Moments before Robin's lifesaving entrance, in the other world, Sein could be seen appearing in a very hidden corner near a tree in the plaza.
—Fuuu— The little one took a breath before preparing to activate his ability again. After all, he had to return to warn his friends. But before he could do that, he was surprised by a familiar voice.
—Hey Sein, smile for the camera— When the little one looked up, he found Robin recording him with their phone. After seeing his confused face, Robin put their phone away and approached him— Well, I saw you suddenly appear here. I have sources that told me they saw you here with Shoun and others, so I imagine you all have a lot to explain to me.
—Aaahhh... hmm— Sein was in shock, not knowing how to respond to Robin's questioning. Adding to that, he had to hurry back, so a lot of pressure suddenly fell on his shoulders— Robin, I don't have time to explain anything right now! Shoun and my friends are in danger!
—Is that so? In that case, take me with you. I can help.
—Are you sure? It's a very dangerous place.
—Ha! I doubt it!
—Well... you asked for it— Without more time to explain, Sein activated his visa ability. The world contracted and changed color for the little one, though for Robin, nothing seemed to be happening. After a few seconds, Robin noticed how the entire environment changed, including the buildings and the ash on the ground.
—Wow, what is this place?
—No time to explain! Just help us kill that alpha brute, and then I'll answer your questions!— Without further delay, the little one pointed forward, where in the distance tornadoes and small electrical flashes could be seen.
—Alpha brute... you weren't lying when you said it would be dangerous— Taking on a more serious attitude, the recruiter pulled a gun from the bag hanging on their shoulder— Let's not waste time. Let's go.
Both of them ran off, saving the group of apprentices at the last second, leading to the current situation.
The entire battlefield had frozen due to the appearance of a new opponent, but that wouldn't last long, as the Vestige quickly adapted and resumed its offensive.
Robin arrived next to the others, closely followed by Sein, who had a troubled look, avoiding Shoun's evaluative gaze.
—Sorry, guys... I had no choice but to bring Robin with me.
—...We'll talk about this later— Without saying much more, Shoun turned to Robin— We have our differences, but if we don't work together, we won't be able to kill that thing.
—Don't worry, Sein already promised to explain everything to me when we're done with this situation... You shouldn't be able to kill that thing because you don't know where it is... I assume you're trying to exhaust it, but those two are running out of fuel. A real shame— With just the visual information, Robin had already deduced most of the situation Shoun and the others were in— You're lucky I'm here. I'm exactly what you need in this situation.
Only Shoun was paying attention to Robin's words. The others were more limited due to the brutal offensive of the ash monster, to the point that the young man quickly had to rejoin the fight. Robin, on the other hand, was rummaging through the bag on their shoulder.
—Hey, if you're here, you'd better hurry up and help us!— Shoun shouted as he destroyed some tentacles heading toward Robin, who seemed absorbed in searching for materials in their bag.
—Patience is a virtue.
—Virtue my ass!— Ignoring Shoun's complaints, Robin finally finished confirming the materials in their bag.
—This should be enough... barely— Taking an unknown orb from their bag, Robin used a bit of their spiritual energy to activate their first ability, which was very simple: it allowed them to disassemble and assemble any device. Quickly, the orb turned into a bunch of disconnected pieces, but they didn't fall to the ground. Instead, they floated, surrounded by a green glow. The next moment, Robin activated their second ability: a green hologram projected a design Robin came up with in a few seconds— The problem is not being able to find that thing... The ash grains should be an impediment because they have a small amount of spiritual energy, so I just need to add a small filter and...— While thinking of adjustments in real-time, the holographic design updated. Once Robin was sure of the design, they quickly activated their apprentice ability. It was C-grade, and its function was to automate the assembly process, giving them a couple of extra hands to finish faster or allowing them to fight while their devices were being created.
Without stopping their work, Robin also began assembling their designs at the same time as their ability, finishing in a matter of seconds.
—Shoun, catch!— The young man had just entered the Balance Voltage state, so in a calmer state, he turned and caught a pair of glasses— Give them to whoever has the ability to trap a Vestige and to the one with the most destructive power— Robin explained while adjusting their own glasses to have the same functionality as the ones they had just created. Without thinking too much, Shoun handed one pair to Deuz and put the other on himself— If you press the button on the left side, it will activate a function that helps you detect spiritual energy. Since Shoun should be absorbing energy from the entire area, the other strongest energy source should be the Vestige's core. I added a filter to ignore small energy deposits, so don't worry about these little ash grains— Robin explained fluently while putting their glasses back on and pulling out their gun again.
—I see. I'm going on the offensive. Deuz, look for the opportunity to trap that thing with the rest of your energy. The rest of you, support Deuz when he gives the signal. We need to cut off its options and then attack it together as one united force. We only have one chance to kill it— Taking the lead, Shoun barked orders that were quickly followed by the others. Without delay, he used a Balance Voltage Impulse to bypass the ash monster's offensive. Robin, surprised by Shoun's new trick, asked Sein about it:
—Hey, since when can he do that?— Sein didn't answer, simply shrugging after struggling to destroy a wave of ash.
Shoun, who had already activated Robin's glasses, could be seen quickly scanning the area in search of the Vestige. It didn't take long for him to spot a massive mass of spiritual energy moving across the battlefield.
—(There it is. I need to get closer, but it's moving too fast... I need to cut off its path so Deuz can trap it, and then we can kill it)— In the middle of his thoughts, he was surrounded by a myriad of tentacles. Knowing his body was near its limit, he couldn't afford to keep using Balance Voltage Impulse recklessly. So, continuing to test new techniques, he finally retrieved Iron Serpent from his torso and moved it to his right hand—(Thanks for waiting for me, friend. I think I finally know how to use you so we can keep going together)— Just as the tentacles were about to touch him, he injected a large amount of electricity into Iron Serpent, which took on the form of lightning. As the artifact hissed toward the tentacles, the young man extended it, and like a whip, it began to attack. Baring its fangs, Iron Serpent destroyed every tentacle in Shoun's path. Shoun could somewhat predict the Vestige's trajectory, so using a Balance Voltage Impulse to gain speed, he quickly approached it, cutting off its path. Before it could retaliate, the young man spun in the air and executed another powerful kick:
Balance Voltage Tornado Kick!
Shoun's attack destroyed all the ash in the vicinity, leaving only a massive block of ash, even darker in color.
—Now, Deuz!— Without hesitation, the boy with the beret summoned all the shadows in the area. His own tentacles trapped the massive block of ash.
—Hurry up and hit that spot!— Deuz pointed while sweat dripped heavily from his face. He was pushing his limits just to keep the creature trapped for a few seconds.
No sooner said than done. While Shoun prepared his attack, Kaze and Sein ran toward the block, charging their own attacks. Powerful wind slashes and light thrusts shot out from their swords. Little by little, cracks began to cover the shell. Robin, on the other hand, was preparing an upgrade for their weapon using their ability, aware that even if they broke the outer shell, the fight probably wouldn't end. At the same time, they were defending the others from the Vestige's attacks from a distance.
—Let's end this— Shoun declared firmly before executing his own attack. Gathering 50% of his current electricity, he released it in a powerful punch: Balance Voltage Strike!
Finally, the block of dark ash shattered. The tornadoes that had obscured everyone's vision died down, allowing the white light of the mirror world to shine once again over the City of Ash. When the dust settled, everyone could see the new state of the battle.
What was hidden inside the massive block of ash was none other than a mole-like Vestige. It had white fur, stained by the ash it inhabited. Unlike normal moles, this one didn't have a chubby build, as its ribs were visible through its scrawny frame. Its arms were long and just as skeletal as its torso, each ending in massive scissor-like claws, which seemed inefficient for typical digging. On the other hand, its face was very similar to a star-nosed mole, except the nose was essentially the creature's entire face. The mole was desperate, trying to dig back into the ash, but its attempts were stopped by a shot from Robin's upgraded weapon.
Meanwhile, Sein, Deuz, and Kaze were on the ground. In that last exchange, they had exhausted all their energy reserves.
—Haah... haah— Sein was on the ground, gasping for air, suffocated by all the ash in the air. Deuz and Kaze were lying on the ground. As apprentices, exhausting their cores left them in a state where they could barely move.
—Looks like it's our job to finish this— Robin commented with clear amusement as they stood next to Shoun.
—Cover my back— Without waiting for Robin to respond, the young man ran toward the confused mole.
Finally adapting to its new situation, the Vestige commanded the ash again, overwhelming Shoun in seconds. Despite that, calmly using Iron Serpent in whip mode, he managed to make his way through. As he entered the Vestige's range, he was surrounded by something different from tentacles and waves—this time, the mole's scissor-like claws closed in on him. With no other option, he used a Balance Voltage Impulse to gain height and, with the momentum, delivered a direct kick to the Vestige's face. Forced to retreat by the ferocity of the attack, the mole failed to notice one key detail.
With their modified weapon, Robin calmly aimed and began injecting energy. A large green orb formed at the barrel. When the right moment came, a powerful laser shot out, crossing the distance between them in an instant. The laser pierced the Vestige's left arm, causing it to fall into the fragile ash like a rose—though, considering it was a brute, "fragile" was relative.
—Skrrieee!— A short but piercing screech echoed throughout the City of Ash. Without giving it time to rest, the moment Shoun landed, he released Iron Serpent, which coiled around one of the Vestige's skeletal legs. Discharging all its electricity into the creature, it paralyzed it again, giving Robin enough time to prepare another shot.
—Rest in peace, monster— Without further words, Robin fired another green laser, this time hitting the creature's head directly, exploding it from the inside out. Purple blood splattered across the area as the corpse fell to the ground, alongside the exhausted Shoun. Ignoring these events, the Codex declared:
[You have slain the alpha brute "Gardener of the Sanctuary of Flowers." Bonus for difficulty obtained.]
—Haah... haaah— The Balance Voltage state was already taking its toll. Feeling dizzy and with his body aching, Shoun had to kneel.
—Hey, don't kneel. This is your victory— Robin confidently approached Shoun and extended their hand. Shoun hesitated for a moment but finally accepted it and stood back up.