Arc 6. A seemingly endless loss
Road to a Hero:
Three Chances in Another World
Chapter 64. So long Constal
Before Edward and Peter arrived to help Gray and the others, they had stopped the train to find themselves in an underground bunker right under the south end of the city. They walk to one of the train cars, taking the cover off of Peter’s new car. It looks more like a muscle car than the last, only has two seats, and is built like a steam engine. The back engine is made of flame crystals, blank crystals, and energy crystals, powering itself to create steam that pushes the car as well as powers the vehicle, causing what’s hopefully an endless cycle when started, or until the crystals run out of charge.
Edward: “This is nice!”
Peter: “Yeah I guess…let's go.”
Peter opens the door, wincing in pain from his injuries as he sits down. Edward gets in the passenger seat, watching Peter with a sad look on his face as he struggles to keep going. His mind is being held down by insurmountable guilt while his body is held down by all of the broken bones. Peter lets his hair hang over his face, too tired to move it, and shrugs his shoulders while he flows mana into a crystal in the center console, working as an on button. He puts his foot on the gas only slightly, pulling out of the train through the door Edward had just opened. As they pull out of the box car, they slowly drive around the train and onto the tracks, driving the rest of the way down. After a minute or two, they find themselves exiting through a large drainage pipe, giving them a good look at the city while they drive up the bank. In less than twelve hours, the city went from a nice, peaceful, and prosperous place, to a war zone. Smoke from burning buildings rises into the air, broken pieces of debris float through the river, the screams of panicking people echo throughout the area, and the crowds running for safety shake the roads. With the rising sun slightly lighting up the area, it looks like a chance for peace is possible.
Peter: “We got Walgonia back in less than a day, and it took a few more to get everything into place, or good enough into place. Do you think it’ll be the same here?”
Peter's drained voice causes Edward to want his answer to seem more bright, but the reality of the situation cannot be spoken in such light.
Edward: “The Sect knew we were coming in Walgonias’ case. This time we knew they may have been coming, and we tried to prepare the best we could. It doesn't look like the knights have shown up yet, and hopefully, Gray and the others haven’t…y’know?”
Peter: “Knowing them they got right on it. But um…Do you ever feel like…like we are the outcasts of the group? Like not to sound weird about it but Gray met Soku, Rosemary, and that little girl…Ophelia right? And then they just started their group.”
Edward: “Yeah, she was…she was happy. The most joyful kid I had ever met, she came from a life I'd never expected. Their group made sense. And I was just along with them. I don’t talk much and they spoke to me often enough, I just never looked into it very much. I like them, they like me. But, it’s okay to want more than that.
Peter: “No, kinda…I don’t know it’s just…”
Peter struggles to keep a positive look on everything because there isn’t one. With everything he’d gone through on this horrible trip matched with the horrific scenery caused for a bad time. Each bump on the road is either from fights they pass through or the bodies of the dead. They pass burning buildings as well as civilians running for their lives crying and hurt. In the Walgonian raid, they attacked Arthur, and they didn’t see the grittiness of what was actually happening in the capital streets. This is the horror of war they missed.
Peter: “Gray is the guy! Like, he’s the one or something. Three chances at life, that is what he says. He came from nothing, got blessed with friends and power, and got a reason to keep going. Rosemary, Soku and you had to go through so much to finally find something like this and he just gets it randomly? He says he wasn’t born with it, that it got given to him and he tries to say he’s lucky to try and sound humble, but -”
Edward: “Gray Kyojin is lucky, but don't undermine the work he’s put in. I won’t do it and he hasn’t done it to you. Has Gray called you weak? Has Gray pointed out these flaws in you? You’re sitting here with me talking about how you don’t like how he has powers and you don’t, trying to make him seem bad for having something he has no choice over, and you want him to be the bad guy?”
Peter: “Wait, that's not what I meant! I wouldn’t say that he’s lucky, but do you feel he’s undeserving? Soku doesn't have her childhood memories, you don’t have your white hair, Rosemary didn’t have anything that resembled a childhood, and you all lost your entire families! But what did Gray have? A nice house, loving parents, a life! And he gave that all up for nothing. Then he’s here. Rich, powerful, known around the world, everything a man could dream of. He’s the hero, and we’re his lackeys.”
Edward struggles to find his answer to Peter's question, unable to know if there is a true answer. So, he just gives his own.
Edward: “I was born in Helsing. Most would say that was luck. They don’t think about me or my hobbies, my friends, but just my name and what it means. That’s what you don’t like people doing to you isn’t it? You acted like you wanted the glory and I can understand that. But in the eyes of the people, they decide what they do after you act. It can get a bit hectic and misconstrued but they’ll follow something they believe just like you and I will. We don’t know his hardship, we truly don’t know everyones. Everybody takes things differently, I think I know that pretty well.”
Peter: “Maybe just a bit.”
Edward: “Look Peter, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, just do your part. Think about it like in our fight with Arthur; While Rosemary, Soku, Julius and I rushed in to slowly whittle him down, Leo rushed in to do a lot of damage, you and Dema rushed in to help us later and catch him off guard, and Gray wanted until the end to save his strength and beat him! I didn’t have the main role and you didn’t either, but we’re alive. We played parts and we won. We did that in Athens too. And that’s what we’ll keep doing, because it’s his job. Believe it or not, even if Gray’s always in the spotlight because he’s loud, he doesn't like it that much anyway.”
Peter: “Really?”
Edward: “He said it was a secret, but he said it makes him really nervous.”
Peter: “Mh, thanks Edward.”
Edward: “Anytime, oh, and I’m um…sorry for not interacting with you as much. This whole thing, I'm not used to it.”
Peter: “Honestly, me too. And I’m sorry for falling off the rails last year. First with Soku, then your picture, then me fighting with Lance and running away…I just keep messing up and coming back and messing up…”
Edward: “I’ve been there. We all take time, but eventually, you’ll reach the same holes we did.”
But before they can continue, they reach the Mayor’s office’s main gate, finding it surrounded by monsters.
Peter slams on the breaks, getting the beast's attention.
Peter: “EW! It’s those pink sludge monsters!”
Edward: “Hold on, I have an idea.”
Edward gets out of the car, stands on the hood, holds his sword out, and takes a deep breath.
Edward: “Do you see that big shield over the offices!? It’s one of the Sects' powers, so they probably made the dome keep people out of the area. I say we break through to see what’s going on!”
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Peter: “What if it’s like a safe zone?”
Edward: “We’ll… hopefully it isn’t.”
They both gulped and got ready. Peter, really hoping that Edward’s right and his plan to work as a human battering ram will as well, so he slams on the gas. The wheels begin tearing up the broken cobblestone ground, blasting off toward monsters. Edwards’ sword cleaves through them in an erupting of pink and slightly acidic blood. While it launches into the air and coats Edward, the car, and the surrounding area, they keep pushing, and then the same happens for the dome, breaking through.
Edward: “I SEE THEM! Wait, is that Conroy!? He’s dead!?”
Without a second thought, Peter accidentally runs over Conroy, causing him to lose control of the brakes and stop near Gray and the others, realizing that the engine had just died as well.
For a single second they all winced in pain from the awkwardness of his death before Gray and Soku broke out into another laugh. After they all reunite, Gray stands with all of his friends facing their past along with some new ones. The sun is about to begin rising, and Ganga’s five children along with Smolder begin running at them.
Gray: “SOKU! YOU’RE BACK ON SUPPORT! ROSEMARY, YOU MAKE SURE SMOLDER CAN’T GET A BIG SUPPLY OF LAVA! EDWARD, YOU AND ME TAKE OUT THE RESURRECTED LACKEYS! AND PETER…Um, do your thing!”
While everyone else rushes off into battle, Peter stands alone, only able to watch as everyone else does all of the heavy lifting. Though to raise his spirits, Lisa surprises him, causing him to scream out.
Lisa: “ARE YOU OKAY!?”
Before Peter can say anything, Lisa begins welding his wounds back together, using her pseudo-healing Mark of Providence to stop his pain for the time being.
Peter: “The hell? Did you just -”
Lisa: “Yes I healed you and didn’t at the same time, It’s like a bandage that keeps the wound from healing but you can’t bleed out. Dang, I’m getting tired of explaining that. NEVER MIND THAT! ARE YOU OKAY!?”
Peter, unable to truly answer, just looks toward his friends.
Jeremiah: “GRAY, YOU SAID YOU WERE THE GRIM REAPER! WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT!?”
Gray: “I JUST KILLED YOUR BROTHER DIDN’T I!?”
Not only Jeremiah, but all of the shadowy souls of past foes become infuriated. Carla's hands transform into her crescent moon-shaped blades, twenty arms flow from Jeremiah's chest, Charlie begins charging his pushing eye, Dante focuses on keeping his domain up, and Anibis runs toward her mother. Anibis flows her bandages around her mother's arms, pouring mana into her, slowly healing her. All of their bodies are made of mana, anything they’re using is also made from such mana, but for some reason, they react as if they’re completely normal. Gray flows his cloak out of the cursed charm, letting it consume him. It wraps around his entire body, and at the same time, he enters the spirit state, making all of Jeremiah's arms unable to hit him as they explode before they can reach him. Jeremiah begins to panic but revels in his new level of power at the same time. Edward goes after Charlie, who lets off a great blast of wind toward Edward. Edward preemptively blocks the attack, not knowing the sheer power it would show, but Charlie seemingly didn’t know either.
Charlie: “This…it feels great! LIKE I’VE ADVANCED TENFOLD!”
Jeremiah: “I KNOW RIGHT! TWENTY ARMS JUST AS STRONG AS WHEN I’D MAKE TWO! I WONDER HOW STRONG THEY’D BE IF I MADE TWO NOW!”
Charlie’s blast was strong enough to rip up the ground and throw Edward back, but now he knows how strong it is. Edward brushes off the attack, scaring Charlie a bit, but his confidence allows him to push forward. Then there’s Soku, who’s battling Carla. Soku, not having gotten her mana replenished by Lisa, is on her last legs, which Carla notices. Soku attempts to go back to Lisa, but she hesitates, because running away would lead Carla to them. Soku remains calm and uses the last bit of her strength to get rid of Carla before she attempts to refill. Carla shrugs at her lack of a personal upgrade in her powers, but she still pursues Soku.
Carla: “YOU’VE GROWN! Which is weird…it’s only been, actually how long has it been!?”
Soku flows mana all around her body before blasting toward Carla, then right before Carla can slash her, she stops in her tracks. However her wind continues to rush forward, right into her. Carla blocks, but the attack is enough to get her off her feet and open to a quick slash from Soku, ending the fight extremely quickly. Carla is stunned by how quickly she is defeated, watching as her body fades away, being absorbed back into Ganga’s unconscious body.
Anibis: “TWO DOWN!? DAMMIT! Dante, DO SOMETHING!”
Dante: “YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!”
Smolder continually tries to help his companions but is throated by Rosemary who just won’t let up. Every time he attempts to touch the ground or do anything at all with his lava abilities, Rosemary attempts to attack. Unlike Gray, Rosemary’s unique mana is needed for her ability to work properly. And with Lisa’s pseudo mana, it doesn't act the same way, causing Rosemary’s stages to be pink and unstable. To make sure she doesn't hurt herself, she uses stage four, but this makes it much harder to fight Smolder. With his weakened body, all he can really do is play defense, using his lava to create walls to get away.
Edward continues to attack Charlie, beating him with ease. All he does is wait for Charlie to charge his pushing ability and jump forward, but then to the side, causing Charlie to release his blasts prematurely. He yelps and is cut down, causing his mana-made body to explode. Edward looks over at Gray, watching him run through Jeremiah's mana arms, using his spiritual state to force the spirits from his mana arms, and once he’s done this he takes out Jeremiah.
Gray: “Sorry man! I’m three and o for this! BREAKER!”
Gray throws a blade made of spirit mana, slashing through Jeremiah. While Soku gets Lisa to refuel her mana, Gray and Edward set their sights on Anibis to stop the healing of her mother. Anibis tries to hit them with her whip, but Gray grabs her with the cloak of darkness, swinging her at Edward, who cleaves his sword through her.
Gray: “This is way easier than the first time around.”
Edward: “Yeah, we almost died to these guys, and it’s only been a year.”
They quickly turn to Dante, and Edward holds his sword beside his neck.
Edward: “If you let down your shield, I will kill you and your mother.”
This leaves Yoru, who’s still hiding within the skin of her monster, and Smolder, who Rosemary is about to defeat. Smolder tries his best to keep them at bay like he’s waiting for something, but Rosemary finally takes him down. With a quick burst into the sixth stage, she kicks a large blast of wind into his stomach knocking him down. Gray follows this up by swirling his currently pink mana into the Titans Impact, hitting Smolder in the face with it, and crushing his mask. He flips him over, looking at his half-burnt face, staring into his eyes.
Gray: “Who the hell are you?”
Smolder flings his arm into Gray's side, punching him so hard it breaks multiple ribs. Gray cries out, but right as Smolder tries to get away, Rosemary pushes him down, holding him by his newly broken arm.
Edward: “Wait? Did he just use the Dragon's Fist?”
Smolder: “Ah, smart boy. So you finally figured it out, my identity.”
Edward: “Um…I still don’t know who you are.”
Smolder: “Really!? Ugg whatever.”
They round up everyone and stab You from within her ball of flesh to injure her. They look at The monsters, who are still kicking, making everyone feel trapped. But, finally, right as the sun rises, the cavalry arrives. The Walgonian Knights arrive and begin fighting the beasts alongside Ruperts' private army and Gretas' guards.
Soku: “TOOK THEM LONG ENOUGH!”
Instead of running back into the action, everyone sits down to rest, but they make sure that Ganga and Smolder are held tight. Edward cleaves Dante in two, causing his domain to drop.
Peter: “Why did you do that?”
Edward: “We gotta go help them.”
Smolder looks over at the rising sun, smiling with contempt.
Smolder: “I didn’t think you’d make it. You passed the test.”
Gray: “The hell are you talking about?”
Smolder: “Nothing.”
Gray: “Well, I’ll hold him, you guys should go clear out the monsters now I guess.”
While everyone is about to leave, they see Jong’s decaying, sick body walk through the monsters, slowly approaching them with Greta. Then suddenly, Julius walks out of the Mayor's main office, surprising everyone.
Gray: “THE HELL WHERE YOU DOING IN THERE!?”
Everyone circles together, beginning to talk.
Julius: “I was waiting. But it looks like the help has arrived.”
Gray walks over to Jong to greet him, but something seems off. His veins have turned completely black, his skin is peeling off, black blood is dripping from his mouth, and he has a large smile on his face. Everyone backs up, including Greta, who’s extremely confused. Gray looks over at the three members of the Sect, still holding them with his cloak.
Jong: “....My….my…”
Rosemary: “Jong are you okay?”
He held his mouth, crying black blood while scratching his scaly skin open. They were all horrified and frozen while Julius was mostly surprised. In a wave of overwhelming evil, Jong screamed as his nails shattered and broke off scratching his cheeks open. His wide open mouth leaked a scream filled with malice and pain, forcing down the weight of hell upon them.
Jong: “My…MY…MY SOUL ACHES! IT ACHES!”
Jong begins screaming, putting his arms in the air and staring straight up, letting his blood leak from his now-dead body. Though right as he’s about to attack everyone, Julius impales his heart with his Rapier, kicking his dead body off of it right after. In an instant Jong appeared, began acting insane, and died right after. Almost everyone was speechless, looking at Jong’s dead body oozing dark and red blood onto the ground. However, Gray was far from speechless and began yelling.
Gray: “....what?....wh….why…WHAT THE HELL! WHY!? WHAT!? UGH! JULIUS WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!?”
The cloak of darkness stands on end, wrapping itself around Gray while Gray grabs into Julius’ collar. Soku smacks Gray on the top of the head, causing him to realize that he had set Smolder and the others free, but they’re far too weak to run.
Soku: “CALM DOWN!”
Gray: “HE JUST KILLED JONG!? THE HELL YOU MEAN CALM DOWN!”
Rosemary: “EVERYONE STOP!”
Rosemary’s loud screams cause both Gray and Soku to stop. While they’ve all known Jong has been sick for a while, watching him be cut down after breaking down in such a degrading, awful way, affected all of them. But right now isn’t the time for that, which Gray can understand. So, even if it’s unwillingly, he comprises himself for the time being, rewrapping the Anarchists in the cloak. Julius, unfazed, walks past everyone and begins rummaging through Smolders' things.
Julius: “Gray, could you please remove your cloak just a bit please?”
Gray instinctively doesn't want to and reacts poorly. However, after he realized Julius ment that he wanted Gray to remove the cloak from their bodies and not his own, he cooperated in letting Julius take something from within Smolder's pockets. He reveals it to be one of the Sects' communicators.
Peter: “Hey isn’t that the teleporter?”
Julius: “Why yes, it is.”
As Gray's face drops, looking at Julius begins to grin, he’s too slow, and Julius looks right at him. Everyone is confused, but this failure to act causes their loss. Julius pours mana into the device, and it cracks open, exploding to create a domain around all of them, transporting them nowhere. Before it fully takes them, Gray manages to use his cloak to push both Peter and Lisa out of its range, but the rest of them are pulled in. It pulls their souls downward, into hell. It vaporizes their bodies, leaving not only the city of Constal, but the land of the living, entering Eclis.
End of Chapter sixty-four