A dark hallway within the dungeon, faintly illuminated by occasional torches.
The sound of footsteps echo off of the walls at a slow and steady rhythm. Seven figures walk across the stone path, shadowed by the darkness.
Varying in size, they are given hints of color with every passing torch.
A delinquent-sounding female voice breaks the silence, questioning,
"Boss is finally sending us, huh?"
Replying quickly, a more refined, womanly voice says,
"It would be in your best interest to refer to the Emperor by his proper title."
Now, a loud manly voice shouts,
"Ha! Serious as always!"
An older voice coming from a male simply chuckles at the banter.
Suddenly, the hallway shudders a bit as a low, growling voice mutters,
"Me no like... Small..."
A high-pitched voice protests,
"Who are you calling small! It better not be me!"
Lastly, a quiet female voice, attempting to calm the situation, mumbles,
"P-Please don't fight..!"
With a commanding tone, the refined woman from before calls out,
"We are nearing the exit! Prepare yourselves!"
The noise comes to a complete stop as a blinding ray of light shines over the seven, concealing them even more.
Returning to the battlefield, Alizandria and Freidrich continue scouting from atop the cliff. Alizandria comments,
"We seem to be winning by a slight margin."
Down on the ground, the Royal Army and the monsters clash against one another, striking each other down relentlessly.
With the monsters trying to force their way into the city, the Royal Army stands as a roadblock to their plans. Freidrich mutters,
"This should be another victory for the Royal Army."
Alizandria nods silently.
On the rugged terrain, Alvard runs around, reducing the invaders down to ash alongside Cerberus, the three-headed hell hound. The grass is lit with flame as Alvard leaps through the air like an acrobat.
As if it was part of his body, he utilizes his scimitar with exquisite control.
Trudging across the ground, Cerberus chomps at the monsters while blobs of lava drip from his mouths.
Not too far from them, Rigurd and Asterion successfully hold off their own assailants.
Ramming through towards opposite directions, both of them launch monsters flying into the air. Tremors resonate through the earth with each step and their cries fill the air.
Across the city, Lily and Lazaro fight their own battles, taking care of mini-hordes. Lazaro shouts,
"Water Missile... Freeze!"
Shooting down, the liquid warhead makes contact with the ground and spreads out in a radius of frigid ice.
The monsters standing within get their legs stuck as Lazaro finishes them off with [Liquid Arrows] piercing through their chests.
On the other hand, Lily weaves through the monsters, delivering blows. Utilizing [Lightspeed] beautifully, she looks like a ray of white light as she speeds between the enemy forces.
Panting and noticeably tired, Lazaro mentions,
"They just keep coming! When is this ever gonna end!"
Lily retorts,
"Just keep quiet and fulfill the mission you were given."
In the 6th District, Sylvie stands up and announces,
"Ahem! That's everyone for now! You can take a rest, but don't get too comfy! Make sure to keep a lookout for any new patients, okay?"
The members of the 6th Division silently salute before letting out a sigh of relief.
Sylvie turns towards the humanoid water spirit hovering behind her and mumbles,
"Thanks for your help, Samenia."
The water spirit shrinks down into a puddle, disappearing.
As the commotion dies down within the city, Sylvie feels the ground shake accompanied by screams of pain.
Alizandria stares down at the battle with a speechless expression. She stutters,
"What... is that..!?"
Staring silently at the landscape, Freidrich's expression contains both emotions of confusion and worry.
The members of the 4th and 5th Division look down as well, frozen in fear.
On the battlefield, six new members have joined the battle. Freidrich digs his nails into his palm within his fist, wounding himself.
Suddenly regaining his composure, he shouts commands,
"Everyone, stay calm! Prepare to send out orders! Tell the soldiers to continue the battle as usual. Send orders for Gremly to join the battle. The Commanders will be able to handle the situation."
The members standing behind him salute and get to work. Freidrich places his hand on Alizandria's shoulder and mumbles,
"I... believe in the Royal Army."
She regains her composure and replies,
"Thank you... I believe in them as well..."
Down on the ground, Alvard shouts,
"Hey! Cerberus! What are you doing!?"
Cerberus stands, literally frozen.
Despite its high temperature, Cerberus is surrounded by a layer of thick clear ice. In a similar fashion, the previously flaming terrain has been cooled to a layer of mist and frost.
From behind Cerberus, a woman walks out with her hand on the icy dog and shouting with a delinquent-like voice,
"It was getting a little hot, thought I would cool it down a bit... Looks like I overdid it though... Your pet should thaw out after a while..."
The woman stands nonchalantly with white cat ears and a long white tail.
She has pale white skin and bright emerald eyes. The woman is wearing a gray leather coat and ash-colored shorts. S
he has a name hovering above her head just like a boss, however, this one appears in a red hue. It reads,
[Tillian Stralf the Howling Tundra]
She sniffs the air and says to Alvard,
"You're one of us aren't ya? It's not very strong, but I can smell it on you!"
The anger fuming in his soul like a raging fire, he responds,
"What did you say!? You'll pay for doing that to Cerberus!"
He jumps towards Tillian, fury in his eyes and a pillar of flame trailing him.