"Frajil, let's finish this." Rasha stated.
"Indeed." Fleska agreed.
Above us, the eight Harbingers float in the night sky. They bare their weapons, ready to attack us.
"Saint, how long can the Asterion sustain a battle of attrition?" I asked him.
"The Asterion can probably hold out, I'm not sure about the worlds though." He answered.
"Arata, focus on our main objective. Saint, Van, Zander, get Arata to the Tree of Origin." Will orders. "We'll stall them, so go. We'll be right behind you after we take care of them."
"Will's right. Arata get to the Tree of Origin." Al say.
"Then, on my signal." Alex draws his bow.
"Ataraxia: Stardust Trail!" Alex fires an arrow, it shines a bright light, giving me the chance to teleport myself, Van and Zander to the island.
"Quick! Into the castle!!" Zander grabs me by the land and pulls me into the castle, I manage to catch a glance of eight bright lights shining before I enter the castle.
------
"Tch. They've managed to escape into the castle." Mize clicks her tongue.
"I'll go after them." Shaze says but Zhen blocks her path.
"Sad to say that you'll have to go through us before you can get to Arata." Ethan says raising Warden, ready to attack.
"What's the plan? Each take one?" Alistar asked.
"Any other ideas?" William asks summoning Sweet Arms to his hand. "No matter what, we'll defend Arata."
"Then you shall die here, alongside your beloved Sacred Flower." Frajil takes the initiative, charging forward to seperate William from the rest of the Braves.
"Will!" Andrew tries to go after them but Fleska blocks his path.
"You'll be dealing with me." Fleska charges at Andrew who summons Reaper to his hand.
"Requiem!" Andrew slashes down but Fleska easily dodges it, send waves of dark light that push Andrew back.
Before they can even notice it, the Braves are separated by the Harbingers for a one-on-one battle.
-----
"Move the injured towards the center, anyone who can use healing spells please tend to the severely inured first!" May takes the reigns of the recovery area that they have created within the castle.
"The Fingers keep raining down in mass that we can't keep up with them. At this rate, we could end up overrun." Hiro says as he pulls himself off the ground where he was laid to recover.
"This is starting to look like a battle of attrition. One we are losing." Mayuri says as Lina heals her broken leg. "Who's left on the battlefield?"
"Touya, I've left him incharge of my Group. He's holding out pretty well, he and Shizuku and the others." Hiro answered.
A scream from the entrance causes all the Braves to turn to that direction. At the entrance, they find a giant beast heading straight for them.
"Tch. It's an upperclass!" Mayuri shouts. "Everyone, brace yourselves!!"
Just as the beast entered the entrance it is immediately decapitated and then turns into smoke.
"What was that?" Hiro asked.
"Danger Detected: Activating Castle Defense Systems. All War Hammers Deployed." A voice echoes in the castle.
"Who's voice was that?" Lina asked.
"It was Edel." Lemianile stated as she propped herself on the wall. "It took a bit of energy, but Ritty and I were able to reawaken her from her sleep. All War Hammers have been deployed, with their help the castle should be more easily defended."
"Where's Ritty?" Spiro asked.
"She's leading the War Hammers to the frontline." Fatum answered as she helped Lemianile.
Meanwhile on the battlefield the Braves who were barely managing to hold their own against the upperclass Fingers were close to collapse.
"Fall back!" Theo shouted as he and the Vassal Braves covered the Braves' retreat to the Sidus Pontem.
"Autumn Gale!!" Autumn, alongside the White Tiger and the other Cardinal Beasts were trying to maintain formation as they retreated.
"Winter Blizzard." Snow's spell freezes many of the Fingers only to be replaced by more.
"Incoming!!" Ardor alerts the Braves as he flies on the black of the Vermillion Bird. The Braves turn to the sky as more upperclass Fingers fall from the sky.
"All Braves, focus on retreating. Assist the injured and badly wounded!!" Touya lead the retreat as he and the Quasi-Braves joined the frontline to assist the retreat.
"Sakura, go and assist the retreating Braves." Dino states as Sakura hops onto the back of the Azure Dragon and aids the retreat of the Braves. "Focus on getting the most inured and wounded up to the Sidus Pontem first!"
"Dragon Fire!!" A blaze of flame shoots infront of Theo as he is about to be split in half by the upperclass finger. "Reinforcements have arrived."
Ritter in her dragon form flew overhead of the Braves. As she lands, so do the numerous War Hammers that have accompanied her.
"Fall back to the Sidus Pontem, leave the rear to us for now." Ritter says as she leads the War Hammers to defend the retreating Braves.
"Take this chance, all Braves retreat to the Sidus Pontem!" Theo shouts as the Braves retreat to the Sidus Pontem.
"This is really bad... Lady Felicia and the Ancients are defending the surrounding cities and the other continents so we need to defend the Sidus Pontem but..." Mao takes a look beyond the barrier as Ritter fought with the War Hammers to defend the Sidus Pontem. "I'm not even sure how long the barrier will hold."
"We have to endure it, no matter how long." Adonis says as Ophelia healed his wounds.
"How? We have countless wounded Braves, a majority are only first years without seasoned combat experience." Touya says. "At this rate, we'll lose."
"We can't lose hope, Arata is counting on us to defend this world." Mao answered.
"But what are we supposed to do? We can't keep fighting an endless battle. Unlike the Calamity, we can't just keep fighting. Eventually Braves will hit their limits." Hanako chimed in.
"Then we just have to overcome that limit." Leon stated as he appeared from a portal. "For the future."