Allisa was out of breath when she finally arrived on the west side of town. She ran non stop since she separated herself from Nel. She wasn't sure she was heading in the right direction and almost got lost. However, the sound of a building collapsing gave her an idea of where to go. In front of her she saw the collapsed building, in front of which was busted and bruised Max, three kids, an injured Melvin, a large stone monster and two strange individuals who they seemed to be fighting.

"Allisa!" Both cried with relief.

Quarla and Fero looked puzzled by her appearance, as though their long-planned performance met an untimely interruption.

"Hey, is that her?" Quarla asked.

"It is. Her clothes are different from the image but that's definitely her." Fero replied.

"What? Didn't that idiot Zagrab rush ahead to kill her? What the hell is he doing?"

"I think she might have defeated Zagrab. That's the only possible explanation."

"What? No way! That lunatic wouldn't break a sweat against her."

The kids in the barrier, who were still in chains, looked on at the new arrival. "Hey, who's that girl?" Hal asked.

"Oh her," Melvin glanced to Allisa. "Uh... she's with us." He glanced around her, seeing if Nel was within sight.

"Allisa Reed!" Allisa's attention was drawn to the massive crowd laid out in front of the entrance. Fear started to grip Allisa again, making her almost tempted to run away. She then noticed Yuki laying out on the ground.

"Mr. Akoga!" she called out to him. She then saw some movement from him as he struggled to move his head.

"W-why are.... You...here?" Yuki muttered. Allisa could tell by his voice that he was in obvious pain. Kobra then stood in the way of her line of sight.

"Are you the leader?" She asked Kobra, tiring to sound as brave as possible.

"Kobra." He introduced himself while uprooting his greatsword. "And I know all about you, Allisa Reed."

Out of instinct, she summoned her sword. "What did you do to him?" She asked gesturing at Yuki.

"Something that I won't need for you," Kobra said taking a step forwards.

"Wait!" Hachren interrupted, stepping in his master's way. "This girl is clearly not worth your time lord Kobra." He said as he himself began to walk towards Allisa. "Allow me to finish her." Kobra gave a slight smirk as he took a step back.

"She's all yours." He said to him.

"I'm not sure what happened to Zagrab, but it's clear that you haven't encountered him seeing how you're still alive." Hachren then stopped and placed his hand on his sword. Allisa was tempted to tell him that he was dead, but she decided not to aggravate her opponent. "I am Hachren. One of the Four Rodents and second to lord Kobra."

Allisa held out her blade in front of her, bracing herself for what was to come.

"Allisa run!!" Max yelled as he charged Hachren. Before he could get close, however, Fero appeared in front of him and kicked him back into the rubble of the collapsed building.

"Sorry, but we're not finished," Fero said, tipping off his cap.

"Besides, with Hachren, that girl's dead even if she runs," Quarla said, drawing her attention towards the upcoming fight, and away from Melvin, giving him some respite to heal his injuries.

Allisa stayed her ground, even though she was screaming inside to run away. Whatever kept her in place was beyond her.

Hachren then drew his sword, or at least that what it appeared to be from Allisa's perspective. At a glance, the weapon seemed to have no blade at all. In fact, the weapon consisted of a crossguard and hilt.

However, Hachren wields it in one hand, giving it a few swings as though there was a blade, which made Allisa feel uneasy. Having seen what Zagrab was capable of, she was cautious of his movements.

Harchren suddenly lunged forward, as though he was trying to run a blade through her. Out of instinct, Allisa held up her sword to block whatever was coming at her. Suddenly, the clash of metal could be heard as something scraped along with Allisa's sword, giving off the distinctive sound of metal clashing against each other. Shortly after, Allisa felt a sharp object opening up a gash on her left shoulder. She quickly stepped back away from her opponent, quickly changed her sword to her left hand while with her right felt the sharing pain on her left shoulder. It was covered in her blood from an open wound.

"What?" From what had just happened she was able to make a guess what cut her.

"Figured it out?" Hachren taunted. Allisa looked at his weapon and saw that her blood was clinging onto something invisible, but gave off the shape of a blade.

"It's invisible..." She said to herself.

"That's right. I can turn my blade invisible." He swung the sword in a wide arc, scattering the blood on the ground.

He then charged again and swung at Allisa. In response, she held up her sword to block. However, the blade never made contact. Before Allisa realized what had happened, Hachren moved slightly closer and swung low, cutting her right thigh. It wasn't as bad as the gash on her shoulder, but it still unnerved Allisa further.

"You've seen its effects." He said to her. "It's important to know the size and reach of your opponent. And I've just removed the only way to determine that factor, giving me an important advantage over you."

Allisa stood back, holding her sword out in front of her to give her some illusion of confidence. However, fear was starting to get the better of her, causing her to shake slightly. Alongside, there was the pain in the cut on her thigh as well as the gash on her shoulder. Damn, I'm screwed.

Hachren peppered another attack. This one intended to kill her. "You are not worth Lord Kobra's time." He said to her. "You are barely worth my time." He then lunged at Allisa, aiming to run his invisible blade through her throat.

Frozen in place, Allisa just closed her eyes. All of a sudden, Nel, who had followed her since they separated, quickly got in front of Allisa and brushed the blow with both blades. Startled, Hachren took a step back as Nel fixed him with her Piercer eyes.

"I see. That explains Zagrab." Hachren said as he raised his guard.

Allisa collapsed to the ground, mixed feelings of relief and frustration running through her.

"Stay there," Nel instructed Allisa. "I'll handle this." Allisa didn't reply. She didn't even look up at Nel, who had saved her twice now from a deathblow.

I'm useless. Allisa thought to herself. Why am I always the one being saved?

Even though she didn't respond, Nel took her silence as a sign that she understood. Nel surveyed the area with her Piercer eyes a few seconds before saving Allisa.

From what she picked up she knew that they were against the entire Rats gang. She also identified Kobra, and the other dangerous presences she sensed before. She also knew of the predicament that Max and Melvin were currently in. Her main focus, however, was her opponent in front of her.

"Those eyes," Hachren said, slightly unnerved. "You're an assassin aren't you?" He glanced at Allisa. "Are you her guardian?"

"No, I'm here accomplice," Nel replied. She could tell that this man was on a different level to Zagrab. What worried her most was that despite her eyes, she couldn't see the blade of his sword. This gave her a distinct disadvantage against him.

"An accomplice? Well, in the end, it doesn't matter." He then charged Nel. "You'll die either way."

Hachren swung his sword in a low strike upwards. Nel used her dagger to block the blow. However, the sword didn't make contact. Before she realized that she had fallen into his trap, Hachren then struck downward, a blow that was intended to make contact. Before it could, Nel disappeared in a flash before Hachren. He turned to his left to find her, blood dripping onto the floor from a wound to her right arm.

That was close. She thought to herself. Any moment later and I probably would have lost my arm.

"'Quickstep.' An ability to give you a temporary burst of speed." Hachren said. "Zagrab could also perform it."

Nel clenched her wounded arm. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to show her that this wasn't an opponent to be taken lightly. The main problem was that sword. Not being able to see the blade, even the slightest put Nel at a disadvantage. If I use quickstep to attack and watch for sudden movements with my eyes, I might be able to catch him off guard.

After going over her next move, Nel then charged at Hachren. In response, he prepared to attack Nel. When she got close she vanished. After that, Hachren turned to his right, swinging his sword at Nel, who disappeared again. She re-emerged behind him before lunging at him with her dagger. However, the dagger hit something metallic before it could pierce his back. Nel realized that he had inverted his sword with that last attack, and used it to block the blow. Startled, she leaped back as Hachren turned to face her.

How? She thought desperately, trying to understand how this opponent was getting the best of her.

"It's natural for an assassin to make an attack from behind. It's quick and within a blind spot, easy to catch your opponent off guard. That's what other assassins have tried." Nel put her guard up. "Quickstep focuses mana into the soles of your feet, allowing you to effectively teleport a few yards away depending on your ability. However, you have to put a notable amount of mana into your feet in order to pull it off." From his last statement, Nel found her answer.

"You're a sensor, aren't you?" She evaluated. "By my guess a higher level sensor."

"That's right. You're also a sensor, and at my level if I were to venture a guess." Hachren said, lowering his stance, "I have to say, in my countless battles, I have never fought against a fellow sensor before."

He then charged at Nel swinging his blade at Nel again. Nel jumped back, not taking the risk of falling for his invisible blade again.

"Those eyes of yours are also impressive. I see Zagrab lost. However," He then disappeared, reappearing behind Nel, "I'm nothing like Zagrab." He then struck upwards at Nel, who quickly escaped with Quickstep, narrowly avoiding the strike taking her entire arm off, though leaving a cut on her upper left arm.

Quickstep? Nel took a step back, keeping her blades outstretched. Despite the foresight her eyes provided, it was clear this opponent was vastly skilled with a blade. Taking into consideration the invisible blade, as well as his footwork and sword swings made this opponent far more than the average goon.

"Hachren Golbrog." Nel cited. "A master swordsman wanted for the murder of several high ranking knights and swordsmen. You certainly live up to your bounty."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Hachren said, pointing his invisible sword down to the ground. "I have felled thousands, and have only lost to one man. I have encountered different fighting styles, and have bested all but one."

"You mean Kobra?"

"My life now belongs to him. I have finally found my true purpose in this existence. Just like yours is to protect that girl, it is my purpose to serve Lord Kobra with my very being."

Nel chuckled. "So you perfectly content with being Kobra's lapdog? It sounds to me like you are running away from the fact you lost to him."

"I have no illusions of that. I challenged him and lost. However, he spared my life. Even though I was weaker, he let me live. My life now belongs to him. He could even take my life at a moment's notice for all I care."

"So you hold no value for your own life? You would simply think allegiance blindly to the one who defeated you?"

"I hardly expect someone like you to understand. Someone who specializes in the sole purpose of taking life, not knowing the meaning of honor." He then performed Quickstep to close in on Nel, preparing to swing. Due to the distance between them, Nel was sure that this blow wasn't a faint, so she moved to block, not noticing Hachren kicking her leg, causing her to lose balance.

Oh no. He fainted the strike to catch me off guard.

"It's over." Suddenly, before Hachren could kill her, a powerful force washed over them

This mana. Nel thought to herself. It's so strong. It can't be. Hachren immediately turned to the direction of the force, blocking a powerful blow sending him skidding back.

"Wha-!" Nel looked with a sense of awe and worry. "Allisa!"

Allisa panted as she stood her ground between Hachren and Nel. She wasn't sure what just happened, just then. But when she saw Nel in danger, all her doubt that had plagued her for most of the day simply vanished.

"That can't be the same person," Hachren said, taken back by this turn of events. "Her mana level is higher than before." He stared at the girl he forced to her knees not so long ago standing before him with a completely different look than before. "What are you?"

"You fool!" Nel yelled at her. "You no match for him! Just run!"

"NO!" Allisa said defiantly. "I-I made my decision, that I would protect all of you, just like you do for me all the time. I'm not going to be a burden anymore! I'm going to save everyone! And I'm gonna fight my battles so no one else gets dragged into them! I'm gonna get stronger, so I don't have to put any of you in danger because of being weak!"

Nel wanted to stop her, but couldn't. Not because of Allisa's words, but an amount of mana she was realizing. She obviously didn't realize, mostly because she didn't have any sensory abilities like Nel and Hachren, and it definitely wasn't intentional, but she was giving off truly massive amounts of mana, flooding the area with it, giving her a powerful aura. Nel, who was closest to her, was unable to stand because of it. It was heavy, strong, and more frightening than before.

Such power. Nel thought to herself. It's like nothing I've sensed before.

Hachren was even more concerned. Is this even the same girl as before? How could she be releasing this much mana? Hachren broke out into a cold sweat.

Allisa on the other hand just stood her ground. Truth was, she was terrified to the point that it took every ounce of courage she had just to stand. There was also the immense pain in her left shoulder. In fact, she held little hope that she would even survive this fight.

Calm down. There's nothing to fear. Hachren reassured himself. All she's doing is recklessly releasing her mana. I'm pretty sure she has no idea how to control it. He then performed Quickstep, appearing behind Allisa. She still has no chance of beating me.

Alarmed, Allisa turned to face Hachren before disappearing again to her left and swung his sword at Allisa. Allisa blocked the strike, letting the blade slide past, then, with her blade on top of his, cut upwards. Hachren dodged using Quickstep before her blade reached him. He appeared a few steps behind his original position. He then charged at Allisa, raising his blade high with the full intention of cutting her in two. As Allisa brought her blade up to meet his, Hachren performed Quickstep again, appearing behind Allisa.

"BEHIND YOU!!!" Nel tried to warn her. Hachren smiled to himself. Even if she realized, she could react fast enough to block.

"I win." He said with satisfaction as he brought his blade to him and swung a horizontal cut at Allisa.

However, Allisa quickly turned and blocked the blow. Catching Hachren off guard, causing him to retreat again. A look of disbelief overcame him. Not only did she block, but also she moved too fast for a normal human being. Nel, who was just as taken back, saw that Allisa was somehow using her mana to speed up her movements.

Incredible. Nel thought to herself. She's using a mana focusing technique, unconsciously by the looks of it. But nonetheless impressive since she has no formal training.

However, despite this, Nel could also see that this was putting a strain on her body. Nel also sensed that Allisa was using far too much mana in the proses. It was clear that Allisa was getting exhausted quickly by using this much mana at once. She was huffing and puffing as though she was already out of breath.

If this keeps up, she'll run out of mana before long. And when that happens she will be unable to move. This is bad.

Hachren also took note of this. In his head, it would be a sensible approach to just wearing her out before killing her. His pride, on the other hand, prevented him from carrying out this approach, opting to finish her off now before his pride takes another hit.

"I admit I underestimated you," Hachren told her. "But no more." He then charged her again. She still can't see my sword. Even if she increased her speed, she still can't dodge or block an attack she can't see coming.

He then lunged his blade forward. His plan was for her to use her sword to block the strike at the tip. When she does he would tilt his grip slightly, allowing the invisible blade to scrape past her own sword and impale her.

None of what he thought happened as Allisa unexpectedly attacked him, swinging her sword in a low arc. Something else, however, halted Hachren's advance as he sensed an overwhelming amount of mana was flowing into her sword. Startled, Hachren lost his balance, making it impossible for him to dodge both regularly and with quickstep. Instead, he changed his stance from his lungs, stopped short, and countered her blow with his sword. A massive shockwave followed as the blades made contact, smashing all the windows of the surrounding buildings. A blinding light emerged from the connecting blades.

A few seconds later, Hachren was sent flying back, sword shattered, and a large gash on his chest. "I... lost?" he said quietly as he landed beside Kobra. Allisa remained motionless. Her attack left a large blast radius in front of her. The pavement below was gone, leaving behind the bare earthwork.

"A-Allisa?" Nel was completely taken back by the power of Allisa's attack.

She wasn't sure how, but it seemed she poured all her mana into that attack. She then saw Allisa move slightly. Her blade then disappeared, and then she started to collapse. Nel used quickstep to catch her before she could hit the ground.

"Allisa!"

She was still breathing, and she still had some mana left, which was a good sign. But she was clearly exhausted, too exhausted to even stand up, her eyes partially closed. She then opened them slightly.

"N-Nel," She said very wearily. ".....are you ok?" Nel smiled at her. She glad that it wasn't anything serious.

"I'm alright. Just get some rest. We'll take care of the rest."

"I'm sorry....." Allisa's eyes then started to close, her consciousness beginning to fade. "I couldn't help anyone... again....."

Nel's eyes drifted towards the devastation before her, the crescent arc that had been blasted away by the surprising release of energy. "......what did you do?"

****

The sky was clear. The sun just visible through the gap in the Trees with rays of light penetrating the leaves overhead. Hachren couldn't help but stair up as he lay there on the grass. It was then he realized that he was still alive. Looking down, he saw his bare cheats wrapped with bandages. "You're finally awake." A voice came from beside him. Sitting down next to him was Kobra. "I thought you weren't going to make it for a moment." He then took a drink from a large gourd.

"Why?" Hachren began. "I lost. Just kill me!" He pleaded.

"You're good. I won't lie. I was even considering using my poison. But I could see that you wished to die."

"Of course! It's the fate of a warrior. We all are meant to die at the hands of the strong! A loss is comparable to death!" Hachren yelled. He was unable to move due to the pain from his wound.

"Well, I decided that I may be of need of your strength." He then took another sip of his drink. "You got skill, and it would be a waste for me to pass that up." Hachren looked up at Kobra, puzzled by this.

"I won't be of any use to you. You have defeated me in a duel. My life has no meaning."

"You're right. I have defeated you. So know your life is mine." He got back to his feet, and uprooted his sword from the ground and positioned it over his chest. "Therefore, I could kill you at any moment, even if on a whim." He smiled at Hachren before moving his blade away. "But for me to achieve my goal in life, I need an army of the finest warriors available. So, keeping you alive would be beneficial in the long term." He then implanted his sword into the ground. "Don't get the wrong idea. I probably have no 'honor' as you might have, and I don't really care. All I care about is to achieve my goal, and I'm not afraid to sink to any level to obtain it."

"And what's your goal?" Kobra's attention was brought back to Hachren. He grins as he speaks of his goal.

"I want to become king." His words startled Hachren. "I don't care how much blood I must spill, or even if I have to found my own nation, I wish to become the ultimate authority in any land. To grasp that immense power that toughs fools who run the three powers refuse to use. Gold, treasure, magic, power, I want everything and everything this world has to offer." Hachren swallowed hard on hearing him state his goal. It was hard to imagine anyone of sound mind to aim so high. "You properly think I'm insane," Kobra said, as though he read his thoughts. "But I assure you I'm completely sane. Even if my dream is unattainable, even if I die long before I reach that goal, it would be interesting to see how far I make it."

Hachren was speechless, not with fear, but awe, at such a goal. "What if I were to lose again to someone else?" Hachren asked.

"Then I'll take your life, as you so desire," Kobra said with a grin.

****

Five years since that sunny day Hachren had fought by Kobra's side, never losing a battle, until now. This time, the sky was cloudy. Not a ray of light could be seen. His sword lay broken by his side. It's invisibility wearing off, revealing the shining, shattered blade. He wasn't sure what had happened, or how he was in this position. One thing was clear though; he lost. Kobra stood beside him, brought his blade to be positioned above his bloodied cheat.

"You've served me well." He then plunged the blade, skewering him through.

Hachren didn't cry out, he just lay there, staring at the sky. Even as his own blood started to fill his mouth, even as his vision began to fade, he just stared at the gray sky silently awaiting his long-overdue death.

The sky. Not a shimmer of light. Not a ray of redemption to rescue my rotten soul. A fitting end I suppose. Thank you for releasing me from this existence Lord Kobra. I wish I could have seen you reach your goal at your side. But this is as far as fate will allow me.

****

Quarla and Fero looked on in disbelief. Seeing the second of command of the Rats losing was a severe blow to their morale. Not only that, but the power Allisa had demonstrated was also nothing short of frightening.

"What the hell..." Quarla began. "Hachren lost to her."

"How could this happen. This is terrible." Fero panted as though he was in a daze.

"Relax. She's collapsed," Quarla said reassuringly. "So I'm sure that we could easily-"

"MY MUSIC IS RUINED!!" Fero cried out.

"That's what you're upset about?!!"

"I developed a perfect melody from the salamander. It would be my best work yet. And then, she had to ruin it with such vile sounds." Fero barely contained his rage.

"He's finally cracked," Quarla said quietly to herself.

Fero shot out a finger at the unconscious Allisa. "Woman! You will pay for ruining my music! I will have you compensate me for every note you have soiled with you vial- AHHHHHH!!!!"

Before he could finish his rant, he was hit by a fireball and sent flying to the ground. The fire itself came from Max, who had finally emerged from the collapsed building, which he was kicked into earlier.

"Nel!" He called out.

"It's all right! She's just exhausted!" Nel replied, knowing what Max was going to ask.

"That's good." He said to himself before turning his attention back to Fero, who was starting to get back to his feet. "Hay weirdo. I'm your opponent remember." Max then walked out of the rubble, clicking his knuckles. "And now that I know Allisa's safe, I can fight you seriously."

"Fight me seriously? You mean you were holding back before." Fero said menacingly. His right side charred from Max's attack.

"Na. I was too distracted before since I wanted you out of the way as fast as possible. But now that I've cooled off, I just thought of a way to beat you." He then emitted flames in his right hand and threw it at Fero.

"Beat me? Don't make me laugh." He dogged the flames and ran towards Max, who then emitted a flame barrier like before. "Still relying on the same old tricks is pointless!" Fero leaped up into the air.

As he did, he saw that he had fallen into a trap. Below him, Max corralled large and intense flames along with his arms. As Fero was just above him, Max spun round, causing a large plume of fire upwards towards Fero.

I-I can't dodge this. The rhythm, it's different from before. He was then engulfed in the searing heat of the flames. No! There is no rhythm! There's no music! Fero fell down to the ground, his entire body charred and burnt. He hit the ground hard. Smoke rising from his destroyed body.

"Who said I was using the same old trick," Max said, resting his flames. "I just came up with that move on the spot. I honestly didn't think it could work. But I know that you can't dodge in mid-air."

"You took a gamble?" Fero said in obvious pain, fighting to keep himself from losing consciousness. "Impressive. Guess I underestimated you after all. Relying on instinct to survive. Just like a wild beast." Fero then lost consciousness.

"A beast huh? Well, it's better than 'monster.'"

****

"F-Fero?" Quarla looked in horror as Fero lied on the ground. She steered at Max with fear. He then turned to face her. "Don't think I'm anything like him!" she said quickly, her Golem approaching behind her to demonstrate she was still not to be trifled with.

"I'm on a different level than he is! And I'm not gonna hold back like he did! So bring it on freak!"

Max looked uninterested in Quarla. "Hey Melvin! Do you need a hand?" He called out.

"Na, I got this."

Quarla looked surprised as Melvin was standing up completely unhurt.

"Good thing there were all these distractions. That punch really took a lot out of me. I think it might have cracked some of my ribs."

Damn. I completely forgot about the twerp. Quarla then faced Melvin, trying to cover up her embarrassment of forgetting him. "So what? You healed yourself. Big deal. It doesn't change anything. In the end, you'll either be skewered by my ice or crushed by my Golem." He then pointed to the kids in the barrier. "And I also have some hostages. So I have the advantage." If she had trouble handling Melvin, she could threaten the lives of the kids she had in chains, which was her plan from the beginning.

"Actually you’re wrong about hostages," Melvin said. "It should be finished now." As if on cue, the barrier disappeared, along with the chains on the kids.

"I can move again!" Hal said with joy.

"We're free!" Oliver and Paul said in unison, moving their bodies to test the claim.

"What!!" This shocked Quarla. 'Chain' may have been a weak spell, but it wasn't broken easily. "How!"

"When I cast that barrier I weaved in a Dispel formula into it. It probably just finished dispelling your chains." He then turned to the kids. "You guys should get away now."

"Yeah! Good luck!" the kids then ran off to a backstreet nearby in the buildings. This astounded Quarla.

How could this kid possibly weave a 'dispel' into a barrier? Looks like I took him too likely. Quarla gave some laughter, trying to cover her worry. "I have to admit, that's pretty clever. But it still doesn't change anything. You're just going to die either way."

"You got a point there," Melvin said. "Guess it's time to summon my familiar."

"What?"

"And I'm not talking about that lame C rank golem." Melvin then smirked. "I'm talking about an S rank familiar." Sweat quickly developed from Quarla as panic started to grip her.

"You're bluffing. No way a twerp like you could have an S rank familiar." Melvin held out his wand and twirled it round in the air.

"From the gates of the Underworld, I summon you to my side."

"Crush him!" The Golem obeyed its master and with a massive fist, smashed the spot where Melvin was. "That was close," Quarla said wiping her forehead. "No way I'm taking that risk." As the Golem lifted its giant hand, smoke flowed from the small crater in the ground, with no remains of Melvin. "No!" realizing what happened, Quarla looked to her left, seeing Melvin shooting her a smug look. "A Clone! When did he?"

"Cerberus!"

A ring of fire appeared behind him. Out of it a spiral of flames shot out and landed beside him. The flames receded revealing a dog, about the same size as Melvin, took shape. Its hide was covered in fire in place of fur. The head was covered by blackened armor, covering revealing only its eyes and mouth, extending across its back to its legs and lower belly. Its paws were also armored, with razor sharp claws digging into the pavement. Its tail, also aflame, was connected by a black ring connected.

Quarla couldn't help but laugh, fearing something much worse to appear. "That mutt is an S rank familiar? It's no bigger than you." She jeered.

"Well, truth is it takes so much mana to summon him. It takes almost all of my mana to bring him here, that I can only use level 1 spells." He then stroked Cerberus's head, who reacted like any dog would its master. "Even so, I can only summon him at about 20% power at my current level."

"20%? You can only summon a familiar at 20%?" Quarla then laughed harder. "On top of which, summoning him leaves you weaker than before?" She then pointed her wand at Melvin. "Hate to break it to you but my Golems at full power and I still have plenty of mana to spare!"

The Golem approached the two and clenched its hands together above his head. Melvin quickly got out of the way, leaving Cerberus behind as the Golem Smashed its giant hands into the ground.

"Try all you want, You'll never be able to-" Quarla was interrupted by the sight her Golem as its hands resided. Its arms cracked and fell off into rubble shortly after. "What!!"

Her eyes drifted in horror at the flame-engulfed dog, standing as it was moments ago, not registering the blow it had taken.

"He may not have his full power, but it's more than enough to topple that walking pile of rock." Melvin boosted.

"You!" Quarla was barely controlling her anger. "Don't get too cocky you little turd!" The ground was then attracted to the Golems broken, arms restoring them. "I refuse to lose to some naïve little kid! Crush him!!" she yelled at her golem.

"Cerberus! Attack!" Melvin instructed.

On his command, Cerberus charged at the golem. As it swung its fist at him, Cerberus leaped into the air and corkscrewed, giving the view of a fiery drill, into the golem, bursting through the Golem, creating a large hole in its chest, nearly as wide as the chest itself. As Cerberus stopped spinning and landed on the ground, the golem broke apart and fell into rubble.

Quarla looked in horror as her familiar crumbled. With the creature down, Cerberus then began to spin forwards on the ground in a fiery wheel, then charged straight at the terrified Quarla. In desperation she rose the earth in front of her, creating an earth wall in the hopes to keep the deadly wheel away from her. However, Cerberus easily bust through it, colliding with Quarla's barrier. As he hit it, he kept spinning, sparkling lights from the barrier. To prevent it from breaking, Quarla desperately poured all her remaining power to reinforce the impact sight to keep the barrier from failing.

"Just as planned."

Quarla turned her head behind her, seeing Melvin pointing her wand at her. it didn't take long for her to realize what had happened.

"Since your pouring so much mana to keep that section of the barrier from failing, you left the rest of it wreaked. Even a rock could crack that barrier know."

Anger building up, Quarla resorted to words. "You can't kill me! That naïve little belief of yours will prevent you from killing me! You don't have what it takes!"

"You're right," Melvin said calmly. "I swore to master Dran to never use magic to hurt others. The only time it is to be used is to defend. And never under any circumstances can you use it to kill. Even someone like you."

"So what now! You won't go through with your ideal threat, and you'll even call off this mutt! It will just give me another opportunity to kill you! You've lost!"

"True. I won't kill you. But this will knock you out. So I win."

"Y-you!" cracks started to emerge in her barrier from the impact. "You little-!!"

"Lightning blast!"

A shot of lightning shot from Melvin's wand penetrated the weak barrier. Cerberus stopped spinning as Quarla screamed from the electrocution. When it was over, she collapsed to the ground, blackened from the shock with her hair frizzed and smoking.

Fall of the Rats

"Fero. Quarla." Kobra gazed his view on his defeated commanders as he pulled his sword from Hachren's cheats.

He fixed a menacing stare at Allisa who was lying unconscious on the ground. In response, Nel got in front of her and held out her blades.

"Even Zagrab and Hachren." He shifted his gaze to Max and Melvin, who had Cerberus by his side. "It seems like I underestimated you. No one has ever defeated those four before." Nel was starting to get concerned. They were all worn out and they still had Kobra and the rest of the Rats to deal with, none of whom seemed worried.

"Alright Stash face!" Max paced forwards, pointing forwards to Kobra. "You and me! One on one!"

"Are you nuts?!" Melvin protested. "You can't take him on by yourself! You barely handled that weirdo on your own!"

"Even after that beating you took from Fero, you still have the energy left to fight me. I admire that endurance and stamina of you." He then pointed his Greatsword at Max. "All right boy. You'll have you fight."

"Good!" Max said with joy as he engulfed his hands in flames.

"Hold on. This is the leader." Melvin interrupted, taking his side beside Max. "We should take him together."

"No way! I can take this guy."

"Stay out of this!"

Kobra froze in his tracks at the familiar voice. Behind him, Yuki was on his feet, pointing his sword at Kobra. "I'm still your opponent." He said panting.

Kobra turned, his face beginning to lose its color. "Impossible.... My Basilisk curse is still in effect. You shouldn't be able to move, let alone get back up on your feet." Max and Melvin were amazed by this recovery.

"Is he even ok?" Max asked no one in particular.

"No," Nel answered with a grim expression. "He's in tremendous pain. Whatever poison he's got is still in effect."

"You mean he's still poisoned?" Melvin interjected astonished. "How is he still standing?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Nel was speechless. She'd seen some people pushing their body to its limits at the brink of death, but nothing akin to something like this. That man's going to kill himself at this rate.

"You have a spell that can neutralize poison right?" Nel asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Uh...." Melvin glanced away, stroking the back of his head awkwardly. "Y-Yeah...."

Nel glanced back to him. "Have you already tried it?"

"Uh...." Melvin got more uncomfortable, causing Nel's gaze to intensify. "Th-There was a lot going on ok! I got attacked by a crazy wizard while Max got beaten around by a feathered hat weirdo!"

"Right..." Nel nodded, fixing her gaze back to the battle.

Yuki then adopted his fighting stance, holding his sword in both hands. His body felt like it was on fire. Every movement of his muscles brought him a spell of intense pain. Kobra was dumbfounded by this.

"How is it that you can still move?!" Kobra asked, his usual calm demeanor gone.

"Cause there's something I have that's even stronger than this poison. Even stronger than my pride." Yuki replied. Then rushed forward, swiping a low arc upwards towards Kobra, who quickly blocked it. "An oath."

Kobra's thick blade then cracked from where Yuki had struck. What?

Kobra shook off the attack and quickly retreated back. He then checked out the damage. A small chunk of the sword was gone from the impact site. From there, cracks had developed, one almost reaching the other end of the greatsword.

Such power. How is this even possible?

He then turned his attention back to Yuki. "An oath?"

Yuki charged again, bringing his blade down onto Kobra who blocked his strike by holding his sword in front of him. The strike was so strong that it almost forced him down to his knees. How can he possibly have this kind of strength?

Yuki applied more pressure on his sword. Kobra's arms struggled to keep his grip on his blade.

"What kind of oath gives you this kind of strength?"

Yuki withdrew, taking a step back. He lowered his body, holding his blade in both hands, lowering it along with his right side. Kobra readied his sword, holding it in front of him and bracing himself for whatever was going to happen.

"I swore on this blade, not to lose a single battle." Yuki shifted his left foot forwards. "So I Can't lose to you." He then lunged forwards swinging his sword in a Horizontal cut, more powerful than the last. The strike sliced right through Kobra's Blade completely.

Impossible. How did he? Before Kobra would contemplate what had happened.

Yuki prepared to strike again, his blade shining in the sun that began to emerge behind the clouds. "Not until I finally defeat him!"

Unable to defend himself, Yuki slashed Kobra's neck, severing his head from his body. As the head fell to the ground, the body fell shortly afterward. A large pool of blood poured from the neck. Yuki fell to one knee, still clutching his sword. His body was now screaming in protest from the enormous strain he put on it. The poison was still present, making the pain almost unbearable.

But Yuki didn't collapse.

****

Max, Melvin and Nel were taken back by this turn of events. Despite being poisoned, and clearly in tremendous pain, Yuki had killed Kobra, one of the greatest swordsmen in the world. The gray clouds overhead started to part, allowing the sun to shine through.

"H-He did it," Melvin said with relief. "It's over.... we actually won!"

"Not yet," Nel said grimly.

Some spells of laughter could be heard from the men gathered around. Despite their leaders being defeated, none were wavering.

"Why are they laughing?" Melvin said, worried.

One of the men stepped forward, resting a bastard sword on his shoulders. "Thanks for sparing us the trouble. After Kobra lost to that guy the first time, me and a couple of the guys were considering the rats being placed under new management." He glanced a look at Kobra. "Thanks for sparing us the trouble of getting rid of him along with the four rodents." The man, holding a mace, then turned his attention back to the party. "Now, give us the girl and well leave this town peacefully." He said, pointing at the unconscious Allisa.

"No way!" Max yelled. "You want her, you have to go through me!"

"I'll back you up," Melvin announced. "I may not have a lot of mana left, but I still have" as he looked to his right, he saw Cerberus disappear in a puff of flames. "Aw crap!"

"Where'd the dog go?" Max asked, surprised.

"I can't keep him for too long. My time must be up.... And that the worst time too," He then looked at the horde before him. "Sorry. Looks like you're on your own."

"No problem," Max said with a cheeky smile. "It means I don't need to hold back right."

"Besides, I need you here to heal Allisa," Nel said to Melvin.

"Oh, right." Melvin was caught up in what was happening; he forgot about Allisa. A loud clang sound was then heard from in front. Yuki had embedded his sword into the ground and used it to force himself back on his feet. Sweat was dripping from his face and he was huffing and puffing. It was clear to everyone that he was in tremendous pain. The self-proclaimed leader laughed at Yuki's struggle.

"You can't be serious. The boss's poison is still in effect. I say you have about 10 minutes before it kills you."

"That's plenty of time....." Yuki said, still struggling through the pain that racked his body. "I'll take you all down."

"Suit yourself." The man said. "Well put an end to your-"

The man was interrupted by a flashing green light that engulfed Yuki.

"What the?" Yuki stood upright, the stinging sensation that racked his body finally beginning to subside. "The pain stopped?"

"I cast an Antidote spell on you!" Melvin called out. "You're lucky the poisons' formula was simple enough to be neutralized by a spell!" He then walks over to Allisa, and positioned both hands above her. He then emitted a green glow from both hands.

"Wha-" Yuki turned around to the young wizard. "Why couldn't you have done that before?!"

"Y-You said not to help, didn't you!" Melvin protested. "Besides, we had our own problems to deal with!"

"Alright," Max said, walking towards Yuki. "Now that you ok, just sit back while I toast these losers." He then stopped beside Yuki.

"What do you mean sit back. I don't need any help. I can destroy these guys myself."

"Are you kidding? You were lying on the ground for most of the time."

"Says the guy that got his ass handed to him by that feathered caped weirdo."

"He just caught me off guard!"

"Hey fellas," the new leader interrupted. "Could you take this argument after we-"

"Stay out of this bastard!" Both Yuki and Max yelled in unison before resuming the argument. Nel and Melvin looked on as the argument droned on and on.

"How could they be arguing at a time like this?" Melvin asked.

"Got me there," Nel said.

"By the way, shouldn't you take care of your wounds?" Melvin referred to Nel's injuries during her fight with Hachren.

"It's nothing." She dismissed me. "How's Allisa?"

"She's gonna pull through...." Melvin said, sounding perplexed. "It's weird. She has several torn muscles along with that wound on her shoulder. It's nothing I can't handle, but they seem to be healing too fast to be natural." He looked up at Nel. "Do you know anything about this?"

"I can't be too certain, but I believe that Allisa has some kind of advanced healing," Nel answered. "There are two occasions where her wounds seem to have healed too quickly." She then inspected the gash on Allisa's left shoulder. It was already beginning to close.

"Yeah. I think you're right." Melvin said. "That wound was already starting to close before I started healing her."

"Will she be alright?"

"She used a lot of mana in that attack, but she's not in any danger. Can't say when she'll wake up though."

"That's good. At least she's alive." The two returned their attention back to Max and Yuki, who were still arguing.

"How about I take on those guys, and you take care of those guys!" Max said, pointing at the right side of the group.

"How come mine’s so much smaller than yours!"

"I'm trying to be fair here!"

"Fair! Your group is 3x bigger than mine!"

"That's because I'm stronger!"

"Like hell you are! I can beat all these losers with one hand behind my back!"

"You have a sword! You only need one hand to swing that thing! I, on the other hand, am fighting barehanded!"

"Yeah, with fire shooting out of you! Besides, you look like you? 14?!"

"I'm 16!"

"21! That makes me better than you through experience!"

"No way! I can destroy these guys using just my hands! That makes me better!" The leader started to get irritated by this bickering.

"All right boys, just kill them!" Around seven men charged at the arguing Max and Yuki.

"I told you," Yuki and Max turned to their attackers. "SAY OUT OF THIS!!"

All seven were blown away by both Yuki and Max's combined attack. Following this, the entire gang surrounded and attacked the two. Nel watched as both were obscured by the mob. Shortly later, one man came flying by, smashing into a building. It was the self-proclaimed leader, with a large burn in his chest.

"Monsters." He muttered. "There both.... monsters." He then lost consciousness. Turning back, they both saw both men fighting ferociously against the overwhelming number of enemies.

Despite being outnumbered, the two fought on, Yuki hacking and slashing enemy after enemy down with his sword one after the other in a flurry of attacks, and Max brutally taking out large volumes of enemy's with his fire attacks. What was striking was their cooperation with each other. They darted, back and forth; standing back to back as the waves of enemy's descended on them.

"That's nuts," Melvin said. "They were arguing just a second ago. Now they're fighting side by side like old friends."

"That's not it," Nel said with a small grin.

"What?"

"They're still fighting each other."

"What? But they're fighting together."

"No. It's more like they're competing with each other." Nel smiled slightly. "I'd say those two formed a special type of bond."

Amongst the mosh pit, Max dodged a blow by an axe before blowing the welder away with a fireball. Two more men with spires charged him. Max grabbed both and spun them around, sending the two men flying into their comrades.

"You know something!" he said to his 'partner.' "I really don't like you sword bastard!"

Behind him, Yuki parried a strike from a sword before sticking the man down. He then turned, slicing through two others, dogged a blow from a large man who fought bare fists, striking his knees before cutting upwards.

"What a coincidence! I really don't like you pyro!"

Both turned to each other, looking as if they were about to attack each other.

"So you better not die!" they both said as they passed each other, Max pounded the man behind Yuki, while Yuki slashed the man behind Max. After that, they turned to face each other again and lunged at the foes behind each other. "So I can kick your ass later!"

Advent of a new life

"It didn't have to be this way....." I held up my weapon ..... "Please don't do this!" I pleaded, trying to reach him.

"It's too late, my friend." He said. He then lifted his sword and poured his mana. "It's far too late."

Allisa awoke, finding herself lying on a bed. "Another weird dream." She said to herself.

"Finally awake I see." Looking beside her, she saw Nel staring at her, sitting beside her bed.

Allisa felt really stiff, struggling to sit up. The room was a small one. Just a bed and some scattered furniture. She felt really weak for some reason and completely drained of energy.

"How long was I out?" she asked, holding her head.

"Not long. About three hours." Nel answered.

"What happened?" She quickly remembered what was happening before she passed out. "Wait! What about-"

"They're all fine," Nel said reassuringly. "We're still in Lers. We defeated the Rats."

"We did?"

"Well, it was more Max and that swordsman that defeated most of them." Nel leaned back on her chair. "Allisa, did you remember what you did back then?"

"Huh?" Allisa raised a hand to her head. "Uh.... I don't know. My body felt like it was burning back there before I passed out." She looked towards the assassin. "What happened?"

Before Nel could respond, the door swung open with Max and Melvin coming through.

"Allisa! You're up," Max said with relief.

"Had us worried back there. How are you feeling?" Melvin asked as they both approached the bed.

"A bit stiff," Allisa answered. "A bit hungry too." She then felt her left shoulder. The cut she had received was completely healed.

"I did my healing magic on you to close up the wound," Melvin said. "But you mostly healed on its own. I barely did anything."

"Really? It seemed pretty bad." Rubbing her shoulder, she noticed that her top wasn't damaged. In fact, there was no bloodstain on it.

"That is the same top," Nel said as if reading her mind.

"How did it get repaired?"

"I did that." Melvin said. "gotta say, yours were much easier to mend than this idiot." He pointed at Max.

"Hey! It wasn't that bad!" Max yelled.

"After that brawl you had with that weirdo and the whole rat's gang, you lucky they were still intact. Frankly, I'm surprised they aren't burnt to ashes by now."

"I'm sorry," Allisa muttered. Max and Melvin were caught off guard by this sudden apology. "You all got hurt, because of me."

"We've been over this. You're not at fault here." Nel said.

"But they came for me."

"That's not the main reason they came," Melvin said, trying to help cheer her up.

"Yeah, they came for that sword bastard," Max said. "If anything It's all his fault."

"And how is it my fault?" This new voice came from Yuki who was standing at the door.

"What are you doing here?" Max asked, very annoyed to see him again.

"The mayor told me you guys were here. I came to talk the girl." Allisa didn't look at him. She was still done from their duel.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

Yuki let out a sigh before speaking. "Your technique's sloppy, your footwork bad and your coordination far from perfect." He then started to go red as he forced out his next sentence. "Although, it seems you do have some talent." Everyone then stared at Yuki, who was getting very embarrassed. "Looks like... I was wrong about you."

"Does that mean..."

"I'll help you improve your techniques and skills." Everyone was taken back by the swordsman's change of heart. Allisa was filled with joy, washing away her doubt from earlier.

"Hold it!" Max yelled. "You were completely against helping us to begin with!"

"Well, I changed my mind. Got a problem with that?"

"Oh, I get it." A smug look came over Max's face. "You feel like you owe us since you'd be dead if we went around!"

"Shut it pyro! I'm doing you a favor! That's a lot better than being indebted to you people!"

That's his reason? Allisa, Melvin and Nel through together.

"A good a reason as any I suppose," Nel said letting out a small chuckle. "It's good that you agreed. Guess that means you'll be coming back with us to Riser. "

"Oh! Does that mean he'll be living with us?" Allisa asked.

Max and Yuki froze upon realizing something neither considered. "You mean I'll be living with him?!" Both Yelled while pointing at each other.

"Of course," Nel said casually.

"What have I got myself into this time?" Yuki groaned, raising a hand to his head.

"Just stay out of my way sword bastard!" Max said to him.

"Gladly pyro!" Yuki said as the two locked heads.

"Did I miss something while I was out?" Allisa asked Nel and Melvin, puzzled by the two men's reactions towards each other.

"No. They've been like that since they met," Melvin said, obviously dreading what could happen with those two under the same roof.

"Well anyway, thanks, Mr. Akoga," Allisa said.

Yuki looked a little embarrassed to be referred to as 'Mr.' "Just Yuki."

Nel then stood up from the chair. "Well, we best head back to Riser then," she announced. "Can you move?" She asked Allisa.

"Yeah." She said as she got to her feet. "Are we leaving now?"

Nel nodded, "I promised the mayor of the town that we would leave as soon as you're up."

"Huh? How come?"

"He wasn't too pleased that the Rats attacked the town to find you, so he wants you out in case some other gang appears."

"So it was my fault!

"There were other factors." She then glared at Max "Such as Collateral damage."

"That was hardly my fault," Max said faining innocence.

"You demolished an entire building!" Yuki yelled.

"The weirdo kicked me into it! It's hardly my fault."

"We're just lucky we're not paying for the damages to the west side, especially after you two ruined the place," Melvin said.

"That was his fault!" Both yelled pointing at each other.

"They don't stop, do they?" Allisa said, sighing. What happened while I was out?

****

The sun was starting to go down as the five of them reached the east exit to the town. The east was similar to the west, with a large semi-circle plaza. "Riser, huh. That's quite a ways away." Yuki said.

"There's a town called Enser not too far from Lers," Nel said. "We'll stop there for the night before continuing in the morning."

"How are we getting back?" Max asked, resting his hands over his head.

"Same way as last time. We'll take a carriage."

"Oh. A carriage....." Both Max and Melvin had very bad memories of the journey to Enser.

"And this time, get what you need before we set off so you don't compline like last time," Nel said to the two of them.

"You barely gave us any time to prepare last time!" Melvin reminded her.

"And you only packed us a loaf of bread for the journey! A single loaf!" Yelled Max. Just as they were about to leave the town, a yell came from behind them.

"Hey!" Coming from the town the three kids, Hal, Paul and Oliver, all of whom waved at their saviors from earlier.

"Hey guys!" Melvin called out.

"Friends of yours?" Allisa asked, noticing something familiar about them.

"They were there during our fight with the Rats," Max answered.

"They're just some kids that live here." Said Yuki. "They kept bugging me when I first arrived. Something about wanting to become adventurers or something like that."

Allisa vaguely remembered seeing them at the battle. She wasn't sure what had happened to them since she lost consciousness during it.

"How have you been?" Melvin asked them as they got closer.

"We're fine now," Hal answered. "Are you guys really leaving?"

"Yes. Our reason for coming here is complete." Nel answered, not mentioning the fact that they were practically being forced out.

"Aw, I wish you could stay," Oliver said, sounding disappointed.

"Sorry," Yuki said to them. "We'll be back at some point. You can see us then."

"You're going with them?" Oliver was a little confused due to what happened before the fight with the Rats.

"I thought you didn't like them?" Paul said.

"Well..." Yuki struggled to come up with an excuse. "I'm doing them a favor." He finally said.

"In other words, he owes us for saving his ass." Max butted in.

"Can it Pyro!"

"Hey. You that girl." Hal said, pointing to Allisa. "That was so cool what you did."

"Huh?" Allisa didn't have much recollection of the event. She wasn't even sure how she defeated Hachren.

"Yeah. That was so powerful." Paul joined in.

"Um... Thanks." Allisa tried hard to remember what she did. "What did I do again?"

"I'll tell you later," Nel said, knowing what was going through her head. "Anyway, we best be off. It's best we make it to Enser before it gets dark." She then began to set off down the road.

"Oh. Well, take care." Allisa then began to follow.

"See ya guys!" Max said as the others began to follow.

"Hope to see you again!" Melvin said. Both Max and Melvin waved with both hands as the group began to set off. Yuki didn't look back but raised his hand as they set off down the road to their next adventure.

****

Sitting on the roof of a building overlooking the east entrance to the town, Karren watched as the girl and her companions said their goodbyes to the three children.

"Well, that was more entertaining than I thought." She said with a smile.

Cob appeared behind her, wearing his usual dark cloak and carrying his staff. "Why did you send the Rats after them?" he asked.

"A means to an end that's all. Hard to believe that she survived the Rats." She then brought out a green oval, holding it between her fingers. "But it worked out in the end. I got the key, and it presented an opportunity to get rid of her as well."

"Even though Gillian told us that we shouldn't do anything that would make her aware of our plans, as well as the Arch Sages."

"It was a risk I admit. But they remain none the wiser." She then tossed the opal to Cob.

He smiled slightly at her. "Kobra could have been useful."

"He was a fool who aimed too high for his own good. And in the end, that very ambition was what brought his downfall. Of course, I could have easily crushed his pathetic little gang alone. But it was more fun to have him get rid of our problem." A grin formed on Karren's lips as she saw the group leaving down the road. "Even if they lost, it was still entertaining. Especially the swordsman and the Salamander destroying the enter gang single-handedly."

"You're a cruel woman." Cob chuckled.

"You say it like it's a bad thing," Karren said with a smile as Cob vanished. "Allisa Reed. Seems there's more to you than meets the eye."