In that case, she figured the seven Valkyrie sisters, who had a resistance to miasma, might be able to do something. However, the miasma was so unimaginably thick that they appeared to struggle with breaking through it. They had their hands full just keeping their distance while evading the fiend’s attacks.
At close range, the miasma lowered one’s defensive abilities, such that Eizenfald was counterattacking from a distance with dragon magic. Due to all the hard work he’d put in training, his dragon magic attacks were looking even more impressive, and they were both powerful and accurate enough to use in combat.
And yet, the miasma shrouding their foe was indeed on another level. Even if Eizenfald blasted it away with a ball of fire, it’d quickly return to its original state less than a second later.
“It would seem that this is where I ought to come in.”
It seemed likely that the miasma blanketing the fiend came from the demonic power that’d previously surged forth. Or so Wallenstein hypothesized before stepping up and suggesting that this made him the man for the job.
They hadn’t quite figured out the source of the miasma or what was causing it. However, there was one thing they were sure of.
And that was that it seemed to emanate whenever any strongly negative situation occurred.
“Well, true enough. That certainly seems like it’d have the best chance.”
The pair were discussing how banishment seemed the key to victory over the fiends, whose demonic power had suddenly skyrocketed, and also over the lesser demon’s vengeful spirits.
“All right, then I’ll be painting the town white. Help me out, you two,” Wallenstein said, before taking out some holy water.
Then, letting a single drop fall to the ground, he activated a spell.
“Hrmm, let’s beat ’em to a pulp.”
“Got it. Ready when you are!”
So, what exactly was Wallenstein about to do? They knew very well, and so they turned to look at the reichengiebel and got into position.
Thanks to the vengeful spirits, the reichengiebel had turned into some ungodly monster, and its body was so remarkably massive that it now moved quite ponderously.
And yet, as if to make up for this, it had a dozen or so tentacles which it could move dexterously, and which it would launch out to unfailingly grasp and then knock away any and all targets that came within range. For this reason, even the large number of dark knights Mira had directed to charge forward had quickly been routed not long after they got close to the miasma.
That said, if they tried to keep some distance from it, it’d just stand there continuously increasing the range of the miasma.
So, while Alfina and her sisters kept up the fight, an opportunity to counterattack finally presented itself.
“…And thus, here the sky ends. Beyond the night, the white sun shines. Turn to thy sins, those who wander, and give yourselves to the flames of purification.”
[Banished Arts: Garden of the Executioner and the Dead Saint]
As Wallenstein activated the spell, the world around them changed dramatically.
Within the blink of an eye, flames of banishment swept forth, dyeing the entire area bone white as the forest and just about everything else were covered in white flame. It swept over Mira and her summons, who were near Wallenstein, and it spilled over Alfina and her sisters to Eizenfald and even to Pegasus and Undine who were aloft in the sky.
However, all of them were unburnt. Nor did the flames have any effect on the forest itself whatsoever.
And yet, a single agonized howl erupted from the spot where they were.
Indeed, it was coming from the reichengiebel.
This could be explained by the special properties belonging to the flames of banishment which Wallenstein wielded.
They were sacred flames which only burned entities possessing demonic power. They were also the flames of salvation, which purified and restored all that had been corrupted by such power.
“Beautiful work. Keep it going!”
“I think that just might do it!”
As they’d predicted, the miasma seemed to be caused by demonic power, as the white flames easily burned it away.
As a result, the miasma that blanketed the reichengiebel all but dissipated, and now they finally had a perfect opening to attack.
Eizenfald began moving at once. With its massive body, it closed the distance between itself and the reichengiebel in a single bound. And yet, the tentacles belonging to the reichengiebel, which was now writhing in agony while covered in white flame, were still very much functioning, and they attempted to fight off the attack.
Batting them aside with his dragon magic, Eizenfald cut through several more tentacles, while seizing and holding down many others.
Despite his efforts, more tentacles rushed his way. This time, Alfina and her sisters sliced through them.
“All right, perfect!”
“That was beautiful!”
On the opposite side, Mira and Meilin charged in at once. The reichengiebel, meanwhile, had most of its tentacles busy dealing with Eizenfald and the other evocations.
Few tentacles were left to deal with the pair, and so Meilin quickly smashed through those that remained, which hadn’t been enough to stop her assault.
“I’ve been wanting to try this one!”
Upping her speed even further, Meilin started repeatedly hammering it with sharp blows from her right fist.
They were very heavy attacks, and yet the massive reichengiebel barely shuddered, seeming not to sustain much damage from them.
She’d said she was going to try something, but perhaps it hadn’t worked. Or so Mira thought for a moment, before it happened.
“Whoa!”
An ear-piercing explosion split the air, and the portion of the fiend’s midsection where Meilin had delivered her withering attack looked as if some invisible force had blown through it.
“I won’t let you hog all the glory!”
Just what kind of technique had Meilin used? Mira was curious, but she also felt herself growing a little competitive, and so she decided to show off some of the new spells she’d just come up with.