CHAPTER 60: ART OF THE ASTRAL BLADES

SERENA MAIZONO

1 ½ YEARS AGO

Lothar Pendragon is the Hero of Elysia and the inheritor of the power of the ancient knights that once protected the Dragon King. I saw him fight as a Yamato Dragon before, and honestly, I don’t think I have a chance unless Senpai has a countermeasure to his swords and teleportation magic. Forget Senpai for now, as he’s not here. I have to focus on the fight alone. I don’t know if my partial Elform transformation will do any good against him, but it’s worth a try.

“Fraulein Serena.” Lady Danielle grabbed my attention. “We will be your support. You will do all the offense, and leave the defense for us.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Alphonse scratched his head. “I don’t want to say this, but only you have the power to fuck that shit up. So throw all you got at Lothar, okay?”

I nodded with full determination and energy. “Lady Danielle, Sir Alphonse… It’s an honor to be the striker of this team. Thanks!”

“Heh!” Alphonse laughed. “Be grateful that I’m allowing you to do this. If Xenon is here, I wouldn’t authorize you to be our attacker. You and your moron dragon knight would be stuck on the defensive role forever.” 

I think Alphonse only see Senpai as a punching bag bait for enemies. 

“Tres Bien, Serena.” Danielle smiled. “Now let’s do this and fight.”

“Right!” I pumped up. 

I looked at the top of the building where our enemy; Lothar Pendragon is situated. He is giving a cold glare with his lifeless eyes. It is obvious that his mind and soul are suffering from his past, but still, it doesn’t hinder his intention to kill us all here and now.

“Three versus one, huh?” Lothar muttered. “I’m outnumbered, but I suggest calling more reinforcements on your side. That would not be enough to even defeat me on my human form.”

“I’m going to shove those words right to your fucking arse!” Alphonse cried. With his chains, he picked up a ruined pillar from a nearby destroyed building and threw it to the Elysian hero.

Lothar does not have the slightest intention to evade. He used his oversized buster sword to deflect the gigantic pillar, shattering the debris to thousands of pieces. 

With such a small amount of diversion time, Danielle and I took the opportunity to approach the enemy. Danielle used her fans to fly forward, while I use Forge to create daggers and throw it towards the wall of the building. I used those daggers to teleport myself into the upper floors using my Blink magic.

“You have great coordination skills,” Lothar said as he pointed his buster sword towards me. “But it is not enough. Murasame Blade! Yasaka Blade! Yagami Blade! Release!”

Suddenly, Lothar’s buster swords dispersed into three smaller swords that rushed towards my position. Those swords are no ordinary weapons as I can sense sealing magic on each of them. I’ve seen his sword pin down Z and Nathaniel on their dragon forms. If I get a hit, there’s a high chance that my body will be paralyzed!

“Haaah!” I managed to forge a sword in the nick of time and deflect the first blade. The problem is, I don’t have enough time to repel the second and third swords that are rushing towards me.

“I won’t let you!” Danielle flapped her fans to redirect the flying direction of the two swords. The gust of wind she created made the swords stuck on another building’s wall.

I threw one of my daggers towards the tip of the rooftops, and it was stuck just a few inches away from Lothar’s foot. Now that I have marked the target, I immediately Blinked myself behind Lothar, created two long blades, and prepared a cross slash towards his back.

“Haaaah!” I gave my full force to make the attack quicker and stronger. But my slash was repelled by his buster sword, which magically appeared back on his hand. The rumbling noise of colliding metals echoed in the warzone.

“Too slow.” Lothar arrogantly said with a cold expression.

“My next attack won’t be slow!” I cried out loud as I spread daggers all around us. “Showtime!”

I teleported towards Lothar’s back, forged two short swords and strike him. Then, I repeated the same blink-strike-blink pattern as I clash him with my mace, shield, lance, ax, scythe, and finally a blue dwarf star!

“S-E-R-E-N-A! Maizono Medley!” 

As soon as the dwarf star collided with the enemy, a bluish flame explosion was created. It took about two seconds until the smoke cleared out. It’s my special attack that was used to defeat Marlon Trystgade; a powerful Pentagram Knight. This ought to finish him up!

But… He is still standing. He only suffered minor injuries such as scratches on his clothes. His wound immediately healed after a split second afterward.

“Impossible…” I muttered. I don’t know what surprises me more: the fact that he withstood my ultimate attack with his defense and regeneration, or the fact that he is now currently having sharp ears identical to an elf.

“You’re not the only one who can use Elform,” Lothar said as he made his final warning for my doom. 

The dragonoid who has the power of an elf threw out his gigantic sword into the air, and the sword split into nine different astral glass-like swords that are filled with nature’s energy. The swords stuck on the ground, surrounding me and my enemy, making the field a gladiator’s fighting ring. Then he muttered the final spell to finish me. 

“Shingetsu First Style: Throne of the Heavenly Blades Replica!”

Lothar blinked to his nine astral swords. His teleportation is so fast that he is able to create nine different afterimages of him. With such beyond normal teleportation technique, he drew out all the nine swords, and surged towards me with a blinding speed of light!

“Kyaaaaaaah!” I made a high-pitched scream as I was impaled by nine different ghostly swords on all sides of my body. 

I didn’t suffer from any physical wounds, but I recognized a pain beyond unimaginable on my mind and soul. With such an attack, all my magical energy and willpower to fight was drained.

When the nine astral swords shattered like glass and disappeared to nothing, I fell on my knees with no more energy to spare. My skin, my muscles, and my bones are completely fine, but there is a hot burning sensation I can feel that is currently combusting my soul. My body won’t move. My spirit’s connection with my body has been severed, and all I can do is to watch with my own lifeless eyes on what will happen to me next.

Lothar grabbed my neck and raised me. Instinctively, my hands held the enemy’s wrist, trying to shake him off. But it’s no good. I’ve completely lost my strength to even fight.

“Guh…” I cried as I slowly choke. “Ack!”

Lothar magically created a buster sword on his other hand, and now, its tip is ready to impale my midriff. 

“Cheng Du has fucked up plans for you, so I’m supposed to keep you alive. But I think dying here and now would be the best fate for you.” 

“L-Let me go!” I tried to struggle, but my hammering fists to his arms hit like a wet noodle. I can no longer use magic to forge a weapon. I can’t break free.

Lothar made a disappointed sigh. “Poor you. I don’t know where is your dragon knight, but one thing is for sure. Xenon has abandoned you. And due to his incompetence, he will lose the person who gave him a second life. Hear this, Serena Maizono, and mark my words on your hallucinating brain. Your feelings for Xenon will never be reciprocated. He doesn't love you. All he cares about is his plan for revenge. Your love for him will cut both ways.”

“N-No…” I softly cried. “Senpai… will never… leave me…”

Lothar arched his arm, ready to stab his sword to my stomach, but then…

“Z, do it now!”

“Aye aye, master!” Z cried from a distance. There was an approaching jet-like figure that rips the wind barrier as I heard my friend’s shout for his magic. “Elemental Art: Rainbow Surge!”

It was an attack that is on par with lightspeed. Z surged with full force as she left a rainbow streak on her trail. Mixing all the elements she combined together, she blasted through Lothar’s right arm which is holding my neck. In the nick of time, Lothar released me from his grasps and managed to spin in order to prevent a direct hit. 

“Kuh…” Lothar grunted as he saw his right arm suffer from frost, burn, electrocution, rust, and rupture cuts. The right part of his white uniform has been evaporated to crisps. This is the second time where we managed to give him almost a fatal hit, but it is not so much because Lothar is continuously regenerating by using the magic in nature with his Elform. 

I looked at my savior, who is a petite girl wearing a witch’s hat. She’s currently levitating on midair, her Partial Dragon Form activated. But something is different from her. Normally, her Partial Dragon Form has four different colored wings, but now she only has a set of colorful rainbow wings similar to a graceful peacock. There’s a prism-like halo behind her that emits light rays.

“Z…” I weakly muttered with a smile. “Thanks for the save…”

“You’re welcome, Serena!” Z said with a cheerful smile. “I will never let my best friend get hurt!”

I looked at the direction of the mythical dragonoid and saw that he is not pleased. His wounds have completely healed, and he’s not bothered by the damage he got. Instead, he’s glaring at someone behind me with a troubled look.

“Took you forever to appear.” Lothar Pendragon muttered.

I wonder who’s he’s talking to, as he’s not looking at Z. I only realized this certain someone when I heard a set of familiar footsteps on my back. It’s light, gentle, and not composed. I felt a warm palm on top of my head. Then the most precious person in my life appeared right on my very eyes.

“I’m sorry for leaving you, Serena. I’m back now.”

My eyes sparkled, which is filled with hope and joy.

“Senpai!”