Soon afterward the entire Knight Squadron gathered for the large-scale investigation mission, and their commander walked them carefully through the operation plan.
Before they left, the commander introduced a special participant who would be accompanying them. The young man introduced himself and explained that he had come to investigate both the ruins and the Abyss creatures at the same time. He claimed that he only wished to assist them during the mission.
Lisha was annoyed by his attitude immediately.
The commander praised him instead, and explained that he had taken third place in last year's tournament, which meant he ought to be capable of protecting everyone properly.
Lisha told him coldly to concentrate on his own responsibilities.
The young man was Balzeride, and he said quietly that he simply wished to protect everyone there.
Krulcifer plainly disliked both his presence and his manner.
Eventually the group arrived at their destination and confirmed the target. Lux looked up at the massive ancient structure and said that this had to be the ruins.
Krulcifer said at once that they should keep moving forward. Lisha tried to stop her, but Krulcifer ignored the warning and walked ahead alone, and Lux noticed how strangely hurried she seemed.
At the same time, Balzeride watched her go and thought to himself how impressive the attitude of his future wife truly was.
Then Noct warned everyone to stay alert, because something dangerous was approaching them fast.
Moments later a gigantic Abyss creature came at them out of the sky. Diablo. Lux recognized it immediately and understood exactly how dangerous it was. If they fought this thing carelessly, people were going to die.
Before he could react properly, somebody fired a gun toward the creature. Lux barely avoided the shot himself, and the bullet went on past him and toward Diablo instead.
Lisha watched the attack land before firing her own weapon, and then the rest of the Drag Ride users began attacking together. But Diablo moved through the air with incredible speed and slipped away from almost everything they threw at it.
Lisha realized that the monster was far faster than any of them had expected. An instant later Diablo struck her and sent her flying away violently, and she understood that they were not going to beat it like this.
Then Diablo locked onto the position of Krulcifer's White Breath. Another attack came in and barely missed two of the Drag Rides nearby.
Balzeride watched all of it calmly before asking Lux whether he truly intended to compete with him.
Lisha said angrily that if Diablo came close enough, she would simply crush it herself.
Balzeride asked, mildly, whether Lux lacked confidence in himself.
The remark began, slowly, to irritate Lux.
Before the tension between them could grow worse, Krulcifer interrupted and told them both to stop arguing, because Diablo was still alive.
Balzeride casually laid the arm of his Drag Ride across Krulcifer's shoulder.
Krulcifer replied that she intended to destroy their enemy before anybody else got the chance.
Balzeride simply smiled and told her to go ahead.
She activated White Breath and tried to bring Diablo properly into her sights, thinking that this time she would certainly destroy it.
Then something strange happened. No matter how hard she tried, she could not lock onto the monster at all.
Confused, she began asking herself why White Breath had suddenly stopped functioning correctly.
Diablo charged at her.
Lux saw it coming and went cold. Krulcifer fired her gun while Diablo breathed flame directly toward her, and the two attacks collided in the air between them, but it was hers that began to weaken first.
The sight of it shocked her badly. Before the flames could reach her, Lux rushed in and pulled her out of their path.
Lisha watched the whole exchange with her heart in her throat while the others opened fire together again. Even then Diablo kept dodging at that frightening speed, and Lisha thought desperately about how they could possibly bring it down.
At that moment Balzeride drew out a giant axe.
He aimed at Diablo calmly and threw the weapon with incredible precision. The axe flew straight into the monster and struck it perfectly.
Everyone watching was left completely stunned.
Balzeride looked directly at Lux and told the defeated prince, mockingly, that it seemed he had already won their competition. Lux simply was not worthy enough to compete with him.
Krulcifer was still asking herself why White Breath had failed. Lux warned her not to lose focus so quickly.
Then enormous energy began pouring out of Diablo's body.
Everyone understood at once that a gigantic explosion was coming. The whole group threw up defensive barriers, and then Diablo detonated and released an enormous amount of energy in every direction. They all struggled to resist the impact. Lux struggled hardest of all to hold his defense together, and it was through that struggle that he saw Krulcifer nearby, losing control of Fafnir completely.
Confused and frightened, she was asking what was even happening anymore.
At that moment the ruins themselves began to glow.
Lux stared at the vast structure in shock and wondered why the ruins were reacting now, of all moments. Then, without hesitating, he threw himself toward Krulcifer and shielded her from the impact, and doing it placed an enormous burden on his body.
Memories came up through him as the light took everything.
He remembered lying on the ground, struggling painfully to breathe. A man approaching him. The man asking how someone as skilled as Lux could possibly have lost control like that. And Lux explaining that he had attempted a completely new technique, and that he now realized it might have been a terrible mistake.
Lux opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground.
He stood up. The surroundings felt extremely strange. Then he saw that Krulcifer was beside him.
She told him she did not know whether they were truly safe yet.
Lux said he was certain that Diablo had exploded.
Krulcifer concluded that the explosion had probably driven the two of them deep inside the ruins themselves.
Lux immediately asked whether she was injured.
She replied quietly that she had survived only because he had protected her.
So they had entered the ruins after all. Now, she said, they had to reach the central altar, because she believed the others might be there.
As they went, Lux noticed rainfall inside the ruins, falling as though it belonged there. Krulcifer admitted she had no idea how any of the systems in this place actually functioned.
A few moments later, without warning, she collapsed.