kscans

Chapter 102 - One by One, the Comrades Fall

An explosion. A tremor. And a wind of destruction.

"Koni-chan's been taken down...?" Ares charged, aiming for the opening as Mamoru glanced back.

"Alright, next one up." Trailing a black afterimage, Ares took aim at the cleric, Defray.

"C, come on... Ladle's Iron Wall."

Defray raised his ladle-staff to the heavens, activating a barrier of light.

But.

"Somethin' like that... no matter how many you stack... it'll just break."

Ares's demonic sword pierced the barrier, sending sparks flying. One flash. The ladle-staff shattered into pieces, and Defray's body was sent flying.

"U, uwaaaaaa." He crashed into a rock wall, coughed up blood, and collapsed.

"Defray."

Tiris cried out and immediately deployed her ice magic.

"Ice Coffin: Prison Domain...!"

The surrounding air instantly froze, attempting to seal Ares's movements.

Beside her, Amy also shouted.

"Now, Tiris, freeze him."

Cloaking her spear in lightning, she kicked off the ground.

"Thunder Pierce: Twin Fangs."

Tiris's ice and Amy's lightning. The two elements intersected, slashing across Ares's torso in a flash.

"...Shaaaa. Did we get him...?" The moment Amy felt the strike connect.

"The ones who got gotten are you two."

Ares burst out from the shattered ice and began to rampage as if exploding.

"Demonic Explosion Array: Reverse Ring."

The black-purple magic array that deployed around him burst open like a bomb.

"Kyaaaaaaa."

Amy's body was sent flying, tumbling across the floor, and crashing into the wall.

"Gah... goff..."

She lost consciousness and crumbled to the ground.

Tiris instantly put up an ice wall, but.

"I won't let you escape."

Ares's sword split the ice wall and everything behind it in two.

"Guah." Tiris's body was thrown into the air and slammed against the wall.

Bariiiiiin.

A cavern pillar collapsed from the magical impact. Tiris didn't move.

All that remained was Mamoru, alone.

The devastated throne room. Collapsed rocks and the fallen forms of his comrades. The smell of blood stained the air heavily.

Ares slowly walked forward. His face was that of a victor, filled with madness.

"So you ended up all alone too, huh?"

Ares grinned.

"This is how it always ends up. See? Friends are crap. Never needed 'em in the first place."

Mamoru breathed heavily as he raised his shield. His body was covered in wounds. But his eyes were not yet dead.

"This happened 'cause you believed in your friends, right?" Ares took a step closer.

"So I'll teach ya. 'Friends' are just an illusion. They either betray you or die first."

His eyes pierced straight through Mamoru.

"To you, who believes in friends... I'll teach you somethin'."

"What real 'loneliness' is."

The cavern trembled again. The sword howled. Madness and despair made Hero Ares bare his fangs.

And so, the final one-on-one battle began.