"Kanae... you can fly on your own..."
Hotaru let out a sigh. Life had been complicated since then. Naturally, she could no longer stay with the Tanakas, even though Akira said that her presence would always be welcome.
Genki was still missing. There would be news of assaults on Eldrian...
"I won't be leading them. You will."
Hotaru leaned closer to Kanae, until she was the only thing in her sight. With a smile as bright as the sun, her words flowed in a whisper.
"And I'll be with you all the way through."
She leaned a bit closer, closer, until the world only belonged to the...
Hotaru froze for a moment upon hearing Kanae's inquiry. That was... an unique proposal. Making an island? Really?
"Well... maybe you... can?"
If she dug enough dirt and stone to fill up an area in sea, perhaps they could do it. No, maybe they really could?
"Hyogo should be able to help you...
"Hmm. Go on."
Hotaru squeezed Kanae's hand absentmindedly. She wasn't occupied with saving people, either humanity or Eldrians. The only one that she deemed important was Kanae. However...
"Whatever you wish for, I'll do it for you."
She lifted Kanae's hand up before planting a kiss on the top.
"Ah—"
Hotaru mumbled with disappointment. Luca looked up following her line of sight, only to see Kanae up above the sky, flying with a pair of brand new wings.
"I guess she won't need your help anymore to fly. That's good."
"Yeah, good..."
Luca chuckled when he saw his colleague looking so...
Alfred, Hotaru, and Luca, the three having returned to their human form, directed their steed to land in the midst of the beasts' gathering. They were greeted by hungry gnarls, but the moment Alfred locked eyes with them, the beasts quickly fell into silence. They lowered their heads, their...
"Are you..."
Hotaru looked at Kanae wierdly. She seemed to consider something before she shook her head and snapped her finger. A four-legged winged beast landed to their side, upon which Hotaru climbed on to its back.
"Get on. I'll let them carry you."
Other winged beasts followed her order...
Akira silently stood behind Kanae and Hotaru, showing his support for their decision. Genki glared at his son for a long time before he finally took a step back.
"...Do as you like."
He walked away from the scene, followed by some of the mutated humans.
"Will you let him leave like that? He...
Aolfa went silent for a long while before his voice echoed once again.
"...You win."
With a flick of his arm, he cut a branch off his trunk. It landed near Rui's feet, the greenish blood inside dripping out from the opening.
"Hold on! Are you serious?!?"
A mutated human leaped forward...
"...Blood? Hyogo gave you his blood?"
Hotaru stared wide-eyed at the vial in Rui's hand. She knew that scent all too well. That stubborn slime was persuaded to help humanity, just like that? She then turned to Kanae.
"Hyogo's scent can stop Eldriaris of his lineage from rampaging. I can do the...
Shouji clasped their hand, his fingers intertwining with theirs. A slight smile appeared on his face.
The giant stared at them with his golden eyes. Time seemed to pass in slow motion until one of the giant tentacle rumbled forth, swinging itself toward the humans.
It stopped midway, leaving...
"The pheromone?"
Hyogo's voice boomed as he towered over Rui.
"That thing was created from our extract. You were merely borrowing our powers. And why should I give mine to you, human?"
"Why not?"
Leaning on Shouji, Akira made his way toward the crater. His body was broken and battered, but...
"Another way? Look at what they had done to your world."
Aolfa pointed at the pillars of smoke rising in the horizon. The world had been thrown into chaos. A lot of the humans had been mutated into Eldrians through the contaminated water supply. Some might have managed to save themselves right...
A streak of lightning— an arbiter of justice.
The red light struck like a starfall. What followed was a deafening silence.
"Marvelous... simply wonderful!"
Aolfa's gleeful voice echoed throughout the dying battlefield. The uprooted tree raised its thick arms, covered in snaking branches...
Akira stared at the sky, his gaze trailing over the brilliant light that fell from the sky. The rampaging battle surrounding him had quietened into a standstill, awed by the shining beacon that signified the end.
"No!"
Hyogo roared in anger, desperate to stop Kanae, but Hotaru was keeping him...
Haru gritted her teeth. She wasn't prepared for this kind of life either, but...
"...I'm indebted to Sir Alfred. He saved my grandmother's life. That's why... that's why!"
Following Haru's tentacles, the abominations pounced at Kanae, intent to maul her to pieces. At the last moment, numerous...
"It doesn't matter. Those who threaten the Eldrian shall perish!"
Giant tentacles erupted from the ground, swinging their weights down toward Kanae. The mindless beasts under Hyogo's command rushed over at the same time, using the tentacles as cover from Kanae's strikes. At that moment, a whip...
A giant mass of tentacles sprung up in front of Kanae, blocking the Kaiserin behind it. Broken roots scattered off its rising visage, a leftover from the previous battle.
Alfred- no, Hyogo- emerged from the writhing mass of purplish blue, his gigantic upper torso covered in scales. He reached...
This energy signature... there was no mistake. The same thing was happening again. That scene from the end time of their race. The sacrifice-
"Kanae!" Enjyuu-- Hotaru-- yelled her name. She wanted to stop her. She has to stop her. But it was useless. The enormous power had surged toward a...
A burst of power.
It was raw. Devastating. At the same time, captivating. The battlefield seemed to go into silence as tremendous power spilled out of the medals like flood, a re-enactment from a past once long gone.
Alfred was stunned. A scene resurfaced from the gene-memory passed down by...