Outside the school hall, half of the Custodes Spei that was trusted to stall The Dancing Phantom were doing exactly that...
Barely!
Thud!
"We can't even get close!" Malik said between bloodied teeth as he rolled on the grass. Sliding across the floor as he fought to fight the momentum, he spat a mouthful of blood.
Looking at his hand, which was twisted at an unnatural angle, he winced in pain and struggled to get up.
"Ahh!!!" He screamed in pain as he felt his ribs pierce his skin.
That would have been the end of the role he had to play in the battle, but his friends were still out there. Battling with a spirit that was infinitely stranger than all the team members combined.
He set his eyes ahead and, with a resolved look, he made to straighten his posture.
*Blare!*
A blinding light flashed again, and a second later, Malik felt himself pushed back by a force twice his weight.
He protected his eyes and, after a few seconds later, the light dissipated...
Thud!
He sees the afterimage of a figure flying towards him, only to fall a few meters behind him. Like a ragdoll, the body rolled backward, stopping only when it hit a thick bush.
His eyes widened in fear as he rushed to meet his friend, who lay on the floor, cold and still.
Turned the body to see a bloody Zed; her headset was in ruins, spread everywhere within her range of impact.
There were relatively minor wounds on her body. And even with her preternatural abilities, she wouldn't be healing anytime soon.
At this rate, if this fight were to go on for another couple of minutes, they might lose their life here.
They knew it was going to be a tough fight, but it's all been a surprise since it started. They post their element of surprise, and everything ever since has made less sense, wanting to paralyze them or thirsty for their blood.
"I don't think we can hold on much longer..." Malik said, kneeling beside her. She was struggling to get up, and with tears already clinging to his lashes, he contemplated convincing her to stay down.
They needed her! She was their best shot at getting in even a single scar on the damn wraith.
If she were in this state, then he felt genuinely sorry for those still engaged in battle.
He couldn't do and it was no use trying to draw Zed up. They are of no use now...
With that thought striking a painful blow to his chest, he turned towards the fight, his sight blurry from tears as he saw the last man standing get zapped multiple times by a glowing blue rope that looked to be made entirely of electricity, tightly wrapped around.
Cough*
He returned his gaze to Zed, who spat blood on him in an attempt to speak.
"Y-you have to inform them. Go tell them we couldn't; they have to hurry up..." She squeezed through ragged breath, her tongue dyed red by her own blood.
As gently as he could, he let go of her, letting her red hair rest on the ground. Her face twisted in agony, and her insides burned. She held in a scream, her expression getting softer as she saw Malik's retreating figure.
Time uncanny, all the lights went out completely, and an ominous silence with a faint and sizzling sound followed suit.
The power supply, which had long been interrupted, was finally coming into effect.
Turns out The Dancing Phantom's abilities were limited, too. They had finally succeeded in forcing his reserves dry.
He was still plenty powerful, but it would take him more than a while to pull off his Blinding Ray Mojo.
It was a painfully short battle, as expected...
They would, however, love to believe the little time was enough.
---
In the school garden...
Heaps and heaps of soil littered the floor, and the rest of the team tried to find the Dancing Phantom's body.
Tap, tap, tap!
A faint sound of someone running could be heard through the quiet night. Their steps were desperate, and soon the figure emerged from the darkness, looking extremely torn and wounded.
The one who was closer tilted his head as he narrowed his gaze to size the person up.
'What was she doing here?" He asked, shock evident on his face.
It was her, he was very certain. The rainbow girl who asked him out on prom was somehow nearing the garden, her usual sunshine vibe a chaotic mess.
"No time to explain, He's on the way!" She panted, close enough.
"Who is—"
"Abbey! The glowing guy!"
And as if to punctuate her thoughts, a dim light beamed in the distance.
That was the information they needed.
Their eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, they were lost on what to do next.
"Did you find the body? Torched it yet? Where's Abbey's body?!" The girl screamed, her face stricken with horror.
"It's not here!" All of them except Seven responded, staring defeatedly into the distance. The outline of a human could more or less be detected in the darkness.
Seven stared blankly too, silent like he was meditating.
Weirdly, in these most climactic moments, his heart and mind found some peace.
The solution...it was near.
Within his grasp and like a sudden snap...
He had a light bulb moment...
---
*Flashback*
"A burial place?!"
"Yes. In some customs, malevolent spirits or any spirits can be laid to rest by torching their remains, if proper burial or cremation fails..."
'A proper Burial!'
His head snapped towards the tree...
'The tree! He had never met Earth! Never rested in a grave, he was—he was in there all along!'
*Flashback ends*
---
Back in the garden, everyone took a stance, ready to bring the battle to Abbey instead.
If they were going down, they were doing so swinging. Even the sunshine girl looked lethal with the firm resolve on her face.
A wounded wraith was still no match for them, but a heroic death was the right consolation, no?
'Could never be me!'
Knowing he had very little time, Seven kept the questions for later and walked past them, towards the tree.
"He's here!" Seven whispered to anyone willing to hear.
"He's where?!"
"Here!" He stared at his palm resting on the cold bark of the cursed tree. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, he didn't like it one bit.
Before anyone could say another word, he picked up a shovel and shoved it into the tree.
*Crack!*
Nodding, the rainbow girl picked up a shovel and firmly wielded it in her hands. She looked at Seven sternly and in answer to the question he was throwing back at her...
She asked, "How much time do you need?"
Understanding, he nodded and replied coldly...
"Enough..."
With an agreement, the girl stepped forward, and others followed. In the next second, she was rushing to meet it, knowing well that it was incapable of current-infused attacks.
Leaping into the air with a cry, putting herself in a dangerous position to dodge an attack, she aimed for the head.
Abbey easily avoided the obvious attack, but unknown to him, she had him right where she wanted him.
With a last boost of momentum in the split second between impact, she shoved the shovel into his shoulder.
Rolling out of the way mid-air, she was able to avoid a blind, powerful incoming swipe.
Staggering a bit, wounded, he grabbed the shovel. He pulled it away, no blood drawn!
But she'd seen him fight, and she had already predicted this. What she was counting on was that split moment of unawareness.
Even though the rest of the group was taken aback by how well he handled the previous fight, they recovered before it did...
And as Cordis casually walked forward from behind, performing a spell...
The four others established a formation, hoping to hold him down.
He has reverted to his humanoid shape,, and that was more or less disadvantageous for them. It was easy to forget just how much power that little thing held.
If he means it, he could easily smite any one of them with a palm.
Getting close was not an option...
That leaves them with the sole choice of using a holy relic instead. Thankfully, they had that covered.
But bringing a hook to fishing and actually catching a fish were two different things.
"Now!" The rainbow girl was back on her feet. With the ghost a bit taller than her, she engaged in close combat, remaining on the defensive.
He was still a vengeful ghost, he attacked on instinct.
In less than five seconds, she broke a few unimportant bones before the four could slide across the ground, each taking a slash at each limb.
The blunt edge of their little customized dagger wouldn't do much harm, but everything they did was just to buy more time.
Rushing forward from behind and untangling a binding relic, the Cincture of Martyrs. It glowed a golden brown light, and without wasting time, she wrapped it around its neck and got down to pulling.
Spreading her feet wide as she bent backward, her black hair scraping the ground, she steadied her feet, and the others rushed up to her to help.
With the extended features of the chord, everyone grabbed hold and steadied their posture.
---
Meanwhile, Seven has successfully found an opening.
A violent crunch rang out as the rough bark gave way. The breach in the tree collapsed; It was hollow, so of course.
Putting his hand into the hole without hesitation, he made sure to feel every corner till he was sure he could touch a corpse.
It didn't take long, and he felt it.
The dry, moist, and icky feel of rotten flesh clinging closely to exposed bones.
Taking the goofer's dust as the rest of the group engaged Albey, understanding the assignment, he emptied the whole bag into the tree.
He wasn't going to risk burning the entire tree itself, having already seen the null effect fire had on it in the past.
Taking a lighter...a scream reached his ears...
"Hurry up, goddamit!"
*Flick!*
*Shriek*
A blood-curdling scream rippled out, distorting space as everyone around Abbey was thrown back with an invincible force.
*Rumble!*
The ground rumbled, and Seven wrapped his hands around the tree, his nails digging deep into the rough surface of the tree. He groaned at the imposing pressure, trying his best to remain sturdy.
It was Abbey's last attempt.
Souls like Abbey were like wounded animals. Lost. Filled with so much pain, they tend to lash out.
No one was blaming him, he was a person. A normal, cheerful student with an unfortunate end.
Revenge and Justice, one a leap of thought from the other. He's incapable of telling the difference now.
That's why he must go...
He has been holding on too tightly to those human feelings; he needs to let go...
Let go and find peace.
Desperately, Seven threw the lit lighter into the hole.
*Boom!*
The beam splintered with a groaning creak then shattered with a deafening snap.
He was sent back by an unexpected explosion. Nothing he couldn't handle as long as it did the trick.
Getting up and rubbing soot off his body, he watched as the few remnants of Abbey's ghost combusted and disappeared into thin air.
Just like every successful fight, exhaustion claimed them, and they ditched their mask, blatantly ignoring the consequences—Rainbow Girl. They sprawled on the floor, letting the bare ground that's devoid of life soothe their fatigue.
It was over.
At least now they sighed in relief, they smiled happily because it was for good. They had finally rid themselves of the vengeful ghost, they were now free.