebenezer’s chewed up, saliva-soaked hat before it slithered back into the pool of blood. Everyone present was shocked at this sudden end to the fight. Robert quickly regained his senses.
“Teleport!” he shouted, suddenly vanishing from the battlefield, obviously fleeing.
“W-What the hell was that?” Eric asked, clearly unnerved.
Zuzu gained a solemn expression, “Chaos Blood Curse. It’s a type of Demon magic. It has the power to instantly kill a target, but it requires an ‘offering’ of sorts beforehand. Normally demons are immune to the side-effects of Demon magic, but Chaos Blood Curse is the exception, as it requires its cost regardless of what species is using it. Though, I admit, that’s a very unique version of Chaos Blood Curse. Normally, it summons a multi-layered bear trap-like mechanical beast. This one summoned freaking dragon instead, which means Celtic’s true power may actually be rather fearsome.”
She then started to leave, which surprised the other Heroes.
“Where are you going?” Ryan asked.
“I’m leaving,” she replied. “I’m not sticking around where my natural predators are. I’m outta here before I get eaten.”
Before someone could ask about that, everyone’s attention was suddenly diverted to Celtic, who was face-down on the ground, not moving. His party had gathered around him, clearly fearing for his life. This caused Zuzu to hesitate, her eyes clearly showing concern.
“Celtic! Celtic!” Rupert begged. “Please respond!”
“Y-You don’t think that… Celtic died from using that horrible technique?” Tyroe gulped.
Skye gained a terrified expression at the thought, quickly falling to her knees and shaking Celtic, “No! No, please, no! Celtic, please! Stay with us!”
Leon and Viola had already channeled energy before stating, “Restore!”
Celtic was bathed in healing energies, but, to their horror, remained motionless. Skye was visibly shaking, tears in her eyes, as she continued to try to wake him.
Suddenly, a strong voice stated, “I won’t let him die!”
Everyone turned to see King Duskbane approach, a grim look of determination on his face. He stopped in front of Celtic, his eyes softening before he started to channel dark energy.
“Dark Recovery!” he stated.
Beams of dark energy poured from his hands into Celtic’s motionless body, pumping him with high power. After the spell was over, King Duskbane placed two fingers on Celtic’s neck, looking for a pulse. His expression softened shortly afterward.
“He’ll live,” the demon king said. “But he’s very weak. He lost a lot of blood and his hearts are beating very weakly. We’ll take him to Delgunner for treatment.”
He then gently flipped Celtic over to look at his face, his eyes widening as he did. A single tear fell from his eyes as he gently cradled the downed Hero.
“Finally…” he said softly. “Finally… after 20 years I finally found you. Noir, Gardenia, I found him at last. You can now rest in peace more easily, as your son is alive.”
Viola hesitated before asking, “Do you… know him?”
King Duskbane nodded, “Of course I know him. He’s my long-lost nephew.”
Next Chapter: Justice
Woo! Talk about a plot twist there at the end. What does this mean for the future? And tune in next time for the final chapter of Season 1!
United Front
In a large area not far from where the five Legendary Heroes and the High Priest were fighting was a massive camp full of soldiers. Inside the largest tent was a noble-looking male getting suited up for battle. He had dark purple hair that was neatly groomed, piercing red eyes with slit pupils, lightning bolt-shaped facial markings that were near identical to Celtic’s, only orange in color, a mouth full of fangs, sharp facial features, and a well-built body. Behind him were three Shadow Sentinels in a kneeling position, watching his men equip the noble man in powerful armor.
“The time has finally come…” he said solemnly. “Ebenezer has completed the fusion of the Legendary Gear replicas, sans the Shroud, and has started his attack on the other Heroes. We must mobilize immediately. I thank you for alerting me of the Shroud Hero’s true identity, my loyal Shadow Sentinels, for now I have even greater motivation to finally put an end to that treasonous Four Stars Church.”
“We were glad to, Your Majesty… King Duskbane,” the Shadow Sentinels said in unison.
After a few more moments, King Duskbane was fully equipped in his regal armor. He walked outside to greet his Shadokor soldiers.
“My fellow Shadokor!” he stated strongly. “The Church of the Four Stars has committed the ultimate sin! Today we will finally rid this world of them and bring them to justice for their crimes! They have gone too far, so we must fight and prevent them from murdering the five Legendary Heroes! We attack now!”
The Shadokor soldiers cheered enthusiastically, eager to go into battle and put an end to the Four Stars Church.
“Please… just hold on a bit longer…” King Duskbane said silently. “So I can finally atone for my past failure. Noir… Gardenia… I promise I will bring him back alive… so please, watch over him until then.”
What he didn’t know was that the same mysterious figure from before was watching before zipping away, heading toward the battle.
Meanwhile, Ebenezer, Robert, and his army of clergy were preparing to attack the five Heroes by charging up the Legendary Gear replica. Celtic and his party glared at Ebenezer, who looked quite smug.
“Skye!” he stated. “Give me the rundown. What do you know about the Legendary Gear replicas?”
Skye replied, “Well, as I told you before, the Legendary Gear replicas were designed as a backup plan in case something happened to one or more of the real Legendary Gear. The replicas all possess the same innate abilities, both regular and advance, that the five normal Legendary Gear possess, which means Ebenezer has access to every default ability and power that the Gear has without the need of trial-and-error that you and the others would have to go through. Also, as I stated before, the reason why the normal Legendary Gear is superior is because the replicas require an insane amount of magical energy to be used, hence making them impractical at best. To swing the sword even once would require nearly a month’s worth of prayers to fuel its mana cost. That said, the replicas are still very powerful, as their strength is equal to the originals, so we can’t take them lightly. The fact that the Four Stars Church has fused four of them into a single weapon means he can shift between all four of them easily, giving him a wide range of options to work with. Plus, since he’s using his clergy to act as living power sources to fuel the replica means he’ll have enough power to fight all of us.”
Leon then added, “I have a suggestion to how to approach this, Cel. We have to drag the fight on as long as possible. In a short fight the replica could easily win, but since it requires such a huge amount of mana, it won’t be as effective in a drawn-out fight. If we can exhaust his mana reserves by dragging the fight out, he won’t have enough left to use the more powerful forms and abilities the replicas have. I’d normally say we should finish him off as fast as possible but taking the slow and steady route instead would be more to our benefit this time around. As a result, your insane defenses and superior strategy will be key to dragging the fight out until he runs out of mana, or at least until his attacks start losing their bite. It’s our best bet.”
Celtic nodded, “Fine, then that’s what we’ll do. Slow and steady wins the race, after all. If dragging the fight out means we can overcome the High Priest, so be it. Team, Battle Formation: Gamma 2!”
Nodding, Celtic’s party took a certain battle formation, stunning the rest of the Heroes.
“Wait? Battle formation?” Eric sputtered. “You spent the time teaching your party actual battle formations?”
“Yes, as, unlike you lot, who are extremely disorganized, I spent the time creating and strategizing various battle tactics in order to overcome our enemies. And these tactics have proven effective, allowing us to overpower and defeat many foes, including General Alastor and the Templar Knights. Maybe you should take a page from my book for a change and actually learn something useful instead of just blindly charging into battle like lunatics. This isn’t a game, after all, this is real, so you need to use real tactics in order to prevail. Now, team, mobilize!”
“We’re on it!” his party stated.
“And what about us?!” Veronica snapped. “You can’t go and steal the show like this!”
“Yeah, why are you doing the solo act?” Jerry protested.
“Because I know what I’m doing,” Celtic countered. “Unlike you lot, I’ve actually spent the time preparing for such enemies. So, you either listen to what I have to say or go sit in the corner.”
“Give us one reason why we should do what you say?” Lucas snapped.
“I’ll give you SIX reasons why! 1) You’ve been treating this whole world like one big game, leaving nothing but death and destruction in your wake. Need I remind you of the dragon zombie, the cursed alchemy seeds, committing regicide on an innocent lord, and helping a Moth Demon crush a rebellion? You did all that, causing greater problems in the process because you think everything will solve itself when the ‘quest’ is over. 2) You’ve been liabilities in Infinator’s waves because you don’t bother to use your heads, while I’ve been protecting the people and defeating the enemies that mop the floor with you. 3) You are unfocused and don’t coordinate with your parties, recklessly leading them into danger with your game-based mentality, not realizing that they’re NOT just NPCs, but real people who depend on you to protect them. 4) I’ve come to notice that you have little patience for gaining Levels, preferring to rush through everything as quickly as possible, not taking the time needed to decode and understand how this world works. I, on the other hand, have spent hours learning things like gaining the ability to read this world’s alphabet, spending time studying the Legendary Gear’s abilities, learning about important things such as what herbs are used for what medicine or what materials are good for crafting and more. 5) I’ve been treating Infinator as a real threat, unlike you, who are treating him as an afterthought. His attacks leave very real damage to this world, with lives at stake. By treating the people of this world as nameless NPCs you’re dismissing their lives, while I treat them like real people, which is what they are. Thus I see their lives as important. You lot, on the other hand, have caused several to die because of your reckless actions. And 6) You’ve been pushing me away since Day 1, calling me the ‘useless one’, a ‘cheater’, or a ‘benchwarmer’, as well as blaming everything on me, yet I’ve been the one who has accomplished more by actually using my head and treating this world, and the threat, as real. Have I painted an accurate enough picture for you or do you need more reasons?”
Before the other Heroes could reply, a smooth, yet gruff female voice floated down to them.
“He’s got a point, you know. I’ve seen everything from start to finish, watching you four so-called ‘Heroes’ create problem after problem with your reckless actions, while Celtic has been cleaning up after you. Even us demons have greater understanding of such things than you lot do. It comes off as ironic when demons are more humane than humans like you.”
Everyone, including Ebenezer, turned to see a new sight. Floating above them was a woman. She had peach colored skin, bright orange eyes with cat-like pupils, a mouth full of fangs, a messy, unkempt mane of dark purple hair that reached her calves, short pointed ears, a strong, well-toned body, and a disappointed look on her face. She appeared to be completely nude with what appeared to be dark energies covering her very ample chest and loins.
“W-Who are you?” Jerry asked.
“I’m Zuzu, a Succuryn, a type of Mid-Tier demon,” the demon woman stated. “I’ve been watching you all for some time now, and I must admit, with the exception of the Shroud Hero, you idiots have been just as destructive as Infinator himself. Even I have to agree that the Four Stars Church, while they’ve always been one monk short of a choir, are right to call you out for your recklessness. I’m a demon; thus I resort to morally grey actions at best to achieve my goals, but even I’m disgusted at your incompetence and pointless endangerment of innocent people.”
Lucas readied his Spear, pointing it at her, “Are you one of Infinator’s Demon Generals? If so, we’ll kill you here and now!”
Zuzu merely gave him a bored look, “Me? One of that lunatic’s Generals? Don’t insult me, you pathetic excuse for a Hero. I wouldn’t dream of joining Infinator’s army. I’m actually one who opposes him, though Infinator himself isn’t my target. Sylph is the one I’m most interested in.”
“Why?” Veronica asked.
Skye rolled her eyes, “Veronica, stop being stupid. Succulites and Succuryns are natural enemies. They hate each other with a burning passion. They’re polar opposites in every way, including battle style and attributes. They’re both Mid-Tier demons and are considered counterpart species, possessing the same number of hearts and general abilities. As such, a Succuryn like her would want nothing to do with an army that has a Succulite as one of its top generals, as the two species mix like water and oil, thus would be more likely to tear each other apart instead of working together. So, it’s only natural for a Succuryn like her to oppose Infinator’s army, as just having Sylph in his forces alone would be enough of an incentive to fight against him.”
Zuzu nodded, “She is correct. I have no interest in joining Infinator’s army if it means working with a Succulite like Sylph. I’m more interested in killing her. But that’s beside the point. I’m here to let you know that King Duskbane and his Shadokor army are on their way to assist you. They should be here within the hour.”
This alarmed Ebenezer, quickly turning to Robert and the clergy, “Quickly! Erect the Cathedral field spell! We cannot let those demon swine interfere with our mission!”
Nodding, Robert turned to the clergy, who were already preparing the needed mana for it. Before the Heroes and Zuzu could react, a massive golden cathedral formed around them, trapping them within its inner cavity along with the High Priest. Zuzu cursed under her breath.
“Dammit!” she hissed. “I was planning on getting out of here after relaying my message, but now I can’t. And thanks to this Holy spell, techniques like Demon magic are useless, so attacks like Wrath Fire are rendered powerless!”
Ebenezer smirked, “That’s right, demon slime. And as long as I’m in this holy ground, I’ll be invincible to your assaults.”
“We’ll see about that!” Ryan stated.
Celtic turned to Leon, “Leon, what exactly is this Cathedral spell?”
“Cathedral is a special field-based Holy spell,” Leon replied. “Not only does it enhance the properties of Holy and Light magic, but, like Zuzu said, Demon magic is negated. Other ‘dark’ elements like Curses are also rendered null and void, though the actual Dark element of magic itself isn’t, though it will be weaker. However, this only affects what’s inside the Cathedral, meaning that, if the Shadokor show up soon enough, they can still use their Demon magic and other such elements outside of it, as it won’t affect it. I’ve also heard, though I don’t know for sure, that Shadow magic, which is exclusive to Shadokor, is capable of being used inside this spell, as Shadow magic is a completely separate branch of magic that, according to what little I know about it, acts as sort of a four-way middle ground between Holy/Light and Dark/Demon. Again, I can’t say for sure, as the knowledge of Shadow magic is very limited, but that’s what I’ve heard about it.”
Zuzu nodded, “You’re quite correct, Templar, I’m impressed. Yes, Shadow magic is a special branch of magic that isn’t negated or weakened by spells like Cathedral. The Shadokor are the only known users of it, as it’s one of their exclusive abilities, and, indeed, acts as a four-way middle ground between Holy/Light and Dark/Demon. That’s why it’s so powerful, as, because of its almost hybrid-like nature, it can slip past all the normal rules that would usually be applied to the other magical attributes, allowing it to be functional at 100% compacity without fear of being negated or weakened. That’s another reason why Shadokor are so powerful, as their exclusive magical ability does not follow the ‘rules’ of every other type of magic, even Demon magic. Unfortunately, we lack that element right now, so we’re going to have to do this the old fashioned way.”
“Wait! You’re actually going to help us?” Tyroe asked, surprised.
“Not like I have a choice,” the demon woman said nonchalantly. “I want to fight and kill Sylph, so, naturally, I need to get out of this predicament first to do that. I wasn’t planning on sticking around after relaying that message, but that’s the way life goes, unfortunately. So, count me in, at least this one time.”
Lucas huffed, “Like we need a demon nudist to help.”
This remark annoyed Zuzu, gaining an icy glare. She summoned up dark energy into her left arm and hand, causing them to become a massive claw of dark energy. She then balled it up into a fist and slammed it down upon Lucas, flattening him into the ground, leaving a Lucas-shaped indent in the ground.
“Hmph, even demons have a better sense of gratitude than you do, Legendary Loser,” she said acidly. “I may not want to be involved in this fight, as I have another agenda to tend to, but I’m going to help you win against this power-mad High Priest. And I suggest you and the other three Legendary Losers listen to Celtic without complaint, as he clearly knows what he’s doing. Unless, of course, you want to head to an early grave. Besides, believe it or not, this Cathedral spell can actually work to our advantage.”
“What do you mean?” Eric asked.
It dawned on Viola, her eyes widening, “Of course! Zuzu’s right! Ebenezer’s clergy are going to have to split their resources in order to both fuel the Legendary Gear replicas AND the Cathedral spell, as both have a continuous cost to maintain! That means the High Priest will have less mana to draw from, which will allow us to end the fight sooner!”
Zuzu nodded, gaining a grin, “Ding-ding. That’s exactly my point. He’ll be forced to divide his resources to maintain both the replicas and the Cathedral spell, which will make him run out of mana faster. After all, his clergy only have a finite amount of mana, despite having a whole army of them, which means that by both dividing up that supply and forcing him to exhaust the replica’s energies will tip the scale into our favor and shorten the fight. In fact, despite us talking just now, because he was forced to divert part of the mana flow to Cathedral, it caused the charge he was building up in the Sword replica to wane, buying us some time to form a plan. Now’s our chance. So, I suggest that, if you value your lives, you WILL listen to Celtic, as he’s clearly the only Hero here with an actual brain. And an actual sense of battle strategy, too. I’m a rogue at best, and am quite unwilling to fight this fight, but I’ll listen to Celtic’s commands willingly, so I suggest you stop griping and do the same.”
Although the other four Heroes hesitated at first, Lucas in particular, they all nodded in agreement. They got into a battle position, seemingly mimicking Celtic’s party position, while Zuzu got into a battle stance in midair. Ebenezer looked surprised at this sudden coordination.
“You’re actually going to try to fight me?” he said, surprised. “You won’t last a minute! Prepare to be cleansed from this world so we can replace you with real Heroes.”
“In your dreams!” Celtic stated strongly. “Begin the attack! Leon! Jerry! Use Thunder Arrow to create a barrage of attacks to force him to divert mana to project a barrier! Zuzu! Get up close and personal when that happens and pop it like the bubble it is! That’ll allow Skye, Ryan, and Rupert to strike him when his defenses have dropped! After that, retreat back here for safety! Tyroe! Use your Earth magic to keep him from getting a good footing after Skye and the others strike him, allowing Lucas and Eric to attack without worry or retaliation! Viola! You launch your Scythe Wind Cutter afterward to give him a close shave! Move out!”
“Right!” everyone said in unison.
Leon and Jerry loaded up an arrow on their bows, took aim, both shouting, “Thunder Arrow!”
This caused both of their arrows to split into multiple shots, becoming a storm of electrified energy arrows. Ebenezer quickly erected a barrier to block them, causing the mana flow to be disrupted briefly. Zuzu zipped in at high speed and got in front of the High Priest, who was still behind his barrier.
“Eat this!” she stated. “Close Combat Combo!”
Her arms and hands became giant dark energy claws and she launched a rapid-fire barrage of punches and kicks at the barrier, though Ebenezer didn’t seem worried.
“Your attacks won’t work on this barrier, demon scum,” he said smugly.
To his surprise, however, Zuzu gained a confident grin. As she continued her assault, to Ebenezer’s shock, the barrier started to gain cracks. First a few, then several, until the entire barrier was coated in large cracks. One final punch shattered it, alarming him, before Zuzu launched a powerful kick that sent him crashing into the Cathedral wall, badly hurt. The demon woman gained a smug expression.
“You clearly don’t know anything about us Succuryns,” she smirked. “Our exclusive ability: Close Combat Combo, is more than just a barrage of punches and kicks. Each successful strike causes the next blow to gain ten tons of pressure, which stacks up upon itself. I don’t even have to hit my opponent directly, as it counts any blow, even against a barrier, as part of the combo. Only if my attack is interrupted or I outright miss is the combo reset back to normal levels. But, as you saw, even your precious barrier couldn’t block my assault once the combo got high enough.”
Ebenezer shouted to Robert and his clergy, “Heal me, quickly!”
Robert grumbled, “Fine. Restore!”
Ebenezer was bathed in healing light, but this diverted his attention away from the fight, which allowed Skye to rush in. When he realized it, Skye was right in his face. She lashed out with her naginata, forcing him to hastily dodge it, which she retaliated with a barrage of kicks, stunning him at her speed and power. While he was distracted with her, Rupert and Ryan suddenly appeared, weapons raised, and swiftly attacked in a pincer-like formation, stunning Ebenezer as the attacks suddenly struck him. Using her enlarged dark energy claws, Zuzu grabbed Skye, Rupert, and Ryan and quickly got them out of range of the next attack.
“It’s all you, snake boy!” she called.
Tyroe slammed his morning stars onto the ground, yelling, “Take this! Earth Tower!”
The ground around Ebenezer started to shake violently before a massive pillar of earth shot up from underneath him. The pillar then started to crumble, causing him to fall while getting hit by chunks of rock in the process. At the time, Veronica was using a spell to enhance Lucas’ power, who had a disgruntled expression on his face.
“Grr… I can’t believe I have to take orders from Celtic…” he grumbled.
Eric started to charge energy into his axe, “Quite whining, Lucas. At least Celtic’s tactics are giving us the edge. I don’t like it, either, but the fact that the High Priest hasn’t been able to launch a successful attack because of Celtic’s strategy is something I won’t complain about.” He then directed his attention to the dazed and battered Ebenezer, “Have a taste of this! Parallax Strike!”
He launched a blue-colored air slash in the shape of a crescent at the disoriented Ebenezer. After he was done powering up, Lucas readied his spear.
“Dammit… I’ll take this out on you, Ebenezer! Lightning Spear!”
He launched a powerful bolt of energy in the shape of a spear at Ebenezer. The High Priest had just managed to regain his composure before he was stuck down by both attacks, causing him to stumble again. He was now livid.
“You dare to continue opposing me?! We’ll see about that!”
Viola smirked, “We will indeed! Have a taste of this! Scythe Wind Cutter!”
She launched her attack, sending a spiraling vortex at Ebenezer. He tried erecting another barrier, but the mana flow was getting too weak, causing the barrier that was forming to fizzle out. This allowed Viola’s attack to engulf him unopposed, viciously slashing away at him before depositing him on the ground. Using the Spear form, he managed to get back up, clearly enraged.
“You will pay dearly for defying us!” he roared.
He then transformed the Spear back into the Sword, charged up mana, and pointed it at Celtic.
“Let’s see you stop this, Shroud Devil! Phoenix Blade!”
He launched a burst of fiery energy that took the form of a phoenix. Celtic, however, smirked at this.
“I’ll show you some real fireworks!” he stated. “Heat Cannon!” He transformed his arm into Heat Cannon and pointed it at the incoming Phoenix Blade, “Elemental Absorption Force!”
The Heat Cannon started to suck in air like a vacuum, creating a powerful force. This caused the Phoenix Blade attack to start breaking apart and sequentially absorbed into the Heat Cannon’s nozzle, much to Ebenezer’s surprise.
“Take this!” Celtic roared.
He fired from his Heat Cannon, which had combined the power of the Phoenix Blade with its normal attack, turning the flaming energy attack into the shape of a dragon. It struck Ebenezer with a vengeance, engulfing him in powerful fire, making him scream in agony.
“Restore!” Robert stated from outside the Cathedral.
Ebenezer was bathed in healing light, restoring him, but he was clearly at his wits end.
“I need more mana!” Ebenezer shouted.
“High Priest Ebenezer, more than two-thirds of the clergy have passed out from running out of mana!” Robert stated. “We don’t have enough mana left to give you.”
“I will NOT accept that! For the good of the world we must cleanse these vile scum from existence! So, make them stand back up and keep the mana flow going! I will NOT lose to the Shroud Devil!”
Leon gained a disgusted look, “That Ebenezer, he’s practically killing his followers just to get rid of us. I always knew he’d go off the deep end, but this is worse than I thought possible. I bet even my half-brother Robert is disgusted at him now.”
Suddenly, a strong voice shouted, “Shadow Negation!”
The Cathedral was struck by a powerful attack from the outside, causing cracks to form in it with what appeared to be shadow energy eating away at them. Suddenly, the Cathedral spell shattered like glass, lifting the effects of it, much to Ebenezer’s shock. Everyone turned to see King Duskbane and his army standing on a ledge above them, looking quite angry.
“Those Shadokor slime are here?!” Ebenezer sputtered.
Suddenly, in Celtic’s mind, what looked like a stat screen appeared. It showed an octagonal object that read “Wrath Fire”, along with another one showing “Iron Maiden of Demon’s Wrath”, followed by a line that seemed to activate from Wrath Fire to another octagonal object, indicating that something new had just been unlocked. His eyes widened as he read the name of the new ability, along with an incantation. He started to channel demonic energy, his pupils become slits and the facial markings returning.
“From the depths of the Demon Realm I call upon thee! Accept my offering to destroy my foe, their flesh, blood and screams as a tribute to the gods as they’re devoured by the iron beast! May their fallen souls be offered up to the Demon Realm as fuel for its power! Chaos Blood Curse!”
Zuzu instantly recognized the spell, her eyes widening in shock.
“C-Chaos Blood Curse?!!” she sputtered. “Don’t do it!”
Too late. Celtic had already released the massive amount of demonic energy he was charging. There was a brief pause before something horrible happened. Blood started to violently erupt from Celtic’s body, spraying from various parts of him like a broken fountain, to the horror of him and his party. Skye in particular looked horrified, eyes wide in pure terror, mouth agape as Celtic’s body was ravaged by the technique. As his blood gushed all over the place, it started to seep into the ground, making Ebenezer smirk.
“How fitting for a devil to go. Destroyed by his own power,” he said with a smirk. He then transformed the replica into the Spear form, taking aim at Celtic, “Fear not, Shroud Devil, for I’ll put you out of your misery here and now.”
Suddenly, the ground around him started to shake, cracks forming, with blood gushing out of them. The ground then erupted, with something massive emerging from it, snapping up Ebenezer, much to his terror. It was revealed to be a giant serpentine demonic dragon, with six pairs of visible wings, large claws, a triangular head with sharp horns, glowing white eyes, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and what looked like mandibles on the sides of its mouth. Ebenezer was trapped in-between the mandibles, using the Spear form to try to keep the mandibles and jaws from consuming him, his feet dangling just above the dragon’s mouth.
“No!” he yelled. “How can this be!? Why is this happening to me?! I am the Gods’ gift to this world! I am the Gods’ apostle! I AM ONE OF THE GODS!!!”
The dragon opened its mouth, revealing multiple rows of dagger-like teeth. It then increased the pressure from its mandibles, causing the Spear replica to start bending. The Spear form couldn’t take the strain, snapping in two, much to Ebenezer’s horror, as he knew what was coming next. He fell into the dragon’s maw, which snapped shut behind him. It then started to viciously chew him; his screams muffled until they stopped. The dragon then swallowed, causing a lump to travel down its throat until it vanished within the pool of blood it had emerged from. It waited a moment before giving a loud belch, coughing up part of the broken replica and Ebenezer’s chewed up, saliva-soaked hat before it slithered back into the pool of blood. Everyone present was shocked at this sudden end to the fight. Robert quickly regained his senses.
“Teleport!” he shouted, suddenly vanishing from the battlefield, obviously fleeing.
“W-What the hell was that?” Eric asked, clearly unnerved.
Zuzu gained a solemn expression, “Chaos Blood Curse. It’s a type of Demon magic. It has the power to instantly kill a target, but it requires an ‘offering’ of sorts beforehand. Normally demons are immune to the side-effects of Demon magic, but Chaos Blood Curse is the exception, as it requires its cost regardless of what species is using it. Though, I admit, that’s a very unique version of Chaos Blood Curse. Normally, it summons a multi-layered bear trap-like mechanical beast. This one summoned freaking dragon instead, which means Celtic’s true power may actually be rather fearsome.”
She then started to leave, which surprised the other Heroes.
“Where are you going?” Ryan asked.
“I’m leaving,” she replied. “I’m not sticking around where my natural predators are. I’m outta here before I get eaten.”
Before someone could ask about that, everyone’s attention was suddenly diverted to Celtic, who was face-down on the ground, not moving. His party had gathered around him, clearly fearing for his life. This caused Zuzu to hesitate, her eyes clearly showing concern.
“Celtic! Celtic!” Rupert begged. “Please respond!”
“Y-You don’t think that… Celtic died from using that horrible technique?” Tyroe gulped.
Skye gained a terrified expression at the thought, quickly falling to her knees and shaking Celtic, “No! No, please, no! Celtic, please! Stay with us!”
Leon and Viola had already channeled energy before stating, “Restore!”
Celtic was bathed in healing energies, but, to their horror, remained motionless. Skye was visibly shaking, tears in her eyes, as she continued to try to wake him.
Suddenly, a strong voice stated, “I won’t let him die!”
Everyone turned to see King Duskbane approach, a grim look of determination on his face. He stopped in front of Celtic, his eyes softening before he started to channel dark energy.
“Dark Recovery!” he stated.
Beams of dark energy poured from his hands into Celtic’s motionless body, pumping him with high power. After the spell was over, King Duskbane placed two fingers on Celtic’s neck, looking for a pulse. His expression softened shortly afterward.
“He’ll live,” the demon king said. “But he’s very weak. He lost a lot of blood and his hearts are beating very weakly. We’ll take him to Delgunner for treatment.”
He then gently flipped Celtic over to look at his face, his eyes widening as he did. A single tear fell from his eyes as he gently cradled the downed Hero.
“Finally…” he said softly. “Finally… after 20 years I finally found you. Noir, Gardenia, I found him at last. You can now rest in peace more easily, as your son is alive.”
Viola hesitated before asking, “Do you… know him?”
King Duskbane nodded, “Of course I know him. He’s my long-lost nephew.”
Next Chapter: Justice
Woo! Talk about a plot twist there at the end. What does this mean for the future? And tune in next time for the final chapter of Season 1!
