The Valkyries have arrived to help Mayuri and bail her out. Gran lands to the other side of the house as he sees that the noble manage to open the door as he is squirming his way to escape. Gran sighs as he then sends him back with a restrained Repel and he closes the door again.
"What a way to get back to zero." Gran says to himself as he want to sound pitying the man, even he isn't. He then walk to the showdown that is happening at the lobby as he watch how the four Valkyries burn the guards and Gina threaten Yegor and the Thunder Sprite to surrender.
"Oh yeah, looks like we are in a pinch. There are 4 of them and only 2 of us? What shall we do?" Yegor ask as he looks to the Thunder Sprite with a devious grin showing on his face. The Thunder Sprite then shoots a lightning on his head rods again and this time, he power up so much that his body is now emanating a powerful electricity.
"Finishing Move!!!"
Gina doesn't let the chance escape as he Mana and the Mana from her surroundings are blending into her spear. Her special capability is in full display as she can siphon off some of Mana from the surrounding to reinforce her Finishing Move. The element on her spear is now a mix of every elemental magic she can use.
She throws her spear and the hulking patchwork monster catches her wicked spear. Veronica helps as she shoot several fire spells to the monster as well. It hit its legs and make it kneel. The Valkyries are shocked when they found out that Yegor is still stopping the ongoing spear strike as its hands are burning and skin is getting peeled off.
"You... You feel that you can beat a Herald of the Demon Lord like THIS??!" Yegor screams his power out as it toss the spear away and it becomes more of a hulking brick of a monster. After redirecting the spear away he charges and Rinko quickly act and blocks the massive swing Yegor have unleash to hit Mayuri. She flies to the wall, wrecking it and she ends up outside. She manage to land on her feat as Gina and Mayuri are engaging with the monster with their might.
Gina stabs and slices Yegor's hand but she notice how hard and tough his body is. "He is using some sort of Body Strengthening Spell? I don't think somebody can withstand my spear like this though?" Gina thinks as she spins her spear and she put it on her waist as she stab his thigh and left foot. Mayuri then dashes at the back of the Herald as she slices the left foot's tendon.
"Pathetic!" Yegor screams as it jumps and tries to hit Gina with a knee. Gina blocks it with her spear as the impact send them outside as the locals sees them fighting now. Rinko then blocks a wild swing fron Yegor as Mayuri stabs the Herald's neck. The three retreats as Veronica is ready to fire her spell.
"Infernal Scorch!!"
As the raging flame spell falls to the Herald of the Demon King it screams in agony. It burns the dark blue coat it's wearing as it surprise the Valkyries to what they witness within the monster's body. Yegor kneels in one knee as it waves its left hand to remove the scorching flames from his body. Yegor smiles as he inhales.
"Ah... Are you a S rank Adventurers? No wonder you can keep up with me... Except for you." The monster slowly points at Mayuri, which is far from the rest of the party. This make Gran act fast as he can perceive the murderous intent rising from Yegor as the green haired Rogue can't swiftly move due to her injuries. Mayuri then tries to move her feet to avoid the incoming attack from Yegor, yet Gran manage to outspeed them all.
A dagger lands between the lunging Yegor and Mayuri as Gran cast a Barrier Technique to protect the Rogue from massively chambering fist coming from the patchwork monster. As soon as it unleashes its fist, it creates a shockwave that sent the Barrier crashing and Mayuri beyond the wall. Gran then goes down from the upoer floor as he needs to fight alongside the Valkyries.
"Tch, go forward!" Gina commands as Veronica prepares to cast a spell and Rinko dashes through the house that stops Mayuri from flinging further. When she reach Mayuri, she ask if she can stand up. The Rogue just laughs as she ask something. "Sorry if I blow you out last time. Hope I can move but can you make a hold as I try to recover here?"
"Don't worry! I will protect you if that's the last thing I can do to lift my shield up." Rinko confidently replies, making Mayuri notice how she change from a quiet, timid girl into an independent and strong teammate.
"Thank you... That's the reason why... I consider you my bestfriends..." The Rogue expresses. This make Rinko's heart beat with happiness as she turn her eyes to the monster that Gran and Gina is currently engaging.
The monster tries to grab Gina's spear away from her. Gina holds as Gran hits his head with a hook and he follows it up with a left roundhouse kick. This make Yegor let go as he unleash a jab that makes Gran tilt his head to the side. The monster follows it up with a couple of jab again and he does a haymaker, which Gran blocks and counters with a left uppercut. Yegor jumps back as he retreat his guard. Gran then makes some warm up hops as he expects a good scrapping between the both of them.
"Though I didn't say I am gonna be fighting fair." Gran thinks to himself as he throws his dagger again and he cast Compression when it is grabbed by the monster. It twist Yegor's right hand in terror as it almost destroy his whole right hand with such a great force from the Compression. As soon as it jumps sideways, Veronica fires a punchy Earth Bullet, which hit the monster's chest, making a solid hole in there.
"Gran get back here!" Gina orders as her spear is ready to be unleash again with a Mana filled Finishing Move. Outside of the ongoing battle, the Thunder Sprite is hiding in the staircase as it manages to stock an ample supply of lightning spell that it is ready to unleash. Yegor sees this and he smiles.
"Now!!"
The monster commands as the Thunder Sprite reappears over their backs. Gina gets distracted as Gran tries to act before it releases the high velocity Lightning Bolt. It fires the wicked spell as it hits Gina and Veronica. They are being zapped and Gran manage to evade it as he jumps back to the upper floor. He makes an armor of his Barrier Technique as it flies through the lightning and tries to hit the villainous Sprite.
"Oh oh!! That's too close you monkey!" The Sprite mockingly remarks when it evades Gran's attack as it continuously fires its Lightning Bolt. Gran is able to perceive and dodge everyone of the attack. He then infuse a couple of pebbles with a Repel Blast to push both Veronica and Gina out of the way and he also hits the Sprite with it when he flings it towards it.
"You!!" The sprite screams out in a very scratchy and high pitch voice but Gran shuts it out with a punch. The Sprite dies while Yegor is focusing on hitting and trying to remove Rinko's shield from her while Mayuri is stabbing and slashing him, to no avail. "Damn, how is this monster so tough?!" Mayuri ask as she dodge a fast arm swipe from Yegor as it turns and sees the Thunder Sprite dies.
"No... NO!!! YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!! YOU PAY!!"
The monster burst out and raging as it stomps his way back to the ruined mansion as Gran is looking to the hulking monster charging at him. He then retrieve his dagger that is in the ground and he throws it low at the patchwork monster's legs. It then falls to the floor as Gina stabs its head with her Mana filled spear and she warns him.
"Be very careful about your next move monster, or you'll die from it..." Gina says but everyone knows that she plans to end it all here. Yegor tries to squirm its way to stand up, but Gina have unleash the destructive force within her spear, and it envelopes the whole mansion and almost lights up that portion of the city. Kairan is known for its many illegal elements, but being blinded by the light is new to them.
Ending the fight with a Finishing Move exhaust Gina as she slumps over to the corner near Gran. The Exorcist grabs his dagger again as he looks at the Valkyries and sees the exhaustion all around. "That monster is really something... He also says that he is a Herald of sorts..." Gran says as slump beside Gina. Mayuri sees the two of them while she is now being patch and checked by Veronica. Gina then stands up and approach her.
"Hey..." Gina utters in low volume. Mayuri doesn't know what to do and she can't look her straight in the eyes. Gina can't put the words that she wants to say on her lips, but she finally goes to do something else.
She embrace the Rogue as soon as Veronica finished patching her up. Gina's hug tightens as Mayuri hears the sobbing that her Leader makes. "You fool!! I am worried sick of you! Why do you leave me?" Gina ask as Mayuri can't respond to her embrace. She then looks at her fellow teammate's faces when they see the whole scenario. "I... Ah..."
"Please don't go... I don't want to lose anymore of my family right here." Gina adds in a low voice. This words break Mayuri's heart as she feels guilty over what she have done and she remembers the bond that she and Gina have that makes her realize what she's doing wrong.
Mayuri breaks down crying as well. Her tears won't stop as she returns her embrace. Later the whole group joins in and Gran just silently let them have this moment. He then hangs out on the rooftop, but he is having a hard time sitting properly there. "Oh, there it goes..." Gran manage to balance himself to be able to sit and watch the darkness of the evening covers the sky. "Could've sworn those Lightning Bolts are like the real lightning itself. That is way too fast." Gran thinks aloud.
The next day...
The Valkyries are walking together in the streets of Apolonis while Gran is walking far beyond their vision. He wants to respect the just mended bonds between them that he is thinking to just go and do a different mission altogether after this. The party reach the front of the Princess' Mansion, and before they enter Mayuri wants to express something that she is embarrassingly holding on her chest for too long.
"Hey Leader, no... Gina. Thank you for saving me yesterday... No, thank you all for saving me. I'll make sure to never do this again! I, I love you all!" Mayuri tearfully expresses these words. The others approach her and, one by one, either tap her shoulder, embrace her and lightly hit her head. "Yeah I know. We love you too." Gina answers while they are now all laughing.
Princess Lucy is watching the whole thing unfolds at the balcony as she sips her tea, and Gran witness this while being weirded out.
"So... Did they forget that they've already done this yesterday? That's quite a ruckus that I hope Your Highness will pay for the damages." Gran expresses in a low voice while he is leaning at a lamp post. He then feels somebody approaching him, but he already knows who it is judging to the person's Dimensional Flow. "I hope you didn't wreck the place too much then. There is no telling if she will pay for it." The person in question answers as Gran turns his head to him.
"Can you rub your fiance off a good way? I believe she will be paying for it if she learns that the one who does it is calling themselves Herald of the Demon King. Is the Demon King reviving now?" Gran ask the ebony coat clad Sword Saint, who scratches his face and sit to the bench.
"Well, that's the issue. I've actually have a mentor before who claim that the Demon King was vanquished a century ago. I know he is a mixed race but there is only several beings who have a long lifespan in this world." Van answer as they see the Valkyries enter the mansion. The Sword Saint taps his knees and stands up to ask the Exorcist to go inside as well. The sunny day begins to be covered by a mass of cloud as a Holy Knight enters the city.
The said knight is still reeling from the devastating experience she had when she goes to an expedition in the Northern Border of the Kingdom and her suitor dies when he save her from an otherworldly assailant, which says alot as her strength is cut above the rest. Her eyes are fierce but it shows the sorrow she still holds in her heart. This Holy Knight is the captain of the Holy Knights. Sylvia goes directly to the King's residence so she will inform him of the impending threat that they need to combat with.
Since the cloudy sky covers the road ahead, she goes and approach the gates where several guards halts her down and ask her business. "I need to speak to the King, I have an information he needs to learn." Sylvia says but the guards need more than a word to verify her statement. "I don't suppose you have a paperwork or a permission to speak directly. Our records shows here that we don't have a scheduled meeting of any sorts with you." The guard answers as it test Sylvia's patience.
"This is an urgent matter I need to speak with, this is not something you can impede me with unnecessary bureaucracy that you lot follows." Sylvia's noble eloquence have vanished since the death of Lenny. She doesn't want to speak with any formality as she wants to resolve this matter quickly.
Several days after Lenny's death she is trying to get a permission to investigate the matter over and over again, to the point of obsession that her subordinate are starting to worry about her. When they are advising her to take a rest and take a day off, yet she always either decline properly at first, but she grow angry later on. She then decides to do one thing, to visit the King's palace to warn him about Soli's existence.
The guards are adamant on keeping Sylvia from entering the palace. As soon as the mass of clouds moves out of the sun's light and while her ears are ringing through several guards speaking and asking her to make a proper appointment next time. She quietly snaps. When the light hits her face, she almost draws her sword, but somebody stops her.
"Woah woah woah hey. Aren't violence never suits your blonde hair and pretty face Ms. Sylvia." The one who stops Sylvia from committing a senseless crime is a hoodie wearing, jogger pants having Exorcist Gran.
Van waves at her as well, and even in that state, her eyes glistens as she finally sees somebody who knows her. She then goes to lean her face on Gran's shirt as she bitterly cries and the two have look to each other.
"Hey Sylvia, if you have something to share, please follow me so we can discuss this clearly..." Van says as Gran tries to console her and guide the sobbing Holy Knight out of the gates and into the Princess' residence instead as it is literally just besides the palace itself. The three enters the courtyard and into the hall, where the Princess' servant have open the guest room for them at Van's request.
"Lenny... Lenny's gone." Sylvia shares as soon as they enter the said room. This shock Gran as Van is not much in the know who is that. "Lenny is the Vice Captain of the Holy Knights, and Sylvia's suitor." Gran explains to the Sword Saint as both of them says sorry. "I'm sorry I didn't know." Gran says as Van's face becomes dour. "What happen then? I suppose the defense in the Northern Border is something in regards to the appearance of the Heralds and the revival of the Demon King then?" The Sword Saint ask as Sylvia shakes her head.
"No... It is far worse than that. Lenny do manage to kill the monster, but I am not sure if that monster is a demon or serving any demon army... In fact, what I felt from that being is similar to you Gran. I never felt any hint of Mana from that monster." Sylvia explains as this make Gran steps back over that statement. He then put his hands on her shoulder to ask.
"Somebody without Mana? Tell me, is that man wearing some sort of priest robe or something weird like mine?" Gran's memory comes flooding in. He remember his time before he is sent to this world as he is feeling his hatred and his tragedy coming back to him.
"Tell me Sylvia, is that man have this long blonde hair and capability to manipulate anything he touches or with will?" Gran ask the follow up question, a thing that makes Sylvia remember Lenny's fate.
"Yes, yes it is..."
As soon as Gran hears this, he remove his hands and rub his face in a mix of emotions flooding him. Van is completely clueless about what is happening as he is asking for a clarification of what is going on.
"It seems that destiny will always draws us. I want to share to you something, but I don't want for you to share this with Gina and the Princess. I, I'm not sure how to say this without you laughing or scoffing at me, but I am not a native of this land, nay, of this world even."
This time, Gran opens up a little bit of piece if himself to the two. Upon hearing this they are shocked about this revelation.
"I came from a world named Earth, a place where magic is not an occurence but we strive to overcome it with technology instead. On my world I am known as an Exorcist, a man being called to exorcise spirits and beings that may harm the populace with a capability to control the fabric of reality, or the Dimensional Flow." - Gran
"The man, no, the being you encounter Sylvia is the one who almost wipe us all out. The name if this being is Soli."
Gran reveals to them the name of the monster who is roaming the Eastern Border now while he is being checked by several Adventurers and he is currently leaning on a tree while using Lenny to get rid of them. Soli then goes to heal the attacking Adventurers up and he alters their minds to follow his command and become his puppet like Louis and Lenny.
"Looks like he is a highly powerful mage. Things is, I never felt any Mana coming from him." Trismegistus says as he is spying on the monster using a bird's vision. Conquer is sitting over his steed Blaze as he is itching for a fight. Soli is just wandering around the place as he is trying to reach the next city over to either terrorize or see something peculiar that will catch his sight.
"Ah, but I can tell that he is no ordinary monster that we can deal with right now. Our main force is currently hiding in the city. We just need to see if we can reason with this one." Conquer answers through the telephatic communication.
"That monster is a force to be recon with. Not having too many restrictions using his Dimensional Flow and his capabilities he almost wipe us out, that monster also killed my younger sister!" Gran shares as he can relate to Sylvia's pain. This make Van shut up and not ask anymore questions as he can't relate that much on the trauma bonding that the two are having.
"Well, you say that you found Soli in the Northern Border right? I am not sure if I am strong enough to confront that monster, but I need to confront and slay him nonetheless." Gran declares while looking at his hand. Van then raises hands as Sylvia's determined eyes wants to express something.
"In that case, I want to have a little training with you guys." Sylvia proposes. Gran looks at her and at Van, he agrees with a little nod.
Van just smiles as they are doing a training session to prepare for the confrontation.