‘Miss Elaine, while I’m fighting with him,’ he referred to Skulls’ leader, ‘I’d like you to prepare a certain magic for me.’

Dunnford’s words rang in Elaine’s mind. She had thought of giving first aid treatment for Ray as his right arm was not in a good shape, but he was more than capable of treating himself. Currently Dunnford was fighting against Skulls’ leader, and without having Elemental Magic at his disposal, he couldn’t possibly harm him. Hence, he needed Elaine’s help.

Looking at the bandit’s leader, Elaine felt enraged enough to want to have a go at him herself. She could prepare her lava magic while Dunnford was keeping him occupied and go for a direct attack, but Dunnford had cautioned her against it.

‘Please do not be rash and throw your offensive magic at him. He could easily dodge it with his strength and agility. Not to mention, I do not think that your mana is in a good shape.’

‘So what am I supposed to do then?’

‘You need to do what I’m going to tell you, without him knowing.’

***

Vath’s right straight crushed the air beside Dunnford’s head. At the same time, Dunnford’s sword thrust sliced the air beside Vath’s ear. Vath could have sworn he heard the sound of the air being cut.

During his battle with the Undefeated knight, he had noticed that Ray Astralis had gone off elsewhere. Presumably to treat his wounds with first-aid magic.

As the battle progressed and attacks hit nothing but empty air, Vath was impressed by the knight’s resourcefulness and tenacity. For the duration of the battle, the knight had been purely aiming for his eyes. The human organ that could not be trained to be durable was the eyes. Even Extinct Formulae Magic could not give his eyes strength to withstand the blade. Thus, the knight was not wrong for aiming at his weak point.

And, perhaps the knight thought Vath wouldn’t realize, but he knew that his sword was coated with poison. Poison that the mage must have created with her magic. If that poison hit him, seeped inside him through his eyes, then Vath would have nothing to counteract the poison. That was why the knight was a bother. Still, he was not a force that could put Vath in danger. He knew how to deal with the strategy that the knight was using.

As the knight swung his sword, this time, instead of dodging and launching an attack of his own, he caught the blade of the knight’s sword with his bare hand. The knight’s strength could not compare to his. With the blade firmly grabbed with his hand, the sword could not be taken back. Now, the knight was no more of a bother to him. Not when his only weapon was taken away from him.

I can ignore him and kill the other members of the Silver Arrow first, Vath thought. He then looked at Dunnford. I can kill him by burying him alive later.

As his sight finally shifted from the Undefeated knight, Vath saw the mage weaving her staff far away from the corridor. It was at that moment that he knew everything the knight did was a charade. Aiming for his eyes, coating his sword with poison, it was all to make Vath think that he was fighting against him to win. When in truth, he was buying time for the mage to finish her spellcasting.

Vath was careless! She was the force that he should have been cautious off. The knight nor the prince could harm him, leaving only the mage who could. Who knew what kind of offensive magic had she prepared during the span of his fight against the knight? How dangerous of a magic could she prepare in that time span?

Vath knew that he had to take care of her.

***

‘… without him knowing,’ Dunnford had said.

Elaine saw how Vath had caught Dunnford’s blade and how he had spotted her. Looking at her enemy right in the eyes, she felt hatred toward the man. Hatred for what he had done; and a crave for victory against her enemy. The feeling of not being able to afford to lose. Not to him.

Vath, thinking that Elaine was preparing a magic that would finish him off, immediately acted by lunging toward her. As intimidated as Elaine was; as she was defenseless without any barrier magic, she held her ground.

‘You don’t need advanced magic to deal with him. Just a simple magic would do,’ he had told her when she was unsealing him.

Elaine pointed her wand at Vath. That caught his attention; and just as he thought something would come at him. Elaine pointed to the ground and used her magic.

‘A magic to bury him alive.’

The ground dropped and a hole appeared. It was not as flashy or complex as creating lava out of thin air, but creating a hole where her opponent would fall into would do the job well.

***

The mage had got Vath. And now he was falling.

The knight, being someone invincible because of his Special Magic, must have experienced himself methods his enemies must have used to deal with him. To think that the knight had the very same idea to deal with invulnerability…

Everything had been a trap, set especially to deal with Vath. That poisoned blade along with the mage revealing what she was doing was all a well-set plan. A plan to make sure that he didn’t notice what was going on under the layers of deceit and got himself lured into that trap hole on his own volition.

They… got him.

***

Ray had given his right arm first aid treatment with magic.

Just as he was about to rejoin the battle against Skulls’ leader, he felt a small quake and saw a deep hole when he came the corridor. Elaine was filling that hole by destroying the brick walls that made the corridor a corridor. With the enemy nowhere in sight, Ray could only assume that Elaine had created that hole, and was burying their enemy alive with those bricks.

‘How’s your right arm, Master Ray?’ Dunnford who was beside him, asked.

‘Should be fine. Just get me a good doctor later.’

‘Very well. Glad to hear that.’

Ray then looked at the hole and thought to himself: to think that that Extinct Formulae Magic user could be beaten this simply.

Looking at Elaine, Ray noticed how fatigue caught up to her now that the battle was done. Her knees had gotten weak and she was sitting on the ground with her legs folded. Ray too, wanted to let fatigue catch up to him and drop down to the ground. However, that could wait until he reached the tavern where they stayed. He would rather not show weakness in front of her.

Just when he thought their battle against Skulls was over, Ray was stunned when he saw a herculean figure looming behind Elaine.

***

Elaine noticed that Ray had returned and his arm was in better shape.

He saw her sitting on the ground because fatigue caught up to her and Elaine thought Ray would mock her like he usually would. What came from his mouth however wasn’t words meant to ridicule her. But to warn her. ‘ELAINE, BEHIND YOU!’

Elaine would have normally thought that Ray was just messing with her. But the terror in his voice was too real to be fake. Elaine turned around as fast as she could. Before she was able to see the danger behind her, her head was grabbed by a massive hand and she was lifted from the ground.

‘You would have won, if I didn’t have anything except strength…’

It was a voice that Elaine knew. Looking from the gap between the fingers, she saw the leader of Skulls perfectly unharmed. And as if the earth was scared of his presence, the ground was shaking in fear.

Elaine, not letting her fear control her, struggled all she could in his grasp. She refused to lose against that person.

‘Why do you struggle? When knowing it’s futile?’ Vath had silenced both Dunnford and Ray by showing his palm against them. A gesture that implied: stay, or she dies.

‘I refuse to lose against you.’ Elaine held his wrist with both hand, making an attempt which might just loosen his grip for her to be free. The ground was still rumbling.

‘And why is that?’ He asked.

Why? You’re asking me why? Her glare through the gap of his fingers asked him that.

Elaine should have died in her fight against Vienna. Her defensive barrier was broken and it only took Vienna one last punch to snuff the life out of Elaine’s. The moment when she pulled her arm back, about to throw a punch, Elaine didn’t close her eyes.

In that moment, being in the border of life and death, everything appeared slow and crystal clear in Elaine’s eyes. During that moment, that beast-like Vienna who had lost her rationality because of her magic to strengthen herself, remained true to her instinct and her feelings. Vienna, at that moment, shed a tear.

She had missed her punch on purpose and her fist plummeted to the wall behind her. Shattering the wall, collapsing the roof, and she got herself rubbles falling over her. Elaine lost her consciousness right after that, but she knew what that tears meant. That she did not want to do what she did. She had to. Because of her leader.

I refuse to lose… ‘Because I despise you.’

The rumbling of the earth grew bigger and bigger. ‘Then die.’ Vath strengthened his grip and was about to crush Elaine’s head.

At that exact moment, the walls of the building that remained standing collapsed abruptly. A roar that shook the air vibrantly sounded. That of a beast. But unlike Vienna’s, that roar Elaine was hearing was more intense. Made by a real beast. Through the gap of Vath’s fingers, Elaine could see the appearance of a three headed beast. A creature of chaos. Cerberus. Set in flames.

‘What—?’ Elaine heard her enemy utter his confusion when looking at the burning beast.

A black blade appeared from the dust that had risen because of the building’s collapse. It sliced Vath’s arm on the surface, just enough damage to make his grip loose and drop Elaine. That caught Vath by surprise.

As the dust settled, Elaine could see a figure standing between her and Skulls’ leader. She had violet hair that reached her neck and a sword in her grip.

***

… I made it in time, Freya thought.