Parallel Vol.2 [Legacy Edition]

Chapter 9: Battle for Riven (Finale)

A/N: For ease of Reading (but mostly cuz I'm tired of the words 'magic circle') I will be calling magic circles *Mandalan from now on.. thanks for understanding..

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The most important room in all of Rosendun; the location where fates of thousands were dictated daily was awash in strained silence. The current most powerful man in the land faced off against an unlikely but equally powerful opponent. To say it was the most important debate held in the hallowed halls would be the worst of understatements. This was a battle that would surely shape the future of the country, and it was only fitting that a fight of this magnitude have an equally magnificent audience.

The first to the room were the drakul, having felt the loss of their King. They poured in from behind Absalon, but if he felt threatened in the slightest athaving so many enemies behind him, it did not show. The atmosphere between the leader of the Hopeful Maggots and the ruler of Kerta gave the drakul pause. None dared intrude on them, a feeling reinforced by the tattoo on the delf's forearm.

Close behind were Kashi's lieutenants. The veterans from Kerta elbowed their way past the drakul, also pausing at the sight of the two leaders. Iason blocked Hektor's charge, shaking his head at the confused youth. His experience on the battlefield let him know when a battle should be one-on-one regardless of who had the advantage. This was a battle of pride, not a battle to live. It wasn't their place to interfere. The lieutenants took positions on the left wall next to Yuna and the rest of the Maggots who had all but fully recovered. 

The final group to arrive were the blood-soaked Kertan soldiers led by Asha and Nyte. Their initial shock at being ignored by the drakul was increased when they saw who their general faced. As they took up positions by the right wall, their suspicions were confirmed.

"Isn't that?" whispered Asha.

"The merchant we exiled. Name was Cashy I think," Nyte finished. "To think he'd challenge the boss. We should have killed him back then."

"Nothing's changed. No one's ever defeated Absalon in a one-on-one. That weakling is as good as dead."

"Yeah," murmured Nyte as he recalled the hellish training Absalon forced on him. "This won't take very long."

And so it was, that in the bloodiest night of the city's history, the three factions paused to bear witness to a glorious finale, beneath the branches of Yggdrassil and the prized Thorn Throne waiting for its next occupant.

"Seems we've got ourselves quite the gallery," said Kashi as he adjusted his gloves, a half-smile portraying his confidence. "Forgive my impertinence, but I will be going all-out from the start." 

Ferulic Spirit Activated!

Absalon slammed his staff against the floor. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Spirit of the Conqueror Activated!

"Come!"

Crash!

In the blink of an eye, Kashi's unseen charge was blocked by a magic circle right in front of Absalon's face. 

"Heh," Kashi chuckled as his left fist struggled to break past the mandalan*. "Impressive."

Collective gasps echoed across the room at the delf's blinding speed. But one man was not so impressed.

Absalon looked down at the delf. "Speed isn't everything amateur. <<Repel>>"

The mandalan blasted Kashi away, but the delf deftly regained his balance. He looked up to see missiles of debris speeding at him. He tracked their tragectory, then wove his way through them. Once out, he went on another charge at the Kertan mayor.