"Is that what you think?"
A voice rang out and reached Blazelle's ears. She looked around, unable to recognize this voice. It wasn't from any of the Rebornians that she saw today.
Just then, her eyes eventually landed onto a golden-haired boy at the very back.
He was wearing light tunic clothes and leather armor. He looked unassuming. Despite that, the entire mood of the battlefield changed upon his appearance. Everyone in the Rebornian's side lightened up as soon as they looked back and saw this boy walking towards them.
"Boss!" said the Rebornian Musicians, respectfully putting down their instruments.
"Bro Mike! You're finally here! You missed all the fun, man!" Zion said, quickly zooming over to his side.
"My dearest son. Where have you been? You let Yuna fight all these soldiers alone. That's not very gentlemanly-like," Lylia said, immediately hugging Michael tightly and pinching his cheeks.
"Where were you?" Yuna asked, with her hands behind her back. There was a hint of disappointment in her voice, something that Michael didn't seem to pick up on.
"I was just talking to Virian, Vivi's mother."
Vivi suddenly buzzed in front of Michael. "You went to see my mother? What did she say?"
Michael squinted as he stared at Vivi. "I should have known you were the Pixie Queen," he said.
"Teehee…"
It was at this point that Blazelle finally put together facts.
"You're the boss…Michael," she said, with an obvious tone of disbelief. She was almost chuckling as she said it.
Such a young boy was in control of Reborn, the company that had brought her to her knees and on the brink of loss. She almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity.
"You? You're the leader of Reborn?"
Michael finished catching up with the Dragonborns and the Rebornians. He floated over closer to Blazelle and nodded at her question.
"That's right. I am."
"What? Were you too scared of us and only now showed yourself when you know you've won?" she asked, laughing.
"Not really," Michael replied. "I was just finishing up on my training."
Blazelle shook her head. "No matter what kind of training you do, Flarecorp will remain supreme. Either you kill me or you take me captive, they will come for me and destroy you," she said confidently.
Michael crossed his arms and smiled, with the Dragonborns, and all the Rebornians behind him flashing a confident smile as well.
"We'll manage," he replied.
"Hmph. You won't get to hide under your 9-star skeleton monster every time. None of you will be enough.
The times have changed. The balance of power has shifted. Magic is not the reigning source of power that rules this world.
You can't keep your little company afloat in a sea of big sharks. It will become nothing but fodder for the true contenders of this world. If Flarecorp is not the one to swallow you up, an even bigger monster will, you can mark that as true."
Despite painting such a grim future for Reborn, Michael wasn't fazed by her words at all.
"It's only because of your ignorance that allows you to remain confident in your strength," she said, turning her head away from Michael in distaste.
Michael spread his hands. "Show me," he challenged her.
Blazelle was spurred on by his confidence. She wanted to shatter it by showing him a kind of power that he and anyone here had never seen before.
"Well then, let me show you a peek of the true measure of strength that this world follows."
Blazelle balled up her fists and took out the rapier from its scabbard. Its metallic sheen shined with a magical power, similar to that of the Mithril Artifacts that the Rebornians had. However, this weapon's magical power seemed dull and weak in comparison.
She held a Mithril Relic, not to be confused by a Mithril Artifact.
This was salvaged from the past and refitted for the present. Because of that, its power was weaker than the original.
As she held it in her hands, Blazelle's entire body began to burst into flames. As she got angrier and angrier, concentrating her emotions into power, the flames continued to rise up.
Despite the flames and heat emanating from Blazelle, there was not an ounce of mana coming out of her. Everything was powered by something completely alien and unknown.
"RAAAHHHH!" Blazelle grunted before shoving her rapier into the skies, focusing the flames into her blade.
Michael watched as her flames rose up to the rapier, eventually getting absorbed into its very metal.
As the power focused onto her Mithril Relic, the shimmering figure of a flaming creature soon appeared hovering above her.
"I CALL UPON YOU, MY DIVA!" she screamed.
The flames on the Diva burst forth into reality, no longer becoming just a visual projection. The fire flickered, forming a vaguely muscular torso, two flaming arms on its side, and a head with billowing short fire as its hair.
Blazelle's Diva didn't have much of a distinct feature on its body, being made out of pure flames only. The most definite characteristic was found on its head, specifically, its forehead where its eyebrows were formed from igneous lava rocks and slanted to show a frustrated and angry expression.
As Blazelle raised her rapier in the skies, the Diva above her roared in a similar fashion, with its fire billowing out even more.
"This…this is a Diva!" Blazelle presented.
The Rebornians in front of her all showed a shocked expression. They could feel no mana coming from that Diva creature, yet they could clearly feel its power emanating in the air, increasing the temperature to an uncomfortable level.
"What…what is that?" Sheina asked, worry plastered on her face.
"I don't know…" Yuna answered, unsure as well.
Lylia frowned as she looked at the Diva. Even she was unfamiliar with this creature.
"Do you see now the power that I hold?" she asked, with her Diva flaring up as it glared at the Rebornians. "My Diva is unaffected by normal magic. My Aubilities cannot be defended against spells or skills."
Then, Blazelle turned to Vivi. "I'll give you a last chance. If you give the GodForge piece to me, then I will make sure that Flarecorp spares you and your species.
If you give it to me, then I will transcend my current cultivation and achieve the 3rd stage of Body Formation! My Diva will become more distinct and my Aubilities will further develop!
Come and side with the victors!"
Blazelle's Diva certainly proved to be a strange force that unsettled the Rebornians. Yet, Vivi was certain in her choice.
Just as Vivi was about to fly out and finish Blazelle once and for all, Michael raised his hand and motioned for her to stop.
Vivi looked at Michael and noticed something peculiar around his chest area.
A smile formed on her lips before chuckling.
Blazelle saw Michael's hand and felt offended. Even after showing him the power of her Diva, he still seemed unfazed and unafraid of her. There was even a hint of fascination in his eyes as he observed her Diva.
"I may be weak enough to be defeated by your forces. But does not mean the same for Flarecorp. You cannot win against someone with a Diva…"
Her words soon trailed off as she saw
a shimmering image starting to appear above Michael's head.