Chapter Twenty-One: Brutal Confrontation with the Face of War! Immoral Rhythm of Evil!

As Richard, Dan, Voltaire, and the rest of the Crimson Tengu Ravens struggled to ensure that the Humanity Unity summit would not end on a tragic note, they had no notion that, even without Ares' manipulations, the summit was on the verge of exploding into open conflict.

After Yobbles and the rest of Empress Setsuko's performers had completed their stylized reenactment of the war with the dragons, the various esteemed attendees were allowed to eat; with the exception of a few hostile glares being thrown around, the feast part of the memorial went without incident.

The Thereons had outdone themselves yet again—they even managed to make a Jiodisan dish topped with raw squid look appetizing to the Aurino delegation. Nathan found himself looking up from his food with increasing frequency to another table, one with an empty chair and a place card reading "Voltaire Joachim".

At long last, the penultimate course was gone and the dessert served. After that, everyone had an opportunity to rise and stretch while the tables were being cleared, and Nathan took the chance. As a waitress walked by, he held up a hand.

"Ma'am, might I have a bottle of Deikatan? I'm afraid the house wine isn't really agreeing with me."

The woman nodded and went to procure one. No sooner had she departed than he noticed General Trevelyan standing a few feet farther in that direction, eyeing her as she walked off. A moment later, he advanced with what Nathan assumed was his version of a friendly look. "Really, Lord Zilos? Wish to descend into drunkenness so soon? We haven't even started the talks yet!"

As cheerfully as this comment came out, the Prime Minister knew better: Trevelyan's eyes were probing Nathan, just as the general likely probed his opponents on the battlefield, looking for weaknesses.

The old man shrugged. "Would you prefer I drink coffee and be irritable, General?" He chuckled. "Don't be so distressed—I'm just going to taste it. I intend my wits to be as sharp as ever."

Trevelyan glanced towards Princess Natalie, Kristen, Ophelia, and Empress Setsuko, who were talking to one side.

"Forgive me," he muttered somewhat distantly as he returned his gaze to Nathan. "I thought you were treating this event with the same level of seriousness Czar Dmitri treats the festival."

This was another probe to test reactions; Nathan stroked his beard as he replied, "Well, I can understand that something requiring the personal attention of the Czar will come up from time to time. Think nothing of it, General; these things happen."

Ian stepped closer. "And I'm sure the Czar will be pleased to hear the Aurino Republic didn't hold any double standards for this event either. He believed…" The man inhaled a bit, then spoke sharper. "…that if there wouldn't even be the illusion that there was anything to be gained from this summit, it would be better if he focused his effort on matters of importance."

"Well, come now, General," Nathan answered, though he didn't sound quite as amused anymore, "I know no one ever comes out of these negotiations in a chipper mood, but you know the proverb: A good meeting is one where none of the sides leave fulfilled."

The general paused momentarily, keeping the slight smile. He moistened his lips. Then, his face descended into a cold frown as he stepped forward.

"What do you say we do away with the games, Prime Minister?" he asked at a much lower volume. "I abide lies, but not bear dung. You and I both know no one expected anything to come from this summit, and none of our superiors did either. That's why Yata didn't come in person." He gestured behind himself. "That's why I'm sure the Empress is just another one of her handmaidens…assuming the Empress is even a real person in the first place.

"Neither the Mandarin nor Czar Grizdosky are going to bother showing if your brother won't, and, frankly, I think you're insulting us. It was one thing when King Zilos was on the verge of death, but if your nation's broadcasts against my nation are any indication, he seems to have recovered fully."

Nathan looked faux-disappointed as he poured himself a glass of the Deikatan. "Oh…am I so loathsome to you, General? And just when I thought people were beginning to like me at these things…." His face solidified afterward. "It isn't as if he won't be weighing in on whatever I report back to him. For example," His own voice grew surprisingly sharper for his demeanor. "if you were to, say, remove that new batch of missile-launching platforms from their current positions near our borders so that our citizens in Beinfeld can sleep easier at night, why, I'm sure he'd be willing to overlook that you've been arming the various factions in certain border territories. Yes, as you say, my brother has made a full recovery—but his wits were never dulled to begin with."

"Ah, yes—the trademark Aurino smugness." Trevelyan snorted. "Is it not fair to have missiles near your borders when a certain fleet of yours could decimate Gorbenik in the blink of an eye?"

"Why did you ever agree to these talks, if you believe there's nothing to be gained from them?"

The general paused. He hadn't expected that pointed retort, as sharp as the tip of a rapier. His voice only grew colder, though. "I'm sure you're aware of how many ways there are to get results, Prime Minister. Talking is one thing; figuring out the strengths of your opponent is another matter. You know full-well that flexibility in negotiations is merely a reflection of how much a nation can stand to lose and regain again through force of arms."

"Ah," Nathan answered, tasting his drink and taking in a deep breath, "well, allow me to make things clearer for you, as you hate, as you put it, the 'bear dung'. If your superiors think my brother's brush with death put either him or the Aurino Republic in a weak position, all I have to say is that the last person who did so paid dearly for the assumption. That's not a threat, mind you, just a fact…and I hope both you and your Czar won't entertain any foolish thoughts on the topic. There've been more than enough pointless wars already."

Trevelyan stared back silently a moment. Finally, he smirked.

"One for veiled threats as well, I see. Don't get the impression we're looking to start a war. We are, however, trying to shake up the balance of things in the world. For all the distaste you express for our nationalism, the fact remains that the Aurino Republic sees itself as special; that you believe you are the chosen ones, ordained on high…it's obvious in everything, from your temple-styled government buildings to the codes of your Magna Centurions.

"As modest as you and your brother act, most of your citizens have the innate assumption your nation is directly backed by the will of Mavlos—such smugness over something your great-great-grandfathers never knew even the slightest thing about! You've irritated plenty of people around the world with it….

"All things change with time, Prime Minister; especially which nation is seen as civilization's pinnacle."

Nathan merely smiled and chuckled. "Irritated, General?" He sipped his drink. "Or envious?"

Trevelyan glared silently, at that.

"Which nation was it, exactly, that enacted anti-emigration laws to keep its people from leaving, hmm?" Nathan asked. "The Aurino Republic offers people the chance to live and prosper, without defining them as valuable or not based on family lineage; the freedom to make their own choices. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd say that has a mighty strong appeal to it, wouldn't you?"

The general was nearly quivering; Nathan could hear Ian's hand clenching his own drink tightly as he slowly shook his head.

"And there it is again. You see, Prime Minister, that's why so many loathe your nation: it's not enough that you feel you are better; you have to act that way as well. You talk about your country being a land of opportunity. I'm sure it is—provided you're not Zenjyu! You talk about everyone having freedom, ah, yes…those who have wealth in your lands are free to use it to buy officials and laws favoring them…and those who have nothing are free to spend their lives working for miserable wages and die in poverty.

"A wonderful vision, provided you have the naiveté of a child. The Rakthian Empire might not be as idealistic as you think it should, but it's governed by reality. It doesn't try to whitewash things; it doesn't walk around with its nose in the air, claiming that it's better for its false freedoms and hollow opportunities.

"Your kingdom has been knocking out the bricks of its foundation and replacing them with lies for generations, Prime Minister. You think we're trying to undermine you? No." Trevelyan shook his head. "We're merely listening to those who are tired of waiting for the dream you promised would come true—which is exactly what you do to our people every chance you get."

"I wasn't aware that merely advocating the ideology of the Aurino Republic was synonymous with activity supplying and encouraging minority populations to rebel, sending them into battles they can't win, and all just to be a thorn in the side of one's enemies," Nathan retorted. "It's funny you should mention the Zenjyu, General—last I checked, our Queen is of that faith.

"Would you like me to list some of the minorities your nation has persecuted for the crime of being born? Maybe not everyone is treated equally or has as many advantages, and not everyone will see the top or the bottom, but what we have is potential; possibility for the future. Your Czar, on the other hand, may have a destiny plotted for everyone, but all it is, in the end, is his own destiny, isn't it?

"Efficient; orderly; and if you dare to say it isn't for you, you get smacked back into place like a horseshoe beaten back into shape. You're a general, sir. Would you be praising your nation so highly if your assigned sole purpose in life was growing rye? Do you really think all of this…" He gestured his drink around at the fortress. "…was made possible by prohibiting people from being the best they could be?

"You can order people all you want, General, but to realize the best potentials of people, you must want men and women to do things out of their own, innermost desires. People, after all, not businesses or bureaucracies, are what make great civilizations work.

"If you've observed history and human nature as deeply as I have, Trevelyan, you know that every civilization that thrived depended on the best qualities of the individuals it produced.

"Justice always seems to find a way to manifest itself. Repressing the possibilities of a nation's potential just for the benefit of an elite few nearly always brings ruin to a civilization, no matter how powerful they are. Deep down, I think your nation knows this at times, even if most of you won't admit it; after all, is that not why your armies nearly always rely on quantity over quality; on just wearing your opponent down until they're overwhelmed?"

Anger crept into the general's expression as the Rakthian seethed. "Now you admit you believe yourself superior, eh? Allowing possibilities to run unrestrained just brings chaos; even your own beloved nation nearly fell to pieces when you let the masses get too much power!

"The ideals of the many being allowed to run rampant is a sick, cancerous thing, and a strong society built around the ideology of the right person is better than the ideologies of the many. The weak cannot be allowed to think they're on the same level of their superiors; things run best when there is no confusion."

Nathan sighed. "Yes, it's true that democracy has its flaws, but you're letting your national pride block out what I'm trying to say. A strong leader is needed for a strong, stable country. However, that leader can't be blind to the needs of his subjects.

"It's true that a leader must be above the everyday man to be effective—but even if the ruler of a nation is of a caliber far above their peers, it doesn't mean that the people beneath said leader are worthless.

"If the common citizens of a nation are made to feel like they only exist to bring happiness to those that rule them, all for nothing in return, history has proven that such a leader will, one way or another, be overthrown, regardless of how tightly the people are restrained. A leader that treats citizens as mere gears that exist to serve invites resentment—resentment that can mutate into rebellion."

"How dare you—"

"I may be old, General, but please, don't start insulting me with accusations of an inability to read and understand the news. Need I remind you of the Jabveria Incident?"

"You expect us to turn a blind eye to a rebellion against our allies!?"

"I expect it's quite convenient that unnamed individuals encouraged a rebellion to be quickly and immediately countered by Rakthian soldiers, who immediately gained support from nationalists and ethnic Dwaeviks, and that within less than six months Jabveria was annexed into the Rakthian Empire. You and your Czar don't seem to be fond of letting another have their way, don't they? So just who is putting off a false impression about the intentions of their nation?

"The fact that you encouraged pogroms on the Zenjyu settlement in Garbia just to make them more 'obedient' is truly horrifying; sending the few who survived to the Norst Icecaps for 'reeducation' along with your prisoners from Jabveria is even worse.

"However, since it was an operation that only affected your own citizens, there was nothing we could legally do. I admit I'd thought you wouldn't be quite so fond of such policies; after all, are you not a man of mixed blood?" He sipped his drink again. "I'm surprised a man of your blood would so easily forget that…."

Ian glared at Nathan. "My loyalty is to the stability of the Empire first; anything and everything else comes second. That's why the Czar trusts me. We merely stopped those who sought to undermine the authority of the Czar; we have no time for citizens who would rather rebel than support the homeland—and before you go accusing my nation of violating freedoms to do so, at least when we take land, we conquer it; we don't steal it from people inch-by-inch, and then claim to be an envoy of freedom.

"I, too, pay attention to news reports, Prime Minister. What were the rumors about what actually happened in Zaylor? Or Los Midas being practically a city-sized altar to hedonism? You champion yourselves as a republic…and yet a single king wields all the power?"

Nathan took in another deep breath. "Neither my brother nor I claim our government is perfect, but it's better than giving up on human nature altogether, and an elected king is better than a constantly shuffling democracy, squabbling over petty matters or being bought and paid for by special interests."

"From what I hear, one 'special interest' in particular benefited greatly from Zaylor—one that's represented right here at this summit."

"What happened in Zaylor was a tragedy," Nathan retorted sharply. "One we all deeply regret; no one more so than Andross Zilos."

"Yes—such good fortune for him, that his son died in the process." Trevelyan frowned. "It gave him the perfect opportunity to lambast Rakthia over the entire matter. Never let a tragedy go to waste; that's what they say, right?"

"There is one thing this illness has changed about my brother, and that's giving him a sense of clarity. His desire to see the world run more justly is stronger than ever."

The General took another step closer and spoke lower still.

"And if that's true, then why do your highly-touted Magna Centurions seem less like 'champions of justice' and more like 'hired thugs' as of late? Why does your corruption seem more widespread than ever? Why do criminals now run free in the Aurino Republic? And why are there rumors that these so-called 'Ibis Corps' are nothing more than a covert branch of your military?"

For a moment, Nathan's eyes flashed in genuine anger and fury; uncharacteristic of the old man—yet soon after they softened.

"I didn't think a man like you would resort to 'baiting', General; I honestly expected more. If that's what your intelligence agents have deduced, they really are third-rate in their skills."

Trevelyan noticed the raw anger in Nathan's eyes, even though it had been there for only a moment; he cleared his throat and became far calmer. "No need to get so riled up over mere rumors, Lord Zilos; I'm merely pointing out that, since the first report of the Ibis Corps making a move was from within your Aurino Republic's borders, some people will reach a certain conclusion."

"You can accuse our nation of not giving people a fair share, General, but if you suggest that we would create a group of heartless monsters who pillage and massacre whatever poor souls are their targets in a clandestine or, worse yet, open fashion, then you are not only mistaken; you're insulting me," Nathan went on, a little bit calmer. "The Ibis Corps have caused suffering for our nation as well, and regardless of where they originated from, I assure you that my brother, all of the Magna Centurions, and the rest of our military are devoted to seeing them dragged out of the shadows and brought to justice."

"Is that so." General Ian Trevelyan did not look at all convinced.

"My most trusted agents are working on it as we speak. Now, did you want to talk about something productive, General, or shall we continue topping each other in our praise of our own nations?"

Trevelyan paused. At long last, he took a sip of his own drink, which is to say he downed it in a single gulp. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see if there's anything we agree on. I'll talk to you again during the conference, Prime Minister."

Giving a curt nod, the Rakthian turned and went back to his own table; Nathan gave a sigh of relief as he sipped his wine and looked out the window. From a location this high and this remote, one could see the stars very clearly when they started to come out, and they were doing so at this point; the sun had dipped, and the world was rapidly being covered by the black curtain of night. He wondered how much time had passed while he was talking to the general, and noted that Voltaire still wasn't back.

I hope my 'most trusted agents' are just taking their time…. However, I need to calm down, or I'll stick my foot in my mouth.

"Waiter, I'll also take a Bronson martini—stirred, not shaken, and nice and slow."

Richard, Dan, and Voltaire were still gauging just how big a crisis Ares' surprise appearance truly was. Dan observed that the leader of the Ibis Corps was eyeing him curiously, like a kid might a new animal at the zoo; as a sudden gust of wind blew by, Dan curled his fists tightly. "Come on, guys—you're letting this joker mess with our heads!?

"I don't care how many light shows he can pull out; he's probably just a con artist! Maybe he knows a few spells, but I bet he's just the planner, only good for tripping his targets up! Come on, we can take him—no way this pretty boy is stronger than Zandoris!"

Upon hearing this, Ares' eyes widened suddenly. "So you think I'm all-bark-and-no-bite, do you, cretin? If you think you're so tough, then show me just what power you have! Come, now; I'll even be sporting and let you make a move, just to see what you can do! Better think it through, though; if it's too pitiful, it may very well be the last play you make!"

Voltaire saw Ares' wand glow red as an aura of black mana seemed to shimmer around the caped man. The red-haired male instantly raised his crossbow, asking Dan quietly, "For god's sake, are you just in denial!?

"Just look at your Dragon Lenses scanner—the amount of magical energy he's producing is so massive, one might think it was locked onto an unshielded Kaisonite reactor! If you let your guard down for even a second, you'll be dead, well before you realize it!"

Richard saw Ares suddenly float off the ground, and checked his own scanner. Until now, he hadn't really put its aura reading function to the test; there had been no need to, since it could only give vague guesses on lesser mages. Most people were black; Richard, Voltaire, and Dan were purple—not terribly powerful, but enough to stand out clearly.

Individuals like Raphael and Orion would show as red; King Andross …at least on the few occasions Richard had seen him through such a device… would look orange, although Richard bet he could show up much higher if he unleashed his full strength. Then there were Kaisonite Reactors, which, if you looked into their core with a scanner, finally got into the realm of yellow.

Ares was showing up in white.

He steeled his nerves the best he could, and added, "Jade Hawk is right—an imposing physical presence has little relation to one's mastery of magic. I suspected that the leader of the Ibis Corps wouldn't be able to hold such a title through charisma alone, and, given the additional fact that he can use flight spells so effortlessly, I see no reason to think this is a ploy. We can do this, though; we just have to proceed with extreme caution."

Voltaire took a deep breath and dryly quipped, "Well, I'll have to try this at some point, so I might as well test this from a distance. Nitro Arrow!"

He simultaneously snapped his bow up and procured a bolt from thin air. Once the weapon was prepped, his red laser reticule landed on Ares' chest, and he fired. It made a bit of a whistling noise as it sailed through the air towards his target.

It never reached its destination, though. Ares actually rolled his eyes a bit before snapping out one of his swords and lashing out at it. Richard wasn't sure if it was the blade itself or merely his cast-off mana from the swing, but the Nitro Arrow was immediately split into a dozen pieces that scattered around Ares. Each fragment went off a moment later, but, as part of the spell, to guard against misfires, nothing happened beyond sounds reminiscent of firecrackers popping.

Ares saw both Richard and Dan charging him, and closed his eyes. "Still don't grasp reality, eh? I see more…enlightenment is needed."

He swiftly shifted his Dragon Helix Emerald into a pocket, then swung his now-empty hand out to the side, his necklace blazing again. Two of the pillars supporting the room suddenly glowed red; each then gave a resounding boom and made the room shudder as raw magic snapped them right off their bases and threw them right into Dan's path. Richard was shocked—he knew about direct telekinesis spells, but for objects that large and heavy to be moved so easily….

Richard reacted by jumping up and slashing the pillar on the left in half with his energy-charged sword, and, as he did, Dan charged right for the other one, screaming, "No matter how hardcore you are with black magic, you're not scaring me! Turbo Knuckle!"

The blond-haired man swiftly transformed his arm before smashing the magically-flung fragment of the Mausoleum with enough force to launch it towards his opponent. Ares looked mildly amused at this as he quickly slashed the pillar in half with his own magically-strengthened blade.

As the stone pillar fell to the ground in two mana-scorched fragments, the leader of the Ibis Corps found that Dan was now in his face; Dan saw some surprise in Ares' face as he triumphantly proclaimed, "Now I got yah! Combustion Knuckle!"

Dan quickly tried to unleash his fiery combination strike, but Ares remained calm as he blocked Dan's first punch with his blade and then suddenly lashed out himself, grabbing Dan's arm.

The former leader of the Hammer Wolves quickly found that, despite his limbs being transformed into metal pistons, Ares had easily put his arms in a sort of lock, and, as confusion widened Dan's eyes, Ares flashed another sinister smirk. "I must say, I didn't expect you to pull off such maneuvers. Thank you for allowing me to refresh my skills—I do hate getting rusty!"

Before Dan could comprehend what was happening, Ares suddenly twisted his right elbow in an unnatural, painful direction while using Dan's momentum to propel his opponent into the air; before Dan could react to either the grab or the throw Ares unleashed a swift roundhouse kick into Dan's gut. The dark-magic user then tried to follow up the combo with a thrust at Dan's head, but Voltaire quickly shot at Ares, forcing the dark lord to defend himself once more.

As Dan collided hard into the ground, he both coughed up blood and saw Richard glancing at him. He quickly got back on his feet and grunted. "Save the speeches, Requiem; I know this guy's no joke now. Goddamn it—figured I could shut him down if I could get to him before he could cast a spell, but he has some slick martial arts moves as well!"

Ares glared at him. "Did you think the title 'God of War' was just for show? I have it because I've mastered all forms of combat! The physical; the magical; the technical; the political—I've spent my life mastering all the aspects of war so that I might dominate my enemies in every way possible!"

Richard eyed Ares carefully before responding with a bitter, "So you imagine yourself the prefect warrior or something? Your power may be nothing to joke about, but you're still not invincible!"

Voltaire eyed Alec carefully as he commented, "'Ares'…. The last man with such a name was a legendary warrior in ancient times, from even before the war between humans and dragons. Do you really fancy yourself a god? Also, that name isn't even from the same millennium that worshiped the devil and called him 'Ibis'. It would seem the naming in your little secretive order is a bit erratic."

Ares glanced at Voltaire, retorting, "Oh, we have a know-it-all here, do we? For your information, I am well aware that the names in the Ibis Corps are from many different eras and cultures—it's to symbolize the fact that the Ibis Corps are all the terrors of the world, in one ominous force…and yes, it's true that I have rather high self-esteem, but even so I don't see myself quite like a god. However, my power is godlike to you lesser beings, so such a title is still fitting, eh? I took the name 'Ares' to be the embodiment of humanity's purest desire; the force that will bring about their final judgment!

"Ah, yes—and, to ensure that your judgment is not postponed any longer than it must…Deacon!"

The chained Jinn Cadre looked up. Until now, he had kept his head bowed, not even looking up to watch the fight. "My lord?"

Ares closed and opened his hand, and suddenly the Dragon Helix Emerald was in it; it was then tossed to land on the floor before the Jinn Cadre. Richard saw this, but wasn't close or fast enough to intercept the exchange, and knew diving for it would be a fatal mistake.

"Return with the Dragon Helix Emerald; I'm not about to give these clowns even a small chance of messing things up for us," Ares said as he drew his other blade with his again-free hand.

Deacon did not immediately obey, however: he blinked and stammered for a moment, as if shocked. After a moment, he protested, "My lord, let me redeem myself! I can kill them with ease, now that they're not sneaking around like rats! I just need some of that new serum—"

When Ares flicked his gaze back to his minion, the look was so fierce that it was as if a knife had been stuck in Deacon's ribs, causing the man to gag and freeze.

"Deacon, your endless yakking is the reason this mission is on thin ice as it is. I won't tolerate any more insolence!"

Ares pointed his sword in Deacon's direction, and, a moment later, the area around Deacon turned black, radiating with the same aura as the one around Ares.

It was hard to define, but it looked as if the man had suddenly been put into a gigantic, invisible hydraulic press—only it had been slammed down on him with the speed of a guillotine. In an instant, Deacon was slammed into the floor, which immediately cracked.

The force was strong enough that it fractured his metal bindings, releasing him…for whatever that was worth, considering the fact he looked like a human pâté at this point. His eyes looked like they were moments from being crushed out of his skull.

The man with the title of the Voltaic Kazejin barely managed to raise his right hand as he cried, "Lord Ares, forgive my insolence, I beg you! I won't…disobey…again…!"

"Lucky for you that I still have need of someone with your talents; for without them you'd be nothing more than a bloody smear now. Be grateful that I choose to assume your injuries are hampering your judgment."

Deacon was suddenly able to breathe again, and took a few labored breaths. "Thank you for your benevolence, my lord."

Ares noted Requiem inching closer, hoping to make a snatch for the Emerald, and floated over to block the way. "I have no time for your trivial gratitude; just go! I was cautious enough to set up an Inflecto Nectunt warp spell in the vault room; even you should be able to make it there."

Swallowing, Deacon bowed, then got up and fled with the gem. Richard saw this and cried out, "No!"

I wish we'd had more time to practice this, but it's now-or-never, Richard thought to himself as he put both hands on his sword.

"Hawk Formation!"

The other two Ravens nodded and immediately went to work. They would have to use all their speed and hope that it would give them enough of an advantage to beat Ares. After seeing Ares shrug off the last two attacks, it didn't look likely that they could overpower him, so that left trying to surprise or outflank him.

Richard and Dan immediately barreled right at the Ibis Corps leader. Ares watched them as he sheathed his first sword, confident in his superiority. He kept his attention on Requiem as the armored man pulled slightly ahead, aiming a thrust at him. Richard finally reached the point where Ares shifted ever so slightly, ready to dodge and counter, but in that same moment Richard halted and kicked off, lunging from overhead with a leaping strike instead. Ares let out a small chuckle at that, snapping out his own sword with more speed than before.

Beneath his mask, Richard cursed, seeing that his opponent definitely wasn't using their full speed as Ares easily parried the slash…but then he smiled: it had given Dan the time to snap sideways and get behind their target. As Richard landed and put his full weight down on the blade, Dan gave another yell and swung out with both metal fists and pistons blasting for Ares' back.

A louder metallic clang rang out…and nothing else happened.

Both of the attacking Ravens gaped, though it was only clear on Dan's face: the blow that Dan had just given would have put a hole through a Grizanaught—and Ares was holding it back with one hand, which was loosely situated behind his back. His other hand continued to hold Auro Solais perfectly still with his own blade; just as with Dan, he wasn't even braced.

From one side, Voltaire then fired off another Nitro Arrow, trying to hit Ares in the head while he was occupied, in hopes that the other Ravens had now tied him up. Unfortunately, those hopes were promptly dashed.

Abruptly, Richard found his head swimming in pain, even with Greymont's armor reinforcing him, as he was smashed backward and away from the Ibis Corps' leader. It wasn't until he was already colliding with the ground and sliding backwards that he realized what had happened: Ares had snapped up a foot and kicked him in the face, hitting him back without offering a target or a warning to dodge.

Ares promptly spun around and swung out with the flat of his blade, knocking Dan's piston arms out of the way like they were sticks in the hands of a child, then lashed out with another blow too fast for any of the other three to follow; this one knocked Dan into a stone pillar.

It wasn't enough to break it, but the column still cracked and gave out a resounding BOOM as the former gangster was folded around it; Dan collapsed to the floor a moment later—and all this happening in a blink of an eye, giving Ares more than enough time to swing around and again shatter the Nitro Arrow long before impact.

Voltaire could only gape at Ares' speed and power as the head of the Ibis Corps swung a fist at him. The sheer force of the wind cast-off by the punch snapped Voltaire's head back as if he had just been smacked with a bat, sending him to the ground.

"I'd say this was almost painful to have to go through, but I suppose I have to acknowledge the fact that nobody short of King Zilos will even give me a decent workout…." Ares sighed. Neither Voltaire nor Dan could respond; Dan was in too much pain, and rising much slower this time, and Voltaire was out cold. Richard thought he should have been better off…but even that single blow to the head was still leaving him dizzy and weak as he tried to push himself up.

"Bastard…" he managed to choke out as defiantly as he could. "You're going to pay yet…."

Ares tilted his head almost playfully. "After that strike, you're still talking trash? I do wonder—how much of your blood will my Mephiles Fang swords soak up before you fools embrace the truth and concede?

"You haven't come close to beating me yet!" Richard spoke through clenched teeth, his anger swelling and allowing him to be bold. "You won't stop me; I exist to bring sinners to judgment. I'm not going to stop until you face justice for what you've done!"

The leader of the Ibis Corps narrowed his eyes, took one step forward…and was on Richard in an instant.

The young man was used to fighting with spells and techniques meant to incapacitate or strike down foes with one blow, or at least pummel them from a distance; his actual sword-fighting experience was somewhat lacking for a onetime Magna Centurion Apprentice.

While it had been good enough to go up against Salinger —no slouch in his own right— this was infinitely worse. The physical power Ares had displayed wasn't too much to speak of, but the speed was unbelievable.

Who else could move around so swiftly and seamlessly? Even with both Richard and Dan fighting him together, each one shooting for whatever opening they could get, it made no difference; the man just continued to fend them off as easily as before, and idly countered as well, forcing both of them to defend as much as they attacked.

Each collision with those blades was like striking a wall of iron; even sword-to-sword impacts hurt—and yet, as Richard put more and more into his assaults, Ares never shifted at all. The man never even looked like he was trying…

And he isn't trying. He hasn't shrugged off our hits so far to have this be all he can do, Richard realized with dread. He's playing with us.

As he fought harder and harder, Richard soon felt his muscles beginning to ache; beads of sweat began to roll down his brow. Dan was huffing and puffing as sweat flowed off his own forehead.

In spite of that, or maybe because of it, Richard noticed, they were doing worse. They were attacking less and defending more, and the blows were getting more and more painful to block. His muscles began to burn, then to strain, then to scream. That's when he realized what was happening: Ares was slowly picking up speed. His hits were slowly getting faster and harder.

In a few more moments, he realized both of them were on the defensive in spite of attacking him from both sides, and Ares wasn't changing at all—save to look happier. He realized the man could break loose and hit them both with a fatal blow at any time…yet their foe wasn't; Ares was only slowly increasing the pressure, making Richard and, to a lesser extent, Dan feel more and more pain.

Just blocking one of his massive blows caused Richard's arms to burn; several had nearly sprained his wrist. Another felt like it had almost dislocated his shoulder. The pair's respective weapons began to groan and grunt under the pressure.

Richard's heart began to race: in spite of his fury and his desire to make Ares answer for what the man had done, he realized this battle was not in question, any more than it had when he went against Orion.

Ares was only drawing it out now, torturing them and slowly increasing the pressure until they dropped. Sure enough, in the middle of his pain and struggle to keep up, he saw Ares beginning to move in blurs, and his swords were starting to glow as the aura around them built….

Greymont, we need you-know-what, on my mark, Richard thought.

Boss…um…I want to take this guy down as bad as you, but if it didn't take down that Zandoris freak and this freaky guy really has even more mana than him, are you sure it'll work? the dragon asked uneasily, his own fears and strain from the repeated blows becoming apparent. Maybe we should get out of here….

We can't break off now, Greymont! We have to stop him, or he's only going to make things worse! There's no telling how many more massacres there're going to be! Besides, he's not going to let us get away—he's just going to torture us until—

Suddenly, Ares' speed flared, and he truly seemed to turn into a blur as one of his swords flashed out. Richard gave a cry and staggered a moment later, feeling hot pain both across his right shin and his left shoulder. His armor had been utterly useless; Greymont might as well have not even been there. While he swore he only saw one blade slice, somehow he had been slashed in two different places. He faltered, shifting his weight to the other leg for a moment.

Dan, his anger flaring again, gave out another cry as he made an erratic lunge, breaking from practiced techniques and simply surging at Ares for all he was worth, attempting to punch their opponent in the back of the head while they were focused on Richard.

This time Ares didn't even block; in a snap, he had turned around, unsheathed his second sword, and swung it at the former gangster. At once, black flames poured off of the metal and raged towards Dan rather like a Mana Wave might—these weren't uncontrolled flames.

Recognizing the flames as being like the ones Zandoris had used, Dan quickly aborted his attack, snapped his feet out to halt himself in mid-charge, and leapt to one side, letting the flames rush past.

Ares merely smiled and flexed a finger on his extended sword's handle, causing a tongue of black fire to snake off of the main pillar as if it was alive and tag one of Dan's metal arms. In spite of being magically-created and -enhanced steel, the entire limb instantly lit up with the infernal flames.

Dan gaped in shock at what had just happened as if unable to believe it before he screamed out at the very real pain and threw himself to the ground, desperately trying to put the fire out before it melted his arm off.

Ares observed Dan's pain and commented dryly, "Well? Now do you vermin realize the price of daring to crawl around where you don't belong? And to think, if you just knew your place, we could have all been spared this farce!"

Richard's anger coursed through his veins as he yelled back viciously, "Don't you dare act innocent, you monster! You were the one, the only one, who was able to heal King Andross' illness, and ever since then you've had his ear. He listened to you more than anyone else, and, because of your manipulations, the King approved things he never would have before he met you! You're the distortion that is corrupting the Aurino Republic, if not the entire world! Like a virus, you have to die before you push things too far!"

Ares' eyes suddenly flared up with cruel intentness. "I'm the 'virus' that has to be removed? Utter nonsense; you've just proved you understand nothing! You assume far too much, Requiem. How do you know I'm twisting the King's arm? What if I'm just giving him advice he likes? I did help him recover, yes, and, after his brush with death, he gained an …enlightened… perspective.

"He's realized what has to be done to truly bring order to this broken world. Placating inferior maggots who'll never change won't bring peace; it only causes the gears of futility to keep grinding on! Only by ruthlessly doing what must be done can any true justice be realized! I'm doing what is needed to truly make things better—fools like you who casually spout rants about justice don't even know what it is!"

Hearing this caused Richard to snap, and the prince yelled, livid, "You think you're fighting for justice!? I don't care how insane you are—someone like you has no right to even utter that word! I'm all for people having different beliefs, but I refuse to accept that anything good might come of wanton massacres!

"The dead at Zaylor, at Costa Toro, and all the other places that suffered at the hands of the Ibis Corps; they all died because of your selfish plans! No matter how imperfect the world is, viciously killing people to cause change is not the right way to reform things. You ruined many lives, and while you act like that means nothing, it's about time you feel the rage and despair of all the lives you've ruined! Geo-Shift!"

Richard suddenly dashed backwards and slammed the ground with his sword's pommel; a spiky stone pillar erupted from the floor towards his enemy. While Ares instantly and easily cleaved the spelled rock in half, as the man did so Richard transformed his free hand into a cannon. As Ares took note of this change, the leader of the Crimson Tengu Ravens yelled, deadly serious, "Die, Ares! Flare Buster!"

The man merged with a dragon didn't waste a second in unleashing the magical blast; Ares eyed the massive blue energy beam shooting right for him, and reacted by parrying it with his swords crossed—only to find himself being pushed backwards by the sheer force of the Flare Buster.

As Ares was pushed towards the edge of the chamber, he narrowed his eyes. "Tsk—Zandoris did say you had some unusual powers to you. I can sense it; you're more than a mere human…yet you're not like us—so just what are you?"

Richard was delighted by seeing Ares struggling to keep the Flare Buster from reaching him; he retorted ruthlessly, "All you need to know, Ares, is that I am Requiem, the demon of vengeance that will give the sinners their judgment! You may have assumed you were better than all the other crooks, but now it's time for a rude awakening! "

Ares realized his back was touching the wall, and, as his gloved fingers began emitting smoke, he formed a look of pure insanity. "Heh…oh, you're quite wrong, my friend; the one in for a rude awakening is without a doubt you!

"You clearly have the ability to pull off some shrewd maneuvers; I can see how the likes of Deacon could be taken down by someone like you. However, while your talents are out of the ordinary, that hardly means I haven't seen such spells before! You think your rage will allow you to seize victory—but it's time you learned what true rage is! Chaos Nitesco!"

To Richard's dismay, Ares' eyes glowed red, and his necklace-wand suddenly shimmered with dark magic. He thrust one of his blades into Richard's Flare Buster, using a levitation spell to hold it there, then unleashed a surge of pure magical energy that repel Richard's spell and made two purple spheres of chaotic energy form around his hands.

As Voltaire slowly got up, conscious once more, Ares suddenly lunged forward as he pressed the two orbs of energy together. They merged and erupted into a massive blast of raw, purple energy.

The Chaos Nitesco blast collided with Richard's Flare Buster, and, to the silver armored man's horror, his most powerful spell was pushed back, losing more and more ground each second. The former Manga Centurion Apprentice desperately tried to push back; Voltaire gulped. "Even Requiem's ultimate attack is nothing to Ares!? I hate to say it, but this guy might be not stretching the truth about his power…."

Dan gulped down a potion to repress the pain in his burnt arm before snapping back, "You know, you've moaned about how screwed we are nearly all day long. How about being useful for a change, and figuring out how we can get out of this alive?"

The red-haired man took a deep breath. "Easier said than done, good sport, but I am working on it. Whatever windows of opportunity we get will be small…."

The two then watched as Ares' magical energy blast ate away at Richard's Flare Buster, getting closer and closer to colliding into Richard.

The young man was feeling his body being pushed to its limits as he noticed that the incoming beam sweeping up some of the knocked-out Ibis Marauders and instantly vaporizing them. The fact that Ares did not even flinch at this caused the young man to desperately push more power into his spell, yelling, "No—I can't let it end like this! You have to die; you've taken too many lives to be allowed to go on living!"

Ares chuckled darkly before replying to Richard's desperation with a cruel, "Struggle all you want; this is reality! The dreams of the powerless amount to nothing; only those strong enough to seize their goals will change the world. You're a weak fool who lives in a dream world; it's for the best if you vanish into nothingness!"

Ares unleashed a surge of mana, making his Chaos Nitesco spell double in volume. However, before his blast could consume Richard, a barrage of glowing arrows suddenly collided into the center of the spell, causing it to veer off course and therefore giving Richard time to dive to the ground.

Everyone saw the Chaos Nitesco proceed to surge into another part of the Mausoleum and melt right through a magically-reinforced wall. While Richard realized he was out of harm's way, his moment of relief was swept aside by a massive explosion's roar in the distance, and a shock-wave that nearly rocked everyone save Ares off their feet.

Ares noted that Voltaire had his crossbow up; the member of the Joachim family reacted to the villain's deadly glare by casually retorting, "Sorry, but I wager it's not time for him to die yet; not if there's anything I can do about it."

Richard took a series of labored breaths before getting back on his feet and muttering soberly, "Jade Hawk, thanks. Nice timing as always with the Nitro Arrows; I don't think even I could survive being hit by that blast. Still, since my most powerful spell didn't succeed in dealing any damage, things are still looking rather bleak…."

Ares casually flicked some of his hair out of his face. "I admit it's been a while since I felt pain. I thank you—it takes being pushed out of your safe zone to truly focus, so you at least have my regards for reminding me to not get sloppy."

Richard tried not to let his stress show, but, as Ares produced yet another dark burst of laughter, he realized his right hand was shaking. As he quickly grasped the hand with his other to still it, Greymont asked, anxious, Boss, what are we going to do? We put everything we had into that last spell, but this maniac just brushed it aside like it was nothing!"

Richard cleared his throat. I don't know, Greymont—but it's rather clear we're not going to overpower him! It's going to take some very careful maneuvers moves to play this. Damn it—the best course of action might be to get the Magna Centurions' attention. This Ares…his power is far greater than I'd feared, but surely even he can't overcome three Magna Centurions and three different militaries simultaneously. It's risky, but it's better than giving up; I can't let it end here, no matter what!

Ares saw Richard looking around the area and sneered. "Having second thoughts, Requiem? How unfortunate—once the shadow game has begun, there's no option to just withdraw the moment victory becomes a final fantasy; you have no choice but play this to its bloody conclusion!

"You've doubtless spent much time hunting down the truth, but alas—the truth seems to be far too overwhelming for you to handle! That's not surprising, though; the majority of Marvados' population can't handle the truth, and they either hide in their own deluded little fantasy worlds to comfort themselves or get crushed to death by the brutal weight of this world. You three, along with the rest of your pitiful band of clowns, will soon be added to the ranks of the latter group."

Despite the severity of the situation, Richard just responded with a laugh, albeit a bitter one. "You're far from being able to act like you're the authority on who's having delusions of grandeur! What you and the rest of your followers do is not natural, it's perverse! Without your kind causing this world to suffer for the sake of your own egos, Marvados would be a much happier place!

"That's why, no matter what, you have to be stopped! It's no use, Ares; even if we can't stop you here, the Magna Centurions will stop you soon enough. No matter how secretive you may be now, you can't hide from justice in the shadows forever!"

Ares reacted to Richard's defiant outburst by closing his eyes and muttering, "Are you really that clueless, or are you just in denial because you can't accept how harsh the truth is? You think I'm the source of all the misery in Marvados? Please—you may like to see me as a being spawned right out of hell, but it was the current state of the world that created me, not the other way around!

"Let's just say I grew up with a firsthand taste of how petty, hypocritical, and savage humans can be. When your neighbors see your family as vermin for years just because some loud-mouthed scum makes your group the scapegoat for problems you could not possibly have caused; when everyone you know and love is brutally massacred in front of your eyes, and you only manage to escape the jaws of death by a mixture of luck and brutal willpower; when the world around you reacts to genocide as a trivial matter, and tries to hide the fact that the men who exterminated your entire culture were its pawns in a larger game of power between the nations that 'matter', you tend to see things a tad more…clearly.

"Oh, yes; I don't feel fond of giving you my entire life story, but I can certainly say that I had no choice but to embrace the true nature of this world —the true nature of humanity— to survive! And the utter, stark truth is that this entire world is nothing but a grand game; one where the only rules are to get on top and to stay there by any means necessary!

"The people of the Aurino Republic, the Rakthian Empire, and the Jiodisan Union are all the same; it's only a difference in birthplace that sets them apart. Alas, when it comes down to it, such is all that's needed for one group to see another as sworn enemies; as subhuman scum that do not deserve to exist. Be they gangs or nations, those who feel superior will always see all others as obstacles to be removed.

Since the dawn of time, humans have played games of thrones, games of swords, and countless other games in their quest to destroy each other; I merely made sure I would be the master of all those games so that the one who comes out on top would always be me!

"After all, it's clear that, no matter what, humans will never change—not really. The introduction of magic, the introduction of a technology, the introduction of Kaisonite—they only changed things superficially; just enough to give fools hope of a reformation. In the end, man's base desires always dominate.

"For all of humanity's progress, we're still the same savage beasts we have been since our ancestors learned how to produce fire. The tower of human evolution is little more than a scaffold of contaminated wood, built on naive hopes and desires!

"That is why it's pointless to deny what must be done to truly make this world a better place—only those that can transcend their sinful natures and become new, superior beings deserve to live in the new era; the rest can be erased as trash! At long last, the pieces are falling into place, and soon —so very soon— all you arrogant fools who think they are so superior will be in for such a rude, bloody awakening!"

Ares then produced another outburst of crazed laughter, and as Dan saw the pure insanity in his eyes he winced. "Goddamn it; just when I thought he'd maxed out the insanity bar, he breaks it and puts in a bigger one! Seriously, how can anyone swallow what he's selling?"

Voltaire shrugged. "Either they're as demented as him, or he's a very good speaker. It doesn't matter how likely it is that he can realize his ends, though, because his just trying to reach those aims is going to cause countless deaths."

Richard struggled to figure out how to respond to Ares' ranting, and settled upon tightening his grip on Auro Solais and saying, "Ares, I don't have any idea how you grew up, and I'm sorry if you had a rough time. Nevertheless, no matter how much you suffered, it gives you no right to decide that humanity as a whole should face this demented, bloody reckoning you've envisioned!

"People are capable of committing horrible atrocities, but they are also capable of performing great acts of kindness! The innocent shouldn't have to suffer for the acts of the damned; it'll just let the sinners get away with even more vile acts. Even if you did get dragged through genocide or something, you're no better if you're trying to break what peace there is with a massacre campaign that would push the entire world into war!"

Ares narrowed his eyes. "You think I care about something as trivial as moral superiority? Such things are meaningless; in the end, only results matter! Those who obsessed with values as foolish as 'kindness' and 'honor' are living in a dream world, just waiting to be stabbed in the back!

"Tell me, Requiem, what do you and your pathetic little band of Crimson Tengu Ravens really hope to accomplish? Do you think, by stopping enough crimes, you'll make criminals become too scared to sin, give up, and become wholesome? Do you think that if you shut down enough 'bad guys' fast enough and hard enough, it'll make them give up their dark ambitions and unite in peace? What a joke—humans sin regardless of the consequences; they never learn, they never listen, and their sinful, illogical desires override everything else!

"Do you think humans want peace? No. The true desire of mankind is to crush those in the way of their own success; to devour all obstacles in their path to glory. They want war!

"Oh, yes, humans preach how nice peace would be, time and again, but it's all a facade! Peace is just a mask they wear when they want to recover—before they resume where they left off, hoping to win next time! The many layers of society are all a grand act—a grand delusion meant to delude the hearts of the weak!

"It's all just to feel good about ourselves, to let us believe we aren't monsters—but make no mistake: humans are bloodthirsty monsters, greedy beasts that crave to rip their rivals apart so that they can be king of the hill that is life. Peace is a lie. There is only passion; the desire to conquer, and the will to do what it takes to seize victory! I have no interest in the grand sham that is peace—I seek the truth!

"The very act of war is the purest expression of human will possible. Deny it all you want, gentlemen, but that's the cold, brutal picture that the history of humanity has painted!

"I want to create the ultimate war, one so brutal that it will at last accomplish the purest human desire—the complete purging of all the unworthy! Time and again, the collective will of humanity tries to rein in its true desires, stop wars, forge treaties of peace, and desperately hope for things to change, all just to appease the weak-willed; all to give corrupt, devious maggots undeserved privileges.

"Waging lackluster, ill-planned wars that end without any conclusions only allows the cycle to keep on spinning. Instead, I'll give the world what it truly wants—I'll push all of Marvados into an ultimate war; one that'll purge it of the inferior so the world can evolve into its proper shape at last! Only then can the truly worthy —those who can prove that they're the strongest; that they're the purest— stand on the new world, with all others are exterminated!

"No one will stop me from ensuring fate takes its course; especially not deluded fools like you who refuse to see the truth! Your little crusade against injustice is the most hopeless cause I've ever seen; no matter how many crimes you stop, no matter how many lives you save, nothing will ever change! Like it or not, the true face of this world is of evil, and, as long as humans are allowed to live, it will stay that way!

"You should be grateful I'm cutting your journey short—pursuing those vain, heroic ambitions will just end in bitter betrayal! I can be ruthless, but I also can be merciful. You can be grateful for my compassion in the afterlife!"

The young man's jaw dropped beneath his mask: the way that Ares had said that…. For a moment, actual emotion had sparked in those eyes, something deep-seated and burning. Richard thought he'd held hatred for Alec Steel before; he thought he'd seen rage and anger in the eyes of Bolton Steiner.

He was wrong. He'd never known what hate looked like before he looked into the eyes of that man. While Ares' words were spoken casually enough, those eyes lit up with such malevolence; such wrath; such unparalleled anger…nothing but hatred for the target of a boundless rage. For human beings.

Ares wasn't exaggerating. He wasn't joking. He was dead serious.

Richard saw Ares slowly walking towards him, blades drawn; the masked man's eyes widened as he argued, "You're wrong, Ares—this world isn't hopeless, and neither is humanity! No matter how hard it is, this world can change for the better without something as drastic as your sick super-war; it just needs a chance!

"If no one believes in good, if no one thinks nobility or valor amount to anything, then the world truly will fall into despair. I refuse to think that such things are meaningless! Ares, no matter how strongly you disagree, and no matter how powerful you are, I will defeat you!"

Black fire encircled Ares' free hand as he retorted coldly, "You just can't handle the truth, eh? If that's the case, then it's about time you perish; this game is growing boring, and I have other things to do today. There's no way you can defeat me, and your naive hopes will cost you everything."

Desperation crept up Richard's spine, and, as he tried to repress the amassing terror, he made a frantic charge for Ares, screaming, "If there's no a way to defeat you now, I'll just keep trying, till an opportunity presents itself! Metal Morph!"

Richard swiftly cast the metal-shaping spell, making the ground around him form a barrage of chains reaching for the dark lord. Ares narrowed his eyes and raised a hand. "You may still try to refuse reality, but I'll make you see the truth! Perception and pain are but one and the same—so feel my pain, my fury, for yourself! Hell Tempest!"

Black flames suddenly surged around the black-haired man; he then lunged forward and unleashed a stream of fire shaped into a dragon's head. Richard was alarmed to see this incoming flame also crackling with electricity and acted without thinking, trying to cut through the incoming magic. As Richard swung his sword, the magical flame-dragon suddenly opened its maw and slammed it closed around the masked man.

Richard remembered nothing of what happened next, but Dan and Voltaire saw his body being blown like a leaf in a tornado. As the flames struck him, they surged with more lightning magic, so that he was not only wreathed in fire but fried inside and out by the electricity. The pain and force were so strong that Richard had no ability to react.

Richard was being hurled around even faster than Dan and Voltaire had been when trapped inside Deacon's Voltaic Cyclone spell. The intensity of Ares' magical tornado was so great that Dan could barely see into it, but he and Voltaire easily heard Richard scream out in pain, and saw a flash of silver being hurled around in the spell, being simultaneously zapped, burned, and battered by intense winds. Dan yelled to Voltaire over the roar of the spell, "Goddamn it, even Requiem can't handle that for long; we've got to do something!"

Voltaire winced. "Well, we can't help him by running in; we would just be caught up with him, and that won't help anyone but Ares. Damn it; it's not unheard of to combine elemental magics, but to effortlessly use fire, wind, and lighting in one spell makes it even more clear how much of a master of the magical arts that madman is! It's also clear escape is our only course of option to survive, and that window is closing fast…."

Richard's comrades braced themselves for action; Ares listened delightedly to Requiem's screams and called to him, "Do you now feel the manifestation of despair burning into your very soul? Do you feel the helplessness eroding your will? This is the difference between the powers of one who lives in the world of lies and of one who embraces the truth!

"The magic Deacon and the other Jinn Cadre can unleash pales in comparison to the magic I possess! This is magic you can never overcome, so writhe in despair at the face of your own impotence!"

Suddenly, Ares made a fist; his triple-element spell faded instantly, causing Richard to slam hard into the back wall near his comrades and land with a thud. The other Crimson Tengu Ravens were dismayed to see that, while Richard was still in one piece, his silver armor was burnt and cracked all over, implying that Greymont had also taken heavy damage from the vicious magical onslaught.

After a few moments, Richard slowly tried to rise, and instantly fell back down. He could barely muster the strength to roll over, and, as he saw Ares looking victoriously at him, he realized he couldn't even lift a hand against his foe.

He felt another surge of pain, and muttered weakly to himself, "Damn it…whole body feels on fire…. After all this time, I'm right back where I started; I was powerless when this started, and, after struggling to make things right, I am powerless to do anything. Damn it, I can't let it all be for…ugh!"

Richard suddenly felt a sharp, burning pain in his chest, and coughed. Seeing this caused Ares to look delighted, levitate higher into the air, and point a sword at Requiem."Now, in the end, do you realize how futile your struggles have been? The life of a hero is one fated to end in ruin.

"Normally, the Hell Tempest spell would have burned and crushed you to dust in an instant, but I held back so that I could bring you to be examined thoroughly; your armor seems…special, and I want to know just what secrets you're hiding!"

Ares muttered a spell and waved his empty hand, magically lifting Richard off the ground. He then clenched it, and the armor —Greymont— started to ripple. Ares watched this with curiosity. "I thought I felt something abnormal. It's almost like there is a second presence surrounding your body.

"I've never seen anything like this before, and nothing will remain a secret from me for long! I plan to unravel all the mysteries of this world, and use that knowledge to give me powers that transcend those of everyone else!"

Ares waved his hand, and Greymont's transformed body rippled again. The dark lord of the Ibis Corps became even more intrigued, and used his magic to start to strip Greymont from Richard's body. "I knew it was more than just some special armor; it has such an odd scent to it! It's almost like…no; that's impossible. Unless…. Oh? Tsk—so you two are really in that much of a hurry to die?"

Ares swiftly swerved around to deflect another incoming magic-infused arrow, and, as he noted that Voltaire's crossbow was aimed at his head, he eyed the two Ravens with raw contempt. Dan got into a fighting stance before throwing out a challenge: "Well, if we're going to die, I'd rather just cut to the chase and die like a man, rather than drag it out!"

Ares seemed amused as he pointed his sword at Dan and declared theatrically, "Want to face your death with a brave face, do you? I suppose I can respect the last wishes of the damned. It is time to wrap this all up, after all; I have operations to complete, secrets to reveal, and societies to crush!"

Dan narrowed his eyes. "Don't act like you've won it all, you punk; it's not over yet! Our boss isn't your personal toy—not if we have anything to say about it! "

Voltaire nodded, adding, "Despite all the advantages you have, it's clear you're vulnerable; as powerful as you are, you still didn't just waltz in here to take the Helix Dragon Emerald, clearly indicating you would be at risk forcing an outright confrontation."

Ares chuckled before lashing back casually, "What an astute observation—but regardless of how valid a fact that may be, it still doesn't help your situation!"

Voltaire formed a wide grin. "I guess we'll see how the cards of fate are stacked, eh?"

In the next instant, Voltaire released another volley of bolts from his weapon. Ares looked dismissively at the salvo, and prepared to raise his arms, but, before he could cast a spell or do anything else, all the projectiles suddenly exploded, unleashing a blinding, sun-bright surge of light.

Ares couldn't help but cover his eyes to keep from being completely blinded by this unexpected turn of events, but, since Voltaire had let Dan know what he was going to do, the blond-haired man had closed his eyes and covered his face in his jacket, leaving him with working eyes and enough time to cast his Elastic Arm spell and grasp Richard while the leader of the Ibis Corps was still unable to see.

As Dan reeled in his leader, he quipped, "You know what I just said about dying with honor? To be honest, I'm much more of a live-and-let live kind of guy. Seriously, I'd take living over dying in a cool way any day of the week!"

Voltaire chuckled, adding, "Yes; there's far too many things to do besides die here! It's better to wager a lethal gamble then to just roll over. Nitro Arrow!"

The red-haired man released another volley of explosive arrows into the air, raining them down on their target. Since Ares was still blinded from the flash-arrows, the irritated master of dark magic quickly unleashed a sudden barrage of lightning sparks, causing all the arrows to denote before they came close to him. Ares then used his magic to hasten his eyes' recovery, hissing, "Play whatever desperate ploys you like; it won't change anything. No matter what you do, you cannot…defeat…me?"

Ares had heard a few more explosions as he spoke, and, as he opened his eyes, he found that the Crimson Tengu Ravens were gone, and that the entrance Dan and Voltaire entered through now had rubble falling to close off the passage.

Ares noted the sounds of even more explosions being made in the distance; he closed his eyes again and rasped to himself, "So, they decided to make a desperate escape, did they? It seems they're so terrified of me that they would rather risk being caught by someone else than continue this game…. Well, in the end, it's only delaying the inevitable.

"While solving the riddle of what the truth to Requiem's power is would be nice, in the end that power clearly amounts to very little. Yes; in the end, they are nothing more than maggots—bothersome, but powerless, as long as they aren't permitted to go on scurrying about places where they don't belong.

"Even if Requiem managed to stop my pawns in the Rakthian army from mobilizing, I still have a few cards left to play; nothing is going to stop the storm of chaos from being unleashed! Now, then—time to see just how long it will take for those fools to submit to fate…."

Ares then flicked back his cape and focused his magic, preparing to pursue the three injured members of the Crimson Tengu Ravens, in the hopes of enforcing a swift, brutal end to their journey.