COI C188
The city cheers with so many emotional reactions that they never expressed before, across the districts where everyone is cheering under the protection of the evacuation areas. The sight of the last threat fell along with the city barrier. The tree fell by the power of the Jigeram runes, given by the Enders within the city sphere. The citizens didn’t care about everything what is going on, the tears of joy echoing within the crowd as they witness their victory. All have doubted returned to rejoice and others weep to the sight of many people risk their lives to protect the city. The life they knew it will adapt the reality of this world.
The sounds, chains of celebration spread throughout everyone, even the adventurers returned are coming from Ironno’s saferooms. Inside the very homes of their realms, finally takes a breather as it touches nothing from the wrath of the demons’ army. The frontline sacrifice once again, tearing the industries into rubbles once more, filled with the trails they made to fight against the siege. The city cheers as everyone had to rest from such horrible experiences. All are in arms in the warmth of their friends and families. It is the day of their first world historical victory.
Zooming up to the surface, the city covered in dusts. Fallen debris of the city barrier and the remnants of their enemies exposed and left to into crystals, hoping for the citizens to wait to their enemies’ attrition. Time is soothing where the Jigeram’s light is coming to the south of the region. The city turned into the crystallized metropolis, the sea serpent that guard the city guild headquarter swims in the air to the sea to hide the exposure and its lethal leaches. The dusts covered the city leaving no life to give a chance to become crystals. From Fuku City to down to the South Shore Bay, it is the dangerous time to set out.
A group of small dolls are marching in the dusts, the spirits who sends ritual to form an ominous light. The same light occurred in the island. The threads of light, the aurora borealis, coming into the city. The images of the spirits marching forward looting the remains of the enemies. The left overs are only demonic mana into the crystals. They walk forward, where no live goblins have to go through without runes. Even the runes they have now can’t be comfortable in these crystallized rubbles. Sharp and breaking into smaller shards. It will be too dangerous and only those who know to walk upon it will leave here without any harm.
Puma is with them, its old packs coming by in their stuff toy bodies. The teddy bear and the bunny rabbit were the most aggressive and ferocious within Puma’s little pack.
“Dinju”
“Bun Bun”
“Mahn”
The pack of dolls shout out into the environment. Then later spotted other Kes’thars passing through in their own little scraps of made bodies. The dolls from the ruins come forth and playing a music box for them to travel through the crystal city.
“. . . I don’t want to set the world on fire . . .”
A nice song for them to hear coming from this city, the tone of the music keeps them going.
Puma’s pack was started moving from South Shore Bay then walked casually into the dusts then made into the ruins. Now with a background music to keep themselves company. The song helps them hearing more than just one phrase from them.
“Dinju” The teddy bear sings only at the end of the song with long notes.
While the rest are stomping their feet slowly from the dusts acting like it is now. The long soft echoes heard to the distance, where the pack made it to Taiyou Industries. More of the dolls are gathered there for some reason, the spirits have detected something into their interest.
It has been hours after the siege battle. Everyone left because how disastrous when the city barrier fell into the city along with the dusts. The Jieram’s light had exposed with the rain and it is difficult for anyone to clear it as the crystals growing for odd reasons. The rain clouds were coming from the sea. There should be a typhoon within in the sea and might have pulled something out from it into the air. The microbes raining along with the rain sending itself the death from the crystals. The sight of the bacteria that endures the dusts and turned themselves into shards or gems.
The music is starting to tune down as they made it to Taiyou Industries. The long march as the elven magic is conflicting by other elven magic. Stronger than the elves can use, even more so as the wind is easily shaving the crystals right off back into the dusts. The dusts are acting like water and giving off waves that are piling up through the corners of the buildings. The elves march forth holding the souls of the demons’ army, trying to conceal them as fast as they could, while the other elven magic is forcing them back to where they came.
Soothing winds around them, but harsh strong gusts blowing them back out from the city. The elven wind emits light flowing them with strange light dynamics going like water. They soon vanished as they reached their limit as they step to the end of their existence. They teleported away, and Elyrion was there with them holding the gem on his hand filled with strong bright light flashes uncontrollably until he disappeared as well. The dolls see something in the fading light, another one of them but wearing an armored helmet. The body of it in yellow colors, and the unfit helmet where they could see the flat beak.
The bunny doll didn’t hesitate and jumps on to it. Knocks it down and reveal the duck that had gone mad by the power of the ceremonial plant.
“Psai . . . Duck”
It wonders as its mindless eyes staring nothing to the sky as the rain returns to them after the presence of the elves marching here.
“Puma” It speaks friendly enough.
“Metal clicking*” The junk doll is confused for the duck’s unchanged rituals.
“Mahn” The other doll says it directly at the duck. The other dolls are nodding too.
The duck tells everything in one phrase “Duck . . .”
The spirits were acknowledging it, and so the dolls. But most goblin spirit fashion, the teddy bear is already picking up some shard pieces as it taps it to its other hand. The heart of the goblins still lurks within the dead, it is quite normal for those who dared to show their schemes to the spirits. The presence of the rituals is strong enough to go against the Jigeram’s light. Where all around have no life as the powers of the rituals and curses are all mattered to the Kes’thars in question. Even having such a revealing talk, their nature won’t let go what the duck had done. No one is going to escape the judgements of the angry spirits.
Puma turns and sees the others are ready to please the spirits. Puma’s spirits are all beasts have nothing to grudge about the life spirits that the duck did. They can’t eat life that is not made out of meat or plants that its spirits weren’t naturally grown. Still, a horde chief need to please its tribe. Raising its hand to the sky, the angry spirit rituals descend down to the dolls, releasing blood lusts and tormenting tools that should be strong enough to fight the demons’ army. Unfortunately, it is forbidden. All it can do is to use it among themselves, the goblin spirits. The loudest of roar and the elements breaking through the crystals, just to the punish the duck.
The duck looks at them in the most obvious sense. The rituals cast to it and nothing else to use it for cleansing the dusts. It knows the lifeless land is where most of the spirits can use more dangerous rituals and powerful shamanistic chants. But life around before, they could do nothing about it. As this place suddenly wipe off the dusts around them in the small margin. The marked it left made the citizens who were still there saw the aurora again purging the crystals into rituals. The unbearable feeling when it reaches to them, but inside the saferooms, it only let them feel than how it can harm them.
Back inside the evacuation areas. The locations of the people hiding and residing are listed hiddenly through in each district. Fuku City is obviously the entirety of it. Taiyou Industries had nothing, but there is a small checkpoint near the ferry to Stranding Island. Mihayara District is in the southern part of the collection of commercial zones where it is close to the bridge lead to South Shore Bay. South Shore Bay is in the south west, the location of the city guild. It is the second facility other than Fuku City where its entrance is open. Lastly, in Chojima ‘Residential’ District, agreed and facilitated secretly inside Sister’s Hope Highschool.
The school is better than any other evacuation areas where this one can linked to the other districts. For this school had some projects about their own sphere, and they managed to pull through with advance magic to get through the magic realms they made. As their efforts have been heard greatly during the last siege. Because of what happened to the city barrier, it becomes the central network of transporting the supplies to the evacuees. It will take some time to get the city barrier to fix as the rain poured down while the crystals are growing with it.
It is time for Stranding Island with the rest of the embassies have fully established their residence near Isekai City. The citizens didn’t know that Lady Hivites is already there calling out all the people except for Tabitha’s people from their own celebration. Her eyes felt distraught and the same time agitated to hear Acurse have returned and took out Mayor Nakamura’s trusted companion. Old man Ban passed away and his soul drifted endlessly to the hands of the demons’ warriors. The suspect being Acurse is too absurd, he is mostly collecting live flesh instead of souls. His commitment to cultivation is easily for him for countless exemptions.
All gathered with special invitations with the five, and one more, Enders guilds to the different section for the audience. Lady Coheld is present with the others. Including Lady Fay’mae wearing the city’s clothing, while the rest of the guild masters and mistresses are wearing neutralized garments and suits. They were truly confiscated the essentials for being Enders. Still, this the problem for Enders Bridge where Alga’s light casts down on Rune Isles and the Jigeram is leaving from the region. The monsters from the other side will come invade at the bridge. Her focus loses too much to think about as the prior information she needs are in dire from her own self-control.
The citizens are still not wanting to leave. They have grown to adapt to this world too well, even though the culprits are there at the corner of her eye. She doesn’t want them to die either as their souls will be the nutrients to her rivals. If this keeps up, the rise of her own civil war will return again from the inner realms. All the supports from the Enders Bridge had brought them into a more secure city. The only threat for this city is gone, the inner turmoil is their last line to feat in this world. Her patience is tilting more where the mayor is still not found, it is not an obsession of hers. It is because, the demonic magic in him will resurface if he dies. The entrusted legion from her side, cursed inside of him.
The leaders and the rest of the surviving men are bowing down to her presence. The demon elf approaches to her with the enslave citizens trying to infiltrate the island. Lady Hivites lays down her hand as everyone is given a seat. A meeting inside the underground. They would be outside instead of here. She didn’t want it. It will mess her mood to see Isekai City covered in crystals and the mess it had. All she cares now is the last remaining demon faction to fully wipe out from their eternal presence. Leaving only the east and north of the region filled nothing but rebellious mortals.
The mage comes in with the orb that had contacted will all the collection of old souls made by her kind. “We have found traces of multiple disturbance, all three mana under their own protective wings. Archscience from Enders Bridge, Elven magic from the elven gods, and Jigeram runes are surprisingly not provided by the Enders, but chains of cooperation among the dwarves’ runes”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
The dwarf leader nods at the mage from the far back with the other dwarves. The Jigeram runes are the most difficult to craft and needed a certain dwarven god casted it down to the flesh of the adventurers.
They heard mumbled stories of the chosen adventurers to wield it. It was because it is. The Enders dwarf were formulating the idea to send down the rune magic to their defeated foes inside the realm. Then the rich girl they heard across their ears, made it more extravagant and secretive without them knowing. Either way, the illusion to trick the adventurers that the Enders are the one who is helping them to use the killing blow. The dwarves will never believe such a story. The dwarf king had too much bad relations with the citizens along with the horde chief who lost the east coast because of the defection.
Lady Hivites is the Archaic of Agatheus City, and her potentials are still shared to others. The desperation of her actions is always the sign that her right-hand famed sword had still not free into the accursed chosen city lord, mayor Nakamura. The mage continues
“Thus, there is still the absence from people of Fuku City. You’ve clearly sensing many here because of their true intention to leave”
“I already know, under this island that you are so free from my reign won’t work on them because of little knowledge of freedom, they need to stay away from my influence”
Lady Coheld listens to the demoness while the rest of the guild masters are slowly losing interest as they only hear are frustrations of her wanting them to leave that badly. Her right-hand demon still perished inside of the so-called city lord. They’re about to leave then hear her voice.
“I have something I need from all of you. The knowledge you seek for re-modernization in order to push through the forsaken isles. If you continue to insist to get what you need, then planned to search the man I seek. Also convinced ‘them’ to clean the mess that happened in the east coast. Those lost people are starting to hear their mourns after the end of the undergrown”
They didn’t respond, but it is an order that they could not refuse. However, they have connection with other Enders residing in the city. They may be a few and it would be enough. The collaboration they have brought forth will be and they have the experience doing the subterranean work for the elves in such a long time. The guild masters and mistresses are put their expectation to the most involved Archscientist. Lady Coheld didn’t say a word either. She is calculating the negotiation reported by her guild. Reviewing all the necessities without her to spend even a little spec of influence of being here. Only like this, treating the chain of events to keep their plans intersect with hers.
Lady Hivites slams her magic in front of the crowd. Her mind is still filled with work as the Enders knew that talking back will hear the countless thoughts the Lady is going through. Her presences are filled nothing but colorful and threatening fire. Unleash the presence to reveal other demons disguising as mortals. The island prevents her control to the people who are close. Dwarves and Goblins are admiring the fireworks, while the Agatheans witness her greatness without succumbing to her unimaginable power. If this is the same power unleash when Acurse take power, the siege from before will endlessly witnessing the wits of the eternal war.
The fires calmed down and she feels his presence. Not less than that, she never feels him this way. Imprisoned intentionally as he recovers at zero’s height. She can’t say a word, or else his fake imprisonment will quickly break free before even trying any effort to do anything besides standing there. Acurse can only message her with nostalgia. The same signal engraved her mind as he once sided with her during the Fall. The treacherous moments when he finally killed the hero, the last hero that stand against the demon faction. In the end, it was the most daemos thing he could’ve done. Just take the host for his selfish need.
“Lead what is left” Acurse send the message again without his captors from noticing. He is now being escorted secretly into the Mihayara district’s most secretive facilities. Where they stored the wraiths and other demonic artifacts for further their investigation. There he was placed into the containment unit with the other wraiths trapped inside the mana batteries. Acurse made a slight chuckle as the room stings into their spines like something is acting up. The researchers were spoof and almost dropped him.
“SHIT! I thought I was going slip”
Once it was over, he observed the other two souls trapped. One in the mana battery, and one in pieces with its huge mechanical body apart. He said to the power armored one
“You must be probably manifested because of the tree, I am not mistaken, or am I?”
“Ah, our great leader. Have you done joining their side after getting what you wanted?”
“Clearly you have known about me and with that body of yours really taken your own risks”
“It was luck that I almost take my share of skulls, but the bombardment came I fell into my defeat by my own staff”
“That’s nice, what about the other guy inside just like me?”
“It is nothing, the thing is severed its mind. Only a husk trying to react inside like a fish. I won’t be saying that it was start of the siege from us. How about you? You can free yourself from this amateur of creations on both archscience and runes”
“Groan* I would, but many demons have interest of me even without a body. If your head serve you right after becoming nothing left but a set of buckets. Then you know I am not going to do it alone”
“Back then, you were alone. A true lone warrior in fact”
“It was endless eons ago. The eras had pulled me into the waste and had good collection of souls for you to puppeteering”
“Pondering to what your eternal life trying to remember will be the definition of our own mid-life crises”
“I am just a servant, and my master brought me here out of curious. Comparing to the other patient demons bringing their forces in desperation. My master always calmly spoken with the presence of the immovable deer skull . . .”
“Alright, I know who you are talking about. To think that you are the one who chose willingly than the rest who are in the last effort for freedom”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. My master had many free souls to search for him. I am here because of Coston ties”
The room is invaded and the artifacts lying around them had been used. In order to contact with Acurse through a desperate measure. He hears her voice once again.
“Fuku City is being purge and my powers are all in naught. They are coming for me and the people who joined the Loli queen . . .”
Acurse stays silent as this is should’ve been his end. Yet, her grievances are trying to haunt him to no end. It was obvious it will be her defeat, but under two days are more humiliating than him trying to go full force into the city with the remnants it had.
“. . . I am sending this message in order to find you. Don’t you worry, this demoness will never lose a very valuable ally . . .”
It cuts off, leaving him remained silent. The power armor didn’t question him. A matter of fact, it turned off as it sleeps. No one from the facility notice it. This means she was using a more powerful magic. he can do it better if he wanted to escape. Once again, he played himself and let the world played out. They will come and find him eventually. Sooner or later, there will be the time that the demoness will bring him into a host that he must build it on his own. The future of himself will be slow.
Later that night, all the bodies are found. The runes on their bodies and the others who lost it had able to recover without anyone is being missing. The funerals had to be done soon or what the world can do with these bodies. The coffins are concealing all magic from going in. In order for the bodies not being consumed from the dusts or the mana trying to harvest the ashes of their people. Everyone gathered around the Mihayara District bringing their respects to their dead. It is the reward they have done to be able to protect the city.
All the grievances and the mourn have stayed during the night. Miyusuki and his uncle take their time to look after his co-workers as they mourn their friends that died that day. The effects of people who died with their inventories filled with personal belongings. It was easy enough to access them in their UIs, and it is hard to see they have made their messages left behind before their deaths. The message passed down to the other survivors as they need to send the message when they get back home. Written in a piece of paper to every owner if they can’t made it. His uncle is now holding it in his hands trying not to feel sadness when holding it.
“Uncle?” Miyusuki says to him
“Cough* Ahem* Let’s pray for them. Their souls are probably finding their way back home from this world”
The two prayed for the dead. Wishing for guidance to where the afterlife led them. Silfa and her family are visiting the funerals. Seeing many people died from the siege, where the dusts have stopped them from using the failsafe and the runes are not strong enough to fight against the army. They can’t survive the enemies’ desperate attacks. Silfa’s hand is squeezing her mother’s hand.
“It’s fine, dear. You made it. You protected the guild before they come in”
“. . . Yeah, thanks mom. What about dad?”
“He is fine, he always wanted to help others to take care of these things. Your grandparents were busy taken care of the graves. Back then, it was very tragic back in the war”
“Still, do we have to continue like this? We should’ve left this world sooner”
“Sigh* There is nothing we can do. It is a sad world, but this world has nothing to compare back in our world. If this our world from the very beginning. I think we can prevent a war from happening”
“Are you sure, mom?”
“Yeah, pray to god and he will give the answer”
“Ah Mom! You know I don’t believe in that”
“Giggle*”
Manager Kubo, lies and waits to see who is in old man Ban’s funeral. As she steps in, there is no one there but the elders with him. Inside his funerals were numerous pictures of him with years of his life going through. A proud family man with many children. His siblings, only one, as he is the eldest in the family. There is a photo though, that his wife died first before him. The successes he had pulling through as a family man working hard different odd jobs to get his children to get what he wanted in life. Grandchildren coming by year after year growing and more so in every family reunion.
He had it all, then died alone. Only friends beside him and no family members to mourn his passing. Her eyes start tearing to have something in life that surround successful to every strong family household, then left him to be his end. He was the man who had more words to his community than any other. The family man who wants to go back home and finished what he had to do before he dies. She sees it as a failure, and the elders stood silent showing respects. There is a picture she saw, his tearing eyes with every wedding ceremony with each of his children.
Searching through the pictures, she found a note book. A journal in some sort. More than seven notebooks in total. The elders see her looking at it and said,
“If you wanted to read it, be my guess. None of us won’t be reading because how painful it is”
“Why did you say that? That’s Ban’s message to all of his family and including us in there”
“Sniff* Please, don’t fight. You remember when his family starts fighting. He went full yakuza to all of them especially to his own parents. Haha, sigh*”
The silent returns, and Manager Kubo pick it up all the notes. She said to them “If you don’t mind, I’ll be gladly bringing it to his family when we get back home”
The elders smiles and bows. There is nothing else to say and left the funeral feeling empty handed. As she is about to exit the funeral, King comes in and then stopped seeing her getting out
“Oh sorry, excuse me”
“No, wait. Do you know old man Ban personally?”
“We have, in this world. He was that kind of man that helped push me out from the bad path. I can’t believe he died. All of that father stories really get me to think he really care for everyone”
King didn’t stay long and feel a little down. He ignores her and leave the funeral instead. Manager Kubo sees in his eyes like he lost a father or something.
In the hospital, the doctors did remarkable work to save many lives from the intense injury they have. The demons’ magic is the pinnacle of playing the impossible disease and ailments throughout their work. The medicines they have are spent up and are coming from the elves themselves. It was truly a miracle that they bought it until it is nothing left. If this keeps up, they will no longer able to pay the debts they are spending in the entire region. They look at their patients and see how much progress. Yet, there are two exceptional patients they didn’t use the elf medicines.
The dwarf brought here just to find a secure facility to rest while under siege. Two Enders keeping their pain naturally. It is weaker than the actual demonic magic, but it is dangerous nonetheless. They can’t do any research over it because of the visitors are not letting the other man to get his tests. It doesn’t matter anyway. They are both in the ICU room, it won’t be that hard when they can’t able to move. The burns though, as if it won’t try them to heal normally. As if the charred burns on their skins are acting like burning coals.
Nanami and Shinji were not too happy to see Haw in this condition. Their eyes are tired and they keep watch on him for so long. The other side of the bed, Ironno is awake and his body starts to heal normally. The burns are disappearing and left his skin back to normal faster as the demonic magic is gone touching his body. It is hard for him to understand why it took Haw longer than him. Still, he stays quiet and let his girlfriends vulture-ing him for the entire time.
Rusic is waiting outside of the room. The temper he is going through with Haw’s girls are something. Only thing he frustrates more are the no drinks policy keeping him on edge. This apothecary building forbids the most powerful medicine to the injured or infected. Or was it because of the alternatives are far better than he had remembered while staying here. Still, he laughs it all off as this city have survived the siege, then he whispers to himself and walks to the nearest window. He looks outside as the dusts and rains keeping the city off from using the city barrier.
“The ocean storms are coming too early. Those midgets green boyz might have wished for the spirits for this. If I remember correctly, this is the only way to blocked the remnants from hiding. Then again, it might leave them their powerful weapons behind. When this moon cycle is over or two. They will manifest themselves again, leaving their powerful items to be revealed. Heh, then we might be going to see something nice for the 1st moon cycle. What will be coming from the sea this time? I hope those walking sea plants will grow edible ales for us to make. Laugh*”
The lives in Isekai City are not over. Peace returned and sheltered in their assigned evacuation areas. To every last citizen finally take out their worries after all the effort they have done. Their nightmare ends, the future had given them hope. The next day for the better. The opportunities. The accomplishments. And, the preparations they are going through to take care the situations they have now. For now, they taste again the fruits of their civilization. Neutral mana, runes, and shamanism under their control, then place it into their daily life.
The city showers under the rainy waters and the dusts fell by the Jigeram’s light. The start of their brand-new days of prosperity. When will they resume again and get back to business? Is it time for the citizens to decide to leave or else in the future another invasion will come to their fair city? Or will it be the time that the city is now developing into a functional city once after? No matter what the caused, the citizens are all raising in arms at the public areas as the Foundation is surrounded by leavers once again.