Cursed Odyssey

Without a doubt.

This was the worst scenario.

Of all the possibilities within Joseph's head, this was the most dreaded.

Her mere presence was enough to ruin the bowels.

The few that hadn't already, who possessed the ability to float or fly, jumped off the edge to escape.

As for the minority rest…

If they were not running frantically into one of the ships and praying for it to operate, they were stuck on the ground, paralyzed with fear.

"STAND YOUR GROUND!!" Joseph's voice, though louder than any individual sound, was lost to the turmoil.

This, was the very essence of primal, uncontrollable fear.

In the face of true terror, all commands fall silent, and the strongest will is shattered like brittle glass. Fear is the oldest of all instincts, and in its grip, even the bravest become the prey of their own minds.

Fear is not brought upon by weakness, it is the root of all humanity.

Though Joseph had spent time building up morale, in the end it was too little.

So easily shattered.

But even still, there remained a very small group huddled around Joseph. Though their legs refused to stop trembling, they remained steadfast in their faith.

It is when one overcomes fear, commands it at will, that one overcomes their very humanity.

"ZEPHYR!! Impressive how you managed to fool so many!! There is no god, there is no Wolf" She laughed, still in the air, deflecting and attacking the cloaked figures simultaneously. "there is only you and your Temporal Echo!!"

Joseph's eyes lit up under his poker face.

'Temporal Echo… How?'

The few prisoners that remained looked upon Joseph, looking for answers. Their shaking intensified.

"You've already broken our formation, so what's the point of lying further?? As you know, I'm a dreg!!" He lifted up his right, broken arm that he had kept concealed. It showed no marking, no Arcane symbol.

"If it weren't for Lord Wolf, for the demi god, how could we get this far!?" Joseph's voice was powerful, as all stared up at his broken, disfigured hand wondering how, and for how long he secretly bore the pain.

"Careful planning and incompetence is your answer!! Oooo you make me a little excited boy!! The way you can lead is impressive!!" Her laughter grew louder.

The eight masked figures, all at once charged beams of white light, releasing all at once towards the Warden, but before the light reached, she had simply disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. In the next instant, she reappeared on the ground, mere meters away from the group.

"If I wasn't in a bad mood, I would have kept you all to myself little Zephyr… Too bad, your fate will be much worse…"

She took a step forward.

The grass beneath her feet shriveled, withered until they were gray dust.

Everyone around Joseph took a step back, keeping the same distance. All but him.

"What now Zephyr… sir… What has Lord Wolf directed now…" A young man behind him, managed to mutter.

There was no need for thought… The answer was clear…

"Run… leave me be… I will bear the sacrifice…" Joseph whispered back.

In such a situation, there was nothing, absolutely nothing to be done.

All ran, in every direction around Joseph.

In the face of this disaster, they were mere specs of dust. No matter how many rocks one throws at a mountain, the mountain will not budge. Such was its futility.

"Running is so pathetic, stand your ground like your leader!!" She lifted her hand, conjuring what seemed like swirling, thick, purple shadows.

A blast for each escaping spec.

Upon contact, it was as though they began melting, withering to dust, agonizingly bleak like the very ground she stood on.

This was the same healer who had once healed the cell from Urslan's wounds.

Each blast of shadow found its target, now a rotting pile of bone.

Overhead, a loud rumbling, and a plume of smoke. A shadow cast upon them from blocking the moon.

One of the ships had set sail, but with a simple slash, it too had been turned to rotting wood, rust, and dust…

Screams, bodies, and dust rained down from the sky. She could almost taste the agony.

But in the midst of the scattered dust, a single spec was lost… brushed away in the mess…

Zephyr had disappeared…

It was the last remaining spec of Ki he had left. He used it all to camouflage himself in the night's grass.

His heart pounded against his chest, the gears in his mind turning. Where to go? The answer is nowhere but the ships… What to do? The answer was not yet clear.

Should… should he use it… what he had been saving…

All he knew for certain was this respite was far from endless.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see carnage…

"LORD WOLF!! SAVE ME!! AHHH!!"

The Warden was on a rampage. Like a natural disaster, all around her perished.

Though his energy was depleted, his right hand shattered. He felt an odd rejuvenation.

An inexperienced man would probably think this was the adrenaline, but Joseph knew better. This feeling was similar to when he first unlocked Temporal Echo…

The cloaked figures kept attacking with attacks and beams of light, but each attack proved futile. They split their attention, some attacking, while others defended the ships.

It was clear, their main objective was to rescue the prisoners.

Still, one by one, they slowly dwindled.

To Joseph, the fact that they had attacks of light only meant that it was the Warden's natural weakness for her shadows.

Perhaps even a specialized kill squad specifically to take her out. But, it all seemed futile…

He miscalculated. Either these cloaked figures were weaker than he expected, or the Warden's strength exceeded imagination.

To Joseph, the answer was clear… Her shadows were not really shadows. He had felt something off about them ever since he first saw it.

Beams of shadows? How would that cause any destruction? Shadow is simply the absence of light, it was weightless and harmless, yet unlike the light the figures used, the Warden was destructive.

He conjured his thoughts, thinking of a logical explanation, but he drew blanks on every turn.

Though the chance was slim, perhaps if he could use this brief respite to figure out a plan, a weakness, then maybe…

What kind of shadow was it?

It seemed like he would find out sooner than he expected… Up close and personal…

Before he even had time to register anything, there was a grip, tightening around his skull, as he was lifted up in the air, his legs dangling…

"Found you…"

Her smile seemed to glow under her mask, as her grasp tightened…

Tighter…

Tighter…

Her grasp eroding everything until—

*SNAP*

The body went limp, then disappeared like ash in the wind.

The Warden's smile lost its luster, looking down at what remained, before looking up…

"Since when could you clone yourself boy?" She looked at the panting figure, kneeling ahead of her.

"Since when could you be so easily tricked by a former dreg?" He chuckled.

"You're perfect… The way you make me feel is unlike any other!! Truly, you were but a useless runt when you first came!! But now!! You must have been blessed by the gods!! SHOW ME!! Bring out whatever spirit they claimed you possessed!! I want to see it!! Oooh the Lord would be so pleased!!" She ripped off her helmet, revealing her face…

A young, manic woman, her skin as pale as a ghost, eyes dark as an abyss and bright as amethyst narrowed down towards him.

There went every last drop of Ki and Arcane energy he had remaining from that rejuvenation. That clone was nothing more than a temporal echo, infused with hints of his remaining Ki to slightly harden it like a shell. To call it a clone was laughable.

Time seemed to slow down in front of Joseph. The Violet Specter sped towards him like a blur, sword in hand.

Depleted… he had now achieved all prerequisites…

There was a move he had been saving… a sort of self-destruct Owl had once taught him. A move with a near certain chance of death…

His plans had all come crumbling, those masked figures were not nearly powerful enough… Arthur nor those cloaked figures were nowhere in sight, freedom seemed now nigh impossible.

He could not help but smile, at this feeling he had almost become accustomed to.

It was either he uses it now, or he becomes captured by her. And the chances of another escape was certainly zero.

He must use his own lifeblood as a fuel, draw her in… And deliver the final blow…

Then just maybe… Maybe she will die… And even slimmer, perhaps he could survive, to live, to see if his dear Nina was still out there…

If it all came to an end now, he had no regrets.

With the resources available to him, he did the best he could. If he could not escape now, he would have not escaped ever…

He had long made his resolve—

But it was not the resolve to die—

It was the resolve to live—

For he had—

The Warden's grin widened, and her eyes pulsated, a haze of purple enshrouding her in a blur that had yet to move, ready to pounce.

"Have you heard of the great country of China?"

Abruptly, the warden stopped… Eyes gawking.

"In the second century B.C. in ancient Liuyang, China. The first natural firecrackers were born, made of bamboo stalks that when thrown in a fire, would explode because of the overheating of the hollow air pockets in the bamboo. These firecrackers were primarily weapons of war and destruction, but later these explosions would light up the sky in celebration, combined with mineral elements to create a dazzling display beyond imagination. We call these explosions, fireworks…"

Out of his pocket, Joseph brought out a cracked arcane crystal. With a smile, he held it firmly in his hands. More cracks began to form, before he threw it in mid air as high as he could—

*BOOM*

The sky erupted in brilliant hues. A shower of shimmering lights rained down, vibrant blues, radiant reds, and fiery golds cascading in arcs that danced across the night sky. Each color pulsed, crackling with energy, as if the very essence of magic had ignited into an otherworldly firework display.