When the skies darkened and the majority of the rainforest fell asleep, Yuki and I made our move. Since she had scouted the location where Raikou’s base could be earlier that day while I was resting, I decided to just follow her lead.
She was somehow quick on her feet while running across the uneven terrain of the jungle floor while dressed in her kimono which showed how experienced she was with the environment. I had recovered about half of my energy which was not ideal given that I was about to enter combat with Raikou but we had no time to lose so I just had to make the best out of it.
As we sprinted through the greenery, I could hear the sounds of machinery and gears above us which reminded me of the eagle hybrid I fought earlier that day.
“Yuki-san, are those the sensors you were talking about?” I asked as quietly as I could.
“Yes, they are scattered all over the entire rainforest and they are probably engineered to detect abnormal energy signatures. They have never caught on to me before as I am able to use my abilities to suppress my own spiritual energy similar to how you are able to suppress your mana.”
She answered calmly without losing her breath even though we were sprinting at top speeds which was a testament to her physical abilities. She then started to hum a gentle tune that was similar to a lullaby as she was running which caught my attention.
“That’s quite a nice melody you are humming there.”
I commented which made her blush slightly as we were running under the moonlight.
“Thank you for the compliment Kazuha-san.., it is a spirit song I use to communicate with the spirits of the rainforest to thank them for assisting to mask our energies.”
I nodded in acknowledgement and took the opportunity to glance over at her. It could have been the serene and magical atmosphere alongside the romantic nature of being under the full moon but for a second I could feel my heart skip a beat at how beautiful she looked.
After around 15 minutes of running, Yuki suddenly stopped in her tracks and the crystal on her left breast starting glowing as she materialized 2 tachi swords. They both glowed in the moonlight which illuminated their red and blue hues respectively. I thought that we had arrived at Raikou’s lair but there was just an empty patch of land in front of me surrounded by light patches of greenery which was certainly abnormal but there was quite literally nothing in front of me.
“This location in front of us has completely no spiritual signs, that basically means that there is basically nothing living there which is impossible. Hence, this is where I suspect that wild beast is hiding.”
Yuki explained calmly as she started brandishing her tachis.
“Hold on to me.” She instructed which caught me off guard as it was not everyday a cute girl asks me to hold onto them.
“Uhm, where should I hold onto exactly?” I asked as she was currently holding onto a sword on each hand which led to her instruction confusing me.
“It doesn’t matter. Anywhere is fine as long as your body is making contact with mine.”
I gave a quick nod and looked at her petite frame and eventually chose to hold onto her shoulders as I felt that it would be the least awkward for her. When I placed my hands on her shoulders, I could feel her jump a little alongside her body warmth. Regardless, Yuki did not let this interaction faze her as she poured her mana into her swords.
“SPIRIT CLEAVE!”
Yuki’s swords glowed as she seemingly sliced at thin air. I was about to question her when suddenly a bunker-like building appeared in front of my eyes. It was not huge by any means but it was certainly more than capable of housing that beast.
“Don’t let go off me until we get past the barrier. Only you and I can see this bunker in front of us.”
Yuki turned her face towards me which I noticed was a little flushed and instructed to which I nodded and followed her with my hands consistently on her shoulders. I would assume that if a third party saw the 2 of us in this kind of position, they would assume that we were a couple having fun together.
As we walked together towards the bunker, Yuki touched the door but her hands just phased through them as if they did not exist in the first place. While I was shocked at the sight, she carried on walking as if it was second nature to her.
When our bodies completely passed through the “door”, the shape of the bunker completely dissipated and what stood in its place was akin to some sort of tower similar to those airline control towers.
“What the hell!?”
I said out in shock at the vast change in infrastructure.
“Yes, it appears my guess was right, that “bunker” we saw was just a cover-up. I’m not sure how he managed to make use of such powerful cloaking to hide this tower but I’m more than certain that this is how he keeps track of everything in the forest.”
Yuki explained while dematerializing her swords.
“By the way Kazuha-kun, you can let go of me now..”
She said bashfully as I assumed that she was probably holding in her emotions as much as possible to prevent herself from swapping into Haru as her impulsiveness would not be ideal in our current predicament. I quickly let go of her and started to sense for Raikou’s or Shiho’s energy.
“Kazuha-kun, there is an abundance of anti-spiritual energy in this place so I am afraid that I am unable to assist in detecting your friend using my abilities.”
“Its all right Yuki-san, you have done enough. It is now my turn.”
I replied as I managed to detect a shred of Shiho’s energy from the top of the tower but it was rather weak which was abnormal coming from her. I started to get a bad feeling and signaled to Yuki that she was at the top of the tower.
“I found her. She is at the top of the tower but I am unable to detect Raikou as he is able to mask his energy as well. Let’s hurry up and rescue Shiho and leave.”
Yuki nodded and noticed a ladder on the side of the tower that leads to the top. From my judgement, the tower was about 50 meters tall so climbing a ladder would take too long. On top of that, it would be quite inconvenient for Yuki to climb a ladder in a kimono. I quickly carried her slender body in a princess carry and used my ability to levitate.
“I’m sorry Yuki-san, this must be embarrassing for you but this is the fastest way we can reach the top.”
I said as I flew at full speed vertically to reach the top of the tower. I looked down at Yuki who was currently in my arms and she avoided eye contact and was quite literally turning red. I then saw her hair start to change into a brown hue which meant that she was about to swap into Haru.
“That one is going to murder me if she sees that I am carrying her in such an embarrassing way. I got to make it to the top before she completely swaps personalities for my own safety.” I thought to myself as I used all the energy I had to fly to the top at full speed.
When we finally landed on the top, I received a punch to my face before I could even assess my surroundings.
“You you disgusting pervert, how dare you hold me in your arms like that! I will rip your arms out myself!”
Haru exclaimed as she gave me a roundhouse kick to my abdomen which hurt more than I thought it would given her slender frame. Before she could hit me again, she stopped in her tracks and pointed behind me.
“Is that girl who is dressed like a slut over there the friend you are looking for?
I turned around and saw Shiho being restrained on a giant metal block with metal chains on her arms and legs. Her clothes were all torn to shreds and her hair disheveled. She was currently unconscious and her body looked lifeless as if it was drained of all energy. But I knew for a fact that she was still alive. Without thinking, I immediately ran towards her and started to attempt to break her out of her restraints.
While this porn-like scene would normally arouse me, all thoughts in my mind were just to release Shiho and get her away from Raikou at all costs. Truth be told, while we never really engaged in combat with each other, I have no idea whether I would be able to beat him given that Regalia abilities are only effective on Exceeds and other Fafnirs and he far outclasses me physically.
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I materialized my kusari-kama and tried to use it to break open the restraints but to no avail as I could barely even make a scratch on them. Shiho then started to wake up and converse with me in a weak and dehydrated voice.
“Kazuha? Is that you? You’re alive? Haha.., I knew you would come to save me.”
“Don’t talk for now, save your energy. I will get you out of these chains quickly before Raikou arrives and we can head back together.”
“No wait..., Those chains are made of some metal that nullifies Exceeds. You won’t be able to break them using tetra weapons or your abilities.”
Haru then walked up to us and interjected on our conversation.
“Your girl there is right. That is the same metal that trapped you and made you feel that excruciating pain back in the forest. We won’t be able to break it normally.”
“We have no choice! We can’t just leave Shiho here!” I retorted but was met with another kick from Haru.
“Calm down Kazu. I’m not saying that we should leave her here. I’m saying that there must be some kind of tool her that can release them.”
“Who are you, I can’t believe you are cheating on me with this beauty Kazuha.” Shiho commented with a sulk on her weak face.
“Calm down ok Shiho, this is not the time for this. I’ll explain everything later, for now she is a friend that is helping me save you.”
I explained calmly trying to pacify her and make her stop using whatever remains of her energy to be jealous.
All of a sudden, the ground began to rumble and the tower shook with a strong vibration. I could sense an extremely powerful aura approaching and there was no doubt that it was Raikou. True enough, he emerged from the shadows and walked out confidently from probably some hidden room in the tower.
“My my, I see you somehow managed to survive. I went to search for your corpse but I couldn’t find it so I assumed the explosion would have disintegrated all of your body. Who would have thought that you would enter the lion’s den after you somehow managed to cheat death once. I assumed that brown-haired girl had some part to play in your survival. I am also quite impressed that you managed to find my hideout . Truly impressive. But no matter, I will make sure none of you will be able to leave to tell the tale.”
“Raikou you bastard! What have you done with the Exceeds and what have you done with Shiho!” I called out in anger and could feel my energy rising from within me.
“So you are the Wild Beast that has disrupted the sanctity of this forest of spirits. You are truly unlucky that I am the one you are facing as I do not have a habit of showing mercy against people I absolutely hate.”
Haru added on as her energy increased tremendously as well but Raikou who I knew for a fact could sense our energies was not even fazed. Instead, he started laughing with a wide grin on his face.
“All right then Spring Breeze, you want answers? You are going to have to beat them out of me! Since it was forbidden for JSF captains to engage in combat with each other, I bet you never knew where my nickname came from. Maybe I’ll show you why they call me Wild Beast Raikou.”
Raikou cockily declared as he shouted out a battle cry before removing his top. His bulging muscles and well-toned body was covered with beastly tattoos which was a known fact among the whole JSF but this was the first time I had seen them up close. From what I could make out, there was a tattoo of a mantis on his right arm, a lion on his left arm, a serpent on his left leg and a dragonfly on his right leg.
I materialized my kusari-kama and Haru materialized her tachis as we both took a battle stance to prepare for combat. As we waited for his move, Raikou did not take a battle stance or even put up his guard which surprised the both of us. Instead, the tattoos on his limbs started glowing in a black hue.
“Kazu, look at his right bicep. Is that a—”
Haru questioned and I immediately knew what she was talking about. There was a crystal embedded in his right bicep that looked exactly like a Fafnir crystal.
“No way! That’s impossible. But there was no doubt, counterfeit or not that was a Fafnir crystal.”
I replied as I started thinking of how this was possible. Firstly he was male and secondly he was definitely over the age of 30 where Fafnir crystals were known to lose their power.
“We can figure the details out later, get ready for anything. I have a really bad feeling about this.” I told Haru who nodded as she steeled her resolve and was preparing for battle.
The tattoos that were glowing started to separate from Raikou’s body and transform into separate entities. Before I knew it, there were 4 massive Exceeds in front of me. Similar to Raikou’s tattoos, there was a lion, a mantis, a serpent and a dragonfly. Each one radiated tremendous strength however their energies felt unnatural and unalike any Exceed I have faced before.
“Kazuha each one of those Exceeds is a S-class at least, maybe even a SS-class. But I get an uneasy feeling from them, its as if they are engineered rather than being organic.”
“Yea, I know what you mean, nonetheless, we can’t let these things run rampant. We have to stop them right here and now.”
Raikou then started to laugh once again as he exuded control over all 4 Exceeds.
“Do you like them? I’ll give you a little teaser of what I am working on. These used to be S-class Exceeds that I was tasked to defeat under JSF orders. They were honestly quite challenging to take down which gave me the idea of making them into my pets. Why beat them when you can make them join you HAHAHAHH!! Now with these at my side, I am easily more powerful than not only the JSF but even all those stupid Fafnirs. Maybe its time we get the show started.”
Raikou whistled and the 4 Exceeds charged towards us at the same time from different directions. Fortunately, both Haru and I managed to dodge out of the way and assess the Exceeds. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shiho still being restrained and powerless to defend herself if any of the Exceeds started attacking her so I called out to Haru.
“Haru! Protect Shiho at all costs. I’ll hold those beasts back myself. If anything happens to me, take her and escape. Don’t worry about me.”
“You idiot Kazu! Don’t be reckless! Do you think your girl over there will be happy knowing that you sacrificed yourself just to protect her. We will take on those beasts together and find a way to escape later.”
Haru replied with conviction as she headed straight for the serpent and dragonfly Exceeds which meant that the mantis and the lion were my responsibility.
I started engaging in combat with both the lion and the mantis at the same time with both of them towering over me which made it quite hard for me to dodge their attacks while also dealing meaningful damage. I decided to focus on taking down the mantis first as I quickly sprinted towards it after dodging a pounce by the lion and changing my weapon from Kusari-kama to a naginata.
“Kuzunoha Style Naginata Fourth technique, STORM EXECUTOR!!”
I increased my speed drastically and coated my naginata with wind and sliced at the mantis’ body from all directions ensuring that there was no way where its core would not be exposed for me to destroy.
However, my strikes proved futile even with my naginata made out of Tetrasidium as I only managed to deal superficial wounds to the mantis. On top of that, it managed to parry one of my strikes and forcefully shove me to the ground. The lion saw its opportunity and quickly ran towards me and leapt into the air seemingly attempting to pounce directly on top of my body in order to crush it.
Thankfully, my combat reaction speed that was honed to almost perfection by the JSF kicked in and I managed to activate Shiho’s meteor ability to get myself out of the way. However, my energy was not unlimited especially since I was only about half as strong as normal due to the anti-Exceed trap Raikou used on me earlier.
While the lion was recovering from its failed attempt to jump on top of me and the mantis was recovering the wounds I inflicted onto it, I used the opportunity to consider my options given that I was going to run out of gas soon.
“I still have Risa and Yuki/Haru’s abilities to make use of on top of Shiho’s but there is no bodies of water nearby for me to use Risa’s water manipulation effectively and I do not know enough about Yuki/Haru’s abilities to use them. If only I managed to meet the condition with Emiri or Kasumi so I could make use of their abilities to get us out of this pinch.”
I took a quick glance over at Haru and saw that she was holding her own against the serpent and dragonfly with her tachis but similarly to me she was not inflicting any significant damage.
What’s worse is that she is clearly getting exhausted as well fending off 2 S-class Exceeds at the same time. While I knew she had considerable strength, that strength was not infinite as well so she probably was not going to last much longer as well. Furthermore, there is no telling when she was going to swap back to Yuki as her time limit was going to be up soon.
However, I had no time to worry about her as of now as I had my own share of Exceeds to handle. I considered my options and decided that there was almost no possibility of the 2 of us winning a war of attrition so our best bet was to end this battle now. I called out to Haru and told her of my plan.
“Haru! Lure the 2 Exceeds you are fighting to an area near me. I’m going to attack all of them at once.”
“Are you crazy! We are already struggling with 2 each and now you want to take on all of them by yourself?”
“Trust me. I got a plan. I’ll inflict lethal damage onto all of them at the same time and when their cores are exposed, you go in and destroy them. It’s the best shot we have.”
“Alright then. We’ll go with your idea.”
Haru replied and immediately ran towards my direction while still fighting with the serpent who was attacking her from below and the dragonfly that was attacking her from above. I then ran towards her direction as well while fending off the mantis and the lion and baiting them into having a head-on collision with the other 2 Exceeds in order to give me an opportunity to use my ability to its limit.
“BANG!”
As per my plan, the 4 beasts who were acting independently collided with each other and while it did not do any significant damage to any of them, the lag in their movements gave me the time window I needed. Haru also took up a guarding stance to protect me if any of them was going to start to charge at me.
“Restia come out quick!”
The purple haired goth lolita appeared next to me and since our minds were linked as a result of the contract, she knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Kazu-kun, this is the last seal. Once you break it, there is no going back. Are you really sure you want to do this?”
“I have no choice. There is no going back if we all die here as well so this is the only option I have. I understand the consequences and I am resolved to face them head-on. I have no regrets.”
“All right then, I shall support your decision then Master.”
Restia replied as she closed her eyes and kissed me. Power was flowing through every cell in my body but it could never compensate for what I was about to lose. However, I would lose everything if I did not go all out right here and now.
As Restia dematerialized after assisting me to break the seal on my abilities, I could feel my eyes getting wet and tears trickling down my face. The last shreds of memories I had with the girl who I had promised to marry when we were kids slowly burned into the abyss of being truly forgotten. I would say that this drawback was the worse out of all the Regalia abilities I have seen before as it truly lives up to the concept of equivalent exchange. The greater the power, the greater the cost.
I pictured her face one last time as I was charging up all my energy. There was so much more I wanted to do with her, see with her and remember her by but all I could do at that point was apologize and say my final goodbye as the final vestiges of my memories of her vanished.
“I’m sorry Mizuki.., this is truly goodbye forever.”