1

Three Years Ago

“Hah. So, this is where an Ascended One resides.”

Releasing tired breaths, Guren Izaya scaled the hill before dropping several meters, down a cavity leading underground. As he slowly slid down the slope, his parched lips and heated body led to his body shaking.

Upon reaching the bottom, his heart continued thumping. His body tense with anxiety, he looked at the mouth of the cavern on alert. The place looked dark and foreboding, the perfect resident for one such monster that had transcended its limits and almost reached the pinnacle of evolution.

For the first time, he would come face-to-face with a being that’s almost on the same tier as the Absolute Order.

He carefully walked forward, rapier in hand, before letting the dreary air around him sink in.

“This feeling…” he whispered to himself. “This thing’s something you can surely handle, Miyuko. So why? Why couldn’t it have worked out? We could have been here, side-by-side, fighting this thing and getting one step closer to changing the world. Isn’t that what you wanted? Isn’t that the deep yearning of a scientist?”

That last thought stopped him in his tracks, causing him to shut his eyes momentarily. He still saw her in the darkness, the colleague that he had trusted for so long. Kiyone’s supposed best friend.

Izaya sighed to turn his eyes on the prize. Not too far from here was one of his targets: an Ascended One. The key to reaching Babel and to rescuing Kiyone.

If he had to give an estimate, it had been a couple of months since Miyuko had left him to his own devices.

Where could she have gone? Could she have gone back to work, pretending like nothing ever happened?

What happened to the lab, anyway?

Knowing the peerless level of security at Elysium, the research complex surely stood firm. As for Miyuko, he had no idea. Whatever it was, she can never deny the changes in her body. She’s no longer just a human, no matter how she tried to escape it.

So was he.

Catching something at the corner of his eye, he immediately swung his rapier to the side, bisecting a humanoid monster that had emerged from the tunnel wall.

Even when lost in his thoughts, drawing his rapier and cutting down these shadowy monsters had become second nature. Still, something felt missing with this thing in his hands: Kiyone’s gift.

“Is there something you’ve been hiding all this time?” he beckoned to it while resuming his methodical walk forward. “I don’t get it.”

It can’t just be a magical rapier. It had to be special in some way, but he had yet to uncover its secrets. Unfortunately, he had no time to do so now. Not when he’s in a rush to save Kiyone. Not when he’s at arm’s length to the salvation he sought.

He had finally found the lair of one such Ascended One. A being powerful enough to have transcended all the limitations of its kin. Something akin to the Absolute Order, and one whose power he needed if he wanted to have any hope of saving his girl.

The more he descended the abyss, the stronger the dreary feeling became. He had gotten used to the depressing mood in this world, but with each step he took, it took a toll on his body. He took each step wearily, and it only continued until he reached the light at the end of the tunnel.

Awaiting him was a dead end, or so he thought.

He took another step forward, and his world swirled. Izaya did not loosen the grip on his rapier, and he turned around, only to find that his lower half was frozen in place.

“This is…”

A few seconds were all it took for him to be reminded of the transportation phenomenon inside Babel.

This time, instead of landing on solid ground, he found himself in midair. When he came to, he kicked on the ground desperately as he continued falling. With each blink, he looked at his surroundings, only to see a wall of light that stretched on to infinity.

A blanket of auroras linked together.

Finally, land came to view, and Izaya landed awkwardly. It was all possible only due to him using his rapier to soften his fall, but he had little time to process the sequence of events.

A ghastly wail shook him to the core, and he fell to the ground, his entire being having been shaken by an incomprehensible presence. It was as if the entire heavy atmosphere attacked him in one go, hitting him with something that he had not felt in a long while.

All he got a glimpse of was a huge shadow. A cloud like nothing he had ever seen before, and along with it, a foreboding presence, one that overwhelmed him and caused him to black out.

Then, he spat out blood when he came to.

Eyes opened, he stared blankly only to see a feather having pierced him on the chest. It retracted back into the dust cloud before the cloud started taking shape.

Izaya tried to catch his breath, but his palpitations continued getting out of control. For the first time in a long while, he experienced this adrenaline rush once more.

Fear.

Something he had long discarded as he was making mincemeat out of the weak Nullities that littered all over Mu. Now, face-to-face with an enemy beyond his reach, he found himself looking that emotion in the eye once again.

“What is this?” he asked his ever-shaking rapier.

Closing his eyes, he remained steadfast. As he struggled to maintain a hold on his rapier, he only felt his heart pounding more due to anticipation.

In the midst of the pain, a sickening smile slowly crawled into his face.

“But I won’t be able to change the world if I cannot overcome you. Come, Ascended One!”

Even when he struggled to maintain his posture, even when he treaded his emotional limits, he bravely pointed his rapier to the enemy, issuing a fearless challenge.

 

2

Present Day

As Izaya stared down his current opponent, the same wound from three years ago continued to simmer. He had physically recovered thanks to the power of the Ascended One within him, but the emotional scars from the chest wound can never heal.

It would continue to burn, reminding him of his adventure three years ago. Of the thrills. The frustration. And ultimately, the revelation that helped him break through.

“Haah!” he shouted briefly before charging towards the levitating monster.

Beams from the eyes met him as he charged. He moved his body side to side, avoiding each incoming beam and ignoring the searing sensation from every shot he masterfully dodged. He could hear the destruction around him, and he could hear the battle cries from his trustworthy allies, but he can only be bothered to think of the Ascended One in front of him.

Springing off the ground, he thrust his rapier forward.

The speed in which he came at the Magna Arbiter caught even himself off guard, but he was able to strike at one of the wheels. A crunching sound before he bounced off the enemy was all he needed to hear.

He knew that he had gotten a good hit in when he landed on his feet.

Mere moments after, he moved sideways and was on the move again.

The Magna Arbiter recoiled but only threw out more beams in response. The previous strike, one that had taken out a measly one eye, only served to enrage it even more.

“Even at that state, you’re still quite durable. How many times do we humans have to take you down?” grumbled Izaya to himself.

He planted his feet on the ground to stop himself just as a beam narrowly missed him.

“You must be thinking,” the Magna Arbiter talked in its hollow, deep voice. “How can I be this strong? How can I be this durable after having been defeated numerous times?”

“Tch.”

A pang of annoyance finally appeared under Izaya’s façade.

“Just what will it take to defeat me for good? From the memories that I have integrated, I know little about you, Guren Izaya. But, from what I have learned through the eyes of humans, there are few forces stronger than an unbending will. Sana Kurashiki’s resolve, her unwavering heart, the latent power in her… it’s something that I cannot betray. Isn’t this what you humans like to call… the potential of the heart?”

“Funny how you go around lecturing me about those things. I have seen more of this world and known the capabilities of human beings than your kind will ever have. Now, fall into the abyss and let your power be part of me. All for a greater cause.”

“Impudent!”

The Magna Arbiter once more released beams from its eyes, causing Izaya to dodge as the world around him became enveloped in a rain of frayed cement, engulfed by a red hot inferno.

All I need is that opening. These beams are annoying, and so are the wheels protecting its base body. But if only I could get it down and clear a path…

He firmly gripped the rapier in his hand. As if giving an excited response, it vibrated uncontrollably.

“You’ve longed for this moment, haven’t you, partner?” Izaya talked to it as he closed in on the Magna Arbiter.

After dodging the next set of lasers, he took off once again. He pushed the rapier forward, aiming to do the same piercing thrust attack he performed. That way, he can slowly chip away on the eyes by attacking them from the sides and drastically reduce the Magna Arbiter’s combat prowess.

He had learned that the Ascended One had to remain still in order to focus its attacks, like a turret. Artillery units like that all shared the same weakness: get close to them and they’re nothing but sitting ducks.

“How naïve!”

The eyes all shifted position along with the Magna Arbiter’s words, aiming ahead of where Izaya’s running. Just when he thought that he had this enemy figured out, it managed to pull the wool and put itself in an advantageous position.

That’s… It can do that, too?!

An unprecedented move, but it’s one that forced him to face a charging laser attack with no time to fight his own momentum.

Everything seemed frozen in time, in that one moment. He had no way of changing his trajectory now, and his eyes met the multiple ones that now focused on him, looking to obliterate him in one blast.

Izaya wanted to compliment his opponent, even begrudgingly. It may no longer have the raw power it had back in the school, but how it advanced with its capacity of learning from human memories and adapting to scenarios was nothing short of astounding.

“Oh…”

 

3

Three Years Ago

The rapier clanged as it connected with the wing in a deadlock. The resulting impact of which sent the man straight onto the ground, the momentum doing a number on his back.

When Izaya was sent back as a result of the momentum, he managed to take another good look at the opposition.

Darting in and out of focus, he was at least able to make out the feminine body and the numerous wings that seemed to cover its body in an embrace. Wings for arms that retracted as long as it was done attacking.

“Die…”

There was a lack of emotion from the female face, yet its words carried power.

Izaya felt cold sweat when one of the wings came at him.

Is this the end?

Like fated arrows, they closed in on his prone body. Still, he gripped his rapier hard. This was no time for regrets.

Pushing his body to its limits, he managed a dodge roll, maneuvering his body enough before he heard the sound of ground breaking mere inches away from him. The impact of the strike sent him rolling a bit further, where he was able to gingerly get to his feet.

Blood dripped from his lips, which he promptly wiped away as he tried to focus on the battle.

The Ascended One screamed, its banshee-like wails rattling Izaya’s eardrums. Letting out a battle cry, Izaya charged once again.

This time, focusing on the wings that locked onto him, he dodged them from side to side before managing to deliver powerful slashes at them. The Ascended One let out a pained screech with each slash, but it otherwise seemed unfazed as evidenced by the attacks remaining quick and relentless.

With his rapier, Izaya parried all incoming strikes before using his momentum to close in on the main body.

The Ascended One’s exposed chest was in sight, and he pointed his rapier at it. Just before his charging attack connected, one of the wings appeared out of nowhere, repelling his attack and swatting him back.

He landed on his feet, still alive but disappointed.

It was the closest he had gotten before being overwhelmed by the flurry of attacks. The last one, a particularly hard hit on his rapier, sent him crashing back, resetting all his efforts to zero.

In straight up combat, this was impossible.

Izaya shook his head, trying to sift out such thoughts from his mind. The mental battle was such an important part, and if he let his resolve be shaken now, there would be no way to win.

A pair of wings stretched out of the Ascended One and came at him en masse, swatting him from side to side before he had a chance to react. The last one tossed him back to the ground, where he heard a crunching sound.

His body arched in agony, and his vision continued to blur along with the pain that’s finally registering in his body.

“Miyuko, if only… if only I had someone else…”

The Ascended One levitated and hovered over him. As it stretched it wings, it looked like an angel ready to pass judgement. With a blank stare, he gazed at the hallowed wings that seemed ready to finish him off.

 

4

Present Day

A series of whooshing sound filled Izaya’s ears.

“Ethereal Brink!”

Izaya snapped out of his momentary daze just in time to see the knives embedded on the eyes on the wheels. Magical energy from them connected to each other in a cross-like pattern. The pattern let loose a strong light, engulfing him and the Nullity in blinding brilliance.

Or it would have normally, but something tackled from the side, shoving him from harm’s way.

He rolled on the ground along with his savior. When they stopped, he gave the person a good look, and his eyes met Utara’s.

“I told you to stand back, Ms. Utara! That was my order as your leader!”

The woman got up, and after giving Izaya a stiff expression, shook her head calmly. Her exterior was firm and stoic, but Izaya clearly saw a glint in her eyes. The rest of Utara’s body also trembled in anxiety.

“How can I just sit still when you put yourself through so much danger? What if something happened to you?”

“I have everything under control. Look, you could have been seriously hurt by what you just did!”

“Right when that thing was about to hit you, you can still say that? If anything happened to you, I don’t know… I don’t know what I’ll do, Lord Izaya. We can’t lose you. Not Euphoria, and especially not me. Even if I were to be lost, your dream of a new world is still alive. There’s still hope to rescue that Kiyone person, but if you were to die now…”

Tears now filled her eyes. In spite of the damaged state her own coat was and the scrapes on her face, it was the emotional pain that had been hurting her the most. Being unable to step in and help her leader, the one who gave her a renewed purpose in life, it hurt her the most of all.

Izaya saw the charring on her coat and the corset she wore inside it, and he sighed. How can he continue to insist on his way when in front of him was a woman who braved the flames and abandoned the battle to save him, even when he knew he did not really need it?

“What about the others?” he asked, not looking her in the eye.

“You know Satoru alone would be enough for all of those puny Nullities. Please, let me stay and help you, Lord Izaya. Even if it would cost me everything, know that my life is yours.”

“No.”

It was as if he drove a knife into the poor woman’s heart. He saw her quivering lips as the brilliance went away from her eyes. Immediately, he put a hand on her shoulder, and in a reassuring tone, he spoke.

“Don’t talk as if you are already resigned to throwing away your life. We will get through this, and I swear that I will not allow anyone to die.”

“T-that…” Utara stammered.

Seeing something in the corner of his eye, Izaya pushed Utara out of the way before deflecting a smaller beam with his rapier.

“Regardless, thank you,” he whispered before leaving her behind to confront the enemy once more. “But leave the finish to me.”

He stepped forward as the Magna Arbiter began to rise from the smoke.

The Ascended One tried to levitate again, but it was clear that Utara had done enough damage to its body. The wheels showed visible cracks, and half of the laser-shooting eyes remained shut.

Indeed. That’s the difference. Compared to three years ago. Now, I have you all by my side.

Images of the three members of Euphoria appeared in his mind, transposed in the image of the weakened Ascended One in front of him.

After reminiscing of his meetings with the three Euphoria members, Izaya pointed his rapier at the Magna Arbiter. The Ascended One was already slow to rise, but it still carried a powerful aura, the same ominous one which seemed to only grow as the battle raged on.

However, something had changed, and he heard a creaking sound just as the Magna Arbiter regained its base.

That’s when the wheels fell off the Nullity. They crashed with a thud before disintegrating into energy particles. What remained was a humanoid figure, devoid of most features. An empty husk that’s way larger than an ordinary human, yet it was one that had immense power inside.

Dark energy swirled around one of its arms, transforming it into a lance.

“A dishonorable sneak attack from an outside party. Yet, it will take more than that to faze me.”

Resistance remained in its deep, hollow voice, but it was one that gave Izaya confidence.

“After having analyzed the memories of countless people, you should know that. You should have already known the depths of depravity of the human heart. In a fight, there’s no such thing as honor. When you’re dead, it’s all over, and desperation unlocks the deepest demons in a human heart.”

There were no discernable features to distinguish the Magna Arbiter’s reactions, but a slight nod suggested agreement.

“Feed on that thought as your last,” Izaya stood ready with his rapier. “Let’s finish this in one blow, Magna Arbiter. One last clash to end it.”

He began to charge towards the Magna Arbiter, while the Nullity gathered energy, causing lightning and dark energy to swirl around its lance arm.

Izaya and it looked each other in the eye as they prepared to clash. That’s when the Magna Arbiter twitched. Held in place as if it was stunned before letting out a deep grunt.

Izaya’s eyes widened upon seeing the tip of the blade that had protruded from its chest.

“Y-you…”

The Magna Arbiter cranked its neck back to look at the attacker, having been paralyzed by the sneak attack.

Behind it was Uehara, who had driven her sword right into what would have been the Magna Arbiter’s lower spine. Her eyes resolute and merciless, the black-haired girl pushed the sword further in.

“Die!” she yelled with all her might.

When he heard the crunching sound of the Magna Arbiter’s body breaking, Izaya made his move.

“For the record,” he smirked. “I only asked Euphoria to not intervene in our battle.”

He was less than a meter away from his enemy when he thrust his rapier forward, putting his entire weight into the forward stab attack.

“I never gave Sayaka such orders.”

His rapier met no resistance and planted itself into the Magna Arbiter’s core.

“Besides, knowing her, I don’t think she’ll take orders anyway.”

He had a smile, reveling at the Magna Arbiter’s anguished cries as he pulled the rapier out. In one swift motion, he swung horizontally, decapitating the Nullity.

“She also acted out of her own accord, in case you’re wondering,” he finished while looking at the disintegrating body of an Ascended One.