The christina, having landed at the edge of the city, shuddered slightly.
Everyone stepped onto the awakened ancient metropolis. Time-worn flagstones, cracked and caked with dirt, crunched softly beneath their feet.
Silence surrounded them.
Rows of dilapidated houses—clearly once homes—made the group's mood suddenly heavy.
Hop brushed his fingers across a relief on a broken wall, rolling the grit between them. "These ruins look four-hundred-plus years old."
"You know archaeology now?" Natsu leaned in.
Hop shrugged. He knew nothing of the sort; the ruins of Dragunov Country simply resembled this place, so the thought had slipped out.
They had no time to date the city. Striding forward, they headed for the building that housed Nirvana's control chamber.
Richard led the way, briefing them on everything Oración Seis had gathered about Nirvana.
Just as Hop had guessed, Nirvana was a spell created more than four centuries ago.
A powerful Mage of the Nibelung Tribe had remade their mechanized city, Nirvana, into a super-transformation magic able to invert the "light" and "darkness" within people's hearts.
The aim had been to end endless wars and change that chaotic, violent age.
But the day Nirvana was completed, the Nibelung vanished—city and all.
Only the Magic Council knew its whereabouts, so Brain had groomed Jellal, sending him deep into the Council to learn the location.
At the city center Richard stopped and pointed at the central spire—the source of the black pillar they had seen.
"The base of this King's Tower leads underground. The control chamber and the city's mana supply are down there."
"I won't be going with you. Guarding the prisoners is my job now."
Ever since learning of his younger brother, Richard had turned completely against Brain—but only against Brain. The others were still comrades.
Blue Pegasus's Thunder God Tribe, Lyon, and Sherry stayed behind to help guard the captives, lest Richard's soft heart let one escape.
Everyone felt safe; besides the defecting Richard, Mystogan's restraints kept the remaining five of the Six Members from casting magic.
Once Hop and the rest entered the King's Tower, Brain—silent till now—spoke. "Hoteye… no, Richard, will you truly cast aside all the affection of teacher and student?"
"Affection?" Richard's fists clenched. "You used us as tools for your ambition—what affection?"
Beside him, Erik, awake, rubbed his cheek against the violet serpent coiled around him. "Richard's right. You promised I'd hear Crom Cruach's voice, but the Sound magic you taught me can't do it."
Lisanna added, "You vowed to make me the fastest, yet taught me Slow magic—an underhanded speed-up that betrays my dream."
Brain had no retort; they spoke only truth.
But there were still Sorano and Midnight. "Don't look at them. You forced Sorano to kill—otherwise Karen would have lost only her Golden Zodiac key, not her life."
At those words The Thunder God Tribe's faces changed: Karen had been their Blue Pegasus comrade.
She had also been Hibiki's ex—though they had split long, long ago. "Karen died by your hand?!"
In a flash Hibiki stood before the silent Sorano.
He had suspected it ever since Ichiya said this woman had summoned Aries, but hearing it confirmed still overwhelmed him.
Sorano lifted her gaze to the black-stained Sky, pain in her eyes. "…I'm sorry."
Sorry? As if that could undo anything!
Hibiki wanted to shout, but a user of Ancient Texts keeps a cool head. He knew Karen's death had been the sum of many causes.
Had she treated her Spirits kindly, Leo would never have stayed in the human world and she would have kept her protection.
Had she heeded Master Porlyusica and stopped taking reckless jobs, she would never have crossed paths with Sorano.
Half of it had been Karen's own nature.
Yet Sorano had dealt the final blow. "Kill me. Avenge your comrade."
Listening to her confession, Hibiki drew a long breath and turned away. "Let the Council's law judge you."
In truth he felt only fellow-guild regard for Karen; when they had dated she had cuckolded him plenty.
Back then she had juggled several men at once. While the Six stripped Brain's sins bare, a vicious dark spell struck Richard from an oblique angle.
Its power floored him in a single hit.
A magic staff dropped from the Sky—Brain's own skull wand.
The skull's jaws opened and shut, spitting volleys of darkness that swept away The Thunder God Tribe, Lyon, and Sherry.
The wand floated to Brain and undid his bonds. Under Erik, Lisanna, and Sorano's stunned eyes it spoke.
"Sorry I'm late. That Hop person was here; I dared not show myself."
Brain seized the wand. "I understand. Had you appeared earlier they'd have finished you."
The skull noticed that with Richard unconscious another link-mark on Brain's face had vanished. "You're not planning to release that lord, are you?"
"It's the only way. No one else can handle that brat Hop." Brain waved the wand and a spell swallowed Sorano.
Her scream rang out until she fell unconscious, and another link-mark faded. Only one more and the Living Link seal would break.
Brain glanced at Lisanna; she flinched.
Then, to her horror, he cast on himself a spell that knocked him out instantly.
As he collapsed the final link-mark disappeared.
With all six "demon" links severed, the life-linked Living Link was undone from within Brain.
The inner persona known as "Nothingness" awakened.
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