PHASE 30 - AN OLD FRIEND’S RETURN

“Aaaah!”

The ax cut through Naomi’s skin and flesh. Blood splattered to the ground.

She was lucky that only a portion of her shoulder was damaged, and the wound is not too deep. Kristoff is just in time to grab Naomi away from that bloody witch.

Realizing that she has missed the target, Mia teleported again, and she can no longer be found. But since she’s trap together with us in this ice dome, she’ll be appearing anywhere soon.

“Naomi! Naomi!” Kristoff yelled.

“I-I’m fine!” Naomi smiled. “Just a scratch.”

It’s not just a scratch. Her shoulder bone almost got chopped in half. Blood started to crawl out from her deep wound.

Kristoff immediately caressed his wounded fiance. It was a tight fatherly hug to a mother who is suffering from pain.

“I...I’m sorry…” Kristoff’s cheeks started to be crawled by tears. “I’m sorry If I’m always too late for you… If only I’m just fast enough...”

Naomi caressed her fiance’s cheeks. “It’s okay. You still saved me. It’s all that matters, dear.”

“But still, I have to go faster. I can’t afford you being hurt again.”

“Kristoff…” Naomi muttered.

Suddenly...

Kristoff’s body started to glow with a white aura, and silver dust particles started to gather around him. Soon, his body is enveloped with dazzling light!

“!!!”

Kristoff’s body grew taller in full acceleration. Silver particles of light gathered to his body. Those glowing specks of light molded and shaped itself into a shiny silver chest plate, battle skirt, metallic gauntlets, and boots that have white wings in it. He also materialized a shiny helmet with the same white wings, and now, he’s dual-wielding a bow and a winged staff.

This is a divine presence. The power of the Roman God of Travellers.

“Kristoff…” Naomi blushed in awe as she witnesses her loved one turn into a real god.

“I’ll be fast enough.” Lord Mercury said with a smile. He gently laid down his fiance to the ground. “So wait for me.”

“Yes!” Naomi’s tears of joy sprinkled as she smiled.

<>

I immediately went to the wounded mother’s side and used my to tend on her shoulder wound.

Lord Mercury regrouped with Rikkun as they started to formulate their battle tactics together. For some reason, Rikkun is glancing in all directions; left, right, up, down, center, and then turn his back and do the same thing.

“That stripper which is quite cunning. She will teleport to my blind spot so that my won’t be able to read her moves on time.” Rikkun said. “The least I can do is to warn you for the last two seconds before she attacks.”

“That’s already plenty of time for me.” Lord Mercury said. “So, where will she appear next, leader?”

“You’re accepting me as your leader now, huh?” Rikkun made a troubled face. He saw the determined gaze of his ex-rival. A determination to defeat the enemy. Rikkun returned the same facial expression as he went back to the topic. “I see phantom portals spawning everywhere. Twelve o’clock, then six, three, five, two, then six again. All of them are above ground.”

“Leave it to me.” Lord Mercury used his wings to fly upward to the sky where Rikkun is staring. “This will be a whack-a-mole fest.”

Mia’s evil laugh echoed in the skies as she makes a loud proclamation while staying hidden. “Oh, really? Let’s see if you are fast enough to catch my teleportation powers!”

When a portal opened from the sky, Mia’s head peeked out. Lord Mercury immediately disappeared, and the next thing we all knew is that he’s already in front, face-to-face with the lewd witch!

“What the-!” That was all Mia can mutter as the God of Travellers suddenly smacked his staff on her forehead!

Whack!

Mia disappeared again, and immediately appeared behind Rikkun, ready to smash the unaware blonde prince with her ax! But Lord Mercury is already there to block the attack with his bow!

“How can you be this fast!?” Mia groaned before disappearing.

Mia is now angry. There are portals everywhere appearing in the skies, about twenty to thirty of them. Mia can transport herself wherever she wants to any portal, so guessing the right area to strike will be difficult.

But Lord Mercury doesn’t need to guess.

Wherever the lewd witch appears, he follows with the very same, if not faster speed! Mia peeked her head from the portals one by one, but every time she made an entrance, the face of the God of Travellers welcome her!

Whack!

“Ouch!”

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”

Lord Mercury smacked his staff again and again to the Cursed Guardian’s forehead over and over, no matter how often the witch teleport and change her position.

“Time to put you down!” Lord Mercury slammed his staff to the enemy’s head ten times more powerful than before. This resulted in the teleporting witch to crash to the ground on her buttocks.

“Ouuuuchieee… H-How can you be so fast!” Mia cried. “A-Are you telling me that you are faster than teleportation itself!?”

Mia was about to swing her ax to create a Gate, but Lord Mercury immediately kicked the weapon off her hands with his fast kick! Then the God of Travellers raised his staff, and a glowing lasso tied up the witch like a worm on a cocoon.

Lord Mercury gave a killing cold glare. “You know that I hate hurting women. So give me the God Core and surrender yourself.”

“Fine! Fine!” The restrained witch made a tantrum.

The witch’s hand spread out and the God Core of Mars materialized. Lord Mercury reached out for it and magnetized the ball of light to his hand. He then safely lent it to the bystander acolyte Gate Guardian for safekeeping.

Rikkun immediately went to Lord Mercury’s side, and now, he’s glaring furiously at the captured witch.

“Mia Springfield. The General of the New Order. The Investigation Team of the Aether Crusade has successfully foiled your plans. We were more than ready for your attack.” Rikkun said.

Mia made an amazed smile to the blonde prince. “It is you who carefully planned to make this ice dome to prevent our escape.”

“Lord Neptune made this ice dome. I just advised our Legionmaster to cover the place with crystals at the exact time you got your hands on the God Core. We all knew that you are coming for it during everybody is busy in the Gate Guardian’s tournament.”

Rikkun immediately shifted to his serious face as he dragged the witch’s collar and put it closer to him. His emerald eyes glared at the crimson irises of the witch.

“How the hell are you still cursed, even though Amy used to purify you all?”

“It’s because of that damn Outsider.” Mia shifted to wrath as she curled her eyebrows and frowned. “My case is the same as Diadem’s. We got fooled. We got tricked. And maybe you are, too.”

“What?”

...

Suddenly…

“!!!”

Deafening thunderous explosions echoed as gigantic lightning trees sprouted from the ground. Most Gate Guardians were left severely wounded and unconscious but still managed to survive. Luckily, none of those lightning trees are designated to explode upon us. It’s as if the attack is just for innocent bystanders in the scene.

Clanks of metal can be heard from a distance. A silhouette appeared from the smoke and finally revealed itself as a man in an ironclad knight’s armor, and that armor has a glowing blue light on its gaps. He’s wielding a crimson broadsword, and his right arm appear to be an oversized mechanical limb.

All of the Aether Crusade was surprised as we saw a familiar appearance.

“Is that… Zeus?” Heushac muttered.

The high-tech knight helmet automatically folded itself until the man… or woman finally revealed her face. Her long blue hair danced as it was swayed by the wind.

“It’s been a long time, old friends.”

Helena Efilion’s left eye is crimson red. She has a black triangle sigil on her iris.