The pressure on the battlefield increased abruptly when the three siblings changed the flow of mana at the same time, the two younger ones obeying their brother's order despite their dissatisfied expressions.
"I can't believe we have to use this on them."
"I know, Sacri, but it was our fault for taking so long to eliminate them."
"Even if you say that, sister Meria, I don't think it would have been that easy to eliminate them quickly."
Merta was satisfied with the attitude of the two in analyzing their mistakes a bit. Without a doubt they were her siblings, even if they were impulsive at times. Sacri looked at his sister, feeling that her thinking was completely wrong.
'I hope she's not saying we're impulsive, because she's the one who causes the most disasters in our plans.'
From in front of them, Sisaka's spiritual constructs reacted before they did, vibrating with mana around them. With her eyes shining, she gave her command.
"Kill them."
The samurai advanced in formation, blades cutting through the air with almost mechanical precision, while the purple dragon traced an arc above, spitting condensed spiritual energy that tore through the ground and walls, destroying everything until it reached them.
The three were forced to split in different directions by the dragon's attack. Aoi moved decisively.
'Kitsune Charge'
The kitsune's blue flames intensified, taking on a more defined form, the six tails swaying behind her like living extensions of her will. Each step left fiery marks on the ground, and the blue heat burned away the disease mana suspended in the air. She crossed the field in an instant, dodging contaminated attacks thrown by Merta and cutting invisible support lines that Meria kept active.
"Blue fire, consume."
The Inari family's blue fire didn't just burn—it consumed cursed blessings before they could even fully form, magic itself, and in the future, if she reaches circle ten, it could burn concepts.
So when the magic reached Meria, there was no flashy explosion, only a violent compression of mana followed by a silent implosion in her stomach core as it was struck by Aoi's palms. Secre opened his eyes upon seeing his sister's body tremble in such an abnormal way.
'What kind of magic is this?'
Meria's body lost its shape, collapsing in on itself, and the black core emerged, pulsing irregularly, trying to flee the area like a torn-out heart still alive.
"Spiritual blades!"
"Flaming shot!"
Before it could be destroyed by Sisaka's blades, a mass of flesh and disease advanced as a single being—Merta. Ignoring the cuts from the katanas and the fire arrows from Enrico that spread across her body, she grabbed the core in the air with one of her extra arms. The core's corrosive energy began to mix with hers, creating a dissonant noise that reverberated through the castle.
'She may have died, but this sped up the fusion. Besides, she can come back once we defeat them.'
Sisaka felt the change immediately, and her creations reacted instinctively, two of them dissolving to reinforce the others, while new spear forms emerged behind her.
The extreme difficulty of breathing within that disease spreading at that moment caused her magic to adapt, just as it had when she created those foods, but it also exacted a price. The mana flow became erratic, demanding absolute focus to avoid losing control.
Sacri advanced at the same time Merta stepped back a few paces, the two synchronizing their movements in an unnatural way. The disease in the air thickened, forming visible veins that connected their bodies.
"Triplet fusion."
The fusion began partially, flesh distorting, bones rearranging, while the mana tried to unify two cores into a single unstable system.
"Let's see how well you do—"
"Not with me here."
Enrico reacted before the process could be completed. The flames around his body grew denser, lines of pure fire appearing and intertwining in space, forming a structure like a living cage.
"Line Prison."
Those lines wrapped around the fusing mass, burning and sealing critical points, slowing the complete absorption of the newly captured core. With a clench of his hands, the lines began to cut and burn it.
"This won't stop me, human."
The resistance of the partial fusion was brutal, managing to withstand for a long time, pushing those corrupted flesh muscles, and the corrupted flesh regenerated as it burned.
"Sisaka, Aoi."
Sisaka advanced alongside Aoi upon hearing Enrico speak, using her samurai as anchors to stabilize the surrounding space. Spiritual katanas were driven into the ground and walls, creating an improvised containment field. The purple dragon spiraled down, wrapping the fusion with its ethereal body, compressing the mana and hindering its expansion.
"Hold on for a bit, I'm going to land a strong blow on this."
Enrico began concentrating mana in his fist with a crimson casing. The charge was at maximum; he just needed to focus a little more, but he had to be quick because the pressure kept increasing.
'Damn it, if they keep this up, they'll stop our fusion.'
Meria's core pulsed inside Merta's hand, trying to escape the fire containment. Each beat made the castle tremble. Cracks spread across the ceiling, dust and fragments falling like rain, making Enrico quickly look up.
"What is that?"
An explosion of unknown mana descended from above, not coming from any of the combatants. The energy tore through the hall's ceiling as if it were paper, completely destroying the upper part of the structure.
"That magic is one of—"
The light that entered was unnatural, mixing colors and shadows incorrectly, directly interfering with the active magical fields. Enrico's fire lines broke in several places, not from lack of power, but due to external interference. Seeing that magic, Enrico understood what had happened.
'Damn it, it seems Renzou's fight with Gideon and his clone reached this place.'
At the center of the chaos, the fusion took advantage of the moment, and the black core was finally completely swallowed by the growing mass of flesh.
"Tsk, you two, let's go."
Enrico grabbed Sisaka and Aoi quickly, jumping through a broken opening as he descended to the lower floor. The two were also worried, having felt the power of that fusion increase.
'Now only someone at circle seven can defeat it.'
Enrico still had the pact that exchanged magic for physical power, which could defeat that fusion, but with the two girls on the battlefield, it would be dangerous.
'So before facing it, I have to put them somewhere safe—and I know exactly where.'