Melen, Loki Familia Camp.
Beside the burning camp sat four individuals—well, three, since one was lying down.
Raul wiped the sweat off his forehead. "That was close."
"Good job, Raul, finding out he used a magic sword. How did you know he was using one?" Aki asked, sitting beside him.
"Arc-san's armor didn't have any heavy damage other than burns, so I guessed either his opponent was too strong, or he had a short-chant spell or a magic sword. I bet he had a magic sword," Raul explained.
"What would you have done if you were wrong?" Aki asked curiously.
"Then I would have depended on you two to rescue me," Raul said with embarrassment.
"What a pathetic answer." Aki's words pierced his heart.
"Mmmm." The cloaked figure squirmed.
"Wait a minute, will you. Let us make sure there are no enemies." Aki pulled the hood of the figure further down.
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As the last of the fires were put out, the familia gathered in the main tent. The group consisted of the second-string members minus Lefiya and Alicia, as they were with the group fighting in Orario.
"So what are the casualties?" Aki asked. Her mood was bad as she looked at the bodies covered in white laid out in front of her.
"Six died. Randi, Erik, Gunnar, Arne, Hakon, and Ari," Orba, a Level 4, reported.
"We have twelve injured. Three of them are so serious they won't be able to adventure again. The other nine are under Armid's care—they're all right," he finished.
Though the casualties were low considering the scale of the attack, nobody felt good. For the past few years, even when venturing deep into the dungeon, they usually returned without suffering any casualties. But in a single day, they had suffered six.
"Any idea which familia they belong to?" Aki asked.
"No idea. All of them blew themselves up. But during the first contact, they asked for Soma Wine. The guard noticed not all in that group had Kaenseki—they died from the fire of the blast," Orba answered.
"Soma… We will keep an eye on Soma Familia during our stay. And ask the guards to help draw sketches of the attackers' faces," Aki said.
"Soma Familia? That's a stretch… I mean—" Raul nervously suggested, but under Aki's furious gaze his voice became smaller and smaller.
"We only have one clue. I will use it." Aki turned to her side and lifted the hood off the one pretending to be the goddess Narvi—Narvi Roll, a Level 4 adventurer. "I'm sure there won't be a second attack, so you can take it off now."
"Hmm," Narvi responded. Saddened by the deaths of her familia members, she felt even worse knowing she was sitting comfortably while they fought for their lives.
"AAAHHH"
A piercing scream shattered the depressing atmosphere. They instantly rushed out.
Aki found a shocked elf from the rumored Fairy Force. Grabbing her shoulders, she shook her, bringing the elf back to her senses. With tears in her eyes, the elf pointed at the empty air in front of her. "Riveria-sama… she is…"
The elf couldn't gather the courage to say the next words. Understanding her, Aki opened the broadcast screen. The sight of an injured Riveria made her blood turn cold. "Impossible."
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In front of Babel Tower.
"AIS!" Tiona covered her eyes as the black tornado pushed her and Tione back. The rapid gust threatened to blow them away, but the amazonesses dug their toes into the ground.
Inside the black tornado, Ais found herself in familiar darkness. It felt just like the day she lost her first mother. Now today, she had lost her family again.
That day she was weak, so she could only cry, waiting for her hero. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore. Then she lifted her sword with a promise of revenge.
Today she was far stronger than before. Today she wouldn't cry, because she knew no hero was coming for her. Today she would take revenge.
The tiles underneath peeled away from the ground. They ground into dust as they were dragged into the tornado.
"Activate Tempest — Avenger Princess," she muttered.
The tornado compressed, making the wind denser as it wrapped around her limbs like armor. The rapid winds made her float a centimeter above the ground.
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High above the dark clouds covering Orario, Akira was standing in the air. Since he was cosplaying as Kisuke Urahara, it was obvious his first attack needed to be memorable. A Kidō attack while falling from the sky had massive cool factor, so it was a good option.
But he had a problem: beneath him he sensed two massive, ominous magic sources. He didn't know which one belonged to the enemy.
'Oh.' Rubbing his chin, he sensed another big magic source hidden beneath one of the targets. This one felt warm and strict—like a mother's love. That magic was rapidly decreasing. Feeling it close to one of the ominous one, he bet that ominous one was the enemy.
Tilting forward, he let gravity take hold. Falling face-first toward the ground, he placed his palm forward, the other hand bracing his elbow as he chanted: "O raging heavens, stir with thunderous wrath. Let the tempest coil and the dragon of lightning awaken. Shatter the silence of creation and descend with roaring might. Hadō Number Eighty-Eight—Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
He fired a massive beam of electrical and magical energy.
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On the ground, Brohmier felt excited watching Ais gain a massive power boost. Since entering this world he had never felt a threat to his life, so he was surprised when Ais's wind caused a cut.
After hearing them talk, he knew exactly which buttons to push to make her use all her strength. Seeing the raging winds, he knew he had chosen correctly.
CRACKLE!
The roar of lightning paused their clash. The clouds twisted as a pillar of lightning pierced them and descended straight down like judgment from heaven. Lightning from the surrounding clouds joined the beam, blessing it with even greater power.
Seeing the house-wide beam, Brohmier lifted one arm straight up, opening his palm. A palm-sized green magic circle formed.
"Multi-Air Shield," he channeled.
Five transparent shields, each larger than the last, formed above him.
As the beam touched the first and biggest shield, the weight transmitted onto Brohmier's feet dug in. The shield shattered. The same happened to the second. Seeing the beam demolish his defenses and the weight increasing, he released Riveria and put both hands up, pouring in more magic.
WHOOSH!
Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a black waving cloth with a white diamond pattern at the edge.
Akira was crouching beside him. He gently caught Riveria in his arms, careful not to worsen her injuries. His eyes were on her, but that didn't mean he had forgotten his opponent.
Holding his cane by the straight end, he hooked the curved end around Brohmier's ankle. With a pull, Brohmier's leg slid forward, throwing him off balance. The beam did the rest. As Brohmier fell backward, he kept his palms raised, supporting the barrier.
On his side, Akira tucked the cane between his upper arm and torso, keeping it steady without using his hand. He tipped his hat down and said: "See you later."
WHOOSH!
He disappeared as Brohmier's back crashed onto the ground. The beam shattered two more shields. Supporting the final shield—just big enough to cover him—he was embedded deeper into the ground as the widening beam engulfed him.
WHOOSH!
CLACK!
Lefiya was on her knees, crying as she watched. The events happened too fast for her brain to register. Now a suspicious man in a black cloak teleported beside her.
He wore a familiar green-colored robe she had seen people from the East wear. His wooden sandals clicked against the ground—she didn't think anyone could walk in those, much less fight.
But what made him suspicious to her was his hat. In an environment where the only light sources were ground lamps and the massive pillar of lightning to her left, his hat somehow cast a pitch-black shadow over everything above his nose. Even so, she could see one black eye staring at her.
Akira crouched in front of her. Carefully, he laid Riveria on her side so the magic staff piercing her wouldn't shift.
Seeing the stunned elf, Akira unfurled his fan to cover his mouth. The shadow vanished, letting her see the other eye hidden behind light blond hair.
He said in a teasing tone, "I know I'm handsome, but even I would feel shameful if you stare too much."
"Who is staring at you!!" Lefiya shouted back.
He pointed down at Riveria, making Lefiya fluster as she looked at her injured mentor. Seeing Riveria like this, she didn't know what to do. All her training couldn't prepare her for this. Fortunately for her, she had family.
Line Arshe, the healer in the familia, sat beside her and began applying healing magic.
"Pull out the staff," she ordered.
Lefiya followed the command and grabbed the staff, but the strength to pull it out refused to come. She felt weaker and weaker.
A rough hand closed over hers and pulled the staff free. Blood poured out of Riveria's wounds and ran along the staff. It was about to reach her hand. Lefiya tried to let go, but the rough hand didn't allow it.
She looked up at the owner. Gone was the fan—back was the shadowed face. His eyes were serious, silently urging her to endure. Tears threatened to spill. She shook her head. She didn't want to. She tried to pull back, but the man gripped her hand tighter and drew her forward.
SHIVER!
Warm blood touched her palm. Her body revolted.
She remembered her first trip into the dungeon—the blood of her friends. She felt sick and refused to look down, keeping her gaze locked on the man in front of her. The pillar of lightning had died down, making the soft yellow glow of the lamps more prominent.
"Sorry." The man lowered his hat, avoiding her eyes, and pulled her forward.
Her other hand touched the wet ground. She looked down to see the source of the wetness: bright, warm blood. She felt like vomiting. Instinctively she lifted her blood-soaked hand to cover her mouth but froze at how red it was.
SLAP!
The man's grip vanished. Someone pulled her back. She fell into a warm embrace she instantly recognized—Alicia Forestlight.
"It's okay, Lefiya. I got you."
Hearing those words, she finally cried.
Akira looked at Alicia hugging Lefiya. She was glaring at him, and the surrounding elves gaze wasn't any better. If it weren't for the fact the beam attack was over and they were guarding Riveria from the dragon, they would have attacked him.
Rubbing his hand, he complained, "I was just teaching her a lesson. I even said sorry. Don't know why she got so violent. Must be an elf thing."
Line Arshe, just finishing her healing as others took over, replied, "If you give such cruel lessons, of course girls will be angry. Keep it up and you'll be hated by everyone."
"Hated by everyone is fine—as long as the one you like doesn't hate you. You understand that, right?" Line tilted her head in confusion. Akira covered his mouth with his fan, giving her an "I know" look, "Bete, right."
It took her a second, but then it clicked. Her cheeks turned red. "H-How do you know…?"
"I just know things I should," Akira laughed.
WHOOSH!
A massive gale swept through the group. Akira held his hat to keep it from flying away. A huge black tornado blasted past them, followed by a rocket-powered Bete.
Helping Line steady herself, he sensed Ais going full hollow. The problem was—Ais wasn't the main character.
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Cosplay: Kisuke Urahara
Skill: Shunpo (Flash Steps), Kido(Shingami Spells), Shikai, Reiatsu Sense (Converted to Magic Sense for compability to this world.)
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