The battle surged forward as the girl unleashed her water swordfish at Nathaniel without hesitation. Clutching the unconscious Aibara, he scrambled for a plan, uncertain if his divine power could protect her. His celestial gift shielded him from death, but Aibara, a mere character in his story, was fated to die here according to his manga. "If I do nothing, Aibara's gone," he thought, panic rising.
With the swordfish closing in, time was running out. Nathaniel shut his eyes, pleading to the heavens to save her. "No! Stop!" he shouted.
To his shock, the swordfish froze midair, hovering motionless. Blinking in confusion, Nathaniel felt no pain or impact. "What happened?" he muttered.
Even the girl seemed puzzled, staring at her staff. "Why did it stop?" she murmured.
Nathaniel, still wary, knew she wouldn't relent. As she raised her staff to attack again, he instinctively lifted his hand, flames erupting. "Leave us alone, monster!" he yelled, hurling a fireball.
The staff's crystal flared unexpectedly, and the surrounding water, including the towering walls, surged toward the girl. The deluge slammed into her, shattering the ground with a deafening explosion. The impact sent Nathaniel and Aibara tumbling across the dirt.
Stunned, Nathaniel scrambled to his feet, lifting Aibara. "Melon, what just happened? Did her own power turn against her?"
Melon, perched on his head, explained that the girl's strength stemmed from her staff, which had momentarily lost control. "No one else here could've done that," it said. Nathaniel wondered if his divine power could manipulate another's ability, but Melon dismissed it. "Impossible. You don't have that kind of power."
"Focus, Nathaniel," Melon urged. "We need to escape now. That attack won't kill her—she's barely tapped her true strength."
"Right," Nathaniel said, hoisting Aibara and running. But a sudden blast of water struck his back, hurling them forward. Aibara rolled across the ground, and as Nathaniel staggered up, a golden aura enveloped him. "The divine power," he whispered. "That attack nearly killed me."
The girl emerged from the water behind him, her presence overwhelming. "You, human—what did you do?" she demanded, stepping closer.
Nathaniel froze, her aura paralyzing him. "This is impossible," he thought. "Her presence is too strong."
"How did you command my staff?" she pressed, her eyes narrowing.
He had no answer, confused by her accusation. "Even if you don't speak, a single punch could crush your insides," she said, raising her fist.
Fear locked Nathaniel's limbs, rendering him unable to dodge. "This is bad," he thought. But before she struck, she froze, staring at his exposed arm where his jacket had torn. Her gaze locked onto the crystals and the eerie skull tattoo on his fist.
"Where did you get those marks?" she demanded. "What's on your arm?"
The oppressive aura lifted, allowing Nathaniel to collapse, too weak to stand. She repeated her question, but he remained silent, bewildered by her fixation. As she reached for his arm, a blade sliced through her hand, severing it.
"What?" she gasped, leaping back as her hand fell to the ground.
Eskapa soldiers descended from above, followed by a dragon crashing down where the girl stood, triggering a massive explosion that shook the earth. "The Eskapa soldiers—they're here," Nathaniel muttered.
As the dust settled, Agane emerged from the crater, standing atop a pool of water. "High-level water magic," she noted, leaping to Nathaniel's side. "Good to see you alive, human."
She surveyed the devastation. "Did you do this? You don't look it, but maybe the queen's hunch about your special power was right. Too bad you didn't use it to finish her off."
Nathaniel snorted. "If I could, I would've."
He pleaded with Agane to prioritize Aibara's safety. Struggling to stand while carrying her, he felt his knees buckle. Agane smirked. "Don't worry, we're here to save you, but you'll owe us."
"Owe you?" Nathaniel groaned. "That sounds bad, but fine—just save us."
A soldier took Aibara, rushing her to safety. "You should leave too," Agane said.
"Great idea, but can't someone carry me out like you did her?" Nathaniel quipped.
"We carry the injured and unconscious, not babysit whiny humans," Agane shot back.
Nathaniel grumbled, feigning pain, but Agane wasn't buying it. "You're the hero who killed Serenity, right? Prove it. Get out of here on your own."
"You're harsh," Nathaniel said. "Is this about me yelling at Sei?"
"I apologized for that," Agane replied. "Shouldn't a goddess's servant like me treat you better?"
"You've got some nerve talking to a general like that," she snapped. "Lucky for you, the queen ordered me to protect you, or I'd have slit your throat."
Their banter was cut short as a water sphere formed in the air. Agane ordered her soldiers to stay alert, the girl's overwhelming presence flooding the area. "Be careful," Nathaniel warned. "If I'm right, she's one of Halooween's children. She's no ordinary foe."
Agane raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Halooween's territory is far from Galica. Why would she attack us?"
"Did you learn that from your foresight?" she asked.
Nathaniel hesitated, knowing his knowledge came from his manga, not foresight. "Sort of. Just be cautious—she's alpha-level, like you."
"Comparing my prime dragon power to that monster's is insulting," Agane said. "But thanks for the tip. Now go."
Her tone dismissed him, but Nathaniel pressed, "None of Halooween's children die until the tenth warlord defeats them. Don't underestimate her."
"You're saying I can't kill her?" Agane scoffed. "You don't know who I am—Agane, Wind Dragon, last princess of Kabino, Galica's strongest general."
"I know," Nathaniel interrupted, glancing at her soldiers. "But this isn't about you. Your men are at risk. Fate says you die when Halooween attacks Galica. That won't change unless we find the root of their assault."
Agane sighed, torn between duty and doubt. "I don't dismiss the danger, but we can't abandon our people to die on Galica's soil." She understood Nathaniel's warning but insisted on stopping the girl's rampage.
Nathaniel nodded, asking her to be careful, unsure if this battle was fated to claim her life. Soldiers dragged him away as water spheres rose into the sky.
"I don't like wasting time," Agane taunted the girl. "Show your true form, monster."
She unleashed a powerful aura, whipping up fierce winds. The girl, unfazed, summoned over a hundred swordfish. They attacked Agane's soldiers, shattering their defenses and piercing their bodies.
"Wind Blast!" Agane roared, unleashing a razor-sharp whirlwind that obliterated the swordfish and struck the giant water sphere, scattering it into countless water snakes.
"She casts without incantations," Agane noted. "Wind Breaker!" She waved her hands, sending a vortex to shred the snakes. The water regrouped into five massive stingrays.
The girl reappeared behind them, staff in hand. "I don't have time for you. Just die."
The stingrays fired high-pressure water blasts, slicing through everything like lasers. "Dodge!" Agane shouted. Some soldiers evaded, but others were cut down, their bodies mangled.
Furious, Agane summoned her dragon spirit, her fist glowing. "Wind Blow!" She punched, unleashing a gust that erased one stingray like bursting a bubble. She pressed her assault, destroying all but one. The girl raised her staff, summoning a jellyfish to shield herself.
"You'll pay for my men," Agane growled, smashing the ground with her foot as she launched a massive Wind Blow, consuming the jellyfish entirely. The air cleared, leaving no trace of the water creatures.
"I can't sense her presence clearly—she's hiding it in a human body, and her staff masks her energy," Agane thought.
Water rose from the ground, forming orbs. One reshaped into the girl. "Your fourth-level wind magic can't defeat me," she said. "As long as water surrounds me, I'll reform no matter how many times you destroy me."
Agane realized the girl's power likely stemmed from a Crimson Eye ability, requiring no incantations and immune to counters. Her only hope was to outlast the girl's energy or find her weakness. But prolonging the fight risked her soldiers, and she wasn't certain of the ability's limits.
"I don't need you," the girl said. Her staff glowed, summoning a massive magic circle spanning a hundred meters. A water dome encased them, trapping Agane and her soldiers.
"Impossible," Agane gasped. "That much energy for a circle this size?"
Outside the dome, the girl rode a stingray toward the town. "Is she fleeing or chasing Nathaniel?" Agane wondered.
Water geysers erupted, flooding the dome. Soldiers panicked as the water rose, their attempts to break the walls failing. "Wind Blow!" Agane tried, but her attack had no effect. The waterlogged air stifled her ability to summon wind, and she struggled to move while floating.
She realized the girl's high-level magic was unbreakable without surpassing it. The dome filled rapidly, and she feared the girl planned to drown them. Soldiers screamed for help, some already succumbing to their injuries and the rising water.
"I have to find a way out," Agane thought, desperation mounting.
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