"Amiya! Get the Doctor out of here—now!"
Nearl's voice was sharp, her breathing growing heavy—not from exhaustion, but from something invisible yet overwhelming pressing down on her.An intangible pressure… suffocating.An aura that blanketed the entire street as if its source were the only being in existence.That pressure came solely from Talulah, whose presence alone was nearly enough to flatten everyone present, even the likes of Ace.
"No—I can't…"Amiya, despite feeling the same immense pressure, shook her head stubbornly."I can't just leave… I want to fight beside you all!"
"No!"Nearl raised her shield, inhaling deeply while keeping her eyes locked on the approaching woman."You feel it too, don't you? This 'person' in front of us—is a living monster!"
"We can't beat her. We're just buying time. Get the Doctor out of here, now!"
"But—"
"No buts!"
"Nearl—duck!!"
Ace's urgent shout came just as a wave of intense heat pressed in from the front.It was Talulah's sword—she had merely drawn and swung it, yet the sheer heat it carried ignited the very air.
"Damn it—Amiya! Take the Doctor and hide behind me!"
In that split second, Nearl chose to shield them with her own body, raising her shield to take the full impact.
BOOM!
Flames erupted violently.Her shield began to melt the moment it met the searing fire.Sparks struck her armor, each hit gouging out chunks of metal or searing her exposed skin.
"Nearl!"
Dobermann tried to rush forward—but Nearl held up a hand to stop her.
Even as a Defender, Nearl could barely withstand a single attack.Dobermann, a Guard, would never survive direct exposure to that fire.
"Cough… I'm fine! Just a little… hot!"
"You're covered in burns and half your armor's gone—how is that 'fine'!?"Dobermann gritted her teeth."You're always this damn stubborn!"
"I said… fall back—"
"Incoming! Second strike!"
BANG!!
Ace surged forward just in time, pulling Nearl behind him and raising his massive shield to block the second flaming slash.
The result—his shield thinned by half, and his shield arm burned pitch-black.
"We can't win with defense alone! Snipers, Casters—open fire on Talulah!"
At Ace's command, spells and bolts flew through the air—Only for Talulah to casually wave her arm—And in an instant… they all burned to ash.
"Impossible… she incinerated arrows, bullets, and spells…?!"
The battlefield fell into stunned silence.
That was no ordinary strength.Not just a natural disaster—something beyond even that.Something inhuman.
"…Resistance may bring hope to the earth," Talulah said, her eyes devoid of emotion."But it cannot change your fate. For the blood you've spilled… I grant you the ending I cherish most—destruction."
From the tip of her sword, came a surge of heat so intense it could reduce land to ashes.It roared toward Rhodes Island like a tidal wave of annihilation.The ground scorched black on contact.The sky parted as clouds burned open.
Unstoppable.Unmatched.
Talulah, in this moment, had become a walking Catastrophe, determined to annihilate everything before her.
"I won't—let you!"
Unexpectedly, the one to block the blast wasn't Ace or Nearl.Nor was it Dobermann.
It was… Amiya.
Chanting cryptic spells, a crimson glint flashed in her pupils.Originium symbols glowing in red bloomed behind her, surrounded by a thick aura of black mist.
"Oh?"Talulah's eyes gleamed with amusement as she observed the small Cautus girl.Facing such overwhelming heat—Amiya had chosen to confront it head-on?
And shockingly… she succeeded.
Amiya's spell didn't target Talulah.Instead, it pierced the flames themselves.Her pitch-black spell dove into the fire like a living arrow and began anchoring the heat to the earth.
This was Amiya's Arts technique—A concentrated spell cast from her fingertips capable of harming both physical and mental forms alike—
"Mental Overload."
"I must—protect them!"
This was not just power.It was Amiya's resolve—The will of a leader of Rhodes Island.Even if she had to burn, she would not retreat.
"Then how about this—Faust!"
A new voice, lazy and mocking, cut into the battle.
From afar, an enchanted bolt flew toward Amiya—aimed directly at her forehead.
"Amiya—watch out!"
Ace's eyes went wide.Nearl clenched her fists.Dobermann shouted, sprinting forward.
But none of them could reach her in time.
An ambush—at the worst possible moment.
BANG!
BOOM!
The arrow exploded in midair.
Amiya opened her eyes—And saw a man beside her.
He had appeared from nowhere.
His left hand steadied her shoulder, pulling her behind him.His right hand held a smoking gun—barrel still pointed to the sky.
"Little bunny," he said with a grin."Looks like you've got yourselves in a mess. Good thing I showed up in time, huh?"
"Revy—big brother Revy!"