Drakengard Anomaly: The Tale of an Angel and an Intoner

We flew over the Cathedral City, passing through its gigantic walls and observing its worn gray buildings touching the sky like a sea of towers.

The weak sunlight passed through the cloudy sky, reflecting on the few intact windows of the buildings, creating small bright points on the skyscrapers.

The worn asphalt streets below showed the passage of time, with their signs erased while rusty cars slowly turned into dust thanks to the weather.

The smaller buildings were nothing more than ruins, houses, businesses, small buildings, and many more. They were a pile of unrecognizable rubble scattered around the outskirts of the city in the end.

I saw some points of interest that reminded me of home and brought me feelings of longing and nostalgia, the remains of a hospital, a shopping mall falling apart, and a large park full of trees. I think I still miss the life I left behind.

The lack of crowds going about their daily lives and cars honking in traffic jams disturbed me a little. There was still occasional noise in Tokyo even though it was falling apart.

If I did not know how important this place was, I would have thought that Cathedral City was nothing more than a ghost town.

This brings me to the first thing we noticed when we arrived in the city, the Cathedral City was strangely empty, there was no one in the streets or buildings, I expected guards to sound an alert or something, but there was nothing.

The second thing was that the Cathedral City did not fit in with the current era, as it was a metropolis full of skyscrapers trapped in a medieval land.

Seriously, how the hell did a 21st-century city end up here? It probably came from another world just like me and brought monsters and magical beings with it.

This raises a series of questions. According to history books, the appearance of the Cathedral City brought magic to this world.

Does this mean that Cathedral City came from a world where humanity and magical beings evolved together naturally?

Alternatively, does the Cathedral City hop from one world to another, absorbing some of the cultures of other worlds before moving on to the next?

On the other hand, perhaps the Cathedral City exists in Midgard, but in the future, and went back in time somehow. Bringing with it all the magical beings that will appear at some point. Is this all just a time loop?

However, in the end, one question prevails above all others. Where did Cathedral City come from?

"Is there something bothering you, false dragon?" Gabriella asked curiously.

"N-no, why the question?" I stuttered, snapping out of my thoughts.

"You made a lot of faces; it looked like your head would explode from thinking too much." Gabriella responded with amusement in her voice.

"It's nothing… I'm just familiar with the Cathedral City in more ways than one." I muttered, focusing on the buildings below, trying to forget my previous thoughts.

Nevertheless, I frowned and gritted my teeth when I spotted a familiar crater in the distance. I clenched my fists tightly and took a deep breath, trying to dispel the anger burning in my chest.

"I feel like you are hiding something from all of us, but this is not the time for discussion, the Mercury Gate is close." Gabriella spoke suspiciously, as she pointed her head toward the small cathedral ahead.

I squinted at this sight; I expected something grander after reading so many books glorifying the cathedral that was named the city. The cathedral was nothing more than a small gray stone church with stained glass windows in the center of a tiled courtyard.

"Are you sure that's the cathedral?"

"Yes, I have been here with Lord Bass during his rare trips, I can say for sure that this is the famous cathedral!" Partition screamed in fright, clinging to Gabriella's body.

"I was talking to the dragon." I responded with barely contained anger, making Partition swallow hard and shut up as he looked away.

"ALAN!" The girls scolded me while Gabriella laughed at the situation.

"Changing the subject, don't you think the city is strangely empty?" I asked everyone, ignoring the reprimand.

The girls may trust Partition, but I know he uses us for something. We kill his boss and he joins us without thinking twice? I am not naive.

I just hope I can chop his head off before he gets what he wants.

Hm... I wonder if I can drop it from up here and make it look like an accident. Could Gabriella catch him before he hit the ground?

I widened my eyes slightly at what I thought. Am I seriously planning to murder someone? I... I let go of some of my morals, didn't I?

How many people have I cut into pieces without thinking twice? How many times have I chosen the more violent option without caring?

No, no, you are wrong, Alan! You are just tired, that is right just tired! A lot has happened and this place brought back bad memories, you just need to complete your objective and get some rest, and then everything will get better.

"Alan!" Someone shouted, catching my attention.

Looking towards the source of the voice, I saw the girls, Noir and Rubrum staring at me worriedly.

"What?"

"Are you well?" One asked.

"Yes… As I said before, I am familiar with Cathedral City and let's just say I don't have any good memories about this place." I sighed, looking away.

A few uncomfortable seconds passed, as the girls exchanged hesitant glances before One responded with a nervous smile.

"Oh! I see… Don't worry; we will open the Mercury Gate and leave as quickly as possible, we will not stay here any longer than necessary." One spoke, trying to comfort me.

"Thank you One." I responded with a shaky smile, but judging by her grimace, she did not believe my words.

"Alan…" One murmured, extending her hand towards me.

I looked around, searching for something to get me out of this awkward situation, and luckily, I found it.

"Oh, look at this, we're here!" I shouted, interrupting One.

Then I closed my wings and dove towards the cathedral below, ignoring the surprised screams of the group behind me and approaching the building.

There was no one guarding such an important location, it was a trap, but what kind?

I spread my wings again, slowing my fall, and flapped them repeatedly, hovering close to the ground before carefully landing on the ground.

Gabriella landed abruptly soon after, cracking the ground with her weight, followed by a crash and a cloud of dust.

Finally, Noir and Rubrum approached, floating next to me, but I felt they noticed something bothered me.

"What's wrong with you, false dragon? You act carelessly, an attitude opposite to what you showed yesterday." Gabriella asked irritably, crouching for Partition and the girls to get off her.

"Gabriella is right, Lord Alan. Does something bother you? I believe I know what the problem is, but…" Noir asked worriedly, but I interrupted him.

"Can we… Can we talk about this after we get what we came for, whatever that is?" I responded, trying to calm their concerns.

"Hump! If that's what you want, I showed my concern and you denied it, don't come complain to me later!" Gabriella huffed arrogantly, looking away, but I noticed her staring at me out of the corner of her eyes.

"We're available if you want to talk about it, Rubrum and I don't like this place either, we don't want to stay here any longer than necessary." Noir spoke gently as Rubrum nodded and floated around me.

I patted both books while smiling slightly in gratitude, Noir stuttered in embarrassment as Rubrum rubbed herself against my hand.

Therefore, our group walked towards the cathedral and the large set of stairs leading underground in the courtyard was the first thing we noticed.

Noir, Rubrum, the girls, and I exchanged a determined look and headed down the stairs with me leading the group while Gabriella stayed outside, as she was too big to enter.

I reached my hand towards Noir as he opened his pages, revealing the handle of my axe; I held the weapon in both hands, as I looked around, searching for any sign of a trap.

The girls did the same, descending the stairs with careful steps and looking around with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

Partition, on the other hand, seemed too calm about the situation and walked down the stairs with a smile on his face.

If the Cathedral City did not match Midgard, then the Mercury Gate did not match the Cathedral City, this place was well preserved, a contrast to the ruins outside.

Everything around us seemed to be made of white, polished marble, the stairs, the wall, the pilasters supporting this place, the ceiling, even the support for the lit torches for some reason.

As if that was not strange enough, all of the spots I mentioned earlier were engraved with glowing red symbols, the angelic alphabet.

"Sisters, get ready, we don't know what awaits us." One said seriously.

"One is right; this is too easy for my liking." I spoke in a similar tone.

"Where do you think the guards are?" Two asked.

"Maybe we got there first then everyone else." Five suggested.

"That's impossible; the Lords wouldn't leave this place unprotected!" Four exclaimed.

"We entered the lion's den, so what awaits us, life, death, or something worse?" Three spoke emotionlessly, scaring her sisters.

Our conversation echoed down the stairs, along with the girls' frightened exclamations and my laughter...

"Your concerns are not unfounded, Cathedral City was full of guards the last time I was here and that wasn't long ago. Where are the guards and Lords, and what are they planning?" Partition spoke thoughtfully as he adjusted his glasses.

...But I muttered an insult as soon as Partition opened his mouth.

We reached the end of the staircase without any problems, and we saw something worrying. 

There was a large destroyed stone gate in front of us, followed by another in a similar state just behind, with a final gate covered in inscriptions on the other side of the room. This must be the Mercury Gate.

Two sensations overcame me; the first was that something was wrong. As I said before, this was too easy.

The second sensation was difficult to explain, an overwhelming hunger took over me as soon as my feet touched the end of the stairs and I set my eyes on the large gate on the other side of the room.

I immediately fell to my knees, holding my growling stomach.

"ALAN/LORD ALAN!" Noir and the girls screamed.

I heard their hurried footsteps surrounding me as Noir and the girls screamed my name. Soon all the noise was drowned out and my vision blurred except for the gate in front of me.

The hunger got worse the more I looked at the gate, but it was not just that, there was a wonderful, delicious smell emanating from there. Was there food on the other side?!? Was that what the gate hid?!?

It did not matter, the hunger screamed louder, clouding my thoughts. It was as if I had not eaten in days, I felt like I was starving!

Whatever was on the other side of the gate was nothing more than food to me, and I wanted to devour it, it was calling me! I could not wait to see what I would find! All my senses screamed to open the gate, even if I had to tear it apart!

SLAP!

A sudden pain in my face took me out of my thoughts, my vision and hearing returned to normal and I saw the girls and One with her hand raised looking at me worriedly.

"What?" I muttered, looking around confused.

Three was the first to act and poked me repeatedly, asking if I was hurt, meanwhile, Noir asked question after question.

"Lord Alan, what happened? Are you well? Are you hurt? Are you…" I raised my hand, asking Noir to stop.

Looking around again and letting out a tired sigh, I stood up on shaky legs and picked up my ax, ignoring the girls' worried exclamations.

"You don't need to worry, I'm fine!" I spoke in a happy tone while smiling at everyone, but it did little to calm them down.

"Maybe you should wait outside, you have been acting strange since we entered the city. This place isn't doing you any good." Partition suggested, pointing to the top of the stairs with his thumb.

I resisted the urge to punch him in the face. Leaving the annoying mage aside, I walked toward the Mercury Gate with shaky steps.

"Lord Alan, I'm sorry for my careless words, but there is something wrong with you!" Noir exclaimed floating next to me as Rubrum nodded with each word.

"Noir is right, Alan, maybe you should rest and leave the rest to us?" Five spoke.

"Are you sick?" Two asked.

I responded negatively to both questions, but the girls did not give up on their concerns.

"I'm sorry for hitting you." One said embarrassedly, walking past her sisters and stopping beside me.

"Don't worry, I needed it." I responded without taking my eyes off the gate.

"Are you going to tell us what's wrong?"

"There is nothing wrong with me, but with the gate."

"The gate…" One muttered, looking at the large construction in front of us.

We stopped in front of the Mercury Gate, a large white stone gate covered in bright red inscriptions.

"Yes, you have the best senses here, don't you? Can't you smell that?"

"No. Tell me, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes. Why the question?"

"You're salivating." One said, pointing to my face.

I brought my hand towards my mouth and saw that it was covered in saliva; I quickly wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my coat before One asked any more questions.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

One looked at me with a mixture of hesitation and concern, but soon focused on the gate in front of her and slowly extended her hand towards the construction.

Meanwhile, I analyzed the inscriptions on the gate, most were in the angelic alphabet and made no sense, but there was a phrase in the center of the gate that stood out compared to the others.

Having studied the angelic alphabet finally came to some use, as I quickly translated the words written on the gate.

"Do not open."

I widened my eyes and immediately reached out towards One, but I could not stop her from touching the gate.

One's eyes widened as her breathing quickened and her arm visibly shook. One removed her trembling hand from the gate and stood still as if in a trance.

"One!" I shouted, placing a hand on her shoulder.

The girl jumped in surprise and turned towards me with a scared face, but sighed in relief when she saw me.

"What's the problem?" I asked, shaking her shoulder lightly.

"N-nothing, there's no problem!" One replied, looking away.

"One, you're not fooling anyone here, there's something wrong with the gate and... Rubrum!"

My senses screamed again, this time as I felt a wave of magic and someone's murderous intent. Rubrum quickly placed herself in front of the sisters and created a magic barrier, blocking the blow from something.

I heard a high-pitched buzzing noise and saw a bright light accompanied by the bang of an explosion followed by a smoke cloud.

When the smoke cleared, Partition was gone, how convenient, and there was a trio of people in front of us with a magical portal closing behind each one.

One of them held a golden spear with a black orb on its handle, probably the person who attacked us.

He was a middle-aged man with tanned skin, a thin physique, blond hair and beard, and blue eyes.

He wore a long dark green coat with white fluffy edges, white pants, brown boots, and a gold ring on each finger.

The man walked away, twirling the spear in his hands as he smiled arrogantly.

The second person was a child, a boy with fair skin, light green hair, and blue eyes.

He wore a similar attire to the man, a dark green cape with golden edges, a large white frilly collar, a black shirt, white pants, and brown boots.

The boy smiled sadistically, assuming a fighting stance and raising a small magical shield with his right arm while his left hand glowed with magic.

The last person I knew very well and the sight of her made me boil with rage.

A woman with fair skin, green eyes, and long purple hair tied into a large ponytail.

The woman wore a white, purple, and ruffle-covered nobleman's dress, while she held a black fan in her right hand and a long-bladed whip in her left hand.

The woman hid her smug smile behind her fan before cracking her whip and approaching us with proud steps.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here! Alan, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Caerula spoke casually as if meeting an old friend.

If she is here, then I assume the man is Gray, and the boy is his "son," Shaxor.

"Alan, do you know her?" One asked rushing to my side with her sisters and assuming fighting stances.

"Let's say she and I have a history." I responded seriously, squeezing the handle of my ax and making the metal creak.

"But what a cold answer, we got along so well, I wonder what changed." Caerula responded with mock sadness, recoiling while clutching her chest.

"So you mean this is the magic user you locked in the institute?" Gray asked, pointing his spear at me while staring in disgust.

"Yes, but he looks different than I remember." Caerula responded, tilting her head in confusion.

"Is this the mysterious angel who destroyed the institute and a part of the Cathedral City? Hey, mister angel, let's play!" Shaxor exclaimed excitedly, jumping in his place.

"Well, all three remaining lords are here, what do you want?" I asked, stepping forward and raising my ax while Noir and Rubrum prepared their spells.

"We want something simple, all of you dead! You dared to kill Bass, you almost defeated my right-hand man, and now you are trying to open the Mercury Gate and steal what belongs to us. At first, I thought about bringing back my old proposal and asking if you would like to serve me, killing so many magic users would be a waste of talent. But considering all the trouble you've caused us, I believe we should get rid of you."

Caerula replied, her friendly tone changing immediately as she took on a frustrated face.

"HAHAHA! I find this funny, after all, we outnumber you, we have a dragon waiting for us outside and Bartas is not here! How do you expect to kill us?"

"That is true, unfortunately, Bartas disappeared when trying to open the Mercury Gate, but he will arrive soon."

CRASH!

"RRROOOAAAARRR!"

Suddenly, the entire room shook accompanied by Gabriella's roars echoing in the distance.

"Well, it's about time!" Caerula exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear.

Simultaneously, a small army of mages and soldiers wearing armor and carrying various types of weapons descended the stairs and surrounded us.

"And let's just say we're not outnumbered!" Caerula continued, maintaining her arrogant smile.

"This… This… This is hilarious! It is the funniest thing I have seen in my entire life! Is this some kind of joke?" I screamed holding my stomach as I laughed with all my strength.

Looking around, I glimpsed the girls staring at me disconcerted by my actions.

"I don't think you understand the situation…" Caerula spoke seriously, but I raised my hand, interrupting her as I leaned on my axe.

"HAHAHA! That was good; I think you are the one who does not understand the situation here! Do you think I am the same as before?!? That I am the same restrained and patient person who doesn't want problems?!? No, no, you are wrong! I thought about getting revenge on all of you for a long time, but I knew that was not the right path. Killing you would not make me feel better and would create a power vacuum, causing more chaos in Midgard. I contented myself with living a peaceful life, but…"

I glanced at the girls next to me.

"…But the situation has changed, recent events have forced me to be more proactive, and now that you are all here, I can rid Midgard of one of its biggest problems, whatever comes next isn't my problem!"

"HA! You speak with certainty for someone about to die!" Caerula laughed smugly, cracking her whip.

"And you speak with certainty for someone about to lose their head!" I responded, slamming my ax onto the floor with a metallic crunch that reverberated through the room.

The Lords and Caerula fell silent at my defiance, likely disappointed at the failure of their intimidation tactic. Caerula made a frustrated grimace that soon changed to a cruel smile.

"Well, at least you act braver than that little pink-eyed bitch!" Caerula replied, hiding her smile with her fan.

"Excuse me; I don't think I heard you right. What did you say?" I asked, poking my ear and leaning towards Caerula.

"Didn't you hear me? That pink-eyed whore was nothing more than a nuisance to me, honestly, seeing her tortured was not entertaining at all, she gave up too easily. This lack of attitude probably led her to one of my brothels where she finally served some purpose. Looks like she found her talent in pleasing men. That is why you kept her around, isn't it? You took care of her and in return, she warmed your bed, right? What won't men do for a pretty face?"

I stood still as I processed Caerula's words, my breath quickened, my heartbeat fastened, and my teeth ground together audibly as an annoying high-pitched ringing sounded in my ears.

I do not think I have ever felt so angry in my entire life, no; angry was not the right word. Rage, hate, anything but anger, anger could not describe what I currently felt.

It was a strange sensation, I felt a strong grip on my chest, and I felt the desire to destroy something violently. I wanted to rage and never stop.

Honestly, I do not think I have ever hated anyone in my life, until now. Caerula, you crossed the line.

"Alan?" One called me, lightly pulling my coat.

"YES?" I asked, turning around quickly and giving the girl my best smile.

Her eyes widened as she walked away from me with a terrified face. Was there a problem? Oh, the number of enemies in front of us must scare her!

I crouched down in front of One while reaching my hand towards her head, for some reason she did not stop shaking and kept the same scared face.

"Don't worry One, stay with your sisters and leave the bad guys to me." I spoke friendly, patting One's head.

"A-alan, y-you don't t-need to fight, a-alone!" One stuttered.

"No, no, no, no, no, let the adults here talk. Why don't you play with your sisters a little bit?" I responded, poking the tip of One's nose and making her stagger back. Then I stood up and turned towards the lords.

"No more running away, reacting, and ignoring my problems, I'm tired of it! It is time to take the initiative it is time... It is time to do something worthwhile... Even if, deep down, I am not proud of what I do... And what I've become."

"What nonsense are you…" Caerula muttered disconcertedly, but I did not allow her to finish.

I extended my hand forward and Noir and Rubrum cast their spells, Noir fired five magical spears towards the Lords while Rubrum sent a barrage of magical orbs.

The soldiers surrounding us tried to advance, but Noir cast a spell and caused a wall of stakes to come out of the ground, impaling some of the soldiers and preventing the others from advancing.

The spells closed the distance at high speed, temporarily becoming black and red blurs in the air.

Caerula's eyes widened behind her fan, she would not be able to dodge it in time.

"Caerula!" Shaxor shouted, leaping in front of the woman and creating a large, golden magical shield.

Unfortunately for me and fortunately for Caerula, Shaxor moved faster and blocked the spells. The spears shattered into dark fragments while the orbs exploded in a red light followed by a smoke cloud.

When the smoke cleared, I saw that the spells had cracked the magical shield, almost destroying it. Without wasting time, I raised my axe, flapped my wings, and charged at the magic shield, quickly closing in the distance.

Shaxor and Caerula retreated in surprise, Caerula swung her fan, creating a magical sigil in the air and casting a large fireball towards me, Rubrum cast a red magical barrier in front of us, easily blocking the attack.

However, the tip of a spear approaching my face stopped my advance; I planted my feet on the ground and swung the handle of my axe, changing the spear's trajectory upwards.

The black orb on the spear's handle spun rapidly before shooting a magical blast toward the ceiling, causing part of it to collapse.

Gray and I retreated in opposite directions as large chunks of rubble and clouds of dust fell toward us, cracking the floor with loud booms that echoed off the walls.

Sunlight entered the underground room, illuminating the environment and burning part of my body. My fight against Bartas left my clothes in tatters; I knew this would become a problem.

I left those thoughts behind as I saw Shaxor transforming his magical shield into a wall of golden particles before sending them toward me with a swing of his hand.

The particles rushed forward like a wall of golden bullets but never reached their target as Noir stepped in front of me and cast a spell.

The luminous points stopped mid-flight and came together in front of Noir's pages, where they were absorbed and transformed into a large dark orb that shot toward the Lords soon after.

Caerula swept past Shaxor with an angry growl and wrapped her whip in lightning with a flick of her wrist, striking precisely at the advancing orb.

The orb broke in two mid-flight, diverting its trajectory and hitting the walls on both sides of the room, generating a deafening explosion and leaving two craters behind.

Gray advanced while his son fired magical beams towards me, Rubrum created a magical barrier in front of me, easily blocking the attacks.

Simultaneously, Gray used his spear as a jumping pole and passed over the barrier, landing in a crouch behind me, before standing up and trying to pierce my neck.

I leaned to the side, dodging the attack, and swung my axe, trying to cut Gray in two before he fired another blast. The Lord clicked his tongue in frustration before retreating, dodging my attack that cracked the ground.

However, I did not stop there, I spun my body, dragging my ax across the ground, and made a diagonal cut, simultaneously throwing a shower of marble fragments towards the lord.

Gray was quick enough to dodge the blow but the fragments hitting his face blinded him, giving me enough time to kick him hard in the chest.

Gray screamed in pain as the crack of his ribs echoed through the room before he flew away until his back hit the Mercury Gate.

Gray stood up on shaky legs, holding his injured chest as blood dripped from his mouth, but the Lord's attention shifted to the five little girls surrounding him.

"No, don't even think about it! This fight is mine!" I shouted at the girls while pointing at Gray with my axe.

The sisters nodded nervously before moving away to the corners of the room. I do not know what kind of expression I had to scare them like that, but I will have to apologize later.

"Come on, what you are waiting for?!? The fight is not over! Weren't you going to kill us all?!?" I demanded, swinging my axe.

"FATHER!" I heard Shaxor scream.

Turning my head, I saw a series of magical beams coming toward me, but Rubrum intercepted the attack while Noir accumulated magic and fired five large magical projectiles at Shaxor.

Shaxor raised his magic shield again, blocking four of the five projectiles, but each of the attacks cracked the magic shield more and more until the last one finally passed through the defense.

"AAAHHH!" Shaxor screamed in pain as he flew away after the last projectile destroyed his shield with an explosion, but Caerula ran towards the boy and caught him before he hit the ground.

"You bastard!" Gray shouted becoming the focus of my attention.

"Weird, I thought your son was the bastard here." I replied.

The Lord raised his left hand, creating a magic sigil in the air and casting a spell. Suddenly, the marble floor rose, creating a dome around me and enveloping me in darkness.

"Noir, get us out of here."

"But of course, Lord Alan."

Noir created a series of magical circles around us and a large dark spike shot out from within each circle, piercing the marble dome before spinning like a saw, destroying the dome.

When the dust settled, I saw Gray charging towards me with teeth clenched in anger. The Lord tried to pierce my stomach with his spear, but I moved faster and pinned his spear against the ground between the two blades of his axe.

I heard the sound of fighting behind me, turning my head, I saw Noir fighting Caerula while Rubrum exchanged magical attacks against Shaxor.

Noir created two hands and exchanged blows with Caerula, trying to punch and crush her while the Lord tried to strike Noir with her whip or burn him with fireballs.

Rubrum bombarded Shaxor with a rain of magical orbs, and Shaxor returned the attack in the same coin with a barrage of shining magic beams, but both parties were unable to gain an advantage.

Putting that aside, I stepped forward and punched Gray in the face; I felt an overwhelming joy when I heard his nose breaking.

The Lord screamed in pain but remained focused on the fight and pressed a button on the handle of his spear, causing the black orb to spin again.

I flapped my wings, releasing the Lord's weapon and escaping the explosion that appeared shortly afterward. Gray advanced through the smoke cloud left by the explosion and delivered a barrage of attacks towards me.

Nevertheless, it was nothing I could not handle, I stepped back, dodging a blow aimed at my stomach, and I jumped to the side shortly after, dodging a trust aimed at my heart.

However, I stopped my dodge when I felt something holding me in place, looking down, I saw a small marble dome enveloping each of my feet.

Gray smiled arrogantly as he thrust the spear toward my chest.

"Lord Alan, be careful!" I heard Noir scream.

Looking at the source of the book's concerns, I spotted a large fireball coming towards me, I also saw Caerula smiling with her fan pointing at me before dodging Noir's punches.

Hm…. That is it. I shrugged and turned into darkness, freeing my feet and dodging the fireball. Gray was not so lucky and the spell hit in squarely, the resulting explosion throwing him away.

Leaving the Lord behind, I approached Caerula still in my dark form and dodged the fireballs she sent my way, but she stopped her attack to dodge Noir's blows.

I took advantage of an opening when Caerula jumped back and I returned to my physical form, catching her by surprise with a punch to the chin. I could have ended the fight right there, but I wanted to enjoy this moment.

Caerula screamed in rage as she swung her whip towards me, I turned into darkness again, dodging the attack, and swung my ax towards her as I returned to physical form.

I hit Caerula on her left side with the flat of my axe; I heard her bones creak from the blow. I delivered another slap with my ax soon after, causing her body to spin as she staggered away.

Therefore, I repeated the process, left, right, left, right, pushing Caerula away with each strike, I watched as she tried to stand only to fall again.

She looked horrible, her hair was messy, her clothes were torn and stained with blood, and the injured areas were purple, swollen, and bleeding.

For a moment, I no longer found myself in a large marble hall, but in a tiny, dark cell, but this time I was not the one with my back against the wall.

Caerula backed away with shaky steps as blood dripped from her mouth, I noticed her eyes scanning her surroundings for an exit until she smiled as she focused on something in my general direction.

Suddenly, the room shook as a thunderous noise reverberated through the walls. Turning around, I raised an eyebrow in surprise upon seeing a stonewall advancing towards me.

"Noir!"

"Right!"

I pulled my arm back as Noir cast a spell; four Dark Hands came out of the book and punched the stonewall, creating a rain of rubble.

A half-burnt Gray jumped out of this rain and tried to pierce me as he fell, I used the handle of my ax to block the blow, but Gray used his spear as a jumping pole again and passed above me, landing next to Caerula.

The Lords stood side by side again and stared at me with a variety of emotions, surprise, anger, concern, and others that I could not identify.

"This isn't fun, Mister Angel is scary! I don't want to play anymore!" Shaxor exclaimed stepping back frightened.

"Caerula, are you sure this is the same guy you locked in the institute? He is too strong to have been captured so easily." Gray muttered worriedly as he held his injuries.

"Hm… According to the survivors of the institute, the magical books and he escaped from their prisons somehow and killed everyone they saw. I have no idea how this happened, or how he acquired this bizarre appearance and became so strong." Caerula replied seriously, wiping the blood from her mouth.

"Oh, you didn't know? You can thank Bartas for that!" I bragged as I opened my arms.

"What?!?" Caerula demanded, frowning and gripping her fan tightly.

"That's right! Bartas returned to my cell after you introduced us and made me a proposal. He would free me and in return, we would fight to the death, he was not that loyal to you! He just followed you because he had nothing better to do!"

My comments affected Caerula more than expected, she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly while looking around with fury on her face, Shaxor and Gray glanced at Caerula, waiting for her reaction.

"GGGRRR! Kill them! Kill them all, don't leave anyone alive!" Caerula screamed angrily, crushing her fan in her hands.

The soldiers hesitated for a moment as they exchanged a nervous glance, probably due to my small display of power.

"Noir, undo the spell." I said to the book next to me.

"Yes, Lord Alan." The book responded.

Then the stakes disappeared, the pierced bodies of the guards being the only proof they had been there.

"What are you waiting for?!?" Caerula screamed, cracking her whip and causing lightning to race across the ground.

The soldiers jumped slightly at the crack but soon recovered, raised their weapons, and charged forward with a war cry.

I decided to do the same and advanced towards the soldiers with Noir and Rubrum at my side.

However, before any blows could be struck or spells cast, a giant blue hand and a yellow laser passed by me and hit the first wave of guards, opening a scorching hole in half of the group and flinging the other half toward the soldiers behind.

"I don't know if you forgot, but we're here too!" Two exclaimed, taking a fighting stance beside me.

"Honestly, this conversation is boring me; I have more fun doing my nails!" Five said, approaching too and assuming a pose with one hand ruffling her hair and the other on her waist.

"Archers!" Caerula ordered.

Without wasting time, the ranks of archers at the highest point of the stairs that allowed a view into the room prepared their bows and fired their arrows, creating a rain of wood and metal.

Nevertheless, the arrows were destroyed when they collided with a green barrier that formed in front of us; simultaneously purple threads appeared around the archers and wrapped them in a spider's web, squeezing their necks until they became unconscious.

"How can you do such horrible things? You are nothing but monsters abusing the people of Midgard! We will bring you to justice!" Four shouted, puffing out her chest while pointing at the lords.

"I honestly don't care what's going on here, you guys aren't interesting or worthy of my curiosity, I just want to get this over with and take a nap." Three muttered, lying down on the floor as she rested her head on one hand and yawned audibly.

Even without receiving orders, the mages began to cast their spells, but never finished, as part of the rubble in the center of the room flew towards them, crushing some of the mages while throwing the others away.

"We will win this fight for the sake of Midgard and for all who suffered during your cruel reign!" One shouted, crossing her arms on top of a piece of rubble as she glared at the Lords from above.

"BECAUSE WE ARE…" The sisters spoke simultaneously.

"…THE UTAHIME FIVE!" All the sisters shouted, striking a pose similar to that of magical girl anime from the nineties.

An awkward silence fell over the room as everyone watched this ridiculous display, but the girls did not seem to notice as they still maintained their poses.

"Utahime Five, what the fuck is that?!?" I shouted, being the first to break the silence.

"You didn't like it? It was my idea to give our team a name!" Two screamed with tears in her eyes.

"I think that's weird, why would we need a team name?"

"Well, since we planned to defeat the Lords and save Midgard as a group of heroes; I thought we needed a striking name!" Two exclaimed, crossing her arms and looking away.

"First of all, the name is wrong! Shouldn't it be Utahime Six since I'm part of the team or Nine if you count Noir, Rubrum, and Gabriella?"

"But you already have a position on the team!"

"Really, which one?"

"You are the team pet!" Two replied proudly.

I slapped my face in frustration as I muttered an insult.

"Okay, second question! How the hell do you girls know Japanese?"

"What is Japanese?" Three asked curiously.

"Three, this is neither the time nor the place to…"

"Is this some kind of joke to you?!?" Caerula screamed at the top of her lungs, losing what little composure she had.

"Honestly, yes, I'm barely taking you three seriously! I was worried for nothing!" I shrugged.

Suddenly, something came rolling down the stairs at great speed, knocking over guards in its path and kicking up a dust cloud as it collided with the floor before the Lords responded to me.

The dust settled, revealing a short, blond, fair-skinned boy, wearing green rags and with a metallic arm disproportional to his body, he reminded me of a certain protagonist from an anime about alchemy.

"Fucking dragon, I'm going to…" The boy muttered standing up while rubbing the back of his head, but stopped as soon as he realized the situation he was in.

"Am I interrupting something?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Bartas, you will pay for your betrayal!" Caerula shouted in fury while pointing at me.

"What the hell are you talking… Oh, it is you! You're alive, that's wonderful!" Bartas spoke to me, smiling like a kid in a candy store.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked casually, leaning on my ax and waving at Bartas while returning his smile.

Well, the situation got complicated; the Lords and guards are not a problem, but Bartas is on a completely different level, I cannot guarantee the girls' safety while facing everyone here.

"Same as always although my new appearance is surprising." Bartas responded in a similar tone.

"Are you ready to continue our fight from before?" I asked, taking a fighting stance.

"Of course, though I see you're not alone this time." Bartas replied, pointing at Noir and Rubrum.

"Greetings, Mr. Bartas, I believe I never thanked you for freeing us." Noir spoke, bowing politely.

"Don't think about it too much, I just helped you get what you wanted." Bartas said with his face red with embarrassment.

"Well, your investment has finally paid off, because, unlike our previous fight, I have all my resources at my disposal now." I responded, approaching Bartas with Noir and Rubrum accompanying me.

"Are you sure you want to do this now? You look busy." Bartas asked, pointing at the Lords and the small army with his thumb.

"Don't worry, I softened up the Lords, the girls are more than enough to defeat them, aren't you?"

"Leave it to us/ We will win/ We will finish them off!" The girls responded with a series of confirmations.

"You will…"

Bartas pointed his metallic hand at Caerula without turning around and fired a magical beam towards her, closing the distance in a blur, but Caerula stepped to the side, barely dodging as the beam struck the stairs, creating an explosion.

"Are you ready to continue now that she shut up?" Bartas asked, raising both his fists.

"Yes, whenever you are ready." I responded, pointing the tip of my ax at Bartas' face.

"Are you sure about this, Lord Alan? He's just a kid." Noir asked, opening his pages and preparing a spell.

"Kids are cruel, Noir, and I'm in touch with my inner child!"

"You couldn't have said it better!" Bartas shouted, leaping towards me with enough strength to crack the ground and throwing a punch with his metallic fist.

I parried the blow to the side with the flat of my ax and grabbed Bartas by the neck, squeezing hard enough that my fingers sank into the flesh while blood came out of his mouth.

"No bullshit this time, okay?" I asked Bartas, bringing his face closer to mine.

"No bullshit… *SPIT*" Bartas muttered before spitting blood into my eye, escaping my grip and delivering a kick to my chin.

I stepped back as I processed the blow, all of my teeth were still in place and I did not bite my tongue off, but this kick hurt more than before. Has he gotten stronger?

"Son of a bitch!" Pushing those thoughts aside, I grabbed Bartas's leg as he fell and slammed him repeatedly against the floor, leaving the outline of his body in the marble.

Then I spun like a top and threw Bartas against the stairs, sending pieces of marble and soldiers flying away.

I flapped my wings, flew towards Bartas before he came out of the hole in the ground, and grabbed his face, flapping my wings again and dragging him up the stairs, leaving a trail of destroyed stone in my path.

I saw Bartas smiling behind my hand as he grabbed my arm with his organic hand and tried to punch me in the face with his metallic hand; I raised my other arm in front of my face, blocking the blows as we went up.

The light in front of me indicated that I was almost at the surface, unfortunately, the purple dragon looking curiously into the passage could not get out of the way in time and was hit in the face.

"What were you thinking false dragon?!?" Gabriella demanded disoriented.

"Sorry about that! Listen the girls are fighting the Lords, why don't you go help them and Leave Bartas to me?" I screamed as I flew, still holding Bartas.

"You don't give me orders, false dragon!" Gabriella growled irritably.

"It's too late to complain now; I've already chosen my opponent!" I replied before flapping my wings and flying away.

Bartas is stronger now, it is better to take him to where he cannot hurt anyone and where I can fight without worrying about collateral damage, so I flew through Cathedral City with my enemy in my hands.

Bartas pointed his metallic hand at my stomach and a glowing sphere formed in his palm, I immediately released him and flew to the side, dodging the magical beam that passed me and created a large explosion in the sky.

Bartas pointed his metallic hand at the ground as he fell and fired another magic beam, propelling himself upward towards me as he wrapped his metallic arm in magic and threw a punch.

I pulled my arm back as Noir opened his pages and cast a spell, creating a gigantic hand and facing Bartas' blow. Our punches collided in the air, creating a shockwave followed by a boom.

Bartas' punch was strong enough to dispel the Dark Hand, but the force of my blow sent him into the streets below.

Rubrum flipped through her pages and fired a shower of magical orbs toward Bartas; meanwhile, I flapped my wings and followed him as he fell.

Bartas wrapped his arm in magic again and slapped the orbs away, hitting the building or launching them back at me.

Noir stood in front of me and absorbed the returning orbs, creating a larger orb before firing it toward Bartas.

Bartas tried to hit this orb too, but as soon as his fist touched the incoming spell, all he managed to do was create a deafening explosion.

I saw Bartas flying out of the smoke cloud and hitting the highway below, where he bounced across the asphalt like a stone on the surface of a lake before planting his hands and feet in the ground, leaving lines in the asphalt and stopping his momentum.

I landed on the highway shortly afterward, stopping a few meters from Bartas.

"Holy crap! That was a good start. Why didn't you do it at the beach?" Bartas asked impressed, approaching me as the bones, muscles, and skin on his face regenerated.

"I can only thank Noir and Rubrum; they are my faithful companions and friends who help me whenever I need it."

Noir muttered in embarrassment while Rubrum floated happily.

"Meh! Friends, I wonder if I had any in my life." Bartas exclaimed dismissively.

"Right, you don't remember anything from your past; do you, how about if I become your first friend?" I suggested with a smile on my face.

"It's fine by me." Bartas shrugged.

"Great, how about we turn this into a fight to remember, my friend?" I asked taking a fighting stance.

"How do you always know what to say? You always say one cool line after another." Bartas spoke, taking a fighting stance as well.

"What can I say? I watched a lot of anime and read a lot of manga when I was a kid."

"I have no idea what these things are, but the name is familiar."

"It saddens me, but changing the subject, this would be the perfect time for a cliffhanger followed by fillers."

"Now you've lost me!" Bartas shouted, charging towards me.

I returned the gesture in kind, and then the steel of our weapons collided in the center of the street in a shower of sparks and a cacophony of metallic clicks, but despite the seriousness of the situation, Bartas and I could not hide our smiles.

END OF CHAPTER