Elysia in Another World

Ch19: The Goddess of War P1

Chapter 19: The Goddess of War P1
~19.1~
*****

In the instant Aliana placed her barrier, Kye warped everyone inside. Once there, Alethea flooded the dome with her mana and restrained everyone that could not resist it. Only three people could still move. While she did that, Allison and Luma pinpointed Rei within the mansion and blasted through the walls straight to her. Allison wrapped a powerful barrier around the girl while Luma launched the man that was casting a spell on Rei through and out the back of the building. Kye landed next to Allison and knelled down in front of Rei. The girl hurriedly jumped into her mother's arms, crying in a mix of relief and happiness.

"Mommy!"

"Mommy has you, sweetie. The bad man can't hurt you anymore."

The girl wailed into her mother's bosom until the man emerged from the rubble and returned. "Quite the punch you're packing, miss."

"The fact that you're alive after that is impressive," Luma said.

Kye picked Rei up and teleported. She handed her to Alethea and instructed everyone to guard them, aside from Astraia, who took her weapon form for Kye. Kye returned to the partially ruined mansion and stepped in front of Luma. "Shiro, you have committed a grave sin."

"And I suppose you'll punish me for it the same way you did last time?" He was openly mocking her. "The great Shiori Sakaguchi has come to defeat the tyrant Shiro Shikigami. Little did she know at the time that she would unleash a monster much worse upon the world! HAHAHA!"

Allison and Luma flanked Kye, each allowing their power to flow freely. They were using neither mana nor aether, but Radiance.

"Ah, two legendary figures in this world. The famed Goddess of War, Allison Barrett, a woman with so much mana that one would think she was truly a god. And here we have the Sword Saint Luma Caliburn. One would think the same of her. Together, they stand with the young Goddess of Light. Barely two decades old, and she already has so much power." His face warped from mocking to serious in an instant. "You should consider yourself lucky. A few more minutes and your daughter would have been mine. Although, the end result will be the same."

"Is that so?"

"You think I'm bluffing?"

"I think you're delusional."

"Ha. Well, I suppose you can think what you want. How do you intend to stop me this time? You have entered my domain." He held his right hand to the side and a torrent of purple mana swirled around it. His body lightly glowed white.

"White mana and void mana. You think yourself invincible with those?"

"Not in this quantity, no, but just as the three of you are putting off some impressive auras, so can I." He unleashed much more mana. "I'm aware of what you used to survive that S+ class beast. Aether Drive and Awakening. I admit, your skill with aether is formidable, but so is mine." The mana he unleashed was quickly replaced with aether.

"Ah, yes, those are things I am capable of. You are correct. And I see you have a complimentable degree of aether control. Shall I turn tail and run?" She shrugged, gripped Hikarimaru's sheath, and switched the blade to her right hip. "Allison, Luma, please join the others. Also, move the servants out of here. I wish to interrogate them. I'll handle Shiro and his goons." She glared at the two who had just joined Shiro as she was instructing her allies. "Lady Amelia, governor of Icarus. If you have even a shred of loyalty left in you," she pointed in the sky where the group was floating inside a powerful barrier, "the one you need to speak to is there."

Seeing Kye point at her, Atalante teleported to them. "I suppose we have come to a crossroads much sooner than expected. Considering his absence, I have no doubt you're aware of Elliot's choice to remain loyal to Atlantis."

"Of course," Shiro said. "I was an emperor myself once. It was but a simple puzzle to unravel."

"Amelia, what do you choose?"

"What choice is there to make?" she replied calmly. "I wouldn't dare go against Lord Phantom. It doesn't matter, anyway. All of you will be dead soon."

"Think of your family. Think of your people. Do you truly have no loyalty left within you?"

"Go ahead, Amelia. If you believe I will fail or even if you wish to be loyal to Atlantis, I will do you no harm. I'll simply come collect you once this is over and nothing will have changed."

"My lord! No! I-"

Shiro sighed, grabbed her by her shirt, and tossed her at Atalante. "Gustav, surrender to them as well."

"I refuse, my lord."

"That's an order. None of you know that blonde woman like I do. She'll kill you without hesitation. Neither one of you will last more than half a second if she draws her sword. Surrender and wait for me to come retrieve you. Worst case, I die and you become prisoners of war. Either way, you'll live."

"Very well," Kye said. "We'll accept their surrender, whether they agree or not. <<True Binding>>." She snapped her fingers and insta-casted the restraining chains on both of them. "Atalante, take them and go. Shiro dies. I will not accept your intervention regarding him."

She smirked. "I planned to sentence the culprit to death, anyway. I see no reason to stop you." She formed a small magic circle in her hand and tossed it into the sky, where it grew to a size bigger than the island. "I'll just take everyone else with me, except Allison, Luma, and Alfia. Good luck, Kye. <<Rune of Teleportation>>." In the blink of an eye, everyone disappeared except those Atalante intended to leave behind.

Shiro cackled once they were gone. "HAHAHA." None of the three left there reacted in the slightest. "You lot are riot! Haha. Look at you! You have no idea how far in over your heads you are!"

Kye shrugged. "My head is quite above water. Far enough that I can clearly see the madman on the shore laughing his last laugh."

"Hahaha. My dear Shiori, you were so smart. You'd never have fallen for such a trick. I'm almost insulted with how easy this was. I put so much effort in, yet it was so simple!"

Kye smirked. "Do enlighten me, Your Majesty."

*****

Revision: 2024-7-9