"...O forest canopy now lost to the distant past. Infinite stars set in the endless night sky, answer this fool's voice, and grant me once more the blessing of starfire. To those I have forsaken, bestow light and mercy."
No time to mourn the Rudra grunts. Next up was...
The Astraea Familia's noble blade of justice, guardian of the Great Sacred Tree of the elven forest, the magic swordswoman who had mastered Concurrent Chanting... Gale, Ryuu Lion!
A streak of emerald light burst from the flank! Her leaf-patterned green cloak and hood whipped violently in her wake!
What truly made Evilus's blood run cold was that even at this breakneck speed, the magic chant pouring from her lips remained perfectly clear, perfectly fluid, never faltering for even a syllable!
As if her left and right brain simply refused to interfere with each other. Absolutely insane.
Skill: Fairy Serenade, activate!
Skill: Mind Load, activate!
Skill: Aero Mana, activate!
In that instant, deep within Ryuu's pale blue eyes, a dazzling starlight began to swirl, mesmerizing and terrifying in equal measure.
"...Come, wandering wind, roaming traveler."
"Soar across the sky, race through the wilds, sprint faster than all things. Carry the radiance of the stars, and smite my enemies!"
A surge of enormous magic erupted from within her!
Every member of Evilus, Jura included, froze where they stood.
By the time it registered, Ryuu had already spread her arms wide, leaping into the air, assuming the ultimate stance for bombardment magic!
"..."
In that moment, every enemy within Gale's range felt their hands go numb and cold sweat drench their backs.
Jura, as the primary target, went from stunned to utterly horrified in the span of a heartbeat.
"We... we were always evenly matched before...!"
"And now you're pulling out long-chant bombardment magic with Concurrent Chanting..."
"This isn't a fair fight, you're cheating!!!"
"Goddamn justice bitch!!!"
Ryuu's face was blank, devoid of joy or sorrow. Only the will to carry out justice burned in her eyes.
"Luminous Wind!"
A deep hum vibrated through the air.
Countless pale-green orbs of light rose into the sky, like thousands of dreamlike, deadly lanterns suspended across the heavens.
Most of the people fighting nearby, regardless of side, had their eyes seized by the spectacle. When they saw who was responsible, they couldn't help but marvel.
Good lord. The girls from Astraea Familia were each more terrifying than the last.
First Scarlet Harnel, then Yamato Rindou, then Sly Mouse... and now Gale...
Was this what it meant to be hero candidates hand-picked by the gods?
In this moment, Gale, Ryuu Lion, was the most dazzling figure on this blood-soaked battlefield.
The Astraea Familia's Lyra, Neze, Noin, Asta, Ryana, Celty, Iska, Maryuu...
Ganesha Familia's Adi, Shakti...
The Hermes Familia and Artemis Familia, who had arrived as reinforcements at some point...
And at the edges of the battlefield, busy evacuating and treating civilians... Jeanne, Rose, Kureha, Laurier, Aura...
Every last one of them was drawn to the pure, blazing light of justice radiating from her.
Meanwhile, Leon, who had been hauling Kaguya and booking it at full speed, felt the wash of emerald magic light surge up behind him. He stopped short, whipping his head around...
One look was all it took. He ran even faster.
"Shit... she's going all out!"
Seeing that Gale had actually unleashed a long-chant wide-area annihilation spell, Leon understood instantly... she was well and truly pissed off.
That was wide-area annihilation magic. Evilus weren't Dungeon monsters. Forget the grunts, even a First-Class Adventurer would come away battered and bruised from a direct hit.
Leon had zero interest in getting caught in the blast.
If now wasn't the time to run, when was?
As for those poor bastards in Evilus who'd been locked on by a furious Gale?
Sorry. Good luck with that.
He barely made it any distance before the deafening roar of magical bombardment erupted behind him, a sky-rending cascade of explosions that crashed over the battlefield like a tidal wave.
...
"Jeanne!"
Leon, carrying Kaguya, who had passed out at some point, ghosted through the chaos and reached Jeanne's group, linking up with them.
The whole way there, he'd hugged the concealed routes along the plaza's edge, weaving nimbly through the panicked crowds. And he hadn't forgotten to sneakily pick off standout Evilus fighters with Scorch along the way.
Because of that, the battlefield kept producing scenes like this:
An adventurer backed into a corner, staring down an Evilus soldier's blade, eyes squeezed shut, waiting for death...
A soft pfft, then a bloodcurdling scream from the enemy.
The killing blow never came.
When the adventurer opened their eyes, trembling, they found the enemy who'd been about to gut them was now a howling, rolling ball of fire.
"Who... who saved me?"
The survivors looked around in bewilderment, searching for their mysterious savior.
But Scorch, a magic with no visible trajectory that relied on Instant Cast to deploy... if they could actually spot the caster, that would be a miracle.
Back to the present.
Jeanne, Rose, and Kureha held the perimeter on watch while Laurier and Aura worked alongside other wounded adventurers to guide the injured and incapacitated, as well as civilians, toward evacuation routes.
"This way! Come this way! Don't push!" Their voices rang out clearly through the chaos.
Watching them work, Leon finally let the tension in his chest ease.
It wasn't just worry for them. He'd been on edge about his own situation the whole time.
Rescuing people along the way while desperately staying hidden, all with a "battle-damaged limited edition" noblewoman from the Far East slung over his shoulder...
Leon wanted to scream at the sky. This was way too hard.
Thankfully, nothing catastrophic had happened en route, and he'd made it to Jeanne's position in one piece.
With them around him, a long-absent sense of security washed over him.
He couldn't help it. Evilus fought dirty. Along the way, he'd watched with his own eyes as several adventurers on the verge of victory were bear-hugged by crazed zealots who detonated themselves, taking both of them out in screaming, desperate murder-suicides.
With that many fanatics running around, who knew how many of them were walking bombs?
He didn't care how many defensive tricks he had up his sleeve. There was no guarding against that kind of bullshit.
Luckily, the beaten-down look he'd been faking the whole way had perfectly sold the image of a "low-value target," and he'd made it through with nothing worse than a few scares.
"These psychos! Can't win so they just blow themselves up. Absolutely insane!"
Leon couldn't help muttering under his breath.
Hearing his complaints, the group's reactions varied as they closed in around him.
Rose didn't even glance back. Her blade lashed out in a gleaming arc, cutting down an enemy who'd tried to rush them in the confusion. She let out a light laugh.
"My, my... more than those small fry, I'm rather more interested in the Yamato Rindou you've got in your arms."
Jeanne gave Leon a flat look, then went back to efficiently dispatching the occasional enemy who got too close.
It might have been his imagination, but Leon could have sworn he heard a faint, contemptuous snort escape her lips.
Kureha said nothing, though her eyes darted briefly over Kaguya's... generously revealing outfit before her cheeks flushed and she quickly looked away.
"Heheh, Mr. Leon's true nature is showing," Laurier whispered into Aura's ear, keeping her voice low. "Even in the middle of all this chaos, he still managed to bring back a gorgeous woman!"
Aura's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. She shot her friend an exasperated glare, ranting internally:
You know exactly what our leader is like!
Forget bringing back one Yamato Rindou. If he moved Persephone in one day, I wouldn't even be surprised!
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