35 Rooftop Battle

With earphones plugged in their ears, the gun-wielder and the knight waltzed with the winged colossus.

Calliope had been singing for a while now so they came up with this countermeasure in order to stay awake. However, it had been difficult to evade its magical tears since the giant bird itself had joined the game, clawing at them with its razor-sharp toes. Whenever they landed a hit on it, the summoned creature would take refuge in the sky and before they knew it, the wounds were already healed. Its absurd vitality and ability to cure itself in a matter of minutes were unprecedented until now.

Consequently, all they managed to accomplish was unveil more obstacles.

"Hey, you two!"

Too absorbed in their arduous bird hunt, they failed to notice the presence of two new contenders. Irked at being ignored for a while now, Venus stomped her feet in frustration, unaware that the electric devices in their ears were to blame.

"Ugh! These idiots!"

Zeke, on the other hand, was astonished after witnessing the stupendous sight. Unlike Venus, though, he was able to catch sight of the earplugs after a few seconds of observing the two. Not wanting to alarm the summoned creature with their presence, he took out his golden chain, threw it at Hal and Allen, and lassoed them before hauling them backwards with brute force.

"Wha-?!"

"Gah!"

Startled, the Champions had a comical landing. With loud thuds, their bottoms flopped onto the floor of the staircase from where Venus and Zeke were hiding. They're flabbergasted upon being greeted by the Empress's peeved look. Then, out of nowhere, she sat before the two and pinched their cheeks so hard that they throbbed and swelled, making them cry out in pain.

"What were you doing, Eli?!" Hal exclaimed, palming his cheek like a harassed damsel.

"If I had known a mere squeeze would make you this flustered, I should've done it a thousand times to finish you off. Anyway, did it hurt enough to keep you awake?" Venus replied in an apathetic tone, much to his and Allen's flummox.

"Wait, are you... Did Eli let you?" he trailed off, ebony brows furrowing in suspicion, to which she only rolled her eyes.

"She let me, alright? She needed me to do something. That's why I'm asking if it hurts," Venus retorted.

Realizing the gravity of her voice, they reluctantly believed her words. Allen took a second before answering, "My cheek's still pounding, but I don't think it hurts enough to stay awake."

Venus mulled over at this, contemplating her next course of actions. She then glanced at the young heir and found him giving her a firm nod, a confirmation she needed to proceed with Eli's plan.

"Listen up, Angelica thought of something... That summoned creature is called Calliope. I'm sure you noticed that the bird's feathers kept on changing colours. Once it changed to its seventh shade, we're doomed. It'll reach its most powerful peak, enough to turn us all into statues. Have you taken track of it?" she explained, surprising everyone.

"First was pearl, then bronze, emerald and diamond? It's halfway there," Hal answered.

"There isn't much time. Angelica wasn't able to come up with any particular weaknesses so far, but she planned to have a re-enactment of the battle scene with Calliope instead. If you're able to repeat the scenario where it was defeated, you can bring it down. In other words, just do the same things the characters did in the story," she continued.

They're quite stunned at how clever the idea was. Having an example to follow was better than futile and aimless thrashings.

"You already know what to do, right?" Venus questioned Zeke who just silently gulped before nodding.

With that, she commanded the darkness to momentarily devour everyone, mystifying them in the process. A plain looking glass then materialized behind her before shattering into large pieces. The crack formed veering lines on the plane, eventually dropping a knife-like glass fragment on the ground. As she picked it up, the barren space vanished.

Astounded, Zeke remained unmoving until Venus offered the glass shard to him. Eyeing the sharp object intently, he extended his trembling arm forward before fisting it. Its cold surface electrified his body while its silvery edge daunted him. Even then, he just tightly gripped it with both hands, silently accepting the challenge. Then, in a swift motion, he slashed its serrated peak through his arm, causing blood to ooze out.

Venus was impressed, Hal was speechless, and Allen felt like his soul just left his body.

"The Chairman's going to kill me...!" the red head internally panicked.

Then again, he hadn't noticed Zeke until now. Hal and Eli didn't know about him as well, so he couldn't really blame anyone. If anything, it's his failure for not paying much attention. Now, he regretted he didn't lock him up in the library earlier.

"Are you sure about this?" Hal inquired Venus with a concerned look.

"It's Angelica's idea. Don't you believe her?" she replied, voice reassuring, much to his flummox.

"Wait! I don't think this is a good idea, after all. Mr. Zeke shouldn't be here!" Allen suddenly blurted out, finally losing his cool.

Everyone was bemused at seeing the collected Student Council President stripped off of his usual placidity. He sweatdropped at the tension in the air, but didn't back down in talking them out of the plan.

"Seriously, we shouldn't involve-"

"Enough already! Stop underestimating me, Allen. I'm aware that my father told you something. Everybody had always been like that. They're all belittling me only because I'm the second son! But I already managed to get this far with my own power, so just let me be!" Zeke bolted out, completely exhausted of their overprotectiveness.

The others were confounded at his sudden outburst. Like a once dormant volcano erupting, he had the look of someone who'd been holding back for quite a long time now. Then, with unwavering volition evident in his eyes, he pleaded, "Please. I promise to take responsibility."

Allen was taken aback.

For the whole day, the young heir did nothing but drag him around. It's his first time imploring him with profound sincerity and unclouded intent. Seeing him like this, he couldn't help but just heave an exasperated sigh of defeat, mentally preparing himself for his meeting with the Chairman later.

"I'm really feeling out of place right now, and this looked serious and all. However, I think there's a much more pressing matter to deal with," Hal chimed in, pointing his thumb at the neglected issue outside with an impassive look.

After sparing one last glance at Allen, Zeke braced himself and rushed outside, the golden chain in hand. Venus took a final glimpse at the young heir and chuckled with amusement before returning Eli's body to her. Hal and Allen turned to the ash-haired girl and noticed her change in demeanour, concluding that the Empress had already gone back.

Then, with a gasp, Eli found herself regaining control again.

"Now that's settled, shall we move on to the next part?" she asked the two, facing them while beaming.

"Y-Yeah, let's do it," Hal voiced out with a wobbly smile, still not used to them switching back and forth.

"I'm sorry if that caught you off guard. Venus forgot to tell you that in order to fight sleep, you have to feel immense pain. I thought pinching you was good enough. Oh, and the earphones weren't a bad idea as well, but you couldn't really hear one another with them. Also, I had Venus summon her glass shards since I doubt the President would let us borrow his sword..." she trailed off timidly.

Hal and Allen only blinked at her, dumbfounded. They wondered how come she's able to realize all these things in just a short span of time and how she was able to guess even the knight's reaction.

"Anyway, I ask that you wound yourself as well and back Ezekiel up. Prepare an opening for him to use that chain and capture Calliope with it."

It took a moment before something registered in their heads. Then, with a deadpan look, the two boys shared the same thought.

"So, that prideful Empress left that 'asking' part to her vessel, huh?"

Zeke, on the other hand, was currently awestruck.

Watching the summoned creature dance with the wind, prismatic shades of diamond pencilling the sky with white strips of light, the young heir was entirely captivated – fluttering wings that portray indulgence in one's liberty and independence, graceful flight that depicts the pursuit of happiness, and a streamline aerial pattern that conveys a much-awaited breakthrough. He then suddenly swelled at the feeling of yearning as the sight overwhelmed him.

Never had he imagined he could relate to something so faultlessly.

When the mammoth beast noticed the enthralled boy, it lunged its body to his direction in an incredible speed. The sound of frantic footsteps snapped Zeke out of daze, causing him to refocus his vision and find the summoned creature charging towards him. He immediately ducked as its clawed feet neared him. At the same time, Hal and Allen surged forward, armed with their weapons. Hal started a series of gunshots while Allen unsheathed his sword and made a sequence of powerful thrusts.

"How annoying. Isn't this thing against the law?" Hal managed to quip while dodging to veer from Calliope's razor-edged toes.

"What're you saying?" Allen asked, amused that he could still jest around.

"Isn't it brokenly overpowered? It has flight, earth magic, healing power, and a sleep-inducing voice worthy of a Grammy award! It's like a last boss!" he remarked exasperatedly, earning a snort from the red head.

"You're exaggerating. Don't we also have one, though? A last boss, I mean," the knight commented, slightly nudging his head at the direction of the staircase.

"I'd rather call her a trump card, General. She isn't exactly allowed to fight," his master retorted with a knowing grin.

The Champions continued dueling with the summoned creature while Zeke returned to being starstruck. Then with his mouth agape, he just confirmed that these gentlemen are indeed part of the Four Heroes of Society.