A few seconds earlier, the shrieks of the Viola overlapped one after another, merging into a piercing cacophony that surrounded the entire group.
There was no doubt that their enemy was no ordinary monster. It possessed a certain degree of intelligence.
Finn had also sensed that the enemy was using those incessant cries to conceal the presence of something else.
He had already adjusted their formation and ordered Riveria to cast second-tier defensive Magic, but timing was crucial. A single mistake could have disastrous consequences, so unlike Bell, Finn could not bring himself to have his companions begin chanting barrier Magic in advance.
Even so, Finn understood that the boy had made a tremendous gamble.
Bell had staked everything on his good fortune, trusting that his Luck would take effect and allow the barrier Magic to be released at precisely the right moment.
Even if the enemy never attacked and the two elf women ended up wasting their Mind, Bell was already prepared to take responsibility.
Finn chose to trust the boy and respect his resolve.
"Surround us become a great barrier of forest light and protect us - my name is Alf!"
Riveria completed her Magic first.
An emerald-green magic circle appeared beneath the Elf Princess's feet, while [Alf Regina] amplified the magical effects of her fellow elves.
Almost simultaneously, a torrential rain of crimson fire descended from above.
"?!!!!!"
Everyone's vision was instantly dyed red.
The raging firestorm made it seem as though they had been cast into hell itself. Its power appeared to surpass even Riveria's second-tier wide-area annihilation Magic.
"Dimensional Barrier!!"
Riveria immediately raised her staff and deployed a spherical barrier.
Bell's fears had been correct.
Yellow-green flower buds hung from the ceiling. The enemy must have noticed their arrival long before revealing its true form.
However, not even Finn had expected its surprise attack to begin with such large-scale Magic.
This welcome gift was a lethal [unknown].
The boy had saved them yet again.
Her heart pounding, Riveria raised her staff with a resolute expression and protected the group.
Fire did not distinguish friend from foe.
The crimson storm swallowed the surrounding Viola, filling the air with their anguished screams.
The emerald-green barrier held back the overwhelming rain of flames.
"Argonaut-kun predicted this?! That's incredible!"
Tiona looked excitedly toward the boy, openly marveling at his insight.
"Mm..."
Everything had happened far too suddenly. Ryuu watched the monsters beyond the barrier burn to ash and could not help but frown.
Without Bell's request and Riveria's protection, the First-Class Adventurers might have barely endured the firestorm, though they would have been severely injured. Everyone else would undoubtedly have died on the spot.
"Bell..."
Flames reflected in Ais's golden eyes.
The boy really was incredible.
As the little Ais inside her felt her affection swelling, she tightened her grip on her rapier, sending a surge of fighting spirit through the Sword Princess.
"The boy and the Vice Captain are amazing, but isn't this looking pretty bad?!"
Tione's eyes widened, her brown pupils filled with shock.
Crack.
Crack.
Under the relentless bombardment of the fiery storm, fractures began spreading across the emerald-green barrier.
The strongest Mage in the city, Riveria, was actually losing ground despite using her most powerful defensive Magic.
"Ugh..."
The deafening roar continued without pause. Riveria held her staff high, an involuntary groan of pain escaping her lips.
More and more cracks spread across the barrier, while the Elf Princess's dignified and elegant face twisted under the strain.
"I can't hold it much longer!"
Riveria immediately warned the others so they could prepare.
"Lefiya-san, above!"
Bell pointed the golden-yellow-haired elf toward the direction of the incoming Magic.
"Everyone, gather together! Gareth, the front is yours!"
Following Bell's warning, Finn immediately issued his own orders.
The party changed formation in an instant.
"Become a shield, holy grail of crushing evil!"
Lefiya's [Elf Ring] required a relatively long chant, so she only completed it now.
Fortunately, the timing was perfect.
"Dio Grail!!"
The instant the emerald-green barrier shattered, Lefiya raised her staff and erected a wall of light in the air.
"Ooooooooooooooh!!!!!"
Gareth charged to the very front, raising two shields as he met the oncoming wave of flames head-on.
"Ugh... ngh..."
Lefiya held her staff aloft, unable to suppress a strained groan.
The storm was already nearing its end.
The emerald-green barrier had absorbed the brunt of the fiery torrent. What remained could only be called the aftermath.
Even so, Lefiya could barely withstand it.
Only when the massive shield in Gareth's hands melted and Lefiya's wall of light shattered did the raging firestorm finally subside.
"..."
Riveria stared at the billowing smoke and instinctively leaned against the boy beside her.
Besides Bell's crucial request, Gale's Skill had also provided considerable support.
Riveria knew perfectly well that without the tremendous increase to her [Magic Power], she could never have withstood that ferocious crimson downpour.
The same was true for Lefiya. Only with [Requited Love Bond] and her other Skills enhancing her had she barely managed to endure the remaining flames.
The heat drew sweat from everyone present, and they all understood that they had just been walking along the edge of a sheer cliff. If even one part of their defense had failed, they would already have plunged into the abyss.
"Gareth, are you all right?"
Finn immediately checked on the vanguard.
"Thanks to the boy and Riveria, only the shields melted. This old man isn't hurt."
Gareth tossed aside the long shields, now reduced to useless wreckage.
"What about everyone else? Anyone injured?"
Finn swept his gaze across the group.
When the wall of light shattered, the final rain of fire had fallen upon them, but by then it was merely the remnants of the Magic and was easily dispersed by the emerald-green protection surrounding them.
It took Finn only a moment to confirm that no one had been injured.
Considering how deadly the attack had been, this was an unimaginably good outcome.
And it was all thanks to Bell Cranel.
Finn engraved that fact in his heart before immediately turning his attention back to the battle.
[Magic] was supposed to be a technique exclusive to the human races. Monsters should have been completely incapable of wielding it.
Yet the overwhelming magical power of that attack, along with the deliberate use of the Viola's shrieks to conceal the surprise assault, pointed toward that impossible conclusion.
Just what was their enemy?
"..."
Riveria tightened her grip on her staff with one hand while clutching the edge of the boy's clothes with the other, staring deep into the smoke.
Only moments had passed since the firestorm subsided. The dense forest had been burned away, the monsters reduced to ash, leaving nothing before them but a barren wasteland covered in dust.
Not far away, an enormous monster revealed itself.
Before anyone could clearly make out [her] appearance, a gigantic magic circle suddenly spread across the ground.
An ominous red light surged upward.
[That entity] began weaving another spell.
"Arise, flames..."
***
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (70 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.
***