Versatile: Alternate World



Manato has collapsed, the skeletons have disappeared and everyone else is exhausted to the point that everyone can no longer fight. It's also a rare chance that Lucia and the wolves are the only Followers that Manato has at the moment since Atlas and the others are currently in the mansion.

Atlas is helping Manato's father, Gobu is currently with his family and spending family time with his wife and kids, Lina helping out with Manato's mother in the kitchen, and Cotton and Tina currently training to enhance their mastery of magic spells that they can use, and both Manato's pets are currently staying in the care of Pandora who is also training her two pet snakes to be as docile and obedient as Manato's pets so its pretty natural that he didn't have the chance to even ask for their help.

The wolves are assigned to the village to defend it in case things get bad while they are out and they act as insurance, leaving only Lucia as a combatant that Manato can ask for help.

"Now that we are done, I didn't expect to feel a little light-headed and pained in the head. Is this perhaps the side effect of being bitten?" Riko asked as she slumped to the ground while holding her head.

"Are you in great pain right now?" Rika asked, trying to assess if Riko was in danger.

"I don't know. My head hurts a bit plus I feel my body is also in pain, I can't tell whether that mark from before is still affecting me."

Lucia then approached them and shook her head as she carried Manato to the side and lay him down.

"You are safe, Riko-san. You shouldn't be worried about your headache since it seems like it is just due to fatigue that you are feeling that way. I don't sense any of that monster's residual power left on you."

Riko's eyes then landed on Lucia's missing arm. "But what about you Lucia? Are you alright? Your whole arm has been cut off, are you okay now?"

"Haha, no need to worry about me. I am a demon and I have a much stronger physique than humans. Besides, I still have my arm and it does not affect me too much in my movements aside from I have fewer hands but it's fine really."

"Perhaps Almira can help with making a new arm for you. If she can make legs for the mansion, then there is also a chance that she can make a prosthetic arm for you."

Lucia only smiled but she didn't say anything else.

"How about Manato? Is he fine? He collapsed after his sword devoured the boss," Riko turned to look at Manato who was unconscious.

"He is fine. I checked and he was still breathing. He just collapsed from exhaustion or perhaps due to the backlash from devouring a boss. You know how he is quite connected to his weapon. Perhaps it is a consequence for devouring such a monster," Rika guessed.

"We should go back to the village and ask Ragga-san to allow us to rest there for a while. I don't think we can let everyone get tired for long."

Zena who was also on standby helped out by carrying Manato on her back while the rest was going to move out of there when Lucia felt something.

"Wait... there's something else out here!" Lucia puts up her guard and readies herself for any potential enemies.

"What's going on Lucia?" Everyone else is also on guard.

"I felt the presence of the boss just now!" Lucia looked around but couldn't see anything that was suspicious.

"What? Are you sure about it, Lucia?!" Rika asked.

"I am not mistaking it. It's definitely the power of that monster before. It's a bit faint but since I am sensitive to demonic powers, even if this is pretty much too light and undetectable in normal circumstances, this is not something that would escape my sights."

Lucia returns to the area and readies herself. The others were also about to follow but Lucia stopped them.

"Stand back girls, I don't know what is happening and why I detected that aura but I can't afford you all to fall in trouble. Be ready to run if things go wrong."

"No way we will leave you behind, Lucia!" Riko adamantly declared.

"What she said. Don't just do this alone, despite being tired, we are still capable of fighting. If that monster is still alive even after Manato had it devoured, then we have to solve this problem ourselves.

While they were discussing things, a black mass of aura appeared, crawling on the ground. Lucia immediately noticed it and she didn't hesitate and fired some flames to the remnant. But she underestimated it and thought it wouldn't move fast. She was wrong.

The moment she fired fireballs at the remnant, it started jumping around, like some sort of slime that is very agile. It jumped around a few times and Lucia continued to fire on it. The others also came along and saw what was Lucia shooting.

Before they could help out and shoot, the remnant leaped into the air, straight to Lucia. Lucia wasn't expecting it and tried to block it with her body but before she could even block it, the black mass of aura and some sort of flesh suddenly gripped her remaining arm and tried to attach itself to her arm.

"Lucia!" Riko and Rika immediately helped out to remove the thing. Even Zena decided to put down Manato to also help out but when they tried to touch it, a piercing hot sensation traveled to their arms and they screamed in pain as the pain totally stung even them.

Zena is now hesitant to touch it as well but when she decided to touch it, Lucia stopped her.

"N-NO! D- DON'T TOUCH IT! GAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Lucia screamed in pain as the remnant slowly settled to her arm and seemingly attached itself to her. Lucia continues to scream even after the remnant has settled in her hands. Turns out, things are not yet done and it was just about to begin.

Lucia bit her lower lip as she tried to silence herself and endure the pain while she grabbed the remnant in her hands. She could feel the pain in her other hand but she didn't care and tried to pull it out of her hands. But the more she tried to pull, the more painful it got, and not only that but it is getting harder and harder to pull out as well.

Zena was trying to help but Lucia just turned her away and tried her best to pull it out but after a while, she stopped as tears flowed down her eyes and blood already flowed on her lower lip as she kept on biting it to endure the pain.

"Zena! Here, grab the potions in the bag! Pour them on Lucia since they are splash potions!" Rika tossed a bag full of potions. 

Not hesitating at all, Zena grabbed the bag took the potion from the bag, and pulled out the cap.

"Lucia-san, this might hurt a lot."

Lucia didn't respond but she clearly braced herself as she shuts her eyes.

When the potion landed on her arm with the black mass of matter, Lucia convulsed and her scream could no longer be endured as she screamed in pain. But a few seconds later, Lucia collapsed on the sand and she stopped screaming. As for the thing that attached to her arm, it stopped moving and it looked like an extension of Lucia's severed arm with only the difference being it's a pitch-black thing with some black wavy aura.

"LUCIA!" Riko and Rika rush to Lucia who is unconscious as well and they look at Zena who then explains the things that happened.

Although reluctant at first, Riko who was more adventurous than Rika tried to touch the black mass on Lucia's arm. She already braced herself but she was surprised when nothing happened and she didn't feel the pain she thought would suddenly come.

"Ah, I can now touch it..." Riko frowned and looked at it.

"Wah? Wait, I am quite sure we were hurt touching it before..."

Riko immediately snapped out of it. "Ah, this is enough, let's go back to the village and bring them back to safety. We don't know what this thing is but we can't remove it. Perhaps we can ask Ragga and the others about this matter. Let's go back and let them rest in a proper bed."

"Are you sure? This thing that is attached to Lucia might be the remnant of that monster earlier you know? What if it suddenly detached itself once we are in the camp and it will suddenly wreak havoc? Wouldn't this become a problem?"

"Don't worry. If that really happens, we will just have to beat it up again. Right now, the safety of both Manato and Lucia is needed. Let's go back."