As we walked through the snow, I ran the future scenario in my head.
The level difference between the enemy general and us was too high. Even giving it our all wouldn't be enough to so much as scratch him.
The only way to help would be by taking a roundabout path to our destination, but that would hardly make a meaningful difference, and it'd risk him growing suspicious or having second thoughts about these circumstances.
We were already quite lucky that things were going so smoothly, so I decided not to push it any further and headed straight to the stage where the final act would begin.
Before us was a small cave entrance. Two small dragon statues were positioned on each side of its small, man-made stone gate.
Despite the odd air behind the combination of the precarious gate, the well-sculpted statues, and the natural cave, nothing about it felt particularly alarming.
???: "Those are dragons... so if this is a shrine, then it's true that they colluded with the Dragon King of Frost, huh?"
...He seemed confident, but I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
I asked Melissa to prepare anything that could be interpreted as a shrine, and I trusted her with the details.
Maybe this wasn't as haphazard as I thought; however, I'd have to ask for the details later.
The important part was for the harpy to enter the cave.
Once inside, his wings wouldn't mean shit, and he wouldn't be able to escape as easily.
Miwen: "I don't know, but whatever this place is, they never enter or attack the cave, and there's hardly anyone in the area around here. It's pretty much the only safe location we found, so come quickly. We should talk inside."
???: "Sorry, kid, I'd prefer to keep guard outside, at least until I can confirm their tribe doesn't invade the place. Maybe I should actually go back and drag that one girl here..."
He hadn't been cautious until this point, so I could only assume this was his experience talking.
What a shame.
But, oh well..
Miwen: "I see, I guess we should start then..."
???: " Oh yeah? Do tell me. How did you-"
Suddenly, a shadow flew past me, blowing the wind with tremendous force at my face.
Normally, that'd be worrisome.
This time, I could only feel pity.
It was ironic, really.
Melissa did to him exactly as he had done to Mia.
Throwing the cloak to the side, the woman who had been accompanying us all this time revealed herself, appearing out of thin air.
When this so-called Angel first attacked Mia, I could almost hear Melissa clenching her fists. I thought for sure that Melissa would strike him there and there.
Thankfully, she kept her cool and endured her rage until the right moment.
Well, even if she had attacked him back there, I couldn't be blamed for it. I kept my end of the deal.
However, seeing how perfectly this turned out, she shouldn't have any complaints, even if her daughter got hurt.
To prevent her prey from escaping, Melissa erected an earth wall behind us, closing off the cave's only exit.
Once again, I found myself her prisoner.
Not that there was anything to worry about since I could always escape to the Kingdom. If anything, I felt like I got front-row seats for a match I'd never be able to see on Earth, given the levels of these two.
Licia: "You should've kept us outside!"
Melissa: "Is that so? Since the boy showed his worth, I thought about returning the favor."
Licia was worried about our security, so she erected her own ice wall for us to take cover behind.
Her barrier wouldn't last long if attacked, given the level of the contestants, but I appreciated the thought.
It took but a second for the enemy general to stand up.
With his back literally pressed against the wall, his only hope of leaving was to destroy the earth wall Melissa created.
However, that was easier said than done.
Even though he should be pretty capable given his position within the Hamperlon army, Melissa had 30 levels on him.
Not only that, she led a tribe of warriors, all of whom were stronger than Hamperlon's average soldier.
Since they should be evenly matched when it came to their battle experience, Melissa felt like the safest bet for this battle.
And just like that, Melissa disappeared from our sight again, closing the gap between her and the Angel in a single charge forward.
The general was as shocked as the rest of us. Every time Melissa connected a punch, the recoil would be so strong that her legs would sink into the ground, cracking it.
Her legs had so much strength behind them that the pressure of her taking a stance was enough to cut holes in the ground.
With an uppercut, she lifted the Angel off the ground, sending him hurdling towards the cave's ceiling.
Despite blood leaving the spot her fists hit, he quickly dove downward, slashing Melissa with his right wing.
Surprisingly, he managed to draw blood.
I looked at Licia and Claire for confirmation, and the surprised look in their faces told me that this hardness and sharpness weren't normal for a harpy's wing.
It was probably the effect of his Gift.
Still, a light cut like that meant nothing for Melissa.
Without blinking an eye, she grabbed the general by his wing, ripping out several of his feathers.
Angel Of The Night: "Gh...!"
The harpy brought a hand to his wing before turning his attention back on Melissa.
It was hard to see the expression on his face, given the lack of light inside the dome-like cave.
However, Claire was even more bothered by it than I was and decided to light small flames around the dome, providing enough light for us to watch the show.
In the next moment, I saw Melissa's nails extend.
They resembled the claws of an animal, and just like that, she sank them into the harpy's arm.
Closing her hand and pushing it back, she tore half the skin of the Angel's arm off.
She threw it away like a worthless prize, blood spattered everywhere, drenching the snow in red.
The slight smile on her face was like that of a true predator.
Meanwhile, I could only see fright in the Angel's expression.
Reality seemed to be kicking in for him.
He was trapped.
His opponent was superior.
In just a brief exchange, Melissa had already severed one of his arms and compromised one of his wings.
Still, he had no option but to fight.
Using his wings to make up for the difference in their speed, the angel desperately launched a flurry of blows against Melissa.
Claire: "Ohh, he's quite brave! I thought he'd be a bigger wimp given his sneaky night raids. I'd have loved to face either of them back in my prime."
Licia: "She's taking too long... Should we give her a hand?"
The two commentators on my side were enjoying themselves quite a bit.
I asked Licia what was up with that, and she told me that Melissa could've kept us safe while making a few holes for us to watch the match.
In other words, she was also looking forward to watching the battle, just not from a dangerous position.
Still, what she said piqued my interest.
Miwen: "What do you mean? The level gap is too high for us to do anything."
Claire: "..."
For some reason, a smug smile grew on Licia's lips.
At the same time, Claire rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh.
Licia: "We should do a mock fight someday so that you can understand better, but Ice magic allows for quite good support, you know?"
She closed her eyes and raised her index finger, like a teacher explaining something dear to her heart.
Claire: "Ice mages are all really annoying to deal with. Thankfully, they never really mess with me."
Licia: "That's because of your element! It's not fair to us..."
The two turned their heads to each other, puffing their cheeks.
I felt that without intervening, I'd get a front row seat to a side match today.
Miwen: "So, how are you gonna provide support? I don't want to belittle you, but even if you tried to freeze his feet with all your mana, due to his strength, he'd break out of it instantly, as if it had never even been frozen in the first place."
When she mentioned using ice magic for support, I remembered the time when she froze the Goblin Lord's weapon for me to deal a finishing blow.
However, that was only possible thanks to a somewhat close level of strength between them.
While a certain difference in levels can be overcome through ability, there was obviously a limit to it.
Yet, Licia seemed confident, and honestly, I grew eager to see what she could do.
Licia: "Watch and learn."
She squinted her eyes, focusing on every beat of the fight happening before her eyes.
Though the Angel looked worse for wear, Melissa was also getting injured.
Whatever Licia had planned, it'd be best if she acted fast.
However, no matter what was happening, she didn't lose focus.
As Melissa traded blows with Hamperlon's general, she committed to a punch a bit too much, giving him a strong opening.
This was the chance he needed to turn the tide, perhaps the only one he'd get.
Enclosed on his own wings, the Angel put all of his weight on his leg, pushing himself forward while rotating, so that his wings could cut Melissa into pieces.
As he comes an inch from the Wolves' Chiftainess, the Angel trips.
He hadn't noticed, but a certain ice mage condensed almost all of her mana to make a small icy ramp.
Despite her current level, Licia was used to this type of high-octane battle.
She might've been even more experienced than they were, considering how far she predicted both Melissa and the Angel.
Like a true veteran, she took control of the battlefield at its most crucial moment.
It was hard to believe, but she had impacted the fight.
Licia: "Even though it's not that big of an area, if I focused all my mana on his feet, it would be too weak to have an effect due to the level disparity. But if I focus on an even smaller area? If I make it so that his feet only need to slide for a moment? Then I can do something like this."
She was still in teacher mode, but given the practical example, I couldn't help but listen attentively.
Claire: "That's why no one likes to fight against ice users."
Licia: "How's that? Did you like it?"
Miwen: "You look more like a bully right now..."
Licia: "Ehhh?"
It was impressive that she could do so much, but...
She was like a kid, childishly pranking another by extending their feet to trip them over.
The worst part was that the grown-up in the room, Melissa, took the opportunity to join in and kick the kid who had just fallen to the ground.
The epic battle between top-tier beings I was looking forward to suddenly became a show of bullying.
Actually, considering he had been set up for this by me, calling this bullying wasn't too far-fetched.
Seeing Claire chuckle at the scene, I lost most of the pride I had in coming up with this plan.
Still, the title of general ought to be respected.
The Angel was a genuine monster.
Even after losing an army and getting beaten to a pulp on the ground, he didn't give up.
He propelled himself off the ground and, in a desperate last attempt, flew at full speed towards the ice wall the girls and I were taking cover behind.
Targeting us was a good idea.
He had no idea of the value we held for Melissa, but it clearly had to be some.
However, this turned out to be a massive mistake.
After all, he now had his back turned to Melissa.
It was obvious how much effort he put in this attempt, given he managed to be even faster than Melissa had been during their fight, but...
Melissa showed her fangs.
Literally.
She jumped towards us, missing the Angel by a hair's breadth.
From the cave wall behind us, she threw herself at the angel, biting off his leg.
With another jump, she landed on the ceiling, and from there, she slammed him into the ground, knocking the Angel out while sinking him into the deep hole her attack created.
Or at least, that's what I thought happened.
Even the skills enhancing my eyes weren't able to keep up with her speed..
I was only sure about the first jump. Everything else seemed like a blur, her shadow moving from all sides and in all directions at the same time.
Still, the battle was over.
The Angel wasn't moving anymore, and Melissa dragged him to her tribe.
Although not dead, it wouldn't take long for him to die without magic or potions, either.
Melissa had taken a few hits herself, but nothing life-threatening.
Melissa: "Don't forget your cloak, boy, you're gonna need it to sneak back to your cell."
Miwen: "Eh? I thought you were gonna celebrate me as a hero ?"
Melissa: "I didn't agree to that. But fine, Mia should be waiting outside, sadly, since I have to carry this guy, I can't lend you a hand, but..."
Miwen: "I get it, I get it, I'll be a good boy, please don't feed me to the wolves."
Melissa: "Heh, did I scare you that much?"
Miwen: "You have no idea."
Well, at the end of the day, I never managed to understand why Melissa made such an elaborate move to have Mia be part of this whole thing to start with.
And sadly, my standing with the tribe didn't really improve since Melissa kept our relationship a secret and claimed the feat of defeating the enemy general for herself to boost morale amongst her army.
All things considered, I could be in more danger than before, since Mia was probably quite unhappy.
Still, the results this time were great.
The enemy suffered a massive blow, and I proved to Melissa that I had worth beyond the items I provided her.
Even if neither of us could do it by ourselves, by working together, we could knock down every piece on the board.