Raven: (... There's a reason he's the King. For all his laidback persona, his skills are a real deal.)
Raven: (It seems like he's full of openings, but if I take the bait, I'll be trapped. It's tricky...)
Ricardo: This ain't it... Your movement is all different. You weren't like this in the Abyss.
Raven: Is that so? I don't really remember how I fought in the Abyss.
Raven: (I was on edge due to the suffocating demonic energy and the limited sight from darkness... It's a miracle everyone made it out alive.)
Ricardo: It was so much better. Ah, what a bummer...
Ricardo: They say you reach your utmost potential in extreme circumstances, but I can't exactly match that condition... How about you take out your anger on me?
Raven: My anger?
- (CLANG! CLANG!)
Raven: Come to think of it, you said the same thing in my dream. Do I look like I have a lot of pent up anger?
Ricardo: You don't just look that way, you actually do.
Raven: ......?
Ricardo: What, don't tell me you didn't know? You must be one of those with a serious gap between your ideal and reality. A typical harbinger of justice and all that.
Ricardo: That's how dream walking works. You can't choose what you want to see, but if you concentrate, you can, not only see the memory, but experience it alongside the host.
Raven: You felt my anger?
Ricardo: Yes. Swelled up like a balloon, ready to pop at any moment. It was fascinating.
- (CLANG! KEEE....)
Ricardo: Tsk, stop poking around and actually face me! All you've done is dodge my attacks.
Raven: I tend to be cautious. Especially in front of sadistic demons who would slash open the face of their allies.
Ricardo: Hm? Ah, so you met them. How are they doing?
- (BOOM!)
Raven: Good. No thanks to you.
Ricardo: Whoa, that one was good. I don't get it, what's the difference?
Raven: I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not doing anything different.
Raven: (The fight might last longer than I expected...)
Raven: (I'll have to apologize to others later.)
Ricardo: No. This isn't it. The movements were much more fluid in the Abyss and the land of beasts!
Ricardo: But you can't seem to concentrate. What's the difference? What's on your mind besides fighting with me?
Raven: Hm. I admit I'm distracted. I apologize.
Raven: But that doesn't mean I'm not taking this seriously. You're not exactly an easy opponent.
Ricardo: But you're not giving your all! Tell me, what do I need for you to take this seriously?
Raven: Hm. Even if you say that...
Ricardo: You better make this fight worthwhile for me.
Ricardo: Oh, that one attack earlier was pretty good. You know, the attack made immediately after you mentioned the renegades.
Raven: You call the Magmelia Dream Demons renegades?
Raven: ... Come to think of it, there was a Dream Demon from Torta without a scar.
Ricardo: Ah, I think I know who you're talking about. You mean the one with glasses, right?
Raven: I thought all renegades received the same treatment?
Ricardo: Nah, he was entertaining. He lied and said he was the one who instigated the escape, but he was a barely noticeable scaredy cat while he was here.
Ricardo: The courage he showed while he was shaking in his pants was memorable. So you could say it was a reward of sorts.
- (CRASH, BOOM!)
Ricardo: Whoa, what was that? It hurt.
Raven: A reward? You really only care about your entertainment.
Raven: For all your talk about dangers and thrills, you're no different from your spectators.
Ricardo: In what way?
Raven: You don't know what it feels like to be the only one to survive when all your comrades go down... until you experience it.
Ricardo: Aha... So you want to educate me?
Ricardo: Fine. At least you're finally taking this seriously. Show me what you've got!
Ciel: ... Wait, what's going on?
Elesis: What is he doing?!
Shaddie: Oh? What is it? What's going on?
Chung: Raven charged suddenly... and is now giving an all-out-attack.
Rose: What happened? An all-out-attack will not be to his advantage.
Rena: Yeah. Didn't you say Raven's strategy was to watch his opponent's movement and buy time until he can counterattack, Rose?
Ain: I think the King managed to get a rise out of him.
Lu: Really....
Ara: Um, I'm sure Raven has a plan. All we can do is believe in him and cheer on.
Rena: Yeah... I'm sure he'd be fine. Anyway, can you tell us more about the Land of Steel's border?
Shaddie: A wall! It's very long, and very tall! It's a sight to behold!
Zero: Is having a wall really that big of a deal? Most borders have them. Though, I guess I haven't seen that much in the Demon Realm.
Elesis: Do walls even provide an obstacle to you guys? You have wings.
Shaddie: We get muscle cramps! Saying you should fly over the wall is like saying you should run across Red Demon Territory without resting!
Noah: It must be a very high wall.
Rose: Maybe we can ask Asella if we can borrow the airship?
Shaddie: I heard about those. We didn't try, but we saw some Glitters flying over the wall using small airships.
Shaddie: But I don't recommend it. Boss seems to like you. He'll be sad if you go that way.
Noah: Why? What happened to the demons that used airships...?
Shaddie: The wall is so tall, we couldn't see anything from below when they went over the wall. But...
Shaddie: ... It was followed by loud noise and light flashing! Ugh... It still gives me the chills!
Rose: ......Were they shot down?
Ciel: Sounds like it. Scary.
Chung: ... What about the sea? Have you tried getting on a boat?
Shaddie: We haven't tried that either! I do think it's possible. You'll have to weave between rocks, but you can remain undetected.
Shaddie: But you need a very small boat to steer between rocks. At most 3 per boat.
Chung: That means it's useless for us. There must be elite forces placed near the border.
Chung: Going over the wall may be more difficult than we initially anticipated.
Noah: Maybe they'll open the gate if they recognize Lu...? Though we don't know if the current master of the Land of Steel is Lu's friend or foe...
Eve: Whichever it is, we should be able to go through the gate. Or there's no reason why they'd have the bounty.
Ara: That's right. But for some reason... I have a bad feeling that we're missing something important...
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