"What do you mean he's our vice captain?"The first to speak up after the revelation was Grover; it was noticeable in the tone he exerted that he wasn't happy.'I thought I was the vice.'"Hihi! Well, he's stronger than I am, Grover, and if it weren't for him, we all wouldn't be here right now." Krystal replied with a grin as he slapped the back of his "best friend."."Nice to meet you, Sir Kazami; I'm Justin." Justin gave the man a handshake, which he readily accepted.Vladimir and Riley followed suit to welcome their new companion."Vladimir. Spare with me soon; I'll love to face a man that the captain speaks of in high regard.""I'm Riley; I joined recently too.""Once again, it's nice to meet you guys.""By the way, what are you doing all the way here, Kazami?""It's a long story.""Let me guess," Grover said. "It has something to do with seven certain special individuals."Kazami raised his eyebrow and looked at the thief."Sorry, and you are?" The remark made Grover pop a vein.
"Wow! This coffee is amazing, Sir Agnus Reigns," exclaimed Vladimir. "Mhmmm. Absolutely exquisite," Riley added, nodding in agreement. Their faces lit up with delight and amazement. "What's the secret to such fantastic coffee?" Vladimir inquired, taking another sip. "The quality of the beans, the brewing process, the ratio of beans to water, the grind size, even the water temperature and steeping time—all contribute to the taste," Agnus Reigns explained, pouring more coffee into their cups. "But the most important ingredient... is love." "Pft. Love? You can't eat love, old man," Grover interjected, a vein seemingly popping on his head. Riley smacked Grover's head, causing his hat to fall off. "Hey! Why'd you do that?" "By love, I mean passion for what you do. Making coffee requires patience, and that patience comes from a love for the craft," Agnus Reigns clarified. "Mhmm!" Everyone, except Grover, nodded in agreement. "Now, I'll train you for the upcoming battle. If this Ona f
"Take care, Krystal." "We'll be back before you know it, hihi." "Justin." "Yes, Sir Grover?" "I don't know what you might find out there, but... try and keep your calm at all times." Justin smiled at the advice from his teammate. "I know you must be thinking that there's a chance Irene is alive. Don't get your hopes crushed and you will shattered even further." "Don't worry, Sir Grover; whatever happens, I won't lose focus on the mission at hand. This battle isn't just for revenge. It's also for the faith of two nations and possibly the entire Western Continent." As Justin was bidding his farewell to Grover, Krystal was having a private conversation with Kazami. "Kazami, you'll take command of the guild while I'm gone. Keep an eye on Vlad as well; I'm worried he might be overtaken by his emotions, especially since Jester knows his way around getting inside a person's head. Vladimir can be reckless when not kept in line." He was referring to the way Vladimir and Justin acted w
"Devil woman, we received word from the demon spawn. They've succeeded in their infiltration mission and will join us in a bit." Sasha had a malevolent smile on her face. "Gather everybody." A few minutes later, Sasha, the Envoys, and the Shadows were all gathered around the castle entrance. "Yusaku Ona is already near the outposts. It is time." "Everybody, gear up! Eat! Take a 10-minute nap or whatever... We're going to war!" They all cheered in unison as they prepared themselves, both physically and mentally. "So, we all know our parts?" Sasha and Vladimir nodded at Grover. "Hehe." Kazami slaps the back of the thief. "Don't worry about a thing; your plan is foolproof. We just have to hold on till the cavalry arrives." "Well then, as the demon spawn will say, let's do this thing." ... "Woah." The alliance was currently facing off against Yusaku Ona's army. "Hahahaha! Just as expected. Sasha Kay will join the party as well." "Ona! We should have just killed you off when
"Begin, vile humans! Grand Torrent!" A massive wave created by Hydrax crashed into the enemy forces like a waterfall. "What is the keeper of the Aquarius zodiac crypt doing here? [FLASHBACK] After Krystal's and Hydrax's battle, the crew was ready to be beamed out of the crypt by the keeper. He handed Krystal a flute. "What's this?" "Use this whenever you need my aid; I shall come to your assistance." They all gasped at the words of the man. "Do keep in mind, young braves, you can only call for me three times and once every six months, then the flute will disintegrate and I can only stay for a minute. So make sure you know what you seek from me before playing the flute. Also, you cannot summon me inside another crypt." [FLASHBACK ENDS] That was the case; Hydrax had handed them a flute that could summon him from within his crypt, and although he could only stay for a minute, the havoc he was wreaking on their enemies was currently worth it. Upon his arrival, he had taken out
'Tck. Those bastards have exhausted all my clones.' Jester thought to himself as he looked at an exhausted Vladimir."Huff. Huff." Vladimir was bruised and battered and could barely stand. They have been fighting for over 15 minutes now, with Vladimir not being able to get a single hit.Jester, on the other hand,."Jester's Elbow!" He dodged a strike from Vladimir and hit him with a spinning elbow. He continued dancing around the large man while dodging all of his attacks. Vladimir had been on the receiving end of a terrible onslaught of attacks from the clown. This seems to have infuriated Vladimir even more. Vladimir swung his hammer once again, only to miss the clown, as he had sidestepped him. Losing his balance due to fatigue, Vladimir stumbled to regain balance."Jester's Kitchen Knife." With a swift movement, he slashed through the chest of Vladimir, and blood splattered all over his mask.Jester took a deep breath and said, "Mhmm, don't you just love the scent of blood
"Gantala! You bastard, what have you done!?" Gantala had stabbed Jacob in the back. He didn't pay heed to the voices of Yuri, Sasha, and Race, who were calling out to their friend. Krystal had just arrived. "What in the world is going on?" Gantala pushed Jacob with his foot to withdraw the sword as he scrambled back to the side of Yusaku Ona. Yuri glared at the two. "You two were in this together from the very beginning." "I'm afraid so, Yuyu. But you don't worry, not one bit. I'll have you and all your friends here. Follow Jakey soon enough." "Then, when you said that Axel and Mel betrayed you," "Those fools chose to die with their king. I chose to live with my emperor!" "Gantala!" Driven with rage, Yuri charged at the former general as their swords clashed. "Sasha, please give up. Surrender and all this will stop; if I say a word to my liege, he will show mercy." Sasha stood silently as Kira urged her to surrender. Kira might have been following the wrong leader, but she
'Krystal...' 'Do it!' "Why do you even fight? Why bother fighting for the likes of them?" "It's because I'm selfish! I don't quite care about what you go off doing with the rest of the world. Heck, kill whoever you want; I won't judge you. But... You sealed your faith the day you decided to harm my friends. I stood there silently as Vladimir and Justin wept and grieved the deaths of their loved ones. And Ona, that is your biggest crime against me. Touch my friends... and you shall face my wrath!" Krystal was tired and worn out, but he seemed to have gathered his strength from his sheer determination in defeating the opponent that stood triumphantly in front of him. Crack! Krystal smirked, noticing a dent in the armor. He swept his opponent off his feet and slammed him hard on the ground. "Your body might be shielded, but not your face!" He got on top of him and started pounding at him. With the crunch of knuckle against bone, Krystal didn't ease up on his assault as the Mad Kin