“Aiz! Curses, I never expected her to lose her temper like this!”
The roar of the wind joined the bursting fireballs, causing the entire floor to shake even more. It was like an act from a heroic legend, watching the young girl depart to face the monster alone, and Riveria frowned as she envisaged what tragic fate lay at that tale’s end.
“Aiz cannot face that thing alone!” shouted Gareth. “No matter how crazed she is, it’s too powerful!”
“Grh…!”
Riveria was torn. She wanted to go save Aiz, but she couldn’t turn her back on the Level 7 standing before her. To even stand a chance against Alfia required the combined strength of their entire party, and if Riveria left, only a crushing defeat awaited those who remained. But just as she began to struggle under the burden of command…
“Go!!” someone called.
““!!””
Riveria and Gareth went wide-eyed with shock. It was Alize’s clear voice that cut through the battlefield.
“You and old man Gareth go save the Sword Princess!” she said. “We’ll handle Alfia somehow!”
Alize’s decision was quick, but it was reckless. Riveria couldn’t believe what she was hearing at first.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Alize Lovell! How can a group of Level Threes at best hope to take on a Level Seven?!”
“We’ll be okay! I still remember Braver’s plan! No matter how many times she knocks us down, we’ll stand right back up again!”
The girl’s enthusiasm left the high elf speechless. Alize placed her hands on her hips, exuding her trademark smugness.
“Our justice is as unbreakable as we are pure, pretty, and perfect, don’t you know?! Heh-hem!!”
Then she adopted a serious expression.
“So please trust me, okay, Gareth?”
The old dwarf was silent. Without affirming or denying her words, he adjusted his helmet. Then he turned toward the dragon.
“Let’s go, Riveria. I’d wager you won’t be able to focus without Aiz at your side, anyway.”
“Grr! I’m sorry, Astrea Familia!”
Riveria made her decision. Both Gareth and Alize had seen through her facade completely. All she could do was leave those brave girls with one last parting gift.
“Gather, breath of the earth—my name is Alf! Veil Breath!”
Her sacred protection enveloped every member of Astrea Familia in a verdant glow. It was armor that would protect them against magical and physical attacks.
“This shall keep you safe so long as the magic lasts! Please, take care!”
“Alfia is in your hands, lasses! When this is all over, we’ll have a feast, and I’ll treat you to some real dwarven spirits!”
With that the two departed. With staff and greatax in hand, they left to assist Aiz.
“All right, girls! Drinks with old man Gareth confirmed! And Nine Hell gave us this nifty buff as well! Can’t complain about that, can you?”
“Yes we can, you idiot!!” came Lyra’s swift rebuke. She looked like she wanted to strangle the life out of her bigmouthed captain. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, makin’ promises we can’t keep?! We’re gonna die out here, and it’s gonna be all your fault!!”
“Oh, Lyra, you’re so pessimistic! We’re not going to die yet, don’t be silly!”
“You absolute moron…!” cried Lyra, clutching her head in her hands. It was all the other girls could do to keep the smiles on their faces. Meanwhile, Kaguya, who had been examining the aura bestowed by Riveria, stepped forward.
“Under normal circumstances,” she said. “I would agree with the prum here, but just this once I have to side with the captain.”
The smile on her face was sickeningly sweet.
“After all, I have a debt to settle with that woman there,” Kaguya said, glaring at Alfia. “I will have my revenge, even if my decapitated head must bite out her throat!”
Lyu appeared beside the not-so-innocent maiden and said, “If it will ease Lady Riveria’s burden, then I’ll fight as well. Somebody needs to eliminate that witch, so it might as well be us.”
She leveled her own glare at Alfia. Wisps of flames danced around the ashen-haired woman. All of Astrea Familia drew their weapons.
“Are you finished with your little play-pretend?” the witch said.
“Yes, we’re finished,” replied Alize. “And it’s not pretend; our determination is very real.”
“Then perish. I shall choke the life out of you so you never sully this world with your noise again.”
After that final pronouncement, her magic swelled. The air itself groaned, but Alize’s smile was unfaltering.
“Sorry, but being noisy is the one thing we’re good at!”
All eleven of the girls wore brave smiles.
“We’re gonna keep going until you’re ready to give up!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Delphyne’s roar echoed throughout the floor. Every gout of flames caused the floor to shake, but there was a certain wind in the dragon’s eyes that it couldn’t get rid of.
“Raaaahh! Aaaaaaghhh!”
Aiz’s face twisted in madness and rage. She used Airiel to cloak her body in an armor of wind that granted her unparalleled mobility, allowing her to leap all the way up to the monster’s face. The beast attempted to stop her by swinging its heavy wings and tail, but Aiz repelled every blow with a hurricane of steel. As soon as she touched down, she launched herself at the creature once more.
It was an unprecedented clash of fire and wind. Her ceaseless attacks, like an everlasting tempest, caused the beast to howl in anger.
“Aiz! Come back! …Curses, she’s not listening to me! Her anger is in control!”
“Not even my ax can handle a beast of this size!”
No matter how many times Gareth hurled his weapon, it bounced harmlessly off the creature’s thick scales. Riveria’s magic fared little better, as the dragon’s fiery breath vaporized it utterly before impact. And she couldn’t rely on her more hard-hitting spells for fear of striking the rampaging Aiz by accident. Only the young girl had found any success attacking the beast and keeping it in check.
“Wait, look…!”
The dragon’s skin bubbled as if it were boiling, emitting steam and an ominous purple light. Then Delphyne’s wounds closed before Gareth’s very eyes. Even the shattered scales quickly reformed.
“It’s healing itself…!” Riveria spat.
“As soon as we land a solid hit, this happens!” said Gareth. “Unless we concentrate our attacks, we’ll never cut a path to its magic stone!”
Their opponent was nigh invincible to begin with, but even when they managed to do some damage, the creature’s regeneration rendered it meaningless. Gareth clenched his jaw in frustration. The beast’s vitality seemed bottomless, and half-hearted attacks would not cut it. The only way through was to rely on the strength of numbers, just as Finn’s plan had dictated.
But it didn’t seem possible to pacify Aiz without leaving themselves open to the dragon. Besides, with her tiny body surrounded by gale-speed winds, there was currently no way to even get close to her.
“Aiz is giving it everything she’s got. It’s unfortunate, but right now her anger is the only thing keeping that monster at bay.”
“But it won’t last!” cried Riveria. “She’s using more power than her body can handle!”
True to her reputation as a monster slayer, Aiz’s abilities were specialized in defeating them. Only Riveria and Gareth understood the true depths of her might, which Aiz drew upon with zero regard for the consequences. With every wind-infused slash, the beast was forced to defend instead of attacking, but at the same time, Aiz crept closer and closer to her own destruction.
“We have to stop her!” roared Gareth, raising his ax and dashing after her—when all of a sudden, he stopped.
“What’s the matter, Gareth?!”
When Riveria turned her head, Gareth was looking in the complete opposite direction, toward the eastern end of the floor. There, in the distance, the high elf glimpsed several figures rising from the blasted terrain.
“What the…?!”