Chapter 22 – The strongest combo
"So, how do we defeat him?" said Cid. I replied very calmly, "We have to pierce his eyes or one of them, use our combined magical attributes and thus, fry his brain."
It's a good plan, a perfect and flawless one.
"That's so stupid!"
Or so it was until Cid discouraged me.
"How do you think we can hurt that monster, you haven't seen him! He destroyed several ships and defeated both sword saints with no problem!"
"... Well, what are you suggesting then?"
"Nothing, I was just saying it was stupid, not that it was a bad plan..."
He doesn't seem to know what to say himself and supports me so as not to be embarrassed anymore.
Don't worry Cid, it's normal to think my ideas don't work. Even my beloved Amy looked at me funny, but then not anymore.
Its shell and skin are very tough, it's true. In the game you had to attack him right in the eyes to defeat him.
The problem was that you used paid equipment that had more damage than normal equipment.
Now there is another problem, he walks almost like a turtle, but due to his big size, it is very easy for him to take big steps, thus reducing the distance.
Maybe... in about 41 or 44 minutes... No! Right now it would take 39 minutes to reach the capital.
I can see it now, but it's so far away.
I hate this world for a reason.
If it had been a super easy game world. I'd be getting rich doing nothing.
"Razel, but aren't his eyes too small to do that?"
"They certainly are, that's why we must make a very strong and fast combined attack."
"Let's go!"
I climbed into Cid's Pegasus, well it's Bellange's actually. Mine for some reason is fighting some feathered wyverns.
How does it move on its own?
There are more mysteries I don't want to know.
"I'll stand in a nearby spot and throw a spear at him from a branch. You just attack him with a cutting water spell, got it?"
"Sure!"
"Right."
Cid left me in a place where I could easily see when Xerxes bastard approached.
He was flying from very high up.
◇◇◇
Cid reached as high as he could. On his hips he had a sword he took for the duel with Lambert.
He planned to fight, but his brain made him understand that he could never beat him.
So he opted for another way to beat him.
He breathed in and out repeatedly.
The strong, cold wind touched his cheeks.
His blue hair swayed like a flower in a field.
Drawing his sword, he recited a spell.
"Water creation magic..."
Cid's magical attribute was water, but not a normal one. But a special one that allowed him to perform miracles with it.
In other words, water transmutation.
The sword pointed downward, a magic circle of blue manifested in the air.
With all his might he shouted.
"Roar of the sea dragon king!"
The tip of the sword was covered by a large amount of water.
The magic power in the form of water covered the entire sword until it reached the handle and remained in the air.
It made a whirlpool in the form of a spiral.
It gradually formed the appearance of a Chinese dragon.
The head was in Cid's hands, a mouth opened so that the sword could cut its target.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Cid shouted as at full speed he came down.
◇
I watched Cid who was falling like a meteorite.
It was my turn.
I already had my spear ready from a dry tree.
Perfect for imbuing electricity into it.
Good.
"Lightning magic: harpoon of Zeus!"
The branch in my hands glowed with intensity until it became a real lightning bolt.
Being ready, with all my might I hurled it after taking a few turns to gain more speed.
It was approaching his left eye.
Now everything...
Wait...
Hey...
Cid, why are you falling on the right side?
"Aaaaahhh!"
"You idiot, the other side!"
He just remembered, I never told him which eye was the one to attack.
Stupid, stupid, me.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Cid watched the spear too late to change.
If they don't go in together, the damage will be there but it won't do much good separated.
Just as you can't make fire without oxygen, you can't electrocute someone without electric current.
My spear embedded itself in his left eye.
While Cid's sword in his right eye.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Screamed the monster due to the damage in his eyes.
The spear was in its eye, it was closed, while Cid's... I couldn't see from my position.
◇◇◇
Cid buried his sword in Xerxes' eye.
But because they both failed to synchronize their attacks. It only made him upset.
Water was coming in through his eye so Xerxes closed it.
The water was still pooling there, it was going down his insides to get to his brain.
Xerxes was shaking as the amount of water that came in, was the size of an Olympic size swimming pool.
While, in his other eye, he closed it due to pain.
He was now more annoyed than before.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
He was advancing at a fast pace due to his large size.
Right now, in a few minutes he would make it all the way to the capital.
Cid walked up to Razel and shook him from side to side.
"You stupid idiot, you should have told me that beforehand!"
"Now he's faster and will go to the capital to destroy it!"
"Sorry!"
Razel cried as his perfect plan, was sabotaged by himself.
Xerxes was advancing at a great pace.
Until someone stopped in front.
"I'm so sorry to get ahead of you, instructor."
A wounded man was several meters in front.
It was Goredolph.
"You're not awake yet, so I'll have to take the fun for myself."
He stretched his hand skyward.
A huge circle was manifesting.
It was nearly 40 meters around.
"He asked me not to use it, but it's a very problematic situation."
His hand was bleeding from his fingertips.
It seemed to be burning.
"But... there's no other choice."
"Pillar of Ifrit..."
At her words, the skies lit up a deep orange color.
"Cruel..."
The orange color changed to red.
"Sun..."
And various amounts of fireballs fell from the sky like meteors.
The size was round enough to look like a small planet.
The fireballs approached Xerxes, and in less than the blink of an eye, touched back, tail and head.
A huge explosion engulfed the area, filling it with flames.
The ships around were hit by the heat wave even after moving away.
Cid and Razel were escaping in the Pegasus so that heat wave would not catch them.
Goredolph was in the center where those flames would devour him alive.
But... it didn't happen.
As if he had a protective shield, the flames surrounded him and instead, a cool breeze hit him.
His eyes closed after the explosion concluded.
Immediately, he fainted.
His wounds made by the blows from earlier would not close. Contrary to his wound made by his magic, it healed by itself as if it never happened.
Razel, Cid and the others watched to see if it was all over.
Shouts of joy could be heard that it was all over.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Shouted Xerxes who looked like a burnt marshmallow once the smoke cloud goes off.
He was more annoyed than before.
The white color was now black.
His left eye was open due to the flames burning the spear.
While the right eye was dry and he could not open it.
He was screaming so furiously that he would not stop.
The hope of defeating him was now dwindling, and the end of the capital closer.
So it was, until a small boat was approaching once more towards the front.
In it, were the girls.
◇◇◇
"What can we do?" said Lily who was covered in blood.
It wasn't hers, but from the dead wyverns.
"Even they and a sword saint couldn't do anything?"
The girls looked at Razel who was alive, they were so happy, they pressed their bodies together energetically.
Their large chests pressed tightly together.
They watched him make a combined attack with Cid, but that failed.
Then, they watched Goredolph fight, but he also failed.
They did not know what to do, if no one could defeat that monster. The capital will be lost.
"... Huh?"
Lily suddenly turned her head.
She looked confused.
"... Yes?"
"Lily-chan?"
Eli watched her friend turn around looking for someone.
She was walking as if someone had called out to her.
"Is something wrong?"
"A voice. Didn't you hear a voice just now?"
"No. No one's calling us."
"I... I heard a voice. That voice was calling my name."
"There it is again!"
Once again, Lily turned around and went to find where the "voice" was coming from.
Eli took off after her as she entered the interior of the ship.
Running after her friend, she yelled out to her.
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"The voice! There's a voice calling me!"
"This way. It says go."
The two of them ran until they reached the bottom of the ship.
The place was almost destroyed, but among all the debris. The sunlight illuminated only one part.
It was a motor boat.
Lily reached over to take Eli's hand.
"The voice says only we can save them!"
"Huh?"
Eli didn't understand what her friend was talking about, but she didn't hesitate.
"I- I don't understand anything you're saying, but I trust my friend."
"Thank you."
They both hugged each other in a tender way.
This time, their breasts only touched in the middle part.
Once they climbed up, they went straight up, face to face with Xerxes.
Eli knew a little about boats, but she wasn't an expert at handling them.
Several times he wobbled and they got scared.
That's how they ended up in that place.
"What do we do now? It's coming right at us."
They could see Xerxes annoyed heading straight to hit them.
The capital was a few meters away.
Xerxes figure should have been visible to them by now.
Lily stretched her hands out in front.
One of them touched Eli's hand.
"Eli-chan, lend me your power."
"My power?"
"That's right. The voice says only we can turn it back."
"How?"
Lily began to glower slightly.
"The power our love... it says. Or friendships or something. She talks weird stuff and she just said that and I don't listen to her again."
"... Really?"
Eli didn't understand what her friend was talking about, but she trusted her so she decided to use a more powerful spell.
Her free hand was in front. Lily's glare covered Eli in the same white blanket.
When Xerxes was about three feet away from hitting them.
Something that only happened in the game happened.
"Light magic: wall of Avalon!"
"Fire magic: fireball of Apollo!"
A wall of transparent light grew from the ground.
As Xerxes approached, he was hit by that invisible wall.
His head was almost fracturing.
Green-colored blood was gushing out.
Xerxes' whole body was hit as well.
Then a great ball of fire was growing from the place where Eli was.
She kept it still growing.
You could tell she was in pain.
But she with all her might made the fireball grow to the maximum she would allow it to grow.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh!"
Eli shouted, and the fireball shot out at high speed.
It impacted against the wall of light and, like a fishing net, pushed it back.
Xerxes with all his might was trying to destroy the invisible wall.
But he only hurt himself.
The wall pushed by the fireballs pushed her back so far that she reached several meters in a matter of seconds.
That was a defensive attack Lily would activate when she was declared a saint.
But for some reason, she was using it.
How did she know about that ability she would get in the future?
When it looked like the girls were going to defeat it, the wall of light and the fireball disappeared.
That was because the magical power of both of them was exhausted.
Tiredness showed on their faces.
They looked like they had run a triathlon.
Their cheeks red from the pain in their hearts made them look almost like tomatoes.
They both collapsed in that boat.
◇◇◇
Xerxes was upset.
He was hurt and blood was pouring out of his body.
The culprits of this damage were obvious.
A couple of girls on a boat.
He was very upset.
He opened his mouth, it was bleeding. Several teeth were broken and knocked out.
But he didn't care.
He wanted revenge.
The magic circle manifested to finish them off.
Razel and Cid were even better, he couldn't get near them or do anything.
This attack was bigger than the previous one because of the size of the magic circle.
No one could save the girls... or so anyone would think.
Once again, from far away, at full speed, flew his steed.
Schwarz.
He was busy fighting the remaining wyverns, but they were killed by Goredolph's attack.
He was watching everything, deciding who to assist.
In the end, the answer was obvious.
With all his power, Schwarz was flying straight towards Xerxes.
He knew, better than anyone, that it was absurd.
But...
His heart did not falter.
(Even... if defeat is clearer than water. I will not give up. I swore that until the end I would fly and make my master win.)
(Also, I will protect his women.)
(Because I... am the fastest Pegasus in the world!)
His body was glowing.
That was due to the magic stone inside him that was overflowing the allowed limit.
Schwarz was planning to die.
It was the only possibility.
As he watched the girls go out into danger, risking their lives despite not being combatants. He thought...
(I know there is no other choice... but, even so, there is no one faster than me.)
(So I ask you to live your lives without regretting what you do. I did, I regretted being a good-for-nothing, but now. I understand that there was a reason for all that.)
(And this was it.)
(All this time I was in that place. For the master to find me. And so, to have my moment of glory.)
(How many Pegasus have done or would do what I did? Obviously none. For that reason, the lightning nothing will give its last flight.)
(I will crush that damned wretch with all my might!)
Schwarz was flying at such a high speed that his body was falling apart.
Xerxes was ready. His attack was fired.
(Come! I'll show you what the absolute champion is capable of!)
(Uwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!)
A shockwave was hitting Schwarz.
His body was generating a large shield of magic power by means of magic stone.
With that shield he could protect the girls, at the same time gaining speed.
The shield became a real Pegasus with Schwarz in the center.
It galloped in the most beautiful and gallant manner while its body was being torn apart part by part.
As if he was being slightly disintegrated.
Schwarz was a shadow of his former self.
His body now showed its mechanical parts.
He was meters away from Xerxes.
When he got close enough. He looked at Razel and Cid.
Razel's eyes and Schwarz's metallic eyes synchronized for a moment.
In that moment, it seemed Razel saw a smile.
Accompanied by a voice he should not hear.
(Farewell forever, master. Live happily and, remember, I was always your first Pegasus.)
"Huh?" Razel said as he mysteriously let out a tear.
When he was already facing Xerxes.
The blue colored hoof was raised along with a heroic shout.
Eat this! My ultimate attack! Rage of Chiron!
The moment the two touched, a pillar-shaped light was sent up to the sky.
As the light illuminated that place.
At its center two events could be seen.
One was Xerxes being torn apart, his skull was splitting open.
His brain was in plain view.
While in a smaller spot. There was what was a black steed.
It was slowly disintegrating until its core which was visible, was broken.
Schwarz's "life" ended like that of a champion.
Once the light disappeared.
Xerxes screamed in pain.
"ROOAAHHH!"
"ROOAAHHH!"
"ROOAAHHH!"
His pain was very evident.
He tried to escape now that he had suffered a very damaging attack.
But...
"We won't let you!"
Two voices in the distance were approaching at high speed.
Being close to his brain, the two people, who were riding a Pegasus, took a great leap.
The steed crashed into the trees as those two figures drew swords.
One of them was imbuing it with water and the other was materializing an astral sword.
It was covering with a very powerful lightning.
The weird thing was, those people had tears in their eyes.
"I don't understand why I'm crying, but I won't let you escape!"
"How dare you destroy my partner, you fucking son of a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!"
In a combined attack, they both shouted.
"Rage of elemental titans!"
"ROOAAHHH!"
Once the blades embedded themselves in Xerxes brain. Water and electricity coursed through him.
His brain was pink in color, but as seconds passed, it would turn black.
At the end of almost two minutes.
The brain was completely charred and fell to the floor.
A great earthquake occurred.
And so it was that the combined work of different people served to defeat a terrifying creature.
As they both sat on Xerxes fried brain. Cid said.
"Razel, don't relax."
"... ?"
"We managed to finish this monster off. But remember, today's main event was the duel."
"¿And?"
"You committed an insult against the imperial family. Me too, we both challenged the prince who is in the line of succession to the throne."
"..."
"... You still don't get it? Fine."
Cid took a big sigh before collapsing to rest.
In the distance, ships from the capital could be seen approaching.
"We will have to meet the most terrifying person in the world. To none other than the emperor himself. My father."
"... Huh?"
"No doubt explaining the reason for a duel will be the most annoying part. If it bored him or he finds it offensive. We'll both die instantly."
"Huh!"
That day ended leaving a great news throughout the empire.