Chapter XXXI: Blackout

            News has spread throughout the Known Regions about a bunch of children looking for their next of kin. It was foretold that these kids were going to be the ones to vanquish the Demons that were reincarnated sixteen years ago. A book called Binomial Nomenclature depicted the struggle of eight students of magic trying to seal away the Demon Lord, Berial. Though purely fictional, most of the story itself illustrated how to deport Demons back to the “Underworld”. There were two amulets used to form a key that unlocks the main gate to Hell; however, each circle of Hell and each sinner had its own locks. The master key to those locks can be formed by merging the power of all eight mages.

Please tell me you get the connection to the story.
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            A caravan was headed towards the city of Borealis, and Lady Lena herself was asked to deliver a message to their ruler. Along the caravan was Winston who was steering through the road and, of course, Lena’s handpicked bodyguard, De’Ann.

            “Milady, isn’t this a bit too close?”

            De’Ann felt seemingly comfortable because Lena has been resting her head on the guard’s shoulder for quite some time now.

            “...Milady?” She asks again without getting a reply, and then it hit her.

            “...Lena.”

            “What is it?”, she finally answers.

            “Will you please refrain from... sticking too close to me? It’s rather... embarrassing...”

            Lena seemed displeased with her bodyguard’s request. In the course of their relationship, De’Ann has always been the submissive type despite her looks, and Lena has developed some sort of complex to take advantage of that weakness. She happens to have a taste for things that try desperately to resist. As a matter of fact, the more De’Ann tries to get away from her, the more Lady Lena wants to bully her.

            That’s enough Yuri for today, don’t you think writer-

            I guess not.

            Right now, Lady Lena just stuck out her tongue and slid it across the soldier’s neck. A light squeal escaped her breath as her Lady began to nibble her throat. The wetness of each lick didn’t seem to make her feel any cooler. Instead, it weakened her resolve, and she began to tremble, as pleasurable as it may seem to be, until she lay on all fours on the base of the carriage.

            Her chest tightened from the attack that made her breathless. She was heaving as her body was about to collapse from the heat, all the while making Lady Lena want to play with her a little more.

            “Milady... please stop... Mister Winston is outside!”

            “Now, now”, the Lady hushes, “Don’t be too loud, or else he’ll hear us...”

            “N-No... Stop!”

            Alright! That’s enough! Go back to the main character right now!

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            Sorry about that, dear reader.

            Now, where were we....?

            The grey of the night time clouds is rippled by a large vessel that hovered above the borderline between the Lower Kingdom and the Upper Kingdom. You could hear the [1]Zinogre howling at the vast brightness of the full moon; a sound that entices our main character.

“Did you hear that, Tenenbaum! It’s a flippin’ [1]Fanged Wyvern!”

He presses his face against the small glass window. Wait... I thought you were afraid of heights!

“But even if we could get down there, we don’t have a contract that allows us to kill him”, reasons Tenenbaum while trying to squeeze her face in the glass with her partner.

“Yeah, we can.”

“How?”

He lifts up her antenna and whispers in her ear:

“We can ‘accidentally’ fall off the plane and tell them it was self-defense.”

She places her paw under her chin, “Hmm... I don’t know...”

Rylai suddenly taps on his shoulder and announces with a smile:

“Dinner’s ready!”

“What are we having?”, asks Tenenbaum.

“[2]Caldereta.”

“I want some!”

The two gleefully skip to where dinner is being served.

Solis almost excitedly ran off with them, but before that he goes back to the window and threatens the Zinogre from there.

“You’re lucky I like Caldereta”, he says in a very cryptic tone, though I can’t actually take him seriously.

A small plastic table was propped up in between the aisle of the middle seats. Placed on top was a pot holder underneath a tin casserole steaming with the aroma of spiced carrots and potatoes. Along with it was a pot of steamed rice with the serving spoon hooked to its handle. There were no plates on the table because it was too small so they held their plates on one hand while eating.

Everyone was digging-in, except for Mea who was a bit reluctant on having her first bite.

“Something wrong, Miss Eve?”, Elias asks at noticing her pause.

“No, it’s just... what’s this stuff made of?”

“Caldereta mix”, Maise answers promptly.

“That doesn’t really answer my question...”  Mea thinks to herself.

“Just try it. It’s like curry but a little more spicy and tangy.”

Convinced with Elias’ explanation, she forks the small chunk of potato on her plate and takes a bite on the part covered in reddish sauce.

Her eyes beam upon the satisfying taste.

“Umai.”

Solis heard what she said, and translates it the wrong way.

“Umay?”

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            Dinner’s done, and now all that’s left on the table is a stack of paper plates and two empty kitchenware. It was then that Elias came out the cockpit carrying a jug of tap water and plastic cups stacked to one another. I think it’s about time they told their pilot what their story is.

            “I think it’s about time you told us what your story is”, he announces after pouring some water on his cup.

            ...I’m not even gonna tsukommi(comment) on that last piece of dialogue.

            As soon as Maise and Lanette start serving water for everyone, Elias continues.

            “What exactly are you guys?”

            “’Binomial Nomenclature’”, Mea looks at him, “Have you ever heard of it?”

            Astounded, Elias responds immediately, “A book by Ryan Perez about mages sealing the Demon Lord, Berial.”

            “Exactly”, Credo interjects, “There were eight of them, each possessing a unique power. Once they were gathered together, their powers merged along with two special amulets.”

            Solis’ ears perked up once he heard the word “amulet” and he begins to wonder to himself.

            Is that why he took my...

            “With their combined powers”, Anna continues, “They were able to condemn Berial and lock him up for good using the two amulets-“

            “And then balance was restored to the world”, Solis wraps it up. He didn’t really want to get left behind the conversation.

            “You haven’t read the book, have you?”

            Don’t be so blunt, Mea. Our main character’s little-boy-heart can’t take that much damage.

            “No”, he answers as he gloomily bows in shame in such a way that Mea finds it... stimulating, if I were to say it without sounding too ecchi.

            It suddenly comes to her mind that Solis actually groped her chest in his sleep. She didn't pinch him until she almost came from his...

            What the f*ck, writer! You said this was R-16 not R-18! How could you foreshadow chapter 22 with something like this!

            “That’s where the book ends, right?”, said Elias, now that he’s speculating what may or may not happen if his passengers were to be successful on their mission.

            “Yes”, Mea returns to her senses, “The sealing of Berial and their travelling back to the worldly plane were the last things depicted in the story itself.”

            “I see”, Elias crosses his arms. “Since the four of you are looking for the other half... what do you plan to do once you’ve all been collected.”

            “We follow the book”, Mea explains. “According to the book, the eight of them united all the nations to face a common enemy, and we’ve already spread news about our presence on where we have travelled so far. We’ll need the people’s help to punch through the mouth of hell and close the gate.”

            Solis didn’t seem to understand a word coming from her childhood friend’s mouth. The only reason he is willing to fight alongside these strangers is because of her. Truth be told, Solis would have denied her trust if he hadn’t felt oddly drawn to her. Still, this kid took the time to work for what fell on his lap.

            There are things you just can’t help but believe in, no matter how unreasonable or illogical it is; all you need is God to tell you which one.

            Osiris told him that when he was, you know, still alive without a blanket-stitch sewing his eyelids shut. He asked the Bladesman why Jesus died for the sake of the people who persecuted Him, but he never did understand what his foster father meant.

            Lost in thought, Solis started to stare outside the window, feeling as though he wouldn’t understand anything from this point. He saw the clouds being glided on by the outstretched wings of the ship. Earlier he was scared out of his skin during take-off, but now it didn’t seem so bad given how beautiful the moonlight spreads about the translucence of the night time clouds. He’s had his fair share in basking on the bountiful and pleasant sites of nature when he’s commissioned for a Slaying job, but he’s never seen the landscape from above.

The clouds now started to fade away as the ship moved through the curvature of the stratosphere, and Solis sighted what appeared to be a bottomless ravine. It kind of looks like [3]Vel’Koz’ Void Rift but without the purple lights.  He squinted a little, however, when he saw something crawl from the deep landform.

“Is that... a [1]Remobra?”

“Where? Where?”, Tenenbaum squeezes herself to the frame of the window.

The creature, though as small as a [1]Bird Wyvern, clawed itself from the dark with the talons attached at the end of its frontal limbs. Its eyes were glowing red and left a trail of crimson while it began to flap its wings. The black scales that covered its skin shone from the moon’s afterglow in the dead of the night. It heaved a breath, revealing its poison-loaded fangs that dripped with a black liquid that could neutralize the nerves in your system once it sinks in. Its mouth gaped open and an ear-splitting shriek burst through the forest that surrounds it.

“That’s not a Remobra...”, Tenenbaum chatters.

“What was that?”

Maise also looks out the window and sees a flock of them flying from the cracks.

“Elias, does this ship have anything for defense”, she asks her brother, interrupting their conversation.

“It’s not quite functional yet. Why?”

His sister points out the window and he sees more of the creatures closing in on the ship.

“This is bad...”, he thinks to himself while his eyes furrowed.

The other Elementals look out the window, except for Anna who didn’t want to be in such a high place.

“Well, we’re sitting ducks out here...”, Elias pronounces. “Do any of you have ranged projectile weapons?”

Credo looks at Anna.

“I’m not going out there!” She promptly refuses to come any close to the outside of the ship until it’s safe to land.

A loud bang from the left of the ship shook the wings. It appears that the winged beasts are ramming the vessel.

“Anna”, Credo calls out to her.

“I’m not going out there! You can’t make me!”, she stubbornly exclaims. “Who the hell would be stupid enough to take the risk anyway?”

Solis raises his hand, still staring out the window.

“I need a rope tied to the ship and some orange juice, please”, he requests.

“I’ll go get some orange juice, then”, Maise follows the order.

“Thanks.”

Mea figures out what he is about to do.

“Does it have to be rope, Solis?”, she asks him.

“Not really. Just something I can tie up with.”

“Leave that to me”, she unsheathes her hidden blade.

“What are you planning to do, kid?”, Elias questions.

“I’ll show you if you tell me where the hatch is”, he replies while sheathing Grace and leaving Kirin behind.

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            It’s a bit breezy out on the platform used for maintenance purposes above the plane, but that doesn’t bother Solis. His acrophobia isn’t even triggering anymore. After all, he’s never even seen a target like this before, except maybe a Remobra, but still.

            He opens the hatch above him, and his face is assaulted by kisses from a Wind Elemental.

            “Are you sure about this, Solis? You’re kind of one of the keys to saving the world, you know; it might be waste.”

            Elias was below him, trying to give him the option on second thoughts.

            “Of course I am!”, he shouts in the howling wind that messes up his hair. [4]“I found what I love; I’m gonna let it kill me!”

            “Right... Well, good luck”, he bids with unease.

            Tenenbaum pops from his pocket.

            “Are you sure about this?”

            “Nope.”

An ethereal chain was wrapped around his waist that extended down to the ship’s main hall where Mea was holding on to the end of the links. I see where he’s going with this...

[5]“You only live once; you might as well die now!”

Pronouncing his own death with fear and excitement, he climbs out the hatch and leaps out the ship. A surge of power emanated from his chest as Tenenbaum hid in his coat pocket whilst trying to empower his weapon by increasing the difference in equilibrium.

Grace lights up the night sky and slices the wings off one of the unfortunate creature’s limbs, causing it to fall to its death and enabling the Slayer to be sated of a fraction of his thirst for slaying. But we both know, dear reader, that that’s not enough to keep him satisfied.

Solis dives from the platform above the ship and throws his sword, skewering two or three of the creatures. He was able to land on another one of them, allowing him to leap off from it and recover his blade which was dripping with some sort of black blood. The chains tugged at their links, and the Slayer realizes he’s dangling in mid-air at the center of these winged beasts.

As soon as one of them saw him as easy prey, he swung himself from their lot until his feet could press against the side of the hull. Hastily, he treads the metal shell of the ship with Grace on one hand and a chain wrapped on the other. The creatures all but focused their attention on him until he was above the platform again.

Before they could all gather around him with fangs bared to rip him apart, he stands still on the metal slab while taking out a small box of orange juice from his inner coat pocket. Solis pokes a hole through it with the straw that’s attached and sips the drink without the slightest ounce of fear against his predicament, for it was there he established his hunting ground.

“Showtime, Tenen!”

Tenenbaum springs from his coat and splits a ray of crippling dark energy around herself. It was even more powerful than usual because of the increased number of reactions per second on the tethered spirits’ Elemental Matrices.

Seeing how easily everything was set up for him, he begins his Hunter’s Rampage, tearing to shreds the pitiful creatures even more than the devastation of a [6]level 25 Juggernaut with an Aghanim’s Scepter.

“THIS IS WAY BETTER THAN KILLING A ZINOGRE!”

You can only imagine the joy in his heart as if a boy given a magnifying glass to play with an anthill.

It’s just not right, but you let him enjoy it anyway.

As the mangled bodies pile up, so does his appetite for destruction.

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            “I’m glad I’m not up there”, Credo says while looking out the window; noticing the dead bodies falling off.

            “Aren’t you guys the least bit worried about what’s happening to Solis!”

            Anna sat in the middle, contemplating on her last decision. I think she feels bad for letting the kid do it all by himself.

            “He’ll be fine”, Mea cites while a book about [7]Madara. It looks like Nash lent her a lot more than what she expected. She’s such a nice girl.

            “Are you kidding me? Those things could kill him!”

            Credo and Mea glanced at each other at the same time with the same thing in mind:

            I don’t think so.            “You two are seriously just going to sit-“

            “We got another problem!”, Maise announces from the cockpit, this time with a little more distress in her tone.

            Credo stood up and made his way to the cockpit. What he saw could make a [1]Fatalis look like a [1]Velociprey. It was quite... large.

            It had large tusks twice the size of its head on each side of its mouth. Its skin was calloused with black obsidian and diamonds that have hardened through time. It had no eyes; just a nose that breathes lumps of charred coal. The wings on its back were hard stones fashioned like blades that cut through the atmospheric layer.

            But the worst part is it’s about to hit the ship.

            “Solis is still out there”, Lina tells him.

            “Where are you going-“

            Credo couldn’t answer Anna. He rushed through the aisles with Lina while donning his sword and to the back of the room until he made it to the ladder that leads to the hatch. It didn’t seem to be closed.

            “Solis!”, he screams, climbing from the hatch.

            [8]“This party’s going crazy!”, Solis chants in indulgence.

            “Kid, something’s coming! We gotta get back!”

            “What do you mean?”, he says while slashing a crippled creature without even looking at it.

            “Something big has its eyes set on the ship. We need to brace for impact!”

            Solis shuts off his Awakening and calls Tenenbaum back.

            “But we just started...”, she mutters.

            “Save self now; kill things later!”, Lina lectures.

            The Slayer went down the hatch first with no problem at all.

As for Credo...

“So what does it look like?”, Solis asks while going down looking up at him.

Reviews

[❀Subaru_Nyaa!
..]

what are the gray bars behind every word in this chapter?

[Oran]

I tried fixing it but it seems it's stuck like that unless I re-encode the whole chapter

[❀Subaru_Nyaa!❀]

You don't have to fix it, I just asked why it's there. It did not bother my reading of the chapterread moreYou don't have to fix it, I just asked why it's there. It did not bother my reading of the chapter