Return of the Fallen Volume 3 Chapter 77
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch77
*Bang Clank Crash*
Muteki gave Reya no opportunity to counter and continually pressed her. His blade moved like a blur as a glimpse of even just its shadow was almost an impossibility. Reya’s arms never stopped moving and she blocked or dodged every strike, though the glaive still tore out bits of her flesh every time the two met.
Varia and the others would not let up either. Every time they felt there was an opening, they would fire their own magic at Reya. Reya’s attention was focused on Muteki and his unique glaive. All of the magic attacks she had no time to worry about and their lack of damage left her not caring about them as well.
A fireball from Varia had struck Reya directly in the face but instead of wailing in pain, Reya simply shook it off and glared at the young woman. She looked as if she would lunge at Varia at any moment and rip the flesh from her neck with a single bite but Muteki’s swing prevented her from approaching Varia or anyone else.
His glaive came down atop her head and Reya’s wings folded in front of her and took the blow.
*Bang!*
Reya was sent hurtling toward the ground and Muteki followed up. Just as Reya’s feet touched the ground, however, the speed she had lost in the air, was immediately recovered on the ground. Muteki’s glaive came crashing down and Reya pivoted her left foot. Twisting her body to the slide, the glaive slammed into the ground beside her.
*Boom*
The moment the sound rang out, Reya kicked off the ground and with her wings still folded in front of her, she rammed towards Muteki in a flash. Her speed and acceleration shot up since she was on the ground and Muteki had no time to dodge. He pulled his glaive backward with all his strength and placed the body of the weapon in front of him. Lowering his center of gravity, he pushed the body of his glaive forward and delivered his own counterforce.
He had seen what Reya was capable of before and knew if he didn’t use all of his strength right here and now, then she would run through him and turn his body into meat paste, no more then a stain of red on the snow beneath him.
Once again, the sound of two large slabs of metal crashing into each other echoed out.
*Bang!*
The sound created a buzz in everyone’s ears and made them feel a painful itch in their eardrums. Compared to Muteki, they were far better off.
Muteki was thrown back and his body tumbled to the ground and rolled continuously for over a hundred feet. A short trench was dug up under him and both the bones in his arms cracked, causing tears of all different shapes and sizes to stretch across his forearms. Muteki grit his teeth and stabbed his glaive into the ground. This gave his thrown body a slight chance to recover and with his flame burning under his feet he flew into the air. The snow within a 10-meter radius melted as he flew into the sky.
Up in the air, he once again had the speed advantage but he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. He felt waves of pain spread through his arms and he looked down. The tears in his forearms looked like a beast had clawed at them and blood was already seeping out of his arms. That wasn’t the worst part. Muteki could deal with pain and his body was already swiftly healing. No, the most worrisome thing was the condition his glaive was in.
The body of his glaive, due to Reya’s impact, it had warped and bent inward by almost 30 degrees, causing it to resemble a large longbow instead of a glaive.
(Shit, I’m burning my Mage core and my strength should be equal to a 4th stage Mage right now but her strength, even now it still surpasses mine. Just what kind of Magic Beast is she?)
Reya smiled from down below before she took to the skies and mockingly said.
“Well, that was interesting. I suppose since your weapon is now no longer useable, this is considered my win. Isn’t that a shame, I was just starting to get a little excited. It seems none of you can give me a challenge, oh well.”
Muteki shook in fury hearing this.
(Not a challenge, I am the one being looked down upon.)
Muteki felt his Mage core burning and being devoured at a steady rate but decided to up it. Focusing within himself, Muteki allowed his glaive to eat away at his Mage core even faster.
*Cre shree kik *
In front of everyone, the bent glaive started to reform and unwarp. In a matter of seconds, it straightened into a perfect line and was as though new.
Before Reya could raise a brow of curiosity, Muteki increased his flames and shot toward her like a falling meteor. After images blurred behind him and he stabbed toward her with an almost crazed shout.
“THE ONE WHO IS NO CHALLENGE IS YOU! DIE BEAST!”
Reya and Muteki began to fight at a rapid pace and their figures blurred back and forth. The air popped and tore whenever an attack landed. Bits of purplish-black blood rained down from up above and was basically the only indicator that anyone was suffering any damage at all.
While the two raged in the sky, Kazuki found this to be the best opportunity they had. He spoke to Asuna and the others in a hushed tone.
“Ok, we need to get out of here right now while they are all occupied. Tsura you can carry a few people. Take Mei as well as Nunully and Kimi. Shin, now that you can fly, you carry Sam, while Danny, me, and Asuna, will run on the ground. We’ll continue north until…”
Before Kazuki could finish, Asuna walked up to him and smacked him as hard as she could across the face.
*SLAP!*
“You think we’d go anywhere with you. Your nothing but a fake, a liar, a parasite.”
Kazuki wasn’t too shocked by this but he felt now was not the time. He quickly tried to explain but Asuna attempted to slap him again. Kazuki grabbed her hand and prevented her but then Danny got involved as well and lunged at Kazuki while warning.
“Don’t touch her!”
Kazuki grew slightly frustrated and as Danny lunged at him he pushed Asuna to the snow and sidestepped slightly and grabbed Danny’s wrist. With a flip, he threw Danny onto his back before he held out a hand.
“There’s no time for this. Yes, I’m not the real Ryuta and yes I lied to you but you all followed me on your own. I even said I would take Nunully to the Rin mountain range alone and yet it was you all who insisted on going with me. I told you it would be dangerous and I told you Garn would most likely come after me and you all knew that I killed Itsu, yet you still all followed. Everything afterward happened and I can’t change that but one thing is certain if we don’t leave now we’ll all be dead very soon.”
Danny slapped Kazuki’s hand away and he helped Asuna up. Danny glared daggers at Kazuki before he said coldly.
“No…It isn’t us that will e dead but you. Garn wants you for what you did. As long as we return, he’ll leave us alone.”
“Is that what you actually believe? Garn will just leave summoned heroes alone when the threat to the world is what it is?”
Danny shrugged his shoulders.
“If he wanted us dead, his goons over there would have killed us right away but instead they gave us a choice to return. Besides, the threat of Miasma and the so-called Azirians is far less threatening then immediate death if we stick with you. The choice is clear and you’re the one who helped make it for us.”
Kazuki turned to Asuna.
“And you?”
After she was thrown to the ground, Asuna had held onto the grip of one of her steel daggers. Her hand trembled not from fear but rage as she was constantly on the verge of pulling it but she barely controlled herself and kept it sheathed. This didn’t go unnoticed by Kazuki but he did feel a bit disappointed.
Asuna’s mouth barely parted as she spoke through gritted teeth.
“I would go nowhere with a bastard such as you. The only reason I haven’t attempted to kill you is that you still have my friend’s face. I don’t care what you do from now on but don’t involve any of us ever again. Never show yourself in front of us ever again.”
Nunully walked over next to Kazuki’s side.
“You do not speak for all of us. I’m leaving with Kazuki.”
Asuna and Danny were both stunned by her statement.
“What, how can this be? Why would you go with him when all he’s ever done is lie to us all and brought us nothing but harm?”
Danny asked that out of pure confusion. Nunully gave him a fake smile.
“Are you really being serious right now? I’m to be killed by Garn’s men. Have you all really forgotten who that man is? There’s no place for me there and Tsura and Mei are the exact same. Since they’re not human, their only option is to die by Garn’s thugs or flee.”
Danny felt like an absolute moron as this hadn’t occurred to him. After a while, he no longer saw little Mei or Tsura as monsters but as friends and more. He trembled deep inside as he looked toward Tsura.
“Tsura are you really…?”
Tears began to fall from Tsura’s face as she nodded at Danny.
“I have to go. I’m not human and neither is Mei, you knew this would have to happen. Eventually, we would part from you. We could never be…”
Tsura couldn’t finish her sentence but her words left something lingering in the air. Danny knew exactly what she meant and Kazuki found it obvious the way the tow shared so many glancing looks at one another. Apparently, something happened between the two. Asuna though was left out of the loop. Still, she felt this wasn’t right.
“Why do you three have to go with him. I promised I would take you to Rin as well. Leave Kazuki’s side and I will take you there. You don’t have to be with such a person. You don’t have to place your trust in someone like him.”
Tsura shook her head as she hugged Mei tighter in her embrace.
“We wouldn’t be alive today without Kazuki. He may have lied but it’s obvious, from his memories that we all witnessed, none of you would have given him a chance if you knew all of his past from the beginning. From since the beginning of me traveling with you, I’ve come to understand your personalities quite well. Asuna, you are always quick to anger and your emotions would have led you to go to Garn right away and confess this to him. Danny you as well, even putting my feelings aside, you question everything. I like that about you but it also makes you very paranoid. That and your sensitivity, you scare easily. You as well would have told Garn. Kimi is really very rash and does what she wants, she as well would have told. Sam, I believe only Sam would have remained silent. He seems to take pain in stride and although he would unquestioningly be angry, he would have probably have kept it to himself to protect his friends. In the end, are my words untrue?”
Danny wanted to refute that but he knew Tsura was right? It all burned his heart though, especially when she said he was sensitive. He knew she actually meant cowardly. Asuna’s mind was shaken but she still felt hatred.
“Tsura, that’s enough. The fact is, they are all still kids and what really matters has yet to register for them. Yes, I lied but I also protected you. I saved all of your lives too many times to count. After the fight with Zetsu, when you all returned the favor and protected me, I thought maybe I can truly be friends with them. Guess I was the naive one.”
Tsura transformed and Nunully and Mei climbed on. It was a tight fit when Kazuki got on as well but Tsura could still manage as long as they all stuck close together.
Danny rushed up to them and was trying to figure out words he could say to Tsura but nothing would come out. Kazuki shook his head.
“Don’t bother, after all, we’re nothing more than strangers.”
Kazuki glanced over at Asuna.
“Go back to Garn but don’t be fooled into thinking he isn’t anything other than a monster in human skin. Goodbye Asuna but remember this, that hatred you feel for me, it’s nothing compared to what I feel on a daily basis. It’s what I’ve felt since I was 16 years old. Hate me all you want I don’t give a shit, just don’t do it half-heartedly, hehehe.”
Tsura flapped her wings and took off into the sky.
Muteki saw this and prepared to drag them back down.
“Get back here Kazuki!”
Reya flew in front of him and threw out a punch.
Muteki dodged to the side and struck out. The two came to a deadlock in mid-air.
“What in the 7 realms of hell are you doing woman? We may be fighting but neither one of us wants to let him get away.”
Reya flashed a toothy grin.
“He can flee all he wants.”
Reya looked down at the ring on her finger and saw a small arrow hover above it and point in Kazuki’s direction.
“No matter where he goes nor how far, he can never escape from me.”
Reya’s delivered a front kick and Muteki took it full-on in his chest. His armor atop his body shattered as though it were glass and he felt his ribs crack. He quickly flew back and started healing his wounds. At the same time, Varia and the others pounded Reya with Magic so Muteki could recover slightly.
Even with his quick healing though, he still coughed up a mouth full of blood. He eyed Abura from across the way.
“Abura give chase. I no longer care about the others you can do whatever you want with them. No matter what though you must bring Kazuki back alive. Break some of his limbs if he resists but you have to capture him alive, now go!”
Abura nodded his head like a kid receiving directions from a teacher and flew off towards Kazuki.
Reya didn’t like that but she couldn’t catch up with him in the sky. She folded her wings around her body and fell to the ground.
*Bam*
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she raced forward like a speed demon. Her acceleration was incredible and she caught up with the flying Abura. Right as she got underneath him, she leaped upward.
“Hehe, where do you think your going fatty?”
Her movement was so fast that Abura had no time to get out of the way. Reya put her hands together like a hammer and brought them down upon the fat Abura.
*BAM!*
Her hands slammed into Abura’s side like a mountain and Abura came crashing down to the ground. Before he hit the ground though, Reya opened her wings and flapped them with all her might and she tore toward the ground. With her knees falling under her, she prepared to crush Abura in one go.
“Die you fat ass!”
*Shicnk*
Reya had put too much focus on Abura and Muteki had caught up in time. Muteki’s glaive cut through the air and into Reya’s body. From her left collar bone, diagonally down, all the way to her waist. Her body split apart and she fell over to the ground. A puddle of purplish-black blood spread out in every direction and dyed the snow a muddy black.
Abura laid sprawled out in pain. There were plenty of things broken inside of him and tears started to stream down his face as he cried like an overgrown toddler.
Muteki stabbed his glaive into the ground and leaned on it. His breathing was more than a little ragged. He quickly cut his glaive off and his Mage core was no longer being devoured. Inspecting it, he gave a deep sigh.
*Haaa*
(That didn’t go on for too long but I’m just barely in the 3rd stage now. A bit more and I would have fallen to the 2nd stage. Fuck this Magic Beast, wasting all my years of hard work. All just for one fucking traitor.)
Byki and Varia flew over. Varia helped support Muteki but Byki, on the other hand, was smiling creepily. Muteki saw this but didn’t feel like dealing with it right now. If Byki did decide to make a move, Muteki still felt more then confident in cutting him down.
“Abura, are you ok?”
Abura sat up but he was still crying hard. With a small nod, it hurts but I can still move a little.
Muteki nodded.
“Good, now go after them.”
Abura’s tears stopped and he looked at Muteki in disbelief. Muteki said nothing and just glared at him. Abura’s fat trembled and he struggled to stand up before he took to the skies and began to chase after Kazuki. His body aching all over.
With Abura gone, Byki felt his chances rose slightly and he stepped forward.
“Hahaha, boss how are you feeli…”
Byki’s words got stuck in his throat and he stared behind Muteki in horror. Muteki thought this was a lame attempt to trick him but Varia as well became pale as she looked over his shoulder. Muteki slowly turned to look and there she was. Reya was standing up. Her body still split diagonally. Very quickly though her insides began to fuse back together and that’s when it suddenly clicked with all three of them. Reya wasn’t a Magic Beast nor was she human. They didn’t know how she got to these lands or when but seeing her put herself back together like this, one word echoed throughout their minds and shook them all to the core.
(AZIRIAN!)
———————————————End of Volume Three————————————————-
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Yeah. I kinda felt from the beginning that Azirians are invaders from another continent.