Despite living for nearly a century, Riveria was still a pure maiden who had never truly experienced romance.
It wasn't because she lacked interest in men, but because she had always prioritized her goals, duties, and responsibilities above everything else.
To her, as a high elf blessed with an incredibly long lifespan, romance was something that could always be set aside for later.
It also didn't help that she was a royal high elf, a lineage that placed great importance on preserving the purity of its bloodline, severely limiting her options.
As for Finn and Gareth, despite all the adventures they had gone through together, Riveria had only ever viewed them as companions.
At times, she even saw them as rivals... fellow adventurers climbing toward the peak alongside her.
"Thank goodness..."
But today, as she stared at Judas' back, her eyes shimmered faintly.
Just seeing him here filled her with a sense of security unlike anything she had ever felt from another man before.
'Such a reliable back... did he grow a bit taller?'
She didn't understand why, but whenever she looked at him now, she genuinely felt as though he could protect her from anything.
A faint emotion quietly took root within her heart, though she unconsciously rejected it, convincing herself that it was simply relief at being saved.
Judas stood before her with one arm extended, his metal-gloved hand firmly gripping Dina's short sword, halting the blade inches from Riveria's skin.
"Judas Spade..."
Dina's voice dripped with venom as her arm trembled violently while she tried to wrench her blade free from Judas' grip.
Compared to Riveria, the Dis Sisters took Judas far more seriously.
Their usual playful, sadistic demeanor vanished in an instant.
"You okay?"
Judas asked without taking his eyes off the Dis Sisters, who stared at him as though they had just seen a ghost.
"Yes... I think I'll live, but Alicia..."
Riveria replied, biting her lip as her gaze drifted toward Alicia, who lay motionless in a pool of blood.
Judas' eyes followed hers for a brief moment.
The instant he saw Alicia's condition, his expression turned cold.
He had only just arrived and headed toward Riveria's location because he had sensed a powerful source of magic in this direction.
Although he could still sense a faint trace of life force within Alicia's body, thanks to the immense vitality granted by the blessing of the gods...
She wouldn't last much longer.
If he didn't do something soon, Alicia would definitely lose her life.
"He—"
Vena was about to say something with a snarl... probably the usual villain monologue or some mockery... but Judas wasn't having any of it.
"Shut up. I don't have time for you."
Judas glared at her as he flicked his arm upward.
A surge of ice erupted from the ground and shot toward the Dis Sisters.
Sensing the danger, the twins leaped backward to avoid being impaled, leaving Dina with no choice but to abandon her short sword in Judas' grasp.
"Dammit!"
Dina cursed through gritted teeth.
The instant their feet touched the ground, Judas appeared beside them, now holding Dina's stolen sword.
Without hesitation, he unleashed a horizontal slash.
Dina reacted instantly, bringing her remaining sword up to parry.
"You arrogant brat!"
She screamed in a fury, humiliated that her own weapon was being used against her.
Within the span of mere milliseconds, countless silvery arcs flashed through the air as the two clashed repeatedly, each collision sending violent gusts of wind rippling outward.
Several shallow cuts appeared across Judas' cheeks, arms, and thigh as a few of Dina's attacks slipped through his defenses.
In contrast, Dina remained completely unscathed.
Not a single one of Judas' strikes had managed to land.
Seeing this, Dina's confidence grew, and she immediately pressed the offensive.
'This is my chance while he's distracted fighting big sister...'
Vena thought.
Standing a few paces behind, she had already finished chanting her spell.
"Die!"
She raised her staff toward Judas.
Just as she was about to unleash her magic...
A massive wave of ice suddenly surged beneath their feet, freezing their legs in place.
"What?!"
The two sisters cried out simultaneously.
They whipped their heads around to look at Riveria.
Despite panting heavily, the High Elf had just successfully unleashed a rapid, short-chant version of [Wynn Fimbulvetr], her signature ice magic.
"I appreciate that the two of you looked down on me so much that you forgot I was still here."
Riveria said between ragged breaths.
"Nice!"
Capitalizing on the opening, Judas was already in motion. His arm was outstretched, a complex magic circle flaring to life directly above his palm.
"!? "
The Dis Sisters barely had enough time to cross their arms before a devastating burst of wind exploded outward.
BOOM—!
The impact launched them like cannonballs.
Their bodies tore through the air before crashing violently into the sea in the distance.
The ocean surface caved inward from the impact before erupting into a towering geyser of water.
Without wasting another second, Judas turned and rushed toward Alicia.
She was barely clinging to life.
The moment he entered her line of sight, her pupils slowly shifted toward him.
"Don't worry... I'll fix you right up."
Judas spoke reassuringly as he looked at the massive wound across her abdomen before raising his hand.
Hearing his voice, Alicia looked at him for a brief moment before offering a weak smile.
Her mouth moved, silently forming the words 'thank you' without a sound.
Moments later, her eyes slowly closed.
'Alicia… you did well holding on.'
Riveria thought, taking a step toward them.
Then...
She suddenly stopped.
'Such an enormous amount of Mind!'
Her eyes widened slightly as she sensed the overwhelming torrent of magic power gathering around Judas.
This wasn't the first time she had witnessed his healing magic.
His healing spells were powerful enough to pull someone back from the brink of death.
But Judas had never exerted a fraction of this much magical energy for a single healing spell before.
Just as Riveria silently wondered what he was about to do...
『Miracle Heal』
A massive emerald magic circle spread across the ground, bathing the surroundings in a gentle green hue.
Riveria looked down.
The ground beneath her feet had become completely covered by the spell as countless motes of emerald light gathered around her body.
She watched in silence as every wound she had suffered rapidly closed.
Within moments, she had been restored to nearly perfect condition.
'I... am healed.'
Riveria then turned toward Alicia.
The horrifying gash across her abdomen visibly mended itself before her eyes.
Her breathing gradually steadied.
Riveria couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
She stepped forward, about to express her gratitude.
Then she stopped.
Judas hadn't ended his spell.
'What is he doing?'
Instead...
The emerald magic circle on the ground kept expanding, growing larger and larger at an exponential, terrifying rate.
'Is this magic circle... covering the entire town?'
Riveria slowly looked around.
No matter where her eyes wandered, she could no longer see where the magic circle ended.
Its emerald glow stretched as far as the eye could see, enveloping the entirety of Melen.
The citizens hiding inside their homes cautiously peeked through their windows as they noticed the streets glowing green.
"Is this magic?"
"Woah... my wounds... they're healing!"
Some of the townspeople who had been caught in the crossfire gasped in disbelief as the cuts and bruises they had suffered disappeared before their eyes.
Elsewhere throughout Melen, the female members of the Loki Familia who had been ambushed by the enemy Amazons froze in astonishment as they looked down at themselves.
In terms of mid-level forces alone, the Kali Familia vastly outnumbered them, forcing them into a severe disadvantage.
Had the battle continued at this pace, there was little doubt they would eventually be overwhelmed and defeated.
Yet now...
The cuts, bruises, and countless injuries they had accumulated throughout the battle vanished one after another.
Their battered bodies were restored completely, as though they had never been wounded in the first place.
"This... magic... is it Judas?"
"Judas is here!"
"Everyone! Backup has arrived!"
"Now that we're healed, let's beat the crap out of these Amazons!"
"Yeah!"
The members of the Loki Familia shouted excitedly as they charged back into battle with renewed vigor.
That's right...
Judas hadn't healed only Riveria and Alicia.
He had expanded the range of his healing magic to encompass the entire battlefield, ensuring that everyone under his protection was restored to peak condition.
However, he healed only those he considered innocent or his allies.
It required an unbelievable degree of precision to exclude every enemy from the spell's effects.
But for Judas, whose control over magic bordered on near perfection, it was entirely possible.
"What?! They got healed, but we didn't?!"
"That's unfair!"
The enemy Amazons protested in disbelief as they suddenly found themselves facing a fully restored Loki Familia.
The tide of battle had completely shifted.
Although they still held the advantage in numbers, the Loki Familia had returned to peak condition.
Their previous numerical advantage became far less significant as the Loki Familia surged forward without restraint, forcing both the Kali Familia and the Ishtar Familia onto the defensive.
"Judas... he is here..."
Ais, who was locked in battle with Phryne, quietly murmured.
She looked down at her palms, her body bathed in the warm green light
A small smile naturally formed on her lips.
Feeling this warmth and thinking of the boy that made her heart stir, a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
...
Back inside the sea cave...
Tiona and Bache, who had been exchanging blows, instinctively halted their battle.
"This overwhelming amount of magic power..."
Bache muttered as she slowly turned her head in a certain direction, her pupils shrinking.
"What kind of monster just arrived?"
Tiona followed Bache's gaze.
The corners of her lips curled into a bright, triumphant smile.
"That is no monster, Bache."
Tiona said proudly, her eyes shining.
"That is my hero."
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