Somewhere else in the forest, Roïd, Roald, and Jean were running without holding back. After the space around them had shifted, they quickly realized that Lilly was no longer with them.
The three of them looked at each other, then at the chimera, and silently agreed that it was better to run. The chimera followed closely behind, but she was too slow to catch them. Seeing this, Roald started mocking her while running.
— So, fatty, having trouble moving around? I get it, I'd have a hard time dragging a thing like you too. I think even the ground is struggling to carry you.
Jean and Roïd exchanged a glance, and then Jean joined in the teasing.
— People call me a tank, but if I had to compare you to something, it'd be a whole new planet.
— They probably don't even have enough room in the army for her. She fills the inventory.
— She's a one-woman unit.
— You mean a whole regiment.
— You should go on a diet.
Roïd, meanwhile, was just about ready to give up. If these were going to be his last moments, he definitely didn't want to spend them like this — trapped between a monstrous chimera and two idiots.
**
Kayle glanced around. His master wasn't the biggest problem right now. He had to find Lilly…
… and maybe the others too.
Damn it. The space has changed. The old soldier isn't here. The chimera is somewhere in this forest. I don't know where Defrus is. And worst of all? I don't even have music to go with this! Seriously, how do these people live without music?!
That was honestly one of his biggest problems right now...
— We have to get out of here, François said.
Rack and Kayle turned toward the kid, surprised.
— What?
— What are you talking about, François? We have to find the others first.
But François went on, his voice filled with determination, though a trace of panic slipped through.
— It's pointless, Kayle. We have a much bigger problem. If you really told Lilly to blow this place up, then we're screwed. The spell that distorted the space was also the one keeping everything inside… inside. If Lilly casts her spell now…
Kayle suddenly had a dangerous realization.
— It wouldn't have any limits.
— Exactly. As long as that spell existed, even Lilly and her spells couldn't leave. If we got out, we'd be safe, protected by the dome. But now the dome is gone. Lilly's spell has no known limits, and if she's anywhere near us, we're going to be erased from the surface of the earth.
Rack put a hand to his chin as if in deep thought, paused, and then raised a finger to say the smartest thing he could come up with:
— I see. We're screwed.
Kayle looked at him, deadpan.
Is there even a brain in there?
But François didn't seem that worried.
— Not really, Rack. I hate to say it, but we're going to have to rely on luck. If we just pick a direction and run…
Suddenly, fireworks exploded in the sky. They were so bright and loud that nobody could possibly miss them. Their meaning was crystal clear — and Kayle immediately understood.
It had been fifteen minutes.
— Lilly…
François smiled under where his future beard would be.
— She's clever.
Kayle shrugged with a grin, as if to say he had planned this all along. But just a minute ago, he thought they were all about to die.
— Well, I guess now we know where not to go. So run!
But Rack stopped them before they could take off, still stroking his chin.
— Wait a sec. If Lilly's spell was meant to erase all the trees in this place, then if the dome's gone… what's the range of Defrus's spell? What if he can do that to every tree out here?
Cold sweat ran down everyone's backs.
What if it was useless? What if nothing they did mattered, and they were heading straight toward their deaths, forced to fight the apostle until the bitter end?
Kayle didn't like that idea. Not at all. So...
— I don't think so…
— Huh? Why do you say that, Kayle?
Kayle took a deep breath and answered:
— I don't like that idea. So it's wrong.
Huh?
— Huh?
— Huh?…..
— He's probably still in the zone. And I'm just at the start of my adventure, so he can't be that strong.
Rack stared at Kayle with total disbelief, then rubbed his face with both hands before bursting out laughing.
— HAHAHAHAHA! He might be right, François. Let's hope that's enough. We don't have a choice.
François, with all his genius, couldn't accept such a plan with so few guarantees. But he really had no other option. Until now, he'd never needed to rely on luck. His allies were strong and determined, and his strategies had always been enough to bring down monsters. But this was the first time he was up against an apostle of Knul. The level was completely different and now, luck had to be part of his plan.
He let out a sigh, thinking that Kayle's arrival might be one of the biggest events of his life.
— Damn it, Kayle. If this doesn't work, do you have a backup plan?
— Nope. We'll improvise.
Kayle took off running in the direction opposite the fireworks. This was going to be a relentless sprint. He imagined himself running alongside the great athletes of his own world to motivate himself — but immediately dropped the thought as everyone overtook him.
— Damn it !
Puffing his cheeks and blowing out air to match his frantic pace, his heart pounded like a drum. And there was a good reason to be scared — because Lilly had just risen into the air, a hundred meters away.
Kayle didn't see her, but he could feel a terrifying presence behind him. That was enough to make him speed up. This time, he imagined running alongside Olympic hurdlers — because now he had to jump over roots.
— Damn it!
Lilly kept rising higher, nothing able to stop her ascent. Bright red, blinding white, and burning az completely surrounded her. Her incantations… az after az, chained together at the fastest pace she could muster.
Suddenly, her pupils vanished, the az around her flared into chaos, and in a sudden, deafening silence, she spoke with a strong, commanding voice:
— Ennes Gloria!!
All at once, with a deep, earth-shaking roar, a massive column of flame appeared. It was perfectly circular, its radius almost as wide as a football field. Everything caught inside the pillar was instantly incinerated, reduced to nothing in a heartbeat.
But the attack didn't stop there.
The column unleashed a massive wave of searing heat, scorching everything around it. And as if that wasn't enough, the pillar expanded at an impossible speed. From its initial radius — the size of a football field — it doubled in less than twenty seconds. Every tree, every animal, every fallen spider, everything in its path burned away and vanished. Even those outside its reach were charred by the scorching wind, carried away by the heat wave.
And that wave was catching up to Kayle at terrifying speed.
Feeling the heat rising against his back, Kayle turned his head and swore.
— Damn it!
When everything seemed lost, Rack grabbed him and yanked him behind a boulder. François was already there, curled up like a worm on itself. The three of them huddled together, bracing for the least damage they could get as the burning air seared their skin.
Suddenly, Kayle thought about the others, wondering if they had survived.
Then the boulder started to crumble, losing volume piece by piece. It grew smaller with every passing second. Kayle quickly noticed when his foot began to burn just from the heat alone. He prayed with all his heart that the column wouldn't reach them — but the hot wind was already eating away at the rock.
Damn it, this hurts! It hurts like hell!
When his foot was just about to be burned away, Kayle cursed again, biting back a scream — but at the very last second, the heat stopped.
Just like that.
Kayle felt no more burning wind.
What? How?
He scrambled to his feet and saw the old soldier standing there. A transparent green shield blocked the scorching wind, diverting it to the sides, the soldier holding it firm with pure az.
Silently, he turned to flash a small smile at his disciple.
— Missed me?
Even though the situation didn't really call for it — and even though the old soldier had just saved his foot — Kayle couldn't help but mutter:
— Cliché.
A few seconds later, the scorching wind finally died down. Kayle tried to calm himself. He had never witnessed a nuclear explosion before — and after seeing Lilly just now, he was sure he never wanted to.
Holy shit, what was that?! That's her trump card? That's Ennes Gloria?! Who could even survive that?! No… How can she even do that? And more importantly… who is she really?!
Rack stood up too, straightening as if none of this surprised him.
— It was weaker back in the day.
Kayle raised a stunned eyebrow.
— Wait , you've seen this before? That thing was one of the biggest explosions I've ever seen and you're standing here acting like it's normal.
A small smile formed on the village chief's lips.
— You still have a lot to learn about your girlfriend, kid.
Kayle turned away, looking at the devastation.
— Yeah… you're probably right.
Everything was black and red. Ash floated lazily in the air. There wasn't a single tree left for miles, just fire and emptiness. Kayle could barely see the other side of the destruction.
— Holy shit…
François stepped forward, speaking in a voice that tried to stay calm:
— Let's find Lilly. She must have exhausted her az reserves.— And the others?— I saw them through the massive crater she left. They're over there. Easier to spot without trees. The chimera's with them, but it was hit, so they had time to escape.
The old soldier turned to face them.
— I'll find the apostle. Rack, take them with you.— No problem.
No trace of Defrus's presence remained in the forest.