"Death, take hold of these enemies which I see before me..."

One of the men started chanting a dangerous sounding spell.

"...and wrap them within your cold, icy hands".

"Ruuruu, defend. Arila, take that guy out! Sora, Herra, cover the others. I am oounter-casting while maintaining defensive wards!"

Rikuo gave out some orders. The others nodded with a slight smile, and trusted the plan as they acted. The enemy mages sent several magical attacks their way, as two people with swords ran out towards them as the vanguard.

"Storms, let the great winds carry you forward and bring forth the torrent!"

"Drag them down from the mortal plane into the pits of hell, let them know nothing but anguish and suffering!"

"Shadow Arts: Shadow Clones!"

"Sword Arts: Multi-Target Strike!"

As techniques clashed against techniques, Sora jumped up ahead, and saw the mages down below.

"Flames, form the firsts of judgement. Incineration Knuckles!"

Red and orange flames encircled Sora's fists and he came down upon the mages, but one of them brought a staff around with a sparkling blue gem.

"Water Prison!"

Water appeared from nowhere, and suddenly lept out to trap Sora within. As a Fire Dragon, water magic was rather nasty to him and was a bad matchup.

"Let the Reapers come forward to bring them all to your hellish domain, for they will not get mercy or joy in the afterlife!"

"Hear my, sparks of the storm, as you radiate the power with all your ability!"

"Rocks, break from below and shatter his bones! Earth Crush!"

As another mage cast a spell, rocks shot out from below to crush Rikuo, charging with alarming speed. And yet, that was not fast enough, as they were cut to pieces and negated by Ruuruu, who was defending Rikuo.

With Rikuo's defense handled by Ruuruu, the others could focus on offense. Of course, Rikuo was also able to fight and defend himself using his unique skill, Multi-Parallel Thought Processing. However, at the moment, all of those processes were engaged in wards and barriers protecting his allies, further thought power added to the processing of the chant and spell, and optimizing and manipulating the mana he was using.

"So now, take them to the very depths of where they belong!"

"And so, storms, bring down the fury of my emotions upon the enemy!"

Arila immediately tried to push the man aside and break through, but the man with the sword in front of her was very skilled, and the weapon was equisitive.

"Death's Abyss!"

"Furies Assault!"

The moment both spells were cast, time seemed to stand still. Rikuo could feel something creeping upon him, as he saw Ruuruu only right next to him. As Ruuruu spoke to him, he and he alone saw a projection of Ruuruu's upper body.

"Master, I feel like your soul is fading! Its their magic, dont let it take you!"

Ruu's voice was coming in and out though, like it was bad reception. Everything felt distorted and cold.

"You really took that spell right there, didn't you?" a boy said, his voice sounding so divine it drew Rikuo's interest. He turned around, and suddenly he was in spirit form again, in a spiritual plane. He was with a boy he both recognized, and didn't recognize. Familiar, yet unfamiliar.

The boy stood there, wrapped in white cloth. However, he looked sympathetic.

"Ah, yes. I suppose you mortals get embarassed when one is naked, although when you are from your world it seems quite stronger then in this one. I suppose its amplified when you are naked but the other party isn't".

Saying that, his clothes dissolved, but he didn't seem bothered.

"Who...are you?"

"I am Ciel, the God of Status and Reincarnation" he said, and the voice was suddenly recognized by Rikuo.

"You are the one who made that Divine Shard turn into my clothing!"

"Yes! Unfortunately, its still too early for us to meet just yet. Timing is everything, after all".

As Ciel said that, he walked up to the boy.

"Still though, I am sorry for all the trouble you have gone though...and will go through..."

Rikuo felt as if he could not move in such a pressence. The spirit form of Ruuruu appeared behind him, but Ruuruu was stuck in a state of awe as well. In fact, he went so far as to bow his head, his full body having manifested.

"Master Ciel!"

"Ahaha. No need to be so formal. After all, you have a battle to win. We can talk later, but I did make sure to make a final adjustment. That said, it will only work once...but, I trust you will manage somehow".

"Wait, hold..." Rikuo started to say, when Ciel suddenly kissed Rikuo right on the lips. And not for a second or two, but he held it for quite a bit before releasing.

"...I didn't know Ciel-kamisama had such an interest" Ruuruu said with an incredibly red face.

"Eh? Ah, right. Sorry, most gods dont really care what gender our partner is. I mean, we are divine spiritual beings...ah, wait, no time. You need to head back. But listen, before I go...Rikuo".

Ciel suddenly put his hand on Rikuo's chest, where his heart would be.

"I will give you one bit of advice. I want you to ponder it and make use of it in this upcoming battle. All of you will die and become Darius' test subjects if you don't. The Status System, its like a support system, a booster system. It defines what people are strong at, weak at, everything. But, dont let it limit you. Everyone has more potential then they realize...and just because you dont have something in your status, doesn't mean you cant do it. You, and everyone else, is more then their status".

Before Rikuo could ask what that meant, he suddenly found himself in the real world again, staggering backwards.

[Alert. Revive was used to undo the deaths of Rikuo, Herra, and Sora. All three revives have been used up for the day. Please do not die again. Incidentally, Arila and Ruuruu were immune from the Magic that was just used].

[Syncronization has been finished and updated. Linking in Sentient Spear Ruuruu to the Network].

Rikuo had a lot of questions he wanted answered, but while one of his thought processes was thinking of that, another was reacting to the battle, and another was analyzing what just happened.

It appeared the spell the enemy cast caused instant death within three of them. However, it should have caused instant death in all of them. Ruuruu was protected somehow, perhaps because he was a spear, but Arila? Why was she protected? Considering their party members, Arila was the weakest among them.

Wait, hold on though...Arila so far has actually suffered the least damage of everyone from both fights. The fight against the assassins in front of the vault, and the fight against the ice. Sure, the ice didn't target her, but even now...

He checked the readout on the HUD produced by his glasses, and saw that she was still uninjured, despite fighting against clearly skilled opponents. Even Herra took some damage, and she just died from an instant death spell, but somehow was unscathed.

And also, it occured to Rikuo...nothing was going on in front of him. Even the actions and spells prepared by the other thought processes were not activating.

Time seemed to be frozen.

"Master, are you okay? It seems we are in an accelerated state. Probably something Ciel-kamisama did".

Yeah, it seems so...hold on, Sora is my familiar, is it only my connection with you that is accelerated? I am connected with him too after all.

"No...I am here...just, I just died okay! And then I was revived? I understand how while having that revival skill was useful, its not something one really will enjoy that much..."

Okay, so Sora and Ruuruu, both are here. What is going on?

"Erm, before that, Master...did I just hear you met with Ciel? The God of Status and Reincarnation?"

"Yes, Master did..."

Hey Ruuruu, while time is frozen like this...why are you calling me master?

"As a contracted spirit, part of it forces it to call you Master...well, before, I had to call that bastard master, so if calling you Master means I dont ever have to refer to that asshole as it, I can live with it".

"Same for familiars..."

Thats why even though you call me Master you are always so cheeky...

"Sora! Dont be so cheeky to Master!"

"Why do I get the feeling you actually like calling him Master?"

"He freed me from unending daily torment, isolation, and torture".

"Ah...I cant even remember how or why we got contracted. Neither can he...I guess it was probably for a good reason though. So, why is time paused?"

[Because you are all taking your damn sweet time to properly think and figure this out. Also, not frozen. Your thoughts are just accelerated, you got it right before. Please stop wasting time though, and counterplan. The enemy is better then you, you will die without a plan. Taking my advice would also help. -Ciel]

[By the way, dont expect many of these messeges in the future. And no, the Ciel you met earlier was not me]

"Okay...fair. Before time runs out, what do we know?"

The magic I just cast will have humanoid lighting figures coming at them and swarming them. Since I am a Sorcerer, I figured I would make a magic to bother them at close range.

"Okay...I am still trapped in this damn water bubble".

But they think you just died, so wont they release it?

"They wont see you drop to the ground, and you cant coordinate with Herra".

No, we drop to the ground and pretend we died for a moment, Herra will do the same. Her skill should let her sync with us.

"What about me?"

Since they think I am dead...go berserk and attack them? Maybe thing you are furious or something for the death of your master or such. It will definently freak them out to see you go wild I bet.

"Then what?"

Then Sora gets up and punches them, you go around and skewer them, and I cast a surprise magic attack that takes them down from afar. At some point, one of these plans has to work. At the very least, if we defeat a single person, it gets easier for us.

"Okay!"

"Rodger!"

[About damn time...just make sure you remember my advice]

And so, as their thoughts returned to normal speed...the plan initiated. Sora and Rikuo fell to the ground, with Herra following suit. Arila seemed to get aggrivated, and the enemies felt both confident, and confused on why Arila was immune. But that cheer was shortlived when Ruuruu came after them, seeming to have gone ballistic. In that moment, they started to change formation.

"...and so, bring down the thundering gale that I summon forth".

And Rikuo completed his chant in secret.

"Storm Downpour!"

Multiple bolts of lightning came down as the storm furies arrived to harass them. At that moment, Sora hopped up and punched one of the spellcasters with all his strength, sending him flying with his body making a silly pose as he was hammered against solid rock.

And Herra was suddenly up again, and struck at the enemy she was facing off against from behind, dealing a critical wound.

"Impossible...they surrived the Death Spell!"

"That was a rather cheap death spell to be honest. Only four lines? Unless...you have a magic amplifier" Rikuo mentioned.

However, he saw one of them was already chanting again and clicked his tongue. One of them had spoken just to distract them with conversation, and so he quickly lept into action.

"Storms, I call you out of my weapon! Lightning Rod!"

Ruuruu charged them, and let loose a ton of lightning as he did due to Rikuo's spell. Sora meanwhile went after another one, but a large warrior with a shield suddenly came out of nowhere and got in his way.

"A golem? They had such a reserve?!"

Suddenly, Sora became occupied with a tough opponent, while another warrior came out and clashed with Ruuruu, preventing him from getting to the mage. Even with the magic he already cast, it was getting fended off because these guys had kept some strength in reserve just in case.

Once again, they were at a disadvantage. No, they were going to die again.

"Storm Bolt!"

Rikuo shot out some basic magic with his more advanced magic while chanting a spell.

"Storms, form the tempest that will bring down my enemies. Thundering Gale!"

The chanting was getting a bit makeshift now.

It was a problem. On one hand, they needed Rikuo to be the backline with his magic. But they also needed someone new to push through, someone the enemy could not expect.

Then why not do something unexpected?

His own mind said that suddenly, as he looked down at himself.

Isn't it time you did something unexpected then? You are not the weak child people think you are...fight.

Rikuo was hearing his own thoughts, but it was like it was someone else.

We are the same, but we also are different. But now is not the time...combine them. Like you did before.

At that moment, his Status Screen appeared in front of him, and three skills seemed to glow out. There was no reason they should, and they shouldn't be able to work together...and yet...

Exceed the system.

It was not power that Ciel meant. The strongest man would still be bound by the System.

Its creativity...

Something felt unlocked within Rikuo.

"Storms, reside within me, channel me. Become me, so I can become you".

Suddenly, the wind began to blow in a chaotic way.

[Alert! Combination Impossible! No Support!]

An error message appeared.

"Clad me in your power, so I might show them my personal fury".

And as that happened, lightning poured from his body.

[Error...error....error message disabled by Ciel. Good luck!]

"Storm Aspect!"

And so a magic was cast, as the enemy mage was finishing up his death spell.

Their dooms were just about sealed.

"Watch out!"

And yet, with a thunderous crackle, he saw something unexpected. The enemy mage...was right in front of him, and kicked him with his foot right in the mage's face. The mage was sent flying.

"What?! I thought you said you used Inspect and he had no body enhancement skill!"

"He doesn't! Attack now!"

Several of them fired magic at him, but Rikuo seemed to zap around, moving at high speed with a trail of lightning...no, it was as if he was becoming the lightning itself.

"Inspect...it says...its unrecognizable by God's System!"

Rikuo smiled, as he saw them enter a panic. He darted through two more, suddenly electrocuting them.

Everyone, even his allies, were a bit shocked. Rikuo had at some point lost his boots, as he was now barefoot. But that hardly mattered, as he was clad in lightning itself. Radiating magical energy, the power they felt was immense.

And then he charged at the enemy again.

"Magical Blast!"

Rikuo dodged as they started to fire various attacks at him, while also ducking as one of the swordsman tried to cut his head off.

"Physical and magical attacks still work! He is only fast and covered in lightning, not invincible!"

The mage said that, but when he looked behind him...he saw that several of them had been taken out, as the three others and the Spear had already started to move.

"You guys were good...but, you were not top tier" Sora muttered as he threw the corpse of one enemy aside.

Herra meanwhile now had multiple shadow clones, and Arila seemed to be unharmed...again.

Ruuruu watched that with some shock.

Seriously, what is that girl made of? Master mentioned that she was unharmed before too...why do I get the feeling Ciel-kamisama had something to do with this?

Incidentally, the only reason Ruuruu kept mentioning Ciel like that was because the actual way his species addressed him and the other gods did not exist in human tongues, and that was the closest way to refer to them.

And meanwhile, Rikuo seemed to be going wild. And yet, right as an attack came at him, Ruuruu moved in and blocked it in time.

The image of the two was a human and a spear back to back, although perhaps if one could percieve things beyond the normal way, they would see Ruuruu's human form be back to back with Rikuo.

"You got a new technique, huh?"

"Its mana expensive, I am litterally about to collapse. We need to finish these guys off. We cant let them tell Darius about us though, so no one escapes".

"Got it!"

With their front lines broken by the sudden turn around, the enemy quickly crumbled and were finished off by Rikuo's party.

"So...just to be clear, Rikuo now has two contracted people...I feel like if you both call him Master, it will accidentally catch on though".

Herra made that comment while looting coins from their corpses. Incidentally, there had been a few left alive, but Sora killed them quickly so they could not talk. Although Rikuo and Herra were holding strong, as well as Ruuruu, as expected none of them could kill in cold blood.

"Oh yeah, by the way....Ruuruu, do you have a human form?"

"Hmm? Ahh...yes I do".

"Come on then, show us!" Arila insisted.

"Erm...no, sorry, I cant...I am not like you, I barely have any memories of this world...and also, I am..."

"Come on, it will be fine! Show us!" Arila mentioned, grabbing hold of Ruuruu. Rikuo twitched for a moment, as he felt a minor disturbance for a brief moment. "Show us! Show us! Show us!"

"No...please wait! Dont swing me like that...wait....what are you....ahhh!"

Ruuruu pleaded, but in the middle of all that shaking and swining, suddenly as if unable to refuse, he suddenly appeared in human form. His face immediately went red, as he fell to his knees and barely caught himself with his arms, which convienently blocked their vision of his front.

"Oh! He is quite cute as well! So far all of the boys on our team now are charming and adorable!"

As expected, every single boy there twitched a bit with irritation regarding those comments.

"...I am kinda going for a cool magic user..."

"...what the hell? I am a tough dragon..."

"Please dont say that while I am like this! How did you even force me to transform anyways?!"

However, it was not Arila that got closer, but Herra.

"Sorry for this, but I am getting your measurements. I assume you want us to pick you up clothes that will fit you right" she mentioned, eyeing the collar around his neck, as well as the gold bands around his left ankle and right wrist. "Are those part of your spear form?"

"Y-yes..."

"Hmmm....were they a part of the spear before you were fused with it?"

"Yes".

"Tsk. I thought maybe we could use that as a reference for clothes that would transform with you, but I guess that doesn't work. Well, we will find you something at least".

"Thanks...erm...do you mind if I?"

"Ah yeah, I got the measurements" Herra told him, so he quickly transformed back into a Spear and returned to Rikuo's side.

"Arila is scary..."

"Yes. In many ways...I really want to see her Status at some point, but...considering I just did something that exceeded my own Status, it might not appear there".

"What was that power anyways?"

"Storm Aspect? It was a combination of Blood Arts, Spacial Magic, Storm Magic, and using the Soul Link, I borrowed your and Sora's Transformation skills and melded those in, and then I mixed in Cursecraft as well for the final touch. The result is a temporary curse-like spell I place on myself that turns me into lightning...I was a bit worried myself I would end up naked, but somehow my glasses and clothes both worked fine. The only thing that got destroyed were my boots".

"...your clothes were made from a Divine Shard right?"

Rikuo nodded at Ruuruu's question.

"But, my glasses were picked up, and enchanted, at a shop we visited back in town...they should just be a magical item, but now that I think about it, they said they synced with my clothes..."

Rikuo felt the glasses on his head, and wondered for a moment there.

"...how did he have such amazing glasses in the perfect size for me?"

As for the shop owner in question, he watched them with an amused look on his face.

"So even those guys were defeated...not only that, but one should not be able to make such a combination spell...its only minor, but it was a System Breach...really, such an interesting boy".

He was wearing a cloak similar to those other guys who had been plotting, but he did not join in the battle. Instead, he just watched them with anticipation.

"Still, I doubt they have realized the chain of events they just started. Things are going to get quite big and violent now".

As he said that, he summoned an imp into the space next to him.

"I have to go deal with some matters now, so you mind monitoring them secretly for me, Ritz?"

"Of course, my master, Demon Lord Rassle".

And with that, the man disappeared into thin air, as the imp watched them, turning invisible in the process.

It appeared their troubles had only just begun.