『Byzan territory, Compound.』
The walls that protected the Byzan territory had been destroyed, thanks to Fatima's power.
Rolo and the other warriors charged into the compound, ready for battle.
Rumia was guarded by three Rivelune warriors as she prepared an earth spell, chanting under her breath.
"Earth, grand walls, rise up and entrap my targets, 『Geo Rise!』"
The earth around the thirty soldiers began to rise, trapping them in a makeshift cage.
Fatima's staff glowed as she began to chant a spell.
"Oh great lightning, hear my call, heed my command, and strike all before you in your excellent light 『Great Lightning Arrow!!』"
With a wave of her staff, a bolt of lightning pierced through the sky and struck the trapped soldiers, electrifying them and rendering them unable to fight.
Larc conjured an axe made of pure energy with his alchemy, ready to defend his allies.
"I hope Archibald and Lamperogue were able to secure Undine," he said.
Rolo chuckled as he cut down the soldiers that came for him, his sword shining brilliantly in the sunlight.
"Those boys are tough sons of bitches. Nothing will stop them from succeeding." (Rolo)
He slashed his sword once more, unleashing a powerful shockwave that sent the soldiers flying across the compound like rag dolls.
As the battle raged on, Rolo locked eyes with Larc. "We can do this," he exclaimed.
"Together, we'll make sure the enemy doesn't get to Undine." (Rolo)
Larc nodded, his energy axe at the ready.
"Let's do it!" (Rolo)
They charged forward, each unleashing powerful spells and attacks.
Rolo's sword was fortified with wind energy, cutting through any soldier who dared stand in his way.
Larc's energy axe spun through the air, striking down foes with incredible precision.
Together, they fought as one, determined to get Undine and bring an end to the Byzan threat.
...
As Gran Felbert arrived at the compound under siege, he was met with soldiers rushing towards him in a panic.
"Chief Magus, the Rivelune forces are overpowering us!" they exclaimed.
Gran looked at them with disappointment.
"You're useless. Stay back while I handle these scum," he remarked, before turning his attention to the battlefield.
Suddenly, Fatima approached Gran. "So, you must be the Chief Magus," she stated.
Gran smirked. "Indeed I am. But you won't live to know much about me," he replied as he punched his staff into the air and chanted a spell.
"I call forth the rising surges of flames, converge upon my command and become an infernal sphere of fire that will bring down my enemies in a grandeur of destruction! Rain down on them and wash them to ashes and cinder... 『Flame Bullet Barrage!!』
As soon as he was done, his mana concentrated at the tip of his staff.
It became a large ball of fire.
The ball shot into the sky and broke into fifty spheres of fire raining down on them.
In response, Rumia and Fatima used their magic in conjunction to cast a defensive spell.
"Earth, grand walls, rise up and protect us! 『Geo Rise!!』" (Rumia)
"Oh great lightning, hear my call, heed my command, and form before me as a towering pillar of lightning! 『Great Lightning Pillar!!』" (Fatima)
Rumia used her [Earth Magic] to form a rampart while Fatima created pillars of lightning around the rampart to reduce the impact of the flame spheres.
The barrage of fire balls collided with the pillars of lightning and earthen rampart resulting in a widespread explosion that blew away several soldiers of both the Rivelune and Byzan forces.
The entire compound caught on fire.
Breathing and seeing became much harder due to the smoke.
Larc, barely able to see through the smoke, expressed his concern. "This is bad. I can barely see," he said.
Gran was satisfied with what had happened.
"That ought to do it," he said, before giving orders to his men.
"We need to search the Fortress for the boys who liberated Undine. Make sure they don't leave the Fortress," he commanded.
The soldiers nodded and departed immediately, leaving Gran to marvel at the destruction he had wrought upon the Rivelune forces.
...
As they fought tooth and nail against the Byzan soldiers, the Rivelune forces were slowly fading.
Rumia could see the desperation on their warriors' faces as she coughed heavily, choking on the smoke.
"This is bad," she told Fatima.
Fatima glanced around and noted how the Byzan soldiers had the upper hand, thanks to their helmets that gave them clearer visions and better respiratory options.
"Lutessa!" she shouted.
Lutessa, who was using revamp spells to assist some Rivelune warriors, heard her voice and rushed over.
"What's the plan?" she asked.
"We need to conjure rain from the heavens," Fatima said.
"But I--" (Lutessa)
Lutessa hesitated for a moment, uncertain if she could do it.
But Rumia and Fatima encouraged her, telling her that she could.
"Remember what Archibald told you Lutessa, people will get hurt if you don't use your talents more." (Rumia)
"I haven't known you for long, but I can tell you're a skilled Magus, all that's left is for you to prove that fact." (Fatima)
"Really?" (Lutessa)
"Without a doubt." (Rumia)
"Then I'll do it!" (Lutessa)
With newfound determination, Lutessa nodded and got to work.
Meanwhile, Rolo was still fighting the soldiers, blood gushing out with every wound he inflicted on them.
He could clearly see them because he didn't need to depend on his sight alone.
Then again, he did have one eye.
Larc wasn't so lucky, struggling to see through the thick smoke and breathing in the toxic fumes.
"It's about time we see one of those fancy spells of yours, Fatima!" he shouted.
"Shut up and let me do my thing!" (Fatima)
As she began summoning another spell with Lutessa.
Rumia used her [Earth Magic] to elevate the ground beneath the two to a higher level, giving them a better view of the battlefield to cast a combined spell.
All three women were Magi.
They had their respective staffs:
Rumia: [Benevolent Wind Empress]
Lutessa: [Water Dragon King]
Fatima: [Oceanic Stormʼs Might]
And all were Gold-ranked artifacts.
Rumia raised her magic stave in the air, gathering the cold air from the highest reaches of the skies.
The large manastone in the tip of her staff glowed a bright green colour as Fatima and Lutessa focused their mana.
They gathered all the cold air that Rumia could manage, causing the skies to swirl.
"Focus, everyone!" Fatima shouted as Gran watched warily.
"I hope it's not what I think they're doing," Gran muttered under his breath.
He was afraid that they'd extinguish the fire which was their only advantage.
The manastones in the magic staves of Fatima and Lutessa glowed a bright green and blue colour, respectively.
Slowly, they created a massive cloud in the sky, and it grew until it finally gave way, raining down upon them.
The fire started to dwindle, and the smoke began to clear.
This allowed the Rivelune warriors to see and breathe better.
Larc then shouted, "Fatima, you're the best!" before continuing to fight on equal grounds.
"She made that look easy," Rolo grinned.
Gran screamed loudly in frustration as he cursed them for extinguishing his flames.
"You bastards! I'll make sure you pay for that!" (Gran)
Fatima grinned.
"I couldn't have done it without Lutessa's help, but thank you!" she said trying to mock Gran Felbert.
Lutessa blushed, "Stop it, Miss Fatima. I couldn't have done it without Rumia elevating the ground for us," she said, still catching her breath.
Rumia coughed heavily, her eyes moist with smoke as she nodded.
"It was a team effort. We did well," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
The three ladies smiled smugly at Gran.
He gritted his teeth in frustration.
"I'll burn away those smug faces away!" (Gran)
With the fire subdued, the Rivelune forces were able to regroup and continued to fight against the Byzan soldiers.
Gran was preparing to cast another spell, his eyes void of any empathy as he told them, "I'll obliterate you all! You'll regret ever barging into our territory!"
The three girls stood together, their grip on their staves tightening.
Gran lifted his staff and began chanting, but before he could finish, the ground started rumbling beneath them.
Suddenly, an incendiary explosion erupted from the ground and wiped out what was left of the Byzan soldiers in the compound along with Gran.
What once looked like a sizable army was no more.
Gran coughed heavily, his body covered in burns, and asked, "Where did that explosion come from?"
Larc, who was outside the blast range, pointed his axe at him and replied, "That's our number one explosives junky."
"And who might that be?" Gran responded weakly.
Felinela strode towards them, stave hung upon her shoulder, "That would be me! Explosions are the best thing in the world! Hahaha!"
Rumia, Lutessa and Fatima stood there in bewilderment as they watched the smaller buildings collapse.
Felinela then joined them, boasting, "I can't believe the soldiers couldn't handle one of my weakest explosions! Talk about pathetic! Bwahaha!"
Fatima told her that she overdid it, but Felinela pouted and said, "Better too much than too little, just shut up!"
Despite their bickering, Lutessa tried to tell them to stop fighting.
However, they both shouted in unison, "We're not fighting, we're just having a disagreement!"
This caused the Lutessa to freeze up.
Then, Rumia spoke with more authority, "Enough bickering. We need to focus."
The two ladies agreed to shift the quarrel to another time, but Felinela couldn't resist one last quip, "Next time, I'll try a bigger explosion!" and they all laughed.