Chapter 133: Three Phantasm Beast (2)
Reinhard hacked and chopped out with Zenuken. The sword slashed through the bone before he continued forward with his sword, turning into a blur. And all the bones falling behind him, each time they crashed into the ground, it slightly shook.
Yet each bone he destroyed sprouted two more from adjacent spikes, making progress difficult.
"Target the source!" Roana called out, her analytical mind identifying the pattern. "The Stellar Bone is generating them!"
Marie nodded as Longinus swept through bones as she fought her way toward the beast. But the Butterfly Princess intercepted her as the glowing creature leaped into the air, and four clones materialized around it.
Marie’s eyes slightly widened as all five created light swords from gathered radiance.
Then they rushed out towards and struck from five directions simultaneously.
Marie’s Longinus spun in a circle as the spear deflected two strikes. But two got through with one clone’s sword cutting a shallow line across her shoulder, another’s slash catching her thigh.
Before the real Butterfly Princess appears, it is too fast for Marie to perceive or react, and then it smashed into Marie.
Marie was sent flying! But the Butterfly Princess immediately launched into another combo. The beast was glowing brilliantly before executing a sideways dash so fast it seemed like teleportation.
A mirror image appeared in front of Marie while she was flying through the air, slashing with its light sword. Marie quickly raised Longnius to block the attack, but then her golden eyes widened as the attack phased through her.
Before then, the real Butterfly Princess appeared behind her at lightspeed and struck her from behind.
But fortunately, Joseph’s Arondight intercepted it with the help of Drasil Step.
The lance rushed through the air before crashing into the light sword, and was redirected aside as he said. "I’ve got this one! Focus on the Stellar Bone!"
Marie nodded as she landed before continuing her advance toward the bone-generating beast.
The Nibel Eater moved backward rapidly, then leaped into the air. Its body began spinning like a drill, icy wind swirling around it in visible spirals. Blue ice aura covered its form, and frozen spikes extended from its body like additional weapons.
It flew toward Reinhard at high speed, the spinning creating a vortex that pulled loose debris into its path. Reinhard’s foot steps on the ground with his shadow trembling before spears erupt from his shadow to intercept.
The drill smashed through them, shattering the shadow constructs but losing some momentum.
Scáth appeared beside Reinhard, her weapon forming into a massive hammer. She swung with perfect timing, catching the Nibel Eater’s drill attack head-on.
The collision created a shockwave that blew dust outward in a perfect circle. The Nibel Eater’s spin was disrupted, and it crashed to the ground off-balance.
"Now!" Scáth called.
Reinhard rushed in, Zenuken slashing through the exposed side of the Nibel Eater, leading to large wounds. The beast shrieked as blood leaked from it as it tried to recover, but Gran was already in front of it.
Gran fists rain down upon the Nibel Eater, striking at its joints, soft tissue, anywhere Vector Path showed would cause maximum damage. Each punch landed exactly where needed, breaking bones and tearing muscles.
Then Niki’s flame-coated strikes followed, burning fur and flesh. The Nibel Eater tried to create distance, but they pursued relentlessly, working together to overwhelm it.
Meanwhile, the Stellar Bone created a dome of bone around itself, but Marie didn’t slow down.
Longinus thrust forward, the spear’s point concentrated with crimson-gold energy, and then once it touched the dome. The spear blasted through the dome, scattering bones to the side, and as it created a hole.
And then Roana’s ice rapier found that breach and widened it, frozen strikes making the bone fragile before the dome began cracking, fissures spreading across its surface.
The Stellar Bone tried to reinforce it, growing more bone to patch the damage. But Marie and Roana worked faster, breaking apart each repair before it could solidify.
And then the dome shattered after Marie swung her spear once more, leading to the fragments exploding outward.
The Stellar Bone was explored with Roana, quickly creating pillars of ice to freeze its arms and feet. Then Marie drove her spear through its chest, puncturing the shadow where orange flowers bloomed and died.
The beast shrieked with its bone armor cracking while Roana’s rapier found the gaps in that armor, thrust after thrust finding vital points. The Stellar Bone tried to create new bone defenses, but each one was destroyed before completion.
Joseph quickly used Wind Drift just as the Butterfly Princess disappeared from his sight in a streak of light. He used Wind Drift to push himself into the forest of bones, which made the Butterfly Princess appear before it crashed into the bone.
Then he swung his lance and smashed her in the side, forcing her into one of the bones. The Butterfly Princess crashed into the bone and lightly cracked it before it screeched.
Then she summoned butterflies and fireflies of orange light, hundreds of them filled the air like a swarm. And then she rushed towards Joseph like a wave, moving through the forest of bones.
Joseph tapped into Drasil Step before rushing past the swarm of butterflies and then reaching the Butterfly Princess, whose body began to glow. As time returned to normal, Arondight thrust forward and smashed into the Butterfly Princess before it moved.
The lance pierced through one of her light wings, disrupting her movement. The Butterfly Princess stumbled, Joseph pressed the advantage, his lance striking again and again, each blow finding glowing flesh.
The three battles raged simultaneously, and the room filled with sounds of combat.
Reinhard then shouted. "Scáth, attack high! Gran, attack low! Niki, flames on my mark!"
They moved in synchronization.
Scáth’s weapon became an axe that she swung at the beast’s head while Gran’s fists struck its legs, breaking knees. When both attacks forced it to rush forward, Niki’s flames engulfed its exposed back.
The Nibel Eater screamed, its white fur burning, black orbs cracking from heat. It tried one final Spiraling Death attack, launching itself into the air and spinning desperately.
Reinhard’s Zenuken glowed with stored energy as it was now fully charged from sustained combat. "Ragnarok."
Fifteen simultaneous slashes appeared around the spinning Nibel Eater. The attacks came from impossible angles, all striking at once. The beast’s body was carved apart mid-spin, pieces falling separately to crash onto the floor.
It died before the pieces finished falling.
Marie and Roana had reduced the Stellar Bone to a broken shell. Its bone armor was shattered, its chest cavity exposed, orange flowers no longer blooming inside the shadow.
"Together!" Marie called.
Both thrust simultaneously, Longinus and ice rapier driving through the Stellar Bone’s core from opposite directions. The weapons met inside its body, their energies combining, and the beast shuddered once before collapsing.
Joseph faced the weakened Butterfly Princess, her light had dimmed from sustained damage. She attempted one final Light Dash, glowing brilliantly as she prepared to strike.
But Joseph used Drasil Step once more before quickly reaching the Butterfly Princess and thrusting his lance through her head. The light faded from her body with her wings dissolving into particles that drifted downward like snow.
Her golden skin lost its luster, becoming grey and lifeless. She fell when Joseph withdrew his lance, her body crumpling to the floor and moving no more.
Then all three Phantasm Beasts trembled, cracks appeared around them, and then they were forcibly pulled into the cracks.
All of them struggled, roaring out as if trying to escape the pull. But it was futile as they were pulled fully into the crack.
Then, as the space crack began mending itself, three streaks of light rushed out of the cracks, and then three balls of light in the color of the previous Phantasm Beast appeared.
Reinhard easily recognizes this as the souls of the three Phantasm Beasts.
But why does their body always get dragged whenever they are defeated? Is it because they were summoned from the thrones? Reinhard thought as he furrowed his brows while the silence in the room continued.
Reinhard, Marie, Joseph, Scáth, Roana, Gran, and Niki stood among the corpses, breathing hard but uninjured save for Marie’s shallow cuts.
Scath stretched her arms and said. "Marie and Joseph, which Phantasm Beast would be a good Sigil for you two?"
Maire and Joseph blinked in surprise before the latter said. "Are you sure? Wouldn’t you guys-"
"No, she is right. Each of us already has a Beast Sigil on us. It would be good if you two also gain one, especially when we most likely will be fighting Phineas." Roana says with a nod.
Gran nodded before looking at Scath and saying. "I’m surprised you’re willing to give up the Stellar Bone, I thought this skill would be something you like."
Scath waved him off and said. "I can find something better later on, it will be a while before reaching Second Class."
Maire laughed and said. "You can be honest Scath, you just care so much about us."
Joseph trembled before smiling and saying. "Scath you..."
Scath blankly stared at Marie before glancing away as she said. "Marie, you truly are my number one enemy."
The others laughed while Reinhard smiled, and then he said. "With the Three Phantasm Beasts, Marie and Joseph can each gain one from the two. I’m guessing you’re getting the Butterfly Princess Marie?"
Marie nodded her head while her eyes shine. "I know what you’re getting at. Joseph can get the Nibel Eater and Stellar Bone."
Reinhard nodded while Roana caressed her chin and nodded in agreement as she said. "That makes sense, the Stellar Bone and Nibel Eater skills do seem the best fit for Joseph or Scath."
Nikki nodded her head and said. "That bone forest or that spiraling attack would seem like a good fit."
Joseph lightly bit his lip before looking at Marie, but before he could open his mouth.
Scath says. "Enough with this silly back and forth. Joseph just accepted the two sigils and then helped repay them later, okay?"
Joseph blinks before smiling and nodding his head.
Nikki claps her hand as she says with a faint smile. "Great, now you two go quickly to absorb their souls."
Marie and Joseph nodded their heads before they walked towards the souls in front. Marie placed her hands on the Butterfly Princess’s soul while Joseph placed his hands on the Stellar Bone soul.