◇In the Desert◇
Zanzibar had spent yet another sleepless night in the desert cave the
Shadow King's people were offering them as a hideout. It had already been
weeks since he had ordered his minion Meiden to investigate the state of
affairs in the Dark Citadel, but no news had reached them and Zanzibar was
growing angry.
"Master!" Meiden ran up, holding one of her bat familiars in her arms.
"Meiden! Do we have news at last?"
"Yes, Master! One of the bats I sent to infiltrate the Dark Citadel has
finally returned! And listen to this: not only has the Dark One Yuigarde left
the Dark Citadel, but the Infernals Yorminyt and Hugi-Mugi have
abandoned the Dark Army! Even Phufun, Yuigarde's right hand, has left to
go find her master!"
"Then...who is in charge of the Dark Citadel right now?" Zanzibar
asked.
"It seems, Master, that the last remaining Infernal, Calsi'im, has been
made Dark Regent."
"Calsi'im!" Zanzibar bit his lip in aggravation. Calsi'im had thwarted
him once before when he had attempted a surprise assault on the Dark
Citadel. Calsi'im and his skeletons had holed up in the throne room and
resisted Zanzibar's forces to the last.
"Even hearing that accursed skeleton's name makes me sick," Zanzibar
spat. "If it weren't for him, we would have claimed the Dark Citadel long
ago! Still, with Yuigarde, Yorminyt, and Hugi-Mugi all gone, the Dark
Army must be on its last legs. This may be our best opportunity to attack."
He took to his feet and jogged towards the entrance. "Meiden! Give
everyone here the order to attack! And make sure to let the Shadow King
know we will need supplies."
"As you command, Master. It will be done at once," Meiden said,
kneeling before Zanzibar.
Zanzibar grinned wickedly. The moment of his triumph was at hand!
◇Days Later—Dark Citadel Throne Room◇
The Dark Regent Calsi'im sat in the throne room of the Dark Citadel.
He didn't sit on the throne, but in front of it, on a cloth he had spread out
over the ground. As he sat, his minion Tia stepped up to him.
"Calsi'im," she said, handing him a cup of tea from the tray she was
carrying, "you may only be regent, but you are still the lord of this citadel.
Perhaps it would be best for you to sit on the throne?"
"No, no!" Calsi'im said, accepting the cup. "I am simply holding on to
this office until the Dark One Yuigarde returns! I would never so much as
think to put on such airs!" He laughed, his jawbone rattling in his skull.
Tia looked at the stacks of paperwork Calsi'im had sitting in front of
him. "Is that the overview of the Dark Army's current fighting strength I
prepared for you?"
"Indeed it is!" Calsi'im said, looking over the papers as he sipped his
tea. "Things are even worse than I feared, Tia..."
"It is very bad..." Tia folded her arms. Ordinarily, magic dolls didn't
express emotions, but Tia's distress was plain to see on her face. "I
wouldn't be surprised if the Dark Army collapses entirely, to be honest..."
Calsi'im took another look at the papers in front of him, which read:
Total Dark Army Fighting Strength (Excluding Noncombatants):
◇Infernal Candidate Belianna: 1
◇Skeletons Loyal to Calsi'im: 21
◇Devils Loyal to Belianna: 298
"My loyal skeletons..." Calsi'im mused. "Those would be the old guards
of the Dark Citadel, would they not?"
"You are correct, Calsi'im," Tia answered. "They included themselves
as combatants due to their high level of motivation, but it would perhaps be
best not to expect much of them..."
"Hogwash!" Calsi'im declared, his jaw rattling with laughter. "Why, last
time Zanzibar tried to attack while the Dark One was away, it was those
very skeletons who helped me send them packing! There's not a weak bone
in their bodies!" But he had to admit to himself that things did indeed look
bleak.
Still, Tia is right, he thought. The Dark Army really is on the verge of
collapse. Those skeletons are all as old as me! Any of our bodies could give
out at any time. And Belianna's devils are all youngsters dissatisfied with
Zanzibar's way of doing things! It would be absurd to ask them to throw
their lives away.
"Calsi'im..." Tia squeezed the skeleton's hands in hers. "If Zanzibar's
rebels come to attack us now, we are doomed," she said. "You were only
able to drive them away last time because the Dark One Yuigarde returned
to the Dark Citadel at the last moment. But I do not believe the Dark One
will return this time. Zanzibar would simply slaughter you..." She hugged
Calsi'im tight. "Calsi'im, we must flee. There is still time! The two of us
can go somewhere far away!"
"Tia..." said Calsi'im. "Thank you for your concern, but I cannot.
Phufun is counting on me! Don't get me wrong; I don't plan on dying
anytime soon! But I would never shirk my responsibility. If I ran away now,
what would I say to the Dark Ones of ages past?!"
"Calsi'im..." Tia still looked worried.
Calsi'im placed his hands on Tia's shoulders when suddenly his familiar,
Good Sir Caw-lins the dire crow, came bursting into the throne room,
noisily flapping its wings. It hardly ever went inside any rooms other than
Calsi'im's chambers—this was a real cause for concern.
"Goodness gracious me!" Calsi'im exclaimed. "What seems to be the
trouble?"
Good Sir Caw-lins hurried up to Calsi'im and began to caw. "Caw! Caw
caw caw! Caaaw—!"
Calsi'im started to tremble at what he heard. "It can't be! Zanzibar's
resistance has left the desert and begun marching on the Dark Citadel?!"
Tia's eyes went wide. She covered her hand with her mouth. "CCalsi'im..." For a while, Calsi'im sat perfectly still. Then, slowly, he turned
to look at her. Tia sidled up to her master. "There isn't a moment to lose!"
she pleaded. "We must get on Good Sir Caw-lins's back and fly to safety!"
Good Sir Caw-lins nodded his fervent agreement.
Calsi'im looked between the doll and the bird before clearing his throat.
"Don't fret, now," he said. "I can't promise everything will be okay, but
there is still something we can do. We can run away if it goes badly, but
first I want to try my idea!"
"You have an idea?" Tia asked. "There's still something we can do, even
now?"
"Hmm..." Calsi'im said. "It is a bit of a long shot, I'm afraid..." He took
a piece of paper from one of his robe's pockets.
"What is that?" Tia asked.
"Right now, it's our last hope!" Calsi'im exclaimed. "Now," he said to
the crow, "I'm terribly sorry, but there is somewhere I need to be carried."
Good Sir Caw-lins lowered his head, and Calsi'im climbed onto his back.
"Calsi'im, please let me go with you!" said Tia, climbing on after him.
When he was sure the two were safe and secure, Good Sir Caw-lins let
out a mighty "Caw—!"
"Now, the destination..." Calsi'im began, and told Gold Sir Caw-lins
where they needed to go. The crow nodded and took to the sky, leaving the
empty throne room behind them.
◇The Forest North of the Dark Citadel◇
Dawkson stood in a forest a ways north of the Dark Citadel. He had
passed this way by chance on his journey with Hero Gold-Hair and the
girls.
The Dark Citadel hasn't changed... thought Dawkson, watching from
afar. He was disguised in his human form, and on top of that, he was
wearing a heavy cloak with its hood low over his face. Looking at him,
nobody would think that he was the Dark One Yuigarde.
"What's the matter, Dawkson?" came Hero Gold-Hair's voice. Dawkson
turned to see the man himself, accompanied by Tsuya and Valentine.
"N-Nothing at all, Blondie! Y-Yeah! Everything's good!"
"Are you sure?" Hero Gold-Hair asked. "Well, if I'm imagining it, that's
all well and good. But if something's on your mind, you can always talk to
me! We're all on this journey together. As far as I'm concerned, that makes
you as good as family."
"Family..." The word made Dawkson think of Gholl, his older half
brother. What the hell have I been doing?! he thought. I haven't done a
single worthwhile thing since taking the throne from my brother! I just used
force to get my way all the time. I ran around with no plan, screaming at
demons... Compared to Gholl, I'm like dirt. I was a lousy Dark One...
"Hey, Dawkson!" called Hero Gold-Hair, grabbing his attention. "You
just told me nothing's the matter, but now you're right back to brooding!"
"A-Ah! No, no..." Dawkson insisted. "It's nothing, really. It's just
suddenly hittin' me that my whole life's been a failure. I wish I was more
like you, Blondie. Seems like there's nothin' you can't do..."
"What are you saying, Dawkson? I've had all kinds of failures!"
"Y-You have?! But you have Tsuya and Valentine and Riliangiu all
doing whatever you say! And you take care of them! You set traps to get
money to support them and stuff, right?"
"Of course I do!" Hero Gold-Hair took Dawkson by the shoulders and
turned him to look him in the eyes. "You know..." he started. "I was
summoned here from another world to be the Hero, but no matter how hard
I trained, my abilities just wouldn't go up! But I was too trapped in my
selfish pride to admit to anyone what was happening. I even tried to
summon a djinn the Magical Kingdom had sealed away to gain power! But
everything went wrong, and now I'm an internationally wanted criminal."
"R-Really? That's..."
"But we can't dwell on our past failures! We have to keep moving
forward! What's done is done. But if we try, we can pay back the debt we
owe for the trouble we caused, a little at a time." Gold-Hair chuckled,
embarrassed. "Well! That turned into a bit of a speech. All I mean is, I'm
going to live in the present and keep giving it my all, every day."
Dawkson could only stare.
Riliangiu appeared, returning from the forest. "Sir, I have identified
several locations ahead suitable for traps."
"Good job!" Hero Gold-Hair said, taking the Drilldozer Shovel from the
Bottomless Bag on his belt. "Then I'll go on ahead and dig the pitfalls! The
human Adventurers' Association will pay top dollar for bounties from
inside the Dark Army's territory!"
I see... Dawkson thought as Hero Gold-Hair walked off. Even if I've
messed up, I can keep moving forward. And maybe someday I can make it
up to the people I hurt...
◇The Western Desert◇
The rebel army marched for the Dark Citadel with Zanzibar at its head
riding in a resplendent war chariot.
"Meiden," Zanzibar said. "How are our supply lines? I would hate to
make the same mistake as Yuigarde and end up stranded without supplies in
the middle of the desert."
"There is no need to worry, Master," Meiden replied. "My bats tell me
all that transpires. The Dark Army has no forces in range to threaten our
supplies."
Zanzibar nodded, satisfied. "Ha ha ha! I suppose it was worth allying
with the Shadow King and the demon fox sisters after all! They certainly
know how to run a business."
Meiden looked at him with a worried expression. "But Master..." she
said. "Their fee was simply exorbitant! I cannot help but feel that they are
taking advantage of us..."
"No matter. We'll pay them when they come to collect—or we'll have it
sent from one of our hidden treasure stashes if we don't have the money on
hand. And when I am Dark One, the Shadow King will pay me tribute! We
will receive our money back with interest!" Zanzibar laughed and led his
army—ten thousand strong—eastwards.
◇Phufun, Meanwhile...◇
Phufun alighted and adjusted her glasses. "Where...am I?"
"Hm?" replied the small dark-skinned girl who happened to be in the
area. "This is the Calgosi Coast, right?"
"The Calgosi Coast..." Phufun repeated. "That's a ways south of the
Magical Kingdom, is it not?"
"That's right," the girl said. "I haven't seen you before. You're new
here, right?"
"I am. I'm looking for someone. He would be a huge, imposing man
about this tall..."
"Heh." The girl smirked. "Does he have long white hair and a long
white beard?"
"No, he isn't old..."
"In that case, I haven't seen 'em."
"I see. Thank you for your time, miss." Phufun raised her arms and then
brought them sharply down, manifesting her wings. She flew into the sky
and took off again at top speed. Master Yuigarde, where could you be? she
thought, the agitation plain to see on her face. If you don't come back soon,
the Dark Army... It... It might...
The girl watched in amazement as Phufun streaked off and vanished into
the clouds. "Jeez!" she said. "That girl flies pretty fast, right?"
"Oh?" A large man with long white hair and a long white beard—
Polseidon—walked up. "There you are, Rolindeim! What are you doing
here?"
"Huh? Oh, there was a girl looking for some huge hulk of a man, right?
Not you, though, Polseidon. Apparently, this one ain't a pensioner."
"What?!" Polseidon snapped. "I'm just as good as any whippersnapper!
Behold, my glorious physique!" He flexed, revealing his powerful, bulging
muscles.
"Well, I never said you didn't have the muscles, right?"
"You're not looking at me! Look!"
"Ugh." Rolindeim sighed. "I hate it when he gets like this." She screwed
up her face...and ran away.
"Wait! Come back! Look at me!!!" Polseidon bellowed, chasing after
her.
◇The Dark Citadel—One Week Later◇
A great commotion was happening outside the Dark Citadel. The
Infernals Yorminyt the Serpent Princess and Hugi-Mugi were gone, and
most of the Dark Army had left in their wake. And now, a great force of
demons had the Citadel surrounded.
"Pitiful." Zanzibar smirked. "I had hoped to encounter some resistance."
There were many strongholds and watchtowers in the Dark Army's
territory, but they had been left empty and undefended. Zanzibar's rebel
army had been unopposed in their march.
Zanzibar looked up at the firmly shut Citadel doors. "Aha ha ha ha!" he
chortled, drunk on victory. "With Yuigarde out of my way, I can subjugate
the Dark Citadel in five minutes! The throne of the Dark One shall be
mine...and then, the world!"
"Goodness gracious!" a voice said. "That wouldn't do at all!"
"Hmm?" Zanzibar turned. The voice had come from the other side of the
shut doors. "Then there are still those within the Dark Army who would
raise arms against us?"
"Oh, nothing so grand as all that. But it wouldn't do for me to simply
run away after being given the responsibilities of the Dark One."
Creeeeak... The door opened to reveal two figures—the robed Calsi'im
and his minion Tia.
Zanzibar chuckled. "If it isn't Calsi'im! My regards for our last such
contest."
"Gracious! But we would have never won the day if it hadn't been for
the Dark One Yuigarde." Calsi'im replied. "I couldn't possibly hold you off
on my own."
"You have a firm grasp of the situation, then," said Zanzibar. "But I am
not the type to leave myself vulnerable. You may be nothing more than an
old skeleton, Calsi'im, but if we fight, I will crush you with my full
strength. Ah, but forgive my discourtesy. It is Dark Regent Calsi'im now, is
it not?" He pointed at the armlet Calsi'im wore—the seal of the Dark One.
"That is the Dark One's armlet, I believe. If I seize it from you, will you
acknowledge me as the new Dark One?"
"Well now!" Calsi'im said, playing along. "This armlet is the seal of the
Dark One! If you can claim it, then I suppose that that's what it would make
you!"
Zanzibar grinned triumphantly. "Then we understand each other. Would
you stop this pointless show of resistance and give me the armlet? If you do
so, I will spare the lives of the demons in this Citadel."
"Hmm..." Calsi'im inclined his head. "You'll spare the lives of everyone
here in exchange for a single armlet?"
"Think what you will of me, but for a devil, I am not without mercy. I
would never break a solemn—"
"Oh yeah?!" Belianna stepped forward from the darkness behind
Calsi'im. "Is that a damned joke, you damned old man?"
"You..." Zanzibar growled. "The traitor Belianna, here to lick the Dark
Army's boots, I presume."
"Don't make me laugh. A damned traitor, he says! And after playing us
damned devils for fools. I know damned well you plan to slaughter every
last demon if the Dark Regent gives you the damned armlet."
Zanzibar sighed. "Hmph. If that's how you want to do this, traitor, then
so be it."
Zanzibar raised his arm towards the heavens and gave a mighty shout.
"Raaaaaah!!!"
His army echoed back, rallying with one voice. "Yaaaaaah!!!"
"Calsi'im!" Tia moved in front of the Dark Regent to protect him,
spreading her arms wide and staring down Zanzibar.
"What have we here?" Zanzibar said. "A magic doll? Protecting its
master of its own volition, I see..." He sounded mildly impressed.
Meiden squinted at Tia from her place beside Zanzibar. "It would take
an incredible spellcaster to create a doll like that," she said. "That might be
one of the greater magic dolls created by the phantom mage Dorn,
Master..."
"Oh?" said Zanzibar. "Fascinating..."
"How I would love to get my hands on it, take it apart, see how it
works..." A twisted, depraved smile spread across Meiden's face. "With
such a developed sense of self, it's bound to make the most delightful
screams."
"Very well!" Zanzibar sneered. "Then take the magic doll alive, and kill
the rest!"
"Oh, dear!" Calsi'im exclaimed. "It seems Miss Belianna was correct!
They never intended to make peace!"
"Obviously, you damned Dark Regent," said Belianna.
"Ah, well..." Calsi'im sighed. "I thought I might be able to settle things
on my own, if they had been willing to talk. I suppose we will need their
help after all."
Zanzibar cackled uproariously. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaa!!!
'Help'?! Don't make me laugh! Nobody is coming to—"
"Awawoooooooooooooooooo!!!"
A deafening howl rang out, drowning out the rebels' war cries. Terror
seized their hearts. The weaker among them collapsed on the spot.
"Th-That howl...!"
"I can't even stand! The pressure!"
"What...?"
The rebels were in disarray.
Zanzibar clicked his tongue in anger. "Wh-What is this?! Collapsing
from a single howl?! What kind of—"
"M-Master!" Meiden shouted. She was pointing towards the roof of the
Dark Citadel. "Look!"
Zanzibar could see the silhouette of an enormous wolf. He wrinkled his
nose in doubt. "Impossible..." he said. "I've never heard of a wolf so big..."
Then he noticed a number of other figures accompanying the wolf.
"I suppose diplomacy didn't work, then..." said the one in front—a man
in a wolf mask.
"Hardly a surprise, my lord husband," the wolf responded. "The Dark
Army is all but destroyed. The rebels have no reason to listen to any
demands they would make."
"I suppose so..." the man said. Then he turned to address the others. "All
right. I'm counting on you. Remember, be sure not to harm anyone who
flees or surrenders."
The others were also wearing wolf masks, similar in design to their
leader's. They nodded in unison.
"As you command, Exalted One. Your humble servants shall see to it."
"Heh. It's about time I had a chance to show you all what the Grand
Magus of Midnight can do!"
"Hrm. Just don't blame me if I accidentally injure someone running
away."
"Well now if mew do, we know it's on purrpose!"
"I suppose this former Infernal can come out of retirement for a single
battle."
"Yeah! I'm gonna make dada proud of me!"
The mysterious fighters took to the sky, seemingly using magic to fly
through the air. The great wolf, meanwhile, leapt down from the roof,
landing right in front of Zanzibar. She ruffled her gorgeous white fur and
turned her ferocious gaze over the rebel army.
"N-No..." one of the rebels stuttered. "A white lupine demon...
Then...the rumors were true?"
"Th-That's a lupine?!" said another.
"Blasted hells..."
"Th-Then...the man giving the wolf orders...the one in the blue wolf
mask... Is that...the Wolf of Justice...?"
Zanzibar's eyes went wide. "Th-The Wolf of Justice?! Preposterous!
That man works for the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode! He is an enemy of
all demons! Why would he side with the Dark Army...?"
"Now, now, sir," Calsi'im corrected him. "I believe you are somewhat
mistaken!"
"Wh-What? Mistaken?"
"Indeed! Look!" Calsi'im reached into his robes and retrieved a single
letter, which he held out for Zanzibar to see.
It was the letter Flio had sent Sleip long ago. It read: "We wish for
peace."
"Peace..." Zanzibar said. "But even so, how could you have secured his
cooperation...?"
"Oh, that was simple enough! I just asked him if he could help me
negotiate a peace treaty with the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode!"
"You what?!" Zanzibar cried out in shock, but Calsi'im didn't react. He
just stood there, holding the letter for Zanzibar, the very picture of patience.
"Impossible! Humans and demons have been at war for decades—no,
centuries! How can you speak of peace like it's nothing?!"
"Indeed," Calsi'im said. "I understand that well, as does the Wolf of
Justice. This treaty is between the Dark Army and the Magical Kingdom of
Klyrode—not between humans and demons."
"The Magical Kingdom...and the Dark Army?" Zanzibar asked.
"Precisely! All of our remaining soldiers have agreed, and I suppose that
anyone else who wants to join will have to go along with it."
"Idiocy!" Zanzibar shouted, drawing his sword. "Then I shall kill the lot
of you and void this treaty of yours!" He struck...only for his sword to be
blocked. Clang! Belianna jumped into the fray, deflecting Zanzibar's blade
with her scythe.
"Not a damned chance, Zanzibar!" she said. "I won't let you interfere
with the Dark Regent's plan!" Zanzibar raised his blade to attack again, but
Belianna brandished her scythe. "Try as many damned times as you like!"
Just then, a great horde of skeletons shambled up from behind her,
spears in hand. They advanced towards Zanzibar. "We're here to help,
missy!"
"Us old-timers haven't thrown away our spears just yet!"
"Ahh, this brings me back to the good old days! Fighting alongside
Calsi'im and Lady Derabbitz..."
These were Calsi'im's friends and former subordinates—the skeleton
veterans who had seen the Dark Army through all kinds of hardships.
"Hah!" Belianna laughed. "You damned sacks of bones protect the Dark
Regent. Zanzibar is mine, damn it!" She swung her scythe deftly, showing
off her skill with the weapon, and brought it to a guard.
"Cheeky brat..." Zanzibar said, adjusting his stance.
But before they could come to blows, Meiden, who had been standing
by, interrupted them. "Master!" she shrieked. "Terrible news!"
"Wh-What is it, Meiden?!" Zanzibar shouted back. "Now isn't a good
time!"
"Y-Yes, but...but...our army...! They're being torn apart!"
"What?!"
A fierce battle had been raging while Zanzibar stood off against
Belianna. Wyne, in her wyvern form, laughed loudly as she shot blasts of
dragon fire from her mouth, reducing her opponents to ash on the spot.
"Aha ha ha ha! Burn! Burn!"
"You burn them, Wyne, and I will trample them flat!" Sleip charged
forward. His lichsteed form was massive; demon after demon got crushed
underfoot.
"Mreow!" Uliminas yelled. She was wearing a purple wolf mask and
had her claws at the ready. "I'm not gonna let the big guys get all the
glory!" She dove into the enemy ranks, tearing apart anyone who dared
raise a weapon against her.
Meanwhile, Flio—the Wolf of Justice himself—was flying high above
the battlefield. He raised his arms to conjure a magic circle, casting the spell
Gravitation, his old favorite. It pinned every rebel still standing in his
vicinity to the ground.
"Well, that makes me feel a little pointless..." Damalynas grumbled.
"Now, now, Damalynas. You mustn't say such things," said Hiya. "Ah,
pardon me. I am meant to call you the Wolf of Midnight."
"Oh, that's right! And I'm supposed to call you the Wolf of Light and
Darkness."
"Precisely," said Hiya. "Our job is important in its own way. We are
meant to assist any who wish to quit the rebels and rejoin the Dark Army."
"And protect them from that guy, right?" Damalynas glanced over at
where Ghozal, wearing a black wolf mask, was casting thunderbolts all
around him, pursuing the rebels as they fled.
"Come on!" Ghozal shouted. "Stop running away! I'm not allowed to
attack you unless you fight me!"
"We surrender!" the demons shouted. "Please! Spare our lives!"
But Ghozal simply laughed. "What was that?! I can't hear you over my
lightning bolts!" Clearly, this was at least somewhat premeditated.
"Jeez..." said Damalynas. "That looks bad..."
"It does..." agreed Hiya. "First, we must rescue those demons from
Ghozal—forgive me. I mean, from the Black Wolf."
"Right!" Damalynas nodded and flew off.
"H-How can this be...?" Zanzibar couldn't believe his eyes. "I don't care
how strong this Wolf of Justice is... He has five...maybe six companions?!
How can ten thousand soldiers be routed by six fighters?!"
But Belianna wasn't wasting time. She bore down on Zanzibar,
swinging her scythe in wide circles. "You'll die not understanding!" she
taunted. "This is what happens when you fight the damned Wolf of Justice!
Take this!" She aimed a rising slash at the rebel leader.
"Ngh?!" Zanzibar cried as Belianna's scythe caught his sword and tore it
from his hand, sending it flying skyward. It landed tip first, plunging into
the ground behind him.
"Damned checkmate," Belianna declared. She held out her scythe,
pointing dramatically with her weapon.
"This isn't over..." Zanzibar growled.
"It isn't?!"
"I still have a hidden ace! Meiden!"
"Yes, Master!" Meiden began to chant, and a huge magic circle
appeared, enveloping her body. "The time has come... Balunhamut, beast of
legends! I summon you!" Another magic circle appeared in the sky above
the forest to the north. Slowly, it began to rotate. And then, a colossal magic
beast appeared—fully thirty feet from its head to its claws. It landed, and—
Thud!
With a terrible roar, the freshly summoned legendary beast Balunhamut
was sucked into the ground beneath its feet.
"What?!" Meiden, the summoner, exclaimed. For a second, she lost her
concentration. The magic circle around her began to warp and close in on
her. "N-No! Not that! Noooooo!!!" she screamed as her body was engulfed.
The circle vanished without a trace, taking Meiden with it.
"What...?" Flio, who had come running when he'd noticed something
was off, watched as Meiden vanished into nothing.
"That woman failed to maintain her concentration while performing a
great summoning, Exalted One," Hiya explained. "She has fallen into the
rift between worlds. Sadly, she is beyond the reach of even I, the djinn who
commands the origin of light and darkness."
"I see..." Flio muttered to himself, frowning.
Flio came over to stand next to Calsi'im. Before long, Wyne, Rys,
Uliminas, and the others had joined them. The attacking army was utterly
vanquished.
Zanzibar looked around, disbelieving, and fell to his knees. "I'm
finished..." He looked over at Belianna and undid his collar, exposing his
bare neck. "Do it."
"Hah!" Belianna laughed. She swung the scythe in a circle and brought
it to rest on her shoulder. "We're apparently trying not to take lives unless
we damned well have to. It's some kind of damned principle."
The Wolf of Justice clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you," he
said. "You made the right decision."
"Heh..." Belianna chuckled. "Thanks." She smiled.
◇ ◇ ◇
Zanzibar's rebellion had come to an end. Balunhamut, the beast Meiden
had summoned, was found dead in a ludicrously oversized pit trap of
unknown provenience. The Dark Army organized a group to dispose of the
corpse, but by the time they got there, they found that it had already
vanished.
As for Zanzibar himself, the Dark Regent Calsi'im had him locked up in
a dungeon underneath the Dark Citadel to await the Dark One Yuigarde's
judgment, were he ever to return.
Most of the rebels whom Hiya and Damalynas captured ended up
changing sides and joining the Dark Army, refreshing its devastated
numbers overnight. The Dark Army was far from the force it used to be, but
it had at least regained a bit of its former strength.
◇In a Forest◇
"My lord, come look! It's huge!" Valentine happily exclaimed.
Hero Gold-Hair nodded and grinned triumphantly. "So it is!" he said. "I
suppose you can catch some big ones this close to the Dark Citadel! This
spot was a good find, Riliangiu!"
Riliangiu smiled but shook her head. "I did nothing of note," she said. "I
simply happened to discover traces of summoning magic in this area. It was
your decision to dig a pitfall big enough to trap the summoned beast when it
appeared."
"Ha ha ha! Then I suppose both of us get to take credit!" Riliangiu
bowed her head, smiling happily at Gold-Hair's praise. "And Dawkson!" he
added. "Good job getting that thing out of the hole! That was quite the feat
of strength!"
"Aww..." Dawkson smiled. "I didn't do nothin', Blondie." Huh... he
thought. It feels kinda good getting praised! I guess they were right about
the carrots and sticks. I never gave my underlings enough credit when I was
Dark One... I just threatened them until they did what I wanted! Dawkson
nodded along, lost in his thoughts.
"What about me, my lord?" Valentine asked. "I was the one who
wrapped it up with dark spider webs so we could fit it in the Bottomless
Bag! Did I do good?"
"You did very good, Valentine. Good girl!" Hero Gold Hair patted
Valentine on the head as the former Evil General beamed like a child.
Tsuya gleefully watched on. "I wonder how much the Adveeenturers'
Association will pay for such an amaaaazing magic beast!" she said. "I
can't waaait!"
"Yes!" said Hero Gold-Hair. "This should take care of the money
problems you've been so worried about, Tsuya!"
"Yeeeah!" Tsuya's smile got even brighter. "And then my stooomach
will stop hurting so much!"
"All right!" Hero Gold-Hair nodded. "Now that that's settled, let's hurry
to the Adventurers' Association! And tonight, a feast!"
"Yeah!" the others cheered, raising their fists skyward. They continued
on the road towards the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode.
◇Phufun, Meanwhile...◇
"Now where am I...?" Phufun took a look around, her body shivering
with cold. The Magical Kingdom of Klyrode was a relatively temperate
land, but Phufun had somehow found her way to a vast snowfield. The
merciless winter wind cut into her body. Phufun didn't wear much in the
way of clothing, and it felt like the cold was seeping into her very core as
she took step after step through the snow.
"I-I-I was certain I sensed a powerful demon somewhere around here..."
she chattered. "B-B-But...it's looking like it might have been someone from
the Realm of Evil... Oh, I can't think properly in this cold..."
Phufun pressed her frozen fingertip to the ridge of her glasses to adjust
them and tried to spread her wings only to find that she couldn't. They had
been frozen stiff. There was no way she could fly in this state.
"I-I-I need to f-f-find somewhere to warm up..." Phufun pressed her
glasses up again, but the lenses were covered in ice. She could hardly make
out anything at all. "I-I-I'll freeze to death at this rate..." she said. "W-Well,
I am a succubus. I-I should only go dormant. B-B-But that isn't much
better..."
Phufun trudged on and on through the snow, muttering to herself.
"Master Yuigarde..." she said. "Where are you? Please... We need you...
Zanzibar... The rebels are coming..."
She walked past a large tree that had a sign nailed to it, reading
"Beginner Slope." But with her glasses in the state they were, Phufun didn't
notice.