Raum's black crow mask has red eyes that glow.
Mana around her began to gather like fluid water.
From there, shapes of crows began appearing.
Then, from these crows, mana was sucked into their bodies.
I can already guess what she's aiming to do.
FWOOSH FWOOSH FWOOSH!
KAAK! KAAK!
The crows launched themselves with extreme speed toward me.
Rather than escaping, I stood firm. A mere crow isn't able to get through my Mana Field.
However, as a precaution,
I focused my mana before extending the range of my mana field to 10 meters from myself.
Then the crows flying toward me began to stop.
My Mana Field held the crows in place, rendering them unable to proceed.
Until one crow launched itself against my mana field and began to rotate like a drill.
"If you hold them in place, I'll just drill your mana field away," Raum said before commanding more crows to drill at my erected mana field.
Slowly, my mana field cracked.
I began my move to evade the crows.
The moment the crows that were being held were freed from my mana field, their movement continued. It was as if the wall had suddenly disappeared. Therefore, the force directed toward it resumed as the crows launched far away from me.
This was my saving grace, as I held the crows and messed up their trajectories before running away as they hit the ground.
As I continued to evade, Raum didn't seem to bother and sent me crows after crows.
She was planning something, but I didn't know what.
Just then, I saw it.
"KUAKH!" Raum puked out blood.
Naturally, Raum was wasting too much of her mana. Even with her just unlocking her new strength, it doesn't mean her mana reserves would restore. For I am sure no one possesses a technique like Carmilla's "Panacea," which can restore someone's mana reserves completely.
Wait a minute.
Baal has the ability to do that.
She restored Carmilla's and my mana during our last encounter.
Is it possible that...
Raum licked the blood around her mouth before saying, "Explode!"
My eyes widened as I noticed the crows glowing.
It was already too late for me.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
***
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
Trish moved at lightning speed, fighting the army of Leviathans who had finally breached Ankol Beach, all of which were slowly moving into the city. Hundreds of fireball spells had been launched toward the merfolk. On the other hand, the merfolk cast water magic over and over to coat the Leviathans in water to hydrate them.
ZWUNG!
Trish appeared among the Leviathans. "Raimei!" Then lightning began to spark again, shocking everyone in the vicinity of that Leviathan before slashing through the merfolk armies. Moving from one to another, Trish tried to locate Killiar, who had gone missing from her communications.
"Lulu, can you hear me?"
"Yes, I can hear you! Do you need anything?"
"Have you seen Killiar?"
"No, I didn't see her... ugh, my head... BZZTT"
"Lulu!!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" Trish bit her lips.
"GRAAA!!!" The King of Leviathans roared.
Unlike what she intended, Trish didn't proceed to fight the Leviathan King.
It wasn't out of fear, but rather she was unsure if the "plan" would succeed if she made contact with him. But it isn't far-fetched to say that at this moment, her power was nowhere near that of the Leviathan King.
DUM! DUM! DUM!
Tanks in the city began firing at the king, who was still on the shore.
She tirelessly zapped from place to place to help the army fight.
But somehow, the fatigue finally hit her.
As she began to lose focus, her natural instinct was to retreat.
So with a lunge, Trish pulled back from the place of conflict to rest.
However, as she began to move, a water magic spell hit her from the side, sending her crashing to the ground.
My head....
It rings so badly...
Trish suddenly remembered.
A woman whose presence drew every curious eye.
Standing on top of the black orb.
Momoka... why were you here...
Was it something related to Thalamik's plan?
***
For 600 seconds,
Momoka stood atop the Black Orb, which was the location of Thalamik's Alterity.
She meditated atop the orb.
Mana flowed directly from it toward her.
Ever since that day, when she last met Thalamik.
-~
"What if that plan fails?"
"...Then perhaps I am done for," Thalamik said with a nervous smile. "But at least everything I taught you will live on. I do hope you can find the person who took everything from you. If I do survive, I hope this is my proof that I will never betray you. I will acknowledge your anger, fear—whatever you are feeling—and choose your side when you need it the most, especially when it's concerning your late fiancé," Thalamik said with a warm smile.
"Master..."
"Don't worry. I'll see you soon. In the meantime, take care of my family, including Raymed, Carmilla, and Addison," Thalamik said.
Momoka nodded before smiling through tears. "Alright, Master. I'll do it."
-~
It was all just a lie.
Thalamik never planned for her to leave and not join the war.
He just wanted Raum to think that way.
Because Thalamik knew that conversation was eavesdropped on. Raum had been listening.
-~
"That's good. What do you say we finish our food first before we clean this up?" Thalamik spoke to Momoka regarding what they should do next. They continued their activities as the city turned to night.
Then, a black moth flew by.
-~
Hence, it had to be done in a very convoluted way.
Thalamik and Momoka had to act as if Momoka had been ordered to stay at the United Front.
It's not that what they said was fake. It's just that the last part was.
It was their two truths and one lie.
The part where Momoka was forced to go away.
It was all leading to this moment.
Momoka opened her eyes, finishing her meditation.
She moved and danced slowly atop the Black Orb; blue mana flowed alongside her dance.
"Flow... mana of the living..."
Her fox tail began to glow as she smiled.
"Bring blessings to those worthy of it..."
"From here on out..."
"Instead of bane, become my boon."
Momoka's hips swayed gracefully as her dark blue dress fluttered along with the mana. She created blue flaming orbs that circled her. As she danced, the orbs floated upward and merged.
Then, from the Black Orb she was standing on, traces of blue mana began to flow into the blue orb. As it slowly grew bigger and bigger, its sheer energy began to distort the surrounding air.
"Rain of Blessings: Extra Life,"
Momoka said before stopping her dance and clapping her hands together once.
SPLASH!
The orb exploded as it began to rain across the battlefield.
"I did my part, Master. Please win this." She smiled.
.
Then voices suddenly appeared in her ear.
"Momoka, is that you?" Trish's voice rang out.
"Yes, it is... How are you, Ms. Trish?" Momoka replied.
"AWOOO!!! I JUST HAD THE CRAZIEST—"
"DON'T SCREAM, BESITULARS! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Killiar said.
"He just woke up. He got beaten up," Dwargo said.
"Vululu! Where are you guys?!"
"Everyone, please regroup here!" Momoka said.
"Where?" everyone asked in unison.
Then Momoka smiled as the mana that fell beneath her began to glow.
BLING!!!!
A pillar of light began to form.
"Right here, everyone!" Momoka said.
"ROGER THAT!"
Just in time, the Black Orb suddenly moved as it began turning transparent.
Momoka could now see what was happening inside the orb—inside Thalamik's Alterity.
"Just in time, like you planned, Master." Momoka smiled, taking out a broadcasting device she had brought from the United Front, a device capable of livestreaming the entire ordeal inside Thalamik's Alterity.
"You truly are the best." She clasped her hands and said, "Please win."
As the scene played out, however, her eyes widened.
***
"Haah... Haah... Hahh...." Thalamik's mana field was destroyed.
Some of the explosions managed to ruin his attire.
If, at that last moment, I hadn't gave everything with my Mana Field and reinforced my body with Kai, I would've already lost.
"Indeed, you really are a Demon Lord Envoy," Thalamik said.
"HAHAHAHA. Of course I am the real deal! A Demon Lord Envoy." she said.
Even with restricted power, she managed to do this.
Thalamik kneeled as he tried to breathe normally.
His torso was exposed by the explosion, revealing his upper body covered in grazes.
Raum slowly walked toward Thalamik with a satisfied smile. "Is this really all you've got, Kaiser?"
Then a sword extended from the ground, impaling Raum.
"Haah... I see you still have these guys." Raum nonchalantly broke the blade.
Black appeared from the ground, ready to fight for Thalamik.
Then came Visha, Passette, and Arcuest.
"Seriously, what makes you think these guys can fight on par with me? Or are you merely stalling?" Raum asked.
"Even if I can only stall you until 'he' comes, I will do so. Until you die, I will fight."
Raum licked her lips once more and said, "The thing is, Thalamik, I can't die."
"Bullcrap!" Thalamik ordered his Big Four to attack Raum.
With ease, Raum dodged and obliterated each one of Thalamik's soldiers.
However, the destroyed soldiers quickly regenerated, whole once more, ready to fight again.
"As long as there is 'fear', I will never die. It doesn't matter if I don't have mana. It doesn't matter how hard you hit me. There is only despair if you fight me."
Thalamik didn't give in as he kept attacking with his fiends.
But they weren't given a chance.
Black, Arcuest, Passette, and Visha kept getting destroyed over and over.
.
.
.
.
.
Until finally, Thalamik ran out of mana.
"Ku Ku Ku... Are you finished?" Raum smiled gleefully.
Thalamik was still kneeling. He couldn't muster any more magic.
Raum nudged him and put her hand under Thalamik's chin before saying, "I win. Humanity loses. You were all destined to die after all."
BUK!
With a punch, Thalamik was sent meters away.
CRACK!! CRANGK!!!!
The sky crumbled, falling like shattered glass.
Thalamik's Alterity failed to be maintained.
Raum looked toward the cracks in glee, her face reddened with excitement.
"I can finally begin the killing. I haven't felt this pleasure in ages."
Just as she stretched her wings,
a voice was heard. "Idiot. Did you think I would fall that easily?" Thalamik lifted his fist as if daring death.
"Wow. You really are a hero. Guess I'd better finish you off, huh?" Raum said before launching her fists toward Thalamik.
An uppercut.
A left hook.
A stomach punch.
She ended the fight by crushing Thalamik's head into the ground with her foot.
"In the end, you are all just vermin waiting to be destroyed. Now be a good bug and die splattered."
GRAB!
In response, Thalamik said nothing but grabbed her foot.
"STOP IT!" Raum shouted, annoyed. "WHY, AFTER ALL THAT, WON'T YOU STAY DOWN?!"
Raum began kicking Thalamik over and over again.
But he pushed through and smiled. With his teeth filled with blood, he said, "If I am dying, I am bringing you to hell, Raum."
"YOU LUNA—"
SHRSTTT~!!
Five blades punctured Raum's body.
"Well. Well. Well. Demon... I am glad you have shown your true colors, Demon." An elf spoke in a condescending manner. "Not that I care about the humans here, but I want revenge for what you lot did in the Lupache region."
"Who the hell—"
SLASH!
Raum's mouth was pierced by another blade, shorter this time.
"Whoa there. Who said you could speak? You are in the presence of an elf noble. I am Isval, the hero candidate, and my friends..."
Isval moved his arm gracefully as if introducing everyone.
"Sky Piercing Cobalt, Istar the Ethereal Spirit, Oryba the Twinkle Snake, and Thierus the Gallant. The Hero Candidates of Vanguard have arrived," Isval declared.
Raum instinctively looked back towards Thalamik, who was laughing uncontrollably.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Thalamik's laughter echoed.