Chapter 68:

  Growth

  (Elizabeth's POV)

  She had heard the news. Lucas had fallen, but Maya was there to help him. Still, her heart felt like it was in a vice. She didn't know how much time she had, and now this happened. The world was truly mocking her. As if saying "You better hurry."

  "Damn it..." she cursed herself, "I can do nothing but wait now..."

  She mented her situation, knowing that as much as she could do, she couldn't make the Gates she needed to appear to do so any faster. The only thing she could do was wait, and it tore at her. Eating away at her very heart.

  Taking a deep breath, she turned her attention away from Lucas for the moment and towards Ailyah who had been helping her clean up what was left of the recent Gate Breaks. The worst of it had passed them about a week ago, but there were still remnants hiding here and there, trying not to be found. Elizabeth was taking no chances. If those creatures remained, there was a chance, even a slim chance, of it hurting or getting to Lucas somehow.

  "Have we heard anything from NUN?" Elizabeth asked, taking her bde out of the Lizardfolk that had been dwelling near the reservoir just outside the city.

  "About Irend?" Ailyah inquired, casting [Ice Shard] as another leapt at her, piercing it through the chest, "Only that they're monitoring the situation."

  "Of course they are," Elizabeth rolled her eyes, flicking her bde as a Lizardfolk attempted to sneak up on her, only to be cut in twain.

  "Why are you so interested?" Ailyah asked, effortlessly freezing a group of Lizardfolk, "Did you hear something?"

  "Yeah, something like that," Elizabeth half-expined, giving only a half-truth, "I heard a rumor, and I want to see if it's true. If it is...then something I need is there."

  "It's not another fragment, is it?" Ailyah gnced at her, curiosity and excitement in her eyes.

  "Heh, no," Elizabeth shook her head, "Why are you so excited?"

  "Well..." Ailyah tapped her chin in thought, "I've been thinking, and...I kind of want to fight a fragment of you."

  "You'll die," Elizabeth told her bluntly.

  "Hmph!" Ailyah crossed her arms defiantly, stomping her heel on the ground, causing an icicle to erupt and pierce a Lizardfolk leaping at her, "I'm not that weak."

  Elizabeth smiled and looked around at the battlefield where dozens of Lizardfolk y dead because of Ailyah. Some frozen in pce, others pierced through by spears of ice.

  "No, but..." Elizabeth was trying to say it as gently as she could, but there was no way around it, "Could you confidently say, if the Gorgon was still around, that you could beat it? Right now, as you are."

  Ailyah shirked away from the question, grimacing at the truth of it.

  "...No," she begrudgingly admitted, "Damn it!"

  She growled, yelling as she spun upon her heels, swinging her staff horizontally. Magic crackled as a wave of frost billowed out as she used [Absolute Zero]. A rge group of Lizardfolk, at least thirty strong, had been rushing towards them in a futile attempt to overcome the danger to their clutch. The Lizardfolk became frozen statues along with the very ground and even the air which seemed to sparkle with frost for over a hundred yards.

  Ailyah was left there, panting in exasperation as she stomped her feet on the ground.

  "I was talking with my friend!" she roared at the rest of the Lizardfolk, "If you want to die, come at me!"

  The remaining Lizardfolk clicked their tongues, sticking them out as they tasted the air. Elizabeth and Ailyah had come out here because of a call of strange eggs being nearby the reservoir, and upon arrival had discovered an entire clutch of Lizardfolk and what remained from the Gate Breaks over a week ago. Lizardfolk fought to the end for their eggs, but in this instance, even with what few eggs remained...they all began to run.

  "Don't run from me!" Ailyah screamed, her eyes glowing with a frosty white as she smmed her staff upon the ground, "[Absolute Zero: Exodus]!"

  The air grew crisp, immediately freezing as a bst of energy cascaded out in all direction. Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head in amusement as it washed over her. What remained of the eggs and Lizardfolk became statues of ice...as did the surrounding nd in about a square mile. Which included the reservoir and several buildings that people lived int. At least, that was if Elizabeth hadn't harnessed her fme, sending it out as a preventative measure in a protective barrier around the immediate area.

  "Ailyah," Elizabeth called, her voice firm, "That was little overkill, don't you think?"

  Ailyah looked around at the area, blinking as she came back to her senses.

  "Ah..." she rubbed the back of her neck apologetically, "I'm sorry, Captain. I did go a little overboard, huh?"

  "A little?" Elizabeth motioned towards her barrier of fme, "If I hadn't acted, you'd have frozen the entire reservoir and surrounding buildings. You know people live here, don't you?"

  "Yeah..." Ailyah slumped her shoulders in shame, "Sorry."

  "Just be careful," Elizabeth told her, "Next time, I might not be there."

  "I know," Ailyah sighed, straightening herself, "It's just not fair! I know what you said is the truth, but I've worked hard! All of us have!"

  Elizabeth walked over to the woman and pced a comforting hand on her shoulder.

  "I know," she told Ailyah with genuine appreciation in her voice, "Which is why I don't want you to waste that by dying. People need you. I need you. So, be a little more conscious, yeah?"

  Ailyah looked up at her, the light returning to her eyes.

  "Yeah!" she nodded and beamed, "I'll be careful and get even stronger!"

  "Heh, you're plenty strong," Elizabeth told her, gncing over the area, "I mean...how long do you think this will take to thaw?"

  Ailyah peaked around her, seeing the damage she had caused and blushed in embarrassment.

  "Ah! Shit! I'll get to it!" she danced around Elizabeth and began released the frost over the area.

  Elizabeth was left to watch her and was lost to her thoughts. Everyone in Zero Squad had grown much more than they had in the past. Ailyah had recently even pushed past her limits and reached the pinnacle of her [Absolute Zero] much like Elizabeth had reached the pinnacle of her [Visceral Ssh], but she still needed to learn how to control it.

  "When we're done here," Elizabeth called to Ailyah, "We'll head to the training grounds. You need to learn control."

  "Aye, Aye, Captain!" Ailyah acknowledged, happily bounding around.

  Elizabeth wondered how the rest of Zero Squad were getting along, and how far the other Guilds were getting. She had given them plenty of hints and tips, so she hoped they were using it appropriately.

  -----

  (Richard POV)

  Richard found himself watching a rather amusing show from the inside of a Dungeon that they had procured for the occasion.

  "Stay still!" Reina yelled across the field from Dimitry who had, for the fifth time now, dived out of the way of Reina's skill, "This won't work if you just dodge! You're supposed to be a wall, so be a damn wall!"

  Dimitry looked up from where he had dove to and raised his fist at her, waving it wildly.

  "You're crazy! Both of you!" he aimed a finger towards Richard who was watching from the sidelines atop a rock nearby, "What kind of training is this!? Did I piss Hades off or something? Do you want to kill me?"

  "Rex," Richard sighed, shaking his head, "If she wanted you dead, you'd be dead. This is training."

  "What kind of training is this!?" Dimitry demanded, "Reina's obviously trying to kill me!"

  "I was talking about, Miss Falcrest," Richard told him and Dimitry's face went pale, "If this was to kill you, she'd have done it herself. She wouldn't need to have Miss Reina do it."

  "Oh, please, Richard," Reina giggled, hiding her mouth behind a delicate hand, "Just Reina will do. Dimitry is just being a baby."

  "I'm not a baby!" Dimitry pushed himself to his feet, "You were trying to kill me!"

  Reina rolled her eyes and began to strut towards him, putting a finger against his chest and narrowed her eyes at him.

  "I'm only here as a favor to Elizabeth," Reina told him, "She sent Ailyah to help Haven, which allowed me to...you know what, forget it!"

  Reina grew a little sullen, pushing away from Dimitry and turning away as she crossed her arms in defiance.

  "If you don't want the help, then-" Reina's words fell from her lips as Dimitry pced a hand on her shoulder.

  Richard watched as Reina looked over at it with an uncertain, yet gentle expression.

  "I'm sorry," Dimitry told her, "I didn't mean to upset you. You did good work with the hospital. Saved a lot of kids."

  She shrugged his hand off of her, but wasn't rough about it.

  "It's fine," she told him, taking a deep breath, "If you're ready to try again, then let's go. And if you do die..."

  Her tone grew devious and teasing as she walked away, gncing over her shoulder at him.

  "You still have full revives avaible," she stated nonchantly, "It'll be fine."

  "W-What!?" Dimitry excimed, "I knew it! You were trying to kill me! I was trying to be nice and you-!"

  "I don't want to kill you!" Reina threw her arms up in exasperation, "God! You're such a blockhead!"

  "Blockhead!?" Dimitry threw his arms out, "What does that mean! Richard, are you seeing this? She obviously has it out for me!"

  Richard held his hands up to say that he has nothing to do with it. "She definitely has it out for you..." Richard secretly thought, spying her slight smile and flushed face that she quickly got under control, "Just not how you think, you idiot."

  "Get back to your position," Richard told him, "This time, take the attack, or I'll be taking her pce."

  Dimitry stiffened at this, straightening up and quickly running back to his spot.

  "You traitor!" Dimitry yelled at him as he put his shield into position, "I thought we were friends, Ricky!"

  "We are friends," he told him amusingly, "Doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. It's do or die, and if you don't get stronger, you won't be able to protect anything."

  Dimitry's face hardened as he took the truth of Richard's words to heart. Reina looked towards Richard who gave her a nod of approval. Nodding her understanding, she produced her wand, an elegant dark wood that conformed to her hand. It was infused with Star Metal and Obsidian, enhancing her magic that had an affinity for Graviturgy.

  "If you take this head-on like a good boy..." Reina told him with a smirk, "I might just let you take me out for dinner as a reward."

  Dimitry blushed behind his shield.

  "I got it! I won't move!" Dimitry yelled back, "You don't have to tease me!"

  "Who said I was teasing..." Reina muttered, though Richard's sharp senses heard it.

  Dimitry, who was too far away, didn't hear a single word as the tip of Reina's wand began to collect a massive amount of energy as she used [Graviturgy: Exodus – Void Bst]. It was a skill that Reina had acquired due to her expertise in Magic and her constant use of it. She knew just how to draw out all of its power, and it was only one form of it.

  The very air around the tip of her wand contorted and twisted upon itself. It was like a miniature bck hole was attached to the end of it. In a sudden, violent burst that tore across the ground in the groove that had been made from the several attempts before it; a dark, deep violet ray shot out at an incredible speed towards Dimitry.

  Dimitry braced himself this time instead of diving out of the way. His body glowed various colors as he cast several [Enhancement] buffs upon himself. Each [Enhancement] was different, but the most important skill he used, and the one they were trying to train at the moment, was what appeared when his shield glowed with an inner golden light. The simple [Shield] skill.

  A golden projection of his shield erupted outward, covering at least twice the area his rge shield usually would. It took the bst head on, pushing back against it for the briefest moment before it caved in on itself and the bst tore through it. It flew just over Dimitry's head, missing him by at least a good foot, but tore into the trees behind him, colpsing what remained from her previous attempts.

  Dimitry was left there in a daze, sweat dripping down his face. He had been pushed back several feet, the ground dug in from where his feet had attempted to keep him pnted.

  "See! I told you!" Reina yelled over to him, "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have missed!"

  Dimitry was silent, stabilizing his breathing as Richard saw in his eyes the fme of determination ignite. He felt it, just as Reina and Richard had seen it. He could block it. He just had to push himself a little further.

  "Alright!" Dimitry excimed, "Can you do it again?"

  Reina's smile was filled with hidden affection and delight.

  "Of course," she told him confidently, "Who do you think I am?"

  Dimitry beamed, getting back into position again. Richard looked between the two of them, feeling like the third wheel. The only reason he was here was because Elizabeth had asked him to help them. Only he knew what facing that Gorgon was like, and so he had to be one of the judges to see if the other Guilds were ready for what was to come.

  "Alright, I'm ready!" Dimitry told her, putting his shield back into position, "Whenever you're good, let's go!"

  This time, he peered past his shield instead of hiding behind it. He was more determined now to face her attack head-on. Reina once again raised her wand towards him, a slight smirk to her lips as the energy began to collect once more.

  "Oh! By the way..." she called over to him, "Since you took that so well before, I've decided to let you take me to dinner as a reward...if you block this one."

  "Wait, what?" Dimitry lost his focus for a moment, the bst shooting past his head as he simply stared dumbfounded at her.

  Reina sighed, pcing one hand under her chin as she supported it with her other arm.

  "Honestly..." she feigned disappointment, "To get distracted like that..."

  "You...!" Dimitry flustered about, "What did I tell you about teasing me!"

  "It's not my fault," Reina remarked, rolling her eyes, "You can't just get distract by every pretty woman who bats their eyes at you."

  "It's only you, damn it!" he excimed angrily, "I have no idea how to respond! You're always pying with me! Just take this seriously, will you? I'm trying to save lives here!"

  "Oh...now you've done it," Richard muttered to himself, gncing at Reina.

  In his blustering, Dimitry didn't notice that Reina's expression had become rather...amusing. For all her teasing and refinement, she was still prone to being taken aback. His words had pierced her heart in a way that froze her in barely contained delight.

  "It's only her, huh?" Richard thought, raising an eyebrow, "Well, good luck, Dimitry."

  Reina took a breath, composing herself and taking up her position once more as she raised her wand.

  "Alright," she told Dimitry, drawing his attention to her, "Put your shield up, Dimitry."

  Seeing the seriousness on her face, Dimitry's eyes widened for a moment in surprised before he matched her with excited determination and did as he was told. Gathering more energy than ever before, Dimitry's expression fell as he realized just what she was casting. [Graviturgy: Exodus – Annihition].

  "W-Wait a moment!" Dimitry held up his hand as he tried to plead with her, "If I did something to upset you, just tell me, I-"

  "I'm not upset," she told him calmly.

  Instead of one miniature bck hole, three different ones began to spin around the tip of her wand, and between them started to gather a crackling, violet and blue energy. Reina smiled serenely, a glint in her eye that Richard recognized, but Dimitry was a little too bewildered to notice. Love and Admiration. She wanted to give it her all after Dimitry had unwittingly incensed her heart.

  Richard felt sorry for him, but also a little jealous.

  "You should put your shield back up," Reina advised him, "I don't want to kill you."

  "We can talk about this!" Dimitry quickly put up his shield and cast every single [Enhancement] that he knew, "Like I said, if I upset you-"

  "I told you," she said again, cutting him off, "I'm not upset. I've been serious from the start."

  With that, a ray of intertwining violet and blue energy swirled around a concentrated beam of darkness that twisted the light around itself. Everything in its path simply stopped existing. A thunderous boom was heard as the very air itself evaporated and more tried to fill its pce.

  Richard watched with his keen eyes as Dimitry pulled from deep within himself every ounce of strength that he could. [Shield] formed and with it, he overyed [Iron Wall] and [Stand Firm]. However, this time...something happened. Dimitry, in his attempt to not die, overyed another [Shield] on top of the one that was already active. Again, and again he did this until it was like a turtle shell surrounding and creating a wall of interlocking shields.

  The beam collided with this assortment of defenses and bent it inwards. Dimitry gritted his teeth, blood beginning to trickle from the corners of his mouth, but still he resisted. The ground gave way as he was pushed back again, but still...he resisted. Richard watched with bated breath, his heart filled with adrenaline and excitement as he saw, in real time, Dimitry surpass his limits.

  "[SHIELD: EXODUS – AEGIS SHELL]!" Dimitry roared the use of his new skill as he pushed back against Reina's spell, knocking it skyward.

  It tore through the clouds as it shot upwards before dissipating harmlessly. For a brief moment, all was silent. It wasn't until Dimitry fell on his back with a heavy sigh that sound seemed to return to the area. He was breathing heavily, ragged and exhausted. Richard was still reeling from what he had seen.

  "Once again..." Richard muttered, "You were right, Ma'am. They broke their limits."

  Richard had been a little doubtful when Elizabeth had told him about this pn. That it would help Dimitry break his limits, with Reina not being far behind. You'd think that he would learn to simply trust the process, because it wasn't like Richard didn't trust Elizabeth. He trusted her implicitly, but he had to admit a lot of her pns were outrageous. He was always happy to be surprised when it actually worked, even if it always worked.

  Richard watched as Reina practically skipped over to Dimitry, humming a delightful tune. Dimitry gnced up at her, too exhausted to do anything except speak.

  "Came over to gloat?" Dimitry asked and Reina shook her head.

  "Nuhuh," she told him, looking down rather smugly, "Just looking forward to that dinner."

  Dimitry grumbled as he blushed, much to Reina's delight. Perhaps he'd finally get the hint.

  Richard's work was done now, and he could report his findings to Elizabeth. Reina and Dimitry were getting close to facing something like the Gorgon, and if they worked together...well, they just might take something like that down together. As long as it doesn't have a fragment, that is. Even Richard wasn't confident that he could take on a creature with a fragment inside of it, and that was even with the help of the rest of Zero Squad.

  Still, this gave him hope that the world might just be able to face what was to come. If Elizabeth was worried about it, then Richard had to take this even more seriously than ever before. It was time for him to return to his own training.

  -----

  (Sigrid's POV)

  Her spear pierced the hide of the Golem made of steel and sinew. It was known as a "Synthetic Golem" due to it combining flesh and metal together in one. It was almost like a cyborg, if not for it standing over 10ft tall and being damn near twice the width of a truck.

  It colpsed, now that its core had been pierced and destroyed. Crumbling to nothing, Sigrid looked towards the twins who had helped take it down. They were currently in Dystopian's Crater, a Dungeon whose name was quite on the nose.

  Situated in a rge crater was an apocalyptic dystopian city that looked like it was something out of a sci-fi film. There were Synthetic Golems everywhere with other robotic enemies prowling about. There were rge mechanical spiders, drones, and other dangers. It was like a bomb had fell upon the city and that was what left it in such a state.

  "Are you good?" Sigrid asked the twins, and they nodded.

  "We're fine," Priscil assured her, "How about you?"

  "I'm...good," Sigrid nodded, looking down at her hand which clutched her spear, "I'm getting used to it."

  "The feeling of death?" Trevor inquired and Priscil elbowed him hard in the ribs, "Ow! What was that for!"

  "God, you have no tact..." she rolled her eyes at him.

  "Heh, it's fine, Cil," Sigrid said with a light chuckle, "He's right to ask. I can't freeze up like I did before..."

  Her thoughts fshed back to when Maya was in danger and she was frozen in fear. Not necessarily of Maya, but of the death that might befall her if she got close. Seeing Lucas fearlessly walk towards Maya despite the danger to himself opened her eyes to how weak she truly was. Someone she cared about needed her...and she failed. Just like she did when she had lost her entire guild to Titania's Lair.

  She knew, of course, that it wasn't her fault they died. It was their hubris. They should have listened to Elizabeth's warning, but they wanted to cim the treasure within. Still, Sigrid couldn't help but wonder how things might have changed if she had just been a little stronger. A little braver. A little...

  "Ow!" Sigrid excimed as she felt a strong flick on her forehead.

  "You're doing it again," Priscil scolded her, "You did your best, you know that."

  Sigrid rubbed her forehead to soothe it, gncing at Trevor.

  "Is she always this rough?" she asked him, to which he chuckled and shrugged.

  "It's why I keep telling her she'll never find a boyfriend," he joked, "She's too rough and-"

  Priscil jumped on him, beginning to fight as they rolled around bickering. Sigrid watched with amusement, as this wasn't anything new. She knew that they loved each other, and as stern as Priscil was...she was right.

  It wasn't Sigrid's fault. She did her best and that's all she could say, but her best wasn't enough and so she had to make her best even better. That's why ever since she froze up when Maya had needed her, she had been training hard to bypass her fear of death. She had been going into dungeons like this with the Twins, along with Richard and Ailyah from Zero Squad, in order to strengthen her resolve.

  She had come far, and now was able to stand her own in a Low S-Rank Gate such as this. It was a Material Dungeon located in what used to be New York City. It was currently overseen by Aegis and its other divisions. It was a good source of metals and other materials that went into a lot of the technology produced by Aegis.

  Every so often, Material Dungeons needed to be cleared for the Harvesters and Miners, those that collected the material. This was just one of many that Sigrid was being tasked to help clear.

  "Oh, by the way..." Priscil asked as she had Trevor pinned to the ground, his hand pushing against her face, "What are you going to do about that?"

  Her eyes acted as an indication of what she was talking about. Sigrid had noticed it, much like the Twins had, but was waiting for it to get closer. Now, it was definitely closer. The ground was beginning to rumble as Sigrid looked in the direction Priscil had indicated.

  There, running along crumbling ruins and across pock-marked ground, was a horde of actual Cyborgs, or rather, Cybies, as they were "affectionately" called due to them being more like Zombies than anything. They were mindless humanoid undead creatures integrated with tech on a scale that the world has never heard of before.

  All of them had half of their skulls repced with metal and a red eye that shot a ser from it. Half the time they cut each other in half, but as they could simply pull themselves together again...it wasn't much of an issue. It was only an asset.

  On top of that, their hands were more like sharpened cws and teeth that could devour metal were another threat to be aware of. And unlike other Zombies, these Cybies were incredibly agile, as dispyed by them running on the walls of colpsed buildings. While not incredibly intelligent, they were smart enough to know who and what to attack. That's why they were currently coming for them.

  "Need help?" Trevor asked, finally freeing his arm from his sister's hold, turning it on her as he pinned her to the ground next.

  "Nah, I got this," Sigrid told him and Priscil kicked him off and pinned him once more.

  "Okay~," Priscil waved at her as she pushed her brother's face into the ground, "Have fun~."

  Sigrid chuckled, shaking her head as she turned to face the oncoming horde. Taking a deep breath, she began to walk towards the Cybies who were getting closer now. Their eye sers going berserk as they saw their prey in sight and were being drawn into a frenzy. The ser cut through not only themselves, but also the rock of the terrain and metal of the buildings, causing several to colpse as they just grotesquely pulled themselves back together.

  "...God that's terrifying," she muttered, but smiled, "I would have run before, but now..."

  She lifted her shield and held her spear tightly in her hand. Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath before opening them.

  "I am the Valkyrie," she became engulfed in energy as she activated [Warriors Blessing] and her unique skill, [Valkyrie: Exodus].

  Angelic wings erupted from her back in a cascade of golden-white light. With a rush of wind, they pushed her into the air. The Cybie's all looked skyward, letting out a horrifying shriek. Their sers shot into the sky, though none hit her as she swung her spear before her and a [Shield Wall] appeared. Dozens of disembodied shields protected her as she then raised her spear high.

  [Call of Valor] activated as she called upon the burning, raging blood within her. As she did, dozens of golden-white visages of Winged-Women in armor simir to hers appeared, beckoned by her call, and a timer began.

  ----

  [Call of Valor] Activated.

  Duration: 1 Minute

  Duration: 00:59

  ----

  The timer had begun. Each one raised their spears as she did, spinning it in their hands to get it into a thrown position. With a single motion, she flung her spear down and a hail of light-imbued spears buried themselves into the horde, decimating the front line in a matter of moments.

  Her spear was called back to her hand as she then led a charge downward, colliding with the Cybie's on the ground. [Spear Thrust: Exodus] tore through a line that was dozens of bodies deep, eviscerating them. The Valkyrie's with her mimicked her vigor and strength, piercing through the lines of bodies until none remained.

  ----

  [Call of Valor] Deactivated. Time Limit Reached.

  Cooldown: 12 Hours

  ----

  The notification was Sigrid's sign to switch her tactics, scanning the area for any remaining Cybie's, but like she had aimed to do, there were none remaining. Taking a deep breath, she returned to the twins who had finally settled there differences and were waiting for her with food already prepared.

  "Good job," Trevor praised, "You're getting better."

  "Still only sts a minute..." Sigrid sighed, but gratefully took the sandwich, "Thanks."

  "No problem, but you know..." Priscil said as she bit into her own sandwich, "That's still impressive. I mean, before you could barely summon five of them, now you can summon a whole legion."

  "Ha! True," Sigrid ughed, "Still, I-"

  "Will you shut up," Trevor nudged her pyfully, "You did good. Be proud of that."

  "As crass as my brother is..." Priscil eyed him with a warning gre, which he shirked away from telling Sigrid that she had won the recent spat, "He is right, you know. You did good."

  "...Thanks," Sigrid smiled, feeling touched by their praise.

  Digging into her food, Sigrid took a moment to reflect on what they had said. It was true. She hadn't been able to summon as many before, but now she could get dozens. Even if it was just for a moment...that was all she needed. Still, in order to reach new heights, she had to continue training, and so, after she finished her food and made sure the rest of Dystopian's Crater was cleared, she and the twins went on to the next one.

  They had more training to do.

  -----

  Nikushimi