Yuuji sat down in the middle of the field and listened to Kenma while healing his wounds with his technique.
Kenma broke down everything that had happened. He explained how, after leaving the library, he had fallen under mind control, how Selena had saved him at the cost of her arm, how they had set out after the rain stopped, and everything they had experienced on the way:
-"…After resting properly until morning, we set out since the rain had stopped too. I was worried because I had no weapons, and Selena-san was injured, but we had to find you. Fortunately, after a while, we ran into Yachi-san, and she told us what had happened to you."
…
Ichika:
-"Kenma-kun, I think Selena-san should come with me. Fighting in this condition will only harm her more. I'll take her to the inn and look after her, so don't worry!"
Kenma agreed and turned his head towards Selena:
-"I think so too, Selena-san. Continuing like this could be fatal for you."
Selena smiled:
-"Alright then, let's do that."
She unfastened her sword with its sheath from her belt and handed it to Kenma:
-"Kenma, take this. You need a weapon much more than I do, and I have Ichika with me anyway."
Kenma hesitated for a moment but then accepted the commander's elegant sword:
-"Thank you. I'll take care of it as if it were my own."
Afterward, Ichika gave Kenma directions, and they parted ways.
…
As Kenma was speaking, the sky darkened, and heavy snow began to fall. After hearing his story, Yuuji felt a sense of relief:
-"You two meeting Ichika-san really was lucky. Now I won't have to worry anymore."
Kenma nodded.
-"Yeah, I felt relieved too when I saw a familiar face. There's skaldars everywhere you take step into in Skaldmara."
Then, changing the subject, he pointed at the wound on his cheek:
-"Hey Yuuji, can your healing technique get rid of this scar? It looks kind of ugly..."
Yuuji took a closer look to the wound:
-"Let me see… Hmm… Unfortunately, it's already scabbed over. What you're asking for only works on open wounds."
Kenma was disappointed.
-"Really? Oh well..."
To cheer him up, Yuuji replied teasingly:
-"If you somehow get another wound on your cheek, come straight to me so I can heal it. After all, it'd be a shame to let a scar ruin such a pretty face."
Kenma understood what Yuuji was implying and, in a slightly flustered tone, said:
-"Hey, are you treating me like a girl again?"
There was a brief silence before both of them burst into laughter. Yuuji was genuinely happy:
-"You have no idea how glad I am that you're safe, mate..."
Just then, a loud noise erupted, and the ground began to shake. In the distance, beyond the plateau they were on, a dark beam of light shot up into the sky. It pierced through the clouds, forming a black, portal-like opening in the sky. Kenma turned to Yuuji to ask what was happening and noticed the serious look on his face:
-"Hey Yuuji, what is that? What's going on?"
Yuuji furrowed his brows:
-"That thing is definitely the work of the skaldars. And something inside me is telling me that we need to get there immediately."
Seeing Yuuji this serious for the first time, Kenma realized the seriousness the situation:
-"Then let's go."
Yuuji picked up the katana left behind by the medallion's owner on the battlefield, and the two of them quickly set off toward the source of the light. Leaving the open area behind, they entered a forest. After a short distance, they arrived at a settlement.
However, unlike the villages they had encountered before, this place was large enough to be called a city. Strangely, though, it was completely empty.
Yuuji frowned:
-"What is this? Why is there no one living in any of the settlements in Skaldmara?"
Kenma:
-"Could it be related to that beam? Maybe it's something harmful to skaldars, so they temporarily evacuated to another place."
As they continued walking through the city, Yuuji thought for a while before responding.
-"But if that's the case, why aren't the skaldar guards affected?"
Kenma had no answer:
-"I don't know..."
As they moved forward, the elevation increased. They were no longer on a plateau but ascending toward the mountain's peak. The higher they climbed through the desolate streets, the heavier the snowfall became. They were getting closer to the source of the eerie light.
The streets gradually widened and became more modern. Kenma glanced around and commented:
-"So even among the skaldars, there's a hierarchical system. I thought they had created a society where everyone was equal."
They arrived in front of a large, theater-like structure. The beam of dark light was rising from the center of this theater, which had a performance area in the middle and spectator seats surrounding it. Four of the Skaldar Guards stood motionless around this beam, performing a ritual. These four included:
The Armor User (capable of mind control abilities),
The Ring User (capable of breaking barriers and absorbing elemental techniques, as well as mastering their use),
The Mage Rod User (capable of disguise and transformation),
The Wings User (capable of teleportation and flying),
A large barrier surrounded them. The moment Kenma saw the winged Skaldar, he gripped his katana and started moving towards them, but Yuuji stopped him:
-"Wait, we can't enter there. They're protected by a barrier. And don't forget, these are the Skaldar Guards. The chances of us winning against all four are very low."
Kenma took a deep breath, controlling his anger:
-"Y-you're right. Then what do we do?"
Yuuji's eyes scanned the scene, searching for an answer:
-"The owner of medallion isn't here… Where could he have gone? But what's even stranger is, owner of the katana isn't here either."
Kenma's eyes widened slightly:
-"His ability… If I remember correctly, it was mana absorption and storage, right?"
At that moment, a deep, unfamiliar voice echoed from behind them, making both of them flinch.
-"Your guess is right."
Kenma and Yuuji immediately turned back, taking a battle stance. The skaldar guard who was the owner of Holy Katana stood right in front of them. He was looking directly at Yuuji with a sly grin:
-"Your mana capacity is quite big. Have you come here to help us, young man?"
Yuuji clenched the katana in his hand tightly. Both he and Kenma were extremely tense, this creature had managed to get so close to them without being noticed:
-"W-what are you talking about?"
The Skaldar let out a low, sinister chuckle:
-"You already know what this blade in my hand does. The more mana it absorbs, the more successful our ritual will be. This ritual will bring back King Zaroth into the world. With such an important goal in mind, I can't simply ignore your mana, especially when you've come this close on your own."
As soon as they heard the words King Zaroth's revival, Kenma and Yuuji were struck with shock and horror. But before Yuuji could even process it, Kenma sprang into action.
The Holy Katana's owner was none other than the Skaldar Guard who had killed Kenma's mother. This was the golden opportunity for his revenge, served to him on a golden plate:
-"Like I would let that happen!"
Kenma lunged forward like a flash, launching an attack. The skaldar blocked it with ease, and the two instantly engaged in a fierce battle.
Yuuji was frozen for a second, torn between the ongoing duel and the ominous ritual. Kenma's voice snapped him out of it:
-"Yuuji, stop standing there! I'll handle this, just do something about the ritual!"
-"O-okay!"
Yuuji immediately ran towards the center of the theater, approaching the barrier. His mind was full of thoughts:
"This is the Skaldar that killed Kenma's mother… and now we're facing him. But I have the same risk as his mother. When Kenma saved me that day, those skaldars were also trying to absorb and steal my mana… So this was their plan all along! I have to stop this ritual somehow. But how? The skaldars inside the barrier aren't moving at all, almost like they're in a trance. Spawning the king must be a difficult process..."
He brought his hand closer to the barrier and began deciphering it's mantra. He tried and tried, but he just couldn't manage to do it as he did back in Aurellio:
-"It's not working! It feels like something is missing..."
-"This isn't an ordinary barrier; it requires a specific item or substance to open. Judging by its structure, it operates with blood. I believe the blood of the skaldar guards will do the trick."
Hearing this unfamiliar voice from his right, Yuuji jumped, unsheathed his katana and pointed it towards the source of that voice. Standing there was a young hybrid man with dark gray hair. Yuuji spoke cautiously:
-"W-who are you? I didn't even sense your presence here."
The young hybrid replied:
-"Relax, I'm not your enemy, we're on the same side. You must know Zhou Liang; he's safe with us."
Hearing Liang's name, Yuuji relaxed a little. Hybrids were trustworthy beings; they had never been known to betray humans:
-"I-I see. So Liang-san is safe too, that's nice to hear. Judging by how quickly you identified the barrier's nature and how well you hide your mana, you must be a skilled mage. What's your name?"
The hybrid frowned at Yuuji's words, but it wasn't out of hostility:
-"Of course, I'm skilled. Our ancestors developed these kinds of magic techniques, and nearly all hybrids have mastered them. And yes, Zhou Liang is in our camp and safe. My name is Himura. I'm a member of the Skaldmara Exploration Team. And you are...?"
Yuuji introduced himself:
-"Yuuji, Kageyama Yuuji."
Himura continued:
-"Yuuji, huh? Then the other one must be Kenma. Listen, Yuuji-san, we need to get some skaldar blood and press it onto one of these papers in my hand. Got it?"
As Himura explained his plan while showing the papers in his hand, Yuuji was observing his ears and tail:
-"Hey, are you a cat or a fox?"
Himura was confused:
-"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Yuuji snapped back to focus and took a piece of paper from Himura's hand.
-"Y-yeah, yeah, sorry! So, we just need to get the skaldar's blood on this paper, right?"
Himura sighed:
-"Yes. I hope this will be enough. After that, we'll use the paper to break the mantra. Also, to make things clear, I'm neither a cat nor a fox. I'm a wolf."
-"O-oh, okay. Let's go."
The two of them quickly made their way through the theater toward the battleground where Kenma and the Holy Katana's owner were fighting. The duel, taking place under heavy snowfall, had moved slightly away from the theater to the middle of a street.
Kenma was exhausted. He was leaning on his katana, using it for support as he gasped for breath, his face covered in blood and sweat. About five meters in front of him, the skaldar guard stood, watching him:
-"To be honest, you've improved a lot compared to three years ago, kid! But unfortunately, it's still NOT ENOUGH TO DEFEAT ME!"
The moment he finished his sentence, the skaldar guard lunged at Kenma. Kenma lifted his katana, but before he could swing, something grabbed his arm and sword. He turned to see several tree branches sprouting from the ground, holding him in place, it was Yuuji's Hands of Nature technique. The Holy Katana's owner glanced at Yuuji and Himura behind him:
-"Nature element, huh?"
Suddenly, the Holy Katana burst into flames, burning the branches to ash. Meanwhile, Kenma slowly sank to his knees, unable to stand any longer. The skaldar turned his back to Kenma and charged towards Yuuji:
-"I'll deal with you pathetic mages first!"
Himura stepped in front of Yuuji, pointing his katana forward:
-"Yuuji-san, get ready!"
Yuuji nodded, gripping his katana with both hands. Himura launched an attack against the rapidly approaching Skaldar, using the wind element's 'Gust Step' technique to dash forward at high speed. The two clashed blades.
Himura dashed to the right, jumped into the air, turned to skaldar, and swinged his katana once more. The Skaldar blocked it again and counterattacked, forcing Himura to step back.
At the same time, Yuuji used his "Hands of Nature" technique to bind the Skaldar's feet once more. Seizing the opportunity, Himura unleashed a ranged attack using the wind element's "Wind Cutter" technique.
Yuuji thought to himself:
-"Just like Selena-san!"
(Technique explanation, Gust Step: Allows the user to manipulate the wind around them to move quickly, enabling sudden maneuvers and accelerations over short distances.
Wind Cutter: allows the user to create sharp wind waves by swinging their weapon, cutting through and injuring their targets.)
The skaldar swung his holy katana through the air, and once again, the blade ignited. This time, the movement of the swing caused flames to erupt around him, preventing the Wind Cutter technique from passing through. The intense heat instantly melted the snow that had accumulated around him.
Yuuji thought to himself, "What the hell is this?" and quickly started moved towards Himura. A few seconds later, the flames started to die down, and when they finally extinguished, skaldar guard was gone! Himura immediately checked his left and right. Yuuji shouted:
-"Himura-san, behind you!"
Hearing this, Himura turned around instantly, but it was already too late. The skaldar disarmed Himura, knocking his katana to the ground, and drove the Holy Katana into Himura's stomach. As his mana began to drain, Himura panicked and instinctively extended his claws, ferociously clawing at the skaldar's chest. The skaldar growled in anger:
-"Shut up, you filthy animal!"
With his right hand gripping the katana, he used his left hand to grab Himura's arms, trying to push him away. In response, Himura bit down hard on the skaldar's arm. At the same time, Yuuji reached them and swung his katana with all his might.
To dodge the attack, the Skaldar yanked the Holy Katana out of Himura's stomach and pushed him away to be able to retreaat. However, because Himura was still biting down on his arm, a chunk of flesh was torn off.
Without wasting a second, Yuuji quickly created a barrier to shield himself and Himura.
-"Himura-san, are you okay? I'll heal you right away, just hang on!"
But Himura's mind was elsewhere. Even through the pain, he managed to speak:
-"Hey, forget about me for now. I managed to spill the skaldar's blood. Hurry and transfer it to the paper before it dries."
But Yuuji had already begun casting an advanced healing spell.
-"Don't be ridiculous. You got hurt because of me, and I'm not leaving you like this."
Meanwhile, the skaldar had already healed himself and was now standing in front of the barrier. Himura signaled to Yuuji.
Raising the Holy Katana into the air once more, the Skaldar ignited the blade again and attacked the barrier with full force, causing it to crack.
Realizing this, Yuuji acted fast. Using a strategy similar to the one he had used on the owner of medallion, he manipulated the earth element to trap the skaldar, buying himself some time. Then, he cancelled the barrier, picked up Himura, and started running.
However, Himura was heavy, making it difficult for Yuuji to move quickly. So, Yuuji applied a strength-enhancing technique to himself and managed to reach Kenma's side.
As he ran, he thought to himself:
"I can't waste all my mana here. No matter what, I need to save some for 'that' technique."
Kenma was still on the ground. Yuuji set Himura down beside him. Kenma spoke, his voice filled with regret:
-"I'm sorry, Yuuji. I couldn't keep fighting for that long. That creature drained my mana. The Holy Katana is incredibly strong, it rapidly absorbs your mana the moment it touches you."
Yuuji smiled:
-"No need to apologize, Kenma. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I knew you couldn't last in such a prolonged fight, yet I left you to handle it alone."
But Himura was focused on the approaching Skaldar guard:
-"Can you two save the apologies for later? Skaldar is coming, and neither Kenma nor I can fight right now. What do we do? We're trapped! We didn't even get the blood sample, so we can't break the barrier!"
Yuuji stood up:
-"Himura-san, I'll take care of the Skaldar. You focus on healing yourself."
Himura was surprised:
-"How are you going to do that?"
Yuuji looked confident:
-"Skaldar guards rely too much on their weapons. I'm going to render his weapon completely useless, I have a plan."
As Yuuji slowly started walking towards the skaldar guard, Himura tried to piece together his words.
-"The weapon's function… mana absorption… nature element… Wait, could he be planning to...?! No way right?"
Yuuji and the owner of Holy Katana finally stood face to face. The skaldar grinned:
-"This is the big moment, young man. You've already spent most of your mana, but combined with what I drained from that hybrid, the amount you have left should be just enough to complete my plan!"
Yuuji, his voice calm, replied:
-"I see you're quite skilled at managing your mana . You've used multiple fire-element techniques, yet your mana consumption seems minimal."
The skaldar smirked, boasting:
-"Of course! My expertise lies in mana capacity and management!"
With that, he raised his katana high into the air. The blade ignited once more, and he charged straight at Yuuji:
-"Your element is nature, which means you're at a complete disadvantage against me! This is the end, young man!"
But Yuuji only grinned. He lifted his katana with his right hand, angling it backward, while extending his left hand forward and opening his palm.
-"No, you're wrong. The one at a disadvantage… is you."
The skaldar stopped charging, as he was confused about Yuuji's level of confidence:
-"What?"
Yuuji continued, his voice was still calm:
-"My main element isn't nature..."
Behind him, a magic circle appeared on the ground. From within it, a water dragon emerged, smaller than the previous one, almost lizard-like in comparison, yet still slightly larger than Yuuji himself:
-"...my main element is water!"
The small dragon soared through the air and blew onto the skaldar, drenching him completely. The flames on his katana were instantly extinguished. Panicked, the skaldar tried to reignite his fire technique, but his wet blade made that impossible. "Damn it!" he thought.
Yuuji knelt on one knee, planting his katana into the ground as he continued.
-"Though water is my main element… I have plenty of useful techniques on the other elements too. You see, I'm not a 'pathetic mage' after all!"
A memory surfaced in his mind, his conversation with Ichika back in Breton.
...
Ichika seemed worried:
-"By the way, about that last technique you tried to show but failed..."
Yuuji's expression turned serious:
-"It's indeed a very dangerous and difficult technique, but I'm sure it would be very useful if I can use it flawlessly."
-"Please be careful."
-"I will..."
...
"This time, I won't fail." Yuuji thought.
Between him and the skaldar, a small sapling sprouted from the ground. Closing his eyes, Yuuji whispered:
-"Forbidden Technique: Nature Element, Insatiable Tree."
The sapling rapidly grew, expanding within seconds to the size of a ten-year-old tree. The moment the skaldar saw it, he turned his back and tried to run away:
-"I've let my guard down! This guy, how many elements he has mastered at that age?"
The tree's branches, however, extended towards him, and chased him down.
From the distance, Himura and Kenma watched the scene unfold. Himura murmured, he was impressed and worried at the same time:
-"He's actually doing it,"
Kenma, still unfamiliar with the technique, asked:
-"Himu...ra-san, your name was right? What is this technique?"
Himura answered, his voice tense:
-"It's called the 'Insatiable Tree'. A tree that absorbs the mana of anything it touches within seconds. It then immediately uses that mana to grow even further, making it irreversible. But growing and controlling this kind of tree requires an enormous amount of mana. If Yuuji runs out of mana and fails to cancel the technique, he might die. He knows this... and yet he's still going through with it. It's madness."
The tree's branches continued to close in on the skaldar. In desperation, he slashed at them with his katana. But every time the blade made contact, the tree absorbed the mana stored in it, causing the tree to grow even larger each time. The skaldar screamed in terror as he kept trying to escape:
-"No! NO! I SPENT OVER A CENTURY FOR THIS! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!!"
Despite all his efforts, the branches finally catched the Holy Katana, and halted its movement. To avoid direct contact, the skaldar was forced to let go of his weapon.
The moment the tree absorbed the katana's mana, it exploded in size, becoming colossal, so massive that Yuuji looked like an ant beside it. Its leaves shimmered in a cyan hue, creating a breathtaking sight as the heavy snowfall continued around it.
As soon as the tree's growth slowed down, Yuuji pulled his katana from the ground. A victorious smile formed on his face, only for him to collapse immediately after.
Removing his sword from the ground had ended the technique. With the cancellation, the branches that had been pursuing the skaldar and restraining the Holy Katana disintegrated into dust. The tree remained, but now looked like an ordinary tree, except it's gigantic size and majestically glowing cyan hue. The Holy Katana, however, had lost all its glow.
The skaldar guard picked it up. He looked at the katana, then Yuuji, then the katana again:
-"No… A century of effort… gone in seconds. I won't let you get away with this. I will never forget you human!"
Turning on his heel, he ran, vanishing into the city streets.
Just then, a group approached from behind Himura and Kenma, three hybrids and one human. The group contained two cat hybrids, one with orange hair and the other with yellow hair. The other hybrid was a gray haired wolf hybrid, just like Himura.
The orange-haired cat rushed to Himura:
-"Himura-senpai, are you alright?"
Himura quickly explained the situation:
-"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Go give first aid to the guy lying by that tree. Everyone, this is Kenma, and that guy is Yuuji. They are our allies, you can trust them."
The three hybrids nodded. The orange-haired one immediately ran towards Yuuji. Meanwhile, the gray-haired young wolf hybrid sat beside Himura:
-"Brother, are you okay? You're seriously injured. Let me heal you."
Himura smiled. This young wolf was his brother:
-"Shirogane-kun, did you forget? We're supposed to use our names during missions."
Shirogane realized his mistake:
-"A-ah, right! Sorry, Himura-senpai."
Meanwhile, the third hybrid in the group was healing Kenma's wounds. The only human in the group slowly approached Kenma.
-"We have finally meet, Kenma-kun."
Kenma turned his face to face the guy. It was a tall young man with long purple hair stood, a scar running across his neck. Kenma couldn't recognize him:
-"Sorry, but... I don't know who you are."
The purple-haired man introduced himself:
-"Let me introduce myself. I'm Zhou Liang. We may have never met, but we came here as part of the same team."
Kenma was relieved to finally meet Liang, though he assumed Liang didn't know what had happened to him and it was very suspicious:
-"Liang-san, I-It's nice to meet you. I... I can explain everything..."
But Liang already knew it. He crouched down and placed his hand on Kenma's shoulder, smiling:
-"No need to explain, my friend. I already know everything. I personally faced the skaldar with mind-control abilities. He told me everything himself. Unfortunately, he won the duel and managed to escape. Thankfully though, this hybrid team arrived just in time to save me. I owe them my life."
-"I-I see… Thank goodness."
Then the group quickly gathered around Yuuji and the orange-haired hybrid. Yuuji was still unconscious. The orange-haired hybrid spoke up:
-"He's breathing, but his mana is completely drained. I doubt he'll wake up for a few days."
Himura immediately gave orders:
-"Understood. Ramin, Takuro, take him back to our camp." Then, he turned to Kenma. "You wouldn't mind staying with us until you all recover, right?"
Kenma sighed, looking at Yuuji:
-"I guess I don't have much of a choice."
The orange haired hybrid—Ramin—and the yellow haired hybrid—Takuro—lifted Yuuji and started carrying him away.
Meanwhile, with the owner of the Holy Katana had escaps, the ritual seemed to be weakened. The massive beam of light had visibly thinned, and the portal in the sky had closed. Himura was determined to finish what they had started. He turned to his younger brother and pointed towards the battlefield.
-"Shirogane-kun, go collect a blood sample from what skaldar left while fighting to us and transfer it onto a charm paper. Then meet us back."
-"Got it!"
As Himura, Kenma, and Liang moved toward the theater, Shirogane carried out his task. He reached the blood-stained snow, placed an enchanted paper over it, and formed a hand seal. This seal allowed him to distinguish between his brother's blood and the skaldar guard's, ensuring he wouldn't mix them up. Once he confirmed the correct sample, he transferred the skaldar guard's blood onto the paper and hurried back to the group.
...
On the other side of the battlefield, the situation wasn't looking great. The four skaldar guards who had been performing the ritual were also trying to escape from the other side of the theater.
The moment Kenma spotted the winged skaldar among them, he lost control of his emotions and took off running after them, as Himura and Liang immediately tried to stop him:
-"HEY! DON'T RUN! GET BACK HERE!! YOU CAN'T JUST ESCAPE!!!"
Himura shouted:
-"Kenma-san, calm down! Let them run, that means we've already won this battle and completed the mission!"
Liang added:
-"Himura is right, Kenma! Besides, we're outnumbered and at a disadvantage. You and Himura are both injured!"
Kenma ignored them, his rage driving him forward:
-"I don't care about the mission! I want revenge for my family!"
As the three of them ran, the ground suddenly began to shake. The small stone pillar at the ritual site cracked. A massive explosion of black and crimson smoke erupted, spreading rapidly and engulfing the entire area.
For a few moments, visibility was completely lost.
When the smoke finally cleared, the skaldar guards had already vanished.
Kenma clenched his fists, his voice was low and defeated:
-"Damn it."
Himura put his hand on Kenma's shoulder and tried to cheer him up:
-"Kenma-san, let's head back to camp. You need to rest. You won't be able to fight like this. One day, you'll get your revenge, I promise."
Kenma didn't respond, but he stopped resisting. Without another word, the group turned and silently made their way towards the hybrid camp.