Chapter 19:
The Neutralizer
I PUSHED MYSELF OVER to a piece of fallen debris, leaned my back against it, and watched as everything drew to an end. I had no strength left to stand. There was no way I could escape the sinking fortress.
“We won, right?” I glanced at Luxion. Having used his body to shield me from Arcadia’s attacks, he was a wreck. Dents and deep gashes covered his exterior, and a crack had formed over his lens.
“Yes,” he answered after a long pause. “But you pushed yourself far further than you should have. Having fired that last shot, my main body is sinking back under the waves. I think it will…take significant time to recover.” Luxion, too, had pushed himself.
“Y-yeah? Sorry about—” I coughed.
Agonizing pain racked my body, draining any energy I had left. It seemed the ten minutes for my strength enhancer had run out. Clinging to consciousness was incredibly difficult.
“Master! The neutralizer—” Luxion’s voice cut off when he noticed that my backpack was gone. He spun and drifted off, looking for it. When he spotted the backpack, he raced to it. The syringe holding the neutralizer had shattered, though, the liquid spilling onto the deck. “The neutralizer—Master’s neutralizer! Mas…ter…”
The last reserves of Luxion’s battery had run dry. He slammed to the ground. Even on the cusp of power failure, he tried to nudge the neutralizer into a puddle as if he might somehow salvage it. He must’ve known it was no use, but he still tried anyway.
“Master’s neutralizer. Without it, Master will die. Without it, Master won’t be able to… I can’t let that happen…” He choked up as if crying.
Try as he might, the neutralizer was as good as useless. It pained me to see him struggle so desperately for me. I couldn’t watch anymore, but when I opened my mouth, blood sprayed out.
It took everything I had to summon the strength to speak. “You’ve…done enough. Come…over here.”
Luxion couldn’t even float anymore. He only reached me by rolling across the ground until he bumped my right hand.
There was still a gaping hole on the right side of my chest. Even without blood gushing from the wound, my body was already fatally injured.
I leaned to the side and let myself fall to the ground. That felt a little more comfortable, at least.
The strength enhancer had taken too heavy a toll on my organs. Even if Luxion had managed to administer the neutralizer, I would have been beyond saving. He had to know that, but despite the futility, he still wanted to stabilize me.
“What happened to Marie?” I asked. “Are Angie and Livia…both safe? And Noelle? And…and also…”
“Master, please stop talking. Help will come. I promise we will save you. We can regenerate your body. I don’t care how difficult or painful it is; you must live. Please.”
How touching. “You don’t sound like your usual self. Trash-talk me more, the way you usually do.” I paused for a shaky breath. “There’s no saving me. You know that, right? It’s too late.”
I’d be dead before he had the chance to do so.
“But, you know…I think this second life was at least better than the last. I died falling down some stairs the first time. Then I was reincarnated here…” I trailed off into a fit of coughs.
“You regret the way this is ending?” Luxion inquired.
“I don’t know…about that. It’s been…pretty fun, hasn’t it? But if you asked me to do it all over again…I think I’d hesitate.”
That was an understatement. I knew myself well enough to realize that, if asked to repeat this whole life again, I’d have refused vehemently. It was kind of a shame I wouldn’t get that chance, though. Part of me actually wanted a do-over. Still, this was probably for the best. I’d done a pretty good job, if I did say so myself. I’d met so many people: Livia, Angie, and Noelle, as well as lots of others. There’d been trials and tribulations, but in hindsight, I thought I’d enjoyed it all.
Liquid oozed from Luxion’s lens. It really did look like he was crying. “Master,” he said, “hypothetically, given the chance to do it all again—assuming the two of us could meet—would you come to find me?”
I tried to ask where that question had come from out of nowhere, but the words wouldn’t come out. Ah. He’s probably remembering that conversation we had way back when we were in that cave. How did I answer him then? Can’t seem to remember.
“Assuming you reincarnated again, and all the other variables were the same as in this life,” Luxion went on, “Would you come to find me? I promise, given another chance, I wouldn’t fail as I did this time. I would ensure you were happy. So please give me another chance.”
Was he assuming there really would be a do-over? That there were endless cycles of death and rebirth? No, what he was imagining was more a time loop that repeated itself. Time rewinding and bringing us back to the past, where it all began. How funny that the two of us were picturing the same thing.
That makes things easy, then. My answer is a given. “Hell no.”
Luxion went silent. More fluid poured from his eye. “I suppose…I should have seen that coming. If you hadn’t met me, you could have lived the peaceful life you dreamed of.”
No, that’s not what I was saying. I didn’t mean it would be better if we hadn’t met. Obviously, I needed to explain, or he’d remain under that misapprehension.
Biting back the agony I felt—and the wave of blood that surged into my mouth—each time I tried to talk, I choked out, “Even if…I found you again, there’s no telling if things would work out well.” I paused for a breath. “If we did it all over again, it’d be your turn to come find me.”
I’d gone on a grand adventure to find Luxion in this life, which was completely out of character for me. There was no telling whether I’d luck out the same way if I tried that again. It’d be better for me if he just found me instead. Preferably before Zola sold me off.
“You would be my master again?” he asked.
“Yeah…if you came to find me.”
I couldn’t do it anymore. My vision had blurred to the point that I couldn’t see anything.
“Whatever it takes, I will find you,” Luxion said. “I swear it.”
“Good. I’m counting…on you.”
Just as my consciousness began to fade, a green Armor landed in front of me.
“I found you! You’re still alive, right, Leon?!” came Jilk’s familiar voice.
“Wh-why’re you here?”
There was a moment of charged silence—he was shocked to see me so badly injured. He soon put on a facade, though, acting as if everything were all right as he administered what aid he could.
“Because I’m tougher than I look,” he answered. “I’m sure everyone else is still alive too.”
I wanted to thank Jilk for his help, but I couldn’t find the strength to speak.
“Besides, I can score brownie points with Miss Marie by saving her brother, right?” Jilk added jokingly, trying his best to treat me like he always did.
Ha. Always so calculating. I managed a dry chuckle.
“Please don’t die on me,” Jilk said, turning solemn. “You have to hang on, for me, for Miss Marie… No, for everyone.”
“Don’t ask…for the impossible,” I managed to mutter. Then my eyes forced themselves shut. I felt a warm sensation on the back of my right hand as everything faded into darkness.
***
Jilk cradled Leon in his arms and lifted him up.
“We need to heal you quickly,” he muttered. In truth, Jilk doubted Leon could be saved. He’d simply have to place his faith in Luxion and Cleare’s medical technology, but at a glance, the seriousness of Leon’s injuries made that seem futile. “Whatever the case, I’ll try my best not to jostle you too much. But we have to hurry.”
He lifted off from the deck, intent on escaping the sinking fortress with Leon. No sooner had they risen into the air than a knot twisted his stomach, a dark premonition of what was to come, for in front of him he saw Laimer—the Demonic Knight who’d fought alongside Hubert earlier on. He was down an arm, thanks to Jilk’s bullet, and was clearly seething with anger.
“I never forgot you, you green bastard! Isn’t that the Scumbag Knight you’ve got there in your arms? I’ll end you both right here, right now!”
“It’s a bit late for that,” Jilk told him calmly. “The war has already ended.”
“No, it hasn’t!” Laimer shrieked. “You guys killed my little brother! Sir Hubert and Sir Gunther too! It wouldn’t be fair for you to go on living when they can’t!” He’d lost sight of himself and reality in his fury. There was no way for them to have any meaningful conversation.
Jilk didn’t want to waste any more time here than necessary. He tried to speed away with Leon still in his arms, but Laimer launched numerous attacks on them from behind, sparking fireballs that slammed into Jilk and exploded.
“What horrible timing.” Jilk couldn’t respond to the attacks with Leon in his hands, and he was exposing his back to the enemy to protect his passenger. Laimer’s injuries had obviously weakened him, but his continuous attacks were more than Jilk’s Armor could withstand.
“You’re wide open!” Laimer just kept going.
“Guh!” Jilk grunted.
The constant explosions were pushing his Armor to the brink. He twisted his head to look behind him. It would’ve been so much easier if he could fight Laimer normally, but as long as he had Leon with him, he couldn’t. If he abandoned Leon, he could save his own life, but that wasn’t an option.
“Just a bit farther…just a bit,” he told himself as he spotted a nearby ally ship. He had to get Leon to them if it was the last thing he did.
Laimer sped toward them as if intending to body-slam Jilk. The moment his hands reached Jilk’s back, an even more violent explosion rocked them both. It was dangerous even for Laimer at this point.
“I’ll kill you two, even if it kills me!”
Jilk hunched over to protect Leon. He was too vulnerable in this position, but he had no other choice, even if he couldn’t do anything to defend himself. “Leon, I’m getting you to Miss Marie, no matter what!”
“Eat this!”
Another explosion occurred, swallowing them both this time.
***
“Mia! Please open your eyes! My life has no meaning without you in it. All that matters to me is your survival!”
Mia’s eyes cracked open at the familiar sound of her name. Finn was holding her and sobbing. She smiled right away. “I finally get to see you again, Sir Knight. This time, we won’t be separated. We may have died, but we’ll be together forever now.”
Since Finn was already dead, she was certain they could only reunite like this if she had perished too. Or perhaps this was a dream, one from which she hoped she’d never wake.
“Oh, Sir Knight,” she continued. “I don’t care if I’m dead, or if this is a dream. All that matters is that I get to see you again.”
Finn snatched her hand into his and squeezed it. A fresh wave of tears carved trails down his cheeks. “Don’t be silly. You haven’t died, and this isn’t a dream. I’m right here, because Kurosuke saved me at the end.”
Mia gaped at him. “What?”
With Finn’s help, she sat upright. They weren’t inside Arcadia’s fortress, but instead aboard one of the empire’s ships.
“Bravey?” she called urgently.
There was no response. As she became more alert, she remembered the moment Brave fell in battle.
“He’s…he’s gone.” Mia sobbed.
Finn wrapped her in his gentle embrace. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
“Sir Knight,” she cried back, squeezing him to her. They cried together.
***
The rhythmic rush of ocean waves filled Marie’s ears. When her eyes fluttered open, she found herself lying on an inflatable raft. Someone had pulled a blanket over her.
“I’m…alive?” she croaked in disbelief.
The setting sun’s light outlined Julius, Brad, Greg, and Chris, all on the verge of tears as they stared at her.
“You’re all here?”
Julius helped her sit up. “Why would you do something so dangerous?!” he snapped at her.
“Julius?” she muttered numbly.
He yanked her to his chest, wrapping his arms tight around her. “Thank goodness. Honestly, what a relief. We couldn’t go on if anything happened to you.”
“He’s right,” Brad sobbed. “We’d be lost without you!”
Greg sniffled. “You should depend on us more, Marie! You’re just like Leon, trying to do everything on your own when the going gets tough.”
“It’s such a relief to see you and everyone else again. Truly.” Chris removed his glasses, covering his eyes with a hand.
They were all crying. Marie was gobsmacked.
Julius looked completely beaten up, but not so badly that she’d doubt his success in battle. Brad looked significantly worse, his pilot suit tattered.
“Brad, what’s with your outfit?” Marie demanded.
“This? Oh, just a little magic trick of mine to evade the enemy’s attack. Sadly, it left my suit with more holes than a block of cheese.”
“Uh, yeah.” His explanation made no sense to Marie. The remaining two had bigger outfit issues than Brad, though. Her gaze moved to them.
Greg was completely naked save for a speedo.
“Greg, why is that all you’re wearing?” asked Marie.
“Oh, you mean this? When my Armor self-destructed, it burned my suit too. Gave me a nice tan in the process.” He flexed, trying to show off his bronzed skin tone.
Marie wrinkled her nose. “W-well, I’m impressed you survived self-destructing. Almost makes me doubt you’re human that you came out intact.”
“Aw, you’re flatterin’ me.” It hadn’t been meant as a compliment, but he blushed all the same.
Marie’s eyes moved to Chris. He’d been reduced to a loincloth and didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his exposed state. “And you, Chris? What’s with your getup?”
“This? I was wearing it under my suit to begin with. The fabric’s thin, so I was worried it might not be durable, but it saved my life.”
“It saved your life?” Marie echoed skeptically.
Chris held up a sharp fragment of something. “This plunged into my side. If not for the protection of my loincloth, it would’ve killed me.” Pleased, he stroked his underwear.
Marie didn’t understand that either, but the important part was that they’d all survived their near-death experiences. That, she told herself, was more than enough—at least until a realization sank in. “W-wait a minute. What about Big Bro? And Jilk? And everyone else?!”
Julius tried to respond but was interrupted by a battleship drifting along the waves toward them. Marie recognized the approaching ship as the Bartforts’ at once.
Nicks waved at them from the deck. “Glad to see you all safe!”
The Sacred Tree Sapling sat on the deck as well. Jilk’s Armor was there too, though it was severely damaged. Marie tried to hop to her feet, but Julius lifted her up before she could.
“Jilk’s safe,” he told her. “The people who escaped are still alive as well. But Leon…”
Her blood ran cold. “What about him?”
***
After the Bartfort battleship sank and could no longer fly, it had occupied itself with saving as many of those in the water as possible. Nicks took the helm and commanded the ship himself. Among the survivors their ship rescued, who sat on the deck with bandages wrapped all over their bodies, were Vince and Balcus. The two watched quietly as Nicks continued shouting orders to his men.
“You’re lucky to have such a good son,” Vince had said.
Balcus’s cheeks reddened at the compliment. His injuries had already been treated, but he was still too banged up to join Nicks. Word had reached him that Leon was on board. Worried as he was, he was in no condition to go see him. All Balcus could do was pray for his son’s safety.
“True. It’s comforting to know I have such a reliable son to take care of things,” agreed Balcus. “He and Leon are far more capable than I’ve ever been. But you have an incredible son yourself, Your Grace.”
Vince’s gaze traveled upward. The Redgrave ship, which commanded all the area’s allied vessels, hovered high over them. “He’d be fine without me, I’m sure. I may end up yielding the role of duke to him far sooner than I originally planned.” Sadness and relief filled his eyes in equal measure.
Balcus lowered his gaze. “I’m eager to give my position up to my son, personally.”
“Looking forward to a comfortable retirement? You sound just like your son,” Vince said with a hearty laugh.
Balcus’s smile drew taut.
“I’m sorry. Saying that was insensitive under the circumstances.”
“No,” Balcus said quickly. “I’m sure Leon will be all right. He’s always survived all the other impossible situations he’s been thrown into. Ever since he left home at fifteen to go on that first adventure, he’s thrown one surprise after another at me.”
That was how it’d all started. When Leon was fifteen, he went searching for a previously unexplored dungeon where he discovered countless treasures and an incredible Lost Item. In his short life, he’d accomplished more than most people did in a lifetime.
“Before I knew it, we stood shoulder to shoulder, and he surpassed me even more quickly. He’s reached the pinnacle at this point. As a father, I’m proud, if utterly confused.” Leon had seemingly grown out of reach. Any parent would feel pride over such an accomplishment, but Balcus worried for Leon too.
Vince glanced at the sky again, focusing on the Redgrave ship. “A new age is coming. An old man like me has no more reason to worry. I can retire in peace,” he chuckled.
“Well said. But you know, there is one thing I want to do before I retire.”
“What would that be?”
“I was so focused on surviving that I never got to enjoy being an adventurer the way I wanted,” said Balcus. “I’d like to experience that before I call it quits. Doesn’t have to be anything as grand as what my son’s done. Just something.”
Vince’s face went blank for a split second before he burst into laughter. “Sounds like an excellent dream to me.”
“This seems like a good time to do it. Nicks has a wife now, and he’ll soon have a child of his own.”
“Yes, isn’t he married to Earl Roseblade’s daughter?”
“Sounds like an interesting conversation you’re having over here, Your Grace,” interrupted a voice.
Stunned, Vince muttered, “House Roseblade’s—”
“Earl!” Balcus cried, finishing his sentence. “M-My Lord…”
Dorothea’s father Earl Roseblade had indeed come to join them, to the shock of both. He smiled wanly at Balcus. “After we were shot down, your son saved us. There’s no need to be so polite with me. We’re already family, are we not?” He motioned to Nicks. “My son-in-law is incredibly dependable, I must say. I couldn’t be prouder. But leaving that aside, you were speaking about adventure, weren’t you? I was thinking about retiring and settling down here myself soon.”
Surprisingly, once they began discussing adventuring, the conversation soon picked up.
***
“Quickly, bring the medical pod!” Cleare darted through the ship. Numerous pieces of equipment were being carried into the medical bay, and several robots buzzed about on Cleare’s orders. They loaded Leon into a pod, beginning the healing process as quickly as they could.
“Wake up!” Noelle cried at him. “Please, Leon!”
Yumeria grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from the pod. “Lady Noelle, he needs rest right now.”
As word reached them that Marie was safe, Kyle, Carla, and Jilk raced from the medical bay to see her. Angie and Livia were undergoing treatment in a separate room. Luxion’s beaten-up remote unit sat nearby, but it hadn’t powered back on, even after being recharged.
“Are you broken?! Is that why you aren’t responding?” Cleare screeched at him. “Without you, I have no idea what’s going on, you know!”
No one knew what had happened to Luxion’s main body either. Was it again unable to move after sinking under the waves, or still perfectly functional? If the latter was true, Cleare wished he’d hurry back to the surface and bring her one of the medical pods they’d received from Ideal.
Cleare studied Leon. They’d stripped him down, and he was linked to a number of machines. The gaping wound on the right side of his chest was horrific, but worse were his internal organs. They’d been pushed past the brink by the many doses Leon took of the enhancer drug.
“There won’t be any point healing his external wounds if he dies, but I can’t do anything to save him with the equipment we have on hand. If we’re going to pull this off, I need you, Luxion!”
Noelle snatched Leon’s hand. “Leon, I’ll never forgive you if you die on me here!”
Leon’s heart was still beating, thanks to the medical pod he lay in, but it could flatline at any moment. He was on the brink of death.
Livia and Angie burst into the room wearing hospital gowns. Noelle stepped away to give them room, and both girls flung themselves at Leon.
“Mr. Leon! Please open your eyes!” Livia cried.
“You big idiot,” Angie muttered. “If you die on us, this will all have been pointless!”
Leon’s eyes slowly cracked open. Livia, Angie, and everyone else in the room immediately smiled, but he closed them again and took a slow, agonizing breath. In the next moment, the heart monitor screeched as the line it displayed went flat.
Vexed by her own powerlessness, Cleare muttered, “Master, you fool.”
Everyone knew immediately what this meant. Noelle sank to her knees. Yumeria began wailing. Livia’s face went blank, tears still falling fast down her cheeks.
Angie clung to his body and wept. “Don’t leave me! I promised you, remember? I said I’d make you happy! Please don’t make a liar out of me…”
Noise erupted outside the room, but Livia paid no attention. She quietly stroked Leon’s hand, crying even as she struggled to put a smile on her face. “Mr. Leon, you can’t leave me behind like this. You just can’t. Please open your eyes. I want to hear you say my name again. Please.” Tears fell from her chin onto his face.
Leon didn’t move. Didn’t react at all.
Marie and the idiot brigade burst into the room, Marie shouting, “Big Bro?!” She raced to him and grabbed his hand.
“He just passed away,” Cleare informed her. She’d already given up on saving him now that his heart had stopped.
Marie’s eyes misted over, but she wiped away the tears as quickly as they fell. “Not yet,” she said. “We can still save him!”
Angie’s head shot up. “We can? D-do you really mean it?!”
Livia seized Marie’s shoulders. “Is there really a way?”
Her grip was so painful that Marie knocked her hands away. “Give me some credit! I know a decent amount about this game! There’s magic in it that only the Saint can use.”
Angie had no idea what any of that meant, but she didn’t care. The prospect of saving Leon had given her hope. “Magic that can save him even in this state? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“That’s because there is no such magic,” interjected Cleare. “I don’t think there’s any magic in the world that can save him. I looked into all kinds of things before this war even began. No miracles like that exist.”
“Calm down,” Marie said. “I’ll bring him back myself. But I have to warn you that there’ll be no hope for him if his soul already left his body. I’d prefer we had something to lock it in place, but we don’t have the necessary tool. Either way, we’ve got to hurry.”
Noelle rushed to Marie and leaned over her. “I’ll do anything—just say the word! What kind of tool do you need?!” Her brow furrowed in desperation.
Marie averted her eyes. “A tool to pin his soul to his body. I trust Cleare can do something about his physical wounds, but even I can’t help him if his soul’s gone.”
A bright light flashed on the back of Leon’s hand, and his heart monitor quieted as his heartbeat stuttered back to life.
Everyone gaped in disbelief at the Guardian crest, which continued to shine.
Noelle reached out and gripped his hand tightly. “The Sacred Tree’s trying to save him. It’s telling him to live.”
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