He couldn’t. It was too much. That was a torment he couldn’t endure again. And as the Beasts closed in, he was stricken with regret at his own folly. He’d fancied himself a protector, and it had blinded him to the truth. Sain was right. His inability to imagine a future where he might taste defeat led to a failure to envision himself in the position of the protected.
Protector and protected. The roles were fluid; they were exclusive to no one. If only, he thought as guilt consumed him, he’d realized sooner.
“Siem Saevas, here I bear the attendant’s mark. Second gift — Holy Sinking Blade. ”
Daggers of light in hand, Melia’s form blurred through the Beasts. Cain watched in stunned silence as the threat of certain death fell to the ground as two heaps of broken meat. She put her hands on her waist, let out a quick sigh, and quipped, “Close one, huh?”
Cain felt himself gnashing his teeth. He set his jaw, looked her straight in the face, and said, “Take me to your master.”
Sain, who had been fighting Chaos outside the school grounds, rushed back as soon as he noticed the barrier had been breached.
“Holy Beast. ”
As soon as he spoke the words, a lion appeared enveloped in an aura of light. It was an ally of his, and he’d placed it on standby the day before the entrance ceremony in case of emergencies like this. The beast lowered its head to him, and he gave it a rub, which drew a contented purr.
“Can you help me get rid of the Beasts of Chaos around here?”
It let out an affirmative growl and leapt into action. There were some Incarnations of Chaos in the attacking party as well, but with their current powers, Alicia and Melia should make short work of them. Stragglers could be left to the holy beast, which was already doing a good job of tearing them apart.
“It looks like everyone’s sticking to the plan...”
Sain stood in the center of the field. A Beast attempted to pounce on him, only to be thwarted by a missile of light. Fissures then appeared in the ground underfoot, and blood-red arms reached up from the cracks. He jumped into the air in response, ever vigilant of the fact that Beasts of Chaos had no defined template and could take on all sorts of forms.
“Sanctuary. ”
He imbued the space around him with the blessing of the goddess, repelling the underground attacker. With no additional threats in sight, he turned his senses in Marni’s direction. She seemed safe for the time being. Perhaps the Clan of Chaos was waiting for the Founder to finish its rampage before commencing their operation. He’d thought they would use the Founder as a distraction while infiltrating the school at the same time, but it occurred to him that trying to steal the titan’s staff while the Founder was still thrashing around was actually a pretty risky idea. In any case, he needed Marni to hold her position. With evacuations of outside guests still underway, he’d appreciate some reinforcements, but it would have to come from someone else. That was when, as if on cue...
“Sain Fostess!”
He heard a familiar voice behind him and spun around. Cain was in far worse shape than he’d been in at the infirmary. He must have run into some Chaos while directing the evacuation. Beside him stood Melia, who must have led him here.
“You... Make me your attendant.”
The steely resolve in Cain’s voice took Sain by surprise. Sain regarded him for a while. Then, he flashed a toothy grin.
“No regrets?”
“Plenty... But I’m going to make these my last.”
Whatever happened during their brief separation had transformed Cain. The uncertainty that had marred his gaze in the infirmary was nowhere to be found.
“Cain Theresia!”
By speaking his name, a contract was established between the holy knight and his new attendant. The power conferred upon Sain by the goddess began its secondary transfer into Cain.
“What the— No way!”
As soon as the link was made, Sain gasped in awe at Cain’s enormous capacity as a human vessel. His affinity for the goddess’s power was extremely high, entirely dwarfing that of Alicia’s and Melia’s.
“It’s... still going?!”
“No way!”
Even the goddess herself was amazed by the sheer amount of power flowing into Cain. He’d already taken in two attendants’ worth, yet still seemed capable of accepting more.
“So this... is the power of the holy knight,” said Cain as he gazed at his own hands.
“Do you feel any discomfort?”
“No. Not even a hint... It feels like it’s been mine all along.”
Normally, such a sensation shouldn’t have been possible. Even now, unleashing their attendant powers wasn’t a completely painless process for Alicia and Melia; some part of their body would always make its displeasure known. Cain’s body, despite it being his first time, was taking to the power with incredible ease. It was a display of his potential, signaling that Cain Theresia was truly a gifted individual; he had what it took to wield the power of the goddess.
“Ray Javelin. ”
He cast the spell at an oncoming Beast. It was the same spell as the one he’d used during the match, only it was now four to five times larger in size. The now-truly-colossal spear hurtled toward the creature in a straight line, punched through it, and wiped out all the other Beasts nearby with its explosion.
“Holy—”
“...Wow.”
Sain stared agape as the violent gusts from the blast sent his hair fluttering wildly.
“He’s... the strongest attendant. There’s no question.”
It was an incredibly invigorating sight to behold. At the same time, it made him think about the future.
I might have just found a successor.
When he eventually decided to retire, he might be able to pass the power of the holy knight to Cain. His excitement at the discovery of a new, promising attendant, however, was put on hold by the appearance of a gigantic monster in the distance.
“Here it comes,” he growled. “The Founder...”
The towering form of a blood-red crab emerged from a cloud of dust. Granted, “crab” was only an approximation of its shape. It had eight legs, two of which were pincers that evoked the comparison. The rest of it was nothing close. A pair of horns grew from its head, longer and sharper than its pincers, giving it a thoroughly menacing aura.
“Kessen Rukai... The Stainless Hermit,” said Sain, recognizing the creature.
“Fate loves its ironies, doesn’t it,” spat Cain. “Who would have thought we’d meet again like this.”
Having peered into the previous holy knight’s memories through the goddess, Sain knew what Cain meant.
This was the Founder that killed Cain’s sister.
How ironic indeed, Sain thought, that it would show up now of all times. He took a moment to think, recalling everything he knew about the characteristics of Kessen Rukai. Then, he turned to Melia.
“Melia, go help Alicia. The students are still in the middle of evacuating.”
“It’s a Founder you’re up against, you know? Are you sure you don’t need more firepower here?”
“Saving lives comes first. Also, this Founder isn’t the type who’s easier to beat with more people.”
She took him at his word and ran off without any further questions. Once she was gone, Sain and Cain glanced at each other before bursting into action at the same time.
“Ray Javelin. ”
Cain’s supersized spear slammed into the equally massive crab. Meanwhile, Sain slid past its feet and swung his golden blade at its underbelly. A single sweep of his sword was enough to part most Chaos in two, but Founders — the very first generation of Chaos — were not like the rest, and he felt the dull impact of his blade being stopped by the creature’s mighty carapace.
“■■■■■■■!”
The Founder roared in its unearthly voice, forcing both of them to shield their ears and back away. It swung its two great pincers down at the ground, breaking up a large stretch of the school field. Sain carefully evaded the deadly shards of earth and rock that flew at him before climbing onto an upraised piece of the ground.
“Cain! Are you okay?!”
“For now, at least. But it doesn’t look like we can afford to take even a single hit...”
In the blink of an eye, the Founder had changed the very terrain they stood on. A gaping crevice now spanned the length of the field, reaching from one end of the school building to the other. Another one of those, and the building itself might become the crevice.
Cain, unintimidated by the casual display of widespread destruction, shot the monster a fierce glare and thrust his arm out at it.
“Great torrent of light, blind the land with an argent sea — Velle Vright! ”
A wave of light rushed toward the Founder, vaporizing the debris littering the ground in the process. It was a clever move, ridding the field of obstacles while simultaneously functioning as an attack. With his way cleared, Sain tightened his grip on his sword and dashed forward again... only to stop in his tracks when the monster discharged a massive amount of bubbles from its mouth.
“Those bubbles! They’re—”
Countless transparent orbs filled the air, each one large enough to hold an entire person.
“Sain!”
“I know!”
Sain quickly retreated. Cain’s torrent of light smashed into the wall of bubbles, bounced off them, and rushed back toward the two of them.
“Ugh!”
Sain leapt into the air, allowing the torrent to pass below. Cain followed suit. They watched as his spell wreaked further havoc on the field before fading away near the school building. Sain landed on the uneven ground and glared at the bubbles floating around the Founder.
“So this is what it looks like in action... The ability to reflect magic.”
Each Founder had a unique ability that none of the others possessed. One turtle-shaped Founder could cause the disintegration of anything it touched. Another monkey-like Founder could freely control its subordinates. Yet another shaped like a fish could turn invisible at will. Kessen Rukai’s unique trait was the ability to reflect all forms of magic.
“Sain, can’t you seal this Founder like your predecessor did?”
Having immediately recognized the threat posed by this Founder, Cain started searching for ways to end the fight quickly.
“...No.” Sain grimaced. “Preparations are necessary for that kind of seal, and it takes a lot of time.”
When Sain inherited the power of the holy knight, he also gained knowledge pertaining to the Founders and how to seal them. Therefore, he could say with certainty that sealing the Founder right now was an impossible task.
“We’ll have to defeat it ourselves.”
The statement was meant for himself as much as Cain. There existed seven Founders in the world, and not a single one had ever been defeated by the previous holy knights and dark knights. Consequently, they chose to seal the Founders away. Now, with the seal broken and no time to prepare another one, there was only one choice left. The two of them would have to make history and defeat it in combat.