Slayers - Volume 8 - Chapter 4

4: Thou Who Art Blacker Than Darkness, Than Night

According to legend, our world is like a plate sitting atop a staff thrust into the Sea of Chaos. I’ve always assumed that was wrong, but what I learned from the Claire Bible changed my thinking a little. The old story is, in a sense, half correct.

“Ra Tilt!” Amelia’s voice echoed.

The room that Sylphiel and I found at the bottom of the stairs was similar, structurally, to the one above it. It was another large chamber dominated by a crystal pillar skewering its center from top to bottom. Said pillar was also showing the battle—no, the game—that Amelia and Zel were locked in with Fibrizo. We could still hear their voices and everything.

That’s how I knew Amelia’s Ra Tilt hadn’t activated.

“What?!” she gasped with a shocked expression.

Fibrizo smiled and calmly explained, “I don’t even need to speak a word to block such a meager spell. I can neutralize its power before it activates with a single thought.”

That was incredible. Even Chaos Dragon Gaav had required a vocalization to neutralize our magic.

“Ra Tilt!” Zel cast the same spell on the heels of Amelia’s.

It seemed the only way to nail Fibrizo would be to catch him by surprise. But under the circumstances, it was impossible for Amelia and Zel to do that.

So what if I burst into the room with a spell ready to go? In order to do that, though, I’d actually have to get there first...

We had to hurry. Sylphiel and I ran around the central crystal pillar and descended another staircase opening in the floor.

The legend hails, “Lord of Nightmares, dark lord of dark lords. Driven from heaven, adrift in the Sea of Chaos.” That’s what one of the old prophets told my sister when we were visiting the palace in Dils, but it’s not right. Maybe the Claire Bible manuscript he got his knowledge from was incomplete, or maybe he just interpreted it wrong... I don’t know.

Descending the staircase, Sylphiel and I once again found ourselves in a similar room. I wondered for a moment if Fibrizo had warped space around the stairs like he had at the entrance, forcing us to walk the same steps over and over again... Still, one way or another, our only option now was to keep going down.

While we were doing that, Amelia and Zel continued to attack Fibrizo. He’d easily nullified their Ra Tilts, so they were trying various other spells.

“Elemekia Lance!”

“Goz Vu Row!”

But Fibrizo lightly batted aside Amelia’s spear of light, then stomped out the black shadow Zel sent running across the floor. It was now painfully obvious this dude was on a whole other level. Despair began to show on Amelia’s and Zel’s faces, just like Hellmaster wanted.

“Fireball!”

Knowing it was useless, or perhaps maddened by desperation, Amelia threw a Fireball. Such a spell wasn’t a threat to any demon, so Hellmaster just smirked at her without even trying to evade or block it.

Bwoosh! Amelia’s Fireball scattered flames all around Fibrizo. As it did...

“Ra Tilt!” Zelgadis unleashed his spell, but his voice echoed emptily in the room as the spell failed to activate once more.

The smoke soon cleared from the Fireball, revealing a perfectly unharmed Hellmaster Fibrizo. “I wonder,” he said, still wearing the same smarmy smirk. “Was that Fireball intended to be a distraction? A bit obvious, don’t you agree?”

“Ngh... In that case...” Zel drew the broadsword from his back and began chanting a spell. “Astral Vine!”

He then charged at Fibrizo with his now magically infused blade. Vrmm! It sliced through the air, and Fibrizo didn’t even try to dodge. Zel’s sword came down, cutting right through Hellmaster Fibrizo from stem to stern!

No—wait! It actually passed right through him!

I should have seen this coming. Fibrizo was a fundamentally incorporeal being to begin with; he’d just given himself physical form somehow. Then wasn’t it possible for him to simply tone down the degree of his manifestation?

“What now?” Fibrizo taunted without batting an eye.

Zelgadis was at a loss for words. Amelia, undeterred, kept chanting, but I could plainly see the desperation on her face.

Fibrizo said that we all come from the same source. If that’s true...

Fibrizo’s game seemed to be nearing its end. Neither Amelia nor Zel could have much magic power left. They’d burned through all their attack options without striking a decisive blow against Hellmaster—in fact, without striking a blow at all. They were forced to fall back on another set of Ra Tilts, but instead of unleashing them instantly, they simply stared down Fibrizo while hopelessly waiting for the chance to catch him off guard.

There was only one way to turn the tables—if we joined the fray.

Meanwhile, Sylphiel and I had at last come out into a different area. We’d been through identical room after identical room... I didn’t know for how long, but I was glad to finally reach a room without another staircase.

We exited into a corridor that we followed, hoping it would lead us to Amelia and Zel. At the end were yet more stairs leading down, but since the structure of this area was different, I figured we had to be getting close. And if my gut was right, this would be our chance to jump in and catch Hellmaster by surprise! As I ran down the next corridor, I began reciting a Dragon Slave.

And eventually, after a while...

Aha! At the end of the hallway, we spotted a wide-open door. On the other side, I could see two familiar figures facing off against a childlike figure.

Yes! We made it! We picked up the pace and burst onto the scene. The second Hellmaster glanced our way, I released the spell I’d been chanting!

“Dragon Slave!”

And yet... it didn’t activate. Had he seen through me?!

“I predicted even that!” he proclaimed triumphantly—a moment too soon.

“Dragon Slave!” someone else incanted.

“Sylphiel!” I yelped.

“What?!” Hellmaster cried in the same breath.

He must not have anticipated an attack from Sylphiel, because he didn’t have time to neutralize her Dragon Slave before he was awash with crimson light.

“Gwaaah!” he screamed, his whole body trembling. He clearly meant to resist the Dragon Slave with his spiritual power alone, but...

“Ra Tilt!” Not missing this chance, Amelia and Zel both spoke words of power.

Fwoosh! This time, their spells manifested without a problem, and the blue... No, the white flames of their Ra Tilts enveloped Hellmaster Fibrizo! Why the different color, though? Was the double Ra Tilt resonating with the Dragon Slave?!

“Raaaaaaaaaaagh!” Fibrizo’s bestial howl shook the air around us. Within moments, he was reduced to a black shadow that blew apart within the white pillar of the three mixed spells. And when the pillar itself disappeared... Hellmaster Fibrizo was no more.

“Did... we manage it?” Zelgadis whispered after a long silence.

“I don’t know,” Sylphiel whispered back, carefully scanning around her.

I didn’t sense anything nearby myself, but...

“What’s that?!” Amelia cried.

I followed her gaze to a hazy form blurring into existence inside the crystal pillar that held up the Hellpalace.

Fibrizo?!

We all took fighting stances again and began chanting a fresh set of spells as the form gradually became more distinct.

Wait, is that...

“Sir Gourry?!” Sylphiel cried out.

Indeed, it was Gourry phasing into being inside the crystal. Then slowly, as if being pushed, his body emerged from it.

“Gourry!” I shouted, but before I could make it over to him...

Sylphiel was already there to catch him and hold him up.

Ah... I slowed to a halt with a faint pang in my chest. “Is he... okay?” I asked, and Sylphiel nodded without turning back.

Good... he’s okay. A sigh of relief escaped my lips.

“Sir Gourry! Sir Gourry!” Sylphiel continued to call.

“Urgh...” he eventually groaned in response.

Thankfully he looked like he was still in pretty decent shape. But if he was really okay, then...

“Where... am I?” he asked, shaking his head lightly before looking around. Seemed he was fully conscious now.

I took that as my cue.

“Don’t ‘where am I’ me!!!” I shouted, nailing him dead in the chest with a jump kick.

“M-Mistress Lina?!”

“What was that for?!”

I ignored Sylphiel’s and Gourry’s objections. Now that I knew Gourry was fine, all my pent-up irritation came flooding back.

“I swear! You had us freaking out, man! I know we’re dealing with Hellmaster Fibrizo here, but how could you let him make off with you so easily?! Are you going for a fairy tale princess look or something?!”

“Huh? Hang on a minute!”

“Anyway, everyone’s safe, so crisis averted!” I declared, turning away from Gourry. “You should really thank Sylphiel! I doubt we could’ve saved you without her!”

“Huh?” Gourry said uncertainly.

I had my back to him, so I couldn’t see his expression... Maybe I didn’t want to.

“Sir Gourry...” Sylphiel called, her voice quavering. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

He looked stupefied for a good minute, then clapped his hands together in realization. “Oh, that’s right! I got captured!”

“How could you forget that?!” we all shouted at him in unison.

Stupid jerk couldn’t even remember what he’d gotten his own damned self into... But, hey, I guess that’s Gourry for you!

“So... where is he, anyway?” the big lug asked, causing the rest of us to exchange glances.

“The fact that Sir Gourry was released means we must have defeated him, but...”

“Of course we did! We vanquished evil with the justice in our hearts!”

“But... was that really enough to beat someone like him?” I had to ask, casting both the pensive Sylphiel and the triumphant Amelia into silence.

“Well, one thing we can say for sure,” Zel piped up, “is that there’s no point in hanging around here any longer. We’ve saved Gourry.”

“Agreed,” replied Sylphiel with a nod.

“No argument here!” Amelia added.

“I still dunno what’s going on, but...” Gourry chimed in.

“Argh! Just come along and I’ll catch you up later!” I shouted. “Okay, everyone, let’s blow this joint! Exit’s this way!”

With that, I left the room with Zel, Amelia, Gourry, and Sylphiel in tow in that order. We came out into the gray corridor I’d entered from and found the staircase up easily enough. As we were climbing, something important occurred to me.

“By the way, Gourry, the Sword of Light, er, Gorun Nova... What happened to it?”

“I, uh... don’t really know.”

Yeah, I had a feeling that would be his answer.

“Those black tentacles that came out of it got me, and the next thing I knew, I was inside this building here,” he explained. “Then when the tentacles disappeared, I was surrounded by this weird blue mist... and I only woke up again just now.”

Ah, okay. Hellmaster had said Gorun Nova was a demonic entity from another world, meaning he’d probably sent it back whence it came. Besides, even if we still had our hands on it, I’d be hesitant to use it now that I knew it was demonic in nature. It was hard to believe I’d wielded it so carelessly and comfortably beforehand... But it was apparently just gone now, so the point was moot.

As I turned all this over, I approached the top of the steps.

“That’s right... I did forget about Gorun Nova,” a familiar voice greeted me.

I gasped. We should have hit another corridor at the top of the stairs, but instead, I found myself coming out into a large, circular, pale gray room—complete with a large crystal pillar in the center. And standing before it was none other than...

“I knew you were still around, Hellmaster Fibrizo!”

The demon in the form of a little boy smiled confidently. He hadn’t been defeated after all... although I’d expected as much, of course. Shouting his name was mostly a heads-up to the others still on the stairs. Or, at least, that was the idea...

“Huh?!”

But then I realized I could no longer sense their presences behind me. I quickly turned back only to see an empty staircase.

“Just a little spatial distortion. I wanted you to come alone, Lina Inverse,” Fibrizo said, then snapped his fingers with his right hand. The crystal pillar in the middle of the room glowed faintly, showing Gourry and the others in a gray hallway, looking around in confusion. “I fiddled a bit with the space at the top of the stairs to make sure you arrived unaccompanied. Your friends are searching for you at this very moment... though no matter how they might struggle, they’ll never find you here.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Where am I?”

Fibrizo smiled cheerfully in response as he explained, “This is the lowest point of the Hellpalace. The room where we fought is five floors above us. I’ll admit you really took me by surprise there... I never expected a Dragon Slave out of that girl.”

“I didn’t know that Sylphiel could use it either.”

“I saved myself by leaving a portion of my spiritual form behind as a decoy while I retreated... If I hadn’t, that might have hurt a little more. As a reward for you mere humans impressing me so much, I decided to release that Gourry fellow you’re so fond of.”

“How kind of you,” I said sarcastically.

But Fibrizo ignored me and continued, “Yet you seemed to have realized that I was unharmed.”

“It did occur to me, yeah. This place is tied to your will, and it was suspiciously unaffected by your apparent demise. And even though we caught you off guard, the idea that a couple of spells would be all it took to finish you off seemed a little too good to be true.”

“Indeed. Though you’re impressive for a group of humans, that’s still all you are. Oh, I know... What you said earlier reminded me.” The space in front of Fibrizo’s chest rippled slightly, and the Sword of Light—rather, Gorun Nova—appeared out of thin air. “I really should return this to Dark Star.”

With that, Fibrizo closed his eyes and began whispering something like a chant under his breath. Not long after...

VrrreeeeeEEEEE! There came a high, clear sound like vibrating metal that gradually grew louder. It shook the very air around us and penetrated deep into my head, making my eardrums pound.

And then suddenly, I couldn’t hear it anymore. It hadn’t gone away, though. I could tell because I still felt the air around me trembling. The sound had just risen to a level imperceptible to my human ears.

I watched as Gorun Nova turned black and, like ink washed away in a stream, flowed out of Hellmaster’s hands and dissipated. When it did, the sound—rather, the vibration—stopped altogether.

“That should do it.” He opened his eyes again and smiled brightly at me. “It’s back where it belongs, so let’s move on. We’ve had a slight change in our agenda, but no matter. Shall we move to the main event?”

With a glance at the four figures in the crystal pillar, Fibrizo snapped his fingers again.

Whooooosh! A blue mist abruptly appeared at their feet. They all cried out in surprise as it rose up to envelop them, and... Click! The next instant, all four of them were encased inside the blue crystal.

“Guys?!” I shouted in shock.

Hellmaster had probably sealed them the same way he had Gourry. That meant that there were only two ways to get them back—either Fibrizo had to let them go, or I had to kill him.

“What will you do now, Lina Inverse?” he asked me with an inappropriately cheerful grin. “I could kill all four of them whenever I so please. I just have to crack the crystal a little bit.”

“Ngh...” I glared straight at Fibrizo. A bead of sweat ran down my cheek.

“You’re the only one who can stop me,” he said tauntingly. “And there’s only one way to do it. You have to defeat me. But I think you know that standard spells won’t harm me in the slightest, and if you conjure that black blade you used against Gaav, I’ll simply fly up out of your reach. It did look rather painful, after all.”

After a brief silence, I let out a big sigh.

“Fine, I get it. If you want a Giga Slave, I’ll give you a Giga Slave!”

“Oho?” The corners of Fibrizo’s mouth curled upward. “You knew what I wanted from you?”

“Of course I did. You weren’t exactly subtle about it,” I replied. “But why bother strong-arming me? Can’t you just cast the spell yourself and let it run wild? You’re going to die when the world does either way.”

“If only I could,” Fibrizo said with a bitter smile. “Unlike the lesser demons and brass demons that manifest in this world through the possession of animals, pure demons such as I are essentially beings of unalloyed spirit. Chanting a spell that borrows power from another being would be a refutation of our own power—an act akin to suicide for us. Invoking a shamanistic spell to serve some immediate goal wouldn’t be so bad, but spells that borrow from other high-ranking demons—let alone that one—might destroy us before we even finish the chant. And so I chose a human with no such limitations, and no idea of how terrifying that spell really is. But, ah, enough talk. Get to it, won’t you? Or must I shatter your allies first, one by one?”

“Fine...”

But would this work on Hellmaster Fibrizo? I first recited the amplification chant to draw power out of my talismans, then began to speak the chaos words that governed the laws of magic.

Thou who art blacker than darkness

Thou who art deeper than the night

Hear me, golden lord of darkness

Adrift upon the Sea of Chaos

“What?!” Hellmaster Fibrizo’s voice took on a note of panic as he heard the chant drifting from my lips. “What are you doing?!”

Yup. This was the incomplete version of Giga Slave. With the power of the talismans helping me, I could probably control it. And if I could finish Fibrizo with this, it would all be over!

I call to thee, I ask this boon

And to thee I offer this pledge:

So all those in equal measure—

Fools that they are to block our path—

Shall face destruction unconstrained

Grant me power, and unleash thine!

Vrumm! A dark mist appeared around me, causing the very air around it to creak from strain. It then began to accumulate in my extended left hand, sometimes warping, sometimes swelling, its power desperately trying to escape my control... but I held it fast in place.

Even with the power of the talismans on my side, the depletion I felt was intense. Just holding the invoked power in place seemed to sap my very life energy, and I could feel both my magic and stamina rushing out of my body.

“You...!” With a gasp of uncertainty, Hellmaster took a fearful step back.

But the power I borrowed from the Lord of Nightmares was already ready!

“Giga Slave!”

The ball of darkness in my palm contracted, then disappeared. The next instant, it teleported inside of its target and exploded its emptiness outward!

“Graaagh!” Hellmaster’s scream echoed all around us. Dark flame burst from his body and formed a pillar around him!

Graaaaaaaaaah!

The howling shook the Hellpalace. Was it the air itself shattering, or Fibrizo’s cry? I fell to one knee, shoulders slumped, my magical and physical power near spent. I could see that my hair had turned silver, a phenomenon that occurred when a person exhausted too much life energy. A powerful drowsiness overtook me.

But I couldn’t afford to lose consciousness yet! Not until I was sure the spell had worked. I watched as the pillar of black flame disappeared... and Hellmaster with it.

Still, something was wrong. The pillar of darkness should have ruptured and kept going, bathing the whole area behind the target in pure destruction. The first time I’d ever used the spell, I’d carved a new inlet on the beach. The fact that this casting went out with just the pillar of black flame suggested something had contained its power. Of course, that something was none other than...

“Very clever of you, Lina Inverse... I wasn’t expecting that at all. Just mitigating the damage proved very painful.” As his voice spoke, a gray something—like shadow, like mist—oozed out of the floor and took the form of Hellmaster Fibrizo once more.

Damn it! I knew it!

“Hrgh...” On my knees and heaving for breath, I gazed up at Fibrizo. He’d probably used the same trick he had against Amelia—leaving part of his astral form as bait for the spell, while his true self worked to mitigate its power.

“You did cast the spell, if only the incomplete version...” Hellmaster glared at me vehemently for a second, then turned his gaze to the projection in the crystal pillar. “But that’s not what I wanted. Besides, I never said I’d spare your comrades if you cast it either way.”

“What?!”

“It’s time for some payback. I’ll shatter... well, not all of them, but one of them to start.”

Erk... Not good!

“Who should it be? Let’s see... how about that man I was going to start with anyway?” Fibrizo’s eyes zeroed in on Gourry inside the crystal.

“Stop it!” the scream rushed from my mouth. But Fibrizo just cast a small smile in my direction.

Gourry... He’s going to kill Gourry!

There was only one way to stop Fibrizo! I got to work the split second the thought entered my mind. I recited the amplification chant again, then the chaos words.

Thou who art blacker than darkness...

I drew out every last bit of power I had left as I spoke, shakily rising to my feet. When he heard my incantation, Hellmaster turned a cool gaze my way.

“Trying the same trick again, are we? If you think that will slay me, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Regardless, I continued chanting.

Thou who art deeper than the night...

I didn’t care about Hellmaster’s plan, or the chance that this spell might go berserk. I just wanted to save Gourry, my slime-brained self-proclaimed guardian.

Hear me, golden lord of darkness

The Sea of Chaos, vast, adrift

“Oh?!” Hellmaster cried out in joy and surprise.

I had once heard that the Lord of Nightmares was the greatest of all dark lords, cast from heaven into the Sea of Chaos. But that was wrong. I’d learned as much from the Claire Bible. The primordial Sea of Chaos that drifted beneath all the many worlds of our universe... was the Lord of Nightmares.

The legends described worlds as sitting atop staffs planted in the Sea of Chaos, but there was a different way to look at it: the Sea of Chaos was the very foundation of everything.

I call to thee, I ask this boon

And to thee I offer this pledge:

So all those in equal measure—

Fools that they are to block our path—

Shall face destruction unconstrained

Grant me power, and unleash thine!

Once again, darkness... No, void manifested. Perhaps it was chaos itself? At any rate, a black something beyond human comprehension finally, slowly, began to coalesce in my extended left hand. As it did, vigor drained rapidly from my body. It wasn’t magic or stamina that I was exhausting this time; it was pure life energy. I could feel my very soul being hollowed out and sucked away, swallowed up by that endless void. Every cell in my body screamed from the pressure.

But I couldn’t afford to pass out. I couldn’t let this spell go out of control. If I did... then, just as Sylphiel had warned, just as Hellmaster Fibrizo had planned, the world really would truly be returned to the primeval void.

Tha-thump!

I felt a tremble pass through me. It was almost audible. The darkness continued to eat away at my willpower, little by little, even as I struggled to keep the spell under control. The darkness in my left hand continued its irregular pulsing, and slowly but surely grew larger.

Can’t... let it... go berserk...

I gritted my teeth. Hard. The sight of the glowering Fibrizo and everything else around me began to flicker and go dim.

Tha-thump!

The darkness expanded. Into my soul.

I can’t control it!

Just as that thought entered my mind, my consciousness plunged into darkness.

And then...

I slowly opened my eyes. A spot of darkness about the size of my fist hovered stably over my extended left hand. Further beyond it I could see Hellmaster Fibrizo, in his borrowed childlike form, standing there smiling.

Oh... You kept it under control. Very impressive, his voice echoed in my head. There was no panic or surprise there. But I hope you don’t think this means you’ve beaten me. To be honest, I had a feeling you might be able to pull it off. You have those Demon Blood talismans, after all. And so I actually prepared a little trick for you, just in case.

For a moment, an image of Sairaag City drifted through my mind in time with his words.

I haven’t yet explained why I wouldn’t let you enter my Hellpalace this morning, have I? I told you before that I created this city out of lingering thoughts given form, but I never told you what material that form was made from—it was me. Everything in this city is made from myself. In other words... I am Sairaag City.

“And?” I replied calmly to Hellmaster’s sly tone.

“And”?! There was a flash of hatred in his smile, as if he found this response displeasing. You don’t get it, do you? Then allow me to explain! Any food you ate here... Do you know what it really was?! Yes! It too was a part of me! In other words, my essence is inside of you right now!

“And?”

You still don’t understand?! Fibrizo’s “voice” shouted in irritation. Then let me make it clear! Maybe I can’t attack you from without while you have control of that void. But as long as part of me exists inside you, I can use that to destroy you from within! With but a single thought, I can rupture your heart! And once I’ve killed you, there’ll be nothing left to hold back the darkness!

“Heh.” I let out a derisive snort at Hellmaster, who still gravely misunderstood the situation.

This clearly irritated him.

If that’s how you want to play it, fine! I will kill you! I’ll tear you asunder!

For an instant, Fibrizo’s power flooded my body... and burst.

“Impossible!” This cry of shock came from Hellmaster. He took a few timid steps back, staring at me as I stood there unharmed. “It can’t be! Your heart exploded! You should be dead! How... How are you still alive?!” I watched on calmly as Fibrizo lost his mind. “How could you... How could you come back to life?!”

Indeed, Hellmaster’s power had sundered my body just now. It had, in fact, killed me. But...

“What’s so strange?” I asked.

“What—” Hearing my voice caused Hellmaster to go silent. “A-Ah... Ahhhhh!” Then, with a shriek of horror, he crumpled to the floor. It seemed he’d finally realized who I was.

I must admit, failing to recognize me and then mounting that ridiculous attack... There are some degrees of banality I simply cannot abide.

“It... It can’t be!” Fibrizo’s voice trembled as I raised the void in my hand aloft.

“I grant you destruction, Hellmaster Fibrizo. The selfsame destruction you so desired.”

The now-golden hair of the human who formed my core—the girl known as Lina Inverse—rustled in a nonexistent wind. With my left hand, I effortlessly crushed the void. It blinked through space in that moment and entered Fibrizo’s body.

He let out a scream, and I perceived him leave a spiritual shell for the void before withdrawing his true essence to the astral plane. His favorite trick, like a lizard dropping its tail. But it wouldn’t work. I used the void as a mediator to send my will into the astral plane after Fibrizo. In time, I found him there, where he insisted on resisting me violently.

If you seek destruction, then abide my will!

But my call only increased his desperate struggling. He was confused, out of his mind in terror of me.

As Fibrizo continued to fight, my tentacles of void found their way inside him. Normally, I could have easily devoured such a puny being. But perhaps because of the human vessel I was using, I couldn’t invoke all of my power at once.

Yet I wasn’t about to let Fibrizo go. Even if it was a simple case of mistaken identity, he’d still attacked me.

Begone!

My will exploded. The void ate away the Hellpalace, then the city of Sairaag, as if seeking to root itself in the ground below. And with that...

Hellmaster Fibrizo’s soul ruptured as he let out one final cry.

I opened my eyes to blue sky above. I blinked, once, twice...

Wha?!

I sat bolt upright. I? Yes, I, Lina Inverse.

“Huh...”

Briefly not comprehending my current situation, I scanned the area around me. I was sitting at the bottom of what looked like a deep hole. Gourry, Zel, Amelia, and Sylphiel were all lying unconscious nearby.

We were no longer inside the Hellpalace. It had been constructed of Hellmaster’s own being, so when he expired, so too did it and the city of Sairaag.

When I looked at my hair, I realized it was back to its naturally beautiful auburn hue.

Oh... right. With that, I finally recalled what had happened.

I glanced around me again, and this time took notice of a dark figure standing not too far off. He was looking at me with a strange sort of calm.

“Guess you didn’t get what you wanted, Xellos. Too bad, huh?”

This was the first I’d seen him since Chaos Dragon Gaav had dismembered him at Dragons’ Peak. He must have just teleported here. He seemed to have his arm back now—but who knew how much damage demons like him were capable of bouncing back from?

To my greeting, the black-clad Priest of the Beast replied with his ever-present affable smile, “Too bad for whom? Really, it’s not as if I failed in any way.”

“So you’re cool as long as it’s not you on the chopping block?” I asked sarcastically.

“Well, I am a demon,” he responded with a grin (natch).

“But if you’ve washed your hands, then what are you doing here now? Don’t tell me you want to avenge Fibrizo or something noble like that.”

“I would never dream of doing something so utterly nonsensical. It’s just... to be perfectly honest, I have no idea what had happened back there. It certainly didn’t look to me like you had control of the spell. So to satisfy my own curiosity, I’d like to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.”

“You really expect me to explain it to you?”

“Certainly not,” he said, shaking his head. “But I always have to ask, even if it’s futile.”

The sheer Xellosness of that response brought a faint smile to my face. “It was actually pretty stupid, on both their parts. A real parade of human error.”

“Human error?”

“Just a manner of speaking... What I’m trying to say is that I don’t feel like I won so much as I feel like I survived.”

“Oho...”

“I cast the perfected Giga Slave. And I totally failed to control it. Thing is, I didn’t actually know what the spell would do... As it turns out, Hellmaster didn’t either. Apparently the caster becomes a vessel for the Lord of Nightmares.” My casual use of that name caused Xellos to grimace slightly, but I ignored him and kept talking. “It’s like my consciousness was... fused with it, or consumed by it. Whatever the case, while I remember what transpired, I’m not totally sure of the forces at work. Unfortunately for Hellmaster, he didn’t realize who he was dealing with and attacked me while I was like that. The Lord of Nightmares didn’t like it and fought back. Fibrizo didn’t know how to handle something he believed to be his ally retaliating against him, so he fought back out of desperation and confusion.”

Hellmaster’s panic had stemmed from the presumption that the Lord of Nightmares was on his side in the first place. That was his real fatal mistake.

Void, chaos, whatever you want to call it... We tend to think of it as an inherently demonic thing. But if, as Fibrizo said, both the demons who seek destruction and the creatures who seek existence came from the same source—in other words, from it—then the Lord of Nightmares held sovereignty not just over demons, but over us as well.

And, I mean... even if it was kind of an accident, anyone would fight back after being attacked like that.

“So the Lord of Nightmares got more and more annoyed, and finally decided to go all-out on Hellmaster. As for what happened next, I think it exceeds human understanding, so I can’t really say, but... I think under normal circumstances, the Lord of Nightmares would have been overwhelmingly stronger than Fibrizo. But since it was channeling through me, a human vessel, it couldn’t bring all its power to bear. It was just so annoyed with Fibrizo that it ignored all that and kept pursuing him. So they went at each other and,” I said, opening both my hands at around shoulder height, “both went poof.”

Once the Lord of Nightmares had expended its power, it lost its ability to control me. That forced it out of my body and back to the... void? Chaos? Whatever you want to call it.

“I see... So it was their so-called human error that allowed you to survive. Very stupid indeed. Hahaha,” Xellos said with utter unconcern.

I had to wonder if, at heart, he’d ever really approved of Fibrizo’s plan.

“I see. I’m satisfied now,” Xellos said, turning his back to me.

“Leaving already?”

“Yes. I have no more business here, after all. Unless...” Still facing away, he asked in the same breezy tone as always, “You’re not going to say something like ‘But you still need to pay’ or ‘I can’t let you go after everything you’ve done,’ are you?”

I shrugged. “Nah, holding that kind of grudge is just exhausting. I mean, we could fight right here and now, but if I lost, I’d lose big... And if I won, it wouldn’t net me anything but bragging rights. Of course, there may come a day when the world is on the line... but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“I see.” He looked back over his shoulder with a smile. “I really should be taking my leave, then. I pray we never see each other more, Miss Lina. If we do, I’ll be acting as a servant of Lord Greater Beast, and so...”

“When we do cross paths, it’ll be as enemies... or at least in some other kind of kill-each-other capacity, right?”

Xellos slowly turned away once more.

“So long, Xellos,” I said. “May we never meet again.”

And with those parting words, Xellos flickered and vanished into thin air.

“Ngh...” As if cued by Xellos’s disappearance, I heard a groan from nearby.

I looked over and saw Sylphiel sitting up, shaking her head lightly. My other three companions regained consciousness moments later. It was pretty perfect timing. If Zel or Amelia had caught sight of Xellos, things would’ve gotten a lot touchier. Perhaps Xellos had kept them from waking up until we’d finished talking.

Everyone except Gourry was holding their stomach, looking a bit nauseous. Of course, like me, they’d ingested some of Fibrizo’s essence. But it had also consumed every bit of Fibrizo during the battle, leaving their guts in an awkward state.

Regardless, they were all safe. They sat up and looked around in confusion, until at last their eyes fell on me.

“Mistress... Lina?” Sylphiel said, still looking a bit woozy.

“Oh. Hey there,” I said with a wave.

“What happened?” Zel asked, looking around.

“Ah, well, when Hellmaster died, both the Hellpalace and the Sairaag he’d created disappeared too. I’m guessing we’re where the Hellpalace used to be... probably in the hole left by Flagoon’s roots,” I responded, intentionally vague on the details.

“Hellmaster Fibrizo... is dead?” Sylphiel whispered, looking at me in shock. “Does that mean... Mistress Lina, did you use that spell?!”

“Erk! Well, I...” Sylphiel had sworn me never to cast it again. “But if I hadn’t, you guys would’ve... y’know...” I averted my gaze and fell quiet.

“The point remains!” Breaking the silence, Amelia struck a daring pose. “Our justice-loving hearts foiled the wicked designs of Hellmaster!”

“We barely did anything, though,” Zel piped in snidely.

“Yet justice was upheld!” she reasserted, ignoring him.

Watching Amelia, Sylphiel let out a slightly pained sigh. “Well, I suppose... It does appear you kept the spell under control, at least.”

Double erk...

“Y-Yep, sure did! Well, I doubt I’ll ever have cause to cast it again anyway... Ahahahahaha!” I laughed dryly as sweat rolled down my cheeks.

I sure as hell hadn’t kept it under control. I’d basically stumbled into a positive outcome by chance by happy chance... But let’s just pretend I had a handle on it all, mmkay?

“That’s all well and good, but...” Gourry said, his voice as carefree as ever. “Uh, can we get out of here already? The bottom of a hole isn’t the best place for a chat.”

“Good point.” I nodded firmly and began to cast a Levitation spell.

Wind rushed over Sairaag, now empty once more. But as desolate as it was, wildflowers bloomed here and there, telling us that there was yet life in the ground.

“I feel quite... cleansed,” Sylphiel whispered, a forlorn smile on her face. She took in and released a deep breath. “So, what are you all going to do next?”

“It’s back to Saillune for me!” Amelia announced with truly inexplicable intensity. “One source of evil has been vanquished, and justice has prevailed! I must let it be known!” she continued, pointing in a random direction.

If, by some twist of fate, she ended up on the throne, Saillune could become a terrifying country indeed. I hoped her big sister, Gracia, had a few more marbles.

“I think... I’ll probably go back to wandering,” Zelgadis said, gazing into the distance. He was still on a quest to regain his humanity. A quest that likely had no end.

“Er... so...” Sylphiel said, squirming a bit. “What about you, Sir Gourry?”

“Huh? Me?” He looked in my direction. “What are we doing next?”

“W-Wait, why are you asking me?!”

“I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I see,” Sylphiel said with a small sigh, seeming to derive some meaning from his statement. Then, as if purging herself of something, she said, “I shall return to Saillune to rejoin my uncle. I’m his assistant now, but I’m slowly getting my own qualifications... And some day, I shall return to Sairaag to restore it.”

“Good luck,” I said. She smiled brightly in response.

Now, what about me?

I could return to Zephilia and see the old gang again, or I could keep traveling a while longer. As I was pondering the possibilities...

“Say, Lina, what ever happened to my Sword of Light?”

“Oh, that? Hellmaster said he was returning it to its original owner, so I guess he sent it back to some other world.”

“Huh...” Gourry stared into the distance, seeming unusually pensive by doofus standards.

It was true that without his demon-slaying Sword of Light, he was just an ordinary master swordsman. Hmm...

“Okay! I got it!” I said, clapping my hands together. “Let’s find you a replacement for the Sword of Light!”

“Whaaat?!” Gourry shouted in surprise. “Lina! Did... Did you just offer to do something nice?!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?! Look, Hellmaster only got his hands on the Sword of Light because he was after me in the first place. And no normal sword is going to replace it, so...”

“But are magic swords really that easy to come by?”

“Eh, no worries,” I said, waving my hand reassuringly.

The Bless Blade that grew with Flagoon had probably been lost with the tree itself, but there were other legendary swords out there. There was the Blast Sword, the Red Dragon Sword, and the Elemekia Blade, just to name a few. Of course, there were plenty of fakes too.

“Fancy blades like that aren’t too uncommon. You just gotta look for ’em. I found a few unnamed magical swords on my journey before I met you. Even sent one back home to my sister as a souvenir. If we find a good one, I’ll also be able to use it for magical research, so it’s a win-win situation.”

“Okay! Sounds like we’re sticking together until we find me a sword, then. You’re not gonna make off with my purse while we’re on the road, are you?”

“No, darn it!”

“Good! Then let’s get going!”

“Where to?”

“I don’t know! I’m not the brains of this operation!”

“At least try thinking!” I smacked Gourry in the back of the head.

And so we all went our separate ways down the roads ahead of us, leaving the phantom City of the Dead behind.