Chapter One Hundred Fifteen: Fiery Clash

Inside the S-1 Mansion…

Akari and Hikari helped Luca to his feet as his wounds slowly healed themselves. Once they sat him on the couch, Hikari brought some ice from the fridge.

"What happened, Luca?" she asked. "Who did this to you?"

Akari helped her put the ice on his face as Luca coughed and pointed out the window. "Fire…uses fire…after Dachii…we gotta go!"

He immediately tried to stand up, but Akari had to catch him. "Hold on! You can't go anywhere yet! Why are those burns taking so long to heal?"

"He's not…like the others…need to move…"

"Who is this guy?" Akari insisted.

BOOM.

Each of them looked out of the window, and they saw a giant fireball rising into the sky, shocking them.

"That came from Batango!" Hikari realized.

"I…told…you…" Luca stated. "Need…to…go…"

Akari straightened up. "Come on, Hikari! Luca, you stay here. Don't move from this spot, got it?"

"Yeah…yeah."

They both hurried out of the door and as soon as they were out of sight, Luca used all of his energy to transform into a wolf and slipped out the back door, heading in the direction of the flames.

Meanwhile, in Batango…

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Fire shot out rapidly from Ravos's body, leaving Morino to attempt to deflect all the blasts before they could hit him.

"Grandfather, do you need help?" Dachii called out.

"No! Don't come too close! This fire is HOT!!"

"But—-!"

BOOM.

A powerful blast of flame erupted from Ravos's chest, nearly knocking Morino off balance, who managed to dodge.

"He can't last long against something like that," Haruto noted. "If we leave him to fight, he'll be burnt to a crisp!"

"I know! That's the issue!" Dachii moaned. "And if we jump in, he'll burn us too! Just look at Aoki!"

Aoki was still behind them, struggling to grip her blade. "Shit, damn it, morons…"

Morino dodged another powerful blast of fire, before retaliating with an axe strike, which Ravos easily avoided.

"You keep impressing me more and more, Morino!" Ravos eagerly stated. "Only a human, yet you have far more courage than your magical friends!"

Ravos sent a fireball spiraling at Morino, which knocked him over. "What do you say you join our side? I've never met a human as special as you."

"No can do!" Morino remarked. "I made a promise, I must keep it!"

"Sad!" Ravos replied. "But honorable! I respect it!"

He slammed his sword down, causing the entire street to shake and burn.

"This is crazy!" Dachii exclaimed. "This was supposed to be a normal party, a simple, normal, average human party—-!"

BOOM.

Houses started collapsing, and Ravos began to stalk down the street towards Dachii and the others. "Kids! Time to fight!"

Dachii held out his hand. "If there was ever a time for some mysterious power to come out, now is the time! Hey, summon Event Horizon!"

Nothing happened.

"Aww, crap."

"COMBUSTION!"

Before the attack could land, Morino used his axes' chain to grab all three of them and drag them out of the way, just as the blue flames that came from Ravos's body utterly incinerated every last remaining building in the nearby area.

"We may need backup," Morino realized. "If we take Dachii and leave, he'll follow and cause more havoc, and if we stay here, he will most certainly score a victory. A lose-lose situation."

"Let me at him," Aoki muttered, gaining the strength to stand. "He picked the wrong day to show up."

"Aoki, no!"

Before Morino could stop her, she picked up her blade and charged at Ravos, swinging her sword directly at his chest.

"Heh."

With one move, he blocked her strike, facing her with a smile. "You've got more fight in you? Great!"

Aoki just gritted her teeth.

"No talking I see! Straight fighting! Just how I like it!"

He tossed his sword up in the air, and when Aoki swung at him again, he side-stepped it and kicked her in the face before hitting her with a pair of quick jabs, all before jumping up and punching her into the ground hard enough that she broke the pavement.

"You…think you're tough?" she growled.

She rolled out of the way before Ravos could slam his fist into her back, and Morino grabbed her, as she stumbled.

"Kid, you've got to stop being so reckless!"

"I'm not a kid!"

Ravos watched the two bicker, amused, when a voice suddenly rang through his head.

"Ravos. Enough playing. Grab the Holder."

Ravos groaned. "Dulling my battles again. Alright. If you insist."

He got into a running stance and immediately blew past Morino and Aoki, and by the time he could be seen again, he had already grabbed Dachii's arm.

"Hey!" Dachii called out.

Haruto tried to strike Ravos and get him off, but Ravos batted him away, sending him flying down the street.

"Let go!" Dachii demanded.

"I like your guts, kid!" Ravos gleefully acknowledged. "But it's time to go! My 'superior' wants me to curb my hunger."

"Superior?" Dachii questioned. "You let me go! Tell them I refuse!"

"Hahaha! How about you tell him yourself?"

The moment he prepared to jump off with Dachii, a rainbow beam hit him, nearly stunning him. Dachii managed to wiggle out of his grip.

"Who—?"

Ravos noticed two girls standing on an undamaged roof, one smaller than the other. "Did a little girl just…"

"Leave Dachii alone!" Saori yelled. "You bad man!"

Mina pumped her fist up. "That's the spirit, Saori! Show him who's boss!"

"This day keeps getting weirder," Ravos thought. "I didn't know they employed such young fighters."

When he realized Dachii was missing, he tried to move, but he found his body stuck. As soon as he looked up, he found two fists attempting to hit him.

"Hey! Where'd all the cavalry come from?" he laughed.

Atomu and Tomoko came at him at once.

"Let's take him down!" Atomu yelled.

"Yeah! Haha!" Tomoko agreed.

"Beautiful!" Ravos delighted. "The more the MERRIER!"

Meanwhile, inside the Castle of Voltiana…

King Ayrad and Queen Ayame were at their dinner table, both staring tensely at one another.

"Well?" Queen Ayame asked.

"Well." King Ayrad spat. "I don't assume you'll apologize."

She rolled her eyes. "An attack on Umego Island, a kidnapping taking place in our borders, and our child fighting in a deadly arena-based tournament isn't enough for you? How can you still think I am in the wrong?"

"Because you lack faith! Without faith, there can be no leadership."

She waved him off. "Whatever. The Royal Masquerade will be here in six months. I've invited leaders and important figures from other races to attend this time. We can hash this out after that. But don't make a fuss this year, alright?"

He folded his arms. "Pfff. I'm excited at parties."

"Speaking of parties, they may want to take a look at our so-called 'special soldier' when they arrive. The way we've been speaking upon him, they think he's some god."

"Yes, I do wonder what makes him special. These enemies have declared war on us, have gone to great lengths to capture him, and even at the risk of their own lives. What could this Deity power be? Is it truly just a powerful Element? Or is it something more?"

Queen Ayame closed her eyes. "Whatever it is, they are willing to kill innocent Voltian civilians for it, and they have a burning hatred for us. If they get their hands on it, it may be catastrophic for us."

BOOM.

They both were interrupted by a loud bang in the distance. Xar immediately came rushing into the dining room.

"My Lords, are you both okay?"

"Yes," Queen Ayame confirmed. "What was that?"

"It's unclear, but there's a large plume of smoke in the distance, it's coming from the Batango District!"

King Ayrad's eyes widened. "Morino asked for my permission to host a party there, and he said he'd be taking his grandchildren along…"

Queen Ayame gasped. "Send every General to make sure they're okay, now! Don't let them take Dachii!"

Xar nodded. "On it!"

"Didn't they already JUST lose?" King Ayrad remarked. "These are some stubborn warriors, I'll give them that!"

"Stubborn my ass!" Queen Ayame replied. "If they want a fight, they've got one!"

In the hallways, Xar quickly dialed every General, ordering them to head to Batango immediately.

"Urgent! Do not waste time! If you do, we may lose the boy!"

Meanwhile, in Batango…

BOOM.

Atomu and Tomoko got blasted back by a powerful fire blast, and Ravos moved his foot a little. "I can feel my legs again! Hah! Impressive trick!"

He stepped forward, making Atomu back up and grab Tomoko. Nishiyama regrouped with them, carefully analyzing Ravos.

"He's…scary."

Ravos summoned a flaming sword. "Don't be scared, attack me!"

They noticed Dachii rubbing his wrist.

"Dachii!" Nishiyama exclaimed, running over to him. "Are you okay? Are you hurt at all?"

"Hey, Nishi. I'm, fine. At least physically."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good! Almost had me worried there, because when I saw that fire blast—-!"

BOOM.

Ravos fired another blast, but to his and Nishiyama's surprise, a giant wall of slime blocked it.

"Don't hurt them!" Mina called out.

"Mina! Thanks for the help!" Nishiyama said, grateful.

She pointed a finger at Ravos. "You! How dare you attack people who are trying to have a conversation?"

Ravos tilted his head to the side. "Oh? By all means, chat."

She and Dachii shared a look.

"Uh…okay," Nishiyama stated. "Dachii, who is this guy, and why is he here?"

"I don't know, and I don't know!" Dachii replied. "Apparently, he's an Elite, and he wants to snatch me!"

"Everyone wants to snatch you these days," Nishiyama groaned.

"Yeah. I think it has something to do with you guys."

"Us? We—!"

She remembered the secrets Morino revealed with his stories, but before she could say anything, Ravos's body began to glow. "Enough talk! Let's all do battle now!"

Atomu's eyes began to turn to glass. "It doesn't matter who he is, he's not leaving this place with Dachii."

He summoned a glass spear in his hand, and Ravos looked at him, amused. "A royal? You should be strong. Show me!"

"I'll show you, alright!"

As he and Ravos started going at it, Mina and Saori reunited with Dachii.

"Mr. Dachii!" Saori cried. "Did he hurt you?"

He gave her a small head pat. "No. Yes? Maybe? Somewhat?"

"Eh?"

Morino approached, helping Aoki sit down on a bench. "Here. You sit this one out."

"I'm not gonna listen to you!"

"Yes, you are."

Atomu got blasted back, landing in front of Aoki. "Oh. I should have known you'd be here already."

She coughed and held back a laugh. "Late to the fight as always. How NOBLE."

He looked her over. "Those wounds are serious. You need medical attention."

She glared at him. "Don't act like you don't know me. This is NOTHING. Your concern is unwarranted."

"Your hands are SHAKING! Take a moment to stop thinking with your blade and start thinking with your head!"

He ushered over at Ravos. "Think! If he was anything like the other enemies I've faced, you'd already been dead! The only reason you still live, is because he's letting you."

Aoki opened her mouth to argue, but she winced in pain. "Whatever. I'm not sitting."

Atomu put a hand on her shoulder. "Yes. You are."

Morino looked around at the members of his squad. "Good to see you all again. Are the others safe?"

Nishiyama nodded. "They're holding off some of his lackeys, but I don't know how long they can keep it up."

Morino closed his eyes. "I see. Then we'll have to end this quickly. Everyone, stay behind me!"

Mashimo appeared at his side. "Sir, let us fight this monster together! After all, six is better than one, right?"

Morino sighed. "Fine! My squad, follow my lead, and don't let him get close to Dachii! The rest of you, flank him!"

"Right!" Mashimo said. "You heard him!"

Haruto and Saori quickly stood next to Dachii and Aoki, while the others stood by Morino's side. Despite this, Ravos just looked at them with a bored look.

"Huh. How many of you are there? Ten? Ahh. That's a pretty sizable party. Heh. Let's dance."

And just then, Eliza and an army of Voltians arrived behind him, weapons at the ready. Ravos turned to them with a smile.

"Right on time, soldiers."

Meanwhile, by Morino's house…

Kia and Marachii walked up the steps to the mansion.

"Mom, I think they're in trouble! You need to let me go check!"

Kia immediately made an x. "No! No, nada! Not happening! Last time I sent you off with them, you got kidnapped and forced into a fight with your brother! I'm not taking that risk, ever again! I need Morino to hash this out, so our family can be safe and secure again!"

WHOOSH.

Both she and Marachii froze as the air suddenly got hot. And as soon as they looked back, they saw Ravos, holding Dachii in one hand, and Morino in the other.

"You mean THIS family?"

—-