"That’s... kinda creepy.”

“Certainly, it is rather disturbing.”

“You’re usually just being a coward, but I have to agree with you this time.”

“I knew what it would be like. Still, seeing it up close is entirely different.”

In front of them was an ephemeral sight that one would call unnatural. The desert they had been working so hard to cross ended abruptly in front of them. The bordering sand was a perfectly straight line and on the other side of that was a land that mimicked a blank canvas. The air they were standing in still felt heavy and thick with heat, but once their hands crossed the boundary, they were met with intense cold.

“How is this even possible!?”

“This desert is not a normal place. It's closer to that of a pocket dimension rather than an actual wasteland. But while most pocket dimensions disappear without constant mana supply, the disaster that created this place is self-sustaining. Who knows what used to be here and what would appear if this place ever lost that supporting force?”

“And there you have it. Now can we cross over? I’d rather freeze than die of heatstroke.”

“Then let us continue forth! Have no fear! An Abate is your guide! I will, without fail, protect you.”

The group's feet stopped sliding down into the sand and began crunching the snow as they crossed over into a different world. They no longer wore shawls to escape from the heat but now wrapped them tighter to their heads to maintain some level of warmth. The land they walked through was completely flat with nothing but snow. There were no signs of life in either monster form or floral. Ryuji's stomach couldn't help but tie itself in knots as they continued to traverse the event horizon a primal fear began to build in his gut as he wondered if the horizon would ever end.

"Hey, um, when are we going to see, oh I don't know, something that's alive!?"

The man swaggering in front of him turned his head with a self-serving smile. He apparently greatly appreciated being relied on and was having the time of his life. "I have no idea! I've never left Hofel before, and my traveling guide is probably back on a boat to wherever he came from!"

"Amazing, my lord. How about you Ash? Read anything about this?"

"M-Me? I knew it was like this, but I have no idea how long it lasts."

"Cool."

Ryuji's eyes settled on Nyanjo who had been gazing forward quietly. After a few minutes of enduring the stare, she broke.

"Don't look at me. I always just took a boat. Traveling across the wastes is nigh suicidal for most people, especially alone."

"Well, this looks like a good place to stop and eat! If you don't keep your stomach full in a place like this, you're liable to freeze to death!"

As if he had suddenly remembered something, Elio turned abruptly and announced that it was lunchtime.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Ryuji crouched to the ground and started a fire to cook some of the leftover meat. As he attempted to raise his flame without it being crushed by the sweeping wind, his thoughts were centered on the priest happily looking over them. He was having a hard time deciding his opinion of Elio. Over the close to two weeks they had spent together, his arrogant attitude hadn't died down. Yet despite that, Ryuji felt like he truly did care about his new job of protecting them. He would always give advice and make sure they were safe. His mind decided to close the topic as the flames of his fire rose to a height that meant he didn't have to fear it blowing out. After setting his food on the flames, he realized a pair of eyes were on him. "You want me to cook you something, Ash?"

"Yes, please."

He thought his relationship with Ash had also been developing, or perhaps it was just taking Ash a while to warm up to him. Either way, unless Ryuji hit on something embarrassing for Ash he barely ever stuttered anymore. He was even starting to keep eye contact.

"Yeah, make me something too."

Then there was the troublemaker. While Ash kept to himself most of the time and Elio really only talked if you addressed him first, Nyanjo was always doing what was most convenient for her. If she would gain something from speaking up she would if she wouldn’t then she was as quiet as a mouse. Barely ever would she do something for someone else’s sake, especially if that person in question was Ryuji. He figured it was because of his daring recuse operation that she had gotten the wrong idea. He wasn't particularly interested in her, and his patience was running thin.

"You can literally light yourself on fire make your own damn food."

"This is why women don't like you."

"Really? I think it's a combination of things."

"It is, but it all stems from the same thing, your shitty personality."

"You know that advice hits closer to home once you realize you're getting it from the queen of shitty personalities."

"You little-"

"Put the lovers spat on hold, please. Somethings coming."

Elio faced the endless white horizon with his blade drawn. Ryuji stopped paying attention to his food and did the same. With Emperor's eye, he attempted to sus out any incoming movement but was met with radio silence.

"Are you sure somethings coming?"

The world decided to answer his question before Elio did. He felt something approaching faster than a speeding car.

"Underground!"

Ryuji couldn't tell where it was coming from exactly, thanks to the monumental speed it was exhibiting.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Elio it's coming up to your left!"

Surprisingly the voice that cut through the sheer wind was Ash's. Abate shot a weird look to Ash in the split second before unleashing an attack. Something that reminded Ryuji of mochi flew through the air. Writhing in front of him was a white tentacle with a green inside.

"A Bronjir? How unlucky can we get?!"

"Yeah, it's so weird how we get all the strong ones, huh?"

It took all his strength not to prostrate himself on the ground begging for forgiveness. All the hardships of this journey were most definitely his fault.

"So what's a Bronjir?"

Ryuji had never heard of it but from the size of the tentacle still wriggling, he figured it was worse than a dune fiend.

"A giant cephalopod that swims through the underground rather than the ocean by using earth magic. It's a legendary monster."

"I see. But my lord is a legendary priest, so it'll balance out, right?"

New tentacles erupted before being swiftly cut down, but for every wriggling mass that was severed three more would appear. Ryuji waited for his answer while the corners of Elio's mouth tightened into a thin line. His eyes were uncertain which only made Ryuji panic more.

“Right Abate!?”

He received no response as more tentacles emerged from the ground. Ryuji heard a scream and moved to cover the cowering Ash.

“Shuten Doiuji.”

A whirlwind lined his black and silver blade. With a swiftness that surprised even himself, he dispatched the threat.

“Hey! What about me!?”

“You can save yourself!” Ryuji wanted to run, but more than that, he wanted to protect the kid behind him. "Are you all right?"

Ryuji turned to see tears form in the boy's grey eyes. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"No need for that."

He looked over to his supposed protection, who was still hacking away at a forest of limbs without any end in sight. Even with the occasional limb piercing him, he showed no signs of slowing down. Ryuji took note that the creature had no way of killing Elio. He also saw that Elio's sword attack was strong enough to destroy any tentacle with a single hit. The problem was that in terms of speed, Elio had none. If all he did was attack the limbs that seemed to grow endlessly, he wouldn't get anywhere. His thoughts were interrupted by another limb entering his zone. His muscles moved on autopilot and sent the limb flying.

"Hey, Ash! I understand you're scared, but I need to know something!"

"W-What?"

"How did you know when the tentacle was going to get Abate?"

"I can see it using sonography."

"You're using sound waves, gotcha. So can you see the main body?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Alright! Tell me exactly where it is, okay? I'm talking pinpoint location!"

"Leave it to me!"

Ryuji closed his eyes and honed in his senses to their utmost. As he sank deeper into his unconscious, he was suddenly dragged away by an annoying sound.

"Hey, what about me!"

"You've got claws, don't you? Keep using em and don't talk to me right now! I have to focus."

Completely ignoring Nyanjo's rebuttal, Ryuji closes his eyes once more. He concentrated on breathing and allowing the mana to flow into all the right areas. It first pooled into his fingers, then his hands, and finally his arms. He loaded in all the mana he could into making his arms faster than they've ever been. The sword he had out was swiftly resheathed before entering a draw stance. The mana that overflowed from his arms collected into his scabbard, surrounding the blade like oil. His thought process was quite simple for his ultimate move. He would become as sharp as a blade himself. Ryuji imagined his body as a pencil. One that had been carved away to reveal only the most honed edge. To attain that, he would have to sacrifice durability, consumption, and power. He would sharpen into the sharpest point at only one point. An edge that would crack after a single swing. This was the very essence of his final death series.

"It's sixty degrees to your left and about thirty feet deep!"

The gong sounded in Ryuji's mind. His body on autopilot honed in on the coordinates given to him. His hand clenched the hilt. The words poured out of him and only then did his eyes open. The world before him would have given him a heart attack if his focus wasn't lying elsewhere. Tentacles surrounded every single one of them. The torrent of white had already run him through in a few different places, but his body would not stop.

"Number 13: Sudden Death!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the deed was done. His sword had left the scabbard; A searing trail of flame followed it. The superheated air cooled while blood from his new self-inflicted wounds dripped to the ground. The limbs surrounding him writhed in pain. The blank canvas in front of him split itself down the middle for as far as the eye could see. For a second that lasted an eternity, the others stared at the picturesque sight before them. Then as if someone had forcibly pushed the hand of a clock forward, time began to move again.

Ryuji's sword dropped to the ground creating a seared spot devoid of snow. The limbs that were threatening a moment before were now in their death throes, twitching about in the snow.

"Hey, are you okay, Ash?"

Ryuji's weak voice brought Ash back to reality. One only had to look to see how pristine Ash's body was. He had not even been scratched.

"What are you saying? Look at yourself! Mr.Abate, please heal him."

"R-Right." An awkward silence descended as Elio's boots crunched through the snow and green gook. Ryuji, all the while, could feel Ash's dagger-like stare and attempted to ignore it. "High Heal."

As soon as the miracle was cast and Ryuji's arms were mended, Ash pushed Elio out of the way and got into Ryuji's face. It was the first time since they met that Ash had displayed such bravado. Still, Ryuji was paying more attention to the possibly upset noble who was just pushed aside like he was trash rather than the disconcerted teenager.

"Why would you do that? You barely know me! Do you not consider your own safety at all?"

Ryuji searched deep within himself for a good answer. He could just say that in any other situation, he would have run, and he had no idea why he didn't this time. He had resolved himself in Priscillaca that he would never abandon his friends no matter how desperate the situation, but these people were different. To him, they were the equivalent of strangers, or at best, acquaintances. There was no reason for him to try so hard. So instead of giving a real answer, Ryuji found it best to bullshit.

"It's quite simple, Ash. I was just fulfilling my duty as a man."

"A man?"

Ash's face lost the scowl as he began to realize what Ryuji meant. A sly smile appeared on his face before he coughed and continued with his lecture.

"Yep. A man has to have the highest of moral fibers. They have to be the best they can be and always make the right decision. And as such, a man would never let a child be harmed. Even if it meant breaking his own arms, a man would protect that child till the very end! Isn't that right, my lord?"

"Yes, yes! That's exactly right. That is why I jumped in to try and take the foe out before it could lay a finger on any of you but alas! That coward was hiding beneath the ground! If it wasn't, I would have made short work of it indeed."

"I see... I guess I just don't know anything about being a man."

Deflated, Ash went back to his pack and started up a new fire to cook his lunch. Ryuji breathed a sigh of relief before realizing that the priest beside him had disappeared.

"I need to speak with you about something."

Ryuji turned to see Elio standing over Ash with a conflicted look on his face. A sudden fear came over him as he remembered that Ash had used his first name without permission or honorifics. As he went to intervene and save the poor kid's life a meddling cat got in his way.

"Hey, if you could do that, why didn't you use it in the city? That sort of power would have killed Wrath instantly."

The tone she was using and the inconvenient timing pushed all the wrong buttons on Ryuji. He attempted to ignore her and push past but was held firmly in place by her hand. Angry and annoyed Ryuji lashed out.

"Are you an actual idiot? Of course I couldn't use that on Wrath! First of all, I have to stand completely still and empty my mind. Second, if I miss, then what am I going to do? Fight him with two shattered arms and a chunk of my mana gone?! Now move!"

Forcibly shoving her aside he saw Elio walking away from Ash with a satisfied look while Ash was red in his cheeks. With a sigh, Ryuji sat back on the ground near Ash and restarted his lunch routine. Nyanjo huffed before lighting her own fire. All the while, Elio stood watch and occasionally stole glances at the swordsman.