"... Gabriel."
Standing off to the side in silence, Father Laurence observed every moment of every second, his eyes currently trained on the blonde wielder of Excalibur.
'This is abnormal behavior…' Father Laurence spoke to himself mentally, questioning what move Gabriel would pull next. It was strange, to see such an exuberant teenager be fueled by rage. Neither he nor Rosaline had ever taught Gabriel such a thing to use such an emotion.
Yuso, who remained in the same position as before, eyed Gabriel from behind his long strands of crimson-red hair. It seems that his hair has been steadily growing longer. However, such a trivial thing did not matter.
"Are you just going to glare at me, or will you finally make a productive move?" Yuso asked in a condescending tone, standing with no proper stance as he waited for the blonde to strike.
No response came from Gabriel, he only stood there ominously. Suddenly, his grip, if possible, tightened, nearly straining every muscle in his arms and hands.
"... Why? What did we ever do to you?" Gabriel begged to know, tears daring to induce his shaky glare with moisture. "We were just seeking refuge!"
Yuso remained monotonous as he said, "Don't fault me for your lack of understanding of how the world works. This nation is crumbling—at a much faster rate than it has been in decades. Such a thing prompts action, whether it be by sanction," Yuso explained, his words pausing momentarily. "... or by death."
"No!" Gabriel dissented with a holler, "None of that is necessary! What chance do you have to save this great nation with the blood of its people? The gods had managed to advance humanity with their unsurpassed benevolence! Not out of murder!"
Yuso sighed irksomely, "I'm growing weary of this conversation. Your knowledge is scarce due to cowering behind the ideals made by dead deities."
Gabriel's eyes sharpened at those words. To him and to all of Ryakudatsu, religion was a source of hope and comfort. Sure, it may have been created out of fear, but that fear had soon transitioned into courage. Some may not believe in gods, while some worship daily—but in the end, a person's belief is cherished deeply. Like sunlight to a flower.
"A Devil like you could never comprehend true hope!" Gabriel yelled in immense fury.
As his rage was as visible as the sun, Gabriel released a strong and powerful "HRAAH!" as he charged forward, Excalibur secured tightly within his grasp as he swung the mighty blade toward Yuso.
In haste, Yuso stored magic into his legs as he jumped to the side, avoiding being sliced in two by Gabriel. Finding his footing once more upon landing, Yuso created two fist-sized pentagrams, each serving as a shield for his knuckles as he lunged toward Gabriel, throwing his first punch.
*CLINK!*
With Yuso's pentagram-covered fist clinking against Excalibur, Gabriel slid back slightly, grounding his teeth in bitterness. The blonde went for a swift strike, missing as Yuso ducked underneath the swing, spinning on one foot and using the other to land a strong hit on Gabriel's solar plexus.
Yuso moved forward as Gabriel fell back, intending to strike the blonde while he was vulnerable. Excalibur, however, began to emit a yellow glow and fired a tremendous blast just as Yuso approached, discouraging Yuso from advancing and vaulting away.
To find his footing faster, Gabriel rolled backward upon meeting the ground and quickly stood back up to his feet. The blonde quickly found his sights back on the redhead, watching as Yuso touched back down to the ground as well.
"This isn't the fight that I thought I'd get," Yuso claimed, degrading Gabriel's fighting tactics.
"Shut up!" Gabriel demanded, glaring at Yuso indignantly.
Next, Gabriel then flipped Excalibur in his hands, with the blade's tip pointing down, and planted it in the dirt ground. The blade flashed bright yellow once more as the ground began to quake.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
Just under Yuso, the ground erupted in massive explosions, getting lost in the debris in an instant. With the ground becoming uneven, the air clouded by dirt, Gabriel hopped up onto a newly formed mound—created by the explosions.
Squinting his eyes as he looked all around, he failed to notice the faint red flash above him. Excalibur quickly shook from within Gabriel's grasp, yanking his arm upward as it clanked with a stone spike. Through the flying debris in the air, Gabriel could spot the pentagram from which the spike shot out.
"You're standing in my space, kid. Do you really think that I'd leave myself unguarded?" Yuso's dark voice ringed in Gabriel's ears violently, alerting the blonde teenager.
Gabriel scowled. "Where are you, heathen!?" He then yelled venomously, his eyes scouring the flying debris for any signs of life.
"You relying on that blade will only bring you to death. I've fought hundreds of warriors with sensory magic, you're only the newest addition to that list." Yuso informed, making Gabriel clench his free hand into a fist.
At the moment Gabriel felt Excalibur shake erratically, he spun hastily, his entire left hand being encompassed by his Aura Sense as he then released a yellow beam, clearing through the cloud of debris all around him.
Gabriel became stumped. Where was the danger? Excalibur had flinched, but nothing had come out to assault the blonde.
*RATTLE!*
Excalibur continued to shake within Gabriel's hands. However, no danger could be seen—not even Yuso.
Suddenly, Yuso emerged from behind a mound, staring at Gabriel blankly. But one thing was off—his eyes. They were rotating, but no pentagrams were being formed.
Wearily, Gabriel pointed his blade at the redhead. "What's your game now!?"
Yuso slowly extended his right arm, his palm facing Gabriel. "It's sad. You have that blade telling you everything you need to know, but you still remain oblivious to your demise."
Standing many meters away, Father Laurence observed the situation—especially Excalibur's erratic behavior. He had noticed how the pentagrams Yuso places are seemingly predetermined as to where they are placed. And, going off of what Yuso had said, 'Standing in his space,' Father Laurence came to one conclusion—one that took all of his years of experience with curses to come to.
"Gabriel!" Father Laurence called out to the stranded blonde, "around you! It's around you!"
Gabriel perked up at those words, his eyes bulging as Yuso clamped his fist to a close. Without a moment's notice, multiple red illuminations blinded Gabriel, overwhelming him completely.
In mere seconds, twenty pentagrams had surrounded Gabriel, trapping the teenager in his position. He had nowhere to run; every direction, including above him, was closed off by red circles of magic.
"This is your last, kid."
*SHING!*
*SHING!*
*SHING!*
Escaping from every nearby pentagram, spikes protruded from the centers, all directed at the helpless blonde.
Acting out of fear, Gabriel aimed his palm at the ground and braced himself as—*BOOM!*—he blew up the ground around him with the biggest beam he could muster.
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Gabriel could be seen, standing somewhere new, indicating his attempt to flee. However, spikes had still managed to impale various spots on the left side of his body, rendering him immobile.
"Argh!" Gabriel howled in pain, feeling as the stone spikes cut deep into his torso and legs. Surprisingly, Gabriel maintained his hold on Excalibur.
"You're shockingly tenacious. You being able to make it this far is something to remember, especially for a young brat like you." Yuso complemented, his gratifying words quickly flipping to his ominous subtle threats. "But you still got caught."
The redhead trekked over to the immobile blonde, his hand glowing a vibrant red.
"Gabriel!" Father Laurence suddenly yelled, his hand extended outward as his teeth were grounded together.
A peculiar sight about the elderly man was that several markings traced his arms, forming a mark similar to the pentagrams embedded in Yuso's palms. But instead of red markings, he was covered in blue.
Yuso's eyes widened in slight surprise at the sight, a glint of recognition gleaming in his demonic eyes.
"Hah!"
*VROOM!*
An abrupt force of magic was expelled from Father Laurence's palm, reaching out toward Yuso's pentagrams. More specifically, the ones that stabbed Gabriel. Immediately, each pentagram that had impaled Gabriel started to fade, swirling out of existence—freeing the blonde at last.
With every last pentagram being swallowed by Father Laurence's hand, the elderly man lowered his arm, moving his eyes over to Yuso.
"Behold! This is the curse Torikesa Reta Tokken!"
Gabriel's eyes gleamed in fascination, eyeing Father Laurence's blue markings. Where did Father Laurence obtain such a curse? Why hasn't he used it up until now?
Father Laurence stumbled forward, straightening his posture as he assumed a small stance. His palms are open and prepared to be used.
"I'm sorry for the delay, Gabriel. But this curse takes a heavy toll on my body, especially since my body has been weakened over the years." Father Laurence explained briefly, not taking his eyes off of Yuso.
Gabriel merely lay on the ground, clutching his wounds in pain. It was safe to say that the blonde teenager was out of the fight.
Yuso turned his body toward Father Laurence, his demonic eyes narrowing at the elderly man. "How did you get that curse?"
Laurence hummed. "That is a secret that only Rosaline has ever known. But, as for you," Laurence stated, his palms glowing in bright blue illumination. "... I'll give you a proper demonstration."
Yuso gazed at Laurence with contempt. "Much like the kid, you can only rely on a curse for so long."
Laurence acknowledged Yuso's words with a grunt.
"Stay true to your words, as for the Torikesa Reta Tokken is your curses rival!"
XXX
Father Laurence joins the fray!? And what is the Torikesa Reta Tokken? A curse that sucked in Yuso's pentagrams? Stay tuned to find out, as for next chapter will be the finale to this fight!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_