At your left. The Force alerts Noah in his mind, prompting him to shift right mid-run and just three seconds later, a streak of dark purple lightning struck the spot he just left.
Front—then right. With his lightsaber-lux in his left hand, Noah sliced through the incoming bolt in a sharp diagonal arc, then swiftly rolled to the side.
"YOU DAMN BUG!!!" the Abyss Lector shouted, flinging bolts of lightning in a fury. But Noah was already ahead of them, evading with uncanny precision. What is this human?! How does he know where my attacks will land before I even release them?!
Noah didn't break his momentum. As he closed in, a rifthound appeared at his right side. He twisted mid-run, turning right and slicing the beast clean in half with a sharp arc of his blade. The sudden motion exposed his back to the Lector for a moment, but he ducked knowingly, letting a spear of lightning pass. Without missing a beat, he completed the turn and, with a precise sweep of his right-hand lightsaber-lux, cut through two Tenebrous Mimiflora before they had the chance to do anything.
"?!", The Abyss Lector flinched. If that is the case then I'll just attack with something he can't dodge!
Noah narrowed his eyes as the Lector began compressing a ball of lightning. As he charged forward, more Abyssal creatures surged toward him, desperate to block his path. Seven Rifthounds came out from the rift, but Noah's attention wasn't with them. His gaze locked on the five Breacher Primus and three Mimiflora transforming into Axe Mitachurls.
Before the Rifthounds could close on Noah, they were struck down by a flurry of crystal arrows from Elysia and blasted back by bursts of Anemo bullets from Dvalin. The Breacher Primus units began rotating as they prepared to launch projectiles, while two Mimiflora Axe Mitachurls charged forward, one leaping high, aiming to crash down on Noah from above.
Noah didn't slow down for even a breath. He glanced upward at the Mimiflora Axe Mitachurls who jumped into the air with an almost deadpan expression. With a quick breath that suspiciously sounded like a sigh… Ehem... he reached out with the Force, then directed the falling brute straight into the ground, slamming it down atop the other two charging Mitachurls. The impact shook the area, crushing all three in one move.
Noah threw his lightsaber-lux from his left hand, letting it spin through the air in a sharp arc guided by the Force. It sliced cleanly through the Breacher Primus mid-motion, then curved back toward him like a boomerang, landing neatly in his hand.
The Abyss Lector froze, a shudder running through him as he witnessed that scene unfold. WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE ABYSS IS THIS HUMAN?! HOW DID HE EVEN DO THAT?!
Those watching from the back were equally shocked. Seeing Noah dismantle the Abyss like it was nothing left them speechless.
"...Are we even needed here?" Dvalin muttered in disbelief.
"Eh? O-of course we are! We're the, uh... support team! Yes, moral support, backup cheers, all that!" Elysia said, forcing a bright tone, though even she couldn't summon her usual energy.
"…Elysia... it's okay. We get it," Lumine said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Well, that's my—"
"OUR," Lumine and Elysia interrupted in sync, eyes still fixed on Noah.
"Our….man..." Kiana murmured with a faint pout, momentarily forgetting the pain in her head and the whisper of the voice. Since even that voice had gone quiet after witnessing Noah's fight... if you could still call it that.
Dvalin glanced at the human girls beside him, disbelief in his eyes. Are they seriously correcting that in the middle of a battle?!
Snarling in frustration, the Abyss Lector's eyes flared with malevolent light. He hurled a tightly compressed sphere of lightning straight at Noah.
"Die, human!"
Noah blinked. "Huh. Shiny." Without flinching, he apparated with a small pop, reappearing right in front of the Lector mid-attack.
"Yo~" he greeted casually, and with a single fluid motion, drove both lightsaber-luxes into the Lector's chest.
"Wha—?!" was all the Lector could gasp, shock etched across his face as the energy blades pierced through him.
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Noah pulled his blades free as the Abyss Lector staggered backward and dropped to its knees.
"..cough... Hu-human... bug!!!... how... could... cough I... be... defeated like this..?" the Lector rasped, clutching at the gaping wounds.
Noah stared at him in silence. He didn't even acknowledge the remaining abyssal creatures. With a single motion, he raised his right arm, ready to finish it.
The Lector glared at him in hatred. "Da...mn... hu.man... the Aby—"
Noah didn't even let him finish. One clean arc of his blade cut through the Lector, silencing him as his body dissolved into black mist.
The abyssal creatures faltered at the sight. Then, in a scramble of panic, they fled racing back through the rift.
Noah finally let out a breath, his shoulders easing slightly as he deactivates both of his lightsaber-luxes and clipped them to his belt. "Fuu... it's over."
As Noah turned around, he was instantly tackled by a blur of pink, blonde, and white. Kiana, Elysia, and Lumine threw themselves into his arms, clinging tightly in a group hug that nearly knocked him backward.
He blinked, surprised at first, before a smile broke through. "…Well, not a bad reward for surviving," he said, pulling them close. The girls were crying from the flood of emotions they held back. Relief. Pride. Love.
"Humans are impossible to understand," Dvalin muttered nearby, watching the four.
"That was so cool, Captain! But it scared us half to death! And I swear, the creepy abyss voice ran away the moment you started showing off! AHAHA!" Kiana cried and laughed at the same time.
"Yeah~ Noah, that was incredible. I totally 'gyutto'd' again~ right in the chest~" Elysia giggled, brushing away her tears.
"…I'm glad you're okay. Honestly, when you rushed in, I thought my heart stopped… Now I kind of feel sorry for the Abyss," Lumine added with a weak chuckle, brushing her cheeks on his arm.
"Hehehe~ so, have you girls fallen for me all over again~?" Noah grinned playfully.
"Yes!" "Yep~!" "Mhm!" came their instant reply, no hesitation at all.
Noah froze for a beat. "...Wait, seriously?" His confident tone cracked as he turned away, ears tinting red.
The three girls laughed even harder, thoroughly enjoying his rare flustered moment.
"Aww~ that's so sweet! I'm joining too~!" a cheerful voice chimed in, breaking the tender moment. Without warning, someone dove straight into the group hug.
"Wah!!!" The four jolted in surprise as the newcomer squeezed into their arms without hesitation.
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On Dvalin's side, his eyes widened at the sight of the unexpected familiar red elven figure who had joined the group.
"Isn't that?!!"
A soft breeze rolled in, accompanied by the gentle strum of a lyre. Dvalin turned toward the sound—and there he stood. Dressed in elegant white frills with a corset-like midsection, teal shorts embroidered with gold, a matching cape flowing behind him, and white stockings patterned with golden diamonds. Perched atop his head was a beret adorned with a Cecilia flower.
"Bar...ba..tos?" Dvalin whispered, stunned.
"Sorry for the wait~ Dvalin," Barbatos greeted with a warm smile, his eyes went toward his scales that got corrupted by the Abyss. "You... worked hard. Truly. Thank you, my friend."
Barbatos gently placed a hand on Dvalin, his touch carried by the Anemo element as it swirled around the dragon. Bit by bit, the Abyss corruption began to dissolve, cleansed by the wind.
"...So you finally did something serious, huh, Barbatos," Dvalin muttered, closing his eyes as the healing wind washed over him.
"Ahaha! Well, we have our dear friend Alice to thank for that," Barbatos chuckled, glancing toward the group still caught in a very enthusiastic group hug with said red-clad troublemaker. "She's the reason I even woke up in time. Might've been a little late, but hey, I made it!"
"Tch. You should be thanking those odd humans. They're the ones who actually dealt with the Abyss," Dvalin grumbled, though there was no real bite behind his words.
"True enough~ But for now, just rest. You've earned it." Barbatos smiled, then glanced toward the ongoing chaos. "And let's wait for that hug storm to calm down before joining in~"
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Back with Noah and the girls—
"Wait, wait, wait! Who even are you?!" Kiana finally broke away from the group hug and pointed at the red-clad, witch-like girl who had suddenly joined in.
Elysia and Lumine stepped beside her, both eyeing the stranger with wary confusion.
"Ahaha~ Oh! Right, right, I forgot we haven't officially met yet at this time, huh?" the girl giggled as she rubbed the back of her head, completely unfazed.
"Huh?" Noah, Kiana, Elysia, and Lumine all reacted in unison.
"..."Void Archives wanted to tsukomi but stopped itself.
"Allow me to properly introduce myself!" The girl spun theatrically, almost as if she were dropping fireworks and gave a dramatic flourish as she held her red witch hat to her chest. "The name's Alice! Sixteen years old, adventurer extraordinaire, observer of different worlds and sometimes timelines~ It's such a pleasure to finally meet you all properly!"
"Huh?" Noah, Kiana, Elysia, and Lumine all blinked in sync.
"Wait... finallymeet us?" Noah caught the strange phrasing.
"Hehehe, don't worry, Captain~ It's just the start of everything all over again. A fresh restart~" Alice winked with a mischievous smile, leaving Noah visibly confused.
"Hold on! Why are you calling Captain, Captain?!" Kiana stepped in, brows furrowed.
"Hmm? Because he is the Captain, isn't he, Kii-chan~?" Alice replied with an innocent tilt of her head.
"K-Kii-chan?! Where'd that nickname come from?!" Kiana stumbled back, caught off-guard by Alice's casual tone.
Because Captain is Captain, huh... Noah thought, glancing down at the Void Archives nestled in his left hand, who seemed to be wisely choosing not to comment yet.
As Kiana struggled to keep up with Alice's boundless energy and found herself getting increasingly flustered, Elysia and Lumine exchanged glances. Neither had any idea how to deal with someone this enthusiastic.
"Ah... Alice? We can call you that, right?" Elysia asked, her voice a bit hesitant.
"Of course, Ellie! You and Lu-chan can even call me A-chan! It'll be reeeaaally helpful to tell me apart from the other Alice," she beamed before pulling Kiana into a hug, rubbing their cheeks together. "Oooh... no wonder Captain likes hugging Kii-chan. She's super soft!"
"...Lu-chan?" Lumine echoed, bewildered. Another nickname...?
"...Ehh?? Future? A-chan? Another Alice? What's going on?" Elysia blinked rapidly, her brain short-circuiting as she tried to make sense of Alice's words. Uhh....Ellie's brain is sooo confused desu~!
"Hey! Stop it! Don't rub your cheeks on me! Only Captain's allowed to—wait, where are your hands going—Kyaa~! D-Don't touch there!!" Kiana flailed helplessly as Alice clung to her.
"Ehehe~ it's fine~ It's fine~ We're both girls, so it's fine~" Alice giggled with suspiciously chaotic glee.
"Kyaaaa~! Nooo!!" Kiana cried, clearly losing ground.
I'm so freaking jealous—Ah! No. No. Bad. Focus, Noah, focus! Noah forced himself to take deep breaths, his hand twitching with restraint.
[...Are you not going to help Miss Kiana, Captain?] VA chimed in dryly through his mind.
"Captain! HELP!!" Kiana wailed in desperation, tears forming in her eyes.
"Ah—Wait! I'm coming!" Noah finally snapped out of it and rushed forward.
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