BlazBlue:Phase Shift 3 Chapter 5

Chapter V: Doom at the Green Hills

Part 1

Tens of thousands of refugees from all around the world had already moved before the setting sun painted the western skies. The city chosen as their destination was surrounded by walls of stone, which told distant tales of its origins as a fortress. However, the old walls were filled with shallow cracks, more weathered than solid.

Outside the city's walls, a blond man wearing a purple cone-shaped hat stood with about a dozen men in military garb: Seven was there after all. With his fingertips pushing up thin glasses, he relayed detailed instructions to his subordinates, the guards of the Orbis Librarius Norma. Soon, Eight walked up to them, with her long turquoise hair under a purple hat like Seven's and the long cape over her tight dress fluttering in the air.

— “I’ve done my part… what about yours?” Eight asked.

— Just finished mine,” Seven answered.

Seven sounded calm and peaceful, as if Eight had not just tried to lord over him. He looked at the surrounding walls with a thin, graceful smile.

— “The entrance is sealed. It's a simple ward, so we don't waste too much mana; but it should be enough to keep out everyone that isn't a mage.”

— “That’s just a bait pen.” Eight snapped sarcastically, looking out onto the town while raising her eyebrows lightly. Her sarcasm was directed at Seven, who had proposed a blockade of the city, but he did not take her words personally.

— “It’s what’s needed.”

Seven turned on his heel and headed for his position, somewhere he could see the town more clearly from the hills at its outskirts. Eight followed suit, fingertips tracing her large swaying earrings.

— “If it works, the lives we’ll save will vastly outnumber the sacrifices here… I just hope this is over quickly.”

— “I’m with you there.” Eight answered coldly, staring wide-eyed at Seven before her.

Even Seven was doing everything he could to save mankind from the Black Beast. Eight understood this drive and believed they shared that goal; but his behavior was too unpredictable for her to let her guard down.

When they arrived at their planned position, Seven and Eight split their guards across three functions: escort, recon, and aides. From their higher ground, they were able to peek into the town, but the old city walls still got in their way. The city had a complex topography, with many stone buildings and intricate alleys. The country that had claimed this land was long gone, leaving it under no jurisdiction — meaning the Orbis Librarius Norma now had full jurisdiction over it.

It was now full of refugees, who had been pushed into the city without any warning or information. Even when this town had thrived, it would never have held this many people.

Soon, it would not hold any more.

A frightening amount of screams polluted the air, coming from the town. Seven and Eight looked up to see a dark mist erupting from the other side of the town and fading into the sky.

— “It’s starting…!” — Seven said. Eight let out a bewitching smile from her plump lips; she wouldn’t let him take the spotlight.

— “Let’s start… over there.”

It was an excellent opportunity to not only free all of humanity from despair, but also gain absolute respect as a mage.

By the time Nine's party landed on that capital city somewhere in Asia, the fires were already raging. The first thing they stumbled upon was the screams; like they’d been shoved in a jar filled with uncontrollable chaos. The chaotic crowds stagnated in idle strife, and sounds of objects breaking and cracking could be heard from everywhere. People ran for their lives, with nowhere to go. Their faces twisted with fear only to see a massive monster looming just outside the city walls: the Black Beast.

The dark mist looked thick, concentrated; with red streaks of light over it, like pulsing blood vessels. Eight heads, each with a long, thick neck so large that even one could end all hope, rose over the land – and they stirred against the plumes of smoke rising and merging into the leaden sky.

Everyone who looked on shuddered in mind-shattering terror. The sun was setting over the world.

— “We’re too late…”

Celica panicked. Her heart pounded, and she choked on her breath with her eyes on the giant in the flood of refugees. Her deep brown eyes were wide as a bug's, with fear inevitably welling up in their depths. Nirvana took her in a hug, shielding her from the waves of chaos. Celica did thank her, but her voice was drowned out by more screams.

They'd landed close to the center of the city. Even though it was still far from the edge of the city, the Black Beast was still so massive it made the people below look like grains of sand. Its presence could overwhelm anyone's sense of distance.

— “This is awful… they didn’t even wait.” Nine raised her eyebrows in disgust, and the Kaka girls, Suzukaka included, raised their tails as they prepared to fight for their lives.

Jubei, too, was brimming with hostility; he didn’t want to let his guard down. On the other hand, Terumi had a smile on his lips, clearing his throat with a rancid creak.

— “Man… these people are falling apart, huh? They’re pretty much dead already!”

Celica turned around with a stern look, and Terumi then looked away with an exaggerated turn.

Suddenly, Hakumen turned around... and the next moment, the scent of roses wafted through the air.

— “You are so late… what took you so long?” Spoke the voice of a sweet, innocent girl.

— “Madame Rachel!” Valkenhayn said, gasping with surprise.

The girl stood on the roof of a house, wearing a rose-scented perfume. She was dressed in a luxurious black dress; and her glossy blonde hair hung down like a silk ribbon, held up on either side by black ribbons styled to look like a rabbit’s ears.

Rachel Alucard had a grace and elegance that betrayed her young visage, as a vampire who lived in a castle of endless night.

— “You took so long, I was about to leave for home…” Rachel said.

— “And… you’re just watching? Why won’t you do something?!” Hakumen snapped, looking up at Rachel. Celica’s eyes widened in shock at Hakumen; she rarely ever saw him get so emotional. Rachel herself, however, looked cold before Hakumen’s boiling heat.

— “How is any of this up to me? It's your job to save the day, o' mighty hero.”

— “Let me guess – you're just staying there until you get tired?”

— “My apologies... I am only a spectator. And surely you have more important matters to worry about... look behind you!”

As if to urge Hakumen on, Rachel's crimson eyes turned to behold the reality of a heartless, hopeless apocalypse.

A sluggish roar shook the entire city into ruin. As the Black Beast plunged into the city walls, the stone that had once repelled so many armies crumbled like candy. Trinity staggered back, having cast a simple magical ward on the crew, and Valkenhayn helped her to her feet. With a roar of soul-rending hate, the Black Beast swung its head around and rampaged, crushing everything in its sight.

Then, a rain of light poured down on the terrifying giant; not from the same direction as Nine's party.

It was not magic; it was Ars Magus.

The first wave of fire fell on the Black Beast's feet; the next wave came from the opposite direction, aiming for its main body. The troops were numerous, likely twice as many as the Ars Magus forces Nine had led in the previous battle. They were deployed all over the city, among the fleeing refugees.

After taking in the approximate location by tracing the signs of Ars Magus, Nine frowned in anguish. She realized the Orbis Librarius Norma had no intention of ending the chaos caused by the clash between the Black Beast and the Ars Magus unit.

— “All units are in town... they'll even sacrifice their own subordinates?”

— “What now, Nine? The Black Beast's a big load to bear, but the refugees must be evacuated fast.” Jubei spoke up, bitterly and quickly, ready to run at any moment.

But Hakumen answered first.

— “Split into two groups: assault and evac. Trinity, Valkenhayn, and Terumi – evacuate the refugees!”

— “Oh, uh... yes, sir!” Trinity answered, nodding her head at the unexpected orders. Valkenhayn also nodded, but in disbelief.

— “Hey, hey, hey! Hah-koo-MAYNE's feeling motivated now!”

Hakumen did not pay attention to Terumi's obnoxious remark. He stepped forward, not in the mood to argue.

— “...what?” Hakumen asked, his voice clouded with doubt; slightly hostile, as if to say, "get out of the way."

The hostile air put even Nine on edge.

— “If we're splitting up, there's still one more thing we can do...” Nine said, “Terumi! Look for Seven and Eight. If you find them, stop their summoning!”

— “Who? Me?” Terumi said with a grin, while pointing at himself with a thin, bony finger. — “You sure...? Let me at it, then. You know, maybe I'll find Seven and Hayter or whatever they're called. You know?”

— “Okay, here's what you're going to do: do as I tell you, and nothing more. That's a fucking order!”

— “...damn, girl. What's your deal?”

Nine's clear words tightened her rigid pressure over Terumi. His smile quickly faded, and he fled the scene.

— “Leaving this city will not be so easy... the entrance is sealed by a paling.” Rachel said, descending from the roof like rose petals falling to the ground. Her elegant looks and finely tailored dress stuck out like a sore thumb among the chaos in the city.

Nine answered Rachel's calm words with an irritated sigh. Her eyes turned to the city walls...

— “Seven... that bastard. He made this so it'll only work on forces coming from the inside. That's on the whole wall!”

— “Don't worry about it... we got this. Even if it's the Ten Sages we're dealing with.” — Trinity clasped her hands, her green eyes shining brightly.

Nine's eyes flashed with a sentimental glint at Trinity's reassuring words before she nodded.

— “Indeed, Trinity... I trust you.”

— “Yeah!”

When Trinity smiled, so did Nine. The mere sight of Nine so relaxed warmed the blonde's heart.

— “Let's go, Lady Trinity.” — Valkenhayn said, approaching Trinity. — "Please excuse me, Madame Rachel."

Met with a bow from Valkenhayn, Rachel narrowed her crimson gaze, as if to look off to the distance.

— “I'll be watching you... and your battle.” — Rachel said, disappearing just as she appeared: cloaked in the scent of roses. She likely went off elsewhere in the town.

With the faint scent on them, Valkenhayn and Trinity left for their posts.

— “Celica!” Nine exclaimed, turning to Celica. When their stares met, Celica tensed her posture in Nirvana's arms.

— “Please... stay with Hakumen. And never leave Nirvana's side.”

— “Okay... I promise you.”

— “And Nirvana ― take care of Celica.”

— “...”

Celica gave a determined nod, while Nirvana returned only silence. Then, Celica lifted her chin to see how she looked, and her eyes met Nirvana's glassy stare.

Celica smiled, before Nirvana's large hand softly rested on Celica's head.

Another large building collapsed. The ground shook and the Ars Magus practically exploded, pouring down on the ground. Turning around, Nine put on her triangular hat again.

— “The Kaka girls will cover for us. If there's anyone that can't escape, at least take them to safety.”

— “Aaaall right. Can't wait to go feral on that sucker!” Suzukaka said, carrying a massive club on her back.

— “You take it easy too, girl.” Jubei drew out his sword in preparation, shooting an apprehensive look at Nine.

Nine intended on casting a massive teleportation spell, but was in far from perfect condition; regardless, she brushed off Jubei's worries with a lock of her hair over her shoulder. — “Don't worry about it. Just try not to get caught up in my spell.”

Jubei was not sure if she meant it or was just bluffing. He could never read Nine's mind, but her strong words gave him enough confidence to challenge the terrifying beast to come.

— “Sure, I'll take care.”

So, they would return with their strength gathered, and run together towards the raging Black Beast.

A few steps back...

— “...if it fights, so do we.” Hakumen said, encouraging his hesitant companion.

People screamed incessantly from the town center, and they ran through wildly without looking where they went. Like they were not breathing air, but fear itself. If the Black Beast's presence was causing this, how overwhelming was the terror?

Hakumen looked on as Celica tensed up, continuing...

— “Let's go meet him.”

She was not going to fight him, or even to trap him. Celica was ready to make the choice.

— “Right!”

Away she went, to meet the Black Beast.

She could not afford to waste this opportunity; Celica knew she was not likely to get more like this.

Celica ran with all her might under Nirvana's protection, while Hakumen dashed through the crowd unrelentingly.

Part 2

When the jet-black mass came within visible distance, Nine braked on her slim high heels and released an orb of light from her hands. When the orb came out, it swelled up and discharged violently, scraping off the cobblestone pavement on the ground as it shot up to the Black Beast's throat. A violent, eardrum-rupturing sonic boom exploded from the burst, and a ball of thunder, so potent as to shock the air, went away to tear out the Beast's throat.

Its eight heads writhed in pain from the seithr-splitting electric discharge. A gut-wrenching roar came down, with more stress than met the eye. While Nine protected herself from the seithr bleeding out of the beast with a magical ward, Jubei jumped out from Nine's side with a katana in hand. Suzukaka and other Kaka warriors chased after the feline, as they all lunged at the mass of darkness.

Jubei's slashes were as fast as they were sharp. Without magic to float him in the air, he ran circles around the Black Beast, slashing at its body with his sword and his claws. The seithr that scattered in front of Jubei was nothing to him.

Shaking off Nine's thunderous spell, one of the Black Beast's necks went to swing at Jubei. It was too large to be like a whip, but it went for Jubei far faster than a human could see ― but not fast enough for a cat. Right when the Beast was about to hit Jubei, he landed on its swinging neck and quickly stabbed the thick dark shell.

— “Jubei!” Nine shouted from below, prompting him to turn around.

Another head thrashed at Jubei, like it was trying to squash a bug on its hand. The snake-like head opened its mouth wide and bared its jet-black fangs.

— “Damn it...!”

His sword was stuck to the other neck that had just tried to strike him. Jubei pulled out the blade with all his strength to slide away, but for that brief moment, he was cornered.

The black fangs bit down at the other neck, just as Suzukaka's club slammed down on it. The hit was dull, but hard enough to give Jubei a quick way out. As the head thrashed wildly, Jubei jumped off and returned to the ground with Suzukaka.

— “Holy sh—!” Jubei immediately braced himself and clicked his tongue, as his limbs trembled with sword still in one hand.

Though he knew he had no reason to hesitate or be afraid to fight, the closer he got to the Black Beast, the more Jubei was robbed of his strength by sheer terror. He felt like his soul was being torn out from his body. Jubei was frightened by the mere thought that the Black Beast would consume the souls of those it killed. Nine shared his fear, even though she was farther away from the Beast. Her face tensed up as she rapidly fired arrows of fire and ice, and her breath hitched, but not by exhaustion.

— “Ugh...!”

If she did not stop casting spells, she would freeze up in fear. Mentally she cursed out the Beast, while Nine weaved a bigger light. She shot out a spear of light, wide as a freeway, and it pierced one of the monster's heads with great force, right between the eyes.

The beast's head raged wildly from the pain, and slammed against the surrounding buildings until their massive debris scattered to the ground like cannonballs. One massive chunk of rubble fell in the direction of Celica, who ran at Hakumen's side.

She gasped in terror, and prepared to let out a shriek — but as she rubbed her own eyes, she noticed Nirvana had caught up to her and seized the debris with her long, bulky arms.

— “Oh... thank you! I was so scared...”

Nirvana carelessly tossed the rubble back at the Black Beast; the chunk of concrete was about the size of a small bedroom. It slammed into the beast's torso, and cracked as it landed on the ground.

— “Are you okay?” Hakumen asked, turning his neck to get a look.

— “I am... but those people...!”

Celica looked to her side, to see a person lying on the ground behind a collapsed building. One more look, and she could see into another building and the entrance to an alleyway.

Celica choked on her own breath, and she felt her throat burn.

— “They might be still alive!!”

As soon as Celica said it, she ran off without hesitation, with Nirvana following as usual.

She knelt down beside the person lying face-down, then leaned over to check for a pulse. Celica called out several times, face clouded with grief. But then she clasped her hands, stained with blood and sand, and turned to the next figure.

Hakumen watched, and found himself stunned. Even though Celica had ached to see him again, she was immediately sidetracked by something that drew the slightest attention. She was too easy to lure — much like the rampaging giant before the group.

— “...so, this jet-black calamity is just bait for me?” Hakumen muttered under his mask and looked up high. The beast's eight heads were still in good health, and no amount of damage could slow them down.

— “Fine. I'll take the bait.”

He turned toward the Black Beast like a flickering white flame, and with his hands on the nodachi behind his back, Hakumen took a soaring leap. He leapt in a single bound over the town's walls, sealed by a magical ward, and as he landed on dry grounds, he looked in the direction of what he'd sensed.

South of where he'd left the town, Seven and Eight stood atop a gently steep hill. Maybe it wasn't what he'd sensed, but who. By looking for extraordinary sources of magic, he would find the Ten Sages easily — and those two were among them.

He pulled his lips into a chuckle, as the small figures of his prone targets entered his sight. The sandy wind almost snatched his hood away, but he held it down with a flick of his finger.

— “Hehehehe… that lady's a real airhead. With an order like that, she really thought I'd make it in time for the summoning…”

Nine's instructions had been to find Seven and Eight, and if he found them, interrupt the summoning of Take-Mikazuchi... and do nothing else.

— “Well, if it's too late to stop them, what the FUCK do I do?”

Terumi laughed so hard, it made his throat quiver. As he continued to laugh, whoever was listening replied to him…

— “***************.”

The voice, unlike Terumi's, was soft and meek. But the actual words said knew how to ease Terumi's mood.

— “Ohhhhhh, right... I get it. Just go with the flow and all that. That said... I got a bit of business to take care of.”

Terumi turned his head, exasperated. Yes, it was just a bit of business.

— “Hey... I think I talked too long.”

As if cued by Terumi's words, a fiery red magic sigil appeared on the slope before the town. The sigil was so massive, it took a while to even complete, and a crimson light slid across the ground like magma bursting. Seven and Eight were manipulating the sigil, and of course, they were summoning Take-Mikazuchi.

Without Celica A. Mercury to control it, Take-Mikazuchi would indiscriminately consume all life within that walled bait pen, feed on it, and irradiate it to burn everything to the ground.

Seven and Eight would not dare let it be controlled, but rather feed it human souls and fire at the Black Beast with full power.

— “Even if I run now, I can't make it back in time...”

Perhaps Terumi had to just go with the flow. His first course of action would be to find a seat for the coming show.

— “Ah, fuck it. What's tonight's presentation?! AHAHAHAHAHA!” Terumi's boots violently kicked the dirt below before he disappeared.

A massive black arm rose out of the magic sigil, clinging to the barren lands…

Part 3

A cold chill ran through Celica, and she stopped in her tracks — as if something was holding her back. She immediately held herself in her arms; it was like all her blood was being sucked out of her body. She felt herself tremble, losing strength from her knees, but just as she was about to collapse, Nirvana took her in her arms.

As she leaned against Nirvana's cold, metallic chest, Celica remembered — this was how she felt when she was trapped in a magic circle.

Maybe it was the lack of a magic circle, or the magical ward cast on her by Trinity, but Celica was not as disoriented as that other time. But she still dreaded this feeling of powerlessness. It was the same summoning as that horrible day. The cacophony of screams was different from last time; looking around, she saw people fallen all over the town. Not because of Ars Magus or the Black Beast; and nothing had collapsed on them, either.

— “What happened?!”

She hurried over to a young woman nearby, kneeling down to help her up. Celica then held her hand and applied healing magic — but nothing healed, and not for a lack of mana. This unknown woman, like all others around her, was dead — as if the life had been sucked out of them.

Nirvana pulled Celica into her arms and picked her up, away from the corpse.

The entire village, which was filled with hellish screams and cried for help...

fell silent.

For better or worse, there were only a few faint voices from survivors left.

— “Oh… oh my God…”

The passing of the shock made Celica forget that she’d been trembling.

A terrifying wind blowed…

With Hakumen back from facing the Black Beast, he turned his face to the distance.

— “…it’s Take-Mikazuchi.”

And then… A voice… Echoed.

Everything was pierced by that voice — the skies, the lands, the air, the sands, gravity itself, and all seithr. The roar sent shudders all over the scene, and dazed the minds of everyone still alive with an inconceivable shock. In Nirvana’s arms, Celica turned her head to behold the source of the sound.

Outside the town, there was a massive humanoid shadow, as tall as a small mountain. It was made of shades of black all over, with dark red streaks running through its skin like exposed blood vessels. The mere sight was so overwhelming, everyone who saw it was trapped where they stood, broken with fear.

— “It really is Take-Mikazuchi…” Celica whispered, dumbfounded.

She had only heard about it from Trinity. This was the man-made weapon that repelled the Black Beast, in the battle that made Celica faint. She wondered if this could even be called a weapon…

The giant, which looked just like a living creature, slammed its hands on the ground faster than its size would give away. On all fours, it opened its mouth wide to reveal a white magic circle, which rotated to lock on to its target, as it gathered enough light to scorch the Black Beast’s torso in a single blow. It wasn’t long before the light was ready to fire…

But the eight-headed Black Beast disappeared into a haze.

— “What?!” Celica yelled, while Hakumen looked around in bewilderment.

Only a minute ago, the entire village had been overcome with terror and blistering with death — but it was like the Beast had never even been there. Take-Mikazuchi was just as confused as Celica and Hakumen, having lost sight of its target and stopped moving. The light that had been stored in its mouth disappeared, reabsorbed into the darkness of its own body.

Everyone held their breaths. There was no telling what would happen next.

Then the Black Beast lunged behind Take-Mikazuchi, and with all its eight heads, it bit down hard on the man-made weapon. Four heads attacked its shoulders; one, the arms; two, the waist; and the last was coiled around Take-Mikazuchi’s neck. One of the heads eventually bit into the weapon’s side, tearing away at its armor like flesh from prey. Its head was bent in the wrong direction by the Beast’s strangling. Two of the Beast’s heads pulled back forcefully, trying to rip Take-Mikazuchi’s left arm off its shoulder with a heavy creaking sound.

If only the witnesses to this brutal beatdown knew how unreal it was. The black giants were practically merged into a massive shadow against the orange sky; a scene beyond anything in this world, like a nightmare no one would ever wake up from.

— “Eight! Eight!”

A dry sound rang, and Eight realized she was being sent for. Taking a breath, she turned around to look, only to see Seven’s white-gloved hand hit her with a merciless slap.

— “Ugh, that hurt! What are you doing?!” Eight shouted; she knew this wasn’t that kind of situation.

While Seven was good at appearing cold and calm, now he sported an angry frown. He tossed his hair back, and with cloak wildly billowing, he grunted aloud with loud, forceful steps.

— “I can’t afford to lose this. We have to send it back!”

— “Take-Mikazuchi, back in the circle?” Eight said, “but if it goes back in, there won’t be any life force left to summon it again!”

— “We’ll just get more!”

The dark giant struggled hard and lashed out, trying to tear the Black Beast off its body. It flailed its arms, until it grabbed one of the Beast's necks and ripped the head off by force.

Torn from its roots, the Black Beast was hurled toward the town, shattering its walls to pieces. But by then, Take-Mikazuchi's massive body keeled over in pain, even while it yanked off the head that had bit into its sides.

— "GET ON WITH IT!" Seven yelled angrily.

— "I'M ON IT! You don't have to yell!" Eight snapped back with a sharp glare, while she thrust her hands forward. She immediately concentrated and began chanting a spell.

Out of the corner of her eye, Take-Mikazuchi tore off another one of the Black Beast's heads and fell to the ground, engulfing the town fast. Seven and Eight's voices conjured a spell as one, summoning a magic circle under the fallen Take-Mikazuchi. The circle glowed red as wildfire, with its lines formed from cracks on the earth; like a volcanic eruption about to happen. While the ground quaked violently, Take-Mikazuchi's body was slowly swallowed up, like iron melting in fire...

...and the Black Beast with it.

— “STOP THAT SPELL!”

At the bottom of the gently sloped hill where Seven and Eight stood, Nine and Jubei made a blazing entry, the witch shouting at the top of her voice and the catkin pulling out his sword. Jubei ran up the hill in a flash and swung his sword at Seven's arm, only for the mage to flee into a curtain of water. The water's pressure was stronger than it looked; Jubei's sword lost its momentum, only leaving enough to graze Seven's arm softly.

— “Argh…!”

Seven grunted at the bit of pain he still felt, and he used the water to hide from Jubei. At the same time, Nine, who had teleported to the top of the hill, threw a lightning bolt at Eight, drawing her attention. A loud crackle pierced the air...

— “MIND YOUR BUSINESS!!” Eight shouted hysterically, swinging a thorny whip at Nine.

Yellow rose petals scattered from the sky, falling like gravel from a mountain. All were burned with a wall of flame, before Nine teleported in front of Eight again and grabbed at her furcoat.

— “Get Take-Mikazuchi back, now!”

— “Are you kidding me?! GET OFF!”

— “The hell I am—”

— “NINE!” Jubei called out sharply.

Jubei stared down the hill wide-eyed, His sword was pointed at Seven, who raised his arms in surrender. Neither Seven nor Eight had cast their spell already; if they ever cared for it. Even then, Take-Mikazuchi didn’t stop sinking into the massive magic circle under it. The tremors grew louder, close to earth-splitting levels, until everyone could barely stand upright; Eight lost her balance and fell on her hips.

— “Oh, God, no…” Seven cried in frustration, “the Black Beast is falling in the circle too?!”

Only then, did he realize how bizarre the situation was. Eight’s hand rose before her mouth in shock.

— “It can’t be…!”

— “Nine, what’s going on?!” Jubei asked, his hairs standing on end.

There was a sense of pressure, as if something was expanding…

When Jubei asked his question, Nine channeled lightning magic through her outstretched arms.

— “It’s trying to bust into Take-Mikazuchi’s hangar; and that can already barely hold the thing!”

Nine shot a ball of lightning at the Black Beast, so large it shocked even its surroundings.

— “I have to get it away right now!” She had to get the Beast off of Take-Mikazuchi at all costs.

Jubei only answered with an understanding nod before running off. The closer he got, the more vivid and overwhelming the terror felt, but he shook it off through sheer, stubborn courage. This was no time for cowardice. He had to get closer, no matter how dangerous this was…

But Nine could not unleash another magic lightning bolt.

Jubei could not get within slashing range.

Trinity had finally lifted the paling around the town, but she could not step outside.

Valkenhayn could not jump over the castle’s walls after a warning from Rachel.

Hakumen could not dash in to swing his sword.

Celica could not throw herself in front of the beast.

They were all too late.

Take-Mikazuchi and the Black Beast were plunged deep into the magic circle, before a devastating storm of seithr exploded in a silent black smog.

Part 4

Darkness…

Rather, everything looked black.

Celica awoke from her slumber and tried to look around herself. She looked above, below, to the right, to the left — but all she saw was black. It was hard to even tell where she was, or how wide this place was. It was a complete mystery… and for some unknown reason, it was terrifying. Like the complete blackness all around was seeping into her body and paralyzing her with fear. Though it wasn't cold, her body shivered. Her legs shook, even though nothing actively made them so. She choked.

— “S-... sister?” Celica called out from beyond the darkness, helpless and inconsolable. — “Nirvana...? Hakumen?!”

No one answered. In fact, Celica started to believe there was no one there but herself. She was afraid that she had been swept away... she could not understand. It scared her to death. The terror filled her chest to the brim, to the point she could barely move under its weight.

But it dawned on her — she had felt this fear before.

— “…Black Beast?”

Celica spoke aloud while she shuddered in the dark.

Indeed — the Black Beast. This fear, startling and overwhelming, was always felt everytime she came face-to-face with this horrifying goliath. Celica gasped and realized — maybe she was within the Black Beast. She braced herself and took another look around.

Wherever Celica walked, it didn't get any brighter. But she did remember what happened before everything faded to black: she was in that walled city. At the end of an open street, close to the center of the town, she was among a heap of dead bodies, being held in Nirvana's arms. Hakumen was close by, but as soon as he sensed something off, he told Celica to get away and ran off like a white gust of wind. She could not understand, and was at a loss about what to do.

While holding Celica in her arms, Nirvana ran straight to the town entrance — whether on Hakumen's orders or just a gut feeling.

Before Nirvana could pass through the main street, the city was hit by a violent earthquake that only got worse with every second. The town was engulfed in a wave of black fog, so thick it completely blocked Celica's vision.

And when she opened her eyes, here she was.

— “This black fog… what if…?”

Seithr, maybe. She had seen it erupt from the ground multiple times before.

Black Beasts were drawn to seithr; where there was seithr, they would appear. Maybe this fog was the tremendous amount of seithr that made up the Black Beast, burying everything in Celica's sight. It was the seithr that had gathered up again — Celica had little doubt that she was inside of the Black Beast.

The darkness around her seemed to stagnate, but it was swirling all around. The oppressive lull around Celica was made of hate, hostility, and rage. Painful, sad emotions entered Celica like oxygen into her lungs. Little doubt though she had, it was still doubt.

— The Black Beast is sad… no, it’s full of hate.

Hate against what, and who?

The darkness ate away at the questions in her mind, and bared its invisible fangs to swallow even Celica. This presence was like a murderous intent to eat Celica alive; it shook her to the core with fear.

— “I’m not scared, I’m not scared, I’m not scared…” — Celica chanted, trying to reassure herself.

If this was inside the Black Beast… there was someone she still needed to find. If she didn’t take the initiative to search, when and how would she get to do it?

Even then, no matter how hard she thought about it, her heart was on the edge of collapsing under the fear surging towards her. How would she walk when she was so deeply hurt, she couldn’t even breathe right?

The rage around Celica pierced her even more coldly. She fell to her knees, unable to bear any more of it — until someone tugged at her arm, which had stiffened with fear, and held her close.

— “What—?”

This was just like déjà vu. She remembered it well.

The grip on her arm; the size of this hand; the feel of a glove…

When Celica was pulled, she naturally turned around. Her vision, which had been completely pitch-black until then, was filled with an eye-opening red. No more doubts.

— “R…”

A man much taller than Celica, with spiked white hair and a green eye, looked at her and yelled…

— “The hell are you doing here?!” With a sigh of relief, the girl remembered. She could never imagine this happening; he was finally here for her, to pull her out of the darkness. — “Ragna!!”

The moment Celica called out his name, the darkness faded away to reveal a different place with vivid colors.

She found herself in a dense forest, where the trees rested with ethereal colors to them. A clearing had been carved out between them, with old, dilapidated, seemingly vacant houses.

On the outskirts of this abandoned village, Celica and Ragna were surrounded by countless four-legged wild beasts, their height going up to the girl’s thigh.

— “This place…!” Celica said, taken aback by the view around her.

The beasts looked vaguely like rabid wolves drooling pus from their fangs, their needle-like fur stained with black soot. Like something out of Celica’s nightmares.

Ragna nodded, let go of Celica’s arm, and grabbed the large sword that was stuck to the ground.

— “Yeah… it’s like when we first met.”

— “But how? This place was pitch-black just now. Why are you here too, Ragna? Are you even real...?”

So many questions popped into Celica's mind, and she didn't know which one to ask first. But she asked what came to her head, and Ragna opened his mouth to answer them, only to give up.

— “One question at a time, you know." Ragna said, "For now, I'm the real deal... I think.”

— “What do you mean, 'you think'?!”

— “I just don't―I don't even know what I'm doing! I mean, are you real? When are you?”

With his sword still wielded in his left arm, Ragna shot a bewildered glance at Celica.

Celica's heart skipped a beat; his eye was green.

— “Hey! I am real!” Though she sounded indignant, she had no doubts about Ragna.

He was real.

His warm green left eye; his blunt, yet soft voice; the motionless right arm and unopened right eye; they were all the same as she'd remembered.

— “But what do you mean ‘when are you’?”

As he tried to answer Celica's question, Ragna swung his sword to block an attack.

— “Damn, these guys are annoying...!”

One beast snarled and lunged at Ragna, but its fangs were caught by his blade; soon it was thrown back, its blackened body slammed into the overgrown weeds on the ground. With a deafening scream, the monster stopped moving before its body crumbled into a black fog.

...only for more monsters to emerge from the bushes.

— “Y'know, there's a lot I wanted to ask... but this might not be the time, nor the place.”

Ragna was quickly proven right: the monsters leapt at him with harsh roars, one after the other, before he slashed them away with his massive sword.

— “Ragna, behind you!”

— “Got it, now step back!!”

Another one sprang out from behind a bush, and Ragna cleaved at it from below. The lupine beast closed the gap between them, only to be kicked to the side; it fainted from the blow. A large swing of Ragna's sword hit the bridge of a nose that thrust straight into it, drawing out a crunch of bones so sickening, it gushed out a rancid splatter of black blood.

The color and smell of that blood made the beasts so hungry, their eyes looked bloodshot. The sounds of bones and flesh colliding continued in a relentless rhythm, but the monsters did not slow down. They just kept coming.

— “Ragna…” Celica said, worried sick even while protected by Ragna.

The back of his red coat, always in front of her, started pulsing even faster due to his exhausted breathing. How long had he been fighting? The sense of time here was too vague; like days had gone by in mere seconds. This dizziness felt like the haze of a fever dream. As time passed, more beasts gathered, until the place was packed full of four-legged black beasts.

— “Damn it, there's no end to these freaks!” Ragna clicked his tongue and brushed the hair from his forehead, which was stuck to his skin with sweat.

But he would not stop fighting. He kept Celica hidden behind him while he swung his greatsword.

Celica latched onto the back of his coat.

— “Ragna, let's get out of here, or you'll get hurt!” She yelled frantically.

— “I'll be fine. By the way... where are you going? This place―”

They were inside the Black Beast.

Celica suddenly figured: maybe Ragna's voice was just repeating her thoughts.

Either way, she truly was within the Black Beast. The darkness that surrounded her was the Black Beast itself; to escape this place was to escape the Black Beast's entrails. Of course, neither of them knew how to escape in the first place.

— “I can tell you, though... you can’t stay here.” As Ragna muttered bitterly, he heard a strange sound, like a crack.

He and Celica turned around at the same time, and both frowned at the strange view before them. A few meters back from their position, in the forest, their space was torn into like a hole punched into a canvas. Beyond the hole, there was nothing but black, with nobody peeking in... except for a hand desperately trying to tear into the woods.

— “Nirvana!!”

Her sharp claws, tailor-made for battle, tore the rift open so hard that they shook from the sheer force. But the crack that had gaped was pushing back against Nirvana's arms; her claws, which tried to regain their original form, seemed to struggle against the forest, which only sought peace.

— “Hey, Celica!” ― Ragna shouted, cleaving down another beast that had leapt his way. He didn't know the full story, but all he needed to know was those claws belonged to a friend of Celica. ― “That's enough. Get out of here!”

— “Enough...? Come with me, Ragna!” Celica grabbed at the hem of Ragna's coat; she could feel he wanted her to escape alone.

— “Don't worry about it, just hurry up and go. She's here to save you, right?” ― Ragna said, his green eye staring at the mechanical claws pushing the rift open so hard. Then he sighed, with a faint smile, at Celica. ― “Even if I wanted to go... I just can't. I have unfinished business here.”

— “Then I'm staying with you! I can't just leave you alone here!!” — He would just ask someone to protect Celica from danger and let her go... again. — “Please...”

— Celica felt her chest crumble, and she put all her strength into gripping Ragna's coat. Feeling her weight on him, Ragna gave softer swings of his sword, so she wouldn't be shaken off. First, a cleaving motion; then, a forward thrust; then a downward swing to strike the last of the three wolves that had just advanced.

— “I told you already, you can't do that. This is something I gotta deal with alone.” Ragna said softly, planting a foot on the ground so no one could pass him and reach Celica. He unleashed a powerful, spirited slash of his sword, cutting into two monsters at once. Ragna then stabbed his sword into the ground, turned around abruptly, and with only his left arm, he hoisted Celica by the waist and started running towards the dimensional rift behind him. It used to be large enough to swallow a girl, but had shrunken to half that size.

— “Don't stop pushing! You're getting Celica back right now!!” Ragna shouted at Nirvana.

Unsure if she'd heard Ragna, the machine plunged her claws deep into the edge of the spatial tear and began tearing into it again, with a sound like creaking bones. Little by little, she wrestled with the rift, pushing it up and down to weaken it. Two hands pulling open a black hole in the middle of a dark green forest had to be the stuff of nightmares.

Ragna then held Celica even tighter and thrusted her against the rift, practically pushing her against it. She writhed against this restraint; she couldn't believe she was being held in only one arm. As she was pushed hard against the dark rift, Celica leaned forward and desperately looked into Ragna's green eyes. Celica truly loved that color; so beautiful and gentle.

— “Ragna, let me go! Just when I got to see you...!!” She cried, her throat trembling more painfully than she could have imagined.

How Celica had missed him. She was so sure they would get to meet again. And yet, she worried just as much. She'd heard Ragna had disappeared after being swallowed by the Black Beast; was he even alive? It would be easy for Celica to just bide her time and hold out hope. But it hurt her badly to let go of his hand like this. She drowned in a storm of emotions, as Ragna extended his arm and handed Celica to Nirvana's heavy, metallic claws.

— “Don't worry.” Celica was quickly hoisted by mechanical claws, in a grip soft enough to avoid hurting her. She leaned forward in Nirvana's grip, while Ragna waved at her.

— “See you soon. I promise―I'll be back for you.”

Just not then, or there.

— “You promise…?”

Just like hearing a magic word, Celica's impatience, frustration, and regret were washed away; and instead, she felt a comforting warmth in her chest. She was just happy that Ragna had promised her. It sounded like he'd said this was not the end, and the promise was still alive.

Ragna turned away to face the pack of lupine monsters chasing him. He'd left his sword a fair distance away, so he had to fight barehanded until then. But the red-coated man saw no problem.

Such a strong, kind, and caring man.

Behind him, Celica raised her voice.

— “I'll wait for you! Come back, Ragna… I'll wait as long as it takes!”

— “Once I'm done with this... you know I will!” Ragna looked back to see Celica smile. While the girl was pulled in by Nirvana, she saw Ragna's right eye open ― it was red, just like the Black Beast's, but it had the same gentle glint in it as his green left eye.

Nirvana embraced her tighter, until the rift completely faded from the woods, as if she had never even been there. While she looked on, she felt herself be pulled away, like she was being lifted from the ocean by a single string.

Strangely, the forest around Ragna disappeared as well. The abandoned village and the hordes of monsters faded to black once again. Meanwhile, Ragna confronted someone. A small, petite girl, maybe shorter than Celica. Her eyes, one of them hidden by an eyepatch, had red eyes like Ragna's.

Their lips moved, clearly talking about something, but Celica could not hear anything. The girl before Ragna suddenly looked back at her and sent an eerie grin her way.

It wasn't long before Celica was pulled out of the darkness, like she'd risen out of the depths of the ocean, and the sudden brightness in her eyes knocked her unconscious.

Part 5

When Celica came to, she had fallen on the ground.

― “G― gh― AAAAHHH!!!”

Confused, she clung madly to Nirvana, who was still holding her. The impact was swift as Celica spilled out of the machine's arms, rolling over on the grass below. Her mouth felt the taste of dirt, and her nose felt the smell of grass. Then she stopped rolling, and she looked around, desperately trying to grasp the scene around her.

She stood on a grassy green hill under a dark blue sky, starless and cloudless except for a pale silvery moon. The night sky was unbelievably clear. Around her, Nine and Jubei rose to their feet, having stumbled down just as she'd done. Seeing their familiar faces, Celica sighed in relief to see her breath immediately fog up.

Nirvana rushed over to help Celica to her feet. While she held onto the machine's hand and pulled herself up, Celica let out another sigh, of unbearable sorrow instead of relief.

The hills were on the outskirts of Ishana. This was Celica's favorite place, where she and Hakumen met before the Black Beast awoke. But ever since she escaped the city a month ago, she couldn't bear to go back there. She wondered what she was even doing here — but those doubts were pushed away by a terrible ache in her chest. On the slope of her favorite hill, where pleasant breezes blowed free, lay countless corpses; likely from that walled city.

She could see debris from buildings not usually seen in Ishana, with broken household objects all around. Maybe they had been displaced; everyone and everything from that walled city had been randomly pulled into Ishana. At least, that was what she could see...

— “NOOOOOOOO!!!”

Celica gasped and looked up to see the source of the ear-piercing scream. It was Eight. She had also fallen on the hill. Her Ten Sages' hat was on the ground, and her magnificent furcoat was stained with stand and dust. But Eight could not even dare to think about that. Seeing what was at the end of her distant gaze, Celica's throat trembled with a scream of her own. Nine was back on her feet; while she did not scream, she held her breath with a bug-eyed glare. Trinity could barely move, and didn't even look up as she crawled away.

Jubei; Suzukaka; Valkenhayn; Hakumen; all were shocked into a motionless silence. Terumi couldn't believe this was real. Seven was even deeper in denial, unable to move before what he saw.

A mass of pitch black.

Take-Mikazuchi fell from above and crashed onto Ishana.

How could anyone look away? It was like time had stopped, and there was no sound. But when the giant fell onto the hills and the town of Ishana, it crashed hard, and the impact shook the island so suddenly it could easily have sunk. Debris from the broken town came collapsing onto the hills in waves. The gusts of wind were devastating, with a faint smell of blood; a rot and decadence ill-suited for Ishana.

Celica raised her arms to at least try and protect herself. Her hair and clothes were agitated by the dust, not the seithr, while Nirvana stood in front of her as a shield to guard her from even the smallest pebbles. Celica couldn't believe what she saw: Take-Mikazuchi's disembodied right shoulder, writhing not too far from them.

— “What is that...?!” Jubei cried, disturbed by the nightmarish view.

Nine was the first to realize what everyone was truly seeing. She forced a few steps of her own, only for Jubei to yank her back by the arm.

Nine stumbled back into place, but she never took her wide-open eyes from the monstrous sight. — “The Black Beast...” Nine whispered with quivering lips. The wind made the grass on the hills thrash wildly, so loud it buried Nine's whispers. She didn't even know if she could hear herself, or anything at all.

But as if Nine's voice had cued it, the dark blob that had clung to Take-Mikazuchi's shoulder — one of the Black Beast's heads — floated into the air, its blood-red eyes glowing ominously with a mind-shattering grin.

Then, as if nothing had ever happened, it vanished into a black fog.

Thanks to the magical paling around Ishana, it had no seithr within, thus remaining undetected by the Black Beast...

until now.

The Black Beast had found the city with its own eyes.

So much silence. So much fear. So much despair. It was all too much...

Someone whimpered. It didn't matter if it was Nine, Eight, Seven, Valkenhayn, or the other Ten Sages; they just wanted to say it out loud. — “The Black Beast... has found Ishana.”

Ishana used to be the safest city in the world.

Its long-lived peace had come to an end.

No one was safe.

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