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In the night forest before dawn, the daemons dance in the middle of the forest, and the unsettled souls are further bound to the land, and the animals are changed by the bounded malevolence.
Sorey settled a hellionized animal with a strike, said: “Fu~ finished. Really, everyone didn’t regress at all.”
“Of course, we are getting stronger when you are not there! Now I am afraid you can not catch up.” Mikleo chuckled.
“Is that so? I won’t believe and someday I will be stronger than you!” Sorey protested.
“Very well, I will wait. Now, I know you have a reason, but why would you choose to leave at night?” Mikleo is puzzled by Sorey’s insistence, it is dangerous under any circumstances at night.
“I agree with Mikleo-san, just remember how many hellions we met on our way.” Lailah can’t agree more when they can’t count the times for encountering hellions, it is really dangerous to walk in a forest full of hellions.
“Yeah, I know, so I am glad that you guys still come with me. Maybe it can’t be counted as a reason, I believe that I can meet Velvet at such time. I want to meet her immediately, help her and let her see everyone here.” Sorey recalled various moments between them when he is locked up, and he realized Velvet still doesn’t want to live at all.
“To let her meet with us?”
“Yeah….how to say it…..She always seems like not interested in anything even for living…….hmm..” Sorey shows a sheepish smile when he can’t explain it properly.
“I understand Sorey’s thought, you want to make Velvet happy by introducing friends you are proud with. Sometimes I want to introduce those past Shepherd and Seraphim I knew too.” Maotelus said.
“That’s it! Since I am glad when everyone is here with me, I want to share happiness with Velvet.” Sorey gave a big smile while agreeing with Maotelus. In fact, the situation is not optimistic to walk in a forest at midnight, but it is not that tensed because of the existence of friends.
“Sorey-san…”
“Well, not bad to have an exciting journey.” Edna is a little bit shy and coy to hide the joy of hearing this.
“You are embarrassed.” Mikleo indicated while knowing Edna for some days.
“It is not so obvious when your ears are red like beetroots. “Edna does not deny it and counters calmly. Now Mikleo’s face is redder.
“That’s the Ex-Shepherd Velvet met…..” Eleanor realized the reason why Velvet can befriend the boy when she see Sorey’s friendly attitude to the seraphim with his purity in his mind.
“Yeah, he is a type that different with Artorius, sometimes, I think he is similar to you, Eleanor,” Maotelus commented.
Eleanor: “Is that? I once treated seraphim like tools but he must treat seraphim as a peer presence.”
“You treated seraphim as tools because you didn’t know, and I think you treat us as a peer presence with emotion in the journey, this is enough for everything. The ability to accept things that opposite to you understanding is your charm, and I think you are similar with Sorey by this.” Maotelus smiled.
“Ch….charm? it is not that, but thank you very much for your appreciation.” Eleanor felt shy for a moment when she received the comment.
“Great that you can fight, opposite to me, I can’t help with anything other from blessing the status with assisting arte.” Maotelus felt sad when he is limited by his pact as an Empyrean, he wants to help to a larger extent but then he is reminded by Magilou’s word that this may lead to the disappearance of his blessing to Sorey and Velvet. That’s why he can’t interfere in a large degree when not necessary, he can only provide assistance by healing artes but not a direct attack.
“Don’t worry about it, I am glad that you have such thought. I have to become stronger too so I won’t over-relying on someone and my friends may fight without worry.” Sorey smiled that he doesn’t mind at all. In fact, if he formed a pact with Maotelus, Maotelus can directly help him, but he chooses not to do this. He realized it is not good to take seraphim blessing and assistance as granted in his last journey, and he understands the helplessness when he could not do anything alone, so he wants to become stronger.
“He can smile like that even in such a situation, that’s the legendary Shepherd, he is strong.” Alpha commented when he realized Sorey’s strength inside from his smile. Sorey clearly knows that they are bounded by the cursed cast by Tartaros, that they are under a situation to be taken life at any time, that’s why they start a journey to search solution from an ancient seraph called Grimoire.
“Yeah, maybe it is because he has the accompaniment with his friends.” Maotelus smiled.
“Is that there no other way to Meirchio? The forest is getting creepy...and it is getting cold.” Zaveid complained.
“A ghost-like presence is saying a place creepy huh? Well, if you feel cold you may put on clothes. Here, take it.” Beta commented while putting off her cloth for Zaveid. Clearly, she doesn't notice Alpha is looking at her, although they are not connected with blood, he still cares about Beta as a brother. The reason why she is coming with them is that she is one of the victims of the curse, both Zaveid and Alpha is too worried to leave her alone in the town. They shall bring her along even if that means they leave the guild in the place.
“Ah, nope! The presence of clothing will hide my charm! How can I let a pretty lady put off cloth for me~ Don't worry! I have got used to such temperature already, put your cloth on again please! ( I can't let your brother see that!)” Zaveid noticed Alpha's lines of vision, well, he doesn't plan to have the clothes anyway whether Alpha is looking at him.
“Oh? What is your charm again?” Edna teased.
“ Agreed( laugh). Well, but I have the same line as Zaveid in terms of the path we are walking. It feels unsafe here.” Mikleo commented.
“I am afraid that this is the only path towards a place where protected by seal” Lailah explained.
Wind blows lightly on the faces of walkers, cloudy sky blocked the bless of star and even the moonlight is not allowed to pass through the cloud of malevolence. When the night fall, the shadow engulfed everything in the forest with its arrival, brings on the silence and mysterious mask. Followed with fights with hellions and joyful conversations, the boy moves forward slowly in the dark forest. The Shepherd team is moving forward to North Iceland, where Meirchio-- the place sealed in the dust with the history, one of the world's mystery now. Magiland, the original site of Gododdin, is surrounded by some remains of Meirchio, but that is a little isolated piece because of the variation in earth activity, the place with earthpulse points and especially the place of lifespring font will not change with that. It is said that the path will path through a forest and a site of ruin. It is rare to have undeveloped district such as ruin nowadays, it is said that there is a mysterious organization to keep places remain in mystery. Normal human is likely to get lost when they entered the domain but the accompanying of 4 high A rank seraphim will solve the issue. Lailah suggested to leave in the morning for safety, but Sorey wanted to leave at night for his pure instinct of meeting Velvet. He wants to meet her no matter what and Edna didn't disagree, she wants to meet Velvet soon too.
Hours ago, the legendary seraphim, namer of Maotelus, the latest Ex-Shepherd, and the grand Shepherd gathered to search for the ancient seraphim of a knowledgeable advisor. They started the journey to realize the untold legend and constraints in the world. Thus they may free from Tartarus's curse and starts their fateful encounter. Now the Grand Shepherd once saved the world is on his way again, like a ring, fate incarnates and returns to the origins. So as the repeating history of humanity, when the Calamity arrives, a Shepherd rises up and to solve it every time. We can't tell the time the legendary story of heroes repeated, yet, each rings still deviates a little for the hero of each ring is different. Even for a very similar existence, there is a difference between. There are no completely identical individuals in the world, even for twins and clones, they will have their values inside; even for the very same person in the different universe, they are different by their choices, that's why the ring is similar but different at each time. And humans live and learn in each deviation of repeating history.
The Shepherd once saved the world was temporary a normal person again but then again he becomes the Shepherd again to bear the responsibility to solve the calamity.
The Calamity once saved the world was temporary a normal human again but then become the sign of calamity again to bear the overweight sin on her shoulders.
What leads them into the ring again? The observers? The carelessness at that Scarlet night? The emptiness of the Ex-lord of calamity? The infinite madness of the half-blood? Or all just a terrible accident? Now it is meaningless to trace the origin, as they will break down the despair in front of them to move forward, to search the bright future. Remember that always fight hard to resist the terrible fate is one of the merits of humans.
The giant beast walks through the dark forest, its bloody eyes gazed at its preys.
“....A domain!”
The giant beast has the choice to launch attack silently and quickly to end the life of preys, yet it chose to remind them its existence for its pride, that is the very least part it still shows features of humanity.
“ AWROO-----” A long howl to the sky shows sadness and tore the silence of the dark forest. Now all team members tensed and prepared themselves with weapons when they heard the call of the wild .
The shadows of trees hide the shape of the beast, merging it with the darkness of night. Its speedful strike is hence becoming invisible to the team. Following the reaching brush sound of plants, strong wind blow on them like a storm.
“-------” Strong wind slashes roughly at Sorey's face with a bloody arc when Sorey is standing at the first line. Yet the boy shows no fear, he just stands there and watches the shadow passing by him. This is a very obvious hostility, but Sorey just turned his head and looked at the direction of the shadow who had just wiped him with the wind.
A giant beast turned its head slowly and gazed at the team. It is a short moment, they can only perceive some basic and obvious features from it. Overall, it possessed wolf-shaped features, the black color of its fur allow it to merge into the night. There are obvious metal attachments on its limbs when its left foreleg fully consists of metal. In the claw part, a human-hand-shaped claw shows which indicated it is more near a werewolf than a pure wolf but it chooses to act like a wolf. And all of the above features are not the reason they think the giant beast is Velvet. Inside the darkness, it possessed pure golden iris of burning flame, they are the eyes left remarkable impressions, just by looking at the eyes, you will be attracted by the air it contained, it is not wrong to say it possesses deadly attractiveness. Such eyes are the things which let Sorey and Eleanor, one who knows about Velvet recognized her as the beast immediately.
“ No......”Eleanor moaned when she recognized her friend immediately. In fact, she knew it in the very beginning, but she can't accept it when she sees it.
“I find you, Velvet.” As if nothing has happened, Sorey calmly gazed at the eyes of the beast, while the beast responds it with the same action-- unbelievably just silently gazed at the boy. That’s the only moment of quiet peace, suppressed with the perverse and atrocious atmosphere of the beast. Tonight the fates cross and stay, starts the crash from the moment, it is an unavoidable battle, and Sorey wants to face Velvet in this battle, to pull her back together again.
The giant wolf frowned and looked at the boy who was still smiling at it. This unhostile performance made it confused and distressed. It whispered and whimpered with noise, its eyes turned into blood-red in the next moment, surrounded by stronger atrocity and arrogance of power. With the shadow of the trees and the leaves blown wildly, the trace of the giant wolf hid. Before Zavida confirmed the enemy's position, the claws scratched everyone like a dance of storm. After slashing Sorey, then Lailah is turned to be the next target, following by Mikleo, Edna and even Maotelus are one of its targets. Eleanor tried hard to protect Maotelus from harm from the turbulent attack. From this point of view, the wolf has not left the rationality of human, because it is now hurting people who she wanted to protect when she was a ‘human’. When the rationality still exists, she felt sad when she is forced to hurt her friends, yet now even the little sadness disappeared with the strong atrocity surrounding it. The target of its attack is very unfixed and there is no order. Because of the target-free attack mode, it is difficult for everyone to see through its attack trajectory. If they randomly attack, they are only afraid of hurting their companions. Perhaps for the giant wolf, they are like the standing targets of practicing.
“never thought to use this at the beginning.” Zaveid shot himself a bullet at his head with the gun called Siegfried in his hand. Before he met Sorey, he always fights alone as a wanderer. This gun blesses him the power to fight even to stand against a dragon. In fact, it is the basic seraphic for armatus for the part of power, it must possess unique strength in power. With the boost in power, Zaveid is able to catch up with the storm to a higher extent. Then he casts an arte to attack and to constrain the wolf at the same time.
“Deceiving Pummel!” gold myriad chains shot out from the ground and constrained the wolf at its legs.
“Great! Everyone, attack!” Sorey caught the very moment of the wolf's movement paused by Zaveid's arte and called.
“Right, to stop this from happening again…....” Lailah murmured while summoning and holding a great amount of flare energy in the air to form a fireball just like a mini-sun. Then, the scene turned out like some scene of the disaster, the ' sun' falls from the sky. In the range of 5m from the center of the giant fireball, the place is engulfed and burnt by the high heat. As if the place is evaporated, only barren desolate wasteland left, at last, a very fine piece of land as a flat battlefield. And the one who performed such a horrifying act is the dearest prime lord who tells bad puns with an explanation.
“Lailah you are such a dangerous woman, but I like it.” Said Zaveid who actually assisted Lailah's arte to burn greater, his wind element is a fine element to assist fire element, so he is actually weak to the fire element.
“ Wow, we really better not to get Lailah angry.” Said Mikleo who is a water-elemental seraph that supposes to be stronger than fire element.
“Horrible Lailah, simplified, Horrlah,” Edna added.
“ Oh, it is embarrassing!” Lailah said while shaded her cheeks with both hands acting as a pure maiden, very contrasting with the act to burn out the whole place.
Sorey released a sheepish smile for that, Lailah is Lailah. Well, this somehow relaxed the air on the battlefield.
The next moment, the burning flame faded away with the wolf standing at the center who still constrained by the arte. Its fur still burning and it breaks the magical chains forcibly, striking towards the team with the red eyes of hobgoblins.
Zaveid tried to resist its action with the horizontal storm but it is not effective. The fur on the wolf burning even stronger as if a fire coat of the wolf, like the flame, becoming one of its parts
“ Wouldn't it being fire-element?” Zaveid guessed while he viewed its ability. Zaveid throws his pendulum towards the wolf to make a 'High strike' then he successively pulls back and kicks off the wolf from the ground with 'Jealousy Cyclone' to cast a little typhoon as his temporary final move.
“Maybe it is being wind-element at the same time?” Lailah guessed with her experience with types of hellions. She released a slash of flames with triple explosive artes to let the wolf back off.
Zaveid controlled the surrounding wind to further boost Lailah's artes and responded: “ Well, no surprise.” Sometimes, the personal characteristic is one of the factors deciding one's elemental status and so far Zaveid thinks Velvet possessed characteristics of both fire and wind element.
“ Just fewer chances to see my performance.” Zaveid laughed while the beast turned and run in the same direction as the wind and counter-attack Zaveid with 3 successive ground-breaking slaps like ' Break boost' with the frame around its claw. He jumped off immediately to dodge the attack.
“Your existence can't be ignored as long as you are here.” Seeing Zaveid being the consistent target of the wolf, Sorey commented while waiting for a chance to attack the wolf.
“ Well, that's nice.” Zaveid said and dodged another strike from the wolf and cast ‘Deceiving Pummel’ again to block its movement by chained the wolf temporary.
“So I say, it is your show time, Sorey, Mikleo.” Zaveid exclaimed while creating a chance for Sorey.
“Leave it to us!”
“Right! Luzrov Rulay!”
Sorey stands and raised his left hand while saying Mikleo's true name. The sacred water bow materialized in the air while the magical glyph formed above it. At the moment Sorey’s hand touch the bow, the blue light of water power surrounded him and water burst out from the ground to form water screen. When the water screen disappeared, he appeared in a new form. White coat with the hat with golden accessories show a sacred and vivacious feel. His hair lengthens and becomes golden in color with his eyes turn in clear and calm blue. In his eyes, only firmness and earnest show.
Mikleo: “Sorey, we better finish it as soon as possible, the malevolence is attracting hellions.”
Sorey: “Right! I can’t bear to let her in such state for a longer time, let’s do this with our strongest power!”
“ Guys! Buy us some time!” Sorey and Mikleo exclaimed while stretch and tensed the light string of the sacred arrow.
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“Pass it to me,” said Edna who hit a wind-up Punch to the werewolf.
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The werewolf planned a counter-attack but it hesitated for a second.
Edna attacks continuously, she slashes upward with her umbrella then open it to slow her landing. The beast attacked back with 3 successive claw slap targeted just next to Edna and turned to strike its tail. Edna jumps backward to avoid the attack that obviously won't hurt her and she see guilty appeared in the wolf's eyes.
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Velvet doesn't want to hurt her, she knew. The team members here all know the werewolf is Velvet, but they will still fight. They believe purification is the only way to rescue her now.
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Edna continuous attack with a powerful strike towards the wolf with her umbrella spinning so the beast felt dazy.
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“Stormy Rain.” She continued with successive slash strike with 'cloudy swirl' track.
“Never thought that you become a mindless beast. The ‘promise’ is not fully fulfilled but I am here right now in front of you. You should wake.” Edna tried to talk to the wolf as she noticed the little hesitation of the beast. Yet the voice doesn’t transfer to Velvet, Velvet’s mind is still slumbering, what left here is the beast that half-controlled by Tartarus. There only atrocity and survival spirit left in this empty body, this beast can’t be treated as Velvet when it is almost mindless. Edna can only send her message with force, there is something can only be told by fighting.
Meanwhile, Eleanor stands aside and is protected in Maotelus circle.
“Don’t you go fight it too, Eleanor?” Maotelus asked the girl standing beside.
“It…..It is my fault that she turned into a hellion again...if I had stopped her that time……... Every time I heard its howl, its cry, I feel sad for it, and I don’t want to hurt her again.” Eleanor thought she was responsible for Velvet's hellionize. If she insisted on working aside, maybe things work differently. Eleanor knew the result as she guessed it right a long time ago, yet it is still unacceptable for her. Things should have been better if she had stopped her at that time. She knew what kind of person Velvet is, her persistence is what causes the result.
“I cannot comment on it, for the if of you stopped her that time. If I were you, I would respect her decision and help her. This may as well cause the same end, but things haven’t ended yet.” Maotelus responded to try comforting Eleanor.
“Mmm?” Eleanor is confused by Maotelus’s words.
“I attained the power of purification to save her in the first place, you too became a Shepherd to help people just like her. You even give your soul out to become a seraph to continue fulfilling the promise to her.” Maotelus stated when he realized it a long time ago after seeing the earthen historia. Eleanor claimed that she sacrifice her soul for sharing resonance to ensure the next Shepherd raise in the era. That’s a lie, in half. After seeing examples of the families of Velvet, Eleanor knew to sacrifice a soul will be reincarnated into seraphim.
Eleanor said nothing, agreed silently to Maotelus’s statement.
“Even one knowing Velvet for a shorter time than us, Sorey believes Velvet will be saved, so he fight. You should be more confident to our mind to Velvet that across a millennium, only fight her to stop her from suffering now.” Maotelus said while looking to the direction of Sorey.
Sorey is storing power for the strongest attack to give, his eyes are full of determination. By looking at Sorey, Eleanor finds herself understand something. He knew this hurt Velvet but still proceed to do it. A friend should stop a friend from doing wrong, and it is not too late now.
Sorey opened his left palm and the energy began to gather into the shape of an arrow. The magical glyph formed by the accumulation of the power at the arrow formed by energy, it becomes a giant bow of light floating in the air that covering the artifact bow for water armatus.
The accumulated energy has already reached the amount for launch, yet that’s not enough for Sorey. He holds the ‘arrow’ tightly, borrowing more energy from nature. The natural mana concentrated in Sorey’s hand via the spiral tracks of wind.
The body is starting to have burden for that. It is not surprising, they accumulated more than ten times energy than normal.
“Sorry, Mikleo, hold it a little longer.”
“It’s fine, I am always by your side.”
“Thanks.” Sorey is grateful to Mikleo, and under the consensus of the two, the convergence of energy accelerates, from tens to hundreds of times.
The sudden high-speed convergence of energy is strongly involved in the whirlwind and airflow around Sorey. The high concentration of mana makes it possible for even people who are standing farther away. Even Lailah the fire-elemental seraphim, feels the wind pressure of the mana compression that is so high. The mana that has been in the shape of an arrow shows an irregular state like a fire under high-speed energy concentration. Even Edna who possessed the earth element that stronger to water element felt pressurized from the water magical energy.
“Still not ready?! Sorey?” Edna asked while the beast is attacking like a berserker and the high energy concentration in Sorey is noticed, Edna can’t it for a longer time.
“Right, ready now!Throughout all! Azure Assault!”
This is an arrow on the straining cord-ready to start, an arrow that gathers the blessings of nature and contains the thoughts and consciousness of Sorey. Sorey raised his bow and pulled the arrow on his left hand with the strain. Irregular energy is barely forced to be tightened and then turned into an arrow-shape. Now Sorey only looked at the giant wolf that is actually hellionized Velvet. Aiming at the wolf, and let go of the finger that had been grasping the tail of the arrow, the arrow finally leaves the cord.
A burst of wind followed with the arrow was shot for the moment, the light - illuminating around at a second, the light covered everything in the moment of release, too dazzling that people can not open their eyes to look directly. It is a huge burst of energy, even the archers are not able to stand against it, there is not enough power to fight the recoil. In the sudden energy burst, it is not easy to stabilize the body, Sorey stabilized his body with stumbling but he doesn’t see a long pit under his feet for the distance he stretched while stabilizing the body.
The arrow performs a beautiful projectile with the energy burst behind, it is shooting straightly to the giant wolf with the silver blessing of purification. The huge energy stimulates the arrow to fly like a shooting star, excessive energy is still propelling the flight of the arrow, and the mana particles are visualized as the orbit of the flight remains in the air.
The mono-track is then divided into twelve light arrows, stretching their light tails behind the turbulent tracks, flying spirally towards the target, pass through it at a point and fly to the beyond with the wolf.
The night sky that was originally covered by clouds was swept away by this force. After the attack of excessive power, it can still remain in place as a light column caused by the magical explosion that continues to work. The light column runs through the clouds, opening a hole in the sky, and the clouds surround this burning mana become the light band of the ‘sky hole’. The gleam of the stars and the moon spilled from the ‘hole of the sky’, and there was no cloud in the area to block the sight from the galaxy depicted by the starry sky in the night sky. The stars guided the arrival of destiny. This may be a miracle phenomenon.
However, after this attack, Sorey’s and Mikleo’s water armatus defused immediately. Perhaps the energy consumption is too large, it is a miracle that the energy gathers hundreds of times higher than normal. Even Sorey, who has become accustomed to long-time armatus, was forced to dispel the armatus after a blow because of the huge energy consumption. The strange thing is not only this one, after that, Sorey’s team is transfixed, like the soul is not guarding their bodies.
“What's happening?”Eleanor asked when she sees the case. She is attracted by Sorey’s fighting with determination, so she watched Sorey’s action until now. Perhaps that is same to others who think they are not able to interfere the fight.
The light is as static as the stagnant activity of the team just now, the whole team at the front line has stopped.
“It is a rare case, perhaps the excessive mana int the air reacts with the thought of Sorey to save Velvet. It is a phenomenon of soul resonance when carrying out purification with powerful thought, they may enter Velvet’s memory now.” Maotelus explained calmly.
“......................” Eleanor can’t deny that she is now being a little jealous to Sorey.
The light of the light column diminished, and the wolf stood up again. It also had sporadic silver inflammation, and immediately wanted to rush to attack Sorey, who had just launched a powerful attack on it. Whether it is from the will to survive or from the consciousness of Tartarus, it is perceived that Sorey is a threat. The previous strike has already indicated that Sorey is a strong force that cannot be ignored, so it is possible that Sorey becomes the object of elimination to the wolf, and now is the best time for the Sorey team is transfixed. At the same time, the silver flame awakened the consciousness of Velvet in deep in her mind from the effect of malevolence. Although the control of the body is no longer in her hands, in the deepest consciousness world, she began to want to regain control of the body. Now Tartarus can no longer control the wolf intently with actions, this body becomes a half-empty shell.
“I will fight!” Eleanor understand it is not hurting friends from Sorey’s performance but to cut down the time she in pain. For Sorey’s eyes full of determination, they ensured Eleanor that it must help Velvet. Thus she rushes out to face the beast, even if she is alone, she wants to protect Sorey’s team from this very vulnerable moment.
“How about you? Alpha.” Maotelus turned his head to the boy still observing the fight. Different to Beta, he was a Shepherd, so he has enough experience to handle such fight. Maotelus knows that he can’t provide great help during battle because of his pact, but he will try to guild those confused lost child on their way, that’s his responsibility as an Empyrean.
“I don’t have such power.” The boy answered.
“Is this not an excuse to run away?” Maotelus changed his tender tone into serious reprimand. Afterall, everyone is trying their best with their life, everyone, including Beta who is simply a human among those people. That’s why Maotelus is angered by the answer of the boy.
“I……….” When Alpha is still pondered for the answer, Beta, the ordinary human among all in the team, has rushed out to help the lone fighter in the battlefield. Knowing that she doesn’t possess the ability to hurt the hellion much without the help of pact forming, she still decides to fight with the hellion there. She knows she is the weakest one among the team as an ordinary human, yet she is familiar with the way to fight as the weak. To protect the weak points of herself while always searching and aiming at the weak points of the enemy, also rely on the stronger one when necessary. She slashes at the joint of the legs of the giant wolf, if a single slash is unable to make damage, then slashes multiple times until she catches the notice from the giant wolf. Eleanor catches the chance and performed a critical attack on the giant wolf.
Just by watching the scene, Alpha realized that he is too spineless when comparing to the inner strength Beta.
“Do you want to fight?” Maotelus asked as he sees the boy gets the answer.
“At least, I have to protect my little sister.”
He decided to fight, not as a shepherd but as a brother. It is the responsibility of a brother, he somehow feels shame that he can't teach his sister things but is taught by her now.
“I will cover you, go ahead.”
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In a blink of an eye, Sorey found himself in a different world, also a forest, but this one is full of autumn feature, a place surrounded with the maple forest, like the one that Velvet once mentioned of the forever autumn scenery in her hometown. Velvet rarely mentions her own things, but when talking about her hometown, there is always a kind of nostalgia with unspeakable sadness. Sorye doesn't know why, Maotelus has never elaborated.
By the fact they suddenly arrive a strange place, worry always come, Sorey concerns about his companions. Lailah, Mikleo, Zaveid and Edna are here but Eleanor, Maotelus, Alpha and Beta are not.
“Everyone!”
“Sorey!” Mikleo wants to ensure the safety of his dear friend
After looking around surrounding, Edna stated: “so Mao-boy is not here.”
Lailah: “Eleanor is also absent.”
Zaveid: “same for Alpha and Beta.”
Mikleo analyzed: “Seraphim here are all formed a pact with Sorey.”
Lailah added: “Possibly that the phenomenon is related to Sorey. It is rare but when the Shepherd wishes to save deeply, the purification may allow a chance to contact with the memory of the opponent, specifically for type of malevolence that is hard to be purified.
Edna sadly commented: “Something like despair, huh……”
Mikleo remembered things taught by Zenrus: “Gramps said that when there is an external flow of mana into body, there is a chance to see the memory.”
Zaveid: “I guess it is also caused by the mana explosion from that arrow, must say it is a pretty cool one.”
“So how about Alpha and Beta there.” Sorey worried about the ordinary humans in the reality now not with them.
“I am lying if I say I am not worrying, but Beta can take care of herself. Eleanor and Maotelus are also there, so I guess they will be fine.” Zaveid expressed his little worry and also confidence towards the girl.
“That’s great.”
“Always worrying about others huh, so I guess we will see sad memories here. I will always be with you. You can rely on me if you feel that you can't take it.” Mikleo said.
“Thanks, Mikleo, I will count on you.” Sorey smiled.
Without any guidance, they talk all the ways in the forest until Zaveid hears some noise. Walking forwards the source of noise, they see a girl just finished hunting, the girl is similar to Beta, no, she is similar to younger Velvet.
“Guess this amount is enough to buy Laphicet the madecine.” The girl looks a bit tired but she doesn’t care when she thinks of her little brother, that’s the young Velvet.
The girl continued to ignore people standing in front of her and keeping her pace in harvesting the preys. Maybe it is the sympathy to the animal, she didn’t kill all of the boar but to let them go. At that time, the girl hadn’t truly understood the pain of the one who is left because she still have Arthur and Laphicet there.
“Guess she really doesn’t see us.”
“And her face really looks like Beta.”
“Well, Beta is a clone as we know….Never thought of a day to see such expression from her, she is a beauty when smiling.” Zaveid commented while looking at the girl smiled for her ilttle brother.
“Yeah, Maotelus has told me that she is a loving sister.” Sorey added.
Suddenly, the left prickleboar hellionized and strike to attack the off-guarded Velvet.
“Watch out!” Sorey worried but then the hellionized prickleboar is then defeated by a fireball.
“Thanks, Lailah.” Sorey thought it is Lailah who helped the girl, forgetting here is the scene of memory.
“It is not me.” Lailah is confused.
“Who casted the seraphic arte then? I don’t see a person?” Mikleo asked.
“Maybe it is ghost~” Edna teased.
“You know, I am not Rose.” Mikleo sighed.
“May be it is because Velvet didn’t have enough resonance to see seraphim before so she can’t see the seraph there. Remind that here is her memory.” Lailah tried to find an explanation.
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“Pride and anxiety. Pity for the enemy. The thrill of victory...Your emotions ran too hot. That will let your downfall.” A man walked out behind a tree. Velvet looked down when she got the comment from the man who looks like Alpha, named Arthur.
Arthur then discussed with his seraph, Seres, for Velvet's characteristic, but it is clear that Velvet was not able to see Seraphim as Sorey’s team can’t see the seraph in the scene.
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Arthur then instructed her and help her like a teacher and a brother. Then, they see some moments between Velvet and his little brother. Sorey gasped, he had never seen Velvet smile, happily like that. He knew she bears much pain by her past, that is why her expression always in a gloomy tone. She never smiled from the heart. It was quite contrasted with the one he knows now.
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Neither Maotelus nor Velvet has told these memories to him exactly. Maotelus may have traveled with Velvet, but he may not fully know the Velvet before he met unless he saw the earthen historia. Thus he won't be able to tell all the things to Sorey.
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Now Sorey sees the Velvet he didn't know, the Velvet had not experienced the hell, fewer things to worry about, only a normal human wants her family to be happy. And he wants to protect the smile he has seen, he wants her to smile like that again, to catch her happiness again.
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Velvet's family lived harmoniously until the Scarlet Night.
Velvet woke in the Scarlet night. Seeing the village filled with daemons, she escaped and started worrying Laphicet as she saw no one in home but herself.
Her worry stopped when she sees Arthur stood aside with Laphicet in front of an old ruin with a big deep hole. The red moon shined bright behind them with the inauspicious atmosphere, the ominous feeling still stopped when she saw Arthur there. She believed in him, the one who saved her and her brother in the past Scarlet Night, the one who lived with her for almost ten years.
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However, the ominous feeling to the audience of the memory didn't stop.
“The shrine of tranquility......”Lailah stated as she remembered something.
“You know something? Lailah?” Mikleo asked.
“It belonged to a forbidden Empyrean……... It is a taboo within seraphim.” Lailah hesitated but still answered.
“Now the man is going to offer Velvet's little brother to the slept Empyrean,” Sorey stated the cruel fact. Everyone looked at him in shock. Sorey thought it is impossible for an Empyrean want that but it is the opposite, now he turned to accept it.
“Maotelus has told me that,” Sorey added to explain, all things in the memory had been roughly told by Maotelus in the 500 years of slumbering, stills it is heartbreaking to watch it with his own eyes. He thought he would feel heartbreaking every time he saw or hear it.
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The incident continued with Arthur killed and offered Laphicet to Innominat through the hole. Velvet managed to catch Laphi before he fell into the endless hole, she was hanging on the edge of the ruins.
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Velvet's face totally showing how unbelievable that Arthur is doing this, she thought that Arthur was protecting Laphicet. She couldn't stop Arthur pierced his sword to Laphicet's chest as Arthur's seraph stopped her. She managed to break through the shackle with her emotion but she still can't change the end.
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The audiences stood there sadly, they felt unbelievable too as they saw Arthur is a good person in the previous moment. It is not impossible, they just didn't see how he changed. Sorey wants to lend his hand to Velvet, but his hand passes through Velvet's hand.
“Sorry, Sorey, we are in memory. We can't do anything to change what happened.” Lailah felt sorry to say the fact.
“It's fine, Sorey. We are going to rescue her after this.” Mikleo placed his hand on Sorey’s shoulder to comfort his friend.
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The memory continued.
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“Let him go. This is an offering to the world.” Arthur said indifferently. Velvet struggled, still denying to accept what happened, denying that Laphicet is an offering, denying that Laphicet cannot be saved.
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“...I see you will not change.” Arthur took his sword, prepared to stab Velvet.
“Ever a slave to emotion.” Yes, he stabbed at Velvet.
The scene is too cruel that everyone looked away, they know Velvet's arm was cut and then she fell down the pit. Even if they don’t see that directly, the clear sound just indicated everything.
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A golden dragon with numerous heads fly out from the pit and disappeared in the sky. They looked into the pit to see if more thing is coming out. Then a woman is shooted out from the pit. It is the girl who fell into the hole, she stood with smoke surrounding her, something different, she possessed a daemon claw.
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The audiences are shocked and snapped open their eyes.
—————————————————————
Meanwhile, in the battlefield without Sorey’s team, there are 3 people resisting the giant wolf, the ex-shepherd, an ordinary human survived in the dark and a void-elemental seraph who lost her pact former. This is a very weak team combination, they can’t use strong power through armatus but only relying on attracting the target repeatedly with Maotelus’s assistance in healing to hold a long time.
Let’s not to say seraph Eleanor, the physical strength lost is huge for an ordinary human to continue attracting the monster as a bait, this is very obvious on Beta when the physical strength of females is always fewer. On the way to escape after acting as the bait, Beta runs slower because her significant drop in physical strength and the wolf almost catch her. She will be slammed by the claw of the wolf in the next moment but then Alpha immediately stretches his body to shield beta without a second thought. He thought that may not change anything but he knows he is gonna regret if he didn’t protect Beta.
With the consciousness to get seriously hurt, the damage doesn’t come but a warmth arrives.
“Regretful Thrust!” Zaveid swings his pendulum for three times with perfect projectiles towards the giant wolf and then jumps to bring the two to a safe place.
“Great that I didn’t arrive too late, that’s near. Rest and leave it to us now.” Zaveid patted heads of the two kids and watch the battlefield.
After ensured both kids are safe, Eleanor relaxed but also shows a chance to the werewolf. The werewolf slashed her with its claw and she can't dodge it after just noticed the attack.
“Eleanor!” Lailah cast 'Partner Blast' to form a fire swirl storm with herself and Eleanor as the center to form protection barrier and counter the attack.
“Looks like that the purification failed, Velvet is still a hellion, and the silver flame disappeared.”
“...We will try one more time!” Sorey said firmly when he felt the possibility of success from the phenomenon just happened and he doesn’t want to give up.
“Right! Let’s do this!”
“Luzrov Rulay!”
“Maelstrom!” artmatized Sorey cast water seraphic artes in the form of a steam storm to trap the werewolf.
“Guys! Back to our position!”
“Lailah......I want to help. Will you form the pact with me.....again?”Although Zaveid told him to rest, Alpha decided to fight. Alpha asked as he knew he can't help much like an ordinary human. In fact, Eleanor confronts the werewolf in most of the time when Sorey's team are out.
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“I am sorry. I have already formed the pact with Sorey, maybe let me think of another way....oh! You may form a squire pact first. Sorey, are you ok with this?” Lailah asked.
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“Sure. Let me think of his true name...OK, I will gladly form the squire pact with you, Alpha.”
“A new bud forms on the holy branch. Its flowers bring fruit. Its fruit begets seeds. The circle of destiny turns once more!” Lailah said the chant while taking both hands of Sorey and Alpha. Power surrounded Alpha give to him in the form of a sacred magical circle with 4 swords.
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“Give life unto the will of the Shepherd, and let it be proof of their bond. Thy true name as a Squire shall be:” Lailah waited for Sorey's answer.
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“Amfha mepebx(Alpha the living).” They smile at each other when they heard.
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“Happy to be your Squire, Sorey.”
“Me too, now, back to the field!”
“Right, Lailah, may I?”
“Sure.”
“Fethmas Mioma.” Alpha armatus with Lailah like Sorey forms armatus with Mikleo.
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“Divine Phoenix Blade.” Alpha summoned the great sacred sword and slash on the werewolf.
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“Calamity Flare.” He then cast to burn the beast in the fire.
However, he then hears the sound of swallowing, the flame is disappearing, they are absorbed by the wolf claw. It then released the energy as a burst of flame that its body is burning like its clothing.
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It curls its body into a ball and rushes straightly with a random path. The way it passed are burning by its flame, the whole forest is burning.
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“Tch, Maelstrom, trinity arrow.” Sorey cast the water storm to put out the fire and shot 3 successive arrows to the wolf.
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He then jumped and shoot powerful energy which then divided into five arrows, the wolf is shooted into the air. Sorey didn't let it take the time to counteract, he rushed towards and gives a striking punch with the blade on the bow, “Aqua Limit.”
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Then the wolf is burning in the purification flame again.
Sorey and his seraphim lost their consciousness again.
“Again?!” Eleanor exclaimed for the situation.
“So we can't use fire seraphic artes to it? Alpha confused when he saw that the wolf 'eat' his flame.
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“I don't think so, it didn't do it when Lailah cast barrier or explosion and it seems to suffer from the damage too.”
“So only long-lasting flame does not work then....Watch out, it is rushing to you!”
“Got it! Your fate is been set! Restrict your wicked act. Rine Slaughter.” Eleanor cast a water seraphic arte, although its strength may be lower than the original version cast by a water seraph, it is still effective to the monster of the fire element. The seraphic arte formed twelve ice lances and hit the beast into the air with the water storm cast beneath it. All lances are shoot towards the beast at the same time.
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The wolf turns its body and lets its tail to hit all the lances lost track and fell, it then rush towards Alpha.
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Alpha then slash the beast with his sword possessed the power of the flame.
“With the single strike, I will calm descent to your wrath.” He summoned numerous swords to strike through the beast. Then strike the beast in high speed from a different direction in a short moment, “Savage Wolf Fury!”
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The beast is hit into the air.
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“Here I come! Heya!” Eleanor strikes numerous hits in the second that the beast is still in the air and she strikes the final hit with a tornado cast. “Spiral Hail.”
After such a long battle, the beast shows no tiredness while they start feeling tired.
“Just how long will it stand?!”
“Arghhhhh-------!” The beast howl, so sad and angry, and it is powerful enough to shock and stop everyone's action in a moment.
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The beast is still burning in the silver flame, it rushes to strike in numerous directions to attack. Through all of its attack only hit the edge to its enemies and it crushes to break the tree every time.
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Eleanor watched and she finally got that the beast is hurting itself. Maybe the silver flame let it gets back a little humanity in its mind, but she cannot stop the beast to hurt itself as she is still fixed by the shock of the howl.
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The beast raised its claw smoothly and attacked its neck to destroy the metal collar. The collar exploded under the impact of the claw. The beast finally fell down, still burning in the silver flame. Eleanor cried as she sees its act, she knew, Velvet was trying to stop herself from hurting her friend by hurting herself.
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Sorey and his seraphim are inside Velvet's memory again. The scene continued from the moment she turned into a daemon.
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The girl climbed up from the ground with her red hot giant claw grow on her left shoulder. The area was surrounded by werewolf-daemon, they were approaching Arthur and Velvet.
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One of them pounced to Velvet, the girl used her claw to stop it without any hesitation. She slabs it onto the ground and consumed it. She did the same thing to all the werewolf surrounded her.
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“Arthurrrrr!!” She rushed toward Arthur while cleaning the path filled with these obstructive daemons.
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“Take a look around.” Arthur calmly said.
The girl hesitantly looked around her.
Collapse, the human collapse of the villagers lied everywhere, including her best friend Niko.
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“......uh!....uh!.........” Velvet is shocked and confused by the fact, that she has killed a whole village of villagers and she killed her best friend.
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Through she rushed towards Arthur then consumed by anger.
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“I, Artorius Collbrande, will end your pain,” Arthur said.
Seres cast a fire barrier to stop Velvet and slapped her onto the ground. Artorius said while prepared to pierce his sword to Velvet.
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“Why is that the birds fly? Behold my answer. Velvet.”
“Ar....thur.....”
“I ask no forgiveness. The sin is mine to bear.” He pierced his sword.
The scene ended with a shout of “Artorius!!” and a sound of bloody slashing. Sorey and his seraphim stunned by the scene, no one makes a comment.
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The scene changed, inside a circular cell. The period Velvet didn't tell to Sorey when she sat in that pit of darkness and fed for three years.
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At first, when the daemon is dropped down the pit, she refused to consume, she has refused to eat it. She has known that they were human. However, the daemon fight back, or else they will be killed. They were told that it is their job to feed the hungry daemon in the special lowest cell, they should be killed by that daemon and be eaten. The first daemon was sent there, he didn't want to die. He saw, it is just a little girl in front of him, she was sleeping, then it should be easy to kill. He raised his claw and planned to kill the girl. This severely hurt the girl, and she dodged all the following attack as she could while running inside the small cell, but only more wounds overlapping each other. At a point she felt her consciousness was losing, she knew she was going to die if she continued the fight like this. She used her daemon claw, slab him onto the ground easily and to consume him finally. Days by days, she realized it is a place she should show no mercy, she devoured the daemons to live.
The day is iterative, every day, the fed would be dropped from the ceiling, but sometimes, semi-human is dropped. Some of them just very young, just at the same age as her little brother. She hesitated, and refused to eat again. Artorius was there, watched on the top silently. He told the exorcist guard not to feed any of the food before Velvet consumed the kid.
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“Why would he do this?!” Sorey and Mikleo are terrified by the scene before their eyes continuously and now Artorius did something more unacceptable.
“...Maybe he wants Velvet to be cold, separated from her emotion, what he thought to be the best in the past.” Edna guessed as she remembered the scene when Arthur instructed her to show no mercy to the enemy. And he was a brother, she supposes Artorius still had a little feeling to Velvet that he couldn't completely shut it off.
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“He was just destroying her humanity!” Lailah exclaimed terribly.
“One thing to be glad that the Velvet I knew hasn't lost her humanity, after all these hell,” Zaveid stated while pretending to be indifferent. Sorey agreed with Zaveid when remembering the Velvet he knew from both Maotelus and the reality.
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Velvet stayed to maintain her reason against the increase in hunger. The little kid didn't fight back, he rolled up into a ball at a corner as Velvet told him not to approach her.
She had bitten herself and taste the blood from the wound to reduce her hunger, but this only made her hungrier. She rolled into a ball to prevent the further loss of energy.
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Under hunger, she lost track of time, she heard someone stomach growling, not herself, but the boy there. The guard had not to throw food since they threw down the boy. Then the next growling, this one from her. She is tired and starts losing consciousness again.
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“Still didn't eat him yet?” The guard discussed.
“You are going to die if you don't eat.” The kind guard reminded.
“.....Why must I eat this kid?” Velvet asked back weakly.
“He cannot back to his normal life anyway, after the experiment.” The guard answered.
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Velvet didn't show a response, instead, she slept, or say, fainted by hunger.
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Next time she opened her eyes, the boy was there, said: “Just eat me.” There was no hope in his eyes, he knew he won't get any foods and either the lady in front of him. It was his job to feed her, now, he accepted his fate, just not to die with the hunger.
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She still hesitated, she covered her eyes with her right hand to prevent herself from thinking the boy is delicious. She thought it was wrong, but her left-hand unconsciously transformed into the daemon claw.
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Her claw approach the boy, she cried “ No!” but her body is consumed by hunger and the wish to survive. At last, she did it again, like how she consumed the first daemon.
“.....I.....need to live.” She stated silently, now she is alone in the cell again.
From this moment, she shows no hesitation to devour anymore, sometimes she consumed the daemon just when the daemon is dropped.
She is tired, she is hungry, and she is a monster.
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Sorey, Lailah and Mikleo eyes filled with tears, while Zaveid and Edna just show their back with umbrella to hide their emotion. They turned into reality again, now they see the werewolf seriously injured with the broken metal collar next to it. Alpha is shocked and Eleanor is crying. Maotelus sadly watched all the thing happened.
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“What's happened?” Sorey asked. He got the answer from Eleanor.
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Even when she turned into a mindless hellion, she had tried to maintain herself and protected her friends, just like what he saw in her memory. Sorey approached and got down on one knee.
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“.....I will accept all your malevolence and will surely save you! Here, purify! Haaa---------!” Sorey continued the purification, and this time Eleanor and Maotelus help to strengthen the flame too.
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They all entered the last memory, they see Velvet be forced to obey to Tartarus in the Scarlet Night and be ordered to destroy the Tewks village she lived with Sorey for 2 months. They see her trying to rescue the victims as she could. Finally, they see her be forced to fight with Sorey. After that, she escaped, until Tartarus's word broke her final reason.
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“You are the lord of Calamity, an unwanted monster.” Just this, to judge her origin, she can't change it no matter how much she tried. The scene ended with a torn crying of the beast.
The memory ended, and Sorey entered a white space, in space very similar to the space he was in slumber with Maotelus.
“Where am I again?” Sorey asked and looked around, this time, no one with him here.
“Greeting. This is the first time a guest come here not by any invasive move.” A female voice stated.
“......Is that an appreciation?”
“Yes, it is. You are the Shepherd, aren’t you?” A female appeared from nowhere talked.
The female appears with tied red hair with white hints at the end, dressing a white dress in the theme of the butterfly.
“.....Yes, I am. Are you the seraph helped Velvet once?” Sorey is confused about the female in front of him but he is sure that she has a request to him. He guesses she is a fire seraphim by the appearance of the female, and thinking of seraphim that related to Velvet, Sorey thought of the invisible seraph ‘appeared’ with Arthur in Velvet’s memory.
“Yes….My name is Seres, but now I am just a fragment of a soul. Why would you know?” Seres is surprised that Sorey guesses it right in the first time.
“Haha…..just my instinct to things. Is Velvet an important person to you?” Sorey thought this place may be a place that related to Velvet as he entered this space during the purification of Velvet. Sorey wonders if the female is an important person to Velvet when she is being in the space.
“Kind of….We had lived together for 7 years though she could not see me that time, she is like my little sister. Yet, I am not able to watch over her soon.” Seres said while her image is kinda fading.
“You are…..disappearing!!” Sorey exclaimed when he sees the phenomenon.
“Yes, because I am only a fragment soon disappear in here, this is the reason for me to be here……. To request you to watch over Velvet.” The female stated.
“...........I will, for sure.” Sorey ensured the female.
“You don’t ask for more.” Seres stated.
“Because that is what I want to do too, you can leave it to me.”
“Glad that Velvet has someone like you......I can be at peace now.” The female disappeared with the light shining brightly in the space.
When Sorey awake and back to reality again, he sees everyone here around him and Velvet is turned back in human form, lying next to him. Her neck is seriously hurt that it appeared bloody to taint the surrounding area with red but the blood somehow stopped. Seems the seraphim here have done their best to heal the girl, but everyone filled with a complex and sad expression after seeing the memory.
“Welcome back. I'm glad that you live.” Sorey stated and carried Velvet on his back like the first day he met her.
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A.N.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2nFcegZkv
I am really sorry that it takes me so long to update the chapter because I have just started to have my full-time worker’s life. It has done a long time ago but I always think it can be better, especially for the part of the fight. This is the longest battle I have ever written, although it is not an exciting battle and most of the time is memories. So far there are many people involved in the fight, I can’t describe them well but at least to make them contribute conversations. I hate to write a fight with many people, but this is an important fight, I have to try.....For a chapter that Velvet still not here, I have to continue writing about the relationship of other characters, I am not good at it but I tried to achieve that by adding a lot of conversation even in the battle. Guess many people skip the fight, so I guess conversations between may help change this a little bit relax. So Sad that I still can’t fully convert the fighting reference into words so most of the move still from imagination. That’s why I decided to put most of the effort to describe the scene of shooting the arrow, that’s a scene referred from TOZX the animation, after all, this fight is kinda important too.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLNjvanCH4
Hmm, yeah, very memory fuels abusing again, I referred some scene from the anime and the setting of parts of the memory in the cell referred from “The Second Chance” on AO3 by the way. Hope you enjoy the chapter.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxdhTgdcFh
