Aurora Scroll

The destruction created by the Deus Vult BFG was far above Viers' expectations. Perhaps he went too far in designing the gun and ammo type. At the time, he just went with firepower and more firepower; nothing else mattered.

The Grandia Castle had sturdy walls. Viers remembered that his non-Horizon boosted full-powered Slash the Sky Arte was only able to leave a scratch on the walls.

Deus Vult's blast created a big hole as if the Colossus Titan from Shingeki no Kyojin kicked it open.

As Viers tried to recover after the recoil, he saw someone he didn't expect.

Stratos Gaelos? What's Princess Celestine's knight doing here? She isn't participating in the campaign according to what I know. Wait, why's he angry?

After seeing a severed hand in Stratos' hand, Viers connected the dots. Did he just kill Celestine by accident!?

Oh, shit. What a blunder.

"Son of a bitch," Stratos roared. "DID YOU DO THIS!?"

The guy was head over heels for Celestine, it was known to almost everyone. Seeing how angry Stratos was, it further supported Viers' suspicion. The question was, what was his response? Should he say sorry? Should he deny and fake it? More importantly, how should he respond?

Doom Slayer doesn't speak!

...Mostly.

"Haaaah!!"

Stratos ran out of patience and charged at Viers. Out of reflex, Viers shot him with a shotgun. The buckshot sent Stratos back into the rubble like a tennis ball being hit to the opposite court.

When a guy suddenly comes at you, shoot first, ask questions later. It was a PvP gamer mentality that Viers had honed for years.

"...I let blood go to my head. Brother will never let me hear the end of it if he knows."

Even though the shot hit him square in the chest, Stratos rose again. The power of the shotgun that took three digits of lives earlier, Stratos defended against it.

Viers wasn't too surprised. Stratos was a bona fide Level 4 and he wasn't just a Level 4. Since the Grand Prix, Viers already knew Stratos was formidable, potentially, rivaling himself in battle prowess.

He had looked into Stratos' background after he identified him as a threat. House Gaelos was a powerhouse with at least two active Level 5s. The head of the house was Stratos' grandfather, Margrave. The other Level 5 was Stratos' older brother, Paladin Orlando of the Silver Legion.

Stratos himself was also rumored to be as talented as his brother. People said the younger brother's ascension to Level 5 was almost assured. After seeing the young man directly, Viers admitted there was truth to the rumors.

Viers threw a flash grenade at his feet and made a dash double jump, making himself scarce. Dealing with a tough meat to chew was not in Viers' interest. He would think about the princess' death later.

Stratos appeared in front of Viers, surpassing the speed of his movement Arte. This time, it made Viers' eyes widen.

"Do you think you can just run away? You underestimated me!"

Stratos was covered by a green aura and crackling lightning. He slashed at Viers with his sword. Viers used the shotgun to defend. It was cut in two but the power was reduced; his armor mitigated the rest. His damage was minimal but the escape was foiled.

Tempestuous Might Thunderous Vigor Arte! Stratos' signature move. He used it right off the bat?

Stratos brandished his sword at Viers like a hunter eyeing his prey. "You're using a weapon forbidden by the Church. There are a lot of questions you have to answer and I will not rest until I hear them!"

Stratos looked a bit similar to Super Saiyan 2 but with a green aura instead of yellow. How enviable. He remembered Stratos was a Wind and Lightning Dual Pathseeker; combining two elements into one Arte was no mean feat and the Arte got famous for no empty reason.

The two had a heated, high-speed, high-octane clash. The Doom Gun Stratos cut could easily be rematerialized. With the shotgun, Viers could easily do a close-ranged gun battle, even against a sword-wielding opponent.

"What happened here? What's with the flash?"

"Who are those guys?"

"Wait, they're coming here! Ru- GYAAAAAH!"

Viers and Stratos embroiled the Empire soldiers around them as they battled. The Harkelans were still enemies to them both. Despite that, the scale remained even, with neither side coming up on top.

After the first attack, Stratos knew how dangerous Viers' weapon was and rather than backing away, he engaged Viers in an even tighter and closer melee. Viers was forced to use his sword before he lost his neck. With the sword on his right and the shotgun in his left, Viers forced Stratos back.

Viers kept trying to retreat from Stratos and from Grandia Castle. He was moving like he was in Doom Eternal with critical health, dashing, jumping, and shooting unceasingly, but it still wasn't enough to get away from his pursuer. Stratos harassed him most persistently.

If there had been no obstruction, Viers would have been ten kilometers away from the castle right now but he had been forced to run all over the castle complex.

"Vacuum Pull!"

Viers' latest attempt to flee failed again and again. He hoped a bunch of Harkelan soldiers could become a meat wall and slow Stratos down a bit. They were truly useless.

"Still won't reveal your affinity after all this? You're really insulting me."

Damn him. I've got no time for this. Should I face him for real and kill him once and for all? But I'm short on time. If I take too long-

Searing pain came from Viers' back and it spread to every inch of his body.

The slave seal's acting up! The jammer is running out or Rostov's yanking the chain or both? Either way, I've got to get out of the castle while I still can use my Victa.

Behind Viers' visor, his eyes emitted a savage glint at the obstructing pest.

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Get out of my way!

The two were too close for firearms or swords so Viers abandoned both options.

He chose a coin instead.

Futon, we'll be doing 'that'!

Fuu!

Yellow electricity coiled around Viers' hand. He used the Lorentz Force added with Fleming's left-hand rule. With a flick of his thumb, he launched the coin straight at Stratos' head at almost zero range!

A Certain Scientific Railgun's special move!

But truthfully, there was nothing scientific about what Viers just did. He had no idea how a true railgun worked. He just experimented with Futon and threw everything at the wall until it worked like he wanted. It was more magic than science. Viers didn't care, though. As long as it worked.

The railgun's power was indeed deadly.

Seeing his opponent was a Level 4 expert, Viers added the remaining Proof of Death's charge to the railgun.

The Railgun was executed flawlessly; Viers expected to see Stratos' grey matter scattered in the air.

Instead he saw the coin was stopped a few inches in front of Stratos' head as if it was hitting an invisible barrier. The power of the shot still tried to pierce the target but Stratos exerted himself and managed to shift its trajectory, ending with just a graze on his temple.

Shit! I've got to- Khhh!?

While Viers wanted to chain his attack while Stratos was busy defending the railgun, his slave seal was flaring up. He was out of time. He allocated all of his resources to speed.

Even Stratos shouldn't be able to react so fast after eating the railgun!

Viers' hope was dashed by a lightning strike on his back.

This guy! He absorbed the railgun's electricity and shot it back at me!

Then a regal lion, with fire as its mane, pinned Viers to the ground.

A Rank 4 Devaros Lion! So that's the true form of his lion familiar!

"Rooooooar!" The lion's saliva splattered on Viers' dark visor.

"Good job, Ragnas," Stratos said. His breath was slightly heavy.

Viers was in trouble now. The slave seal was fully restored. Even when he had full access to his Victa he couldn't run away from Stratos, let alone having only a hundredth output.

"Arte - Breaking Storm Point!"

Stratos stabbed Viers in the leg, like hammering a nail with his sword. Viers gritted his teeth from the pain. He knew Stratos might have a grudge against Avel because he killed Theus Mercea but what about now? Did he know Avel was behind the armored suit? He shouldn't be, but that attack just now felt personal.

"You're fast. It's troubling if you run away. Not a peep even now. Are you actually mute?"

Viers tried to strategize his next move, but he didn't foresee a way out.

"I'm taking you in, motherfucker. Then we'll have a very long chat."

Stratos' powered fist was about to hit Viers' front helmet. With that degree of power, the Soul Gear Liquid armor would be broken.

Viers cursed in his mind. He was so weak! With the lion on top and his leg's condition, evasion was not realistic. He braced himself for the punch.

It never came.

A woman in ninja attire landed next to Viers and bent her knee. "Sorry for my tardiness. I've come to escort you back, Viers-sama."

"Boy, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Sakuya."

Sakuya hid a smile. "I infiltrated the castle using the chaos with the desire to free you but you've freed yourself. As expected of you."

"No. You're a lifesaver. I'm grateful."

How long has it been since he needed to be saved by another, Viers wondered. Probably at the climax of the Valkut arc, against Georgi, the Level 5 Grandmaster of Dumuzin's cult.

He hated xianxia stories where the MC did something stupid, got themselves into trouble, then other people showed up and cleaned up his mess over and over again throughout the story. Viers vowed to never be that incompetent, but he understood the importance of nakama and the power of friendship. Even villains could have friends and command loyalty from their surroundings.

Viers counted Sakuya's timely help and how rarely he needed it as a success in both matters.

"Is this your doing? You can friggin' stop time now?"

Seeing Stratos, his lion, dust and falling snow stopped like in a paused movie, Viers made an educated guess. Besides, he'd seen many time stop occurrences in other Fables.

"It was thanks to the fourth event of the Book World. The fruit of the world tree, eating it awakened a hidden power within me. Even I didn't realize it until the Matriarch found it."

"Time Pathseeker... Just, wow! Might be even rarer than Soul Pathseeker. So you are a Wood-Time Pathseeker now?"

"My time affinity is just Time 3, not very great, so I can only use it for little tricks like this," Sakuya explained. "The time only stopped in a three-meter radius around us. And I can't hold it for very long. Let us make haste, Viers-sama."

Sakuya removed the sword and helped Viers get up. She also applied first aid to his injured leg.

"Wait, I want to kill this guy first," Viers pointed at Stratos. "I have a hunch he'll be a big trouble in the future."

"I apologize, Viers-sama. My grasp on time jutsu is still immature. Not only will I suffer backlash injuring someone in time stop, they'll potentially break out before the attack lands too. Especially someone as strong as this man."

Viers let his disappointment exhale through his nostrils. He did not have confidence in killing Stratos in one hit in his current state.

Even if, for example, Sakuya dispel her time stop just a moment before my attack land so she doesn't suffer the backlash, Stratos is not simple. Rather than taking more risks, a successful retreat is a wiser option.

"A shame, but I understand. Okay, let's go."

Sakuya put on another time Arte on Stratos, extending his immobilization somehow, so they had more time to escape.

"Excuse my rudeness," Sakuya put Viers' arm around her shoulder and helped him walk.

"By the way, you knew it was me with one look, huh?" Viers asked since he was wearing full-body armor right now, one that he was sure Sakuya wouldn't recognize.

"I was unsure at first, but the card, the Lovers card that you gave me showed me the truth."

"Heh," Viers smiled under his helmet.

The two walked a few steps and the ambience sound of war returned. He looked back and saw Stratos was encased in a chromatic sphere, still in time stop.

"So that's how it looks from the outside."

"Let us move. I'll handle our movement."

"Ah. I'm counting on you. By the way, when we get back, I'll give you a maid outfit and a bunch of knives."

"Maid? Knives?"

Viers only gave a mysterious chuckle as an answer. Sakuya put it outside her mind and concentrated. With Viers injured and weakened, she was responsible for both of their lives now.

As a Level 3 peak, Sakuya had no problem carrying Viers. With her shinobi skills and chaos in the castle, Viers was finally about to get out of this godforsaken castle without much trouble. Viers thought his luck had finally turned.

"Wait."

Viers stopped Sakuya before they escaped.

"What is it?"

"A little gift for my captor's hospitality."

Viers pulled a monster core from his Thousand Treasures Casket. Sakuya gasped, never seeing such a consummate monster core.

"W-what rank is that?"

"Seven, probably," Viers answered and infused his Victa into the core.

Arte - Aldebaran Shadow!

The cacophony of war was silenced by the appearance of a gigantic bull's silhouette in the sky. The shadow was illusory but somehow, it felt all too real. The bull looked like something that could sink the whole Grandia Castle with one stomp of its hoof. The pressure of a Divinity was as heavy as a mountain. When it roared, it felt like your soul went out of your body.

This was a battlefield with several Level 5s combatants, but nobody expected the appearance of a Divinity!

The bovine shadow's appearance made Harkelans and Latiasi paralyzed with fear. Many were wondering if they would die today from heaven's wrath.

Then the shadow faded. Various experts felt they had escaped the executioner's ax.

Aldebaran Shadow was only an intimidation Arte after all.

"Let's go. It shouldn't be as bad for you," Viers said to Sakuya. The Rank 7 monster core, a priceless treasure, was already back at the storage. Viers used various items to aid their stealth.

"Viers-sama, what was..."

"Bait, my dear. Bait."

Viers had the smile of an evil mastermind beginning his villainous plan.