Steel and Mana

Chapter 558 – Ignis (8)

Ignis's body, half-crouching on the ground, hunched like a quivering cat that was made out of fire-colored scales, kept pulsing with constant waves of rippling power, doing her best to bring down everybody around her. In all honesty, she didn't even know what she was doing; it was simply her instinct, feeling cornered, doing her best to disable anyone and everyone, until the battlefield would fall silent. Each pulse that came out of her body distorted the air around her, bent the light, and those Vasas and their monsters who were too close were instantly annihilated. Not in their physical forms, but their souls and minds became slaves to hers, their consciousness wiped out without mercy.

The Avalonian magic, driving many of their weapons, didn't fare much better either. Attempting to fire any cannon or move any limbs became barely available, causing many of the machines to fail outright and become unpilotable. The only reason the airships didn't fall out of the sky was thanks to Merlin, who was doing his best to send out similar waves, trying to keep everything running at least until they could touch down on the ground without crashing and burning alive.

Under the descending Camelot, Polo's mech’s shoulder cannon sparked, then died, and even his Rook became unresponsive, forcing him to kick the hatch open, having to abandon the machine before the coming airship would crush him. Not far from him, Ur'Tokh's body fell over, spasming, not yet controlled, but his body was rejecting his own magic, causing numbness in his limbs and making it hard to even breathe.

"Die... die... die! Everything just die! Magic, felsh, all of you! Die!"

Ignis's terrified, injured mind, scarred by Leon’s attack, reeled in panic as she growled, her animalistic voice spreading across the magical waves. Even though it also made her own body hurt and ache, her own magic to be disrupted, it wasn't a bad thing. She was still confused from all those memories crammed into her brain, but at least it was helping her ignore that. Her mind was slowly clearing up, and she finally could sense... danger. She couldn't tell from where, but something was resonating on the same frequency as her disruption magic. Something... similar but... more potent? She couldn't sniff it out, but she knew it was close. The resonance was too strong to miss.

The only thing that kept bothering her was the cannons, firing in the distance, still active on that bastardly wall! She wanted them to shut up, just the same... With that thought, and feeling blood flowing from her injuries, she reared up as she ignored the pain, and a new, even stronger ring of distortion surged outward, causing her own blood to catch ablaze, turning into fire. As it swept across the battlefield, everything it touched was disabled. Even those Vasas who could resist finally fell over, becoming unconscious, while those with injuries... They were mostly dead as their own blood, if flowing out from their bodies, was set on fire just the same.

Not even Pion and the rest of the Avalonian troops were safe, their blood tattoos becoming poison, causing many of them to either suffer burning marks on their bodies where it was applied or fall over, dizzy, sick, and barely able to think.

Amongst the battlefield, where every magic was failing, and the mechs were stalling... one stood out because it refused to buckle. It was none other than Mirian's own, and even she was surprised by it. Right until she looked at her machine's arm, watching the spear in it glow in a black light, cutting through Ignis's spell itself.

"Well..." She gulped as she realized what was happening, "My ancestors did beat the Vasas... I guess we know why." Then, without hesitation, she turned on her comms, hoping that the others would hear her. "I can open a way. My spear can cut through her magic!"

At first, there were no answers, but just as she was about to open her mouth again to repeat the message, she recognized the one answering her... It was Arthur.

"Do it. I'll be there..."

There was no time to question anything or anybody, so she took aim. She couldn't tell if her Spear would stay like this forever, or if the closer it gets to Ignis, it would weaken... Would it still protect her machine or only the wielder...? No matter. She was going to bet on it. As if recognizing her intent, the artifact suddenly vibrated in her machine's hands, amplifying it even more when she raised it, changing her grip, ready to throw.

At the same time, Arthur was rushing across the battlefield, or more precisely, falling down from the Camelot, jumping out of it without thinking about it.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Leyla's shout echoed in his head, despite all the magical disturbance, still as sharp as ever.

"My job." He answered, controlling his fall, finding it... surprisingly easy. As if Ignis's waves were avoiding him.

"Fuck the Vasas!"

"I am speaking about being the Sovereign." He smiled, watching Mirian's machine that remained the only moving mech down below.

"Die, and I will kill you!" His sister yelled at him one more time, but then again... she said no more.

"Come on... Work... you... shit... bag!" This time, the voice Arthur heard didn't come from his mind, but from the comms he was still holding, and he immediately recognized it as Jila's. Even if her voice was overlaid with an intense noise of static, breaking up between each of her words. "Appear... you... fucking... bitch!"

"Jila?" He asked, without thinking, and just as he did, he saw a sudden flash, not that far from his position.

"Catch!"

As for what, he didn't have time to ask, as what he only saw was a pair of gauntlets being thrown towards him, forcing Arthur to reach out and... grab the Khulman's gauntlets.

"Kill... that... fucker!" Jila's distorted voice echoed from the comms, followed by Lancelot's, "And survive!"

Arthur couldn't help but smile to himself, putting them on, surprised that they weren't resisting him... at all. They simply slid on, as their shapes perfectly adjusted to his. As it did, he couldn't help but think of the others... searching, seeing Galahad's and Fila's machine in the back, disabled, probably too far for the failing comms to reach him... same with the Princess, which he saw at the opposite side of the frontlines.

"No matter," He told himself, "This isn't goodbye anyway."

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Another thought slammed into his mind, making him wince, and it seemed, now that his Father was... injured, his interception no longer worked, and the beast's mind finally got through to him.

"Ah," Arthur chuckled, "You must be Ignis, yes?"

"WHO ARE YOU?!" She screamed again, and Arthur felt her mind try to hit him, but... he found it easy to slip away, letting the force Ignis put behind it roll over his soul without causing much, if any harm. "Zah'Ratil?!"

"Eh?" Arthur chuckled, "No?"

"Roh...?! YOU BASTARD!"

"What?" Arthur asked again, now confused without having Ignis to try to attack his mind. What was she talking about?

"WHY DO YOU SMELL LIKE ALL OF THEM?!"

Finally, it clicked... Apparently, he had the feel or smell of the previous Vasa Sect Masters... all of whom, at one time, were Ignis's owners, keeping her under their mental control. Was it because of the shared memories? Or was it because of his blood? Whichever it was, now Ignis was focusing on him... and he could feel that.

"I'm here... Do it!" Arthur yelled, no longer bothering with answering her, not even thinking about consequences. He was finally there, right above Mirian's machine, still able to float, using the same techniques the Vasas had used, his eyes turning towards Ignis.

Mirian didn't hesitate at all; she just threw the Spear of Death. The moment it left her grip, a blade-edge of black light erupted from the tip, slicing into the distortion waves with a sound like breaking through multiple layers of glass, cutting a perfect storm... And it was also cutting an ideal slipstream for Arthur to follow. Like someone riding the coattail of a comet, he flew after the Spear, only looking ahead, feeling himself free of Ignis's pressure, knowing that behind this black weapon, he was hidden from her.

And he wasn't mistaken. The moment he flew after it, Ignis lost sight of him mentally, forcing the already fearful dragon to open an eye, trying to find this... Vasa bastard. With one eye, she glanced where she felt him the last time... And then, there it was. A black flash, and Ignis saw it reach her a breath too late.

"WHAT?!"

The spear struck her first, and without a miss, it punched into her eye, penetrating it, causing her to scream and howl as the pain was... worse than anything... Her body spasmed, and the disruption magic was broken as her mind couldn't think straight once again, only focusing on the sharp pain, trying to get rid of it, but it was lodged into her like a parasite.

Yet it was not over because just then, Arthur came second, flying and stomping on the spear itself, sending it even deeper, resulting in another howl before landing on the head of the dragon. He was using the claws that had sunk into Ignis's flesh without issue, pulling as he climbed atop her, spreading his hands.

"YOUUUU BAAASTAAAAAAARD!"

Ignis howled, making Arthur smile.

"No..." He let his magic flow freely, activating the spell he made with his siblings, improved by Merlin and his Dad... Everything that they poured into it... Every help he got along the way. "I am the son of the first Sovereign. I am anything but a bastard!"

The next moment, the entire battlefield, no matter where one was, went silent at once. When the spreading, invisible field from under Ignis erupted, activated by the single, otherworldly rune that Arthur had summoned, magic ceased to exist. Or, in this case, it became something no longer contained by the world.

...

....

......

"Ugh...? What...?!"

"This is... weird," Arthur answered the first voice, looking around, realizing that something had to happen to them both... because he was now standing in an empty, blindingly white space of nothingness.

"YOU!" The voice shouted at him again, and when he turned, he saw a woman standing, not that far from him, pointing at him with claw-like fingers, covered in scales... just like most of her body.

At first, he thought it was Sa'Ith, but this woman looked even more mature, closer to... Mikan. She wasn't wearing much, only scales, covering what must be covered, while her legs were inhuman, curving at the wrong angle, ending in three-fingered claws. Watching her red hair cascade down behind her, longer than her height that reached his own, he also noticed the way blood was pouring out between her 'fingers.' Seeing it, he realized who she was... Not that it wasn't hard to put the voice to a face.

"Didn't know you could take human form, Ignis."

"MY EYE!" She screamed at him, holding her face, and indeed, she was missing one eye... exactly where the spear had hit her. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"Stop screaming, okay?" Arthur waved a hand, finding her grating to the ear, and as he did, he realized that he was holding a chain now.

"Eh?"

Both of them grunted in surprise because, especially when Ignis looked down at herself, seeing that the chain was stuck to her neck... to a transparent collar.

"You! YOU! YOU DAMNED VASA!"

With a lung, she tried to jump on Arthur, who just yanked on the chains that rattled like glass, becoming even more solid, causing Ignis to fall over, right before him, unable to reach Arthur with her claws.

"No! NO! I AM NOT GOING TO BE-!" She screamed, and the next moment, Arthur saw a faint, shimmering figure appear close by.

"I knew it..." Zah'Ratil's spirit, as faint as it was, floated closer, watching Arthur with a smile, before glancing at the chained Ignis... "I knew you were our Savior."

"I don't even know what I did." Arthur shrugged, being honest about it, realizing that even if he let go of the chain, it remained connected to him.

"What you had to," Zah'Ratil muttered, continuing to disappear, his face looking like someone who was ready to rest, "Saving everyone... I told you, it was your blood..."

"Fuck you! FUCK YOU ALL! YOUR WRETCHED BLOOD!" Ignis kept screaming, and when looking at Arthur, she could see not only him, but behind him, all the other Vasas, every face, every eye... every hand that held the same chains around her neck before. It was as if they all looked at her now, through Arthur's eyes, "I won't be chained again..." She sneered, deciding that if this was her fate, then she would destroy everything... including herself.

Yet her magic wasn't responding to her call at all.

"Don't even try." Arthur smiled, once again, holding and pulling on the half-corporeal, half-nonexistent chains. "We are in a zone that was designed to turn you off. The question is... Are we dead...? Or..."

He looked around, a bit afraid that now he would be stuck here, with an angry woman, chained to him for eternity... But then again, as he scanned the white void, he noticed something else... A pair of purple eyes, almost... smiling... just to blink, forcing him to do the same, and the next moment, he was awake.