Chapter 10: A Fierce Fight at Torah Church
Chapter 10: A Fierce Fight at Torah Church
Day 1
Cliff
“HEY, the Golems over there! Stop!”
There was an inspection station on Neck Bridge. One of the Rabbis was yelling from behind the checkpoint wall made of Golems. Gandolf and Boulder charged forward without stopping. Cliff pulled Erie close and took cover behind their solid allies.
“I told you to stop! Didn’t you hear me?!”
Cliff and Erie ignored him. The four Bronze Golems of the checkpoint wall quickly fell into a militant formation.
Erie glowered at them and shouted, “Go, Boulder!”
Boulder burst into an all-out run and plowed through the checkpoint.
“STO—AGHHHHHHH!”
Boulder scattered the Bronze Golems, and Gandolf rushed in after him. The Rabbis cursed at them as they jumped aside.
“It’s those damn street rats!”
“I never heard they had a Golem like that!”
“Call for reinforcements! HURRY!”
Gunshots cracked through the air, and something hot ricocheted off the ground at Cliff’s feet. It looked like a syringe in the shape of a tiny ball.
Somebody’s shooting at us with that tranquilizer gun! I ain’t hangin’ around for that crap!
“Break through their ranks, Gandolf!” Cliff shouted, running across the bridge just steps behind Gandolf as he bulldozed the enemy ranks.
***
Kiriko
“THEY broke through the checkpoint!”
“What did you just say?!” The words flew out of Kiriko’s mouth the moment her subordinate entered the interrogation room with that report. “Erie Reyer broke through?!”
“Along with the boy from before!”
Kiriko scowled, recalling the Illegal Golem she fought in the underground station several days prior.
Lovel raised her voice in similar surprise, “Boy? What boy? You can’t mean Cliff?!”
“…It appears so.”
“That idiot! Why’d he come…?!”
Spinoza grinned broadly at her from his corner of the room. “The answer’s obvious. He came to rescue you.”
“R-Rescue me?”
“What else would he come here to do? The kid’s got nerves of steel, raiding the Church. Goes to show how much he cares about you.”
Lovel’s eyes widened. Kiriko quietly gnawed her cheek.
I assumed Erie Reyer would come, but…I didn’t account for the boy! That Golem called Gandolf possesses outlandish combat efficiency. Can the Church’s current Rabbis fend him off? I must act before it’s too late!
Kiriko motioned to Spinoza with her eyes, and he nodded. He turned to the subordinate who reported the breach. “Torah Officer Seagal, take care of things here.”
“Y-Yes, sir!” Seagal said.
Kiriko and Spinoza left him in charge and were on their way out of the interrogation room when Lovel called to Kiriko.
“Hey, Kiriko? You never did believe me in the end, did you?”
“I am neither foolish nor gullible enough to believe a child’s nonsense.”
“But there’s a boy who did believe my nonsense. To tell you the truth, I’m super happy he did.” A bashful smile lit up Lovel’s face. The expression rubbed Kiriko the wrong way.
“And why am I supposed to care?”
“You aren’t. But things might go better for you in all kinds of ways if you start being a little more honest with yourself, you know?”
Lovel’s remark unsettled Kiriko. She felt furious with herself for lacking a good comeback. “…The road I took to get to where I am today wasn’t pure or honest enough for that,” Kiriko said, sounding as if she had given up on everything.
She left the interrogation room with Spinoza.
***
Erie
THEY successfully crossed Neck Bridge and spotted the Church’s main gate up ahead.
“What should we do, Erie? Want to enter through there?!” Cliff asked, running alongside her.
“Going through the main gate is practically inviting them to surround us! Boulder and Gandolf might be okay, but we won’t!”
A small army of Rabbis marched toward the gate from the inside of the Church premises. Erie racked her brain for a plan before calling out, “Boulder! Charge right through the gate and give them hell!”
Obeying her order, Boulder smashed through the main gate into the Church grounds. He hurtled toward the chapel, scattering the Rabbis’ formation along the way. They panicked over the possibility of the Church’s symbol being destroyed.
“S-Stop that Golem! Protect the chapel!” someone shouted in a hoarse voice.
Golems swarmed around Boulder from all directions. Boulder, despite being Erie’s second Tamed Golem, held his own in a frenzied rampage in the midst of their overwhelming numbers.
Erie’s control over him may have suffered from reduced accuracy, but the strength of Boulder’s Prime Body and the degree of perfection in his Engrave Incantations granted him immense power nonetheless.
“Going for a diversion?” Cliff whispered to Erie, watching Boulder chuck a Golem at another Golem.
“Yup. Let’s break into the church from another spot!” she suggested.
Erie, Cliff, and Gandolf sprinted on, while watching Boulder out of the corner of their eyes. They saw Boulder completely surrounded just before he left their view for good. Erie deeply regretted having to leave him behind.
I’m sorry, Boulder. She shook off the guilt and ran alongside the Church’s perimeter fence.
Gandolf rammed through the fence once they had circled to the back of the Church. Cracks webbed through the sturdy fence wall until the foundation crumbled away, forming a giant hole.
“We can enter through here!”
“Yes!”
Erie and Cliff nodded to each other and invaded the Church grounds through the hole. They left the fence behind and raced on until they saw the grand Torah Church complex. A multitude of complex passages crisscrossed through the massive stone church building. Heath and Lovel were located somewhere inside this maze.
“Cliff, do you know where Lovel is?”
“Nope. You, Erie?”
“I don’t know either… But I have a vague guess of where Heathy might be.” Golems and their Golem Tamer were linked mentally. They could ascertain each other’s location up to a certain distance. “He seems to be somewhere up high… The highest place on these grounds…”
If Erie could get closer to Heath and renew their Restrictor, he would reactivate and help turn the tide of battle for them. The Rabbis had to be hiding him somewhere difficult to prevent that from happening.
Did they have him stowed away in a secret room that couldn’t be entered from the outside? It wouldn’t matter, since Heath would reactivate once she came within five meters of him, regardless of any intervening walls and obstructions. They wouldn’t place him somewhere easy for her to access.
Where’s a high place that’s difficult to enter and capable of locking up a person or two…? Erie lifted her head as she thought through the possible locations. Her eyes fixed on a specific spot—the symbol of Torah Church, and the highest building on the island.
“He’s there! Heathy is in that bell tower!” Erie shouted as she looked up at the Great Bell Tower looming over them.
***
Kiriko
THE uproar outside grew louder. Kiriko looked out from the third-story window and saw a Stone Golem rampaging near the chapel. The single Golem was throwing around the young Rabbis like ragdolls. She stared down at their pitiful display and sighed with disgust.
“How pathetic…”
“The youngsters get cocky with just a small taste of power and slack off instead of becoming truly powerful through continuous commitment to their training,” Spinoza scoffed.
“Shall I send Legion?” Kiriko asked.
“Don’t. You have to guard the prince, yeah?”
Kiriko’s objections lodged in her throat. Legion’s Restrictor was, “can’t move outside of the Tamer’s line of sight.” The confining Restrictor imbued the Golem with the highest efficiency levels, but it also confined Kiriko’s actions at times like this. Legion existed in the form of six separate bodies, but they could only fight in one location at a time, and it had to be within Kiriko’s viewing distance.
But no good would come of begrudging the Restrictor at this point.
“It shouldn’t pose any problems if I immediately return to my post. I’ll go. All right?”
“No, wait… I’ll go,” Spinoza said, stopping her. She heard something make a dry click.
A grotesque figure had appeared at the end of the hallway without her ever sensing it.
“Torah Lord…you are going to use that Golem?” she asked, shuddering slightly from seeing the creepy thing for the first time in years.
“Now’s not the time to bring up restrictions on his use. This guy can defeat that Golem with his hands tied behind his back,” Spinoza remarked with a grin. “Leave the chapel to me and head to the Great Bell Tower. Before the girl arrives.”
“Okay,” Kiriko agreed. Spinoza waved and headed off with the Golem.
A faint smile touched Kiriko’s lips. No matter how powerful the attackers were, they stood no chance against Spinoza. Not against the current most powerful Rabbi and his Golem.
Those kids will be trapped like rats if we set up another checkpoint on the bridge. The Church may have become weak, but we should be capable of ensnaring a few kids… She thought, shifting her eyes back to the window.
She spotted something running across the bridge from Chest Island at a monstrous speed. An amber beast barreled toward the Church.
“That…IDIOT!” Kiriko roared in rage at Ouka on Dram’s back.
***
Ouka
THE day had changed and the reactivated Dram raced across Neck Bridge. The reformed checkpoint blocked his way. The checkpoint guards lined up in rows with their guns held at the ready.
Ouka leaned close to Dram’s back and had his partner accelerate even faster. Reaching his top speed, Dram was a giant mass of amber loping at over eighty kilometers an hour.
“BREAK THROUGH!!”
Ouka’s holler sent Dram crashing through the checkpoint. He galloped across the rest of the bridge, leaving the Rabbis who instinctively jumped out of the way scattered in his wake.
“H-HALT!”
Ouka heard frenzied shouts and gunshots at his back. He rushed to the Church without batting an eye. He reached the end of the long bridge and saw the main gate, where angry and confused shouts melted into a chaotic uproar on the other side.
What’s with all the commotion? Of course—Erie’s raiding the Church!
“Wowwie! The little lady has spunk!” Ouka whistled, a half smile on his lips.
He might be able to make contact with Kiriko by slipping into the chaos. Ouka confirmed the file was safely tucked under his shirt and stopped Dram near the main gate.
With one look, he saw a Stone Golem on a violent rampage inside the chapel. Stained-glass windows had shattered and the pipe-organ was smashed, marking the chapel as the epicenter of the chaos. The Stone Golem flung objects around, smashing things left and right, so that not even the Rabbis’ Golems could recklessly go near it.
Ouka searched for Kiriko amid the mess. She was nowhere to be seen.
I have no business here then. I’ll look elsewhere, he thought, and was about to run, when he heard a dry crack of air from the chapel.
Gunfire?!
He quickly hid behind the gate.
The crack of gunshots littered the air in rapid-fire succession. Ouka turned his eyes toward the chapel, where the rampaging Stone Golem had ceased moving.
Cracks webbed throughout its body, and it crumbled to pieces. Ouka understood what had happened even from a distance: a bullet had shot through the letters on its forehead.
Ouka leapt onto Dram’s back and left the location as fast as Dram’s four legs could take him. He had firsthand knowledge of the only man capable of instantly destroying a large-scale Golem like that.
“…Spinoza’s made his move.”
Cold sweat trickled down Ouka’s spine. The Church must’ve thrown public appearances to the wayside to deal with this problem if they were using that Golem now. Ouka willed Dram to run even faster.
He made Dram gallop alongside the perimeter fence to the side of the Church, then had him change course.
“Jump, Dram!”
Dram jumped once, landed on a roadside tree, jumped again, and bounded over the five-meter tall fence. He landed inside an area of the Church grounds where the Rabbis were noticeably missing. The majority of Rabbis were likely gathered inside the chapel. Ouka took the chance to break into the church complex.
“Okay, where would Kiriko be?”
Ouka thought through the possible locations while Dram ran through the long corridors. Under these circumstances, Kiriko would prioritize guarding her hostage. Where was Heath then?
The interrogation rooms?!
Ouka had no guarantee that was it, but he couldn’t think of where else to search. With his mind made up, he headed for the interrogation room on the third-floor.
He might not have visited the Church in four years, but he knew its layout like the back of his hand. He avoided the occasional Rabbi traffic inside the corridors until he finally arrived at the interrogation room.
I sure hope Kiriko is alone…
Ouka hopped down from Dram and opened the interrogation room door. But what he found on the other side was Torah Officer Seagal pressing a tranquilizer gun to Lovel. They both stared at Ouka, their eyes bulging.
“Wha-! Aren’t you Ouka Baraki?!”
“O-Ouka?! Why are you here?!”
Seagal panicked and swerved the gun toward Ouka. Ouka closed the gap between them faster than Seagal turned the gun and swung down his quarterstaff.
“ACK!” Struck on the wrist, Seagal dropped the gun. Ouka swiftly circled behind him and secured his elbows behind his back.
“Hey, Seagal, do you know where Kiriko is?”
“Don’t screw around with me after you hit me outta nowhere! Like hell I’d tell yo—OWWWW!”
Ouka squeezed, wrenching a pained groan from Seagal. He constricted the officer’s joints until they began cracking and repeated his question. “Please tell me. I have something important to tell her.”
Instead of answering, Seagal cried out, “OVER HERE! THE INTRUDERS ARE HERE!”
“I-Idiot, don’t cause a scene!” Ouka covered Seagal’s mouth, but that didn’t stop his screaming. He proved to be a surprisingly feisty man. Out of options, Ouka struck the back of his head, knocking him out.
“Well damn, I guessed wrong… Where’s Kiriko at?” Ouka didn’t know how to proceed after his first guess was a waste of time.
“Wait, Ouka. Why’re you looking for Kiriko?” Lovel asked him.
“It’s got nothin’ to do with you, kid. Go ahead and leave while you can.”
“Oh? You sure it’s okay for me to leave?”
“I’ve lost my reason to apprehend you. I’m a wanted man now. They’ve falsely accused me of a crime because of Jair.”
“Aw, you poor thing!” Lovel laughed, sounding like she was having the time of her life. Ouka knew it; she was one cheeky girl. “So,” she said, teasing him when he was in a pinch, “why has a wanted man come to the Church?”
“I’ve got something I have to show Kiriko no matter what. Once I do…” Ouka’s thoughts went to the file inside his shirt. Various things would come to light if he shared the information with her. And that wouldn’t be all. “…Lovel, I might be able to clear your name.”
“You can? Really?”
“Yeah. But I dunno where Kiriko is, and it’s not like I can just search for her willy-nilly inside the church…”
“I know where she is.”
Ouka blinked. “You do?!”
“Well, you could call it an educated guess. I’m pretty sure of the location, because I overheard them talking about it.”
“Tell me! Where is she?!”
“I’ll tell you—under one condition. Once I tell you where she is, you have to take me with you.”
Ouka’s mouth fell open. “Huh? What do ya want to do that for? Get outta here.”
“Cliff’s here. Along with Erie.”
“What?!”
“He came to rescue me. I can’t leave on my own now.”
Ouka was flabbergasted. If Cliff was an idiot for challenging the Church to save a girl, then Lovel was just as stupid for wanting to go back for him.
They were as naïve and ignorant as they came. But the exact same thing could be said of Ouka. Realizing that brought a self-derisive smile to his face.
“I can’t fight you on that one… Let’s go, girl!”
“That’s how it’s gotta be!” Lovel rejoiced. They left the interrogation room together.
Ouka mounted Dram and pulled Lovel up behind him. “So, where’s Kiriko at?” he asked.
“The Great Bell Tower. Kiriko locked Heath up and is lying in wait for Erie there.”
“The Great Bell Tower, huh!”
The tower was some distance away, but Dram’s legs would carry them there in no time. Ouka drew on his memories of how to get there as he launched Dram into a swift run.
***
Cliff
CLIFF and Erie sprinted down the corridor leading to the Great Bell Tower. A Rabbi and an Iron Golem blocked their passage.
The enemy Golem had a similar build to Gandolf, but it stood no chance. Gandolf slammed a fist into the Iron Golem’s face with the force of his rapid dash.
“What?!” the Rabbi cried out when his Golem crashed into the wall. Cliff dropped in close and drove a punch into the side of his face with a battle cry.
Though it was a hasty surprise attack, the punch was a clean hit and sent the Rabbi toppling over. Erie cheered for Cliff as he shook out his tingling fingers. “Nice shot! You rock, Cliff!”
Cliff answered her compliment with a sheepish grin and increased his speed. He contemplated their steady advance as they accelerated toward their destination. The last encounter marked the fourth Golem Gandolf had defeated since invading the church.
A few days ago, Cliff never even considered opposing the Rabbis. They had tyrannized him and his people for ages, and the mentality not to fight back was deeply ingrained in him. But now, Cliff overpowered the Church’s Golems. He felt refreshed to win on the one hand, and yet found it strange on the other.
The Rabbis’ arrogance and free, domineering reign over the people prevailed due to one reason. Their possession of the Great Bell Tower was no more than an extension of that reason.
No one could oppose the Rabbis because they were strong. They maintained governorship over the archipelago because they Tamed and controlled Golems better than anyone else in the land.
For all that bravado, Gandolf tore through the Rabbi created Golems like they were made of tinfoil. Their enemies were dumbfounded in the face of Gandolf’s abnormal strength. It shouldn’t have been possible for a piecemeal Illegal Golem powered by a young student’s Engrave Incantations to be this outrageously powerful.
“…What’s wrong, Cliff? Why the sudden silence?” Erie seemed worried by his abrupt reticence.
“It’s nothing,” he said.
Cliff snapped back to his senses and put aside his thoughts for now. He had more important things to do than make wild theories. He focused on running instead.
At long last, the end of the corridor came into view. Gandolf slammed through the giant iron door blocking their way.
The central courtyard lay on the other side with a tower looming over them at its center. It was the Great Bell Tower that brought God’s divine protection to the archipelago, transforming its isles into the Islands of Golems.
“Let’s do this!”
Cliff and Erie dashed across the courtyard and barged into the tower.
***
Erie
THE tower was dark and deserted inside. Dim gas lamps illuminated the interior. Erie strained her eyes against the very weak light. A spiral staircase wound up the inside of the wall, ending at a door on the top landing. The belfry had to be beyond that door. Erie sensed Heath’s presence closer than before.
“No doubt about it, Heathy’s at the top!”
“Okay.” Cliff nodded to Erie. They started their ascent up the staircase with Gandolf taking the lead. Once they made it about halfway up the stairs, they stopped. Mysterious figures blocked their path up.
“I hadn’t expected you to make it this far.”
Kiriko stepped from the shadows into the lamplight, accompanied by Legion. She looked down on them from twenty steps above.
“It appears the Golem you call Gandolf is special after all… However, I won’t let you keep getting away with things.”
Heeding Kiriko’s voice, the six members of Legion began racing down the staircase in groups.
“Wh-What the heck are these things?!” Cliff raised his voice in shock.
Erie whispered, “Be careful. That lady is controlling all these small Golems.”
“She’s Tamed this many by herself…?!” Cliff groaned.
Kiriko’s lips turned up in a faint smile. “Go, Legion! Get the intruders!” she commanded in a booming voice.
Legion jumped down the steps at them as one body.
“G-Gandolf! Don’t let any through!”
Gandolf swung his fist, intercepting the members of Legion as they dove from the stairs. But as strong as he was, holding back the six Golems of Legion was impossible.
“3rd, suppress the girl!”
3rd used the staircase railing as a springboard to dive at Erie.
“Eeeek!” Erie yelped
“Watch out!” Cliff shouted. Gandolf simultaneously knocked the Legion member away with a backfist blow. 3rd fell through the stairwell.
“Hmph. You have some skill. I’ll give you that much…” Kiriko acknowledged. “How will you handle this then?”
Two more Legion numbers jumped down from the spiral staircase. The sound of them landing on the bottom floor echoed up the mostly empty tower.
Suspicious of what Kiriko was planning, Erie looked down the stairs. To her horror, she saw the three fallen members of Legion racing up the staircase toward them.
“I-It’s a pincer attack!” she stuttered, panicking.
Kiriko leaned against the railing and swept her gaze across the entire tower. “Now then, how long will you last?”
The members of Legion left above them recommenced their attack. Gandolf tried to fight back, but his hands hurtled through the air without making contact. The narrow steps threw off his balance, rendering him unable to draw out his full potential.
Meanwhile, Legion’s many bodies executed precise, synchronized attacks from above by maneuvering along the railing or crawling down the stairs. Their claws tore several deep cuts in Gandolf’s forehead, pushing him back.
Worst yet, the rest of Legion had nearly caught up from behind. It’d be the end for Erie and Cliff if the bottom half reached them.
“Damn it! This is the absolute worst! She’s got way too much of an advantage over us!” Cliff yelled.
He was right. The basics of battle stated that the person with the higher ground always had an advantage, and Gandolf’s gigantic body made it difficult for him to quickly navigate the spiral staircase.
“Cliff, why not target the woman instead?!” Erie proposed, glaring at the woman sneering at them from the safety of her higher ground.
“I can’t because of Gandolf’s Restrictor! Besides…” Cliff trailed off.
Besides what? Erie thought to ask, but she became cognizant of the answer herself. I’m in his way…!
If Cliff was alone, Gandolf could focus on protecting him and exchanging blows with Legion. As it was, they were asking for the impossible: there was no way he could protect them both while taking on all six members of Legion at the same time.
The moment Erie realized that fact, one of Legion slipped past Gandolf’s flank and lunged at them.
“RAAAH!” In a last-ditch move, Cliff shoved it against the wall and held fast. Each member of Legion was no bigger than eighty centimeters, but they were still more powerful than Cliff. It struggled, slicing Cliff’s cheek with its sharp claws.
“Give it up, boy.” Kiriko’s cold voice rained down on them. “Legion will have no difficulty mangling you if I let it.” Fear flashed across Cliff’s face. Footsteps were closing in from behind. It wouldn’t be long before the final three members of Legion did them in from behind.
Our back’s against the wall, and the wall has claws! The second she thought that, she struck upon an idea. An idea that could overturn their dire situation. It was extremely dangerous and a risky bet, but no other means were left to them.
Erie steeled her resolve and whispered in Cliff’s ear, “Cliff, I need a favor.”
“What is it?”
“Have Gandolf… me…” She explained her plan to Cliff in hushed whispers so Kiriko couldn’t overhear. His eyes went round.
“Are you serious, Erie?! That’s way too dangerous!”
“Do you have any better ideas?”
Hesitation flickered across Cliff’s face. She didn’t blame him. Her plan was far from strategic. Still, she wasn’t going to back down from it.
Cliff had detoured from his primary objective to come to this bell tower for Erie’s sake.
It’s my fault we’ve been caught in this scrape! That’s why…
“Please, Cliff. Let me fight my way too…!”
She convinced Cliff to take the plunge with her. “Brace yourself…” he said softly.
She gave him a firm nod in return.
The pitter-patter of Legion’s many feet had arrived just behind them. Using that as the trigger, Cliff ordered, “Gandolf…THROW ERIE!”
Gandolf grabbed Erie’s torso with both hands. Her heart squeezed in her chest in anticipation of the fear that was about to hit her.
“…Excuse me?” Kiriko’s perplexed voice fell on them from above. Gandolf ignored her, drew Erie back in his hand like he was about pitch a baseball, and threw her toward the highest landing platform on the spiral staircase.
“EEYAAAAAAAAAAH!”
She had braced herself for it, but actually being hurled through the air brought bone-numbing fear spiking through her body. Steeling herself against the panic bubbling in her stomach, Erie locked her eyes on the platform above.
Thankfully, Gandolf had thrown Erie almost perfectly to the top of the spiral staircase. Just, the distance was a tad short.
“NOOOOOOO!” Erie thrust out her arms in a desperate bid to cling on. One of her hands caught the railing, and she barely managed to hang on with that one hand. In that same instant, she felt a surge of unknown power within. Her delicate arm hauled her entire body up and over the railing.
Is this what they call near-death hysterical strength?!
Erie wanted to admire her impressive feat of strength, but she didn’t have a second to spare for doing so.
“Wh-What are you trying to do?!” Kiriko charged up the stairs like a bull after a red flag. Erie burst into a run for the top. The staircase quickly ended at a door.
Heathy is behind this door!
Erie dove to the door and wrenched the doorknob to the side. The knob wouldn’t turn.
Kiriko’s voice rose behind her. “Obviously, I locked the door.”
Erie whirled around and saw Kiriko pointing the tranquilizer gun at her. Overwhelmed, she took a step back. She retreated back as far as she could, so that her back was pressed against the door.
“This is as far as you go, Erie Reyer. Surrender peacefully.”
“But what will happen to Heathy if I’m caught?”
“We will dispose of him without hesitation,” Kiriko cruelly announced.
Erie answered her callousness with unwavering determination. “I see. In that case, I won’t be letting you catch me.” The muscles in Kiriko’s face stiffened.
Erie felt the cut link reconnect.
She smirked. “If only the belfry was a tad bigger for you… My Restrictor reactivates as long as I come within five meters of him…even if there’s a thick door in the way!”
Kiriko’s eyes flew open in surprise. The doorknob behind Erie loudly shattered to pieces.
“Heathy, defeat her!”
The door opened, and Heath burst into the tower.
“…!”
Kiriko fired the tranquilizer gun at Erie. But Heath stopped the bullet with his hand and brought his other down on her neck like a sword.
“UGAH!”
Kiriko collapsed on the ground with that single strike. Heath caught her before she rolled down the stairs and leaned her against the wall.
“C-Come back here…!” she weakly protested.
Heath held Erie in his right arm and returned to Cliff and Gandolf without heeding Kiriko’s calls to stop.
“Cliff, now!”
Cliff nodded, and Gandolf swept away the swarming Legion with his right arm. Heath picked up Cliff with his left arm and jumped down the stairwell with Gandolf. Gandolf landed on the bottom floor of the tower with a bang, while Heath landed lightly on his soles. Erie and Cliff set their feet on the ground, freeing Heath’s arms.
“Thank you, Heathy…” Erie said, pulling out a hidden object from under her shirt. It was the butcher’s knife she had stored away carefully wrapped in a cloth. Heath took it and gripped the hilt.
Now we’re ready! I’ll never be separated from him again!
“Let’s go!” Erie said, her resolution clear.
Cliff nodded and took off running with her. They heard Kiriko shrieking down at them as they slipped out the tower door.
***
Ouka
THE closer they drew to the Great Bell Tower, the more broken and destroyed Golems they found littering the corridor.
Ouka spoke to Lovel behind him, noting the aftermath, “Now this is something! Looks like your guess was right on the mark.”
“Yeah. Cliff and the others have passed through here already.”
But the current Rabbis couldn’t even slow them down. Ouka hurried toward their destination, his disappointment in the Church’s steady decline growing stronger.
They finally exited into the courtyard containing the bell tower after traversing several long corridors. Ouka heard the tail end of Kiriko’s earsplitting shriek.
“HURRY, DRAM!”
Dram galloped toward the bell tower. Four figures stormed out of the door right when Dram tried to duck inside.
“Whoa!”
Ouka brought Dram to a stop at the last second before collision. The figures he saw racing out the door skidded to a halt in front of him too. Erie, Heath, Gandolf, and Cliff blinked at Ouka and Lovel.
“HEY…!” Cliff shouted.
“Lovel?!” Erie exclaimed. Lovel wordlessly slid off Dram’s back.
“Lovel…!” Cliff repeated her name with pure joy. She ran over to him, grabbed his shoulders, and then plunged into a scolding.
“You stupid dork! Why’d you come?! Making the Church your enemy means losing your chance at a peaceful life, not to mention crawling your way to the top!” Her voice shook.
Cliff smiled at her. “I’ve already got their target on my back. So that ship’s sailed.”
“Don’t just give up and abandon yourself to recklessness. Don’t you have a bright future ahead of you?”
“You’ve got one too. I’ve come to save your future for you.”
Lovel fell silent for a brief moment before a gentle smile emerged on her face. “Don’t you go talking like a big-shot when you’re still just a kid…”
“You’re just as much of a kid as I am, Lovel.”
They laughed at each other. Erie warmly watched over them.
But Ouka went and cut the heartfelt moment short. “Okay, kiddos, now ain’t the time for a heartwarming reunion, don’t ya think?”
Ouka’s statement brought them back to the situation at hand. Cliff peered at the bell tower over his shoulder. “Y-You’re right! Miss Kiriko is hot on our tail!”
“Really? …She’ll be coming here?” Ouka ruminated over the opportunity and dismounted Dram.
“Ouka, what are you planning?” Lovel asked him.
“You kiddies get outta here. I’ll stay behind.”
Erie raised her voice in surprise. “Ouka, you’ll be caught if you stay!”
“I’ve got reason enough for seein’ her to risk it.” He noticed numerous shadows crawling around inside the bell tower as he spoke. “See? The scary lady’s come for you. You kids better hurry if you don’t want a spanking.”
The kids nodded at his second warning and made a break for it. Ouka didn’t move his eyes from the door. It wasn’t long before Kiriko appeared with Legion.
“Yo, Kiriko.”
Kiriko returned his casual greeting with a stern death glare. “Out of my way, Ouka.”
“Now, just hold your pretty horses. I’ve got something to discuss with you.”
“And I have nothing to discuss with you. I shall save arresting you for later, so move aside and let me get those children first.”
“Do it after you hear me out.”
Legion surrounded Ouka. But he kept his eyes trained on Kiriko.
“Must I have you mangled to get the point across? Shut up and get out of my way, Ouka.”
“Drop the threats and hear me out! You’ve made a huge mistake!”
“What mistake?”
“Those kids aren’t who you need to go after! Our enemy is elsewhere!”
“Our…? OUR? You and I are of a completely different breed! There is no us or our!” The look in her eyes and the tone of her voice had dramatically switched. “You are an Illegal Golem Artificer, and I am a Rabba! Have you forgotten?! And my duty is to prevent those cubes and Sephiroth from ever stepping foot into the world!”
The sadness in her eyes felt deeper than the anger to Ouka. Pinning him with those eyes, she said, “You, of all people, should understand. This is about the only thing I can do for Alita…”
“Alita’s enemy is who I need to talk to you about! Just give me a second of your time and look at this file!” Ouka yelled, reaching his hand into his shirt for the file. When he did, Legion attacked him as one. They punched him with their fists instead of gouging him with claws. “Agh!”
Twelve tiny fists pounded him like the sea’s raging waves against a rocky shoreline. Ouka took the punches to every part of his body and buckled over. And that was when other Rabbis rushed into the courtyard.
Kiriko walked away, issuing orders to her subordinates on the way out. “This man is one of the intruders. Please apprehend him.”
“Wait, Kiriko! PLEASE WAIT!”
No matter how desperately he called for her, Kiriko didn’t turn around. Ouka ground his teeth and faced the incoming Rabbis.
“I can’t let myself get caught now…!” He staggered to his feet and gripped his quarterstaff.
***
Cliff
THEIR sheer strength blew every enemy away in overwhelming victory. A single straight punch from Gandolf smashed the forehead of a Copper Golem that blocked their passage through the winding corridors. A troop of Wood Golems swarmed in from behind the fallen Copper Golem, but with the gleam of Heath’s knife, their foreheads were sliced through one after another.
Their “e” destroyed, the Wood Golems crumbled away in concert. Heath slammed into the Rabbis who tried to flee, knocking them unconscious. Just two Golems were taking down each and every wave of enemies.
It’s scary, even though they’re on our side! Cliff swallowed hard in the face of their immense fighting capabilities. The corridors they passed through had mountains of wrecked Golems piled high, as if a tornado had blown through instead of three kids and two Golems.
“We can do this! Let’s keep this pace going and escape!” Lovel cheered as she ran.
Cliff nodded and looked to Erie. “Erie, is Boulder still alive?”
“I’m sorry, our link is too weak to tell,” she answered apologetically.
If Boulder was still functioning and they managed to regroup with him, they would really have nothing to fear. It was worth checking the chapel. As they came to that conclusion, they saw a massive destroyed door ahead. Beyond it laid an awe-inspiring, massive chamber Cliff once saw in passing.
“That’s the chapel!”
The desolated chapel looked like it had been through a hurricane before they arrived. No Rabbis were around. Had they given up because they were unable to take on Boulder? Whatever the case, the main gate would be just ahead once they passed through the chamber. Reassured that escape lay just a room away, Cliff and the others began to traverse the chapel—only to abruptly skid to a stop.
Before they finished stepping foot into the chamber, they spotted Boulder, smashed to pieces in a corner. Shudders shot down Cliff’s spine. His instincts screamed at him in warning. The person who defeated Boulder was still here. Somebody dreadfully strong was waiting for them!
“R-RUN!”
The group spun around and fled. But they heard a click behind them before they got very far. Cliff found the tight, dry sound unfamiliar. It didn’t sound like a normal Golem’s footsteps.
The presence that caused him to shake with dread approached them from behind. Cliff realized the true source of his fear—it was the same type of bloodlust Jair exuded.
Cliff forced his scared-stiff legs to move and bolted. The crack of a gunshot rang behind him the moment he did.
“…!”
The kids instinctively stopped and turned around. Thin gunpowder smoke curled into the air by the chapel entrance. A man and something appeared from the entrance with clicking footsteps.
Lovel saw him and bitterly spat, “Spinoza…!”
“I’ve finally found you, naughty children.”
Something atrocious and eerily terrifying stood beside the man named Spinoza. A deathly white, sinister symbol of death—a skeleton. With a beige mantle tossed over its bare bone body, it looked just like the Grim Reaper. The letters spelling emeth engraved its forehead underneath a wide-brimmed hat. Four arms jutted out from the mantle, each armed with gleaming black revolvers.
Cliff cried out in a hoarse voice at the sight of the four-armed Grim Reaper. “Wh-What the heck is that?!”
“It’s a Bone Golem for trial military use, called Heaven’s Gunner. He’s Torah Church’s guardian,” Spinoza answered with a grin.
“Are you serious?! I thought creating Bone Golems was banned ages ago?!” Cliff retorted.
“We both have banned Golems at our disposal. Besides, this guy’s Restrictor makes it so that he can never leave Torah Church’s premises. You don’t really have the right to complain.”
“…!” Cliff groaned.
“Okay then, time for you to toss in the towel and give yourselves up. His guns are loaded with high-speed armor-piercing bullets. It’ll open up some big holes, even in a Metal Golem.”
Cliff swallowed the lump forming in the back of his throat. Heaven’s Gunner’s four guns were each aimed at Gandolf, Heath, Lovel, and Cliff. They were about fifteen meters away from him.
Cliff could send Gandolf after them accounting for the possible damage, but he’d likely be shot first as the Tamer. No one could make a move, but…wait, Erie alone didn’t have a gun trained on her. The moment Cliff realized that, she had already broken off in a run for Spinoza.
“YAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
“Tch!”
Heaven’s Gunner turned one gun toward Erie. Heath took the opening to throw his knife. All four of Heaven’s Gunner’s guns intercepted the flying butcher’s knife by firing at it. The precise shots ricocheted off the knife, sending it spinning in the opposite direction. But the knife had attracted every gun in that second, and the kids didn’t let the opportunity escape them.
“GANDOLF!”
“HEATHY!”
Gandolf and Heath moved at the sound of their voices. Gandolf rammed the corridor wall to create an escape and Heath leapt through the air and caught his knife.
Heaven’s Gunner’s revolvers trained on Heath. He kicked off the wall and changed directions in his jump. Scores of bullets ripped holes open in the area that Heath had sprung off of. Heath then kicked off the opposite wall, creating a zigzag course until he arrived in front of Heaven’s Gunner.
“Now, HEATHY!”
Heath relentlessly swung his knife as he landed. His swings truly seemed to cut at the speed of light.
But Heaven’s Gunner moved at a speed beyond that. Dodging a slash, he aimed his guns and shot as soon as his guns were at the right angle. The sound of four gunshots cracked in the air, hailing bullets on Heath and tearing holes through him like a beehive.
Heath stumbled back a few steps and bumped against Erie behind him.
“…!” Erie moaned as she crouched on the ground. Blood spilled from her leg. A stray bullet had hit her.
During the altercation, Gandolf had slammed several more times into the wall, causing it to crumble away and create a gaping hole. Gandolf dove outside, and Cliff and Lovel ran close behind him.
“Erie!” Cliff shouted as he ran. But Erie must have figured she wouldn’t make it in time, because Heath whirled around, picked her up, and ran elsewhere with his back turned to Spinoza. “Erie! Wait!”
Cliff’s calls did no good as Heath disappeared down the corridor.
Lovel sternly raised her voice, “Let’s go, Cliff! I’m sure she will be okay!”
“But!”
“Why do you think Erie ran in the opposite direction?! It’s obviously a plan to throw off the enemy by splitting into two groups!”
Heaven’s Gunner turned two of his revolvers at them through the window. Necessity forced Cliff to reluctantly dart around in front of Gandolf and run for it.
Bullets cracked into the air and ricocheted off his Golem’s metal back. Gandolf had become their bulletproof wall.
“Lovel, this way!”
Cliff ran, pushing down the fear coiling inside him like a venomous snake. He headed straight for the hole in the fence they had created when they first invaded the Church. They circled around to the back of the Church, and he spotted the hole. With gunshots firing behind him, Cliff dove and rolled through the opening. Spinoza did say that Heaven’s Gunner’s Restrictor stopped the Golem from leaving the Church’s premises. Now they didn’t have to worry about being pursued.
“Yes! Now we just have to make our escape to Chest Island, and we’re good!”
Cliff and Lovel nodded to each other and sprinted in the direction of Neck Bridge. They raced along the side of the fence until the bridge came into view.
They spotted someone running across the bridge with their back full of bullet wounds. Heath, carrying Erie, sped toward the checkpoint the Rabbis had reformed once again. By the look of it, they had successfully escaped the Church.
“Erie!” Lovel’s shout didn’t seem to reach her. Heath didn’t stop running.
The Rabbis forming the checkpoint braced themselves for a fight. Without changing directions, Heath leapt. He flew right over their heads with Erie in his arms. Landing safely on the other side of the checkpoint, he ran off toward Chest Island.
“Let’s follow them!”
Cliff and Lovel followed after them to the bridge, and the Rabbis blocked the way. They had given up on pursuing Heath and decided to focus their efforts on capturing Cliff and Lovel instead.
Three Iron Golems barred their path on top of the bridge. A Tamer bellowed, “We won’t let you intruders go!”
They were facing three Rabbis and three Golems. Cliff ground his teeth. We don’t have the time to fight them. Is there any way to break through their ranks fast?
Gandolf charged into action before Cliff finished coming up with a plan.
“Gandolf?!”
Gandolf grabbed one of the Golems without listening to Cliff and lifted it into the air with ease.
“What the?!”
The Rabbis inhaled sharply at what they saw. Gandolf lobbed the Golem at another. The two Golems collided, emitted a sound akin to a cracked bell, and fell over. Gandolf rushed in and kicked a fallen Golem’s head. The iron head ripped off from its neck and soared. It splashed into the sea far from the bridge.
Gandolf turned to the second Golem with raised fists and brought them down on its forehead. Not only did the letters peel off from that single slam, but the entire head ruptured.
A two-hit finish—Gandolf had laid waste to two Golems with just two attacks. Cliff shuddered; his Golem fought as fierce as a war god.
He ain’t just strong! I couldn’t have asked for a more reliable combat buddy! But—
“Eeep!” One of the Rabbi’s squeaked in fear and turned the tranquilizer gun on Cliff. Lovel whacked him with a flying kick faster than he could pull the trigger.
“You little rat!” Another Rabbi raised his quarterstaff and swung it down on Lovel. She pulled off a reverse roundhouse kick, knocking him out.
The bridge barely had any enemies left standing, aside from one Rabbi and his Golem. Gandolf flew at the last Golem without waiting for Cliff’s orders. He pulled back his iron fist, then shot it forward. The Iron Golem’s arm broke on contact, and it rolled backward, crashing on the ground. Gandolf straddled the fallen Golem and pummeled it with incessant punches. Over and over again, he slammed his fists into it, deliberate and relentless.
The Iron Golem had already lost its arms and face. Gandolf picked up the torso and tossed it from the bridge into the sea. A splash came a second later, followed by a huge pillar of water.
“G-Go AWAY!” The remaining Rabbi screamed and fled.
The bridge was free of enemies now. Only Lovel, Cliff, and Gandolf remained.
“Gandolf…?” Cliff gingerly called out. Gandolf quietly turned around and slowly plodded toward him.
Thank goodness. He seems okay… Cliff tried to pat his reliable ally on the arm.
But Gandolf walked right past him—and didn’t stop.
Cliff turned to see where he was headed and spotted Kiriko with Legion on Head Island’s side of the bridge. They had come in pursuit of Cliff and the others.
“…I can’t believe you were capable of doing this much damage in such a short amount of time.” Kiriko stood her ground and glared at the incoming Gandolf. “The events of today are almost as bad as the Grinzam Disaster. What in the world is that Golem?”
No one answered her question—they had no explanation for Gandolf’s Herculean strength that had far eclipsed the Church’s Golems.
Gandolf suddenly broke into a monstrous run. Kiriko scowled and yelled, “LEGION! Pulverize that Illegal Golem!” Obeying her command, Legion moved as one.
Cliff gasped. Five of Legion lunged at Gandolf, while the last member charged Cliff.
“Watch out, Cliff!” Lovel promptly unleashed a hook kick to Legion’s side. It fell over but immediately sprung to its feet and attacked her. She frantically kicked it back while shouting, “Cliff! I’ll take this one out! You take care of Gandolf!”
“O-Okay!” he answered, even though he was worried about Lovel. He released the tension from his mind and endeavored to calmly analyze the situation.
Five of Legion were attacking Gandolf. Every movement was synchronized and deliberate, like an elite squad.
Calm down! See through to the weakness in their movements! As talented of a Golem Tamer Kiriko was, it had to be near impossible for her to accurately maintain control over six Golems at once. They had to have a weakness somewhere.
After observing the battle for a short while, Cliff realized something new. Carefully studying the separate members of Legion up close made it seem like they all moved with the same precision, but they absolutely did not. Some of the members clearly moved clumsily.
The most awkward member had to be the last one she commanded! In other words, that was Legion’s weakness!
“Gandolf! Crush the one below your right foot!” Cliff shouted. Gandolf caught hold of the Legion member coiled around his right leg and slammed it against the ground. In less time than the span of a single breath, he crushed it underfoot. Another member of Legion lunged at his back, but he destroyed it with a backhand punch.
Four members remained, but decreasing their numbers only increased their efficiency. Basically, the more Gandolf took out, the more powerful the survivors became as their link to Kiriko strengthened.
Damn it! They’re too freakin’ well made! Cliff gnawed at his lower lip in frustration, but Gandolf blocked a hit from one of Legion’s claws regardless and snapped its neck.
Three to go. No sooner did the thought cross Cliff’s mind than the Legion Lovel was kick-fighting with sprung at him. With no time to dodge, its claws locked around Cliff’s windpipe.
CRAP! Cliff thought as Kiriko’s angry voice barked at him in the distance.
“Boy, I am dead serious this time! Stop your Golem if you don’t want your neck slit!”
This is really bad! It doesn’t matter how strong Gandolf is if his Tamer is taken hostage! Or so Cliff thought, but Gandolf didn’t stop his rampage. He crushed the head of the Legion who leapt at him with his hand and chucked the corpse at Kiriko.
“Aah!” Kiriko jumped out of the way, temporarily bringing the movements of the final two members of Legion to a halt.
“NOW!” Lovel picked up a quarterstaff from the ground and batted the Legion off Cliff’s throat with it. As she scraped the letters off its forehead, Gandolf pummeled the last Legion member with a powerful punch.
And thus, every enemy had been defeated. Gandolf stood as still as a statue on top of the bridge piled high with the remains of his enemies.
No, one more enemy remained.
Gandolf slowly turned toward his last opponent. Captured in his killer glare, Kiriko cried out in a quivering voice, “You…You accursed Illegal GOLEM TRAAAAASHH!”
She shot the tranquilizer gun at Gandolf. The bullets that struck him in the shoulder naturally had no effect. Gandolf strode straight toward Kiriko.
“That’s enough, Gandolf! Let’s go after Erie!” Gandolf didn’t look back even when Cliff called for him. “Gandolf…?!”
His brisk pace didn’t falter. Lovel watched him and gasped. “…Look out!” she shouted, just as Gandolf’s walk switched into a full-stride sprint.
Gandolf ran the twenty meters to Kiriko with heavy, thudding steps. Paralyzed with fear, Kiriko’s feet rooted to the ground. Farther behind Kiriko, another set of pounding footsteps rose from the direction of the Church. Dram zoomed with mad speed toward her.
Ouka yelled from Dram’s back, “KIRIKOOOOOOO!”
But she didn’t seem to hear him. She remained frozen, as if struck by lightning. Gandolf raised his iron fists above Kiriko.
“DON’T!” Cliff screamed. Gandolf brought his fists down on the unmoving Kiriko—but Dram rammed into him a split-second faster. Gandolf staggered but caught his balance. A hoarse voice ripped from Cliff’s throat. “HOW?! Gandolf’s Restrictor…!”
Gandolf’s Restrictor prevented him from harming people. That’s what it should have done. Cliff watched on in horror, wishing that what he was witnessing wasn’t real. Gandolf slowly turned toward him.
Red light flashed before Cliff’s eyes.
The emeth on Gandolf’s forehead flared with red light like it was on fire. The burning light spread through him, bringing the concealed Engrave Incantations to the surface of his body.
Gandolf’s entire body was dyed in crimson Engrave Incantations.
“He’s gone berserk…” Lovel’s quiet words sounded like they came from kilometers away.
