The Arks 160 The Ark Of Umbra Of Urnsfield

"I wonder what she's dreaming about..." asked Ling, looking at the Valkyrie as if she was her sister.

"Probably about playing with Raiyen in her early days. She does tend to dream about the past quite often," replied Z.

"That's cute."

"It's not if it's about constantly biting Minwoo. When they first met, Minwoo kept touching her. At the time, Mav hated humans touching her. If they got too close, she'll bite. Even if she's happy."

The Viscountess laughed as Z cracked a smile. Vernice, on the other hand, displayed another form of emotion apart from the two.

"What's wrong?" asked Ling.

"It doesn't add up. If the Congregation has been gone for so long, why is this place left untouched?" asked Vernice, looking at Z.

The Igor of the Arks sighed and looked at the d.u.c.h.ess.

"You humans live in houses built by the dead. Isn't that normal?"

"Yes. But after years of not occupying this area."

Vernice then held up a bucket of ice and shook it slightly.

"How has the bucket of ice not melted?" asked the d.u.c.h.ess, with a concerned face.

Z and Ling looked at each other in fear. More importantly, the place had been deadlocked for over the years. How could someone prepare a bucket of ice from within?

"Looks like we've been had," said a voice from the walls behind the Valkyrie.

Vernice drew out her pistol and started shooting at the Umbra, which harbored nothing.

"Don't waste your bullets! It won't harm it!" yelled Z as he grabbed the d.u.c.h.ess's pistol.

The d.u.c.h.ess lowered her pistol immediately. Z quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed the sleeping girl away from the bed. This left the poor Valkyrie dazed and confused.

"What's going on?" asked Mavislin, reopening her eyes.

"I should have known. The one who used this room during the Congregation's time had just recently gone missing," explained Z, hugging the Valkyrie closely.

"Z?" whispered the Valkyrie.

Mavislin then laid eyes on their next opponent. Though she had healed, she was in no condition to fight just yet. It would risk using her wings, which had been badly damaged.

"How did you find out? You should not have memories of her," said the distorted voice.

"I'm not human. At least, not from this Universe. Back in my world, there were multiples of you Shadows to deal with. One is simply not enough to satisfy my thirst for war," replied Z, placing the Valkyrie down with Ling and Vernice.

"Your powers aren't enough to trick the major players of the Arks. The Headmaster is so disappointed in you lot that he has decided to sit this fight out."

"Are you insulting us? Who does he think he is?"

"A person from Akhaten."

The shadow froze as it tried to stand strong. If the Umbra had wanted to attack, then attacking the Headmaster would be utter suicide. Even if they could copy his powers, it still won't be enough to defeat or kill him.

As he stood back up, Z summoned up his Kunais and prepared to fight. The Umbra seemed to chuckle as it turned into a physical form. A plump woman appeared. She was standing at an average height. Her complexion was dark brown while her hair was long and with a rusty color of orange.

Her eyes had no whites and were just two black ovals on her face. Though her figure was on the heavier side of the scale, the Umbra could dodge every Kunai that Z threw at it. The Ice Mage was getting quite bored with this Umbra.

"Hail, the billions of stars that gathered! Gaze upon its glory! I invoke thee, Kalasag ng Milky Way! (Aegis of the Milky Way)" yelled Z as he summoned up his galactic shield.

It could block an oncoming kick from the Umbra. But it wasn't enough to protect Z from the next surprise move.

"Cascada!" yelled the Umbra, as a torrent of water came raging down from its palm.

Z quickly tumbled out of the water's way, dragging out his previous spell to transform into a whip. As he slowly regained his stance, the Umbra attacked using the water from earlier. The water was increasing as the more the two moved.

A whip against liquid was not the best choice for now, so Z went back to using his Kunais. Z then noticed the Umbra's arms. He conjured up Freezing Dust, forcing the water manipulated by the Umbra to freeze.

But the Umbra swung its hands about and the frozen water became liquid again. This caused Z to be shocked, allowing an opening for the Umbra.