“Lowe…!”
Lululee’s hoarse scream echoed emptily through the arena.
Lowe collapsed with a thud, a deep gouge in his side. The floor around him had peeled up, melting, with the marks of a clash between incredible heat sources vividly carved into it.
Gald’s highest-power Flama, using the god core, and Lowe’s Sigurth skill, Sigurth Ashinu, using Flama, had collided head-on. And Lowe, lying there, indicated the result.
“Ah-hya-hya-hya-hya! I win!” Gald clapped his hands mockingly.
It had looked as if Lowe’s skill had rivaled Gald’s Flama. But it had gradually been pushed back, pushed back by the force of Gald’s magic power, strengthened by the god core. Lowe had just barely avoided the trajectory of the attack, letting it skim his side to keep the damage to the absolute minimum.
“Ah…ngh…”
But his wound as he lay there was worse than if he’d just been skimmed by a spell. It looked like he’d been gouged out. Heat rose from the wound, and he broke into a cold sweat all over from the pain.
“Skill Activate: Sigurth Revive!”
Just a heal spell would be no good. Lululee had already used her skill on Jade, but she activated her skill a second time. Her body abruptly felt much heavier, but in exchange, Lowe’s trembling stopped a little.
“Oh, that was a fun show I got to see there.”
Gald’s foot strode into Lululee’s view. No sooner had she noticed it than a dull impact ran through her stomach. Gald had kicked her. By the time she understood that, Lululee was in the air, sliding over the stage.
“Urk…”
Lululee desperately got up, trying to approach Lowe. But Gald was blocking the way before her.
“Now then, just you left, huh? Your skill was…well, I guess it doesn’t really matter,” Gald muttered in disinterest, swinging up his leg in order to kick Lululee again.
“…”
She immediately closed her eyes, but the impact never came.
Lululee opened her eyes with a start to see someone’s back, defending her.
Jade’s back was there, swaying unsteadily as he barred Gald’s way.
“Jade! You can’t move yet…!”
She hadn’t finished healing the hole in his leg or in his abdomen. And plus, Jade’s whole body was already racked with skill exhaustion, which couldn’t be healed.
“Oh, so you can still stand? Wow, you’re something.” Gald clapped spontaneously. “Did you make sure to watch Lowe the liar? That means that all this time, while you guys were spitting blood fighting, he was secretly slacking. That’s what you’ve been desperately protecting, calling him a friend—”
“Shut up,” Jade said in a low voice. “Lowe is one of us…!” He glared at Gald with indomitable flames burning in his eyes. But that seemed to be the most he could do, and he coughed like he was in pain, spitting blood.
“Persistent little cockroach!” Gald cried, spraying spittle, and he was about to punch Jade right in the temple…when his arm stopped flat. Instead of punching, he leaped, moving away from them.
At just about the same time, a heavy blow slammed down on the spot where Gald had just been. A beat later, there was the sound of someone lightly landing on the ground.
“You…!” Seeing who had appeared, Gald clicked his tongue.
Landing there quietly in a dramatically fluttering cloak that covered her whole body was Alina, war hammer at the ready.