I swung my Ruler's Blade once.
A massive oval shield manifested to block the descending black crystals from the sky. After three more layers were added to my shield, the black crystals finally stopped descending. I didn't want to put any effort into pushing it back upward since there would be no benefit whatsoever of doing so.
When I looked over my shoulder, Agatha was running to an alley, whereas Mara went to the one in the opposite direction.
Suddenly, the ground vibrated, pushing the peach crystals that had surfaced before to ascend. "Tsk."
I formed a pedestal underneath my feet and used it to jump into the air. It was a close call, as the peach crystals spiked upward, intending to pierce me. Though, it didn't stop there. I manifested my Aegis crystals from my arms and legs to block the spikes.
"This guy . . . What CAN'T he do?" I muttered.
To think that someone was able, in a way, forces me to form Aegis crystals from my skin was an achievement by itself. I only used the Aegis particles I'd spread in every fight I participated before. It was hard, but, Ivar was indeed a worthy opponent for me.
After I blocked the spikes, a square platform made from my Aegis particles cushioned my landing.
"Gheele Folami!"
I shot a look at Ivar. He willed his eight wings to slash at me, but I blocked four of it with a small shield that popped from thin air. The other four wings were fast, as it got behind me and slashed.
"Argh."
My right arm was cut clean, but the wings didn't intend to stop yet. I formed a dome that fit me perfectly from my Aegis particles, and it blocked the wings at first. However, Ivar quickly willed the dome to shatter. Seeing that, the eight wings proceeded to pierce my body all at once.
"How does that feel?!" Ivar asked mockingly. "Oh wait, you don't have to answer that."
Ivar formed two wings made of my shattered dome, and he used it to cut my left arm.
"AAARGH!"
My vision went blurry all of a sudden.
I didn't want to admit it, but my body was at the edge of its limit. I had to defeat Ivar as quickly as possible.
"What's wrong, Gheele?" said Ivar with a grin. "Your arms are regenerating, yes. But how long can you last? Don't worry, I will--"
Orange spikes sprouted out from every part of his body, and he screamed from the pain. His eyes glanced at me as I smiled.
It took a while, but I had slipped more of my Aegis particles. I accumulated my Aegis particles inside his body without him noticing. Perhaps it was because of his anger and contempt, but, it was still a fact that he was careless. Of course, it was something I gambled to be my final attack. The previous attempt I made that caused holes in Ivar's body was an experiment. He thought I didn't intend to try it again, but he was gravely mistaken.
Served him right for underestimating my power.
"Gheele . . ." Ivar choked from all the spikes inside him, causing the Aegis crystals he had to slip away from his control.
First, the black crystals in the sky shattered and then started crashing onto the streets. My oval shield that was holding the black crystals in place also shattered. In the process, some of the buildings around me were hit by a few huge chunks of the black crystals.
Yvonne's crystals that had appeared from underground disintegrated, followed by Ivar's black wings.
Both of us then fell onto the graphite, which was when I saw Agatha came rushing to my side.
"Master Gheele!" she said.
Hastily, she carried me on her back and walked into an alley where she came from. My vision was still blurry from all the regeneration and damage that my body took.
A few moments later, Ivar's faint voice pulled my attention to his figure on the street.
"Ama . . . Ama . . ." He muttered.
"Ivar!" Mara came out of her hiding and ran to his side. She crouched, as her eyes shed endless tears. "Ivar . . ."
She touched Ivar's hand. "Let me carry you."
Her offer was denied by Ivar since from the looks of it, the protruding spikes would make it impossible for anyone to carry him. Also, it didn't seem like he heard Mara's voice as he kept mumbling about Ama after that.
"Ivar, I'm here," said Mara. She tried to produce her Aegis crystals and she succeeded. Her right hand was covered by black, metallic crystals. Though, she didn't smile at all. Instead, she pulled Ivar's body to a pavement a few feet away to her right, trying to carry him on her back. By doing so, the orange spikes punctured her back, but she didn't let it deter her in the slightest.
"Let go!"
Ivar pushed Mara and he fell onto the pavement.
"Ivar!"
"Go, go away. You're not Ama. Get away from me."
"Ivar . . ."
Mara's eyes opened wide as if something unexpected just happened. Though, I didn't see anything other than those two.
"Ama!" She said, talking to herself. "I-Ivar, he's injured, and these spikes . . . You're talking with him too? Please, tell him to calm down. I-I can't carry him like this. Yes, a Teria airship? Thank you, Ama."
Ivar reached out for Mara and she quickly held his hand in hers. In fact, after she did that, she cried at his side. "I-Ivar, don't leave me. Rescue is coming . . . Ivar, you're the only one that's willing to talk to me. Yvonne didn't like me, and Kian is always busy, but you . . . You treat me so nice, even though you deny it from time to time. Please. Please, please, don't leave me."
Ivar gritted his teeth and attempted to make my spikes disappear. Something else happened instead. The black and peach Aegis crystals that crashed onto the streets started to merge with each other. A moment later, it expanded, covering the area slowly.
"I-Ivar . . . Your Aegis!" said Mara.
"G . . . Go away," he said.
Mara let go of his hand when Yvonne's crystals clawed closer to their side. "I'm not leaving you. We are a family, remember? Like Ama said."
She touched Ivar's forehead. In a few seconds, her black, metallic crystals encased Ivar's whole body and then, she put both hands on top of it.
"Let's go back, Ivar. Alright?"
She smiled, before both of them phased through the graphite as if they just dived into a pool.
"Ivar lost control of his Aegis," said Agatha as she carried me on her back.
"Hmm?"
A crackling sound echoed in my head. I thought I was losing it, but, after a few seconds, Amathelia spoke.
"Gheele Folami," said Amathelia in my head. Her words had the tinge of hatred and resentment.
I grinned. "What do you want, Amathelia?"
Agatha shot a look at me, and I just nodded. She nodded back and focused her attention on the alley instead.
Amathelia spoke, "You hurt one of my family members. I won't let you get away with it. Sooner or later, I will come after you myself."
"Hah! You can try, but I'm not sure if you will be alive when that happens."
She was silent afterward, so I assumed she had ceased the conversation right then and there. Klaus did say Amathelia was capable of talking inside anyone's mind, and it appeared to be true after all.
I looked at my regenerating arms. "Agatha, we'll go back to Neo Africa. There's no way around it."
She nodded.
Even after all that had happened, I wasn't sure if Ivar could still fight in his condition. I managed to come out of the fight better than I thought, being that I was at a near-death state just a few minutes ago. After meeting Ivar and Mara, I could only imagine what the other two Pillars could do as a whole. Their strength alone forced the C.U officials and military to submit to them, without having Mara at their side when it happened.
"We need to rest . . . And get something to eat," I said to Agatha.