When Lucy woke up, it was already night, and then she heard a lot of groans around her. It took a while, but she eventually got up after recalling what had happened earlier.
"Ugh," Lucy groaned in pain when she felt a sharp sting in her stomach.
"You aren't completely healed yet, and you can't just move so suddenly," Eclair declared.
Lucy saw Eclair healing a lot of Lucy's grunts, they were hurt all over the bodies, and some had broken legs and arms. When she looked in the distance, she saw Sigma with his semi-destroyed jaw, still fighting her grunts in one-on-one battles while Sabrina and Ed were watching everything.
"Your underlings are as stubborn as you, so they don't intend to obey Sigma unless all of them are defeated… that is about to happen, though," Eclair said.
Lucy clicked her tongue, and then she laid down to rest. Losing like that had been so annoying… she lost to a weaker opponent. She was better in all aspects, but she lost because she let the blood rush to her head.
Around two hours later, all of her underlings had been defeated, but Lucy wasn't that surprised. If she had to fight them one on one, she also would be able to do the same. Besides, her underlings were as hot-blooded as her, so the result was only natural. Still, she furrowed her eyebrows when she saw Sigma approaching. He was also a blood mess… his face was swollen, he still couldn't move his jaw, and his arms looked completely messed up and purple. He had fractures all over his body.
"We lost… so we will do as you say," Lucy said while looking away. "Still, we will fight you again if you do anything to tarnish our pride."
Sigma ignored her since he couldn't talk and just looked at Ed to do what he wanted, which was to ask some questions about their situation. First of all, she confirmed that one of them had watched them at night.
"... So, you think that we all should cooperate despite the past?" Lucy asked while furrowing her eyebrows once Ed explained a part of the things that Rose said to them. "Are you stupid? Of course, it won't work. As if those people that abandoned each other for whatever reason will fight together when they live so far apart."
"Well, things are changing now…" Ed said while wondering how he could pass the message without revealing it to Sigma. "We fought some battles and repelled numerous attacks of monsters that were being controlled by demons. Soon, everyone will understand that it is possible."
"Nonsense, I can tell that you are all weak, and I won't be defeated by that guy again," Lucy said. "Even with our numbers, we are having a hard time against a small group of demons. If you think you can convince us, then you should try and show it."
Sigma didn't want to talk since his mouth hurt, so he just signalized with his arms and body language: big words for a loser. Lucy easily understood the message, but that only made her more pissed.
"This is it! Let's fight again!" Lucy got up and then began to sweat cold since she felt that sharp sting on her stomach again.
Sigma just shrugged and showed a smug smile: I will fight you once I think that it will be difficult to win. Ed, Eclair, and Sabrina sighed. He sure was trying to annoy the hell out of her… Fortunately, no one could press that matter much further since Sigma won, and they couldn't question his orders so soon.
"Tell us about the demons that you fought," Ed said once things calmed down a bit. "We fought an evolved Veridiris south of Cielia, and we assumed that it was under the control of a demon. We also noticed their presence, but they never showed themselves."
"A single middle-tier demon could have wiped out the floor with you guys. It must have been a small fry, then," Lucy said.
"As I said… it was controlling an evolved beast, and through it, it also controlled the ordinary monsters," Ed said while massaging his eyebrows. "I guess we need to tell you how that fight ended."
The battle against the Elder Verdiris wasn't exciting at all, so Sigma would rather avoid spreading how it ended or how it happened. Then again, he didn't have any reason to worry about what others thought. He won, and that was all… that and the fact that he had to think of better ways to deal with the same situation.
Eventually, Ed also showed everyone the magic stone that they got from that beast… while Sigma couldn't claim that all for himself since he didn't fight alone, he wished that Ed would just find a way to use it already.
"... Hmm," Lucy stayed silent for a while after hearing what had happened. "If you guys can really do that, then perhaps we have a chance against the demons. I will guide you all tomorrow to their territory and then see you all in action."
"I think it would be better if you and Sigma have some time to heal," Ed said and then looked at Sigma. "What do you think, Sigma?"
Sigma just shook his head and then pointed at Lucy and her underling and then made an expression of discomfort, and then pointed to his ass. They were a pain in the ass… and it would be annoying to work with them. In the end, Sigma just signaled that they had to return to Cielia and then guard the city until he said otherwise.
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