Chapter 18: The Hidden Threat of Eryndor

Eryndor was unlike any city Mina had ever seen.

Huge Mist-powered airships floated between towering buildings, traveling through the sky as pipes carried glowing Mist energy throughout the city.

Bridges connected different buildings, magical street lamps lined the roads, and strange machines operated almost everywhere.

Mina stared at everything with sparkling eyes.

“Wow…”

She slowly turned in place.

“There are machines everywhere!”

Yumiko smiled.

“You really like this place, don't you?”

“I love it!”

Mina pointed toward an airship.

“Look at that!”

Nyxhen glanced at it.

“I've seen airships before.”

Mina stared at him.

“Okay, Mr. Experienced.”

Nyxhen sighed.

“I didn't say I liked them.”

Mina crossed her arms.

“You're just jealous because I like them more than you.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It makes perfect sense.”

Nemi, walking beside them, quietly watched the two argue.

“...You two argue a lot.”

Yumiko nodded.

“They've been doing that for a while.”

Mina immediately pointed at Nyxhen.

“He started it.”

Nyxhen looked at her.

“You literally started this conversation.”

“Details.”

Despite the jokes, however, Nyxhen's expression slowly became more serious.

Something about Eryndor felt wrong.

The city was lively.

People were walking around.

Airships continued traveling through the sky.

Machines continued operating.

Yet underneath all of that...

There was something hidden.

Nyxhen had already figured out several things.

The strange atmosphere.

The way certain people seemed to act as though they knew something was coming.

The warning he had received before coming here.

And the feeling that someone—or something—was watching from somewhere within Eryndor.

He didn't tell Mina.

He didn't tell Yumiko.

He didn't tell Nemi.

Not yet.

He needed more information first.

Inside Nyxhen's thoughts, one person came to mind.

Yuuiki.

Thanks to him, Nyxhen had managed to gather information from several places.

Yuuiki had a way of sharing information without making it obvious where it came from.

Nyxhen trusted the information.

But he still didn't know the entire situation.

“...Something is definitely coming.”

Mina looked at him.

“Hm?”

Nyxhen quickly looked away.

“Nothing.”

Mina narrowed her eyes.

“You're hiding something.”

“No.”

“You definitely are.”

“No.”

“Your face looks suspicious.”

“My face always looks like this.”

Mina stared at him.

“...That's actually true.”

Nyxhen sighed.

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“Can we just keep moving?”

The Airship

As they continued through Eryndor, Mina suddenly stopped.

She stared upward.

One of the enormous airships slowly passed overhead.

Mina's eyes sparkled.

“I want to ride one.”

Nyxhen immediately answered.

“No.”

Mina turned.

“Why?!”

“I don't trust anything that floats that high.”

Mina stared at him.

“You fight monsters with a chained scythe.”

“Yes.”

“You use shadows.”

“Yes.”

“You've probably done things way more dangerous than riding an airship.”

Nyxhen crossed his arms.

“That doesn't mean I trust something that floats in the sky.”

Mina pointed upward.

“Do you understand gravity?”

Nyxhen paused.

“...No.”

Mina nodded seriously.

“Then we're equally qualified.”

Yumiko covered her mouth.

“Pfft…”

Nemi quietly looked toward the sky.

“I think Mina has a point.”

Nyxhen looked at both of them.

“Why are you supporting her?”

“Because it's funny.”

“...Great.”

Eventually, they reached an airship station.

Mina stood at the entrance.

She suddenly became nervous.

“So... we're really doing this?”

Yumiko stood beside her.

“I'll stay beside you.”

Mina nodded.

“Okay.”

She slowly stepped onto the airship.

The moment both feet were inside—

The airship began rising.

Mina grabbed the railing.

“WHOA!”

The city slowly became smaller beneath them.

Mina's mouth opened in amazement.

“...We're actually flying.”

Yumiko smiled.

“I told you.”

Mina looked down.

“Eryndor looks so small from up here…”

She moved toward the edge.

“Don't get too close,” Nyxhen warned.

Mina looked at him.

“I'm fine!”

“You said that before nearly falling into a river.”

“That was different.”

“How?”

“...The river was wet.”

Nyxhen stared.

“That's your explanation?”

Mina smiled.

“Yes.”

Yumiko's Memory

While Mina enjoyed the view, Yumiko quietly walked toward the back of the airship.

The wind moved through her golden-brown hair.

She looked toward the sky.

Then suddenly—

Her eyes widened.

Something flashed through her mind.

Huge wings.

Gigantic white wings.

They were far larger than the wings she possessed now.

White feathers filled the sky.

Then she saw something else.

A figure.

Celestial armor.

The image was unclear.

But the presence felt familiar.

Yumiko grabbed her head.

“Ah...”

Mina turned.

“Yumiko?”

Yumiko closed her eyes.

The memory disappeared.

She breathed slowly.

“...Not yet.”

Mina walked closer.

“Are you okay?”

Yumiko smiled.

“I'm fine.”

“What did you remember?”

Yumiko looked toward the sky.

“Something about wings.”

She touched one of her own wings.

“My wings... were much bigger.”

Mina looked at them.

“Bigger than those?”

Yumiko nodded.

“And there was someone wearing celestial armor.”

Mina tilted her head.

“Do you remember who?”

Yumiko shook her head.

“No.”

She smiled softly.

“But I'll remember eventually.”

Nemi's Battle

Meanwhile, Nemi had wandered into another part of the city.

She was exploring the market district.

“Hmm…”

She looked at the shops.

“Everything here is interesting.”

Then—

SHINK!

An icicle flew past her.

Nemi froze.

“...What?”

Another icicle came flying.

SHINK!

Nemi quickly jumped behind a wooden stall.

The icicle struck the stall.

CRACK!

Nemi peeked over it.

“Someone is attacking me.”

She raised her hand.

Threads extended from her dress.

She formed them into a long projectile.

“Thread Shot.”

She fired.

The thread shot flew toward the enemy.

But—

CRACK!

An ice wall appeared.

The thread was stopped.

Nemi stared.

“...I'm slow.”

The enemy disappeared.

Nemi's eyes widened.

“Where...?”

Suddenly—

The enemy appeared behind her.

An ice dagger was already moving toward her.

Nemi reacted quickly.

Threads shot from her dress.

Four spider-like legs formed behind her.

They lifted her body upward.

The dagger passed beneath her.

Nemi landed on the thread legs.

“Oh.”

She looked at them.

“That works.”

More icicles came flying.

Nemi extended her dress threads.

The threads stretched farther than before.

They pierced through the incoming ice attacks and knocked them away.

Nemi smiled.

“Threadweaver.”

She liked the sound of it.

Nyxhen's Encounter

Elsewhere, Nyxhen had wandered into Eryndor's gambling district.

The area was louder than the rest of the city.

People shouted.

Coins clattered.

Music played.

Nyxhen walked through the crowd.

Then—

Someone spoke behind him.

“Nice outfit.”

Nyxhen stopped.

He turned.

A young-looking demon stood there.

White hair.

Two black horns.

Yellow eyes.

Dark combat clothing.

Nyxhen looked at him.

“Yours isn't bad either.”

The demon smiled.

“Want to sit?”

Nyxhen hesitated.

Then sat.

The demon looked at him.

“Do you feel that?”

Nyxhen frowned.

“Feel what?”

The demon's smile disappeared.

“The Death God's arrival.”

Nyxhen's expression immediately changed.

“The Death God...?”

He remembered ancient records.

One of the Gods of Eternia.

#13 — The God of Death.

Nyxhen looked at the demon.

“Who are you?”

The demon smiled again.

“Zerav.”

Nyxhen narrowed his eye.

“How do you know my about it?”

“Information travels quickly.”

Before Nyxhen could respond—

BOOOOOOM!

The entire gambling district shook.

The tables moved.

People screamed.

Nyxhen immediately stood.

“What was that?”

Zerav looked toward the entrance.

“I think we should find out.”

Yumiko's Attack

Back near the airship station, Yumiko had already left the airship.

She was heading toward their carriage.

Then she stopped.

She felt something.

Someone was watching her.

Yumiko looked around.

Nothing.

She continued walking.

Then—

WHOOSH!

Something flew toward her.

Yumiko immediately raised her enormous scissor-claymore.

CLANG!

The projectile struck the weapon.

Yumiko's eyes widened.

“What was that?”

A gigantic armored knight stepped into view.

It carried an enormous hammer.

Yumiko stared.

“That hammer is huge…”

Another projectile flew toward her.

Yumiko dodged.

Then another.

And another.

“Someone else is attacking from far away?!”

The armored knight charged.

Yumiko raised her weapon.

CLANG!

The hammer collided with her scissor-claymore.

She was pushed backward.

Yumiko spread her wings.

“Dream Wave!”

A wave of dream energy surged forward.

The knight blocked.

Then another projectile came from the distance.

Yumiko twisted aside.

“Dream Blast!”

The attack struck toward the distant enemy.

But the enemy moved.

Yumiko frowned.

“So there are two of them…”

One was fighting her up close.

The other was attacking from afar.

She tightened her grip.

“This isn't going to be easy.”

The Gravemaw Behemoth

Back in the gambling district, Nyxhen and Zerav stepped outside.

The streets were already being destroyed.

Then—

A massive boulder came flying toward them.

Nyxhen moved aside.

BOOM!

The boulder crashed into a building.

Nyxhen stared at the impact.

Then he noticed something.

A mark.

A claw-shaped mark.

His expression changed.

“That…”

Zerav looked at him.

“What?”

Nyxhen pointed toward the damaged building.

“That claw mark.”

He recognized it from old records.

“A Gravemaw Behemoth.”

Zerav blinked.

“Never heard of it.”

“It's from the Dark Continent.”

Zerav looked at him.

“The Dark Continent?”

“An enormous region beyond the known kingdoms.”

Nyxhen tightened his grip.

“Few people return from there.”

Zerav looked toward the destruction.

“So one of those things is here?”

Nyxhen nodded.

“It seems so.”

He looked at a nearby shop.

A ridiculous sign hung above the entrance.

Dark Continent Monsters — No Refunds

Nyxhen stared.

“...What?”

Zerav looked at the sign.

“That's terrible.”

“Agreed.”

The ground suddenly shook.

BOOOOOOM!

Something enormous emerged from the street.

Stone cracked.

Buildings trembled.

Dust filled the air.

Then the creature appeared.

The Gravemaw Behemoth.

It was enormous.

Its body towered over the surrounding buildings.

Nyxhen summoned his chained scythe.

SHING!

“Noctesgrave.”

Zerav stepped beside him.

The Behemoth roared.

Nyxhen lowered his stance.

“Let's take it down.”

Zerav smiled.

“Looks like Eryndor is more interesting than I expected.”