The Book Of Flowers
Our Purpose Together
-- A while later, the cursed area---
...
Damned area. The ground is blackened and no longer alive. The place where the blood of the monsters that were thick with black mana was spilled. The place where their dead bodies were buried and littered all life in this land
This place is a hotbed for vampires. As monsters belonging to the Undead clan, they would naturally love something like this dead land...
Then, after Cyth and Luna were busy looking around to scout the entire area, they finally concluded something
"The place was mobbed by Gargoyles. The vampires are invisible today only because the sun is still rising"
And the sun will sink soon...
*Syut!*
Ivor was shocked to hear the sound and felt a sensation of Mana presence nearby. The presence that was apparently Zero's uncle
"Old man! You're just surprising me!" He then shouted
"What's the problem with this young man?" Uncle Zero who was not impressed by his reaction asked
"Take the trauma..." I did not answer
"You are absolutely right! So order this old man not to act like that anymore!"
"Diminish your voice before I do it in person!"
"Do you want us to get caught?!" Luna finally interjected
Ivor was finally silent, with a stifling face. Uncle Zero on the other hand, just sighed calmly looking at our behavior just now
"I'm done checking the area closer. There were several Gargoyles shrouding the castle" Uncle Zero gave a report"
A gargoyle? That stone bat monster?
It actually makes sense that they nest together with the vampires, but the distance they hunt is not free at all. At the very least, they would only hunt in an area rich in Mana, unlike this area
...
"Where is it?"
"At every corner, Vain" Luna interrupted, still focusing on observing the area
"Mrs Elf Moon is right. More specifically, I estimate there are dozens. There were at least a dozen of them standing guard in the 4 corners of the castle's windshield. They are positioned in the same formation form, so we don't have to think too hard if we want to choose the entrance" Uncle Zero added
-- At once, he described the castle area in a circle, not forgetting to show the Gargoyle positions he had found by giving a picture of the point. "Gargoyles will only attack if they're bloodthirsty, but they're afraid of vampires" he added
"And apparently... They haven't eaten lately" Luna grumbled, continuing the information we needed
Hm... That's so...
"Me and Ivor alone are enough to break through. But, if we consider Verdea, I can give a little assignment to Veskal..."
"Finally! You acknowledge my role as well!" Veskal was proud
"Don't be arrogant. I chose you because of Luna I put in a distant position to protect us who are advancing. If he can advance without making the castle collapse, I'll send you to Miralius to avoid danger"
And to be honest, I'm afraid Veskal is also hurt. Verdea itself has made us panic with his condition that we do not know, let alone Veskal who could have been injured in front of us later...
"Just calm. I understand why you chose me"
"Because you're training with Luna. That's the answer" I confirmed, before turning towards Luna with a tatty face. "And don't think I didn't know you taught some of the typical techniques of the Moon Elf clan to these children..." I continued
"Only one. And that one is indeed suitable for Veskal"
...
"Your father will be very angry..."
"We're not talking about it for now"
Huh... Discussed a little about his father and he immediately grumbled. And yes, Zaphir would be very angry if he found out that a human learned a technique typical of lunar elves
"Therefore, Veskal, I want you to slip into my veil when I signal"
"Hm? That won't guarantee-"
"If you will always be covered in shadows? Just follow my cue" I cut the sentence
"Ughs... Okay..."
"Then what's my function?" Cyth finally asked, pointing at himself
"Help me to jump in later. Then..."
I was busy talking to everyone again. Re-describe our grand plans, while adding some pillars that ensure these plans do not fall apart at all
Everyone agreed with their roles, except Cyth who seemed to want to protest I would make it a stepping stone
"At least say I'm useful or not..." He grumbled
"You will be useful in time. Then don't waste your bullets on those Gargoyles" I said. "If you want to kill that Gargoyle, just leave it to me and Ivor. That goes for you, Veskal and Lyralia" too"
"understandable. I'm going to mess up the mood" Lyralia saluted as if it was important
Then...
"How can you be sure that I can slip in and save Verdea? What if the boy was in Darwin's hands?" Veskal asked
...
...
...
"Then... We should bet a little harder with our chances of success..."
I can't lie to them. Nor does it mean to demoralize us
But, this whole plan has fallen into the stakes since the point Verdea was kidnapped. We don't even know if he's inside that castle or not, or even alive...
We just have to be sure it works. Because, if Verdea doesn't survive, I-I
!!!
...
A terrifying thought just crossed my head... Haha...
But, I'm sure that won't happen... I'm not gonna let anything happen...
...
Everyone is ready. Everyone is betting on me now. I am the one who holds all their lives right now
If I fail, then everyone will fail. So, I have to do this. I have to save my friend
"... Come on, guys"
"Good!"
We all agreed. And along with that, we all shot to our respective positions, ready for battle
I, Lyralia, Ivor, Veskal and Cyth immediately darted down and ran towards the castle of the vampires. Luxor was ready to chant, as Uncle Zero began to teleport to the place I had determined
And Luna. Along with us who were approaching, his first arrow shot to punch a hole in the head of a Gargoyle. It was certainly not enough to destroy it, so the monster was shrill to signal an attack
I didn't give him a chance to attack like the others. The gargoyle hit me from top to bottom, so the vibe that my hit was just enough to make the monster shake and break in place so brutally. He really seemed to explode, so that the debris of his body caused smoke that covered the position of us all
The five of us immediately scattered back and forth from within the smoke which gave us enough time to do so. Our distance was already extended before the Gargoyles who had started flying started to try to attack us
That way... It has to be like this...
The five of us will split up for a while, dividing the attention of all these monsters first. Ivor and I will destroy every single one of them, while the other three will continue to evade
And thanks to that smoke...
I already knew their numbers in advance, before they even had time to attack
Huh...!
"Ivor! There are 28 Gargoyles in this place!"
Ivor grinned broadly hearing that. And without further ado, his holy weapon was called so that he had caused an explosion from his position. The fire ignited here and there, surrounding Ivor who began to feel his favorite weapon was in hand
The fire faded, revealing my friend was holding a chain star mace. Throwing weapons that look very heavy, but are very effective against hard creatures like this Gargoyle
"I don't even need this magic weapon to annihilate them!!" Ivor then shouted, throwing his weapon at Gargoyle who had evaded his attack
But he was scratched. And if Ivor's opponent scratches a little with that weapon...
*DEAR!!!*
his opponent would explode through the wounds inflicted
The magic applied to inanimate objects as well, visible from how the ground where the weapon landed exploded
"Don't kill your own friend! Swing that weapon just into the air!"
The gargoyle he had attacked earlier was killed instantly. It would be so easy if they were going to chase Ivor now
It's just that they don't want to get out of the air right now. And out of annoyance, Ivor was the one who came into the air to attack them
Some who went down started to focus towards Cyth who was running the slowest. But I immediately eliminated half of the pursuers in one swing, while the rest flew back into the air
Cyth who had run since then began to look exhausted after being chased, while Lyralia and Veskal were still carrying out their duties
"Here" I threw my water bottle at Cyth, who was not reluctant to drink it, before I darted towards Veskal this time to step on 2 Gargoyles who almost tore his body apart
Veskal inexplicably looks grumbled to see the body of 2 Gargoyles that have become fragments of gravel
"You can move that fast but won't train me to fight?" Veskal directed his question to me
"If you can follow my movements. Luna even held back, you know"
The Gargoyle that attacked Lyralia suddenly exploded thanks to Ivor's holy weapon attack. The explosion shocked Veskal, so the boy put on a sour face to see Ivor laughing like a crazy maniac
His face shriveled even more when he saw me splitting the head of a Gargoyle into 2 just by throwing a stone at him
"... You're all monsters" Veskal commented
"Hehe~"
We are amazing. No need to praise
...
It's too easy. Or is it intentionally made too easy?
Whatever it is, there are only 2 possibilities in this situation. Either Yael is playing against us, or...
He was no longer in the castle...
Let's take a look first. Because Luxor's protective magic is almost done. A little more, and things will get easier when we break in
And while the magic was still unfinished, all of us who came forward continued to beat the Gargoyles until they died and were split into stone fragments. Their large numbers do not matter as long as they are more stupid than us and just move forward without a plan
Cyth and Veskal even used their respective weapons, despite knowing they were not very useful. Cyth's gun blast was always loud, drawing the attacker's attention to him, while Veskal would throw his dagger to share the attention of some of them
"Can you still move, boy!? That elf still needs you in there later!" Cyth called
"I'm definitely tired! But this plan is better if you want to play it safe!" Veskal retaliated
Cyth laughed out loud at the response as he shot back and beat up some of the approaching Gargoyles with the handle of his gun
"Take it!" He told Veskal to throw the gun he just used to hit the head of a Gargoyle at him
"You can destroy a Gargoyle like that?!" Veskal was surprised
"I can do a little body-boosting magic!"
Cyth pulls out another gun, also not forgetting to give ammunition to Veskal to use
"Haha! A pirate always carries more than one long-range weapon, my friend!" He then exclaimed, shooting at all the approaching Gargoyles as I helped them not to be burdened
Veskal just shook his head while filling the gun quickly to fire it back
"Vescal!"
But just as he finished filling his gun back up, I had already signaled him to come closer. Luxor's magic was almost fully formed, and that was the sign for the four of us to break through
Vescal swiftly ran towards me, leaving Cyth behind. And according to our plan, he used a technique that Luna had taught him
The technique where his body changed and fused into a dark shadow. I opened the width of my robe so that he could enter into his shadow, until Veskal disappeared and fused with the shadow of my robe. And that gives a sign for our next move
Ivor advanced first towards the castle walls while letting out a loud roar. We all distract the remaining Gargoyles from him, even killing them if we can. And with all his might, right in front of the castle's protected wall, Ivor smashed his holy weapon into an explosion
But...
Apparently my guess was correct when I said, if there is any protective magic lining the walls of this castle
So-so
"WALCIA!!"
Lyralia also pulled out her magic weapon. A formless water that he made into a long, sharp-tipped pole. And with a slight push from his Mana, the weapon crashed forward at a darting speed, so that the protective magic that had just barely regenerated it did not have time to ignite it
Lyralia's weapon again changed its shape as ordered. Making a circle like an entrance without a gate, holding back the regeneration of the protective magic to make us a way in
"NOW!!"
My orders were immediately followed by Lyralia and Ivor, as well as myself who immediately darted to enter the castle
Cyth who was almost pounced on by a Gargoyle without us being able to save again was helped by Uncle Zero who appeared from behind and teleported themselves elsewhere
Luna and Luxor catch that we made it in. Both of them can breathe for a while. Now they just need to protect themselves until we get out
*Syut!*
"Vainzel's gonna be okay, isn't he?" Uncle Zero who suddenly appeared with Cyth asked
And as Cyth fell to the ground tired, Luna replied, "He will always be fine"
The real question is whether Verdea is okay...
......................
The three of us had already stepped into the castle, and Lyralia had summoned her holy weapon back into hand. It started to go back out of shape, as the protective magic behind us started to become whole again
...
I can hear the growling sounds of vampires. And not for long, their fiery red eyes were visible from behind the darkness
Tens of. Hundreds of. They keep growing. From the ground floor to the top floor, their eyes looked extremely lit just from the reflection of light that hardly anyone had entered
And I understand that they growl like that because they can feel the effects of Luxor's protective magic...
"... Comfortable castle, Oberon?"
!!!
That voice-!
Right in the distance, his distinctive red eyes were easily distinguished from the other vampires. Right on the top floor, I could see him
Darwin von Ziegler...!
"I hope you don't... Sassy, by doing something to these hosts..." He said again
"Oh, did you realize that?"
"Only a fool doesn't know that you're putting protective magic over this castle area..."
...
It's critical. I explained that Luxor's protective magic should weaken them. But...
I still feel depressed about Darwin's existence. I doubt if he has become weak or not...
The same sensation as when we faced in the forest... Did he hold back his strength all this time...?
...
"This kid doesn't even make a sound. You guys are so boring"
!!!
Don't say-!
"I don't want to make a sound 'cause I know you're all gonna die, you fucking bats"
"Verdea!" Ivor called
Verdea's near Darwin now? But I could not see his figure, even with my eyes that could see the flow of Mana
"Don't worry about me Vainzel! Just get mere-!"
*Plak!*
!!!
"Shut up! You little rancid boy!"
I don't want to talk anymore
By the time I heard the sound of that slap, I had already shot into the air without any of them noticing. Even my friends
Darwin, who was still distracted by Verdea, was shocked, before I kicked him until he was thrown back, smashing the wall and slamming on the floor
But, Verdea wasn't there while I landed safely on the top floor. And when I could find him, Verdea groaned in Darwin's hands
The boy was pulled by Darwin's hair very roughly, as he was dragged on the floor. Darwin, who was initially annoyed that I attacked him, began to put on a cynical face when he saw my surprised expression
"Take the boy off, Darwin!" I warned furiously
"No way, stupid elf...!"
The other vampires then tried to stab me in the back, but Ivor and Lyralia who had managed to jump to my position managed to finish them all off with their respective holy weapons. They both jumped back and put their backs against me, while I was still facing Darwin
"Stop that guy and save Verdea! We can handle this!" Lyralia called
"Really right?!" Ivor confidently swung his weapon many times in a twisting direction
His eyes then glanced towards the roof that was not far away and still affordable. And without giving a sign, Ivor jumped and swung his weapon to smash the ceiling of the building with an explosion
The nearly setting sun, spontaneously, made some of the vampires exposed to the light begin to melt as Lyralia killed them one by one. Darwin even spontaneously protected himself, until...
He gave me space to dart and fight with him. His left hand was instantly broken and bent from just a single blow from me
And when he dragged Verdea again for the boy to scream, I spontaneously retreated as quickly as I could while spreading my robe
...
I don't have any more room... I failed to take Verdea out of that man's hands...
Darwin even started to giggle. "You're so naive. This friend of yours is really your weakness", he said afterwards.
Darwin laughed softly after saying that line, as I looked at him with an annoyed face
It's frustrating for me. L'm...
I didn't even know that Veskal came down from the shadow of my robe or not just now, until he appeared while pointing a gun at Darwin's chin from behind his body
"Isn't it~?" He asked, before the gun he pulled the trigger so that the silver bullet made half of Darwin's head disappear for a moment
Veskal without pause pulled out his dagger, split the hand of Darwin who grabbed Verdea, then took the boy away to my position which immediately greeted them safely
I hugged Verdea as tightly as possible for a moment, before she whimpered. And after I noticed, apparently he was injured almost all over his body. A scratch that makes me feel sore just by looking at it. Every time I reveal her shirt, I find at least one scratch on her body
Each time...
...
This is making me sick...!
Furious, I got up from my position to approach Darwin who was still staggered with his re-formed head
And before he attacked, I threw myself so we were both thrown out of the castle wall, basking in the still-unset sunlight. He started burning, until he brought us back into the castle. The vampires who saw their leader being attacked began to dart towards me, but Lyralia quickly dealt with it without any problems
Ivor follows, hitting a retreating vampire so the resulting explosion injures the adjacent vampire. My two friends turned their attention to Darwin and swung their weapons
I even deftly helped them by reversing our position and kicking Darwin towards my two friends who were trying to attack him. It's just that Darwin fought back, nearly wounding Lyralia so that my friend's attack shot, while kicking Ivor in the leg so he lost his balance
The cunning man then flew into the air using his wings which suddenly appeared, only to attack Veskal and Verdea
"Lyralian!" I order my friend to move quickly with me
Lyralia leapt from floor to floor so that she predated Darwin to the position Verdea and Veskal were in. Desperately, he turned his weapon into a giant hammer. That thing he used to smash Darwin down as hard as he could. Even though Darwin managed to hit him with an arm, he was still pushed towards me who immediately kicked him further up
He was again on fire from the sun, but this time I did not give him time to strike back, defending our position outside to ensure he could be killed
Lyralia who was busy protecting Verdea and Veskal before Ivor followed, began to feel far away as I took Darwin out of the castle wall area
We both landed on the ground very uneventfully, where she and I stopped being safety pillows to each other so that we both ended up slamming and separated for a moment
Darwin who quickly healed his body now suddenly began to look bigger as if he was experiencing sudden growth. His fangs even further extended as he attacked me who was just able to stand up and hit him back
He was still burning and the scorched smell started to smell. Darwin suddenly just thrashed so I gave him a huge blow to the chest. But he focused his Mana there, so that his heart was completely untouched. He was simply thrown backwards, smashing into a tree that was sheltering him with shadows
...
I hurt myself by throwing ourselves out just now. What was I thinking try...?
I think I just almost split my stomach in two... And I haven't recovered at all...
...
Damnit... I can't move any faster than this. And that guy...
He's starting to act weird. Something happened to him, but it was not good for us
Hunch right. I forgot one important thing about a top vampire. They are no ordinary monsters
They can transform into more terrible forms and... More sun resistant
...
I was in a bad position
Just as I said so, Darwin roared loudly as his body continued to throb as if something was forcing him out. The wings are starting to grow. His body is like that too
His initially ordinary-looking body began to look while his clothes were torn because it could not stand the sudden change. His body began to be coated by blackish hair that spread to every inch of his body, as his face began to turn into something that had animal elements
He turned into a real vampire...
"Dracula Transformation..." I muttered, as my cold sweat poured out
My body was already completely overshadowed by him who had become that giant bat. And I can only hope that I can fight it with a wounded body like this...
His loud voice came out, deafening my ears that I barely closed. I was even sure that everyone in the area could listen to Darwin's shrill, before he tried to grab me and attack
Luna who saw and was surprised by the figure of Darwin who faced me was immediately pale. But he could not ignore his king who was in danger, so even his holy weapons he took out to shoot Darwin from a distance
Our battle stage is already entering its end. Now it's just a matter of time, whether we can afford to deal with vampires at night...
.....................
Luna's arrow was completely useless against Darwin. Luxor still has to defend his magic so that I can at least still fight. Ivor and Lyralia must protect the two children so they can be sure they are safe
I really am fighting alone now. Uncle Zero and Cyth won't be of much help even if they want to, as long as I can only do this cheap trick to dodge the attack
Darwin's claw that tore my stomach completely unhealed. She must have put a curse magic on her nails so I couldn't regenerate as soon as possible...
Whatever it is, I have no choice but to dodge for now. Luna who saw from a distance and understood that her arrow would be useless started to move forward to save me
He violently struck Darwin's head so that he fell to the ground. Darwin tried to squeak, and it made Luna's ears ring. Blood even began to pour from his ears, as Darwin tried to scratch them
It's just that I saved Luna. I pulled her body together with me to avoid that one deadly attack
"Why are you advancing?!" I asked firmly
"You mean I have to stay there and let you die?! It won't!!" Luna then helped me to avoid Darwin's attack this time, by taking us both into the air
Darwin suddenly flew after us soaring, and he hit us so hard on the ground that we both fell so hard
Luna started coughing up blood as I got harder and harder to regenerate. Our position is really very bad right now just because I can't eliminate Darwin in one attack
There must be something we can do...
...
...
...
"What's that, Verdea...?" Veskal, whose face was pale, stared at Darwin
On the other hand, Verdea who was not even strong to open her eyes was unable to give her a clear response. "Vainzel's... In danger..." He can only say
Veskal begins to notice Verdea again, as he looks towards Ivor and Lyralia who are still dealing with the vampires and Gargoyles who are still busy attacking them
His eyes again turned to Darwin, worried about what would happen to us. At that moment, Verdea calmed him down
Verdea slowly pulled on Veskal's shirt for him to stare straight into his eyes. He began to lose consciousness, and as long as he could...
"Jump down from this place" Verdea said before he fell unconscious.
Veskal doesn't understand. But his friend had fainted in his arm. He started grimacing with ambush frustration, while looking at me and Luna who could barely dodge the attack again
The command Verdea gave was 'jump down from this place'. Veskal had absolutely no idea if it was an order to alleviate the pain of their deaths or something Verdea meant
...
Till...
He remembered that there was one person who could save them. Therefore, he placed Verdea's body on the floor first and looked wider out
He looked towards the distance, right where Luxor and Luna should be. And when he had found that position, he could only find Luxor, Cyth and Uncle Zero who looked tense with this situation
He then rechecked the bullets he had, and there were still quite a lot left. A bullet that could have saved him or killed him
But, anyway...
"We have to bet harder, right...?"
Veskal was determined. He reattached his gun properly before he lifted Verdea onto his shoulder to carry
And as quickly as possible he moved into the hole I made by taking Darwin out. Veskal pointed the gun in the air. And after a few times he was breathing nervously...
Veskal closed his eyes as he pulled the trigger into the air...
He pulls, pulls and pulls 3 times. Whoever was there must have listened to the gun clearly. Including Darwin and Uncle Zero
Darwin darted towards Veskal and Verdea from a distance. Me and Luna must be freaking out. I even quickly pulled Darwin's foot until he fell, as Luna hit Darwin from above to speed up the process
Veskal had to act again. In accordance with Verdea's orders, he jumped down from the castle so that Ivor and Lyralia panicked and almost got injured by an attack from the opponent they were facing
Uncle Zero and Cyth saw that. And by reflex uncle Zero teleported into the air, right on Veskal's side. He held the child's arm as tightly as he could before bringing them back to a safe position
Uncle Zero fell to his knees from using too much Mana while Verdea coughed up blood. Cyth and Luxor, who were still able to move, immediately tried to wake Veskal and Verdea
"Son! Don't faint now!" Cyth tried to pat Veskal on the cheek while sitting the child's body
But fateful. Veskal also wasted too much energy that he himself could not wake up properly. He fell back to the ground, while Verdea was still coughing up blood as her Mana flow was almost empty after the teleportation
Luxor was forced to slowly replenish Mana Verdea carefully, so that the child's body would not explode from sensing the foreign Mana. A cold sweat poured down his forehead, as did the ringing that followed
...
Verdea was already more stable than before, and it could make the two breathe a sigh of relief for a moment
Luxor's gaze also led to Darwin who was still roaring while attacking myself and Luna blindly. The ringing is getting hardened, due to the frustration of not being able to do anything
Then...
He looked towards Uncle Zero who was already helpless again... More precisely...
He looked towards the talisman that Zero's uncle had, which he wore as a necklace...
The talisman is shaped like a pouch clock...
...
...
...
"Cyth" He then said, drawing Cyth's attention. "Take the Dwarf's necklace, put it on, and we move on" he added
Cyth wanted to argue because of the risks of the little plan, but...
His mind began to converge with Luxor, as my friend nodded toward him confidently. The two of them had to come forward and buy time, at least until Ivor and Lyralia could be free from the attack inside the castle
"... Would vampires be able to regenerate if there was an object in their flesh?" Cyth asked, trying to convince himself first
Luxor fell silent knowing the question was directed at him. The answer he had was only one. "Patut tried"
The two smiled in harmony, before Cyth steadily picked up Uncle Zero's necklace to wear. And once he was ready, Luxor nodded in understanding
"Teleport in front of both eyes and shoot him there! I'm gonna jump into his head now!" Luxor gave orders
"Aye aye!"
Both of them also darted using teleportation magic at a predetermined moment. Cyth made it to Darwin's face. And before he could attack, Luxor who was above Darwin's head used his magic
The magic he used to confound his five enemy senses. Darwin was spontaneously startled when he felt blind and deaf for an instant, before he regained his senses. It's just...
His right eye could see nothing...
He shrieked again loudly, making a deafening sound. I who saw the incident was immediately amazed
"Exhibit" I commented, to Luxor and Cyth who were already at a safe distance from Darwin's screech
"Do it again like that! Come in, then go! Shoot the black part of his eye!"
"Aye aye!"
The two of them again teleport, with Luxor successfully landing on Darwin's head, and Cyth before him. Once again Darwin had all five senses removed, as Cyth shot Darwin in the eye in succession before they teleported away
The two had returned to a safe position even before Darwin realized that his eyes had become blind and could not regenerate
Not understanding what happened, he tried to gouge his eyes out, but now it was my and Luna's turn to attack him
Without giving a pause, we hit him from both sides of his ear, so I'm sure that our hit was enough to make Darwin's eardrum rupture. He screamed in pain, before staggering
Somehow this monster can survive even with such injuries. He even tried to fly, but I jumped on his back to break one of his wings. It was hard for me to do that, so Darwin again screamed before Luna hit her chest until she fell back on the ground
Darwin fell down successfully. And again without a break...
Lyralia and Ivor are darting towards him, intending to put an end to this...
Both of them swung their weapons with all their might, so the explosion caused by the fusion of their magic weapons was able to inflict fatal wounds on Darwin, enough to make him even more want to escape
Darwin's real figure came out of the chest of his giant figure to escape. Ivor and Lyralia were unfortunately unable to hurt him any further because he had run as fast as possible under the sun that had begun to disappear, but I swiftly rushed him by smashing my own body into him
Darwin, who was still injured, fell to the ground, unable to fight anymore...
...
...
...
"Whoa! Is it over?!" Lyralia asked after wiping her sweat away
"Yes... I'm sure it is..." I replied with a breath
We're all too tired to continue this fight, and so is Darwin. The night had come, and the remaining vampires and Gargoyles must have fled this place by now
Only Darwin remains, and his fate is now in our hands
...
"Well..."
...
Huh...?
"Aahaha! Ahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Her... Laughs...
Darwin laughing...
"You think-! You guys won?!"
...!
"Kill him now Lyralia!"
I felt a bad feeling from his laughter!
"JAEL TARASQUE!!"
!!!
My hunch is right
As he called out that name, we could all feel Yael's presence through the black aura coming and billowing nearby. The figure of Jael appears in the form of half a body, as he envelops Darwin with his black smoke
We were all almost blown away by the Mana pressure exerted from that person's presence alone. I even fell down while Lyralia and Luna could not advance any further
"I, Darwin von Ziegler, will give my soul as an offering to you. And on the basis of my hatred for the Elves, save me!"
"By pleasure~"
Yael's laughter was heard as they became increasingly enveloped by billowing black smoke, pushing us further away
I can-! If only I hadn't been hurt!
I can end this...!!!!
"Oberon Vainzel's..."
!!!
Darwin stared intently at me, and he was already fully able to stand up this time. His sharp gaze pierced towards me, and it felt like my body was shaking
The hatred I felt from him was so great that I was unable to hold back the anger of his that began to gnaw at my body
A very big anger...
"Save my words!" He continued to speak. "You Elves...
you Elves will be destroyed!! Anyhow, whenever it is!! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THE HUMILIATION THAT AESTAS HAS INFLICTED ON ME IN THIS FORM OF CURSE!"
Aestas...?
"THAT'S CUFF! O OBERON THE LAST OF THE ELVES!"
The black aura took Darwin away with Yael. I don't know where, it must be far from where we are
The pressure we felt subsided. Everyone who felt it was exhausted was half dead. Luna even fell to the ground due to her injuries. And because of that, Lyralia and I immediately tried to cure her as best we could
...
Darwinian... Oberon Aestas's...
What does this have to do with both...?
...
No need to think about it for now...
Everything's ending...
For now...
......................
a few hours later ---
...
Verdea's awake...
He finally woke up...
His eyes looked back and forth to adjust first, before he touched back my hand that had been stroking his head ever since
And with a happy heart, I stroked his little finger so that he began to look at me with sparkling eyes
"Vaine..." He said limp
"... I'm here, kid---"
Thankfully---!
"I'm here--"
His small laughter that was still hoarse and restrained he let out. His gaze clearly said that he was relieved to be by my side again
"You really came to save me... You're here..." She said with tears beginning to fall on her cheeks
"And you too..."
In the next moment, I lifted her up and let her hold me tight as she wanted to. On my shoulder he started crying. Either because he was sad accompanied by a sobbing or happy accompanied by a small laugh
I'm just relieved, he's here now...
"Verdea is awake..."
The sound of Veskal from outside the cave door made me and Verdea pull away from our arms. We both slowly looked at Veskal whose face was beginning to sink, as he ran towards us to give a tight hug
Ivor, Luna, Luxor, Lyralia, Cyth and Zero's uncle who were guarding the cave looked inside until they were able to make a satisfying sigh of relief
Veskal on the other hand, grimaced as Verdea hugged her head and I had to support them both so we wouldn't fall on each other
"I'm timid--! Something happened to you--!"
"Vescal--"
The two grimaced in each other's arms as my friends began to enter this cave one by one
"I feel relieved! You finally woke up! I thought you would never wake up!!" Luxor grimaced and tried to hug Verdea, but was soon driven away by Luna
"Whatever it is, Verdea, we're grateful you weren't hurt too badly" Luna later said
"I hate it when someone has to die. So, thank you for not dying" Lyralia added, making Luna pinch her forehead
Ivor on the other hand, so be quiet, along with the other 2 who are not sure what to say
"... I'll make you a lot of cooking, so get well soon" he said
"Good so! We can enjoy Ivor's food more!" Lyralia chirped, making Ivor want to explode because of the annoyance of being lashed out while we laughed at the joke
Even Verdea and Veskal laughed. "Then, do you want to cook some more chicken for me?" Verdea asked as Veskal nodded to add
Ivor scratched his non-itchy head. "A lot of it after we get back to Hortensia, okay!? I'll make sure it tastes better! So..."
Ivor was silent for a moment, and so were we all. And looking at it, I remembered one thing
Ivor was never good at words if he wanted to express his true feelings...
"So... Don't disappear like yesterday..."
...
...
...
Verdea wriggled from my sling. Understand, I slowly straightened her body so that she could stand on her own. And without pause, he slowly moved towards Ivor with a little finger removed
...
"I promise..."
Ivor was stunned before his eyes began to sparkle. For a moment, I saw her young self at that moment. The same look as when I received a sign of friendship from him
"Well, Ivor won't accept if he doesn't give first..." Luna whispered with a smile on her face
Ivor and Verdea's little fingers are locked with each other. Smiles implied on the faces of both of them, on the faces of all of us. And Ivor finally accepted Verdea as someone important
That in itself is a good sign
"I want to come too!" Lyralia suddenly interjected and joined her little finger
"Then I am too!" Cyth.
"You just do it because you want something, right?" Lyralia ketus returned the favor
"I need that bonus, Mrs Undine..."
The two then laughed cynically at each other, until Luna hooked her finger. The two fell silent, before smiling at the others to follow the hook of the little finger
Uncle Zero then followed, then Luxor who was pushed by Veskal to come along. Then...
All that's left is me. So how else? Substantial...
I put my little finger together with the others. Somehow we can do it, but we can do it. But it felt, it would be better if we just stacked our palms together and cheered up
"All you promise?" Ivor asked
"We all promise, Ivor. We're all..."
Old friend...
Thank you for opening your heart to my new friend too. Same friends I appreciate with you
It seems...
Taking you out of Miralius was my best decision...
"Let's all go home and celebrate this!" I said once again, inviting smiles on everyone's faces, before we cheered uproar for each other
Cheering for the future will be our goal together...
