Page 3414

Zeff wanted to choose his next words carefully. “I already told you that I would keep your secrets. If you are lying for our sake, out of some sense or hope that it might protect us from your foes, there is no need. Especially when I am beginning to get the impression that the truth would be of much greater comfort.”

“...What exactly are you implying, Water Dragon?”

Should he just come right out and say it? Hmm. Maybe so. “...Are you a Rainlord?” asked Zeff.

Graves made no response.

“It is either that,” Zeff went on, “or you were a dear friend of the Blackburns, as Darktide seems to believe.” In his head, he kept searching for some recognition of the name Archangel in Axiolis’ memories. It felt like something was there, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

“Even if I were related to you, why would I admit it?” said Graves. “What good would that do, other than perhaps imperil your kin still further? You have worked within the Vanguard for many years yourself. You know our policies. Our ideas. You know the importance that we marshals must place upon our identities. Yet you ask me these questions as if you were plainly ignorant of such things.”

It was certainly true that the marshals all took the secrets of their family history quite seriously, in large part because they knew that many within Abolish liked to make a sport of hunting down and killing any identifiable relatives or loved ones they might still have, regardless of how distant the relation might seem. And even among the marshals, Graves had always been known as the most mysterious, so it would come as no surprise to Zeff if this man took such secrets more seriously than anyone else he’d ever met.

But he still couldn’t help wanting to know.

The Rainlords had lost so many of their kin over the years. And so many close friends, too, who might as well have been kin. The idea that one of them might have survived and been alive all this time... well, that was something that would’ve surely made his ancestors smile.

His ancestors. Yes.

He blinked.

Some years ago, back when he’d finally achieved his first hyper-state with Axiolis, it had been arguably the greatest day of his life. After having so much of his family taken from him when he was only fifteen years old, that moment of merging minds with his family’s ancestral reaper had been... unparalleled in its importance.

Taking a few more days

Next page will go up on the 30th at midnight PST. Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 3413

“You seem shockingly well-informed about her, considering how new to the Vanguard she still is.” It hadn’t escaped Zeff’s memory that Parson Miles once claimed that Gema was working for him. Every fiber of his being was now hoping that Graves here might contradict that and confirm that the bastard had been lying. “Has she been working under you directly?”

“Ah, no,” said Graves. “I did meet the girl a couple of times, but I do not think she realized who I was.”

“Hmm. Was that because you were in disguise?”

Graves just bobbed his head to the side rather than answering the question.

And something else occurred to Zeff. Their entire reason for deciding to trust this mysterious man in the first place was because he seemed to have some kind of personal connection with Bernardino Blackburn.

And moreover, Melchor had called him ‘Archangel.’

But even according to Axiolis’ knowledge, that was not a moniker associated with Graves. No, instead, the only moniker Ax knew of for Field Marshal Graves was the Pale Hawk.

And given everything that they had witnessed here today, both names seemed fairly apt in their own way.

“...What is your association with us?” said Zeff. “You knew Bernardino, obviously, but how does Darktide know you?”

“He doesn’t know me.”

“He called you Archangel.”

“Yes, that was odd. I think he must have mistook me for someone else.”

Zeff observed the man’s expression carefully. It didn’t look dismissive or callous, but then again, would such emotions even come through? If this guy really was a Sparrow, then the human image in front of him right now would’ve been an illusion. Graves could make its emotions look completely different to however he was actually feeling.

Or could he? Perhaps their projections didn’t work that way.

Whatever the case, Zeff was suddenly quite suspicious. “...I don’t believe you.”

“That is your prerogative,” said Graves. And he turned away. “In any event, things should be considerably easier to deal with here in Vantalay now. I’m sure the RPMP will still--”

“So if I go asking around about someone named Archangel in connection with one Field Marshal Graves, I won’t discover anything interesting?” said Zeff.

“...As I said before, it would be a problem if you spoke to anyone of me. That context would not matter.” The man still did not look back at him.

Page 3412

“What did you do to them?” said Zeff.

One of Graves’ eyebrows twitched. “...Do you truly not know?”

Zeff wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Water Dragon,” said Graves, raising his chin a little. “You know a thing or two about me, don’t you?”

Zeff felt his skin suddenly bristling. A cold shiver down the length of his body.

He ignored it.

“What I know,” said Zeff slowly, “is that you’ve aided my kin here today. You have had the opportunity, multiple times now, to hurt us, and yet you have not. In fact, it seems to me that you have gone out of your way to protect us as best you can, despite quite difficult circumstances.”

Graves was quiet.

“You asked me to keep your secrets for you,” said Zeff. “I’ll do so gladly.”

A few more beats passed, and then a soft smile arrived on the other man’s face, twisting up his mustache. “...It would appear you have some secrets of your own.”

“I won’t deny it.”

“Heh. By the way, how was it that you came to learn that your kin were being held in Logden?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if a little bird might have passed it along.”

A little bird? That seemed almost too on the nose, Zeff thought. Unless... was he not talking about another Sparrow here? “That would’ve been nice,” he said. “I’m afraid it was pure chance, though. What little bird might you be talking about?”

“You know the one, surely.”

“I genuinely do not. And you saying that is only making me more curious.”

“Truly? Why, your daughter, of course. Gema Elroy.”

Zeff blinked. More than once. He fumbled for his next question. “You... ah... do you know where she is?”

Graves returned a quizzical look. “Do you not?”

“No, she... we... we had a falling out, and she’s been... ah...”

“...I see.” The man scratched his chin. “Well, I could put her in contact with you, if you like. Whatever transpired between you, I’m sure she would want to know that you are okay after everything that has happened.”

Zeff was taken aback. “Yes, please! I would be eternally grateful!”

Graves seemed almost as surprised, himself. “Alright, well, uh, don’t be too pleased with me just yet. It will take some time, what with everything going on, right now. Plus, she is... currently in the middle of something and will remain indisposed for quite a while yet.”

Page 3411

Graves paused for a smirk. “Would you be impressed if I said yes?”

Zeff did not answer. He merely returned his usual glare, though he couldn’t quite keep the confusion out of it entirely.

Graves shook his head and sighed. “Gohvis is certainly not dead. Took me a minute to clock what he’d done, but that wasn’t actually him. It was just a very powerful psychic projection. I suspect he has deployed one to each of the different war fronts in order to aid his allies... which would be absolutely disastrous for us, if I’m right.”

A psychic projection? Ah. Zeff supposed a Sparrow would know all about that type of thing. He wasn’t yet sure that he wanted to say as much aloud, though. Letting on that he knew didn’t seem particularly beneficial, especially with Axiolis' new memories now stewing around in his mind, creating even more uncertainty about how trustworthy this marshal before him truly was.

He did have something in need of clarification, though. “And Vanderberk?” said Zeff. “Is he dead?”

A strained expression crossed the other man’s face. “I’m... actually not sure about that. I think I got him, but... he had some very strange powers at his disposal. Even more strange than I’d heard--and I’d heard some pretty crazy things.” He scratched his forehead, blinking. “I’m just glad it was me who ended up facing him and not one of the others. I don’t know if any of them would’ve had as favorable of a matchup as I did.”

Hmm. “What, exactly, did you do to him?”

Graves paused again and leveled a stare at Zeff. “Curious, are you? That’s only natural. Unfortunately, I cannot explain. And furthermore, I would ask that you not speak of me to anyone. Secrecy has proved to be one of my greatest allies over the years. Spreading word of my abilities, even among those you trust, could eventually endanger not just me but everyone whom I might otherwise be able to protect. Meaning many innocent lives. You understand?”

Rather than answering immediatley, Zeff looked over the dusted battlefield another time, and his gaze went to his many unconscious kin strewn about. Only now was it occurring to him how odd it was that he, alone, should still be conscious. Whatever Graves had done to them hadn’t worked on him and Axiolis.

“Not to worry,” said Graves. “They are all unhurt.”

Page 3410

It came from a time when the world had been a very different place.

On the brink of absolute conquest.

By the dreaded Kingsparrows. The enemies of all humanity. A force so terrible that it united even the Vanguard and Abolish against it for nearly a century.

And Axiolis furthermore realized that this was not one memory. It was many. A whole lifetimes’s worth, in fact.

It all came back to him in a rush. An overwhelming wave of recollection. Too much to process now, certainly.

And difficult though it was, Zeff did his best to suppress it. They could think through it all later. In this moment, his full attention needed to remain on the field of battle.

On the apparent demise of not only Vanderberk, but also the Monster of the East, too.

Zeff couldn’t believe his eyes.

Gohvis could not break free of his cage. It took a while longer, but just as with Vanderberk, the lines of light graduated to a stage of slowly smothering him, until eventually, they enveloped him entirely.

And then he, too, disappeared. Vanished behind luminous particles.

The Water Dragon of Sair was dumbstruck.

He kept expecting one or both of them to suddenly reappear, to attack from some unseen angle at the edge of his vision.

But that didn’t happen.

Graves, however, was still there.

But the land all around him had changed.

The mass of ardor-filled lava? Even the few trees and rocks that had managed to avoid being struck down or set alight?

In their places, only mounds of ash remained.

Even parts of the prison had been turned to dust, and Zeff was briefly frantic with the worry that some of his kin might have gotten caught up in whatever Graves had done, but he was soon relieved when none appeared to be missing. In fact, all the ash appeared to be distinctly around them, as if they had been deliberately avoided.

And the ash itself was something else. Something disturbingly strange. Axiolis could sense that about it, at least. It felt like a hole in the universe. No soul power or ardor to speak of, not even in trace amounts.

Before he could continue processing the unbelievable scene around him, Graves approached him, still in his seemingly human form while the ash made no noise under his boots.

“Be not alarmed,” said the marshal. “The area is now safe.”

Zeff had to struggle for his first question. “Did you... really kill them both?”

Page 3409

That was beyond strange. Even Axiolis could not recall an instance of a servant being able to manipulate the flow of ardor in such a way. To be channeling it through themselves with so much intensity? And have it be blending with or even amplifying their own soul power?

This was unprece--

No.

Axiolis did remember now. In the ancient past, there indeed was a certain type of person who could do such a thing.

Person... or creature, perhaps.

It was a vague memory. Blurry and distorted. Which was itself an incredibly odd thing. Reaper memories were never like that, normally. Only very recently had it even resurfaced into his mind at all, as though it had been suppressed for eons before.

And Axiolis had not thought that was a coincidence. Given how muddy and uncertain the matter was in his mind, he’d been reluctant to broach the subject at all, even with Zeff. But he’d first noticed it after learning about the existence of Sparrows.

Or re-learning about them, perhaps.

The reaper had an uneasy feeling that he’d encountered such creatures before--and not in an amicable context.

And now, here, witnessing what Graves was doing, Axiolis’ memories were giving him that same uneasy feeling again. Only much stronger, this time.

Enough so that Zeff could feel Axiolis wanting to intervene. In favor of Gohvis. A dreaded, irrational impulse to aid Emiliana’s kidnapper, of all people.

But Zeff kept them steady. He had to. He’d never felt this kind of fear from Axiolis before. Even the reaper didn’t seem to know the full source of it.

The struggle before them continued for an uncomfortably long time. The cages kept squeezing Gohvis and Vanderberk, digging slowly deeper into their flesh. Zeff couldn’t understand what exactly was happening here. It seemed to him that Vanderberk, at least, should have been toast long ago, what with him already being on the verge of death, but maybe it wasn’t the simple.

Then the lines of Vanderberk’s cage began to glow more prominently than that of Gohvis.

And the light spread.

The soul power and ardor spread.

Across Vanderberk’s flesh.

Into Vanderberk’s flesh.

Until Vanderberk himself was glowing as bright as the cage.

And then, suddenly, Vanderberk just... popped.

Out of existence.

Gone. Leaving only fleeting specks of light and soul power behind.

And that disquieted feeling in Axiolis’ mind grew stronger than ever before. The ancient memory that it was tied to grew abruptly clearer.

Page 3408

Gohvis rocketed up the pillar, running up the ninety-degree angle as if gravity were of no consequence to him, even while being battered by a storm of brilliant crystals along the way.

The other pillars grew out and spidered together, creating an interconnected network--an enormous dome over the whole area, but also one that bridged each of the pillars. And then Vanderberk’s cage shot along one of the bridges toward a different pillar, then to another pillar, then still another, moving so rapidly that Axiolis’ senses quickly lost track of it.

The Monster of the East did not, however, and it was somehow easier to follow his movements amid all the sensory chaos, perhaps because his soul was so profoundly different to everything else that surrounded him. Like a pitch black marble in a storming sea of pure light--one that seemed entirely unimpeded by the ferocious waves.

Gohvis zigged and zagged throughout the great dome, apparently undeterred by any of the visual noise or confusing stimuli popping all around him. He didn’t even seem to be following the pillars at times, just zooming through open air on pure momentum, instead.

Zeff wanted to help, to contribute to this clash some way, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine how he might do so.

Then another surge of light arrived, this time with real force behind it--enough to throw Zeff off his feet and send him sliding across crumbling rock. He didn’t stop until he hit the wall of the prison, which was itself already half gone.

He needed a moment to regather his wits, and by the time he did, the situation had greatly changed.

Gohvis was stuck. A cage of light had trapped him, too, and was compressing against his flesh like a tightening net. And the same thing was happening to Vanderberk.

Zeff could sense the intensity of the strain. The cages were emanating more soul power than ever before, and the rest of the dome--pillars and all--were quickly diminishing, as if all of their power were being rerouted to this one, singular task of crushing the two Abolishers.

And Zeff was incredulous. Doubting his own senses.

Graves had gained the upper hand? Could this be true? Zeff could hear the Monster roaring now, but the ropes of light around him did not budge.

Where had Graves even gone? Zeff had lost him in the shuffle of all the frenzying soul power and leftover ardor from the lava.

Ah, no, there he was. Much clearer now. Most of the soul power in the area was flowing through him, and even--wait.

The ardor, too?

Page 3407

Graves returned an irritated glare. “I could not be seen simply releasing them back into your custody. So, yes, I took advantage of the situation in order to spread Abolish thinner and isolate the Weasel. You may not appreciate being used like that, and I apologize for it, but please also understand that, here today, we have managed to finally eliminate one of the vilest men to ever walk the planet.”

“Isn’t that ever the Vanguardian’s plea?” said Gohvis. “Just ends justify all else, no?”

But actually, truth be told, Zeff was finding himself more in agreement with Graves now. While he harbored no love for the Vanguard currently, the fact remained that he had himself been a member of that organization for almost thirty years--and not for no reason, either. Deep down, he still very much agreed with the theoretical aim of the Vanguard, and he knew how overwhelmingly important it was to bring down that mass murdering psychopath over there.

The only sticking point was that Vanderberk wasn’t truly dead yet.

A point which Gohvis didn’t hesitate to pick up on. “Nevermind the fact that you did not actually succeed in eliminating your target and have therefore endangered these Rainlords for no reason, even by your own biased metrics.”

Graves squinted briefly, then smiled. “Things were so amicable between us a moment ago. I thought we might be able to get out of this without a fight, but you seem more intent on arguing than counteroffering. And on overplaying your hand, I’m afraid. Quite sloppy of you, old friend. A bit distracted, are we? Too much going on at once, even for you?”

Now Zeff was confused again. What was Graves talking about? Gohvis wasn’t answering, either.

Before any coherent answer could be discerned, the scene before him exploded into a frenzy, and Zeff found himself relying on Axiolis’ senses again in order to comprehend even part of what was suddenly happening.

Gohvis had moved. That much seemed clear, at least. He went for Vanderberk’s body, perhaps in an attempt to grab it or shield it--or punt it out of the current time zone, maybe.

But Graves had responded.

Light filled Zeff’s vision, and in his mind, he could sense great pillars of seemingly pure soul power shooting up out of the ground, one coming up from right below Vanderberk, caging him in and carrying him high up into the sky.

Page 3406

“Alright, how about this? You let me kill Vanderberk, and I’ll give you the absolutely best secretary in the world. Someone so good that you’ll never even have to touch any of the things that the Weasel was managing.”

“What an offer,” said Gohvis dryly. “You get to kill one of Abolish’s top warriors and plant a spy within my ranks. I will have to think deeply about that one.”

“Okay, fine. Let’s say, I don’t kill Vanderberk and instead just take him captive. Then we can negotiate for a prisoner exchange at a later date, hmm?”

Gohvis had to mull that over, apparently. “A more tempting offer, certainly. And yet something tells me that you would consider killing Vanderberk to be a greater prize than any Vanguardians whom might be returned to you.”

Graves chortled. “A greater prize than Lamont? And more than a dozen generals?”

Gohvis’ gaze narrowed. “Yes. Do not try to swindle me.”

“Swindle you? Please. Of the two of us, I’m quite sure that I am the more trustworthy one.”

“Mm. So trustworthy that you never show anyone your real face.”

“That’s not true, either. Plenty of people have seen my face.”

“Any of them still alive?” said Gohvis.

“Definitely more than none.”

Gohvis turned to Zeff. “Did you even know that this was Graves until I identified him for you?”

Zeff wasn’t going to answer him, but Graves interjected, anyway.

“I would’ve revealed my identity to them once the fighting was over.”

“How generous of you,” said Gohvis.

“They need to know that the entirety of the Vanguard is not against them.”

“Hmph. And where were you when your compatriots were backstabbing them in their homeland?”

Zeff could hardly believe what he was hearing. Never would he have expected the Monster of the East to be speaking up in their stead. Was this some sort of trick? Probably.

“As it so happened,” said Graves, sounding abruptly annoyed, “I was quite busy dealing with some of your compatriots, Scourge.”

“Of course. Ever the magnanimous defender of the innocent, aren’t you?” Gohvis folded his arms. “Remind me again: how was it that so many of the Rainlords that you captured ended up here, in Vanderberk’s clutches?”

At that, Graves was silent. His gaze lingered on Gohvis, and he tilted his head slightly.

Zeff hated to admit it, but the Monster had made a damn good point. And the Water Dragon of Sair had to say as much. “Answer his question.”

Page 3405

“What in the world could a man like him be ‘useful’ for?” said Graves as he stepped closer to Zeff and Gohvis. His voice was soft and low, and his intonation was so mild that it sounded as if he might be physically incapable of getting angry.

“Organization,” said Gohvis. “His foremost utility is bureaucratic. As despised as he may be, Abolish has precious few who could replace him--and even fewer who would want to after they understand the breadth of his responsibility, especially now that Gunther and Dunhouser are gone.”

Graves paused for a dull blink. “I must confess that I was not expecting such a banal answer.”

“Well, there is also the matter of defense against Vanguardian aggression. Abolish does still have need of his strength, as well, I suppose.”

“Okay, now that explanation, I know you don’t believe,” said Graves.

Gohvis gave a hulking shrug. “I have no use for his strength, true. But... some within Abolish may yet.”

“...You’re really just saving him because you’re a lazy bastard, aren’t you? Don’t want to have any of his operations lumped onto your plate, hmm?”

A beat passed as the Monster of the East returned a blank expression. “Yes.”

Graves shook his head and sighed. “I can almost respect your honesty, at least...”

“Imagine if I was trying to kill your Magician.”

“Oh, come on, that’s not a fair comparison, and you know it.”

“No? Perhaps Eckard, then?”

“That man is quite literally your captive as we speak.”

“Mm? Truly? A bad example, then. I will concede that. But you still see my overall point, yes?”

Graves scratched his nose. “Oddly enough, I... do. That’s a rough one, buddy.”

Zeff didn’t know what he was hearing. His anger was mixed equally with confusion, now. These two warring juggernauts were sounding suddenly more like beleaguered middle managers who’d bumped into one another at a business conference.

“But if I can admit that much,” said Graves, “then can you admit to sympathizing with the difficult position you’re putting me in?”

Gohvis required a moment. “...I can, yes.”

“Well, alright. Then maybe we can come to terms.”

“Perhaps so.”

What the hell? Zeff couldn’t help taking another look around at all the devastation that still surrounded them in this conversation. Was he really the only one hearing this, right now?

Actually, it seemed so. It was a bit difficult to tell with all the rubble everywhere, but he didn’t see, nor could he sense, any other conscious people here. Had Graves subdued everyone else?

Page 3404

“As unpredictable as ever,” came a familiar voice, requiring another moment for Zeff to realize that it belonged to their mysterious ally. “A second ago, you may have killed him and half his kin, had I not intervened. And yet now you show mercy? What are you thinking, Scourge?”

“They would not have died,” said Gohvis. He leveled his crimson gaze up at the distant bird. “You, however, exist with an unfortunate level of strength. If we are to clash here, restraint is not something I will be able to risk.”

“Ah. I shall take that as a compliment, I think.”

“You should take it as a warning,” said Gohvis. “I have no desire to kill you, Graves. So do not force me to.”

What? Zeff looked up at the bird anew. That was Field Marshal Graves up there?

The bird spared another glance for Zeff before returning to Gohvis. “If you have no desire to kill me, then why have you come? To save the Weasel? Of all people? Please tell me otherwise.”

Gohvis made no response.

“Out of every single human being in the entire world, that man right there may, in fact, be the least deserving of your help. You must realize that, surely.”

Gohvis gave a slight nod. “You might be right.”

“Then cease this interference. Truth be told, I have no desire to kill you, either, Scourge.”

Gohvis sighed. “Unfortunately, he still has his uses. I cannot let you kill him.”

The light from the great bird diminished suddenly, and its radiant form shrunk down quickly into that of a normal human being.

Sharp jaw line. Feathery blond hair with a curly mustache. A face that was entirely unfamiliar to Zeff, as he had never met Field Marshal Graves before.

But that overcoat. Black and gold. It did indeed look like the kind that all the marshals wore.

Zeff could still hardly believe it, though. They had known that Graves was in Vantalay, heading up the Vanguardian defense against Abolish here, but by all reports, the man had done almost nothing before leaving the country entirely.

Supposedly, there’d been some sort of disagreement between Graves and the Ridgemark Private Military Police, of which the Linebreaker was a leading member.

And indeed, Zeff had thought it supremely odd that Graves would simply up and leave this country to fend for itself when so many innocent lives would obviously be at stake, but now... if he’d never truly left, then did that mean...? This had all been some kind of scheme?

Zeff’s gray eyes returned to the half-dead lump of flesh behind Gohvis.

Hmm.

Page 3403-- CCLXXXVI.

Chapter Two Hundred Eighty-Six: ‘Mind of heaven, Mind of hell...’
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

It was mayhem. A torrent enveloped Zeff--a product of his own materialization and yet still almost involuntary. His rage was so complete and so blinding that he felt almost possessed. Moving without thinking. A mobile storm of water.

He went straight for Gohvis, sending a flurry of attacks ahead of him. Water drills. Spikes of ice. Blinding steam. Sudden platforms beneath the Monster’s feet. And more that he didn’t even have the awareness to articulate.

Everything. He just sent everything.

But it wasn’t working. He could already tell. The drill hit ineffectually. The spikes bounced right off. The steam dissipated into nothing. Even the simple platforms of ice refused to materialize. Only harmless splashes of water appeared, wetting the ground around the dragon man’s feet, instead.

Not that Zeff was terribly surprised by any of this.

Despite everything, the Lord Elroy still had enough awareness to know who he was up against. To know that this was certain to be a fruitless endeavor.

He simply couldn’t control himself.

He went in with the Drillburst, aiming right at Gohvis’ center of mass.

The Monster caught his fist and stopped him cold. And those impossibly red eyes found him, staring straight into his own. “Calm yourself, Water Dragon. You need not die, this day.”

Zeff tried to pull his hand away, but it was stuck fast in the Monster’s grip. He growled in frustration, trying to materialize more, but only sputters of water appeared around him, not at all as he intended.

“Return my daughter!” he yelled.

“In time,” said Gohvis.

“Return her, Monster! Do not--!” The huge hand let him go, only to find his face instead, killing the words in his mouth. Truthfully, Zeff hadn’t even known what he was going to say next. Incensed yelling was the only thing that came to mind.

“Calm yourself,” said the Monster again, this time with a weight behind it.

A weight that, even in his current state, Zeff found somehow difficult to ignore. The words cut through the blind rage in his mind, not destroying it totally but still making a clear impression.

Zeff’s flailing arms slowed, and he felt abruptly more in control of himself.

And the huge hand released him.

Zeff found his feet, blinking. He stood there, before the Monster of the East, still ready to attack again but at least no longer feeling the immediate, unignorable impulse to do so.

Page 3402

For the guards, it was a different story. The light swirled around them--or sometimes skewered them--and wrapped them all up in radiant packages, rendering them unable to move, apart from only two who were still struggling.

Raga Marda and Mikas Cross.

Zeff could sense them both trying to break free--and nearly succeeding, too, if not for the Linebreaker suddenly being there to ensure their suppression.

“Take your kin and go, Rainlords,” said their mysterious ally. “I will clean up here.”

And abruptly, Zeff could sense Raul Blackburn arriving--or more specifically, being carried over to them on the crystalline wings of another bird. The young man was dropped off right next to Melchor, who’s relief was visible.

There came a peaceable moment, as everyone was no doubt caught up in the same feelings of disbelief and uncertainty as Zeff.

Was the battle truly done? Just like that? Zeff struggled to reorient his mind.

Melchor was the first to break the strange silence, speaking up loudly enough for all to hear. “Archangel! Is that you?! It must be, yes?! Where have you been all these years?! Why did you disappear?!”

The luminous bird was quiet for a moment, then said, “I am sorry for all that you and your kin have been put through. But please know that not all within the Vanguard are against you. Some of--”

The sentence went unfinished as the great bird’s head did a snap turn to the side, and then the light emanating from it grew suddenly bright enough to fill Zeff’s vision, blinding him entirely.

And Zeff felt his whole body stop listening to him, as if being enveloped in a warm blanket and put forcibly yet gently to bed.

Almost.

His mind rebelled. Refused to fall unconscious.

The light did not yet fade, but Axiolis’ senses still worked, so Zeff could tell what was happening to the battleground.

Everyone was being moved, shoved aside with urgency--and not for no reason, either.

Because yet another soul was arriving, and it would’ve barreled straight through the crowd of Rainlords on its way to its destination, which seemed to be Vanderberk’s smoldering, questionable corpse.

Zeff’s mind came alive with fury. With rage. It would not be brushed aside, put to bed like a child.

Because he recognized that new soul, and nothing in this world was going to prevent him from confronting it.

For that soul belonged to the man who had kidnapped his beloved daughter.

Page 3401

Lightning ripped through the air, illuminating the horizon and shaking the world with thunder. The wall of still-cooling lava shattered, creating red-orange geysers to either side of the cell block.

And Zeff saw a path of ruin below, a running crater that had been drilled through not just the lava but also the prison, ending just outside of Cell Block Y. A small mountain of disturbed rock and uprooted trees lay at the crater’s edge, along with a smoldering, motionless lump.

Was that... a person?

Yes, it took him a moment, but Zeff could indeed sense a living soul at the end of that destroyed path. And it took him another moment to recognize who it was, because the soul was noticeably distorted.

That was Vanderberk down there. The infamous Weasel of Abolish. One of the most powerful servants in the entire world, rendered into a smote pile of flesh.

Was he dead? Zeff genuinely could not tell, even with Axiolis’ reaper senses helping him.

Which was supremely strange.

What in the world had been done to him? It was like the man’s very soul had been twisted into knots.

Agh. Distractions. Whatever the explanation, it didn’t matter now. The only thing that mattered was freeing the rest of the reapers. Thankfully, the path that Vanderberk’s body had carved through the cell block had not touched any of the remaining captives. Had that been intentional? Had their mysterious helper been able to--?

Another brilliant flash of light arrived, this time bringing with it a great, shining figure. A bird? An avian monstrosity of luminous crystal. Lightning crackled off of it and up into the sky, disappearing into dark clouds. When had those gotten there?

From atop his hovering platform, despite the fact that he’d been trying to avoid getting distracted only a moment ago, Zeff could only stare with wide eyes.

“Rainlords,” came a great voice, seemingly from the giant bird. “Thank you for your help. Allow me to take care of the rest.”

And what followed, Zeff could scarcely comprehend.

Scores of smaller lights sprang out from the bird, a sudden and almost silent display of fireworks, all arcing down toward the sundered battleground and raining down on everyone.

It was alarming, to be sure--and so fast that Zeff wasn’t sure any of them could’ve responded to it even if they’d been prepared to.

But the light seemed harmless. For the Rainlords, at least.

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Many of the guards were simply fleeing now, having given up entirely. It made sense. It was simple self-preservation at this point.

But the Rainlords couldn’t budge. They still had reapers trapped in here, not to mention the non-servants elsewhere in the compound.

They had to stop it. They could stop it. With. Just. A little. More. Effort.

Zeff saw kept pressing, kept dousing. Not letting up. From his overhead position, he could see almost everyone--their collective strength and work. Scores of servants, Rainlord and not, were all straining to push the creeping wall back. Many had even left the cell block entirely, having gone around the gargantuan lava mass to create street-sized trenches all along its flanks in an attempt to redirect its flow.

That seemed to be the work of destruction users, mostly.

The lava was still resistant to their efforts, though. The sheer mass and accompanying inertia, infused with an unknown quantity of hyper-potent ardor--it was almost like the lava had a will of its own. Like it did not wish to be moved by anything other than itself.

But even if that were the case, the Rainlords most certainly had a will to match it. They would not be moved, either. It may not have been at the forefront of his thinking, but Zeff could feel it instinctually, without a doubt.

Their collective intent. The Will of Lhutwë, perhaps. The Soul of the Rain.

It spurred him on. Resonated within his heart. Reminded of who he was. His duty. Of everyone he loved, of every single member of his kin here with him, right now.

And then, finally, mercifully, the wall of lava stopped. It still oozed around the rest of the compound, moving through dozens of freshly dug trenches, but the dripping down into Cell Block Y ceased, frozen in place.

He almost couldn’t believe it, not enough to let himself feel any sort of relief, at least. And he obviously wasn’t alone in that, because everyone kept trying to push the lava back even after it was clear that they had turned the tide. Perhaps everyone expected it to be suddenly reinvigorated by a new quake--a concern which would not have been without merit.

Either way, the work continued, and no one slackened their pace until the lava had fully retreated from the block and been diverted into the trenches.

Only then did Zeff allow himself to take a breath, to relax his exhausted mind and begin dematerializing without immediately rematerializing.

Then the sky split apart.

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The two great waves of water and lava collided, making the entire horizon come alive with steaming explosions. The ground quaked again, though Zeff couldn’t tell if it was being caused by the clash itself or by the same mysterious source from earlier.

He wasn’t able to stay on his feet. That was the downside of using icy platforms. But it hardly mattered, because the quaking broke his platform apart, anyway, and he had to quickly to catch himself with aerial materializations, curving himself back up into the air like a bobsled making a vertical U-turn.

Then a hovering platform did the trick, though even that wasn’t entirely stable. The lava wave was pushing through his water one, slowed but not stopped by the continuous steam eruptions.

Others were contributing, too. Melchor with gargantuan pillars of frozen mercury. Leo with powdery geysers of boron, creating huge gouts of green flame on contact with the lava.

Flashes of brilliant light punches holes through the lava--or attempted to, at least. Some broke through, only to be quickly filled back in, while others just seemed to be absorbed. All the water might’ve been playing a bit of havoc with that, too, but it was impossible to tell for sure amid the mayhem.

Even the guards were throwing everything they had at it. Material, explosions, liquids, countless freezing attacks.

Yet the lava neared, nonetheless.

It was clearly slowing, but would it stop before it reached the prison cells? It was already flowing over the outer walls, spilling forth like an angry orange landslide, smothering and devouring each building.

Zeff didn’t stop. More water. More.

He hadn’t hit his volume limit in a long time, but he hit it now. Not enough. He had to waste precious seconds dematerializing before he could make more tidal waves, each one feeling that much weaker than the last, since he was in such a rush and not able to ensure that he was dematerializing everything. When his materialized water was absorbed, it became significantly more difficult to find and remove.

The lava neared. And neared. And kept nearing, forcing the defenders at the front to retreat.

It reached Cell Block Y, reduced to a crawl but still not stopping. It gooped over the blown out ceiling and began to drip inside, setting the busted walls on fire and melting them down until they simply collapsed under the weight.

A few days

Will have another page for you on Sep 12th, midnight PST. Thanks for your patience, guys.

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Others were scrambling now. Friend and foe alike, seemingly. All moving either away from the approaching wall or toward it in an attempt to impede its path.

To throw up defenses before it killed them all.

Because it very likely would. The reapers might’ve been able to escape underground, but every non-servant here would perish--and the non-servants who didn’t die could still end up trapped.

The thing about lava was that it very frequently came up from deep within the planet, where untold amounts of ardor--the so-called “planet force”--flowed freely, empowering it without the aid of any servant.

That was why even very old servants were known to fear volcanoes. Sure, one might get lucky if the erupting lava happened to not be infused with ardor, but in the event that it was, there was not much that could be done.

Because the ardor added strength. Weight. Impact. Resilience.

Could the lava be redirected? Could it be shielded against? Could it be slowed or cooled?

It all depended on the force behind the eruption. A sufficiently powerful one was a death sentence for all but the most powerful servants in the world--and even they might still have trouble.

If naturally occurring dangers could all be categorized, then volcanic eruptions would be in the same category as feldeaths.

Every servant here knew that, which was why the battle was suddenly forgotten, why everyone was suddenly on the same side, trying to stop that certain doom headed their way.

And Zeff was no different. As much as he’d been focused on getting the reapers out just now, he knew that he had to help, too. His power might’ve been the one best suited to saving them all, in fact.

That was no guarantee, though. Ardor was known to be more potent than soul power. Even an absolutely colossal amount of water might not do enough.

But he tried.

He bounded upward on a platform of ice, needing to get above the attacks and walls of all the other servants who were trying to help. He wanted to douse the entire oncoming wall in water, and he needed a clear path to do so.

He summoned all of his concentration to create a tidal wave. He even manipulated its pressure a bit so that he could lower its temperature without freezing it--a particularly difficult technique when involving such massive volume.

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Whatever that was, it was too far way to for Axiolis’ senses to pick up on it, but in that moment, Zeff still felt a tremendous and familiar unease. Like a whisper of something in his mind, an idea that wasn’t quite there--or maybe a memory that half-forgotten.

And he must not have been alone in that feeling, because the battle came nearly to a stop as everyone watched the sky.

It took everything he had to tear himself away, to remind himself that whatever was going on out there, it didn’t matter one bit when compared against the current mission.

In fact, this was a golden opportunity, he realized.

He set to work. With everyone standing so still and dumbfounded, it was suddenly quite easy to sense the fullness of the space around him. Every gap between souls, every break in the soul-infused prison cells--and every Rainlord reaper therein. Axiolis’ memory made it easy to identify them all.

He raised a benevolent wave to grab as many as he could, boxing them each in little icy cube for their own protection. With the wave, he could carry all of them to safety, just so long as everyone else stayed so distracted.

There wasn’t enough time. Already, he could tell that some of the enemies were returning to their senses. The sudden flood waters at their feet had no doubt grabbed their attention. And some of them were noticing the cubes, too.

Counter spikes solved that issue. The malevolent noticers were skewered through each of their skulls, save one, who was proving more tenacious.

Another quake arrived, the biggest yet, and even Zeff had to give pause again. He stayed on task, though. He could see in the corner of his eye that the sky was not just glowing, anymore. There was something blazingly bright there. But he had to keep everyone safe. He had to get them out of here.

Some of the other Rainlords had noticed his work, too, and begun helping. That was great, but this whole thing was hardly making any sense. Everyone getting so distracted in the first place. In the middle of a mission, no less? And not just any mission, but one of the most important they’d ever had?

This wasn’t normal. True, the sky seemed to be on fire, but was that really--?

He saw it.

Not fire.

Lava. A tidal wave of lava. Heading their way.

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It did the trick. Raga Marda lost his footing, not enough to make him fall over, but enough for Zeff to fall down upon him with a one-handed, ice-fisted slam.

The floor cratered below the two of them as Raga Marda--still invisible--took the attack, and the nearby prison cells cracked open or even burst apart. The force was more than enough to shatter Zeff’s hand and most of his arm, but pan-forma would render that a non-issue.

The Demon’s Tiger, however, hardly budged.

Zeff had been aiming for the head, but the invisibility had made such precision all but impossible. It seemed to have caught him on the shoulder.

Marda twisted to counterattack, but Zeff was already following up with his other hand, this one bearing the same water drill that he’d attempted before.

Now it landed, though not without trading. Marda’s hand or claw or whatever it was--it tore through Zeff’s torso and sent him flying back amid a flurry of blood.

Marda didn’t escape unscathed, either, though. A hole ripped through the Invisibility, along with Marda’s chest, and the rest of the man became slowly visible again as the presumed aberration item’s power melted off of him.

Zeff needed a moment to recover, but he could sense that the others were seizing the opportunity to swarm him. Diego, Dimas, Salvador, and a half-dozen others pelted him with explosions and gunfire, and when Marda tried to push through it all like smoke, Salvador was there to shoulder check him through the far wall, opening up yet another hole in Cell Block Y.

Not bad.

Zeff reassessed. Marda was obviously not down yet, but was anyone else struggling? He sensed a couple Rainlords near the exit, trying to carry reapers to safety. A materialized barricade of ice gave them some extra cover before the guard on their tail could reach them.

After a second, the guards barreled through the barricade, so Zeff made another one, this time with spikes launching out of it.

That worked much better.

Another tremor arrived, causing the battleground to pause again, this time with even more uncertainty, because the entire chamber was starting to crumble now.

Where was that coming from? Zeff searched for the source, but he wasn’t sensing it. The storm from before was still trying to regather after he’d washed it away, so he doubted that was related.

Then, he didn’t sense it, but he saw it.

Through the vacant ceiling, the night sky in the distance came alive with a red-orange glow.

Taking a few days

Thanks for your patience, everyone. Will have a new page for you on Sep 6th, at midnight PST.

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Axiolis’ senses couldn’t detect him, either. Maybe it was Invisibility and the bastard was just damn fast on top of that.

Zeff landed atop one of the reaper cells, both feet almost sliding off before he caught the cage’s rounded edge with one hand. He could sense Diego back up and mostly regenerated, but without knowing where Marda went, it was hard--

A blow struck him from nowhere, sending him flying up through the open ceiling. He toppled over himself as he sailed through open air, and disorientation was trying to annihilate his concentration. If not for Axiolis, it would have succeeded. The reaper’s senses could give him an almost disembodied picture of himself as he tumbled upward.

The wind was so furious and chaotic that it threatened to carry him away from the prison entirely. The invisible attack--presumably from Marda--hadn’t even been that strong, relatively speaking. It was this damn sky that was doing all the work now, trying to toss him around like a rag doll.

He didn’t have the presence of mind or the time to think it through, but instinctually, he felt that there was an underlying will behind this raging wind. Its fury seemed too focused and intense. But again, Axiolis’ senses were telling him nothing of that.

Didn’t matter, anyway.

The only thing that mattered to him here was not getting blown away. He absolutely could not allow himself to be removed from the battlefield where everyone else was still fighting, still in need of his protection.

So he killed the wind.

An oceanic torrent exploded outward in all direction, save that of the prison below. It shot up into the swirling clouds and washed them away like so much dust. For a lingering moment, a tidal wave blanketed the sky, undeterred by the cracks of lightning that it attracted.

And he surged back down toward Cell Block Y, chased by a rainstorm.

That was the ticket to finding Marda, he knew. He pressed his soul into his water and relied on Axiolis’ senses once again. Even if the reaper couldn’t detect an Invisibility user, he could certainly detect the gaps in the soul-infused rain. True, the mayhem of the battle made it more difficult, but with both of their minds focusing on it together, it was far from impossible.

There. Behind Diego. About to pounce.

Zeff put ice under his feet again, this time only to make him slip instead of launching him.

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Every muscle in Zeff’s right arm flexed in unison as he focused on it, making a boxing-glove-sized water jet surge forth from around his forearm and fist.

Typically, when it came to fighting much older servants who had far stronger passive soul defenses, Zeff was of the opinion that pinpoint strikes were the way to go. The magnified application of force on a smaller surface area was necessary in order to help overcome their armor-like flesh.

But of course, the problem with such small attacks was that, while they might’ve been able to pierce more easily, they still weren’t likely to do much actual damage, especially to the undead. That was why he’d made this one fist-sized. A solid hit would do more than just puncture.

Zeff doubted Marda would let him get close enough for that, though, especially with how obvious his approach was. Raga Marda might not’ve been looking in his direction as he barreled through and bounded over various prison guards, but Zeff was quite confident that the man could sense him coming. Not to mention, the water jet was howling loud enough to draw plenty of extra attention, too, even over the battle’s clamor.

This was by design. For one thing, he wanted to get Marda off of Diego, and for another, the jet was only half of the attack.

More than anything, attacks on servants needed to debilitate, at least for a moment, so that further pressure could be applied. And to that end, big and obvious water jets were not the best weapon. Too easy to avoid.

That was why the other half of the attack was a simple platform of ice, raised up instantly beneath the Tiger’s feet.

It was one of the oldest tricks in the materializer’s handbook, but there was a reason for that. Compared to most techniques, it was disproportionately effective for how easy it was to perform. Being able to make someone lose their footing whenever you wanted was quite frankly unfair.

Zeff’s platform sent Marda airborne. As far as their intel was aware, Marda was a transfiguration user who frequently relied upon weapons and tools, so this was--

The man vanished in midair before Zeff could reach him. Zeff slashed at the empty space where he’d been, in case it was Invisibility, but the attack felt like it missed, meeting with no tangible resistance.