Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

61. The End Of An Era

But I may have warned Yuki too late because it seems like Leon has already hit the earth with his spear. A symbol that resembled the sun emerged on the ground and shone intensely to the point that it was nearly blindingly bright, almost blinding me. Yuki, whom I was trying to warn, was forced to cover her eyes in order to keep her eyesight from being impaired. But it is just this that will bring her to her doom...

I was still trying to free myself from Enkai's grip so I could help Yuki, crying as I watched her. But just as the beam of light was ready to swallow Yuki whole, Fuyumi appeared between her and Leon, weaving vines together to form a protective barrier. But it didn't make me feel any better since it seemed as if the kings intended to press forward with their strategy!

Much worse, Yuki did not bother to try to dodge the strike, worrying me further than she already had. Instead of trying to protect herself, she stood there as she struck the ground with one of her katanas. In the spot where her katana was, a familiar snowflake mark emerged on the ground. Fuyumi stood in front of her, attempting to defend the two of them from the kings' blows on her. My instincts told me that she was really having a difficult time there, and I wanted to come along with them. But I am helpless at the moment...

"Enkai!" I cried his name out again as I attempted to care for Yuki and Fuyumi once again.

"I'll take care of it," he said as he leaped to the spot where Yuki was standing. "Leviathan's Roar..."

A sea serpent came and attempted to assassinate the three kings with a spear. Leon snorted as he backed away, his spell-casting preparations still intact. Enkai transformed into his hybrid form all of a sudden, and it was clear that he was prepared to go all out on the battle. My jaw dropped when I realized that he was preparing to take the three kings on his own. There were a number of sea serpents that materialized behind him, all ready to devour the kings. His...elemental force and stamina were slowly depleting away as time went on. At this pace, he could die.

"What in the world are you doing to yourself?" Kasai shouted at Enkai.

"Keep your mouth shut and take Yuki and Ivory from this place. Fuyumi and I will take care of everything that is left."

Afterward, Kasai grumbled as he dragged Yuki away from that spot the moment the snowflake was made. "You're going to die, asshole."

"I know that."

I clenched my teeth as I glanced at Fuyumi and Kai, thinking that I should not leave them alone in this place. But when they tried to prevent the kings from pursuing us, they both had dejected expressions on their faces. Kasai just scooped me up from the ground began to shift into a panther. I but my lower lip as I threw another look towards Fuyumi and Enkai.

Fuyumi was the last person I saw, and she was striking her sword on the ground. When certain sections of the earth began to rise, the ground started to reverberate. Later on, I realized that she was trying to construct another mountain with the remaining amount of elemental power that she had on her pedestal. I could see Kai sliding to the ground as he created a slew of tridents in front of him, and I knew something was wrong. He was doing this while in charge of the sea serpents that he had called to assist him. And those were the last things I saw of them before they vanished completely from view.

I then turned to Yuki, who had her eyes closed and was gripping her sheathed katana with both hands. She was embedding her memories into it in order for me to be able to pass it on to me in the future. She was gritting her teeth, and I could see tears flowing down her cheeks, demonstrating how resentful she was about all that was happening to them right now. Yuki's thoughts were practically out in the open, and she was trying to convince herself that this was not the last time they would see each other.

Just as Yuki had completed casting the magic that would permanently preserve her memories inside her katana, it seems that we had already arrived at Fuyumi mountain. We jumped off Kasai's back as fast as we could so Yuki could give him an order to keep him alive for as long as he possibly could. Kasai seemed to be aware of this since he did not return to his human form even after we had arrived.

The two of them hurriedly began digging in the snow, hoping to conceal the katana under it. I turned around, anxious since it didn't seem like Fuyumi and Enkai would be able to keep the three kings from going after us for long. Their sacrifices can't be wasted like that! When Sai and Yuki had completed burying it, she prepared to perform an ancient spell that had the potential to encircle the whole place with the strongest barrier available. It should be the one that Kalix mentioned to us. Any and everything associated with the kings are going to get repulsed by it. My attention was drawn to golden roots emerging from where she was seated, which led me to believe that she had begun to channel her whole life energy into constructing the barrier. Aside from that, I was already starting to fade...

I clenched my fists as I stood there, watching the two of them say their last goodbyes to one another. A gigantic raven appeared seemingly out of nowhere. As it neared me, it lowered its head before us. I was afraid because it was staring straight at me, which should have been impossible since the only people who could see me were Yuki, Fuyumi, Kai, and Sai. At least, that was what I knew. However, this raven right here is...

"Master Fuyumi has passed away along with Master Enkai. In the process of flinging the three kings away from her, she created another mountain before this one. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but the three of them will be here in a little while..."

My brows were furrowed in confusion because of the raven's identity. But before I could question it for any further information about Fuyumi and Enkai, it took flight as if its life depended on it. I sighed and turned to face Yuki and Sai once again so I could tell them about the information that the raven brought to us. But they seemed to be in their own world, so I decided to just leave them alone. Regardless of whether or not the kings get here, their presence would be rendered irrelevant since they will be tossed across the map after Yuki activates the barrier.

Apart from that, I don't want to interfere with what they are going through right now. It did not seem as if Yuki nor Sai could see me anyway. In fact, they appeared to be fully immersed at the moment as they murmured their last goodbyes to one another. Although the two of them seemed to be at peace, I am well aware that this is every second was painful for them. When I noticed Yuki's tears flowing from her eyes as she held Kasai as if it were the final time, my heart constricted in pain.

"Yuki..." Kasai mumbled under his breath as he leaned his forehead on Yuki's.

"Please accept my apologies, my love. I promise to see you once again when everything is over..." Yuki replied with a smile, but it was the most painful one I'd ever seen in my whole life, so I couldn't help but laugh.

"Until we meet again, my queen..."

Yuki leaned her forehead on Kasai's, her gaze fixed on his. My knowledge of what was about to happen did not make me feel any better. In fact, it made me feel worse. Kasai is about to transform into a killing machine that will guard Yuki's sword till the end of the world. All of a sudden, the place where their flesh came into contact with each other began to shine, which was most likely caused by the magic that Yuki had performed on Kasai. Every passing second seemed to drag on for an eternity, especially as I started to sense the oncoming presence of the kings. Fuyumi's protective barrier has been breached...

"You, my servant, are obligated to protect the blade that holds my whole life, even if it means your own death. Now, fall into a deep slumber until the chosen one arrives to put an end to your misery. Farewell..." Yuki murmured with a forlorn smile plastered on her face. Her voice trembled as she struggled to keep her sobbing under control.

While Kasai, on the other hand, was starting to lose the sparkle in his eyes, which were now glistening with tears. A chain appeared around his neck as his tears began to pour. At the sight of him becoming an enslaved person, my heart tightened in pain...but I realized that Yuki was feeling the pain that was much worse than mine. Yuri cried in agony as Kasai collapsed to the ground, preparing to enter a deep slumber that would continue for decades. I didn't bother to inform her that the kings were on their way since I knew she needed to let out a small cry.

"I guess this is the end..." I whispered as I stared at Yuki, who was crying like a child.

When I looked at myself, I realized that I was slowly dissipating into the air...preparing to return to the current moment. But I don't think I could leave without causing some type of harm to the kings, to the point where they would be unable to move for at least a decade after I left. I clenched my teeth as I stared ahead, bracing myself to attack them as soon as they came here. However, there is a problem...I do not have a physical body.

As if on cue, I felt a tremendous amount of power surge through my body. My mouth went agape when I saw something gleaming underneath me. Those golden roots that Yuki made were on their way to me! My breathing hitched when Shirayuki appeared out of Yuki's body as she stood behind me, most likely trying to offer me support while she could.

"Once again...I will leave everything to you, Ivory. Please accept my apologies for imposing on you once again, but I am unable to continue fighting..." Yuki whispered as she smiled sweetly at me. Her eyes were hooded, and I could see that her life was withering steadily in front of my eyes. "My sweet Ivory, I bid you farewell. After five decades, we shall meet again..."

"Yuki, we'll miss you. I'll see you in a little bit..." I whispered before looking ahead of me again.

"Shall we go now, my child?" Shirayuki as she poured more of her strength into me.

I nodded and stepped ahead, ready to face the kings one more time before returning to the current day and age. As soon as I shook my hands a little, two blades emerged in the space between my fingers. The kings appeared in front of me at just the right moment, their faces contorted with astonishment as they looked at me from head to toe.

I can see that they were having difficulty processing what they were seeing, but I did not allow them enough time to come to terms with what was happening. It seemed like I was moving at the speed of light, striking their proud chests with as much force as my body could muster. When they dropped on their backs, bleeding, as a result of failing to avoid my strike, a smirk appeared on my face.

"Who are you...?" Leon asked angrily as he struggled to rise to his feet.

Instead of responding to his query, I unleashed a snowstorm that was strong enough to cause them to slide down the hill. They seemed to be losing a lot of blood, which caused the snow to transform from its original white to a bright scarlet. Once they got to their feet, I snickered as I attacked them with my blades again, causing more damage than I had originally planned. It was at this point that Leon decided to use another of his meager archaic spells on the situation. Unfortunately, Shirayuki intervened and blasted him with a swarm of frozen daggers.

"Leon!" Orca screamed as he attempted to call a couple sea serpents, then turned to face me with a glint of contempt in his eyes. "You're a bothersome annoyance. Who are you if you are not Yuki...?"

"Hey, young lady. Could you please tell me where Little Yuki is?" Eagle asked coldly, his voice laced with warning.

I laughed and unleashed yet another storm, but this time...with blades and spears made of ice instead of just snow. The three of them attempted to avoid each of my strikes once again. In order to get them out of the mountain, I was trying to push them back as far as possible. Shirayuki will be able to create a barrier in this manner without being bothered by these three. I was well aware that I would vanish the instant the device was activated, which is precisely why I tried to leave a lasting scar on these morons.

However, it seemed that the three had finally recovered from their astonishment as they rose to their feet and charged at me. I grinned and welcomed them with my katanas while quietly pointing a couple of spears towards the backs of their necks and shoulders. As soon as my ice blade collided with theirs, the spears slashed them in the back. Their eyes widened as they tried to comprehend what had just transpired.

I snorted a little, a bit disappointed that that was all it took. "This is for Yuki, Fuyumi, Kai... and Sai..." I teasingly whispered while I twirled my swords around, slicing through their armors like a jigsaw puzzle. "This is a decade's worth of injury. See you in a while."

As Shirayuki's barrier started to activate, it seemed as though everything was moving in slow motion. I began to dissipate into the air as the kings were flung across the mountain with a spear piercing their chests. I could hear Shirayuki's voice inside my head, informing me that I had done well and that I had fulfilled my mission as planned, and it was comforting. And it was at that very moment when something inside me snapped.

Ah, I've been brought back to the present time...