CHAPTER 93: DEPARTURE
XENON WINGATE
5 MONTHS AGO
"This is justice for you, Mayline. Now your soul can rest." Serena muttered as she held her heart and prayed for her deceased friend.
I made a soft gentle head pat to my dragonoid Serena as she wiped down her tears. As I enjoy the silkiness of her hair, she immediately pressed her blushing face forward. Her kitten-eyes gave off a sensation of cuteness to my hypothalamus.
"How's my acting, Xen?" Serena jollily bounced with a smile on her face.
"Your talent in being an actress is terrifying." Xenon said. "I almost wanted to hug you when you're crying earlier."
"Ehehe~" Serena giggled. "Such talent is needed to fool your ex-girlfriend. Besides, I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't with your cooperation. It's all thanks to your acting too, Xen!"
I forced a smile and a blush as I scratch my head. Hearing Serena's praise on me being an actor makes me want to enter the showbiz industry. I'll seriously consider it since I'm quite confident with my looks.
"How about you, Danielle?" I glanced at the black beauty. "Are you satisfied with the drama we put up?"
"Si Senor." Danielle sassily covered her mouth with her fan. "Of course, the best part is the ending where that filthy bitch burns to ashes. It's instant karma for her to die like that, considering that she also watched me and Nath suffer and die a few months ago. That is the best."
"See? Revenge is so sweet! Now you finally understand my fetish!" I pumped my fists excitedly.
"X-Xen…" Serena made a sorry smile at me. "You shouldn't corrupt Miss Danielle's mind like that."
"Don't worry, Senor. I will be with your fight until I get my revenge on Sakuradrop." Danielle lent out her hand at me, requesting a handshake.
I immediately took my friend's hand and shook it vigorously. "Yeah. I'm going for Eldritch's head too. Let's work hard and do our best!"
"Oui!"
As Danielle and I put a smile on our faces, Serena continued to force her own smile. Deep inside, I know that Serena's apologetic for having my contagious "wrath" disease infect one of my best friends. She's afraid that Danielle may turn into a berserker like me who would always think of revenge.
"Anyway," Danielle said as she returned back to her serious expression. "Now that we have confirmed that Eldritch is seizing the palace in Alterra, we need to withdraw right now. We have to join the main force of Alterra to defend against the invaders."
Our objectives in this raid have come to a close. We tried to rescue Kevin Valesmith and Rius, but we were too late. Trystgade is dead. Eldritch has escaped and is seizing the throne of Alterra. In regards to Sakuradrop, I reckon he's with Eldritch. As of the moment, we have no update on Alphonse and Z, or what they are doing right now.
I held my chin. "I agree. We have to fall back and go back to Guardian's Haven at once."
"Let's go!" Serena nodded.
At her signal, Danielle and I followed her as we reached up the rooftop of the Elysian Grand Castle. There, an airship was waiting for us to be boarded. I can see from the platform of the ship that the Pentagram Knight Jerick Fachias and his Dragonoid wife Colly was there, and they are fixing the body bags that probably contain the cadaver of Kevin Valesmith and Rius.
"Hey, what's the status on the other dragon knights?" I asked Danielle.
"I don't know. I've lost contact with them at the very same time I lost contact with the Guardian's Haven." Danielle said. "One of the airships will wait for them in the northern part as a rendezvous, so you shouldn't worry about them. Alterra needs us more than ever so we must haste."
I didn't react. I'm a little bit worried that we'll be leaving some of our comrades behind, especially that dragon knight with the ice dragon who got his ass whipped by Alphonse. But considering Danielle's explanation, they should be fine. Right now, we should focus on going back to the capital and fight Eldritch.
Just when Serena, Danielle, and I made our first step on the bridge leading to the airship, Jerick immediately shouted with fear in his voice. "Incoming! Watch out!"
I did not have time to turn around and look at what thing was incoming from behind. With my instinct, I immediately used my futuretech glove to create a wide shield to protect Serena and Danielle. If I knew that the incoming projectile is targeted at Serena, I should have focused on defending her more.
"Guh!"
There was a loud explosion, and a wind vacuum engulfed the area. The blast was not powerful, but it managed to push my shield back. As a result of the impact, Serena and Danielle were thrown away towards the side of the airship.
"Kyaaah!" Both girls cried as they rolled on the ground. Danielle was lucky that she was not injured and only sustained minor grazes, but that wasn't the case on Serena. The force of the blast knocked my dragonoid out on her head, and now blood is crawling on her forehead.
"Shit! Serena!" I cried out loud. Serena was certainly unconscious due to the blast, and now she's not moving. When I turned around, I saw the enemies that we are not capable of defeating as of the moment.
At the far eastern side of the skies are twenty dragon knights that wear the uniform of Alterra, and they are mixed up with fifty dragon knights of Elysia. Those Alterran dragon knights are the ones who were under Major General Valesmith's command, which are reported missing due to the fact that they have been controlled by Eldritch's Psychic Amplifier abilities. It was a horrible sight to see them right here and right now.
"T-That's the Elysian dragon knights!?" Danielle muttered as she held her dislocated shoulder. "And those are our allies! They're still mind-controlled!"
Suddenly, the dragons charged up balls of fire and launched it towards the airship. Several blasts echoed which damaged the hull of the airship. If they continue to storm on our ride, we won't be able to get out of here! I need to protect the airship!
I jumped forward, facing the dragon knights. I slammed my shield to the ground and focused my magical energy to my futuretech glove. At that moment, a fifty-meter wall spawned from the top of the castle to block all incoming projectiles that ought to hit the airship.
"Wall of Babylon!!!"
Countless blasts echoed once again, and the bricks of my Wall of Babylon slowly dented. The enemy dragons are relentless as they continue to blow out balls of fire from their mouth in an attempt to destroy the wall.
"X...Xen…" Serena was finally conscious when she was carried by Danielle on her shoulders. She reached out her hand pointing at me, secretly implying that I should take it.
Danielle continued to drag my dragonoid until they went past the bridge and secured their position on the platform of the airship. Colly immediately used her curing magic to treat Serena's wound in the head, but it will take time to fully heal.
"Senor Xenon! Let's go!" Danielle shouted out loud. But even with her stressing out her vocal cords, her sentence is hardly audible because of the blasts.
The explosions on the other side of the wall started to breach through. Bricks of my Wall of Babylon started to fall off, and some debris is already flying out of my barrier. Critical hits from the enemy dragons' projectiles delivered significant damage to my wall as it created holes. As I thought, my own power is not enough to stop fireballs from several dragons.
"Damn it! I need more magical energy!" I cried out loud.
Focusing my remaining power to gather out magical energy in the air and the ground, I activated my Elform. Some strands of my hair became gold, and my ears become pointed and as sharp as a sword. With such a boost in magical energy, I delivered it towards my Wall of Babylon in order to rebuild itself. The dents, the bricks were lost, and the holes in the wall were immediately repaired because of nature's magic. Now the seventy dragons and knights are fighting against an impenetrable wall that is capable of regeneration.
"Xenon, let's go!" Danielle cried.
"X-Xen…" Serena weakly said. She's no longer able to finish her sentence as her injury in the head made her a little bit not responsive. But I know she's concerned about me.
"Xenon, come here! Jump!" Jerick Fachias said as he lent out his hand. "Come on now! Let's go!"
What they wanted me to do is impossible. Once I lift my shield from the ground, the Wall of Babylon will be a hell lot weaker. Once the wall is weak, the projectile attacks would pass through it, and the fireballs would hit the airship. If I abandon my post, all my allies will die.
"Go! Go! Go without me!" I cried out loud. The explosion intervals are getting faster, which means that the dragons are closing in. "I'll hold them back!"
"Don't be ridiculous! Come on, Senor! Let's go!" Danielle irritatingly cried.
"X-Xen…" Serena muttered again.
Suddenly, a consecutive projectile attack destroyed a particular part of my Wall of Babylon. It was followed on the other side until my wall is full of holes. Such holes made it possible for the fireballs to get through and hit the airship. Upon sustaining damage, the airship went on red alert and the captain started to speak through the speakers of the ship and also to my earpiece.
"The airship won't be able to take more than this! We need to go!"
"Then go!" I shouted out loud to my earpiece.
"No! I will not permit our flight! We will not go without Senor Xenon!" Danielle argued to the captain. "As the commander of this raid, I will not leave a friend behind!"
"My name is Sir Xenon Wingate, Dragon Knight First Class and the true supreme commander of this fleet! I command you, captain! I command you to take flight and escape! Depart without me! This is an order!" I shouted again.
There were two or three fireballs that went through the armor of the ship before the captain made his decision to lift the airship up in the skies. Hearing the jet engines of the airship, I was delighted that the captain heard my request and ignored Danielle's.
But before they completely leave this place, I had a glimpse of what Serena is doing. She's struggling away from Colly's grasps, trying to crawl at the edge of the platform and reach out her hand at me. She looks so pitiful as she gives all her effort in a futile act. Our distance is now about fifty meters, and there is no way she could grab me back to the airship.
"X-Xen…" Serena cried as the distance between us rapidly became a father. She tried to reach, but that is impossible. Mustering all her remaining strength in her body, she made her final cry that broke my heart. "...Xenon Senpaiiiiii!!!!"
Her loud cry reverberated the air around me. Even though the airship is now far away and as small as a dot in the vast bluish-white skies, I can still hear her voice inside my brain. It made me sad that I had to part ways with the person I love, but this is for the best. I need to do this for them to survive and return home safely.
Now that my allies have escaped, there is no need to maintain the Wall of Babylon. I immediately disintegrated the wall, and I also disabled my Elform magic. Now that I'm faced with numerous dragon knights who are glaring at me with intent to kill, all I can do now is to accept my defeat.
A familiar Elemental Dragon landed in front of me, and its familiar dragon knight walked to my face. Now that I have seen my friend up close, I couldn't help but give a wholesome funny remark.
"Damn, fuck. Look at you, Alphonse. You're so weak as an ally, but you're fucking overpowered as an enemy." I laughed.
Alphonse didn't react with any facial expression. His eyes are still cold and dead just like those other dragon knights that were mind-controlled. Not even his Elemental Dragon is giving me a friendly gaze. Even with such threatening faces, I continue to stare at their eyes.
Suddenly, Alphonse revealed his chains, wrapped it to his right fists, and made a right hook to my face: knocking me out instantly.