Chapter 44: The Golden Flame

A few minutes ago:

"Where...am I..?

It's so dark...I feel myself floating...

This isn't my bed...Am I dreaming?

No, I don't remember going to sleep...All I do remember...

Were those eyes.

I'm dead.

She killed me.

I can't believe she actually did it.

What will happen to everyone now..?

Damn it...Axel, I'm sorry. I should have done better by you...knocked some sense into your silly head before it was too late.

But, well...here we are, anyways, huh?

Guess we can just...sleep forever now.

How...ni--"

"Ze...k..! e...ke..!Ze...ke..!

Zeke!"

"But I guess you won't let me sleep, huh?

I can see it...your light.

Heh...if just this once, I guess. Who else will help them?

I'll give you my hand."

*

Zeke slowly opened his eyes, taking in the blue sky and almost blinding sun. But it was soon covered when a foreign face got real close to his.

Well, not completely foreign. He'd recognize that awful goatee anywhere.

-Jack?! What are you doing, get away!- he said, moving to push him away, but a searing pain coming from his midsection kept him from moving much.

-I see you're awake, brave warrior! I'm glad you're so spirited. That was a nasty wound!

-Wound...what..?- Zeke looked down to see his torso completely bare, the area around his stomach covered in bandages- Did you do this?

Jack nodded, sitting cross-legged on the roof's surface.

-Yeah. After you and Allie started fighting, I followed from far away- to safely examine the situation- and then you two got on this here roof. After a bit, there was a big cloud of steam and she jumped off the roof soon after. You didn't follow her, so I assumed the worst. I climbed up here to find you collapsed, stabbed through the stomach.

-I'm pretty sure she stabbed me clean through. How did you--

Zeke could see a pouch with a strange symbol engraved on it, around the knight's waist. And on his back was a wooden staff with a jagged cyan rock on top of it.

-You're a Sage.

-Well, I never told you I was the fiercest warrior, no? I may be the leader of the Owl Knights, but I mostly play a supporting role, healing my comrades when needed and using other spells and nick-knacks, to help them out. Sages are often targeted first in battles, so I usually conceal my staff and pouch, summoning them when I need to take care of someone.- he said, reaching for his pouch and taking out a clump of small blue rocks- For you, I took a few Aqua Enchant Stones, crushed them into a fine dust and had to coat your wound on it, before bandaging you.

-Wait, you didn't even use a spell?

-For a wound that serious, a normal spell wouldn't have been fast enough. So I had to get a bit rough, jamming Enchant Stones that matched your Element inside the affected area, to boost your body's fading soul power, before I healed you normally. It's more of a military technique, so Soula's hospitals might not be fond of using them, preferring their big Neutral Stone machines.

-It still hurts, but seeing as I'm not dead...-Zeke slowly sat up. His hairband had snapped, so his long locks fell behind his back.

-You shouldn't move for a while. The wound has closed up, but if you put a lot of strain on the area before it can fully regenerate...- his words were cut off by explosions coming from the town square. Fire could be seen flaring up from above the buildings.

-My friends...your allies, too. How are they?- Zeke asked.

-I don't know, exactly. As I healed you, there was a big laser coming from that tall building over there.- he pointed towards a nearby two-story building, its wall completely destroyed- Then, some more fighting began in the town square. But you shouldn't worry.

He took out his staff, peering into the Stone.

-I can still detect various soul energy signatures. Because everyone's is unique, despite some sharing Elements, I can still make out my friends' signatures, as well as Mister Noah, Guy and Axel's as well.

Zeke sighed in relief, slowly standing up.

-Mister Zeke, you can't..!

-Jack, I'm really grateful for your healing, but I think your efforts are still going to be needed. And if we don't end this quickly, it'll be doubly so. I have to go help out.

-But you won't do them much good if you collapse--

His words were cut off again, by another colossal explosion, before a giant of fire rose from the smoke.

-Um, yeah, maybe we should help out with that...-Jack gulped.

-You said that you put that dust in me to help boost my soul power, which would, in turn, help regenerate my wounds, right?

-The medical explanation is much more complicated, but basically, yeah, that's what's happening. Sage healing uses the patient's soul power to boost their body's natural healing factors. Your near-death experience nearly drained you of soul power, but your wounds should now heal nicely as it slowly grows back up, boosted by the Enchant Stone dust.

Zeke smirked.

-Which means, if I pump more soul power...

He took the stance, a sly grin on his face.

-This is going to be the greatest comeback of the century~

*

Allie glared at Zeke through her helmet's visor, the Nuria Colossus slowly regenerating, towering around her.

-You're almost like a completely different person while in Soul Crash, Zeke Truesdale. Or is it that you're finally serious about the fight?- she asked.

-You'll find yourself hard-pressed to find anyone that wouldn't get serious after almost getting murdered. You just won yourself some front-row seats to the world's most brutal butt-kicking show.- he said, pointing Waterwheel at her.

-Come at me, then.- she said, Nuria's fist coming down on Zeke. He jumped to the side and began circling around the giant, avoiding its attacks by boosting himself around with water blasts erupting from beneath his feet.

Axel wanted to go with him, but someone placed their hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He saw Jack standing behind him. He was moving Noah and Guy to a nearby alley, away from the fight. Axel followed him.

-You won't do him much help in that state. Let me heal ya.- he said, pointing his Stone at him, a cyan aura coating the Mistral-born.

Noah gasped, his eyes shining.

-You're a Sage, Mister Zack?!

-Jack. And yeah, I'm the Owl Knights dainty, cutesy healer. I'll fix you all up, don't worry.- he said, as he took some bandages, the inside of them being coated in purple dust, applying them around Axel's wounded shoulder- Still, I'm surprised that, not even with all of us ganging up on her, Lotus is still in advantage. What a fierce warrior!

-More like a big meanie...-Guy puffed his cheeks- She's nothing like the other guys. Sure, they still attacked us, but they had some restraint! She seems so...malicious! She actually stabbed Zeke and she beat up Axel like he was a thug!

-I think she's forcing herself to be so extra.- Axel sighed as he was healed, the swelling around his face slowly fading away- If you ask me, Balthazar must have her in his pocket or bribing her with something. She seems more...desperate. And not like Hanzo. She must have someone she wants to take care of, and she won't be able to do it without those bags of gold. I kept hearing her talk about how she wants to protect "him", during our fight. She asked me to "let her win". You wouldn't say that unless you were desperate...

-Oh! Maybe it's her "boy-friend"?- Noah suggested, making Axel pout and look to the side.

-Can be just about anyone...-Axel mumbled.

-That doesn't excuse her actions, though.- Jack said- During the War, it was common for BladeMasters to be so ruthless. Honor and decor are not held in such high esteem in a real battlefield, with thousands of real soldiers clashing against each other. If you kids really want to fight the Order, you can't expect to get a free pass just because you're kids.

-So, is killing Miss Allie the only way to stop her?- Noah asked, looking down- I would much rather I didn't, to be honest. Stealing a life, just seems...wrong, really.

-I'm sorry, Mister Noah, but you can't expect to be a BladeMaster without staining your hands. If we all fought in a wishy-washy way...well, that wouldn't be called "fighting", no?- Jack asked, finished up with Axel's healing, his face looking much better.

-Yeah, but... -Noah started, but stopped himself, the Owl Knight leader approaching him to heal the boy next.

-We won't kill her.- Axel promptly said- But we will defeat her and drag her back to Angel's Crow, so she can answer for her deeds. If she ends up losing an arm or leg in the process...well, that'll be too bad.

-Axel!- Guy gasped- What are you saying?! You're not that violent! You didn't cut Sobek in half when you fought him, and now you're willing to maim Allie?!

-We have to be ruthless, Guy!- Axel said- Blades are sharp. They cut. We can't...go around fighting while fearing blood...

Guy looked down, lips curled up.

-Weren't you furious at Allie before? Enough to try and kill her?- Axel asked.

-I was...but it was more like instinct, because I wanted to protect you guys. You can't ask me to kill her in cold blood..! Just the thought makes me sick...

Something dawned on Noah's mind.

-Could this be the "determination" Terri talked to us about? The...strength to swing a Blade with all your might, at all times? Maybe she was referring to a...a killer mindset we have to apply to our attacks. We have to fight like we mean it, but maybe it's more a process, not the end result...

-I think you're making this too confusing, Noah...- Guy sighed.

-War philosophy is indeed a fascinating subject, but maybe we should save it for after the battle?- Jack chuckled.

-I get you, Noah.- Axel nodded- There's a difference between fearing blood and feeding off of it. If we can apply a degree of murderous intent to our Blades, but not actually kill with them...we may harm, but we can actually not go all the way. Either way, the only way to survive here is to fight with all we have. If we have the chance to stop ourselves, we have to do it. But if we end up stabbing Allie...

He clenched his fist as she watched Zeke deflecting the giant's fists with a giant torrent of water coming from the naginata.

-All of us signed up for this. None of us were expecting to become pure angels of the battlefield, right?- he asked. Noah, Guy and Jack, who was finished healing the blonde and was partway on taking care of Guy, all nodded.

Zeke soon landed near them again, the trio running up to him, standing against Allie. Jack exited the alley and circled around the streets to try and reach his allies on the other side of the town square.

-Man, that thing is tough, and I'm not exactly at my freshest. I might need a bit of you guys' help dealing with it.- he smiled at the group.

-I don't know, Zeke. You're handling yourself pretty well.- Axel smirked.

-Well, that's because I'm just so completely epic. But you guys all have a bone to pick with her, right? It would be selfish of me to not let you get sweet revenge.- he turned towards the Elite, Nuria's Colossus roaring at them, the heatwave making Zeke's hair flap black, hitting Guy's face.

-Bleh, I got some in my mouth! Can't you tie that up?!- Guy asked.

-Come on! Final, climatic battle, bunch of handsome guys facing a giant, barely dressed, glistening in sweat, long locks flapping in the wind...we'd make all the fangirls squeal!- Zeke grinned.

Noah looked at the trio, all in either ripped tank tops or shirtless, before looking at his dusty, puffy green plaid shirt.

-Should I strip too?- he asked.

The guys broke out laughing.

-Noah, if you did, we might hit some kind of limit of sexyness, and suddenly this battle would get more goofy than serious. I mean, look at our opponent! Is this war or the nudist convention?!- Zeke asked, pointing at Allie, her dancer's outfit in shambles under the semi-transparent flaming armor and her expression a bit confused by the sudden shift in tone of the situation at hand.

-I'm more surprised you can wear that puffy thing in the desert.- Axel remarked.

-Honestly, the heat doesn't really bother me...-Noah said, turning around himself to examine his clothing.

-Seriously, you might just be a bio-engineered soldier, made to last in any environment. -Guy said, pumping his fists- I heard the Undinia and Gnottus military receive this medicine that allows them to fight well in completely opposite environments they're used to, and...

-Are we fighting or not?!- Allie would ask, from within the giant- I know you just reunited, but we're in the middle of something, here! Your friend will run out of Soul Crash before long and then you're literally toast!

Zeke chuckled.

-Oh you poor, naiive floozy...-he said, before charging at the giant again. He spun the naginata around himself, spheres of water surrounding his body and shooting out at Allie. Nuria defended her by placing its arm in the way, before moving his remaining fist towards the Aqua-born.

Zeke then readied Waterwheel , coating it with water and threw it at the fist, the contact creating a massive cloud of steam. The naginata would then be sent flying back towards its user, landing seemingly uselessly near him. But as the steam subsided, the group could see the giant's arm having lost its hand.

Allie pointed her palm at them, the colossus mimicking its movements and launching a massive wave of fire towards the group with its remaining hand. Zeke rushed towards his Blade, picking it up and spinning it in front of himself, a barrier of water erecting in front of it, colliding with the blazing attack. The group hid behind the auburn haired boy as he blocked the fire.

Axel looked towards the blazes, before tapping Zeke's shoulder.

-Zeke, watch out!- he said, moving to strike the hand that moved through the fire to get Zeke. Guy joined his efforts, both boys slashing at the hand. Thanks to Jack's healing, their bodies managed to jump-start their Soul Crashes again, tearing away at the giant flaming hand!

-Thank you kindly!- Zeke said, readying his Blade and jabbing it at the air in rapid succession, water blasts coming off of it in high pressure, striking at the torso of the giant. Some of the blasts seeped through, making Allie having to casually lean to the side to dodge them.

-Aqua users of your level are always a bother.- she said.

-Gimme a bigger target next time and you'll see how much of a bother I can be. Giants are so overrated.- Zeke shot back.

-You're pretty confident for someone whose Soul Crash should end in a few seconds. Guy and Axel's only lasted five minutes, after all.

Zeke burst out laughing again.

-Tell me, then, my dearest dancer. How long does your Soul Crash last?

Allie smirked, deciding to humor him.

-An Elite like me, the cream of the crop of BladeMasters in the continent? Half an hour.

The Aqua-born nodded. Indeed, most BladeMasters his age could only engage Soul Crash for a few minutes before it died down. And even the seniors at the Academy and knights of the Karashian royal guard could only maintain it for, at most, eight to ten minutes. For Allie to keep that last resort running for triple of that time, was a testament to her enormous amount of soul power.

-I'mma be honest with you: I'm not too fond of physical training. Terri is helping us with this dumb regimen and I really detest it.- he said.

-Color me surprised.- Allie said, rolling her eyes.

-But, what I lack in physical training, I make up with other methods. A certain aquatic little lady is always bothering me with gifts, you see. I really have no choice but to take them and this has been going on for years. If I'm not careful, I'll become a walking water faucet! So, I mixed together my favorite pastime, sleeping, with meditative training, in order to train how long I can keep my soul power running and getting better at controlling it.

-Sleeping while exuding soul power?- Allie asked, before the realization dawned on her- You don't mean---

-Twelve.- Zeke cut her off- For twelve hours I can continuously exude my soul power during my sleep before I hit the limit just before Overloading. I mostly do it by forming a bunch of water spheres and keeping them there floating, by continuously ignitting Aqua elemental particles. Now for Soul Crash...

He raised his hand at her and lifted up his fingers...

-Four.- he said- If I do the same exercise while in Soul Crash, I can last for four whole hours before I get too exhausted. But, ah, that isn't exactly the same as actual fighting and throwing out all kinds of flashy moves, right? In that case, I'll be using up much more soul power. In those scenarios, for when I'm fighting...

He then left one finger raised.

-One hour of playtime. I think you're the one that shouldn't be focused in talking, Lotus. Since you're the one who's going to run out first unless you push me to use even more energy than I already am.

Allie stood there, honestly stunned, for a minute, before she let out a sigh.

-Aren't you a wealth of talent, Zeke. But here's something I have and you don't.

-Enlighten me: what might that b--

Axel's eyes widened.

-Zeke, watch--

But it was too late. Allie had materialized behind the group, her armored leg delivering a powerful kick to Zeke's back, the impact literally explosive as his burning body was sent flying forward, towards the Nuria giant, which still stood there. It reeled its fist back and crashed it down on Zeke's body, making the boy's body lie in a crater on the ground.

Allie casually walked past the rest of the group, making her way towards the boy, which she picked and held up in front of her by the hair.

-You might be able to last twice longer than I do, but an ant twice bigger than the others is still stepped on the same way.

Zeke groaned, blood dripping from his mouth.

-You lack experience. Battle sense. Weapon and Element mastery. And determination. I've lived the life of a warrior for more much longer than you have, Zeke. Arbitrary things like amounts of soul power and time limits of Soul Crash make no difference when you're in the thick of battle. If you were truly that much stronger than me, you'd only need one second of your Soul Crash, in order to beat mine.

Spit would fizzle out as it landed on her helmet. Zeke would smirk at her.

-You Elites really like to blab. Superiority complex much?- he asked. Allie huffed and sunk her fist into his stomach, right into the bandaged section. Zeke's face twisted in pain as he coughed out blood onto the ground.

Still grabbing him by the hair, she turned around and chucked the body towards the group. Before he could crash against them, though, Zeke corrected himself in midair, by sprouting a torrent of water beneath him and letting his body slide along it. Landing back on the ground, he charged towards Allie, boosted by a burst of water coming from underneath his feet.

He clashed Waterwheel with Allie's Blade, but had to push himself back, in order to avoid the fist of the giant crashing down where he once stood. The rest of the group could only watch as Zeke zipped and slid around the area, trying to strike Allie from all angles. But that armor seemed to boost her physical abilities, a trail of fire leaving her boots and gloves every time she deftly dodged the Aqua-born. And coupled with her coordination with the Colossus, which stood separated from her body, Zeke was in quite the struggle!

-We have to help Zeke!- Noah said.

-If we could get rid of that giant, we could all use our numeric advantage to strike Allie...-Axel pondered, having subsided his Soul Crash before it ran out, so he could use it again later.

He looked back at the other side of the square, spotting Jack healing Roderick, Felix and Jimmy. It probably wouldn't be wise to ask for an assist from them quite yet...

He then alternated between looking at Noah and Guy, before nodding to himself and taking off running towards the giant!

-Axel, what are doing?!- Guy screamed, reaching out for his friend.

Allie noticed Axel running towards her and directed the giant's hand to grab the lilac-haired boy, before blocking Waterwheel again.

Axel engaged Astral Soul again, dodging to the side and avoiding the fist.

"Its fiery qualities make it very light, but still as solid as steel! This Solid Fire technique is really remarkable...but it should still work like regular fire!"

With that, he slashed at the fist, buried on the ground, a crescent wave of air leaving Raiden and striking at the wrist. Axel was still saving his Soul Crash, so he needed to launch more of those air sickles to cut off the massive hand, which dissipated.

Deftly dodging a lunge from Zeke, Allie launched a kick right at his face, wanting to shift her focus to stopping Axel from demolishing her Colossus. A slight torrent of water sprouted from underneath Zeke's foot and made it move forward, forcing the boy to slip up, his body lowering enough to dodge the kick.

He then took advantage of his lowered state to try and sweep at Allie's feet, but she quickly hopped over his kick. Immediately she summoned her Blade on her heel, swinging it down at the boy, who quickly held up his naginata to block the strike.

Pushing it away and quickly standing back up, his assault on the Lotus continued. There was no time for her to focus on Axel, as Zeke's Soul Crash still allowed him to somewhat keep up with her Armor's abilities.

Meanwhile, the Nuria Colossus swung at Axel with its remaining hand, but he boosted himself upwards with a burst of air.

-Astral Wave !- he shouted, the rainbow aura shooting out from his Blade, running along the giant's arm,cutting it clean in half, dissipating it at well.

All out of members, the Colossus opened its mouth, light shining from within in. Still in the air Axel gritted his teeth, feeling a tremendous amount of elemental energy gathering within the giant's maw.

"A concentrated blast of fire?! It can shoot lasers like Guy, too?! I have to stop it before it launches!"

So, he formed a cluster of winds in his palm and chucked it, like a baseball, inside the giant's mouth, making the fire gathering inside it ignite and explode, making the Colossus reel back, letting out a roar of pain.

Allie looked at the explosion, biting her lip.

"Bastard..! He already did it before too, with Guy's fire! He can change his wind's qualities to match those of flammable gas?! No wonder he can create explosions so easily" she thought.

-Looking at other men while in the middle of our date, Allie dear? You wound me!- Zeke said, thrusting Waterwheel towards her face. Allie glared at him, her armor releasing a powerful heat wave, pushing the boy back, his feet dragging along the cracked ground, before he fell on his butt.

Allie pointed her palm at the remaining of the Colossus.

-No use keeping it out if Axel can make it explode on command. Dissipate--

-Guy, now! Eat it!- Axel shouted as he landed on the ground.

Guy blinked, looking between Axel and the giant's torso, a baffled expression on his face.

-Something so big?! I--

-You're in Soul Crash and it's half destroyed! You should match it in soul power now! Hurry before she can use its fire to create some other kind of weapon!- Axel insisted.

Guy quickly nodded and pointed the Dragonic towards the flaming mass. The fire inside the Blade leaked out, forming the teeth of the dragon. The flames of the Colossus then began moving towards Guy, being sucked inside the Blade like they were being vacuumed!

Guy nearly toppled over, the force of the fire he was sucking up being a bit too much for him to handle, even while in Soul Crash. But then someone grabbed his shoulder. He looked back to see Noah keeping him steady. Grinning at him, he kept eating away at the flames. After a few moments, the giant was gone and the Dragonic shone brightly red.

-I'll use Dragonic Soul and--

-Use Heart !- Axel shouted, before turning to Zeke, who was standing back up- Zeke, Valkyrian ! Attack her from both sides, you two!

Both boys nodded and charged at Allie. With a roar of determination, Guy swung the Dragonic at Allie from the right, while Zeke formed the giant ice lance and thrust it from her left.

Allie alternated between looking at both boys, before guarding the Dragonic with the Nuria Blade, sparks and a powerful shockwave flying off of the amazing clash. Then, with the Scorched Armor's claw-like hand, she grabbed at the Valkyrian Jet Lance, holding in place, a burst of steam resulting from that clash.

Underneath the fiery visor, Allie gritted her teeth. Even with Soul Crash and the Armor boosting her physical abilities, she was still struggling to hold up both Ultima Souls, Zeke's Valkyrian clashing directly against her Element and Guy's Dragonic Heart being boosted by more than half of her Colossus' flames!

"He's coordinating his friends masterfully, but he isn't dumping all of the heavy lifting on them either. He's willing to risk himself too and not hide behind his strategies. I have...to stop him...before he grows any more..!"

With a roar leaving her mouth, the Scorched Armor released a powerful heatwave from both sides, threatening to push both Zeke and Guy away from her!

Noah looked at Axel, who joined up with him on the sidelines.

-Axel, that's not going to be enough! I'm going to help too!- he said.

Axel shook his head.

-Noah, I have a plan for you too. Charge up an Astral Wave for me!

Noah quickly nodded, knowing better than to doubt his good friend. He raised Warrior's Heart up and charged up the soul power around it. Axel mimicked him, resembling what they had done a few minutes ago with the double Astral Wave. But instead of launching anything, Axel tapped Raiden against Warrior's Heart, the translucent, un-evolved aura from Noah's Blade moving from it, to add itself to Axel's rainbow aura, making it grow twice in size!

-After we lower her defenses...strike her down Noah!- Axel said, running off towards Allie. Electricity began coursing throughout Raiden, joining up with the Astral Soul aura, making his Blade shine bright. Axel flinched a bit, not expecting such a result, but not looking a gifted horse in the mouth either.

Allie's eyes widened as she saw him charge up at him.

"I've seen this scenario before!"

Axel got in real close to her. He planned to use the Astral Wave method to launch a makeshift close range attack at her. Coupled with the electricity, his soul power matched Zeke and Guy's! He swung Raiden at her.

-Mystic Soul! Trium---

But before he could strike, though, Allie released Nuria and let go of Zeke's Jet Lance, suddenly lowering her body and spreading her legs in split! Without something to clash into, both Zeke and Guy began moving back forward, towards each other.

A scream of terror left their mouths. Both quickly released their Blades, before crashing against each other, faces mashing together.

That sudden shift made Axel hesitate and, suddenly, Raiden was sent flying by Allie's Blade, who was still in her split position. She then deftly raised herself up and slashed away at the three boys, sending them all flying back.

All three tumbled across the floor, before Noah ran past them, swinging away at Allie. She easily blocked his attack with her Blade before sinking her foot into Noah's stomach, making him stumble back.

But she soon at to deal with Axel, Guy and Zeke returning. Releasing his Blade cancelled out the Dragonic Heart and the flame absorption, so Guy swung the default Dragonic Blade at her, which she easily dodged with a cartwheel maneuver backwards, the top of her foot clashing with Guy's jaw.

She then raised her hands, her sashes wrapping up around Zeke's Waterwheel. She pulled on them, making the boy fly towards her before her shoulder sunk into his face. Finally, she deftly jumped, turning herself around in midair to crash her boot on the side of Axel's neck. He stumbled back, but gritted his teeth.

-Just charge at her! Don't give her time to recover!- Axel shouted, all four running towards her.

Allie let herself fall back down, making sure her back was firmly pressed against the ground, before she began spinning around herself, legs spread out. With dance-like moves, her feet could crash against the boys' legs, sweeping them all up, as she spun faster and faster, a trail of fire leaving her armored legs.

She then pushed her body up with her hands, raising herself up a bit and pressed the top of her foot with the side of Axel's face. She then spun her wrists, moving her body to the side and causing Axel's body to crash against Guy's, her foot still pressed up against the Mistral-born's head. She kept rotating, dragging both bodies around with her feet and making them crash against both Zeke and Noah as well.

Sinking her nails into the ground, she sped up her movements, her spinning forming a flaming whirlwind around herself as she kept dragging the four across the air. Then, with a grunt, she suddenly shot up to a handstand position, sending the four flying straight upwards!

Quickly jumping back up, she pointed her hands up at them, a gigantic mass of flames forming around them to create a set of familiar arms...the Colossus's! She then moved them up, trying to grab the four flying bodies out of the air.

Axel gritted his teeth as he felt himself soaring higher and higher.

-Zeke! Cut through them with Jet Javelin !- he shouted.

-I can do you one better! Ultima Soul: Valkyrian Jet Lance !- the auburn-haired boy shouted, the familiar lance forming around his Blade again. He then pointed it towards the approaching hands, holding the weapon, not to thrust, but to throw!

-Extend ! Sapphire Gungnir !- he roared, throwing the Jet Lance down at the arms, the two objects clashing, but the Lance slowly began shaking in place, not managing to sink through the fire!

Soon the boys would feel their ascent slowly stop, floating still for a few seconds in the air.

-It's not working!- Zeke shouted- And we're going to fall!

-Hold onto me!- Axel said, feeling three sets of hands holding onto his shoulders. He then pointed his hands down at the Lance, clapping them together and extending both index and middle fingers, forming the shape of a gun.

-How about this?!- he exclaimed, a compressed ball of air shooting out of his fingers, the force resulting in his body ascending just a bit, gaining the boys a precious few seconds. The "bullet" clashed with the bottom of the Lance's handle, making it more steady and slowly beginning to sink into the arms, a cloud of steam erupting from the clash, but it was still not enough! The arms kept pushing the Blade upwards as it approached the slowly falling quartet!

-Now what?!- Guy shouted.

-It's cooking gas, Guy!- Axel exclaimed- Mix in some fire!

Guy let out an "Oh!" and swung the Dragonic in the air, a torrent of fire shooting out of it and clashing with the Valkyrian Jet Lance and the bubble of air, igniting the gas and creating an explosion that allowed Zeke's Blade to sink through the arms, dissipating them!

Allie's eyes widened and she quickly stepped back, as the naginata suddenly stuck exactly where she once stood, the water that coated it collapsing from around itself.

But then...

She felt a spike of killing intent.

"From above!" she thought.

-Hyyyaaaaa!- Noah roared as he fell down, Blade arched behind his back. Then, with all of his might, he swung it down at Allie!

Warrior's Heart clashed with the shoulder section of the Scorched Armor.

Only to bounce right off.

Up above, Axel's eyes widened.

"No! I completely forgot Noah can't use Soul Crash or else his Backlash will get him! He was already using so much Astral Soul that he was already coughing, that I thought he'd be fine, but never realized that the gap between him and us was so great still!"

-NOAH, GET OUT OF THERE!- Axel shouted.

Allie's Armor released a concentrated heat wave that began pushing Noah, and even the rest of the group, back upwards. The boy could see Allie's hand raising itself up slowly towards him.

He gritted his teeth, clutching Warrior's Heart's handle tightly.

"Focus..! You can't be afraid!

Because you know that you once understood this as well!

Whoever I was...surely fought every battle seriously!

A Blade..."

-...is meant to cut!- he roared, swinging Warrior's Heart again at Allie. It cut right through the air and sunk through the Armor, the clash of Astral Soul with the heatwave creating enough force to completely collapse the ground around Allie's feet!

Her eyes were wide in shock as she saw Noah's Blade sink into her shoulder and back into the wound she had roughly patched up a few minutes ago. She winced in pain, but it only made her more furious. She reached towards Noah and grabbed his face, her armor's hand growing to form a grotesque claw as she spun around and crashed the boy's body on the ground below her.

Then, on the back of her hand, thin shapes of fire began forming on it until it created a set of cylindrical shapes lodged into her glove.

Axel gritted his teeth, turning to Guy and Zeke.

-THROW ME DOWN TOO!- he yelled. Guy and Zeke nodded, grabbing him by both his arms and swinging him down! Axel straightened himself out as he rocketed towards the ground.

"Those are pistons! She plans to pierce Noah right through his skull!"

He reached out and formed a big cluster of winds between his palms. Using them as cushioning, he bounced right off the floor and zoomed like a bullet towards the pair!

He then placed his right hand behind his left, tensing his fingers and bringing both hands back, above his right shoulder. In his left palm, yet another cluster formed, this one contorting around itself, seemingly smaller, but the winds were shaking much more violently!

"I'm not good at compressing air like Sobek is, but it's now or never!"

Before Allie could jam the spikes through Noah's head, Axel was already on top of her. He pressed his left palm against her side, the compressed cluster sending the Elite flying through the air like a rag doll, going through a few roof corners on her way out of the city!

Axel landed with a "thud" on the floor, but quickly stood back up. He helped Noah sit up while Zeke smoothly landed on the ground, helped by a torrent of water that slid him down. He made one for Guy too, but as he dismounted, the Pyre-born landed right on his face.

-Noah, are you OK?!- Guy raised himself and ran up to him. The blonde nodded, chuckling nervously.

-Y-yeah, that was close!

-Talk about a radical piercing procedure...-Zeke sighed, before turning to Axel- What did you do to her?

Axel sighed, subsiding his Astral Soul, his face drenched in sweat and his hair matted to his forehead. He could feel the adrenaline exiting his body and exhaustion crashing down on it in return.

-I compressed a bunch of wind in my hands and used it to send Allie flying away. It won't be enough to kill her, but it should give us enough time.

-For what?- Guy asked.

-Charge up Triumvirate again. That's the only thing that will beat Allie, as she didn't even risk trying to block it back there. Guy, Zeke, how are your Soul Crashes?

-I managed to turn it off when we were in the air. I didn't want to release too strong of flames when I was pointing at your gas...- he said.

Zeke snickered.

-"Gas"...Ah, well, I'm still good to go. Launching two Ultima Souls so close to each other and even Extending one of them took a big chunk of soul energy, though. Coupled with the fact that I was already wounded when I engaged Soul Crash, I was never going to last the full hour. It should still last a few minutes, though.

-So much for hyping yourself up to Allie. Make it more obvious when you're bluffing!-Guy sighed.

-Hey, psychological warfare is a part of battles too!- Zeke barked, hands on his hips.

-Well boys, whatever you have planned, you better get on with it.- Jack said, him and the other knights walking up them- I have a feeling that Lotus won't use this break to rest up. She's probably incredibly frustrated right now...

*

Outside of Aireen's borders, the populace and soldiers were surprised to find Allie lying in a smoldering crater. They all began huddling around her, but soon began to retreat as she stood up, her Armor slowly shedding away. She sighed and a torrent of flames surrounded her, making the citizens run away.

-It's the witch!

-Will you stop at nothing, you devil?!

-Get out of this town!

She glared at them, her wounds already "healed" again and Armor now fully restored. The citizens flinched in place, some falling to the ground and crawling away.

She then noticed that a few of them were already collapsed, blood staining the sandy ground.

The soldier leader approached her.

-Lady Allie, where is your squad? Do you need us to assist you?

Allie clenched her fist. And again, the sheer pressure of her soul power made the soldier topple over.

-Stay here. And make sure you let no one inside Aireen. This battle is just about done.- she said, summoning Nuria. From her wrist, many bands began shooting out, wrapping themselves around the sabre. As this happened, she slowly paced forward.

-One last thing, though.

She glared at the leader, her stare cold and ruthless, her teeth gritted and her face twisted in rage through the visor.

-Kill any more of the citizens and I'll make sure not even your atoms remain.- with that, she ran back inside the town.

The soldier gulped, before standing up in a huff.

-Cocky bastard...-he'd mumble.

*

Back in the town square, Axel would have the rest of the academics line up next to each other, facing the nearest alleyway from where he flung Allie through. Jack would provide a bit more healing to everyone, but he warned the boys that, because Sage healing needed soul power, and therefore stamina, to be effective, that it would be the last time he'd be able to heal the quartet, since they were already very exhausted.

Axel nodded at him.

-Not to worry, Mister Jack. There will be no next time.

He then turned to look at the other three.

-Very well, here's the deal: Allie is for sure to come out out of the nearest alley...- Zeke chuckled- ...to come at us. That Scorched Armor of hers is powerful enough as it is, but we must take into account the possibility that her limit for Soul Crash hasn't suffered any massive changes yet. I'm going to be generous and, taking into account all the fighting we did give her, that she still has 20 minutes of Soul Crash left. If we do not land this correctly, focus should be directed to simply surviving that time limit. Once it runs out, we can make a comeback. Zeke, I know that you're the most compatible against her, but in that scenario, I don't want you trying to get her to launch any more Ultima Souls to decrease her limit. Your priority would be to stall.

-You speak of the Plan B so much that it makes me believe that you don't think we'll nail Plan A.- the Aqua-born smirked.

Axel shook his head.

-Considering that her Armor gives her such a boost to her already versatile mobility and that her Colossus, while weaker, is great at covering massive areas, I really should have ten more plans cooking up. But I really don't. The Elites are too powerful for us to fight on our own. We have to bet on our teamwork.

He then looked at Noah.

-Noah, because you're new at this, I'm going to have to brief you on how Mystic Souls work. For this one, Triumvirate, the process is pretty simple: it's a three-way slash with all three Elements flaring up as high as possible. The resulting clash dramatically increases the elemental particles in the air--

-Axel, didn't you say it'd be "brief"?- Guy asked.

The lilac-haired boy coughed, blushing a bit.

-Um...yeah. Well, basically you flare up your Element as much as you can and then we all attack her at the same time. If it works and we're all in sync, the attack's power is going to be really big. To do it properly, all of our Elements must be around the same level, so no one overtakes the other. I want you to participate, Noah, so you're going to flare up as much Astral Soul and Element as you can (basically the amount you exuded for that blossom). We'll match up with you and when she comes, we'll attack her together. We must be careful to not bump into each other, so we have to be properly spaced out, OK?- he explained.

Noah nodded slowly, looking at Warrior's Heart with an apprehensive look on his face.

-Got it.- he said.

-Be. Careful.- Axel repeated- If you Overload, we're done.

-I said I got it!- Noah pouted, puffing his cheeks- I can control it properly!

-Taking to account that you have never finished a battle without it being by the skin of your teeth, I find it hard to trust that statement.- Axel smiled, making Noah mumble curses at him, before turning back to his Blade.

The blonde then took a deep breath and concentrated. The Astral Soul translucent aura began flaring up from his body, slowly raising up above him. He closed his eyes. No headaches yet. He was approaching the limit to his soul power, but was feeling fine.

Axel nodded.

-Good. Everybody else, flare up your Elements. Even if we're matching up with Noah's lower power, the Mystic Soul should still be enough to defeat Allie in her weakened state.

With that, Axel, Guy and Zeke began shining too, their respective auras burning from inside them. From far away, they could hear loud explosions approaching. Allie was coming.

Noah curled up his lips, his grip on his Blade shaking a bit.

"Concentrate. Focus. Now, let's let out a bit of Element. Picture it. The blossom..."

With that, orange sparks began popping up alongside Noah's aura. As they mixed together, the aura turned a faint pink.

The explosions were getting closer. Noah could feel the heat of Allie's fire.

"A bit more...I'm still feeling fine. Just a bit...more..."

His aura grew, slowly matching the trio's.

"I can feel their levels. I can match it! I---"

*CLICK*

The ground began rumbling from underneath Noah feet, the auras around Zeke, Guy and Axel began contorting and soon moved out of their bodies, fluttering away.

And into Noah's.

And then...voices.

"...ah...No...ah...ou...ust not..."

-Ignite it, Noah.

A bright light blinded Noah momentarily. Warrior's Heart vanished from his hands, all that remained being the pink aura. Around that aura, the elemental energies that Axel, Guy and Zeke emitted swirling around it, gathering together.

Fusing, they burst into a golden, shining flame, flaring up from Noah's hands, rising into the skies. The Owl Knights and the Academics stood in awe, staring at the flame growing and growing. Noah's hands grasped the fire and it took the rough shape of a double-edged sword, almost as big as the boy.

Then, from within the alleyway, Allie ran forth towards the group, holding a colossal sword. Seemingly something that Terri or Allie's Colossus would use, it was bigger than even the two-story buildings. It crashed through the houses the Elite passed by, making the walls collapse and turn into a pile of burning rubble.

Allie then jumped high, soaring above her opponents. She reeled the fiery sword back, ready to bring it down on the group.

Her eyes widened, though, at seeing Noah's sword.

"No..! It can't be!" she thought. In that split second, her eyes darted among the four boys, in formation.

"All requirements are fulfilled. But could they have known this would happen? Did they realize the role that the Alpha has?

That he possesses the Potential of the Golden Flame?!"

-Noah!- Axel shouted at the boy, as the blonde stood still, frozen in place. The Mistral-born's eyes widened, though, upon looking at him.

A strange phenomenon could be seen around his right eye. His red iris was slowly...changing. Like a circular steel hatch being opened, his eye would slowly shift colors, in sections, clock-wise, until it was completely golden.

Meanwhile, Allie brought down her sword upon the boy, her face almost void of any color. The colossal blade left trails of fire in the sky in its descent.

"I can't let him continue! It's just a 'specter' now, but if it keeps evolving..!"

-Ultima Soul ! Seventh Layer Nuria Blade !- she shouted.

Meanwhile, Noah would turn his head towards Axel, a smile on his face.

But his eyes...would be cold, sneered like a fox's.

-Don't worry, Axel.- he turned towards the approaching mass of fire, reeling the strange flaming sword back- We have nothing to worry about.

And with that, he clashed the blade with the giant Nuria, which towered above him, like a building itself was attacking the boy.

Then, like a hot knife cutting through butter, the golden sword completely shattered the giant blade. It passed right through, like a ghost, as the front section of Nuria toppled over before dissipating into fiery ribbons, which in turn, dissipated as well. A massive shockwave followed, making everybody on the ground tumble back and Allie being sent flying. The buildings in front of Noah, closest to the square, were completely demolished, turning into a pile of rubble. The Armor around Allie's body was shattered too, as she was sent zooming towards the nearest house still standing in that area, 200 meters away from the square. She hit the edge of the roof, tumbling back on top of it, holding onto to whatever she could in order to not be sent flying again by the force that kept pushing everything around Noah away for a few more seconds.

After it subsided, Noah held the sword in his hands, a confident look on his face.

"...ah...ou must...not...et your...f...cont...lled..." a distant voice would echo inside his mind, covered by white noise.

-Ignite it. Burn everything in your path. With this miraculous flame.- a familiar cackle would follow, seemingly close to the boy's ear. Noah soon blasted towards the roof were the stunned Allie lied on. His smile vanished and his stare suddenly turning cold and murderous.

-With this golden specter...-the voice continued, Noah's lips moving to echo its words- With the key of the gods:

"The Elemental Sword. "