"Yeah, I do." Ash responded as he got closer to Aedan.

"The kid's still in his 'cocoon' stage." he told her. "Strictly speaking, they shouldn't be using their power as they are, as it risks breaking him, and sending them back." he went on.

"Obviously, if he dies, then that's that." he told her further.

"But I think there's a way to get them to retreat, while still keeping that boy alive." he continued.

"....unfortunately, it won't be pleasant to do." he then mumbled.

"They need to keep their presence inside him." Ash replied.

"If we continue to injure him, more and more of them will leak out." he told her.

"However, I will also need to pulse my own mana into him, in order to disrupt the flow that they have going INTO him." he then said further.

"If we can do that, then they will have no choice but to withdraw from him, lest they actually LOSE some of their presence, and have it severed from them." he continued.

"It's convoluted, and finicky, but it should allow him to survive this, at least."

Ash shook his head.

"No, if you look, he's slashing at the tendrils." he told her.

"He can't get close to the kid's body." he said.

"I need you to actually get in there and start injuring that BODY." he continued.

"Anywhere you can find. Chest, back, legs, arms, just start making cuts." he went on.

"You'll need to do it when I start pulsing my mana into him... you think you can get close to the kid, with Ty distracting him as he is?" he asked, as Levi's body started to descend a little, from Ty's slashing at the 'tendril legs'.

Ash sighed.

"Well, you'll have to try." he told her.

"This may be our only shot at saving this kid." he said.

"We mess this up, pretty sure killing him's the only option left." he finished.

"....no pressure or nothing." he then added.

With that, he concentrated on forming a special ball of mana in his hands, and narrowed his eyes as he watched the fight between Ty and 'Levi'.

Ty had managed to bring him/it back down to ground level, but he then suffered a full attack from all its tendrils.

"NOW!" Ash yelled to Aedan, as he fired the orb into the kid's back, which turned into a small but steady barrage of them.

Whatever was inside Levi was flowing out more regularly now, and it was clear that the grasp that The Ancients had on him was waning... considerably. But it was still there.

"...YOU ARE FOOLISH..." they said to Aedan.

"WE ARE... WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN... YOU CANNOT STOP US..." they went on, just as Ash rushed in past Aedan, the orbs of mana having stopped.

"SHE can't..." he said, making a fist with his left hand, cloaking it with black fire mana. However, he then extended his index finger out, as the mana collected around it, and extended past it, like the blade of a small lance.

"But WE can." he finished, as a couple of tendrils pierced his chest. They barely missed his heart, however, and he pressed on. He then took his finger, and plunged it right into Levi's torso, around his lungs.

When he did, Aedan felt the tendrils that had pierced her weaken in strength considerably... as though they were starting to lose their solidity.

Ty was off to the side, leaning against a wall. He looked slashed and pierced, like he'd been attacked by many clawed animals... and it seemed like he was fading fast.

But she knew not to be worried.

Ash, meanwhile, was bleeding from his wounds, but was still standing close to Levi.

"...YOU WOULD SACRIFICE HIM..." the voice said.

"I do all that is needed." Ash responded, before jerking his finger a little, and causing some black substance to be spat out of Levi's mouth.

"....YOU... YOUR DARKNESS IS... INTRIGUING..." the voice said further.

"YOU HAVE... NOT HEARD... THE LAST OF US." they finished.

It was then that Aedan saw the cloudiness in Levi's eyes disappear, before he slumped forward into Ash's arms, limp and still.

"We need to work fast." Ash replied.

"Is he alive? Yes and no." he told her.

"My mana has some... unique interactions with the soul." he then said.

"He should technically be dead right now, but I've essentially encouraged his soul, spirit, and will to keep fighting for some more precious time." he continued.

"He needs medical attention, and he needs it NOW." he went on.

"We need to get him back to the Unit, STAT." he said further.

"And considering the variety of people that work there, it should be possible, whether I get emergency clearance to teleport in, or you know someone that can get him there."

A few seconds later, close to 10, Zeke appeared in a column of light.

"Here." Ash told him, handing him Levi.

"The lungs are the big problem, but all his other injuries need tending to." he said further.

Zeke just nodded as he accepted the boy, before he disappeared with the patient.

"...so..." Ty said, not fully regenerated, but enough that he could stand on his own power. "The boy has lost a part of himself, and will never be the same?" he asked.

"Noooooooot necessarily." Ash responded.

"I didn't know that was possible." Tyson admitted.

"...neither did I." Ash admitted.

"Excuse me?" Ty asked.

"What I just did... call it... 'soul scalpel', I guess... came to me in a burst of inspiration." Ash told them. "I came up with the idea in wishing I could safely tear them away from his soul." he said further.

"...you belong to a very specialized organization, don't you?" Tyson then asked Ash.

"Yes." Ash informed him.

"Anyway, perhaps we should consider heading back to the unit, ourselves?" he then quickly suggested.

"I know the feeling." Tyson said.

"I can check." Ash told them.

"See if it's anything to worry about." he went on.

"Because there might be some remnants, but there are a lot of factors to take in, regarding whether they should be removed, or if they will dissipate on their own." he said further.

"Dissipate?" Tyson asked.

"If it's small or weak enough, it will dissipate, as you are not proper vessels for The Ancient Ones." Ash explained.