Elias slowly raised the Holy Sword to deliver the killing blow. Leo no longer had the energy to counter his strike or the power to deflect it with a miraculous show of magic.
…Well, I guess it’s not the worst way to go, having my last breath taken by my best friend. Way better than bein’ done in by some random monster somewhere. But I do have one lingerin’ regret…
Aki.
Leo weakly stretched out his hand toward where he imagined he saw her smiling.
Sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.
Sorry for being uncool until the end. Sorry for being pathetic.
“…I wanted you to reject me so hard I wouldn’t know what hit me…”
I wanted to laugh through my tears and say, “You’ve got guts for rejectin’ me! You’ll definitely regret it!”
I won’t even get the chance to be rejected…?
Through his contorting vision, Elias’s raised Holy Sword gleamed blindingly.
“…Aki, Elias, I’m sorry. Sorry for failing to save you…”
I pray that someday…you two…at least…can be happy…
About to close his eyes on his regrets, Leo barely made out a black coat whisking in front of him.
“Sutcliff…?” He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Sutcliff had appeared out of thin air with his arms spread protectively in front of Leo. Shadow Tribesmen excelled at teleportation spells—he had used one to come to Leo’s rescue in the blink of an eye.
The unexpected turn of events anchored Leo’s fading consciousness to the present. “Wh-What…you…doin’…Sutcliff!” he raised his voice, hoarse and parched from vomiting blood.
“We can’t lose you here…!” Sutcliff responded without looking at him. “You are our only hope!”
“Don’t…say stuff I can’t understand…!” Leo fought with every aching fiber in his body to push himself up onto his hands and knees. He forced his dimming vision to focus on Sutcliff’s back.
I’m beggin’ ya, please dodge, Sutcliff! You’ll die for real if you’re on the receivin’ end of Elias’s slash!
Sutcliff maintained his forward facing stance as he held his left hand over Leo behind him. Under his breath he chanted a familiar teleportation spell. He was trying to teleport Leo away from Elias.
The Holy Sword gleamed viciously above Elias’s head. His inscrutable eyes were locked on Sutcliff eagerly chanting the teleportation spell with Leo hidden behind him.
Stop…
The merciless swing of the Holy Sword. The incantation wouldn’t make it in time. And still, Sutcliff wove those words as fast he could to save Leo.
Stop it…!
“STOP IT!” Leo roared from the pit of his stomach, reaching for Sutcliff’s leg.
A gust of silver light blew through the field as if stopping time itself. The luminescent flowers rustled as the wind warmly wrapped around Leo and Sutcliff. The pain instantly abated as if they’d never been injured.
Could it be—
“Good grief. Could the situation get any more pathetic than this?! I expect more from you two!”
That angry scolding brought Leo the greatest relief possible. Before Leo could call out the name of their most welcomed visitor, a powerful silver barrier formed in front of Sutcliff, repelling Elias’s downward strike and knocking his arm back with the force of it.
The aftershock still managed to knock Sutcliff on his butt while the silver wind finished fully healing the countless injuries marring his and Leo’s body.
Only one person in the entire world was capable of perfectly wielding such fussy recovery spells.
Regaining the feeling in his numbed back, Leo sprung to his feet and swung his gaze toward their savior.
There he found Johann wiping the sweat off his brow with one hand, his staff thrust in front of him with the other, and Aki at his side. Behind them Mina and Louis were getting to their feet.
Tears inconsiderately sprung to Leo’s eyes the second he saw his friend’s gallant arrival. Beyond his misty vision Johann’s lips curved into a triumphant smile.
“Be grateful I made it just in the nick of time. Can’t you figure out how to heal yourself without me? Honestly, you’re nothing but trouble.”
“Now you’ve said it, Johann! You’re damn late!”
Johann’s relieved smile and gentle expression eased his usual barbed remarks. Leo countered him with a teary grin.
With Johann here we can pull this off… thank the elements. Leo’s knees nearly buckled with the peace he felt. Just as his face softened into a dopey grin, he saw Aki lean forward with her hand on Johann’s shoulder, tears brimming in her eyes.
“Leo! Are you all right?!”
Leo nodded so hard he felt his head might fall off in response to the woman he was positive he’d never see again. “Yeah! Yeah! Somehow, I am. Thanks for keepin’ our promise, Aki. I kept up my end, too.”
I stayed alive ’til you came back.
“Thank you!”
Leo held out his right hand to stop Aki from running across the field to him.
Elias swept down his deflected sword arm, then lowered it to his side as his eyes fastened on the newcomers. His glazed gaze burned with the first sign of life when it anchored on Aki and Aki alone.
Is that it? Leo looked from Elias to Aki.
Elias was showing his first emotional reaction with Aki there. Desire to protect her cracked through his lack of expression. Couldn’t they use that to their advantage to appeal to the real him?
Aki’s presence might be the key to bringing Elias back to us.
As Leo was contemplating their next move, shock over the crest glowing on Elias’s forehead widened Johann’s eyes. He shot a pointed glare at Sutcliff who was standing in front of Leo with his two daggers at the ready to take on Elias.
“…I see. So that was what you were after. You triggered the Solar Goddess’s crest, didn’t you, Sutcliff?”
The Solar Goddess’s Crest: that was the name of the Hero’s true power slumbering within Elias.