Zeke let himself fall down, uncaring of the rough stone floor scraping his back. He just lay there and stared at the sky through the opening in the ceiling.
His breath was rough, and his body ached all over. From the stinging of his lungs to the open wounds across his back, not a single speck of skin was uninjured. Nevertheless, he was smiling broader than he had in a long time.
On top of his physical ailments, his Core was wholly depleted, and fine cracks had formed across its surface. This was the first time he had exhausted his it so thoroughly. Unlike with his Blood Affinity, he was far more limited when casting Space or Mind Magic. This just went to show how miraculous a perfect Affinity truly was. He never had to worry about running out of Mana when casting Blood Spells. The limiting factor had always been the amount of blood he had.
After Zeke got his breath under control, he sat up. His gaze found Vulcanos, lying on the ground next to him. The Chimeroi had his arms and legs stretched wide and stared at the sky with a vacant look. It was unclear what he was thinking about — if anything.
On his other side was Gravitas. She was leaning against a boulder, immersed in her own thoughts. Zeke didn't begrudge them their silence. After what they had just gone through, a moment of quiet was the least he could give them.
However, a moment would have to suffice. After all, they would need to be out of the Danger Zone before sunset. He wasn't sure how far the Elementals would chase them.
Zeke laid back down, closing his eyes.
"Thank you," he said into the quietness of his mind.
The Dragon scoffed. "Whatever. You worry about yourself, whelp."
"What do you mean?"
"…"
Zeke's eyes snapped open. Somebody had just entered his sphere of awareness.
"UP!" he yelled.
Vulcanos and Gravitas staggered to their feet. They quickly followed his gaze and found a group of five approaching their position quietly. The newcomers froze. It was obvious that they had been trying to sneak up on them. Clearly, they didn't have any good intentions. Not that their motives had been in question in the first place.
Zeke recognized them instantly. The group's core consisted of Jaihar Firebrand and his two guards, whom he had met at the Veergati. In addition, the young man had brought two more guards Zeke couldn't place right away. However, they were both Chimeroi, and not the weak kind either.
The young Firebrand had a cordial expression on his face as he straightened his bent back and started to walk casually. Now that they were discovered, there was no point hiding anymore. He didn't seem at all embarrassed or even dismayed upon being discovered. This was not a good sign.
"Jaihar," Zeke said with a neutral expression. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you think?"
Zeke wasn't in the mood for games. "I think you are here to kill me."
Jaihar grinned wolfishly but refrained from answering. Instead, he swept his gaze over Zeke's group before clapping.
"That was quite the performance you've put on, Blood Dragon," he praised in a tone that could almost pass as sincere. "When I saw all of you coming out of that mine in such a state, I just had to come over to… congratulate you."
Zeke clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white—this bastard. He could not have arrived at a worse time. Zeke was practically useless at the moment, and the Dragon was also out of commission. He would have to rely on Gravitas and Vulcanos to protect him.
However, would that really be enough? Jaihar had clearly known beforehand about their presence, and it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.
Glancing sideways at his allies, it was clear that the Chimeroi were also ill at ease. They each stared at one of the two fighters Jaihar had brought. It seemed they were already acquainted. This was an ominous sign.
"Who are your friends?" Zeke asked.
Jaihar grinned. He didn't seem to be in a hurry. He was looking at Zeke with the eyes of a cat toying with a mouse. "Ohh? Those two? I wonder…"
Zeke had no intention of playing along. Instead, he established a mental connection with his teammates. They would be able to answer his questions far more accurately anyway. However, the moment the Spellform snapped into place, it felt like a burning stake was driven into his chest. Under the assault of the searing pain, all he could do was keep himself from crying out.
Fortunately, Jaihar didn't seem to have noticed his loss of composure. He was still droning on about the Firebrand school and their connections, but Zeke wasn't paying attention. He took a deep breath and spoke to his group mentally.
"Who are those two?"
To their credit, neither of the two reacted outwardly. It seemed they had somewhat gotten used to this method of communication, as the answer came immediately. "Old rivals," Gravitas said. "It appears this brat knew exactly who would accompany you, master."
Zeke grimaced. This was the worst-case scenario. Furthermore, he didn't like the broader implications any better.
"Can you win?"
"Undoubtedly," she replied without hesitation. "They aren't on my level, and Vulcanos would also win his fight, even in his current state. However, that hardly matters, does it?"
Zeke silently agreed. It was no wonder Jaihar was so confident. He clearly didn't bring his own Chimeroi in hopes of defeating Gravitas and Vulcanos. No, they were merely here to stall them while he dealt with Zeke — the weakest link. The moment he died, the others would automatically cease to be a problem.
Dammit. How many times would he be a burden today?
"Master…" Gravitas said after a while. "You should take the bottles and run."
Their eyes met briefly, allowing him to glimpse the determination she had carved into her heart. It was an expression he had seen not too long ago on the face of another. His chest ached even more. But this time, it wasn't from the overstimulation of his Core.
Dammit!
Gravitas and Vulcanos could win against their old rivals in a one-on-one fight. But he doubted that was true for a five versus two scenario. Even though the young Firebrand and his two Mage companions were much weaker, they were still Grand Mages. They would do substantial damage when hiding behind the others.
Zeke couldn't deceive himself. If he left now, it would be a death sentence for the two. But what would his presence change? Wouldn't they die even faster with him here? Shouldn't he choose the path with the best chance of survival?
"Enough," a voice said in his mind. The Dragon sounded much more annoyed than usual. Aside from that, there was a note of solemness in his tone that Zeke had never heard before. "What are you panicking for, you worthless fleshbag? Just when I thought you weren't completely useless, you lose your head like this?"
"I don't know what to do," Zeke admitted.
"Stop lying to yourself," the Dragon scoffed. "You know exactly what you are supposed to do. The only reason you can't see it is because of the fear clouding your eyes."
Zeke's thoughts ground to a halt. He was completely frozen. What was that supposed to mean? Wasn't he doing everything he could to make the best choice?
He pressed his eyes shut and took a deep, shuddering breath. Then, he opened them slowly.
The first thing that came into view was the five figures standing across from him. Jaihar and his guards had cruel grins on their faces. Meanwhile, the two Chimeroi carried expressions of schadenfreude. It seemed they had no problem getting rid of their old rivals through underhanded means.
Then, his gaze found his allies.
To his left stood Vulcanos. Despite his injuries, his back was straight, and his head held high. He appeared fearless in the face of their enemies, looking down on them with a gaze that could melt steel.
To his right stood Gravitas. Not much of her face could be seen, thanks to her veil. Nonetheless, everything of importance could be learned from the fire in her gaze. She seemed even more firey than the literal vulcano to his left, ready to explode at a moment's notice.
Unconsciously, Zeke's lips curved upward. What had he been thinking about just now? Running away? Him? The disciple of Maximilian von Hohenheim? Even if he escaped, he would probably die of shame right after.
His back straightened, and Zeke rose to his full height. His change did not go unnoticed by their opponents. Even Jaihar fell silent and eyed him with a bit of caution. It seemed his relaxed demeanor unnerved them.
"Bastard," the young man said. "Do you think you can escape?"
"No," Zeke said, causing Gravitas to flinch. "…and neither do I intend to."
"Then what the hell are you smiling for?"
"Smiling…" Zeke repeated absentmindedly, touching his own face. It seemed he had only just now noticed the expression he was wearing. Upon tracing the edges of his mouth with his fingers, his smile only widened further. "This is rather good."
"Master—" Gravitas called out, but Zeke raised his hand to stop her.
"Don't," he said in a gentle but firm tone. "There is no chance I will leave you two behind to save myself."
Gravitas' mouth snapped shut, her eyes wide. Vulcanos also looked at him for a long, drawn-out moment.
Zeke chuckled. "It kind of hurts that you look so shocked. I must not be a very reliable person in your eyes."
"That is not…"
"It's fine," he said. "I wish I had the chance to make up for that, but, alas, that doesn't seem to be in the cards for me." He swept his gaze over the three Grand Mages, who met his eyes with a bit of apprehension.
"I asked what you were smiling for!" Jaihar yelled, far more agitated than earlier. The change in Zeke was clearly making him nervous.
Zeke ignored him for a second time and instead tilted his head to look at the sky. What a beautiful day it was.
"You know…" he said after a while. "My mentor used to say something quite interesting. He told me that the true caliber of a man revealed itself only once. Care to guess when that is?"
"What nonsense are you on about?"
"A man shows his worth when he is staring death in the face. While lesser men might cry and beg, a man with the heart of a warrior…" Zeke didn't finish his explanation but instead smiled broadly.
He heard the Dragon chuckle in his mind. "Not bad," it said. "You would have made for a fine Dragon."
Zeke remained silent for a moment. "It has been an honor."
Just when he thought it wouldn't say anything, the Dragon spoke for a final time. "My name is Khai'Zhar, youngest child of the Dragon King. If there is an afterlife, let's meet again on the other side."
Zeke nodded. There was nothing left to say between them. Instead, he focused on his other allies.
"It is quite a shame how things have turned out," Zeke lamented. "I would have liked to conquer the world with you two by my side."
Vulcanos glanced at him, a grin emerging on his own face. "I would have liked that as well."
Gravitas remained silent, but her gaze said more than words ever could.
Zeke patted each of their shoulders as he sent them a final message. "I will hold on for as long as I can. Do with that time what you will."
Neither of them replied, but from the fire in their eyes, it wasn't hard to guess what they would be doing.
Zeke raised his head and looked down at his three opponents in a display of unbridled arrogance. His expression was devoid of fear, and his eyes seemed to be mocking them instead. Judging by their body language, it seemed as if he was the one holding their lives in his palm instead of the other way around.
Without giving them even a moment to gather their thoughts, Zeke charged.
"GLORY OR DEATH!" he roared from the bottom of his lungs.