As the blood knives from Damien's spell started to pierce through the puppets, their cores started to appear. Eamon then quickly chanted a spell.
"Arcana Flame Beast Massacre!"
Suddenly, a yellow circle appeared from Eamon's hand, glowing brightly against the dark forest. The magic circle spun rapidly, and flames burst out from its center. From within those flames, multiple beasts made entirely of fire emerged. Their bodies were shaped like wild wolves and large cats, with burning eyes and long claws made of flame.
The beasts roared and rushed toward the water puppets.
The puppets tried to defend themselves, swinging their water swords wildly, but Damien's blood knives had already weakened them. The glowing white cores inside their bodies were exposed.
One flame beast leaped through the air and bit down on the core of a puppet. The moment its burning jaws closed around it, the core shattered into countless sparks. The puppet's body lost its shape and collapsed into a puddle of water.
Another beast rushed toward the next puppet. It jumped onto its chest, tore through the water covering its body, and swallowed the glowing core.
Slowly, the number of puppets started reducing.
The battlefield became a strange mixture of blood, fire, and water. Damien's blood knives continued to fly through the air while Eamon's flame beasts hunted down every exposed core. Roneth and Haizer could only watch for a moment, both exhausted from the battle they had already endured.
Another puppet fell.
Then another.
The mermaid remained silent as she watched her creations disappear one after another. Her expression became darker with every puppet that was destroyed.
Finally, the last flame beast tore the final core from a puppet and crushed it between its jaws.
The puppet disappeared.
There were no more water creatures standing between them and the mermaid.
Eamon slowly lowered his hand.
The flame beasts disappeared into sparks, and the yellow magic circle faded away.
Everyone sighed in relief.
For a brief moment, nobody moved.
Only the sound of their heavy breathing filled the forest.
Eamon bent slightly and placed one hand on his knee. His chest rose and fell rapidly. His body felt heavy, as if every bone inside him had been filled with stone.
"I am exhausted. And so is everyone."
He looked at Damien. Even the vampire looked tired now. Roneth was covered in wounds, and Haizer was barely standing after losing his arm and suffering damage to his wings.
"I just used one of the most powerful Tier 2 spells. If she can create more powerful puppets, then I'll have no choice but to use Tier 3 spells."
Eamon's eyes slowly moved toward the mermaid.
"And if even that's not the limit of her puppets, then how will I manage? My magic limit as of now is limited to Tier 3 spells. I can't go higher than that."
His fingers tightened around his sword.
"And if that's the case, then do I even stand a chance to at least land a single attack on her, let alone defeat her?"
The mermaid was fuming.
Until now, she had remained seated upon the chair made from water, watching them destroy her puppets. But now she slowly stood.
The water chair disappeared behind her.
The moment she rose, the air around them seemed to change.
Everyone took a step back.
They could feel the difference.
It was as if the mermaid's wrath was visible.
Her anger seemed to fill the entire forest. Even the trees around them trembled slightly, and the surface of the river behind her began to move without any wind touching it.
Roneth tightened his grip on his sword.
Damien's eyes narrowed.
Haizer, despite his injuries, raised his sword slightly.
Eamon swallowed hard.
The mermaid took one step forward.
Crack!
The ground beneath her feet split apart.
Another step.
The water behind her suddenly rose high into the air.
Everyone looked around in alarm.
The water moved like living creatures, twisting and curling around them. In only a few seconds, a huge circular wall of water surrounded Eamon, Damien, Roneth, and Haizer.
They were trapped inside a massive water circle.
Eamon looked up at the towering wall.
"This isn't good."
The water moved around them in a perfect circle, blocking every possible path of escape.
Then the mermaid took another step.
She disappeared.
Eamon's eyes widened.
"Where did she go?"
Damien immediately turned his head.
Roneth looked around as well.
Haizer raised his sword.
The water surrounding them began moving faster and faster. It flowed in circles around them, making it difficult to tell where the mermaid was.
Then—
She appeared from the water.
Eamon and Damien turned at the same time.
Roneth also turned.
But the mermaid was already behind Haizer.
In her right hand was a huge sword made entirely of water.
It was long, sharp, and sparkling under the dim light of the forest. Unlike the earlier water weapons, this sword looked different. It felt denser. Heavier. More dangerous.
Before Haizer could react, she thrust the sword forward.
The blade pierced straight through his chest.
Haizer's eyes widened.
The sparkling, long, sharp sword of the mermaid was inside Haizer's chest.
For a moment, everything became silent.
Haizer slowly looked down.
There it was.
A sword coming out of his chest.
Blood began dripping from the blade.
A thin stream of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth as well.
Roneth's face turned pale.
"Nooooo....!"
He rushed toward the mermaid with his sword raised.
As he reached near her, the mermaid calmly snapped the fingers of her other hand.
Suddenly, a magic circle appeared beneath Roneth's feet.
"What—?"
Water came gushing through the circle. The force was enormous. Roneth was violently propelled into the sky.
At the same time, the mermaid kicked Haizer. The kick struck his body with enough force to pull the water sword out of his chest. Haizer fell heavily onto the ground.
Roneth continued flying upward.
Higher.
And higher.
The forest became smaller beneath him.
For a brief moment, Roneth could see almost the entire forest from that height. The trees looked like a sea of green beneath him, while the river looked like a thin silver line cutting through the land.
Then the water stopped propelling him.
His body became weightless.
And then gravity took over.
Roneth began falling.
The mermaid slowly raised her sword.
She pointed its sharp tip toward the falling Roneth.
Her expression remained completely calm.
Eamon saw what she was about to do.
His eyes widened.
"Arcana Fire Blast!"
Multiple fireballs exploded from Eamon's position and flew toward the mermaid.
The fireballs crossed the battlefield like burning stars.
The mermaid turned toward them.
A wall of water suddenly rose before her.
The fireballs crashed into it one after another.
Steam exploded into the air.
At the same time, Damien quickly raised his hand.
"Noctis Blood Web!"
Blood spread from his fingers and formed a huge web-like structure a little above the ground.
Roneth fell directly toward it.
He landed on the blood web.
The web bent under his weight but held him safely.
Roneth immediately jumped from it and rushed toward Haizer.
Haizer was lying on the ground.
Blood was spreading beneath his body.
Roneth dropped to his knees beside him.
"Haizer... Haizer... you can't die here. Not before answering my questions."
Haizer's eyes opened slightly.
He tried to speak, but only a weak cough escaped his mouth.
Blood came out with it.
Roneth's expression tightened.
He quickly looked toward Damien.
"Damien... please save him. You are a doctor, aren't you? Please save him. You patched the wound on my chest, right? Do it for him as well."
Damien came running.
He knelt beside Haizer and immediately examined the wound.
His expression became serious.
"This is bad."
He placed his hand over the wound.
Blood magic began flowing from his fingers.
Thin strands of blood moved around Haizer's chest, pulling the torn flesh together. Damien worked quickly, using his magic like surgical thread.
Haizer gritted his teeth.
His body trembled from the pain.
"Stay still," Damien said.
Haizer forced himself not to move.
The wound was far worse than Roneth's.
The sword had pierced straight through his chest, damaging several organs on its way through.
Damien knew he had very little time.
Meanwhile, the steam created by the clash between Eamon's fireballs and the mermaid's water shield began to spread across the battlefield.
The mermaid slowly emerged from the thick white steam.
Her clothes were barely disturbed.
Her eyes remained cold.
Eamon saw her.
He immediately jumped forward.
His sword flashed through the steam as he attacked her.
The mermaid raised her water sword.
Clang!
The two blades collided.
Water and steel crashed against each other.
Eamon pushed forward with all his strength.
The mermaid simply stared at him.
She moved her sword to the side and redirected his attack.
Eamon's feet slid across the ground.
He immediately recovered and swung again.
The mermaid blocked it.
Their weapons collided several more times, but Eamon could feel the difference between them.
She was stronger.
Much stronger.
Back near Haizer, Damien finally completed his work.
He pulled his hand away.
The blood threads holding the wound together remained firmly in place.
"I have stitched the hole in his chest, but it's different from your wound, Roneth. It's literally a hole. His organs were also pierced."
Roneth looked at Haizer.
Damien continued speaking while breathing heavily.
"I have somehow managed to hold his organs together, and it will stop further blood loss. But it won't last long. Any further injury will kill him."
Roneth nodded.
"Thanks, Damien. We'll have to protect him from here on."
Before Roneth could speak anything more, a powerful force suddenly struck through the battlefield.
Eamon came flying through the air.
He crashed into the ground several meters away and rolled across the dirt before finally stopping.
Damien immediately looked toward him.
"Eamon.... Are you okay?"
Eamon slowly moved his arm.
The mermaid stood where he had been moments ago.
She then turned her attention toward Haizer.
She began walking toward him again.
Roneth looked toward Eamon.
"Is Eamon okay?"
Damien glanced at him.
"I think so. That idiot won't die with just that much."
Roneth gave a small nod.
He turned toward Haizer.
Then he tightened his grip around his sword.
Damien stood beside him and raised his blood sword once again.
Roneth and Damien stood up, they drew their weapons again.