They ran fast, following Merlina, bypassing a pack of humanoid jackal-like creatures near the columns.
Merlina: "Gnolls! Wonderful..."
Zhenzhen asked Akira.
Zhenzhen: "Friends of yours?"
Akira gives him a quick stare.
Akira: "No way."
Liza: "How many of these creatures are here?"
Akira sighed.
Akira: "We might need to stop and take care of them as well."
The Ars Goetians concealed themselves behind another column.
Zhenzhen gave him a steady gaze.
Zhenzhen: "The Storyteller said we're running out of time."
Akira: "True. I forgot - a group of foreign students possessed by lesser 'princes' crossed my path today."
Zhenzhen: "But you just said..."
Akira interrupted him.
Akira: "I fought one of them in reality, if you can call it a fight."
Merlina: "He kicked a poor fool right below the belt, just so you know!"
Liza: "Ha-ha! Senpai, I always knew you were WILD!"
Even Zhenzhen smirked a little.
Akira gave a tiny eye twirl.
Akira: "We can kill two birds with one stone."
Merlina: "I think you already finished 'two stones' today, my boy."
Liza laughed hysterically, while Zhenzhen let out a small chuckle.
Akira: "Very funny, Merlina..."
He paused.
Akira: "So, are we doing it or not?"
Zhenzhen: "You asking me or everyone?"
Akira sighed with a hint of irritation.
Akira: "I'm asking everyone here."
Liza: "I'm in, senpai!"
Merlina: "We're your allies, my boy!"
Akira: "Right..."
Zhenzhen faltered for a second, then said.
Zhenzhen: "If there are people in danger in the real world, it's worth our time."
Akira: "Let's ambush them. Liza and Merlina will back us up."
Liza and Merlina nodded.
Akira addressed Zhenzhen.
Akira: "Let's target a big one together."
Zhenzhen: "I'm ready."
Akira: "Let's go, Hii-YAA!"
Zhenzhen: "Teyaah!"
They attacked the gnolls and were transported to the Dreamscape battleground once again.
Akira: "Ars Goetia - Shulgaret! They can't use their powers, Zhen—take 'em down!"
Zhenzhen: "Ars Goetia - Phoenix! Dive!"
The Firebird dived toward the gnolls, leaving them prone and burning.
Liza: "Ha! We'll finish them in no time. Let's go, team!"
Merlina: "You're enjoying this a little too much, my dear."
Liza hesitated for a moment, then smiled.
Liza: "You're enjoying it right alongside me, Miss Merlina!"
Merlina laughed.
Merlina: "Ha!"
Zhenzhen: "Let's settle this - Explosion!"
Consumed by fire, the gnolls' bodies turned to ash with a squeak. They were all returned to the same Megaron location once again.
Liza: "You're not too bad after all, shorty!"
Merlina gave her a warm smile.
Merlina: "Don't be too harsh on our friend here, dear."
Liza giggled.
Akira: "Nightmares are no match for us, as long as we're together."
Zhenzhen gave a quick nod.
Akira: "We still have a demon to slay. Let's get going."
Zhenzhen: "Yes, let's."
They fought through wave after wave of nightmares, each step bringing them closer to their goal.
Liza: "Ars Goetia - Witchfire!"
Akira: "Ars Goetia - Dark Lancer!"
Zhenzhen: "Ars Goetia - Firewall!"
Merlina stood behind them.
Merlina: "You're almost making me feel like the only white cat in the room."
With a soft poof, she transformed back into her cat form.
Merlina: "Oh, and I forgot to mention—I am. The white cat!"
Akira grinned.
Merlina: "What?"
Akira: "Nothing. Lead the way, fur ball."
Following Merlina, they soon reached the 'throne room' inside the Megaron.
Two towering white and dark columns stood before them, inviting the Ars Goetians to enter. Beyond the entrance, a colossal half-demolished gray throne decorated the hall. Right before the throne, caged within a cobalt-hued prism, stood the Duke of this gauntlet—Alloces.
Akira: "Told you, Merlina caged him in the real world—using all my mental power. I even fainted after it happened."
Merlina: "Don't blame me, boya!"
Akira: "I didn't, Merlina. I only said I fainted."
Merlina winced.
Merlina: "Hm!"
Zhenzhen: "So... what's the plan?"
Akira: "I dueled one of these creatures before—same as you, I reckon."
Zhenzhen nodded.
Liza gasped.
Liza: "He's a giant! Look at that three-headed horse - who is this guy?"
Merlina: "His name is Alloces - a dangerous Duke and the overlord of this place. I've been saving some of my power to help Akira defeat this Ashen Rider."
Like Merlina said, Alloces appeared to be a formidable opponent. An imposing patriarch rode a horse as tall as he was. The old rider wore steel armor crowned with a helmet like a royal crown. In his hands, he gripped a triple flail, each end crackling with a different force. His legs ended in birdlike shins, sharp as talons. He sat astride a fearsome three-headed steed - each head breathing fire, ice, and thunder. Jagged dragon scales jutted from its dark, infernal hide. Above the duke and his horse's head hovered a small thundercloud, flickering with restless lightning. His long, flowing black hair and thick beard framed and nearly swallowed his face.
Liza: "How'd you end up knowing who this thing is?"
Merlina: "They don't call me a storyteller for nothing."
They both giggled.
Akira: "All right, let's do this."
Zhenzhen: "Are you planning to attack him right away? Just like this?"
Akira: "Obviously not, but we're in a hurry. Any one of us could wake up at any moment, and it won't be pretty. Liza doesn't know it yet, but this place can shift however it pleases, day after day - everything we've explored could vanish like it was nothing. So here's my proposal: two of us need to use our special move - Ultima. But to pull it off, we'll have to combine our powers first."
Zhenzhen nodded.
Liza blinked in confusion.
Liza: "What's Ultima?"
Merlina: "You used it just now, dear, then we fought our newfound friend Zhenzhen over where."
Liza yelped.
Liza: "That was it?!"
Akira raised a finger to his lips.
Akira: "Liza, hash! Not so loud, please!"
Merlina: "Uh-oh..."
All this time, they had been hiding behind the white column, quietly planning their attack. But thanks to Liza's little yelp, the imposing patriarch, Alloces, turned his attention toward them.
His voice crashed like thunder.
Alloces: "WHO'S GOING THERE. STOP HIDING IN THE SHADOWS, THIEVES!"
Liza swore.
Liza: "Well, shit!"
Akira shook his head wearily, leaning heavily on his sword.
Zhenzhen: "We're being discovered."
Merlina clapped softly.
Merlina: "Breaking news! Thanks."
Alloces shook his flail menacingly.
Alloces: "COME OUT... COME OUT! YOU SCOUNDRELS!"
Akira: "Zhen, you and I are coming out first, Merlina and Liza will back us up if something goes wrong, we're our main vanguard, got it?"
Zhenzhen shrugged.
Zhenzhen: "If you say so."
Merlina: "Try to talk to him first, Akira boy, it is very important to discover where your professor is hiding. I hope this infernal horse hasn't eaten him yet."
Liza gulped.
Akira glanced at Zhenzhen, placed a hand on his sword, and stepped out to face Alloces.
Alloces fixed his gaze on Akira. Beside him, his horse snorted fierce bolts of lightning from its nostrils.
Alloces: "SO... YOU REVEAL YOURSELF AT LAST, BRIGAND, AND YOU'RE NOT ALONE!"
Zhenzhen was beside him.
Akira: "I want to talk to you first."
Alloces released another thunder from his nostrils after scratching his beard.
Alloces: "OH..."
Akira observed the place and the throne behind the rider. This section of the gauntlet had no roof - the starry skies stretched endlessly behind the horseman's shoulders. Zhenzhen gently tugged his sleeve and pointed to a narrow crack on the side of the gray throne. Behind that very crack, the old professor trembled, nervously biting his nails.
Zhenzhen leaned close to Akira's ear and whispered.
Zhenzhen: "Is that him?"
Akira whispered back.
Akira: "Aye, I think it is Mr. Kikuchi."
The professor looked pale, almost like a ghost, and not in a good way.
Akira: "Why did you take this man hostage?"
Alloces thundered.
Alloces: "YOU'VE COME TO MY DOMAIN, LITTLE ONE, AND ASK ME QUESTIONS? THE INSOLENCE!"
Akira: "But this man is not a part of 'your' domain, horseman."
Alloces pauses.
Zhenzhen: "We're not here to make any tributes, demon. You will free this man, or you will face my wrath, both with my companion here."
Akira glanced at Zhenzhen and gave a slight nod.
Alloces: "HOW LONG DO YOU THINK 'I' EXIST, LITTLE CHILD, I COME HERE AND I CONQUER IT ALONE. THIS MORTAL INVITE ME INTO HIS MIND, NOW HE IS MY PRISONER, IF YOU ARE IN NEED TO FREE HIM, YOU MUST PAY RANSOM, IN HIS NAME."
Zhenzhen: "The only ransom you'll have from me is my fists, demon."
The monk took a fierce posture.
Akira rested his sword on his shoulder.
Akira: "You're the prisoner here - didn't you notice that cube trapping you all this time? You're stuck. Until you free Mr. Kikuchi, you've got two choices: either it keeps holding you hostage, or you face us both in combat."
The rider began to rock his horse menacingly from side to side.
Alloces: "SO... IT WAS YOU WHO SET THIS TRAP ALL ALONG. I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH INSOLENCE. YOU, AND YOUR COMPANIONS, WILL PAY FOR THIS DISOBEDIENCE."
Akira was clearly bluffing. He mentioned that Merlina was about to hold Alloces captive indefinitely, merely buying time to figure out which part of the rider's horse was vulnerable to his and Zhenzhen's attacks. The horse was the biggest problem in their upcoming fight, covered in jagged dragon-like scales. The elemental blasts it unleashed from its mouths were dangerous as well. Akira's only real chance now was to try talking to the rider, who seemed oddly proud of himself.
Akira: "Can you tell me about yourself?"
Alloces stared at him, taken aback.
Alloces: "WHAT?!"
Zhenzhen, still standing in his fighting stance, rubbed his bald head.
Zhenzhen: "I hope you know what you're doing, Yamauchi."
Akira nodded.
Akira: "I am."
Akira continued to address the Alloces.
Akira: "I'm asking you... Before we fight - how about you share with me - who you are, and what you are doing here, horseman, and I tell you something about myself as well."
Merlina happily whispered something, hiding behind the column.
Merlina: "That's it, my boy, now you're learning!"
There wasn't much to learn—Akira had already read about this one. From time to time, he visited the city library to check out books on occult subjects. In one of those books, he'd come across Alloces, described as a very curious being. If you managed to catch his attention, you could exchange knowledge with him. Akira's plan was simple: offer Alloces some captivating piece of information, and in return, gain insight into how to defeat the rider.
Alloces: "THAT KNOWLEDGE THOU PROPOSEST HOLDETH NO INTEREST UNTO ME..."
Akira cut him off with a sly smirk.
Akira: "But thou art interested then?"
Alloces could not contain his excitement and rage.
Alloces: "I HUNGER FOR SACRED KNOWLEDGE, LAD, BUT CAN THY TALES QUENCH MINE CURIOSITY? THAT I ASK OF THEE!"
Akira proclaimed.
Akira: "I bear one tale here and now, Alloces - my sword, Black Razor the Third."
Akira offered him his sword.
Alloces trembles.
Alloces: "OH, THE POWER! THE POWER WITHIN THIS BLADE... THE ENCHANTMENT! DO YOU DARE CLAIM TO BE ITS MASTER?"
Akira nodded.
Akira: "I am, lord Alloces."
Zhenzhen hisses.
Zhenzhen: "You're speaking to him as if he is our friend now."
Akira whispered to him in haste.
Akira: "Trust me on this, Zhen, don't provoke him for now."
Zhenzhen lowered his guard and crossed his hands.
Zhenzhen: "I will trust you, for now."
Akira didn't change his gaze from Alloces.
Alloces: "STATE YOUR NAME FIRST, LAD."
Akira obeyed.
Akira: "My name is Akira Yamauchi."
Alloces shook his beard.
Alloces: "SO... TELL ME, ARE YOU A NATIVE TO THIS LAND, BOY?"
Akira nodded again.
Akira: "I am, your lordship."
Every time Akira called Alloces 'lord' or showed any sign of respect, Zhenzhen would either clench his fists or roll his eyes while glancing at Akira.
Alloces fell into a thoughtful pause.
Alloces: "HMM... WHAT THINK YOU OF YOUR COUNTRY, Akira Yamauchi?"
Akira: "I cherish the land I call home, your lordship. Yet you've asked much already, which brings us closer to sealing our pact."
Alloces: "DON'T BE SO HASTY, Akira Yamauchi."
He barked sharply, narrowing his eyes, as the cloud above him released another thunderous rumble.
Alloces: "THE BLADE OF YOURS, Akira Yamauchi, WHAT KIND OF ENCHANTMENT DOES IT CONTAIN WITHIN ITSELF?"
Akira abides and answers him once more.
Akira: "The Cold of Stygia, my lord."
Merlina hisses comically behind the column.
Merlina: "Don't tell me he's planning to play it out! Oh, that boya, what a rascal!"
Liza leaned on the column beside her, intrigued.
Liza: "What was that? What's enchantment? Don't tell me Akira's got a magic sword in this 'Dreamscape' of yours. Is he, like, a sword saint or something?"
Merlina's claws dug into the column as her eyes flickered wildly between Akira and Liza.
Merlina: "I'll tell you, dear, but you must stay quiet. Don't let them hear us!"
Liza nodded with a grin. The two began whispering.
Alloces: "HMM... THE COLD OF STYGIA. SO, IS IT POWERFUL, LAD? IS IT WORTHY TO BE IN MY POSSESSION?"
Akira: "It certainly is, your lordship..."
Liza yelled behind the column.
Liza: "NO WAY IT'S GONNA HAPPEN!"
Merlina hisses angrily.
Merlina: "Quiet! Foolish girl!"
Liza swore again.
Liza: "Shit... Sorry!"
Alloces roars dramatically.
Alloces: "WHO... WHO'S WITH YOU, BOY, SPEAK!"
Akira glared back.
Akira's mind: "Those two are so dead. Right after I'm done here."
But turned back to Alloces and shouted.
Akira: "Just a pack of gnolls, your lordship, annoying creatures as you must recall..."
Zhenzhen choked a little.
Alloces: "GNOLLS? THESE RODENTS, DO YOU PLAN TO GET RID OF THEM RIGHT HERE AND NOW!"
Akira: "As soon as our business is concluded, Your Highness, I think these 'rodens' are about to run away in fear before your very presence."
Liza and Merlina, hiding behind the column, each let out a Gnoll-like squeak.
Zhenzhen couldn't resist and barely stifled a laugh right after kicking the stone lying by his foot.
Akira: "Just imagine that you could do, Your Highness, if this enchantment, possibly, were yours?"
Alloces, captivated by what happened behind the column, could barely contain his excitement.
Alloces: "THE MEMORY OF THE BLADE... THE MEMORY AND THE ENCHANTMENT! YOU GIFT ME THIS? NAME YOUR PRICE, BOY!"
Akira: "I ask only one question, My Liege!"
Alloces reflected on it. After a long pause, he said.
Alloces: "I WILL ANSWER, ONLY THEN YOU TRANSFER THE POWER OF YOUR BLADE INTO MY FLAIL!"
Akira: "Don't forget, you cannot refuse after."
Alloces cackled.
Alloces: "I AM READY THEN YOU ARE, BOY!"
Akira once again glanced at his blade, the enchantment that it contained: The Cold of Stygia. In the Dreamscape, one could find powerful boons and even transfer enchantments onto objects that hold your pure will and are part of yourself in your dream or in the Dreamscape, such as your body, possessions, or weapons. Luckily for him, Akira had long ago claimed this enchantment that, in the eyes of an ignorant individual, was useless.
It was just a small globe of cold energy resting before him.
Merlina had advised him to take it with him and continue strengthening it. That was the source of his sword's name - Black Razor the Third. Why the third, you might ask? Because it had been enchanted three times over.
The trick of this enchantment was that anyone aside from the original bearer who tried to possess or steal it would be gravely wounded by "The Cold of Stygia", and the enchantment would return to Akira. In the past, when an enchantment was still small, it wouldn't kill your opponent, but only barely scratch him. But if you kept feeding it with more Dreamscape power or your willpower, it would become far more dangerous.
That was exactly what Akira planned to do with Alloces, once the enchantment transferred to him.
Akira: "Here you are, my Lord."
A cobalt-hued cube that had been encasing Alloces suddenly vanished. Akira focused his will, conjuring a small orb of cold energy and sending it hurtling toward Alloces.
Alloces cackled loudly as the orb struck his flail - but his bravado didn't last long.
Alloces swayed atop his horse.
Alloces: "ARGH... WHAT? WHAT DID YOU DO, LITTLE BOY!"
Akira: "Now answer my question, fiend."
Zhenzhen muttered to himself.
Zhenzhen: "Finally!"
He kicked another stone toward the Alloces.
Alloces: "NO! HOW YOU... YOU TRICKED ME!"
Akira: "You're imprisoned real people here... Don't lecture me about trickery. You captured a poor professor to do your evil will in reality. Now you will answer for your crimes."
Alloces appeared shaken with fear.
Akira: "Now... to my question, I need to know - which part of your horse is the most vulnerable to attacks?"
Alloces howled.
Alloces: "THE CHEST... THE CHEST OF MY HORSE IS THE MOST VULNERABLE. NOW... YOU DIE, YOU DECEPTIVE CROOKS!"
Zhenzhen: "The one who has to die here today is you, demon."
Akira raised his blade, Black Razor, and commanded.
Akira: "The Cold of Stygia - Come back to me!"
Akira's enchantment flickered back into his sword.
Liza: "They fight? They fight, right? Miss Merlina, hurry, let's help them!"
Merlina shifted into human form once again.
Merlina: "Not a moment of peace with these children!"
Akira, Alloces, and Zhenzhen arrived at the Dreamscape battleground, followed by Merlina and Liza.
Akira called out with a fierce shout.
Akira: "Zhenzhen - let's do this!"
Zhenzhen nodded and roared as well.
Zhenzhen Mao: "Ars Goetia - Phoenix! Song of Ice and Fire!"
Akira Yamauchi: "Ars Goetia - Devilish! Stygian Edge!"
Both of their attacks collided once more. Recently, they were enemies, but now they fought together. Void of black mixed with crimson and azure sent straight into the infernal horse's heart.
They both looked at Alloces and said it at the same time:
Akira and Zhenzhen: "Begone, demon!"
Alloces yelled and thundered once more, agonizing in pain as he started dissolving.
Liza: "Take that, six legs!"
Merlina: "This girl..."
Liza: "I know you like me, Miss Merlina!"
Merlina: "Oh, stop it, you fox!"
They both giggled and gave each other high-fives. The fight was over.
Back in the throne room, the four stood together once again, catching their breath.
Liza: "Yahoo! Senpai! We won! We won! I cannot believe you can bluff like that! Remind me never to play cards or any games with you, you crazy!"
Merlina nodded her head approvingly.
Merlina: "That's our boya for you."
Akira: "I wasn't alone. This victory is ours. Like I said, we can do this. Together."
The monk nodded in calm grace.
Zhenzhen: "Like you said, Akira."
Liza looked around the now-crumbling chamber.
Liza: "Soo... there's the professor?"
Akira: "Behind the throne, see?"
He pointed.
Akira: "He's back there, but we don't need to do anything. This place'll collapse soon, and Mr. Kikuchi's projection returns to his own dream. The question is - how did he get captured by that fiend in the first place?"
Liza shrugged.
Liza: "Don't look at me - I thought you and Mel were experts!"
Merlina signed dramatically.
Merlina: "Mel! Praise Allah, how did she call me that again?"
Liza: "I thought you liked it!"
Merlina: "I don't... but I kind of do. Still, but don't push your luck, TOO MUCH, sweetie."
Liza grinned and gave a goofy salute.
Liza: "Aye aye, ma'am!"
Zhenzhen: "Let's try to hold off the celebration. We need to get back to reality - safely."
The gauntlet around them began to tremble and crack apart.
Akira: "Zhen, try conjuring the door. Any Ryoto quarter should do."
Zhenzhen nodded.
Zhenzhen: "Let's give it a try."
He raised his hand, focusing his energy. A purple doorway shimmered into view - the same kind that had collapsed earlier. Now, it opened cleanly before them.
They stepped through, ending up near the "Barghest".
Merlina mumbled.
Merlina: "This place again."
Liza: "What? It's our cafe, Miss Merlina - I invite you to come by sometime."
Merlina grins and bears it.
Merlina: "Darling, I'll visit you sometime, both with Akira, that is!"
Akira: "I think I'd need a day off from you, Merlina..."
Merlina: "What?!"
Liza poked her finger into Akira's chest.
Liza: "No way, senpai! That's rude!"
Zhenzhen: "Hey, everybody, who's that?"
He pointed his finger toward the dark, clouded skies. Akira quickly recognized his father. He was standing on the thundercloud and drifting toward the heart of the city. Accompanying him were his favorite "pets": Behemoth and Leviathan. Both of them could shift their form, just like Merlina.
Akira: "What's my father plotting again, tagging along with these monsters?"
Then, suddenly, he saw Ota "the Ossan" Nishioka pulling the string of his great bow, aiming at Todo.
Akira shouted.
Akira: "Mr. Nishioka! What are you doing?"
Nishioka startled slightly, but then shook it off and pulled the string. A giant arrow landed right inside the drifting "thundercloud" where Todo, Akira's father, was standing. Todo turned around right after Akira shouted toward Ota, and fell, both with his summons. Thundercloud exploded. And Akira and his companions - they all wake up.