"Stay on guard, Katia! It looks like he's a Venom," said Gilbert. "I hate everyone from that race. One hit from them and you're done for." Katia didn't reply, keeping her focus on the enemy.
"Come on, no need to be so tense," said Nomurath. "Let's begin, shall we?"
Katia struck first, unleashing a volley of lightning bolts—but the enemy noticed her move and dodged just in time. Gilbert seized the opening, calculating where the man would move next, and threw a flaming card. Nomurath stopped right between the two attacks, completely untouched. The card exploded just a few feet away.
"That was close!" laughed the knight.
Gilbert didn't waste a second—he threw another handful of cards, but their opponent was too fast; not a single explosion hit him.
"Gilbert, I'm afraid we won't make it unless we transform," said Katia.
"How many times do I have to use that transformation again?"
"Until this is over," Katia replied.
"Oh, come now!" Nomurath shouted. "If we use our transformations, we'll lose our splendid appearances. Wouldn't it be far more elegant to fight like this?"
"Shut up!" Katia snapped back.
"My lady, such harsh words wound your knight's heart," Nomurath said, bowing before her and offering a rose.
"W–what's the meaning of this?" she stammered, blushing. "Stop fooling around, we need to fight!" She turned red to the ears, unable to meet his gaze.
"Katia, get away from him!" Gilbert shouted.
"A knight could never raise his hand against such a beautiful lady," continued Nomurath, eyes lowered, still holding out the rose. "Please, accept this humble flower."
"I… I suppose, in that case…" Katia hesitated, her face still flushed. "You'll be my prisoner, then!"
She turned to the side and reached out for the rose—but her hand trembled so much that the thorn pricked her finger the moment she touched it. She dropped the flower instantly and looked at the tiny bead of blood forming on her fingertip. A second later, her body went limp. Katia collapsed against the wall, completely unable to move.
"Forgive me, my dear. I never meant to drag you into this fight," said Nomurath softly.
"What did you do to her?!" Gilbert shouted, forcing the knight back with a burst from a flaming card.
"Calm yourself. The poison from that rose won't kill her—she'll only be paralyzed for a while," replied Nomurath. "I'll deal with you first. Dessert always comes last."
Gilbert quickly pulled out ten cards and threw them at his feet, setting them ablaze at once.Once again, Innominatus, the Endless Flame, took form before him.
"A member of Libertas gifted with Ethereum? So you're that infamous commander who betrayed the Kingdom after his squad died—the great Gilbert Strauss," the knight went on, utterly unimpressed.
"Shut up!" the fire monster roared. Innominatus thrust an arm toward Nomurath, but the knight dodged again.
Katia had never been told Gilbert's story; likely no one in Libertas knew it, except maybe Arien. He had only hinted that Gilbert had retired from the Kingdom after witnessing the Governors' cruelty, and had said nothing more.
Nomurath kept prodding Gilbert. "You never told anyone what happened that night?"
"I said be silent!" Gilbert thundered, sending flames in every direction to strike his opponent.
At last, one of the fire spheres grazed Nomurath.
"Truth burns, does it not? You never told this sweet girl your tale? If you're too ashamed, I could tell it for you…"
Innominatus paused and Nomurath kept his distance.
Katia wanted to tell him not to listen, but her mouth remained paralyzed.
Gilbert had to do it… He had to overcome his shame and weakness…
"That night… it was a slaughter. My squad and I had just returned from a mission—we'd been ordered to raze a whole village of supposed rebels who'd allegedly killed some of ours. I went to report to my superiors and overheard a conversation. The village we'd destroyed, the people we'd killed… they hadn't murdered any of ours. They had only refused to hand over their land to those despicable men, so they sent us to punish them under the pretense they were rebels. That cornered me. Even though ten high-ranked Espers stood against me, I walked into that room and I burned them. The noise drew my subordinates, who rallied to my side. The only one who walked away from that carnage was me…"
When Gilbert finished his story, Nomurath gave a small, mocking clap. "What a marvelous tale—almost moving. But you forgot one detail: the people you killed were simple officers. Who gave the order?"
"Commander Douger…" Gilbert whispered.
"Exactly!" applauded Nomurath.
"I never saw him again and I don't know what happened to him, but he will pay for what he did—mark my words, on my very life!"
"Alas, Commander Douger has been missing for years; no one knows where he went… To be honest, I thought you had killed him yourself."
Innominatus clenched its fists and fixed its burning eyes on Nomurath. "Commander Douger—the Black Serpent… Ever since then I have only felt contempt for the Venom, and you are no different!"
"Perhaps because I too once served under him before the battalion was broken apart. It's a shame we never met back then. After all, I was just a recruit, not even an Esper. I doubt you or the Commander remember me," Nomurath smiled. "In any case, your story is quite stirring—pity it will not end happily. My princess, if you please, look this way: your knight will assume the form of a magnificent unicorn to slay this dishonorable man who murdered his superiors."
With that, Nomurath took on his Ethereum form.
The knight was soon completely clad in his purple armor; the horn on his helmet had grown enormous, and his face disappeared beneath it. Katia was still trying to move, sending tiny electric impulses through her limbs in the desperate hope that Gilbert could hold on a little longer.
"I swear it will never happen again!" Gilbert said.
Nomurath hurled thorn-like spikes—just like the rose that had paralyzed Katia—toward Innominatus, but they turned to ash the moment they touched the flames. The fire monster lunged after the knight.
Even covered head to toe in armor, Nomurath moved faster than before. All of the knight's attacks disintegrated on contact with Innominatus, while Gilbert couldn't keep up with Nomurath's speed. It was a stalemate.
Realizing he had no chance against that velocity, Gilbert halted. Innominatus consumed a huge amount of energy, and so far it had mostly been chasing the enemy or launching wasted attacks. At this rate, the transformation would run out soon.
"I have no other choice," he finally said. He poured every ounce of power he had into forging a massive, searing blade and hurled it at the knight. "Scarlet Cross!"
"Horn of Fear!"
Nomurath answered by forming an enormous horn and using it to intercept the flaming sword.The explosion echoed through the second floor.
Gilbert had placed himself in front of Katia, shielding her with his body. When the flames thinned, Nomurath still stood—only a few scratches marred his armor. The knight brushed the ash off with a casual motion and summoned a horn-shaped sword.
"Good. Now it's my turn!"
Gilbert had spent too much energy; he couldn't match Nomurath's movements. With a blur of motion, the knight slid beneath Innominatus and delivered a quick slash to the vortex that birthed the fire monster. Innominatus dissolved, and Gilbert was left powerless before his opponent.
"Just as I thought—those cards are your weak point," Nomurath said, eyeing the shredded remains of the cards sliced by the blade. "You've put on a fine show. Now it's time for your final bow."
In an instant, Nomurath was behind Gilbert, and a shallow cut appeared on the knight's hand. "I always coat my blade in poison when I fight—I wouldn't want the enemies I leave writhing to come back for revenge," the knight chuckled.
Gilbert felt the sting where he'd been cut, but soon the sensation spread—his whole body seemed to be on fire.
"This poison is called Drop of Fire—the name says it all. One drop is enough to make you feel as if your entire body is burning. Your death will be a slow agony," Nomurath laughed. "Now I can attend to the little princess."
He looked up toward where Katia had been slumped—but she was gone.
"Over here!" she called.
Nomurath turned toward the voice, but before he could even see her, a bolt of lightning struck his right hand—the one holding the sword—burning it to ashes.
Nomurath fell to the ground screaming, his severed arm bleeding profusely. He looked up and let out a terrified whimper when he saw Katia—her skin pale as snow, her eyes completely black, crackling with lightning.
"What have you done?!" he shouted.
The girl raised her hand, and the lightning spilling from her eyes gathered into her palm. Once her hand was fully charged, she pointed a finger at the enemy on the ground. A blinding electric beam shot out, striking Nomurath's left hand. The knight dropped to his knees, now handless, screaming in agony.
"How are you still standing? You should be paralyzed!"
"With small electrical impulses, I managed to destroy all the toxins your poisons produced," Katia replied. "It was my first time doing it… I could've damaged my own organs, but I got lucky."
Nomurath struggled back to his feet. "Wait— I surrender! I'll be your prisoner! Please, don't kill me!"
Katia aimed her finger at him once more.
"No, wait!" Nomurath screamed.
But despite his pleas, Katia fired another beam. The blast struck him square in the chest—the force lifted him off the ground and hurled him through the cathedral's stained-glass windows, out into the open air.
Katia deactivated her Vitalis and rushed to Gilbert's side. He was still alive, but had passed out from the pain.
"You've done enough, Gilbert," she whispered. "Now leave the rest to me."