I climbed the castle to get closer to the White Rose.
The Dark Elf woman, who called herself Delania, also claimed to be a High-ranking Mage. That meant she was no ordinary person.
Delania swung her staff, alight with black flames, with a great flourish.
“Here it comes!”
We scattered sideways all at once. The inferno gouged out the cracked floor and slammed into the wall behind us. As planned, Veronica and Piyo rushed past Delania, heading straight for the open window.
“You won’t get away!”
A black shadow pursued the two. It morphed into countless hands, reaching out to grab Piyo and Veronica. Piyo managed to soar into the sky at the last moment. But Veronica was caught by her ankle.
“Damn it, ugh…”
I felt her aura flow from her wings to her feet. At the same time, Veronica’s strength drained, and she fell to her knees.
Just then, Cecilia’s glowing sword cut through the air. Her blade threatened to strike the enemy’s eyes. The opponent turned into black mist, evading the attack. But Elana, who had somehow moved behind them, waited with her wings spread. The attacks came without a moment’s pause. Embers mixed with a gale, and a blast of hot wind seared the enemy’s back.
Delania shielded herself, covering her face. This time, she thrust her staff into the floor. From it, black shadows crawled like snakes towards our feet.
“Don’t touch that thing!”
Veronica, still on her knees, shouted. I couldn’t fly, so I figured if I touched it, I would have my life force drained like her.
Could my shield block it? It was magic, after all, but it clung to the ground like a shadow. While I hesitated, the shadows drew closer.
There was nothing else for it. I put down my shield and stood on it. The shadow hit the shield and erupted into black flames.
“Phew, that was close.”
“Arisugawa, up there!”
At Sharin’s shout, I looked up and saw Delania about to swing her staff towards the ceiling. This was bad; she intended to drop the entire White Rose. Just then, I saw Auroa and Lord Nephilim fighting outside the window.
Lord Nephilim’s spear pierced the enemy’s wing. I could see Auroa grimace in pain. He aggressively pushed back, flapping his bat-like wings.
“Alright! Good, finish him off right there!”
I said it deliberately loudly. Delania’s gaze flickered outside for a moment. Cecilia didn’t miss the opening. Before I knew it, her glowing sword was buried in the enemy’s abdomen. With a swift slash, she cut him horizontally. A wet sound echoed, and blood splattered against the dark wall.
“Haa…”
Delania collapsed without a sound. Cecilia calmly wiped her sword without a hint of exertion and went to Veronica’s side.
“Are you okay? Can you stand?”
“Y-Yeah. Sorry about that.”
Cecilia looked at the two fighting from the half-destroyed observation deck. As if she had already forgotten about the mage she had just cut down.
“Now, what should we do? We can’t just enter like this. We need to stall him. We’ll do that, and in the meantime, Lord Nephilim can recover.”
“That sounds good. Let’s do it.”
As Veronica spread her wings, a white lightning bolt struck Auroa. He managed to erect a barrier to defend himself, but it was only a matter of time. He was truly the guardian of the White Rose. His power was on par with, or even surpassed, the highest-ranking mages.
Sharin sheathed her weapon and came beside me.
“What an incredible battle. I can’t keep up. Speaking of which, is Auroa only allied with him?”
“Um, Orion is no longer here, so I guess so.”
It seemed like an elite unit. Deprived of Delania’s support, they were struggling. Perhaps we could leave it to Lord Nephilim now.
“Shall we head downstairs? There might be some surviving guards.”
“Good idea. Let’s find a different way than the stairs.”
As I turned towards the exit, something flashed in the corner of my eye.
The shadow leaped from the castle’s summit towards Lord Nephilim and swung its sword.
It happened so fast I couldn’t cry out.
The giant shockwave from the sword pulverized the slender body and slammed it into a nearby building. A moment later, I finally regained the ability to move. I rushed to the broken window.
“What was that?!”
“W-Was that another companion just now?”
Sharin also peered out, looking intently. Lord Nephilim, struck by the powerful blow, was buried in rubble and lay motionless. The figure that landed on the ground slowly turned towards us.
A helmet shaped like a dragon’s face, heavy armor, and a blazing sword. It was Claudio. Had he not learned his lesson after being defeated by Philiana?
This was a troublesome opponent indeed. But the problem now was the fallen Lord Nephilim. Had we been a step too late?
“…What on earth.”
Veronica stared upwards, her hand covering her mouth. What was this now? I stepped on scattered shards of glass and looked up at the roof.
The white light that should have been shining brilliantly had vanished.
