A while back.

"They are coming!!"

"Fire!!"

The Aphrodite and Artemis Familia fought back.

Whoosh!!

Whoosh!!

Ais was cutting through hoards of flaming monsters.

"[Firebolt]!!!!!"

Bwoosh!!!!!

They blasted a swath through.

"Haaa!!!"

"Uraa!!!"

Mikoto and Welf fight off the stragglers.

"Send people to the east!" commanded Lili. "Some are trying to get in!"

"Haaa!!!"

"Raaa!!!"

"Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!"

Ryuu, Aisha, and Asfi also help in pushing back the fire army.

"(Ride upon the battlefield, rider of the white stead) [Katákti̱si̱]!!!" Malion’s bow was covered in white light as she fired arrow after arrow of light, going through five soldiers with each one.

"(Penetrate, lance of thunder. Your servant asks you, Amdusias. Incarnate of power. King of Thunder.) [Sunlight Spear]!!!!" Fafnir was helping from the back with thundering strikes.

Aphrodite watches as everyone fights with everything they have.

‘What the hell is going on!! I felt a new divinity-like thing!!’

"Go!!! Keep fighting!!!" Aphrodite uses her charm to boost their morale.

 

While firing arrows, Malion couldn’t help but notice Bell. His white hair wasn’t uncommon, but for Malion it was strangely striking.

‘Why… Why does he remind me of her? I will ask him once this is over.’

"Fafnir." She gave her a sidelong glance. "Do you know that white-haired boy?"

"Finally got used to me, elf?" Fafnir smirked as her eyes darted around the battlefield.

"Enough not to shoot you. So, my question?"

"His name is Bell Cranel. He’s a new adventurer or something. I didn’t really pay him much mind."

"Cranel…" Malion looked at Bell again.

‘I will need to speak with him once this is over.’

As Bell was fighting off the flame soldiers, he could feel Malion’s gaze on him.

"Hmm…"

"What is wrong, Bell?" asked Ryuu.

"It’s nothing, just that... That dark elf is gazing at me now and then."

"I am sure she is looking after you, as she is your support."

"Yeah."

Baam!!

She shot a flame soldier that was about to attack him.

"Oy!! Rabbit!!" Malion shouted. "Stop talking and more fighting!!"

"Y-yes!!"

 

Somewhere on the battlefield.

"There are so many," said Ais.

"Their number isn’t slowing at all." Said Asfi. "Even when I fly up, it’s an ocean of fire."

"Tch… He must have gotten his weapon." Ais spoke with sharp eyes.

"Who is he?" Asfi asked.

"Him," she said, getting into a stance.

Walking up to her with a nonchalant demeanor, was Epimetheus with his blackened divine weapon.

"We meet again... You flying girl, I’ll give you the chance to live." His eyes were cold and erratic. "With my weapon back in my hand, your fate is sealed."

"Asfi, go and help the others. You are no match for him. He matched Cirrus with that blade."

"!!" Asfi was shocked, but she bit her lips and did as she said. "I will bring help." And then she flew away.

"Wise, now let’s… Hmm." He looks at Ais with some curiosity. "That stance… Maybe it’s because I saw this era’s finest hero, or my memories have gotten better, but… It has been centuries, but you remind me of that bastard Albert."

"!!" Ais froze a bit at his words.

"Yes… You even looked like his wife. What was her name? It’s been so long that I forgot."

"(Tempest, Awaken)!!"

A fortress of wind clad her. The image of Ais clad in wind brought memories back for him.

"Ah yes… Aria! You look like the spitting image of her! And with Albert’s sword style!! How could I have forgotten that!! Age truly has been catching up to me!"

"Stop…"

"Hm?"

"Stop talking about my father and mother!!!!"

She ran as fast as the wind and clashed her blade with his.

Whooooooooooosh!!!!!

Bwoooooooooooooooooooosh!!!!!!!!!

The fire spread even more with the wind.

"You are their child!! A Nephilim!! To think I would see one like Maquia!!"

"Maquia?"

‘That name again!’

"Who are you!! How could I even possibly know my parents!!"

While Ais was in Olympia, the Aphrodite Familia omitted who Epimetheus was, for the same reason as Cirrus. That, and she was helping with construction.

"My name is Epimetheus, the Hero of Flame!! The fool who failed to kill the Black Beasts!!"

"Epi… metheus?" She said, confused about who he was.

"I like you already; you don’t know my tale, and you never would!!" He swings his great sword, and massive heat and fire come with it.

Clang!!!!!!!!

"!!"

Whooosh!!!!!

Ais met the blade but used her wind to soften the blow, but the heat was getting to her.

"I won’t die so easily!!" She then ran up to him and delivered attack after attack, each one faster and sharper than the last.

"Is this what you can do? I’m disappointed; I expected you to give me a challenge like Cirrus, but it seems you haven’t hit full maturity yet."

"(Nizel)!!!! (Nizel)!!!!"

A powerful black wind covers Ais as she charges again.

Each blow of her attacks pushes Epimetheus back and blows the corrupted flame’s cinders high into the air.

"Good!! Good!! You're almost there!!! Show me!! Show me your hatred!!!!" He parried her attacks and began his assault.

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

Ais then began to block and parry his attacks, each time Ais’ weapon, Desperate.

"Show me!!!!!!!!! Show me the hatred that runs as thick as mine!!! SHOW ME YOU'RE BETTER THAN YOUR FAILURE OF A FATHER!!!!"

"I’LL KILL YOU AND THE BLACK DRAGON!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"HAHAHA!!!! WITH YOUR SHIT SKILLS!!! YOU’RE A CHILD THROWING A TANTRUM!!!! HELL IF YOUR FATHER WITH HIS NONEXISTENT FOOTWORK WAS BETTER THAN THIS DRIBBLE YOU CALL SWORDSMANSHIP!!!"

Ais no longer bothered to parry but went full offensive, her wind grew furious as she traded blows with Epimetheus.

Clang!!! Clang!!!

Clang!!! Clang!!!

Clang!!! Clang!!!

Clang!!! Clang!!!

Clang!!! Clang!!!

Clang!!! Clang!!!

Each of their blows could be felt throughout the battlefield, with the hot winds being felt by everyone.

Ais received several small cuts. Epimetheus was playing with her, making her angrier and angrier.

With each swing, Ais poured her life, heart, and hatred in. They were as solid as her soul is golden, but her sword had reached its limits by clashing with a divine weapon of fire.

Cling!!!!!!

She could see her sword, which had indestructible properties, being broken. Her eyes widen as if she had woken up from a dream.

"Disappointed!!!" Epimetheus came down with a swing.

Ais could feel this was the end, her anger had led to this moment.

As she looks at the blackened, inflamed blade coming down. Riveria's words echoed in her racing mind:

‘Don’t you dare imitate him! He has years of experience and training under his belt!’

Ais let her temper get to her, as it did with Cirrus.

Now that a purple death was overheard, ready to cut her in two, she wished with all of her heart that a hero—her hero—would come and save her the same way her father saved her when she was a child.

‘Father!!!’

Then almost as if her wish was answered a streak of familiar white caught her eye.

Clang!!!!!!!!

"Ais!!!!!!" Shouted Bell, meeting and holding back the divine weapon.

"A boy!!!!" Epimetheus shouted in anger and surprise.

‘This damn brat!! Why!? Why does he look like those two fucking bastards!!’

"Get out of the way you—CRACK!!!!!"

Thunder boomed through Olympia, slightly shaking the city.

Thud!! Thud!!

Two arrows of light struck him in his left eye and right shoulder while he was distracted.

"Gah!! Damn—CRACK!!! Thud!!" Epimetheus’s head broke and flopped to the left.

"Cranel!!" Ryuu shouted, having broken his neck. "Run!! Now!!!" She then quickly ran.

"Let’s go!!" Bell shouted, picking Ais up and running away.

Epimetheus looked up to see a white light shoot into the sky.

‘You’re alive!! Cirrus!!! Good!! I will take your other eye!!’

With a villain's smile, he fixed his neck, and the arrows burned off.

 

While running away, Bell has Ais in a princess carry. She looks up to see the visage of her father in Bell.

‘Was this how he felt when I saved him? That day in the Dungeon?'

Bell looked at her and met her eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat as she blushed.

"Ais! Are you alright!"

"Y-yes…" she said, looking away.

"Get going!!" shouted Asfi, throwing grenades.

"Keep running!!" shouted Ryuu, and she and Aisha made their way back behind the city walls.

"I’ll slow them down!!" shouted Welf as he swung a blue magic sword, creating a massive wall of ice.

"I will help." Said Fafnir. "(Lament, storm of frost. Your servant asks you, Crocell. Incarnate of patience. King of Ice.) [Ice Age]!!!!!!"

From her magic circle, the ice created by Welf’s magic sword grew wider and colder.

"Huff!! Huff!! Was that the guy?" Bell asked Ais. "The one who matched Cirrus?"

"Y-yes… Um, can you put me down?"

"O-oh!" He lets her down. "Sorry!" he said, blushing.

"Is your knife okay?"

"Oh." Bell quickly checks to find his knife with not even a nick on it. "Yeah, it's doing well! But his strike rattled my bones."

"Yes…" Ais holds up her sword to find it melted through. "Epimetheus’s weapon is extremely dangerous."

"Yeah, it… Epimetheus? You don’t mean—!!!"

They can see the ice quickly being melted and broken away.

"Get ready!!!" shouted Malion.

Everyone prepared themselves as Epimetheus walked through.

"Haaa… So many ants… Not enough patience." His sword is engulfed in the corrupted fire. "I think I’m going to kill the dark elf first, then the light elf that broke my neck, and then the child who got in my way of killing them—!!" He quickly looked up toward the temple. "You are back, finally!!!" The flame around his sword grew massively. "CIRRRRRRRRRRUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Bam!!!!!!!

Rumble!!!

Landing before them was Cirrus, with a black weapon in hand that Ais, Ryuu, and Lili immediately recognized the design and shape of.

"Hey, gramps I missed you in that purgatory." Cirrus said. "It’s time for round 3." He opens his right eye to show it was as silver as Nox’s