Everything falls according to the plan.
Before the start of the operation, I already had Marina on stand-by. She was actually in the very same building where I viewed the battle of Deva and the five dragons, but I concealed her with a simple invisibility spell.
When I summoned my Pearl Dragon, Marina was already on standby. I asked her to wait for my mark until I deliver her to the target location, which is the street where the injured civilians are taking shelter. I had to drive Claire Magnus away from her army so that Marina could have a better chance of assassinating the wretched Dragon Sage.
Now is the right time to have a one-versus-one showdown between the girls. They are both surrounded by a giant ring of black fire, which will be their small battlefield.
But first, I have to drive Odette and civilian bystanders here. I looked at the pink-haired priestess and shouted. "Odette, get the civilians to safety! Heal them as much as you can!"
"H-Huh? What about you, Lord Corasell!?" Odette gripped her want tight.
"I'll be okay! I'll be summoning Hanna!" I smiled. "For now, save as many civilians as you can!"
There was a two-second silence before Odette finally reacted with a smile and a determined gaze.
"Wilco, milord! But first, I have to do this!" Odette closed her eyes while she pointed her scepter at me. "With the power of light, I command thee, to protect my Dragon Sage! Holy Shield!"
A bubble of light materialized that encased my body. This Holy Shield spell will protect me from physical and magical attacks. Aside from that, I can feel a soothing warmth inside this shell.
"Thank you, Odette!" I cried.
"You're welcome! Keep safe, Lord Corasell!" Odette waved her hand.
The Divine Priestess lead the civilians out of the warzone. A few moments later, the street was covered with loneliness. The distant gunshots and the raging flames are the only noise that can be heard in this very place.
"I have to check on Hanna," I muttered to myself as I closed my eyes and chanted a spell. "Shared Sight!"
My vision went back to the eyes of Deva, who apparently, is in the end phase of her battle. She's still on her black-and-gold Cyber Angel Dragon that is wielding two swords, fighting against a Leaf Dragon and a Lightning Dragon.
"Alphastrike!" Cyber Angel Dragon telepathically chanted, and then she disappeared in an instant!
She magically appeared behind the Leaf Dragon and slashed its back. After that, she disappeared. Then she teleported at the back of the Lightning Dragon and slashed its nape!
The dragons uttered a loud cry as they saw their blood splashing out of their body. Both the Leaf Dragon and the Lightning Dragon fell from the skies.
Seeing that she's already finished on her job, I called her via telepathy.
"Deva, new orders. Confirm the kill of the five dragons. The army is busy with the mafia and Claire Magnus is busy with Marina. Nobody should interrupt you now except for some air units."
"Roger that." Deva telepathically answered.
"After killing the five Dragonoid Contractors, give some support fire for the mafia in fighting the army," I added.
"The way you're using me is too rough, you know!" Deva telepathically protested. "You used me as a decoy, and now you want me to finish all the job!"
"You're the only one competent enough to do those things!" I telepathically cried.
"Alright, alright. But you owe me one, okay?" Deva said.
"A date again?" I asked.
"How about a drink? You drink alcohol, right?" I know Deva's smirking due to the teasing tone of her telepathic voice.
"Fine! Just focus on the job at hand, okay?" I grunted. "Look, I'll be cutting the telepathy for now. Marina needs my support. Good luck out there, Hanna."
"Okay~ Good luck to you too, Uly~"
As soon as my communication with Deva was cut off, I switched my Shared Vision spell to Marina, who is busy fighting the enemy Dragon Sage inside a dome of dark fire.
"Black flames, destroy my enemy!" Marina pointed her hand at Claire Magnus, and a stream of dark fire was unleashed from her hand.
"Burn!" Claire Magnus did the same gesture, and a wave of red flames emerged to intercept the black flames.
A mix of red and black flames made an explosion that is like an exploding oil tanker! The shockwave pushed both ladies away from the position where they once stood!
"Oh my, my dear little mafia lady." Claire Magnus grinned. "You're still skillful in black flame magic. Too bad, that's your only talent. If only you have another talent that would've made your dead ex-husband happy…"
"Shut up!" Marina shot more black flames from her hand. "You damn whore! You will pay for what you did to Benjamin!"
Claire Magnus slashed her sword-wand on the black flames, and the black flames were immediately extinguished. "Oh, so it's my fault now? It's your dear Benjamin who approached me first. If you're only a good wife back then, he wouldn't go near me!"
"Shut up!" Marina cried as she unleashed both waves of dark flames from both of her hands. "I accepted that I was never a good wife to Benjamin! I forgave him even though he was cheating on me! I welcomed you with open arms even though I'm hurt!"
Claire Magnus swiped her sword once again, and the twin stream of dark flames disappeared. That gemmed sword must be doing some kind of magic tricks to dispel Marina's blaze.
Marina lowered her hands, knowing that spending more mana won't do her good. She bowed, and tears started dropping from her eyes.
"Oh?" The bitchy Dragon Sage smiled. "Are you crying right now?"
"I knew it. I knew it better than anyone that Benjamin loved you more. Otherwise, he wouldn't cheat on me. I know that much… and I accepted that I'm a weak woman." Marina wiped her tears away and her crimson eyes glared with killing intent. "But one thing I couldn't accept is the betrayal you gave in return!"
Marina's forehead started to grow two horns with red glowing lines. Six black wings sprouted from her back. And two dark burning swords materialized from her hands. The heat of those black flames immediately evaporated the trails of tears left on her cheeks.
"Oh, so you're getting serious! I like that rage stored in your eyes!" Claire Magnus raised her sword-wand, and a stream of water spiraled around her blade. "Let's go, you pathetic housewife!"
The mafia leader and the general clashed blades. Because of the water enchantment on Claire Magnus' sword, Marina's left flame sword was immediately extinguished.
"Are you that dumb!? Water extinguishes fire!" Claire Magnus laughed.
"I still have another one!" Marina cried as she slashed her remaining fire sword towards the enemy's left liver. "Haaah!"
"Water Armor!" Claire Magnus chanted, and her whole body was filled with solidified water.
The moment Marina's sword touched the water armor, it was immediately extinguished. Marina was left dumbstruck as she was out of weapons.
"Stupid bitch!" Claire Magnus kicked Marina's face with her military boot, and Marina ended up rolling on the floor.
"Gyaa!" The mafia leader cried out a pitiful cry.
Clare Magnus stood tall in front of her defeated rival. Her eyes looked at Marina with disgust and disdain.
"Let me tell you two things, Marina. First, I am a Dragon Sage, which means I know how to cast all basic elemental spells and do not rely on elemental affinity as you do. And you are just a filthy housewife who failed to graduate from Magic Academy and is dependent on her husband's men. Our abilities are like night and day."
Claire Magnus stepped on Marina's head, making her cry in pain.
"Aaah!"
"And second, your deceased husband is an idiot. Benjamin Jogudra is a man who thinks with his penis, not with his brain. He fell in love with me, who is a Dragon Sage tasked to eliminate the head of the Jogudra Mafia." Claire Magnus twisted his feet to rub Marina's delicate face on the asphalt. "It was an easy quest. He is an idiotic man who had a stupid death."
"Since you're an idiotic woman, you deserve a stupid death too." A loud voice echoed.
The black flame walls spread out and revealed the source of the voice. And that awesome source of the voice is… yours truly! The handsome Ulysses Corasell! Thanks to Odette's Divine Shield, I was able to pave my way through the wall of flames.
"You traitor-!"
Claire Magnus failed to finish her sentence. She noticed that blood is foaming on her mouth. When she looked at her body, she discovered that a katana passed through the gaps of her armor and pierced her right kidney.
When she slightly turned her head, she saw the crimson eyes staring at her with killing intent. She also saw the backstabber's long silver-blue hair and floating sword-wings. Coughing two times to clear her throat from blood, she mentioned the name of the attacker from her rear.
"D-Deva!?"