Chapter 114: The fight between the Yves

「Ahh… this is boring~」The bored blond otokonoko systematically slaughtered through a sea of Demon Emperor's followers. His strings died in blood-red spread out to the entire town located deep inside Kadesha's territory, before effortlessly cutting through every monsters and humans worshiping the Demon Emperor in sight, bisecting even the A+ class raging three-headed lion chimera who led the vicious charge right at the group. The monster's blood splattered straight onto the Ennead's uninterested face elicited no response from the godly figure.

「...Ayer… sama…」The hero hesitantly wanted to put a stop to the maniac killing.「... This… isn't right…」

「Leave him be, Aspen.」The princess, with a casual smile, held back the hero.「Just let Ayer sama enjoy this. They're just some monsters… and some lackeys of Kadesha. They all deserve to die.」

「...」Sylvia, the light blue hair mage, simply gazed at the massacre without saying a single word.

Bamm!!!

A giant beam of burning fire crashed in front of the Ennead. From within the raging flame emerged a strong hand, firmly reached out to grab the slender wrist of the otokonoko.

「Stop this, Ayer sama!」Zaeryn was mad. The tengu had expected this bloodbath the moment he received a message from the other Enneads warning him that Ayer had decided to personally descend to Esthar in his homunculus body for a bit of "fresh air."「It's unbecoming of you.」

「Zaeryn… 」Ayer frowned.「Know your place. You're just a mere Divine One. You dare touch an Ennead like me?」

「Yes, unless you cease this senseless massacre.」The tengu doubled down, pulling Ayer closer to him and sternly looked down at the petite Ennead.

「Don't think that you can tell me what to do now that you're blessed with the Primordial Spirit of Fire 」The Ennead violently ground his teeth. Several sharp strings formed in front of his face before projected outward at a speed of sound.

「Zae…!!!」Realizing the danger, Aspen called out to his dearest friend, though he quickly noticed the strings, which were created from the fine threads of the strongest metal found in both realms, Melkorium, simply melted away before it could reach the Tengu.

「If you want to somehow ease your boredom…」Zaeryn growled.「then how about fighting me?」

「Hah?? You arrogant Tengu!!!」snapped Ayer. The Ennead maniacally laughed while sprinting toward the Tengu.

「Ahh… shit… here we go again…」Adela slowly backed away.「Why does this always happen whenever Ayer sama comes down here for a visit?」

「Adela, Sylvia, get out of here. You two won't be able to withstand his fight….」Aspen warned.「I'll make sure the innocent people here can escape.」

「...」Adela shot Aspen a glaring look.「They're enemies, Aspen. They chose to follow and worship Kadesha, the disrupter of peace and destroyer of the fragile balance of the world.」

「Still, I cannot condemn them to death.」Aspen argued back.「Quick! Get out of here.」The hero looked toward the clashing of the titans just a few paces in front of his eyes.

「You think Ayer sama would actually kill Zaeryn this time? Zaeryn has pissed him off so many times before, maybe this would be the straw that breaks the camel's back.」Adela smiled as she walked away.

「... I don't think so. In a sense, I feel like Ayer sama likes to piss Zaeryn off. Did you see his eyes? He was so bored while killing the people here, but his eyes brightened up the moment he saw Zaeryn arrive. Battling Zaeryn gives him joy. That's probably the only reason why he targeted this place.」Sylvia deduced.

「One of the reasons…」corrected Adela.「No matter how you spin it… Ayer sama is still, in the end, a …」The princess hesitated.

「Psychopath? Sadist?」

「Ha, your word, not mine.」

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「Don't be so anxious, Gyo chan! We got this!」assured Kibadios as the hybrid and his two companions dropped down from the portal. The moment the group entered the final room, where there was nothing but a large floating platform within an empty void, Kibadios was the first to realize the terror that was awaiting him. His demeanor quickly turned grim as he noticed the familiar threads around him.

「Yo, Zaeryn!」Ayer greeted the hybrid.「Or would you rather I call you Kibadios since that's your name now?」

「「「What?」」」Before either Uri and Gyo could process what had happened and why all the other four candidates were tangled on a web of threads in midair, the mention of the forbidden name "Zaeryn" had attracted the attentions of all the demihuman present. Although the name "Zaeryn" wasn't censored in Monas Kye like most other human countries, it was a name that no other demihuman dared to call themselves, since for them "Zaeryn" was almost, in a sense, a name of their godly protector.

「Ayer…」Kibadios quickly screened the area to check for the presence of any other Astrals.

「Don't worry, Zaeryn. It's just me here. Why would I share with the other Astrals your whereabouts? I certainly don't want to have them snatch away my prey.」The otokonoko licked his lip.

「Release them, Ayer… Or else…」

「Or else what? You will summon and release your hold on that stupid girl? Summon so that us Astral will be forced to deal with you with all our might?」Ayer smiled. 「You're not that stupid, are you? After all, even if you're to die here, you will be transported back to the real world, what's the point of resorting to ?」Ayer had specifically chosen to confront the hybrid inside the dungeon, knowing precisely that for this reason, the hybrid wouldn't be calling on , which to Ayer's opinion, would make the fight between him and the hybrid much more boring. Another reason why the psychopathic Ennead chose this very moment, though, was that even if he were to kill Kibadios here, he would still get another chance at fighting and kill Kibadios again for a second time in the real world. The thought of getting to enjoy two all out battles against Zaeryn was enough for him to be giddy these past few days.

「... Kiba… dios sama… who's that boy and what is he talking about? Why is he calling you Zaeryn?」Gyo was the first to ask the obvious question.

「The two of you, back down.」Kibadios muttered.「Situation has changed. He's not someone you can take headon.」

「Who's he?」Uri asked.

「... Ayer, one of the Ennead.」

「「WHAT???」」Whether or not the two believed Kibadios or not, both Uri and Gyo instinctively assumed defensive stance while surveying every movement of the girlish looking boy.

「... Why did he call you "Zaeryn", Young Lord?」

「...」Kibadios sighed. There's no point hiding anything now, the hybrid thought to himself.「Because I am Zaeryn. Or rather, I'm a reincarnation of 'Zaeryn'.」

「...」Wylan's eyes widened, a ray of hope seemed to have lit up in his mind.「Kibadios… dono is Zaeryn sama's reincarnation?」

「Kibadios dono…」

「Young Lord…」

「Hoh… I knew there's something interesting about you, Boss.」Uri grinned. Although the claim sounded absurd, strangely, none doubted the hybrid's word. The hybrid had now fully transformed into his combat form, with six wings sprung out from his back. His two horns protruded out even further.

「Now, don't get distracted. We can talk more about this later… Right now, just one small mistake can easily lead you to your death, Uri, since you don't have protection from the rings.」

「How strong have you gotten in this incarnation, Zaeryn?」Ayer licked his upper lip. 「Don't disappoint me…」The Ennead turned to Uri and Gyo.「And for these two pests… I'll have these four deal with you.」

「「Huh?」」

「Uri!!!」「Nii chan!!!」「「Dodge!!!」」Both Wylan and Ectharen screamed the moment they realized their bodies were now moving on their own. The two Heads, along with their retainers, crash-landed right next to the Vice Captain and the Blacksmith. Thank to the pairs' warnings, both Uri and Gyo were able to respond quickly enough to block the attacks.

「Well well well, what do we have here? Ectharen?」Uri smiled.

「Sorry, Uri dono… but I can't control my movement.」The beastman quickly glanced at Falkor.「You too?」

「Yeah…」The red head wolf beastman answered.「It must be that kid's ability. He's controlling us through these threads.」

「Uri dono, no matter how we try, we cannot break free of his control.」said the lion beastman after mustering his entire remaining strength to simply move his arm, to no avail.「Please, fight us with the intention to kill!!」

「Huh?」

「We have these rings. We should be fine even if the injury we sustain is fatal. You on the other hand…」Ectharen explained.「Besides, I don't want to be a burden to Zaeryn sama… Kibadios dono as he fights that Ennead kid. The sooner you finish with us, the sooner you can help Kibadios dono!」

「Understood.」Uri grinned. The Vice Captain has never backed away from a fight and deep down, he had always wanted to test his strength against these two beastman standing in front of him.「Let's do this!」

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「Nii chan… I'm sorry!」Wylan frowned ashamedly. Floating above him was a giant butterfly fluttering its wings, greatly resembling Mothra.「I can't control my body…」

「Silly little brother!」Gyo smiled tenderly.「Big brother is here. I'll free both you and Kuron nii!」

「Beware, Gyo!」Kuron warned.「Wylan's summon and my fighting style have a synergistic effect…」

「I know, Kuron nii.」nodded the mutant Yves, his eyes carefully studying the two standing before him before quickly glancing at his Young Lord, who was now facing the menace called Ayer.

「Nii chan!」screamed out Wylan. The summoned butterfly now flapped its wings violently, releasing millions of fine pollens into the vicinity. Unlike Kuron, who's acting as an unstoppable spear with an extreme offensive power and speed like the Raikage, Wylan was a perfect support. The summon he called forth utilized various types of pollens that can either boost the stats of anyone he chose, or caused debuffing status effects on his opponents.

「Watch out, Gyo!」warned Kuron as he launched himself forward at subsonic speed. His Nen coated around his right arm, turning it into a weapon that could pierce through any armor.

「!」The mutant Yves' eyes glowed. Since he had been slowed down by paralysis pollens, he did not even bother to dodge Kuron's lightning fast attack. Instead, standing still, Gyo activated his Arte, instantly creating more than a dozen shields blocking the speeding Kuron. Unexpectedly, the first four shields were instantly shattered by the towering Yves, though by the 10th shield, his thrusting attack was completely stopped. The shockwave created by Kuron's attack blasted away the field of pollen, allowing Gyo to finally move again.

「Poison, nii chan!」Again, the Yves Head warned his brother the moment his summon attacked.

「Thanks for letting me know, Wylan!」Gyo smiled as he dashed sideways, dodging the blob of poison flying toward him, though he quickly realized Kuron was already standing where he headed. The mutant Yves quickly twisted his body, swinging his hammer around, smashing it against Kuron's supersonic punch. The crash between two caused an explosive blast, though with their strength equally matched, both Kuron's fist and Gyo's hammer were stopped in their tracks. Had this been a game, this moment would be when the game asked the player to smash the X button. Still, no matter how much they mustered their strength, both Kuron and Gyo was unable to thwart the other's attack.

「Gyo, look to your right!」Warned Kuron since he noticed that instinctively, his left hand was now coated in his thick Nen. While his other three fingers all curled inward, his middle and index finger stuck out, pressing against one another, creating an invisible sharp knife made from Nen aura. The Yves thrust his attack aiming at Gyo's face. Luckily, thanks to the warning, the mutant Yves was able to barely shift his head, avoiding the lethal strike. Nonetheless, Gyo was not quick enough to avoid a deep nick on his face. The mutant Yves created some distance between him and his two opponents. He took a second to compose himself as blood dripped down from his wounded cheek. As the fight continued on, 2 vs 1, despite all his effort, Gyo could tell he was slowly being pushed back with each clash. No matter how much he tried, he could never match Kuron's speed, not especially such speed was boosted by Wylan's summon while his own agility was restricted by the pollen spread by the same summon.

Is this it? In the end, I still could not help the Young Lord when he needed me the most… Kailos sama…

「Gyo, I entrust Kibadios to your care for this trial. I know you won't let me down.」Gyo recalled Kailos' words to him as exhaustion took over his consciousness.

「... I….」Gyo muttered while his body now simply instinctively tried to keep up with Kuron's relentless attacks.

「Nii chan…」Wylan ground his teeth, helplessly witnessing his older brother succumb to a barrage of attacks from Kuron.

「Gyo.. I'm sorry..」Kuron regrettably called out.

「... I… I… I cannot lose here!」The collapsing Gyo sprung back into beast mode, similar to Moubu during his fight against Kanmei in Kingdom.「I will not let Kailos sama down! I will not let you and Wylan down!」Gyo grinned at Kuron. 「and most importantly of all, I will not let Kibadios…no… Zaeryn sama down!!!! 」Gyo again activated his Arte.「Iron Maiden!!!!」

For Gyo, who worked as a swordsmith, his Arte, , was simply a perfect match for him. The Arte worked by storing away the weapons he personally forged in a pocket dimension and only materialized them once Gyo activated it. Furthermore, each weapon that was made by Gyo had received part of his soul, allowing them to bond with the mutant Yves via the Arte. Now, Gyo had, for the first time, unloaded all of the weapons he had created ever since he first picked up his trusty hammer. The weapons rained down on the three Yves varied, ranging from thick, impermeable shields, lances, blades, to sickle chains, bows and arrows.

「This is…」Both Kuron and Wylan looked around them.

「You're releasing all your weapons, Gyo? But why?」Kuron asked.

「Because of this!」Gyo clenched his fists. The mountains of armaments began to float in midair, then aggregated to one another. Before long, a shape slowly formed from the combinations of all Gyo's creations, resulting in a giant levitating Iron Maiden.

「Nii chan, what's that?」

「My trump card!」Gyo grinned while two droplets of blood rolled down his cheek from his widened eyes. It took all his power to fully activate , let alone manipulate each and individual weapons into the shape of the Iron Maiden using his own soul like this. The giant torture device opened his cage, then projecting out thousands of iron chains, aiming at both Wylan and Kuron. The Head of the House of the Eyes was able to escape the chain for only a moment before both him and his slow moving summon was caught and pulled inside the dark Iron Maiden. Kuron, though, was able to dodge the chains for quite some time. Yet, not even he can escape Gyo's trap for long. Once a single chain was able to grab onto him, hundreds others followed, wrapping themselves around his body and dragging him inside the giant device together with his Lord.

「.... Now… I just need to…」Gyo panted. The mutant Yves knew the next step was to eliminate both Kuron and his little brother by collapsing the Iron Maiden inward. Yet, the thought of him personally "kill" those he loved was too much for him to think about, even if they were only supposed to be transported back to the outside world if they were to die here.

「」Before Gyo could enact his final move, his hybrid young lord had abruptly casted a magic spell that created a black flame swirling around the Iron Maiden.

「Kibadios sama?」

「You don't have to kill them. Just have to… break the controlling threads! That spell of mine … should burn them off and free those two!」Kibadios screamed out to the Yves. Though he paid a heavy price for such distraction, since Ayer quickly blasted the hybrid, sending him crashing onto the ground.

「You cannot afford to be distracted, Zaeryn.」Ayer grinned.

「Young Lord!!!」Gyo wanted to rush to Kibadios, though his strength finally gave out. The mutant Yves stumbled onto the ground. With his power completely exhausted, the Iron Maiden quickly fell apart, his weapons disappearing into thin air, back to the pocket dimension. Luckily, just as Kibadios had said, since the threads controlling Kuron and Wylan were burnt off, both the Yves were now free again. Unfortunately, without the threads controlling them, the two could also barely find any strength to move their bodies since they had previously received grievous wounds inflicted onto them by Ayer.「I… have to… help the Young Lord…」Gyo's sight became blurry….