Indeed, the purpose of Stylla for the Full Deck BoneTender, had been to use her to get acquainted with Aigas so that he could easily find the source of what made it a Rich World. Enthralling her with his ability served to ensure that Stylla wouldn't resist and would accompany the Null Devil King on his quest.
Of course, a few minutes ago, the Null Devil King had been led to believe that he had found what he was looking for, only to discover that he had been tricked and that it was all a ruse.
The thought of this filled the BoneTender with rage, but he wasn't done yet.
He had panicked when he realized that Stylla had been smitten unconscious.
Other than scouring Edagon inch by inch, she was his only ticket to find the true worth of Aigas.
Sause, Yuyui, Benzard, Aurolio…
All these others wouldn't work.
They all recognized him as an enemy and did not have even a semblance of an opening for the BoneTender to use to trick them with his innate powers.
As Stylla's eyes opened wide, the BoneTender bellowed as loud as he could:
"CO TO !"
At once, the awakened Stylla stord his way, her wings livid with crackling Nitros!
She was by his side a mont later, her eyes brimming with life.
Yuyui's face fell upon seeing this.
She had a terrible feeling about what was about to happen, and she was right in thinking so.
Benzard by her side didn't hesitate. He expelled his Nitros in order to manifest his Territory.
The BoneTender didn't make any moves to flee or disrupt him. He was quickly ensnared in the gathering Nitros, and soon, an Imaginary GeoScape began to form around everyone who was near Benzard.
Still, the BoneTender was unfazed. His long arm whizzed towards Stylla and gripped her body tight.
Naturally, she didn't resist.
The BoneTender was about to do sothing unlike anything he had ever done.
The Null Terror's abilities revolved around granting the desires of others through a deck of seventy-two cards that he stored within his body. Each card held a fate – a power to change whoever gained it – but it was usually rather twisted and undesirable. By asking two cryptic questions, the BoneTender could incite his victims into selecting a fate for themselves, but he had trump cards of his – four cards that balanced out his powers which hardly gave him any direct benefit.
Of them four, was one called the Royal Ace, a card that allowed the BoneTender to manipulate the desire of another to suit his own needs. At least, it had the highest chance to do so.
The BoneTender had used this card to bring the Null Devil King into Aigas, but he hadn't used it again since. His desire to find the source of Aigas' value was much too broad to exploit through the desires of another. After all, desires were too many and too varied. It would take luck to find soone with a desire closest to what he wanted.
(A/N: Refer to Ch.650&651).
However, the BoneTender thought to use the Royal Ace on himself and attempt to bring out his own desire!
Of course, if it was that simple for him to grant his own wishes, the BoneTender would have been able to leave the Null Verse anyti he pleased.
And thus, he had another strategy planned.
While Stylla was in his grip, he felt the pulsing of her soul and her flesh.
She was from Aigas and she was deeply rooted in his command.
Even though it was a long shot, the BoneTender thought to use her in order to source out the deepest depth of Aigas. The three Deities created Stylla's soul and body. The BoneTender could use whatever traces of them within her very existence to find where the depths of their power was strongest here on Edagon!
That… that would have to be what he was looking for!
The Null Terror had had, at the back of his mind, a thought to use Jerthrax, but since it was hard to defeat him, he had given up. He hadn't thought it would be too hard to find what made Aigas Rich upon reaching Edagon then.
'That's right! I haven't failed yet! I will not let Caxellac ruin everything! I will find the precious nature of this world and lay it at Serenity's feet! Then she will have no choice but to look in the eye and see my worth!' the BoneTender convinced himself.
Indeed.
Then Serenity would have no choice.
Thus, he pulled out the Royal Ace – a card with the depiction of a complex, glinting symbol that seed to embody boundlessness – and he gazed upon it.
"Do I wish to gamble on it?" he cried, "Glorious empty bliss that may last for all undone ti?"
The mont Yuyui heard those words, she turned deathly pale.
"NO!!!" she scread.
She had heard this before.
She had been there in the Belvion Union when the BoneTender decimated a city simply by asking the common civilians their desires.
She had seen how so of them had gained great powers, others great misfortune.
What would the BoneTender gain?
What would beco of Stylla?
Recalling just how important Stylla was to Replicus, Yuyui jolted into reckless action.
Strings of red lightning coiled around everywhere within the Territory as it ford, like a net, yet Yuyui surged ahead at top speed, much to Benzard's surprise.
As the owner of the Territory, he could ward away its effect to render all mana useless from allies, and thus, upon seeing Yuyui driven by sothing a lot more profound than desperation, he only hoped she had a plan.
But Yuyui did not have a plan.
The Royal Ace shone like the sun while in the BoneTender's hands and he declared his desires, hoping against hope that he, a creature Flawed with endless desire would get what he wanted most.
Stylla's body was engulfed in a grim, faint glow, and she suddenly let out a howl of agony, her face contorting like paper.
…!!!
Yuyui grit her teeth.
What was she to do?
How could she stop this?
It was only when Stylla's body started to twist and jerk, breaking down like sand and then into what must have been its most primal form before the powers of the Deities gave it an individualistic shape, that Yuyui was blasted with inspiration.
Her Eye of Moving on her palm, she pointed it at Stylla and drew a deep breath.
…
Suddenly, it was as though the li-haired girl was sucked into a terribly violent tornado. She felt herself moving at an atrocious speed towards a distant, bright sothing, and then a second later, her montum died down.
Breathing heavily, Yuyui looked around and was stunned by what she saw.
She was in a large, luxurious hallway where countless people with a fixed number of faces passed her, so going ahead of her to one end of the hallway and others moving behind her.
Yuyui recognized so of their faces.
So of them were Stylla's little sister, Terese, and others were her brother, Setkh. The rest had to be her father and mother.
Yuyui looked around.
She imdiately knew she couldn't interact with all these figures who bore stern, cold looks. These people, walking in single file on both her sides didn't seem to even register Yuyui's presence.
This was only natural, though.
This was, after all, rely a Reflection of Stylla's soul.
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