Xers and his team had spent the night in the village. The villagers had taken care of them. Now, in the first light of the morning, a new challenge awaited them. Xers wakes up.
"Way better than sleeping in a tent. I finally managed to rest properly. We're heading to Lisu this morning. I should get up and wash my face."
Xers gets up, washes his face, leaves the house, and heads toward the village lake. While spending time by the lake, he thinks:
"I wonder if I'll be free from my troubles when I return to my homeland. Gein said the fate of those who return with Heaven's Pride would be heavy. Will it really be like that? Whatever… I should go check on the team."
Xers goes to the gathering spot.
"Good morning, guys! How are you?"
"Good morning to you too, Commander Xers! Would you join us for breakfast?"
"With pleasure! Let's see what we've got here—WHOA! Where did you get these local dishes?"
"The old man living in that house offered them to us. Come join!"
"Alright, let me sit."
Xers and his team finish breakfast. About an hour later, they set out.
"Alright everyone, today we're heading to Lisu! But I need a status report from Gein—our total losses, etc. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up."
Xers contacts Gein.
"Good morning, Gein!"
"Morning, Xers. How's everything?"
"All good here. What about you?"
"We're fine too, but… I've got bad news."
"W-what is it?"
"U-unfortunately… o-our total losses are thirty-three."
"W-what?! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!"
"I-Isot. Graumer Isot. Morgath's wife. She was supposed to be in the Ourmaver region but crossed into South Lisu. The two groups there had no professional commanders. They fell into a trap. We're currently capturing a fortress in Okikaku. How are things on your side? When you enter Lisu, be extremely, extremely careful. We don't know this guy's abilities."
"I understand. We'll be careful."
(Screams are heard.)
"X-XERS, WHAT'S HAPPENING?! ARE YOU OKAY?!"
"I-I THINK OUR GROUP IS BEING ATTACKED TOO. I'LL CONTACT YOU LATER!"
Xers and Gein close the connection. Xers starts running toward his group. Xers wears his purple mask.
"How can that guy and his little bandits defeat two groups at once? This makes no sense!"
When Xers arrives, the battle has already begun. Behind the bandits stands Graumer Isot.
"So this must be Isot! And those white particles behind him… It feels like some kind of magic."
Xers jumps into the bandits.
"Gomerai!"
Gomerai emerges from underground and starts scattering the bandits.
"At this rate, I can defeat them pretty quickly. GQ #41!!"
A black slash shoots from Xers' purple sword and cuts down the bandits. Isot notices Xers and speaks with his men.
"Who is this guy? He looks different from the others."
"M-my lord, I think his name… umm… Xers. He has a strong dragon and can erase his opponents from existence."
"Erase from existence, huh? I'll make him question his own existence!"
Isot rises and wears his white mask.
Xers cuts down almost half of the bandits alone, but his own team's casualties keep rising.
Isot draws his sword and dashes at Xers. Xers blocks just in time.
"Y-you! Isot!"
"Xers, huh. I heard your name a lot in the palace. You really are strong."
"Haha! You heard right. Gomerai!"
Gomerai rushes through the bandits, attacking Isot.
But Isot stops Gomerai with one hand.
"W-what?! HOW?!"
Isot taps Gomerai with the index finger of his left hand.
Gomerai suddenly falls under Isot's manipulation and starts attacking randomly.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?! I-ISOT! YOU BASTARD!"
"Hahahahaha. Your Gomerai is questioning its existence right now. You'll be next!"
(Thinking) "This guy is strong! There's something about that finger on his left hand. I must avoid being touched by it! Soah!"
A black spell blasts Isot backward. As Isot gets farther away, Gomerai begins recovering.
"I-I get it! His manipulation weakens with distance. If I create enough space, the lock can break! I need to save Gomerai! Gomerai, run!"
"YOU WON'T TAKE HIM ANYWHERE!"
Isot closes in again, and Gomerai falls back under manipulation.
(Thinking) "I have to free Gomerai! Without him I can't last long with just G-Technic!"
"I'm taking you too, rat!"
Isot lunges at Xers. Their swords clash at blinding speed. They leap from one side of the plateau to the other in an instant. Each clash rings out beneath the screams of the ongoing battlefield.
"GQ#41!"
A black slash fires from Xers' sword. Isot, running out of stamina, fails to block fully and gets cut on the shoulder. Blood drips down his arm.
"Y-you're really strong physically, Xers. But you're not wearing your mask right now! GQ#64!"
A black sphere forms in the air, exploding and blinding Xers temporarily.
"I-I KNEW HE HAD THIS ABILITY! NO—THE EFFECT IS TAKING HOLD!"
"Now it's over!"
Isot touches Xers' arm with the left index finger. Right before the touch lands, Xers uses a technique.
"GQ#89!"
A black band forms around Xers, creating a shockwave that throws everything backward.
The shockwave doesn't push Isot out of range, but it completely frees Gomerai from manipulation.
Xers suddenly falls into a white void.
"W-what? Where am I?"
He floats endlessly through the white emptiness. No beginning, no end. Only flow. He can't tell if time is passing. The only thing he knows is that he's still conscious.
Meanwhile, Gomerai is fighting Isot one-on-one, refusing to let him touch him. He even uses abilities like Dragon's Claw. Then, for the first time, Gomerai uses an unknown technique:
Dragon's Truth
Though Gomerai doesn't have true free will, he reveals some of his celestial abilities to keep Xers alive. This shows he has begun trusting Xers more.
With Dragon's Truth, Gomerai releases a purple Tetracube from his mouth. The cube expands, trapping Isot and the battlefield inside it. From the outside, it looks like a purple cube, but inside, it accelerates the atoms of Xers and Gomerai to astronomical speeds. Gomerai spins rapidly around Isot and unleashes all his power in one final blow. The cube shatters and Isot is thrown hundreds of meters away.
Xers rises from the white void at incredible speed and lands on his feet.
"H-huh? Did Gomerai succeed? Even though I didn't see it, I learned the name and effect of the technique through our spiritual bond. Gomerai still has incredible potential… My Dragon's Destruction technique is ready too. All I need is to see him. I'll tear him apart!"
Xers searches for Isot and finally finds him on the ground, weaponless.
"P-please don't kill me! F-forgive me, I'll give you money, anything!"
"I only want to save the people. I won't forgive you, bastard! Dragon's Destruction!"
Gomerai and Xers begin levitating. Xers' spiritual pressure surges. Gomerai coils around him.
"BLAZE!"
Gomerai breathes heavenly flames onto Isot.
Isot burns in celestial fire and is erased from existence.