Chapter 72: Trapped Living People

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Eleine and Bonney started to work their way toward Dalyon's voice, while having a casual talk with the youngster, not caring if he was dying or not.

"You better keep talking, since we will not know where to dig out rocks."

"I will try."

"Hah, such delicate hands are required to work at such heights. Not even Vlad made me work like this."

"I will pay you back, don't worry."

"Yeah, sure, I don't even know who you are, but the fact you mentioned you encountered Vlad and even defeated him, makes me curious to find out who is the person who defeated him."

Making their way past the wall of rocks, with minutes passing by they finally reached him, finding the entrance of a cave, they were surprised to see someone entangled so tightly in spider webs, and in another sticky substance that colored his body into white, like a gypsum casting.

"Well, aren't you quite the large bird?" asked Eleine, who rubbed salt on the wounds of the Lunarian for the entire time she found out someone got stuck inside the mountain.

Dalyon also could see the women who rescued him, Vlad's companions, and was taken aback by the black-haired girl who was truly beautiful even if there were layers and layers of clothes, her face was slightly unprotected.

'She isn't half-bad. But her mouth … is dirty and annoying. It makes me want to shut her up.'

"You have to start with the spider web. That will make it easier for me to escape and release my power."

"What's the magic word?" asked Eleine, who approached closer to Dalyon, watching him with a sneer.

"Please, I gave you my work. I will be in your debt."

Dalyon continues on by telling the girls about the spider web, and how they should be careful not to get also trapped along with himself.

"Got you, now can you shut up? This isn't as simple as you make it."

Eleine tells him not to teach him how to do her job, going into a cold tone, and while taking a long dagger from her backpack, she started approaching the young Lunarian, and when she was at his side, she began gesturing how easily it would be to cut his throat.

"Also, young man, by how you speak of Vlad, I can feel some hostility in your tone … and it just so happens that I am the one who dotes on the master the most."

"Hmph, what hostility to be between me and that lowborn? ... We fought and I defeated him, simple as that, but he is alive inside the Underground Cavern."

"And you got trapped here? So like Vlad to mess with his enemy even though he couldn't defeat them." commented Eleine, while clearing out the spider webs with precise cuts.

Titania, who heard about the Underground Cavern and looking up at the opened maw of the Yehimal Mountain, and from nowhere, she heard a sinister laugh that had all of her body get goosebumps and reach a tense state.

"Girls, have you heard a laugh by chance?"

When checking with Bonney and Eleine, they didn't hear any laugh, which increased the sense of doom resurfacing on her body, and she didn't understand why …

'What's going on? Why do I feel nervous? As if something nasty lurks inside this cave?'

She was with her own thoughts, while Eleine and Bonney were interrogating Dalyon, who began talking about the cave, and what he saw, from the bugs, to the frozen undead, while also mentioning the Ancient Structure which looked rather impressive.

When she imagined the Ancient Structure based on what Dalyon described, she gained another involuntary goosebump, and no longer felt like waiting for Eleine to fool around with the constrained Lunarian, she mentioned with a serious tone.

"Eleine, start taking this seriously. Also, hurry up, I have a bad feeling about this place."

"Ohh really? Just a bit more, and I finish working on this young man. Do you want to try it too?"

"Eleine, you heard me? I want you to take this job seriously, and hurry up already!"

Eleine turned her head at Titania, watching her with a cold gaze, before she smiled playfully, not wanting to play along. Nonetheless, Titania showed her seriousness, and with a cold expression which was a first for her mentioned.

"You know, I never told you this because I didn't feel like it, but I and Vlad made an agreement after he allowed you to journey along. It goes something like this in simple terms, if "I" ever feel like you are dragging him back, I can tell him to push you off the ship."

"I see."

"It just so happens that my patience will slowly run dry, and we might get to such a situation."

While her cold voice spread around the cave, various fungi in this cave began to wither.

"Okay, okay, no need to get angry with me. But this will be on you in case this guy who claims to have defeated Vlad starts getting hostile."

"Hurry!! I have a bad premonition and it is related to this place."

Dalyon looked at Titania barely noticing her after getting his Haki and powers sealed away by the mysterious spider, but he could appreciate the fact she wanted to free him, and once Eleine and Bonney managed to remove a thick part of the spider net, even dropping him to the ground, the flames on his back started to get ignited.

"This will be enough help for me. Step back, lowborn woman."

Once he could feel his powers return, he forced his way out from the trap destroying the dry clay-like substance on his body, while the webs began burning.

"You've helped me get out from this trap … and I am a man of my words. However, I have to return inside the cavern and take revenge for the humiliation I've tasted."

Extending his black wings, while the flames on his back burned with a stronger flame, ready to take off, Titania's voice stopped him from flying, sounding calm in her question.

"You say you will keep to your debt, correct?"

The lunarian turned his head at the small woman and noticed there was a different energy surrounding her, and he answered without showing his arrogance.

"Yes, miss. Do you need something from me?"

"Simple. I want you to take us along to the Cavern."

"Are you sure? I will not help you at all once you get there since I have to defeat that damned spider."

She rolled her golden eyes, and while flying toward him, getting into his face, she told him with an annoyed tone.

"Boy, you are in my debt, correct? Then stop questioning me, and take us there since you can fly faster than I do."

Dalyon didn't understand why this Fairy wanted to rush to her death, maybe she knew something about the cavern which he didn't know.

"If you want to rush to your death, I don't care. I'll take you along, but if you do something to trigger a trap, I will kill you myself."

Nonetheless, with slight arrogance in his tone, he looks at the women who were like dwarfs compared to his large frame, accepting to give them a lift.

Titania landed on the Lunarian's shoulder, and looking at Eleine and Bonney she told them to get ready, and with a "Huh" Dalyon moved like a flash to scoop them by their waist, taking off the to the sky like a predatory bird.

"AHHH! What the?? The cold air hits my face, go slower you flame boy."

Dalyon ignored all of Eleine's complaints as he pushed like a launched rocket toward the Underground Cavern. The flight there saw the girls getting impressed by the rocky formations, the stalagmites, and stalactites, except for Titania who unlike her curious and cheerful personality got quiet and reserved with her words, as if something got on her mind, which pressed her.

Once he arrived closer to the chamber he experienced his travesty and humiliation which he never tasted, going higher than what happened in the fight against Vlad, he began burning hotter with each of his emotions left unchecked. It was like this, until Eleine glanced at the young Lunarian and told him with an annoyed tone.

"Quit acting like you are some rabid dog, it's annoying hearing you growl like one while I try to watch the scenery."

"You should be the one quiet, you stupid woman. You don't even know what awaits you, and yet still decided to join me. If that monster still lurks on the ceiling, I will just leave it to eat you alive for all I care."

Ignoring his remarks Eleine could see the opened double door on the floor and like magic when Dalyon made his way inside they were greeted by some frozen people while the door underneath their feet began closing in an instant as if someone was waiting for their return.

This scene made Titania look around herself, and with a stinging pain, akin to getting an electric shock in her brain, she saw a short vision of a tall man shrouded in darkness, watching with emotionless crimson eyes while calling out a name she couldn't understand as if it came from a language lost in the annals of history.

Yet, the next remarks that came from that man staring at her, made her tremble.

"All the pawns are set in motion protecting my final masterpiece. Soon … soon, I will once again awaken. They don't know, silly existences, that Nature's Ire is cruel, doing everything in her powers to constrain me to an imperfect being, stuck in a Glitch."

"No more. I strangled her by the throat and reached the pinnacle of the creation of my desire. The Glitch has been resolved, now I await my Masterpiece."

"My Desire will always be protected by my Will. "

"..."

While Titania was absent-minded, Dalyon took actions in his hand, glancing with full hatred at the ceiling which hosted the Monstrous Icy Spider, and not caring about the girls he brought to this chamber he formed a Flaming Spear Wrath coated in full Armament Haki sending off a lot of energy which the girls didn't experience thus far, and with a throw of the spear.

"YOU THOUGHT I WILL FORGET THE HUMILIATION YOU'VE GIVEN ME?! NEVER!! A LUNARIAN DOESN'T BOW HIS HEAD TO NO ONE!"

Dalyon's flaming spear moved with such intensity and power that once it collided with the ceiling of the artificial cavern, a large crack appeared on the ceiling, and in her absent-mindedness, Titania heard a cold laugh and then sensing a menacing aura coming from the sides of the room, where 6 frozen people moved slowly toward them.

"You heard that, girls?"

"What?? There are only those frozen people." responded Eleine, before returning with her own question.

"What are those frozen people? Flame boy, are those the undead you mentioned while I was clearing you out?" asked Eleine, who never experienced such a scene, yet remained calm in the face of those people who looked to be an enemy.

"Hmph. Just rats, I can take care in a second."

The pink-haired young lady looked to be affected by the frozen people who appeared before them, especially when watching a man with a large frame wearing a slightly luxurious winter coat with a frozen longsword in his hand, his appearance looked in a far better condition compared to the initial frozen undead Dalyon fought along with Vlad.

"Are they? Impossible … It's the Count Reverscar and his close retainers … But … I heard they went missing 10 years ago."

"You know those people, little Bonney?" inquired Eleine, while the pink-haired girl simply nodded, telling her slowly.

- "Reverscar House, is one of the founding families of Sorbet Kingdom … a prestigious house in the kingdom, but with the Count's disappearance, it slowly began losing power. He is a powerful person, so be careful Eleine."

Dalyon shifted his attention on those zombies after eavesdropping on the conversation the girls had in regard to the undead, and couldn't help but laugh internally at such grand words, and without any fear now that he recovered his power and the spider cowered in fear against his arrival, he began his assault beginning with a tornado of flames.

"Festival of Flames"

Knowing their weakness, he went about with the strategy Vlad built before charging at the monsters swinging his flaming spear at them, fully coated in Armament Haki. Not expecting much from those zombies since the last batch he faced were weaklings, his confidence was challenged when the large undead swung his sword which got covered in Armament canceling out his attack.

"Armament?? No way, how could an undead be able to use Haki? It doesn't make sense …"

Count Reverscar, who heard a cold expression, pale and frozen by years of being in this cold environment, started his advancement on the young Lunarian, while his retainers moved to encircle him.

"You wish."  called out Dalyon who dodged the encirclement using his flight, before showering the retainers with his Flaming Spear Wrath, unleashing his attacks as if he was the God of Thunder.

All of the retainers got hit, but without suffering heavy damage, instead their frozen armor cracked a bit, while Count Reverscar slashed with his frozen sword at the flaming attack, creating a lot of vapors in the Dark Cave

Titania who was on Eleine's shoulder watched the undeads with a serious gaze, and noticing how Eleine and Bonney were stationary targets, she told them prepare for the fight.

"There's no point in standing idle here. You heard the white-haired boy, he will not protect us. This is where everything you've learned from Vlad comes into play."

"I thought it would take longer before I engage in real combat… Well, I can't complain since I always wished for such Thrilling Experience. I want to feel ALIVE!"

Eleine and Bonney took out their weapons and the nervousness began increasing in their chests, while the one facing Count Reverscar and all of the retainers of this monster counting of 5 of them, noticed how Eleine and Bonney were readying to fight the monsters.

Understanding that the frozen undead wasn't like the ones from the beginning of the cavern, with a frown on his face, split his attention on the girls. His arrogance didn't allow him to speak his mind, to recognize the difficulties he was facing against the monsters, but nonetheless, he mentioned when the clash with Count Reverscar got heavier.

"Tell me when you finished your preparations. I will give you a push. You want to fight, right?"

Eleine smirked, not expecting this arrogant guy to acknowledge that it would be better if he could focus more on the Count instead of the rest of zombies.

"Do we look as if we have another choice? We'll rather not have you die so early since we didn't even find our leader. Understood?" mentioned Eleine while moving closer to the frozen undead.

"Hmph, you think I would get myself done by those monsters? Nonsense! I can take on those monsters on my own easily, however since you want to have a taste of the action I'll not mind it whatsoever. Here, this is some assistance from me. Your only assistance!"

"Festival of Flames!"

Once again acting aloof and arrogant, he used his flaming attack to weaken the defenses of the monsters, and it was in that point that Eleine decided to finally make her move. Going with a surprising swift agility to the back of one frozen man, who looked to have his icy armor thoroughly weakened. It resulted in her dagger attack finding its target with a perfect precision, stabbing the undead into his spine, but there was no blood leaking from the nasty wound.

"Troublesome … There's no blood. Hey, flame boy, is this normal?"

"They are dead … there's no blood in them. What would you expect stupid woman? To see blood splashing on your face?"

Hearing Dalyon's comment, she gave him a cold look, before she felt the monster's muscle twitching as if it was alive, and the roar of the monster was enough to tell her … she failed in causing any damage.

"Ahh flying pigshit! This isn't what I thought would happen. Maybe it would take me extra hits to take him down, but now … I only angered this monster."

"Take your dagger home and dodge!" mentioned Titania in an alert manner while grabbing hold of the black hair.

Eleine followed Titania's guidance, and withdrawing her long dagger from the back of the frozen undead, she later saw the monster turn rather fast unlike what she envisioned in her mind, attacking with a cleaving strike of his claws.

"Block it with the dagger."

"I got this."

Blocking the strike of its claws which pushed her away, her expression coldly watched the monster, mentioning to Titania with surprise.

"Does it make sense? Those monsters … they hit too heavy. Not even Vlad hits me so hard."

"Focus. It will be fine since I will help you defeat those monsters."

"You? I agree that you are quite sharp when it comes to seeing things I don't see, but how? … Okay, don't pull on my hair or I will place a chewing gum in your hair when you take a nap."

"I double dare you. I will have all my seagulls drop their droppings on your head for the entire journey you are with me."

"Whoa, no need to be so serious. Okay, but you better don't yell at me if I mess something up. It's my first serious fight since I joined Vlad."

With the fight between the girls and the frozen retainers happening, the Fairy kept herself busy by looking after Eleine and Bonney who showcased the techniques Vlad taught them in the short span of time they spent together, with Eleine being the one with great success since her agility was decent, even by Vlad's standards.

Her hit-and-run attacks were efficient against the weakened frozen monsters who couldn't quite catch her, while Bonney too showed some of the dagger techniques Vlad taught her patiently in his chibi form, explaining how her body should move with the dagger strikes.

Bonney's initial strikes against the zombies didn't show an efficient result like what Eleine was having, but she didn't give up, and listening to Titania's calm encouragement she also managed to unleash the dagger strikes taught by Vlad.

Meanwhile, on the center of the stage, the young Lunarian had a solid fight against Count Reverscar, who could utilize Armament to be on par with his attacks and even Observation to dodge some attacks that could be decisive.

Nonetheless, with minutes passing, the pair of girls who fought like ferocious lionesses found a lot of success along with the assistance delivered by the Fairy who mentioned her observations with regard to their defenses and possible weakness.

With 10 minutes passing by so quickly while the fight took place, the girls managed to defeat the monsters they targeted.

The monsters revealed something confusing for the girls, when they dropped on the floor having the frozen, paled complexion turning into the appearance of men who died in that exact moment, blood stains appearing on the dark floor.

Bonney, who noticed the blood coming out from the monster she defeated, started trembling, looking at her hands which didn't have any stains, but the shock was rather ruthless with the young girl.

"I killed a person … Look, there's blood. What have I done??"

"Shhh, it's fine, you fought a monster and defeated them. You did good, so don't get upset. It will pass slowly. This must be some of the blood that remained inside of them in a frozen state and now is melting because of the flaming guy."

"Really?"

"... Really."

Titania wasn't sure herself, but she couldn't just leave this girl to be left in a shocked state, in such a dangerous place. She had to soothe out the mind of the girl, and help her move past this incident, adjusting her to the cold sensation of slaying someone.

The Fairy who was observing how the Lunarian was fighting, noticed how his spearmanship was too flashy compared to Vlad's spearmanship. Yet, she didn't mind that, it wasn't her job to tell this dangerous youngster that he was wasting movements, instead she noticed how the frozen undead were slowing down with even their power declining considerably, no longer acting monstrous.

This confusing change in the frozen undead, was also noticed by Dalyon who managed to put an end to the Retainers, which immediately turned into a shape similar to the ones the girls defeated, with blood leaking from the wounds he caused.

"Even if you were alive, I wouldn't care that much. Attacking me, is akin to wishing you were dead."

'Even if you were alive … Did he notice something?' thought Titania, who started flying toward the slayed "monsters" and placing her untainted hands on their bloody wounds, she could feel the warmth, as if they were alive not too long ago.

"Get away, little bug, you are in my way." shouted Dalyon who was having his last-stand against Count Reverscar who no longer have that menacing aura around him, instead turning slowly into a weaker enemy.

'Those "monsters" … Could it be that they have been afflicted by something or someone who controls them? It's clear that something is happening that they got weaker ever so slowly.

'This change must have been caused by something or someone that is affecting the controlling abilities over those people.'

Contemplating this theory, her golden eyes suddenly flashed with a bright light, and shouting at Dalyon, it only brought confusion to the young lunarian.

"Don't rush to kill him!! I want to check something!"

"Buzz off, little bug! This is my enemy! This monster even managed to cut my flesh, I got to end him."

'Tch, stupid brat … just a musclehead. This is why I am always annoyed by stubborn people. I must try that on this Count Reverscar.'

Flying toward Bonney with all the speed she could muster, once she landed on her shoulder, she told her something which confused her, nevertheless, there was a small bond forming between herself and Titania, and decided to listen to her.

"Listen, little Bonney, for now just approach closer to those muscleheads. Be sure to prepare your Devil Powers and wait for my command."

"Understood. However, are you sure that they are alive?"

"This is why we are trying this."

She approached closer to the fight, and when Reverscar got pushed by the monstrous power of the young Lunarian, and with him taking off to the ceiling with flaming spears appearing on his hands, it was in that moment that Titania ordered Bonney to act.

"Now, little Bonney. Touch that person and turn him younger."

Adrenaline enveloping the young girl, she dashed toward Count Reverscar and it annoyed Dalyon who had to stop his final attack, his Magnum Opus thanks to the actions of those women.

Stopping his assault, with the flames returning to his back, he saw from the pink-haired girl how her body was covered into a bright-pink veil, later on touching the body of the frozen undead.

"Those stupid lowborn women … Are they planning of committing suicide?" murmured Dalyon from the air, not caring about saving Bonney and Titania if the Count attacked them,

Eleine got nervous thinking Bonney and Titania had a stupid plan, being too far from helping them, she noticed the pink-haired girl activating her Devil Powers, and with the frozen monster stopping in place like a stone statue.

The icy veil on his body quickly disappeared and the color in the cheeks of the middle-aged man returned giving a healthy appearance, his golden hair was akin to the mane of a lion, while his blue eyes looked confused.

"Where am I? Is this the Heaven's Gate? … Wait, who are you, young lady?"

The large middle-aged man shifted his attention on the small pink-haired girl who touched his opened mid-section that began oozing blood, with most of the wounds inflicted by Dalyon causing him great pain, but he bore with them.

"That pink hair … that face … you must be Runa's daughter, little Anne? Ahh, you've grown big, little princess."

"Uncle Reverscar, do you remember me? Do you know who you are, and what happened to you?"

"Arghh! Wait, it hurts a lot, why? I don't remember anything from that cursed day. I was getting so close to the Summit to the Heaven's Gate … but an Avalanche was triggered taking me and my boys along to the unknown…"

Bonney's expression crumbled when she heard that Reverscar and his retainers were taken by the avalanche, and looking at the dead retainers, she began trembling.

"I-I …"

"Don't place a burden on your shoulder, little girl. What was done was done, I don't blame you. Argh, if I didn't die from the avalanche, I will be sure to die from those wounds."

"But I killed one of them, while I could save them … if only I knew about it."

Eleine who arrived next to Bonney and Titania, pulled them away from the middle-aged man, gazing at him with cold eyes, still believing there might be something off, she could see the gruesome wounds caused by the young Lunarian, who descended on the ground.

"Can someone explain to me, what the fuck is going on here? Now, I am not even in the mood to kill you, blonde lowborn."

"If I don't die, I will try to remember what happened on that day."

Eleine fished out a potion that Vlad gave her which could help in healing various wounds, passing it to Count Reverscar who used the potion without any skepticism since she saw her act protective with Bonney, an act big enough to tell him she was an ally.

Before he could start his story, a cold sinister laugh spread around the chamber, the same laughter which made Titania tremble, and it also had an effect on Reverscar who dropped to his knees, trembling in fear against this sinister laugh.

"Interesting. A vermin managed to escape my grasp. This must be because I have trouble with the Sword Inheritor. Either way, once I am finished with him, I will come to claim you bugs too."

Titania understood that this sinister voice was referring to Vlad, and she couldn't help but pray for his safety against this being that awakened a hidden dread deep into her soul.