Return of the Fallen Volume 9 Chapter 44
Breaking out of the Miasma, Kazuki inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air. He couldn’t help but collapse to his knees at this moment.
(Once more, I just barely made it. Out of all the times I almost died, this one was by far the closest. The only other time it’s been this close was when I was in that monster’s stomach.)
Kazuki kissed the ground several times. He was alive, he had been given another chance.
(Did the dirt always taste so good?)
Zephris’s voice called out in Kazuki’s soul world.
Kazuki smiled.
(Yep. What dirt can compare to the dirt you taste after getting your freedom, after living to see another day?)
(Right, I pray I get the chance to taste freedom dirt as you call it. On that day, should it come, I wouldn’t mind eating a whole hill’s worth but for now, you have things to do.)
(True, is that the reason why you were so urgent on me leaving the Miasma?)
Zephris went quiet for a moment.
(It seems you have not processed all of my memories. You’ve seen them but you are still putting them together piece by piece. If that’s the case I will have to explain some things to you until the memories have become one with you properly. The reason I had you leave is because of Torzz. Whenever my mind and soul start to scatter within the Miasma, it means either Torzz is retaking control and he is expending more energy and focus or it means I have been overwhelmed by all of the other souls inside. If it’s the latter then I would not have rushed you but if it’s Torzz then once he has control again, he might be able to sense you within the Miasma. This means he would know that you are not only still alive but you have also fully regenerated. This would put his guard up and that is not what I want right now.)
“Ok, so I should be heading to the battlefield then.”
Kazuki turned and was about to take off into the sky but Zephris promptly yelled.
(STOP!)
Kazuki was already on edge from the Miasma, so this shout in his soul world sent a chill up his spine.
“WHAT…WHAT IS IT!?”
(Kazuki, you are going the wrong way. You must head for Glacious and Zetrazz, only they have the power to help right now.)
Kazuki shook his head.
“No fuck that. Asuna, Nunully, and the others are toward the south. The giant fused Azirians are probably already there. There’s no way they can win without me.”
(True, they may very well die but are you forgetting the bigger picture. Look at my memories, there is something much more important. Torzz still has my crown. It needs to be destroyed so I can no longer be controlled.)
Kazuki was pissed.
“Look, I am forever grateful that you saved me and I promise, when everything is done, I will do everything in my power to help you but I have to save my friends immediately.”
(NO! You are wrong. Your friends can fight for a while but Glacious cannot. If you do not head over toward them right away, he could very well be dead and the tipping point will have long been past due.)
“EXPLAIN?”
(I still have a connection with my crown, because of that, I can sense many things through it. Right at this very moment, Torzz is trying to distract Zetrazz and near them, Glacious and Etora are fighting the Beast kings. Fera has three fake bodies on standby. She’s waiting for the perfect moment to slay everyone when they are weakened. Once the strongest of this continent is no more, Fera will have nothing to fear. She will no longer use her fake bodies and will come here with everything she’s got.)
Zephris said all of this and like a flash of lightning, many memories began to play out in Kazuki’s mind and he understood.
“My sister, this whole time wouldn’t step foot on Feya because she didn’t wish to fight both the strongest powerhouses on the continent along with Detra. However, if there is no one else to put up a fight then she merely has to deal with Detra. Not only that, with Torzz on Fera’s side, Detra may even hesitate to engage Fera because of her son.”
It was all clicking together for Kazuki. Fera was waiting to assassinate Glacious and the others. Once she did that, she could come to Feya without fearing anything at all. She could then finish her plan as there would be no one to stand in her way.
(Correct Kazuki. Once Fera steps foot on Feya, who will be her opponent. If Glacious and Etora are dead, your hope of surviving, let alone getting revenge goes up in smoke. In the end, my goals are only partially selfish. I wish to have autonomy as soon as possible, yes but at the same time, I am the only hope of keeping the balance. With me, we can win.)
“How so. Even if you’re free from the crown, won’t the souls inside the Miasma simply overwhelm you at some point and scatter you. Then the Miasma will simply move about in a random way. How does that help our side? If anything, that still makes you a burden.”
(Normally that would be true but you are forgetting something very important.)
“Which is what exactly?”
(I have you as an ally.)
Kazuki raised a questioning brow.
(That sword form I’ve seen in your memories. You can use it proficiently and I even witnessed you maintain your friend Danny’s lightning cage. While I was observing you all, I was quite impressed with it. It can destroy my Miasma. Do you understand what this means? It means that you can destroy the other souls within the Miasma.)
Kazuki took a step back.
“Isn’t that dangerous for you as well? Wouldn’t I just be destroying you along with the other souls?”
(Heh, is that worry I detect? Yes, you would in fact be destroying my soul but that is only if you do it without my guidance. I know exactly where my very existence is within the Miasma. As long as I guide you away from it, you could use that lightning with the sword form to destroy the other souls. Once the other souls are no more, that body of mist will be under my full authority. My suffering will have eased tremendously. At that point, I can turn on either Torzz or Fera. Their powers will weaken to me and I will grow stronger. In this way, we can put an end to those bastards once and for all.)
“And the Azirian’s?”
(Without the crown, they will be under no one’s control. At the base, they are mindless monsters. Only the unique ones retain intelligence and consciousness. I won’t lie, they could become a threat but by that point, things should be settled up here. With both Asuna’s knowledge and my own, you know how to use space magic. You can simply teleport down there and deal with the Azirian’s. Once I am free of control and you destroy the fragments inside of me, you will handle the south while I handle Fera and Torzz up here.)
What Zephris said made sense and there seemed to be no other option at the moment.
“Is Glacious and Etora really in danger?”
(For what reason would I lie. Yes, they are in danger. Even if the two beat the beast kings, they will have been weakened a great deal. Fera would have an easy time cleaning them up after that now wouldn’t she? If you don’t trust my words, then have a look for yourself. I am connected to your soul world and I am also connected to the crown. You can easily see the situation by tapping into my soul.)
Kazuki without hesitation did just that. His mind sank into his soul world and he used his own soul to look through Zephris fragment and out through the crown in Torzz possession. The moment he looked through it, he could see Torzz and Zetrazz facing off against one another. Off to the side, he could see a large dome made of Zetrazz’s power. He couldn’t see through the dome but he could sense Glacious, Etora, and the two beast kings.
He could immediately feel how weakened they all were and he became alarmed. He hadn’t felt such weakness in Glacious sense he was still affected by the soul mark. If this lack of power wasn’t worrying enough, sure enough, three of Fera’s fake bodies were awaiting just outside of the black dome.
A fiendish look on her face as she was itching to get in and slaughter everyone inside.
Kazuki thought about Asuna and Nunully at this moment but he knew he could not go to them.
(I’m sorry, just hold on.)
With this thought, Kazuki took to the sky and flew away like lightning.
(Glacious, Etora, I’m on my way!)
Comment (0)