A massive boom from an explosion coming from the wall shook the very foundations of the village, occurring literally a second after Bush had barged into the meeting. Everyone ran towards the walls. Allisa and her friends charged up the stairs and joined Rodger and his friends, staring in shock at what was before them.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding?" Cliff exclaimed.

"I honestly wasn't expecting this," Nel said, just as shocked as everyone else.

Stretching out before them was a massive army, no other way to describe it. Most terrifying of them all was those massive mechanical monstrosities.

"I-Is all this Celtic Hoard?" Melvin asked in disbelief. "It's a freakin army!"

Allisa looked along the wall, remembering that there was an explosion just moments ago, but couldn't see any damage.

"They broke the barrier!" Gimdo said, who had just arrived.

"Gramps!" Rodger said.

"Barrier?" Allisa asked.

"Along with the walls, we have a barrier for extra protection from the larger monsters that occasionally come here," Gimdo explained as he looked over the walls. "I won't be arrogant and say it's impenetrable, but it should have been strong enough to withstand their machines for more than just one shot."

"I think it was that massive cannon in the center," Dora said to him, pointing towards the cannon.

"It seems so." Nel nodded.

At this point, most of the sameits had rushed to the walls to see what was happening.

"D-Do you think we can defend against that?" Allisa asked nervously.

"Hah, bring it on I say," Max said cracking his knuckles.

"More the merrier as they say," Yuki said, gripping his sword.

"That's not how you use that phrase..." Melvin groaned. "And stop sounding so excited about this."

At that moment, a voice came from amongst the army, what sounded like a megaphone. "Um... hello.... Hello.... Can you hear me?!" The voice said.

"Who's that?" Rodger asked.

"Probably Dolton Horus, the leader," Nel said, activating her piercer eyes to look for the man.

"Ah! Here we go!" The voice, which Nel claimed was Dolton. "Hey Gibi, can ya hear me?!"

"Gibi?" Rodger muttered in confusion.

"I think he means me," Gimdo said.

"Gramps.... Do you know him?"

"Listen! I know we had an.... Um, understanding. But ya know, business is business, and someone has paid me a lotta Rundes to wipe this place off the map, metaphorically speaking." Dolton continued.

"What's he talking about?" Cliff said, looking suspiciously at Gimdo, who had his eyes glued to the

"I don't like being called a murderer, and slaughtering you midgets would look bad. Basically, I like my image not completely full of shit. So if you and your midgets leave, I promise my boys won't hurt em. And if they do I'll give you their balls. Fair deal right?"

"What is the meaning of this?" Dorian demanded, glaring at Gimdo. "How do you two know each other?"

".......I'll explain later." He said quietly.

Dorian then grabbed Gimdo. "You traitor! You sold us out didn't you?!"

"Gramps wouldn't do that!" Rodger yelled at Dorian. "Right Gramps?"

"Of course I wouldn't!" Gimdo said to Dorian. "I would never betray this village to these people!" he then looked towards the army. "I do know that man, and I promise I will explain to you everything if we're still alive."

"Don't worry about it gramps," Max said grinning. He then jumped up on the walls and yelled out at the top of his lungs. "BRING IT ON YOU BASTARDS!!! WE'LL TAKE YOU ALL DOWN!!!"

After that declaration, Cliff, Yuki and Melvin dragged him to the ground began to comedic stomp on him, all yelling stuff like "You moron!" "Think before you act!" and "That's my line pyro!"

"Guess we don't have much of a choice now." Allisa moaned.

****

"It's that kid!" Gil exclaimed. "There here?!"

"Yeah I remember him," Waze said. "He was with that swordsman in the field."

Both stood by Dolton along with the Celtic hoards two other officers, Ingrid, the secretary and Broco, the Taurus, surrounded by three men. Just moments ago, the mana cannon Jupiter, had just fired a powerful shot at the walls of the village and hit what seemed to be a barrier that shattered apart after being hit. The cannon was now beginning to power up again, this time to punch a hole in the walls.

"So, should I take that as a no?" Dolton shrugged, pushing up his shades.

"Seems so boss," Broco said.

Dolton let out a sigh. "What a shame. Wanted to do this the easy way, but oh well." He then handed his megaphone to Ingrid. "Mind holding this my dear."

"That's sexual harassment," Ingrid said quickly.

"I'm just asking you to take this!" Dolton exclaimed quickly. After she took the megaphone, he turned to Waze. "You fought these guys earlier right?"

Waze nodded. "Yeah, and they ain't no joke. Lost about 4 guys to them."

"You think they stand a chance against us?"

"Against all of us?" Waze pondered on the question. "I don't think well have too much trouble against them." He drew his revolvers, twirling them like pinwheels. "But I don't think we should take them likely."

"There's also the Samiets within the village to contend with," Ingrid said. "Putting aside their physical appearance, their magic is something that shouldn't be taken likely."

"Good advice." Dolton then glanced a look towards Gil. "Remember you're being judged." He said in a serious voice. "If you lose to anyone here.... well, I think you can imagine that I won't be happy, especially if you're still alive."

Gil gulped before answering. "I won't lose." He said. "Specially not to the Salamander."

"We'll see," Dolton said. He then turned round to the Jupiter cannon. "How's it going? Can we let out another shot? " He called out.

"It's about 43% charged, boss!" Someone on the cannon called back.

"Ok! When it hits 50%, let out another shot!"

"Are you sure?" Broco asked.

"The first shot was to destroy the barrier around the village. Even not fully charged, Jupiter can still punch a hole in that wall."

"And afterwards?" Waze asked with a grin on his face.

"Do whatever," Dolton said, pushing his shades up, waiting for the cannon to fire.

Just then, the Jupiter cannon suddenly exploded, catching everyone by surprise.

"Wh-What the?!" Gil exclaimed. "The Jupiter Exploded!"

"I can see that!!" Dolton snapped back.

"Did it overload or something?" Waze asked, reading his pistols.

"At less than 50%, not likely," Ingrid explained.

"Well they don't malfunction like this?!" Dolton snapped. "What the hell's going on?!"

"B-Boss!!!" A wounded man ran up to Dolton before collapsing to the ground. He had horrible cuts across his body, all of which were bleeding badly.

"What's going on?!" Dolton demanded.

"....T-That guy..... We tried to stop him.... he killed 10 guys like it was nothing...." The man wheezed. "He-He cut Jupiter...."

"What do you mean?!! How could someone cut Jupiter?!! That's impossible!!!"

"Hey! Someone's there!" Gil yelled, pointing to the flaming wreck of Jupiter. Silhouette in the flames was a single man. He had long black hair, wearing a custom design of Samurai armor, and wielding a Katana.

"Who is that?" Dolton asked with a growing sense of unease.

****

"Whoa! D-Did you see that?!" Fred exclaimed, pointing to the destroyed cannon.

"Wh-What was that?!" Allisa exclaimed.

"That thing just blew up!" Rodger pointed out.

"There's someone there," Nel said, pointing to the figure before the destroyed cannon. The guys, after they'd finished stomping on Max, squinted over the walls to take a good look at their supposed savior.

"He on our side?" Cliff asked.

"Looks that way." Rodger nodded. "Don't seem to be on their side."

Yuki gazed at the figure, trying to have a good look at him. That man to him looked very familiar. As the man began to move, Yuki got a better look at his face and his sword. His eyes immediately widened and his blood began to boil. He did know this man. The sword was called Aki no aki, and its wielder was someone he knew very well. The very man he had been searching for, the very man he wanted to kill.

"............Gai."

Gai Tsukiyo

(5 days ago, while the others were talking to Dran)

"Northport?"

Rowin nodded. "That was the last reported sighting of the man."

"How long ago was this?" Yuki asked.

"Three weeks I'm afraid."

"Course it was," Yuki said as he let out a big sigh. "Know why he was there?"

Rowing shook his head. "All I know is that he assaulted lady Racell's mansion, killing over 30 people, and defeated a knight, supposedly with one blow."

Yuki didn't respond, but he didn't look too surprised.

"After that, he disappeared without a trace."

"And you got no other leads? Anyone try to pursue him?"

"Of course, the lord sent men into the desert to try and find him. He's even promised rewards for any information as to the man's whereabouts. I believe he might be hiding somewhere in Quintara, but that's just a guess on my part."

"I see." Yuki nodded, letting out a big sigh. "Still nothing."

"Sorry about not having any solid leads," Rowin said.

"Ah, no big deal." Yuki shrugged. "It's been five years I've had no luck tracking the bastard. This is nothing new." He let out a long sigh. "Back to square one, I guess."

He was about to leave when Rowin stopped him with a question. "What exactly is your relationship with Gai Tsukiyo?"

".....?!"

"You seem to know him on more than reputation alone. And your fixation is one I've seen before many times over."

After a brief pause, Yuki grudgingly replied to Rowin. "He's someone I'm gonna kill. Just leave it at that."

"As you wish." Rowin acknowledged. "But before we rejoin the others, I feel I should give you some advice."

"Advice?" Yuki grunted, turning around to face the old man.

"I've seen many good men go down the road of revenge. I myself have even been down that road once. I can promise you this, what you find at the end will not be what you're after. And in some cases, revenge will lead a man to utter ruin."

Yuki let out a long sigh. "You sound like the big guy." He groaned.

"Just thought you should know," Rowin said with a smile.

****

Northport was at the very north of Unsaer, and according to Rowin, Gai should be somewhere in the desert. But there was no mistaking the man out there. Yuki could never forget the man even if he tried. It would defy logic for him to have crossed an entire continent and crossed the sea in three weeks.

But Yuki didn't care. The fact was, the man he'd been searching for, the man he wanted to kill, was right in front of him. He gripped the hilt of his sword as hard as he could, forgetting everything around him. This was probably the only chance he had, and he wasn't going to let it slide.

Time to end this!!

****

The members of Celtic Hoard stood by nervously as they surrounded Gai, all muttering to one another in just audible voices. Gai paid no heed to them and studied a diamond that he ripped from the cannon he just destroyed.

"That's not it." He said as he discarded it. He looked towards one of the larger Magitek walkers nearby. "Must be in one of them."

"Hey, asshole!" One of the men carrying a mechanical sword approached Gai. "Ya got a death wish or something?!" He then raised his sword in the air. "Yo! Gimme a boost!!"

A nearby man nodded. "Comin up Zambi!" He pointed a wand in the air. "Lighting Bolt!!" Lightning shot from the wand and hit the sword, which absorbed the energy and coated the blade in a glowing green energy.

"Alright!" The man named Zambi swung his sword down and lunged at Gai, who raised his sword until the tip of the blade was pointing directly at the man. "Messin with us is the biggest mistake ya ever made, pretty boy!!"

Reijingu Mizu Stance 1: Sāji!

Gai's attack shattered Zambi’s sword, cutting through most of his upper torso, killing him. Gai stood by with his sword still down as the man passed him before dropping to the floor.

Everyone around him started to back off; terrified that their comrade had just been killed with one strike.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!!"

One of the men brought out a rifle and fired a shot at Gai, who brought up his sword with incredible speed and deflected the bullet's trajectory, catching another man in the head.

"Wha-What the?!"

"How could you miss?! He's right there?!"

"Shut up!!!!" The man desperately cocked his rifle and fired another shot, which was deflected and caught another man in the leg.

"N-No way...." The man muttered in terror, realizing that Gai was actually deflecting his shots. "What the hell are you!!!" The man let off shot after shot at Gai, who effortlessly defected each bullet that ricochets into the men around him. In the end, the man dropped his gun and drew out a blade.

"Come on! He's just one guy! He can't take on all of us!" Another man with a halberd said, gathering five others around him. "Come on! We got him surrounded! Everyone, attack him at one!!!" On that, everyone that had Gai surrounded charged in on him. Gai sheathed his sword and put his weight on his left leg while hovering his hand over the hilt to his sword while attacking men, 12 in total came to him.

Reijingu Mizu Stance 4: Rasshu!

It was over in a flash. Once all 12 men were in range, Gai used his drawing technique on all of them. In one strike, all 12 were blown away.

Everyone close by stood frozen in place as they saw more of their comrades falling. Some were brave enough to charge in to kill, and Gai, who moved with such speed that no one could keep up, felled them one by one. Each attacker who came close to him, Gai would simply rush and slice through them before they even had a charge to attack.

Then, one of the small walkers rushed in to attack. "See how ya like this ya bastard!!" The Walker fired its mounted machine guns at Gai, who rushed forwards, dodging and deflecting the bullets before he reached the machine and sliced through the right leg. As it fell, he pivoted and leaped towards the cockpit and killed the pilot.

A line of Wizards then formed and began to chant together. "Lords of the Sea, unleash your wrath upon the land! Tsunami!!"

Their tools shot out water like a hose, gathering together to form a large tidal wave that was even higher than the village walls. While those in the way scrambled desperately to get out of the way, Gai stood his ground and lowered his sword to his right and awaited the wave to approach him.

Reijingu Mizu Stance 2: Supurasshu!

The wave suddenly split apart horizontally by an invisible wave Gai had unleashed, one that caught all the wizards, carving horrible gashes in their chests and slicing the center ones in two. The water that had formed fell to the ground harmlessly, drenching Gai.

****

Allisa had seen many things in this world that defied her imagination, but the spectacle before was something else.

Who is this guy?

This one man was literally decimating the army that was supposed to be attacking the village with what looked like very little effort on his part. But there was familiar in his movements, as though she'd seen something similar before.

"Whoa, that guy's awesome!" Max said.

"No kidding." Melvin breathed. "He's making those guys look like pushovers."

"You know him?" Rodger asked.

Melvin shook his head. "Na ah, never seen him before." He looked up to Allisa, and noticed the strange look she had as she watched the man. "What is it?"

"Huh? Well, it's just....." Allisa thought a bit more on what she was going to say. "Doesn't his moves seem.... familiar?"

"You see it too, huh?" Nel said to Allisa.

"I noticed as well," Cliff said.

"Huh?" Max and Melvin looked confused.

"His fighting style, it's a lot like Yuki's." Nel clarified.

"Huh, now that you mention it..." Melvin looked back at the man.

Cliff turned to look to his right to talk to Yuki who was beside him. "So, this guy someone you-" However, Yuki wasn't there. "Wha-Where'd he go?"

The others took note of his disappearance and started to look around the walls, but there was no sign of him.

"D-Did he run away," Fred asked.

"Uh uh, No way that sword Bastard would just run away." Max denied strongly.

"He's not. But he is running." Nel said with a worried expression on her face. As the others looked at her, she pointed forwards into the valley.

"Oh... that can't be good," Cliff said with a great sense of foreboding on what was to come.

****

"Crap!!! Here he comes!" One of Celtic Hoard yelled as he brought up an automatic rifle and fired desperately at Gai who was charging him. After a brief period of return fire, Gai had closed the distance and sliced the man in two. A wizard then fired a fireball at Gai, who dodged it and rushed towards the man, slicing through the man's throat.

"Die you son of a-" Another of Celtic hoard charged with a sword and was sliced clean through. Next, a large axe man charged in, along with two other sword wielders. Gai, killed both the swordsman in two strikes as the large man heaved up his axe. Gai cut into the man's legs, took a step back to allow the man to fall before slicing through the man's head.

Right now, the body count was enormous and still growing. In fact, Celtic hoard had lost three of their walkers and over 50 of their manpower, and not one had even managed to land a blow.

"This is ridiculous!! He's only one fucking man!!"

"This guy even human!!"

"Who the hell is this guy?!"

Just then, one of the larger walkers then approached Gai from behind, aiming the torso cannons at him. "EAT THIS!!!"

The cannon fired a shot at Gai, who simply stood his ground, held up his sword and cut down into the shell, cutting it in half and letting both half's pass by and smash through the ground behind him.

"Is it in that one?" Gai muttered to himself before charging in.

The machine then brought its arm-mounted machine guns to bear to try to keep Gai from them. Gai managed to cover the distance without a bullet so much as graze him before skidding to a halt underneath the metal monstrosity.

Reijingu Mizu Stance 3: Nami!

Following the upward slash Gai had used, the entire machine split in two down the center, flowed by an explosion from the incisions that destroyed the machine beyond repair. Gai walked out from the wreckage, unscathed and held another diamond in his hand.

"That's not it either." He said as he discarded the diamond.

Suddenly, a person burst forwards through the flames of the wrecked machine behind charging straight at Gai with speed equal to his own. By the time he had noticed, Gai could only turn and block the strike. The impact was so strong that it caused a powerful gust from impact, and even forced Gai back several feet. Even before looking up at this new challenge, Gai could tell instantly that he wasn't with these men. In fact, he knew far more about his challenger than anyone here.

"Long time no see, Gai." The challenger said.

"Seems that way, Yuki."

Oath or vengeance

"Look! He's picking a fight with that guy!" Max pointed out.

"What's he doing?" Melvin exclaimed.

Shortly after Yuki disappeared, Nel pointed him out charging through the valley to the man who was currently tearing Celtic hoard apart. It was unclear as to what he was doing until he clashed blades with the man.

"Man, what's that jerk doing? Isn't that, what's the word, Reckless?" Max said.

"That's rich coming from you," Nel said with a hint of sarcasm.

Rodger, Fred and Dora looked out with some confusion. "So, what's he doing?" Dora asked.

"Who knows." Melvin shrugged. "That guy's just as hot-headed as this idiot here." He pointed up to Max.

"Hey!"

"Think he'll be alright? I mean, that guy just tore through those guys like it was nothing." Allisa said, airing her concerns.

"Ah he'll be fine," Max said casually. "No way he's gonna lose."

Allisa didn't share that optimism. No matter the reason to why Yuki was challenging that man, she had a bad feeling about what would happen. Looking to Nel and Cliff, they seemed to share her concerns.

"Should we stop them?" Allisa asked the two.

"I don't think we could if we tried," Nel said, sounding just as concerned as she looked. "You know how stubborn he is. Also, there seems to be more to this fight than just him openly challenging this man on a whim."

"Huh?"

"He may be reckless, but he wouldn't just charge out into a battlefield just to challenge one man without good reason. There's also the similarities in their fighting styles." Nel gave Allisa a grim look. "I think it's safe to say he knows the man. And given his reaction, I doubt their friends."

Cliff didn't say anything in relation to what was happening, but he was probably the most worried of the group. When he saw Yuki challenge that man, he suddenly remembered what he said the day when they went after the Alchemist. He told him that he was looking for someone, a man named Gai Tsukiyo, and kill him. Cliff knew from personal experience what the need for vengeance feels like, making him the only one in the group who truly understood Yuki. And by his actions, he could guess who this man was.

So that's Gai Tsukiyo. He couldn't help but feel particularly uneasy. Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?

****

The other members of Celtic Hoard gave Yuki and Gai some space, probably because they had no idea what was going on. Yuki's focus was solely on his opponent, more so than any other foe he had fought previously.

"Gotta say, you're a pretty hard man to find. Was starting to think I'd never pin you down." Yuki said with a grin.

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting to see you here," Gai said in a calm voice.

"Your one to talk. Last I heard you were in Northport. Last place I was expecting you to turn up is this ass-end of the world." Yuki then extended his blade out at Gai. "But it saves me a lot of hassle to hunt you down." He his voice had changed to a more serious and threatening tone.

"....That sword. It's Sakura, isn't it?"

"That's right." Yuki lowered his sword to his side, shooting off a hate-filled glare at Gai. "It's gonna be the sword," he then lunged himself forwards. "TO SEND YOU TO HELL!!!"

The two clashed in another crash of blades. Gai forced Yuki back but he leaped forwards launching a relentless assault on Gai, each blow powerful enough to send gusts out from each blade, clashing at speeds that couldn't be normal. After the blinding clashes, Yuki gave out a strike stronger than the others; strong enough to force Gai back again. He then leaped into the air and struck down with all his might, strong enough that the ground beneath Gai actually cracked apart. With one heave, Gai threw Yuki back again.

"You've gotten a lot stronger. I'll give you that." Gai said calmly. "But if that's your full strength, you're still no match for me."

Yuki grunted as he regained his composure. As much as he wanted to admit it, he was fighting incredibly seriously and putting in over 100% of his strength. Gai, on the other hand, was only fighting defensively. What was worse was, which even Yuki could tell in that brief exchange, he was barely putting in any effort of his own. Is the gap between us still that large?!

"Tch... I ain't done yet!!" Yuki pulled back his sword. Reijingu Mizu Stance 2:

Reijingu Mizu Stance 3:

SUPURASSHU!!!!

Nami!

There was then a massive clash as the invisible strikes from both swordsmen smashed against each other, powerful enough to blow away anyone standing close by. Several small cuts then opened up across Yuki's body. "What?!"

Gai, however, remained unharmed, and simply lowered his guard as he faced Yuki again. "When two projectiles clash together, be it mana or physical strength like us, it's always the stronger that prevailed." He lectured Yuki. "Sensei use to grind that point in if you remember."

"Bastard!" Yuki growled as he seethed his sword and charged again. Stance 4: Rasshu!!!

Another powerful gust was produced from Yuki's sword drawn, almost creating an aura around him as he slashed through Gai, skidding to a halt a few meters away. Blood then burst from a deep cut that had opened on his left shoulder. What?!

Gai was still unharmed, with his sword raised in the air.

He-He countered it?!

Yuki then collapsed to one knee, holding his wound in disbelief. It was so quick that any normal person would have missed it, but as Yuki was drawing his blade, Gai had raised his own sword to just below his own blade and pushed it upwards so it just missed him while getting him on the shoulder.

"I feel sorry for Ayami," Gai said as he turned to face Yuki again. "Last thing she would want is for her sword to be used as a tool for revenge."

Yuki slowly got back to his feet, ignoring the gash on his shoulder. "You..... Bastard..." Yuki growled. "Don't you dare mention Ayami in front of me..." He then turned and glared at Gai with a look of hate and disgust. "She died.... Trying to stop you. She died.... BECAUSE OF YOU!!!!"

"It was her own fault for challenging me."

Yuki charged in again scheming with rage lunging at Gai with a wide arc. Gai effortlessly parried the blow aside while rendering a deep gash into Yuki's back. Yuki lost momentum and fell backward, blood staining his shirt.

"If I recall, you never could score a hit against me in sparring. And you couldn't have forgotten the outcome of that night." Gai turned his back on Yuki and began to walk away.

"Wh-we're not done!" You forced himself up from the ground and ran towards a destroyed Walker, leaped on it and lunged himself in the air, holding his blade in the first stance.

Stance 1:

He then saw Gai turning and lifted his sword arm up and curved it in a right angle.

Oh Crap!!

Reijingu Mizu Stance 8: Uzu!

The release in the tension created a deadly upward force that took the form of a violent tornado that swallowed Yuki whole. It lasted for 2 seconds before it dissipated. Yuki fell to the ground, his body covered in horrible cuts and gashes.

"You've lost." Gai turned from Yuki and began to walk away.

"Wh-Wait..." Yuki forced himself up, trying to ignore the horrible wounds across his body, bleeding terribly and stubbornly gripping his sword. "Wh-We're.... Not.... Done..." his wheezed in obvious pain. He slowly waddled his way to Gai dragging his sword along the ground. Every step he took, he left a trail of blood.

Gai came to a stop and looked back at the advancing Yuki. "Give up. You cannot defeat me."

"Sh-Shut up...." Yuki hissed. "I.... I swore an oath..... to kill you...."

"I believe sensei told us never to use a sword for vengeance."

"S-Stop acting.... All high and mighty... you.... Bastard..."

Nel then appeared before Yuki. "That's enough." She said to him. "If you carry on your gonna kill yourself."

"Move...." Yuki hissed. Nel didn't move and held him back. "G-Get out of my way!!" Yuki yelled, glaring at Nel's cold expression.

"Sorry."

Nel then punched Yuki in his gut, hard enough to make him go numb. "You.... Bitch..." He then collapsed in Nel's arms.

"Hope you don't mind?" Nel asked Gai casually while draping Yuki over her shoulders.

"He's not my objective," Gai replied. Nel was about to take off using quickstep before Gai spoke again. "Make sure he doesn't die. It would be bad if this was where it ended for him."

Nel hesitated. She wanted to know what this man wanted and why he was attacking Celtic Hoard. But Yuki was bleeding badly, and if she didn't get him to Melvin or another healer he might die. In the end, she picked up Yuki's sword and sheathed it in its scabbard before glancing at Gai. "I don't know what you're after here, but thanks for the help regardless."

She then turned to face the walls and then ran off towards them. Truth was, she had doubts if the six along with the Samiets could hold off this entire army. But she wasn't an idiot and knew someone this strong wouldn't be here if not for something. Given the circumstances, it was good that it didn't involve them.

Gai vs. Celtic Hoard

Nel used quickstep to reach the top of the walls, laying down the unconscious Yuki. The others were undoubtedly shocked at how horribly wounded Yuki was.

"You're a healer, right?" Nel asked Hellina with a sense of urgency in her voice.

"R-Right." Hellina crouched down and began her healing magic.

"Let me help." Melvin insisted, crouching beside Yuki. "I do healing magic too."

"Thanks."

Allisa simply stared in horror at Yuki. From her travels with him, he hadn't seen him lose once. Even in the fight with the demons, despite grievous injuries, he still won. "....Yuki...."

Max stood beside her, looking just as shocked as she was. He then quickly turned back to the valley where his facial expansion changed to one of anger and rage towards the man who had done this.

"Don't even think about it," Cliff said to him, anticipating what he might do. "You saw what he can do, Right?"

Max hesitated and looked down to his feet. "Damn it..." he growled.

Allisa looked back out at the valley at the man who had just beaten Yuki.

"To be honest, I don't think any of us, even together can take that guy on." Cliff continued glancing a look at Yuki.

"Will he be ok?" Rodger asked.

"He's a tough son of a bitch, so I doubt he's gonna let himself die here."

"I hope you're right," Allisa muttered, looking back to the man who had beaten Yuki.

"So do I," Cliff muttered quietly.

****

"Hey! Pretty boy!"

About a minute after Yuki was defeated, Gai was approached by Dolton, surrounded by his 4 officers.

"You have some pretty mad skills there. And you certainly did a real number on my men." Dolton said to him, pushing up his shades. "And I have to say, I am... well, in some ways impressed." Dolton then withdrew his hand, which clicked as he stretched his fingers. "On the other hand... you did screw up my carefully laid plans to burnt this village to the ground. And If there's something I hate more than people letting me down, that's people who mess up my plans."

"This doesn't concern you," Gai responded to Dolton.

"Now you see, that's where you're wrong," Dolton said in a more threatening tone. "The losers you tore up are pretty expendable, but you did just destroy several of my Magitek weapons which you can imagine cost me a lotta money. And unless I'm compensated for my loss, I'm gonna be pretty pissed." A menacing aura started to come from Dolton. "So pissed, that I'm gonna have to kill you."

Unfazed, Gai turned to Dolton. "You're free to try." When Gai had finished his sentence, Dolton had already closed the distance, striking up with a right palm. He's fast!

Gai only just blocked the strike with his sword but was pushed back by the impact. And strong.

As he looked up again, Dolton was already charging again. Gai swung his sword at Dolton when he was close enough. However, Dolton caught the blade with his left hand and thrust out his right index finger at Gai's head, who only just dodged out of the way, losing a few strands of hair in the process. He then kicked Dolton back, something that he had to use a considerable amount of strength for. Despite Dolton's skinny frame, his body was as hard as iron.

"You're an enhancer aren't you?" Gai said as he brought up his blade.

Dolton simply gave Gai a smirk in response. "That's a problem for you?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"Not really," Gai responded, branding his sword in front of him. "Just means you're gonna be a bigger pain than your men."

Just then, something whizzed past with a sharp blade, something that would have taken his head off if he didn't parry the blow. The strike came from Ingrid, who somersaulted behind Gai before kicking forwards with her high heels which had blades attached to the heels.

"Interesting," Gai muttered as he turned to the woman.

"Who said I'm fighting you alone?"

Gai turned again and blocked a palm strike from Dolton who had just attacked again.

"I ain't that stupid!" Dolton grabbed Gai's sword and held it in place while Ingrid charged again, sweeping out a roundabout kick towards the back of Gai's neck. Gai quickly ducked down, allowing the bladed heals to pass overhead. With a considerable amount of strength, he freed his sword from Dolton's grip and struck upwards towards Ingrid. She blocked the strike with her other foot, but the force behind the strike sent her staggering back.

Still inflow, Gai sidestepped from another of Dolton's finger jabs and struck across the man's chest and knocked him back. While the blow had cut across the Dolton's jacket, it hadn't penetrated his skin.

"These two are definitely more experienced than their men," Gai muttered to himself. He turned to face Ingrid, who had recovered and was now launching a series of kicking attacks, which forced Gai onto the defensive. Suddenly, the ground beneath Gai began to glow red. At that point, Ingrid somersaulted back.

"Gun Magic! Volcanic Shot!"

A pillar of flames engulfed Gai in seconds. A few meters back was Waze with his right revolver pointed at the ground. "That probably should kill him."

The flames were then blown apart with Gai standing unscathed in the center.

"If this guy wasn't so hardcore," Waze muttered with a grin.

Gai was about to walk towards Waze when Broco charged him, swinging out an enormous fist that caught Gai, sending him flying like a cannonball back several feet, ripping through several of the plates before forming a crater about 2 miles back.

"That killed him?" Waze asked Broco.

"I doubt it." The fist Broco had used had a large gash running through his knuckles, and was bleeding considerably.

Gai then emerged from the crater, unfazed, and undamaged.

"What's that guy made off?" Waze said in disbelief.

"He's definitely far stronger than any human I've faced," Broco said, clutching his wounded hand.

Back at the Crater, Gai had emerged and was now faced with walkers charging him.

"He's down! Kill the Bastard!!" one of the pilots Yelled.

Gai walked towards the machines and pointed his sword out, blade pointed directly at the walkers before pulling his arm back.

Reijingu Mizu Stance 5: Piasu!

Gai sprang forwards with his blade held out horizontally, crossing all 5 walkers in a blink of an eye, all of which exploded shortly afterward.

Barely a second later, Gil began to charge in from behind, twirling Gáe Bolg in his right hand, which glowed a blood-red color.

Time to get back on Dolton's good side

His spear was powerful, able to penetrate anything with the utmost precision. And with Gai's back exposed, there was no way he could miss.

Gil lunged his glowing spear forwards to the point where Gai's heart was. To Gil's surprise, Gai simply sidestepped out of the way to the left, allowed the tip of the spear to pass by before gripping the pole with his free hand.

"Wha- Oh shit!!"

He was about to tug his spear free when Gai looked down at him. "You seem different than the others."

"Huh?"

"You know what suffering feel's like."

Gil was taken off guard by Gai's words.

"Sh-Shut up!!!" He tugged his spear back and retreated several feet back. "Y-You.... S-Stop trying to get in my head!!" He then charged Gai again, lunging the tip of his spear forwards. Gai sidestepped again, and this time, slashed Gil across the chest. "C-Crap..." Gil fell on his back, his shirt beginning to stain with his blood.

Gai turned his back on him and strolled towards one of the large machines that were approaching him. Dolton then appeared behind him and swiped at Gai with a roundabout kick, one that Gai ducked. He then assaulted Gai again with a series of palm strikes and kicks, which Gai parried. Despite being unarmed and using his hands and arms to block the blows from Gai, he didn't get so much as a cut.

"You're quite a formidable foe," Gai said to him during the constant blows.

Dolton smirked and sent a roundabout kick at Gai which was blocked by his sword, but hit hard enough to cause him to skid back. "Alright! Waist him!!"

Looming directly behind Gai was the large machine that he was walking to before Dolton had jumped him. With its cannons and guns aimed directly at him, it let out two shots from its battle cannons, followed by a hail of machine-gun fire, all concentrated at the exact spot where Gai was standing.

"Hell yeah!! That had to have got him!!" The pilot cheered. It was short-lived though when Gai came to view, standing on the railing in front of the cockpit. "H-How?!"

Without saying a word, Gai lifted up his sword and gripped it with both hands.

Reijingu Mizu Stance 6: Taki!

In one powerful downwards swing, the entire machine was split in two, followed by an explosion.

"Shit!!" Dolton swore to himself.

Gai emerged from the wreckage, studying the diamond he had taken from the machine. "This is it," he muttered to himself. He then placed the diamond into a pouch on his belt.

"Hold on," Dolton's vanes on his forehead were now visible as his face was alight with rage. "That's what you were after!!"

"That's right." Gai then held out his hand to open a portal. However, the ground then shook as Broco heaved out a piece of the earth. With a mightily heave; he chucked the massive piece of earth at Gai.

Gai raised his sword and held it horizontally. Stance 2: Supurasshu!

The rock was shattered apart by the invisible projectile launched by Gai, showering the area around him with displaced pieces of earth. Through the debris, Waze descended on Gai aiming his left revolver at him. "Hurricane shot!!"

At that range, it would be difficult to dodge. From the barrel of Waze's gunshot out a violent tornado towards Gai. However, with his free hand he pulled out a small crystal, and just before the tornado reached him, he muttered out 'Teleport.' In a flash, Gai disappeared completely. The wind from Waze's magic struck the ground with enough force to drill down to the water level below the rocks. Waze landed close by, inspecting the hole he made. "What? Where'd he go?"

"He used something to escape," Dolton said, grinding his teeth in frustration. "Damn!!" he punched down into the earth in an attempt to vent his frustration. "Pull everyone back."

"Wha-We’re retreating?!"

"We just got our Asses handed to us by one guy. Attacking the village now would be plain suicide."

"I agree," Ingrid said, taking her place by Dolton's side. "Without Jupiter, we won't be able to make a hole in the wall to punch through. Not only that, we've just sustained massive casualties so we need to assess the damage."

"Gather up the wounded and whatever's still running. Leave the dead." Without further words, Waze departed. Dolton took one look back at the village. "Damn it all! So much for an easy gig."

****

"Whoa! Did you see that Louise!"

"I certainly did Thelma."

"Does look like a problem though. Wouldn't you say, Ellie?"

Ellie didn't say anything in response. There wasn't really anything to say, apart from the fact that Celtic Hoard, who was supposed to have taken over Sterland Village, was decimated by one man. Frankly, she couldn't think of anyone who could pull off something like this with minimum effort.

The three of them hadn't taken part in the operation since none of them were of Celtic Hoard, and Dolton had insisted that he didn't need their help. Based on how strong that man was though, even if they were among the army, it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference.

"That man, any idea who he was?" Ellie asked.

"Not a clue."

"Certainly isn't working with us."

Ellie took in a deep breath as she watched the shattered members of Celtic hoard retreat. No matter what you looked at it, this was a defeat and one that Celtic Hoard probably won't recover from.

Will this affect the plan?

Her gaze went towards the walls, particularly on the adventurers on the walls, who were easy to spot since they were the tallest out of all the others. They were also an unknown factor. Thelma and Louise told her about them, following the engagements of the vanguard. There was no doubt that they were strong, but what made them dangerous to them was that they didn't know who they worked for. They obviously wouldn't be out in this forest unless they had a very good reason. That boiled it down to two possibilities that Ellie could think of.

Either they knew what they were after in the village and were here to stop them, or they were after the exact same thing as Yensin?

If it was the former, then who tipped them off and who do they work for? If it was one of the Arch Sage's, then there would be trouble.

"Should we help them?" Thelma asked, breaking Ellie's concentration.

"Let them be." She said. "These adventures you spoke of, do you think there with the Arch Sage?"

"Hard to Say," Thelma said.

"We just know that they're strong," Louise said.

Ellie could never get used to the sisters speaking as though they were one person. It was hard enough to tell them apart at times. "Do you think they might be a problem later on?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Though their strength is quite formidable."

"Particularly the assassin and Salamander."

"And that girl?" Ellie asked. Her gaze on the walls seemed more focused on the blond-haired girl. According to the twins, she had a spirit weapon, which is always something to take into account regardless of age. There was also something else about her that Ellie didn't seem to like, even at this distance.

"She's a mystery. Right Thelma?"

"That's right Louise."

"That doesn't really answer my question," Ellie said in a more assertive tone.

"We can't really answer."

"We only observed."

Ellie let out a sigh. "Let's go back to their camp. We need to think about what to do now."

She took one last look as the valley began to get less crowded. All that was left was the bodies of the dead and the destroyed Magitek weapons. Given that one of the adventurers attacked the man who had single handily broke Celtic Hoard, it was safe to say he wasn't on their side. Question was, whose side was he on? After all, he just vanished without a trace after destroying one of the Gracemaria Magitek walkers. There were so many things that were unclear to her.

"Ya just thinking too hard."

Ellie clenched as she just remembered something. Something her old lover once said to her when she pondered on such things. Why are you in my head now? Kira. She shook her head to try and get the thought of that woman out of her head.

"Something wrong?" One of the twins asked.

"It's nothing. Just a bad thought." she hurried away, trying to catch up with the two. This is the path I walk down now Kira. No matter what, I will be free.