A tense silence filled the hall as we watched both man and woman appear above us. Everyone was either shell-shocked or cautious and with due reason.

Silence and preparation to strike pervaded the hall as we readied ourselves for instant battle.

"Why, hello everyone!" The very familiar man spoke, his eyes gleaming with delight and his grin widening for all to see.

My eyes widened in shock as I stood, almost paralyzed beneath his malevolent smile and oddly friendly demeanour. There was no way I, or many of the people present here, could forget this man.

Legris Damien! What the hell was he doing here?

My eyes went to the woman who floated beside him. She was covered in white and she had clear skin, like a being of purity—though I knew better than to judge her based on her appearance.

Ciel was a very cruel woman and her selfish desires nearly brought the world to ruin. Seeing these two side by side, my mind processed a few things in a flash.

'Neron did say that Legris escaped, but why is Ciel still here? She should be dead. And why do they look so healthy? Neron said he'd badly injured Legris, and even if he was alive, he would still be badly affected.'historical

There was a lot I didn't know about Magic—like how they were able to escape our supervision for this long, and how they were able to interrupt the wedding, despite the defensive measures already in place.

"Why are you all looking at me this way? I came to give my congratulations to you, Neron. Ah, and to the lovely Serah as well. You both look so happy. What a lovely wedding." Legris began talking so casually, almost as if nothing was wrong.

"Ahhh, I'm so jealous."

"What do you want, Legris?" For the first time since this bizarre halting of the event, Neron finally spoke.

"Hmm? Come on, Neron. Stop the act already. You must have already known this whole thing wasn't over. Haven't you been expecting me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Instantly, Neron't hair turned white and currents of power flowed from his body.

I followed his lead and took on my most powerful transformation. Grand Fusion Mode, with Mage Mode and Elemental Chamber.

Unfortunately, it was all Mana-Based.

Without the Arcanas, I couldn't use Aether. Plus, I hadn't gotten around to forming an Aether Core yet.

Neron was different, however. He was pulsating with the stuff and he seemed completely infuriated by Legris' return.

"Things have deviated so much from the original timeline, Neron, but that doesn't mean I've lost. I admit that you caught me off-guard with the Nether, and how you resolved that.. but.."

Legris' eyes narrowed and his grin formed a sadistic curve. It appeared he was enjoying every second of this moment.

"Keep talking. You won't escape this place." Neron spoke calmly.

"Ah, so you've trapped me in this place. You've also activated your time Magic. Whatever shall I do.. I wonder.."

Something told me that there was something not right about this whole thing.

Legris was the most cunning person I had ever met. I doubted he would be foolish enough to challenge Neron during his wedding, with only the strongest of people gathered in the same location.

Or perhaps.. was this exactly what he wanted?

As I pondered this, I maintained my guard and made sure to prepare my Original Magic in case of any emergencies.

My family was in sight—same as my friends and family.

"Let's see.."

My eyes instantly bulged when I watched the manifestation in the air. Twenty-one cards circled him and one hovered above his head.

Those were the Arcanas!

'Of course! Ciel can manufacture more Arcanas, as long as she has enough energy!'

How Legris was able to survive the aftermath, or how Ciel had enough energy to manufacture all twenty-one Arcanas in order to produce [The World] which hovered above both she and Legris' head.

How in the world?

Unfortunately, there was no time to process all of this. Not while we were in this kind of danger.

'S-Spellcra—'

"[The World]... Displacement."

A bright light suddenly engulfed the whole room, overwhelming all my senses in a flash. It was so much that I was instantly paralyzed.

It felt like I was being pushed away, yet I remained completely still.. unaware of what was happening around me.

*

*

*

Legris and Ciel watched the now-empty hall in silence.

There was no one in sight, despite the hundreds and thousands of people that had occupied it just moments earlier.

"I could only get six of them. How disappointing.." He sighed.

Neron Kaelid.

Jared Leonard

Kuzon Midas

Ciara Epilson

Aloe Vida

Edward Karl Leon

'I wanted to capture the others.. especially Serah Crimson. They're still very troublesome—especially considering the long run.'

But, it seemed despite all the Arcanas in his possession, he couldn't outmanoeuvre Neron's impeccable defence.

"He must have teleported everyone to safety. Perhaps a joint effort between him and Jared? Well, if six of the major players are gone, then the mission is just about done, right?"

With a shrug, Legris caused the Arcanas around him to vanish.

"Where did you send them to?" Ciel muttered softly, her gaze not daring to look in the direction of the man she spoke to.

"Nowhere important. Even I don't know. I just used [The World] to scatter them around various branches within the tree."

Without Arcanas or the proper knowledge of how to cross the branches—as well as the way to navigate how to get to their own branch—the victims were as good as stuck.

"I don't doubt their ingenuity. However, by the time they figure everything out—if they don't die first—I'll be done with all my preparations."

A black void appeared behind Legris and Ciel and they both ventured inside.

"No.. I would have long won."

*

*

*

[A/N]

One more chapter, and we're done with this Arc.

This has been a spectacular journey so far and I am really happy that we've come this far.

Please keep supporting me.

Let's keep going further!