The Nartheis core in Cinza's head was constantly transferring magic to her chest. Of course, it shouldn't have been possible with the amount of mana she had left—unless someone was channeling power through the core for her, which was exactly what was happening at that moment.
Seeing Cinza approach, Elowyn already had a sword in her hand to counterattack, but her opponent's strategy was to explode.
"What?"
With a shocked expression, she saw an explosion closing in on the three of them. It was so massive that it swallowed the entire area. When she opened her eyes again, she was once more surprised—but not because of the enemy. Enrico was covering the three of them with his own body, his back completely torn apart.
'Damn it, that hurts.'
[Damn, I'm really thankful she did that now—if it had been when she was at full strength, you'd be dead.]
"Why you?"
"This isn't the time, Princess. The fight isn't over yet."
Cinza was right behind him like a predator who had waited too long for her prey. Opening her mouth, she tried to bite Enrico. After realizing she had been saved by him, Narisse raised her hand and coated Cinza's whole body in poison. Clenching her fist, that poison formed into a claw that threw her far away.
"Enrico, try not to die."
"Didn't think I'd hear that from any of you."
Struggling to stand, he turned toward where Cinza had fallen. Both women could see the blood running down his back, and Grark, nearly dead, was trying to keep his eyes open.
'I want to fight too… I'm a warrior…'
As if ignoring his injuries, Enrico moved forward to clash with Cinza, who had already gotten up and started charging back.
"Damn, that guy's got an emptiness inside him, and still—"
With a hint of frustration, Elowyn ran after him, summoning another sword in her right hand. She didn't understand how he could put himself in front of others when his essence was emptiness itself. But for now, she just wanted to survive and repay, for the first time in her life, someone's kindness—so she decided not to think about it. Narisse clenched her fists in frustration as she tried to save Grark somehow, but her hand was grabbed by the orc who was trying to protect them.
"Human friend… I need… you to do something… for me…"
"If you can still talk, focus on surviving, then I can—"
"Please… my two leaders… need me…"
Clenching her fists, she looked at him, then at the two of them desperately fighting Cinza. Looking back at him, Narisse nodded.
"Flame Lines."
"Golden Chains."
Bound from both sides, Cinza screamed, releasing enough magic to break both the lines and the chains. They realized she was only slightly stronger because of Narisse's poison, meaning it was time to finish this.
'It's a bit wrong to use my attack with him already dead, but it's the only chance I've got in this state.'
'I need to make a strike strong enough to kill it, but it must still have mana for intangibility.'
They both knew it would be hard, that they'd have to go beyond their limits—so, without hesitation, they accepted that and moved together for the first time since the battle began.
Taking the lead, Enrico landed a punch on Cinza's face, lifting her off the ground for a second. Trying to counter, she swung at him, but Elowyn stepped in, deflecting the blow with her golden sword and slashing Cinza's knee with another.
"Golden Flame Swords!"
Combining their magic into one, countless swords appeared around her. With a wave of their hands, the blades shot forward, piercing through Cinza—but she activated her intangibility.
'I can sense it this time—this will be the last one.'
'She won't escape my attacks anymore.'
Both appeared beside her from different directions, preparing to strike. Cinza jumped upward, landing on top of a house.
"Wait—she's not going to—?"
"There's no way I'll let that happen."
They both realized she was about to flee and rushed after her. Cinza prepared to leap again but was suddenly grabbed by venomous claws, surprising both Enrico and Elowyn.
"You shouldn't be—?"
Enrico looked at her, making her turn her face away from his gaze. Biting his lip, Enrico focused back on the Nartheis before him, using his charged impulse to appear behind Cinza. With a powerful kick, he sent her flying to the ground. Dozens of swords appeared above her, forcing Cinza to push off the ground and jump again. Narisse moved her hands, blocking several escape routes with poison constructs. Enrico didn't know what she was planning, but it would be their only chance.
"Hey, Princess, lend me a hand—I can't use much magic right now."
"What a pitiful amount of mana."
"And you've got a body that looks anything but durable."
With a huff, Elowyn created a sword behind Enrico, turning its flat side toward him. With a flick of her wrist, the sword shot straight at him. Enrico braced his feet, using his own power and the sword's impact to propel himself forward.
'First, the Crimson Shell on my foot.'
Transferring his mana to his legs, the crimson shell vanished from his hand and appeared on his right foot. Before acting, he noticed where the creature was trying to escape.
"Could it be…"
Kicking off the sword, Enrico was launched straight toward where Cinza was. Sensing his movement, she stepped back to dodge—but her feet stopped, caught by something. Looking down sadly, Enrico saw Grark smiling. Even lying on the ground, missing half his body, he kept fighting until the end.
"Thank you, Grark. This victory is yours…"
With his eyes burning like fire, Enrico spun through the air like an arrow, descending with a kick. Trying to free herself, Cinza raised her hand toward Grark, who kept smiling. Before her blow could reach him, her body was pierced by Enrico's kick, leaving a gaping hole.
'Really… thank you for saving me, Grark…'
"No problem… boss…"
Even at the end of his life, he had remained a proud orc. Grark closed his eyes with a satisfied smile as his comrades looked upon his fallen body, giving him their silent respect.