A few more minutes passed.
Under the double healing of Irisviel's White Grail and Lydia's Holy Water, the Poison Vermis venom in Laurier's body and the corroded wounds finally healed completely.
"Phew... it's done!"
Exhaustion flickered in Iri's eyes, but she couldn't hide the delight on her face.
Iri's magic might be overpowered, but she herself was only Lv.1. If it had been nothing more than flesh wounds, the absurd effect of White Grail could have dragged someone back from the Death God's scythe even with their life hanging by a thread, but Laurier's injuries happened to be the kind that needed an extremely strong purification effect to resolve.
"Phew, that was my first time dealing with a rare toxin like Poison Vermis venom, so I had no experience with it. With this under my belt, if I run into the same situation next time I'll be able to handle it perfectly, and I won't waste this much time the way I did now."
Laurier straightened her back and flipped herself lightly to her feet. She worked her forearms a few times, and a delighted smile spread across her face.
"Thank you, Iri! I'm completely fine now!"
"Mm, there's not even a scar left!"
"It's perfect!"
Irisviel pulled off her gloves, lightly wiped away the fine sweat on her forehead from the intense concentration, and smiled gently.
"Be more careful from now on. Don't get hit again out of carelessness!"
Laurier stuck out her tongue playfully.
"I know! I'm going to go help! Aura, let's go!"
Aura looked Laurier over carefully, and only after seeing her back to her usual energetic, bright self did she nod, relieved, and turn to Irisviel and Margaret.
"Iri, you've spent a lot. Take the chance to restore your Mind first."
"Leave the support job to the three of us."
As she spoke, Aura handed Iri a Magic Potion she'd already prepared, gesturing for her to drink it quickly.
"Mm... all right. Just be careful, all of you. Especially you, Laurier."
"Don't worry. The front line is all Lv.3 monsters right now, with Lv.4 elites mixed in. We won't go anywhere near the defense line recklessly."
Aura was calm about it, without the slightest impulsive thought.
Iri was satisfied with that.
Compared to the lively, flighty Laurier, Aura really did come across as steadier.
The two of them were about the same age, yet in speech, manner and the composure she kept in battle, Aura always gave off a maturity beyond her years. Iri even caught faint glimpses of what Leon used to be like in her.
By the time Aura and Laurier reached the flank of the group, drew the short bows they hadn't used in a long while, and started providing ranged support for Kureha and Persephone, Margaret had finished her Chanting.
"Karmic Flame Calamity: All-Slaying Heavenly Maiden!"
A flaming humanoid figure over four meters tall appeared in front of her, its red dress whipping in the waves of heat. Margaret pointed her wand forward.
"Go!"
"Burn those disgusting things to ash, every last one of them!"
The Heavenly Maiden let out a low roar, flames of blazing orange rising from its claws, and slammed without mercy into the monster pack in the distance.
Terrible explosions rolled up one after another through the tide of Poison Vermis, and the violence of it made everyone turn their heads.
Leon had just frozen more than a dozen monsters in front of him with Frost Nova, and while he used the momentum to fall back he fired Ice Lances in a string from the tip of his staff. He was confident enough that he didn't even check the result, his gaze already turning toward where the Flame Heavenly Maiden was running wild.
"Oh?"
She deliberately chose to attack outside the Blizzard field... So Margaret knows her fire magic loses some of its power inside my Blizzard's coverage too. But as long as she casts outside the field, there's no problem at all.
Though she probably doesn't know yet... after I reached Lv.5, Beloved's Blessing and Beloved's Crest were strengthened and have already produced a new linked effect.
Holders of Beloved's Blessing and Beloved's Crest would no longer have their abilities interfere with each other.
In plainer terms, "teammate mode" has been unlocked.
For example:
The "Winter Wonderland" created by Leon's Blizzard was a perfect counter to fire magic. If another mage cast fire magic inside that field, they'd suffer the full slowing effect of the freeze, might even be frozen outright, and their fire magic's power would be suppressed.
That suppression originally applied to friend and foe alike.
But after reaching Lv.5, for companions who held the Beloved's Crest, the suppression was gone entirely. Which meant that even if Margaret stood dead center in the Blizzard and cast fire magic, she wouldn't be affected in the slightest.
Leon raised his voice.
"Margaret! You don't have to go out of your way to avoid my Blizzard. It doesn't suppress you anymore! Pour it on as much as you like!"
"Huh?"
Margaret blinked, then took him at his word without hesitation.
"Flames, grant our enemies the gift of pain!"
"Karmic Flame Calamity Meteor!"
The air in the sky twisted as if crumpled by an invisible hand. Then a massive meteor wrapped in roaring flames tore its way out of the warped space.
A deafening blast rolled outward with a wave of scorching air, and a spectacular mushroom cloud rose from the ground all the way to the ceiling of the 28th floor.
"Holy shit!"
"Skills all on, huh?"
Leon watched the carnage in front of him, eyebrows climbing.
Figures. The magic a person uses gets colored by their personality...
No matter how gentle and reserved Margaret looks on the surface, no matter how refined and academic her background is, she can't hide the violence in her bones that fire magic watered into her!
Killed Lv.3 monster, Excelia +0.1
...
Killed Lv.3 monster, Excelia +0.1
...
Killed Lv.2 enemy, Excelia +29
...
...
Leon wasn't the only one. The other companions in the fight were startled by Margaret's all-out strike too.
"Oh my, she goes full firepower at the slightest disagreement. Margaret's personality fits the fire mage stereotype perfectly."
Rose's eyes curved and she wore the gentle smile of a Yamato Nadeshiko, the kind that made people feel like they were standing in sunlight... except the monsters hacked to pieces in front of her were a constant reminder to everyone that Rose had this terrifying other side too.
Monsters: what did I do to deserve this!
...