The Six Sages

Episode 81

The world returned to a point a 1,000 years in the past. A time period that would later be known as both the Invasion of the Cthulhu and the Magic Stone War. Zero, the Magus of Light, as well as her fellow Sages, set off to meet the emerging cthulhu threat head on.

Expecting to be met with a swarm of enemies, they were instead met with a vampire wearing a black kimono robe and an entourage of black troops. Around them were the swarms of cthulhu already defeated. “Ms. Reiya, we’ve finished up here.” A young flaxen-haired girl wearing a dark hood spoke. “Good work,” the vampire responded, “I don’t see your ‘deceitful self’ around in this time period.”

The vampire spun around and faced Zero and the other sages. “I’m Reiya. I’m not an enemy of you six.” “Six?,” Zero questioned, “You mean five. We’re the five Sages, after all.” “Oh that’s right. Fiethsing wouldn’t be in this world, now would she?” “Quit talking nonsense!,” Zero and the other four Sages began to encircle Reiya, “You say your not the enemy, but that doesn’t answer who you are!”

“Look, we don’t have time to-...” As Reiya was about to reply a shadow fell over her.

Zero looked up into the sky in disbelief. “What...is that?”

At that moment, the light of the sun began to fade as the sky began to darken. Reiya and the Five Sages looked up into the sky to see a large figure blocking out the sun. Some sort of massive object, one with arms and legs, was flying towards them. No, rather, it falling? Whichever it was, it seemed it would soon collide with the group. “Everyone grab on!!”

Almerius called for the spirits of the wind and outstretched her hands, carrying everyone away from the impact zone as fast as she could. The group narrowly avoided the impact, but still felt the force of the shockwave reverberating in the air, affirming just how massive the collision was.

The enormous object had left a massive crater behind, surely nothing could have survived that impact. Or so Zero thought. As if to directly deny Zero’s expectations, a girl in crimson emerged from beneath object. The girl, smeared in dust yet without a scratch, walked towards Reiya and the 5 Sages. “Hehehe... perhaps I overdid it a bit? Oh good, it would seem this era has a lot of prey for me to feast on.”

“What on Earth is going on here?!” Zero couldn’t stop herself from asking. Zero and the other Sages are the leading experts on everything from magic stone research to the world’s history, if there was knowledge to be had they had it. And yet, two mysterious, unknown entities beyond reasoning had appeared before them. “Hey, Vampire. You said you weren’t the enemy. 

Pray tell then, what would you call that ‘thing’?” While she didn’t fully trust the vampire, Almerius asked Reiya anyway. Almerius couldn’t sense any magic power emanating from the crimson girl who just appeared… yet she somehow understood. This new threat before them was an enemy incomparable to any other she’d met before. Just her presence alone sent chills down her spine.

“That would be the enemy. Just focus on not dying for the time being.” Reiya bluntly stated. The meaning behind her words was clear, trying to fight the thing before them wouldn’t even amount to a battle. “This thing’s already passed out? Man, these dinosaurs are more useless than I thought…”

Zero realised the truth behind this girl’s menacing presence. That girl, without magic power she may be, had still managed to fling this dinosaur through sheer strength.

The girl began to eye the Sages as if looking at a new toy. 

“Hehehe… just so you know, I’m an existence far, far, far stronger than you all… this is no lie.” The girl kicked off the ground, shaking the Earth below, and appeared before Almerius in the blink of an eye. The girl then spun and kicked Almerius, sending her flying off into the distance. The magic barrier Almerius kept permanently deployed was nullified in an instant, as if dispelled on touch.

“As lies become truth, truth becomes no more than a lie. A barrier on that level is no more than trash before me!” “Wha…” Before Zero could process what happened, Almerius was sent flying. It was too fast an action to see with one’s eyes. In a mere instant, the red hooded girl had closed the gap, dispelled Almerius’s barrier, and had sent her flying. 

But the Sages were not ones to stand by idly as their ally was attacked, their experience through countless battles reflexively helping them react. Milest, Moojdart, and Grusbalesta immediately began to take channel their own attacks. They would use their ultimate, certain kill coordination attack taught to them by master Welser (affectionately called grandpa Welser by the sages).

A pincer attack that would cut off all the target’s escape routes. If the target did however, manage to escape, or counterattack for that matter, they would then be pierced by Zero’s blade, waiting in the wing. The three Sages unleashed their attack in what would appear to have been a direct hit…However, when the dust settled nothing was there. 

Before they knew it, the red hooded girl was floating in the air, having avoided their strongest attack. “Something like that won’t be enough to catch me!” The girl looked down on the Sages below while holding a black sphere in one hand.

“Hehe… I found this earlier, it’s called the ‘Black Moon’. Cool, right? Since I found it, it’s mine… but for the time being I’ll let you guys play with it!” 

The red hooded girl flung the black sphere at the Sages. The black sphere began to suck in its surroundings as it made it began to inch closer and closer. Zero began to think. Shoot. The other Six Sages are either out of commision or are still exhausted from that attack we made just now. If it comes down to it, they can avoid damage by turning into magic stones… Wait... Six... Sages…? “Remember her, Zero. 

Remember her, then fight.” Reiya and the dark hooded girl came to Zero’s side. “You guys will never be able to defeat me. This fabricated world is merely our plaything, that’s the cold, harsh truth.” The Red Hooded Girl said. “That may be, Nyarlathotep. Even so, we can still choose to resist you!” As Reiya yelled, she faced the black sphere head on, stopping it in its path.

“My name is Scarlet! And don’t you forget it!” “That trick you did earlier, you leapt through time a bit didn’t you? Did you borrow some of Kaguya’s power?” “Hehe, so you saw that, did you? It’s the same magic that lets us go back in time… I repurposed it for fighting though of course! Rather than leap through time, it’s better to say it lets me erase time… Hehe, do you like it?”

“What are you guys talking about?,” Zero couldn’t help herself from interjecting, “You make it sound like you’ve come from the future...why? To redo history?” “You’re halfway to the answer. Say, Zero… why not come with me?” Reiya’s left eye began to glimmer. “Zero, Look into my eye.” As Zero looked into Reiya’s eye, visions of memories she once held dear flowed into her mind. 

The precious time she spent raising, teaching, caring for Kaguya returned to her memory, as well as the memories of her most important partner Fiethsing, the missing Six Sage. How could she have ever forgotten them? “I remember now… which means... this world isn’t what it seems to be. Fine, I’ll go with you, Reiya! Wait, no, sorry. Please, take me with you, Reiya!”

“Got it. However, I doubt this girl will give us the time I need to take you in that form, so for the time being…” “Mhm…I see...I see. You want to what?!... Hmm… oh fine! It can’t be helped!” The black sphere Reiya kept held back began to continue on its trajectory, it’s roadblock disappeared. “So they chose to run away in the end. Hehehe… oh well.

Now then, it’s not a good deal of power, but I might as well collect it anyway.” The Red Hooded Girl picked up the remaining Six Sages, who turned into magic stones, opened her mouth and swallowed them whole.