"Just a reminder... that bitch over there is as tough as a dwarf on enhancement drugs."
"So don't even bother having a contest of strength and endurance with her... and she has an annoying regeneration ability on top of that, so watch out."
Bete warned with a grave expression.
"Would've been nice to know that earlier, you mutt."
Kaguya replied as she wiped the blood from her nose.
"I'm telling you now aren't I? Quit complaining!"
Bete barked back as the two of them sprang into action.
While Bete and Kaguya clashed against Revis, the situation on Asfi's end was less dire... but far from easy.
"There's so many of them."
Asfi wiped the sweat from her brow as she soared across the battlefield on Talaria, splitting her attention between providing support and issuing commands wherever they were needed.
Talaria is a pair of winged sandals of Asfi's own creation.
Each sandal bears two wings for a total of four, granting her flight upon calling its name.
Her speed in the air scales directly with her status.
"Burst Oil!"
She hurled special liquid bombs... another magic item of her own making... into the encroaching monsters, sending explosions rippling across the battlefield.
Every magic item at her disposal was now being put to use, pushing her combat output beyond even Falgar, the only other Level 4 present among them.
With her familia members' lives on the line, Asfi was no longer holding anything back.
As one of the few people in Orario who possessed the [Mystery] development ability, creating such things came naturally to her... the very reason she had earned the title of Perseus.
A renowned figure in the city, despite being publicly known as only a Level 2.
As she kept watch over the battlefield, a pair of figures caught her eye.
"Thank goodness we have Thousand Elf and Banshee with us... without them things would have gotten very ugly very fast."
Even so, Asfi could feel the mental exhaustion wearing her down from tracking every corner of the fight at once.
She was running on pure adrenaline at this point.
Just having two Level 3s with them had taken a considerable weight off the overall situation.
She glanced in their direction. Lefiya was weaving through the chaos, moving and dodging while keeping her chant going without missing a single beat.
"Proud warrior, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows."
Her concurrent chanting couldn't quite match the likes of Ryuu or Riveria... but the sheer volume of magic power she was putting out was enough to draw the eyes of everyone on the battlefield.
And that was precisely the problem.
The Violas had caught onto the flow of her magic power and were beginning to shift their hostility toward her.
"Everyone, provide cover for Thousand Elf! She is the key to turning this entire situation around!"
Asfi snapped the command the moment she noticed the shift.
The others acknowledged immediately and regrouped around Lefiya.
"What the hell... this much magic power... she's a monster."
Lulune muttered, a bead of sweat rolling down her face as she felt the intense magical pressure radiating off Lefiya.
"That's not surprising. Lefiya is from the Forest of Wishe... a place known for producing elves with the highest magical power amongst our kin."
Filvis said from beside her, sparing a brief glance toward the amber-haired elf.
Lefiya noticed the others gathering around her, gave a small nod of acknowledgement, and pressed on with her chant.
"Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies. Falling like rain, burn away the savages."
"Fusillade Fallarica!"
The moment those words left her lips...
Dozens of beams of fire erupted all at once.
Explosion after explosion tore through the room, annihilating entire groups of Violas and reducing them to ash.
"Push forward! Use the opening Thousand Elf has given us and sweep them out!"
The Hermes Familia needed no further encouragement.
They charged ahead with weapons raised, pouring every skill, spell and magic sword they had been holding in reserve into the advance.
"That's it... we can do this."
Asfi muttered, feeling the tide finally beginning to shift in their favor.
...
Revis, occupied with Kaguya and Bete, glanced back at the state of the battlefield.
"These damn adventurers... so annoyingly persistent."
She clicked her tongue.
"Viscum! Go!"
She pointed toward Asfi and the others.
The giant plant monster that had been lurking at the back of the room finally lurched into motion.
Every head turned upward.
Every pupil shrank.
"Everyone move! Don't get crushed!"
Asfi's voice cracked with urgency.
Falgar grabbed the two pallum members nearest to him and bolted.
Lulune sprinted with everything she had, her face white with panic.
Lefiya and Filvis ran back together.
But not everyone made it in time.
"Keaks!"
Asfi's voice had gone hoarse from shouting.
She watched as Keaks shoved a badly injured familia member clear of the monster's path... and in doing so, sealed his own fate.
"Take care of yourselves... captain, everyone."
Those were his last words before the Viscum came down on him.
"Keaks!"
Golmeth, the man Keaks had just pushed to safety, screamed with wide, hollow eyes.
A heavy stillness fell over those who witnessed it.
Expressions turned solemn. Some couldn't hold back their tears.
The Viscum let out a low rumbling roar and continued its rampage.
Revis let out a satisfied hum and turned her attention back to Bete and Kaguya, both of them visibly panting and drenched in blood.
Then five magic slashes tore through the air at once as Kaguya emerged from behind and unleashed Gokou... a bloodline magic ability of the Gojou family.
The same power that had once allowed her to defeat a Level 4 opponent back when she herself was still a Level 3.
Even Revis struggled to fully block them.
Chips flew from the edge of her blade... and with Bete serving as a distraction, the final two slashes connected clean.
For the first time since the battle began, a visible wound appeared on Revis' body.
A deep slash across her abdomen that had come dangerously close to cutting her in half.
She glanced down at her sword hand and noted the absence of several fingers.
"I see... it seems I've been too lenient."
Revis muttered as her regeneration quietly went to work.
Neither Kaguya nor Bete felt any relief at the damage they had managed to land.
'I was aiming to split her clean in two and sever that hand entirely... but her body is just too durable.'
Kaguya wanted to curse out loud... but the air around Revis shifted before the thought could fully form.
Her aura flared, and a suffocating pressure erupted outward.
"I've had enough playing around. Time to finish this."
Before either of them could react, Revis was already in front of them.
Her sword carved through the air.
Blood splattered everywhere as pained grunts left both their lips at once.
Kaguya's gaze dropped to her right arm lying on the ground beside her, still clutching her katana, blood pouring freely from her shoulder.
"Fuck..."
Bete cursed under his breath as he registered the gaping hole where the left side of his torso had been, his insides beginning to spill out.
The two of them collapsed where they stood, their vision blurring as they sank into the pool of blood spreading beneath them.
'Haha... I guess this is it...'
Kaguya thought, her cheek coming to rest against the cold floor.
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