COI C272

  Sister of arms has been waited for so long. It’s been four times for the survivors back stab them in multiple ways. Their leader, the man catcher had a patience of a saint to deal with this nonsense. So many of the citizens lost because of them and the idly acts caused this to happen. Although she couldn’t blame him for this decision. Rather, amazed how little left to save by the tens of thousands tried to leave their own safe haven. It was unimaginable feat to hear them never wanting to leave. The daemos are in clear to collect them.

  Youta is one of them, they string themselves into a trap. Stopping them to move as their body turned ill and fell on the ground only by pure exhaustion. These people are definitely chosen. They were almost caught and able to escape from Tabitha’s trap. As time is limited, they need someone to deal with them. U’ecin and Voldemyr are handling the people they can be beaten near the trench. The Benedictus are focusing on the survivors’ exodus. Only leads left for Sister of arms hearing Tabitha’s telepathy

  “Please, let us handle this. They deserved what is coming to them”

  Sister of arms said to the man catcher

  “Did you hear her magic?”

  “I don’t, but I don’t need to. I have giving them the chance before the storm. Her team had begun, and she must commit her actions as she ordered them. She is their leader and I must acknowledge her as such”

  “I have never question you. Even by the holy book, but why now?”

  “To those who know the begotten son, and they already answer him. God’s judgement should not be ignored”

  They left the corrupted citizens, focusing their actions on the survivors. The songs of their hymns humming among the rest. Praying for the safe voyage through the East Coast, to the surface, to the end of suffering, and to touch the sun that lost their warmth. Through the divinity of their armors and weapons, they move confidently as their steps sound calmly. The man catcher raises his man catcher weapon converting it into a two-handed mace. Swings it into the air where a bell appeared to be rung. Bells are ringing. It’s time.

  Bell tolls, the ringing is loud and unbearable to hear. The corrupted citizens feel the pressure of the bells. Pulsing into them such a force still they froze in place. The rings, flashing with many survivors passing through in a blink of an eye, barely recognized who passed them even the smaller things, and it keeps going for how long are their senses would last from the bells’ toll. Ring, it won’t stop. Ring, it goes constant. Ring, it . . . it is never ending.

  Soon the bells slow down, softer, and smoother to the ears. The traitors begin to twitch their bodies one after the other. Drown into their influenced mana as it felt like it was regained their strength. Their bodies lie down and their eyes in the move with caution. Among them, there is one person lied restless trying to free from this trap. He broke free and with a loud gapping mouth as he wastes his time lying.

  “Why am I pretending to be trapped like that? There is no one here. Everyone! We must chase them down before they escape”

  They broke free with the influence magic. They go on ahead and ready to follow the survivors. Others look inside and saw the camp empty. They use their abilities to track them down and other forms of magic to teleport where those survivors were. All spells cast in all direction and couldn’t find anything. Everyone, even the survivors who in a critical mental state were not traced. Those people, the corrupted citizens were planning their last ditch to use them to bring them down to the depths. As others have grown powerful enough, they sense the survivors were cut off leaving them unable to detect the survivors again.

  Soon they realized the camp is sealed, they never expect it to happen like this. The corrupted citizens still feel the mana received from the influence, and it is bizarre at first but they felt it as they start to become stronger. Not sure how it happened while they are being sealed, but this is the same feeling of desperate magic provided when Wilson able to rescue two people that day. Youta told them

  “This power, this is like the last time. We need to stop them before we lost everything we sacrificed for”

  They go all around finding their way of this place. Each attempt falls fruitless as they use their strongest spell, their mana absorbed and flow into the door. From teleportation to creating tunnels to divert the survivors off their paths, it was all absorbed and pulled into the door. The entrance is holding their mana into a ball, each of everyone had one floating in the air. The sight of being fooled around as they can’t use their magic from this protective door. Youta can’t wait any longer and places his hands on the door. The mana balls push into him, absorbs it, and casts it through the door. It repeats again as the magic absorbed into the door and moves into him in a loop.

  Others followed his example and place their hands on the door. Together, they overwhelmed the door ceasing the mana it collects and bursts into the wind inward at them. The gust was momentarily and it ended as soon as they pulled down their hands. They move slightly back while the others pushed the door open. The door opens only in a slight gap, fit enough for a couple of them to get out at the same time. Time is wasting, they get out of the camp and chase down the survivors.

  When they got out, they see four young girls waiting for them. Mina’s team sets themselves in front of them showing their faces. The corrupted citizens seeing them again looking serious.

  “. . . You four, where’s Kenta?”

  Sakura responds “It’s none of your business”

  That angry tone of hers. It is certain she regains her memories. After their encounter with the dwarf guy, Sakura knows who is the one sabotaging their escape.

  Sakura continues “Where’s Youta?”

  They didn’t answer, but laughs at her as they go pass them without a care.

  They ignored them as they head out into the dark. Darkness turned dim as they see them again like they were at the start. It wasn’t long as they realized they are in a loop. The door was behaving like that with their spells. The look of those teens said everything. They are in disbelief as those same girls were actually regained their memories. The countless time their memories were wipe and the time they too have the upper hand. Those same girls were still lucky when they confront them, because the corrupted citizens confront them in small numbers, but now, here they are in a group of gangs. They weren’t playing around as they show their magic.

  Youta reveals himself “I don’t know either I am stupid enough to ignore bunch of kids or didn’t realize why you already regain your memories. I still remember you were fooled so easily”

  Sakura wants to talk back, but Mina pulls her back in. She keeps her silence. The other corrupted citizens whispered at the back

  “This is ridiculous. The boss wants his sacrifice. It is almost time for the moon to return”

  “Don’t be hasty. The others were taken away from those two. By the look of us here, we must the one the girls wanted us deal with personally”

  “Huh? I’m not the one cause trouble to . . .?”

  The woman remembered three women who come to save them. She guessed that she had done with someone they know. The speculation gets her out of nowhere. They began raising their spells and weapons.

  Youta warned them “All of you know better. If we’re going to fight with a bunch of kids, you do understand this is not the fantasy you thought to be. This world is not what we expected. There are no overpowered abilities nor some gods come and give you cheats. Not even death could escape this world”

  Mina pulls back and a barrier appeared right before one of Youta’s gang takes the first strike. The barrier broke and shatters splashing onto her and her friends. The shards of the barrier were taken aim at her, harming the girls in a process. He breached in and takes another lunge. Mina watches her enemy reacting too fast before she could respond. She tries to lift her hand but quickly grab as she watches him pointing his dagger on her face. In fast motion, he pierced through her skull like a skilled rogue. They took it by surprise as these cowards able to takedown Mina as swift as he can.

  Mina’s body disappeared faded into a sash. With a kite shield pierced through and the dagger stuck. Lies behind the shield is Juela and her hand grabbed, wrapped with her sash made from papers from Isekai City. It’s magic releases countless spells under a small note. The man’s hand exploded. Her hand frees and grabs him back and sealed his hand from recovering. He teleported back losing his hand and his dagger. The corrupted citizens saw his hand gone and couldn’t regenerate, with his magic and with his secret magic items, he couldn’t be able to recover.

  Foolishly looking away from their opponents, Silfa attacks with Fae-chan at her side. They cast their spells. Fae-chan centered itself at the enemies and raises its ritual below their feet. Silfa receives its ritual and she can foresee their moves focusing on the enemies whose secret spells chanting. The enemies stick together as much as they could with their defense stats up. They watch her eyes focusing the people who can dish out damage. One of them take a haste approach and casts her spell. A ritual comes out and stops her from mid cast disrupting her before the mana flows reaches her finger tips.

  Her spell is being redirected into Fae-chan’s magic, loosening it for their mana dripped down from their skin developing a passive mana consumption. The rituals spreading all around as they stubbornly protecting their silent casters. One of the silent casters reached his limits and forced to scatter everyone from the mana release. Silfa uses both Ruby and Gemina’s abilities as she swiftly hits her breaking her down into pieces. Dropping the others in a purge of elemental magic and speed.

  Mina sees the opportunity as both her and Toba jumps into the fight. Juela buffs them with her spell and a card on hand giving them abilities to use. Toba sees her new profound abilities and raises up her bat and lands on the ground. Mina follows it up standing on the ground and swap Toba’s bat’s sonic waves and bounces herself up carrying the power of Toba’s abilities. She glides into the air and dive down to her enemies on her feet. The eruption hits as the first shockwave vibrating them losing their stance.

  Casters were force to take on melee as they face Mina and Silfa struggling to keep distance. Youta sees what’s going on. The sight of rituals kept them away from using their spells. The confusion rose his group into a frenzy. Fae-chan finds itself surrounded as they begin focused by their attacks. Its elusive movements redirecting their magic after the other. The influence magic and the rituals together collide. Fae-chan’s rituals overpowered them from their lack of mastery.

  Mina managed to take a few down where her hands drenched in black blood. She dazed and saw the corruption of their bodies. Lost her focus, she got hit from the back, then pulled into a corner as others beating her down. Earth magic drowned her in mud as it hardened and trapping her. One of the gangs beats her with rock bullets directly on the head. Aoi catches her out from the fight. Aoi and Sakura watch the fight as they use their protective spells. Tabitha is with them reflecting the enemies’ attacks.

  Toba said to Tabitha “They are not going down”

  “They are strong, Toba. Just think of a way to use your techniques they showed you”

  “I can’t compare it well in the dream. They only teach me how to use magic on my bat. Why couldn’t they teach us more about magic?”

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  “There is no time. Juela, is the preparation complete?”

  “I’m sealing their bodies. The influence mana is tight stored inside of them. Their mana cores are just distributed by one person”

  Juela points out to Youta, he stands alone by himself in a safe distance.

  Tabitha orders Juela “Then use some of our spells on your sash. We need to scare them a bit and see what they truly are”

  “What about Yui’s cards?”

  “I’m shuffling my cards as fast as I could. I play mostly on Silfa’s skills. I need a right sequence to . . .”

  Tabitha sees her hands, the offensive magic Mi’lady remade for her. She plays those cards as the ground begins to quake unleashing dangerous vegetation out from the roots. The tunnels begin sinking down from the ceiling. Held in what is left, the roots appeared attacking everyone.

  Youta and the rest of the corrupted citizens were caught off guard. The roots that feast on the mana appeared out nowhere. Feasting and growing fast as they are being tangled. All of their spells and magic items were quickly consumed. Silfa flashes back picking Fae-chan as the roots chased after her. She guides the roots to follow her and pulling her enemies toward it. They got entangled as their flesh drilled in and consumed.

  The roots break as soon as it tried to consume them. The corrupted citizens destroy the roots with ease. The roots are picked up and remanifest it into their will. Behaving like tentacles or an extension of their limbs. They use their strength of their magic capabilities. Youta is channeling his spell using the roots as the solid materials needed to cast. One strong stance and performing a martial art move when both his hands forming a ball and release it right in front of his enemies. Roots spread forward aiming at Tabitha’s team. Silfa got caught and her body consumed out from her blood.

  It reaches at the back as Tabitha braces the attack. Toba boldly hits the roots as she swings to the other direction hitting the corrupted citizens where she aimed. After it clears, Toba rushes toward Silfa and carried her back to the group. Fae-chan evaded the attack and sees Silfa falls from a natural spell. This is the first time to see a citizen to use an actual Horsin spell. It turns to Youta as he is deemed a threat for having the knowledge of neutral mana spell.

  The corrupted citizens made their way toward them. Their bodies fell to the earth as Fae-chan’s rituals still hide and sense the dangers they use of their spells. The balance reached as they only get stuck on the ground. Juela sees this opportunity and raises her kite shield. Using the edge of the shield and slams down onto their heads. One strike at the time. Piercing through their skulls killing them in an instant. Souls come out from the body and their own bodies faded into the ashes and disappeared.

  Juela wears the monocle and with Wilson’s note attached with it. Combined together to find who and end the targeted enemy. She is able to execute those people stuck on the ground. The others freed themselves, she casts her sash backing them away. Others flew up diving down on Juela, she counters it with her sash tight them up as they easily break the sash but clouded by the multiple spells. Loosening their strength as they are drained and left defenseless. Executing them with Juela’s shield.

  The battleground had turned for the worse. Surrounded by roots, as water begins to leak. Youta sees this an opportunity and manipulates the water. Mist comes up with hot vapor surrounding them. Juela looks at the monocle and sees the magic being used. With the rest of her sash. She carved her spell slowly at the surrounding roots grabbing the water from contacting them. Roots and water disrupting one another, deflecting the attacks of their magic altogether. With another trick on her sleeve, she pulls out Tabitha’s card written into her engraving on the card. She plays it.

  Unstable mana flow erupts into the air. The corrupted citizens who still have the negative effects of the rituals fell into their mana flow. They can’t channel their spells outward but still able to use in the inside. They lost their range attacks, but they can see that they lost Silfa at the front. Only Juela with her kite shield. As more negative effects fell on them, they are forced to charge forward. Youta calls them out

  “This is enough! We can’t beat them like this. The water, the roots, and everything around us, they seem to know a lot about magic”

  Lights start to come out. They are getting impatient and use their ultimate weapon. The dead comes out in a form of specter like ghost. Juela backs a bit as the aura had drawn into the influence. She hears its voices unrecognizable, alien, and the source that brought many dead citizens here. Actively woven into the flight of these undead ghosts. The forgotten attribute that she can’t understand how to deal with. Old magic, the neutral mana’s dead attribute.

  “Daemos” Juela says it without any understanding.

  The dead screeches out as existing both the living and the dead have conspired together. They stop her from controlling her sash. Hold by its dead grip, she froze in place as her soul is being weaved. Fae-chan comes to the rescue as it blows them away in waves of its rituals. The undead citizens replicated the behavior of their fear in shamanism. They quickly manifested into the living where Juela has little strength left to bash them with her kite shield. The note attached it banished their manifestation back into their ghost form.

  Juela backs away. Warning to the others

  “This is old magic, Tabitha. They’re using dead magic”

  Sakura and Aoi waking up Mina “The spear! Mina, do you still have the spear?”

  “I gave it back”

  Sakura shakes her even more “You idiot! You have that ability right. Hey, Tabitha! The card, did it have anything to do to summon that hunter guy’s weapon?”

  “Yeah, but Mina don’t know how to”

  “It’s worth the shot”

  Mina receives the card. The design of the card begins to shift showing the image of two people transacting items with each other. She plays it and her hands feel the weight of the weapon.

  The spear appeared. Mina sees the ghosts charged at them. Their protective barrier went past through and phasing through Toba. Toba fell down as her skin goes pale. She whimpered down and lost conscious. Aoi casts her spells to help Toba but her spell took no effects and weakening her healings.

  “It’s no use, my heals won’t work. AGH!”

  The ghosts phased through her. Sakura sees another ghost passed by and pushed both Tabitha and Mina away.

  “Watch out!”

  Mina grabs the spear and hits one of the ghosts. The ghosts got impaled and it manifest into stone. Sealing away their ghostly magic and fell into the ashes. They’re surrounded and the fight is already over. Youta is walking closer as he showed them their secret. He walks closer and said to Mina

  “Give up! You clearly see what’s going on. You’re surrounded. The doll of yours can’t do anything alone with the hundreds here haunting all around you Oof”

  Fae-chan hits him and rips down his shirt revealing the hole of his chest.

  Youta knocks it away.

  “Futile! Why can’t you people understand the risk of your lives wasting in this world. Fighting us this way, what did you achieved from this? You are outnumbered, you are entering a place that you don’t know what’s going on, you are surrounded by braindead, the people you’re trying to save are nothing less good to society, and we have the power from a literal god. Even I was acting like a loser or trash when doing all this as we survive. Why can’t you three women realize how meaningless it is to save us after so many months trapped here?”

  The ghosts readied themselves and they are circling around them. It forms a dome as it starting get smaller and smaller. The ghosts identical to the armored angels, but it distinguishes itself as citizens. Slowly moving in as the outer layers whirl rapidly. The wails reach far and the corrupted citizens gathered all around to see their end. All of them are women, the looked at their eyes seeing a waste to end than to have the opportunity to have fun. But this is not the issue here. They are all wounded and none of them received the worse of a doubt when Juela sealed off their limbs including killing them off. If they beat them down first, they would become a fine tribute for themselves.

  “Tsk”

  Corrupted citizens were not pleased, and no one ever asking for it. It is too dangerous. They rather watch them die instead. As the whirlwind goes a little smaller, the scratches of light coming out. They can see the silhouette inside kneeling as if they are giving up. A light inside persists a little longer as it begins to shine even further. The whirlwind begins to manifest. Faces appeared and formed on the outside, and the souls that was not belong to them sprung out fighting each other. A spear head rips open through the whirlwind and with the gem scratches through it. Breaking free from the ghosts.

  Tabitha never underestimated them since the beginning. All her time within the dream had already been planned out. This is not much a foolishly going at them. On the contrary, she wants to see how they use the old magic. Sister of arms explains it to her about Wilson’s note possessed old magic too, before it was taken away. Capable to banish the dead with ease, and this same note is banishing powerful ones here. The reality shows of their poor judgement. She believed they have the advantage, and the enemies are relying too much of the influence’s mana. That’s how she allows them to have it. There is a card on her hand to dispel it. Made by Mi’lady herself to go against the dependent fools.

  Now with this old magic revealed. It’s time to use the stash provided by the Dexter Guild, along with U’ecin help, his spear. A beam of light pierces through the ghosts releasing a leak to the air. Gushing off smoke that is too thick as it sinks and lands on the ground. On Tabitha’s hand, Haw’s potion. She raised her share up to the air and throws it upward. She raises her wand knocks it upward at the roots and water. Then she plays her card and manipulate the properties of the roots and water.

  The roots changed into pipes and the water combined with the potion’s fluid. Forces into the roots and turned into a pipe system. The potion pressurized and moved across where the roots stretched further. Then it burst out from it like sprinkler washing down every corrupted citizen around them. Youta doused by the potion and his body begin to hardened. His soul and flesh merged into one as the ghosts themselves merged together into the thick smoke lying on the ground. The potion had caused many people to react and their mana possessed with influence’s magic. Its fusion together made it harder for the user to control it. Leaving them into the influence control.

  They all melted down and petrified their bodies. Their minds won’t work, their flesh become mush and solid, and their powers quickly frail to useless. Meanwhile Tabitha’s team doused with it and they feel the harmful effects of the potion. Thankfully it was their own mana that harmed them. Juela and Mina confronts Youta. The best opportunity for everyone to deal with the coward is already solid and melted in the inside. Carrying Wilson’s note and a Spear on the other one. Mina raises it up and took a great grin. She said to him

  “Revenge is sweet served cold”

  Youta spouts back “Get on with it. I’ll just respawn, you idiot”

  Mina looks at Juela and Juela shows her Wilson’s note and R-cord monocle. Mina picks up the monocle and reads the effects of the notes. Twitching and trying not to show herself to Youta nor everybody around them lying on the ground. Excitement and finally to end these nuisances, Mina tries to revive her friends. The ghosts’ magic had detrimental effects and couldn’t revive them and remained into a weaken state. Mina sighs at the disappointment. Then they hear someone coming this way.

  Voldemyr brought Kenta with him. Kenta recovered after being controlled by the influence. Now he is here and see many people around them. He whispered to Kenta looking rather sad. Kenta goes to Mina and waves at him still feeling gloomy. He said to them

  “Do you guys have a recording? I know this is bad time and all, having evidence we torture these bastards . . . But I’m really need to remember all my regrets have settled”

  Tabitha throws her device at him. Kenta catches it

  “It’s low battery”

  “Then make it quick. You people deserve some time for this”

  Juela never sees Tabitha acting like this. For once, this worrisome woman had turned wrathful after coming here. She herself has no change after what’s going on. Surprised from the old magic but that’s all she could mustered to admit from this place. At the same time, she dared to face the dangers like this. This realm is too dangerous for any magic user to venture here. Yui only wanted Haw, Silfa, R-cord and McS4 to deal with this problem. As her Tabitha’s friend, she can’t try to advise her to be merciful on this. Her people are so committed to the unknown and led them to this very moment.

  A splatter comes out from view. The citizens have begun their revenge. One execution to another, a soul being ripped and sealed away into the note. Ceasing their escape and lost into it as the next phase of the note should fully seal their fate. Juela walks away and tend the girls. Tabitha moved passed her as her eyes looking grim. Tabitha asks her

  “Do you think is wrong for us to take revenge after all that happened?”

  “No, I’ve never said anything about it. But you acting a second thought made me wonder that you’re regretting this”

  “I’m not, Juela. I’m afraid that you will never see me the same”

  Tabitha felt a sash on her neck then Juela pulled her close. She whispered to her ears

  “If you keep thinking like that. Yui is right not wanting me to be part of your journey”

  “But . . .”

  “Keep saying but, and I’ll tell Yui about this . . . Come on, Tabitha. Yui doesn’t want me to be part of this journey is because I might convince you to be good girl you are. Honestly, I think Kiege should be the better choice. Even Silfa on our side is not regretting it either”

  “. . . I know, because I don’t want to lose your loving side. It feels like I have a sister”

  Silfa stands up drained some of her blood as she picks up a pill from her inventory and temporarily recovered.

  “AAH, that’s refreshing for a drug. Tabitha, this is their world. You can’t hold yourself responsible for them. I’ve killed my share”

  “It’s fine Silfa, I think I will manage. We are so close escaping this place”

  Tabitha walks away and raises her wand whoosh them away into a safe distance. She smiles at them and be on her way. She uses her telepathy contacting with R-cord

  “We’re done here. Please come back here as soon as you can”

  “Roger”

  Defeating them have brought determination to Tabitha’s team’s resolve. Whereas the survivors have already leave and begin their exodus. It is a matter of time they will reach at the coast. Haw is waiting with no enemies left for him to defend against. With the plan Haw mentioned to build an outpost at the border of the realm. The survivors will have necessities they need to rest there. The demon who is eyeing on them to become its army. They will be coming soon, and the rat men are not strong enough to stall them. While R-cord and McS4 left behind, she prays for them they could stop the influence.

  “. . . Warning . . . No fuel . . . Warning . . . No fuel . . .”

  McS4’s fuel tank runs out. The enemy he confronts recovered again after being bathed into the fire multiple times. All five avatars are recovering right in front of him. He took another attempt to raise his armored boot and stomp them again one by one breaking their heads before getting a chance to see him or his scent. A transmission received from R-cord

  “Mission failed, use the potion and removed two of their avatars”

  “Affirmative”

  McS4 used Haw’s two potions and doused two of them, sealing them off as their core malfunction then burst out in mild explosion. Only one left in their reserves as the important potion have been used. The avatars were able to survive the defenses they built inside the hidden camp. R-cord is at the entrance signaling him. Both of them are locking the door and sealed it shut with the remaining of their energy tools. Completely shut with the tech they have, R-cord’s exposed hand is showing the contamination of this place.

  They look up to where the ruin is. Going back losing the tools they brought will leave to dangerous turned of events near at the border. They see the rat men are coming at full force. They bring out their disguise as they climb back up. R-cord sees something from the horde as their final distraction against the avatars. A rat man in robe, its head look hardened in silver carrying its spear. It looks at them knowing they are not rat men begin with. It says

  “We found your people, and we let them go. In thanks for bringing us here”