WELLAN DEGENARUS
Even as one of the Knights of Thorn, I couldn't afford to be careless. I didn't know how skilled Leto was with his Nexi or how many he had on hand, I could only go all out on the offensive and end this as quickly as possible.
"Waren, El Holia" I parted my lips and whispered the incantations. Though the strain on my mind and body would be great, I knew it was worth it.
In the air not far from me, two illusory golden cards appeared, one depicting a waypoint and the other a pillar of light. With Waren, my body turned into a star that shot in Leto's direction. I returned to normal when I reached the five-meter teleportation limit and swung my blade of light. Leto was quick, raising his blood-red sword to block mine. With a flick of my wrist, I used a technique in swordsmanship known as Zucken and slashed from a different angle.
Fwsshh!
I tore through air as Leto lept back to avoid my slash. I didn't let up, transforming into a star once again to continue my pursuit.
Ssszzzz!
Our blades collided once more, the collision of blood on light causing a sizzling sound to fill the battlefield.
Both of our blades caught in a bind, I poured my will into El Holia which had already been summoned. A pillar of holy light descended from the sky, embracing Leto's entire figure. I took three steps back, distancing myself from the intense light that melted the ground around it. Just to be safe I activated the Nexi a few more times, ensuring my enemy had been reduced to ashes.
"Interesting, oh very interesting!" I heard a sadistic voice say. When the light subsided, what should've been a pile of ashes was instead a blood-red cocoon. The voice had come from the cocoon.
When the cocoon fell, I saw Leto's figure completely intact, the only difference being that one of his eyes had turned red.
He dashed towards me, his speed inhuman. He seemed to forget technique as he slashed furiously with his blood sword. I parried his series of lightning-fast slashes, my eyes scanning his stance for any opportunity to counterattack.
I could sense that there was something deeply wrong with Leto but the gaze I felt on my back restricted me from going all out. I couldn't reveal my trump cards to an unknown enemy.
"AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" Leto's speed doubled as his attacks grew more unrefined. Each of his blows carried a strength that made my entire body shake. I took a few leaps back and threw my blade to the side.
Too erratic, too fast, fighting him with a sword is useless… My eyes darted behind me for a brief moment but I couldn't find the source of the gaze on my back.
F**k it, I'll just end this quickly. What a bother…
I took a deep breath and my eyes turned sharp. I felt a wave of boredom overtake me as two golden Nexi appeared in the air before me. One depicted a knight in golden armor while the other depicted a muscular arm. These two had been tamed to the point of revealing their true names to me: Tier III Knight of The Last Light and Tier III Arm of Giants.
Both cards melded together in the air, forming a singular card depicting an armored giant. It wasn't illusory like the Nexi that composed it. Instead, it was solid and whole, its simple presence causing the surrounding temperature to rise.
My eyes lit gold as 'He' took over. Through my body, 'He' turned around and seemed to look beyond the plains and forests.
'His' words felt hot on my tongue as if the simple act of speaking through me was something my body was struggling to handle.
"You are not 'He'." The Giant of Dawn spoke through me, talking to a figure beyond my vision.
A chuckle filled the air, the voice behind it radiating evil. I would've broken into a cold sweat if 'He' hadn't been in control at the moment.
"You truly are observant," the disembodied voice cackled. "But you are sorely mistaken; I am 'He'." The voice spoke confidently, as if this were a fact.
The Giant of Dawn laughed through me.
"Is that what that woman told you? If 'She' is involved then this might turn out to be quite the show." Just when those words were said, Leto dashed towards my body, which was possessed by another.
"I" raised my hand to catch the blade, breaking it to pieces with the slightest press of my fingers. Leto leaped back but before he could act his body was overtaken by a pillar of light. The ground underneath him bubbled, turning into a small pool of magma.
"Oh, how this is interesting!" Leto yelled, his charred body running towards "me". "So interesting, I've never seen such a thing! You're getting me all excited, Wellan Degenarus!" His fist was covered in hell-red armor as he sent a barrage of punches "my" way.
"I am not Wellan Degenarus," 'He' said through me, receiving the barrage of punches as if they had been thrown by a child.
'He' scoffed, "Your foolishness is truly amusing. Are you truly confident that the Deceiver will save you?" 'He' waved my hand, causing the armor on Leto's hands to break.
Leto distanced himself, glaring at "me" like a cornered beast.
Meanwhile 'He' walked forward casually, each step he took through my body causing the ground beneath to melt.
We're running out of time Old Man… My thoughts were the only way I could communicate.
"I am aware," 'He' said calmly, using my lips as his own. His steps remained as casual and slow as ever, akin to a king savoring the moment before a traitor's execution.
Boom! The ground shook and "my" figure appeared before Leto, a fist cloaked in golden armor embedded deep into his stomach.
Leto stumbled back and folded like a V before throwing up.
"I" appeared in the air above him, kicking his head and sending him flying.
"It's a shame to see how low you humans have fallen." "I" looked down, shaking my head in disappointment.
A final pillar of light overtook Leto's already charred body, leaving not even ashes behind.
My eyes slowly ceased to glow as 'He' left my body.
You are free to call on me anytime, this era seems to have some very interesting figures… I heard the giant say in my mind. Those were his last words.
….
ELENA GRACE
I smiled, I could still feel Denzel's presence not too far from the complex. That meant he hadn't run away and was probably helping Orielle at the moment.
That's good, he's really a nice guy… I thought, temporarily forgetting about the opponent in front of me. He seemed to like the meat Friza made, I'll get him some to thank him later….
I shook my head, Focus Elena, defeat this guy then you can think about that stuff…
My body shot towards the cloaked cultist, nails shining in the light as they aimed for his throat.
Shllsh! A sound akin to steel on flesh rung out. Despite my opponent possessing a Tier III, their speed wasn't much greater than the average human. I was much faster.
I didn't wait for the corpse to hit the ground before turning and skipping towards the hall. I skipped through the set of double doors separating the front desk from the hall while humming an upbeat tune. Why shouldn't I be happy, Denzel was finally joining us for good!
Wellan will probably want me to investigate. That's right, I can make him proud by figuring out who attacked the complex. Your genius really is frightening, Elena… I patted myself on the back for the thought.
Now, where should I start?That's too broad, it's better to think about what they'd want. Wait, why am I putting myself through so much work? My eyes darted ahead, locking onto an empty space.
"You flinched," I told the air, dashing forward and reaching out as if to grab something. "Did you really think you could run? No, no, no, I have a few questions for you." I flashed a warm smile at the intruder who had been invisible until my fingers wrapped around his neck.
…
DENZEL NIGHTINGALE
My first reflex was to rip her heart out.
I wasn't particularly familiar with Orielle but she had been kind to me. Seeing her bloodied and bruised filled me with rage.
"Ah, it's y-" The cultist didn't have the time to finish as I appeared before her, my fist embedding itself in her jaw.
She stumbled back and glared at me incredulously, "How dare you!? I am-" Another punch cut her off, sending her tumbling to the ground.
"Shut up."
I teleported to Orielle's side. "You're okay now, I'm here. Sorry, I'm a little late," I tried to comfort her but my voice shook, making me sound more desperate than confident.
We both disappeared. A few seconds later I reappeared, alone.
"What's your name?" I asked the cultist.
She glared at me and spat at her feet, "Deborah!" She lifted her chin in an act of pride.
Bang! I took the opportunity to hit her with a hard uppercut.
"Who sent you?" My tone was sharp and uncaring.
"I wo-" A fist deformed her guts.
"I asked you a question." She flinched under the intensity of my gaze.
"The Lord, he sent us."
"Who's this 'Lord'?"
"The Lord is the highest existence in the word, 'He' is the leader of the Abyssal Order, and the omnipotent and omniscient." She rushed to answer.
I nodded.
"Alright, you're free to go."
Her face distorted in shock but she didn't question it, turning around to run deeper into the forest. It didn't take long for her to be out of sight.
F**king idiot… I tossed an orb of shadows into the air before catching it. It was the orb Elena had given me, it could be split in half to turn into a tracking device.
…
This matter has been resolved rather quickly... Of course, there were a few casualties but the Thorns system as a whole remained intact.
The members of F-4 had been gathered in the training room to discuss what they knew about the attack.
I was the first to speak.
"The intruders call themselves the Abyssal Order. They seem to be zealous believers of a 'god' they refer to as the Lord. They claim he is omnipotent and omniscient."
Elena seconded this, "I received similar information from one of their cultists. I also learned that this attack wasn't done in an attempt to steal something, they planned on making an impression. Their 'Lord' instructed them to make an enemy out of us." She completed the information I hadn't been able to provide.
Wellan nodded, though he wasn't a member of F-4, he was the one in charge of our supervision.
"There's something off about them. They seem to be working with the Heads of Hydra, I also couldn't shake a strange feeling while fighting them. They might very well be the ones behind the Nexi Hiest you were supposed to investigate. This is only a theory though so we can't have you investigate them."
"If it helps, I placed a tracking device on one of their cultists." I tossed the orb at Wellan. He gave me a nod of approval before his attention turned once again to F-4.
"This doesn't affect your investigation, you seven will start soon. The place you'll be investigating is a ghost town known by the locals as the Bad Place. It doesn't have an actual name."
We all received a small stack of documents related to the ghost town. Just as we were leaving, I noticed Madam Shehara looking at me. She flashed a smile and winked.
I heard her voice boom in my ears. "I'm quite surprised you stayed," Her voice overlapped and seemed to echo in my head. "This is a pleasant development."
I looked at her but couldn't tell if she had spoken as a bird-shaped helmet covered her face.
Weirdo…
When "" is used, it refers to a character who is doing something through a body that isn't their own.
When '' is used, it refers to a person who doesn't consider himself human or isn't considered human by others.