The fierce fighting continued. Fire and wind came at her from opposite angles, but Alfia dodged and parried every last blow like a leaf in the wind.
“Brave of you to come so close, children,” said the witch. “Do you think speed and recklessness alone will win you the day?”
“No, but what choice do we have?! Your magic can hit us at close range or far, so we might as well be where we can hit you back!”
“That’s the only chance we have of winning!” said Lyu, agreeing with her captain’s words. “A long-range battle favors nobody but you!”
The two girls’ combination attacks were nothing short of art, but the witch was unperturbed. She parted her lips, preparing to blast the pair of them off the face of the earth.
“Besides, mixing close- and long-range combat is a vital skill for any adventurer!”
It was Neze, a midrange fighter, who plugged the gaps and put a stop to the spell with her throwing daggers. For Alfia, just a small tilt of the head was required to avoid them, but it created the smallest of openings for Astrea’s finest mages to unleash their spells.
“Celty, now!”
“Yes, Miss Lyana!”
An immense fireball and stream of roaring flames created an inescapable prison of fire.
However, the witch negated it entirely.
“Ataraxia.”
Her barrier obliterated the two spells, leaving not even magical residue behind.
“Erk, she put her enchantment back up!” exclaimed Noin, having paused for a moment to use a healing item.
“Well, of course she would!” shouted Lyra. “She only needs to say one word to activate it, and she can turn it off whenever she likes! Even if it’s not instantaneous, she can switch between offense and defense in the blink of an eye!”
Her irritation was plain to see. Neze once more voiced her concern. “I know, but…doesn’t that make her unbeatable?! She doesn’t have any weaknesses at all!”
No, she has to have some, thought Alize. Otherwise, she would have wiped the floor with us by now! She’s a Level 7, and we’re Level 3 at best! There’s no doubt about it…her power level is dropping!
Two adjacent levels were an order of magnitude apart. A Rank Up was likened to an ascension of the body and soul, one step closer to godhood. The very idea of a Level 3 facing a Level 7 was so laughable it couldn’t even be called a fight under normal circumstances.
So then, circumstances were not normal.
Alize had figured it out.
“We’re on the right path!” she said. “Braver’s plan to wear her out is working! Leon, commence operation Hit and Run! It’s not very hero-like of us, but we have to keep her busy!”
“Right, Alize!”
At her leader’s command, Lyu flew into a resolute barrage of swings. She never attacked from the front, but instead from the sides, behind, and sometimes used that as a feint to go in from above.
“Taking turns to keep me on my toes, are you? I suppose you aren’t likely to give me a chance to cast my spells… No matter. Against you, I hardly need them.”
The strategy was sound…against any normal foe, at least. Against Alfia and her prodigious talent, it fell woefully short. Just as she covered for Alize and came in close, Alfia pressed the sword aside with her palm, while her other hand, deadly as a guillotine blade, came down upon Lyu’s neck. Alize was too far away to step in, but…
“Out of the way, greenhorn!”
A lightning-fast blade repelled Alfia’s chop.
“I step out of the fight for two seconds, and this happens! I just can’t leave you alone, can I?”
“Kaguya!”
Alfia stepped back to avoid her blade, allowing the Far Eastern girl to land beside Lyu.
“I was wondering where you went off to!” Alize chirped. “I didn’t believe for one second you’d just leave us all behind and run! Honest!”
“You’re as bad at lying as the elf, Captain. Best you keep your mouth shut…and leave this old hag to me!”
Kaguya did not spare so much as a glance in her leader’s direction. With a snarl that exposed her pearly whites, she kept her wicked eyes on Alfia.
“I’ve rid us of that meddling pest,” she spat. “Now it’s time to settle the score!”
“You have an impressive fire, child,” said Alfia. “However, I should correct you, for I am merely twenty-four.”
“Whoa! You’re actually that young?! I thought for sure you were, like, forty or something, and it was just your Falna making you look pretty! Color me shocked!”
“Alize! I know we’re fighting her, but you don’t have to be so rude!” said Lyu.
The weary gazes of the adventurers at the center of the formation converged on the pair. “What are they doing over there…?” Lyra sighed.
“Oh, pardon my rudeness!” said Kaguya. “It’s just, all old women look the same when you’re just seventeen!”
“If you mean to provoke me,” responded Alfia, “you’ll have to try a little harder than that. Your youth is nothing to be proud of.”
Without making any sound at all, Alfia instantly closed the distance with Kaguya. The Far Eastern girl’s eyes flew wide as she beheld the terrifying speed and power of the witch’s bare hand—as formidable a blade as any first-tier equipment.
“People age faster than you could ever know.”
What followed was a deadly storm. The girls couldn’t believe their eyes: Not only did Alfia’s hand remain completely unharmed—her bare-handed parries actually wore down the girls’ blades instead.
She’s still going?! thought Kaguya.
She’s even faster than before! thought Alize.
She’s a monster! thought Lyu.
“We grow old,” said Alfia, “every time we think of what could have been. To regret our actions is to curse ourselves. Even I no longer know my heart’s true age.”
Her gentle looks betrayed no emotion, but her words were laced with sorrow.
“We cannot fix our past mistakes. They are what make us who we are today… Zald and I are of one mind in this regard.”